Alaska… August 15, 2012

Enjoying the beauty of life (Lake Clark, Alaska).

We made it home safe and sound (well, maybe not sound, as we are still trying to adjust to the HOT weather and face reality again!) yesterday afternoon. It was nice coming home in the afternoon; we had time to unpack, do laundry, put Keenan down for a nap (he was SO tired from all of the traveling, poor little guy!) and get to bed early. It was a LONG day of traveling…we had to be at the airport at 5:00 a.m. for our flight (not fun)!

It is good to be home, but at the same time, I kind of miss being in Alaska. It was nice to be completely remote without any communication with the rest of the world (no phones, internet or TV). It allowed us to appreciate the simple things that we often forget in the hustle and bustle of  life, and most importantly, it allowed us to truly spend quality, uninterrupted time together as a family: Rolling logs down the lawn, picking wild strawberries and blueberries with Keenan, smelling the flowers, fishing, enjoying the sounds of nature, getting excited when a bald eagle landed on the lawn in front of my in-law’s lodge to eat the remains of the fish I caught, playing board games and reading. It made me realize what is truly important in life: Family, health, faith, food and shelter. Everything else is not that important (if at all).

I was fortunate to meet a native Alaskan man the night before we left my in-law’s lodge to fly back to Anchorage.  After talking with him, I saw the world so differently. His worries are so different than ours. He has to worry about staying safe from bears or moose, picking enough wild blueberries to freeze for the winter, catching enough fish to freeze and/or smoke to feed his family, providing a safe house for other native kids who live in a horrible household, and finally having enough money to put a roof over his family’s head. Having a car or the latest technology is foreign to him. Wearing the newest clothes is not important, as long as you have them to stay warm. We (myself included) too easily get caught up in the game of life, needing the latest cell phone, computer, TV, new car, or new clothes, but is that what really matters in the grand scheme of things? Does that new cell phone add value to your life and to your family’s life? Or, is it taking time away from your family because you are spending too much time on it? Is materialism and consumerism the essence of modern life?

Here is a recap of our trip:

Leaving for Anchorage (actually Seattle; we had a layover before getting on another plane to head to Alaska).

Keenan was SO excited to fly on a “big airplane!” If you are wondering why my eyes are red and somewhat puffy, I had an allergic reaction to a new eyeliner that I tried the day before.

Leaving for my in-law’s lodge at Lake Clark, an hour and 15 minutes Southwest of Anchorage, in a little plane.

Keenan was SO tired and SO silly!

The view from the small airplane was incredible! Here are few pictures that I captured. Keenan had a great time on the plane ride (despite being OVERLY tired), playing with a few native kids who sat behind us!

A glacier runoff into the lake.

The beautiful Lake Clark.

Our little plane!

Once we arrived at my in-law’s lodge, we had dinner, put Keenan to bed, relaxed for a bit, bathed in the sauna and went to bed. It was a VERY LONG day of flying. Our flight in Sacramento left at 9:20 a.m. and we arrived in Lake Clark at 7:30 p.m. Alaska time (they are one hour behind us). We traveled for 12 hours and Keenan, once again, was a trooper. He was a great traveler! He slept part of the way from Seattle to Anchorage which was nice! It also helped that I had some episodes of “Elmo’s World,” “Shaun the Sheep” and “Timmy Time” on my nook to keep him entertained for a while!

Keenan being silly on the little plane to my in-law’s lodge! I just had to take a picture!

After getting unpacked and settled the next day, we  headed in the boat to go across the lake to visit my in-law’s friends and introduce Keenan. Keenan was a little unsure of the boat, but once we were in it, he had a good time. After that first boat ride, he couldn’t wait to go again! Once we got home, we enjoyed some relaxing time, playing with Keenan and cooking, since the weather was bad. It was raining for the first 3 days that we were there, providing a great excuse to rest and relax, which we all needed.

Helping Daddy drive the boat with Grandpa!

Play time!

The next day we went fishing (in the rain) for Pike and my husband caught one, but I only had a few bites. I love fishing for Pike (aka Fresh Water Barracuda) because they jump up to bite your bait. They have huge mouths with razor sharp teeth. It is fun and exhilarating! Keenan was mesmerized with the fish my husband caught. He was so focused on watching my husband reel in the fish, unhook it and put it in the bucket to bring home. In the afternoon, my husband created a WOD for us which included sprinting down the runway (3,000 ft), throwing logs down and up a hill in the lawn and doing 25 pushups for three rounds. It was a good workout, especially doing it in pouring down rain! For dinner, we baked the Pike and made “Pike pasta” with a garlic cream sauce. It was SO yummy! Sorry, I completely forgot to take a picture of our dinner.

Keenan ready to go fishing in the rain, wearing his make-shift “waterproof pants” out of a kitchen garbage bag that Daddy made (which actually worked quite well)!

After another day relaxing at the lodge and playing outside with Keenan, we headed up the river to fish for Grayling (which I caught two!), had a picnic and found a moose and bear print for my mother-in-law to do a print with Keenan’s boot and hand out of Plaster of Paris. It was a fun day! When we got back, Keenan rode on the four-wheeler with Daddy, which he loved! While Keenan was napping, my husband and I went kayaking, since it was such a beautiful day. That night, we baked the Grayling that I caught, flaked out the meat and made pizza, using Arugula, pancetta, caramelized onions and goat cheese! Again, I forgot to take a picture of our pizza, sorry!

The view heading up the river!

The first Grayling that I caught!

The second Graying that I caught!!

The weather was stormy again, so we all lounged around the lodge and did some more reading and relaxing, while my mother-in-law and Keenan made bread! He loved being my mother-in-law’s “Baking Assistant!”

Baking bread with Grandma!

“Show me the measuring cup!”

Kneading or rather, “punching” the dough to relax it a little before letting it rest.

A couple days later we headed across the lake again to check the mail and visit with my in-law’s friends (who sure enjoyed Keenan!). Later that day, Keenan helped Grandpa mow the lawn.

Riding the tractor (mowing the lawn) with Grandpa!

The day before we left, we did some Pike fishing again, and this time, I caught two fish! We tried to get a picture, but my husband accidentally let it go (you can sort of see the mouth of the Pike before I reeled it in). Keenan also fished this day, using a little pole that my in-law’s had. He had a ball, saying “Fishing like Mommy and Daddy!” He didn’t catch anything because we didn’t put a hook on it, but he certainly learned how to drop the line in the water and reel it in.

Keenan fishing with Grandpa.

The first Pike that I caught!

On our last day at the lodge, we packed up and headed back to Anchorage to drive down the cost to Seward. It was a cute little seaside town with a wonderful Sea Life Center. We stayed in Seward for two nights, visiting the Sea Life Center (seeing Puffins, a baby Walrus, lots of neat colored fish, seals and sea lions), hiking up to a glacier, eating WONDERFUL seafood and shopping. It was a nice little getaway before flying back to Sacramento. I highly recommend visiting Seward, if you are traveling to Alaska!

Keenan had to hug the bear outside of a store in Anchorage. It was too cute!

The family, after hiking to the top of the glacier in Seward!

Our little family with Keenan in the Ergobaby Carrier (the best thing ever when traveling, hiking or just going shopping!).

Keenan driving the boat in the little play area at Seward’s Sea Life Center!

Horsing around in the car (Keenan wearing my sunglasses) on the drive back to Anchorage from Seward!

We arrived in Sacramento yesterday and Keenan wanted to help with the luggage. Once we got home, Keenan was so exhausted, he slept for 2 hours!

Helping with Grandpa and Grandma’s luggage (cooler filled with frozen fish)!

Sound asleep after a long day of traveling!

It was a fun two weeks! We all had a great time and Keenan saw a lot of wildlife and learned so much. It was fun to see the world through his eyes! Now, it’s back to reality for us (which started with CrossFit this afternoon that wiped us out!).  Time for bed and on to tomorrow…

Home Sweet Home July 23, 2012

Such a tired boy!

We got home late Saturday night, around 10:30 p.m. Keenan was SO tired. He fell asleep on the way home, around 9:00 p.m. and then woke-up after an hour, crying and saying, “Keenan all done!” Poor little guy, he just wanted to get out of the car and be in his crib. The drive back was the LONGEST drive we have ever taken! There was so much traffic on the road, it was ridiculous, thus making the drive even longer. Needless to say, we were all glad to be home (though, not for long, since we leave for Alaska next Monday).

Yesterday, we spent the day unpacking, cleaning out the car, doing laundry, getting groceries, working on Keenan’s birthday invites (which I’ll post about later this week) and catching up on sleep, since we were all so tired. Keenan slept till 9:00 a.m. yesterday morning and still took a 3 hour nap!

Keenan is still catching up on his sleep because he slept till 9:15 a.m. today, sleeping for over 13 hours! So far, he has been napping for over 2 hours! We are putting him to bed on time tonight and hopefully, he will be back to his normal “schedule,” tomorrow (but, it sure is nice that he is sleeping in so late!).

As promised, here is a recap of our trip:

Beach: Our house was 7 blocks from the beach, so we tried to go to the beach as much as possible, which ended up being every other day. Our beach days were our “relaxation days,” after a busy day of site-seeing the day before. Our house was on a hill, so the walk to and from the beach was a great workout, especially pushing Keenan in his stroller with all of our beach gear (thank goodness for our BOB!). Keenan and his cousin loved playing in the sand and building sand castles. Keenan loved getting more water in his bucket with my dad and “jumping the waves!”

Having fun “jumping the waves” with Nonna and Avo!

Keenan and his cousin after a morning of playing on the beach…they were tired!

Sea World: The day after we arrived, we headed to Sea World. It changed SO much since I was there 15 years ago! The park now has roller coasters and water rides (my dad, brother, husband and me managed to squeeze in a ride on the Manta, which was fun!). We saw all of the shows and I think I enjoyed watching Keenan’s reaction to seeing dolphins, whales and sea lions for the first time, more than the actual shows! He was mesmerized! We also watched a Sesame Street show and Keenan and his cousin got to meet Elmo, Abby and Cookie Monster. I wasn’t sure how Keenan was going to react, but all he wanted to do was “hug Elmo!” I had to hold onto him during the entire show because he kept wanting to climb-up on stage to see Elmo. After the show, we stood in line and Keenan and his cousin got to take pictures with all of the characters. When it was our turn, Keenan ran to Elmo and gave him a big hug; it was adorable! Since he was so enamored with Elmo, we had to get him a little Elmo doll and Elmo sandals, which he loved (he sleeps with Elmo every night and hasn’t wanted to wear any other shoes, but his Elmo ones!).

The Shamu show!

Keenan was SO happy that he got to meet Elmo!

USS Midway: After a “relaxation day” at the beach, we headed to the USS Midway, a retired aircraft carrier that has been turned into an aviation museum. It was incredible! We learned so much. It was especially interesting, since my dad was a Naval Officer and lived on a similar ship (though a lot smaller) many years ago.  The Midway provided me a glimpse of what life was like for my dad (something he hasn’t talked much about). In addition, Keenan enjoyed seeing and sitting in all of the airplanes and helicopters!

Standing in front of the “Top Gun” plane.

Zoo: On our last day in San Diego, we went to the Zoo. It has also changed so much from when I was there 15 years ago; there are so many more animals to see! Like Sea World, I couldn’t wait to see Keenan’s reaction to all of the animals, since this was his first time going to a Zoo. He was mesmerized by the Elephants, Kangaroos, Giraffes and especially the Polar Bears (we saw one sitting-up and eating a carrot!). But, the highlight of the day was the petting zoo, where Keenan and his cousin were able to pet sheep and goats. Keenan was in awe; he loved petting the goats and giving them hugs. I think we stayed there for at least 30 minutes, because Keenan and his cousin did not want to leave!

Petting the goats at the Zoo.

“Hugging” the goats!

Our Eats: Since we stayed in a house, we cooked every night, to make things easier and to save money. It’s hard (and expensive) for a family of 8 to eat out every night. For all of our family vacations, my mom usually takes the lead to cook most nights. But, we made sure to give her a break and cooked every night during this trip. During the day on our “relaxation days” we made sandwiches for lunch and when we were out and about, we dined out. My husband and I went to Costco and Trader Joe’s to stock-up on groceries, once we arrived in San Diego. We planned most of the week’s menus, except for a couple of nights that my brother and sister-in-law cooked. We made roast chicken with roasted broccoli mixed with cherry tomatoes and feta cheese, pork loin with roasted cauliflower, fish tacos, burgers with oven-baked zucchini fries and an antipasti picnic night. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the food we made!

Keenan enjoying an ice cream cone after visiting the USS Midway, thanks to Nonna and Avo!

Beer: My husband’s favorite brewery is Stone Brewing Co. (which is located near San Diego), so we had to visit. We tasted almost all of their beers and my favorites were the Smoked Porter, Levitation Ale and Ruination IPA! The brewery is huge. It’s out in the middle of of an industrial park, but their restaurant and outside patio (where we sat) was quite nice and relaxing. I highly recommend visiting their brewery if you are ever in the area, or at least trying some of their beers (you can find them at BevMo or some grocery stores).

The lineup that we tasted at Stone Brewing Co.

Coffee: We brought our french press, grinder and some coffee beans, so we were able to make fresh coffee everyday. But, since we were in Southern California, my husband and I made sure to stop at as many Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf  shops as possible. They only have one shop in Northern California, in San Francisco, so anytime we are down south, we take advantage of them! Our favorite drink is their Carmel Blended! It is probably the best frozen coffee drink I have ever had! They make it with the toddy and add their non-fat vanilla powder, caramel and ice. It is creamy and not overly sweet. Again, I didn’t manage to take a picture of any of the ones we had, sorry!

It is time to get back to reality and head to CrossFit this afternoon (my goal is to workout 6 days this week, to maximize my time before we leave for Alaska next week) and start getting ready for our next trip. I have lots of errands to run this week, as well as things to do, such as cleaning the house (I’m not looking forward to it, but it needs it!).

What are your plans for the week? What kinds of things do you do to get ready for a trip?

Fun in the Sun July 15, 2012

Keenan enjoying his first “real” slice of pizza at the Pescadero Grocery Store, a stop along the way!

We all made it to San Diego safe and sound! The drive wasn’t too bad, except for the traffic through L.A. I don’t know how people live there and deal with the traffic every day. I would be SO miserable, not to mention stressed out all the time! Yesterday, we drove through around 1:00 p.m. and the traffic was completely stopped (I can’t imagine what it is like during the week!). It took us at least 30 minutes to drive 5 miles; it was crazy!

Keenan was, once again, our little “trooper.” He did very well in the car, keeping himself entertained and going with the flow. We listened to lots of music, sang songs, “danced,”  and talked about the things we saw along the way.  We had plenty of stops along the way, which definitely helped. Overall, it was a fun first roadtrip!

For our first stop, we headed to Pescadero, about an hour and a half south of San Francisco, and visited a goat dairy. We tasted some amazing cheese, in fact, we bought some of the best feta and ricotta cheese we have ever eaten! Keenan enjoyed petting the goats, too! After visiting the dairy, we had lunch at the Pescadero General Store, which was well-known for their wood-fried pizzas. We had the vegetarian with chicken added to it. It was yummy and Keenan devoured his two slices! On our way out, we stopped at the Arcangeli Grocery Co. that is known for their artichoke garlic herb bread (they bake it every 10 minutes) and got two loaves (one to snack on in the car and one half-baked to eat for dinner the next day). It was probably the best bread I have ever eaten! They lace the dough with artichoke hearts, so you get artichokes in almost every bite! It was crusty on the outside and perfectly pillowy soft in the inside!

Petting the goats!

A piece of heaven…artichoke garlic herb bread!

We spent Friday night in Santa Barbara and before driving the rest of the way to San Diego, we stopped at the Farmer’s Market and picked up some fresh produce. After the Farmer’s Market, we had brunch and got a “Carmel Blended” coffee from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (the best blended coffee drink ever!) and drove down to San Diego.

Fresh produce at the Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market.

Today, we all slept in (Keenan slept until 8:15, which is pretty late for him!) and my husband made a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs mixed with leftover tri-tip and tillamock sharp cheddar cheese, along with cinnamon english muffins (from Arcangeli Grocery Co. in Pescadero), and fruit. It was yummy! Of course, we also had lattes (we brought our french press with us).

Having fun with Avo in the water!

After breakfast, we headed to the beach for some fun in the sun! Keenan and his cousin loved building sand castles (Keenan’s role was getting more water with Avo’s help!) and playing in the water. They had so much fun, they both didn’t want to head back to the house for lunch.

Now, everyone is napping, before heading back out to the beach and getting an ice cream cone (we found this cute little ice cream shop as we were walking back to the house). I think I’ll take a little snooze before Keenan wakes up. Have a great rest of your Sunday!

Happy 4th of July! July 4, 2012

Keenan licking the batter!

Happy 4th, everyone! I have always loved the 4th of July because it means barbecue, ice cream and swimming! In our family, it is a day of cooking, making ice cream, swimming, playing bocci ball and having good conversations. It is a nice day of relaxing and spending time together.

Today started out with Keenan and I baking the most moist and easiest peanut butter cookies to compliment my husband’s homemade vanilla ice cream with peanut butter chunks and fudge swirl (YUM!!). Keenan loves to be my “Baking Assistant” or “Sou Chef,” as I call him. He loves helping us in the kitchen (including setting the table). I love that he has taken an interest in cooking; maybe he will be a chef when he grows up! He enjoys helping me measure out the ingredients, pouring them into the bowl and adding spices. Once we are all finished, he absolutely LOVES to lick the batter when we are baking (only if the recipe does not include eggs, of course). The nice thing about this peanut butter cookie recipe is there are no eggs, so Keenan can lick away (as you can see from the picture!). He was in hog heaven, since one of his favorite foods is peanut butter! How do you involve your kids in the kitchen? Do you find that involving your kids in the kitchen helps them to eat better?

The finished product: yummy peanut butter cookies (some with Hershey kisses!)

After Keenan and I made the cookies, I started on my grilled corn salad (we grilled the corn last night to save time today) that consists of tomatoes, red onions, black beans, cotija cheese, avocado and cilantro. Once we are ready to eat, I’ll add the avocado and chopped cilantro (since they tend to brown if they sit out for a while). Before dinner, we will enjoy linguica (a 4th of July tradition in my family), cheese, crackers and guacamole with chips (my husband thinks it’s funny to see linguica and guacamole together, but that is how we roll!). For the rest of our dinner, we are having watermelon feta salad (my sister-in-law is preparing), ribs, tri-tip and bread. For dessert, we will be having cookies with my husband’s ice cream and homemade cherry ice cream that my dad is making (another 4th of July tradition, made with our own cherries!). It will be quite a feast, to say the least!

If you are interested in my salad recipe, I adapted it from one I saw in Cooking Light a couple of years ago. It is super-easy to make and it is always a crowd pleaser!

Grilled Corn Salad: (serves 10-12)

Ingredients:

– 8 ears of corn (my husband seasons them and wraps them in foil; grilled and kernels cut from cob)

– 1 red onion (medium dice)

– 2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered, depending on the size)

– 4 avocados (large dice)

– 3 cans black beans (low sodium, rinsed)

– 1 bunch cilantro (de-stem and finely chop 1/4 of bunch for dressing; repeat with the rest when finishing salad)

– 4-5 cans sweet corn (depending on the size of your ears of corn)

– 1 block of cotija cheese (cut into small cubes, or crumbled)

– 1/4 cup olive oil

-4-5 limes (juiced, to taste)

– 1/2 teaspoon of cumin (to taste)

– pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in large bowl, except for avocado and cilantro.

2. In a small container, mix lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper and 1/4 of the chopped cilantro and whisk together.

3. Pour dressing over salad and mix well.

4. Put plastic wrap over salad and let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

5. After 2 hours, add diced avocado and the rest of the cilantro and mix. Serve and enjoy!

My Grilled Corn Salad before putting it in the fridge to sit for two hours.

Keenan will be waking-up from his nap soon, so it’s time to get ready for swimming and having some munchies, before digging into to our delicious dinner and later, dessert! Today, I am definitely not watching my food intake! I will be gladly enjoying a little bit of everything! Tomorrow, I will be getting back on track with eating and exercising!

Getting back on track, at least for a little bit… July 3, 2012

Last night’s WOD was awful, to say the least! It kicked my butt (literally!). The workout was “Death by Barbell” (but rather a Death by Barbell challenge, since we had to complete 5 rounds), one of CrossFit’s benchmark WODs:

15 Deadlifts

12 Hanging Cleans

9 Front Squat

6 Push Jerks

*20min Cap

Weights:

Women: BEG: 65,  INT: 75 and ADV: 95

Men: BEG: 95,  INT: 115 and ADV: 135

After a weekend full of rich food, wine and little sleep, it was a struggle to keep-up. For an additional challenge, I decided to do the advanced weight, to see how many rounds I could do (I don’t know what I was thinking!). It was definitely difficult, since the weight is heavy for me, but I wanted to push myself to continue to get stronger. I ended up completing 3 rounds and 18 reps. It wasn’t too bad, but I was hoping to at least complete 4 rounds. The weekend really affected my performance, but it felt great to work out and get back on track. My body needed it (especially after eating plenty of banana bars and rocky road over the weekend)!

After working-out, we headed home and I made HUGE strawberry, walnut, chicken and feta cheese salads for my husband and me. After the weekend at my parents’ house, we needed to have greens! Since Keenan can’t really chew lettuce (he only has 9 teeth in the front and 2 molars barely coming-in), he ate chicken with avocado and strawberries, washing it all down with a glass of milk.

My favorite…salad!

Today, we are back to our normal routine of our “usual” breakfast: Yogurt with berries, flax seed, chia seeds and Kashi Go Lean Cereal (and a latte for me, of course!). Keenan and I have this breakfast pretty much five days a week (weekends are usually special breakfasts of buckwheat pancakes, eggs or scones). I love having our “usual” breakfast, because it is a nice balance of protein, fiber, fruit, dairy and whole grain carbohydrates that satisfies me until lunch time (I even converted my husband, who usually ate cheese and a bagel or eggs, to having this breakfast daily!).

The start of the messiness!

Keenan loves yogurt as much as I do, as you can see from the picture! Yogurt gets everywhere, including his hair! I don’t know how he does it. As far as yogurt goes, I love Fage Greek yogurt (0%) and I buy Mountain High original (3.5% milk fat) plain yogurt for Keenan. I would buy Greek yogurt for him, but I can’t seem to find any that are whole fat. I’m always on the look-out for it, because Greek yogurt contains such a high amount of protein. If you ever see any, please let me know! What is your “usual” breakfast?

This afternoon, we are off to CrossFit again, to have one last workout before we head to my parents’ house for the 4th. Tomorrow will be a fun day with family and friends and of course, lots of good food again! I need to burn as many calories as I can, to make-up for all of the food I’ll be eating! What are your plans for the 4th? Do your plans revolve around food?

Food and Family July 2, 2012

Cousins!

We just got back from a fun-filled (not to mention food-filled) weekend at my parent’s house. My sister-in-law and niece flew in from Montreal (where they live) on Saturday to spend their annual month of July here. Since we only see them a few times a year (aside from skype), we were so excited to see them! My brother has been here for the past 2 weeks on business, so they were finally able to join him, due to my sister-in-law finishing-up school for the year (she is an elementary school teacher). It was fun to watch Keenan interact and play with his cousin; he just loves her! They pretty much play non-stop from the moment they wake-up to bedtime (stopping for meal and nap times, of course). It’s cute, by bedtime, they are SO exhausted!

In my family, food is a MAJOR part of all of us spending time together. My mom is Italian, which means TONS of good food all the time (mostly healthy food, but a lot of it)! Most importantly, she loves to have all of us at the table enjoying meals together. Since I was child, sitting down for a meal as a family has always been a special time for us to converse, talk about our days and solve the world’s problems. So, this weekend was full of wonderful (but rich) food: steak, ribs, potatoes, bread, cheese, ice cream and best of all, my mom’s special banana bars and rocky road! Having will-power doesn’t exist at my parent’s house; I think I ate at least 3 banana bars and 4 pieces of rocky road over the course of the weekend…EEK!

So, needless to say, it is time to face reality and go to CrossFit this afternoon to work off what I consumed the past 72 hours (before more indulging occurs on the 4th!). I have to say even though I splurged this weekend, it was worth it! I am firm believer of eating 80-20 or 90-10 (eating healthy at least 80% of the time and allowing yourself to indulge in not-so-healthy foods 20% of the time). If you tell yourself you can’t have a certain food, such as ice cream, you will want it even more, so you might as well allow yourself to have a treat here and there. Life is too short to not enjoy the simple pleasures, such as eating homemade banana bars!

When I go to my parent’s house, I know I will probably splurge a little (dessert, having an extra rib or a second helping of pasta at dinner), so I try to compensate for the additional calories by eating a little less at breakfast and lunch. I also practice mindfulness when I eat: listening to my body when I’m full. I may want another rib, but I ask myself, “Do I really need it when I know I am going to have dessert later?” Once the weekend comes to a close, such as today, I always make sure to get back-on-track with my eating, proper portions and most importantly, exercise. After a few days, my body feels back to its’ normal self. As far as the scale goes, I like to weigh myself three days after coming home from a weekend away or vacation, because consuming additional sodium, alcohol and drinking less water can make you retain water (which adds pounds). By giving yourself 72 hours before you weigh yourself, you might find you didn’t actually gain any weight! On a side note, I only weigh myself once a week to keep things in check, but I mostly keep tabs on how my clothes fit.

How do you get back-on-track after being on vacation or gone for the weekend? Is food a big part of your family gatherings?