I’ve Moved!

Hey Guys! I’ve decided to move MandaLoves over to Blogger. Click the above image to visit the new blog and don’t forget to click on the bloglovin’ button to add the new blog to your feed! See you soon!



Summer Shape Up, OUCH!

Monday morning started Summer Shape Up for me. Due to time constraints I ended up doing the day 2 workout first and did day 1 workout Tuesday morning.

This workout is HARD! It includes walking lunges, weighted squats and squat jumps(these kill me!), bent-over wide row and pushups,  dumbbell swing, knee tuck and tricep dips and a crazy ab challenge called the banana(also kills me).  All of these are done with as little resting as possible.

I was really challenged and ended up burning 335 calories in the 50 minutes it took me to complete the above workout & 20 minutes on the treadmill. I could already feel it in my legs by the time I went to lunch on Tuesday which I like, but ouch!

I’m sure some of you can relate to this: The Mr. walked in about 10 minutes into my workout and asked what was up with my camera and tripod being set up while I worked out. In between huffing and puffing and wanting to die I managed to get out that I was taking pictures for the blog and he just continued to stare at me like I was nuts… I figured after a year he would start to expect these things.

 

Recipe Review: Tomato, Roasted Pepper and Arugula Pasta

I saw this pin on Pinterest and thought that it looked yummy so I made it for dinner last Wednesday night. It way better looking in the pictures then it tasted.

The timings on this recipe were way, way off!  It says to saute the shallots and garlic over medium heat for 6 minutes. Shallots and garlic would be a burnt disaster if they were cooked over medium for six minutes.  Next, the spice for  the original recipe was too much, 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes = hot, hot, hot! I cut them in half from the start and it was still too much spice for us.

If I were to make it again I’d pretty much develop a completely new recipe so I guess I wouldn’t make it again… it’s stinky when recipes don’t come out awesome. Hopefully I’ll have a recipe re-do for you guys next week sometimes.

6-Week Weigh-In/ Summer Shape Up / 5 for Five!

6 Week Weigh-In:

April 29: 122.5 pounds, 24.5% body fat

June 3: 122.1 pounds, 25.3% body fat

Results:  -0.4 pounds, +0.8% body fat

 I’m so happy with the results of my second six week weigh-in. I’m really happy with my new approach to checking in on my weight. I think I’ve gotten a better handle on listening to what my body tells me instead of what the scale tells me.  I can tell when I’ve overdone it and I adjust my food choices accordingly and kick up my activity level until I feel less bloated and gross.  Overall, I’m a whole lot less stressed out over my weight than I was when I weighed in every week, so yippie!

Today starts the Summer Shape Up with Gina from The Fitnessista! I’m so excited to mix up my workouts a bit for the month of June! I’m excited to challenge myself with new workouts and can’t wait to see what I can do over the next 4 weeks. I had the Mr take before pictures today of me in my bathing suit so maybe if I’m brave enough at the end I’ll post both, that’s a big maybe my friends.

My 5 goals for this week are:

1.) Meal Planning: Plan breakfast, lunch, dinners and FILLING snacks for the week so I’m not tempted by the vending machine.

2.)  Complete all of the Summer Shape Up Workouts this week.

3.)  Start my compost pile in the corner of our yard.

4.)  Pre-track my days in my food journal.

5.)  Drink a minimum of 2 cups green tea and 2-32 oz bottles of water / day.

 

Can you believe it’s already the 3rd of June? Where does time go! Hope you had a wonderful Monday :)

Book Club Friday: Love Irresistibly (FBI / US Attorney, #4) By Julie James

HE’S USED TO GETTING WHAT HE WANTS…

A former football star and one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker’s help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator’s table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. All Cade has to do is convince Brooke to cooperate—and he’s not afraid to use a little charm, or the power of his office, to do just that.

AND WHAT HE WANTS IS HER.

A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney’s office—even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there’s a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees—until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love . . .

This was another great read by Julie James. I read it in just a few days and would happily read it again.  There were two stories lines going which I enjoyed, the first is the relationship developing between Brooke and Cade and the second is Cade and his brother Zach becoming reunited.

I highly recommend this book for reading beachside, enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Today I…

Today was a lovely day off spent sipping coffee with the Mr. and picking up loom with my Dad. While there I met the most adorible brown lab named Ryleigh I just wanted to take her home and snuggle her.

The rest of my afternoon & evening was  spent  planting 21 tomato plants, bunches of sunflowers and gourds.

My 1 strawberry plant that I put in last year turned into 4!

I also started cleaning out my side garden where I’ve been struggling to get anything other than weeds to grow over the past few years:

These plants are so pretty, I have no idea how they ended up in my garden but I like them.

My lettuce plants I started a few weeks ago are getting so big!

After my busy afternoon I made a roasted portobello burger and watched an episode of Scandal.

Happy Memorial Day and Thank You to all of the Men & Women who serve our great country.