1. Stick with boot camp.

2. Buy clothes that make me feel good.

3. Save for a down payment on a house.

4. Stop being so snarky and judgmental.

I’m on Christmas break so I have some time to catch up.  I really should make it a priority to post about Lucy more often because I don’t want to forget all the sweet things that she is doing.  My very favorite thing right now is that she says “Super, duper, bery” (for “very") all the time.  For example, “Mommy, I am super, duper, bery hungry!”  It makes me melt every time.

Last you heard from me about Lu, it was her birthday. Look at my 3 year old!

A Jeep!

At Flat Bread Community Oven watching her pizza getting cooked.

Happy Birthday little one!

There was a zoo birthday party!

With big balls:

And more candles to blow out:

Porter was there!

Mommy was too!

Papa too!

Isabelle, Vanessa, Kaitlyn, Lucy, Tessa, and Claudia at the zoo with popcorn!

On the carousel.

Then it was Lucy’s first day of school!!!

And then the Harvest Festival at the Botanical Gardens:

And then we went pumpkin picking with Jack and Tessa:

And then Lu got a haircut!

Halloween!

Which Lu LOVED! She totally got the concept and we told her that if a light was on, it meant the people had candy.  She would yell, “Their light is on! CANDY!!!!” And then totally said, “Trick or Treat!”  She told me later that it was her favorite holiday and that she couldn’t wait an entire year to go again.

We took a Girl’s Trip to Portlland and Lu got to see her friend Madeline:

Her Challenger school picture.  We’ve titled it “I Pity The Fool.”

Lucy’s art skills since starting at Challenger have taken off!

Thanksgiving at school:

Turkey day at our house:

Our annual Thanksgiving hike:

Lucy’s favorite friend!

(we’ve seen Santa 4 times this year-she LOVES him)

The next pictures I have are of Christmas tree hunting.

And sledding!

Our tree:

Decorated:

Lucy also got her Alphabet crown this month!

That means that she went up to the Director’s office and knew all the letters and what sound they make.  Lu is the youngest at the school to have her crown.  As she would say, it’s a “super duper” big deal!

She got ice cream for that accomplishment!

And just this morning, frosting cookies with Mommy:

Now we’re off to her very first dentist appointment!

Merry Christmas all!

I really wanted to make Christmas cookies with Lu and she requested Gingerbread because she, “Super duper loves gingerbread cookies bery much Mama!” Said with her hands on her hips and that very knowing look in her eye. So I googled and I hit the jackpot! And then I googled again and found roll out sugar cookies. The internet is a beautiful thing.

First, I mixed some gluten free flour I’ve found when working with gluten free flours, that using my kitchen scale is the way to go:

-3 cups white rice flour (450 grams)
-2 cups potato starch (310 grams)
-1/2 cup tapioca starch (62.5 grams)

That amount of flour was exactly what I needed for these two recipes, plus some extra for rolling out.  I did use some extra rice flour when I ran out of the mixture for rolling out.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies (adapted from here)
-2 cups gluten free flour mix
-1/2 teaspoon ginger
-1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
-1/8 heaping teaspoon ground cloves
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 cup cold butter
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/3 cup molasses (make sure it’s Gluten Free)
-1 cold egg

Combine the first 8 ingredients (flour mix-cinnamon) and mix well. Cut in the butter until the mixture is in crumbs the size of small peas.

In another bowl beat the sugar, molasses, and egg. Combine with the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Refrigerate for at least an hour (I make a ball and cover it in saran wrap and then flatten it out).

Preheat oven to 350*. Roll out on a heavily gluten free floured surface.  I put sugar in my flour when I roll the dough.  Roll to 1/4 inch thickness, cut, and place on a cookie sheet (preferable with a silpat). Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges just start to brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Cool, then frost and decorate as desired.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies (copied from here)

-1 cup shortening (I used Crisco Butter Flavored because I had it in my pantry)
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-3 cups flour blend
-1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening and sugar, add eggs and vanilla. When combined, add dry ingredients (I didn’t even bother using 2 bowls for this recipe). Wrap dough (like above) and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350*. Roll out on a heavily gluten free floured surface.  I put sugar in my flour when I roll the dough.  Roll to 1/4 inch thickness, cut, and place on a cookie sheet (preferable with a silpat). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges just start to brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Cool, then frost and decorate as desired.

Both of these recipes DO NOT taste like they are gluten free.  They are awesome.  Lucy agreed!

I’ve been posting my meal and exercise plan but haven’t really explained what I’m doing.  To be honest, I’ve been using the blog as a space to plan my week.  Even though there is a bunch of repetition, I find that when I do plan it my week goes SO much better. 

I had a Groupon for a bootcamp and nutrition consultation with Fitness Revolution.  I’ve had a hard time doing anything regularly where exercise and nutrition comes in.  Because my new job is so much more active I have gone down 1 or 2 clothing sizes but I still didn’t feel great about the choices I was making.  I was craving a training plan like I had in my Ironman days but I don’t have time to train for anything like that.   I decided it was time to buckle down.  I met with Brett over at Fitness Revolution and got started on a program. 

So what’s my plan? I do a super intense bootcamp on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  I leave the house at 5:50 am, stretch/foam roll at 6, bootcamp officially starts at 6:15 and is done by 6:45.  I get home by 6:55 and hop in the shower. On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday I do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)-which takes 30 minutes. During the week, I use the bike trainer that Shaun found for me on Craigslist for $20.  Saturday, I run.  Sunday is a day off.  I LOVE the fact that I only workout 45 minutes max a day.  It’s super high intensity but it literally only takes 45 minutes or less.  It’s AWESOME.

As for eating, I aim to eat 5 times a day.  Each time I eat, I try to eat 20-30 grams of protein and 1.5-2 cups (or more) of veggies.  I don’t eat carbs except for the hour following my bootcamp.  I can have up to 4 “free” meals a week where I eat whatever I’d like.  The fewer “free” meals I have, the faster my results will be.  It’s very 4 Hour Body but not as weird.  I’ve found it really easy to follow so far, I hope it continues to be this easy.

What sort of results have I seen? I’ve lost 3.5 inches on my waist and 3 inches on my hips-CRAZY! This is the first time since getting pregnant that I’ve felt this good and have had results like this.  Needless to say, I’m very excited!

Sunday
Exercise: Rest Day
Breakfast: Eggs, Spinach, Salsa, and Cashews
Snack: Jerky and Baby Carrots
Lunch: Top Sirloin over Salad
Snack: Lunch Meat and Peppers
Dinner: Chili and Broccoli

Monday
Exercise: Boot Camp (please let me not be as sore as I am right now!)
Pre-Workout Breakfast: Protein Shake
Post-Workout Breakfast: Oatmeal Pancake and a Persimmon
Lunch: Chili and Broccoli
Snack: Lunchmeat and Peppers
Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry

Tuesday
Exercise: HIIT 1 min on, 3 mins off
Breakfast: Eggs, Spinach, Salsa, and Cashews
Snack: Jerky and Baby Carrots
Lunch: Chicken Stir Fry
Snack: Lunchmeat and Peppers
Dinner: Carne Asada and Beans from Los Betos (Lu’s Gymnastics night)

Wednesday
Exercise: Boot Camp
Pre-Workout Breakfast: Protein Shake
Post-Workout Breakfast: Oatmeal with Egg Whites and a Persimmon
Lunch: Chili and Green Beans
Snack: Lunchmeat and Peppers
Dinner: Turkey Breast and Brussels Sprouts

Thursday
Exercise: HIIT 30 seconds on, 90 seconds off
Breakfast: Chicken Sausage and Brussels Sprouts
Snack: Lunchmeat and Carrots
Lunch: Potluck at school (“Free” Meal)
Snack: Jerky and Peppers
Dinner: Lamb Chops and Green Beans

Friday
Exercise: Boot Camp
Pre-Workout Breakfast: Protein Shake
Post-Workout Breakfast: Oatmeal Pancake and a Persimmon
Lunch: Lamb Chops and Salad
Snack: Lunchmeat and Carrots
Dinner: Melting Pot for Work Christmas Party (“Free Meal)

Saturday
Exercise: HIIT 1 min on, 3 mins off
Breakfast: Chicken Sausage, Eggs, and Spinach
Snack: Jerky and Carrots
Lunch: Leftovers
Snack: Lunchmeat and Peppers
Dinner: Meat Marinara over Spinach