Spaghetti Squash with Kale, Onion, Sweet Peppers and Feta Cheese

Most nights I convince myself that I will wake up at 6:00am and go for a run before Charlie wakes up.  It sounds refreshing to start my day with a run as the sun rises.  However, every morning I wake up to the alarm and hit snooze ten times until I'm forced out of bed by the dogs barking or Charlie asking me to play with Dusty Crophopper with him.

Today was no different.  My alarm went off at 6:00am, I laughed at the alarm, moved from the bedroom to the sofa where I wouldn't have a four-year-old's foot shoved in my back, and went back to sleep.  I "slept in" until 7:30am when I woke up in a panic because we were going to be late for soccer.  Soccer practice turned out to be a big waste of time.  When Charlie wasn't jumping over the field markers or standing inside the goal, he was laying on the blanket and eating Belvita crackers.  He refused to participate in anything that involved kicking a ball.



Mastering his PiYo!

During my rush out the door this morning I forgot to eat breakfast.  So Charlie, Marcia (my mother-in-law) and I decided to have brunch at First Watch.  After First Watch, we went to the local farmer's market.  I've never been to this farmer's market before, but I LOVE IT!  There were so many fresh, organic veggies at AFFORDABLE prices.  There were lots of dogs, which gave me a brilliant idea to bring my two dogs next time I go... scratch that, my dogs are crazy and would probably eat everything and terrorize the other dogs.

After I finished at the farmer's market it was time to go home and do PiYo!  I doubled up my workout today and did Lower AND Upper Body Focus.  They are both roughly 20 minutes each, and I will use tomorrow as my day to run.  Charlie thought that Mommy needed to work harder, so he sat on my back during planks and downdogs.  My back is going to hate me tomorrow.


Downward Dog Pro!

After PiYo, Charlie, Marcia and I went to church (can't forget to thank God for all he's blessed me with), and I couldn't wait to make dinner with some of the veggies I found at the farmer's market today.

Here's what I made:
Spaghetti Squash with Kale, Onion, Sweet Peppers and Feta Cheese.
Italian Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Side of Ricotta Cheese

All for under 257 calories!

Spaghetti Squash Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash (I found my organic spaghetti squash at the farmer's market for only $1!)
1c Kale
1/2c diced onions
3 Pero Sweet Peppers
1/4c Feta Cheese
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp Basil (or a handful of fresh basil, if you prefer)
Salt and Pepper to taste

This is a Spaghetti Squash!

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise.
Scoop out the seeds and throw them away (or roast them like pumpkin seeds).
Brush roughly 1tbsp of olive oil over each half of the squash.
Season each half of the squash with salt and pepper.
Place each half of the squash face down on a baking sheet.
Bake for 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of the squash).
When the squash is finished baking and has cooled a bit, begin scraping out the insides of the squash with a fork.  The squash will start to come apart in strings and resemble spaghetti (hence the name).
As you scrape out the squash, put it into a bowl.

While the squash was cooking, sautee the kale, onions and sweet peppers in olive oil.

Did you know that kale is low in calories, high in fiber, iron, vitamin K and antioxidants?

Mix the veggies with the spaghetti squash.

Add feta and basil, mix.

Enjoy!

Serves 4.
Calories per serving:  167
Carbs per serving:  16
Fat per serving:  13
Protein per serving:  9



Italian Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Ingredients:
1 large cucumber, sliced or diced
1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced or diced
1/2c red onion, diced
1/2c green pepper, diced
1 packet of Good Seasons Italian Mix (prepare according to the package, but I only used 1tbsp of olive oil)
Feta Cheese

Mix everything together.

Enjoy!

Serves 6.
Calories per serving:  71
Carbs per serving:  4
Fat per serving:  5
Protein per serving:  2

Delicious!

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6lbs in One Week!

It's always exciting to start a new workout routine.  Every time I started a new diet I was convinced it was the one that I finally get me back to my pre-baby weight.  However, every time I started I found an excuse to stop.  Before my surgery I was running more than I had ever ran in my life, but I had to stop to have my surgery (decent excuse).  I attempted to diet and exercise on and off for a year and a half after my surgery, but life kept happening.  In January I attempted to do a 3-day cleanse that consisted of only drinking nasty shakes and literally not eating a single thing.  Halfway through Day Two I acquired a terrible migraine that wouldn't go away.  In March I started running again, and I was faithfully logging all of my calories into the My Fitness Pal app that I downloaded.  Then my allergies started bugging me so I just stopped.  Grilled Cheese and french fries were the comfort food for my allergies.

So what makes this new diet and workout routine different from the others?  When I decided to become a Beachbody Coach I made a commitment to myself that I would stick this through.  I would make it work.  I've seen the amazing results that Shakeology and Beachbody products produce, and I know that I can get those results as well.  My first Shakeology package came last week.  I've been drinking my Vegan Chocolate Shakeology daily, either as a meal replacement or a snack.  I started Piyo on Monday and I love it!  My Challenge Group is full of wonderful people who are on a similar journey as me.  The group offers accountability and support along the way.

The first day of Piyo was very basic.  "ALIGN:  The Fundamentals" consisted of learned the basic yoga and pilates moves.  I've been doing yoga for years (on and off), so this workout was a breeze for me.  It was almost too easy, so it's a good thing you only have to do this workout once.

Day Two of Piyo was "DEFINE:  LOWER BODY."  The workout was only 25 minutes long, and again I breezed through it.  The downward dogs and warrior poses felt great.  I was a bit disappointed when it ended so soon, but thirty minutes later I was feeling the burn!

Day Three of Piyo was "DEFINE:  UPPER BODY."  This workout was only 20 minutes long, but it was harder for me than the lower body workout.  I haven't done many arm exercises since my mastectomy, so I'm pretty weak in my arms.  I could barely do half a pushup on my knees!

If you've just started your Piyo routines and find them "too easy," don't give up.  Tomorrow's workout is called "SWEAT", and from what I hear it will definitely live up to it's name!

So what are my results after one week of Shakeology and three days of Piyo?  One week ago I weighed 159.9lbs.  Today I weighed in at 153.5lbs.  Yes, I lost SIX POUNDS IN ONE WEEK!

For more information on Piyo and Shakeology, please visit my Beachbody page:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/TerriComeau

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Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Before my prophylactic mastectomy, I ran 3 to 4 times a week.  I was running 5k's and slowly losing my baby weight.  I was a slow runner (my fastest time for a 5k was 37 minutes), but I was making progress.  I wasn't very active after my mastectomy, and I gained twenty pounds.

A few weeks ago I started to run again.  I downloaded the 10k for Pink app (it's free and very similar to Couch to 5k), and started running again.  I thought I could start with Week 4 Day 1, which is running for 3 minutes, walk 90 seconds, run for 5 minutes, walk 2 minutes and repeat.  I barely made it down the block!  The next day I ran Week 2 Day 1(alternate running 90 seconds and walking 90 seconds six times), and I did much better!  I'm two stubborn to start at Week 1 Day 1.

This morning I decided to give Week 4 Day 1 a try again.  I took Charlie to the trail and went for a jog.  When I bought my jogging stroller two years ago I thought it would make running easier because I would have something to lean on.  I was actually surprised at how difficult running with a jogging stroller was.  It was a total body workout.  My arms were more sore than my legs.  So I must have been crazy to give it a try again today.

The trail I run on has one bridge with a very steep incline.  It never fails that I always have a running interval when I reach the bridge.  Today, with the 90 degree Florida heat and humidity making every step a struggle, I pushed my way to the top of the bridge.  I really did not think I would make it, but when strangers were passing me on bikes and telling me that I was doing a good job it made me feel proud.  Not only did I make it to the top of the bridge, but I kept going.  I ran 2 miles today.  I averaged 14 minutes miles, but it's better than the 18 minutes miles I averaged earlier in the week.  I felt so accomplished.  Then I realized that I needed to turn around to get back to my car.  So I did it all over again!

My post-workout breakfast consisted of two of my favorite things... coffee and Shakeology.  Oh was it so delicious!

1c. Coffee
1 Scoop Vegan Chocolate Shakeology Mix
A Splash of Organic Soy Milk
A Dash of Cinnamon
Ice

(For more Shakeology recipes visit www.beachbodycoach.com/TerriComeau)

Later in the afternoon, I decided to test out a new recipe, a quinoa breakfast bowl.  This delicious meal is full of protein (12g) and only 162 calories per serving.

Ingredients:
1/4c Quinoa
1/5c Water
1c Kale
1/4c Onion (diced or sliced)
3 mini Pero Sweet Peppers, sliced
4 Egg Whites
Tumeric
Sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Bring Quinoa and 1/2c of water to a boil.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, steam kale, onion, peppers and a dash of tumeric for approximately 10 minutes.

Scramble egg whites, salt and pepper until cooked.

Once finished, mixed everything together and add Parmesan Cheese.

Serves 2 people.

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Taking Back Control!

One thing that I've learned from my BRCA journey is that life is too precious to let it go to waste.  I had my six month check up at Moffitt in early June.  The doctors did their usual screening with blood work to test my CA125 levels, ultrasound and office visit.  I've been through this routine at least five times in the past two years, so it should be a piece of cake, right?  Not so much.  The days leading up to my appointment were filled with worry and anxiety.  I thought that my worry and anxiety would disappear after my mastectomy, but it was just hiding in the shadows.  Sure, I don't have to worry about getting breast cancer, but there is a new fear of ovarian cancer looming over me.  For the record, there have been no instances of ovarian cancer in my family.

All of my tests came back clear.  My doctor assured me that I have nothing to worry about right now.  As the cycle always goes, I will forget about my appointment for the next six month until one week before my December visit.  Then the fear will come back, and I will be sick to my stomach and obsessing over the what-if's.  But why am I continuing to do that to myself?  I'm taking every precaution that I can to either prevent cancer or catch it early.  Moffitt is a highly reputable cancer hospital, and I am in the best hands.  What good will worry do? We are only given this one life, so why not make the best of it?  I must learn to let go of my fears, put my faith in God, and trust that everything will be OK.

Tonight as I was putting Charlie to sleep, he asked me to sing him a song.  I sang him a song that my Mom-mom used to sing to me. 

"Hush little baby don't say a word Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird.  If that mocking bird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.  If that diamond ring don't shine, Mama's gonna buy you a bottle of wine.  If that bottle of wine gets broke, Mama's gonna buy you a nanny goat.  If that nanny goat don't run, Mama's gonna buy you a BB gun.  If that BB gun don't shoot, Mama's gonna buy you a pair of boots.  If those pair of boots don't fit, Mama's gonna buy you a pile of..." 

Ok I didn't finish the song, and looking back I will admit it is a strange song to sing to a child, but it put him to sleep!  It's moments like that when I remember just how blessed I am.  In a sense, I was given a second chance to be here for my son.  I'm going to take full advantage of that.

I've decided to take back control of my health.  The past year and a half took such a toll on me.  Before my surgery, I was running 5k's and in great shape.  I wasn't at my pre-pregnancy weight, but I was feeling amazing.

My current goals are to:
1.  Lose 30lbs by October.
2.  Run a half marathon in November.

I will continue to blog about breast/ovarian cancer awareness, but I also want to focus on living a healthy lifestyle.  So please continue to follow me along my journey to take back control of my destiny!