Weekly wrap-up #5: hurt back, avocado chickpea toast, reading and binging tv

Welcome to another weekly wrap-up. It’s the time to talk about the good, the bad, and everything else from the week before on the blog. This week I found myself down with a pulled muscle or pinched nerve in my back. On Tuesday, I reached for my backpack, and I felt a pain in my back. I didn’t think about it and reached down to pick up my backpack after that and went home to work out. The following day, I reached for a toy on the floor, and the same thing happened, but the pain was worse.  
Untitled
My week was filled with many avocado chickpea toasts, cold weather, watching television, and starting Black History month. I also had high hopes of doing a January favorites post and other content ideas that didn’t happen. Let’s get into the wrap up:

My workouts for the week:

Untitled
Monday: Scheduled 45 minutes of an easy run. I did this workout on the treadmill due to convenience—nothing special about this workout.

Tuesday:  Cross-training day. I did 45 minutes of strength training due to a headache, and I didn’t want to deal with the bouncing of cardio. Who is this girl? I did this strength workout, and I enjoyed it. P.S. – I promise I didn’t injure my back doing this workout. The incident started before I decided to do this workout.

Wednesday: 45-minute speed workout. Coach scheduled a 10 min warmup, 45 seconds run/45 seconds walk off and on for 25 minutes, and recover the remaining time. My shoulder hurt, and I wasn’t sure if I could pull this off. I got lucky to do this workout outside before the rain and cold came rolling through. The training turned out well, but it wasn’t the best. I am happy to have got it done.

Thursday: Rest day. I didn’t even do stretching because my shoulder still wasn’t ok.  

Friday:  Schedule 2 hour-long run, but I completed 90 minutes on the treadmill. The weather turned cold and wet, and there were no safe sidewalks in the morning. Did I mention it was frigid, so I got on the treadmill with the expectation of only doing an hour? I thought to do something longer than a weekly run, but not as long as my long run. I’m pleased I could do so much on the treadmill without hurting my shoulder even more.  

Saturday: 30-minute outdoor walk in the cold, but the sun was out, so I decided to catch some vitamin D and popsicle hands.

Sunday: Rest Day spent watching Reacher on Amazon Prime.

What I ate:

Weekly wrap up #5
Breakfast: I ate an abundance of chickpea avocado toast because I purchased avocados from Sam’s Club. On the days I didn’t have time to make toast, I ate oatmeal, and before my “long-run,” I ate peanut butter toast and bananas.

Untitled
Lunch: I made the Trader Joe’s vegetable tikka masala and added chickpeas with brown rice and a side of pita (because I had no naan bread). These meals were a quick and nutritious meal that kept me full. I also made dahl fry with the same sides and was able to eat both of these meals all week.
Untitled
Dinner: I made shrimp pesto pasta because it’s easy and I like it. It’s not hard to cut and sautee some veggies, add some pesto, and get to eating.  

On Taco Tuesday, I made the best black bean tacos, with leafy greens and other veggies with a side of homemade guacamole. These tacos were the best meal I ate all week.  

On the remaining nights, I also made salmon in the air fryer with a side of quinoa and brown rice pasta. It’s an easy meal to throw together. I also failed at making portabello mushroom “burgers”. The burgers didn’t sit well and didn’t resemble a burger. It was an ok meal, but not what I expected. I need to research this or let this meal idea go. It wasn’t the worst meal I’ve made, so I still ate it. 

What I ate out this week:

Untitled
This seemed to be a week of cravings. I wanted a scone earlier in the week, so I gave in and bought one (not pictured). Also, McDonald’s gives out free fries on Fridays. This is nothing information I care to know, and it won’t be hitting the regular rotation. I was craving a salty snack and gave in to a medium fry.

On Friday night, I go my usual ramen, but I tried the kale noodles this time. My ramen order is wonton ramen with corn, fried onions, extra boiled eggs, mushrooms, spinach, and green onions. Last week, I tried seafood ramen and didn’t like it. This week I tried the kale noodles, and the ramen was delicious.

Lastly, I had a turkey burger, fries, and some cinnamon toast bites with frozen yogurt on Saturday.

Ever wonder why I share this with you? Most people are interested in how I’m eating and how I manage to stay on track. I’m trying to be transparent about the process and show the variety of things I eat and crave throughout the week. It’s an 80/20 balance in life, and I want to show you how I’m living that life.

Everything else:

Untitled

  • I got a new Casetify case for my phone. If you know, you know, but this is some. I had to order a new case for my mom, so I purchased myself one, too.  
  • I started and finished The Maidens by Alex Michaelides, and I wish to get my time back. The book started great, but the plot didn’t move much until the book’s last quarter. By that point, it felt like the story was shoved down my throat, and sometimes things didn’t make sense. The book was good until the plot twist, which I didn’t see coming (not in a good way), ruined the book for me. People raved about this book and loved it so much, but I wasn’t a fan—time to move on to the next book.
  • I cleaned my child’s art center because it took over the house. I didn’t particularly appreciate looking at it, and it was getting messier every day. I ended up purchasing a Sterlite drawer unit (which I can’t find) that was too much money but perfect for the job. I may have complained about the price when I was paying for it, but it was worth it in the end. Everything has a place now.
  • I watched Reacher on Amazon Prime and loved it. BUT these are my type of shows. I love Jack Ryan, Alex Rider, Bosch, and all those action shows. I had zero expectations for the show but ended up binging it. I’m a sucker. Four stars.
  • I also started Sweet Magnolias on Netflix. I should have watched the previous season again because I forgot what happened. I switched from this show, not because it’s not GREAT (because it is), I was just not in a wholesome mood and more into action. But Sweet Magnolias is beautifully written and relatable. I love this show, also! 

Videos this week:



That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading and keeping up. I’m still looking for book recommendations. I started a new book, but I’ll have to save that for next week’s wrap-up.  

What was the best thing about your week?

What healthy living means to me

What healthy living means to me

When I started my weight loss journey, I really didn’t know the world before me. The one thing I knew was we had to stop eating fast food for every meal and leave the sugary sodas on the shelf. Might we have also needed a bit more exercise? The jury was still out on that point. Quickly, I learned that people are health “know it alls”, and their way is always the best. Some people picked me because I still ate processed foods (aka my favorite Healthy Choice meals). Some people took offense I purchased Splenda and frozen vegetables and…

View Post

Mom works on re-introducing herself

Mom works on re-introducing herself

I’m Angela and I’m working on re-introducing myself to you. I’m just a woman who lost 200 pounds (a combined total of 500 pounds with my husband) and fell in love with running who then fell into motherhood. I learned along the way that healthy living encompasses the mind, body, and soul. That’s where I am today. Trying to balance it all and encourage others to tackle the journey they think is impossible. Most importantly, I am a mom to a beautiful 2-year-old who is referred to as Tiny Tot on this blog. Weight loss is the catalyst to it…

View Post

Focusing too much on losing weight?

Focusing too much on losing weight?

There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of focus, but sometimes it can get in the way.  Is it possible to have too much emphasis on a weight loss journey?  I may be living proof of the point.  The initial weight loss journey was strict.  I stayed on plan all the time because I wanted to lose weight so bad.  I lost the weight, but there were moments when I felt like I wasn’t living life.  In retrospect, I see I was a living a rigorous regiment and maybe that it was I needed to get over the hump of…

View Post

Episode #8: Life after weight loss

Episode #8: Life after weight loss

We Beat Fat Episode #8: Life after weight loss From the kitchen table: What’s been happening this week? This week’s podcast: life after weight loss The podcast is new so we are taking suggestions on topics to cover.   Contact us: webeatfat@gmail.com or on social media Angela: blog: momworksitout.com,  Instagram – @momworksitout, twitter – @momworksitout, fb – fb.com/momworksitoutblog Willie: Instagram – @williegillis Topic of the week: Life after weight loss Many people have asked about losing weight and keeping off or in Willie’s case, gaining it back.  This episode of the podcast you have a candid chat about losing weight…

View Post

Episode #7: Inspirations and motivations

Episode #7: Inspirations and motivations

We Beat Fat Episode #7: Inspirations and motivations From the kitchen table: What’s been happening this week? This week’s podcast: inspiration and motivations. The podcast is new so we are taking suggestions on topics to cover.   Contact us: webeatfat@gmail.com or on social media Angela: blog: momworksitout.com,  Instagram – @momworksitout, twitter – @momworksitout, fb – fb.com/momworksitoutblog Willie: Instagram – @williegillis The topic of the week: Inspirations and motivations Definition of motivation: the act or an instance of motivating, or providing with a reason to act in a certain way.  Motivations are internal features. Definition of inspiration: the process of being…

View Post

Episode #5: The DECISION to lose weight

Episode #5: The DECISION to lose weight

We Beat Fat Episode #5: The Decision to lose weight From the kitchen table: This week we’re talking about the decision to lose weight and all that goes with it. How’s your week been going?  Anything interesting you would like to share? The podcast is now available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The podcast is new so we are taking suggestions on topics to cover.   Contact us: webeatfat@gmail.com or on social media Angela: blog: momworksitout.com,  instagram – @momworksitout, twitter – @momworksitout, fb – fb.com/momworksitoutblog Willie: Instagram – @williegillis Topic of the week:  The decision to lose weight Most of…

View Post

Friday File: podcasting, running, essential oils and more

Friday File: podcasting, running, essential oils and more

Happy Friday!  I’m starting something “new” on the blog called the Friday File.  I’ll be honest, it’s just the Friday Five but without the five.  The pressure to produce a list of the five things sometimes made me not want to do a weekly roundup. I feel like I’ve been hitting my stride this week in life, which means next week everything is going to fall apart.  I’m ok with that though.  I did some great things this week. If you haven’t listened to the podcast, you definitely should.  Having this podcast will add more content to the site and…

View Post

Episode #2: The idea of healthy eating

Episode #2: The idea of healthy eating

We Beat Fat Episode #2: The idea of healthy eating From the kitchen table: What’s been happening this week?  Are you achieving your goals? Did you set any goals at the start of the new year? This week’s podcast: perceptions of healthy eating The podcast is new so we are taking suggestions on topics to cover.   Contact us: webeatfat@gmail.com or on social media Angela: blog: momworksitout.com,  Instagram – @momworksitout, twitter – @momworksitout, Facebook – fb.com/momworksitoutblog Willie: Instagram – @williegillis Contact us: webeatfat@gmail.com or on social media Healthy eating discussion: What did a typical day of eating look like for…

View Post

Episode #1: Reintroducing We Beat Fat

Episode #1: Reintroducing We Beat Fat

I’ve been slacking on content because I’ve been trying to put together a podcast.  I really should have put this episode up last week.  None of that matters because I’m putting it up now. Back in the day, I use to podcast about Gossip Girl and it’s something I really enjoyed doing and I just think it’s a natural progression of the blog now.  I am really looking for some help with the podcast.  So what kind of things do you want to hear on the podcast?  What topics do you want to be covered? We Beat Fat Episode #1:…

View Post

Frozen vs. Fresh: The Produce debate

Frozen vs. Fresh: The Produce debate

Back in the day, I use to buy everything fresh and just prep the crap of out of it.  Now I don’t really have the time to do that with the little one running around.  But I also don’t know how to get my veggies in the way I want them buying them fresh.  My broccoli was always too hard, or I didn’t cook the green beans long enough.  There was always a problem. And then I started buying frozen vegetables.  I never thought this was a problem until there was a recall on some frozen vegetables at my grocery…

View Post