Too much sleep?

Is there such a thing as too much sleep?  I think so and I think it happened this weekend.  Let me rewind.  On Friday night my family went to see my cousin perform in one of the leading roles in his school play.  The only time I was in “real” clothes:

steph

We came home after and Jonny and I were in bed by 10 pm.  (What can I say?  We’re party animals!)  I woke up rather early (4:30!) to my dear dog Zoey whining and wanting to go potty and have breakfast.  Shortly after, my dear Aunt Flo came to visit (sorry boys) and left me with pretty painful cramps.  I moved to the couch, curled up with Zoey, took some Advil, and waited for the pain to subside while I watched trashy tv (Teen Mom 2 and Bad Girls Club to be exact – I told you it was trashy).

A few hours later, I peeled myself off the couch and headed to the gym for a light sweat session on the elliptical.  Did you know one of the best things you can do during that time of the month is workout?  It can reduce stress, increase your endorphin release, and alleviate cramps.  Don’t skip the gym, ladies!

gym

This picture was from last week’s Best Body Bootcamp workout: the Squat to Crossover Crunch exercise – can be done anywhere, anytime, no equipment needed!  You literally do an air squat with your hands behind your ears, then as you come up you crunch down and reach one of your elbow’s to your opposite knee.  Alternate sides.

Anyway, after the gym I ran some errands, and then spent a good majority of the day back on the couch.  Stephanie and Phil and the kiddos dropped by on Saturday evening, and, as always, we were entertained by Jacob and Audrey.

Jacob Audrey

Jacob played ping-pong for the first time, and while he could barely see over the table, he actually did pretty well!  He’s a natural athlete, for sure.  The bottom picture is blurry because he was jumping off our treadmill to reach and hit the punching bag.  The kid is coordinated!  Audrey was infatuated with Zoey.  First she was giving kisses, then she was cracking up every time Zoey licked her, and then she pretended to go to sleep in Zoey’s doggy bed.

After they left, Jonny and I watched When Harry Met Sally and hit the hay.  Ten hours later, I woke up to find Zoey snuggled underneath one of our pillows and against my leg (not sure how the pillow ended up down there).  She loves finding the littlest nooks to snuggle in.

zoey bed

Sunday morning was spent at the gym with a little elliptical and a little stair climber action before coaching my girls’ soccer game.  They tied 3-3, but it was the best game they played (we are in an extremely competitive league!).  After running more errands, taking Zoey for a walk, and giving her a bath, I headed back to the couch with my freshly bathed Zo and a hot cup of tea.

tea

However, my tea was too hot to drink, so I set it aside, laid down my head, closed my eyes, and I was out.  Seriously, I passed out hardcore.  I’m not sure if it was the cold rainy weather, the lovely time of the month, the dreary day, or just merely the time I actually had to nap, but whatever it was caused me to be so tired this weekend!

I do think part of it was that I slept for TEN hours both nights and I think that’s too much.  My ideal amount of sleep is between seven and eight hours, and for me, ten apparently is a couple too many.  Not that I’m complaining.  My body maybe needed the extra sleep, and every now and then itz nice to have low key weekends.

me zoey pjs

Recycled picture.  We spent way more time horizontal than this.

I will say, I’m fully rested for this next week ahead.  Afterall, itz Marvelous Monday, so there’s no room to be tired.  Bring it on, Monday!

Do you think there’s a thing as too much sleep?  Are you affected by Aunt Flo?

this week

Sorry for any blog issues you may have encountered yesterday.  Ryan (best tech guy ever!) believes everything is running back to normal now.

This week has been… a lot of things.  I’ll share a glimpse into my week that didn’t make it on the blog thus far.  PS: Itz Friday! (anyone else??)

This week… I’ve been rocking the Best Body Bootcamp workouts.

gym workout

I seriously love them.  For one thing, itz so nice to have all my workouts planned out for eight weeks!  Tina has introduced me to countless new exercises and my body has been feeling it.  I love the feeling of being sore from a good workout.

This week… an STLbloggers meet-up happened at Granite City Food & Brewery.

pizza wine

A mid-week glass of wine and flatbread?  Sure!  They had a great happy hour, so I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir and a Pepper Bacon & Tomato flatbread.  I’m not a huge bacon lover, but this was recommended by the waitress and it was definitely the right decision.  I ate the whole thing.  By myself.  #noshame  I also had a wonderful time chatting with Christina, Janice, and several other awesome bloggers.

This week… began state testing at school and us teachers were provided with fun snacks to help us through!  Chips and salsa are always appreciated.

chips salsa

Itz been a long week and a tough one for the kiddos, but my students have been doing seriously AWESOME!  Testing takes a long time and a lot of mental strength and stamina, and I am so impressed with how my kids are holding up.  I mean, I’m not surprised considering their teacher… heh heh.  I always tell them that the test is a celebration of their smart learning and my wonderful teaching.  :)

This week… Last weekend I was a “runner buddy” to a fourth grader who is participating in Girls On The Run.  The official GOTR 5k in St. Louis takes place on Saturday, May 11th.

GOTR St. Louis

My friend Diana is coaching a team at the school where she teachers, and I’m happy to be involved in this small way.  I’m a huge supporter of Girls On The Run as itz a great program for young girls.  On a side note, Athleta is one of the sponsors and they are opening a store in St. Louis this spring; I can’t wait to check it out as this will be the first Athleta in Missouri!

This week… I’ve read a lot of awesome blog posts.

This week… I taught my niece Audrey how to get every last drop out of her fro yo bowl.  (Minus the part dripping down her chin…)

audrey froyo

And she only got cuter as she had the look of pure bliss sucking down those last few drops.  Eyes closed, enjoying every.last.drop.  Total bliss.

audrey froyo

She must take after her auntie!  Only I don’t think I look that cute when I lick the bowl…

Tell me something from THIS WEEK!

Itz all about ME!

Itz all about ME today, folks!  Hold your excitement, please.  I saw this fun ABC survey on Brittany’s blog GOtheXtraMile and thought it would be a perfect post for Friday.

The ABC’s of ME!

Addictions: Right now, itz sparkly nails.  I’ve totally been digging the ring finger party nail, but last weekend I painted all my nails sparkly… plus the party nail.

nails

Bed size: Queen! Though I do love having my space and then some in King beds when we got out of town.

Chore you hate: Emptying the dishwasher. UGH!  Jonny does this one. Always.

Dogs or cats: Dogs all the way.  Especially my little cutie, Zoey.

pretty in pink

Essential start of your day: My morning workout.  Lately, I’ve totally been rocking the best body bootcamp workouts.  The moves are very different than just regular strength training.  They’re hard and work me good!  If you need a new workout routine, you’ve gotta get in on the next session!

soooo pretty in the morning

soooo pretty in the morning

Favorite color: Pink!

Gold or silver: Silver, but I do have a few gold accessories.

Height: 5’3″ – Yup, I’m a shorty!

Instruments you play (or have played): When I was ten, I took guitar lessons because my dad plays and I wanted to be like him.  I didn’t like practicing though (nor was I very talented), so it didn’t last long.  Check me out in my prime awkward years wearing a totally awesome outfit from my dear grandma.

me guitar 1995

Jobs titles you’ve had: Elementary teacher (1st grade my first year, 3rd grade the past four years, and moving up to 4th grade next year!).  I’m also a soccer coach to six grade girls.  In college, I worked at the rec center.  I’ve also been a waitress and bartender.  I like being around people, what can I say?

Kids: I’ve got 19 kiddos for about 8 hours a day five days a week right now!  Someday, we’ll have our own, too.

Live: Born and raised in St. Louis.  Love this city.  Go Cardinals!

St. Louis Cardinals

Mom’s name: Susan – my amazing momma.  The woman who does it all.

mom

Nickname: Linz (duuuuh).  Linzaloo.

Overnight hospital stays: Never.

Pet peeve:  Gross manners.  Chewing/talking with your mouth full.  Just stop.

Quote from a movie: Ehhh I don’t really watch a lot of movies.

Right or left-handed: Lefty!  Jonny was a baseball stud growing up and when he found out I was left-handed he asked me to marry him.  Ok, not really, but I’m pretty sure that influenced his decision as he’s dreaming of little left-handed baseball all stars.

Siblings: Jason, Stephanie, & Justin!  We’re a good lookin’ family, if I do say so.

family

Plus, a special shout out to Stephanie who turns the big 30 + 1 today!  She’s an amazing newborn photographer (and sister, wife, momma, the list goes on and on), so if you want to want to oooh and aaah at the most adorable photos, check her out on Facebook!  (With over 10,000 fans, she knows what she’s doing!)  Happy birthday, Seester!  I love you.

seesters

Time you wake up: 5:00.  Wake up and workout, baby!  (Tips for how to do so HERE.)

Underwear: I don’t know how to appropriately answer this question, so I won’t.

Vegetables you dislike: None!  I love veggies and veggies love me!

What makes you run late: Me, myself, and I?  I take a loooong time to get ready.  I’m sorry, but I do.  Itz not that I’m high maintenance (because I’m not), I just like to take my sweet time.  I diddle daddle.  I’m always late.  Jonny is always early.  We work out.

X-rays you’ve had done: My pinky (thanks to my older bro for breaking that one during basketball when I was 5) and my pointer finger (got smashed between scooters during P.E. in fifth grade).  Both broken.  Luckily, that’s it!

Yummy food you make: Ice cream.  Shoot, I don’t make that.  How about anything with avocado like this Mexican Omelette?

Mexican Omelette 1

Zoo animal: Lions.  Tigers.  And [Polar] Bears (oh my!).

Itz YOUR turn!  Answer the letters of your initials.

Itz Friday!

Itz Friday, heeey!!!!!  Gotta love that feeling – I know I sure do.  I’ve got a post full of randomness, but itz all good stuff.  I’m proud to announce Reboot as my sponsor for Blend Retreat in May!

reboot

They sponsored me when I went to San Francisco for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon and I’m totally stoked again for this opportunity.  Itz going to be a short weekend with travel from St. Louis to Utah, so I know Reboot will come in handy and help me be full of energy.  Plus, it will be fun to share with my blends!

rebootizerlogo

Chobani sent me a case of greek yogurt just because they’re awesome.  :)   I’m especially excited to try their new flavors like banana and pear.

chobani

Last night I had a date with Melissa from Treats With A Twist.  (If you ever need ANY baking recipes or ideas, I highly recommend you go to her blog!)  She’s in town for the weekend visiting her parents, so we started off at the gym because what else do FitFluential Ambassadors do when they first meet?  Heh heh.

melissa

Workout B from Best Body Bootcamp certainly rocked both of us.  Straight from the gym, we headed to Crushed Red for dinner.  We’re a match made in heaven; we found it perfectly acceptable to dine in our workout gear with no shower in between.  Sorry we’re not sorry.  And what else would make a blend date official?

orange leaf froyo

Fro yo, of course!  Don’t mind my totally loaded bowl.  I had quite the mix of flavors: wedding cake, white chocolate strawberry, oatmeal cookie, brownie batter, and butter pecan.  Luckily, sprinkles go with everything!  Melissa and I had a great evening and it felt as though we’ve known each other for ages.  Love meeting new blog friends!

Gnu Foods sponsored my school’s Wellness Wednesday this month.  They were super generous and provided us with three boxes absolutely stuffed with their mini bars (half of the regularly sized bars).  Each of the three flavors are awesome, but Banana Walnut is definitely my favorite.

gnu bars

In other very exciting news, there is this magazine called Regale

Regale

And yours truly is featured!!! :)

Regale 1

Check out pages 42 – 46 to read answers to a bunch of questions that us STL Bloggers were asked.  So fun to be part of a feature!

Click here to find out if you were the winner of the Bestowed giveaway.  You may use the code 5OFFBSTOWED01 to receive $5 off your first Bestowed box!

Itz Friday!  Did I say that yet?  Get off the computer and go enjoy the weekend!

What are your weekend plans?  Anyone glad itz Friday?!

Healthy Goals

Goals.  They’re funny things, aren’t they?  Some people love ‘em.  Some people hate ‘em.  There are big goals; there are little goals.  Goals can be an avenue to achieving greatness.  Goals can also be the bane of your existence.

I have goals.  I don’t always verbalize them, but they’re there in my mind.  Take handstands, for instance.  An unspoken goal of mine was to master the one-arm handstand.  I did it.

one arm handstand

It took several tries, but eventually I built enough strength and stamina to hold it while leaning against a wall.  I’ve been trying to get better about handstands and holding them in the air without leaning against something.  I figured a good way to start would be with a headstand.  So I’ve been working on those, and moving further and further away from the wall.  Itz a work in progress.

headstand 1

When we set goals at school (and goal setting is extremely important for students and educators, alike), we follow the principles of S.M.A.R.T. goals.

 

SMART goals stand for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.  They make so much sense, and when trying to achieve a larger, bigger-picture goal, you must start with “baby steps,” or smaller goals first.

One of the many reasons I love Best Body Bootcamp is that incorporates healthy goals.  Each participant is encouraged to set two goals to work towards throughout the week.  We have the option of keeping our goals the same, or changing them throughout the eight weeks.  My itz healthy goals:

healthy goals

Goal #1: Drink at least 80 ounces of water every day.  Sometimes I’m really good about drinking water and other times I’m not so good.  Lately, itz been the latter.  Here’s how my day usually works: I drink 32 ounces during my morning workout, 16 ounces at lunch, and another 16 ounces with dinner.  That’s 64 ounces (8 cups).  I’m going to increase this by 16 ounces (2 cups) throughout the day.  During my eight hour school day, I should be drinking more than a measly two cups, so that’s where I’ll fit it in.  An additional two cups shouldn’t be difficult, and I wanted to keep my goal attainable.

My fellow FitFluential Ambassadors have some pretty powerful posts on reasons why we should drink more water and tips for how to do so:

Goal #2: Choose one snack.  I mean, choose one snack at a time.  Whenever I go to my parents house, I instantly open their fridge, pull out a bunch of items, and have a few bites of each.  Then, my dad tells me I’m like my mother and calls me a grazer.  Well, this habit has transferred to my own home, particularly after school when I’m super hungry.

Instead of preparing a proper snack, I take a bite of this, a bite of that, a spoonful of this (almond butter, I’m talkin’ to you!), and a spoonful of that (itz you, sunflower seed butter!).  When all is set and done, I’ve eaten quite a bit more than one would consider a snack.  Time for the madness to end!

They’re small goals, but goals nonetheless.  They’re goals that will lead to healthier habits.  Any and all goals matter – no matter how small or how grand.

headstand

Do you set goals?  What goals are currently reaching for?

Holy Hail!

Well, yesterday started out sunny and beautiful with perfect weather for soccer.

My girls played their last game of the season and ended with a record of 7 and 1.  Not too shabby!  We will have our end of the season party at a local frozen yogurt joint.  :)   I may have had something to do with the planning of that.  Hehe.  Love my fro yo!

Jonny’s mom is out of town, so we went out to dinner with Jonny’s dad, Jack.  He picked us up and we were on our way to the restaurant when we heard the loudest CRACK!  We thought he blew a tire; Jack was about to get out of the car to check when all of a sudden tons of hail started falling.  It was pelting the car so loudly, we could not even hear each other.  By the time Jack raced through the neighborhood and made it to the restaurant, the hail had passed.  We talked to someone sitting next to us and they said they passed a car whose rear window had been shattered.  The hail was no joke!

That is a picture from one of my friends.  Literally softball size hail!  My brother sent this next picture of his backyard.

We were nervous to go back home and see the potential damage.  So instead we enjoyed a glass of red during dinner and tried not to think about it.  My lobster bisque and lobster cobb salad did a nice job of keeping me occupied.  Jack and I took a nice picture while Jonny was not feeling quite as photogenic.

Alas, we needed to head home.  We were faced with some gutter damage.

Luckily, that’s all it was.  It could have been a lot worse and for some people it was.  This was one of the times that I thank my lucky stars (and my angels above) that we (and our friends and family) were safe and sound.  Material things can always be fixed.

Side note: Today mark’s the end of Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp.

I enjoyed the bootcamp as it was a motivating way to set goals, actually keep them, and try some new workouts.  Plus the fact that prizes were involved was an extra motivational factor!  I haven’t gotten a chance to try all of Tina’s workouts, but now that I have them I definitely will.  This past week was awesome regarding my goals.  I did get 3 days of strength training and 5 (actually 6!) days of activity and 3 different types of cardio.  Planning my workouts played a major role in this success.  A big thank you goes to Tina for putting this bootcamp together; be on a lookout for another one! :)

Have you ever been caught in a hail storm?

Planning Your Workouts

Another week just about done, another weekend about to begin.  Life is good. :) Let’s start today with some High Five Friday action.

Big thanks to Meg for the reminder to recognize and celebrate our accomplishments.  With that being said, I’m most proud of my 3-mile run I did yesterday.  Three miles may not be much to some, and for awhile it was nothing to me either.  But since I haven’t run for a good six months except for a few treadmill interval workouts here and there, three miles was a triumph.  And what’s better yet is that I felt good while running, like really good.  Like I wasn’t huffing and puffing and staring at the clock or wishing for the end.  Like maybe I want to include running in my workout schedule on a regular basis.  Maybe.  Maybe I should just stick to FLOW for now…

Big thanks to Lindsay for bringing us FLOW!  My current FLOW is workout planning.  You see, last week, I didn’t do so hot with my goals of lifting weights at least three times.  This week, I mentally planned to lift weights on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with cardio sessions in between.  The night before, I sit down to plan exactly what my workout will look like the following morning.  I even write it down on a notecard, so I have no excuse.  Here is what my week of workouts looked like:

This leaves me with Saturday and Sunday to do what I please.  I can workout if I want to, how I want to, and for as long as I want to, or I don’t have to at all.  I’ve already met my goals of 3 days of lifting weights and 5 days of activity.  My other goal was to get three different types of cardio, so I guess I just need to do one more form of cardio this weekend.  Sounds good to me!  This week showed me the value of planning my workouts and I will continue to plan ahead.

Now for the LÄRABAR giveaway winner…

Congratulations, #35 Kammie!  Please email me (ItzLinz@gmail.com) within 24 hours or another winner will be selected.  Thank you to everyone for entering!

Do you plan your workouts?  If so, how far in advance?  The week before?  The night before?  The day of?

Dancing Shoes

I must apologize for the accidental missed blog post yesterday.  I know how dearly you must have missed me.  ;)   I do have a perfectly good explanation though.  You see, a group of girls went out on Saturday night to celebrate Sees’s 30th birthday.  We got all dolled up and went out for a lovely dinner.

After dinner, drinks, and cake we headed to a bar where some of the husbands met us.  There may or may not have been adult beverages consumed.  There was definitely some booty shakin’ going on.  In fact, three hours worth of dancing happened in these shoes:

Now, I love my 4-inch Jessica Simpson heels and all, but my feet were definitely not loving them by the end of the night.  And when we finally went to bed, the clock read near 2:00 a.m.  I honestly can’t tell you the last time Jonny or I went to sleep that late!  (We’re so exciting, I know.)  Well, all of that combined lead to a very much less productive Sunday than I had anticipated.

By the time I got moving yesterday, it was time to head to my girls’ soccer game.  To which they won 8 – 0.  :)   There were two very proud coaches on the sidelines.  Then, I came home and did a lot of food prep for this upcoming week.  I made a pound of pinto beans, two cups of brown rice, roasted an eggplant, and sauteed onion, carrots, red and green pepper, corn, and a jalapeno.  Bring it, veggies!

Best Body Bootcamp Update: My goals last week were to get in bed before 10 and lift weights 3 times.  Being in bed before 10 was not a problem (during the week), but sadly I lifted weights just twice.  I had good intentions of lifting today, but that didn’t happen.  So moving forward and staying positive, I am keeping my weight lifting goal the same because I will lift weights 3 different times.  My second goal is going to be to do three different types of cardio this week.  Sometimes I get stuck in a cardio rut and only hang out on the treadmill, elliptical, or stairmill (whichever kick I’m on).  I would also like to go for a swim this week, so hopefully that will count as one of my cardio sessions.  I’m also excited to try more of Tina’s workouts that she designed specifically for bootcamp!

I’m already off to a good start because I woke up, got to the gym, and pumped some iron.  For those of you participating in the bootcamp, today I did Workout B – the ladder rep workout.  A ladder rep workout means that for each exercise, you start by completing X number of reps (in my case 5), resting for 10 – 20 seconds, then doing 6 reps, and repeating the process until you get to your given number (in my case 10).  I had never done a ladder rep workout before, but I found it pretty challenging.  As my working muscles began to get sore during the first few sets, I had to lift longer (more reps) for the remaining sets.  I rounded out my workout by run/walking 2 miles on the treadmill: 1 minute walking, 2 minutes running, repeat.

How was your weekend?  Were you productive on Sunday?

LiveFit Review

The rain finally stopped and the sun finally made an appearance.  Good thing too, because despite the billion things I have to do today (clean, laundry, grocery shop, etc.) I’m hoping to find some time at the pool.

My in-laws open their pool at the first glint of warm weather, so their pool has already been open for a couple of weeks now.  Now let’s talk LiveFit.  I’m done!!!  I completed Jamie Eason’s LiveFit Trainer Program!  (You can find all my workouts on my Itz Fitness page.)  I did not follow her suggested meal plan or supplements, just merely the workouts which was great for me.

Phase 1:  This phase consisted of 4 – 5 days of weight lifting and no cardio.  Prior to beginning this program, my workouts tended to be pretty cardio-heavy, so this phase was important for me to build more muscle.

Phase 2:  Building muscle continued during this phase as I lifted 6 days a week.  The sets were shorter (8 – 10 reps), so I really focused on increasing the amount of weight.  A bit of cardio was re-introduced here.

Phase 3:  Fat burning and maintaining muscle were the goals as the workouts consisted of cardio mixed in with supersets and additional cardio tacked on at the end.  I loved how the workouts changed in this phase.  One downfall I found was that the workouts took the same amount of time as in the previous two phases, but 30 – 40 minutes of cardio was expected to be completed at the end.  This was hard to squeeze in during my morning workouts due to time constraints.

All in all?  I loved it!  I can definitely without a doubt lift heavier weights and I learned several new-to-me exercises, as well.  Towards the end of the program, I grew a bit antsy as I was ready to finish it up.  This was not because I didn’t like the program; I did and I do.  After I finish any training program for a prolonged period of time, I get anxious to not be on a schedule anymore.  I like being able to do what I want when I want.  Like long walks with Zoey when the weather gets nice.

Did I see a change on the scale?  No.  However, I did not follow the meal plan or get in quite as much cardio as was suggested.  I do believe that I gained muscle and my body fat percentage decreased, though I’m not 100% certain on this since I didn’t measure myself before and after.  I do know how I feel and how my clothes fit which is a much better indicator, in my opinion.

Do I recommend it?  YES!  I highly recommend this program to anyone.  The beauty of it is that it can be tailored to everyone’s needs: beginners or expert weight lifters.  The workouts change each day and then you repeat each week just one time.  It wards off boredom, but allowed me to see gradual changes as the weeks progressed. The website is a fabulous resource that shows how to do all of the exercises.  I referenced it time and time again during the program.

Best Body Bootcamp Update: I have been very successful with my goals this past week.  I know that getting to bed before 10pm has made a difference as I was able to wake up each weekday morning and get my booty to the gym!  Since my LiveFit program has ended, I am stoked to finally try out some of Tina’s workouts!  I’ve heard nothing but positive things regarding them and I’m ready to get my butt kicked on a whole new level.  That being said, I am going to keep my goal of going to sleep before 10pm the same, but I’m going to change one new goal.  Since I am not following any type of program and this is my first week for Tina’s workouts, I am going to set my goal at lifting weights at least 3 times this week and cardio 3 times this week.

And now it’s time to catch some rays.

Happy Sunday!

Have you ever followed a workout regimen?  Which one?

Spiralizer

I’m in love.  Of course with Jonny, but this weekend I found a new love.  A spiralizer!  Remember when I attended that raw vegan cooking class at Pura Vegan?  (Of course you do!)  Well, the kind people at Paderno World Cuisine sent me one to try.  Oh.  Em.  Gee.  This Spiral Vegetable Slicer (aka: spiralizer) is the.best.thing.ever!

Seriously.  I love it for so many reasons.  One of the reasons is just how easy it is to use.  You literally stick whatever you want [zucchini] in between the blade and the prongs and then you crank the handle and wah-lah!

It was so nice outside this past weekend that I did, in fact, take it outside to do some spiralizing. :)   Check out how pretty it looks once you turn the handle:

That cylindrical looking thing that’s coming out is just the center of the zucchini.  Once I’m done spiralizing, I simply cut it up and stick it in whatever dish I’m preparing.  I don’t let one ounce of the veggie go to waste!

In addition to its convienence, the spiralizer comes with three blades, all of which can be easily stored as part of the spiralizer.  The blades literally slide in and out on trays as part of the spiralizer and you just have to pop it in to use.  It’s awesome because you can really have fun with your veggies as it produces three types of “noodles.”

Jonny and I had so much fun with this I can’t even imagine how much kids would love this!  What a great way to incorporate veggies into a child’s diet in a fun, productive manner!  Also, one little zucchini produces an entire bowl of “noodles.”  Pictured above used three zucchini.

Now let’s talk toppings.  There are endless possibilities.  Since we were using the zucchini as noodles, I wanted to make a “pasta-like” sauce.  I recently visited our local farmer’s market, so I sautéed a ton of veggies in a little bit of olive oil.  In the mix: onion, corn, green pepper, red pepper, jalapeno, and broccoli.  Then I added some spices, garlic, white beans, and marinara sauce.

When we were eating, Jonny commented, “This has to be the healthiest pasta ever!”  True that.  Talk about being regular.  Heh heh.  Spiralized veggies will definitely be making an appearance in my lunches and dinners quite often.  Plus, cleaning is a cinch.  The two parts that touch the zucchini simply slide out and are easily washable.  I’m all about convienence in the kitchen, and this definitely makes it easy.  I would strongly recommend (aka: GO!) that you get yourself one of these immediately.

Thank you Paderno World Cuisine for my new love and for making it so stinkin’ easy to spiralize veggies.  You’re awesome.  For the rest of you, you can thank me after you get yourself one.

In other very exciting news, this is my last week of the LiveFit training program!  Week 12 will consist of a repeat of Week 11:

Now let’s address Best Body Bootcamp.  I am going to keep my goals of going to bed before 10 pm and waking up to workout the same for this week.  Getting enough sleep sure makes a difference in terms of my energy levels and just the mere fact of being able to wake up super early to workout.  So here’s to another strong week of living healthy!  And eating spiralized veggies. ;)

What vegetable would you spiralize?  Do you have a spiralizer?