Day 12

Day 12 : Green Smoothie Goodie

So kale was on sale this week, along with pineapples,  blueberries, greek yogourt and pears! This resonated green smoothie goodie to me so here is this week green smoothie recipe!

My Green Smoothie recipe : 

Ingredients: 

- 1/2 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen, I went with fresh ones)
- 1/2 cup of pineapple
- 1/2 cup of pear (about one diced pear)
- 1 cup of kale
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Greek yogourt (I used 3/4 of plain and added a drizzle of maple syrup, but you could use whatever flavor or other types of yogourt and add more or less, depending on the texture you desire)

- 1/2 cup of liquid (water,  milk, juice. I used water)

Start by blending your liquid and your kale together. This will ensure that you don't end up with big leafy parts of kale. 

Kale + Water + Blender = Green mess :S

Add to the green juice all the other ingredients and blend until desired texture!

Final result! 

Makes 2 servings!

Enjoy,

Russy

Days 10 & 11

Days 10 & 11 : First reward and injuries

Like I said in my first post, it is extremely important to be nice to yourself. It is with encouragement, support and humanity that achieving a lifestyle change will happen. Those elements can come from friends, family, lovers and coworkers but it should first come from you. So, while I was grocery along with my mom last week,  we stopped at various stores,  for fun!  My treat was a the new Oreo donut from Tim Horton and a new workout outfit! The Donut was extra yummy and that new training gear help keep my energy and spirits up!

How you like my training swag yo?¸!

I also slighty over trained this week. My shoulders and joints have been in pain for the last 3 days even though I didn't do any strength training since the last workout plan :( Another explanation behind this discomfort could be that I did not do any stretching after I trained, which is fairly bad. Whatever it is, I will have to be careful to not hurt myself! 

Have a good Friday!  

xoxo, 
Russy

Day 9

Day 9 : Second Workout Plan

Short and Simple. Here is my 2nd workout plan! The first one was posted on Day 3. 
I will be alternating those 2 workouts in order to push back the almost inevitable plateau (plateau is when you are still working out but it isnt as effecient as before because your body got used to your workout!)

Cardio

• 10 minutes of moderate intensity bicycle before strength training
• 20 minutes of intervals on elleptical after strength training

Strength Training
Lower body :

• Sumo squats with kettlebell over head swing (25 reps, with 25lbs kettlebell)
• Around the clock lunges (5 reps for each leg, total of 25 lunges for a per leg)
• Hip lifts (25 reps)

Core :

• Back extension on swiss ball (25 reps)
• Raised legs crunch (as much as possible)
• Elbow plank (1 minute)
• Medecine ball woodchop (15 reps on each side, weight of ball TBD)

Upper :

• Dumbbell Fly on swiss ball (25 reps, with 15 to 25 lbs dumbell in each hands)
• Diamond tricep Push ups (min of 15, but as much as possible, max of 30)
• Outward abductors (20 repswith 15 to 20 lbs dumbell in each hands)
• Hammer curls (20 reps, with 15 to 20 lbs dumbell in each hands

Post-workout snack is going to be 3/4 cup of plain greek yogourt, 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries and a drizzle of maple syrup! Yum!

 xoxo,

Russy

Day 8

Day 8 : Grocery shopping tips

Many like to think that healthy eating is costly. While part of it may be true because of the price of non seasonal produce, I have managed to find a way to keep my healthy eating habits within the means of my student budget. In this post, I will share my grocery shopping tips to help keep the bill as low as possible.

1) Go to the farmers markets (if possible)
Last time I mention it, I promise lol. But farmers markets are one of the greatest way to get fresh produce on the cheap. If you can't attend the farmets market, there are other ways to get fresh produce on a budget. For those who live in Ottawa, the Good Food Box is a great way to get cheap produce! For my Greater Montreal peeps, check out Bonne Boite Bonne Bouffe. Both those services deliver boxes of produce (on a 2 week or a monthly basis) in neighbourhoods.

2) Look at the flyers
Before going to the grocery store, I always look at the flyer just to get the idea of what is on sale this week so I can tailor my weekly plan to it too! Beware : Not everything that is in the flyer is necessarily on sale. Sometimes, they just put a product with a flashy color but there is no actual reduction on the price! Look for the words "save X$" or "XY% off". 
Additionally, take a good look at the multiple buy price. For example, if there is a sale that says : 3/5$, most people believe that you have to buy 3 times the product to get the reduction. Unless it is specified underneath that price that if you only buy 1 the regular price will be applied, buying only one will scan at 1,67$. :)

3) Price match is your bestie and coupons are just a different currency. 
Stores like Real Canadian Superstore, Freshco, Maxi and Wal-Mart do price when you can prove the price with the flyers. After looking at the flyers, just bring them with you and you can enjoy the rebate from all the other stores within one store.
As for coupons, you shouldn't go overboard (like I do with them) but they are a great way to save money. If you see a coupon for a product that you like and will be buying, why not using? 1$ off on something you will buy is 1$ more staying in your pocket! You can get coupons for a lot of different products nowdays. Check out Save.ca, Websaver.ca and brandsaver.ca for home-mailed coupons! Some stores also have their own coupons so be sure to take a look them too!

To tie #2 and 3 together and make you life easier, check out the Flipp App (available on Android  and iOS) which gives you flyers based on your location so you dont have to carry them with you at all times! When you add sales, price matching and coupons, you can save a lot on your grocery bill. The best I got so far was 70% of my whole bill which translate me bying 50$ woth of food for 15$. That lasted me a solid 2 weeks!

4) Don't go empty
Don't go empty handed to the grocery store. Always make a grocery list so you don't wander around for hours. It will also prevent you from forgetting an ingredient too!

Also, make sure to don't grocery shop on an empty stomach. Being hungry in a store full of food will make you want to buy anything and everything (true story...). If you can't go right after a meal, try pack a snack with you and have it right before going so that your tummy doesn't get the best of your wallet!

That is it! Tomorrow is my new workout plan!

Happy Saturday! xox,
Russy

Day 7

Day 7 : Weekly Meal Planning

This is still a work in progress but this is how I usually go.

1. What do I have in the fridge/cupboard?

That is the first question I ask myself and this is probably the step that you should never skip! It prevents food loss, which is a major problem in industrialized countries. This simple step stops you from buying stuff you already have, finish that last serving of grilled zucchinis before it goes bad and help realize the potential your fridge already has.

2. What is on sale? What is in season?

Being on a student budget, this question has to pop up. But even without a student budget, I think it is good to take advantage of the sales that are interesting to us. They allow you to try some new food or save on your regular items.

3. What are my plans this week?

If you are having friends over for dinner on the Tuesday night, you need to plan it ahead. Same for if you are going out to eat during your lunch break!

4. What do I want to eat?

This question is crucial. If you have tortillas,  tomatoes, onions and what not AND avocadoes are on sale but you hate them, don't get it! Don't be like : I hate guacamole but I'm going to eat it because  it's healthy and cheap. You probably will end up never finishing 1/10 of the homemade healthy guac recipe you looked up. Go for something that you will enjoy eating because a HAPPY you is a HEALTHY you!

Meal Plan!

So here was my meal plan.  I try to eat about 3 medium meals and 3 small snacks a day so that I always feel semi-full (I hate feeling hungry). This has worked well for me in the past and seems to be working well now as well!This does not include my coffee (black), tea (no frappucinos, that sh!t is full of empty calories) or water. I drink an average of 2.5L of water/tea a day and I tend to stay away from juice. This meal plan averages around 1500 to 1800 calories a day, depending on if I work out or not!

For that specific meal plan, I no longer have the grocery list but I do remember that bananas, frozen fruits, cucumber and heads of green lettuce were on sale! Gouda cheese was also 50% off! Zucchinis were nice and plump and ground veal was 30% starting the following flyer!

I also 

 
Grocery tips will be up for the next day with my new workout plan will be up tomorrow!
 
Good night y'all!
Russy
 

Oops I did it again...

Day number??? - Oops I did it again...

I fell of the blogging band wagon for a while. I got much more hours at work in the past week and add to that a trip to Ottawa for Canada Day. Sorry for not updating as often I should have! As an apology, I offer you this salivating shrimp taco wrap that was sent to me by my dear sister Amy along with her wise tip!

A good way to augment your vegetable intake is to transform your wraps/tacos into lettuce wraps! The  big and crispy leaves can replace the fried taco shells perfectly, adding fiber and vitamins to your meal!You can vary through the different kinds of lettuce but I usually go for Romaine for its sturdiness or the Boston for its flexibility! Lastly, as I mentionned in Day 6, lettuces are in season right now. This is the perfect summer lunch idea! Thanks Amy!

Shrimp Taco on Lettuce! Credits to Amy Evans!

Good news! Even thouugh I did not update the blog, I kept on the healthy habits! I have been going to the gym, eating various healthy foods on a regular basis while still having a good time! So props to that! Also, some co-workers that I haven't seen in a while have complimented me on a slimmer figure already and my biggest pair of jeans is falling off of me now! Also, my Green Smoothie game has totally be upgraded! #GetOnMyLevel #IknowYouCan 

Frozen grapes, strawberries & pinapples, fresh baby spinach and a squeek of lemon juice!
One of my favorite snack!

Now, let's pick up where we left off, shall we? 

xoxo

Russy