fit n' the summer (m1-d12)

This week really didn't go anything as planned. I did sneak in some workouts, but nothing like I should have. I took Monday and Wednesday as rest days, just because they were so crazy and I was to tired to get up early. Needless to say I'm glad I decided to repeat week 1, as I so wasn't ready with how things went this week to add on to my runs.  Though next week I will need to push through and really hit the pavement.

Here's what I had planned for the week.

week 2 basic schedule
Sunday: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday:	1.5 mile Run 30-60 minute evening walk       1.5 mile morning Run 1 mile run {week 2} Rest Rest or run/walk {week 2} 5:30pm Hot Vinyasa 1.5 mile evening Run Rest or run/walk

The good thing is that Sunday and Tuesday i did actaully run.   Sunday I went hiking, running and walking.  Today I tried to add some added color so I decided to run up and down a set of stairs leading to the baseball field. I went down, up and down the regular steps, then up the large steps (for seating) and just repeated that for 5 minutes.  Then ended with a calf stretch and a few push ups.

week 2 actual schedule
Sunday: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Saturday:	2.71 mile hike + 1.96 mile run + 1 mile walk + 1s bootcamp rest day 1.45 mile morning Run rest day 2 mile  morning walk + 5 min run up and down cement stairs tbd tbd

eats
Today's eats were a little off since I wasn't home and it threw me off a bit since I wasn't as prepared as I would have liked to of been.

breakfast: cheerios + milk
post workout snack: vanilla protein shake
snack #1: coffee + slice of cake (going away-retirement party for a coworker)
lunch: oatmeal + strawberries + p greek yogurt + chia seeds
snack #2: trail mix bar  + carrots
dinner: kashi go lean + soy milk + blueberries\
snack #3 cup of cherries + soy milk

running around town

It's been such a crazy week for me and I'm enjoying just being able to relax tonight.  I've been running around trying to get so much done and organized so I can make more informed decisions.  It's really nice having things laid out on paper and you can really determine the better option.  I'm also enjoying being able to play on my laptop now that it's fixed!  I can't believe how long I let it go, but I'm glad my friend was able to fix it and at a happy price.

I still have so much still to do; here's a few things I can think of:
* plan meals for the week
* ingredients for oatmeal bar and no-knead bread
* plan out running schedule for next week
* figure out what to do with all the kiwi I have
* cut up the half a watermelon sitting in my fridge
* go through my coupons from last Sunday's paper and file them
* coordinate coupons with stores sales
* read: running world mag (july); muscle and fitness her's (july/aug) & eating clean mag (april/may)
* post about two magazine's I read last month, but didn't buy, but wanted to share a few things I saw.
* get some sleep

I did stop at the store tonight and picked up some eggs (coupon), milk (coupon) and kashi cereal.  I wanted to just pick up some basics since I'm not at home for the next week.  I'm trying not to move everything I use in the kitchen while I'm house-sitting, but I really want to.  It's only 10 days, I can live without some things for that long, especially since I'll be roommate free.  Though I need to stop by the apartment and grab some pillow, the watermelon and my flour to make the bread + Sunday's coupons from the paper.

fit n' the summer (m1-d11)

Wednesday  eats
breakfast: coffee + (2) Ezkiel toast, pb, strawberries+ soy milk
snack #1: frosted fiber one mini wheats + soy milk + cashews + blueberries
lunch: pb&j on ezkiel bread, flaxseed + soy milk + 1/2 pear
snack #2: blueberry bagel, pb, chia seeds, flaxseed
dinner:1 tbd

workout

rest day

tomorrow I will need to get up early so I can workout in the morning and then Friday I will run after my 5:30 appointment in Camp Hill.  

I should have gone for a walk this morning since my evening is completely booked, but I still needed to pack for my week away.  My roomies will have the run of the house and I'll be off to the east shore (Harrisburg) for the next 10 days house sitting for a friend.  It's going to be nice to have my own kitchen!!!  I'm planning on making oatmeal squares and homemade bread....so excited!!

The plan tonight is to finally...finally pick up my shoes at the Inside Track in Mechanicsburg right after an appointment in Camp Hill.  Then I'll be off to a friends 31 party.  They have the cutest purses and I can't wait to see what the new collection.

I'm also super excited that my laptop is finally fixed.  A friend of mine who works in the computer industry took it and figured out the problem and he said the error messages are gone and the programs I couldn't are running smooth.  I can't pick it up until Thursday, but I so can't wait.  It will be so nice to be able to use it after it being down and out for the last 2ish months after getting a nasty virus in it.

fit n' the summer (m1-d9+d10)

Monday  eats
breakfast: coffee +
snack #1: chocolate protein shake + apple
lunch: chicken, black beans, red leaf lettuce, walnuts, salsa, cucumber, wrap + grapes + 4 cherries
snack #2: frosted fiber one mini wheats + soy milk + sliced almonds + 1/2 apple
dinner:1 slice cheese pizza
snack #3: Soy milk + pb fudge

workout

rest day

Nothing to crazy today just a basic visit to my chiropractor after work and then headed to a friends.  I was getting tired and made my way home around 8pm.  I was hoping to stop at the Inside Track before they closed at 8pm, but I'll have to try later on this week.  Hopefully, they will still have my shoes as they've been there for about two weeks now.  I feel really bad, but I just haven't been able to get there.

When I pulled in the driveway I realized I was missing the Bachelorette (Ashley).  Not my usual show, but I'll watch it with my grandmother and we talk about what's going on as this is one of her favorite shows.  She typically gets really into them and even jots down every name and a little bio and then crosses them off when they're eliminated.  I'm more of a Pushing Daisies and Drop Dead Diva kind of gal.  I've seen most of the shows this season, but missed the last two.  Mainly, because I forgot about the show and was having to much fun hanging with my friends.  As each episode unfolds you can really see how fragile Ashley is and so how not ready she is for this show.  She's so emotionally unstable and flips so easily.  Plus, I really dislike how easily she fell for Bentley.  He's such a ...., and he never should have been on the show.  I'm sure she feels really stupid now that the show's airing and she can see how he really felt about her.  This season William caught my eye so I was more interested in seeing how he played the game.  I also liked Mickey, the cook from NY and was glad to see him take the initiative to leave on episode 6.  If she was that invested in Bentley, and that's truly what she was looking for then Mickey is not for her.  He seems like a really great guy and she is so far out of his league and I hope he finds someone who is stable and will appreciate all he has to offer.

Tuesday  eats
pre-run: 1 medjool date + tb pb +
post-run: vanilla protein shake + coffee + apple
snack #1: frosted fiber one mini wheats + soy milk + cashews + raisins
lunch: red leaf lettuce, black beans, walnuts, salsa, cucumber, onion, wrap + steamed asparagus
snack #2:coffee, soy milk, sweet n low + activia blueberry yogurt + 7 baby carrots
dinner:1 tbd
snack #3:

workout

Morning Run: go
1.45 miles {10:01 avg pace} + 186 calories burned {14.30 minutes}

I was so tempted to consider today another rest day, especially since I will be working from 8:30am - 9pm.  ugh!  but I need the hours so I'm going to suck it up and work.  It would be great to only need to work 40 hours a week, but when you work for a non-profit that's just not possible if you want to keep a float when you have student loans.  Once I finally talked myself out of bed it seemed to take forever to finally get run ready and begin my run.  I didn't feel like running around the track today so I made a detour through the retirement apartments and around the HS parking lot.  I was surprised to make it to work on time, especially since I didn't hit the showers until ten after seven and I even had time to straighten my hair and paint my face.  I love days like that.   

I was excited to see Portland Oregon as the 4th healthiest city in the US according to SHAPE.COM.  Portland is one of the cities I want to move to in the next 5 years.  It even beat out Denver, (5) Virginia (9) and California (6).  Minneapolis took first, then Washington DC and Boston 3rd.    I'm alittle surprised to have seen Minneapolis take first.

Here's what they have to say:

Portland has experienced double-digit population growth for the past few decades, in no small part because of its bucolic surroundings and laid-back attitude. A high ratio of parks to residents, as well as easy access to both mountains and coast, make the area a hub for outdoor fun, from windsurfing to snowboarding (even in the summer!). 

Fit Stop: Cyclocross
A growing number of local women are trying cyclocross—a mix of cycling, running, and a whole lot of mud. Hotspots to practice your skills are Pier Park in N

fit n' the summer (m1-d7+d8)

Saturday  eats
breakfast: coffee + oatmeal with water, soy milk, 1/2 banana mashed, 4 strawberries
snack #1: banana + almond butter
lunch: 1/2 Mediterranean veggie sandwich from Panera + an apple + 1/2 pink Gatorade
snack #2: apple
dinner:2 slice veggie pizza + green Gatorade
snack #3: Soy milk + pb fudge

After my crazy workout Friday I decided that sleeping in and taking a rest day would be a good idea for Saturday.  I'm really glad I did, because I don't think I would have made it otherwise with all the running around I did on Saturday.  I was up by 7am, finished two loads of laundry and was out the door by 9:45am and didn't get home until close to 11pm.  There was so much to do and still more to work on next Saturday.  Though at some point very soon I need to go through my things in the shed and see what I can add to our yardsale.

workout

rest day

Sunday  eats 

breakfast: coffee + oatmeal with water, 4 strawberries + 2 egg whites & 1 egg scrambled 

snack #1: trail mix snack bar
lunch/pre-run: trail mix (pecans+raisin+almonds) + medjool date + apple
post run: chocolate protein shake + 1/2 banana
dinner: 2 waffles (van's omega 3 + flax) + pear + strawberries + sugar free syrup
snack #3: Soy milk + pb fudge

I woke up Sunday morning and made a yummy breakfast, well tried to at least.  Our microwave stopped working about a minute into my oatmeal so I had to postpone breakfast for about an hour until we could figure out the problem.  Turns out the wires connected to the A/C receptacle burned out causing the other receptacles connected to that circuit to stop working.  With all the drama it added extra time to get ready and I arrived at church a little late, but lately that's just normal for me so I wasn't to worried about that.  At least I was there.

After church I chatted with some friends and then closer to 1pm changed into my hiking outfit.  I had 3 other RSVP's for the hike, but only one showed up and I didn't hear from the rest.  I did hear from one of the girls, but not until Sunday when I got an email from her wondering why no one was there.  I felt bad, but I did send out an email Friday before I left work telling everyone the meet up point and included my cell.  

The hike was a lot of fun.  We headed to Boyd Big Tree Reserves in Harrisburg.  It has 4 trails, Green (super easy 1 mile), pink (which turned into green), white (going to try next time) and red (hardest - up hill).  We kept good conversation and ended up laughing so hard that we cried on the way home.  We started and it was really hard to stop.  I think passing cars were wondering if we were high.  Let me reassure we were not, but man it felt like we were; though I've never been so I can't be 100% sure on that.

We completed a 2.7 mile hike and afterward I decided to go for a run so I made my way to city island.  I began at the bridge and ran all the way to Kelker and back to the split at the Garden  where I began the fitbook bootcamp {minus the resistance bands and the wall sits.  Then I walked back to my car and then headed to the gym for some sauna time and a shower.



workout

Hike: 2.7 miles + 341 calories burned go
Run: 1.96 miles {10:08 avg pace} + 273 calories burned go
Walk: 1.00 mile {19:42 avg pace} + 100 calories burned go

weigh in:
150LBs {150LB block}

fit n' the summer (m1-d6)

I'm feeling very confident in my physique and loving the definition in my arms.  I hope that I continue to see a defination change in my body while working on my running.  My training today is to run 1.5 miles and hopefully I will finish before the rain showers begin. 

today's eats
breakfast: coffee + (1) flax and omega waffles, 1/3 pear, 4 strawberries, 1/4 c p greek yogurt + 2 egg whites, 1 whole egg and 1/4c soy milk scrambed.
snack #1: 1/2c cottage cheese + 1c grapes + 5 cherries
lunch: chicken, red leaf lettuce, black beans, salsa, cucumber wrap + steamed asparagus
snack #2: Ezekiel toast, pb, sunflower seeds, flax, chia seeds + 1c soy milk
pre-run {energy} snack: 2  medjool
post-workout: chocolate protein shake + 1/2 plain bagel
dinner:1/2 banana

workout
I was able to push out a great workout today.  so amazing!  I headed out for a run and I ran approz. 2 miles {my runkeeper app stopped about .68 miles into my run so I discarded it}  Basically I started at Front St./Forster and ran a block past Kelker then ran back to the City Island Bridge {I didn't go across the bridge} then I ran back to Forester.  I did stop at the center {where the sitting statue is, not sure what the street is or what that area is called}.  I performed my bootcamp workout there, though I forgot my watch so I had to estimate my seconds.  Then I walked to a friends house on 3rd, hung out there for about 20 mintues and we went out for a 20ish minute walk.

Once I fishined I had my choclate protein shake and half bagel then headed to the gym to clean up, but decided that I really wanted to do an arm strength workout.
Row machine: 2.5 min warm up
- db kickbacks 1 warm up set 0LBS + 3s 15LBS
- tripcep pulldowns 3 sets at 20LBS
- db bench press 15LB warm up + 2 sets at 25LBS and 1 set at 20LBS
- incline press 7.5LB warm up set + 3 at 12lb
15 minute cool down on the elliptical {1 mile at 120 calories)

felt super awesome afterward

fit n' the summer (m1-d4 + d5)

I was able to get so much done between yesterday and today, but it still feels like there is still a list a mile long.  Even now I feel rushed even though I've added several events to our fb page, created a twitter account and an about.me page to.  Craziness.  Lots and lots done just for this site to help keep you guys updated on what's going on.  Why so many pages??

facebook go

I added a group here for Harrisburg Fit Foodie Wannabes and Beyond.  It is a meetup.com group I created this year to bring locals together who want to surround themselves with other fit foodies and wannabe fit foodies so we can encourage each other to stay fit and healthy.   The only con is that fb groups are not as organized as meetup.com is, but that's their main focus so they can have a better layout to keep things organized and easy to access.  This is where twitter comes into play.

Twitter go

This was created to add specific updates

ie added events: hiking  in june + adam ricci walks {next 3 walks} + road trip to trader joes in july

ie updated: bio and training page {5k training program} + added a new goal setting called the lululemon way on my goals page.

about.me go

this is a really awesome and very simple site that allows you to write a quick bio and add all of your pages so when you meet people you can give them a card with this link on it and it will give them access to all of your social sites.

new name

I hope you guys are as excited about my new name as I am.  I've been playing with a few names the last few weeks, but none of them have created the overall design of this blog like happy tummy point does.  It actually came while I was writing a post and since then I've flown with it.  It's now the twitter handle and the basis of my blog here.  I've also decided that I will make no more changes to the name of this blog.  It will forever be known as the <i>happy tummy point</i> and I hope you guys like it as much as I do.  I'd love to hear what you guys think of the new name.  I hope to have the blog professional designed in the next 6 months and with that the image with the logo may change, but I'll leave that up to the professional.

fit summer update

yesterday it took a while, but I finally made it out for a run around 7pm and conquered a 1.61 mile run just past Kelker in just 16:02 with a 09:59 average minute mile.  It felt so good and I wasn't as tired as I was the other day.  After logging in my time I headed back toward the bridge, but stopped at the Garden to do a bootcamp workout from fitbook.  Today I'm going to take a rest day and go bowling with the boys.  

I was surprised to see my grandtastic score {this is my current best score}, though now that I found the perfect ball I'm confident that my score will stay above the 100s (as long as it's available when I go).  Plus, with a little practice, which should be easy  to do since the boys go  every Thursday. 

todays eats
breakfast: coffee + flax and omega waffles, 1/3 pear, 1/2 apple, 1/4 c p greek yogurt, blueberries

snack #1:  fiber one frosted mini wheats, soy milk, walnuts
lunch: chicken, red leaf lettuce, walnuts, salsa, cucumber wrap + grapes
snack #2: Ezekiel toast, pb, sunflower seeds, flax, chia seeds + 1c soy milk
dinner: chocolate protein shake+ 1/2 orange + 1/2 plain bagel

fit n' the summer (m1-d3)

Tuesday: week 1 day 3.    I was very close to giving in to sleep this morning, but after a pep talk I finally managed to pull myself out from under the covers and headed to the kitchen to make my pre-run breakfast.  This pre-run breakfast is where I have the hardest time.  I know what breakfast my body loves for a pre-strength routine meal, but I haven't hit that happy tummy point where I eat just enough to fuel my morning run.  The problem is finding a fast digesting food that will also give me the energy I need without feeling overstuffed.   What's your preferred pre-run morning meals?

I headed over to my old HS track, because I was to lazy to drive to the gym to run 1.5 miles on the treadmill.  Plus., it seemed a little silly to drive 20 minutes to the gym for a run that was only going to take maybe 15 minutes and with the track being only a mile away that seemed the better option.  I decided to drive to save on time and to keep my shoes from getting muddy since it had rained last night and there were still puddles in our gravel driveway.  I started out good, but once I hit mile 1 I was already out of breath {well to be honest it was more like my lungs were being suffocated, as if my lungs had closed in and weren't able to take in as much oxygen}.  Though I kept pushing past my bodies first inital desire to quit and managed to finish my last 2 laps strong and under 15 minutes.  The part that made every push worth it was when I saw my average mile time at 8:55.  My best average time prior, even on a track, was closer to an 11min mile.

Sometimes I  Despite not fueling properly for my run I still managed to push out my best time EVER averaging an 8:55mi.  It was o

today's eats
breakfast: coffee + english muffin, pb, chia & sunflower seeds+1/2 orange
+ 1 medjool date for a little added energy
post-run: ww wrap, 1/4 avocado, 4tb black beans, 4 tb salsa, red leaf + grapes

lunch: cup Chobani plain yogurt, 1/4c hemp/flax granola + cherries
snack #2: orange + 1c soy milk + tb pb
dinner: tbd

fit n' the summer (m1-d2)

Monday: week 1 day 2.  You know it's bad when it's only day 2 of your program and you're already making adjustments. Yeah, I know I'm slacking. Though to my defense I had a pretty long day yesterday and I opted for the sleep. I also spent several hours trying to put together my meal plan, while trying to match up coupons at the same time. I was only able to use 3, but at least that was a little bit of a savings.

As the day goes along I feel the need to go for a walk, at this point any activities would be good, especially since I know I've eaten more than I should for a rest day. Does anyone else have a hard time varying their diet for rest days versus intense workout days? 

With my plans this evening I didn't think I would have time for the walk, but as it turns out my friend wasn't ready for me to come over until 7pm, which gave me plenty of time to sneak in a 3.37 mile walk {satisfying my hunger for a walk}.

today's eats
breakfast: coffee + cheerios, reg silk milk, half banana.
snack #1: chocolate protein shake + apple
lunch: Strawberry-Cottage Cheese Oat
pre-run: fiber one frosted shredded wheat mixed with
1/2c Chobani p-yogurt, almonds, chia seeds, 1/2 apple

post-run: half plain bagel+chocolate protein shake with glutamine
dinner: Chicken Salad Sandwich on white bread (WEIS) + sparkling kiwi-strawberry water

bmr calc = 1389
I found this bmr calculator after reading Moving past a weight loss plateau posted by Nancy Anne at it all makes a difference.  The information sprung out of a discussion on sparkspeople called buuurrnn and build.....ah!.   It wasn't really anything I didn't already know, but it was nice to re.check my  number every so often so I have a general idea of how much I should be eating each day.

age: 30
ht: 5'-3"
weight: 154lbs

daily calories needs
workout 5x/week
2032 maintenance (seriously if this was my maintenance I would be far under)
1625 weight loss
1232 extreme weight loss

daily overview
Calories Burned: 0
Calories Eaten: 1544 (247c - 38f - 75p)  
this doesn't include my post-run or dinner, so you know I'm way way over on my daily calorie base.

fit n' the summer

the beginning.Despite only finishing my first month of the 12-week burning the fat program from bodybuilding.com I'm veering towards other avenues to keep in shape for the summer.  I know it's possible to keep in shape without spending my time working out at the gym.  It's way to nice for that.  Plus,  the sun is calling me to the outdoors.  

I think I would have kept going with the gym, but after talking to a co-worker last Thursday who has been working on the 5k training program, Advanced track by Hal Higden and a yogi I met at Om My Yoga on Saturday at their grand opening I think this is the perfect fit for the summer.   It will allow the change in routine and sun that my body is craving.  I've even gone as far as freezing my gym membership, which  starts at my next billing cycle on July 11th.    

stay fit summer plan:

- Hal Higden's 5k Training Program, novice

- Tone It Up Pyramid Workouts for body work.

- Biweekly Yoga classes at  Om My Yoga as a treat and because I really like the people and atmosphere.

the perfect fit:

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that my goal is to run 10 miles by the end of the year.  I thought I was getting close, but like I said above most of my running has been via treadmill which is a far from running outdoors.    

day 1

The sun was out and the breeze felt good as I made my way across the City Island bridge.  I had started strong and really tried to focus on my breathing and stay at a steady pace.  It wasn't an easy run  and disheartening knowing that by mile one I was ready to stop; however, I wouldn't let myself.  I kept finding a new mark to push towards and then once I hit that mark found another one until I was truly done and when I finally finished I read 1.52 miles, which took me to Kelker.  You truly are rewarded when you push through  just a little bit further and achieve your mark no matter how small.  

Once I hit my mark I decided to post my time and restart for the walk back.  This way I would have a clear reading of my pace for each run and see how much improvement I've made.  Today my mile was at a 10 min pace, which I was ecstatic.  That's a whole minute shorter than my last 5k race.  Now I just have to keep hitting my mini goal markers until I finally reach  my ultimate goal for this year and that's run a 10 mile race at an 8min pace.

So here is what this weeks plan is:
hal higden novice training program week 1

Sunday: 1.5 mile Run
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 1.5 mile morning Run
Wednesday: 30-60 minute evening walk
Thursday: Rest or run/walk + 5:30pm Hot Vinyasa
Friday: 1.5 mile evening Run
Saturday: Rest or run/walk

parden the dust

Feeling like I need a change in  my branding.  Not sure if Under the Apple Tree really is what I want.  You may see different  names-branding pop up at the header, but it's still Under the Apple Tree.

I'm going to take the next few weeks and really think about my goals and what I want to portray with this blog and then I'll make a final deciding factor. I just want it to be a fitness foodies place of bliss where you can find ways to live a healthier lifestyle.

Here's one of the names:
I love running and that's one of the ways I enjoy staying in shape.  Yellow has so many wonderful meaning, but I'll keep it to the following: It's such a bright and cheery color, so it has really been a color of inspiration lately and  it helps to stimulate your thinking and memory and encourages communication.

LVME Recipes

I was inspired when i was writing up my mantra for my workout book and came up with a name and new template for the recipes I'll be adding for download.  They're going to be called LVME Recipes, which stands for Love Me; recipes that will love your body and make you feel good.

Here is an example of the new template.  They can be easily stored in an 8.5 x 11 binder.

life smells good

Things have been coming up Roses for me this last week and I’m loving every minute of it.  It’s a combination of the new (gently used) cloths I bought last week from the thrifty store, the financial goodness, less stress, great hair days and staying true to my clean eating.  This is a very happy combination for me and it’s sparked a super confidence in me.  I feel super amazing, like I’m a model on the cover of Vogue Magazine.   That’s right I feel pretty & Strong!  You should have seen my arms this morning while I was doing my upper body workout.  They looked pretty ripped while I was doing my Triceps Kickbacks and Alternate Hammer Curls and I’m pretty sure a few of the guys were checking me out.  My outfit helped to, felt super confident in that.  It’s a new combination that I put together with a yellow a-tee that I used for another shirt that I added to a black sleeveless top so I had some color to my all black outfit.  I need color in my outfits.  I can’t stand wearing all back-so not me.   

This past week I’ve been doing well with my diet and even lost 2” in the last month.  After logging in a few meals, I realized how much I was really eating, about 1800 calories and that’s too much to lose anything.   This week I adjusted my meals so I’m eating differently on my weight training days and cardio-rest days so I’m not over eating on my lower intensity days.

I had an unspoken goal last week of walking every night along Riverside Park and I was glad when a friend of mine wanted to walk with me.  It gave us some time to hang out and catch up, plus he’s super close to the park so we can just walk from his place.  I really love having friends who want to get out and be active and I really hope at least during the summer they continue with that desire.  This week were getting together to workout outside twice a week.  He has a book he’s used before with some body strength workouts and then we’ll cool down with a walk.   I’m also going to keep my ears open to see if anyone wants to join us or workout with him on days when I’m not able.  I’m looking forward to it and it will be a nice change from my current workout.  Plus, I feel that I get better results working out at night so I should see a little more definition change.

I'm even excited about my new bathing suit.  I found a totally cute bikini halter top, but needed a bottom and when I was at TJ MAXX yesterday hoping to find bottoms to match I found a super cute green Roxxy Bikini that I can't wait to wear. 

The Suit from TJ MAXX is similar to this style, except mine is all green, instead of MEXICO on the butt it says ROXY and the Top also has a Roxy logo on it.  The bikini to the right is the one I bought trying to find a bottom to.  I'm much happier and feel far cuter in the ROXY suit. 

Project: Food Budget - Week Five

Actual: $19.86 (Giant)
Actual: $8.77 (Target)

Actual: $8.24 (Weis)

I've been more diligent on going through my coupons this week and trying to make sure I plan for foods that I can use the coupon for.  I still need work better on using items in my pantry.  I used a few things, but I really just don't have a lot in their to use to plan the majority of my meals from.  I was also thankful that my mom came into town and brought me all kinds of goodies (food + cloths).  I was still way under my budget, but was hoping to spend even less then I did since my mom having a ton of food that was already on my shopping list.

Meal Plan:  (will add later)
* Breakfast


* Post-Workout

* 10am Post-Workout Meal

* 1pm Snack
  
* 4pm Snack

* 7pm Dinner


Staples Purchased: (will add later)

Project: Food Budget
Read about Project: Food Budget challenge.

Please check out these wonderful blogs, and give them support as they take on this challenge.
Participating blogs:
    

Veggie Converter

Dairy-Free Cooking

Veggie Burgher

The Happy Cactus

Test Kitchen Tuesday

Newly Vegan

Veggie on the Cheap

MeloMeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day

The Veggie Life

Caroline Cain Holistic Health

Going Veggie

Under The Apple Tree

Be the Change

super coupon

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I started watching the extreme couponing show and I've really been inspired to try and begin to use them.  I never used them in the past, because they never had anything that I bought, but I've come to the conclusion that I can't be picky on everything if I want to save money.   Especially, with things being so tight and not having any hours in my evening job right now.

So far I've collected a few papers and have began the process of cutting and sorting my coupons and have a few adjustments to the binder I am temporary using.  I'm keeping my eye out for a pretty+functional zipper binder that I can store everything in. Last week I was able to use 2 coupons for some yogurt so hopefully as I learn more about this I will be able to save more and elimate a few stores with my price comparison guide.  Yep, I've started going to the grocers and pricing just about everything i buy and comparing the base price to each store so I know NOT where to buy the product.  This is like the invisible coupon, because by buying it at a store I will already be near or heading to makes more sense, especially if I'm saving anywhere from $.20 to $2.00 each item.  I have a pretty hefty list and so far I've priced out Target, Wegmans and Weis and am working on Giant.  once I get those figured out I'll be checking out Walgreens and Rite Aid to see how they price on toiletries and beauty products.  I'm only adding those, because a few people say they have better luck there with those products and they typically have lots of sales and coupons to use.

so far I've learned:
* Weis has better pricing on their produce and pb and eggs
* Weis is not good with , Organic-Whole Foods, espeically Silk Milk
* Target is the lowest at $3.09 for Silk Milk.
* Weis carries sugar free syrup at a good price.
* Target is lower then Weis on Toiletries

Since sales come and go about every 3-4 months I'm looking at only buying 1 or 2 of each item since I'm only needing these for me, unless it's free and it's a product I really like and then I'll try to get more.  I don't really have space to store things, so I don't want to have tons of papers or extra things lying around my small space.