Recover from Bone Spur Surgery

I had a bone spur in my ankle removed about a week ago. So far so good. Today I was able to put weight on that foot without pain.

I am going to my follow up Tomorrow. And I have no idea what my recover time is, what restrictions are and what not.
But there are things I know...

Before I went into surgery I made my meal plan and I went grocery shopping. I picked meals that were easy to cook for my husband and my Teenage Daughter. Also this time I really did rest and I am drinking lots of water.
I had gall bladder surgery 5yrs ago and my recover was ok, but not great due to me being me and trying to do to much to fast. (it might have also had something to do with the fact that my former Narcisistic best friend, guilted me into doing stuff to soon, but I digress)
My husband has been great, he reminds me to take it easy and slow, that might just be cause he wants me to be able to take care of him when he has his hernia surgery next week. Yeah my family does everything at once, you could think we get a discount.

But back to my plan.
My goal is to not gain weight this month as I am not able to workout as I would like. So food is Key. I have been doing ok, I haven't logged, but not being able to go anywhere and not having junk food in the house makes that kind of sort of easy. I have broken my no eating starches after 3pm rule a few times this week, but hey, I just had surgery. LOL
I am almost off the pain pills. Instead of 2 I take on and I am down to taking one in the am and one in the pm. So far so good.
I have been drinking lots of water and this morning I got on the scale I was 244.8lb. which is exactly what I weighed the morning of the surgery. So it can only go down from here.

The reason I know this is going to work this time ( I quit the gym and caring after the gall bladder surgery) is I have backup. My husband is my biggest support. My trainer has been messaging me every day since the surgery and has been so encouraging. My kids cause they eat what I had planned and have no complaints, I think that is my biggest achievement as a cook, my kids love my food, they are not picky eaters and they eat healhty. Yes my son does eat at the cafeteria, but instead of a burger he picks the salad and fruit each day and my daughter usually takes leftovers. My husband makes his lunch salad every evening. We are in this together as a family.
So getting back to the gym should be easy. I plan as soon as I am allowed to do upper body.

So here is to a healthy future.

~ Claudia

Paleo Moussaka Lasagna

I got the original Recipe from here, but decided to change it up to fit our lifestyle and taste a bit better.

Ingredients:

1 Eggplant peeled and sliced
1 Zucchini sliced
1 clove of garlic diced
10oz. or 1lb of lean ground Turkey
1 28oz. can or Marzano Tomatos
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
2 8oz cans of organic tomato sauce
8 white mushrooms
4 cups of fresh spinach
1.5 cup of raw cashews (soak them overnight if possible, but a minimum of 2-3hrs)
1/2 cup unsweetened Almond milk
1 Lemon
3tbsp. Olive oil

In a sauce pan, heat half the olive oil and saute the minced garlic then add the turkey to it. While the Turkey is browning, cut the mushrooms and heat a frying pan with the rest of the olive oil. Add the Mushrooms.
When the Turkey is all the way cooked, no more pink, add the tomato paste, Marzano Tomatos and Tomato sauce. Mix, then season to your liking, I use pink salt, black pepper, basil, oregano and a tiny bit of garlic powder. Turn on low and let this simmer.
When the mushrooms are soft add the spinach and sautee until just wilted and put the mixture in a bow.
In a blender, put in the drained Cashews, a tsp. Lemon Juice, Salt, Pepper and some garlice powder and the Almond milk and blend until you have a smooth creamy paste. Mix that in with your spinach mixture.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a 9x13 Pyrex pan, Put one layer of Eggplant. Then add 1/3 of the tomato sauce and on top of that spread half of the Cashew mix. Then add a layer of Zucchini and repeat with the tomato sauce and Cashew mix. Add one more layer of Eggplant and spread the rest of the tomato sauce. I happen to have some Vegan Cheese from Trader Joe's so I spread that on top.
Put it in the oven and cook for 45 minutes.

Nutrition: 253calories, 15g fat, 22g, carbs, 3g sugar, 14g Protein


Enjoy!!!

Musings and Meal Plan for this week

I have been in a little bit of a slump. I am working out, but my food is not on par. I know why, I was hit with a bout of depression, which just really sucks. I am sure it would have been even worse if I was not working out. But I had a fantastic weekend, well mostly aside form the fact that my son got sick. He doesn't get sick often, but when he does, he does it well. He ended up with both flu strands and Strep on top of that. But thank goodness for the meds he is now on the mend and feeling much better.
Today I got up (later than usually, due to it being spring breaks) I made my meal plan and then went to the gym. I took my Impala, cause there is a trainer that loves the car and it was his birthday today. I planned on going to the grocery store after, but realized I left my wallet at home. So when I got home, I hung out with the kids and went to the store a bit later.
I made my meal plan for the week and I am happy with it and here is my grocery haul. I want to make the next two weeks count cause i am having surgery on the 24th.

I also bought Rice Protein to figure out how to make my own protein bars. Cause to be honest I love the 22days but they are getting expensive. So we will see how this goes.

Meal Plan:

Monday:
Roasted Chicken (bought at the grocery store, skin removed) hummus, carrots and salad.

Tuesday:
Lasagna I am using eggplant instead of Zucchini this time

Wednesday:
Fish Taco Bowl

Thursday:
Chick Pea Stew ( my husband is running a 10K on Saturday and needs lots of carbs)

Friday:
Balsamic Chicken, Zucchini and Rice

Saturday:
Hubby and Son are having Spaghetti

Sunday:
Grilled Chicken, Brussel Sprouts and Salad

Preparing for an injury related break...

So I found out last week that on March 24th I am going to have a bone spur in my foot removed that has broken off and is just floating. I used to get Cortisone injections, but my Orthopedic Surgeon decided it would be better to take it out.

The surgery is out patient, but they will put me under. So my hubby is taking me and driving me home after. I was told that I will be in a Boot for 4 weeks after.
4 WEEKS!!! YIKES!!!

So I need to prepare myself better mentally for this then with my last two surgeries. I had a deviated septum fixed in 2008 and I started to lack going to the gym and I gained 15lb. after that surgery. After my gall bladder surgery in 2011 I pretty much just gave up.

So this time around, I will not let this put me in the corner. I will make sure my food will be as clean as it gets. Cause that will be the most important part. But I also know there is a hand bike at the gym. So I can do some Cardio and my trainer said we can train the upper body. I just don't want to give up and loose the momentum I have build these past 4 months.

I know I also have amazing support from my family this time, as I am very blessed that we all eat clean, dairy and gluten free. So there won't be junk in the house, as I am going to grocery shopping before the surgery. Make sure there are good snacks in the house.

I am looking forward to this new adventure.

Meal Plan #6

Meal Plan from 2/26/2015 - 3/3/2015

For breakfast my husband and I eat oatmeal and eggwhites with veggies. On saturdays I make protein pancakes and sometimes a casserole. The kids eat cereal but are wanting to eat oats and eggs to now (they are teenagers)

Lunches:
My daughter takes leftovers and so does my son, when he remembers to take a lunch. My husband makes a Salad to take and I eat a salad or leftovers.

As always all our meals are gluten free / dairy free

Friday:
Sweet Potato Crust with BBQ Chicken 

Saturday:
Bison Burgers on Gluten Free buns with Salad and Sweet Potato Fries

Sunday:
Pork Chops, Cauliflour Rice and roasted Brussels Sprouts

Monday:
Paleo Lasagna

Tuesday:
Fish Tacos on lettuce wraps

Wednesday:
Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash

Thursday:
Grilled Chicken, Zucchini and Pasta

Hitting a Rough Spot?

So I am 4 months into my fitness/weight loss Journey.

I am down almost 40lb. since August of 2015 and I do feel great. But this week has been rough.

I am fighting a bout with depression and some health issues, I made it to the gym yesterday and I am going walking today. Tomorrow the gym will be in the afternoon and I am going Saturday as well.

But here is what is bumming me out. I have a bone spur in my foot right in my ankle joint and it f*ing hurts. I had cortisone shots, but yesterday the decision was made to get it surgically removed. So surgery is scheduled for the 24th of March. Which gives me 4 more weeks to work out and loose more weight.  The bad thing is I am going to be in a boot for 4 weeks :( Which bums me out, here is why...

In 2008 I had my nasal septum straightened, due to doing a faceplant when I was 5 and not being able to breathe. It was a real struggle to get back into the gym then. In 2011 I had my gall bladder removed, I had already gained some weight back by then, but that surgery and the stress of the friendship that started to crumble did me in, I quit working out and eating healthy and ended up 100lb. heavier then I was in 2007.

So now you can see where my dilemma is and what demons I am fighting. But I can't stress how important it is to find support. I am very lucky to have a wonderful husband and 2 teenagers I can count on. They have my back and I am very blessed. I also have my friends and I build a wonderful online community for supporting each other in our Journeys.

I know you can do this on your own, but when it gets tough, it's easier to have someone that tells you they believe in you. Or that will cook a dinner so you don't go out and eat all the crap in the world. If you can't find someone, got check out my Facebook page "Geeks Who Lift" and message me. I got your back. It's just important to have support.

Thank you all that are supporting me and telling me already that I can do this, cause this time, I know what traps are laid out for me and I don't have the Toxicity that was that relation ship in my life anymore.

Best,

Claudia

Rest Day is important and also a little rant...

I am really starting to enjoy this blogging thing. Cause I can write when something annoys me without getting a bunch angry people at me.

So rest Day... I do Active Recovery, where you are going for a walk, cause you cant take it any longer sitting at home, or a hike or do some other activity. Yesterday was technically a rest day for me, but I went to the Renaissance Fair and walked 4.4miles thru out the day. I am feeling it a bit.
You can also rest when you are really sore. I had to do that a couple of weeks ago, I woke up and was so sore I could barely walk, that is when my body told me, You need to stop for today.
Also drink lots of water, it will help flush the Toxins that were released during your workout. Also don't forget to stretch and foam roll during your Rest day. It will help the recovery process.


Now comes my other rant... I saw someone post on Instagram their Food Prep picture and the caption was EAT FOR FUEL, NOT FOR FLAVOR.
This struck a cord with me. I wanna eat flavorful meals. I don't wanna eat bland food everyday. I see those meal preps and I think to myself, how BORING... How can you the exact same food every single day for a week? Well I can't cause I would not be staying on meal plan.
Healthy food and foods that are good for you do not have to be Boring or Bland. All the recipes I post for dinner don't take more time then 30-45 minutes. Cause I wanna eat with my family and spend time with them after. I don't wanna spend hours in the kitchen. So No you can eat healthy foods and they can be flavorful.
I eat about 1700 Calories a day. I love Pampered Chef's Southwest Seasoning, I used it in my omelet in the morning, a half a teaspoon has 15mg of sodium. And that is all I put on my omelet, I use salt very sparingly. In my homemade Salad Dressing I use Pampered Chef's Herb de Provence which has 0 sodium but tons' of flavors.

Be adventurous, try new seasonings, I love dill on my salmon. I put mustard and paprika on my Pork Chops and Chicken, these are all things you can do to make your meals full of flavor.

As a Teenager I did not know how to cook or had any inkling of learning to cook and now I love it, heck I make up my own recipes. So the one thing I can tell you. Don't be afraid to try a recipe and cook something.

Go and have fun in the Kitchen... it's an Adventure.

~ Claudia