Friday, July 31, 2009

It's a Snacky kind of day!

Well I worked this morning from 7-2:30pm, so breakfast was on the run peanut butter puffins, YUM!
I then went had a banana when I got home and hammered out an 8 mile run in the perfect weather:)

When I got back look what arrived FINALLY:
Yeah my AmazingGrass and shaker. I was planning on treating my self to an iced coffee from Caribou coffee before working tomorrow but I think this will be better! (I also forgot to turn my pictures but I now know how, but I'm in a hurry, so next time:)
When I got back from my run I had some frozen grapes. If you've never tried this it's AMAZING!


And the rest of my fage yogurt,


With some awesome Maranatha Almond Butter.



I'm now relaxing and wathcing Miss Congeniality 2 and reading blogs/commenting!
My husband is helping someone move and when he gets home maybe dinner!
Also I have to decide by tonight whether we are staying in MN/ this apartment or not! YIKES, such a big decision, last minute.
Leianna


Thursday, July 30, 2009

Dinner Possible

Have you ever seen that show on the Food Network: Dinner Impossible, I Love it!

Anyways on to dinner, which I totally impressed myself again! After reading blogs for the past month you guys totally inspire me to try and cook new things:) For the past 2 years I would make my husband frozen dinners and most of the time I wouldn't eat dinner, but in the past month things have drastically changed!
So here it is my chicken marinating in Hawaiian Luau

Couscous, which I've never made or eaten!

My chicken after I killed it on my George foreman:) We like our meat dead, not red!


And the finished product. I microwaved the couscous, cut up the chicken and steamed the brussel sprouts, which I've also never had!

Dinner tonight was amazing and makes me more and more happy to try everyone's recipes. Keep'em coming please:)
Off to take a ride in my Buick Rendevous, actually my husband thinks it's just his.
Leianna



Times are a Changing!!

Breakfast was peanut butter puffins, flaxseed, banana and almond butter. My favorite combo. Underneath is a recipe for zucchini bread I'm making this afternoon:)
After breakfast I went to the apartment treadmill and cranked out 7 miles in 60 minutes, yay for workout being done early and no work today!


Well as you can see from the title new things are coming for the Hellinga household. My husband and I aren't happy at our jobs or in Minneapolis. Even though I've lived here my WHOLE life I just can't get ahead, so we feel stuck and moving at such a fast pace. So we both have some interviews and job oppertunities coming up in NW Iowa, where my husband is from. Mine is at the hospital where my mother-in-law works and my husbands is at a cell phone place. He knows EVERYBODY in this small town Iowa town. We'll see what happens but this fall could a new phase in our lives.

I took this picture below because I still can't beleive its July 30th and only 65 degrees. It's usually 100 degress around this time. I miss that hot weather, but West Coast is hogging it all!
I mean 100 + in Seattle, Portland and Arizona/Vegas!



After workout I showered and drank some peach iced tea, YUM!



In the background are my zuchinni's and bananas!
I also just got back from Wal-Mart picking up milk for my husband ($1.78, so cheap!) and kitty food. I also so a juicer for $60 and I might need to convince my husband to buy me that and a new blender because mine is a cheap sucky one:(
OKay that all for the morning and anyone one reading, I love comments and want to hear what anyone else would like to see me write about or how I can get more feedback, maybe it's becasue I've only been doing this for a couple of weeks, but I just don't know how many people actually read this and would love to know more people!!!!
Leianna

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

My Wedding Recap!

This one was taken 10 minutes before walking down the aisle. She captured me perfectly!
This is my mother and I!
She had to get on a ladder and get me from this angle! This is my absolute FAVORITE picture!

My husband and I:)


An even better one!



We got married in South St. Paul on June 16th, 2007. I was never a bridezilla and didn't do much planning. My mother and mother-in-law did the most since they were paying! You can also tell I'm a runner in all my pictures because I have a shirt tan:) I was running alot the week before my wedding and never thought about the tan lines, it's I good thing I didn't care!
My dress was very unique. It's the same designer as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, 2 piece and corset top. I would wear it every day if I could!
It was the perfect day starting with pictures, my husbands grandfather marrying us in the same church my parents got married in 30 years earlier, a reception at a hall on the Mississippi River and then a Honeymoon Cruise!
Hope you enjoyed,
Leianna


Tuesday, July 28, 2009

My story

My story starts when I was a junion in high school. That summer before my senior year I started eating really healthy. I grew up in a really healthy family and I was 115lbs. I was a normal girl and then one day I thought I was fat and this came from taking my thyroid pills. I was born with hypothyroidism(low metabolism). So I started running 8 miles a day out of nowhere and eating basically fruit and vegetables only. My mom didn't think I was that seroious about running so she didn't teach me anything or get me running shoes, I ran on cheerleading shoes:(
I never once looked at a scale I just ate and ran all summer. I didn't hang out with friends and I alienated myself.
This picture above is my first day of senior year. That night my family finally confronted me. I also want to say that I never intended to be anorexic or lose 30 pounds. I never knew it got that seroius, until my mom made me get on a scale and it said 85lbs. My mom started crying and I still say myself as normal and normal sized, although I was always weak and fatigued.
From that night onward I was told to EAT, EAT and EAT. My school counselors, coaches and friends called me bones and said to eat whatever and whenever I wanted to gain my weight back.
Fast forward I wish I had more support and knowledge at that point to gain my weight back healthfully because all that EATING turned into exercise bulemia. And from 2002 until now I eat a lot, whatever, whenever never just 3 meals and snacks, just whenever and never really recovered.
So for this blog I really just want to get back into sync and go through that process with help from others blogs and comments from other amazing women with my same problems or without.
It's hard to tell this becuase the only one who knows of my struggles still is my husband. My family thinks that I went back to being "normal" a long time ago.
I hope to open up to family one day, but feel I need to heal myself first. I've come a long way and survived college and marraige.
I also do want to show my weights and where I've been
2002 High School 85lbs --> 110 by high school graduation
2003 started college @ 105
2004 sophmore year I jumped to 130 at my highest
2005 junior year I realized that I wasn't healthy and lost 20 lbs to bring me back down to 110lbs
2006-2008 maintained 110
2009 down to 105-110 (fluctuates)

So I hope this helps other understand me and my blog. I welcome any comments and love to hear from others!

Leianna

P.S. Recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup semisweet chcolate chips, melted and cooled
1/2 cup raspberries, pureed
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chcolate and raspberries. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in white chocolate. Drop by teaspoons 2 inches apart onto anungreased baking sheet. Bake @ 475 for 10-12 minutes.
ENJOY!

Busy day and I have 2 seconds to post this....

So I woke up this morning at 5am to be a lime service to my hubby one last time. He works in the north suburbs and I work in the south suburbs so we needed enough time so I wouldn't hit major traffic. I had a really quick breakfast muffin this morning. I forgot about these in my freezer from Trader Joe's. Carrot Ginger Oat bran!!! YUM!!
I then worked from 7-2:30, it was really slow. After that I went to a coworkers house in Minneapolis and we decided to try and run again. (We were supposed to go last Friday but it was raining) He lives right by Lake Nokomis and we ran a smooth 3 miles probably. It was my only time to fit in a workout today so I'm glad I went and it wasn't too hot.
I then rushed home took a shower and am posting now quick and then I have to run out the door, pick up the hubby, drive to the east suburbs to pick up my mom at Fleet Farm and then finally go get our car!
My hubby will then go to a church meeting with our new car and I will drive my mom home and eat a soba noodle stir fry dinner (picture below) YUMMY!
I might stay at my parents for a while and my mom might convince me to teach her water aerobics class. Pictures will come if I do because it's a fun group of ladies that talk and exercise in the water. My mom and I have been teaching it for 7-10 years??


Oh yeah and these are the zuchinni's from my church lady. Anyone have any good recipes? I was just going to grill them, but want to try something NEW!


Later tonight will come my ED story and a raspberry choclate chip cookie recipe:)
I'm off to sit in traffic, Yeah!
Leianna

Monday, July 27, 2009

Lunch? What Lunch?

So after doing about 10 loads of laundry, my hubby called and said to pick him up because it was time to go get our new car. I thought he was going to call at 5pm so I had to drop everything and go get him, then go to the bank and go get our car.
When we got there we were told it would be one more day so the State of Minnesota can inspect it!
By the time we were done there we went to my parents house for half hour and then to dinner at a church couple house. When we got there for dinner I was wondering why I was SOOOO hungary. And then I was trying to remember what I had for lunch: NOTHING! I was in such a hurry I totally forgot:(
I didn't take pictures of dinner b/c I didn't want our church couple friends to think I was weird because I haven't told anyone yet about this blog!

Tomorrow I think I'm going to do a special on my stuggles with my eating disorder which started in 2002 and continues today. Also I want to put up some wedding pictures because I love sharing them:)

Have a great night!

Leianna

Leianna's Limo Service

I feel like a limo service this morning becuase I had to take my husband to work since we are running on one car for a day or two. Traffic sucked as usual, but I came back to refreshing breakfast. I wanted to use up my last apple so I dipped it in almond butter and complimented it with my FAVORITE lemon larabar!




I then we and conquered a quick 6 miles before it got to hot! There was a lot of construction and a new water tower going up so my run was filled with my face in my shirt because of smoke and nasty smells:( I won't go that route the rest of the summer!

I'm now going to strtch out with some pilates. My new favorite DVD. I especially love the abs portion.

I will be sipping on this great Dasani water all day! The lime one is good as well and they are on sale at Cub this week so I may stock up today!



When I came back from the laundry room someone wanted to help me with laundry. This is my one year old kitty, Lizzy. She is so full of energy and still has all her claws, so I don't mess with her when she wants her way!
I'll be back for some updates on our new car and dinner out!
Leianna

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Work, Work, Work, work....





Thats all I see to do lately is work but I get a day off tomorrow to do Laudry! Finally:)

Breakfast was a quick last peanut butter puffins, pumpkin seeds, golden raisens, almond butter and an apple!

I love this simple combo, but I do miss the banana!



We then quick drove to church and it lasted a little londer than usual so didn't have anytime for anything in between work.




But I did grab this from Cub Foods produce section. It had romaine lettuce, meat, eggs and salad dressing!
Quick and healthy!





Dinner was at work and I also got a Dasani Black Cherry water. I love those waters!
Even though tomorrow is my day off, I have to do laundry, take my husban to and from work, buy a car and have dinner at a church couples home!
Be back early tomorrow morning for another yummy breakfast:)
Leianna

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Long time, No Blog!

During the last 24 hours I worked 15! So I'm exhausted.
We are considering going out to dinner tonight to celebrate buying a new vehicle. And no pictures from earlier meals because of working but willbe back FULL blast tomorro morning:)

Leianna

Friday, July 24, 2009

Fridge shots and B-fast







So I was supposed to run this morning with my coworker but threatening weather put a damper on that. It was bassically black sky, lightning and thunder! Scared my kitty:(
The apartment treadmill was then calling my name for a little form of something. I pulled out 2 miles before I couldn't stand the stuffiness in there. No windows or air movement sucks!
I think I'll do some Jillian Michaels shred too!
My fridge shots are okay, mainly a lot of husband stuff like skim milk, leftover taco meat, rotisserie chicken.
My stuff (husband won't touch my stuff "too healthy") is TJ's peanut butter with flaxseed, strawberries, canned pineapple, apple, cottage cheese, grapefruit juice, flaxseed and my AMAZING breakfast courtesy of Meghann from www.graduatemeghann.com
I loved it! Topped with fage, more pb, and a white peach! I definetely make this again soon.
I work 2:30-10pm tonight so probably wont post the rest of the day until then!
Leianna

Thursday, July 23, 2009




It started out to be a great day today because I didn't have to work and got to sleep in until 7:30am!
Breakfast this morning was another Fage (LOVE IT) and a banana.
Then I did some more exericse tv videos. One was really intense with squats so my quads are hurting, but I love that feeling!
Hydrated all day with my Sigg and coconut water. The coconut water is okay and I just use it mainly as a hydration tool after a run. I went for an hour run around 1pm and it was about 85 degrees out, so kind of sucked but I do love the heat, just not the sun burn!

The hubby is at a church meeting tonight so I can have veggie burgers. He is a meat ONLY kind of guy. He would throw these away of I didn't hide them in our freezer:)

On a cool note I was walking around the town center today and they are putting in a new restaurant soon called Taj Indian Food. I've seen alot of Indian food eaters on blogs and never eaten Indian food so I'm excited and want to go on opening night!
Tomorrow I don't work until 2:30pm so I planned a running meet up with a coworker. He lives by Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis so I'm excited about that.
Also tonight before bed I'm attempting to make a oatmeat overnight breakfast cookie thing that I've been seeing on other blogs. I'm hoping this will change my mind on oats! Toppings will be more greek yogurt, strawberries and almond butter!!
Have a grest night,
Leianna

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Amazing Grass

So tonight I was poking around and wound up on Angela's blog http://ohsheglows.com and found Amazing Grass stuff everywhere on her blog and at one point it had a good offer where if I bought $21.99 worth of goodies I got a shaker free!
So I'm trying the berry flavored and I'm sooooooo excited I wanted to overnight it but shipping would have been through the roof. So I will try and wait patiently.
In the meantime I need some good recipes to use my new products.
Comment if you have any!

Leianna

Happy Hump Day?











I've never used the term "hump day" before but will start now!



This morning I got up @ 5:30am and has greek yogurt (Fage 2%) for the first time ever. I accompanied it with almond butter (all gone now) and sugar free preserves. This combo was so good and I wanted more! So I will definetely buy more when I go shopping.

I worked 7-2:30pm today and had a key lime larabar for snack. My favorite, favorite flavor is lemon but key lime is very close second. I hope they come out with an orange or grapefruit flavor. I'm definetely a citrus person!

Lunch was a green monster, this is only my second week making these and I LOVE them. I put
spinach, frozen pineapple, almond milk, blueberries, and a banana in mine. I also want to try this green superfood wheatgrass stuff in there sometime for more nutrition but don't know where I can get just a couple of samples?

My hubby and I are buying a car this weekend so we are off to test driving it tonight and dinner will be leftovers because of time constraints!
Leianna
P.S. I still haven't figured out picture placement and wording, but I'm working on it. Maybe I need to load the pictures first and write around them?
Tommorrow.......








Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Taco Tuesday


On the menu tonight is tacos and I still can't seem to upload a picture so I borrowed one from the web.

Taco leftovers with be eaten the rest of the week, but thats okay with me.

It was hailing this afternoon here and my hubby called to make sure I put my car in the garage:)

I was outside running for 30 minutes this afternoon but the sky was getting dark so I did some Exercise TV with Bob Harper instead!

I work really early tomorrow morning so I will be back later tomorrow afternoon, hopefully with lots of pictures!

Blogger vs. Wordpress vs. my Hubby

I've only been doing this blogging thing for a week and I have already managed to have problems/issues with Blogger.
My husband wants to design and create a personal website for me, but being a perfectionist it will take hime a while. He does this as a side job and has his own website @ www.hellingas.net.

I like everyone's Wordpress designs a lot better, so I may be exploring other options here soon.

But getting on it was raining in MN this morning so I didn't run this morning and decided to have a hearty breakfast of eggs with peach salsa! Couldn't upload the picture though so sorry no visual!

Rain cleared up now and it's supposed to be 80 here so will probably put on my iPod + Nike tracker and take a long walk around one of our beautiful 10,000 lakes.

I'll try and come back for dinner!

Leianna

Monday, July 20, 2009

Dinner forgotten?

I'm so new to this food blog thing I made the mistake of not taking a picture of my stella Iowagirleats dinner. I seen this recipe on her blog and just had to make it because my husband and I don't like the normal heavy pastas.
Kristin's drunken pasta recipe was AMAZING and there are leftovers!!
Also after going no dairy for a couple of weeks I've decided to add some back into my diet except ice cream and get rid of caffeine becuase lots of running with pop isn't working very well!

I also just got in a 6 mile run tonight before the "storms." Weathermen are never right around here but we'll see!

NO WORK TOMORROW! So I'll be resting, eating and maybe running.

Leianna

Construction Season in MN




Breakfast this morning was another go at oatmeal with puffins, almond butter, strawberries and a piece of chcolate. As much as I want to like oatmeal I just can't! The taste is just off for me, but I tried.


I have to work this morning from 10-5:30. As seen in my title today I am so over the construction season we are having here in MN. Working in the south suburbs and living in the north suburbs is a pain!


Lunch I pictured this morning because it is a quick grapes and crackers. I don't get much time at work and we are only allowed to eat on break so it has to be quick!
I need to figure out how to move pictures around my post? Anyone know how, I'm still learning.
Be back later tonight for an IOWA dinner.
Leianna




Sunday, July 19, 2009

This is the day that the Lord has made!


What a great Sunday it is...just got back from church this morning and it's finally warm in the State of Minnesota!!

This morning I had peanut butter puffins, almond butter, nut clusters and a banana.

I'm experimenting with different breakfast foods and have recently cut out dairy. I was experiencing stomach issues so you will see alot of different things in this first week, but I hope to find something that works and stick with it.

I have to work from 1:30-9pm today so lunch and dinner are quick and w/o pictures. I will try to get on later tonight to just talk about what I had but we'll see.
Enjoy,
Leianna


Saturday, July 18, 2009

Schools out

I'm officially starting tomorrow with pictures and fitness stuff! It's taken a while for me to figure all this out and just got done with school and went on vacation. So with all that out of the way I trully can't wait to be apart of this awesome community of healthy people sharing great recipes and ideas. I have a couple of 5k's coming up and possibly a Twin Cities 10 miler but we'll see if I get a second job first so I don't overload myself.