*SUMMER SHAPE UP NOTE: This week, we’re repeating Week 1 of the program. You should be comfortable with all of the exercises and if the weights you’re using are too light, it’s time to push it up a little. We’re 1/3 of the way through the Shape Up (it ends July 31) and I hope you are already seeing the benefits of eating clean, doing cardio and weight training. Keep up the great work!!!!
Hey guys! Happy Monday 
Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I apologize for being MIA this past weekend—the pilot and I had some random adventures on Saturday and had Megan and her pilot over last night.
On Saturday, we went to Wild Adventures to meet with the owner regarding a squadron event we’re having there. After talking with him, he told us we could walk the park, so even though we didn’t ride any rides, we had to see the animals.
In the aviary, the birds came flocking to the pilot:
Bird man:
I posed by a white deer:
Elephants:
Giraffe:
Mini kangaroo things:
(the ablino one is so pretty!)
After Wild Adventures, we did something else totally random: went to Best Buy and bought a 52’’ flat screen and some Wii games. Of course, the pilot was way more excited about it than I was –I love it, but it was like Christmas for that kid- so when I could tear him away from his new love, we went and had a beautiful dinner at 306 North.
We started with the grouper ceviche with won tons. I only ate 1 won ton (but lots of the ceviche) and it was delicious! At first I thought it was an odd choice of fish for ceviche, but I really liked it.
And some lovely shiraz:
House salad with balsamic on the side:
A multigrain roll:
And for the entree, I chose the vegetable platter with no white potato mash. Check out this GORGEOUS plate of veggies!!
Sweet potato mash, asparagus, green beans, onion, tomato, peas, broccoli, carrots and spinach. A-freaking-mazing.
For dessert, we got the New York cheesecakes with blueberry and Grand Marnier sauce. I had 3 foodgasm-filled bites
I love date night
So yesterday was pretty low key- we ran errands, cleaned, went to the gym, and made some foodie for our dinner company.
I set out the usual appetizers:
Veggies
Cheese plate (dill havarti, pepper jack, so so gouda, and my new favorite cheese: goat jack cheese)
Tuscan white bean sundried tomato dip (canellini beans, plain nonfat yogurt, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, italian seasoning, salt, pepper and garlic in the food processor)
Mary’s crack and Triscuits:
And a GIANT container of Sangria (using this recipe and subbing Stevia for the sugar)
This stuff is evil…..
For our meal, we each had raw spaghetti as a side. Spriralized zucchini with raw marinara sauce (I added some nutritional yeast, lemon and italian seasoning in there), and portobello mushrooms that I marinated in olive oil, balsamic, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper and dehydrated in the trusty dehydrator.
Roasted ratatouille veggies with EVOO, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper:
Here’s my plate:
And Chicken parm for the boys:
For dessert, I had made these cookies (carob and almond butter, adapted from a recipe in Eat, Drink and Be Vegan)
And also made some vegan chocolate chip ones from the same cookbook (unpictured, oops!)
So Megan and I made some raw vanilla bean and cinnamon ice cream (adapted from a recipe in Raw Food, Real World) and crumbled the cookies on top.
Yes, by doing so, we robbed the ice cream of its rawness, but made it even more delicious
We had such a blasty and I’m definitely feeling the effects on the sangria this morning. I’m off to the post office to mail New York goodies to the familia, going to the gym for some training appts and my Shape Up group, then teaching Zumba. Hope you all have a great day!!! See ya tonight
Much love,
G
Congrats to the Summer Shape Up girls who got more than 20 points for last week: Amisha, Ashley P., Brittany, Elizabeth D., Heather K., Katie S., Piera, Sabrina, Samantha S., Sara D., Stephanie F. and Megan R.!!!
Today’s tip: If your ever feel the sudden desire to change your fitness/eating/life habits, do it right then and there instead of waiting for an ambiguous day to do so (like a Monday or New Year’s). This takes out the added pressure of waiting for that day, and chances are you’ll be able to sick with it if you begin the second you feel motivation.
Summer Shape Up is here! It's a FREE plan to feel energized and build lean muscle this summer. Tag me @fitnessista #summershapeup 
Hi, I'm Gina. Welcome to The Fitnessista! I love blogging about my adventures as a new mom, military wife and fitness instructor, as well as sharing new workouts and recipes. Check out the About page for more info - thanks for stopping by!
Oooo – LOVING all the eats! Sangria is so dangerous – I could literally drink it by the gallon… How was the goat jack cheese? My favorite cheese is pepper jack, but I’ve never seen it in a goat variety – yum!! Have a great day!
Love the tip. I wanted to stop eating meat after Christmas last year, and I figured it wouldn’t happen unless I did it right then and there. It was a bit of a shock at first because I had no idea what to eat, but I got the hang of it
Hey friend:-) thank you again for the beautiful meal!!! You spoiled us:-) Talk to you soon!
Love, megan
Wild Adventures looks like so much fun! those cookies and the rest of the spread look great, too.
What a fun day! I love the pics of the pilot with the birds!
Yum in the ice cream! Looks soooo good!
Yayyy for the fun adventures! I love going and seeing animals- they’re all so cute!
Your cheesecake dessert from 306 North looks incredible! As does the Tuscan dip and sangria. Seriously- you have the best food when you have people over.
Hope you have a good Monday.
Wow everything looks fantastic!
Wow, your meal looks fantastic – you certainly know how to host an amazing dinner!
Hahah the bird man picture killed me! It looks like you two had a great weekend! I always love to see your awesome dinner arrangements. You make the best food! I’m comin’ over! Haha I hope you have a great Monday!
Love the giraffe and kangaroo pics! So cute!! That sangria looks amazing too! Have a good day!
LOVE the zoo pics!! I hope you don’t think this is weird but I LOVE your shorts! Where are they from?
I’m basically in love with all the food in this post! Oh and Sangria? Divine! Thanks for the recipe!!
Cookies as a topping for raw ice cream? YUM! Sounds right up my alley.
That raw feast looks amazing, Gina!
I finally tried one of your breakfast cookies over the weekend and it was freaking amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
iowagirleats- the goat jack is ever better than the goat cheddar– i love it!
k- thanks! they’re from j crew
stacy- i’m so glad you liked it! my favorite bfast ever
Your food looks great, as always! I love the pictures of the pilot with the birds.
Hope you have a great Monday!!
Your meal from 306 looks great. I couldn’t help but notice the “Fat Tire” beer in one of the pics., from 306 – was that The Pilots beer choice? GREAT beer and one of my favorite local brews, here in Colorado.
anon- yeah, it’s the pilot’s. he LOVES fat tire! that particular bottle was gigantic, too. he was a happy kid
the pilot’s pose is SO funny! you two are an adorable couple!
Aw, looks like a fun-filled weekend with friends
Just wondering why you shy away from white potatoes? I know you mention not to eat “white foods” in the shape up challenge, but veggies like cauliflower are actually nutrient powerhouses. In fact, with the exception of vitamin A, potatoes contain nearly every major nutrient
chck it out:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/potatoes3.htm
that food looks so good! great tip! starting now, I channel your motto: 80% food, 10% genetics, 10% exercise often. It’s so true, when I shifted from diet to exercise focus, the difference in my body truly showed, not in a good way!
holly b- by “white foods” i totally didn’t mean stay away from cauliflower. cauliflower is great for you! potatoes on the other hand (the white ones) affect your body in the same way white sugar does. it’s spikes your blood sugar and also reduces good cholesterol and can increase the risk of heart attack for people with insulin resistance. also, it’s the ONLY vegetable that doesn’t lower the risk for cancers! crazy. i just think if you’re trying to achieve fitness/weight loss goals, white potatoes can hinder this process by spiking your blood sugar and encouraging your body to hold onto excess fat. if you’re in maintenance mode and want to stay with you are, white potatoes are fine, and as you said they are full of nutrients. i just think sweet potatoes taste better and don’t affect your metabolism the way white potatoes can.
All your eats look fantastic! Love your meal–I want spiraled veggies! Your raw food looks incredible.
<3 jess
xoxo
Hey girl hey! This sounds funny, but my 21st is 2 weeks away!!! & people are asking me what wine I like as a nice gift haha. You seem to know a little a/b the different kinds? I'm just curious b/c I LOVE shiraz & you do too every now & then;) Do you have any recommendations of what red & white wine is dry? I like spicy, non-sweet stuff!
ps you look fab as always!
My hubby is a wii addict as well
Your meals sound fab!
I am so jealous of all your yum food! It looks great. You are lucky to have friend so close by that is into the same kind of food/cooking. Must be nice
.
~Justine
Cookies on top of raw ice cream! Heck yeah
Lovin the birdie photos and wildlife adventure. What a fun place to have an event. I looooove sangria! I make a killer pinot grigio citrus one that will knock you on your knees. Scrumptious 
It looks like you had a fab weekend! I bet husband was in heaven with a brand new giant tv! haha
What a great dinner party! You made such amazing things- Sangria looks so good too! Yum!
Have a good one!
i love everything about this post!!!
i love the zoo pics- the Pilot is so funny with da birdies!! haha BIRDDDDDD MAN!! and you look GORGEOUS as always- cute shorts too Miss G!! Anddddddddd that albino kangaroo IS SO cute! i want to go to a zoo now!!
lovin all the veggie filled meals, the beautiful cheese platter, the dips, and raw ice cream! so gorgeous!!
now pass me a cup of sangria!!
HAPPY MONDAY GINA!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have that same glass carafe- made in Italy-I love to make homemade lemonade w/lemon slices- so pretty!
SO FUN! I love the first pic of the pilot! Hilarious! And of course, you look cute as a freakin' doll. SO CUTE.
I love ya'll get togethers. You're such great entertainers!
Muah muah!
P.S. I wish I could bring those mini kangas into my bkyard!
All of the food looks so yummy!! I love goat cheese…I put it on my pizza's when I make them!! I love your blog! It's super inspiring and filled with all kinds of good information!
I think one of those “mini kangaroos” would fit in well with Bella and Viesa. Love you, babe
I am soooo loving your blog right now! You are massive inspiration!!!
Your portobello dish looks positively gourmet!