12/15: Meals and fitness for the week

Hi friends <3 Happy Sunday! Hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend.

For us, it’s been a nice mix of events and low-key time with the family:

Walking bell

hanging out at nana’s house; squadron Christmas party; nutcracker with my mom, aunt, cousins, Meg, Mik and nana; and the kid’s squadron party later today. I took an amazing yoga class and am just trying to get back in the swing of things.

Yoga mats

I’m also excited to prep some food for the week using our farm box ingredients. After a bit of a hiatus, I figured the farm box would be an easy way for us to get more veggies and for Livi to try some new things. She always has a way of surprising me… some of the things I think she’ll love, she spits out, and others (like limes and beets) she can’t get enough. It’s fun to see her personal tastes develop. I let her try everything- if she likes it, great, if she doesn’t, at least she got the chance to try it.

Here’s what we got this week:

-Sweet potatoes

-Grapes

-Red potatoes

-Beets

-Chard (my fave!!! especially in this salad)

Chard  1 of 1

-Apples

-Pomegranate

I don’t know why I don’t get the farm box more often, because I always feel more motivated to make dinner (instead of going to hot bar… again), and try new recipes.

Here’s what’s on the tentative dinner plan this week:

-Pan fried white fish with lemon and pomegranate, roasted potatoes, salad

-Homemade pho (any tips??)

Slow cooker turkey meatballs with zucchini pasta

Chicken, butternut squash and quinoa stew

Prep:

-Wash and chop fruits and veggies

-Make Paleo bread

-Make cranberry amazeballs

-Make quinoa muffins for Liv (freeze)

I’ve been strong on the salad bandwagon for about a week now, and am having a lot of fun including mixes of the usual suspects: some kind of squash, dried fruit, nuts, goat cheese and balsamic is always a winning combo 😉

Salad  1 of 1

As far as the fitness plan goes, I finally found out what is going on with my knee. My MRI was last Thursday, and Friday the flight doc called to go over the results. She said that my muscles, ligaments, everything looked good. However, there’s something called the “Hoffa’s fat pad” (aka infapatellar fat pad) which is located under and behind the patella bone. Mine was swollen. She wasn’t sure what that meant and said she’d research it and call me back.. Sooooo I consulted Doctor Google as well, and this fat pad is not necessary -it can be surgically removed if it’s becoming pinched or swollen- but complications from that usually occur from trauma to the knee (when I fell down the stairs) and/or overuse (when I was running 8+ miles on Saturday and then teaching all day). 

From this website:

“Treatment of this condition is normally by conservative methods such as:

  • Rest and avoiding aggravating activities – stop running.
  • Ice or cryotherapy to reduce pain and inflammation.
  • Physiotherapy modalities such as ultrasound and TENS.
  • Muscle strengthening exercises to maintain the strength and fitness of the surrounding muscle groups
  • Taping the patella may help. One method involves taping the upper surface of the patella to allow more space for the structures beneath the lower surfaces i.e. the fat pad.  This leads to less stress and impingement on the fat pad.

If conservative treatment does not work then surgery may be advised. This may involve the complete or partial removal of the fat pad itself.”

It’s interesting because taping my knee with KT tape has helped immensely, and it also explains why running is the only thing that has felt painful and has become worse since the fall. Even though the decision to drop out of my half marathon was a tough one, I’m positive now that I made the right choice. Hopefully the doc will get me referred out to a sports ortho doctor and physical therapy. Fingers crossed that will help <3

Tentative fitness plan:

Sunday: HIIT & Steady

Monday: Total body circuit + easy spin

Tuesday: OFF

Wednesday: Yoga

Thursday: Spin and strength

Friday: Steady state

Saturday: Yoga

If you’re looking for some fitness ideas this week, be sure to check your email tomorrow morning if you’re a newsletter subscriber. I put together a week of workouts for you, along with some of my favorite healthy holiday cocktails 🙂 If you’re not subscribed yet, all you have to do is leave a comment and click the box below the comment box indicating you’d like to subscribe.

Are you planning and prepping today? What’s on the menu?

Anyone who has had issues with their Hoffa’s fat pad? (<–sounds like the weirdest thing ever haha)

xoxo

Gina

Ps. Congrats to all of the winners for week two of 10 Days of Giveaways!

I sent out all of the winners’ emails last night, so please check your email if you think you’re a winner 🙂 I messed up the Stitch Fix end time -accidentally put in tonight at midnight- so those winners will be announced tomorrow am.

My Yoga Pro

Anna S. 

Karissa A.
 

Evolution

Kelley

Jillian K.

Mason Bar

Michelle A.

Lea

 

For Two

Megan S.

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91 Comments

  1. Hayley maher on December 16, 2013 at 4:06 am

    I’m glad the injury wasn’t as bad
    as you thought would love to sign
    up for the newsletter please 🙂

  2. Livi on December 16, 2013 at 7:06 am

    Your knee is going to be ok- yay! it’s always hard to slow down but sometimes our body is yelling at us to do it!

  3. Lorna on December 16, 2013 at 7:39 am

    I have the same problem with my knee, my doctor called it Hoffa’s disease. I did it while running also. I took some time off from running, did the icing and some naproxen to help with inflammation. Now I run and do some of the more intense gym classes with an open patella knee sleeve, and rarely have any issues. I hope your knee feels better soon!

  4. Kat on December 16, 2013 at 9:03 am

    I need to get back into prepping as well. We just moved so it’s been hard with all the unpacking we have to do before xmas. Your lists are always good motivation though–thanks!!

  5. Taya on December 16, 2013 at 10:26 am

    I don’t know if I have the same problem, but something similar! I injured my knee after a half marathon in April and I STILL can’t run. I’ve been to two doctors, two physical therapists, had and x-ray, and an MRI. I’ve been diagnosed with everything from a hamstring strain to possible meniscus tear. My doctor was horrible, but she did say that there was swelling under my kneecap (but I thought she said it was cartilage) and that my kneecap is actually tilted from the swelling. And, of course, all she said is to take ibuprofen every day. Ugh.

    • Fitnessista on December 16, 2013 at 1:19 pm

      :/ hope you get it sorted out! sorry to hear about all of that. xo

  6. Jayde on December 16, 2013 at 10:39 am

    Subscribe me to your email list please! I Love your blog! 🙂

  7. Jennifer on December 16, 2013 at 11:11 am

    Sign me up for the newsletter, please! 🙂

  8. Jenna on December 16, 2013 at 3:56 pm

    I’ve love to get your newsletter please!

  9. Gina on December 16, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    Sign me up!

  10. Carol on December 18, 2013 at 8:01 am

    Sign me up!

  11. Joy Hamilton on December 18, 2013 at 9:55 am

    I’d like to subscribe to the newsletter!

  12. Jessi on December 19, 2013 at 8:46 am

    Hi Gina I would love to receive your newsletter! Please add me to the list. Thanks!

  13. Charlene on December 23, 2013 at 1:29 pm

    Yay! I would love to receive your newsletter 🙂

  14. Andrea on January 1, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Hi Gina,

    I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

    Thanks & Happy New Year!

    Andrea

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