If you're looking for inspired writing, I have to pass on to you my bestie's blog. Although we live states apart, Kelly knows me like no one else does (whether that's good or bad).
Kelly was inspired a few months ago to begin Flower a Friend Friday and what started as a wish in her heart to bless others has grown into a 'movement' among Scentsy consultants and others.
I've been a part of helping spread the flower love and it truly is one of the most exciting parts of my week.
I want to encourage you to read her rockin' blog and if your own heart feels challenged, grab a small bouquet or two and flower a friend (or stranger) today!
FLOWER A FRIEND BLOG
Friday, May 25, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
This is NOT a weight loss blog....
But I'm losing weight! :D
By this not being a weight loss blog, I mean that it's central focus won't be around weight loss. It will be about everything under the sun. You can be certain you'll get a heft dose of randomness here. It's what I'm best at. :)
Today though, I'm going to share it is going to be about weight loss!
Today is my first weigh in day in my new way of eating. As I mentioned in a prior post, I am following a plan that Coach Lee with Scentsy has laid out, so my results come from that plan. It's very simple, but is definitely requiring thought and dedication. As Coach says, if you're going to lose weight, either do it or don't. No excuses!
I've been anxious for today all week. I needed to see loss to vindicate the things I passed over and the decisions I made. While we ate great all week (and by great I mean yummy!), there were still moments I wanted a sweet something like a delicious strawberry shortcake or salty hot fries. I will be able to have these things in a modified way after this week, but remember, first 2 weeks are no whites (sugar, bread, potato, rice).
So are you ready??
Drum roll please...... my first week weigh in has me down 7 lbs!! WOOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!! Totally worth skipping 'not worth it' foods!
Outside of taking care of myself through my foods, I also walked 3 days in the last week.
I love the motivation this loss brings. I'm ready to get up and go play which is to the glee of my two littles. Katie especially loves walking with me in the evenings. We chat about all sorts of things and have lots of laughs. Double benefit if you ask me! Abby likes it for the first block and then thinks she needs to be carried. No dice!
Before I leave this post, I'll leave you with another eating tip! If you have to eat out, which is definitely trickier when trying to eat well, here are two 'better for you' choices you can make.
Taco Bell- 2 Fresco Chicken Soft Tacos and 1 Fresco Pinto Beans - 430 calories & 10 grams of fat
Popeye's- Naked Chicken Basket - 3 really yummy naked chicken tenders, green beans, and a baguette - 300 calories & 7 grams of fat
Happy Eating!
By this not being a weight loss blog, I mean that it's central focus won't be around weight loss. It will be about everything under the sun. You can be certain you'll get a heft dose of randomness here. It's what I'm best at. :)
Today though, I'm going to share it is going to be about weight loss!
Today is my first weigh in day in my new way of eating. As I mentioned in a prior post, I am following a plan that Coach Lee with Scentsy has laid out, so my results come from that plan. It's very simple, but is definitely requiring thought and dedication. As Coach says, if you're going to lose weight, either do it or don't. No excuses!
I've been anxious for today all week. I needed to see loss to vindicate the things I passed over and the decisions I made. While we ate great all week (and by great I mean yummy!), there were still moments I wanted a sweet something like a delicious strawberry shortcake or salty hot fries. I will be able to have these things in a modified way after this week, but remember, first 2 weeks are no whites (sugar, bread, potato, rice).
So are you ready??
Drum roll please...... my first week weigh in has me down 7 lbs!! WOOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!! Totally worth skipping 'not worth it' foods!
Outside of taking care of myself through my foods, I also walked 3 days in the last week.
I love the motivation this loss brings. I'm ready to get up and go play which is to the glee of my two littles. Katie especially loves walking with me in the evenings. We chat about all sorts of things and have lots of laughs. Double benefit if you ask me! Abby likes it for the first block and then thinks she needs to be carried. No dice!
Before I leave this post, I'll leave you with another eating tip! If you have to eat out, which is definitely trickier when trying to eat well, here are two 'better for you' choices you can make.
Taco Bell- 2 Fresco Chicken Soft Tacos and 1 Fresco Pinto Beans - 430 calories & 10 grams of fat
Popeye's- Naked Chicken Basket - 3 really yummy naked chicken tenders, green beans, and a baguette - 300 calories & 7 grams of fat
Happy Eating!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
What's on my menu for the week...
Never been so excited to cook before!
Spaghetti Squash Pasta
Mushroom Whole Wheat Pasta
Greek Salsa Chicken
I'm also going to try and whip up Coach Lee's Super Oatmeal in the morning. Coach Lee is Scenty's awesome wellness coach and is great about sharing super charged foods that are good for us and still taste good! :) Here is the concoction:
Old Fashioned Oats (not quick oats) prepared
Splash of Vanilla Almond Milk
Blueberries and/or banana
Sliced almonds
Stevia Brown Sugar and Cinnamon
Sounds tasty, doesn't it?
Lastly, I'll share what I had for breakfast this morning which ended up being a filling, low calorie meal in itself.
1 Thompson's Triple Health English Muffin (texture isn't gummy or icky like other healthier muffins)
1 slice turkey bacon
1 med. egg over easy in a non stick pan with no oil
1 wedge of Laughing Cow cheese
few leaves of fresh spinach
Assembly as you would an Egg McMuffin from ole Mcd's and enjoy! I couldn't even finish mine today.
Happy eating!
Spaghetti Squash Pasta
Mushroom Whole Wheat Pasta
Greek Salsa Chicken
I'm also going to try and whip up Coach Lee's Super Oatmeal in the morning. Coach Lee is Scenty's awesome wellness coach and is great about sharing super charged foods that are good for us and still taste good! :) Here is the concoction:
Old Fashioned Oats (not quick oats) prepared
Splash of Vanilla Almond Milk
Blueberries and/or banana
Sliced almonds
Stevia Brown Sugar and Cinnamon
Sounds tasty, doesn't it?
Lastly, I'll share what I had for breakfast this morning which ended up being a filling, low calorie meal in itself.
1 Thompson's Triple Health English Muffin (texture isn't gummy or icky like other healthier muffins)
1 slice turkey bacon
1 med. egg over easy in a non stick pan with no oil
1 wedge of Laughing Cow cheese
few leaves of fresh spinach
Assembly as you would an Egg McMuffin from ole Mcd's and enjoy! I couldn't even finish mine today.
Happy eating!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Sweet Potatoes & Spinach...
Today will just be a couple of recipes for you. One for a rockin' side dish and the other for a cripsy, salty yummy snack both made with nutrient packed spinach!
I'll say this all the time, but don't knock something until you try it. We work hard with our kiddos to go outside the walls of chicken nuggets and fries and so trying new things is a part of our lives constantly.
Now, when it comes to sweet potatoes, I adore them. Especially the brown sugar, butter, marshmallow kind. :) But alas, we can't be doing that right now, so here's on to new ways to enjoy their vitamin packed goodness. I was nervous to try a savory version, but after working up some bravery, dove into the recipe below. Not regretting that choice for a moment!
Spinach Garlic Sweet Potato
Medium Baked Sweet Potato (I nuked mind in the microwave to save time)
1 cup of fresh spinach leaves
1 wedge of garlic and herb laughing cow cheese
While potato is 'baking', wilt spinach in a non stick pan without oil. You just want to make them soft. Take your wedge of cheese and mix it in the pan with the spinach until blended together well. Gives you that creamed spinach consistency and flavor.
One the potato is done, top it with your spinach mixture and enjoy! I am a salt lover and didn't have to add any to this at all. (Which is good because the next recipe makes up for it!)
Second is a recipe for oven baked spinach chips. There is a trend right now using Kale for this same idea and it is great as well, but if you're looking for a way to ease into the whole green chips idea, this may be a great place to start. I am loving Pinterest right now for discovering new foods and that is exactly where I found these Spinach Chips
Best part? My kids LOVE them! Problem? Terribly addicting and it's hard to not eat them all :)
And finally, for dinner tonight we tried another something new. Tuna Burgers! I'm not a huge tuna fan, but I also know that Tuna packs a lot of good for ya stuff without a lot of junk, so I want to find ways to like it. I used this recipe ( Tuna Burger Recipe ) with a few changes. First I left out the sour cream and now that I've eaten, I'm not sure what it would have added taste wise. I replaced it with a wedge of garlic herb Laughing Cow cheese spread on the toasted English muffin. We also swapped dry coleslaw mix for the romaine. It gave the burger the perfect texture. If you're a fan of a little bit of bite, I totally recommend adding sliced pepperocinis on top of your burger. Makes the burger in my opinion and if you prepare it the way I did, you're having a super tasty, fully satisfying burger that is actually good for you!
Hope you're eating well today!
I'll say this all the time, but don't knock something until you try it. We work hard with our kiddos to go outside the walls of chicken nuggets and fries and so trying new things is a part of our lives constantly.
Now, when it comes to sweet potatoes, I adore them. Especially the brown sugar, butter, marshmallow kind. :) But alas, we can't be doing that right now, so here's on to new ways to enjoy their vitamin packed goodness. I was nervous to try a savory version, but after working up some bravery, dove into the recipe below. Not regretting that choice for a moment!
Spinach Garlic Sweet Potato
Medium Baked Sweet Potato (I nuked mind in the microwave to save time)
1 cup of fresh spinach leaves
1 wedge of garlic and herb laughing cow cheese
While potato is 'baking', wilt spinach in a non stick pan without oil. You just want to make them soft. Take your wedge of cheese and mix it in the pan with the spinach until blended together well. Gives you that creamed spinach consistency and flavor.
One the potato is done, top it with your spinach mixture and enjoy! I am a salt lover and didn't have to add any to this at all. (Which is good because the next recipe makes up for it!)
Second is a recipe for oven baked spinach chips. There is a trend right now using Kale for this same idea and it is great as well, but if you're looking for a way to ease into the whole green chips idea, this may be a great place to start. I am loving Pinterest right now for discovering new foods and that is exactly where I found these Spinach Chips
Best part? My kids LOVE them! Problem? Terribly addicting and it's hard to not eat them all :)
And finally, for dinner tonight we tried another something new. Tuna Burgers! I'm not a huge tuna fan, but I also know that Tuna packs a lot of good for ya stuff without a lot of junk, so I want to find ways to like it. I used this recipe ( Tuna Burger Recipe ) with a few changes. First I left out the sour cream and now that I've eaten, I'm not sure what it would have added taste wise. I replaced it with a wedge of garlic herb Laughing Cow cheese spread on the toasted English muffin. We also swapped dry coleslaw mix for the romaine. It gave the burger the perfect texture. If you're a fan of a little bit of bite, I totally recommend adding sliced pepperocinis on top of your burger. Makes the burger in my opinion and if you prepare it the way I did, you're having a super tasty, fully satisfying burger that is actually good for you!
Hope you're eating well today!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
That's some good eatin'...
I'm on a mission to get healthy, not skinny. Skinny is such an ugly word. Everyone's definitions of it are different and to be honest, I don't want to be rail thin. I want curves...just in the right places. :)
In this mission, I will lose weight I'm certain, but my desire is not to 'become skinny'. I want to become healthy.
A few days ago, while on a Facebook group I'm a part of, I felt challenged to take on an abstinence from whites. White bread, white potatoes, white sugar and so on. I love bread and sweets, so this was was going to be a challenge for sure!
So here we are on day 3 and actually, so far, so good. I've been able to modify my meals to 'make up' for what's missing and it's been kind of fun to find those replacements. I think when I took this on I thought I'd get to eat nothing and that my eating world would become dry salads and grilled chicken. You realize VERY quickly what all contains white sugars etc.
To my surprise, I've been able to find some awesomely tasty things that are delicious, satisfying and actually already are making me feel better. I'm a foodie. Said and done. So if I'm going to do this and in turn change my other not so good eating habits, what I do start eating better be danged good! :)
My plan is to post my most yummy recipes here so they're accessible to anyone who's is trying to eat better. I'd love to hear if you try one of them, so be sure and post your own results in the comments!
Have a great day!
Last night's meal was a small, well trimmed grilled steak with salt and pepper with side of Zucchini Fritters and "Tzatziki"
Zucchini Fritters - These were awesome! Makes you feel like you're eating potatoes and are crunchy and full of flavor! I omitted the cheese (ekk, I know right?) and served my own version of a Tzatziki sauce on the side. The recipe for it is below. Don't knock it until you try it!
My "Tzatziki"
Fat free cream cheese (instead of a mixture of Greek yogurt and sour cream)
1 small cucumber- peeled, seeded and diced
1 clove crushed garlic
1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix ingredients well and put in fridge for flavors to meld together. Awesome on the zucchini fritters and with pretzels.
The night before, we had a trimmer version of a Chicken Bruschetta I make. Typically this combination is mixed with Stove Top Dressing and baked, but because of my bread hiatus, we omitted it.
Boneless, skinless, lean chicken breasts cut into strips
1 can of Low sodium Garlic, Oregano, and Basil Diced Tomatoes- Drained
1 cup Low fat Shredded Mozerella
Preheat oven to 350
On the stove top, cook chicken slices until done.
pour into a baking dish and top with tomatoes and cheese
Sprinkle Italian Seasoning on top and put into the oven until cheese it melted and bubbly.
Serve with a salad topped with Balsamic dressing and a side of Lima Beans. Our favorite way to prepare LB's is by throwing defrosted beans in a skillet with a little EVOO and salt/pepper until they're browned and warmed through. I'll admit, I used to hate them, but cooked this way, they're pretty stinking tasty and packed with protein!
Happy Eating!
In this mission, I will lose weight I'm certain, but my desire is not to 'become skinny'. I want to become healthy.
A few days ago, while on a Facebook group I'm a part of, I felt challenged to take on an abstinence from whites. White bread, white potatoes, white sugar and so on. I love bread and sweets, so this was was going to be a challenge for sure!
So here we are on day 3 and actually, so far, so good. I've been able to modify my meals to 'make up' for what's missing and it's been kind of fun to find those replacements. I think when I took this on I thought I'd get to eat nothing and that my eating world would become dry salads and grilled chicken. You realize VERY quickly what all contains white sugars etc.
To my surprise, I've been able to find some awesomely tasty things that are delicious, satisfying and actually already are making me feel better. I'm a foodie. Said and done. So if I'm going to do this and in turn change my other not so good eating habits, what I do start eating better be danged good! :)
My plan is to post my most yummy recipes here so they're accessible to anyone who's is trying to eat better. I'd love to hear if you try one of them, so be sure and post your own results in the comments!
Have a great day!
Last night's meal was a small, well trimmed grilled steak with salt and pepper with side of Zucchini Fritters and "Tzatziki"
Zucchini Fritters - These were awesome! Makes you feel like you're eating potatoes and are crunchy and full of flavor! I omitted the cheese (ekk, I know right?) and served my own version of a Tzatziki sauce on the side. The recipe for it is below. Don't knock it until you try it!
My "Tzatziki"
Fat free cream cheese (instead of a mixture of Greek yogurt and sour cream)
1 small cucumber- peeled, seeded and diced
1 clove crushed garlic
1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix ingredients well and put in fridge for flavors to meld together. Awesome on the zucchini fritters and with pretzels.
The night before, we had a trimmer version of a Chicken Bruschetta I make. Typically this combination is mixed with Stove Top Dressing and baked, but because of my bread hiatus, we omitted it.
Boneless, skinless, lean chicken breasts cut into strips
1 can of Low sodium Garlic, Oregano, and Basil Diced Tomatoes- Drained
1 cup Low fat Shredded Mozerella
Preheat oven to 350
On the stove top, cook chicken slices until done.
pour into a baking dish and top with tomatoes and cheese
Sprinkle Italian Seasoning on top and put into the oven until cheese it melted and bubbly.
Serve with a salad topped with Balsamic dressing and a side of Lima Beans. Our favorite way to prepare LB's is by throwing defrosted beans in a skillet with a little EVOO and salt/pepper until they're browned and warmed through. I'll admit, I used to hate them, but cooked this way, they're pretty stinking tasty and packed with protein!
Happy Eating!
What this blog is not...
I thought before I began that it would be smart to share with you what this blog is not. Odd, I know, but I feel like my purpose here is different than with most. So, here we go!
This blog is not…
Meant to change your life. I’m no expert. I’m not studied in most of what I’ll write about. What I will write is what is on my heart or on my mind. Sometimes it will be the crazy that is in my every day life. Sometimes it will be the moments of ‘aha’ that I find in my spiritual walk. Sometimes it will be the ‘yummy’ moments as I work towards a healthier me and sometimes that means it will be the ‘not so yummy’ moments.
This blog will not…
Give you all the answers. I’m not a doctor, nutritionist, politician, Biblical scholar, family counselor, CEO, psychiatrist, or superhero. I am a mom with 2 little girls, a husband, a home, a business and a journey of purpose with my God.
This blog isn’t intended to…
Keep my family updated on all the happenings in our lives. While it may do that in it’s course, it is really just an outlet of sorts. A way to me to connect to you. For us to share moments of strength, self confidence, pride, self worth, and successes, but to then in turn also share those of failure, hurdles, bumps in the road, moments of defeat and disappointment.
This blog WILL be…
Honest. I’m sharing my heart and mind. I won’t make excuses for how I’m feeling. I’ll own up to my actions, apologize when I’m wrong and listen when I need to. I’m not here to show a ‘fake me’ or hide behind a pretty blog layout.
Now, if that didn’t scare you off, we should be friends. Really though, I felt it so important to be real from day one. I hope that some part of this new adventure does touch someone in some way. Even if it’s just to help them realize they aren’t the only one who thinks they way they think or feels the way they feel or struggles the way they struggle.
So if you’re willing to walk with me, feel free to subscribe to the left and off we will go!
Amanda
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