healthy = hard and unhealthy = easy

Why does it have to be this way? Why can't it be easy to stay healthy and hard to be unhealthy?? Ugh!

Finding healthy (tasty) recipes has been challenging, but little by little I am building a new set of "go-to" recipes that are delicious! Did I mention I haven't had butter in over 2 weeks? OMG! Everything is better with butter though.... Oh, well....life goes on:-)

I have completely replaced beef with turkey....and so far so good. Spaghetti is just as good with turkey....tacos are too. I changed the tacos a bit because of all the cheese and sour cream that we would normally put on them. I found this recipe and Joel and I both love them! You won't even miss the sour cream and cheese....ok, maybe you will a little, but these are great tacos!

Here is the recipe: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2013/02/ground-turkey-green-chile-tacos.html?m=1

I think the hardest part so far is staying on track. I will do great for a few days.....then I get lazy and don't stay prepared with the food needed to cook a healthy meal. I need to work on that!

Joel went to the doc the other day and we are waiting on results to confirm that pancreatitis is really what he has. There are a number of other things it could be.....we won't know until all the results come back. He has been feeling a lot better since we have been eating better though...amazing how that works, huh? lol

My neck is doing great! It's been a few weeks since my flare up and I am ready to start working out. Doc said I need to take it slow....no running....or yoga, but I can walk and lift light weights. I plan on starting to walk at my school after class....and to do some light weight training at home.

My journey to get me and my husband healthy:-)

Joel and I have lived our lives pretty much doing and eating what we want. I was always told smoking would catch up with me...and eating unhealthy would catch up with me. Ugh...wish I would have listened. At 35 and 36 Joel and I should be at the prime of our lives enjoying every second of it, not worrying about our health:-( I am truly ready to make a lifestyle change so that we can enjoy the rest of our lives together, healthy and happy!
   I finally quit smoking. It's been almost 5 months and I already feel so much better than I did 5 months ago:-) The first few weeks were really hard, but now I rarely think about smoking. That was one of many battles I face getting healthy. One down and many to go!
   I have already had a fusion done on my lower back and just recently found out I have two herniated discs in my neck, ouch! I have really done some damage to my bones and hope that I can get healthy and get my bones were they need to be (as much as possible considering I can't go back in time). I have gained about 30 pounds and it's time to get it off! I don't like the way I look or feel. I love to eat and I love to cook, so now I just need to learn how to eat and cook the right way! Butter does make everything better, but it also makes everything fatter and more unhealthy...lol!
   Joel is still smoking, but I am hoping he will quit very soon. He has always had digestion problems since I met him. For year we thought he had gastritis and just recently found out he has pancreatitis, after spending a few hours in the ER with severe stomach pain. We are getting him in to see a GI doc so we can both learn how to control his pancreatitis. I have already started to do some research and it looks like a low fat/sugar diet is going to be best for him. Obviously it's really best for both of us anyways:-)
   This journey is about learning to change our lifestyle so that we can still enjoy to cook and eat like we always have, just doing it in a healthy way. I am looking forward to seeing our progress and living many more years with the man of my dreams!!!!
   I started out today with a low fat, healthy breakfast and it was delicious. I was raised in the south and the thought of putting salsa on eggs was outrageous, but, it has NO fat and gives great flavor! Breakfast was delicious!!! Ready to get this journey on the road....so excited!!!
   I will post all of the new recipes that I try on my food blog. I am hoping to be able to completely (almost) replace all of my previous recipes with new versions that are just as tasty without all the fat! I know this will be trial and error....and there will be many things that we hate...lol......but I know there are lots of tasty healthy recipes out there!!!
   Wish me luck y'all!!!!
 

Best Burgers in Town!

Joel and I are foodies....and we LOVE trying new places until we find the best of all different foods! Burgers are one of our favorite things to eat. We have tried many places in and close to the town we live in and hadn't found a place that really swept us off our feet. We love Twisted Root Burger for a different type of burger, but hadn't found a good ole' down home, freshly grilled, greasy, messy burger......until last night.

We had heard that a little hole in the wall bar down the street from where we live had great burgers. We decided to check it out:-) The place sits right off 1187 in Rendon (Burleson.Mansfield area). It's in a small metal building...nothing special. It use to be called The Ferocious Ambush....lol. It was a biker bar. The name recently changed to MacGyver's, but the look stayed the same.

Last night we decided we would give it a shot. We walked in to a dark, smoke smelling, typical "bar". After waiting at our table for more than a few minutes and not getting any service....we became a little frustrated. We decided to hang in there and still give it a shot, so Joel walked up to bar and placed our drink order and asked for menus. The bar tender brought us menus and a few minutes later we ordered our burgers. After the first initial bad impression....the bar tender was very friendly and took good care of us.

The burgers came out and looked ok....nothing too fancy, just your typical burger. Oh, and the fries with FRESH CUT...yum!

We both took our first bite and looked at each other immediately.....yes......this was a damn good burger. Oh my goodness!!! I am not sure what was so special about them.....but they were sooooo juicy and delicious! They had homemade pickles, and were on a french bread bun.

If you are ever in the area, it's a must try! They also have a nice sized back patio with a stage for live music. We will be back to check it out:-) 

https://www.facebook.com/macgyvers.bar

I've Been Doing It All Wrong!!!

This might be natural to some of you.....but not me:-)

Joel and I bought a new home:-) We are moving next week and so excited to have a home of our own to start building great memories in!!

While packing I decided I was going to use EVERYTHING in the kitchen so I don't have to move a bunch of refrigerated foods etc... We are having some strange dinners, but it's working on the fridge and pantry are almost empty...YAY! During this process I realized I have been writing my grocery list ALL WRONG.

In the past I have written a grocery list every week by writing out what we will have for dinner and then putting a list with it. Moving forward I am going to do it differently. My first list is going to be things I already have in the kitchen....THEN I will build my weekly menu off of things we already have. This way I didn't end of with tons of extra stuff that I don't use:-)

I know this might be very simple to most of you....and you probably already write your lists this way, but I am just figuring it out and and super excited to run a more efficient kitchen!

Cooking helps with my stress!!

I haven't been cooking as much as I usually do with the stress of school this semester:-( I just want to go out to eat and not have to cook. That's NOT like me....ugh. Monday will be the last day of this semester and I am really looking forward to spending more time in the kitchen. I have printed out a few recipes that I am going to try out and we will see if I will be able to add them to the weekly rotation. Here are a few that I am going to try.

Crock Pot Lasagna
Smothered Pork Chops
Angel Chicken
Crock Pot Pepper Steak
Tamale Pie

Oh, and did I mention none of them are healthy recipes....it's all about portion control ladies!!! Like I would know...ha!

Coconut Oil

I have been hearing a lot about how good coconut oils for your body...inside and out. I haven't cooked with it yet, but I did start rubbing it all over my body after I get out of the shower:-)

It makes my skin feel amazing! I have only been using it for 3 days and I can already tell a big difference. I was blessed with the "dry skin" curse....and no matter what I try it doesn't help! This might be my answer:-)

I did some research and could only find good things about it....so hopefully I didn't miss anything:-) I don't really see how it could hurt me....so I am not too worried.

If you have dry skin....or just want your skin to feel amazing, I would say try it out!!

Oh my aching back......

Well, my back is still feeling great since the surgery about 4 years ago, but my hip is now starting to bother me:-( I went to the doc the other day and we are going to start over with a new bone density scan and go from there. She seems concerned that I have osteoporosis at such a young age and is determined to figure out what's going on!

Once again, it's an eye opener that I need to work on my health. Ugh.....a battle I seem to face often! I have put on about 30 pounds since my surgery and have NO reason other than my own laziness. I make excuses each week as to why I don't have time to work out.....school....Thomas....I am too tired....I deserve a break...etc.... My sister said something to me today that made a lot of sense. I need to put my health 1st on my priority list....and all of my other "to-do's" will still get done. That's so true.

Starting today, I am going to make an effort to get back on track.

Blogging helps me with my reliability. I can look back and see how I have done, etc...

I hope that the doctor comes back with good news....and that nothing is terribly wrong with me. I would hate for it to be too late:-(

I will get back into blogging and post my progress:-)

Wish me luck!

New Opportunity - I am going for it!!!!

I put in my notice at my job that I have been at for over 7 years. I have so many feelings running through my head....but the strongest feeling is excitement!!! I am leaving work to go to school full time. Focusing on school to pursue my career is what's most important right now!! The schedule that I was going to have working full time, going to school and still trying to be around for Thomas....just wasn't going to cut it...and Thomas and my school work would suffer.

I am so excited to take this new journey in life! I haven't "not" had a job in a really long time...and that what scares me the most....but once I get use to it I will love being a full-time student and Mama:-)

Lots of changes in the horizon.....and I am going for it!!!! Can't wait!!!!

Time for a change....again:-)

I have slipped back into my old habits once again:-( I must pick my feet up and keep on trucking!! I can't let it get me down....we all fall and must get back up again more than once in life right?

I am going to attempt to start making changes next week! I think Spring Break is a perfect time to get going:-) The weather is getting nicer....so I can get out in the yard and do something things....clean out closets....put up winter clothes....etc:-)

Sat evening after school I am going to sit down and plan a week of healthy breakfast/lunch/suppers and go shopping.....then prepare what I can for the week. Since I have been in school Thomas and I have been eating out WAY too much. I enjoy sitting down and having supper with my family every night. It's very important to me....and just because I am busy with school doesn't mean I can't still make it happen...and have something healthy:-)

I must start working out again! I do good for a while...then I don't work out at all....UGH! I have to find the determination to keep going...every week...and just make it part of my regular routine...no matter how busy I am...I have 30 minutes a day to work out....I mean come on now....really?? I am good at making excuses though!!

Those are the main things that I want to start focusing on next week......Will post more about it as I do it!!! MOTIVATION is needed....where can I find it? lol

Christmas 2012

Another Christmas has gone by. They seem to come faster and faster the older I get:-) They are still just as wonderful as they were when I was a kid. I love watching Thomas open his presents...and spending time with my family over the Holidays. It doesn't get much better than that!

This year I wasn't able to go to Tennessee or Utah....so I hosted X-Mas Eve Supper at my house and Britney, Joe, Silke, Jason, Liz and Thomas were here. We ate lots of yummy food!!! and enjoyed each others company!

After exchanges gifts, we chilled out and watched the classic "Christmas Vacation". Love that one....it never gets old! lol

Thomas and I celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve since he was leaving on Christmas day for Utah. He loved his gifts, and I loved spending the day with him and family.

Christmas morning Thomas and I got up and had a nice breakfast at the Awful Waffle...yummy!!! We were also lucky enough to have a storm come through town that brought a beautiful snow fall! We haven't had a white Christmas in a long time...it was really cool:-)

The rest of the day was spent getting Thomas all packed up for his trip. His flight was supposed to leave at 7pm....but was delayed until 10:30 before he finally made it out!

He is in Utah now enjoying the snow covered mountains and I am at home enjoying some me time:-) I sure do miss him though. Can't wait for him to get back home.

All in all it was a great Christmas! I wish I could have made a trip home to see family....but it wasn't in the cards this year:-)

Merry Christmas Everyone!! LOVE YOU ALL!

Power Thought of the Day

Everything I touch is a success
I now establish a new awareness of success. I know I can be as successful as I make up my mind to be. I move into the Winning Cirlce. Golden opportunities are everywhere for me. Prosperity of every kind is drawn to me.
-----------------------------------------
Wow....really fits my life right now:-) VERY encouraging!

Power Thought of the day

I am safe; it's only change
I cross all bridges with joy and ease. The "old" unfolds into wonderful new experiances. My life gets better all the time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Love this one:-)

Encouragement:-)

I have worked hard over the past few days to really pay attention to what I have been eating and more importantly how much of it I am eating. I have noticed it's getting easier to eat smaller portions. I have dropped one pound...it's not much, but it's better than gaining a pound:-)
This week, while I will continue to work on my portion control, I am going to work on reincorporating my workouts. I NEED to workout at least 3 times a week. I am going to hit a yoga class this evening to start out the week! I am also making SURE I drink at 64oz of water every day!
My nutrition class is helping me fully understand what my body needs, what what eating well does for the body. It's amazing how much you can hurt or help yourself depending on what you eat:-)

This week it's all about exercise and eating HEALTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL see the benefits if I can just stick to it!

Pallet Design...from Pinterest

First let me start off by saying I am highly addicted to Pinterest. There are so many ideas....I want to try them all! But...I can't. This is one that was really easy and I thought it would look great in my living room. Joel brought the pallet home from work....the stain I got at a garage sale for $1.00. Score! That's all it took!!!

Clean off the pallet really well...stain it or paint it whatever color you like. Take a few slats out and hang it up! Tadaaa!

Weeknesses!

Pasta, bread, CARBS!!!! I love them all...and I like to eat them until I am so full I am about to burst! Gosh, now wonder I have put on 30 pounds...geez:-)

I am going to make a few changes to my diet this week...which will allow me to eat carbs (because I would DIE without them) but change the times that I eat them...so I have more time to burn them off before supper!

GOAL THIS WEEK:

1. NO pasta/bread/potatoes/rice...etc... after lunch time. If I want to have a big ole serving of pasta...I will do it for lunch!!!!

This will not be easy for me....but I am going to give it a try and see how it goes:-)

Wish me luck!

Diaper Cake

I have always thought these were just a cute gift...but never made one. I finally decided to attempt it. It was super easy! It's very simple...and I LOVE IT! I made it for my sisters baby shower:-)

Grand Cayman 2012 "Girls Weekend Getaway"

What a nice break from the "norm".

Me and my friends Stacey and Amanda had a great weekend getaway this past weekend! Amanda has a friend that lives (Scott) in Grand Cayman and he was kind enough to open his home to us and take the time to show us around.

We started are trip off at a place called Sunset. It was a restaurant/bar that sat on the beach. It was beautiful and the food was delicious! We shared the bacon wrapped sprimp...YUM! and I had Chicken Tikka Masala for supper. Who knew you could get good Indian food in the Cayman Islands? Well, I was soon going to find out that ALL the food on the island is WONDERFUL!!! Oh, and I tried conch fritters....YUM! They were much better than I thought they would be:-)

Day two we started out with a yummy breakfast called doubles...I didn't get a picture...but here is one I found online. They are kind of like burritos...but are filled with chickpeas and some seasoning....they were YUMMY!!! They are a dish from Trinidad.

Then we went to Sting Ray City. OMG...what an amazing experience. These are wild animals up close and personal. Yes, they are dangerous....but we treated them with respect and they gave us the same in return:-) I will never forget this experience. As you can tell from the pics...I was a little freaked out...ok... A LOT freaked out. But is was also amazing! These things are HUGE and very intimidating. They are like cats...they like to rub all up on you. Whew! I was glad when it was over....but SO glad I did it!

We finished the evening by hopping around to a few different restaraunts/bars. I had fish and chips for supper...YUM! We also hung out at a cool place called Royal Palms that was right on the beach. We had fun playing around in the water at night...and watching the lightning storm off in the distance.

Day 3 we were lucky enough to have beautiful weather again and we went out to Dolphin Cove for another once in a lifetime experience. We got to swim with the dolphins! They are so amazingly smart, cute, funny and absolutely adorable! We all had a blast. I could do this 1,000 and it would NEVER get old!!!!

After the dolphins Scott took us out to Rum Point which is a small beach on the other side of the island. It was very peaceful and very pretty!!! We enjoyed a few hours of relaxation there before heading back to the house.

That night we were pretty worn out so we decided to order pizza in for the night just chill. It was nice to relax without a care in the world!!

Day 4 we spend the day shopping and exploring the downtown (touristy) area. We had lunch at Margaritaville before packing our stuff up for the trip home.

It was a quick trip, but we enjoyed every second it! It was a great getaway! We are able to meet some really cool people from many different places. We met someone from Canada, Trinidad, England etc... The island lifestyle attracts people from all over the place.

I could not live on the island myself. It's beautiful but too small for me. Everyone knows everyone...and I think I would feel trapped! Visiting for a few days was perfect for me:-) I was surprised to see that the locals weren't as welcoming in Grand Cayman as I have experienced in other Carribean islands. Of course, Scott (our local) was awesome! He took us around to show us everything....he was a great host and made out trip exciting!

Old Habits

I keep falling back into old habits. Ugh! I get so darn frustrated with myself...but just can't seem to find the drive to stick with it and make the changes I need to make! I am talking about my health, my weight....and the way I look. I hate it. Some people say, just be happy with who you are. You don't have to be perfect....just be confident. Well. that's not the problem for me. I know that I am not making the best health choices right now, and not only is it affecting the way I look, it also affects the way I feel, and my overall health.

A year ago I swore I wouldn't let myself go up another size in clothes....and here I sit 2 sizes bigger:-( It's really starting to get me down and I have to find a way to snap out of it! It seems so easy for some people to just stand up and make the change. It's not that easy for me. I struggle sooooo much with making healthy habits...and sticking to them. I can make the most organized chart you can imagine....that tells me what to eat...at what time...and how much of it. But, when it comes to following the chart I am a bad girl. I keep telling myself I am not that far off...and that I can get back into shape in no time.

I thought that maybe I would have a good insentive that would help push start me in the right direction. Well, I leave in 2 days for Grand Cayman....yes...that's a beach! If that isn't enough to push me...I don't know waht it will take. I keep trying to do things that I haven't done before hoping to find what works for me.

It's sad to admit, but I think I know the real problem. I must not want it bad enough. It must not really bother me that much or I would make the change. I am bigger than I have ever been in my life. None of my clothes fit me...and I am really starting to get sad...and totally bummed out everywhere I go. I use to have so much more confidence in myslelf....and now....I have none:-(

If it's anything like and addiction then I guess I have to hit my rock bottom before I will make a change. What is my rock bottom? I dont' want to gain anymore weight. I feel like this is something that I REALLY want.....but I must not want it bad enough. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What gives?????

I am going to suck it up...and enjoy my 4 days of bliss out on a beautiful ocean...and do a little soul searching. I am happy in life right now with everything else going on. I have made a new commitment to school and am doing very well, after a few years of hell with my marriage I feel like I am finally at a place that makes sense....it might not be the perfect arrangment, but it works for me right now. All I need to to now is get my health back on track. I need to make it more of a priority in life...no questions asked:-)

When I get back from vacation I am going to start setting small/reachable goals. I seem to do better with those. Sometime I think I set myself up for failure by seeting goals that aren't realistic.

Wish me luck. I will start blogging my journey when I get back from 4 days of relaxation!!!

Our New Place

So...we have lived her for a few months now...and I LOVE IT! So does Thomas. It's really perfect for us right now. One day I will move out to the country...but until then...this will be great! It's a small house, just enough room for me and Tman. It has a split floor plan so we both have our privacy:-) I also have an office!!! I will take pics of the home once I get it where I want it...I have a few projects to do first. My favorite part of the house is the back yard. It's very peaceful! You can hear the wind blowing through the trees...and the squirrels running around in the trees. I love it:-)

May plants love the new place too! I have lots of great ideas to make this yard even better....but it will take some time to get it there.

The only thing I don't like about my backyard is the constant pile of acorns I have to sweep up. They are everywhere!!! I hear them hit the patio throughout the night from my bedroom...lol! It freaked me out when I first moved in.

Date Day with Joel

Joel and I had a great "Date Day" this past weekend. We started the day out at the Farmers Market. We picked out lots of yummy fruits and veggies for the week:-) After the market we headed down to Deep Ellum for lunch. The Free Man was a place we hadn't ever tried so we decided to check it out.

http://www.freemandallas.com/

It's a small little bar/restaraunt that serves cajun food and has live entertainment every night of the week. It's like a taste of New Orleans in a box:-) We were there too early for the band...but would love to go back and chill out to some blues/jazz music sometime.

We tried the boudin balls as an appetizer...YUM! They are amazing!!!!!! They are deep fried dirty rice and sausage balls and they come with a spicy sauce that is also amazing!!!

I had the red beans and rice for lunch which was good. It wasn't as good as what I had in New Orleans...but it was close:-)

Joel had the shrimp po-boy and it was AWSOME!!!!! The shrimp wasn't overly battered...and had a great crunch. The cajun sauce that was on top of the shrimp was really tasty!!!

We will be back for sure:-) You should go check this place out!!!