Paleo Challenge

I have talked about it a little, but not a lot. My trainer, Abby, suggested I look into eating clean and while doing so I came across lots of information on Paleo. One stood out to me more than the others, so I messaged her the link and coincidentally, it was the link she was preparing to send me! ;) Abby and her sister used this blog's guide to eat clean. I have completed 2 weeks of the 30 day challenge. Not sure if I will do the whole 30 days, but I wanted to see how far I could go with it. My plan is to be able to continue clean eating 80%, but allowing myself to have a few favorites every now and again. I miss Mexican food (it's not like I ate it everyday, but I am craving it lately)!!

Eating paleo is NOT what I thought it would be. For one thing, I feel satisfied. Secondly, for the first time in forever, I am not counting calories or points. It's liberating! ha I have tagged some of my favorite recipes from the paleo blog. I have been trying all sorts of new things and for the most part have enjoyed everything.

My challenge to you is to try 1 new healthy food/meal this week! My suggestion would be acorn squash! YUMMY!!!! It's my new fave, but side note...she tells you in the comments section to use 6 oz of the leanest ground beef you can find. Just a heads up if you decide to make it. :)

Paleo Acorn Squash

Spaghetti Squash

Gluten Free/Paleo Blueberry Muffins

Tuna Patties (have also swapped out salmon - both were delish!)

Pinterest: Recipe Success

I love trying new recipes, especially when needing some new healthy recipe ideas, or just for something to break the monotony of our "go to" meals. After 2 weeks of eating poached eggs and fruit for breakfast, I needed a change. I love eggs as much as the next person, but can't do it for a few days.

I found this recipe and figured I had nothing to lose. I had everything on hand already, so if no one in the house liked it, I figured the dogs would eat it. haha I was only hesitant because I really don't like oatmeal...unless it's oatmeal raisin cookies. ;)




Just made this recipe to have for breakfast this week, along with a banana and I think it's a winner! I had to taste test (duh!) and I really liked it. It's a different texture than I thought it would be, more like a cake than a gritty cookie. I did make a few adjustments with the recipe - I used skim milk and Jif peanut butter instead of what the recipe requested. We're a Jif house! I figured the recipe with MFP and the specific ingredients I used and it came up to 165 calories per serving, with the pan being split into 12 bars. I think it's a good size piece to help fill me up at breakfast. No point in having an itty bitty slice that leaves you craving more!

Life Lately via Pictures

A snapshot of life's moments the past 2 weeks...

A few of my Scentsy Family team members at Spring Sprint

 With my soon-to-be Scentsy Family brands partner! :)

Our first gift!! A bridal shower gift from my friend Tami who can't make it Sunday.

The flowers we bought for parent corsages/boutonnieres...

 Having some snuggle time with my lil Tobers

 Hand writing 200 wedding invites

 

A few days of healthy snacking - strawberries! Yum!

Dinner with the family - baked chicken in the Turbowave oven, rice for my lunch the next day & sweet potatoes

My unhealthy breakfast today...detoxing next week!

Another Yummy Foods Post

I've been trying some other new recipes from Pinterest! These were ones we tried & really liked!! :)

All pictures are taken from the links...click on the name of the dish to be taken to the website! Delicious!

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Corn Casserole

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Mozzarella Sticks

Be sure to let me know if you try any of these yummy foods!

Yummy Foods

Lately I've been testing out a lot of new recipes. So far, there hasn't been any that I didn't like. Judging by the fact of no leftovers, I'd say everyone else is enjoying it too. haha These recipes were all from Pinterest, so feel free to hop over there and grab them for yourself!

Buffalo Chicken Rolls (great thing is...low calories!)

Cinnamon Roll Cake (oh my gosh - everyone was in LOVE)

Garlic Cheese Rolls (smelled heavenly!)

Creamy Chicken Pockets (went great with garlic rolls, but lots of bread...ha)

Let me know if you give any of these recipes a try! Happy cooking :)

America's Favorite Past times

This weekend we took part in 3 of what I would consider America's favorite past times (at least in my neck of the woods).

1. Dining out
2. Watching baseball
3. Going to the local county fair

Friday I got my nails shellac'd with French Manicure and my toes purple!

Did some grocery shopping & couldn't resist the Coffee ice cream. It's a favorite of mine...and AxMan!

Saturday morning I prepped my Scentsy Scent of the Month Club mailing!

Dinner at our favorite Japanese Hibachi grill with the family :)

Cincinnati Reds baseball game - AxMan's 1st MLB game!

Took the girls to the county fair for some fun!

Got their faces painted...awwww ;)

And on another note...I leave EARLY Wednesday morning to head to Las Vegas for this year's Scentsy Family Convention! I cannot wait! Will be hard leaving AxMan & the girls for the rest of the week, but I'm looking forward to all the announcements being made at convention! Scentsy Family will be announcing Brand X (the 3rd brand - already have Scentsy & Velata). It is sure to be HUGE!!!

I'll have plenty of updates when I return from Vegas. Don't expect too many sightseeing pictures because I've already done "that" Vegas. haha I fly back on Saturday afternoon just in time to get ready for my birthday dinner in Indy with some family and friends! I'm turning the big 3-0 on Sunday! :)

Tacos in Pasta Shells

This is such a yummy recipe...and our first time making it! Yum! We did make one substitution and that was ground turkey for the ground beef. We've been using ground turkey a lot lately in place of beef. Doesn't lower the calories significantly, but it is leaner (plus you don't really notice a taste difference) and it lowers the calories just enough to make it worth it. Every little bit counts! haha

12 oz dried jumbo shell pasta

2 16oz jars salsa

2 1/2 pounds ground beef

6 oz cream cheese, cut up

2 t. chili powder

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Optional: chopped tomato

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Rinse with cold water, drain again.

Meanwhile, divide about 1 c. of the salsa between two ungreased 2 qt baking dishes, spreading evenly. Set aside. In a extra large skillet, cook ground meat over medium heat until brown. Drain off fat. Stir in cream cheese and chili powder. Cool slightly.

Spoon meat mixture into cooked pasta shells. Arrange filled shells on top of salsa in dishes. Top with remaining salsa.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 15 minutes more or until heated through. If desired, sprinkle with tomato. Makes 12 servings. (We only made 1/2 a batch because it's just 2 of us...and we were STUFFED, but it was oh so good!)

Weekend Recap

Another weekend has come...and almost gone. Not sure why they go so quickly and the work week takes so long. ;) haha

Follow along with the pictures and get a brief description of this weekend's adventures! It was much needed.

FRIDAY

Haircut - rockin' bangs now

Dinner at bd's - yum!!

And then we needed dessert...mmm...Coffee!

Listening to The Cousin Brothers play at The Melody Inn

SATURDAY

Sister Day!!

Brew Bracket at the State Fairgrounds = AWESOME

participants sampling the wheat beers & voting for their faves

trekked to Purdue for some more fun - ala Piano Bar with Bruce!

Ryne Smith (Purdue bball senior) grabbing a bite to eat

West LaLa has a new food truck called BigCheeze (omg...yum!)

Saturday night's special was a grilled cheese sandwich with mozzarella sticks & marinara in it...and yes, it was amazing!

SUNDAY

Boogie Burger's garlic fries :)

I finished my Sunday with grocery shopping, laundry, a 2.5 mile walk outside (boy was it hot!), and an ionic detox.

All in all, I am feeling so much better about a lot of things. There are still changes I hope will be happening, but I'm not gonna hang my happiness on those changes. I am going to keep doing what I do and hope that God has a plan for my chaotic life! :)

A Sweet Treat

Right now the house smells like ooey gooey brownies. MMMMMMMMMMMM Yeah, I totally had calories left today and the box of brownie mix in the cabinet was calling my name. haha So, I'm going to enjoy a few tonight, pack 1 for my lunch tomorrow, and send the rest with mom to her work so they don't tempt me! Good plan, huh? :)

Oh yeah...did I mention they are the ones with hershey's syrup?? Oh my. Yummy goodness.

Day 359

Friday night after the party, I drove back to Indy to stay at Jenna's. We slept in on Saturday morning and then got ourselves ready for a lunch splurge at Scotty's Brewhouse. Yum! I do love that place. It's one of my favorite restaurants anywhere! Noelle joined us. Then after lunch, I went to Noelle's apartment for her Scentsy Launch Party. :)

I finally left Indy in the middle of the afternoon to make the drive home (and also stopped to buy this week's groceries). There was some crazy heat lightning on my drive Friday night and Shelbyville area saw the worst of it...they had so much hail (it looked like snow) that they actually shut down the interstate. A little of it was still left Saturday afternoon.

When I got the car unpacked, it was time to load up again. Argh! ha I'm kind of tired of being in the car. Mom said she'd go with me to see the Hunger Games movie. I read all 3 books. It was a good movie, but they left out what I felt were key characters and a few key narrations. I understand they can't narrate it like they do in the book, but if I hadn't already explained it to my mom, I think she would have been lost. After the movie, she said...well, crap, now I have to see the other movies when they come out! hahaha

Day 326

So much to say today...and mostly because you, my awesome friends, have been surrounding me with encouragement and positive vibes! :) Life is good...and it will stay that way! No more drama. ha Okay, so there probably will be drama at some point because I'm juggling several guys at once, but I am determined to enjoy this phase of life. Not only are there several interested gentlemen in my life, but things I've been wanting for a long time (like having LASIK done) are starting to take place. EXCITED :)

I feel like I need to fill you all in on the newest boy in the pack - he shall be called Electrician Boy. ha As I mentioned yesterday, I was leery about even talking to this guy. Why? Well, let me back up and tell a story about my first Match experience... I fell for a guy with a 3 year old son. I fell for the guy and I fell for his son. I SOOO did not ever plan to date a guy with a kid. I was trapped in the "I want to be his first & give him his first child" syndrome. This guy totally threw me for a loop and I was enjoying every moment. Then he surprised me by telling me that he wanted to give it a shot with a longtime friend whom he'd always been interested in, but the timing had never been right. :( I was crushed. It took me awhile to get over that hurt. I told myself that I was NEVER going to date a "dad" again. Enter the new story... Electrician boy has a 10 year old son. He has been divorced for 5 years and although he recently tried to give it another shot with his ex, everything I've heard from him and our mutual friends, tells me that it was a bad situation and he is a good guy for doing what he did. *sigh* So here I am, texting practically non-stop with a dad. Eek! Tonight he called me...out of the blue. It was easy and comfortable and fun. I need fun. I know he's looking for forever. So am I, but I don't know if I'm ready for that at this exact moment. He is. Now I feel like I'm coworker boy and electrician boy is me. Oh how the tides are changing! hahaha I guess the moral of the story is that you never know where you'll end up. I have a date with electrician boy on Saturday night. Time will tell what happens.

I have not heard from any of the other boys since Saturday (coworker & hotty-bo-botty) or Sunday (engineer). I haven't messaged them because I need to know if THEY want to pursue the relationship or if it's been me keeping it going for no reason. Fingers are crossed! ha


And on to today's meal...which was so yummy! Still trying new recipes out of the casserole mag. Lots more to go! ha This is a winner and I highly suggest it. For 9 WW+ points, it is a filling serving. Your kids will love it because it is fun and includes their favorite foods - fries, cheese, hamburger! ha We only made a half recipe tonight and it was the perfect amount for 2 of us.

Cheeseburger & Fries Casserole

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 10.75 oz can condensed golden mushroom soup
1 10.75 oz can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 20 oz pkg frozen french fried crinkle-cut potatoes
toppings (tomato wedges, pickles, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook ground meat, half at a time, over medium heat until brown. Drain off fat. Spoon cooked met into an ungreased 3-qt. casserole.

In a medium bowl, combine mushroom soup and cheese soup. Spread over cooked meat. Sprinkle with potatoes.

Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes or until mixture is heated through and potatoes are lightly browned. If desired, serve with toppings. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Easy Huevos Rancheros Casserole

This came from the Ultimate Casseroles recipe magazine that I bought. It is 7 WW+ points per serving. The recipe makes 12 servings, we only made a half batch tonight. It was yummy. A good change-up from the usual meals!

Non-stick cooking spray
1 32-oz package frozen fried potato nuggets
12 eggs
1 c. milk
1 1/2 t. dried oregano, crushed
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 8-oz package shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 16-oz jar thick and chunky salsa
1 8-oz carton dairy sour cream
snipped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 3-qt rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange potato nuggets in dish.

In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, milk, oregano, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Beat with a wire whisk until combined. Pour egg mixture over potato nuggets.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Sprinkle cheese evenly over egg mixture. Bake about 3 minutes more or until cheese melts. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Top with salsa, sour cream, and cilantro. Makes 12 servings.

Day 297

Well today was a normal Sunday. I did sleep in, but considering I went to bed at 1am and was still tossing & turning at 3am...I really didn't get any "extra" sleep. Oh well...no rest for the wicked, right? haha

Today I made lunch. Mom & Jen decided they wanted Bubble Up Enchiladas again and seeing as they are quite good, I didn't say no. ;)

This afternoon I was busy making the samples and getting everything ready for my Scentsy Scent of the Month club. I have everything ready to mail out at the end of the week...just waiting on the post office to get the new stamps in!

After I finished the samples, I decided I needed some activity! Instead of running or walking on the treadmill, I attempted to use a new app I downloaded on my iPod. Holy Smokes!! If you want a workout, download Bootcamp. It is killer. I did the Mix It Up workout which was 21 minutes of chaos. hahaha My arms seriously hurt tonight. I got a shower after the workout and could barely lift my arms to dry off. You know it's a good workout when you feel it immediately! I forgot how good it felt to do a total body workout since I've just been using the treadmill. The workouts consist of planks, squats, situps, pushups, lunges, jumping jacks, and a million other crazy positions that I would encourage you to practice beforehand! It feels much like I imagine a real bootcamp workout to go: a drill sergeant voice telling you to push harder, go faster, and blows a whistle when you need to transition. Whew! Tomorrow I'm going to test my knee on the treadmill again (tonight's exercises really didn't help) and then give bootcamp another try Tuesday morning.

Speaking of my knee, I think I probably need to try finding a brace of some sort (more like the "sleeves" basketball players, etc wear). My main problem is that my right leg is just a smidge shorter than my left, so when I run, I tend to put my weight on that side of my body. This usually results in right hip problems as well, but so far nothing on that front. *knocks on wood* As I type this, I am doing an ionic detox. I'm hoping that helps and as you can see by this picture taken within the first 3 minutes...the water was already turning a bright orange which indicates inflammation from your joints is being pulled into the water. I need to try to find time to fit a detox in a few more times this week. I have been bad about not making this a regular weekly/biweekly occurrence.

Day 295

Hello friends! Today was a busy day. There is nothing like a haircut and getting your eyebrows waxed to make ya feel like a new woman! ;) haha Actually, it was just a trim, but my hair grows ridiculously fast so it is always nice to plop in my cousin's salon chair and let her work some magic.

I was also quite the kitchen diva today. I made 3 NEW never before tried recipes (in this home) thanks to finding them on Pinterest! They are all winners and will be made again!

Red Velvet Cake

Chicken Alfredo

Ranch Red Potatoes