Clean Eating Goals

So, I'm going to become one of those people.

A clean eater.

When I first heard about clean eating, I thought of it as the latest hippie fad.

Honestly, the more research I do, the more I get on board.

Our country is plagued with crap disguised as food and nutrition.  While these things may be food, they contain little to no nutrition.
What they do contain is chemicals, fake colors and flavors, and a whole lot of mystery about what these things really do to our bodies.
I'm guilty of eating packaged foods that claim being health foods for years.  I was proud of myself for bringing "diet" foods for lunch and heating them up in the microwave!  What was in them?  I'm not really sure.

When I first joined Pinterest, I created a board called Mmmmm where I pinned all of the recipes that interested me.  I tried a few of them for dinner and they were tasty!  But, I had no idea what I was actually putting in my body or feeding my family.

Lots of pasta and bread on this board!

Once I got myself in the right frame of mind, I created a new food board called Healthy Yum.  This is where I started pinning low-carb recipes, then low fat recipes, then recipes that included mostly lean protein and veggies.  Sometimes I pinned recipes here just because it said they were healthy - even though I didn't really know what was in it.  It's time for me to weed through this board and get rid of the "crap" recipes.

Some healthy recipes, some not so healthy!

Now that I've done my homework, I understand more about clean eating.  I am in NO way an expert, but I know where my focus needs to be now.  I've created a board called Clean Recipes where I've started pinning not only recipes, but resources on clean cooking.

Anything looking yummy yet?

Here are some resources if you are interested in clean eating yourself (and you should be):
The Gracious Pantry - Most of my pins are her recipes.
Hungry For Change - I watched this documentary on Netflix.  This is where I was convinced!

You may now resume reading...

I've been off the radar for a few weeks.

We've been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY since before Thanksgiving.

I visited one of my girls in Orlando, then went back for a Disney trip after Turkey day, then went back 2 weeks later for her graduation, then drove back a few days later to move her home, then took her to NOLA to learn about the city where she is about to be employed!

Sprinkle in un-decorating for Christmas, some doctor appointments, and a few Etsy orders and I've lost track of all time!

I also lost track of my exercise :(

But, I'm not committed to a half marathon in April.  April 13, to be exact.

I'm pretty excited about it!  Not only am I looking forward to a huge challenge that I never thought I'd even accept, but I'm excited about the mission of this group.  It is called Get There and Share with 413 Ministries.
Their mission is to use the sport of running to spread the Gospel!  I love it when I see people using their natural passion and talents to make a difference!  I'm looking forward to being a part of this race. From what I have read, there will be people from all over the country coming to Homewood, AL for this.  I may finish last, but I do plan to finish!

And if I'm going to finish, I'm going to have to train.  I'm in the middle of week 1 right now.  So far it isn't awful, but I'll be stepping it up real soon!  I've been researching different training plans and this one just spoke to me over the rest.

If you are interested in training, here's my schedule.  A quick google or Pinterest search will help you find others that might work better for you.  If you're able to run a 5k now, I'd suggest giving yourself 12 weeks to train for a half.  If you can run farther than a 5k already, you might need only 8 weeks.  If you have run half marathons before, I have no advice for you :)  I'm interested in training to be able to finish, not to improve my time!

Silhouette Cameo Projects

I'm still completely thrilled to be the owner of a Silhouette Cameo!!!  I am having so much fun learning how to use it. There are so many more things I can do than I had even thought of!
I posted before that I've already been busy with my new toy!  I've even had my first sale on Etsy of an item I made with my SC.
I've been keep a pin board of projects I want to try next.  Here a few projects I plan to tackle soon.

I'm making this one for myself, but I already have several requests from friends for it.

Aimee Weaver Designs

I love this for my husband I, but I think it would be great for memory verses for a child!

KIJSA

geministudios

It's Mine!

I have FINALLY gotten my hands on a Silhouette Cameo!!!  That Santa is a wonderful man!
I have been wanting one for a couple of years now.  Since my Pinterest addiction first began, I have been keeping a board of Silhouette projects.  I am well on my way to completing each of those pins and I'm on a search for more!

I've already personalized every iPhone in my family and I've even listed something on Etsy.

There is so much more to come!  Stay tuned for tutorials and posts about all of the amazing things my Cameo can do!

She's already been personalized!

P.S. Believe it or not, it was not this letter to Santa that convinced him!

Hemming Jeans

I hemmed my own jeans!!!

While this is a mundane and simple task for many, it was a small victory for me.  My mother has always been a wonderful seamstress.  She made most of my clothes as a small child and a few things as I got older.  I'll never forget her staying up late the night before 4th grade picture day to sew my vest that I HAD to wear for my picture.  (If you didn't have a vest, you weren't cool.)  Thanks, Mom!

My mother has been on hospice care for over a year now.  She can't get out of the house very much, so I like to think of special things we can do together at her house.  It is hard to think about, but every time I'm with her I want it to be a special memory.

One of the things she has tried to do with me before is to teach me to sew on her sewing machine.  As a pre-teen/early teen I didn't see the importance of this.  Why learn to sew?  We can BUY clothes at the store!

Now that I understand that it's more about the shared experience and the passing down of a skill, I want to learn from my mommy while I still can.

Recently, I lost enough weight to buy a new size in jeans!!!  They were WAY TOO LONG though!

Here was the perfect opportunity to spend some time learning from my mom.

I had found a pin on Pinterest that was a tutorial for hemming jeans and keeping the original hem.  Bazinga!

Mom hadn't used her sewing machine in a VERY long time, so we spent most of the afternoon remember how everything goes and getting it threaded.  We should have taken video - it was hilarious!

Once we got everything done it was pretty simple.  Mom was behind me coaching and I was sewing!

Nice clean line!

A lot had to come off!  I'm only 5'2".

I think it looks pretty good for a newbie!

Her directions were thorough and easy to follow.  I should have paid closer attention to where I was cutting when I cut the excess off.  I cut right through the stitching.  I'm pretty sure I can just go back over it and it will be fine - oopsies!

  

I'm thrilled to have jeans at the correct length, but I'm even more thrilled that I learned how to sew from my Mommy.  

I won't forget that day. 

I want to keep sewing and learning so I can tell people when they ask, "My Mom taught me to sew."

Mickey Mouse Countdown to Disney!

I am PUMPED about my upcoming trip to Disney World!!!
I had never been to Disney until I was 29 and on my honeymoon.  I've been making up for all of the years without it by being a big 5-year-old every time I go.  This next trip with be with out besties and their children who are six and two.  Their mom, Blondie, and I may be bigger kids about this than the actual kids!
I found this pin on Pinterest for a Mickey Mouse countdown chain and I knew making one was in my near future.

Here is the original.

Mine is a little different - and very long!  I couldn't wait until we were 30 days out.  I had to go ahead and make it!  

I promise I made it for the kids - the actual kids!  I really kinda want one for myself now too.

It was super easy - here's how it happened:

1. I bought the pack of large construction paper at Target - pretty cheap!

2.  I used my ruler and an exacto knife to cut the paper into strips.  You can just stack the pieces and cut through 4-5 pages at a time.  I used black, red, yellow, and white to match Mickey!

3. I used some leftover black paper and cut out 2 circles with a little flap on each.  I just taped the flap to one of the black strips and folded the ears up when I was done.  This is the top of your chain!

4. I stacked all of the strips in order and wrote the date that each piece of chain is to be removed before putting it all together.  It's easier to write on a flat surface than a circle!

5.  Then you just start stapling!  Be careful to keep your dates in order.

Super easy and so cute!  

Maybe I'll go start one of my own!!!

I Love Disney Toms

Here's a secret about me: I am a 5-year-old trapped in a 33 29-year-old's body when it comes to Disney World.  I always enjoyed Disney movies, but had never experienced the magic that is Disney World until my honeymoon.  I turned about 5 when the plane landed in Orlando and I don't feel ashamed at all!

We have another trip planned later this year with some friends of ours.  I'm so excited that I'm not sure I can contain myself.  It is still several months away, but not too early to start planning my Disney wardrobe!

I made this necklace for a client to wear in Disney World last year.  I'll have to make one for myself!

I've seen several things on Pinterest, of course, that I plan to attempt.

Nails, of course.  I don't know how to choose!  Maybe I'll have to change throughout the week :)

 

The first set of nails didn't have a link, the second set is from Nail Network, and the third is from Disney Ruthie.


Outfits: Have you ever seen Disney Bound?  Oh. My. Word.  I could have a Disney themed outfit every day of the trip!  Here's one of my favorites:

Shoes!  I do love shoes!  I found a hand painted pair of Toms on Etsy that I just loved.  I already had a pair of Toms that I don't wear much, so I didn't want to pay for new ones.  But, aren't they so cute?

I decided to use some fabric Sharpies on my own gray Toms and see what I could do.  Here's how they turned out!

Can't wait to wear them in Disney World!!!  What else do I need?

Thursday almost got away from me!  I've been thinking it's Monday all day long.  We had a four-day weekend and yesterday was so busy that I felt like I was just starting my week today.
In my previous post, I talked about all the memories we made this weekend.  I've been in a pretty good mood ever sense then!  I'm not having a hard time being positive!
Where I do need a big dose of positive is getting back on track. I did treat myself for my birthday - I ate an entire dessert by myself on Tuesday and I'm still paying for it!  I did see a change in my weight this morning and I've been feeling the carb bloat.  I have kept up with my Couch25k training.  I'll be starting week 4 on Saturday!

Here's what's on my TO DO list for getting back on track:

• Spend time in THE WORD every day.  I've got to get re-focused on why I'm doing this.  My body must be in the best shape it can be in so I can live a life worthy of the grace and mercy I've been given.
• Do the Mean Abs June calendar I found on Pinterest. 
• Continue C25k until I can run 5k in less than 40 minutes.  Then keep running!
• Try some Body Rock videos.
• Read I Quit Sugar and follow her tips.  I don't want to eliminate fruits, but I do want to eliminate all other sugars.  I think that is what my body likes to store as lard-o the most.

That should be enough for now!  I can do this.  I've done similar things already.  Maybe I should challenge myself a little more!

Hey fat girl!

I read this blog today and had tears streaming down my face as I read it.  I have always wondered what those fit runner-types think when they see my overweight body huffing and puffing around the track.  I wondered if they rolled their eyes as they passed or gave me an "atta girl" in their heads.  If you've ever felt out of place anywhere, this is worth a read!

There's no such thing as a calorie credit card.

"I'll have to work this off later" is something I have said several times.  More often than not, I forget about the ice cream or the pizza and let the day go as an "off day."

NO MORE OF THAT!
That's how a credit card works.  You don't have the cash, so you put it on the card and end up paying more after the interest builds up.
I don't use credit cards.  I won't use my food that way either.

DO NOT SPEND WHAT YOU DO NOT HAVE!!!


I've got an event to go to this weekend that I'm really excited about.  Tonight I'm meeting a friend of mine before the conference for dinner at a nice place I've never been to and probably won't go too often.  I don't want to have to order a salad. I'd like to try whatever looks good on the menu (within reason).  I know that I've got to be back downtown early tomorrow morning and won't be home until late tomorrow night.  Sunday will also be busy.  It isn't likely that I will get a workout in over the next two days.
I did my typical workout today, but I decided I needed to add a little extra so that I can eat tonight!  I will be served a box lunch tomorrow, probably a sandwich, and another yummy dinner tomorrow night.  This will not be a great weight loss weekend, but I don't want to have a weight gaining weekend either.
I've pinned a few ">zumba videos to my Strong board on Pinterest.  I do a few of these on days when I need a little extra burn.  It's so much fun that it doesn't feel like a chore.  I do work up a sweat, but I smile too!  BONUS: It's great for my mood : )
Here's my favorite:

I Heart Green Smoothies

So, I think I'm over my fear.  I've even started thinking about using other green and perhaps other veggies!  Look out!
I made myself a smoothie for breakfast that I found on Pinterest.  I didn't really love it.  I mostly tasted banana and that was pretty much it.  I will try it again and maybe add more PB and chocolate.

Later in the day, I was ready for a fruity snack, so I made another smoothie.  I had some kiwis that I needed to use and a cantaloup that I had just cut up.

1.5 kiwis cut into pieces
1/8 of a cantaloup cut into pieces
1 cup spinach leaves
water
6-8 ice cubes

It was a pretty color and pretty tasty!  I do think I'd go with less kiwi and more melon next time.  The kiwi was just a little too tangy and the texture with all those tiny seeds was a bit odd.  The flavor was still good and it satisfied my craving for a fruity snack!

Elvis Smoothie - click here

My Fear of the Green Smoothie

I have a few good friends who swear by the green smoothie. Ew...drinking a green kinda lumpy liquid, NO WAY!
Well, that was then!  I've been searching for green smoothie recipes lately that don't make me wretch.  I finally found one from Iowa Girl Eats on pinterest that didn't sound too scary.  This one called for greek yogurt, milk, spinach, frozen bananas, and peanut butter.

First Attempt (4/12):  I hadn't frozen any bananas yet, but I had frozen blueberries.  I didn't have greek yogurt, but I had fat free vanilla yogurt.  I gave it a whirl in my new Ninja Pulse (love it!) and voila!  I have a green brown smoothie!  I think the blueberries and PB affected the color.  All I can taste is peanut butter and maybe a little yogurt.  The texture isn't as bad as I feared and it doesn't taste like greens.

        

OK!
I'm convinced - I can do green smoothies.  Let's see what I come up with tomorrow!
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Today's NOT Green Smoothie(4/13):
I slept in and worked out on an empty stomach.  I had salad from last night for lunch, but I was still hungry.  I didn't really want a green smoothie, but I had a hankerin' for something sweet.  I decided a protein smoothie would do the trick!  I bought Jillian Michael's Whey Protein Powder in Vanilla at Target and hadn't tried it yet.  So, that's what I did today.
Ingredients:
6-8 ice cubes
about 1 cup of coffee (leftover so it was cold)
a spoonful of hot coco mix
a scoop of the protein powder

(I drank most of it before I remember to get a picture!)

I blended it for just a few seconds on my new Ninja Pulse (which I heart) and drank it up!  It was very good, but not quite a smoothie.  Maybe more ice next time?  I had also just gotten the cup out of the dishwasher, so it was hot.  It may have melted the ice too much.  I feel full now.  And my sweet tooth is satisfied.  A friend of mine made something very similar to this for me last week.  Thanks, Carrie!

I'm sure I'll be trying more green smoothies very soon.  I've got frozen bananas and strawberries now.  I'll give it another shot tomorrow!  I'll update as I go.
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Today's VERY Green Smoothie (4/16):
It isn't quite dinner time yet, but if I waited until dinner to eat, I would eat way too much.  I needed just a little something to get me to dinner time.  A smoothie must be the answer!  I didn't need a protein packed snack, but I needed a little substance.
I looked in the fruit bin and the freezer and came up with mango, banana, and strawberries.  I grabbed the spinach too.  It was VERY green!

Here's what I used:

1/2 fresh mango cut up

1/2 frozen banana

a handful of frozen strawberries

a handful of spinach

1/4 cup water

I blended it up in my super duper Ninja Pulse.  When I took the blade out, it looked a little thick.  I added some more water and blended it a few more seconds.

It really reminds me of a strawberry banana smoothie from one of the places in the mall that would cost $5 and have 500 calories in it.  Yummy!

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My Sludge-Looking Smoothie (4/17):

I worked out on an empty stomach this morning (I do not recommend it).  I needed something I could make quickly and take with me for breakfast, so a smoothie was the answer!

I wanted to make one with several types of frozen fruit and see what I got.  

Here's what I used:

3 frozen strawberries

a little over half of a frozen banana

almost a cup of frozen blueberries

a generous handful of spinach

water

1 scoop vanilla whey protein

   

(See, it was so on-the-go that I had to take the picture in the car!  And do you love my new bracelet?)

It was very good!  I didn't originally put the protein powder in, but I decided that I would need it to have more staying power than just fruit would have.  It didn't fill me up like most of my smoothies have, but I was unusually hungry today too. I'll do this one more often, with and without the powder.  I think it will actually taste much better without the powder!

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Another NOT Green Smoothie (4/18):
Today I wanted something really fruity and tangy and pretty for breakfast so I made what I named the Tangy Pink Smoothie.  I grabbed some fruit and yogurt and here is what I came up with.

1/2 frozen banana
handful frozen raspberries
about 5 frozen peach slices
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
water (enough to make it blend well)

Threw it all in the Ninja Pulse and let 'er rip!  It didn't blend really well at first, so I kept adding water. Too much frozen stuff!  It turned out very pretty and fruity and tangy!  The only thing I didn't like was the little raspberry seeds, but I can get over it.

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I've lost 10 pounds as of today!!!

But, anyway, I made a Strawberry Banana Vanilla Smoothie (4/19):

I weighed myself first thing and I was thrilled to see that I've hit my next goal: a total weight loss of 10 pounds!  The weight seems to really be coming off now.  Nothing is a better motivator than success, in my book.  I was inspired to make a healthy smoothie for breakfast today.

I slept in a little and I was pretty hungry, but I knew I'd be eating an early lunch and I'm eating out.  I don't want to spend too many calories on breakfast, but I don't want to go to a restaurant starving either.

I've been wanting to make a pure strawberry banana smoothie, so I chose today.

Here's what's in it:

1/2 frozen banana

enough strawberries to fill the cup 1/2 way

handful of spinach

1/2 scoop protein powder

enough water to make it smooth

I mixed it all up and it's a lovely shade of greenish-brown.

  Nice.  It tastes ok, but I wish I had added Stevia rather than the protein powder.  Maybe I'll take another stab at it!

More SMOOTHIES here!