healthy living...

Remember last week when I told you that we were changing our lifestyle by eating more organic foods, etc. Well, it’s only been almost 2 weeks and I feel better than I have in a long time! I have so much more energy and I find myself daily wanting to make small changes to improve other eating/exercising habits. Take for instance last night, we had dinner and I’m a sweets girl. I love to have something sweet after I eat. In the last few months, I’ve gone from buying 2 boxes of 100 calorie packs every week to maybe buying 1 boxes a month! Literally, the last few months I’ve been slowing changing my eating habits but more so over the last few weeks. So after dinner, I asked Kaz if he wanted a chocolate chip cookie. With our food order, we got 4 containers of organic chocolate chip cookie dough and it is delicious! He said no he didn’t really want one, so instead of baking 1 for me, I ate a grapefruit! 

I’ve also been drinking a glass of carrot juice everyday for almost 10 days now and it really makes such a difference. Annie Rice has had a full sippy cup everyday now for 10 days and it makes me so happy! She LOVES it, although I don’t always love her diaper:)!

Kaz’s favorite dinner that I make is chicken casserole. It’s always been his favorite meal! I normally put in chicken, cream of chicken, chicken broth, and cover the top with ritz crackers soaked in butter. We eat that over pasta. The other night I decided to make it and made a few small changes that is healthier for us and tasted JUST AS GOOD! Instead of chicken broth, I added zucchini and added plain ritz crackers instead of soaking them in butter, over organic whole wheat pasta instead of plain pasta! I’m really seeing day by day how little changes make big differences. We also made a really big decision over the weekend...REMEMBER HOW I SAID I HAD NO DESIRE TO GIVE UP SODA! I’m going to be pretty honest here and tell you how bad my soda addiction has been. We would literally go through 4-6 2 litters a week! I would drink coke zero all day, every day from breakfast until I went to bed. The more I thought about my statement last week about not giving it up, the more I was convicted that Annie Rice sees me drink soda all day and I make her drink water. That’s not really the best example for me to be setting so Kaz and I made a deal. We decided to NOT BUY soda in our house ANYMORE! We have given ourselves 1 out a week BUT ONLY over the weekend IF we go out to dinner. We can’t bring it home, so it has to be if we go out to lunch or dinner on the WEEKEND! I actually was dreading doing this because I just knew my headaches would be awful but I have to say the Lord has honored our decision because I’ve had 1 headache that was yesterday and it maybe lasted 15 minutes. I’m on day 5 of no soda, just water and a little apple juice in my smoothie:) 

I’ve made a couple really good recipes lately that are very yummy! Here are 2 from this week that our family loved:)

Mexican Rice Bake

2 boneless skinless chicken cooked

3-4 cups of cooked brown rice[I use the rice in the bag so mine came out to be a little over 3 cups]

1/2 bag of frozen corn

1 cup of salsa

1 cup of plain greek yogurt[I used vanilla because we didn’t have plain and I couldn’t taste a difference]

1/2 cup of cheese

1 can of drained black beans

Mix it all together[make sure the chicken and rice are cooked, the corn is frozen]. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes! We ate it with tortilla chips! Very yummy!

Chicken Casserole

2 boneless skinless chicken breast cooked. Cut in cubs

2 regular cans of 99% fat free cream of chicken

1 zucchini cut in tiny cubs

Bake for 20 minutes at 350

Take it out and cover the top with crumbled ritz crackers[I used reduced fat]

Bake for 10 more minutes

Serve over pasta!

Randomness……

-I really want to learn how to sew! I know the bare minimal basics but I want to know more! I would be willing to barter or trade any photography sessions or class for some sewing classes! I’ve made the basics-Burpies and blankets BUT I really want to learn to sew curtains and little dresses! Here’s a few things I’ve made…

-Juicing is a very powerful thing…I told you awhile back that Kaz and I started and it was going great. One thing I noticed over the 3 months we juiced was I stopped having sinus problems and no longer had to take medicine. I have ALWAYS had problems with my sinuses and for as long as I could remember I took medicine almost every day. While juicing I never had to take medicine or had problems. We stopped because life got busy and we were traveling so much and let me just say…The last 2 months I have taken sinus medicine EVERYDAY! We started back juicing and once again no medicine! If you have any illness or sickness it’s definitely worth trying! It’s a very powerful thing! We only juice carrots now unlike before when we juiced a lot of other veggies. So every day I drink a 8-10oz glass of carrot juice! Yum, Yum!

-The next 2 weeks are going to be extremely busy for me with photography. I’ve had a little break which has been nice but it’s getting ready to be insanely busy BUT then I go on my trip to NYC!

-Speaking of NYC, What are some things you have enjoyed doing there? It’s my favorite place and I’ve gone every year for the last 5 years. I know the city really well but I’m always looking for different things to do! I also want to see a celebrity!


-Stay tuned until tomorrow….I’M FINALLY going to post pictures of the nursery :)

I slid off the tracks a little….

Do you ever start out on the right track and then slide off the road a little? Well, that’s how I’ve been with my healthy journey….

I did really really good for awhile…and then slowly I got off track. NOW I didn’t crash- just took a small turn…[I haven’t lost anymore weight BUT haven’t gained any either! I’ve continued to lose inches though:)]

Diet Coke: I didn’t have ANY for 2 weeks then I started compromising a little and now I’m back to drinking them a lot more….SO I’m going to try and start again taking it day by day. My thing is I really like the taste….I NEED something besides water to drink…I get bored drinking water ALL day. Do you have any suggestions?
Running: I was up to 7 miles!!! I’ve still continued running but not every day like I was so I’m starting back today! I at least want to run 5 days a week:) It’s just so hard for me to go to the gym after work, so If I don’t go during lunch then it’s easier for to me to justify in the afternoons not to go…

30 day shred: I made it to day 6:( So today I’m also starting back on it! I can do it, I can do it, I can do it! It’s 20 minutes a day…I CAN DO IT!
Eating healthy: I’ve still done really good at this. I’ve watched what I eat but at the same time I haven’t tried to control it so much! If we were out to eat, I got what I wanted and really enjoyed it but didn’t go overboard. I’ve found some really good healthy snacks to eat[cauliflower and fat free ranch dressing, mango delight with celery, etc]. For lunch I’ve been bringing chicken and brown rice, and 2 sweet potato round patties[If you’ve never had these, PLEASE go get them from your grocery store (frozen section)! They are amazing!!!]

AND 1 new sweet that I’m in LOVE with is this: Blue Bunny Aspen Bar! It’s amazing! I’ve been having it as my sweet after dinner and I really look forward to it. I will save all day on sweets just for this!!!

I found this cool and healthy blog…This lady loves green smoothies and drinks…I’m not there yet with the whole green thing[I’ve had bad experiences with green drinks] BUT I’m going to try some of her stuff! My friend Rhonda LOVES green drinks! Kaz and I LOVE juicing and have it every day! I can tell such a difference when I have juice and when I don’t[including my health…We juiced for a solid month and I never had sinus problems…We stopped for 1 week for vacation and I woke up the last 4 days with sinus problems every morning…Once we started back, I haven’t had a problem since…] That’s just one of the benefits I’ve seen!

Where are you on your healthy journey? Do you have any snacks or foods that you love? TELL me about them…I would LOVE to know!

30 day shred.....

Well, I haven’t lost any more weight pound wise…BUT I definitely have continued building strength, losing inches, and toning up! I’m fitting into old jeans and all of my clothes are a lot looser:)

On Monday, I ran 6 miles. It was my long run for the week and it felt great! My problem with running is I get really bored sometimes…It doesn’t matter if I run inside or out, at some point I get bored so I really have to work through that. Monday I ran on the treadmill…thankfully all the treadmills at my gym have TVs on them so I can watch TV while I run! It was definitely hard, and I pushed my body BUT I did it! I’ve still been running 3-4 miles 4 days a week[and then a long run on the weekends]. This weekend is 7 miles. I’ll let you know how I do:)

Something else I’m super pumped about is 30 day shred! I love the biggest loser, and Jillian[the trainer] leads this workout. Here’s the thing: It’s 30 days, 3 levels, 20 minutes per day. Not bad at all! I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s hard BUT I can handle 20 minutes. I always buy workout videos like Slim in 6, P90X, etc and I love them for a little while, but the part that always gets me is the length of the videos. I don’t like working out in my house for 45 minutes every day. AND I don’t like videos that do tons of lunges, or tons of arms. 30 day shred is a great mix. Jillian combines strength, with cardio, and abs. This is what it looks like:

3 intervals.
3 minute strength
2 minute cardio
1 minute abs

Every interval is different. I really like it a lot! Today was day 2! I actually got up at 5:45 this morning to do it, which shocked Kaz completely. I woke him up…normally he has to pull teeth to get me up in the mornings! Miley wasn’t quite sure of what I was doing…When I started doing jump-n-jacks she came over and started jumping on me:)
There are a lot people doing the 30 day shred. To read about other people on this journey click here.

Finally, Kaz and I have continued juicing. We started adding spinach in our drinks. I can’t taste it but it definitely turns the juice greener[I had to get over the fact that it was green:(]. I actually want it in the mornings now for breakfast. I don’t even think about anything else…I know that’s it so good for me and I’m enjoying it. We went to Barnes and Noble this past weekend and I found a book about the top 100 juices. As I was reading it my mouth was watering. I can’t wait to try some of them and share with you:)

If you’re on a healthy journey, keep it up! Your goal is reachable!!!

Saying goodbye to a dear friend[not a person].....

I'm trying really really hard to give up my friend Mr. Diet Coke! It's been 1 week since I've last seen him and I must say I can already tell a difference in how I feel[in a good way]. You see I drank Diet Coke WAY TOO MUCH! I blame it on my parents[NOT REALLY] but I do kid around with them and Kaz about it. See growing up my dad would always wake me up before he left for work, and every morning he would bring me a little cup of Diet Coke! In college, I really starting drinking more of it and it came to a point for a few years where I wouldn't drink anything else ALL day EXCEPT Diet Coke! It was the first thing I thought about grabbing in the morning...That's really bad....BUT I'm trying to stop completely. My dad hasn't had any soda in over a year...I'm trying to give it up for good! There's nothing wrong with drinking it, but for me I can't just have 1! Goodbye dear friend....

Also, I'm HAPPY to say I've lost 17 pounds since Dec!!!! I recently started back running and I've been tring to lose weight also. My 1st goal is 20 more pounds[then I will weigh what I did when Kaz and I got married]. 2nd goal is 20 pounds on top of that[then I will weigh what I did starting college]. The 2nd goal may not be a possibility but I'm going to try hard. I have a lot more muscle from playing sports for so long, so I always weigh a lot more than I actually look! Today was my 3rd week straight training for a half marathon and I ran 5 miles! It was definitely hard and my pace slowed down a good bit BUT I DID IT!

This also marks the 2nd week that Kaz and I have been juicing[to see what we juice keep scrolling down to previous post]. Today we started adding 1 kiwi to the mix and it is so good. My mouth now waters for this juice every morning. I've replaced my breakfast with 1 glass[about 10 oz] and starting this week my mid morning snack is going to be another glass! Below are 2 pictures of the juicing. Be prepaid it LOOKS really good!

1 batch[what I drink in a day]

Looks good right? I'm continuing forward on this "heathly" journey!

2 glasses of carrot juice anyone...

SOOO....We decided to juice! AND it was actually good! We talked about it all week, and the benefits out weigh giving up "foods that aren't as good for us". I saw an add on TV that Macy's was having a 40% off sale on all juicers and mixers so once we flew back into Charlotte yesterday from St. Louis we found a Macy's and bought a mixer for a fantastic deal. Here's the juicer we got!

850 watts, 2 speed

This morning we went and bought all of the vegetables for the week! Kaz mixed the first batch which came to about a liter. This is what was in it:

1 bag whole carrots

1/2 bag cellery

1 green apple

1 tangerine

Half of a zuccinni

Half of cucumber

Here's a picture of Kaz mixing everything together!

Here's the result!

I thought it would taste like carrots but it was actually a pretty sweet tasting drink. It filled me up for about 2 1/2 hours and wasn't bad tasting at all! I'm excited for this "healthy" journey!

To juice or not to juice.....

Have you ever heard of The Hallelujah Diet? Kaz and I know several people who live by this diet and it's honestly something that I have NEVER wanted to do. The Hallelujah Diet includes eating more fruits, vegetables, drinking more water, removing meats from your diet, etc. NOW I do not want to do this full force, but Kaz's mom and dad have started doing parts of this diet such as juicing carrots, drinking barley, etc. In college, Kaz and I both drank barley max everyday for a semester and we could really tell a difference in our energy level....The testimony stories of this diet are amazing! People have been cured from all types of diseases once starting this diet, including a few friends of ours. Since it involves so much fruits and vegetables, there are a lot less toxins entering the body.
The thought of this does not sound appealing to me...I mean if you see the carrot juice or the barley max it makes me want to throw up! BUT it's so good for the body. That's the part thats appealing to me.
When Kaz and I were taking the barley back in college, I would drink it so fast because it looks and taste so gross. It's green...It doesn't matter what you put the powder in..it will turn green! One time I had the brillant idea to put it in my smoothie...BAD IDEA....At least when I put it in apple juice I could drink it really fast. A smoothie takes awhile to drink...NEEDLESS to say I will never put it in a smoothie again. Below is a picture of what it looks like...

GROADDDYYYY Right? Yeah, it's pretty disgusting BUT the benefits are INCREDIBLE...

LIKE I SAID...I don't want to do this full force, but Kaz and I are seriously considering starting to juice. What do you think? Good idea or no?