Clean Eating Pizza Dough

Tonight I decided to give it a try ( yet again) at making my own homemade pizza dough. I am not too successful usually with these things. So far so good.

I used (and modified) a recipe from The Gracious Pantry. You can click on that and go right to her recipe. Mine is a tad bit different, but not much.

Instead of using oat flour, I used whole wheat flour. I also used wildflower honey and I think she used agave nectar.

I did notice that it was easier to blend by hand, and not with a spoon.


Here's the finished version:

And here's what our pizza looked like when done:

We had ground turkey, fresh mushrooms, and cheese with the homemade sauce on ours.

Move over Dominos, FRESH sauce coming through!

So, as you have probably realized by now, I am on a quest to eat better foods, more whole foods... in simpler terms more REAL FOOD. And I have been researching different things to come up with to fix me and my husband, that is not expensive, nor requires a whole lot of time.

I came across another wonderful recipe from The Gracious Pantry, and decided to give it a try. Here's my results: (we have not ate this yet, we are making the pizza dough tomorrow night and I'll have the recipe etc on that then)

First off- the recipe! Its super easy, super fast, and super cheap!

4 Vine Ripe tomatoes- diced
4 cloves of garlic ( I use my Pampered Chef garlic peeler and slicer for this)
15 oz of No Salt added tomato sauce
Salt to taste
Basil to taste ( we didn't use this as I did not have any on hand)
Instead I used onion powder, just a little, as real onions would have been too strong for us

You blend all but the sauce in a blender, then add the sauce in. I blended it all smooth ( looks like tomato juice but light pink lol) or you can just food process it just a few times to make it chunkier! Either way, it tasted yummy when I tried it, before putting it into a container to save for tomorrow night. Here's some photos and some video  :) Enjoy!

CHALLENGE- WEEK 3

Ok, so we've upped our walking, motivated the mind, now we need to FEED THE BODY... with good foods.

I challenge you this week to cut back on ONE thing that is not good for you- whether it be soda, fast food, sugar etc. Just one.

Im cutting back on sugars. I'm going to be doing more whole foods, real foods this week, more clean eating. Im getting ready to start a new diet and health program, and I need to try to condition my mind and body to get used to eating clean.

So tell me... what are YOU going to cut back on this week????

-Stephanie

Smoothie King, you aint got NOTHING on me!

I'm trying to eat breakfast. But so many "breakfast" foods have some sort of bread attached to it. And, as we all know, I am trying hard to stick to cutting out a ton of my bread. Carbs are my weakness.

So this morning I used my Ninja ( which by the way, is the best invention EVER) to make a smoothie.

2 fresh mangos (peeled and the seed out)
1 Yoplait smoothie package ( this makes two but I drink them both)
1 8 oz of low fat milk

Blend all together and drink up!

It was so good. And you can use other fresh fruits, yogurt and ice as well. Or freeze your fruit, and take the place of the ice.

-Stephanie

WEEK 2 BLOG CHALLENGE!

Ok, so as I was reading over some other forums getting ideas for this week's challenge, a thought popped into my head. It was so simple, I cant believe this did not occur to me earlier!

So this week's challenge is super simple - They say that walking is one of the best exercises you can do for your overall health. So this week's challenge is right here-

Walk 10,000 Steps- You can do it!

Go there and read- its very helpful. I challenge EACH OF YOU to walk 10,000 steps AT LEAST ONE DAY this week. If you dont have one, get a pedometer. They are cheap ( a few bucks) at Wal-mart, and really do help measure how much activity you are doing ( steps per day)

I want each of you to tell me below in a blog comment " Im going to aim to walk 10,000 steps for ______ Days this week."

Seriously. Get off your tush and walk. Its good for you.

-Stephanie

This little piggy went to market... and got GOOD food!

So its the end of week one today. Its been kinda a so so week for me, really, if Im going to be honest with myself and everyone else.

We had donuts yesterday morning. Which , now I remember WHY I dont like sweets, especially three cream filled donuts. So, lesson learned. Yep I cheated. I do that sometimes. Im human.

We decided to go do some shopping last night, as I really wanted to take my husband over to Whole Foods Market and show him the place. He's not a "Health food" eater, but I wanted to show him that they had really good stuff, and taste would not be affected.

We ended up spending about an hour in there, browsing and smelling stuff, and then had our late lunch there. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "Do you want to eat here? They have some really good sandwiches."
Him: " Uh, like the one you said had hummus on it, I dont want that one."
Me: "They have more than just the garden wrap! Look, they have one that has meat and cheese on it."
Him: " Ok, ill try that one. But I dont want hummus."
Me: "You dont have to have hummus on it. Geesh."

So we get our food. We check out with our cart full of groceries, and he takes them to the car, while I go to settle in at the tables in the back, where some delightful bluegrass music is starting to be played by a few gentlemen. He comes back, and I realize I didnt get anything to drink. So while he's starting to eat, I go run to get me a green tea. Come back, and he's already halfway through his sandwich. Im like " Is it good?" to which he replies "Yes this is really good, here try a bite!"

Im thinking in my head , "I knew if he just tried it he would like it." So, me being the ever evil one, said "Here try a bite of MINE." Apparently he had forgotten that there was hummus on this. And he took a big bite. And liked it. Im like you just ate hummus. To which he argued that he ate the side without it. Um no, dear, it has it on both sides.

Long story short- my husband agreed that we should come twice a month to get dinner and buy our fruits, vegetables( some), meats and a few other select items. Which is good news for me. Because we spent 100.00 easily last night. But im determined to eat healthier ( as much as I can)

Our dinner was 15.00 so subtract that from the 94.00 we spent, and really, we only spent 79.00.

We got:
1 lb ground lamb
3.5 lbs of top sirloin steak
1 thing of aged cheese ( omg im a cheese snob as my husband )
Some goats milk soap - Almond ( i could like, sniff this stuff, ALL DAY)
Organic onions
Organic avocados
Organic tomatoes
Organic Kiwi
Organic Corn on the cob
Hummus ( which by the way, he tried this kind and liked it)
And something else but I forget what it was now!

Anyways this will last us 2 weeks. With adding in things to make these things- breakfast- snacks- lunch's and dinners, 79.00 well spent.

I actually will be going to the farmers market soon too. I used to go a lot a few years back, but its so early in the mornings Im usually asleep lol

-Steph

Sample Meal Plans- Lunches

Ok here's some sample meal plans for a week's worth of food. Remember, you can modify this!

Day one- Soup and Sandwich- I use Healthy Request by Campbell's or Progresso, both are light on calories and filling. If its got more than one serving in a can, like the Healthy Request, Ill divide that into two meals.
For the sandwich part, I use whole wheat bread, cheese, fillers like lettuce and tomato, mustard ( its a free food on most diets) and pickles, and then lean meats- Oscar Mayer turkey breast or chicken breast is usually 3 slices per serving and under 100 calories. - Total meal calories will be around 450-500 calories depending on bread and condiments you put on your sandwich.

Day Two- Smart Ones - they are usually between 280 and 310 calories per package. And they come in a wide variety. I like to pair them with the other half of that soup and some fruit!

Day Three- Salad w/ grilled chicken and veggies. You can have a whole head of lettuce for under 100 calories. (small head) if you think you arent going to get enough to eat with a salad. Just remember to not overdo it on the dressing and the stuff you put ON the lettuce. We use the Tyson Grilled ready to eat chicken chunks or strips, one serving is 3 oz and around 100 calories, so you could easily use 2 servings and STILL stay within your calorie goals for a lunch. Add on the dressing, which can range from 60 calories and up for light and full fat dressings, and add tomato slices and maybe a sprinkling ( and i do mean a sprinkling) of shredded cheese to round it out. Add a side of vegetables - canned is fine, i always drain and rinse mine, and then pop them in the microwave with a few spritz's of butter spray, and you have a lunch for 500 calories

Day Four- Turkey Chili Frito Pie- yep you can still have some yummy stuff- just use turkey chili , use ONE serving of the Frito's, and mustard and some onions. Please watch the calories on the Turkey Chili b/c they can get up there. And most cans have 2 servings plus. But even using a serving and a half of turkey chili at 250 calories plus fritos and your toppings, you will still come in at under 500 calories, and you can add some fruit or something to the side to round it out.

Day Five- Smart Ones Cheeseburgers- yep you can have these too. Both of them under 500 calories , so add some applesauce or fruit to the side to round it out.

Day Six- Mock pizza- we make these with Grands reduced fat biscuits. If you make a whole can, it will make 8 pizzas, and you can have 2 plus some fruit. So make this to share with your hubby or kids. Take the biscuits, flatten them out like mini pizza dough, add 1 tablespoon ragu spaghetti sauce ( i use this because i can get it cheap and i use the garden vegetable kind) and then add a little bit of cheese and you can also add bell pepper, onion etc cut up. I do add 2 slices of pepperoni if i have it on hand. Pop them in the oven for what the package says and you have a mock pizza!

Day Seven- Taco time! Use whole wheat soft taco sized tortilla's ( 2) add some ground turkey ( i make 1 lb at a time and divide it out for various meals ) some light sour cream, some tomato, some salsa, and a little bit of cheese, and then add a side of spanish rice ( you can get these in small packets for cheap and it will make two servings) and add you some pudding for dessert and you have another 500 calorie meal

Again , these are just suggestions. You dont have to eat like a bird, or eat "diet" food to eat and loose weight. You just have to learn PORTION CONTROL.

-Stephanie

Holy Smokes- we are overeating BIG TIME

So on my journey to start using correct portions, I am learning a LOT about the way we eat, or rather , the way society portions our food. Because, let's face it, when we go out to dinner, we clean our plates. We were taught, or at least I was, that children in other countries are starving, so you better clean your plate.

No wonder we have such an obesity problem in the US! We are eating 3-4 times more then what the suggested serving size is on everything.

Tonight, we got home from doing errands and my job, and I decided to make us a salad with some grilled chicken strips. Salad's good for you right? It is, until you slather on the dressing and cheese that most American's put on their salads.

This time I measured it out. Every bit of it.

Salad- 1/2 a head of lettuce (medium sized) is 30 calories. Lettuce is a good food, and is mainly water, with no fat and little calories, so eat as much of that as you want. Its considered, on most diets, a free food.

Dressing- 2 tablespoons is NOT a lot of dressing. I measured it out. My husband was like "um where is the rest of it." im like thats it. That is all you get. He's like "That is not enough to cover all this salad." But in fact, it is. When you take the time to mix your salad with your dressing, its amazing how much it actually covers. Total calories for 2 tablespoons Kraft Buttermilk Ranch Dressing ( bc sorry I dont do the light kraft its gross) 120 calories and 12 grams of fat

Croutons- you get FOUR. Yes I said 4. Thats it. Think about the amount you get when you go out to eat. Usually 2-3 times that. 35 calories and 2 grams of fat

I also add pickles to my salads. I <3 Pickles- I actually had 3 servings of pickles, pickles are usually a "free food" on diets, but watch the sodium. We use Vlassic low sodium or we rinse our pickles off.
3 servings Vlassic Pickles- 0 all the way around

Then we each had 1 cup of soup- we shared the can, since there are 2 servings per can
Campbell's Healthy Request Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup w/ beef and noodles- 120 calories and 2 grams of fat

Our entire meal- 313 calories, but this left room for DESSERT. Which, If i would have not measured our food, there is no way id have calories left over for dessert. No way. So i got to indulge in 2 servings of sugar free chocolate and vanilla pudding w/ organic bananas. Total on this- 100 calories for the whole thing. And thats two servings of each of the chocolate and vanilla.

Im changing a lot of things, but how I eat and HOW MUCH I eat, is a big one.

Think about that the next time you dish up your dinner, and think to yourself "Yeah, this looks like one serving." you could be cheating yourself out of loosing weight, by consuming more than you realize!

How much are you REALLY eating???

Until I actually bought a digital food scale, I had no idea how much 2 oz of pasta REALLY was. Now I do. And im going to show you just how much food 2 oz or 3 oz really is.... its smaller than you think

Here's the chicken - 3 oz frozen tyson chicken strips

 Here's 1 cup of Birds Eye Potato Chef's Favorites ( this is approx half the bag) one serving is 1 cup and 1/4 of a cup. But there is only about 2 cups in the bag.

 This is 2 oz of pasta with the chicken from above. This is a regular size bowl.

It is eye opening to see how much food you should consume, versus how much you ARE consuming. This was my dinner. One bowl of whole wheat pasta 2 oz, with 3 oz of chicken strips, and 1 cup of the Birds Eye and water.

Total Calories:  130 Calories for the Roasted Potatoes w/ sauce and 2 grams of fat
Pasta- 200 calories for 2 oz and 2 grams of fat
Tyson Grilled Ready to Eat Chicken Strips 100 calories and 2 grams of fat
1 tablespoon of butter (light) for flavor- 50 calories and 5 grams of fat
Kraft Parmesan Cheese- 1 tablespoon 4 calories 0 fat

Total 484 calories and 11 grams of fat

Adds up fast, doesnt it?

-Steph

Sunday's Journal

So, I slept in today, because I have been working so much this week, and not getting the correct sleep I need.

So no breakfast for me. I finally just ate lunch. I need to follow my own advice on eating right.

Im trying hard not to eat much bread/carbs this week. And trying to drink more water, and less milk and juice. And staying away from soda!

Breakfast- Nothing

Snack- Nothing

Lunch- Water and Smart Ones Entree Chicken Enchilada's Suiza

Dinner- Whole wheat pasta with chicken and light butter sauce, and roasted potatoes w/ sauce and water

Ill update as the day progresses, but so far I have not done anything in terms of working out. I have to get my ass up off this chair, away from the laptop, and do something. This is where I have issues. I dont want to get up and do anything lol

-Steph

Meal Plan Samples

This is just something to go by for a week. You can add, change, or modify this to fit what you like.

Breakfasts (7) ( you can do these in any order you want)

Day one- Banana, peanut butter, piece of whole wheat toast
Day two- 3/4 cup of cheerios ( or another cereal but NOT sugary cereal) w/ 1/2 cup skim or 1% milk and a piece of fruit
Day three- 3 small (3 inch to 4 inch size) pancakes ( I use hungry jack light mix) and fruit. I dont use butter, i use I cant believe its not butter spray, and I dont use syrup.
Day four- 2 scrambled eggs, 2 pieces of turkey bacon, 1 half wheat english muffin ( or toast)
Day five-  Yoplait smoothie mix w/ 8 oz of skim or 1 percent milk
Day Six- 1 orange, 1 wheat english muffin, 2 tablespoons light cream cheese or a piece of cheese melted on the muffin
Day Seven- 1 Jimmy Dean D Light Sandwhich and a piece of fruit

Now for the cost break down of the entire breakfast menu:

Bananas- buy the medium sized bunch which is usually around .52-.60 a lb in MOST places. Divide that by how many are in the bunch- you get your per cost per banana. Usually 4-5 bananas on a bunch equals to 1.5 to 2 lbs ( if they are medium sized) so .20 a banana
Peanut butter- this is something you probably already have, and peanut butter is a good fat, but use it sparingly- so this should be pennies per serving. I only pay 1.00 per jar of peanut butter so your looking at around .8 cents a serving
1 Piece of Toast- i pay around 2.00 for a loaf of whole wheat bread with my coupons so under .10 cents a serving
Cheerios- got them for 1.00 a box so around .2-3 cents a serving if you go by the actual serving size
Hungry Jack- i buy the big box, I paid under 1.00 for the box, you can buy generic or WHAT YOU HAVE A COUPON FOR, and you are looking at .10 cents a serving or less depending on the cost
Fruit- depends on what you use- if you buy stuff like a mango , the ones here are 1.00 each for organic when on sale
I cant believe its not butter- cost me around 1.00 a bottle and a few squirts is a few cents
Eggs- right now a dozen are 1.52 for the medium or large size here so 2 would be around 20 cents if its more than 1.52 but still not bad
Turkey bacon- i got mine on sale for free after coupon lol- but you can buy any kind you like, turkey bacon is the better choice, but you can of course use real bacon, and depending on what you pay divide that by the number of pieces and you get a cost per serving
English muffin- i buy these by the sleeve and they are not more than 2.00 per sleeve , and come usually 8 to a package so around .25 cents
Yoplait smoothie- you can get these for around 1.50 to 2.00 with coupon at most walmarts. Or cheaper if they are on sale. These have everything you need but the milk in them.
Milk- we pay 3.00 a gallon for milk here for 1 percent. So depending on how much milk you actually use ( i use less than 8 oz usually) but around 30 to 50 cents a serving
Light cream cheese- you can buy the off brand or name brand or whatever works for you. I buy the mini's on sale and get them for 1.00 or the off brand on sale for 1.00 for a brick,so super cheap
Jimmy D Delights - come 4 to a box- i pay around 3.00 a box so .50 a serving

Under 10.00 for a WEEK of breakfasts. And a lot of this stuff will get you 2-3 weeks of breakfasts ( like the cream cheese, the delights and more)

Ill work on snack items next!

Playing the Grocery Game- Diet Style!

We are broke. Im serious. No one believes me when I tell them that we are broke. But we are. Do we have money to pay our bills? Yes. Do we have money to pay for food? Yes. Do we have money to do things? Yes.

Then why are we broke?

Because I waste money each and every month on trying the latest diet fad, diet trend, diet food.... and its slowly making us go broke. And I am tired of it.

Do things work? Yes some do! But you have to be able to commit yourself to not truly throw away your cash. Because if you go spend 100.00 a month on diet foods, diet wraps, diet this and diet that ( hehe I just rhymed) and you DO NOT USE THEM you are just throwing cash away. And im guilty as hell of doing this. Because I want to be thin so bad, I think I would try just about anything. And I probably have.

So Im going to make it my mission, each week, to come up with 7 breakfast, 7 lunches, 7 dinners, and 14 snacks, that anyone can use, that is cost friendly and diet friendly. I might be doing something different, but I still have to eat some meals, so this will benefit even those that do Slim-fast, or maybe like me Body By Vi, or some other diet plan where you substitute meals for shakes etc. Ill try to use the coupons that come out each week, and go by sales ads as well. I want to make this as budget friendly as possibly- especially for those that have kids. We don't yet, so there is just two of us!

So ill post the full week so you have time to get what you need if you dont have it. You DO NOT have to go by this. This is just some suggestions for you guys :)

-Stephanie

Are you ready for some weight loss?!?!- Challenge 1

So, I have been giving a lot of thought to how to do each week's challenges, and what to do. With it not being a local group, but a more diverse population ( meaning around the country), its harder to actually track people's weight loss. And being on the honor system is something I just am going to trust and have faith that people abide by it!

And this about having fun, and getting fit, and encouragement. So with all that being said:

HERE'S YOUR WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE FOR WEEK 1:

Post a comment here on WHY you want to loose weight. What is your main goal. Are you doing this for you, for your family, for your spouse if you dont have kids etc? What is your motivation.




YOU ALSO HAVE A 2ND CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK-

Your second challenge- PICK ONE THING YOU WANT TO DO FOR 7 DAYS. This can be walking 30 min a day, riding your bike for 10 min, not eating fast food, whatever it is you want to commit to, and comment ON facebook under the CHALLENGE WEEK 1- 2ND CHALLENGE document. If you cant post msg it to me and ill post on your behalf.

Complete FAIL this week

Yep, big time fail. F A I L.

We had a personal issue happen this week , and due to this issue, we had to basically not spend any money. Literally. So instead of me going by my 7 day challenge, I had to eat what we had on hand. And I did a few mystery shops for food, which of course were burgers and fries. SO, im going to pick myself up, wipe myself off, and try this again starting tomorrow.

I have a few food shops, but the hubby will be eating the food, after i have tasted it ( part of the job but doesnt mean I have to eat the whole burger, i just have to try it for feedback)

I really want to stay away from breads and sugars. I loved the mango's I picked up at Whole Foods, as well as the bananas. I want to eat more fruits, but even I know fruits contain sugars, which can be just as bad. So its going to be interesting. I am tired of feeling like crap though. And I notice that when I eat breads and fatty foods, I feel like dog poop for hours.

Not to mention, I have, and pardon me for being so blunt, no desire to get naked and do the horizontal mambo with the hubby. I mean, who the hell wants to see themselves naked when you feel like you just ate a basketball?!?

Ok done venting! Off to work on the first BIGGEST LOSER- COUPON STYLE challenge.

-Steph

Cleaning out my pantry.... *cries*

I am cleaning out my pantry. I have to. Otherwise, some of the things that are my weakness, would make me give in TOO much. Yes its good to have cheat days, not cheat WEEKS! LOL

My husband is going to cry too... because after everything is gone ( either given away or him eating) no more will be bought.

So im looking for alternatives for treats. Ive tried Holey Donuts, and I love them, but they are so expensive!

Anyone have any good recipes for more health friendly sweets for my hubby? I guess I need to start doing some research. Im going to be eating more fruit as my treats ( which I love , so thats not hard) but he likes cake, icing, ice cream etc.

I wonder, If i did some research, I could find a recipe for a baked good, that used only natural ingredients. Im sure they are out there, I guess im off to check the sites I have bookmarked. If anyone has any input, please share!

-Steph!

Yummy Homemade Soup- On a budget!

Ok, so, since I am a coupon queen, I have to incorporate healthy living, on a very small budget. I work from home, and I try to keep my cost down, so we can afford for me not to get a "real job". I like being in my pj's most days!

So that means BUDGET BUDGET BUDGET!

But that does NOT mean sacrificing flavor and healthy eating, for cheap high fat foods.

Here's a easy recipe for Homemade vegetable soup that is under 3.00
to make a POT (i used coupons)

What you need:
1 Can of V8 Juice- you can of course use generic brand juice instead of V8- I had a coupon that made this cheaper then the non name brand- 1.30
2 Cans of water ( to dilute the v8)  Free
2 Cans of Del Monte Carrots and Peas ( the small cans) .15 a can
1 14.5 oz can ( i think it was or around there) of Del Monte French Cut green beans - .15 a can
1 14.5 oz can ( i think it was or around there) of Del Monte Corn- .15 a can
optional- can of sliced potatoes, or cut up a few potatoes into chunks if you have them ( i leave them out but if you want a more hearty soup, add them)
1 small package of Knorr Beef Stock ( these are the ones that are concentrated and come 4 to a package) .75
You can sub 2 beef bouillon cubes for the above if you have them or you can omit it. I like it because it gives it more of a richer flavor, WITHOUT HAVING TO ADD EXTRA SALT

Put all in a large pot, bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 min or until potatoes are tender if added

Total cost for HUGE pot of soup- 2.50 , 2.75 if adding potatoes

These are my prices with coupons. If you buy the non name brand veggies and get them on sale, you can usually get them for .25 to .50 a can for the larger cans. So it might be 1.00 to 2.00 more , but 3.50 to 4.50 for a pot of soup, that will feed 2 people for 3 days ( we have 2 in our house and our on the second day of soup and still have a bunch) is awesome. You can add what we did, well my husband, which is a biscuit or a grill cheese sandwhich. And you have a whole meal for the family! Cheaper then fast food, and definitely healthier!

-Steph

Harder than it looks!

I told you I wouldn't hold anything back... so I wont.

Today was a bad, bad day. I do mystery shopping. And I had two fast food shops today that I forgot I committed to. So.... I had fast food for lunch AND dinner. And I feel like crap. Not because I didn't stick to my goal, but because the food makes me feel horrible. Just sluggish overall. I never really noticed it till today.

Its harder than it looks to stay away from bread. Everything seems to have bread as an ingredient now that I have taken it away ( except whole wheat) from my diet.

Forgive me dieters, for I have sinned. And I am now paying the price: my stomach feels like its doing flip flops.

Tomorrow is a new day. Thats all I can say.

-Steph

My first trip to Whole Foods

So, while I was out today for work, I decided to stop by the Whole Foods over in Little Rock.

It was definitely an eye opening experience! Coming from spending very little on food and other items each month, to just pricing a week's worth of items there, made me realize a few things:

1. I need to win the lottery.
2. Id have to take on a 3rd job to afford to completely revert to nothing but organic
3. I have it REALLY good

I am sure you can do this on a budget. I see posts on the blogs I'm reading saying you can. But its like a foreign language to me- and I am a hard core couponer! This is really going to take some getting used to.


I did pick up a few things, and learned one very important thing- I DO NOT LIKE COCONUT WATER. That stuff is gross. How in the world can anyone drink that? It tastes like dirty sweat socks smell! I'm truly sorry if I am offending anyone, but I won't be jumping on that bandwagon anytime in the near future.

I also had my first deli item from there- I got the Garden Wrap. And it was very, very tasty! I was hungry and knew I was not going to make it home to have my Body By Vi shake for lunch ( it was after 2 pm by the time I got to Whole Foods) so I figured instead of eating fast food, I would eat better food. I got that and a huge thing of water for lunch. I will definitely be getting them more often when I am in the area for lunch.

I did pick up the Whole Deal- the brochure with coupons in them. I need to sit down and go through it. I also need to make a list of items to get next time. I figure once a month or maybe twice a month picking up certain things from there, will at least help with my diet.

I got the following:
Organic Bananas
Organic Mangos ( on sale 5 for 5.00 which is a really good price in and of it self because Mango's are expensive)
1 Huge bottle of water
Deli wrap
Coconut water ( which I threw away after a few drinks, I tried... I really did but YUCK)
1.2 lbs of organic black eyed peas ( yummy)
1 thing of new york aged cheddar cheese **this was my splurge.. I am a cheese snob**

Spent 27.00 and some change

not too bad for never being in there! And the fruit will be what I eat over the next 7 days for snacks etc.

If anyone has some tips or pointers about Whole Foods, I would LOVE to see them.

-Stephanie

Why Miss Piggy to Playboy Bunny? Well let me tell you....

So, when I chose the name for the blog, a lot of various thoughts ran through my head. But the reason I chose the name? Here, let me tell you my story....

Growing up, I was never the thin girl. I was always the "fat friend" of the group. Always the one that could not just go into a store, buy something, and look great in it. I had to shop in the women's dept and wear old lady clothes because there was not anything in my size for teens.

I can remember back to Jr. High, wearing some of the hideous things, because it was the only thing that fit. I look back at photographs and cry. I never could wear the trendy clothes that everyone else wore. It didn't fit. And back then, I was not even super heavy, I just carried my weight in all the wrong places. And my weight just kept going up and up throughout the years. Id always tell myself "This summer I'm going to diet, and work out, and when I go back to school, I'll be one of those girls that can wear all that cute stuff. Ill be one of those girls that all the guys want to date. I'll be one of those cheerleaders, those girls that are in the "in" crowd."

That never happened. I loved food too much. And do not get me wrong, I had a lot of friends. I even had a lot of boyfriends. But I was always the one that was told " if you would just loose weight, you would be so pretty." Do you ever get tired of hearing that??? I did.

To this day, I hate to bring out yearbooks and photos, because I hated the way I looked. Simply put, I hated myself. And it has taken me YEARS to realize that I have to love me, to be able to be loved. It's a huge struggle. Some nights, after my husband has gone to work, I'll sit in the floor and cry. My heart just hurts from so many years of being overweight and not thinking I was pretty. I have a lot of self worth issues. And I'm telling you this because I know I am not alone.

SO back to why I chose the name. Growing up, I wanted to be that beautiful, skinny girl that could be in Playboy. Weird I know, but it was the way all the magazines portrayed how we should be. Not that it is not a common thing today, but it has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 15 years. I equaled self worth to being a model. To being a cheerleader. But I have learned, that even those that have what we think is "everything their heart desires" are not happy. Boy, do I wish I knew that back then. It might have changed the way I viewed myself, and actually motivated me to do something then. Who knows.

I hide behind things a lot. I laughed at my weight, made fun of myself, to keep the pain hidden. Well, I am not hiding anymore. I don't want my future children to grow up thinking that they are not worth anything if they are not a size 2. I want to be an example for my future kids, for other women, girls, whoever needs it, that is struggling with issues.

I recently learned that Arkansas is among the leader , if not the leader, in child hunger AND obesity. And that, to me, is very sad.

I hope that whoever reads my blog, takes something away from it. And shares it with someone else.

7 Day Challenge

So, while I'm starting this diet stuff- I know I need to eat better. Not just cut back, but better in general. Like cut out so much processed stuff. This is HARD for me. Do you know WHY? Because I am a coupon queen.

I GET FOOD FOR FREE OR CHEAP. And changing that, even just adding 50.00 a week into my budget, is something that scares me. Ive been so frugal with grocery shopping for going on EIGHT YEARS, that, to be honest, I am scared to spend more money on better foods. Silly? Maybe.

So a friend of mine recommended a site that I just checked out-

100 Days of Real Food

Now, I know some of the basics. I have been reading her information on Real Food Defined.

Has anyone done this. And by done this, I mean went from being a very frugal coupon savvy person, to spending more on your budget to eat healthier, this way? If so let me know. Seriously, I want to know im not alone, that it can be done.

I am NOT jumping into this lifestyle head first. But I am taking pointers and at least trying to incorporate this into my diet.

So my 7 day challenge to me is:

• Drink nothing but water, milk ( on occasion) and stay away from ALL soda's 
• Do my Body By Vi for Breakfast and Lunch every day, no excuses
• Snack 2 times a day- this is my problem because i pick things that arent great for me- so my goal for these items is to be 300 calories or less, and not be bread items
• Dinner- no pasta or bread unless its whole wheat bread for the 7 days ( no pizza nothing with bread) 

Im going to try , try being the key word here, to keep track of what I make ( recipe wise) and upload it here. Maybe Ill come up with some killer food item one of these days that will inspire someone to rave about it lol. Who knows.

If anyone wants to take the challenge with me, or your own challenge, feel free. 7 Days- april 10th to the 16th

I pray for my husband, and you should too. Any new "change" makes me a bit grumpy!

-Stephanie

Can I really do this???

I'm my biggest critic. Yes, I love to sabotage my own happiness. My own good works. And I'm so tired of feeling like this.

Does anyone else feel like this? Like you loose a pound, only to gain it back a week later, plus one?

STOP THE MADNESS. Not this time! I refuse to be the fatty on the beach, that is covered up in a one piece trying to hide the tummy bulge. I have very important people in my life that dont want me to die early from being overweight- I'm shocked I don't have more problems then I do.

So this is my journey. Everything you have ever wanted to know about someone that is overweight and dieting. I encourage others to post, comment. connect. Ill even be posting pictures of my progress. No excuses. No holding back. If I can do this, then maybe it will give someone else the courage to stand up and say 'NOT THIS TIME!!!" as well.

So, with that being said, here's my start weight ( i cringe when i type this)

299 lbs

Yikes. Thats.... so sad. Im 5'10" and im 31 years old. I dont sit on my rear all day and eat. In fact, I rarely eat sweets. I rarely eat fast food. I rarely over indulge. I have been dealt some crappy female problems along with some undiagnosed issues that no one seems to have an answer for, that is going to make me have to work 10x harder then someone else.

My goals:

160-170 lbs
To be able to run ( I cant without puking or my knees hurting right now)
To be able to get pregnant ( yes, my weight is causing major problems with not being able to have kids)

I will not hold back. You can ask me anything. I hope this blog goes somewhere and I dont talk to myself.

So... here's to my health!

Stephanie