Happy Memorial Day Weekend :)

Please everyone be safe. Even if you are just staying close to home, I wouldn't want anyone to have a accident!

Ive been so busy the past 10 days. Between work, gym, walking around the neighborhood, trying out new cooking stuff, and trying to get ready for my trip-  I am pooped!

I lost another 2 lbs this past week. YAH. Any loss, is a loss in my books.

I can't wait to start June and bring a new contest to this blog- I have some awesome idea's that I will be talking to some companies about, and hoping to bring you some awesome giveaways to help with your weight loss journey- or just your weight maintain! Because after you loose it, you have to KEEP IT OFF!!

<3
Stephanie

Down 10 inches and 5 lbs! In a week

Yep thats my totals since last week :) And its been a fighting challenge each day for each pound and inch.

Just wanted to share my small victory for you guys :)

Awe look what I found!

In going through some boxes of stuff, doing a major clean out of my house, I came across our wedding invitations that I made for our wedding last year :)

Super easy smoothie!

I love smoothies! But I don't love the price they cost. Plus, I like to know what is going into my food.

So here's a super easy one for you

• 1 yoplait yogurt ( I use the lactose free strawberry)
• 1 container of Dole frozen fruit single cups ( or you can measure out from a larger, generic bag version) if you this its about half a cup- i use strawberries and blueberries
• 6 oz of water ( yes water not milk)
• I use a shake replacement for breakfast and lunch and thats what goes in these and its full of fiber
• If you do not use a shake replacement powder,  its ok everything else will work! 

 Blend all together and enjoy! If you want a thinner shake, add more water or more yogurt. Just try it with different stuff and let me know how it goes. Super easy, super cost effective. I love them!

-Stephanie

Frustrated and Thankful

Everyone has their own goals and aspirations, things they want to accomplish in their lifetime, and things they want to accomplish in weeks, months or maybe even a year.

I have them too. My first is to loose weight and keep it off. My second is to have a baby. Both do go hand in hand. I know that my weight figures into me getting pregnant, as my Dr. has already told me. So, back in January, I made a resolution to loose weight and eat better.

To say its been a breeze would be lying to everyone, and most important, to myself. I am an emotional basket case!

I started at 321 lbs. Yes im putting my weight out here on the net. Because you have to be honest with yourself first.

Im at 310 lbs.

11 lbs. lost. In 4 months. REALLY? Sigh.

Ive tried everything. Ive tried

• Zumba
• It works ( it does not work sorry to bust your bubble)
• Body By Vi ( tastes horrible to me not to mention doesn't make me want to not eat because it does NOT fill me up)
• working out with a trainer ( honestly, unless you are motivated, have thousands to spend, and can commit to 4 days a week, dont bother, you can get the same support from going online and finding a work out buddy)
• Counting calories
• Limiting carbs
• Limiting sugars
• Eating healthier
• eating smaller meals, more times a day

Thats just since January.

I'm trying something new along with going back to what I did before that worked. Im only on day 5 and i have already cheated a few times. Its hard! And it makes me hate myself for giving in to temptation when I do it, or when I know I am not sticking to the plan, but I just keep pushing forward.

I just want a change. To see a change.

Mexican Pizza- healthy style!

So, I opted to try to make the tortilla's, and needless to say, I need a bit more practice :) But that is perfectly ok! We had a thing of wheat tortilla's in the fridge that needed to be ate, so I used them.

Here's what I did:

Layer one wheat tortilla on the bottom
1/2 cup or less of homemade refried beans ( omg they are so good) as the base

Then i used ground turkey and cooked it on the stove ( no oil etc just its natural juices) and added chopped onions in as well. When it was halfway done, I added a thing of taco seasoning I had on hand. I also added about 1/2 cup of water to mix everything and make sure things were not over done or burnt!

Then at the end I added a 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and let it melt and mixed it all together.

I then layered 1/2 cup of filling on top of the beans. The another tortilla then same process. Topped it off with taco sauce.

Beans- 152 calories per half cup
Tortillas- depends on what brand you use
Ground turkey- 240 calories per 2 oz of meat
Onion- not 100 percent sure on this as it was only 1/2 cup onion total for the whole meal
Taco Seasoning and taco sauce- very little and depends on what brand you use
Cheese- 60 calories per serving

Making Quinoa Flour

While looking up how to make clean eating tortilla's to go with the dinner I have planned for tonight, I saw it called for quinoa flour. I don't feel like going out and making a special trip 30+ miles away to pick this up. But, I did have quinoa! So I figured, maybe I could just make it. And sure enough there was a recipe right at my fingertips- and it was super easy.

All you do?
Toast the quinoa on the stove till they start popping, the put them in a blender and blend away.

Easy right?

Yes, but the biggest mess I have ever seen in my life. Not only do the quinoa want to stick to everything, but it doesnt like to stay where it is supposed to either! Getting it into the pan , and then into the blender, ended up being a huge mess. I had quinoa all over my counters and my floor! ( which its still there, Im too tired to sweep it at the moment)

And then getting the quinoa to become a flour ( its not as fine as regular flour, it will have a more course texture) took a long time. I had to do it in small amounts, or it was clogging up my blender because it was so hot and just so much of it.

But I did eventually get my flour ( and made my house smell good!)

Im going to use this to make homemade tortilla's for tonight. With my homemade refried beans that will be ready to go in a few hours ( they are in the crockpot right now getting all nice and mushy)

-Stephanie

Giveaway- Ninja Pro System

To promote my blog, and also my new healthy lifestyle, im giving away a brand new Ninja Pro System! This thing is amazing. I have one, and I also have the original Ninja system. This one I am giving away does all sorts of fun things- including making pizza dough!

Ive been using mine for a week now, the new one, and its just so fun to use. It comes with various containers so I dont have to stop and do the dishes when I use it ( unless its for a large amount of food) and it cleans up super easy.

Im excited to be able to give this one away. I purchased one that was a really good deal at a Wal-Mart that was really small and they were having a huge clearance event to get things out, and then found another one on sale and got it for super cheap , so I figured I would give it away!

All you have to do to win? Just join me on Google Friend Connect! Its free, fast and easy.

Id love to hear all about what you use yours for as well as any other tips, recipes, or weight loss tricks you might have. Im all about learning new things. And putting myself out there, with the world, to encourage and help people reach their goals.

So welcome to my blog, and good luck :)

-Stephanie

Do you feel like if you DONT eat, its wasteful from what you fix?

Thats a huge question that I have always had a problem with.

I feel like if I make something, order something, and I get full before im done, I feel obligated to finish it. Why? Because we have always been told to clean our plates. And thats not good for your body. Most portions in restaurants are 3-4 times the amount you are supposed to eat. And I know I could take it home, but then it usually sits in my fridge and gets gross, or I get home and 3 hours later, am tempted to eat it! Which is also a bad idea.

This is my biggest issue with dieting. Im taking a new approach to what I fix and how much I fix. And I have decided my new goal is whatever I cant eat, or is leftover, I will send it with my husband to work, or it will go in the trash. Unless its something good for me ( like i make salsa or something ) then it will be next nights dinner. I have to stop trying to clean my plate, and make sure my plate is only filled with as much as I SHOULD eat.

Challenge - Week 4

This week's challenge is very simple:

Replace one thing you eat, with a healthier version of it.

For instance, if you love to eat some sort of chips and dips, replace your dip with a fat free or light version, and the chips with a baked chip or a whole grain chip. Just cut out some calories, fat and sodium from something you love.

What are you going to try to switch out?

For me, I am going to be switching out my heavy sugared juices for water with lemon and crystal light.

Clean Eating- Salsa

Ive been looking into making my own recipes. And granted, salsa is not exactly a brain buster on changing some of the ingredients to make it "clean", but you gotta start somewhere, right????

My inspiration comes from The Gracious Pantry again! 

So here is my own personal salsa recipe. I am using this with homemade guacamole to eat up the rest of my Tostitos that I had bought up, before I start my new diet.

This is just for a small portion so if you want to make more, double the ingredients etc.

2 Vine Ripe Tomatoes - diced
1 cup onion (I use white) diced
1 pepper- cleaned out and diced ( i dont like a lot of heat, if you do add more)
1 lime- squeeze it and use the lime juice that remains
1 clove garlic ( if you like more stronger garlic flavor use two)
1 tsp sea salt

If you have a food chopper that will dice your vegges to a chunky consistency then use it. Otherwise it will get too mushy and be more runny salsa ( of course if you like this then go for it) Just dice and mix all items together and enjoy!

You can also use red onion, but i dont like the way red onion tastes, so I opted for white.

-Stephanie

Ugh

This has been a bad week. Thats all I have to say. But I start a new program this weekend, and I will be keeping up with results, and pictures. If this works, hold on to your swimsuits ladies, because you'll be lining up to purchase it.

Steph