Happy New Year's Eve

I know everyone is getting ready to welcome 2014 in (or already have in some parts of the world). I hope everyone is doing it in a safe and fun way.

I've been enjoying the day with the kiddies as I await the Hubby's arrival home for work. Looking forward to a lazy New Year's day tomorrow chilling at home with my 5 favorite people. I've also made a final decision on what my 2014 resolution would be.

Will after much thought, I've decided on my New Year's Resolution for 2014. I'm keeping it simple and kind of vague, but it applies to nearly every aspect of my life.

For 2014 I resolve to simply Do More.

Just think about it, every goal I have just requires those two words. If I want to be healthier I need to DO MORE clean eating and exercise and DO MORE when it comes to consistency. If I want better grades I need to DO MORE studying. I want a cleaner more organized house, I just need to DO MORE. I want to save money, I need to DO MORE of what it takes. I want to finish projects...well, you get the hint.

I know to truly be successful I may need to be more specific. However I like the vagueness of this, it eases my mind and release potential guilt. So if I screw up and say don't work out 30  minutes everyday one week. However, maybe I did workout 3 times for at least 45 minutes and that's really probably 45 minutes longer than I did in a week on average in 2013. Well I'm still working my resolution. It's not a fail as long as I did more than before.

Well, I'm off to run to the store and get a few things for tonight. Be merry and safe dear readers.

Twas the Day After Christmas

and all through the house....

Okay so that's all I've got. I'm not much for writing quirky pose, though once and a while I can get a line or two that seem kind of funny.

I'm sitting here contemplating plans and goals for 2014 and praying that I can finance my last semester for my undergrad. It'll work out, I'm just hoping I don't have to push my graduation date back again.

Improving my health and fitness is always a goal for me. I've been working on it on my own and I'm going to try using Beachbody's Supergym more often to log my workouts. They have both a pay version and a free version. I'm currently doing the pay version, but I have previously used the free version and they're both great. If you want to try it go ahead and click HERE  and sign up. List me as your coach and I can encourage you on your journey, my coach name is JackieLee78.  I love the time tracker while your doing workouts. IF you do sign up for the pay version you get discounts should you decide to order Beachbody products. However, neither owning a Beachbody workout video nor signing up for the pay version is necessary to use the Supergym.

Another goal of mine is looking for ways to cut costs and save money. I'm quitting my part-time job in January so that I'll have time for all that's going on during my last semester (Senior internship, project, bioorganic chemistry) and the kiddies. So I need to figure out a budget just using the hubby's income. It's doable, just going to be tight for a while.

Thirdly and finally, I plan on trying to study my bible more during 2014. I've got several devotionals downloaded on my kindle and a couple versions of the bible on there as well. As well as having a couple hard copies. Though I am ashamed to say I rarely open any of them up more then a couple times a month. I'm going to change that and grow my faith this coming year.

The main way to keep resolutions/goals is to keep them SMART. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. So what I just did in writing out what I'm contemplating doesn't quite meet that criteria. So for the next week I'll try and write a post on each goal separately and correctly.

Have a great day dear readers.

Creamy Chicken Potato Soup

Broth - Chicken Homemade 1 cup
1 medium onion -diced
Water, tap, 2 cup
Margarine, soft, 6 tsp
Potato white -5 medium-diced
Chicken Leg, 5 leg, bone and skin removed
Salt, 1/2 tsp
Pepper, black, 1/2 tsp
Milk, 1%, 1 cup
Garlic powder, 1 tsp
Cream of Chicken Soup, 1 can (10.75 oz)
Flour, white, 1/4 cup

melt butter and saute onion in medium to lg pot
add diced potatoes, broth and water.  Bring to boil and cook till potatoes are soft. about 15 minutes
Add flour to milk and stir. Add milk/flour, salt and pepper and can of cream of chicken soup to potatoes.
Stir and heat through...2-5 minutes.

Nutrition Data
 6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
  Calories 341.1
  Total Fat 11.3 g
     Saturated Fat 2.6 g
     Polyunsaturated Fat 3.7 g
     Monounsaturated Fat 3.5 g
  Cholesterol 92.7 mg
  Sodium 690.3 mg
  Potassium 859.8 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 32.3 g
     Dietary Fiber 1.9 g
     Sugars 3.2 g
  Protein 27.8 g
  Vitamin A 8.1 %
  Vitamin C 37.8 %
  Calcium 8.9 %
  Iron 15.9 %

Yay for Friday the 13th

I don't know why everyone gets so superstitious about Friday the 13th. It's usually been pretty good for me, just like every other day of the week. Though it  is about the only date I will go and buy myself a lottery ticket, just hoping for an added bit of luck.

I'm still working out to my Advent exercise calendar. Today is 13 bicycle crunches, love them. I love doing these short exercises this time of year. I've been studying for finals, and so sitting more then I care to do. So these short exercises gets me off my rump and moving. I usually do more then what I wrote to do, I see that as a minimum amount. I believe we should get up and do random exercises at regular intervals. Pop out a few squats or something every 30-45 minutes. Gets blood flowing and keeps your behind from getting sore.

It being cookie season, I think 5 minutes of  medium intense activity for every sweet should help keep those calories burned down a bit. Well, in theory anyway.

Not too much else to post at the moment so I'll leave you with a "lovely" picture of me doing my bodyweight triceps extensions yesterday. 2014 will be the year those flabby arms disappear. I want to wear cute tanks this summer.

Okay before I get back to hitting the books, I'm going to make a quick post on something amazing that became available yesterday. If you haven't already heard, Beachbody has made a new P90x. This one is P90X3, all the intensity and work from P90X in only 30 minute workouts. Perfect for busy people like me who cannot always find time for a 90 minute workout. However, I can almost always squeeze 30 minutes in my day.

Through the rest of December, P90X3 will be discounted. If your a Beachbody club member you get further discounts. Plus there is free shipping right now. Looking for a Christmas gift for the health/fitness nut on your list? Order by December 15th to get P90X3 by Christmas.

Exercise Through Advent ~still in there and correcting an oops

Have made it to day 10 of my exercise through Advent calendar and went to see what today's exercise was and, well, oops.  It seems I either neglected to add days 10, 11, 12, and 20 or somehow those were deleted.

So here is the corrected calendar:

So today's exercise is 10 bear crawls. Here is a video in case you're not sure what a bear crawl is:

I missed posting yesterday, though I did do the exercise I designated for day 3 and this morning I did day 4. Yesterday was easy, this morning was thigh burning, leg shaking fun.

High knees, so easy.

4 minute wall sit and a sorry attempt at a smile. I should of taken the picture before starting.

2 minutes of jumping jacks...not as easy as I  had thought. After a minute and a half I needed to catch my breathe.

Here is my photographic proof, it's blurry because my phone doesn't do action shots.

Day 3 is 3 minutes of high knees, WOOT.

I finished day one of my fitness Advent calendar. It was easy peasy like I knew it would be. I'm going to try and take a quick picture of me doing each activity as photographic proof. I don't want it to seem as I'm all talk on here. So here is my poorly done picture of me doing a plank

It may of been better, but I had to keep redoing my plank as one of my doggies kept thinking I was on the floor for kisses. So it took me a minute to reach over and hit the button on my laptop to take the darn thing.

Tomorrow is jumping jacks for two minutes. Starting off nice and easy.

December Goals and an Advent Workout

Hello Dear Readers!
I hope everyone of you had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend and made good decisions and made time to be active. I tried my best, the active part was pretty slim due to cold temps and me being a chicken when the thermometer reads below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Brrr. However I did OK on everything, proof being the scale actually read less today than it did on Wednesday. If I had splurged too much it would of been higher due to water weight gain. I did have soda, and that was probably the worse I did.

December goals:
My main goal for December is to have fun and not stress too much. If I lived in the Southern hemisphere December would be my most favorite month. I love Christmas and everything it stands for. 
So for December lets not worry too much about the food we eat as long as we keep 80/20 in our mind. Eat great 80% of the time so that 20% of the time we can enjoy those Holiday sweets and treats.  No guilt is allowed this month. We will keep active enough to keep those bad, negative thoughts at bay.

For some fitness fun I'm thinking up a fitness Advent calendar. There will be a different exercise each day. So here is the list:

Just some Black Friday Awesomeness

And I don't mean any great deals I bought, because I don't really do the whole going to a store and dealing with crazy people to save a couple bucks. However, I'm all over online Black Friday sales and Beachbody has a great one going on today.

Just look at these:

I really want that Turbofire one. May have to see if I have an extra 20.00 in the budget for an early Christmas gift. It's never too early to get started on next years resolutions, right?

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quick post to let my dear readers I'm still around. It's a busy time of year with the holidays and finals coming up.
I hope all my dear readers have a great holiday and remember to try and make good choices. However, if you do slip up it's not the end of the world. Take an after dinner walk and tomorrow is always a new day.

Healthy Yum

I received my Shakeology  samples in the mail and I tried the greenberry flavor first. It was good, not knock-your-socks-off delicious, but good. As in I could handle drinking this everyday without cringing and shuddering at the thought of a single sip. It has a bit of sweet followed by an earthy/grassy/herb-y flavor. It tastes healthy. I mixed it in with 1% milk and had it as part of an early dinner between classes yesterday.

I was going to drink the vanilla today, but decided to wait and have it for lunch during work tomorrow. I wish the sample pack came with the strawberry, but it didn't it.

I also went to the gym yesterday for the first time in about a month. I LOVED IT! I don't know why I let so much time go between working out, it felt great. My endorphins were pumping and all those feel good hormones were...well, making me feel good.  Abs are sore today, but it's a hurt so good sore.

Well not much else to put in here. I'm off to plan dinner. Going to try and make a healthier fried chicken (other then oven-fried).

I'm sitting here listening to a podcast by my organic chem professor, preparing for today's exam, and thinking about everything I need to do today. If you've read my blog a while, you know I stay fairly busy. Being busy doesn't always/usually lead to making healthy choices when it comes to eating. Some days I'm either to tired to cook or was too much in a hurry in the morning to set up the crock pot.

This is why I'm excited to be getting ready to start Shakeology. It is a healthy alternative for days where maybe you didn't do so well eating wise (sometimes I skip 1 to 2 meals and then end up binging later). So in order to make sure I'm getting the nutrition I need, I'm going to start using Shakeology. First, I'm going to order the new Shakeology trial packs so I can decide on which flavor I like best. Each sample pack contains 4 single-serve packets of Shakeology (2 Chocolate, 1 Vanilla, and 1 Greenberry), a copy of the Shakeology Welcome Guide, as well as 6 mouthwatering recipes. I'm not a big fan of chocolate, but I think if I make a smoothie with some fruit out of it I'll like it better.  I've been told the strawberry Shakeology is good, but that's not included with the sample pack...so maybe later.  The sample pack is available from Beachbody for only 19.95 (plus s/h of course).

I'm excited to get my new business off and running. There is so much potential, plus the added accountability with my own health journey.

Something to Think About

In my advanced metabolism II class we had to read and write a synopsis on an article about vitamin synthesizing bacteria. It was mostly about lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacteria that make B vitamins (such as folate, riboflavin, B12) in our (and other mammals) gut. The article poses a question on how adding these bacteria to foods may help with the natural vitamins in the foods. I also had to find a few other articles that supported or expanded on the topic. One went further on the lactic acid bacteria and how it's possible to engineer the gene in one Lactobacillus to make it produce more of the gene that activates the enzyme needed to produce folate. More gene= more enzyme= more folate. Good for under developed countries or those who have severe vitamin deficiency (except for the whole gene modification thing, I suppose there could be possible drawbacks). 

Anyway as we discussed our research in class we also touched on how when bacteria colonization begins at birth (before birth the gut is sterile, mom's bacteria doesn't cross the placenta). In vaginal birth, especially (c-section babies get different bacteria and have to wait longer to build up their colonies), these healthy bacteria build up the natural defense and set the groundwork for the bacteria (lactic acid bacteria, Bifidobacteria, bacteroides) that we want there to produce vitamins and help with digestion.

The professor mentioned fecal transplant (sounds gross I know) and how transplants from skinny mice to fat mice made the fat mice lose weight and vice versa. I did some research this morning and found similar studies. I also found some studies/articles where a diet high in fiber/whole grains and low fat helped increase good bacteria and decreased bacteria that produced harmful metabolites. It also helped rebuild the natural defense that we grew as babies but lose when we eat the typical American diet.

A great article I found was on motherjones.com. It is called "Are Happy Gut Bacteria Key to Weight Loss" just click on the link to read it. It's long but an interesting read. It starts with saying how orange juice helped with blocking an inflammatory response to eating McDonald's meals. Which is more likely the vitamin C doing it's anti-oxidant job, but still an idea for that occasional junk meal. Just order a drink or food high in fiber and vitamin C to consume before or with the meal to help counteract the bad stuff.

The article also says foods high in oligosaccharides (and I think it mentions polysaccharides)may help with helping good bacteria health, but then if you have to follow a FODMAPs diet you may be screwed. Well maybe not, just follow the FODMAPs protocol given by your dietitian and when you start adding foods back, hopefully some of the those won't affect you so you can feed your bacteria.

My takeaway from this, as I'm trying to incorporate things I learn into my own healthy lifestyle, is that one should make sure to eat less sugar, less fatty foods, more whole grains, more veggies, foods high in anti-oxidants (vitamins C, A and E...however I don't recommend taking supplements(especially A since you can have too much), just make sure your eating your fruits and veggies and you're good). I'm going to try and make meal plans based on what I learn and see how it all goes.

Have a great weekend dear readers.

That Awesome New Thing...

In my last new post I mentioned something about a new thing. Well, I've decided on being an Independent Beachbody Coach. I love the Beachbody workout vids and Shakeology is drinkable (though I'm not a great fan of the chocolate..so I need to try the others. It's probably just me not liking chocolate drinks). Anyway, I'm reading through everything now and working on setting up all my websites and such.

I think this will be a great opportunity and it will hold me very accountable on my path to be a better me. Working on living up to the name of this blog especially the definition of the word awesome: impressive and frightening: so impressive or overwhelming as to inspire a strong feeling of admiration or fear.  Well not so much the frightening or overwhelming, but I would love to be seen as impressive, and to inspire strong feelings of admiration.

So if any of my dear readers want more information on Beachbody products, you can click on these links: Beachbody, Shakeology, and Ultimate Reset.  As for me, I'm going to restart the Hip Hop Abs vids and will be ordering some Shakeology. My goal is to post updates at least weekly. I'll also be posting on a Twitter page I created for my business. You can find me HERE.

Well Dear Readers, I hope all of you have a blessed evening with sweet dreams.

Another quickie update

Hello dear readers, sorry I've not been keeping up on posting. I'm still planning on doing so more regularly.
I didn't win the last dietbet game I was in. I'm not sure about doing another anytime soon. Right now I'm concentrating on consistency in my workouts and choosing healthy foods.

Not too much to post today, I have to get to studying for my advanced metabolism test today. I also have something awesome in the works that I'll share soon.

Have a wonderful day dear readers.

Happy Friday the 13th

For your viewing pleasure on this wonderful Friday the 13th I give you me. Before and after my run this morning. I look much happier post run, though my face looks thicker, lol. Probably just the angle I have my phone. Love the red cheeks and hair that is anywhere but where it's suppose to be. I also don't usually run with my glasses on because I don't like the way they slide over my face.

Anyway, it's been a great week and I just thought I would post a few sentences to finish it out. I'm doing okay on my current dietbet game. I've lost 2.4 lbs so far and have 5 more to go. I have 20 days to do those 5 lbs, so I really need to get my rear in gear.

Other then all that, I really do not have much to update. I guess I'll leave you with a recipe for Cranberry muffins that I made for breakfast this morning. They were the perfect combination of sweet and tart and hit the spot.

Cranberry Muffins
makes about 18 big/regular muffins or 12 regular  muffins and 12 mini muffins.

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup flaxmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 stick of butter
2 eggs
1 cup fresh cranberries ( I have some frozen from last December)
1 1/2 cups of water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.Mix all the dry ingredients
3. Cut butter into flour mix.
4. beat eggs and mix in water. Add to dry ingredients, mix till dry ingredients are moist
5. Gently fold/stir in cranberries
6. Pour into Muffin tins and bake 20 minutes. until golden brown

Nutritional info (based on 1 regular muffin serving)
18 Servings
Amount Per Serving
  Calories 166.4
  Total Fat 6.9 g
     Saturated Fat 3.4 g
     Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
     Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g
  Cholesterol 34.5 mg
  Sodium 74.1 mg
  Potassium 37.0 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 23.2 g
     Dietary Fiber 1.8 g
     Sugars 5.9 g
  Protein 3.6 g
  Vitamin A 4.6 %
   Vitamin C 1.2 %
   Calcium 1.4 %
  Iron 7.1 %

Motivating My Monday

Good morning dear readers. I hope all have had a wonderful weekend are ready to get this week going with a bang.

I woke up in a great mood, I don't know why but I'm in a let's-get-it-done kinda mood. I'm going to blame doing all these squats for #squatsept. I finished 65 squats this morning for day 9, 70 tomorrow. Woot! It's been a long time since I've done a challenge everyday for a week, let alone over a week. I've not done any of the Blogilates calendar, but I have been working out. Since Thursdays are my long boring day on campus (with 6 hours of downtime between classes, ugh). I spend about 2 hours at the gym getting in cardio and some upper body workouts. Fridays are usually a big DOMS day. I love DOMS though, I know I'm building muscle. Since I am doing lots and lots of squats each day and I do calf raises at work ( I stand/walk 6-8 hours a day at work, so I try to do calf raises to break up the monotony some) I don't worry much about lower body/legs. They're getting a good workout most days anyway.

I'm really wanting to do well on this dietbet game. The pot is 820.00 right now...that's a great early birthday present. I really need to get my diet/food under better control to do so. I didn't make such good decisions...well I'll rephrase that... I let the hubby make bad decisions for me this past weekend, especially yesterday. So I need to spend the week making good choices.  During the week good food choices are easy, the kiddies are at school and hubby at work so no one to influence my eating. I usually mess up on the weekends, unless I work all weekend. I really need to fix my family's eating habits better so mine can be better. I have recently convinced the hubby to start taking vitamin C, he's a smoker and really needs that since smoking disrupts ascorbic acid absorption.

Anyway, I'm off to try and keep my motivation going today. Need to complete some chemistry homework and reading before I leave for work today. I hope all of my dear readers have a blessed day.

I didn't win this past dietbet. I only had a net loss of 1 pound. I'll take it though, I am making better choices...well trying to anyway. My sodium and sugar have still been way too high. I also need to increase my protein.  I need to make myself eat better breakfasts, however I've had a cold the past few days that has killed my appetite.  So I signed up for another dietbet game the pot is currently 170.00, so way awesome if I could win this one.  Could get something fun for my birthday in November with those winnings.

In order to encourage myself to do more I'm attempting a squat challenge, just search for #squatsept on facebook and you could find it. You just pick a number of squats to start with and add 5 squats each day. So today I did 25 and tomorrow will be 30 so forth and so on until the 30th when I will do 170 squats in one day. And on October first I will be crying every time I sit down and stand up.  I'm also going to attempt the Blogilates September calendar.  One top of these two things I'll be going to the rec center on campus 2x a week and trying to get 2 miles wogging (walk/jog) 2-3x a week at home.

So hopefully it will be an amazing September and I'll be super hot by next month.  Have a great night dear readers.

Paring Down the Bad

I've been logging my food intake on Loseit.com for the past couple of days. The good news is I'm getting 70+ grams of protein a day. Bad news is my sugar and sodium intakes are both way too high.  So I need to try harder to bring those down.
I downloaded the loseit app onto my phone so I have something handy to log with. I had to take the facebook app off of my phone so I had memory to support Loseit, which isn't a bad thing since I need to wean myself off facebook for a while. Especially with classes starting in a few days.  Not going to cancel my facebook account at this moment, but am trying to make an effort to limit time spent/wasted on there. 

So, I need to pare the bad stuff down. Bad stuff being anything that is detrimental to good health and other goals. Yes, I believe facebook is included with that.  Blogging could possibly be too, but I spend less time reading and writing blogs than I do scrolling through my newsfeed on facebook.  It's something that encourages me to sit on my behind, and sitting is not what I need to be doing at this point in my life.

Just a Little Catching Up

It's been a little bit of a crazy summer. I still need to send out June's Cara box...it's setting half full in my bedroom waiting for more goodies and to be dropped out in the mailbox. I know I won't be able to participate in other Cara boxes, but I am still sending this one out. Just hope it's a nice surprise for someone whom I'm sure thinks she's been totally forgotten.

I've been exercising pretty well, well except for the past week. Energy levels have been down while my anxiety levels are rising due to the upcoming semester.  Probably not a coincidence.

Anyway, I'm going to combat this the best I know how...by eating healthier. I've set a short time goal of limiting my sodium intake to <1800mg/day, increasing my protein intake to a minimum of 60g a day, and limiting sugar intake to 10g or less per meal.  What I'm not doing is counting calories or fat intake.  My fat intake is normally fairly low and as is my calorie intake. I am going to choose healthy fats and make great food choices, so fat and calorie consumption should fall inline anyway.

Well, I've got to get off here and do some studying, my chemistry professor has emailed us the reading and exercise problems for next week already. Woohoo...not.

Short Update

It's been a busy, frustrating summer. Between financial issues causes by vehicle issues and worry over school issues...well lets just say I have issues.
Right now I'm trying my best to hand my worries over to God and take each day as it comes. Life can be difficult but rarely is it impossible.
The past week my kiddies have begun a new school year( I'm currently in awe of the fact that I'm the mother of a junior in high school). I have started a new dietbet game, the pot is 75.00 this go around. I increased the amount of exercise I am doing and my body has responded normally by increasing my weight by two pounds. I am unsure why this happens, but I know if I just push through the weight comes off again.
Well, dear readers, keeping it short and sweet this time. Prayers out to those dealing with flooding in Kansas and Missouri.

I Think I'll Have an Awesome Week

I'm trying to keep the mindset that you are responsible for your day. If you think you're having a bad day, you will. If you think you're having a good day, you are.  Most things, bad or good, stem from how we respond to the situation. So I've decided I'm going to have a great week. No matter what happens this week, I'm going to roll with it and look for the positive. Any troubles/worries that arise I will give to God. He has bigger shoulders and can carry more weight than I.

So my dietbet game is going surprisingly well. I weighed in just a few minutes ago and I've lost 3.2 pounds. I barely did anything resembling exercise. Had good intentions, but life got in the way. I just concentrated on eating well and watching portions. I've tried to follow the 80/20 rule, eat well 80% of the time and just carefully 20% of the time. I'm trying to limit sugars, but heat and frozen treats go so well together. So guess what's been my 20%. I am trying to stop at one a day.

I had planned on stepping  up the exercise by going for a run this morning...yeah, hasn't happened yet. I still am planning on doing yard work, and I think I'll lift weights and get in some upper body training in later.

Anyway, I need to get off of here if I'm going to be productive at anytime today. I hope all my dear readers have a great day.

Mine got cancelled...

My Dietbet game got cancelled because I couldn't get anyone else to signup. So I joined one that had a couple players already. This Dietbet game starts Wednesday and goes through to July 10th.  So if anyone is interested just click HERE and sign up. Right now there are three players, so the pot is 30.00. It's only a 10.00 bet to play and you only have to lose 4% of bodyweight to win and there can be more then one winner.

My game plan is: to cut sugar out for the next month, to increase protein (aiming for 30g at breakfast and spread the rest throughout the day), decrease processed foods (I would love to cut them out completely, but Hubby doesn't like cooking from scratch and I don't cook every meal), workout for a minimum of 45 minutes a day plus make sure I am sitting no more then 30 minutes at a time.

I'm hoping small changes=big results

DietBet Postponed

I'm still trying to get people to sign up for the DietBet challenge. The site postponed my challenge until Tuesday the 11th due to me being the only one participating. I just need two people to have the game. It's still only 10.00.  If any of my dear readers would like to check it out go HERE .  I'm hoping everyone has wonderful plans for this beautiful weekend.

DietBet Game Starts Saturday

I went ahead and setup a Dietbet game/challenge. It starts on Saturday and lasts through July 6th.  The bet is only 10.00 because sometimes the challenges are too rich for my budget and I can do 10.00. Anyway here is the LINK for the challenge and I hope to see lots of people sign up.

19 Days till Mini-Vacay

I'm so excited, we are taking our first little mini vacation. We've taken weekend trips to see family in Missouri, but visiting family definitely does not count as a vacation. We are taking a two to four day camping trip in the hills of West Tennessee (yes there are hills here, somewhere). At a small lake called Lake Placid. I'm getting such a kick out of that name, my baby sister says there is no way she could camp there. I'll be on the lookout for a Betty White look-a-like leading a cow to the water.

Of course, water + swimming = swimsuit. Ugh, I am so not swimsuit ready. I last wore my suit when splashing around in the kiddies little pool (it comes up to my knees and is 12ft wide) last summer. So I need to pick up the clean eating and exercise. I know no miracles are going to happen in just over 2 weeks. However, exercise increases confidence levels and that will make me feel better in my suit.  It's not like I'm squeezing myself into a string bikini and letting it all hang out. I have a perfectly reasonable tankini that covers the belly fat and has a little skirt to hide some of the dimples on my hips/thigh areas.

So, I'm thinking of starting a dietbet challenge to encourage myself and others to eat healthy and exercise for the next month. Most dietbets go for four weeks, after that whoever loses 4% of their bodyweight wins/splits the pot. For me 4% would be like 7 and 1/2 pounds. Totally doable.

Anyway, I'll make that decision in the next day or two and will probably start Friday or Saturday. So if you're interested look for a link here.

Also I signed up for the June Cara Box at Wifessionals, the theme is carnival/fair time.  Lots of ideas bouncing around my head, can't wait.

My Texas Cara Box

I had found Cara Box on another blog and signed up for the May box. It's not your usual subscription service. You sign up and you're matched to two great people. One who will send  you a box and another that receives the box you send. This month's theme was "Lets Be Regional" and I really wish I could of gotten time to hit every boutique in the Mid-South/West Tennessee/Memphis area because I know I could of done better than I did. I really wish cotton would of been blooming because I could of picked up some that falls off the trucks and made a neat shadow box with the map of Memphis and other paraphernalia. Finals, work and kids' sports got the best of me and before I knew it, it was time to send the box. So I sent what I thought of immediately when I thought of the region I live in: Memphis, Elvis, BBQ, Tn VOLS and Memphis Tigers. I also think of the blues but could not find a cd of one of the more well known Memphis Blues artists, wish I had a cd or mp3 of Rudy Williams, who was the sweetest street musician I had ever seen. Here is a video from YouTube I found:


Too bad he's passed away now, I've not been down Beale since he's passed to see if another future great is playing in his spot yet. I do hope Ashley from Track Suit Friday  enjoyed what I compiled and does something creative with the Tennessee orange bandannas ( I was thinking matching collars for the doggies).

And without further ado, here is my Cara box from the sweet lady of Confessions of an Army Housewife, Kodie.

A whole smorgasbord of goodies

She sent from her region: A margarita mix, margarita glass, two grow kits and one packet of peppers (of which the Hubby snatched and went and planted), some mango chili pepper suckers (that I really want to like, but the taste is very different than my buds are used to), gardening gloves, Body by Vi shakes (I tried these at a Women's dinner at church once and they are yummy, a scentsy room spray and two of my favorite magazines and a few more things. You out did yourself Kodie :) and make me feel really bad about my little box (though if it was winter I would of went and got some chocolate from the local candy maker,Dinstuhl's)
Anyway, I enjoyed putting together my little box and will sign up again for June's box. If you would like to try it go to Wifessionals and look for the June signups coming soon.

Found the link or a link supporting increasing protein at meals, especially breakfast.

Here is a link to an article by the speaker, Dr Donald Layman, who spoke of protein needs at the Ohio Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This is the speech I referred to in the Quinoa Scramble post.

He writes about meal content of protein about half way through:

The meal content of protein is also a key factor for satiety and appetite regulation [9,10]. Protein has greater satiety value than either carbohydrates or fats and reduces food intake at subsequent meals [27]. Studies of energy regulation for weight management show that replacing carbohydrates with protein reduces daily energy intake by ~200 kcal [9]. The mechanism for this satiety effect may be mediated by intestinal hormones or by reducing peak post-prandial insulin response. While the mechanism remains to be elucidated, it is clear that the improved satiety response requires >30 g of protein at a meal and that breakfast has the greatest impact on total daily energy intake [27]. As with protein turnover in muscle and bone, limiting protein intake to a single large meal late in the day reduces the satiety benefits of dietary protein [22].

 Dr. Layman also writes on how increased protein diets can help with fixing body composition while traditional low fat, low calorie diets result in a loss of lean body mass.  Preventing lean tissue loss is important, especially as you age and want to avoid osteoporosis and sarcopenia.

Anyway it's a very interesting read and here is the link again so you can check it http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/6/1/12

Quinoa Scramble

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe so I decided to post what I'm mixing up for breakfast this morning. I'm trying to increase protein intake, especially in the morning. Because I read on facebook (yes I know, you shouldn't believe everything on facebook) where a RD had gone to a convention and had learned that increased protein for breakfast was associated with increased weight loss. I'm sorry I don't have link, I'll try to find it later.

Quinoa Scramble
3/4 cup of quinoa, dry uncooked
1lb sausage
1 can of spinach, rinsed and drained
5 eggs
1/4 cup shredded cheese

directions:

1. Cook quinoa in rice cooker, I followed package directions and used 2x as much water as quinoa
2. cook and drain sausage. I cooked mine in the oven at 400 for 15-20 minutes while quinoa was cooking.
3. Scramble eggs and then add spinach, heat through.
4. Add cheese to eggs and spinach mix. Stir till cheese is melted
5. Combine ingredients either before serving or let everyone combine them how they wish.

Nutrition Facts
  5 Servings, Amount Per Serving
  Calories 363.6
  Total Fat 20.1 g
     Saturated Fat 6.7 g
     Polyunsaturated Fat 2.6 g
     Monounsaturated Fat 7.5 g
  Cholesterol 222.1 mg
  Sodium 710.6 mg
  Potassium 369.5 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 21.3 g
     Dietary Fiber 2.8 g
     Sugars 2.2 g
  Protein 24.0 g

This recipe also has 90% of Vitamin A, 25% of Iron, 18% of Calcium daily values. I highlighted the Protein, because that's an awesome amount of protein for the calories.Using fresh spinach and fresh sausage could possibly lower the sodium content. I also added picante sauce to mine, but didn't include it in the nutrition analysis.

Sorry it's not a prettier picture, my phone takes lousy ones and my batteries are dead in my camera.

Well, At Least I Didn't Cry

I didn't pass Organic Chemistry, again. Apparently 3rd time was not the charm for me.  I was so disappointed in my self when I saw that D+. My husband had a point, there are lots of students not passing that class and they are also not dealing with raising children, working four days a week, and taking a full load in college. However, I wanted to pass so that I could graduate in December and be done. Now I'm going to have to push back my graduation date to May of 2014. This will still be my last summer as an undergrad, but I was  hoping for it to be my last Spring semester.

On better news, I'm sticking pretty good with healthy eating plans. I've only had one soda in 4 days. Well, two if you count the vitamin water my well-meaning hubby bought yesterday. He had already bought it before I could tell him that the Vitamin waters are no better than a can of Dr. Pepper, so I drank it in order to not make him feel bad. I told him later, though, so he doesn't repeat the mistake.

I suppose I must get some chores done before running today. I didn't charge my phone last night so  I'm waiting for it to do so, then I can use the Endomondo app during my run. I really like seeing the splits. Apparently the second half of my run is faster than the first mile. Interesting.

Hello Summer

    Finals are over, now the terrible wait for grades to come in begins. Why yes I am checking at least once, twice, three times an hour...okay so I don't log out I just reload the page every few minutes.  With any luck this is my last summer as an undergrad. I'm so ready to complete what has been a long road. I was talking with middle son the other day and I calculated that I've been going to school in one form or another for about  19 years, not counting kindergarten (because he said it doesn't count).  So that leaves 15 years of my life that is not in school, 4 years I was too young for school (5 I guess since kindergarten doesn't count). The other ten years are split up. I waited a year after high school to start college. I didn't go to school for 4 or 5 years when the kids were young and my husband was finishing his apprenticeship. Then there were a couple years here or there that I didn't go due to money issues. So almost done Yay!
 
     Since I'm finished with the stress that is the end of a semester, I am concentrating on cleaning the next seven weeks. I'm cleaning my house, decluttering and getting rid of 4 months accumulation of school papers (mine and the kiddies). I'm cleaning my car, I drive anywhere from 1 hour to 1 and 1/2 hours a day depending on whether I'm going to work or school. This doesn't count driving to sports functions and other errands after work/school. Needless to say my car is a bit cluttered and needs detailing. I'm cleaning my body. My diet goes to pot the last 2-3 weeks of a semester. It coincides with stress levels increasing. So I'm concentrating on eating clean, stopping soda for good, exercising more. I've logged back into an old myfitnesspal account (user name Jackielf78 if anyone wants to be my friend on there) and downloaded the Endomondo app on my phone (I had it on another phone and didn't like it, but it seems to be working better now).

   I did really good yesterday. I drank from my new infuser water bottles. Here is a link to the bigger one I bought.

I really like this bottle. I've tried peaches and cranberries so far. The peaches taste good after they thaw out. The cranberries need to be crushed or chopped or heated slightly I think. I didn't notice any cranberry flavor until last night at my son's baseball game I had to add a warm bottle of water to mine and then notice some flavor.
Oh on a related note, I found frozen fruit at our local Dollar Tree. 10 oz bag of fruit for 1.00 and they had a good variety. There were mangoes, peaches, mixed berries, blueberries and pineapple from what I saw. I bought a bag of mangoes to try later. Love it when I can find healthy choices fit for a tight budget.

Finals week

It's that most terrifying time of year again. Finals week officially begins Friday, however all of mine are next week. So I'm super stressed worrying about doing well so I can pass all my classes and keep my graduation date December 13th. I'm trying to not drown my worries in Dr. Pepper and junk food. So my plan is to keep healthy options around when the study munchies strike, and avoid Dunkin' Donuts when on campus.
Even though high stress times are bad times to start new things I'm going to start Tiffany's SummerFit Challenge over at TheGraciousPantry.  It starts tomorrow and the first part is to move, cut the junk, hydrate, cut the sugar, and get more nutrients. Super easy common sense type stuff. I was trying a stricter personal challenge, but I'm unable to keep it up at the moment.
    Also, from what I've learned in my advanced metabolism class, women should do exercise for 20 minutes or more (probably more) for fatty acid catabolism. We also use more fat for energy in endurance activities.  So to me this explains why men can do just a little and lose weight/excess fat and women seem to have to do more. While we use more fat for energy, we have to do more to lose it.  I was joking with my sister we need the endurance, we have to work/school all day, take care of kids and keep care of the house in the evening. Plus cook dinner when we get home and make sure homework is done, laundry done, kids are ready for school. Our days start early and end late. This extra fluff is what keeps us going ;)
  Anyway, I'm off to take an O. Chem quiz and prepare some notes for metabolism and exercise physiology and medical nutrition therapy. A definitely long day for me. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though.

Where Has the Time Gone !?

Sorry dear readers, that I have not posted in a long while. I am around, but very busy with my class schedule, kid schedule and work schedule. I will update more often soon. Promise. I have not lost weight or worked out much in the past couple months as everything is just so Topsy-turvy around here. I have been trying to eat healthy and even bought a Mrs. Bento, like the one in this linkZojirushi Classic Bento Insulated Lunch Jar (Google Affiliate Ad), so that I am not tempted to buy the junk sold at work. Small steps equal big advances, eventually. I hope you all had a fabulous Easter and it looks like Spring has finally shown around here so that means getting out in the gardens. Take care dear readers and have a wonderful week.

Sugar Free Banana Oat Muffins

I accidently made these muffins sugar free this morning. In my defense it was 5am and I had yet to have my morning cup of joe. I just wanted to have something warm for the kiddos to eat for breakfast on a chilly morning (temps in the mid 20s, brrr). I didn’t realize I had forgot to add sugar until after they were baked and I had went to eat one. Well the flavor wasn’t bad, just not sweet at all. However, with a little smear of butter these are just fine. I liked the second one I ate better than the first.

Sugar-Free Banana Oat Muffins I made 16 muffins with this recipe

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup of oats (I used old-fashioned not quick)
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 medium bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of milk ( more if needed)

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in large bowl.
2. In another bowl, beat eggs add bananas and milk. Pour into dry ingredients and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Be careful not to over stir.
3. Fill greased muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake at 425 degrees for ~15 minutes, until golden.

Nutrition Data

Calories: 139

Total Fat: 1.8g

saturated fat: 0.5g

Polyunsaturated fat 0.4g

Monounsaturated fat: 0.5g

Cholesterol: 24 mg

Sodium: 210 mg

Potassium: 119 mg

Total Carb: 26 g

Dietary Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 3g

Protein: 5g

Vit. A: 1.6%

Vit. C: 2.4%

Calcium: 10.2%

Iron: 11%

First Monday of 2013

    I love Monday's, really I do. Monday, to me, is the start of a new week. Whatever you did wrong the prior week is gone, history. You have a new week to start over after being refreshed, hopefully, over the weekend.  Monday has a bad rap since everyone is grumbling about having to get up early, go to work or school, get back to life. However, since we're busy most weekends I'm just getting up a little earlier than I did yesterday.

   So, how's everyone's resolutions/goals for 2013 going? For me it's still too early to tell since I'm just starting today on most projects. I'm doing a 21 day Challenge with Nicole Kellerman, which begins today. I'm also trying to run 1,000 miles in 2013. Though I let the chilly weather chicken me out last week and only got 1 mile in. So I need to run at least 2.79 miles a day to meet that goal. I'll probably make that an even 3 miles a day.  I also need to get a meal plan for when classes start next week.  I do not want to waste my money and calories on food on campus. Though I will give a little bit for Dunkin Donuts coffee, mmmm coffee. Or maybe some chai tea at Starbucks. However I draw the line at any pizza, Taco Bell, Burger King, Chik-fil-a or any other fast food restaurants that are on campus. Again, not worth my dollar or calories.  I also need to make a workout plan. Some days I'm going to workout at home, some the church gym and some at the campus gym.  All free, which works with other goals for 2013.

    Also, who watched the premeire for The Biggest Loser last night? I love the Jillian Michaels is back and that they are including some children ambassadors. I wanted to cry for those poor kids. I also want to slap their parents up against the back of their heads (kind of like the V8 commercials). Those kids did not get to be so overweight on their own. They weren't purchasing and preparing the food they consumed that led to being overweight. Their parents should of made them eat better, do more, and create a good example. I saw a preview and the parents are overweight themselves.
The childhood obesity "epedemic" in our country is horrible. Horrible because most of the time it is 100% preventable. These kids are fat because the adults in their lives made them this way. It is a form of neglect, or at least I think it ought to be treated that way. Not to get the parents in trouble, but to force them to be educated. Open their eyes, and lose the excuses. My kids all lost their "baby fat" by the time they started school. They tend to do that once they start walking and running around. It's not baby fat when they are 10 years old and eating McDonald's 2x a day and sugary cereal for breakfast and junk for snacks. 

   Anyway, have to get off that soapbox. It's a pet peeve of mine and one I may address once I become a RD. I hope all my dear readers have a great week.