Thanksgiving Tips and a Recipe!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hey everyone! This is my FIRST ever attempt at my mother in law's famous Apple Pie! And it turned out AWESOME! My husband is one happy camper, it is his favorite! 

This is our first Thanksgiving on our own without family :( 

I consider this pie somewhat healthy, and somewhat clean! Come on it's a holiday, i can cheat a little! ;) 

The super easy recipe is at the bottom of this post, you can thank me later!

What are some healthy weight loss tricks you follow in order to survive Thanksgiving? These are some of mine!

1. Wear something super cute, and on the small side as a reminder not to overeat. If you are wearing a sweatshirt and "fat" jeans you wont even notice your pants getting tight! I am wearing my skinny jeans today! 

2. Drink a huge glass of water before and during your meal. You will feel full faster, all while still enjoying family and food.

3. Its all about prioritizing, eat your favorites, don't fill up on green beans and stuffing just because they are thanksgiving tradition. If there are items you don't care for all that much, don't eat them!

4. Go back for seconds, but not thirds, fourths, fifths.

5. Have your pie and eat it too. haha there are sooo many pies to choose from. Instead of having a whole slice of each, get a sliver of each. It will satisfy your cravings and wont make you sick.

6. Don't turn Thanksgiving into a 24 hour brunch, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and midnight snack. Eat your big meal and then store the rest. The food will still be there tomorrow.

And two most important tricks of all...

7. Enjoy yourself!! Don't feel guilty, one Thanksgiving meal isn't going to undo all your hard work! Just pick back up tomorrow! You don't lose all your weight in one day, nor will you gain it all in one meal either. Losing weight is about consistency.

8. Enjoy the people around you!!! I think sometimes people get so focused on the food, that they forget the simple joy of getting to be with the people you love. Don't take it for granted, its sad to spend our Thanksgiving 1200 miles away from both of ours.

Cinda's Amazing Apple Pie

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees*

Crust:

3/4 cup melted butter (one and a half sticks)

2 Tablespoons milk

1/4 cup water

2 cups flour (i used white whole wheat)

Mix everything together by hand, in one bowl. There will be enough dough for the bottom and the top of one whole pie. You may need up to another 1/2 cup flour if it is too sticky. Just add some and stir until it sticks together rather than sticking to you. Throw down some parchment/wax paper with a bit of flour, then divide the dough into two balls. Using another piece on top flatten the dough with your hands and a rolling pin! Carry the parchment paper, with the dough on it, over to your pan, flip it over and lay it in! It's as simple as that! Repeat with the top piece (after the apples are in of course)!

Apple Filling:

Peel and slice 5 or 6 Apples for a 10 in pie pan

Stir in

 3/4 cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1/4 Cup Flour (again i used white whole wheat)

After the filling is in the pan put 5 small dollops of butter on top! 

Cover with the top piece and bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins, or until top is golden brown!

Enjoy!!

Also make sure you head over to www.cupcakesandkickboxing.blogspot.com she is awesome and is doing a super cute cupcake themed giveaway!

Busy

It's been two weeks since my last blog post!! SAD! A lot has gone on in this life of mine!

I started my new job! I am officially the store manager at Cosmo Prof beauty supply! Last week i went five hours away to Lincoln Nebraska for training! I learned a lot and gained confidence for my role as manager. This is my first experience in management. This job is really going to stretch me as a person, I think i will get a lot of life experience from it. Which will be good for giving advice as a mother one day.

 

 I ate out all 3 meals for 5 days people! Luckily I worked out in the hotel gym three of the days. I think that is what saved me! I did try and order healthyish meals. I tried to stick to Panera instead of hitting up McDonald's for every meal. I am proud to still be weighing in at 153lbs!

 

This past week was my first week on the job as manager. Oh and guess what, the auditor showed up. On my SECOND day people!! Luckily the auditor was a late 20's something year old boy/man carrying a monster energy drink and all. Thank Goodness!!! I'd like to think it was my amazing good looks that helped my unorganized store get such a high score! He went easy on me this time! I'm so glad it wasn't some never been married 50 year old feminist woman who hates life that showed up for the audit! I have never been as stressed as i have been the past 3 weeks. I feel bad for my husband. He is amazing for being so sweet and helpful. I think once i get the store running smoothly that i will enjoy it. Wish me luck!

Anyway.......Guess how many times I've worked out in the past 3 weeks since starting my new job? 3!!

 Three stinking times! I'm having a hard time fitting it in. I have been working 7:30-4:00 and then cutting hair at night every night this week. Did you know that the week before Thanksgiving is one of a hair stylist's busiest times of the year? Random fact for you! The first time i lost my weight i did it while working 40 hour weeks. I just need to do it no excuses! How do you working ladies fit in your workouts? XOXO Meg

 

 



My favorite "clean" eats!!

Eating clean isn't as hard as I thought it would be! I would say i eat clean 90% of the time. Most ingredients that i use for my home cooked meals are clean. All my meat, cheese, fruits,nuts, and veggies are clean. As well as my whole wheat breads, pastas, etc.. 

The hardest part for me was finding clean pre packaged items! But you know what!? They are everywhere!! You just need to know what to look for! My #1 rule of thumb is first read the list of ingredients. If there is BHT, BHA, or Monosodium Glutamate(MSG), put it back. These are the three most common preservatives. You will find them in frozen dinners, most cereals, granola bars, crackers, etc.. 

Rule #2, typically if you can pronounce/recognize everything on the ingredient list then its safe. If there is an ingredient that you're not sure of, google it!! 

Rule #3, try and look for short ingredient lists. Have you ever seen the lists that take up an entire side of the box of food? yuck! 

My local grocery stores have great health foods sections, that's where i find most of my snacks! But I've also found a lot of great items in regular isles as well! Like Triscuits, Stacy's pita chips, Mama's Best cereal, Kashi, luna bars etc...

Here are some of my clean favorites right now, they are all SOOO good i guarantee that you won't miss the processed crap.....

Oh Annie's......I LOVE anything they make!! I have yet to find something that i don't! Their grahams are way better then Teddy Grahams, and their Cheddar Bunnies are way better then Goldfish! And how CUTE is their bunny logo! On the top of the boxes they have a bunny bum!! CUTEST BUNNY BUM ever...

 Back To Nature has amazing Granola! Super short ingredient list too!

I really like Kashi anything as well! I like their cereal, breakfast bars, etc..

Mom's Best Brand cereal, it tastes amazing, is made with whole grains, and super cheap! I can normally get a box for $2.50!! 

You will be so mad i told you about this one!! Stacy's Pita Chips!! I am OBSESSED with the cinnamon sugar ones!!!! They are divine!! Heaven in a bag!!!

Full Circle has a lot of great products! I love these fruit strips! They give me a sugar fix for only 45cals a strip!

And LaraBar, don't eat one expecting something super sweet. Eat one expecting nuts and dates and they won't be disappointing! These are a great source of protein for on the go meals!

There you have it!! What are your favorite clean foods??!! And please let me know if you try any!!! I hope you guys are doing great! I am soo thankful for every single follower i have! You guys give me such motivation, i hope i can return the favor!

XOXO

Meggan

Hey!!

 It's my 4 year Anniversary people!!! I can't wait to relax and get in some good one on one time with my honey this weekend! We are heading to Des Moines! Hello french food, shopping, movies, and kissing!

 I'm nervous to buy new clothes when i'm not at my goal weight, but you know what?? I don't care. I want to feel beautiful and stylish now! Sometimes i hold back buying new clothes not because of the money but because i think,

 only skinny girls look great in that trend, maybe once im "skinny" i'll buy those jeans/leggings/dresses/boots/ etc.....

I've decided not anymore! When you have confidence you are less likely to fall into poor eating, and excisise habits. Here is an example haha....You feel like you look smoking hot in your tight buckle jeans and sexy riding boots, and your coworker brings in cookies and you think to yourself,

no thanks im feeling sexy in my jeans today.

Dumb reasoning? I don't know maybe others don't think this way but i do! I am stronger and more able to stick to my goals when i feel like i am on top of the world. And fasion does that to me. It's my industry, it's who i am. I need to embrace it at any size. So there you have it girls, i'm going to start loving my body, and dressing in a way that makes me confident and HAPPY! Curves and all! I'm so excited to shop!!! My poor husband! haha

Anyway....I am finished with my 10 days of the South Beach Dietish eating plan. And.....

 I weighed in at 155lbs!!! I was SUPER mad. I mean what the freak is wrong with me!?? I didn't eat carbs and stuck to my 1200cal limit and didn't lose ONE single lbs! Last time i did this i lost 8! I had weighed four days into the diet (even though i said i wouldn't ha) and was down to 152lbs! And now back up to 155lbs? I pouted about it for a couple hours, but then started to wonder....what if my body is in starvation mode? So I decided I would up my calories to 1500 and see what happens! It's only been two days of eating 1500 and look what happened!!!! Maybe its a coincidence, maybe its not. Only time will tell! So take that 154lbs! I hope I've busted through that platoue(sp)?! Next week I'm going to post an intro to clean eating! I'll share some of my favorite clean packaged foods!! I hope you all have a great weekend! I know I will ;)

Zucchini Boats

Here is one of my favorite healthy meals that i make! My mom is the one that told me to do this, so i give her all the credit. First things first. Take your zucchini and slice them in half. Then carve out a little of the middle of each half. Carve out enough to be able to hold the meat, but not so much that you don't have any zucchini left. ;) Then put them face down in a half inch of water and cook at 350 degrees for around 10-15 mins. Cook them long enough to make them pretty soft, but not mushy.

While the zucchini cook in the oven, have your super sweet husband brown your meat. I used 97% lean ground beef, but ground turkey is really good in these as well. We seasoned the meat with garlic salt, basil, and pepper.You can season it anyway you want! I've also added in diced onion which rocked!

Once the meat and the zucchini are done place the boats on another pan and fill them full of meat, cheese and sauce! Then broil them at 400 degrees until the cheese browns. Approx 3-5 mins.

My FAVORITE sauce is Hunts pasta sauce No Sugar Added. It blows regular Hunts out of the water. It makes me wonder why they add the sugar in the first place. Try is seriously!!

Here is a picture of the finished product!! Yummy!!! If it need extra sauce you can dump some more on top, that's what i do!

Let me know what you think if you try it!! I hope you are having a great weekend!

XOXO

Meggan 

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls  (*Almost Completely Clean)

Dough:                                                        
2 Packets Yeast
1 tsp. Sugar
2 C. Warm Water, Divided
3/4 C. Oil (Vegetable, Olive, or applesauce)
2/3 C. Honey
1/4 C. 100% Maple Syrup
Splash of Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
Dash of Nutmeg
6-7 C. Whole Wheat Flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup of warm water. In a separate bowl add oil, honey, maple syrup,vanilla, salt,eggs, remaining 1 cup of warm water. Mix together. Add yeast mixture, and mix again. Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Mix for approx. 5 minutes on med. speed. Add remaining flour and 2 dashes of Nutmeg and mix for 5 more mins. Cover and place in a sunny/warm place for 1-2 hrs (or until dough doubles in size)

Filling: (the non-clean part)
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Butter
1/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Tbs. Cinnamon (My husband isn't a fan of cinnamon so we used less and it was still amazing)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Roll out dough in a rectangle and cover with filling mixture. Roll up and cut into 1" rolls. Place in greased baking pan (we use 2- 9x13 and 1- 8x8 pans) Bake for 20-25 mins *We use convection for 17 mins. Makes approx. 20 rolls

We made frosting to go with it, but they are sooo good alone. They also freeze great.

New

Hey Ladies!!

 

I'm happy to report that my little "diet" is going great! I haven't weighed yet. I'm waiting until next Wed. I even had my husband hide the scale from me, haha, I wanted to weigh yesterday soooo bad! Even though it had only been 3 days! I think i can tell a difference in my ribcage! There is more of a difference between my boobies and my body, haha.

 

You know this diet isn't as hard as i thought it would be! I think its because for the past 6 months i've really tried to make my eating a "lifestyle" change. I've tried to naturally limit my carbs, and i have 100% switched to whole wheat for everything! Cookies, Cakes, Muffins, Pasta, Bread you name it! I've been eating clean/all natural products. So the only difference is after these 10 days i will incorporate a little more carbs into my day. Yay!

 

I made the most delish taco boats the other night for dinner, and took step by step pictures! I'll post the recipe soon!

 

In other news......i got a new JOB! I just got offered the Store Manager position at CosmoProf!!

(a professional beauty supply)

I am soooo excited! I worked full time for them back in Salt Lake City and really enjoyed it! Getting to be the Manager is going to ROCK! I love the daycare, and will miss the kids a ton, but it will be so nice to be back in my industry! Not to mention getting my discount and free product again! YES! I will be working 40hrs a week, so i'm a little nervous. This past year i averaged 30hrs a week and loved it, i had time to cook and clean and workout, and grocery shop. Hopefully i will just enjoy myself so much that i wont even notice the 10hr difference. Plus i lost more weight working full time then i have working part time! whats up with that? It will be awesome to make like 3times as much mula as well. Maybe i can start saving up for a baby?? I've heard they're expensive. ;)

 

Anyway I hope you all have had a great week! I'll post the Taco Boats recipe this weekend!

XOXO

Meggan

 

Meal Planning

Hey!!! This week's weigh in was as to be expected.....1lbs up! Boo! But its my TOM so that's all water I hope! How many of you meal plan?? I am very hit or miss! I have found that it helps me stay on track! What's the saying? If you don't plan, you plan to fail? On the days that I'm not in the mood to cook, or worry about what I'm gonna cook, I end up snacking away a lot of my calories! If i have a plan, and have most of the ingredients pre-made and on hand, I rock it! The last time i mapped out a meal plan was this past January. Malarie's wedding was coming up and i wanted to look good! It even helped me lose 8lbs for it! Here's what it looked like....

My 4 year Anniversary is in two weeks. So I decided I'm going to do a "South Beach Diet" based eating plan for the next two weeks! Last time I lost 7lbs doing it so we will see what happens this time around! Its pretty much a high protein, super low carb, zero sugar diet. Which works wonders for my body! I LOVE carbs, i blame it on the fact that im 1/4 french. Carbs however do not love me back. So this diet is great for me. My co-worker really wanted to do this diet with me so it will be fun to have a partner in crime! 

A great first step to meal planning is writing down all the dinners/lunches/sides you normally make. That's exactly what I've done here. I even went through and dotted the ones that have carbs.

(since that's something I have to watch)

Then you use a planner or make a calender and fill in each meal. I try and make sure my meals are placed strategically. For example if we have spaghetti on Monday ill make sure i plan another meal that uses ground beef on Wednesday. On Monday i cook enough meat for two meals.I put half of it aside and use it on Wednesday. It saves me time, and helps me not waste ingredients. 

This is my, half way done, two week meal plan. I planned out my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners! Normally I only plan dinners, but since I'm dieting I planned for the others as well.

Once you have everything planned out you can make a grocery list based on the meals for the week. Lists help me not buy items on impulse that usually end up going bad before i get around to using them. Which saves me money, and fridge/cupboard space! (which is hard to come by in my apartment)

So there you have it! Meal planning at its finest! haha! Now I'm off to the grocery store! I hope you guys are having a good weekend! I know we sure are! I love sleeping in and watching football! 

Wish me luck with my diet! Well actually you should probably wish my husband luck, i'm normally not the easiest person to be around when i don't have my carbs! haha. 

(at least i can admit it right?)

Meggan

Weigh ins, Refletions, and Fall!

Here is this week's weigh in! Still at 154lbs! I am soooo annoyed, but i really shouldn't be. I need to remember that it takes time. Losing weight the healthy way is slow and steady. And muscle really does weigh more than fat. I'd rather be muscular in my size 8 pants then flabby in a size 7 i guess, right?

I did really well tracking my calories on My Fitness Pal this week! I found some friends to follow and some friends followed me back! I was able to get in 3 workouts. I would rather get in 5 or 6, but this past week was super busy. It was also a really stressful week. I have some big decisions to make. More on that maybe next week! Also to top it off it is my PMSing/Craving/Bottomless pit week. Luckily i survived it without making poor eating decisions! Hooray!!

 

 

Two and a half years ago I lost 32lbs on that treadmill. I did it without a gym membership, fitness coach, or fancy diet pills. I did it day by day 20min run by 20min run. I was working 40+ hours a week and still found the time. I was making smart eating choices without restricting myself too much, or without falling victim to eating disorders. I went from 172lbs to 139lbs. It took me 10 months. That's just under 1lbs a week. There were weeks the scale stayed the same, but it eventually went down. I need to remember that. I did it once and can do it again. Sometimes i feel like my body hates me. Like it can't lose weight, like this is the weight it wants to be no matter what i eat or how much i work out. BUT if it changed then, it WILL change again! Right?

 

This is our beautiful fall tree outside of our apartment! I LOVE it so much i had to share! Do any of you have amazing and healthy fall recipes? I'm gonna start experimenting with some soon! Look for some recipe posts in the future! Hope you guys have a great weekend!

 

Meggan

Meggan Weigh In #1

Hey! I'm going to start doing a Weigh In Wednesday post every week! I think it will help motivate me, as well as keep me accountable! So here it is..................

I have been stuck at this weight for the past 4 weeks!! GRRR! My husband and I are going to start getting up early and going to the gym before work on our busy days! So far we have actually made it twice in one week! Yay!! I have been eating pretty healthy this past 4 weeks, so i guess that's why im a little frustrated! But at the same time i have only averaged like 3 small workouts a week, and my body does not lose weight if i don't workout as well as eat right! I think we have all seen or heard the saying 70% diet 30% exercise?

Well I am the exact opposite! I am 30% Diet and 70% Gym! I just need to do it! No excuses! I have a treadmill in my apartment and a gym 2 mins away! Im going to post my before pics, and my inches next Weigh-in Wed.! Oh yeah and to help me stay motivated I just got the app MyFitnessPal! Anyone else a member!? You should totally join and add me, my user name is Hawkeyemeg! Hope you guys are having a great week! I am LOVING this fall weather!!

Meggan

Back in the Midwest!!

I'm BACK!

Wow what a crazy summer i had!! It was full of fun! We enjoyed being in the humidity-less West! We went everywhere from Connecticut, Utah, Las Vegas, to Idaho! Normally on a two week vacation i would gain at least 10lbs so i was really worried to be gone for a whole 10 weeks!! That's 50lbs at that rate!! haha! I tried really hard to stay active, hit up gyms whenever possible, and watch what i was eating. Doing the "Real Food" Diet really helped keep myself in check! I ended up only gaining 4lbs, and i'm happy to report that after being home 2 weeks i and down the 4lbs! Woo Hoo!

 I am starting at square one again! I'm still trying to stick to Clean/Real Eating as much as possible! I'm not a Nazi with it, if i was i'd probably last two weeks, get bored and give up. I want my clean eating to be a lifestyle change!! This past week i renewed my gym membership! I'm super excited to start using it everyday!    The last two weeks have been hard on my working out routine, I've had 50 hour weeks on top of getting my house unpacked, but this next week should be better! As far as working out goes i still plan on lifting heavy weights along side cardio training. I love muffintop-less.tumbler.com and am using her for motivation and tips! I plan on posting before pictures soon! eeek! Don't say i didn't warn you! I also have a lot of new recipes to add! I'll be posting more regular now that i'm done playing! Until then here are some pictures from my summer!

Blueberry Greek Yogurt Bread

Blueberry Greek Yogurt Bread:

1 C. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour                1/2 C. Honey (or 100% Maple Syrup)
3 Tbs Whole Wheat Pastry Flour              1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 C. Vanilla Protein Powder                   3 Ripe bananas
1/2 tsp. Salt                                              2 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder                         3/4 C. Plain Greek Yogurt
                                       1 C. Blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Mash bananas with a fork until they are liquidy.
Add bananas, eggs, vanilla, honey, and greek yogurt to kitchen-aid. Mix until there are no lumps.
In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients.
 Add to the wet ingredients in the kitchen-aid.Mix until combined.
 Fold in blueberries gently by hand.
 Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans.
Bake for approx. 1 hr. or until top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
*We use convection oven and it takes about 47 mins.

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Greek Yogurt Pancakes:

2 Eggs                                            1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 C. Plain Greek Yogurt            2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 Caps of Vanilla

In two separate bowls:
Mix wet and dry ingredients.
Combine and fold together.
WARNING: The batter looks crazy/weird, don't be scared!
Spoon onto a sprayed pan or griddle that is heated to Med/ Med High.
Flip when they start to bubble on the surface.

Makes about approx. 6 fluffy, super filling, fast, easy and fool proof pancakes.

*I love to top mine with brummel and brown, and 100% maple syrup, or greek yogurt, fruit and a drizzle of honey.*My husband loves them with natural peanut butter and maple syrup, fruit and whipped cream, or nutella.

Malarie's Week Three!

I haven't weighed myself since Day One. Next week I will be taking 1 month pictures and checking my measurements to see how I am doing. I can already see some pretty awesome changes in my body, energy levels etc. My clothes are fitting looser, my belly bloat is diminishing. All in all I am getting really excited. My Mr. is still in his walking boot, but has been able to work out with me. It has been really fun doing the same work outs with him, it makes working out fly by so fast. I have so many fun, yummy recipes to post! We feel like we really haven't had to give up "good tasting" food. I am usually so full from meals its hard to get snacks in, let alone post work out protein.

{My goals for next week}
Consume more protein and veggies
Increase water intake
Continue to work out hard 5 days a week.

Camping and Hiking!

One of the greatest things about living in Utah for the summer is the mountains!! We miss them a lot in Iowa! I love camping!! My husband started his job today and we wanted to get in at least one trip before he started. So we headed up on Monday and came home Tuesday! Pretty quick trip, but awesome none the less! For dinner we made pizza toastites that were sooo good! I bought some Great Harvest whole wheat bread to make them with! Can you say Yum!! I will be so sad not to have a Great Harvest close by come fall! On Tuesday we went on an amazing hike to Stewart Falls! It was 4ish miles round trip so I got in a good workout! The Stewart waterfalls were beautiful!! And we were able to climb up to another one near by! I already want to go again! Although my cheeks are sore today! :) Here are some pictures from the hike! 

Meggan

The small falls!

Up close!

We made it!

My sexy husband and the beautiful mountains!

My First Race

At 7:00am on the 4th of July I ran in the Utah County Freedom Run! I ran the mile race! Many big time runners would laugh at the thought, but i am extremely proud of myself! All growing up my fastest mile was probably around 10 or 11 minutes. So my goal for this race was to get under 10mins! At the gym last week i had ran it in 10 mins and 15 secs, so i figured i could at least shave off 15 seconds. I was so nervous right before the race and kept telling myself that was dumb, i mean i've ran the mile on my treadmill a bunch of times! No big deal! My husband and brother in law ran with me so that helped a ton! I have the best husband! He stayed with me the whole time (even though i know he could have ran it a ton faster)! The race was uphill and on grass! I swear it was the hardest mile they could have mapped out! haha! Not to mention we were dodging little kids left and right! Now that took some serious skill! But GUESS WHAT!!! 


I ran it in 8 minutes and 43 seconds!!!!!!! I am soooo happy about that!! That means i ran at a 7 the whole time!!! I've never done that on my treadmill!!! I can understand how running in races can become addicting! Beating your PR can be sooo exciting! I even got 10th for my age group!


 I don't think i will ever get really into running (like 10ks or Marathons), cause well i dislike the training part! haha But maybe next year i will be brave enough to run a 5k! That wouldn't be sooo bad! Right?! Cheers for a taking a big step towards my healthy lifestyle!! Here are some pictures from the race and the 4th! I hope you all had a great holiday as well!


Meggan

Me and my Husband after the race!

 My time! I got 10th place in my age group 14-40!!! Woo Hoo!

The beautiful backdrop to the race!

Idaho girl for life!!

The perfect sunset for one heck of a good day!

Malarie's Week Two!

Happy 4th of July!

Due to the holiday My Mr. and I cheated a little. Oh boy did I feel it afterward. Thank you stomache ache. My body is clearing liking the change of real food.

We made a real food approved dinner. Chicken, spinach, mozzarella brauts with whole wheat bread. Paired with watermelon and strawberry slushes. The cheating culprit?

Smores. Ewwwy gooey smores.

Meggan's Week One!

Its been one full week since i started eating clean, along with heavy lifting!! I have found that eating clean is both easier than i thought but hard at the same time! These are my pros and cons so far! Now remember these are the things ive noticed since working out AND eating clean. One or more could be a result from one or the other.

Pros-

• Less Bloat
• Sense of Accomplishment 
• Easier to say NO to sweets
• Real food fills me up better than all the fluffy processed carb whores that i love
• Forces me to eat a diet with more, veggies, and  proteins 
• I have become WAY less constipated haha
• I have more Energy
• My clothes are fitting better/ Losing inches

Cons-

• Setting aside the time to workout or cook clean meals
• Not being able to eat at all my fav. restaurants ex. Cafe Rio, J-Dawgs, etc
• Having to supplement/change meals that are being made for the whole family
• Being supper SORE, i've never been quite this sore
• Grocery shopping takes twice as long from having to read labels
• Giving up sweets during my womanly craving week AHHHH

So as you see there are defiantly more pros than cons and its only been one week! I think a lot of my cons could be eliminated if i were at home in Iowa. This summer we are living with my in laws while my husband does a clerkship for a Judge. So obviously i don't have a kitchen to myself. There has been times this week i have thought the food was made clean, only to find out that it wasn't. Example: my in laws cooked steaks one night and i was sooo excited only to find out that they were all marinated in a sauce that listed high fructose corn syrup as the number 2 ingredient!! Yikes! Did i eat it?! Yes..........i was sad about it but my relationship with them is more important than making a snobby big deal about it not being "clean". Next time they make steak i will make sure they leave an un-marinated piece out for me. :) As far as losing weight goes im not sure if i have or not. I don't have a reliable scale to weigh in on! Maybe the gym im going to next week will?! My size 6 shorts are finally fitting (without me having to to a ton of yoga moves to stretch them out first) so i think that means im losing inches. I'll find a tape measure this week and post my stats.

 Anyway i hope you guys are geared up and ready for a great 4th of July! I'm running in a one mile race called the "Freedom Run" the morning of the 4th. Wish me luck! I hope to get under a 10 min run in!

Meggan

Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes

These are my husband's new favorite dessert. He has asked me to make more of these on several occasions. {Which is saying a lot due to the fact he usually isn't a big chocolate fan.}

I originally got the idea from some chocolate avocado doughnuts I pinned on Pinterest.

1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour        1 Mashed Avocado

1/3 C. Cocoa Powder                 1 C. Vanilla Almond or Soy Milk

1 tsp. Baking Powder                 3/4 C. 100% Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp. Salt                                  1 tsp. Vanilla

                                                     

                                                     1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

In two separate bowls-

Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients.

Combine and fold together.

Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 22 mins

*We use a convection oven and they take approx. 17 mins

They are fantasic alone but if you are looking for a "frosting" Mix natural peanut butter and a smudge of honey and dollop on top.

Malarie's Week One!

It's been one week since my Mr. and I started the 100 day real food challenge together. We have already found that prepwork is the key to success. It has been really fun for me coming up with new recipes and spending more time in the kitchen. I feel less bloaty and have more energy than usual. My Mr. ripped some tentions in his foot last week so no workouts have happened yet, but we are soo excited to start working out hard together and starting on the second part of our challenge.