Wrap up and Easy Lunch

Quick, easy and healthy lunch. I make sure the tortilla I use is whole wheat and the deli meat I use is high quality like Boar's Head with no nasty additives. 

You will need:

1 whole wheat tortilla

1 slice cheese (your choice)

2 slices turkey

1 slice ham (optional)

Handful of greens (I love baby spring mix)

Drizzle of Olive oil (optional: if you don't want your wrap to be dry)

Layer in order listed, roll up and enjoy. 

This will fill you up and help you recover after a workout or fuel your body before a workout. It's light, low in fat, and you can customize it how ever you want. If you don't want any meat use sliced veggies. If you prefer no cheese or dressing just leave it out. You can even fill your wrap with cooked chicken or fish. Possibilities are endless. 

Love,

Jennifer

Another Meal Plan

So I was talking with a friend and thought it would be a great idea to post my meal plans. This is what I use to plan my food for the day, exercise and any extra things I have going on. This is the best way for me to have all that I need in one place.

Works for me.

I have a lot of food that is excess from the previous week so I just carry that over and try to work it in so it doesn't go to waste. This week I happen to have a lot of produce from last week and some staples like rice, bread and meats. Along with this meal plan I will list my grocery list so you can see what I typically buy. There are always things on the list that aren't normally there (diapers, batteries, lightbulbs) but I try to only buy what I need.

I also try to bake something totally bad but so good for Austin so he has something to munch on while he's working away. This week I'm making Skinny Double Chocolate Chip Muffins from Sallys Baking Addiction (I already have all the ingredients from the last time I made them) and Soft M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies from Averie Cooks (I only need M&m's). Both recipes I got from amazing ladies who posted to their blogs. I highly recommend them!

	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
Breakfast	Whole Wheat Waffle, Peanut Butter, Strawberries	Loaded Oatmeal	2 scrambled eggs	Whole Wheat Waffles, Peanut Butter, Strawberries	Loaded Oatmeal	2 Scrambled Eggs	Whole Wheat Waffle, Peanut Butter, Strawberries
Snack	Pineapple and Mango Smoothie	Apple slices w/Peanut Butter	Whole Wheat Bread w/peanut butter and; banana slices	Whole Wheat Bread, Cream Cheese, Cucumber slices	Apple w/peanut butter	Cucumber and Carrot Slices and Low fat Ranch	Greek yogurt and granola
Lunch	Sandwiches and fruit	Loaded Baked Red Potato	Greens topped with Hard Boiled Eggs and Veggies	2 Scrambled Eggs, Salsa, Asparagus and Black Beans	Turkey, Ham and cheese wrap	Loaded Baked Potato	Greens topped with Hard Boiled Eggs and Veggies
Snack	Apple slices w/peanut butter	Pineapple and Mango Smoothie	Carrot slices w/Laughing Cow Cheese	Popcorn	Carrot and Cucumber slices	Cottage Cheese and Strawberries	Bread w/peanut butter and banana slices
Dinner	Salmon, brown rice, greens with veges	Salmon, Brown Rice, Asparagus	Tuna Casserole and greens	Chicken Pot Pie, Asparagus, Salad	Baked Cod with Roasted Sweet Potato	Pizza Run	Clean Baked Ziti
Plans	Grocery Shopping	Movie Night	Family Time	Church		Pizza Run
Activity	Yoga	Swimming	Weights	Rest		Pizza Run	Hip Hop
Cleaning			Pick up house, Laundry		Whole House and Organize

Costco:
Diapers $40
Apple Juice $9
Whole Wheat Pancake Mix $5
Eggs $7
Milk (whole and 1%) $9
Butter $7
Asparagus $5
Strawberries $5
Estimated Spending: $87

Harmon's or Smith's:
Frozen peas $1
Red Potatoes $5
Mushrooms $3
Organic Springs Mix $4
M&M's $4
Estimated Spending: $17

Fill up my sweet ride: $70

Total Estimate Spending: $174

I usually grocery shop like this every two weeks and on the off weeks it will just be a few produce items so maybe $40. This is great if you're trying to budget shop too. Healthy for you and your bank account!

You can use my same format, change it to suite your needs or do something different. I will try to make this downloadable in the future. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading. 

I love feedback. Don't be afraid to comment. 

Love,

Jennifer

Proof is in the Pudding

You don't need a fancy diet to lose weight.

You don't need a crazy workout routine to lose weight. 

Just be active, make healthy food choices and KEEP GOING!!! 

I am PROOF that you can do the impossible. I am PROOF that small changes make a BIG difference. I am PROOD that ANYONE can do it. 

No matter what you have to work with you can do it. 

October 21, 2012

242 lbs 

(Lost 20 right away after having Ethan)

Wearing extra large pants, shirts and very uncomfortable

March 17, 2014

176 lbs

 (Prepregnancy weight- but more muscle- pre pregnancy clothes fit looser)

Just had to buy new pants because mine were too big (best reason to buy new clothes) wearing size 10 comfortably and shirts in medium/large

I move my butt. I push myself. I have 100% control of my body and what goes in it. Eat foods that are real and do something great for you. Stay away from foods that don't do anything for you. They are robbing you of a life. Drink water. Stay away from sugary drinks. 

Take it ONE step at a time. When you got that down, add another. 

Be happy with who you are right now. Your body deserves your kindness. Only you can do good things for it. 

My progress is and always has been slow. That is because I only do what I can handle but I am determined to keep it up for the rest of my life. It is an investment. 

My current numbers improve but I know I'm doing it the most beneficial way for my body. No crash diets. No cutting calories. No extreme things going into my body. 

Proof is in the pudding ladies (and gents). 

"The Struggle"

Let's be honest people.

I SUCK AT BEING HEALTHY!!!!

I have this thing about doing well, watching what I eat, working out regularly and keeping it up until I plateau. I have hit a plateau for the last six months. Is this normal? I loose quite a bit of weight then it just stops and I have no idea why?

Maybe someone who knows more about the body than I do can help me out on this but since I have had a harder time losing weight my nutrition hasn't been very nutritious. I kill myself working out, eat mostly healthy and clean but then Cafe Rio here and stonecutter there and I'm back to where I was 2 months ago.

I think it's just human nature to be satisfied with the bare minimum or it's just my personality to sit back and be comfortable. Well newsflash Jen nothing great EVER happens in the comfort zone. So I'm going to educate myself even further on what is good for my body.

This past week I have been doing Insanity workouts and incorporating fresh fruits and veges back into my daily routine to jump start me. I am not focusing solely on weight loss now but building muscle and that is one step closer to my goal.

I am fired up. I am motivated. I have made up my mind.

Let's do this!!

What have you all been doing to be healthy?

Plan Those Meals!

Just like your money has a budget (or should) your food should have a plan. I feel better when I have things mapped out for me. Takes the guess work out of day and I have one less thing to worry about. Spending a little time once a week I knock out my meal plan AND my grocery list. How's that for multi tasking?

Over the years I went from going to the grocery store, picking out what looked good- mostly junk food- and taking it home to sit and go to waste because we didn't have real food and would end up going out anyway. So much waste.

Now the process has evolved. This is an example of what I do. Well this is the exact meal plan I set up for this week. I plan my meals every week on this template. I usually grocery shop on Wednesdays so this tells me what I need to get. It's very easy for me to see what we have planned for that day. Anything that would affect meals. Then I check what we already have and then shop for the rest. This is the amazing part. Produce usually costs less than processed food and so as a nice bonus my grocery bill has DROPPED since I have been eating clean. Shopping each week lets me keep fresh fruits and vege's in my fridge so it doesn't go to waste and I can get the good stuff and not break my budget.

As you can see I take easy shortcuts here and there. My breakfasts are just different meals that I switch every other day. Lunches are a few meals and repeated. Snacks and other meals use repeated ingredients. I try to make it as easy on myself as I can. I get lots of freedom with dinners. That is what I spend the most time on. I search the internet; mainly Pinterest for clean eating dinner ideas. There are a few I do every week like tacos and turkey burgers so I end up only having to come up with 3-4 for the week. Leftovers are great because Austin can take them for lunch to work. I try to only buy what we need. It has helped me learn to appreciate the food we have and not let it go to waste.

This has taken me years to figure out. I hope it helps you. I absolutely love feedback so comment if you loved this idea, what you do to help your family and any suggestions you have for future posts. Thanks all.

Much Love,

Jennifer

Note: My phone is my best friend for EVERYTHING!! Grocery shopping especially :) I use the app AnyList to help cut my grocery shopping trip down. This helps with a busy toddler. It categorizes what you need so you don't end up zig zagging through different ends of the store and wasting time. I've talked a lot about waste this post only because I had a big problem with it. Haha enjoy!

Start the Day Off Right

Since the beginning of the year I have been making an effort to eat cleaner and fresher. Last year I focused on making my workouts habit and part of life but this year I'm ready to take on my nutrition. Breakfasts are pretty easy for me because I mostly make the same thing but I like to mix it up here and there. 

My usual breakfast:

2 scrambled eggs and piece of fruit or greek yogurt. 

Variations on eggs- sprinkle of shredded cheddar, salsa drizzle

Since I have been looking into foods that are better for my body I like to switch it up. I have been trying 1 serving cottage cheese or oatmeal with the following toppings:

1 sliced banana

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

2-3 tablespoons local honey

sprinkle of cinnamon

Eggs are really good for you but on days where I eat my loaded cottage cheese or oatmeal (I like oatmeal better) I can tell my body has more energy. It doesn't take long for me to feel it. I got this idea from Jen Senecal who was a guest on one of the blogs at lunchpailsandlipstick.com. I love how she makes it simple. The link I thought was the most helpful is listed below:

Jen Senecal Clean Eating Expert

My biggest tip is to make small changes here and there. Don't get overwhelmed all at once because you won't be able to keep it up. Start with one meal. Breakfast is easy because it sets the mood for the rest of the day. Make it mean something for your body. You are breaking your fast so give it something good. 

Much love,

Jennifer

My Story Pt. 1

I love eating out. There is something about going to a restaurant, ordering food and having it delivered to me that screams "Special Occasion!!" and I love that.

Growing up I was taught to cook for myself. Fast food or even restaurant visits were a privilege and wasn't something my family did very much. So when Austin and I met we would go out all the time. I was young and never had to worry about what I ate because let's face it when you're young and skinny nothing really mattered so who cares?

As time went by I got used to eating huge portions of greasy, rich, fried foods and gallons of soda. I would buy Pepsi by the case and go through it so fast my stock wouldn't last more than a few days. I didn't know about calories or fat content. I thought pizza was healthy because it technically had foods from all sections of the food pyramid. I gained quite a bit a weight after I got married. Thought it was happy fat and I didn't worry too much. But I started to feel self conscience, depressed and unhappy.

I thought how I felt was normal. Nope. It's not.

My unhealthy eating habits went on until I got pregnant. Then I went from crappy diet choices to really bad diet choices. My weight had steadily been rising and now it was skyrocketing. I would totally justify it.

"The baby needs it", "I'm so hungry! Ya give me a whole Cafe Rio Salad and a chocolate cake!", "It'll come off when I nurse", "Do I want heartburn? No I'll eat two breakfast burritos", "I deserve and extra large combo with all the extras", "I might as well I'm already chubby".

Well I didn't know it would happen but I got sick. Preeclampsia. I had a painful and difficult delivery and even worse recovery. I went on anti depressants for a few days and that was my rock bottom. I felt too heavy to take care of my baby. When Austin went back to work I used my weight as a crutch to feel sorry for myself. Plain and simple I did that to myself and I had to take responsibility. At that time I was living off caffeine and eating lots of junk. Did it make me happy? No.

So I changed. In January 2013 I started working out at home. Did half hour of something (P90X or Youtube) every few days. Only what I could handle. I stopped drinking soda and drowned my stomach in water. I made small tweaks to the food I ate. Whole wheat instead of white. Fresh fruit instead of chips. Reminded myself my stomach is only as big as my fist and watched my portions.

Slowly I could feel the depression disappear. I started to need that high. The sweat and the rush after. That was the beginning.

Clean Eating Overall Challenge- My Thoughts

Clean eating can be interpreted many different ways. To my understanding it is eating foods that are nutritionally valuable to your body meaning they haven't been processed or modified. Your body will benefit from consuming said foods. Keeping that in mind and knowing my personality I decided after the first week to not be super strict. I would never stick to it.

Instead I used the recipes and snack ideas as a guideline and added a few things or took away what I didn't want to eat. You want to enjoy what you put in your body and if you hate eating salads then don't eat salads. There are plenty of other foods that are great for you that don't involve lettuce.

All in all it helped me break through a plateau I had been battling for six weeks. I feel less bloated, more energized and healthier.

For me what ever I eat affects me. I can tell if it's slowing me down or if it's giving me energy. I'm not perfect and I am not super strict. I eat out but I educate myself of what I put in my mouth. You have 100% control over what goes in your body. That was part of getting my act together. Realizing I am responsible for myself. No one else. So if you need a little kick start to awesome nutrition then I highly recommend clean eating.

Note: if if seems overwhelming- I know how you feel- start with one meal. Figure out how to make that clean. Ask yourself the following- is it processed, what can it do for my body, is it going to help me reach my goal?

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!