Double D's

So, a lot of people have been asking me why I haven’t been updating my blog here lately and harassing me to get it done. So, after really thinking about it, I’ve decided that it’s because I am an “inspiration-based” writer, meaning that when I don’t feel inspired, I don’t have much to write. Therefore, since you are all intelligent people, I am sure you can deduce from my lack of updates, I have been feeling uninspired for a while now.

That being said, I can now launch into what I’ve learned in this season of feeling uninspired. 

There are going to be days (and a lot of them, I might add) that we don’t feel inspired, we don’t feel excited, and frankly we just don’t feel like doing what we know we need to do to reach our goals. These can be some of the toughest times to get through on our journey to wherever we’re headed, because these are the times when it is easiest to get side-tracked, bored, or just give up completely.

If you find yourself in that place right now; I have some insight for you that may just be the ticket to getting you through.

“Every girl wants double D’s.”

Say whaaa? I know, I know. Just stick with me.

But since we all can’t have secrets as big as Victoria, we can at least we can put into practice these 2 words which we will call the double D’s for ease of remembering them. Because the good Lord knows we could all use a little help remembering things… or maybe that’s just me.

DISCIPLINE: “Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior; especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.”

DEDICATION: “The act of being wholly committed or devoted to a particular course of thought or action.”

So, if you do happen to find yourself feeling a little down because your journey is long and hard, just remember this is a time of training. You are training to produce the specific goal you have in mind, but you will never get there if you are not WHOLLY committed to your plan. 

PS: because I am a nerd and have learned to fully embrace my nerdiness, I feel no shame in letting you all know that the awesome superhero bra pictured is being shipped to me at this very moment! Get excited.

practice makes perfect... or not.

Since you all live in the United States and I’m assuming most of you don’t live under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”. This phrase holds true for a lot of areas in life such as math and… well, I can’t think of many other things that this phrase would be true for, because the truth of the matter is that practice does not make perfect. Let’s be honest life is hard and no matter how much you practice being perfect you never will be. No one is perfect and no one ever has been (except for Jesus, of course) and no one ever will be. The important thing we need to get a hold of is that we don’t have to be perfect. Maybe I should say that again, and really hear me this time we DO NOT have to be perfect. End of story. The only person who expects perfection from you is YOU. And guess what? Your expectations are too high and you will end up disappointed, disillusioned and angry with yourself.

So why am I writing all this and how does it correspond to my journey to health? Well, as you very know by now, I believe health is a combination of body, mind, and spirit. If our mind doesn’t acknowledge the value we have as beautiful creations of our awesome God and our spirit is broken from the failures we’ve experienced over and over again, we are not healthy. We are broken. Broken to our very core.

So how do we get “fixed”? How do we transform the things we’ve believed about ourselves for so very long?

The answer is simple. It’s just one little word.  But sometimes it’s so incredibly difficult to accept. Ready for this?

TRUTH. That’s it. That simple, five letter word is our answer, it is the only answer. But how is truth our answer? Here’s why and listen closely… the things you believe about yourself, the “I’m not good enough” “I’m a failure” “I’m not worth it” “I’ll never be able to accomplish that” “No one really cares or loves me anyway” “There must be something wrong with me, I’m different from everyone else” THESE ARE LIES!!! These are lies from Satan, himself. He is trying to steal your joy, kill your hope, and destroy your dreams. And if you are anything like me, I’m guessing he’s done a pretty good job at it too.

The good news is that Jesus says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life…”. If you are broken and you need to be made whole, turn to your creator, turn to the God who infinitely loves you and wants you to see yourself from His loving eyes. God doesn’t make mistakes. Ever. You were made in His glorious image and it's time you started believing it, because THAT IS TRUTH. It’s time to combat the doubt, the fears, and the lies. Fight with the truth that is the word of God. Without that weapon, you have no chance of winning. None.

Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice creates patience. The destination and goal are of utmost importance, don’t lose sight of them. But remember, the destination isn’t everything. The journey is important too. Without the journey, without the practice, you can’t be the person you need to be to obtain those goals. Don’t give up, keep trudging on. Fight the lies. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

Day 3 Recap: Healthy Italian… is that even possible?

Happy Friday to you all! If you’re anything like me, you feel this day could not be more welcome. We all need a little break here and there. I tell my family about 5 times a day “I NEED A VACATION!!!”. Sometimes I just feel like I’m trapped in a box with no air and all I want is to find a way out. My dad calls it the “travel bug”. And he’s probably right, but nevertheless when I get that feeling, there’s not much in this world that can satisfy it but to get away for a few days. However, since my schedule at work is just way too busy right now to find some peace from the craziness of life, I have to find other outlets to de-stress.

Oh and let’s play “Did You Know That…?” because I have some fun facts of the day to share with you.

Stress Causes:

1. Frequent headaches, jaw clenching or pain

2. Neck ache, back pain and muscle spasms

3. Difficulty breathing

4. Chest pain and palpitations

5. Increased anger, frustration and hostility

6. Depression and frequent or wild mood swings

7. Increased appetite

8. Rashes, itching and hives 

9. Difficulty concentrating 

10. Social withdrawal and isolation

For more information you can visit the American Institute of Stress online at: http://www.stress.org/topic-effects.htm

Anyway, back to my stress outlets. I have several such as massages, manis and pedis, shopping, exercise, and cooking. Last night to find a little relief from the pressures, I decided to take a little trip to Italy… well maybe not all the way to Italy, but I at least made some delicious and yes even healthy Italian food. I know you’re wondering how on earth Italian food can be healthy. But here’s the deal, I’ve been collecting recipes that I want to try out and am reinventing them by substituting ingredients to make my dishes healthier. Last night I made Chicken Bruschetta Pasta, Baked Mozzarella & Parmesan Tomatoes, and Zuccini Fries. Now because my boyfriend doesn’t love the taste of “healthy cardboard food” I am trying to be really inventive to keep my dishes healthy, but cram them full of bold flavors. Last night our dinner was good for us and he even agreed that the taste was great too!

The Full Meal

Now, onto the part you actually care about. THE RECIPES!

Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

Ingredients:

1½        Chicken Breast Tenderloin (cut into small chunks)

2tbs       Fat Free Sour Cream

4            Cloves Garlic (minced)

2            Yellow Squash (cut into ribbons)

12oz      Whole Wheat Rigatoni Noodles                

2tbs       Olive Oil

1            Red Bell Pepper (sliced thin)

1c         Water (for cream sauce)

1/2tbs   Chicken Base 

1½c      Skim or 1% Milk

1tsp      Basil

2           Light Garlic & Herb Spreadable Cheese (use 2 full containers of the cheese wedges)

3tbs      All Purpose Flour

2tbs      Fresh Parsley (chopped fine) 

Directions:

Chicken Mixture: Drizzle olive oil in hot skillet, add minced garlic and chicken. Cook until done.  Add red bell pepper slices and about 1/4c of water to mix. Cover with lid to let peppers steam.  When most of water has cooked out, remove lid and turn up heat to get additional sear on chicken and peppers.

Noodle Mixture: Take yellow squash and create ribbons by peeling with potato peeler. Set aside. Boil noodles as directed. When noodles are almost fully cooked, add squash ribbons and continue to boil for about 30 seconds. Immediately remove from heat, drain and run cool water over noodle mixture to keep from over cooking.

So I know at this point you are probably wondering what I’m doing with this spreadable cheese… yep, it’s going into the sauce. I used the Happy Farms brand that I bought at Aldi (an awesome, super cheap grocery store in OKC, if you don’t shop there, start!) rather than the well-known Laughing Cow brand because it is less than half the price, tastes just as good and well, I’m just not afraid of buying off-brands.

Cream Sauce: In a medium size pot bring your water to a boil and then add chicken base. You can also sub the water and base for 1/2c of fat free chicken stock. Once the base has dissolved add containers of cheese wedges (take them out of the foil of course, we aren’t trying to kill people). Add sour cream and milk to mixture. Turn down heat to medium, so you don’t scald your milk. Start whisking like a maniac and don’t stop. You want to make sure your cheese blends in into mixture completely. At this point your sauce will be thin and should be boiling. Continue boil for about 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously. Then take flour in pinches and add a little at a time. Make sure you are whisking it in really well or you will be making dough ball sauce. Continue adding flour until you reach your desired consistency (you may use less or more depending on how thick you want your sauce).

Add all ingredients together (heat of sauce should warm noodles) and put in a pretty serving dish because pretty things are better and you will feel better about your meal. Garnish with parsley and serve.

For the original recipe, please go to: http://www.bhg.com/recipes/recipedetail.jsp?recipeId=R160137

Zucchini Fries – I love these little guys!

Ingredients:

2            Large Zucchini (sliced sticks)

3            Large eggs (beaten)

3tbs       Flour

1c          Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

2tbs       Parmesan Cheese (grated)

1/4tsp    Garlic Powder

              Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut zucchini into sticks. I know, I know, how the heck are you supposed to do that? I found that the easiest way was to stand my zucchini on its end (after you cut the ends off) and slice it evenly into 4 long strips about 1/2” wide. Then take those strips and slice them longwise into 3 smaller strips, then cut in half. You should end up with about 48 sticks total.

Preheat oven to 425*. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat eggs with fork until frothy. In another bowl place flour, and in a third bowl place your bread crumbs (I used Italian). Toss breadcrumbs with garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Dip zucchini sticks into flour and then your egg (make sure fully coated). The original recipe said to dip them into bread crumbs and then place them on your pan. But that was taking FOREVER! So since my boyfriend has a love for fried chicken and therefore knows a lot about Shake N Bake, he told me to put my bread crumbs in a bag and just throw a bunch of my egg and flour-laden zucchini sticks in it and shake it all around. He’s really smart. The trick saved me A LOT of time! Then I placed them on the pan and baked them for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn the heat to broil for a couple minutes to give them a nice crunch.

For the original recipe, please visit: http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2011/05/baked-zucchini-fries.html

  

Baked Mozzarella & Parmesan Tomatoes

Ingredients:

4            Tomatoes (slice horizontally)

1/4c       Mozzarella Cheese (finely grated)

1/8c       Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated)

1tsp       Fresh Oregano (chopped fine)

4tsp       Extra Virgin Olive Oil

              Salt & Pepper to Taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450*. Place tomatoes on baking sheet, top with chesses, then herbs, and lastly olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes until tender and then turn up heat to broil for about 3 minutes to finish them off. Remove from heat and serve.

You can find the original recipe here: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/baked_parmesan_tomatoes.html

Day 2: Little Distractions = Huge Subtractions

Good morning to all of you! You're probably wondering why I have a picture of Troy in his armor up here, when my title doesn't at all correlate to it. Well, you just wait, we'll get to that. But first... I don’t know about you, but yesterday was pretty stressful! Work was crazy busy because I was down to the wire on a project I should have already completed and then I had class until 10:00pm. I know, night class during the summer, yes I am insane. But because of that class and my failure to plan ahead by making myself a dinner I could eat on the road, I ended up grabbing a sandwich at Subway… therefore, no fun recipes today. I know you’re heartbroken, but I promise your recovery time will be only seconds. In fact, you are probably already over it. Anyway onto my sermon, uh I mean lesson for the day.

As I mentioned before, yesterday was incredibly busy and a little hectic. I was working on finishing HUGE a landscape design and proposal for a meeting with a big client last night. I was down to the wire on time because it was a project I was supposed to have had completed the day before. Since I am on the “better your life” program designed by me, I began asking myself why I was still working on the project. As I was pondering that thought, I got a text message from a friend, so I stopped what I was doing to read it and replied with something clever and a smiley face. At that very moment while I was sitting at my drawing table and staring at my phone, I had an epiphany.  I was still working on that project because I had let little distractions divert my attention.

I titled today’s blog “Little Distractions = Huge Subtractions” because it’s the little distractions in life which we allow to get our focus off the goal that cause huge subtractions from our progress.  Yesterday, it was a distraction from work, but this lesson holds true for all walks of life.

Maybe you have a goal to get out of debt and get your finances in order. I promise you that super cute sparkly tank top at the mall is a distraction from your goal. Cute as it may be, financial freedom will be way more rewarding. Besides, you have 7 more sparkly shirts in your closet. You don’t really need it anyway.

Many times as unfortunate as it is, I find that I don’t feel connected to God. But when I start thinking about where my attentions have been, I realize I’ve let all the little stuff that I have to do and the everyday hustle and bustle in life get me distracted from the one thing that really matters: making sure I am in right relationship with the Lord and my heart is filled with his spirit and his love. I feel empty because I haven’t put aside the distractions and let Him fill me up. How can I be a light and pour into the lives of others when I haven’t spent time in the word or in prayer and allowed the Lord to fill me up. It’s impossible to give what I don’t have.

And yes, you knew we’d get there… little distractions create huge subtractions from our progress in weight loss too. In the past when doing whatever diet I was trying at the time, I would do great for about a week (maybe more) and then there would be a big family dinner, a party, or a treat that just looked too good to pass up. I would let that one little detour in the road be a complete road block for me. I would succumb to the temptation to indulge and then I would feel bad about it and then stop trying all together. Other times I would be doing great on a diet program, but then get busy. “Oh, I have 75 million things to do today, I can’t go the gym.”. “Oh, I really need to go grocery shopping for some healthy foods, but I really don’t have the time. I guess I’ll just HAVE to eat the whole bag of potato chips instead.”.

There is always going to be some kind of distraction waiting to get you off your course. And I promise, those distractions, IF YOU ALLOW THEM will certainly lead to huge subtractions from your progress. It doesn’t matter what your goal is, you have to set your mind on it and start running. If you do get a little sidetracked or come to a roadblock, don’t let that stop you from obtaining your goals. Your goal is worth working for and finding a way to get back on track. Everything in life truly worth having is worth fighting for, so grab your battle gear and go to war.

Day 1 Recap

Well hello there and thanks for stopping by today. Those of you who know me, (and by know me, I really mean have read my total of ONE previous blog) know that I am on a journey to establishing overall health of my mind, body, and spirit. Because like I said before, “One without the others is not true health”. That being said, let’s get down to business… the recap of my day complete with healthy recipes that I made today.

I started my day off with a delicious orange protein shake that tasted like ice cream. After all, who says you can’t have dessert for breakfast? I have started a 90 Day Weight Loss Challenge in which I always (well from today on,  seeing as how today is the start of my new “always”) have 2 protein shakes everyday as breakfast and lunch, 3 healthy snacks (mid-morning, afternoon, after dinner), and one healthy yet delicious dinner.

Now onto the fun stuff - recipes!!! My friends always refer to my cooking as “grandma style” because like a grandma, I never follow recipes. I just throw stuff together and somehow it turns out pretty good (most of the time). However, for the sake of keeping calories in check and the ability for you to try the recipes yourself, I have decided to write everything down. What I don’t invent, I’ll be sure to provide recipes for those meals too (and give credit to the source, of course).

What’s for dinner? Well, let me tell you! Last night I made fajita chicken soft corn tacos with homemade guacamole. And it was outrageous. Seriously, my taste buds were smiling… or was that my face? Anyway…

Guacamole Too Good for Restaurants to Serve

Ingredients:

2            Ripe Avocado (make sure they really are ripe)

3            Garlic Clove (minced)

1/3 c      Red Bell Pepper (chopped fine)

1/4 c      Red Onion (chopped very fine)

1/3 c      Tomato (chopped)

1/8 c      Cilantro (chopped very fine)

1/2         Medium Lime (squeeze juice – add more as desired)

              Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Half avocados, remove seeds and scoop avocado out of peel into medium bowl. Lightly mash avocados into smooth yet still chunky mixture. Mince garlic cloves and finely chop remaining ingredients. Combine all chopped ingredients with avocado mixture. Take lime under the palm of your hand and roll on counter with decent force to loosen juices, cut lime in half and squeeze juice of one half into mixture. Lightly stir mixture being careful not to smash your vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste and a little more lime if you like your guacamole extra tangy.  Or if you are a more of a mild person and the original recipe is a little too tangy for you, reduce lime or add a little fat free sour cream. Remember, everyone is different, so just make it however you will like it best!

Fajita Chicken Soft Corn Tacos

Ingredients:

1tbs        Extra Virgin Olive Oil      

24oz       Chicken (fajita sliced)

1             Tortilla Chips (bag)

1             Black Beans (can)

1pkg       Corn Tortillas

2c           Lettuce (chopped)

1             White Onion (sliced)

1             Red Bell Pepper (sliced)

1             Green Bell Pepper (sliced)

1/2 c       Cheddar Cheese (fat free and grated)

1/2 c       Sour Cream (fat free or light)

1             Tomato (chopped)

1 c          Salsa

2/3c        Water

               Guacamole (from previous recipe)

Directions:

Place large skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle olive oil into skillet and let heat for about 45 seconds to one minute. 

Place fajita sliced chicken into pan. I like to use frozen Tyson Fajita Chicken because it is already fully cooked, seasoned and sliced to make things easy. If you are starting out with raw chicken breast though: remove fat, slice thin, and season with a little salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Cook chicken for about 5-6 minute (should be completely thawed and hot) almost golden color (or fully cooked if cooking raw chicken). Add water and start getting the caramelization off the pan and into your chicken and water for added flavor. 

Add peppers and onions. Cover with lid and simmer on medium heat. When almost all water has cooked out, take off lid and cook until chicken is golden brown. 

Remove from heat. In your down time while chicken and peppers are cooking: chop remaining ingredients and prepare servings of cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. Heat a few tortillas in microwave and black beans (I have fat free refried beans in the picture, but that’s because I forgot to purchase my black beans) in pot on stove. Transport all ingredients into serving dishes, build your tacos (or salads also pictured) and enjoy!

The Beginning of Forever

For many years of my life (23 to be exact, as that is my current age) I have had a distorted perception of health. I've always thought of said topic to be the current diet I was trying out or what my hips and waist measurements were. Never has health been a lifestyle that is focused not only on the body, but the mind and spirit as well. To obtain success in one area is not true health. It's the combination of all three that will truly change your life. Being only 23, I realize I am young, but in my 23 years I have finally learned something. Ready for this? Okay, here we go... If you're not healthy (which I'm not) it's because there is something not right about your lifestyle. Boom. And that's what this blog is about... identifying those things in my life that cause me to have an unhealthy lifestyle, facing them head-on, and hopefully encouraging others to do the same while building a support group for those dealing with the same issues. It's scary to really look in the mirror and see yourself for who you really are, but that is the first step to freedom, yes freedom. Freedom from the "I can't do it". Freedom from the "If I was thinner and prettier". Freedom from the chains of self-doubt and insecurity that I have wrapped around myself with every chip I've put in my mouth and every bad choice I've made.

Today is a new day. Every day is a new day. And every single day is an opportunity to become a better me. A new me. Today I start my journey to discovering who I was intended to be by introducing my body, mind, and spirit to a new lifestyle. I'm not yet certain what all changes I will make during my "reinvention," but as I dig deep and discover why I've formed the habits I have, I'll understand what I need to do to create new ones. Join me on this journey, for this I know: two is better than one, three is better than two, and four makes it a party! So let's all get healthy together. Maybe you're already a size four and have ripped abs. That's okay, you're welcome too, because everyone has their own issues that they need to deal with to truly experience health of the body, mind, and spirit. Besides, if we were all the same the world would be boring.

This is my quote for the day: "An action repeated is a habit gained.". What habits do I want to form and what habits to I need to kick? That's what I am thinking about this week.

What habits are hardest for you to get rid of? What new ones are you trying to create?