I Love Me Some Vegetables!

         After my vegetable adventure a few weeks back I've been trying to add more of them into my daily menu. There are a few different ones that I have been eating on a regular basis, but rutabagas have been appearing more often than the others. I've tired them a few different ways, but the way I like to eat them the most is mashed. They have a light, mild cauliflower flavor but, unlike cauliflower, have the creamy, fluffy texture of mashed potatoes. With a little butter, salt, and pepper, I could eat them all day long. They are a great way to replace carb loaded potatoes, but still leave you feeling satisfied at the end of your meal (1 cup of potatoes have around 30 carbs, while one cup of rutabagas have around 11 carbs). This is, without a doubt,  my favorite way to eat rutabagas (this can also be found in the recipe section under sides):

Mashed Rutabagas

-  1 medium to large rutabaga

-  1 tbsp. butter (more or less to your own taste)

-  Salt and pepper to taste

-  2 crushed garlic cloves, or garlic powder to taste (optional)




-  Peel the rutabaga and cut into 1 inch cubes. Place in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook 30 to 45 minutes, until rutabaga is fork tender, then drain. Mash with remaining ingredients and enjoy!

It is that simple, and they are so good! I almost prefer them to mashed potatoes... almost. While I do love a big scoop of mashed potatoes, mashed rutabagas are a nice alternative for me while I'm trying to lose weight.

I hope some of you out there give this recipe a try, you just might enjoy them as much as I do!

♥ Lots of LOVE ♥

Laura 

My Summer Of ME!

My Summer of ME!

Summer is fast approaching, and now that school is done until fall (for me anyway) I've started thinking about what I want to do with my time. I've decided that I will be dedicating my summer... to myself. I will still do all the things I usually do (but secretly don't want to) like laundry, cleaning, and cooking dinner, but I will be using my spare time for things more productive than just eating bags of chips and watching TV.

I have decided that this is my summer, and no one is going to take it away from me. This will be the summer I will do all the things I've always said I was going to, but never got around to. I will work out at least 5 times a week, more if I can. I will eat better than I have been. I WILL lose weight. I've been slowly losing the last few weeks, but this summer I plan on losing a big chunk of the weight I've got to lose. This time around I will make this weight loss thing work.

I know I've said that all before, but I truly mean it, and plan on doing everything in my power to make it happen. Something about this time feels different, like I was never really ready in the past, but I am now. You know how they always say you have to be ready to make the changes you need in your life... like how people can never really quit smoking until they are truly ready to do it... I am truly ready to make this change in my life. Not only am I ready to, but I have to. By this time next summer I plan on being at my goal weight, or if not that, at least very, very close to it.

I'm using this blog as my contract of sorts. My promise, not only to my self, but to my husband, my family, and all of you out there that actually read this blog, that this will be the last time I ever say I'm going to start losing weight. I've started... and I will finish. I want to be healthy, happy with the way I look and feel, and be able to look forward to a life free from fat, and full of possibility!

What will this summer be for you?

♥ Lots of LOVE ♥

Laura

A Tuff Week

    So this has not been a good week for me. My weigh in on Wednesday was not the  best it could have been. I was down 0.4 of a pound, but I've been stuck in the 230 for quite a while now... I'm talking at least 2 months. Something my trainer, John, isn't very happy about, and neither am I, I feel like I'm wasting his time by not do what I should be doing, I really just wanted to cry.

     I know the problem is all in my head. My fitness is great, I feel like I could work out all day sometimes. I can do so much more than i used to be able to. So why can't I get rid of this weight you ask? Because I'm stuck in a food rut that I can't seem to get out of. I call it a food rut because I've gotten lazy and just eat what ever is there, which is usually something that I shouldn't be eating.

    I know what to eat and the right way to eat them. I just get lazy and decide it would just be easier to eat something that's ready to go, instead of putting in the little bit of extra work to eat what is good for me. It's terrible to say that, isn't it? I'm lazy. I hate seeing that word, because I have no reason to be lazy. I know what it's doing to me and the effect it's having on my weight... I see it every Wednesday when I weight in. And yet I continue to do what I've been doing. I can do so good for a week or two, then it's a week or two of crap, which is exactly why I've been stuck at almost the same weight for so long. I need to get out of this rut, and fast!

   So, after deciding I need to change the way I've been doing things, I decided to do something pretty exciting yesterday (It was exciting for me anyway!).  I decided that I need to start getting my carbs from vegetables instead of other, less healthy, foods, so I went to the store and bought every single vegetable that I had never tried before. I spent the rest of the day cooking and trying all of these new veggies. There where a few I didn't really care for, but there where quite a  few that I enjoyed and will be including in my meals from now on! I wasn't expecting to like all of them of course, but I'm really excited that I liked as many as I did, and I'm excited to being including them in my menu planning.

   I encourage all of you to try some new veggies and see if you can find something new to enjoy!! I hope you all are doing well, and continue reaching for your goals!

♥  Lots of LOVE  ♥

Laura

A Little Inspiration

A little inspiration for your Tuesday!

       I can't quite remember where I ran across this idea - I was either on StumbleUpon or Pinterest, but I think they may have originated here. I thought they were a great idea and just had to make my own!

     You can use any sort of jar or container you like - I've seen people use fish bowls, old wine glasses, candle holders, mason jars, or just some old bowls or cups you don't mind using; the possibilities are endless! You can decorate them any way you like - I've seen painted ones with feathers and designs, some with pictures taped on the front, or just simple words written with marker, what ever makes you happy. Just use what ever you have around the house, or you can go out and get some supplies, it just depends on how much you are willing to spend. I had some old ribbons and jars, I just bought some scrap booking letter stickers that stuck right to the front of the jars. For the inside you can use marbles, pebbles, rocks, or glass stones like I've used (they are very inexpensive). In mine, I have 100 stones all together, one for each pound I need to loose. There are 80 black stones for 1 pound lost, 19 green stones for every 5 pounds lost, and for my final 100 pound stone I have a golden heart, just to make it a little special. I already have 5 stones in my lost jar!!

     I keep the jars in my living room, mostly because that is where I spend most of my time. Every time I'm craving something or think I need food, I just look at those jars and it reminds me of what my goal is - and reminds me that I don't really need that food I'm craving - I need to lose weight to add more stones to my lost jar. They have been working so far!


     Do any of you have things that keep you motivated? I'd love to hear about them!! I hope you all are doing well and continue to reach for your goals!!



♥ Lots of LOVE ♥

Laura

I'm Back!

         First off, I would like to apologize to the 4 of you that actually read this blog; I didn't realize that I had been away for so long. But I'm back now, and will be posting here much more often then I have been. I know that doing a blog isn't something a lot of people think of as important or worth the time it takes to do it (except for all of you, thankfully!) , but I really believe that this blog is going to help me through my journey to become a healthier and happier me. By making the time to do things here, it's helping me make time for other things in my day that are important to me, like my workouts! I thank you all for your support, and I know, that by posting here, your continued support will only help me in achieving my goals.

Now, lets move on to something a little more interesting! :)

A Yummy Protein Shake!

I wish I would have thought about this idea a long time ago: iced coffee with protein for a great post workout snack or meal replacement! We'll start with the healthier iced coffee recipe that one of my younger sisters, Kristy, came up with. It's a very simple recipe, tastes amazing, and has WAY less calories than an iced coffee you can get at Starbucks, or any other restaurant that may have them. Here is the recipe (it will also be posted on my recipes page under drinks):

Healthier Iced Coffee:

1 cup brewed coffee of your choice (I love Folgers vanilla biscotti flavor)
1/4 cup milk (you can use 2%, 1%, or skim, it just depends your preference and how many calories your willing to use up on a drink)
1 tsp. sweetener of choice ( I use Truvia, but you can use what ever sweetener you like)

Add all ingredients to a 16 ounce cup and stir well to combine. Add enough ice to fill the cup the rest of the way and mix well. That's it! It's simple, quick, and it really does taste good. If your using 2% milk the drink is a total of 33 calories, for 1% it's a total of 30 calories, and for skim milk it's a total of 22 calories. And yes, those numbers are correct! I also add in just a small amount of sugar free liquid vanilla creamer, for a little extra flavor, which does add a few more calories, but the creamer is optional; those that don't want to use it don't have to... it tastes just as great without it.

Now, to make it into a protein shake, all you need to do is add 1 scoop of your favorite whey protein powder, and shake well to combine with the iced coffee mixture - before adding the ice of course - then just add your ice and mix again. I use a chocolate protein powder, so it adds a hint of chocolaty flavor to the drink, witch I think is pretty dang good! The powder I use is 100 calories per scoop, so my final product is about 133 calories (I use 2% milk).

I hope some of you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I do!

I think this is a good place to end today's post. I have a few more little projects I've been working on that I'll be sharing soon!

♥ Lots of LOVE ♥

Laura