Whoa, what happened?

It's totally my fault, I was next to blog and that was over a month ago. What happened? Actually, nothing really... and I think that's why I lost complete umph to blog. I was doing what we had planned and I didn't really have anything to update! No new recipes, no new work outs and no more things I had planned to remove from my diet. I went to blog and all I saw was a blank window with nothing to fill in. Thats what happened. After a few sweet comments on IG asking why we haven't posted, it made me slice out time to JUST DO IT tonight.

Some updates!?

Couch to 5k - Still going! I have 9 runs left and I will have finished the program! I have gotten behind more then I would like but, because of Brianne's accountability aka nagging, I am still going! People listen to me now.... it was so hard for me to run 2 minutes straight when I started and my last run was 22 minutes straight. 22 minutes!!!! That's a miracle in my book. Let me be clear though, I still hate running. I find it very boring, but it works. I sweat hard and feel good. It's a total mental battle for me and sometimes I'm fighting the mental battle every second of my run. I really like working through that though, I feel like I'm learning discipline every time I don't give up.

before and after running in my hot garage

I sweat....a LOT

Ya know, I don't think I'll ever have a drastic before and after story. Maybe I'm a bit too lazy, stubborn, lack the discipline or don't value a goal enough. It seems i'll always be right in the middle of that tension of wanting to strive for something, taking 2 steps forward than one step back due to whatever reason. I don't find that a very inspiring thing, but to be honest, thats just where I picture me always being. I don't think that is a failure though either. I've changed so much already and my family is eating the healthiest we ever had, I'm still exercising, still sticking with my eating changes and taking my supplements. I guess at times I crave that drastic change but I don't think I have it in me to do what it takes. So I'm somewhere in the middle :)

Any of you still doing Couchto5k? Finished already? What did you think!?


Kristin

Losing weight....

I knew when I began my healthy changes that I would lose weight. It was bound to happen. I was not eating every candy in sight, not snacking as much, choosing an apple over a huge bowl of cereal and not eating out. That would eventually change my outside as well as my insides right?

YUP! It did. I slowly trimmed down a bit and clothes started fitting better.... then I hit a plateau and maintained. If I was at the weight I wanted to be at then that would be great, but I'm not. There is a  bit more I would love to get off before I hit 35! Wait, I'm going to be 35!? That is nuts!  The older I get the harder it will be to keep weight off, I'm assuming, so I need to do it now.

"Although weight gain is common in your 30s, it is not inevitable or necessary. Maintaining a healthy weight during your 30s reduces your risk of overweight, obesity and chronic illnesses in later adulthood."  Tina M. St. John 

So......... I needed to step it up a notch. We started the couch to 5k which feels incredibly effective. I sweat so much and feel like I'm working hard for that short 30 mins. I also do ab and arm work outs through the week too. But, I think that's what I would normally be doing anyways for health. I think the biggest thing now I need to work on my portions and late snacking.

If I'm truly hungry, I eat, and I want to keep it that way. The areas that I can cut back on are smaller portions at dinner time and not having late night snacks. I have done that over the last 2 weeks and have already seen results. Matter of fact.... I fit into my goal shorts SO SO much better! I still have work to do but seeing progress is so encouraging!

For me, it looks like my normal healthy eating and work out routines will help me maintain my current weight. If I want to trim down at all, I need to make a few tweaks with my eating and that is the nudge my body needs to drop a bit of the poundage.  What about you guys? What works for you?

Fighting against the muffin top,
Kristin

Couch to 5k - Day 1

We don't plan on blogging everyday about our Couch to 5k adventure but I thought I would share about day 1 of 27!

this is what the app looks like

Here is where I will be doing most of my runs...in my wee garage. It's not the most inspiring atmosphere but if I listen to music real loud, it will do the trick. You know... be content, bloom where you are planted, use what you got type thing :)

my girls stayed close and got real excited for the running parts

The 30 minutes went by pretty fast, I really enjoyed the walking bits :) It was pretty much walk 1.5 minutes and then jog 1 minute for 30 minutes total. The app is great, easy and I love how it interrupts the music you are listening to to tell you when to start jogging or walking. I was sweating like a buffalo when I was done and so so so excited to see the "Workout Complete" screen!  For a girl who has a hard time finishing things she starts.... seeing anything that says I completed something is a good thing. Even if its day one of many many more to come.

So far so good... who is starting with us? 3 times a week of this is super doable right!? 

Kristin

I hate running and I'm doing "Couch to 5k"

Seriously, what in the world is happening? I hate running, I've always hated it. So of course I'm going to start the "Couch to 5k" app on my phone. ( Brianne is going to do it too!)

Couch to 5k is a running app on your phone that is a beginners program " The idea is to transform you from a couch potato to a runner, getting you to begin running a 5k or 3.1 miles and on a regular basis in just 2 months"

I was so blessed to get a hand me down Treadmill and I have no where to stick it other than my hot tiny garage but who cares! It was free and it will work just fine in there. This way I can get my running done with my girls playing or doing school work nearby. This way I have no excuse why I cant "go" running. I can do it at home OR around my neighborhood. Do you notice how often I need to create situations where I can have "no excuse", clearly I'm good at making them up.

I've always wanted to try this and stick with it through all the hate and pain it will cause. We are also going to add in weight and ab workouts through the week too.  We will keep you updated on how it goes....we start tomorrow, as in Thursday the 13th!  You wanna join!? Come on!

Kristin

Its been a good week!

Finally I feel back on track! I don't have much to share at all except for a few things that I think helped me have a strong week.

#1. I have worked out earlier in the day all week. I get it done before I talk myself out of it or get too busy!

#2. I have been carrying trail mix and small apples in my purse so I have no excuse to eat a bad snack while Im out.

#3. I have been making a good amount of chicken every Monday or Tuesday. I have learned this really helps me to stay on track with my eating! I can quickly make a chicken salad, have chicken and veggies, sandwich or chicken tacos. They are meals I look forward to, are quick and according to my eating plan.

Chicken tacos, my new favorite meal.  Corn tortillas filled with chicken, 

black beans, onion, lettuce, salsa and a tad bit of cheese.

I'm really happy with the 90 day Hasfit work out schedule, but I do feel an urge to step it up a notch and add in some running (which I hate) or find a class to take. What are you all doing!?

- Kristin

Cake? Yes please, it's a special occasion!!

When I set out on this journey of new healthy habits I always wanted to give room for having treats! I told myself, I will only have treats on "special occasions". I am learning very quickly I need to redefine what that means. I started to find myself in a very consistent flow of these "special occasions". 

My sister is visiting = special occasion = eating nachos

I'm in a really neat book store = special occasion = rice crispy treat

I'm on a road trip = special occasion = licorice

I'm babysitting...

I'm meeting an old friend...

See what I mean? 

I will still have treats BUT clearly I need to change what qualifies this treat allowing event! It seemed like every little fun, slightly out of the norm, thing that came up was starting to be a "special occasion" and BOOM I was eating greasy and sugary foods. 

So, once I again I need to step back and reevaluate this. I need to remind myself that all those treats add up and aren't helping my overall goal of keeping greasy and sugary foods to a minimum so I can help my body do its thing to heal itself. 

I mean, come on, at the rate I was going....I might have called tying my shoe a special occasion and treated myself to chili fries smothered in ranch. 

On a less depressing note I made some super healthy and yummy pancakes this week. I follow a feed on Instagram called Eating_Whole and that is where I got the recipe! 

Makes 5 pancakes:

1 large ripe banana (mashed)
2 eggs
1 pinch of baking powder
1 tablespoon of Chai Seeds
1 tablespoon of Flaxseed Meal
1/4 cup of cottage cheese ( can't taste )
Lots of cinnamon

Use a bit of coconut oil on the pan before each pancake, medium heat

-Kristin

Wow. I'm not awesome.

I'm going to leave these texts between me and Brianne to sum up how I did over the last few days. 

I had my baby niece this week and fed her healthy!

Me:  I just ate some nerds, a small bowl of cereal, 2 girl scout cookies and half a soda

Brianne:  wow, you really went for it

Me: I forgot to take my supplements today, I haven't worked out in two days and I’m not going to blog tonight.

Brianne: Kristin, You’re going to have to snap out of it soon! Its just too easy to go back to lazy, unhealthy habits.

Me: I just got home (10:40pm) so I didn’t work out :(

Brianne: Thats ok. But you have to work out tomorrow or I’m not babysitting your girls:)

--Kristin

Physical and Spiritual Health

I have noticed that this topic of health is so so big... there are so many opinions and information out there to read and consider. I noticed my reading time being taken up with health blogs, reading up on coconut oil or researching my next work out program. My nightly reading was starting to shift into my cookbook and learning about recipes. A lot of my conversation was filled with health talk and what Ive been learning and needing to change. Is my point to say that this is wrong or bad? Not necessarily.

Like with anything, when you first start, there is excitement and investment in research that needs to be had. It's totally natural that there is a bigger investment of time into a certain thing in the beginning. Then that pesky word "balance" needs to come into play. Just like with anything else, I found I need to step back, look at my time, what I'm valuing and how much of my mind I'm giving to this topic of health in my life.

I see the scriptures putting an emphasis on the spiritual aspect of our life. Renewing our mind, serving others, growing in patience, pursuing knowledge.....etc. But, I truly think that physical health nourishes spiritual health so they compliment each other for sure. If I am not feeling well its hard to read and give energy to spiritual things. If my hormones are not in balance its hard to have a stable mood in my role as a wife or mommy. You get the picture.

I feel like I'm being messy with my thoughts right now, but basically what I'm trying to get at is this....

From reading the scriptures I see there being an emphasis on our spiritual health and pursuing the reformation of our thinking according to Gods word, loving Him and others. I take that and then keep in mind that physical health can really be a hinderance or help to my spiritual health. After stepping back and reevaluating my time and heart I was able to make a more balanced decision on how, going forward,  I should spend my time thinking, reading, talking about and pursuing both my physical and spiritual health.  Not sure if any of you struggle with keeping these in their proper place? I think the lines blurred there a tiny bit and might again in the future, but I think having this in the forefront of my mind will help me spend my time/efforts in a way I think is truly most beneficial.

Kristin

Helpful Hints

This is a super simple post on some things I have found that are helping me. Some may seem so silly or tiny, but they have totally helped me NOT cave. 

• Use a straw. I noticed when put a straw in my water, I drink SO much more through the day. 

• If you get the "snackies" when you know you should not be eating... I drink water or chew gum. 

• Brush your teeth more often throughout the day. I noticed when I have that clean fresh taste in my mouth, I'm less likely to crave an unnecessary snack.

• Work out in the earlier part of the day. I noticed as the day goes on I get pretty clever at thinking up reasons I cant work out that day or build up that huge loathing feeling of needing to do it. 

• Agree with a friend, that understands your goals, to text each other every time you have a treat....every single bite. There are many times I have not taken a bite or eaten an unnecessary treat because I did not want to admit it to Brianne. 

• Keep your workout clothes and shoes ready in an easy place. When its ready to go and I don't have to search for anything leaves me with one less reason to put it off. 

• Keep some supplements on you. I totally carry one of those small old people medicine organizer thingy's in my purse. If I don't get to taking them before I jet out the door, I have them in my bag so I don't forget to take them. 

• Don't keep treats in your house. If you're anything like me, most of the time, I'm not strong enough to have a goodie in the house and NOT cave. Throw it out or give it away. Brianne was mean enough to give me her left over girl scout cookies that were driving her nuts. Yesterday I caved twice and ate one when I didn't want to. Thanks Brianne..... grrrrrrr. 

• Remind yourself.  I need to remind myself on a daily basis why I'm doing this..... it is NOT to just to loose weight. It is to try to help my body do its thing by keeping my insides and mind healthy so I can fulfill my roles well. 

• Balance. If my health permits, I don't want to become so restrictive that I become miserable in mood. Having overall healthy habits for me and my family with allowance for occasional treats and exceptions is great for the soul! Being in a good mood is also good on the mind and body and I find if I'm too rigid or restrictive it steels away some of that spark in me. It can get tricky, but I found that striving for that balance is worth the alternative of giving up all treats because its hard to balance. 

There are so many more and I'm sure Brianne has some good ones too. These were the ones fresh on my mind! Hope some of them help! 

Leave a comment of tips you have for me and Brianne too! Please, any help is great. 

Kristin

It’s not fun anymore...

We have been changing our habits for almost 2 months now. Just like with most things in life...it’s fun to start! There was an excitement in the beginning, got our little blog going, cleaned out our cupboards, read books and started our exercising. We have had some real accomplishments over the last two months to be stoked about, that is for sure, but it’s just not that fun anymore. The real tough bit of keeping going after the excitement has worn off is just that....tough. 

We have lost weight, we have felt results in our bodies, muscles and minds. We have created new habits and given up a lot of bad ones. There is a ton to be happy about and celebrate. A lot of good has come from this, for us and our families and that is awesome. 

But, it's still not fun anymore. I started loving salads again, got excited, then started hating them again. Same with working out, I thought I hit a stride and got over the hill of hating it, but then it came back. Up and down. We love to blog, then loose the desire to blog. Highs and lows. I know this must sound like a big complaint, maybe it is, but I’m just trying to be honest about how this journey has been for me...us. We are so grateful we started this and all the good that has and will come of it, but it’s tough. Certain things have gotten easier, that is true, but overall it still feels like a slow battle to keep these habits in place. Slow and steady is not always the most fun route but its the one we are on. 

With all that said, I must admit I’m incredibly encouraged that we are still going. We have committed to a certain period of time to journal this adventure and we are sticking to it. Even if Brianne and I are the only ones reading this blog, we press on even when we don’t desire to. We hate it most the time but we are still working out 5 times a week with rare exceptions. We still get crazy cravings for a candy, a box of cookies or full loaf of bread smothered in butter...but we resist with few treats here and there. We still hardly ever go through drive thru’s and are still cooking healthy meals at home. I’m still learning to cook and we both are still off of caffeine and taking our supplements!

So, its NOT fun anymore. The hype is over ... but we are still truck’n along and trying to push through the lows. Not giving up when things loose excitement and feel hard is something I always want to refine and mature in. I’m grateful this adventure is doing just that. I’m doubly grateful to be doing this with Brianne..she is the perfect balance of understanding and accountability I could ever ask for. 

 If you're right where we are, don't give up! 
If you haven't started yet... START!

Kristin

Having a hen and her fresh eggs...

We have one Hen and her name is Patty. She is a spicy Rhode Island Red that I love dearly. I have found chickens to be the quirkiest animals and I love quirky. Her sounds, personality and the way she moves her head cracks me up. We've had her since she was a wee chick and now she is almost 3 years old... i think.

Patty started laying eggs when she was around 4-6 months old and she lays about 6 eggs a week. Every now and then she out does herself and I'll get two a day for a few days in a row. Hen's usually lay eggs into their teens. Isn't that amazing!? That is a fine amount for our small family, but if I ever felt we needed more, we can get more chicks! 

It is so exciting to go in her coop and grab her egg each day. It never gets old. It's good to keep clean straw or shavings in the laying box to help keep the eggs clean. Egg shells naturally have a coating on them that you don't want to wash off until you are going to use them ( if you buy them in the store, this coating is already washed off and is why they need to be refrigerated and go bad quicker). We keep them on our counter in our kitchen for weeks! I have read the general rule is under 3 weeks on the counter. Something super cool about eggs is that you can easily check them to know if they are too old. Here is how:

I can't tell a huge taste difference from store bought eggs but others swear they do and could never go back. They do look different to me...the yoke is very vibrant and plump. They are quite pretty actually. 

I am very blessed to have a handy hubby. He designed and built this coop from scratch for us. Its adorable and just the right size for our backyard. There is room to have a few more hens in there if we ever desire. There is a full size door opening on the right side to be able to go in and out and there is a small door on the left side we can open to gather eggs. If you don't have a handyman around and on a budget, I would suggest finding one on Craigslist. 

Me and the girls have enjoyed Patty so much, ever since she was a chick, that it is not uncommon that she ends up in our house. I clean her feet and put on her..........leopard print chicken diaper. Yup. You read that right. She can be in the house for a couple hours if her diaper is on. She is hilarious to have about.... she likes to follow the girls, peck at any crumb on the floor, hop in baskets, lay on the bed and other quirky things. She cracks me up. 

I would say her only downfall is that every now and then she is loud. It's random and I'm not sure why she does it. You are not allowed to have roosters in our city because of sounds so I thoughts hens weren't loud at all except for a few squawks when laying their egg. Its not every day and its over pretty quickly. The only time I really mind it is when its earlier in the morning to where I think it could bother my neighbors. I'm also not sure if this is a Patty thing or a hen thing in general. She's not perfect...but pretty darn close :)

Taking care of her is not a lot of work. We just need to make sure she has water, fill up her food dish with "laying mash", collect her eggs and clean out her coop every now and then. 

Between her being hilarious, low maintenance and giving us fresh eggs... I think Patty is the bestest. 

Kristin

Backyard Garden

Let me be clear I am an amateur, if even that, when it comes to gardening. I have some friends that have educated themselves quite well on their back yard or community gardens, so I just pick their brain! I can't tell if thats lazy or resourceful? Ill go with resourceful :)

My husband built our raised garden boxes years ago...I love them. They are so simple but its all we really need for our stage of gardening. He also put in gardening wire/fencing at the bottom of each box to keep the gophers from destroying our garden again. Pesky little fellows are really good at what they do and killed our veggies time and time again till my hubby did this. We also have a couple large barrels we grow things in, right now one has a dwarf orange tree and the other has strawberries. You can google for your location and season to find what is best to plant when...if you should do seeds or starter plants, etc. Or just mooch, I mean, be resourceful and ask a friend who already knows :)

My girls and I replanting our garden last week! 

Oh and thats my hubby building our girls a sweet little nook. 

Our garden has been pretty empty for a few months but eating at home gave me the boost to want to get it going again. Growing your own food is kinda magical. No doubt its work, weeds, watering, etc...but when you can go in your yard and pick lettuce for your dinner salad or grab some herbs to sprinkle in your sauce its totally worth it. You know exactly where it came from and its fresh!

We are currently growing spinach, cabbage, 3 types of lettuce, peas, radishes, strawberries, broccoli, rosemary and thyme. I planted a bit late in the season so I did all starter plants but planting from seed is so fun too. It takes longer but going outside and seeing tiny sprouts starting to pop up is something to be giddy about.

Peas

Growing some of our own food is a great little addition to our health adventure! If you live in an apartment, we had friends who had little balcony boxes that produced a fun little amount of goodies. If you don't have a yard, my sister got lots of pots and two garden boxes and put them right on top of cement and grew her garden on her front porch. I have a couple friends that rent plots from their city community gardens! There are a lot of clever ways to have a garden if you want one :) Pinterest and Google it!

Having a garden is great for feeding your family pets too!

Bountiful

Today the mail brought a very sweet gift from one of my photography client/buddies. Its totally beautiful and is filled with recipes inspired by gardening. How thoughtful and well timed. Thank you MARY!

P.S. Next Ill post about having a chicken and fresh eggs :)

Kristin

A bit off track...

These last few days were filled with circumstances that got me off track a bit with my eating and work out routine. Unexpected plans, inability to get to grocery store and not feeling the best. I got a very discouraging peek into how easy it could be for me to fall back into a ton of bad habits. I thought I was at a point in this journey where I couldn't see that being a possibility...but it is.  The truth is, it is much easier not to work out, to pop into a drive through and not care what I'm putting into my body. I constantly have to remind myself why I am doing this! Let me tell you, if it was just to be skinny, I would have given up. That is a desire, but not a strong enough one to get me back on track. I have GOT TO stick with this and make it my new way of life.  I have created new habits and given up old ones but they are not deeply ingrained yet... I now know.

I was in my pj's relaxing on Sunday evening and knew I had zero groceries for the next day. I knew I would not make a good decision about what to eat without having options. I got up, got dressed and went grocery shopping at 9pm. That was my attempt to kick this funk in the buns. It helped a lot. I got my fridge full of good options (which I'm always so incredibly grateful to have the ability to do that) and we woke up the next morning with a good start to the week.

My last post I said I don't loath working out anymore. I changed my mind. Today I did. I'm learning that when I'm on track with consistent work outs 5 times a week, which is what Ive been keeping up with till last week, I don't loath it. But this week when I only worked out 4 days, i lost my groove and hated it again. Ha! My goal is to work out 5 times a week and I clearly need to keep that up to feel motivated. I'm learning so much about myself and the little triggers that throw me off or keep me excited.

So, this last week learned that my habit to give up when things are hard is still quite alive. I learned that going back to my old ways is a total possibility if I don't keep pushing forward. I learned that when I feel myself starting to waiver I need act immediately before I slip another day or meal.

P.s. I love my new weight set. Brianne posted about it here!

Pressing on...

Kristin

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Ripped - Week 1 Done

Today I finished my first week of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Ripped. I like it a lot! The work outs are 20 minutes long and include strength, cardio and abs. Push ups, planking, lunges, weights.... good stuff. I'm really glad she explains form for each thing because I had quite a few little corrections to make! 

Now that i've heard her explain everything I like to just listen to music now and watch it. I bought it on amazon so that I didn't need to have a physical DVD , I'm pretty good at losing those things :/

I'll be moving on to week 2 tomorrow and it gets harder every week. Yikes! 

I am happy to say that I finally don't HATE working out. I used to loath it and would have an internal hissy fit each time I needed to do it. This has been such a mental thing as well as a physical thing. I'm grateful I'm seeing results, I can tell I'm stronger, things are toning up and it feels good to know Im helping my body get stronger inside! 

Ill let you know how week 2 goes!

-Kristin

Homemade Salad Dressing

Brianne let me share her yummy salad dressing!!! It made me fall back in love with salads... Hooray.

Salad:

-Baby spinach alone or with some mixed greens

-A ridiculous amount of red onion

-Dried Cranberries

-Small amount of candied walnuts

-Feta Cheese 

Dressing:

-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

-1/2 cup olive oil

-1 garlic clove, finely chopped

-1 tsp Dijon Mustard

-1 tsp of raw honey

-Spoonful of chopped onion

-Salt and Pepper

Shake it all together and wala! Yum Yum!

-Kristin

30 Day Workout Challenge COMPLETE and Planking

and insert happy dance. Can I just tell you that I have NEVER in my life completed a work out program I started? Never. Not once. This is the first time I have stuck through and finished anything like this before. Needless to say I'm stoked.

I really liked the HASfit 30 day challenge, it was a great start! I would totally recommend it to someone trying to find a good, free, under 30 minute work out at home. What next!? After looking through a lot of things I think I am going to try Jillian Michaels 30 day Ripped ( oh gee that sounds nerdy). Its about $9 and they are under 30 minute workouts and I can do them from home. Ill let you know how I like it and want to keep with that program.

What are you all doing? Have you started? Are you liking it?

Tonight I finished day 11 of the plank challenge! I was shocked when I could hold it for 20 seconds so holding it for 1 minute feels like a mini victory. I know I can last longer then 1 minute, BUT 1.5 minutes by tomorrow!? That doesn't seem likely to happen, but Ill give it a big fat try!

Why Plank?

I have read a lot of good and consistent information about adding planking into your exercise routine.

"According to the American Council on Exercise, the plank exercise is one of the top ten abdominal exercises. This exercise is a great way to flatten your stomach, strengthen your core and improve the endurance of your back and stomach muscles. By strengthening your core, you will strengthen your hips and pelvic floor. Having a strong core, stomach and back muscles will lead to improved posture and may help prevent injuries. The only equipment that you need for the plank exercise is your own body and enough floor space to lie down on."

FYI  - the image used on the 30 day plank challenge is the incorrect form.... hope this helps! 

For your enjoyment and my embarrassment, here is my first 1 minute plank!

-Kristin

Vanilla Bean Coffee Creamer

I wanted to try this recipe to add into my Dandy Blend in the morning because I'm a big fan of flavored creamer!

The recipe is from Against All Grain cookbook :)

Ingredients

*1 cup almond milk
*1 cup coconut milk
*2 tablespoons of honey
*2 tablespoons of maple syrup
*1 vanilla bean

Method:

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a low boil, and then remove from heat.

2. Split the vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds. Place the seeds and bean in the milk, then cover and let steep for 30 minutes.  (Yes, I had to watch a you tube video on how to do this) 

3. Strain and bring to room temperature before covering and storing in the refrigerator for later use.

It has a good taste to it and I think it is a great alternative if you are not having dairy. But, I am not avoiding dairy because it doesn't seem to bother me and I don't have much in my diet anyways.  Being the case, I still much prefer the texture and taste of cream. So i made the best of both worlds!!

In a glass jar I simply added:

* 1 cup of half and half

* 1 tablespoon of honey

* 1 tablespoon of maple syrup

* 1 vanilla bean

I mixed them together skipping the saucepan and steeping part and holy cow was that good! I'm stoked! I have a super yummy little sidekick to add into my morning drink! 

P.s. we moved on to a 45 second plank today and I shook the whole way through! I cant imagine making it passed 1 minute! 

-Kristin

Are the vanilla beans next to the fresh herbs?

I've always just made simple chicken and pasta dishes for dinner and a ton of eating out. In many ways I am starting from scratch when it comes to cooking and going to the grocery store. So, where am I at with this?

I wanted to get a cook book that I knew would compliment the way I'm trying to eat. I ended up getting a paleo cookbook called "Against all Grain". I'm not going paleo but I knew that all the recipes would  have no wheat, which I am cutting back on and would be healthy in general. Plus.... look at those darling illustrations!

I decided to first make the "Slow Cooker Pot Roast". I got my little list and headed to the store.... I wondered aimlessly in the produce aisle trying to find a "Leek". Finally I found the picture on the tag..that was the only way I knew what it was. I was embarrassed for myself on many occasions as I tried to find each ingredient. I texted Brianne and asked for help on where to locate things and had to ask an employee for a couple things too.

When I actually started preparing the meal I thanked God multiple times for my new best friend... You Tube. I had to look up how to clean and cut the Leek, how to cube carrots and a few other things. It was actually kinda fun! Cooking is so pretty and colorful! The girls were right by my side helping me when they could. We're all learning. 

It ended up turning out really well and my husband loved it. As you can see I added potatoes to the recipe that were not in the Paleo version and I served it with bread. It was a success! But boy it felt like I needed to learn quite a bit to even get this one right. I'm really excited to get the foundational cooking stuff under my belt so everything doesn't feel so unfamiliar and time consuming. 

Tonight I was feeling adventurous and wanted to make the "French Vanilla Coffee Creamer" out of the same cookbook to put in my DandyBlend in the morning. There were 5 ingredients and one was a vanilla bean. I, of course, had never bought one before and had no clue on where to look. I started looking in the fresh herb area in the refrigerated section. I must have had a clear look of "clueless" on my face because an employee came up and asked to help and directed me to the right aisle. (blush). 

I feel like such a little kid right now! But as I mentioned on Instagram it really has given me that extra dose of understanding as I home school the girls! I'm being placed in their learning shoes and I think that's great for both of us.

This is a picture from when I was at Brianne's and she taught me how to make roasted chicken! It took us so long because she had to teach me the proper way to cut things, how to dice herbs, how to work with the chicken and lots in between. Add on a whole lot of laughing and you get a glimpse of our afternoon. I was quite giddy when it was done and boy did it taste YUM after it was cooked.  

So all in all things are going well, its just going to be slow going and messy as I have so much to learn. Good thing I love being a student, laughing at myself and feel really good about why I'm learning to cook. 

Also.... Like Brianne mentioned in her last post we are doing a daily Plank challenge on top of our 5 day a week work out routine. Join us! It hurts, you shake, you get sore... doesn't it sound great? You start at 20 seconds and after 30 days are supposed to hold it for 5 minutes ( yeah right!!) Brianne and I send a video of ourselves doing the plank each day to prove we did it. It cracks us up too.... so here is mine from today. 

30 seconds of plank and embarrassing myself

Let us know if you join the challenge :)

-Kristin

Today was kinda hard....

I don't have much insight today... it was just hard. Nothing healthy I had at home sounded good and the last thing in the world I wanted to eat was a salad. Iv been craving salads, but not today. Not one bit. I needed to go grocery shopping so I didn't have many other options.

The thing that helped me get through that hump was thinking about all the people who would dream of such a meal. I was, in my heart, complaining that all I had to eat was salad and it was the LAST thing I wanted to eat when there are people hungry without any options at all. That might sound a bit dramatic but that's where my mind went. I tried to change my heart about it and just be thankful I even had a meal to eat and a grocery store I could go to later to restock more options. I wish my heart was filled with contentment at all times. Once again, this journey is working on me in more areas then just my bodily health.

I needed to work out today and I didn't want to AT ALL! We are finishing our 3rd week of working out and I think the initial excitement about it ALL wore off this afternoon. Inside I felt like a 3 year old stomping my feet whining "i don't want to i don't want to!!!!" I was not going to and then I got almost upset at my easily defeated spirit. Against everything I was feeling I stopped trying to talk myself into doing it and just did it. Why is it so hard? Its only 15-30 minutes of my life! Why do I fight against it so much?

I have learned that when I don't want to work out the most is when its the most satisfying when I'm done. I didn't just work out, I pulled through doing something I didn't feel like doing. Not being swayed by my bad/old habits or moment of weakness is something I am so grateful for. It doesn't always work out that way, but today it did!

Sorry if this post is a bit of a downer, just being honest about part of this messy little road to health!

Kristin

Listening to my body.....

Insert foot in mouth. I see this starting to be a theme for me during this journey. There are multiple things that I am doing that Ive totally picked on someone for doing before. I like to tease, roll my eyes and goof around about stuff...especially "health nut" stuff.

see, we're goofy :)

One that stands out to me is when one of my friends had a headache or pain of some kind and when I asked "why don't you just take some Tylenol?" they said "I'm listening to my body."  I remember thinking "oh gosh here we go..... just take a pain killer and get it over with!" She explained that she didn't want to just kill the pain because she wanted to figure out what was causing the pain rather then just keep taking medicine to mask it. She's learned things about her body this way and was able to fix the source many times. It made sense but still seemed like the much harder way of doing things.

I guess I've been a bit impatient at times and not willing to take the time to "listen to my body". But, during this journey I have learned this is exactly what I need to do! Like with most things in life... the longer road and the one that needs patience and endurance is usually best and most rewarding.

Two examples of this...

1. Listing to my tummy. The fact that I've pulled back on almost all fast food has allowed me to actually feel when my body likes or doesn't like something. I can eat a certain food now and almost instantly know I'm sensitive to it and I might need to cut back on that a bit or a lot. I'm learning! I'm listening to my body and what makes it function best. Its kinda neat what you can notice when your gut isn't constantly lined with processed food!

2. Listening to my body. As I mentioned before I deal with restless leg syndrome(RLS).... it started getting very aggressive, strangely aggressive. Its not uncommon that it keeps me up for 2 hours or so when its bad but it recently was keeping me up 4-6 hours after I got in bed. That is quite frustrating and exhausting to deal with. I knew there had to be something agitating it which caused me to start adjusting my supplements. With a bit of patience and adjusting my supplement time frames I figured out that the Tyrosine was it! Once I took it in the morning and stopped taking the afternoon dose I found my RLS was much more mild! Hooray! I listened!

Learning patience is icing on this healthy journey's cake! Oh and I better be careful because Im already drinking dandelion root drink so all my "health nut" teasing might be coming to an end soon. Stink, it was kinda fun.

-Kristin