Weekly Updates?(PIC HEAVY)

I am thinking about doing weekly updates instead of daily. What do y'all think? Well, you know, assuming someone is reading this! Either way, I am giving it a try.


I said I would post a progress update at the end of the week, and here it is...
I am down 3lbs, to 130. I have lost half an inch in my hips (32.5in), an inch in my waist (28in), I have stayed the same in my bust (32in)[thankgoodnessbecausethereisreallynothingtolose]! I don't have previous leg measurements, but I am starting them now! My thigh is coming in at 20 in (beeeefy) & my calf at 13 in. My wrist measures 6 in (super bony) & my neck is 13in.












I really need to get back on track with working out & drinking my water, etc. So, tomorrow that (re)starts! I think I would benefit from a work out partner/healthy eating partner. My hubs isn't really interested in eating quite as healthy as I am. I just need some REAL LIVE ACCOUNTABILITY!! However, as of yet, I have had no takers.

My week has been pretty uneventful, a lot of rain, a lot of work. However, work has brought good news! Unfortunately I cannot discuss it quite yet... But I promise I will soon! Also, I made homemade bread! DELISH!! It was a bit heavy, I would like to find a lighter/fluffier recipe. If YOU know of one, link me up! You can the one I followed here. I found the website listed on the container of dry active yeast that I used! And now, for the bread making pictures:

Mixing the dough with the mixer my grandmother handed down to me!

Kneading the dough! 

Before covering it, to let is rise! 

My iced coffee & fudge pop I enjoyed while I waited! 

An hour later, it had risen! 

My greased pan! 

Ready to bake! 

Baking! 

Finished product! 

I was really impressed by what a simple process this was. The hardest part was being patient while it rose. The sandwiches we ate on were supremely delicious!

Grilled chicken with Swiss! 

Now, I am cooking dinner, Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac-N-Cheese with garden fresh Squash & Zucchini. YUM! It is under 500 cal/serving... So you can't beat that. I didn't have enough of any one cheese, so I had to mix cheddar, parm, & swiss. It was pretty good. I would have liked the sauce to be cheesier or to have had some cheese to top it with. Oh well, I will be better prepared next time. Ok, so here are pics & the recipe! 

I used one chicken breast, chopped, & seasoned with this.
It is my go-to seasoning. 

I cooked the chicken in  a drop of oil & a splash of ranch. I cooked the chicken
over medium-low until the ranch was absorbed. 

I forgot to photograph it, but after I cooked the 2 sliced of bacon I added them to the chicken. 

I used 1 stick of butter, 2 TBSP of greek yogurt, a splash of cream
along with cheddar, parm, & swiss cheese to make my sauce. 

Mixing my sauce.

I mixed all of my ingredients in the pan, and sprinkled with panko bread crumbs & ranch.
I baked at 350 for 20 min.

I made squash & zucchini (from our garden) to go with it. 

Finished dish...
Looks good, huh?

I eat off of a salad plate for portion control! 

I also wish I would have made more of a roux and less of a sauce. Ah, oh well, hindsight is always 20/20. It was still delicious & definitely a keeper. Make it, doctor it up, let me know how it turned out for you!! What would you do differently? I want to know. Food is something I thoroughly enjoy.

We took my little to the beach today. We live very close to the Gulf of Mexico, however, we took him to Mobile Bay instead. I was so excited to take picture of my boo's first beach trip with mom & dad... but forgot my SD card!! Luckily, a lady there who happened to be a photographer offered to shoot a few pics! I'll post them when I get them! In the mean time, check out her website!! You can do so by clicking here!!  He really loved the beach, but it was so hot, so we didn't stay too long.

This is the beach park we visited. I have been going here since I was his age!

Well, I am off to enjoy the night with my boys. I am excited to get back into the swing of things. I know I can do this. I made progress half-assing it... So imagine the results if I really put in the effort.

Wish me luck, y'all!

Tuesday Update

Today I was treated to a yummy breakfast by my gramma. She made me bacon & toast with black raspberry jam and french vanilla coffee. Gosh, she is just TOO SWEET! For lunch I enjoyed left overs from last nights white chicken chili. It was even better today. For dinner we had whole wheat pasta with baked chicken smothered in tomatoes cooked in a homemade white sauce. I also made some roasted veggies. It was amazing. =]

Now, I am off to enjoy this stormy night with my boys. And to exercise in a bit.

Wish me luck, y'all!

White Chicken Chili

Today was uneventful. I went to work... work was busy. I had Moe's for lunch... after all, it is Moe Monday!
I don't have much to report on working out or meals... because I over slept and the weather was awful!
However, dinner was great! We had white chicken chili... The recipe I used (loosely)can be found here. It was very. very good. The only changes I made were no jalapenos, no cumin, no oregano, & no monterey jack cheese... ONLY because I didn't have these items on hand & didn't want to venture out into the rain.
I instead used all purpose greek, green chilies, & wisconsin sharp cheddar. I also dolloped a little greek yogurt onto mine. Delish. =]
I swear I am working on getting back into the swing of things. Eventually.
Wish me luck, y'all.

Slowly...

Well y'all I am slowly getting back into the swing of things. It has been tough lately... between taking care of my puppy, my sick little, & my 2 jobs I got a little overwhelmed. I was just too busy... I would do it later...
I HAD A LOT OF EXCUSES... & then I realized just that. I was being LAZY & making EXCUSES!

Well, no more. I am back y'all. I take this seriously & I am not going to fail. At the end of this week (Friday) I am going to post a progress report. Have a great Sunday, &...

Wish me luck, y'all!

M.I.A

I know, I know... I have been missing in action. I am SO sorry. After my Moo Bear got attacked I have been spending my non work hours taking care of her.
She is doing so much better. Her wounds are closing up & she isn't as scared to go outside. She is even going out in the fenced yard alone now. I am proud of her progress. Since I have been M.I.A, let me link you to some inspiration.

Pre & Post Work Out Food Guides:

http://greatist.com/fitness/pre-post-workout-snacks/

http://www.shawncanblog.com/2012/05/what-you-should-eat-before-and-after.html

Wish me luck, y'all!

MIA Tonight

Guys, I am so sorry. I don't have a post for tonight. My dog was attacked & almost killed by another dog. My night will be spent tending to her. Thanks for understanding & have a great night.

Links, Links, Links!

Here are the links I promised yesterday!

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com - She has some great tips on eating & shopping clean. She even has some great pledges (& mini pledges to help you work up to the 100 day pledge) for clean eating. All of the foods have to be 5 ingredients (on the package) or less, along with fresh produce, whole grains, grass fed meats & wild caught seafood. Very cool, indeed.

http://www.grocerybudget101.com has some great tips on shopping, meal planning, coupons and more. The website is full of shopping tips and tricks that retailers play! Definitely worth reading.

http://www.foodonthetable.com matches you with the local retailers in your area and helps you plan your menu around there sales ad. It is super cool to me, because you can see the ad without having to go store to store to find the best deals. Unfortunately it doesn't work with all stores right now, but I think it will have more to choose from soon!

http://iheartpublix.com has some really great coupon links & they explain how to get the most from your coupon; a great site for coupon novices.

I am going to be working late tonight at the salon. I will update y'all tomorrow on my food & what not!

Wish me luck y'all!

I'm Green...But Not With Jealousy

So. I did it. I made my first green smoothie. Pretty good. I used a handful of spinach, a small apple, a pear, & a quarter of a peach with some plain greek yogurt & a splash of almond milk. I think next time I would like a banana and some ice in it. Still, pretty good though. 

So, let's look at some other recipes.
1) Detox: (http://theglitterguide.com)

Green Smoothie — 1 cup baby spinach, 1 cup kale, 1 pear, 1 ½ cup of orange juice, and 1 frozen banana.

<-------Sounds & looks good, huh?! I really like the use of kale & the O.J.!! Super Yum!

2)This one could be pretty good... But the BEE POLLEN sounds strange. But... Don't knock it until you try it, I guess! 

3)Kimberly Snyder has a great recipe chock full of goodness. I would omit the celery, but other than that, a must try! I like that she breaks down the blending process. It makes it fool proof for people like ME!

4)This one intrigues me with the addition of a carrot! I love them, and bet this would be ah-mazing!  -------------------->

5)The Family Kitchen has a neat recipe, she made her own almond milk-GET OUT! How awesome. Color me impressed, y'all. 

6)A monster smoothie... What really grabs my attention about this one is the PEANUT BUTTER!!! How interesting. Peanut butter & spinach. I just have to know how it tastes!

Obviously I need to find a 7th recipe so I can try them over the course of a week & declare my households winner. Do YOU have a recipe for a GREEN SMOOTHIE? If so, share it, PLEASE??!?!

Food & I didn't get along today. I had one of the muffins I made last night for breakfast (see this post to read about it). But, my manager at work took me to chikfila this morning & I caved and got a chicken burrito. For lunch I had a kids turkey sub on wheat with spinach, tomatoes, black olives & mustard along with some apple slices, it was good. Then I had a pancake stick (that is what I call them... pigs in a blanket on a stick) For dinner I had Five Guys. I report all of this with my tail tucked and head held low. I am a stress eater y'all. I had to leave work today due to my little being sick. I spent all day worrying about missing more work & eating my way through my worries. I am behind on my water for the day as well. =\ Luckily, he just has a bug, & it should be gone quickly. Thank goodness. Tomorrow will be better. 

I was on it with my work out tonight though, so there is a plus. Tomorrow I have a pretty cool couple of websites/blogs to share with y'all! I hope y'all enjoy it. Ya know... if anyone is actually reading this. 

Wish me luck, y'all! 

Snack Attack

My name is Kate, & I am a late night eater & a TV snacker. 

I have ALWAYS heard that snacking after a certain time is bad... That it will make you fat. So, I did some research. 


This article from ABC News (here) pretty much paints all night eaters as fatties, "And remember that regularly eating at dark initiates a vicious cycle. If you go to sleep full, you wake up fuller that you might have been otherwise. In response, you skip breakfast, which drives you to eat more later in the day.". Now, I am not bashing this article in any way, as it did have some valid points: "Plan a healthy late-evening snack. If snacking at night is a regular routine, "planning an evening snack is the easiest way to get eating back under control and the easiest way to control the size of the snack," says Baker.", I am all about meal planning. And while this is great advice, it is still kind of a slap in the face. Not everyone who eats at night commits gluttony. All in all, helpful, but a bit too generalized for me. 


Another article I read (found here) talks about swapping greasy and fatty foods for healthier options. Some of the foods listed, I never thought about, it was a pretty good read. The author is witty as well! Always a bonus!


Over at thatsfit.com I learned that while it is ideal to take in most of your calories during the day, that is also normal to feel hunger before bed. Most of us do not go to bed immediately after dinner, thus we become hungry; "However, many of us don't go to sleep right after dinner so feeling a little hungry closer to bedtime is completely natural. So is raiding the fridge really that bad? Not if you limit your intake to less than 150 calories. Don't go for the ice cream or cake either. Go for something unprocessed like fruit or cereal." 


So, it can be bad or good. Bad, if your snack is high in sugar or fat, or over 150 cal; good if healthy & unprocessed. I know that I personally love popcorn y'all! I eat it almost daily; half a bag, all natural. It is my go to night time snack because it is light. I also enjoy a fresh smoothie from time to time or some toast or yogurt. All of which are pretty healthy. It also occurred to me  that I don't normally work out until 8 or 9, which means I am burning the most calories right before bed, so without a snack I would wake up crazy hungry. The way I see it is like this... As long as I am eating 3 meals a day with a mid-morning snack, an afternoon snack & a small night time snack I am doing pretty good. I am going to sleep satisfied and waking up ready for breakfast & I am getting 64 oz of water daily. I think I will be ok! Now I just need to get the TV eating in gear. =] 


Today for breakfast I just had a banana with some hearbal tea. For my lunch I enjoyed 2 slices of lean roast beef with 2 slices of cheddar cheese & 10 wheat thins. For my snack I had a small apple & 2 tbsps of all nat. peanut butter on 2 Wasa crackers. It held me until dinner just right. 

The inside view of my lunch bag!

For dinner I made Teriyaki pork chops with brown rice and some squash & zucchini (the squash was from our garden!!) Dinner was AMAZING!!! 

I always eat off of a salad plate, for portion control.
Also, I gave my son the other portion of my pork chop. 

I also made some blueberry muffins tonight, to have for breakfast through out the week.They are extra yum. I love that the recipe called for greek yogurt & almond milk. How cool?! <3 it! I only used part of the sugar (1/4 cup less) & I didn't have any oil, so I added more milk & a splash of cream. You can find the recipe here! This is how mine looked:

YUMMO!!!

To end, I want to share with y'all the work out plan I have been following at night. Oh my, can I feel it! You can check it out for yourself at getting-fit-for-me.tumblr.com. I plan on adding Pilates &/or jogging to the AM. 

Wish me luck y'all!

Father's Day Catch Up

I hope all of y'all had a great Father's Day! We sure did. I'm not going to break down what I ate, because y'all... It was NOT healthy. Delicious? Yes. I justify the eating because it was a holiday & you can't really "diet" on a holiday. I DID, however, drink 64 oz of water yesterday! Maybe that counter-balances the food!?! I was convinced I was going to drown. It was really tough to drink all of that water (it was a lot easier today).

Anyway. I woke up yesterday and made my hubs & little a big yummy breakfast. Then we cuddled and watched TV until it was time to go to my M-I-L's house. There my little played with his cousin & we feasted on legit Cajun jambalaya & peach cobbler. SO FREGGIN GOOD. The woman can cook. You couple that with her genuine kindness & you know I have the world's best mother-in-law!

After that we headed to my gradma's (my nannan) & she had prepared a lovely dinner for us. White beans with sausage & rice served alongside skillet fried okra, broccoli, and creamed corn. My hubs favorite meal that she makes. It was very good.

I woke up with a soar throat yesterday, & it is only getting worse today. DO YOU HAVE ANY HOME REMEDIES? If so, let me know. I also have a migraine. BOOOOO!!

This morning for breakfast I enjoyed some plain oatmeal with 1 tsp all natural peanut butter, 1/2 a banana, & a splash of almond milk. Fulfilling & yummy!

Oatmeal with 1 tsp all natural peanut butter, 1/2banana, & a splash of almond milk.

For lunch I enjoyed a roast beef (2 slices) roll up stuffed with spinach and carrots with 1 tbsp of jerk sauce. It was pretty good, healthy too!! I snacked on Quaker Wild Blueberry Crisps & sugar free pudding.
The pudding is great, because it only has 70 calories and is sugar free. It satisfies my sweet craving, which is good, because I don't like dark chocolate. For dinner I made some spicy potato soup. It is my mother-in-law's recipe, and it is only 310 calories/serving. Pretty good, huh?! 

Spicy Potato Soup

I am having a hard time finding time to get in a good workout. Does anyone else have that problem? Ya know what? That's not even the problem. The REAL problem is that I am having a tough time making time. I am not wanting to get up early, & what not. I am really hoping to get past it, by making a schedule & a check list. I LOVE LISTS! I love checking things off, so maybe that will help me. I found some really awesome free printables, which is where I got my list & some other great tools. You can find them here!

How do YOU motivate yourself to work out? I REALLY want to know. I also feel like having a partner might help? 

Do you have a blog? If so, link me to it! Having blog buddies will help keep me accountable!!

I am feeling pretty lowsy, so that is all for tonight. 

Wish me luck, y'all!

The [Not So] Secret Garden

So. We planted a garden. I am pretty excited. We planted watermelon, beans, squash, zucchini, okra, & corn! Sounds good, huh?!

We (my husband & I) are pretty new to gardening, but I am excited to learn from this experience. This first time around we can learn from our mistakes and celebrate (& eat) our triumphs.

Now, let me be honest... my husband does most (ok, all) of the work in the garden. It is his baby.He was so excited to plant it. I, however, am excited to cook & eat it!!

We have been considering learning canning/jarring. Only time will tell if it is for us.

If YOU have any tips or useful links in regards to gardening & jarring, post it in the comments!

 And now, some photos of my garden!

The lattice gate to keep Maggie Moo Bear (our pup) out!

Our squash is flowering. I did not know that it flowered.
Told you I was new at this! 

The super nifty watering device my hubs came up with!
It is hooked up to a timer! 

Our corn!

I want to plant some tomatoes, peppers, herbs, & spices as well. I am pretty excited. A big HAPPY for me is getting to make homemade salsa!

Also, do YOU have any recipes that you love that involves the food we are growing? Link me to them!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Wish me luck, y'all!

Evil Oranges

So, how was your day? Is your (Father's Day) weekend off to a good start? I'd say mine is.
Work was slow, which was no bueno. But, wait!... There is an upside! Due to the slowness, I was able to eat all of my small snacks on time. Well, most of them. Have you ever peeled an orange? JUNK IS HARD! It literally took me 5 minutes to peel it. And then, on top of that I could not separate the pieces, which led to me ripping half of it apart before dropping it on the salon floor (EW)! Pretty sad, huh??

Anyway. Moving on. I started the day with 2 slices of turkey bacon & doctored up plain oatmeal. By doctored up I mean I added 1 teaspoon of butter, 1 sprinkle of brown sugar, & 1 teaspoon of skim milk. It was DELISH! I enjoyed this with a delicious glass of water! However, I somehow forgot my coffee... More on that later. Throughout the say I snaked on a handful of almonds, the above mentioned evil orange, a peach cup & a delicious thermos full of Crystal Light. For lunch I enjoyed a small pb&j roll up. I used all natural peanut butter made in Publix along with raspberry jam. YUMMO!

My day hit an unfortunate snag around 1:30. =[ I got an awful headache! I skipped my coffee this morning, due to time constraints. Boy did I pay for it. Luckily, one of my favorites at the salon gave me a fan-freaking-tabulous shampoo & solved the headache problem. I also ran into some stress today & caved and ate a slice of pizza (my stronghold, I could eat a medium pizza by myself). Shame, shame; I know. But that's ok. I CAN do this! The road will be bumpy & I will experience set backs, but I CAN DO THIS!

After work we grocery shopped (much needed). We stocked up on yummy veggies & lean meats! I am really looking forward to the meal planning! Oh, at the store, my son threw a tantrum (as expected of a two year old), and another mother called me an inexperienced mother. Yeah, I was mad. But I shrugged it off. Last time I checked, the right thing to do during a tantrum was to stand your ground. So, I let him cry & continued shopping. He was over it in about 5 minutes. Gosh, I am such a horrible, inexperienced mother. Do I know it all? Absolutely not, but I do know somethings.

Dinner tonight was AMAZING! We had pasta. Whole wheat noodles with broccoli, connecuh sausage, & a delicious creamy garlic sauce. The sauce consisted of fresh chopped garlic sauteed in EVOO. I then added 2 tbsps of flour and whisked until smooth. I then added one cup of organic chicken broth, 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt, & 1/4 cup skim milk. I stirred until it thickened and added about a half cup of parm cheese.
I then mixed all of the pasta, meat, & veggies together. It was delicious! The recipe was inspired by this "Skinny Chicken Broccoli Alfredo . To me, the sauce didn't taste very much like alfredo, but was amazing & delicious none-the-less.

Our delicious dinner!

I plan on enjoying half a bag of popcorn and some fruit as a snack tonight. And now I am off to do some stretching and exercises that I found on... you guessed it... Pinterest! You can find the workout here!!!

OH!!! And I made some Crystal Light Popsicles! I'll let y'all know how they are tomorrow!

Wish me luck, y'all!

Oh me, Oh my...

It is day 1. I did ok with my food... However today helped me realize the importance of a well stocked pantry & well planned meals.

I only had iced coffee (homemade with 1/2 cup skim milk + black coffee) for breakfast because I woke up a little late. Lunch, on the other hand, was FAB!!!! I had a roast beef roll-up. My lovely husband made the roast beef himself! I used a small tortilla (fajita size) with 1/4 tbsp of mayo, 2 thin slices of roast beef, 1/2 tbsp of sriracha, & a handful of shredded carrots! For snacks at work I had a hand full of almonds & a peach cup, as well as some green tea. I felt nice a satisfied most of the day (I think my body missed breakfast).
Dinner, however, was not so great. We are pretty low on groceries in this house- don't worry, shopping this weekend! We were going to have pan seared steak with veggies... BUT the steaks had frost-bite (sad day) & the asparagus was no good either! We ended up with lightly battered fried chicken nuggets, homemade fries, & squash with zucchini. The only healthy part was the squash & zucchini & the glass of water I drank.
On the bright side, I only had 4 nuggets. Once we grocery shop & I meal plan things will be much, much better.
I'll probably enjoy half of a mini bag of popcorn later...it is "all natural".... Or something!

Wish me luck, y'all!

The Extra Super Dreaded Before Pictures!

A journey into the past. From now back to then (Now & Then, a great movie, btw). I have started with my current pics and listed them backwards to pre-pregnancy. I know that before I was too thin, my BMI was 18!! I am slowly learning about getting healthy and fit. What to eat, what not to... How to workout, etc. I am really excited for the journey! I know I will have set backs, but I CAN do this! 

This is me now, 6/2012. I weigh around 135lbs.

Still me now...

This is me in November 2010, 14 months after having my son. I am about 145lbs here.

This is me in April 2010,  7 months after having my son. I am about 160lbs here. 

This is me in November 2009, 1 month after having my son. I weigh around 160lbs. 

This is me at 18, about 1.5 years before I became pregnant. I weighed about 100lbs. 

 Wish me luck, y'all.

Skinny Fat.


I came across the term on Pinterest (surprising, right?). A fellow pinner had posted the difference between "Skinny Fat" & "Skinny Fit"( See what on the hayy I am talking about here! )... Something I have NEVER even thought about. Have you? I mean, I KNEW there had to be a word or phrase! I just told everyone I was deceptively thin, but this is more appropriate. I look pretty good in MOST of my clothes; I did, however, get asked when I was due the other day (my son in TWO!); but I look awful 'nekky'!!! It is bad. I am going to be a brave girl & post some before pics.

Since 2011 I have lost about 30 lbs. I used a great App/Website called Myfitnesspal to count my calories. It felt awesome to lose the weight. But I didn't bother much with actually exercising or truly being healthy, I ONLY counted calories. I now understand that these things go hand in hand. You can't really have one without the other & expect results, y'all! 


So, I am hoping to use this blog as a means of:
A) Accountability
B) Motivation for myself & others
C) A Journal to track my progress, setbacks, tips, etc.
If I am  not working or doing family stuff, I am on my computer... So MAYBE this will work. Instead od mindless surfing I can log my info & get this body from flabby to lean! 


Wish me luck, y'all!

P.S. Pics in next post!