Shedding for the wedding

Hey everyone! As you already know, we are getting married! Even though the wedding is still 10 months away, I have decided to start a diet and workout regimen, and guess what? I finally, FINALLY! Found the balance of what works with me and my body. I have been trying to lose weight since I moved in with my fiance 2 1/2 years ago. It is true what everyone says. You move in together, you get comfy and cozy, and then before you know it, 10-15lbs (or more!) has accumulated and your looking at yourself wondering how you got this way!

The things I wanted to change in my current lifestyle include the following:
- Working out 3 times per week at the gym doing cardio based workouts for 20-30 minutes. Post cardio, abs, back, arms and leg toning exercises.
- Vinyasa yoga 2 times per week.
- Lemon water every morning 30 minutes before eating breakfast.
- One-two cups green tea per day with local honey and a slice of lemon.
- Sleeping at least 8 hours per night.
- Cutting out MSG/GMO products. Trading over to organic products as much as possible/what we can afford/find.
- Eating more frequently and smaller meals. More vegetables, less fruit. Lots of protein!

I decided when we got engaged a couple months ago, that it was time for me to change my lifestyle and lose this extra 15lbs that had accumulated on my body. My friends had given me some suggestions as to what they had done to lose weight, and the steps they take daily to ensure that they won't gain back what they worked so hard to lose. Some had said they tried the high protein, low carb diet. For me, that just wouldn't work. I love carbs wayyyyy too much. Plus, carbs are what gives you the energy you need to get through your day.

I had a friend post an article on Facebook awhile back that was interesting to me. It was an article I believe out of the Huffington Post, talking about drinking warm water with lemon every morning. When I first saw the article, I was a little skeptical. After researching the benefits of drinking this mixture every morning, I decided to give it a shot. Lemon water is actually really great for your body, and has antibacterial and anti fungal properties. It also aids in reducing bloating, helping to keep your face clear of acne, curbing your appetite, and regulating digestion.

Now, there is something you must realize. I hate lemons usually. I LOVE lemonade however, but that's only because it has enough sugar to take out the bitterness of the lemon. Any recipe that calls for lemon, I usually tend to steer clear, or only add just a smidge of what it actually calls for.

Three days ago I tried the lemon water for the first time. The instructions were to warm up one mug or cup of water, and add the juice of half a lemon for 150lbs and less, more than 150lbs add the juice of one whole lemon. Drink the whole mug when you wake in the morning, wait 30 minutes after finishing, then eat breakfast. I must admit, that first sip...WHEW! It was really sour and bitter, and my fiance was laughing so hard at the faces I was making! It was pretty comical. Over the next few days, I noticed that I had a lot more energy, (one of the benefits) my face started to clear up, and I didn't feel as hungry as often through out the day.

So far so good! I am so glad that I had read about the benefits of drinking lemon water. There are many more than I have listed, but it is worth the shot, and its good for your body! Another article I stumbled upon while researching the benefits of drinking lemon water, was the benefits of drinking green tea daily. Green tea is great for you! Just look at all the other cultures in our enormous world that drink tea on a daily basis and swear by it for its herbal healing properties. I am naturally a green tea freak! I love the tea, and usually always have a big box in our pantry.

Green tea is great for boosting your metabolism. Pair this with drinking your lemon water every day, and I guarantee you will see weight loss results! It is also good for keeping your insulin levels in check, preventing spikes, and it helps keep fat from storing. For people with blood pressure problems, it helps reduce high blood pressure. This tea is also great for people with depression and anxiety. It helps them relax and feel more at ease. Isn't this what we all need in our daily lives?

So far I am down 9lbs, which I seriously could not be happier about. I haven't seen the numbers on the scale for quite a long time! This all is good motivation to keep going, and push myself to lose these last 6lbs to get down to my goal weight! I really hope this article has helped all of you reading this, and hopefully it works for your body as well to get you to your goal weight! Trust me- even though it may not taste the greatest, it is SO good for you. Your body will love and thank you! 

Have a happy Friday!
-A

Easiest Dinner Ever

We all have those nights when we get home from work, and want dinner to cook itself with as little interaction with cooking as possible. Last night was one of those nights for me! So what did I turn to? One of the seriously easiest meals EVER, with as little prep as possible, and the clean up happens while its baking. The best part? You already have 4 out of the 5 whole ingredients in your house! Here it is!

Jalapeno Baked Chicken
1 bag Kettle brand jalapeno chips, crushed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg + splash of milk
1/2 cup flour

(I split the recipe in half just for my fiancee and I) 

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Grab 3 pans for your prep, and one pan to pop in the oven that is greased so your chicken doesn't stick, and your crushed chips stay on! (Lots of pans, I know. But totally worth it!) Place your flour in the first one, egg and milk scramble in the second, crushed chips in the third.

Here's what your set up should look like! Dredge chicken breasts in flour, then dunk them in your egg mixture. Lastly, the crushed chips! Pop in your pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, depending on how big your chicken breasts are. I like mine a little on the crispier side, so I bake them about 60 minutes, flipping once at 30 minutes.

Voila! Easiest baked chicken EVER. I also got these fabulous fresh green beans from the store the other day, and decided to experiment with them! Here's how I made them:

Fresh Green Beans
Remove stems, string of the bean, and ends of your beans. Boil them for 20 minutes (or until flimsy and al dente). Drain the beans. Add butter or olive oil (your choice!), fresh garlic, or if you don't have that, garlic powder. Add sea salt and pepper. You can add a variety of flavors, those were the ones I chose!

Here is the original recipe I found via Pinterest: Jalapeno Baked Chicken

Mmm mmm mmm! Enjoy y'all!
-A

It's one "Chili" Day!

Jambo! Today, I am going to share with you one of my favorite crock pot recipes! Chili! My sister-in-law and I originally made this about two years ago, and I have been addicted ever since! Here's what you need:

Chili
1 1/2lbs hamburger meat
1 small can tomato paste (the smallest kind you can find)
1 16oz can tomato sauce
2 15oz cans reduced sodium dark red kidney beans
1 28oz can chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 TBSP chili seasoning (below)
1 tsp either Siracha hot sauce, or Cholula hot sauce
Shredded Cheese
Oyster Crackers

Chili Seasoning
This mixture makes a ton! Seal it in an air tight container for up to a year!
4 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp paprika
2 TBSP ground cumin
3 tsp sea salt
4 tsp black pepper



Start off by browning your hamburger meat, it doesn't have to be completely cooked through because you are sticking it in your pot to cook! Then, mix together your seasoning, then add 1 1/2 TBSP of seasoning to your pot. (More to taste if you want more kick!) Combine hamburger, and the rest of your ingredients to the pot, and turn on high for 4-6 hours, or until the onions and peppers are soft. Top with cheese & oyster crackers. Enjoy! SO easy right?!

We tend to pair the chili with yummy cornbread muffins, or cinnamon rolls with ooey gooey icing!

Here is the original link to the seasoning mix from My Baking Addiction .

Hope you all enjoy this "Chili" day recipe! :)
-A

Glowing In The Night

Happy November All! I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! I thought I would share with you this pumpkin carving tutorial that is fun for all Disney lovers, (like me!) and all ages! A little after Halloween, but better late than never right?

What you will need for this wonderful project:

1 pumpkin of whatever size you like
1 pumpkin carving kit (I bought mine at Walmart for $2 and it had a book of fun designs you can carve as well)
Candle
Newspaper
Large Bowl
Drill and bits (this is optional, as you can use any size round items you may have laying around your house, I found the drill to be quicker.)

So, start with your pumpkin. Instead of carving out a hole in the top, I carved a hole in the bottom, so I could light the candle, then stick the pumpkin on top. I find this is easier to light then reaching your hand in with a lighter!

After you do that, clean out all the guts and toss them in your bowl. Reserve them for later, I've got a great pumpkin seed recipe I found that leaves them nice and crunchy!

Print off whatever design you would like to go on your pumpkin. In the image I found, I couldn't get to print, so I improvised and drew out my design, which is Tinkerbell and her trailing pixy dust! Tape the drawing to your pumpkin. You may have to make slight folds in the paper, but this is ok!

Take your handy little poker that came with your pumpkin kit, and punch out the outline of your sketch.

This is what it should look like after you poke the holes. Remove the paper, and carve out your drawing, like connecting the dots. Then! Take a marker, or just use your poker, and mark/make holes for the pixy dust trail. I completely forgot to take pictures of the next part, because I got so excited it was so cute!Take your drill, and drill random size holes and make sure your bits are long enough to go through the entire pulp of the pumpkin. After allllll of that, grab your candle and light up your pumpkin and Voila! Your done!

  

This is what it should look like! So cute right?

Now, onto what to do with those pumpkin seeds! Here's an awesome recipe from Oh She Glows ! We ended up having to cook ours for about 5-10 minutes longer to really get them to crisp up. I would also recommend adding whatever type of flavor you enjoy on your seeds to make them even more delicious! 

Thanks for hanging out for this tutorial!

-A