Healthy Go To Meals

On Monday, I kind of slipped up.  I ate 2 1/2 squares of a dessert bar.  I felt SICK afterwards.  I'm trying very hard to cut the sugar.  I need to find my motivation again.  The good news is that same day, I did a KILLER workout.  My lats are screaming still, and it's two days later.  I am pushing through my workouts though.  I don't work the same muscle group twice in a row ever.  I try to leave at least a day in between, but mostly it's 2 days.
I'd thought I'd share some of my go-to meals. 
1. 1 cup of plain greek yogurt with mix ins.  Sometimes I'll mix in a Tbsp or 2 of homemade strawberry jam and cut up peaches (approx. 260 cal.).  Another mix in I'll use is 1/3 cup of homemade trail mix (it's soooo good and healthy), and 1 or 2 tsp. of raw honey.
2. Smoothie.  I usually make the same kind, and have done this for a few years now.  I'll put in greek yogurt, orange juice, frozen banana, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, and frozen spinach (I buy the fresh stuff in bags and put in a ziplock and freeze it).  Blend it up.  Adjust ingredient amounts according to the thickness you prefer.
3.  Salads.  When having salad for a meal, I make sure and add in the proper amount of protein.  The other day I made up a weird concoction, but it was sooooo good.  Don't laugh at me.  I do weird things all the time.  I throw in ingredients that sound good to me.  The other day I had chopped romaine lettue, 1 oz of cheddar cheese cubed, green peppers sliced, cherry tomatoes halved, and yellow pepperoncinis (sliced, in a jar), then added 1 tbsp. of lite ranch.  I know it sounds weird, but it was so good.  I know that wasn't enough protein, so I ate 2 hard boiled eggs on the side, with a bit of mustard on top.  I know that sounds disgusting too, but it's kind of like a deviled egg without the mayo.  It's really good!
4. For a snack, I will eat a banana with 2 Tbsp. of peanut butter (300 cal.).
5. Steel cut oats with mix ins like peanut butter and banana, or coconut and raisins, or greek yogurt and fruit.  I don't always get in the protein with this meal, but I try.  Sometimes I'll have an egg or 2 on the side, depending on the calorie count of the oatmeal with mix ins, or a glass of milk.
6.  Omelets or scrambled eggs.  I add in all kinds of things.  My favorite is eggs with chopped broccoli, onions, and green peppers, 1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese, then top with hot sauce(Franks is my favorite) .

These are just a few things that I like to eat.  They are all super easy and fast, and I like that.  Especially since I'm eating so many times per day.  I need it to be quick and easy so it doesn't consume my life.  Hope you enjoy!

If you look at the picture below, it was just taken on Sunday.  That little gut of mine will be gone in no time flat!  Well, okay....it's going to take time and hard work....but just you wait!  I'm going to get there!  And of course, notice little Lincoln hiding behind my skirt.  Isn't he just a doll with that big grin!!!  I seriously can't get enough of his adorable smiles! 

Xo,
Amber

OOTD: Pioneer Day

Hellooooo!  Just thought I'd share an outfit that I wore over the weekend:

  My family and I had the chance to go up to our church and celebrate Pioneer Day.  We had a grand ole' time!  Lot's of good food, good conversation, and fun games for the kids.  Our evening in pictures:





Ooooh, I hate my carseat!  Let me out, let me out!!!



Oh man!  Not another picture....no really, take another one!



Grass!  I don't think I like the feel of this!



bike race



Me and my buddy

Me and MY buddy!

Love this guy!

XO,
Amber

Fat Loss Week 2

Okay, so I finished week 1.  I had some ups and downs that I will talk about but first, here are my measurements:

 

Current Measurements:

Waist: 27.75 "

High Hip: 33"

Hips: 36.5 "

 

 

So I've lost 1/4" off my waist, nothing off of my muffin top (high hip), and 1/4" off my hips.  I'm disappointed that I haven't lost anything off of my high hip, because that is one of the places that bothers me the most.  My skin is still loose there from having a baby and I think my hips have spread.  I know it takes time.  I know I will get leaner over time, and even though I may not get as small as before, I still know there is fat to lose in my high hip area.

 

As far as my diet and exercise, I did pretty good.  With my exercise, I managed to lift weights 4x/wk (2 upper, 2 lower body), and I did cardio 5x/wk just as I had planned.  So that was good.

 

With my eating, I did OK.  I was NOT perfect.  I pretty much ate every 2 to 4 hours and my meals were a good balance of lean protein and healthy carbs, some fats.  I had a few cheats over the course of the week, and then on Saturday night, I took my cheat meal.  I overdid it though.  I ate 3 pieces of pizza, and then 2 pretty good sized bowls of ice cream (mint cookie, yum!).  But it was too much.  I felt sick and full all night long.  Uncomfortably full.  Also, the next day I gained a lb, which in turn got me down.  So it's kind of like a snowball effect.  All of Sunday, I felt like cheating on my eating because I felt like I had already failed.  So that was not good.  I've decided to try and not go overboard on my cheat meal.  It makes me feel like I've undone all of my hard work.  Next time, I am going to maybe just stick with one bowl of ice cream instead of two!  Also, as far as my other cheats throughout the week, they were very small.  For example, one day I made chocolate chip cookies and I ate a spoonful of raw cookie dough (another favorite).  On another day, I ate 1 scoop of sherbet in a cup.  Not so good, but also, I was proud of myself for choosing a lower calorie option instead of the high fat/higher calorie ice cream.  And then on 2 of the days, I ate 2 Tbsp. of Nutella, and also I had a couple of chips, and one bite of a butterfinger cream pie.  Most of these little cheats were not tragic in my book.  I didn't overindulge.  I definitely was NOT perfect, but I still feel pretty good about it overall.  I can only get better from here on out.  And I will.

I wasn't going to post about my weight, but I have decided to do that, so I can keep record of how my body loses weight vs. fat.  I weigh myself every single day. I'm kind of obsessed.  I know in my head that weight DOES NOT matter.  In fact, right now, I am less than 1/2 lb. away from being at the best weight of my adult life.  But NOT EVEN CLOSE, to the best body shape, muscle tone, etc.  It is true when they say muscle weighs more than fat.  I have fat to lose and a bunch of muscle to gain.  So remember not to pay too much attention to the scale.  In the picture that I posted (here) where I was in a bathing suit with my daughter, I was in the best shape of my adult life, and I weighed 125.8.  When I started this challenge a week ago, I weighed 130 lbs.  Today, I weigh 126 lbs.  I know 4 lbs. is too much to lose in one week.  It is not healthy.  I think a couple of lbs were water weight though.  You can expect from here on out that I probably won't lose this much in a week again.  My goal weight is 120 lbs. but again, I am unsure if this is realistic with the amount of muscle I'd like to gain.  We shall see.  I still had room for improvement when I was in the best shape of my life and felt that maybe I could still lose another 5 lbs.  Only time will tell.

Here are some progress pictures taken this morning before my workout.  I wore two different outfits so that you could get a good idea of what I look like.  I'm hoping that over time, my arms will lean out, and become toned and defined.  They probably won't get much smaller, but they will become a lot more tight and defined.  I love that look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I'm sorry that the pics are so poor in quality.  For the next ones, I will try to get hubby to take some so that there will be better lighting.

XO,
Amber



 

 

Simple pleausures

The other day, as I was sitting on the couch in my living room, feeding the baby, I watched my other two little ones rolling around fighting.  Normally when I see this, I get annoyed and tell them to stop it!  But on this day, I just looked at them, and a smile slowly spread across my face.  At that moment, I thought about their fat, pudgy little feet and hands.  About all their excitement over making "pillow land" in my living room, about their sweet innocence and dependence on me to make everything all better.  It made me feel happy inside that I could appreciate this moment, even though they were fighting. 
You see, this is a big deal for me.  I'm normally so tired, and just don't want to deal with another fight (my two oldest like to bicker and fight a lot).  I normally snap at them to "stop it!" or "knock it off".  But today I didn't.  I relished the beauty of my children.  If I could make most days like today, I would be one happy mama!
Looking back over the past year, I've realized that I was letting life happen, but not in a good way.  I was stressed and trying so hard to have everything perfect.  I was so busy getting after my children, cleaning my house, making meals, laundry, and the list goes on.  I felt like I was drowning and barely able to keep my head above water.  Now I know that perfection is an illusion...at least to some extent.  What I mean by that, is that for me, it would never be good enough.  With 3 children the house will never be clean enough, the children will never behave exactly as I want them too (no fighting).  It's just not realistic.  Hubby tells me that I do this a lot.   Have unrealistic expectations.  I know he's right, too! :)
So today, was a good day.  A day full of joy, for being able to see the good in my life even amongst the chaos.  I'm convinced that that is how we all lead a happy, joyful life.  Slow down, focus on the good, and think positively as much as possible.

This necklace is also another simple pleasure. Just kidding. But I do LOVE it! :)

P.S.  I will be back tomorrow to give an update on my measurements and fitness and health goals!  So excited!  So keep on the lookout for that! :)

XO,
Amber

OOTD: fLoRaL

 

So I took these pics a while back.  This is just a mediocre outfit, but decided to post it anyways.  Like I said, I like to wear lots of shorts! :) 

My daughter took this one! :)

I'd love to eat him all up!


XO,
Amber

Trash Man Jax

Baby Boy is so excited that he is crawling.  This boy doesn't stop moving, let me tell ya.  The other day when I was getting ready, I set him down on the floor in my bathroom.  Within a couple of minutes I turn around and find this:

Thankfully there wasn't much in the garbage...because that could be gross! haha!  I love watching him grow.  I love seeing all the new things he discovers and how excited he gets about it!  I shouldn't admit this...but he also LOVES the tv remote!  The other day it was on the floor and he bee-lined it over and grabbed it!  A huge smile spread across his face.  Then he proceeded to hold it up towards the tv and push buttons.  WHAT?!  He was so proud of himself.  Remember he is only 10 months old.  What does that say about me?  My other 2 watch too many cartoons!!  I am constantly trying to get better though.  I have my ups and downs.  Some weeks we won't watch any, and sometimes we watch way more than I'd ever want to admit!  I'm hoping that once my little girl starts school, it will be easier to control it! :)  Little Lincoln (my 3 year old) loves playing outside, so I'm hoping there will be a lot more of that and a lot less of tv.  Plus, with only 2 kids at home, that will free up more time for me to play with my boys.  I'm so excited for that time I will get to spend with them.




XO,
Amber

OOTD: Park Day

Hel-looooo!  Today the kids and I went to the park.  There is a "mom's group" that meets together once a week at the park.  I try to take my kids as much as possible, so they can get out and socialize.  They love it!  It gets pretty hot, and there is not a lot of shade, so in the thick of the summer, I love to dress really comfortable.  Nobody likes being hot.  Especially me!  I get ornery and agitated when I get too hot.  Ask the hubby! :)  Here is what I wore:

Transformation Update:  I am doing pretty well.  The no sugar thing has been tough, and I have not been perfect....but almost!  For example, I made chocolate chip cookies the other day for the kids, and I had a big bite of cookie dough (one of my weaknesses), probably half a cookie's worth.  And then today, I had a Tbsp of Nutella.  YUM.  So I'm cheating, but hardly at all.  Sometimes when I get on these kicks, I am SUPER strict and will not fudge (no pun intended) at all!  But this time around, I'm trying to relax and enjoy the ride! :)  But at the same time, I really want to see results, and I know how strict I have to be to get where I want to be.  Work in progress. 
Today I bought my kids ice cream.  Ice cream is my favorite thing to eat in the whole wide world.  I LOVE IT!!!  But I did not eat any....not even 1 bite.  Patting myself on the back over here!
Also, I know I need to increase my water.  I've been hitting my minimum goal (see goals here) everyday....but that doesn't usually happen until just before bed and then I'm up all night!  So I'm trying to focus on that right now as well!  Overall, I feel good.  I can't wait to start seeing the changes!!!

XO,
Amber

Apples + Cinnamon

Hey! So a while back I saw a recipe for crock pot apples and cinnamon.  When I finally decided to make it (last week), I couldn't find the recipe!  I thought I pinned it....but guess not.  So I decided to google it!  Couldn't find it....so I just threw in what I thought looked good! 

 

 

Ingredients:

3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 Cup Raisins (just throw in what looks good)

1/4 pure honey

Cinnamon (sprinkle to your liking)

 

Throw all ingredients in a crock pot, stir to coat, and cook on low for 2 to 4 hours.  That's it!  My kids LOVED it, and I didn't feel too guilty eating it. 

I actually left it in the crock pot for 6 hrs because I was out and about.  It worked out perfectly!

Enjoy!

 

XO,

Amber

Coconut Oil and WoRkIn It!

Where have you been all my life!!!  Why didn't I try this sooner!!!  Coconut oil is cheap, and it works so much better than anything I have ever tried.  I have super dry skin, and a lot of the moisturizers I've used keep me soft for....oh...about a minute!
I bought some virgin coconut oil from Trader Joe's a couple of months ago.  I cooked with it once, but then decided to spoon some out and try it as a moisturizer (because I've heard of people doing that).  Anyways, so glad I did.  Loved it so much that it now sits on my bathroom counter.  I'll have to buy another one for cooking! Ha!

 

So if anybody out there has dry skin...I'm telling you....you gotta try this out!  You won't regret it! 

Also, I've been doing really well with my fitness and healthy eating goals!  The first week is always the hardest for me.  It takes some time for my body to adjust to eating healthier food, and also for my sugar cravings to go away!  The workouts have been very intense, and so that takes a toll on me the first week as well, until I build up my fitness level.  I'm trying hard not to overdo it...but it's hard.  I get so excited when I have this momentum built up! 

Look at baby Jax!  He just learned how to wave "hello" during this past month.  Isn't he precious!!

 

I love all of baby's firsts!  It makes my heart sing. 

 

XO,

Amber