Status update

I have been noticing that I am not nearly as careful with my choices as I was when I was posting daily.   I have not been planning the night before or the day of either.   I am working on ideas for that.   The good thing is that I have a new mantra of "eat at home".  Other than a few instances like hubby taking me out to lunch and our eat out night once a week, I have been coming up with ideas to make food.   Last night I cooked some chicken in the pressure cooker (4 frozen breasts with 1 cup broth and 1 cup water on high pressure for 12 min, which ends up being about 25.  Removed them from the juices and cut them up.  I added gravy mix to the juice and cooked it until thick adding the chicken in to warm through easy and quick!)

Mind Games

In a recent visit with my therapist we talked about motivation.   I have long term motivation.   What could be called "whys"   but that doesn't give me short term motivation.   The short term motivation is what gets you to make the harder choice in the moment.   Turns out that we as humans tend to take the easy way, almost all the time.  I know, I didn't want to believe it either.   It seems that faced with two choices such as eating the chocolate sitting on the counter or pulling veggies out of the fridge, we will pick the first because it is the most convenient.   I know that is how it works for me.   I am not lazy but more wired to find the ways that make something the easiest for me.  In some aspects this is a good thing.  But when trying to change my routines it isn't exactly the best.

So we talked of different methods to combat the laziness.  A rewards jar or an if this than I can have that scenario.  She said something that really struck me though.   It comes down to a constant negotiation with ourselves.   Even if we are having those thoughts of I don't want to, we can play a mental game with ourselves.   Our subconcious doesn't realize we are playing the game, only our conciousness.   So in reality if you trick yourself it has the same effect as if we had made the choice out of habit. 

Since we talked about this, I have started playing the game.  If I want to sit at the computer and I have a load of laundry to do, I will say I will sit down after I do the laundry.   Of course not out loud.  :) 
  If I want to watch a TV show, I will do the dishes first, or do them while watching.   "I can watch while I wash the dishes".   It isn't saying no to myself, but adding conditions.  

My trainer even mentioned something like this the other day.   When she wants a treat, she will tell herself she can have it later (tonight or tomorrow)   usually when the time comes she doesn't want it anymore. Interesting isn't it.   When I tried holding off on treats until a specific day every week, I found myself craving them more, hiding stuff in the freezer wolfing it down on Saturday.   Perhaps my waiting time was too long.  

So far the mental game is working for me in getting me up and moving instead of sitting and not moving.   I found Downton Abby last week...lets say that was rather dangerous.   I have been watching it quite a bit.  But usually (recently) while I am doing something else. 

If you try playing games with yourself, let me know how it goes!

Procrastination...Busted!

I've decided that one of my biggest steps in the wrong direction is procrastination.   It isn't always purposeful, but it is there.   Distraction must be a precursor to it as well.   I'm sitting here still in my exercise clothes at 1:15 in the afternoon.   No exercise yet.   I did get some cleaning done this morning, started out on the right foot but then I slowly began to slow down.   I have things to do.  Now to do them!

So how can I get out of the distraction/procrastination mode?

And now what?

I kinda fell of the radar a few days.   I think I needed to decompress a bit.  It has been nice to not be posting right before going to bed.  :)

My weigh in was 195.2 on Sunday morning.  I went to the doctor yesterday.   She told me that she would have certainly called me pre-diabetic 6 months ago.   Now she isn't worried at all and won't even check an A1c at the next visit.  Quite the changes!   So even though my weight has not changed by much.  (By office records I am down 4 lbs since my last visit 6 months ago) I am much healthier on the inside.   YAY!

Healthy Journey Day 365

It's here.  One year ago I started logging my days.   And I made it!   Crazy isn't it.   A lot has changed over the last year.  I now have a trainer, a therapist and I have accomplished some of my goals.   My A1c is lower than it has been since I ever had it checked.  That in itself feels like a miracle.   I am stronger than ever.   I suspect that if I tried I could squat 95 lbs.   I even bet if I tried I could run a 10 minute mile.   I will see this next week as I am really close.  I am able to do 10 full pushups.  They aren't all the way down, all the time, but I can do them.   I am amazed by my progress!  I started asking for help in the areas I needed it and I feel I am making it all work.   Sure I am not a size 8, I don't weigh 50 lbs less.   However.   I am strong, my insides are healthier and that is what matters!   Feeling Strong and Healthy was my ultimate goal and I definitely have made great strides in that department.   I am excited to see where the next year will take me.   The way I see it, I have made great changes on the inside.   As I start to improve my mental out look in therapy and continue in my training the inside changes will start to show on the outside.   I especially feel that way since my thyroid dose has been increased and my body should start working like a better oiled machine.  The extra weight will just start falling off of me now.  :)  Faster metabolism do your work!

Healthy Journey Day 364

Friday's get rather busy around here, I was tired this morning and didn't get up so early.  Truth is I would have loved to sleep in for several more hours. 
I skipped exercise, as I ran out of time, Running the kids to school takes a lot of my morning. 

Breakfast:  PB and banana on toast
Salad, the same as last night.  So yummy!
Chips queso, and donuts
Chicken taco meat with carrots and cucumbers.   I ate enough chips that I wasn't so hungry for dinner
Sugar cookie.   Wasn't so hungry but it called to me, ate it even though it wasn't tasting 100% yummy

Healthy Journey Day 363

Today was a good day.  I am starting to feel things come together.  I apparently take a while to have that happen, but all is good.  

It was just my trainer and me for our workout today.  It was really good...we worked every body part.  Heavy!  I was using my 45 lb bar and doing squats (like 20 at a time) then bench press and more.   Pretty crazy.  I am feeling strong but also like I will be sore tomorrow.  I definitely feel that my abs are my weak spot.   I have trouble keeping them engaged.  We talked about accountability..so I am now texting her every night at 8 pm to say what I have completed out of our goals.  Today was day one of that...I got it all.  YAY!  Now to continue

Healthy Journey Day 362

It was a busy day today.   I went to my endo today. The trip there ended up having multiple other stops as well.   Lab work was interesting.  Apparently I am not getting enough thyroid hormone...so my dose will probably be increased.   However my Blood Glucose level...the Hemoglobin A1c was lower.   5.4.  That is the best it has been in a long time!   I dropped 0.4 points.  YAY!   I was very excited to see that.

Because i wasn't home too long this morning, I only got in 10 minutes of exercise.  Not bad though.

I ate a banana for breakfast and my snack.

We snacked on candy while driving around

After getting home I was starving so ate a leftover chili cheese dog and some leftovers from monday.

Dinner was chicken noodle soup.   I have been craving Chocolate like crazy.  Ate some orange sticks, and really wanted to make some sort of ooey gooey chocolate cake.   never did but definitely thought about it.

Not enough water, steps or veg

Tomorrow's plan.

toast with pb and a banana

smoothie

salad

oranges

pancakes, bacon eggs.

Healthy Journey Day 361

I realized today that I have mis marked quite a few posts as being in the 200s lately.  Ooops. 

Today started out well.  Got up a little later than planned, but mostly got in my cleaning hour.   After getting the kids off to school, I found I got sidetracked.   I had to run something up to my hubby and then watched the neighbors kid for a little bit.   I started to feel sick too...my throat is really scratchy.   So not cool.   By afternoon I was feeling depressed and blah and just wanting to sit around.   I tend to fizzle around the time the kids get home from school. I don't know why it is right then, it isn't like I've been really active right before they get home.   Maybe I need some meditation time around 2 pm...

I didn't have all the ingredients to make the waffles this morning so ate fruit and donuts for breakfast.   Then kinda snacked.

I grabbed weinerschnitzel on the way home from the office, then remembered after the fact that I am trying to cut back on eating out.  I wanted chili...so had a chili cheese dog, I kinda wanted to try chili cheese fries, but figured that really wouldn't be good in the car.  We did get fries though. and a raspberry lemonade.  They have the best!

I did finally exercise...after noon.   Biceps and back.  15 lb weights and down to 12s,

I had last nights leftovers for dinner.  and then some mint ice cream brownies.  I realized I really don't like brownie mixes from the store.   It was hard and chewy and so not tasty.   So we ate the ice cream off the top and will throw out the rest.   I was feeling really lazy and let the kids watch tv while I lazed on the bed feeling yucky...hopefully I get feeling better soon.  I'm not even that sick, just not 100%

Tomorrow's plan.

Toast with PB and pomegranet seeds

smoothie?--I have a dr's appointment...we will see how that effects my schedule.  

leftovers

fruit/sandwich

chicken tacos

Healthy Journey Day 360

Crazy, only a few days left.

I have been working on my month long meal plan.   I have a hard time with making the decisions of what to make.   Decisions can be difficult for me!  
My trainer gave me a plan where you cook up a bunch of chicken at the beginning of the week and then use it the rest of the week.   I am going to do that today.   So I started 10 chicken breasts around noon on high in the crockpot. 

Healthy Journey Day 259

Weigh in 195.6 today.   It's been weeks since I weighed in.

I made donuts today, a recipe from Six sisters stuff.   Pretty tasty.   I don't usually fry foods, so it was an experience.   Really easy though.   You use the puff pastry sheets that are found in the freezer section of the grocery store.   Taste a lot like Krispie Creams.

I ate quite a few of the donuts, and so wasn't hungry for other foods. 

After church they had treats today, chips and salsa.   I then made tuna noodle for dinner.   I didn't drink that much water today, am really feeling it.   Hubby and I spent the bulk of the afternoon looking at birthday presents for my son.   It is less than a month away.   

Plan for tomorrow:

Pumpkin Protein Waffles

green smoothie...in my food processor

wraps/leftovers

Chicken and pico/verde over rice

Healthy Journey Day 258

It's been an interesting Saturday.   I got in my exercise and then had my food processor made smoothie...but I didn't eat before then.   I ran 1.25 miles in 17 minutes.  Getting close to my goal.  My trainer said she bets I could do a 10 minute mile now, if I tried.   I am betting she is right, but nervous to just try it. 

I ended up eating a lot of treats today.  I even feel a little sick to my stomach because of it.  I finally put that roast in the crock pot, but everyone was hungry before it was done.  So I ended up cooking sausages 3 hours before dinner and most of us were not hungry for dinner. 

Healthy Journey Day 257

Today I met with my therapist.   Before I ever met with her I felt like a failure for even thinking about needing this kind of help.   Now after my second appointment, I feel a sense of freedom.   It is a good feeling to know that I have an authoritative person in my court and that I can pose any problem and she will be on my team to help me solve it, or find a way to make it better. 

Today we set up goals...pretty much what I am already working on.   So we are working on Healthy Body, Healthy mind and Healthy House.   I will get my blood sugar to normal levels, run a 10 min mile by 2/1/2016.  Only eat out 1 x per week, exercise 4 days a week (at least) and make a monthly balanced meal plan. 
In regards to the house I will begin a cleaning hour first thing in the morning at least 4 days a week.
My mind, we will work on strategies to help me get into a more positive mindset and improve my self image.

Healthy Journey Day 256

It's been an interesting day.   Started out with Protein Pumpkin Pancakes that I found on the State of Slim Facebook page.  They were really quite good...lots of eggs, pumpkin and oat flour.   I think I will do them again!

My trainer came and killed us off!   It was leg day.  Boy was I shaking!   First off though we did our fitness test.  I shaved a full second off of my ladder time, and increased my pushups and planks significantly.  quite amazing.   I used 15 lb weights for the biceps. 

10 days left until my 365 goal

It's hard to believe I've almost posted a full year!  I'm working to decide if I want to continue a daily post, or how I want to change it up for the next year. 

I'd like your input!   Please comment below!

What is helpful?
Is posting my daily food consumption helpful?
Is there anything that you wish I posted more of, or less of?
Any constructive criticism would be helpful.  :)

Thank you so much in advance!

Healthy Journey Day 255

Wow what a day, my back and legs and feet are soooo tired!   I made a ton of applesauce and turned half of it into apple butter.  IT toook soo oooo much longer than I expected.   I finally finished and cleaned up around 8 pm...close to 12 hours of work.   Crazy!   I put the rest of the sauce in the fridge to make more butter or can tomorrow or Friday.  

Breakfast:  pumpkin chocolate chip bread
I went to make myself a smoothie for a snack and my blender died...so not cool!
Lunch.   Chicken salad wrap...yummy
Snack:  Apples, fruit snacks pumpkin bread
Pizza.  I was in the heat of it all and totally forgot to start dinner in the crockpot.  So pizza and pasta was it!  Thank goodness for dominos delivery!

Healthy Journey Day 254

So time has flown, I thought I would be to bed early tonight, and here it is after 10 and I am just writing my day's post...so much for going to bed before ten!

I had a busy day, cleaning and then making apple pie filling.   I made 4 batches (6 lbs of apples each)  That are now down freezing away in my freezer.   Yummy!  The house smelled so good!

Healthy Journey Day 253

What a busy day.  I have been running around quite a bit, getting ready for apple preserving.   I did plan my day this morning, and filled out the Your Best Year Ever booklet for the week.   Planning on being very productive this week!

Mint Brownie Ice Cream Squares

A friend brought this to dinner the other night, it was so yummy I had to find the recipe!   From the our best bites book.  This mix of chewy brownie, mint ice cream and creamy topping is to die for!

Mint Ice Cream Brownies

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix (or recipe for brownies)
1 (1 1/2 quart) mint chip ice cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
15-20 Oreo Cookies, crushed
1 (8 oz) container whipped topping
Shaved chocolate or sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

Bake Brownies according to directions in a 9x 13 pan.  Cool completely and place in freezer to chill.

Soften ice cream at room temperature and stirring every 10 minutes, or in the microwave at half power until it can stir easily with a spoon until the consistency of frosting.   Gently spread over brownies evenly.   Put pan back in freezer while completing next step.

Heat cream in microwave until hot and bubbly.  Pour in chocolate chips.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Let sit for 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth.  Whisk in peppermint extract and let cool until almost room temperature.  Drizzle evenly over ice cream in pan.  Sprinkle crushed cookies evenly over chocolate and lightly press in.   Spread whipped topping in an even layer on top.   Sprinkle with chocolate shavings or sprinkles if desired.

Freeze at least several hours, until firm.  When ready to serve let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften.  Cut into squares and serve.   Lasts several days covered in the freezer.   

Healthy Journey Day 252

I don't have too much to write today.  It's been a bit of a boring day.   The first Sunday of the month so it was fast Sunday.   I didn't eat until Evening.   Then we had chicken Noodle Soup and candy...I've eaten a lot of candy the last two days.  Enough that I am getting a little tired of it. 

Tomorrow I plan on getting into the groove.  I have a bunch of apples to take care of, and a house to clean. I've let it get out of hand.

Healthy Journey day 251

It is Halloween.  

We had breakfast at my parents, showing off costumes.   Eggs and waffles.
I cooked bacon for lunch.  We snacked on candy.
I read a book and picked up dinner..which was our usual from Wingstop.
Took the kids out walking for trick or treating.   Ended up 93 steps short of 10k.  Ooops...got too much into my book and it was midnight before I knew it.  :)

Not enough water, veg or any of that....It was a why bother kind a day.  I tend to default to that a bit I've realized.
   

Healthy Journey Day 250

sWhat a busy day....we woke up late and then didn't stop running.

My son had the halloween parade today at school so we went.  Then I took breakfast up to the office where we spent several hours picking apples.   

I ate a banana and breakfast pastries

half a green smoothie.  Wasn't so tasty today.

more pastries and a couple pieces of hotdog

chili, bread, cookies 

I don't have a plan for tomorrow...Halloween is upon us and we still have not carved our pumpkins!   It'll be another busy day!

Breakfast food

?

Wingstop

i got my water and 10k steps today even though I didn't exercise officially.   2 fruits but only one veggie.  

Off to bed now...I'm worn out!

NoSpendtober Day 29 & 30

Yesterday's mission was to write up a budget, today's was to find ways to pay down debt.   

I've had a busy couple of days with preparation for the holiday weekend and have not written up a budget yet.   I also didn't research ways to drop my debt.   We don't have a lot of debt.   Mostly our mortgage, and we hope to pay it off early.  

I like to pay myself first...ala Dave Ramsey.   When we get our paycheck, we have 10% that goes to charity...a tithe.  10% or more to savings and then the rest to what we want to...or bills...

Because our income can sometimes be a little uneven, I figured out how much we usually spend in a month and started transferring it from savings once a month.   I then put all of our income directly to savings.   This seems to work better for me than transferring money to savings at the end of the month.   We are truly paying ourselves first, and giving an allowance with this method.  

So in a way I already have a budget, as well as a debt repayment plan.   A Savings plan as well.   I just did the work prior to this challenge.    It has taken me a lot of time to figure out what works for us...remember there is no failure, only progress and learning.   I've tried giving myself a cash allowance to spend on food and housewears and clothing.   Didn't work.   I attempted to figure out the Dave Ramsey Envelope system as well.   Having that much cash and having to get it from the bank monthly just really didn't work.   I would forget it was in the envelopes too...bonus when I found it, but not good when I needed it.   

The biggest thing I have decided is to be aware.   Know what you are spending, pay attention to what you need and use.   Make lists and stick to them at the store.   Before you swipe your card, look at how much you are spending.   I don't know how many times I have left a store and had to look at the receipt in the car because I didn't know how much it was before hand...not the best form.  

Be aware!  A little appropriate for halloween isn't it.  :)

So what works for you?  Have you tried using cash, any great debt reduction stories?

Healthy Journey Day 249

Intentions for the Day:
Clean house, do laundry.   Budget for next month.  Look beautiful for the concert tonight.

Gratitudes:
A trainer.   Feeling sore and tired after a workout...feeling stronger.


Thoughts/Comments on the Day:
Snacked on pumpkin chocolate chip bread for breakfast.
Green smoothie after my workout.
Enchiladas and Carrot sticks
Chocolate chip cookies
veggies, jalapeno popper, chicken strips, cake, other snacks

Stitch Fix #6

I received my stitch fix the other day.  I was really excited for this one.   It looked like it was going to be great!  Opening it up I was excited as well.  I really liked the look of everything.   They sent me some skinny jeans as well.  I don't have any skinny jeans...really have never tried them so was excited to see what they would be like.    So here is the breakdown of what I received.

Above, the Papermoon Rhode Embroidery Detail V-neck Knit top  $48

Healthy Journey Day 248

Intentions for the Day:
Clean up, pay bills

Gratitudes:
Food to eat,  Warm house,  my kiddos


Thoughts/Comments on the Day:
My Blood sugar checker's battery died.  :(
Had a great, run/walk chasing my son on his bike around the neighborhood.  It was great fun.  Even though it was a little chilly out. 
Had oatmeal for breakfast
smoothie after workout
A piece of pizza italiano at the office...hubby invited me to bring pizza up and stay for a presentation
Pumpkin chocolate chip bread
Enchiladas carrots

Got in my water.  Not the veggies or fruit ( I got 2/1)   Almost have my 10k steps...I'll go finish them up now.

NoSpendtober Day 27&28

I woke up this morning and realized I had totally forgotten to write this post last night.  Oops.   I ended up getting too busy to write and finish it for the day, so I figured I would combine posts.

Yesterday's mission was to find something to do together as a family that is free.   I didn't do that yesterday.  But this morning my son and I went on a walk/run/bike ride together.   It was a lot of fun, and I realized that it is something I could do more frequently with all the kids.

Healthy Journey Day 247

Found this quote on Facebook yesterday...boy I need to remember this!

So the time has come to Change things up, again.   What I am doing isn't working, so it is time to make it work!   Today's bootcamphub.com video was about getting angry about what you have not accomplished.   I am definitely angry (see yesterday's post!)    It is time to quit thinking about the past, quit thinking about the future, and think about right now.   If my right now is in a good spot...healthy.  Then my future will be too.  String a lot of right nows together and you get a day, a week and then years until you get a lifetime.  Right now is fleeting.  Right now passes, Right now is all you have!  I can only impact right now.  I can only make a difference Right NOW.  My time is RIGHT NOW! 

Easy Turkey Dinner

I made this one up when I had turkey lunch meat that really needed to be used in the fridge.   It has become a staple that we really love throwing together.  It kinda reminds me of school lunch turkey dinners.    If you want you can use homemade versions, but this is meant to be really quick so we pull out the cans and boxes from storage.  :)

Quick and Easy Turkey Dinner

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 ¹⁄₂ lbs sliced deli turkey meat
• 2 pcts turkey gravy
• 1 pkg stuffing mix
• 1 can cranberry sauce
• 1 pkg dinner rolls
• 1 can green beans
• other veggies as desired

Directions

1. Make stuffing according to package directions (microwave)
2. In large skillet make gravy according to package directions.  Add sliced turkey meat and continue to mix until heated through
3. Prep veggies, and open cranberry sauce.
4. Serve meat and gravy with rolls sauce and veggies on the side.

Powered by

Healthy Journey Day 246

I keep forgetting my plan, and stand in the kitchen wondering what I should eat.   Just typing it up in here isn't working, so How can I eat the foods I plan and enjoy the process?   (This is a total Erikism, How Can I______ and Enjoy the process? is the question he encourages you to ask instead of Why Can't I.)

NoSpendtober day 26

Today is plan a free date night day.   Hubby and I did this without really planning it ahead.  It is nice when it works out even though you didn't make it a plan.   I made my easy turkey dinner.    (I found a turkey breast in my freezer that I thinly sliced for sandwiches)   It was yummy.   We watched a movie and talked for a while as the kids watched some of their shows.   We all went to bed early...which was really nice.  I didn't get all the dishes done, but oh well.

Healthy Journey Day 245

Stayed up late, slept in.   I like to sleep in.  Sometimes I find myself thinking I should get up and actually will have the energy for it but then talk myself out of it.  I don't know why I do that. 

As it is Sunday, I spent a lot of time preparing myself and the kiddos for church.  

Green smoothie for breakfast.  It was pretty tasty.  
After church we snacked on chips and queso dip.   Yum.

NoSpendtober Day 25

As it is Sunday, it's a low key day for this challenge.   The challenge for today is to try bartering.   Trade one object for something you need.   At this point I don't have anything I am missing desperately or need.  So I may just be in the category of someone who has way too much stuff already.   I may possibly need to continue this challenge into the next month just to use up what we have.  I have been feeling as though I have a lot of clutter.  This may just be why--I do!  

Healthy Journey Day 244

Today has been a difficult day.  I didn't follow any of my plan.  We had hotdogs for dinner, I had bread with pb and jam for breakfast and soup for lunch.   In the middle I made fudge and we ate a lot of sugary things.  Enough that my tummy is rather upset now.

NoSpendtober Day 24

Today I went shopping.   To be honest, it actually felt really weird to walk into a grocery store.  I felt like I shouldn't be there.   We decided to have family over for dinner tomorrow and needed to get some supplies.   Considering how my credit card looks I didn't mind going.   At the same time I have realized that I have a really hard time telling my hubby no, in fact I really don't.   Interesting. 

NoSpendtober day 23

Day 23.   This month has flown by.   It's hard to believe there are just a few more days left of the challenge.   In a way this last week is going to be the hardest.

I found myself wishing I could order online today.   I found this great recipe for Frozen hot chocolate on pinterest.   I so wanted to make it!   I almost ordered the ingredients off of amazon.  There have been a couple other things I wanted too...evil internet!  All these people asking for money!  :)

Hubby wanted wings for dinner.  I didn't fight him.  It seems that eat out fridays could become a tradition at our house.   I wasn't in the mood to cook dinner anyway.   And I am feeling really good about our budget right now. 

Healthy Journey Day 243

It was a busy day today so I ended up skipping exercising.  I thought I would get enough steps in but that wasn't the case either. 

I forgot what I had planned for breakfast, so I made myself a pb and jam sandwich on my homemade bread.
Cupcakes...I was frosting them,
Baked beans, turkey and cheese.  cookies
Wings with ranch.  Celery and carrots, fries.
Cookies and milk

Healthy Journey Day 242

Today's trainer workout was a doozy.   HIIT with the step.  Focusing on the lower body.  She had us do some bicep and tricep work too...but I couldn't do that much as my arms were already sore from Tuesday.  My trainer brought up this great thought.  She was talking about the scripture:  If ye love me Keep my commandments.  She then equated it to if you love yourself you will follow through with the things to take care of yourself.   When I don't follow through with exercise, eating fruits and veggies, drinking water and getting enough sleep, it is the opposite of loving myself.   So today I am recommitting to loving myself and showing that love by how I treat my body.

NoSpendtober Day 22

Today's challenge was to find stuff to sell.   I didn't do that.   But I did use my time to bake.   My daughter wanted for her lunch tomorrow.  She would have liked to go to the store.   Instead, I asked her what I should bake.  She asked for cookies and cupcakes.  I made those as well as a loaf of bread.   Yum!    She was quite excited by that, hopefully it turns out good.

I cut up a turkey breast that was in the freezer to use for lunch meat, so I feel like I really utilized what we had instead of running to the store for what ever came up.    I am keeping track of what we run out of.  Not only will this tell me what we use, but it will also help me restock when I can restock again.  I'm out of vanilla.  That kinda stinks.  Oh well.

I have been using half freeze dried eggs in all the recipes I have made.  It seems to work better that way.   I am glad that I am extending the use of my real eggs though.  So far I am half way through the 24 pack I bought at the beginning of the month.   Feeling great about this challenge!  I may not be doing all the side options, but I am getting the biggest portion.  :)

I finally filled out the weekly reflection as well.  

Healthy Journey Day 241

Today I have had a day where I just was in a fog.   It seems like my default is way too often, going into a fog.    By this afternoon I was feeling a lot better.   I walked for 45 minutes on the treadmill at 3 mph.   

I had a hard time eating this morning...Drank some carnation instant breakfast and was still hungry, but didn't find anything I wanted to eat.   I was so tired that I sat and listened (fell asleep) to a meditation app.   

For lunch I had the last of the yummy salad from monday night.   And then a pulled pork sandwich.

I have had a hard time getting in my water all week and so tried some flavored with mio.   It was hitting the spot and I was able to get a little more hydrated.

I made pizza for the kiddos, ate a piece.  And then sausage for my hubby.   He brought home some rolls to have with it.  

Spent the evening cleaning up the dishes and watching Back to the Future II with the family.   It is afterall the day that was in the movie!  Oct 21, 2015

Plan for tomorrow. 

Waffle, strawberries and coolwhip

A second trainer workout for the week

Green smoothie

Tuna fish sandwich

Fruit

pineapple meatballs.

NoSpendtober Day 21

Today was the 3rd week checkin.  Honestly I totally forgot to fill it out.   I have had trouble following through with the assignments lately.  I will fill it out tomorrow...

No spending today.   I made yogurt with powdered milk and a freeze dried yogurt starter that I found when I cleaned out my baking drawer.  Other than the fact that I burnt it a bit, it seems to have turned out.  I guess we will see!  

My daughter had a mini party tonight for halloween.    Some of the kids couldn't come.  We had pizza and cupcakes for treats. (pizza from my freezer) It turned out pretty good considering I didnt buy anything for it.  

NoSpendtober day 20

Today's mission was spa day.   I really could have used it today!   I didn't do anything spa like, and have yet to take a shower.   I have some bath petals that were given to me a while ago.  Maybe I'll go jump into the tub and relax before bed.   It's been just one of those days where I had no motivation for anything.   I did not spend any money though.   I have been keeping tabs on my credit card account as well and it is significantly less...66%...than last month's bill.  Even with my refundable expenses and the trip expenses.   I am more than impressed with myself.   I used to think I couldn't budget.   Maybe I just had the wrong mentality?   It's not about how you are spending the money, but if it is on the necessities?  What do you really need??   I know I can be frivolous in my spending.   So this is a good eye opener. 

Healthy Journey Day 240

Today has been one of those days where I should have gone back to bed and started over.  I've been slightly tired all day and very unmotivated.  I am not even sure why.  I stayed up too late last night, but usually I am able to snap into some action more than I have today. 

Today was a trainer workout.  It was a good one, we worked all different parts of the body and attempted to get our muscles to failure.  Abs, biceps, triceps, legs, shoulders.   I was getting rather shaky by the end. 

Healthy Journey Day 239

Morning sugar 89

I ended up not exercising today.   Got distracted with all the stuff I thought I should be doing.

We had people over for dinner tonight so I was working to clean the house.  I had very little motivation and had to resort to Facebook Fly Bingo to get moving.  It's a good thing though.   It felt good to have a little accountability.   

Food for today:

Waffles with strawberries and cool whip

Rice Krispie treats

Cupcakes

Chicken pot pie

Cupcake

Pulled pork, smoked turkey, bbq beans, salad.  Corn bread.  The salad and turkey were the best part.  YUM!

Tomorrow's plan.  

Waffle

Smoothie

Leftovers

Salad

Meatballs

I'm having a really hard time getting in my water.  Time to figure out how I can get more in.

NoSpendtober Day 19

Today's mission was to prep for a spa day.   As I have been away from home...I had lots of cleaning to catch up with and didn't get around to making any spa items.  I do have many scented soaps and scrubs that I have been storing and not using that I can use though.

I went to pick up a prescription for my hubby this afternoon.  It was wierd to walk through a store and not need to buy anything.   I had $10 cash that I paid for the prescription with and that was all I bought.   Felt a little odd to not even be tempted to purchase anything.   I really like this thought of no spending..really makes you think!

NoSpendtober Day 18

After the weekend of opposites...spending a lot, as you tend to do on vacation.   I am glad to be home and ready to get back to being creative.  

Hubby was willing to get us all sorts of treats, but I told him I already had what we needed.   We are back to eating from food storage and making treats.   My daughter wants to have a Halloween party on Wednesday so I am going to need to get really creative with that.  

Today's mission is to find uses for things you have, as other things.   I used part of a cardboard box and wrote on it instead of printing stuff off the computer today.  I don't have any cardstock anyway.   So the box pieces were much more stable to hand out to a bunch of young kids for reminders of parts of the songs.   

The email for today was talking bigger picture of repurposing, but really anything works and it definitely saved ink and paper.   So its good!  

Healthy Journey Day 328

It's nice to be home, but great to be away too.   I feel rather refreshed after a weekend of ease.  :)  It is nice to have someone else cook and clean for a few days.   

I let myself get dehydrated over the last few days and I always seem to eat more when I am.  I did notice that I was craving salads though.   Didn't expect that.   I had an einstein bagel sandwich with cucumbers and turkey it was so yummy!   A chick-fil-a salad for another meal and for our first dinner we had crackers with ham and cheese and a salad from target.  All yummy.  I ate lots too though...

Today I made waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.   We didn't get them at our breakfast buffet so my daughter wanted some.   I had that for lunch as well.  

We ate tuna noodle for dinner.  I also made cupcakes, we had some leftover candy that we bought on the trip and I rather indulged.  Yum...Ready for real food though.  A little too much sugar over the last few days.

Tomorrow's plan.  

Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.

Smoothie

Cucumber sandwich

Fruit and veggies

BBQ

Healthy Journey Days 326&327

As I am going to be away from the computer for a few days and enjoying time with my daughter, I will not be tracking for the next couple days. 

I don't think it would be fair to her for my nose to be buried in a screen on our trip.

So I will report back when I am home!  Have a good couple of days!

NoSpendtober Day 16 &17

I am off on a plane, having fun shopping with my daughter.   So offline for a couple of days.  :)  I'll pick back up when I am home.

Yes this was a planned trip.  :)

Healthy Journey Day 325

Today's been an odd day.  I was nervous about my appointment in the afternoon and nervous about the trip I'm leaving on in the morning.  So I've been packing and thinking a lot today. 

Blood sugar was 90

Breakfast:  toast pb and banana
Snack Cupcake
Exercise treadmill 15 minutes, 12 lb weights, shoulders...arnold presses, upright rows and lateral raises.
Lunch pizza and a couple pieces of carrot  oatmeal butterscotch cookies
Dinner:   Chicken pot pie and cupcakes.

I don't have a plan for tomorrow other than picking good foods that I can buy at the airport or the restaurants we will be at.

Not enough water/steps or veggies

NoSpendTober Day 15

Today's tip was to refashion.  This is something I had only come across on pinterest just yesterday.  This cool blog where a gal takes items from the thrift shop and refashions them into something really cute.   She's the refashionista!

The money I spent was at an appointment today.  Nothing else.   I did pay bills, and realize how much we spent last month.  Uh, I will just say I had to transfer money from savings to pay off the credit cards. 

Healthy Journey Day 324

I didn't go to sleep early enough last night.   Just kept finding things to do.   Someday I will figure out how to clean the kitchen before bed and go to bed on time.   I like going to sleep when my hubby does, It's a good thing.

Breakfast:   toast with pb and a banana a little carnation in milk.

Exercise:  Was supposed to work with the trainer today but it ended up being rescheduled.   I went and worked at our old business location, cleaning the floors and bathroom and windows.   For about an hour.   I then came back and after we rescheduled, I decided to coach myself today and jumped on the treadmill warming up for 10 minutes and then running.   I ran a mile at 5 mph and a 1/2 mile at 6 mph.   I walked in between and ended up going for 45 minutes.   I actually went a little further than a 1/2 mile...it was 6 minutes.

NoSpendtober Day 14

Today is the mark of week 2 of this challenge!  I have made it two weeks.  Hooray!!  I can't say it has been easy, but it also hasn't been as hard as I expected it to be.  

Here is my reflection of the last week.

So feeling computer illiterate!  So much for changing this orientation!

I wrote on the wrong side of my book...so it was week three's paper.  ooops!  

Healthy Journey Day 323

Today was a quiet day for me.   I was just tired.   Sugar was 95 this morning.

Toast pb and banana for breakfast.

Vincent's online workout

Cake, ovaltine in milk and a banana for a snack.

Leftover pizza for lunch

Rice krispie treats and a fiber bar for a snack

Bacon, cottage cheese and tomato and avocado some ovaltine for dinner

10k steps.  Not enough water.  I am going to figure out a better way, my son keeps stealing and drinking from my mug.  Glad he's getting water but I am losing track!

Tomorrow's plan.

toast with pb and banana

smoothie

chicken curry

fruit/veggies

leftovers, sandwiches

NoSpendtober Day 13

Today's mission was to clean the bathroom.   It was quite clean after my cleaning day on Friday.   Which is nice!  So I cleaned out and organized a drawer.   I was in slow motion today, so one drawer seemed to take the entire day.  (I did a lot of other stuff too...um, like watching madam Secretary while working) but I feel accomplished in that task.   I only had a half hour to clean this morning, and spent a bit of it cleaning around my bathroom sink.   It has had an abundance of caulking since we moved in which was a dirt magnet.   I was able to get a bunch of it up easily and it looks so clean now!  Amazing what a few minutes will do!

I had a record low spending amount at costco today:  $8.22.   We were low on milk so I grabbed some and a thing of cottage cheese.  (probably not necessary, but not something I want to try making on my own)  It was rather odd to walk through and not be that tempted to buy stuff!   I did also get an ink cartridge refilled.  My printer ran out on Sunday.  I was going to wait, but then we had a treat left on our doorstep with instructions to hand out treats with a copy of the paper to two other families in the neighborhood.   I want to do this with my kids, and so instead of buying the $70 cartridges, I refilled one for $11.  So I saved $60!   I figure that is still good!!

Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow's challenge is!

Healthy Journey Day 322

I feel good about my day!   Started with a Blood Sugar of 95, and ended up getting 10000 steps.   

I'm not sure if I got in enough water...my son stole my water jug.  So I lost count.  Got 3 veg servings and 2 fruits though. (if you count a whole banana as 2 fruits that is.)  

Breakfast was toast with pb and banana

Exercise:  18 min steph video and hamstring roll ins, ball squats, wall sits, pushups, abs, a couple of ladders at my son's request.

Snack:  smoothie I tried something different.  I had chocolate protein powder with half an avocado, a bunch of kale and milk.   It was pretty tasty (I added cocoa nibs too)  But also not full flavored.  The avocado sure made it creamy!

A piece of cake.

A couple pieces of carrot

Leftover chicken curry

Chicken enchilada bake.  A new recipe, smelled really good but had no flavor!  I had tomato, carrots and avocado with it

I cut up 5 lbs of carrots today.  Thought I should do some preparation.  I don't eat them if I don't cut them up!   Lots of work but worth it.   

Plan

Breakfast: 

Toast with pb and banana

Smoothie

Chicken curry

Veggies and hummus

tuna noodle?   I've had a lot of meals with cream soup lately so not sure if I want that again.

Nospendtober Day 12

Today was another busy day.   I feel like I got a lot done, but it wasn't necessarily everything that I had planned.  

I had to run to the store today and was really tempted to make a couple purchases after picking up my prescriptions.   I picked them up had lots of excuses in my head and then ended up putting them back.   They will probably go on sale another time.  I don't need it right now.   Sometimes it is really hard to talk yourself into things.

I didn't get around to the challenge of the day:   clean the closet.  I had gone through my clothes and got rid of quite a few a couple months ago after I read about the konmarie method.  So I didn't exactly feel like I needed to.

Tomorrow is another day.   I have a few challenges stacking up on me.   Cleaning the house this morning went really well though.  I like this new plan!   It was a breeze and it is looking so nice!  My kids even started cleaning the boys room on their own today.  Can't complain about that!

Healthy Journey Day 321

Today was fast sunday, so realitively quiet eating day.

After church I had a half a donut, a banana, piece of cake and chicken coconut curry.   It was all very tasty.  I was in a wierd mind spot until a little while after eating.  I think I was getting low blood sugar.   I definitely cleared up.  

It was really nice to eat dinner around the table and have a clean kitchen to cook in.   I am hoping we can continue this.  My youngest even ate multiple pieces of chicken.  Usually he complains royally and we have to fight him to even try some.  Today his brother said it would make him strong and he liked that idea.  He even ate 3 more pieces on his own.  Score!   It was just plain chicken that I left out of the sauce as I knew that the boys probably wouldn't eat it.

Food for tomorrow:

Mini wheats and blueberries

Smoothie

Chicken curry

Fruit and nuts

chili colorado burritos

Well getting ready to sleep busy day tomorrow!

Nospendtober Day 11

Today's challenge is to work on your office space.   My office space looked like this today:  

I am in charge of the singing time for the primary children in my church.   So I spent most of the day preparing to teach the song I chose.  Tomorrow I am going to tackle the kid's room and the desk space.  

I made dinner for the family today.   An unusual feat for me on Sundays.  We ate around the dinner table, it was quite nice!   

I cleaned up the dishes and started the dishwasher, even hand washing the extra pans.  Somehow starting with a clean baseline makes it that much more important and enticing to get it back to that same spot.   Tomorrow morning I will resume my cleaning hour.   I've debated on whether to make it 6 10 minute blocks, or just a full hour.  Maybe I will try it multiple ways and figure out what works better.

Healthy Journey Day 320

Today has been a busy day.    My eating schedule definitely wasn't scheduled.  I skipped exercise because I figured I'd be getting a lot of steps.  Headed off to the store first thing to get drinks and snacks for the guys.  Ate a banana and a cookie.

 Had a couple of mini donuts and then pizza and cake and salad.  

ate another piece of pizza once we were home 

Grilled steak for dinner, we had noodles and cake afterwards.

I drank a lot of water but didn't keep track, 13k steps, 

Plan for tomorrow.

It is fast sunday so I won't eat anything until after we get home from church.  I've defrosted some chicken and bought some coconut curry at costco to try.  So we will have that with veggies and rice.

I'm sure I will want something once I am home so will probably have a fiber bar or some cake. Maybe veggies??? chances aren't so high on that one.

NoSpendtober day 10

Today was an interesting day as I spent a bunch of money...but it will all be reimbursed.   My hubby was moving his offices and I got food and drinks for all those who helped as well as some other supplies.  

I did buy some steak for dinner, it was another costco trip.  It seems to be getting easier to say no to buying extra stuff.  I walked out of there spending less than $75.  Considering my average trip is around 200 I feel like that is a major win!

Today's challenge was to clean the kids rooms.   Didn't get to it as we were moving most of the day.  I will pick up on that on Monday.  

Healthy Journey Day 319

It's been a busy day.   I was in cleaning day mode and spent most of the day doing it.

I skipped exercise and still ended up with 12k steps.

Breakfast:  toast with pb and pomegranet

Snack:   Pancakes and sausage

lunch:  pizza a handful of nuts

Snack:  fruit snacks and rice krispie treats, a few nuts

--we kinda skipped dinner.  just snacked instead.

I was so busy today I didn't think much about food.  I did sit at the table with the boys and had pancakes with them for breakfast, and then made them pizza from our freezer for lunch.  It was a very busy evening.

Plan for tomorrow

Breakfast mini wheats and milk with blueberries

Snack, lunch  all up in the air.  We are moving the building tomorrow. so will be all over and taking treats there.  

Dinner  tuna noodle?

NoSpendtober Day 9

Today is cleaning day.   I psyched myself up all day yesterday saying today I would get up and clean.   Guess what,  I did!   I feel so accomplished!   I guess good things happen when you decide to do it!

The suggestion on the Living well spending less blog is to spend an hour each morning cleaning.   I actually really like this idea.  I have been trying forever to clean in 15 minute blocks but recently after watching a video on productivity by Brendon Bruchard started trying 50 minute blocks.   Having an hour first thing in the morning to run through the house and clean sounds like just what I need.   You could say that it is eating the frog for me.   I am most productive first thing in the morning so why not take advantage of it!

Healthy Journey Day 318

Todays been a busy day.   Had my trainer workout...killer as usual.   Lots of leg and core work..ouch!

Carnation and milk for breakfast

Toast with pb and pomegrante seeds.  yum

Cheese chips, fiber bar

Toast and pb with pomegrante seeds

Sausage and watermelon, some kale chips and grapes

Got my bountiful basket!  YAY!   My daughter was really excited to see kale so we made chips as soon as we got home.   Thats also why I had fruit with my dinner...or as my dinner.  

Plan for tomorrow.

Toast with pb and pomegranet

smoothie

chicken and stuffing

fruit and nuts/cheese

tuna noodle casserole

13k steps, 64 oz water, not enough veggies.  My body is tired!

NoSpendtober Day 8

Today's mission is to prepare to clean like crazy tomorrow.   I started it...but then was gone for a while helping pack things for a move.   On the plus side, my kitchen is cleaner than it has been in weeks!

I've been doing tons of laundry as well...I'm sure I will have much more after tomorrow!

I did go to the store today but it was to buy boxes for the business...not my dime.   I did really well avoiding purchasing anything extra.   

We got our bountiful basket tonight.  I was really excited.  The pumpkins are great and we got some grapes and kale and all sorts of veggies that I thought I might be doing without.   I am glad I did it.  

I'm still doing well making food off of what we have...no take out this week!   Sausage and pancakes for dinner tonight.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day...of to sleep!

Healthy Journey Day 317

Today has been an interesting day.  I stayed up too late last night and then craved sugar today.   My exercise partner wasn't able to this morning and my boys wanted to ride their bikes so we went on a walk/run/ride.   After a while of that I was exhausted.   Lifted some weights as well.

Ate mini wheats milk and blueberries for breakfast

cookies and corn chips with cheese for a snack

More corn chips through the day

fiber bar

Rigatoni.

Ice cream cone

I did a lot of snacking today.  Was in a very tired mood.

Not enough water, 10000 steps, not enough veg.

Plan for tomorrow.

mini wheats blueberries and milk

smoothie

leftover chicken from Monday.

orange and nuts

tuna noodle

NoSpendtober Day 7

I did well today.   Was home most of the day, so not too many temptations, I made dinner and even went through one of my freezers.  Found some goodies in there that I had forgotten about.  :)

Amazon did have a sale on costumes today that included a cape that my daughter wanted for her costume.  Half price!  I was glad I had waited and was able to get it on the sale instead of full price that I would have otherwise.   I officially saved myself $9

Hubby didn't like dinner, and asked me to pick him up a shake from Arctic Circle on my way home.   He had given me cash earlier in the week so I used that to buy us all a little ice cream.  It was a nice treat and "on the house"  

NoSpendtober Day 6

Today's mission is to look at freezer meals.   I had a lot going on today and didn't get around to doing anything with this mission.  However I have made freezer meals in the past and will do them again.   I've made them for friends and family when they have babies too.  A couple of weeks ago I made some breakfast sandwiches off of the organize yourself skinny blog.

Healthy Journey Day 316

An interesting day.   I've had a couple of fitbit challenges going on.   Winning one...can't keep up with the other.  :)   Funny how that works. 

I've had a really hard time getting in my food and water today though.  I've seriously thought about having my trainer make me run laps for every day I don't get in my allotted amounts.   A little scared of that so have not yet...

Breakfast:  an orange

Healthy Journey Day 315

Today has been a good day.  Hubby and I had a long talk last night about my fears and the near future.   It helped to air things out.  It really is funny how things seem so much more difficult when you don't talk about it.   Swimming in my head things are a lot scarier than when I talk about them out loud. 

ITs been a busy day, but I feel like I 've had energy and have been clearer of mind than the last few weeks.  I'm glad for that!

Blood sugar:  85---I still have a hard time believing it!

Breakfast:  Oatmeal
Exercise.  Jonathans workout from Friday.  Pushups,  cardio on the step and plank
Snack:  smoothie
Lunch:   Toaster strudel and a piece of cheese
Snack:   PB crackers
Dinner:  Hamburgers beans and a hotdog.

NoSpendtober Day 5

Today's mission was to create a meal that was like one you would get at a restaurant. 

So I went easy.  Hamburgers, hotdogs and cookies. 

We already had hamburger in the fridge, and buns that hadn't been used up.  The cookies are chocolate chip like unto Mrs. Fields.   All very tasty.  And quite easy.   I have heard it said you can make a meal in the time it takes you to go get take out/the drive through.   Sometimes this is proven true.  A meal in 15 minutes.  :)    I didn't have any veggies cut up so they didn't make it on the table.  Tomorrow I think I will have a veggie cutting session and get them all done so I don't have any more excuses.

NoSpendtober day 4

Sunday's are easy days for me to not spend money.   I don't believe in shopping on Sunday.

Today's mission was to set up a meal swap.  I wasn't sure about that.  So I decided I will do some freezer meals instead.   There are many sites for freezer meals...tons of ideas on pinterest, etc.

I even printed off a set yesterday from the site Passion for Savings.   The trouble I have is I tend to run out and get a lot of ingredients when I try new recipes.   I'm looking for ones that are compatible with what I already have.

Healthy Journey Day 314

It's been a bit of a low key day.   We drove around a little bit, and Watched Conference the rest of the time.  It was a great meeting with some moments that I needed to hear!

Breakfast was pancakes.  I used our favorite recipe.   YUM!

I snacked on 2 orange slices of the candy variety

made cupcakes again.   These are our new favorites.  So very yummy.  They are called the Queen of Cupcakes. That would be correct!

I made some cheese sandwiches.  Ate one on my fiber bread

Smoked a salmon.   I bought a different kind of salmon than we usually do, brined it, smoked it.  It turned out so wierd!   Hardly any flavor.   I won't try that again.

After tasting the salmon we just snacked on Cupcakes... because the cupcakes were much better!

Healthy Journey Day 313

Its been a fun day.  We went for a drive out through the desert, it was nice to get out and do something together as a family.   Some exploring. :)  

I packed up a bunch of food to take with us. It was nice to be prepared!

I forgot to eat breakfast before we left and didn't exercise as we didn't have time for that...I stayed up late and then got up late.

Blood sugar:  90...quite pleased with that.

Ate orange slices and pretzels while driving

Turkey on a roll.  Cupcakes.  

Veggies, wings and fries. 

Not enough water, all though I took a bunch with us.

Plan for tomorrow:

Bacon and pancakes

7 layer bean dip and chips

smoked salmon. and salad.

NoSpentober Day 3

It's been a busy day.   I packed up a bunch of food this morning and we ran off on a road trip.  It was quite fun and we had plenty of yummy food. 

I found some really cute shoes...that I had been looking for....and that I had given myself budget to purchase.  And I ordered them online along with a pair of boots and some ankle boots.  Uh not so good.   I had said I absolutely would not order anything online this month.   But they were on sale!!  Maybe I need a technology break...get away from temptation!  

Ever watch the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic?   I'm very much feeling like her when she was at the sale and found the perfect pair of boots but then ends up in a fight because she put them back for a moment.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-wW0OSJ-aHs   

Maybe my credit cards should go in real ice like in the movie.  :)

My daughter has been talking about being a vampire for Halloween, I really just want to default and purchase the costume.  This is so hard for me!  Stepping out of my comfort zone and following through is a very huge and difficult for me!

So tomorrow is another day.  I can start again, fresh.

Today's mission was to make a meal list of meals that will work with what food I already have.  I came up with a few that we already eat frequently and like as well as have the ingredients for.   As I finish up cataloging the rest of our food I will have to think harder and come up with ideas to use what we don't use frequently.   I am looking forward to using what we have and decluttering our pantry...food supply!

The best steak ever!

We absolutely love steak.  My husband and I joke that our kids have high tastes as my daughter can pick out a perfect steak, easily.   Hubby had a great way to cook steak explained to him by a client who is a chef.  This is what we came up with.   

NoSpendTober Day 2

I admit I almost wanted to give up today.   Especially when my hubby called saying he wanted to take a road trip tomorrow.   Normally I would go stock up on snacks and treats.  So maybe this is a good thing for me.   It reminded me that I hadn't bought bottled water a week ago when I was thinking about it.  I did go to the store and get a present for my son's friend's birthday party.  All of the homemade things I could think of would have worked for a girl.  :)   I also grabbed a case of water while I was there.   A lesson was learned though.  I was running late so had to get a bag to wrap the present in instead of wrapping it with the paper we already had at home.  That was $5 I could have saved...

Healthy Journey Day 312

Today was a trainer workout.  Because the weather was crazy nuts and unpredictable, we ran a ladder outside for our test and then had the rest inside.  Knowing they were coming I went on a bit of a cleaning spree and got a lot of the kitchen cleaned.   Love having motivation!  It now looks crazy messy again since I have been creating and organizing. 

The workout was great...lots of legs and core, as well as arms and shoulders.   I really need to work on not shrugging my shoulders.  My trapezius really want's to take on the shoulders work!

Healthy Journey Day 311

Blood Sugar this morning was 86!!  86!!  did I say 86??  YES~!   What a beautiful number!  I feel I have made great progress and hope that as I head to the doctor in the next month I will have an A1c that shows that progress! :)

I had another day where I just felt distracted.  I had great plans to get my morning stuff done and feel productive, cleaning house,etc.  But it never happened.  I watched my sister in laws kids for a couple hours and spent time working on the Living Well Spend Zero Challenge.    I decided that I am going to make it so I am working on a strict budget and see what happens.   My plan is to live off the food we already have instead of buying more.  Plan menus and try to stay out of the stores as much as possible.   I am cutting myself off of internet shopping.   It is a dangerous thing!  I am going to get a stitch fix though.  It will be my only one until maybe December.  (I may get a Christmas gift for myself...)

Nospendtober Day 1

Ok, I am scared silly!   Today is day one of the Living Well Spend Zero Challenge.  I am making a commitment and signing the line to say I will do my absolute best to spend nothing this month.  I am probably a little more nervous because I have not talked to hubby about it yet.   My hubby doesn't usually care about my budgeting.   He is busy with work stuff and trusts me to take care of the house.    I will have to talk to him about it tonight.  

Healthy Journey Day 310

I can't believe I am in the 300s on days now.  Time has sure flown!

My blood Sugar was 91 this morning.   I think that is the lowest I have seen in a very long time!

I actually even felt more energetic yesterday.  Water and veggies are good to me.

Healthy Journey Day 309

Today was a better day.   Just getting my steps in last night made a huge difference in my outlook.   I guess it is true that one small step makes all the difference.  

I set up more of the accountability app I found today.   So it has all my veggies/fruit and water needed.  

I also logged my food in my fitness pal.   I was really just curious as to how I was doing calorie wise.   I ended the day under by 500, and then my daughter brought home treats, and I ate a bit.   It was after 8, but I was still hungry.

Healthy Journey Day 308

I have really noticed that when I don't get in high intensity exercise, lots of water and my fruits and veggies, my mental health really suffers.  I've felt a weird anxiety lately for no reason as well as just grumpiness.   It comes down to the fact that I have no energy and just want to lay around doing nothing...It's then I let the dishes pile up and just want to ignore life.   Moving slowly I get the negative thoughts just running through my head and they  make everything harder to do.

****Note to self.  Action gets you out of a rut!   Once I actually got up off my duff, moved and loaded the dishwasher I felt so much better.   If you aren't feeling the love...do something!****

Blood sugar 93.

Exercise:  30 min boot camp workout

Breakfast:   yogurt and an orange
snack:  toaster strudel
Lunch:  Chili cheese dog and fries
Snack:  Oreos and milk
Dinner:  Cafe Rio pork Oreos and milk

I was overeating a bit today.   There is something bothering me that I really just can't put my finger on...

Not enough water, not enough steps, definitely not enough veg

Plans for tomorrow. 

Greek yogurt, blueberries, granola
Smoothie
Leftover hamburger with veggies
orange and cheese
Cheese sandwiches and salad

Healthy Journey Day 307

I didn't want to get out of bed this morning.   Didn't want to do anything.  Skipped my weigh in, I don't really want to know today. 
Not planning food last night has made everything a bit more difficult.  The kids are asking me what they can eat and I don't even know.   I feel behind, like everything is ganging up on me. 

After Church I did make hamburgers for dinner.   And we enjoyed some leftover ice cream.  :)   We snacked before...chips, fruit snacks.

We went out and watched the lunar eclipse.   It was quite fun.   Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of it, but everyone enjoyed watching it. 

Healthy Journey Day 306

A good day.   I mostly followed my plan.  Made lunch for the family, got a lot of cleaning done.   Not shabby. 
I realized though that when I plan my meals ahead that I don't always think of what I am doing that day and make it fit in the schedule.   I had dinner with my mom while we watched the Women's Meeting.   I didn't plan for that.  In fact didn't even think about it while making my plan last night.   So now to figure out how to see the big picture while I am planning.

Not enough water.

Got in 30 minutes on the treadmill, 5 of that was a 5 mph run.  Felt good!

I ate too much.  But it was yummy...chicken salad and bean dip, grilled chicken (marinated in lemon pepper after I pounded them out) It was more tender than it has been lately.   I made chocolate ice cream.  Yum.  : )

Now to figure out this whole planning thing...I'm too tired tonight to even think about tomorrow...

Healthy Journey Day 305

Woke up feeling better this morning, my energy quickly wained however.   I worked out with the trainer mid morning and she was ready to push my to and past my limits.  I expect to be rather sore tomorrow!   

I did get a batch of dishes and laundry going this morning.   Unfortunately I had waited long enough that I had to wash clothes before I could take a shower.   That's way too long!

I enjoyed some greek yogurt and a toaster strudel before training 

Made a smoothie with greens, protein and pineapple afterwards.   It was quite yummy!  (1 fruit, 1 veg)

Lunch was a quesadilla, I made one with PB, banana and chocolate chips.  I burned it and it wasn't as tasty as I thought it was going to be, so I made a cheese one too. (2nd fruit)

Snack of oreos andmilk.  Yum

Dinner ended up being at arbys after 8 pm.   We went and visited my brother and his family and stayed a lot longer than expected.     Changed all our dinner plans.

I got in 10k steps, 48 oz water

Plan for tomorrow:

Greek yogurt and an orange or apple

smoothie

chicken pasta and veg

ice cream.

hamburgers and veg

Healthy Journey Day 304

Had one of those low energy, very not fun kind of days.   Just feeling blah.   I couldn't even tell you what I really ate, because I didn't pay attention.   I was craving Chocolate cake all day.  Never really got any, but did eat a couple chocolate cupcakes.   My mind just wanted to check out, and I did.

I ended up making soup for dinner...our new chicken noodle soup that is so good!  And easy!! 
The boys had tball, I never got in exercise.  And I ended up doing a lot of running around this afternoon so any plans I had were lost.   I spent most of the day watching TV.  I can't remember the last time I just sat and did nothing like that.   I did do several batches of laundry though...so I got something done.   Blah!

Healthy Journey Day 303

So today, I lived on pumpkin Chocolate chip bread.  IT is yummy.  But not the bread of life!
My Blood sugar started out at 94.  Not bad at all!

Exercise a boot camp workout and weights 12 lbs

Healthy Journey Day 302

Busy day! 

Started out with sourdough waffles a banana and syrup. 
Made a lunch to take with for the field trip.

I went with my son on a walking field trip to a cemetery not far from the school.  It was very interesting.   I got in a 2.5 mile walk as well.   Lots of fun.  I have created a tradition with out trying to of checking the kids out after their field trips.   There really is no point in their staying as they do very little school work.  My son was so excited about that!

Healthy Journey Day 301

What an interesting day.   I started out by writing up my schedule.   Then nothing happened that I had on it. I ended up watching my cousin's kids...I was going to, they cancelled and then needed me after all.  I didn't mind at all.  My son had a lot of fun playing with them.   I did have to do a little baby proofing for the 14 month old.  All the legos that are buried in the carpet and scattered through the house would not be good for her.  :)

Blood sugar was 96

Healthy Journey Day 300

Quite the busy day today...I did make a plan last night though, and it really helped in the getting up and going.  

Weigh in today:  190.8   I was a bit surprised!   Not going to complain though!!  I've dropped 8 lbs in the last 3-4 weeks.  Awesome!

Blood sugar:  96

I mostly stuck with my plan.   The sourdough waffles were pretty tasty.  I had them with butter and syrup and a banana.   Yum.   (eggs too)

I sang with a group of ladies in another church meeting before my own, so ran to that and didn't have time to eat between the meetings. so I grabbed a fruit snack during church...  I was exhausted!  

We had the primary program today and then I was in charge of the activities for singing and sharing afterwards.   It all went well but I was wiped by the end.  We played jeopardy and one of the "answers" was: Drop and give me 20!   I thought the kids enjoyed it and I got in 40 pushups for the day.  :)

I ate a piece of pizza after getting home and then made chicken pillows for dinner, cut up a bunch of carrots and they were tasty!

Got in my water--only 48 oz today, but good considering.   I'm ready to crash!

Tomorrow's plan:

Waffles and eggs, same as today.

Green Smoothie

Leftover Pizza Veggies

Cheese and apples/oranges

Chili Colorado burritos.

Healthy Journey Day 299

Come to find out, this planning ahead thing is a lot harder than it seems.  I found the self journal on kickstarter that implements all the goal setting ideas I have been doing in two books into one.   I was able to get a pdf version and started working with it today.  So far so good.   Having a plan to my day definitely makes a huge difference.   I didn't plan out my food last night though, so that made it a little difficult.   We took jimmy johns gargantuan sandwiches to the guys working today so got some for us as well.

Healthy Journey day 298--thinking

I've been sitting here thinking...a dangerous past time, I know.  (the beauty and the beast song for Gaston just ran through my head).  It is my 15th wedding anniversary this year.   I need some great ideas for 15th anniversary dates!   But anyway, I need a purpose (thats what I'm thinking)  I need a reason to push through and really create these habits I keep thinking about and working on.   So what if I made a goal to drop 20 lbs by November 22?   I hesitate to make that goal though because I tend to flounder when I make weight loss goals.   I'm feeling frustrated because I keep doing this over and over again.   It just feels like I am going to drop and flounder again.  

Healthy Journey Day 297

Confession...I didn't track at all today.   It was a whirlwind of a day.  I was hardly home and exhausted by the end.  I got in more than 14000 steps and was so tired!  Worked out with the trainer in the morning, helped my brother and wife pack up their house and then off to more projects!  We ate a quick turkey dinner at 8 pm...shows how busy it was.  :)   I take deli meat and heat it up in gravy, then make some stove top.   So tasty and easy.  a 10 min meal that feels a bit gourmet! 

So forgive me...

Healthy Journey Day 295

It's been a two fold day.  I had absolutely no energy and was in a bit of a funk this morning and then somehow I got a jumpstart and ended the day pretty fast paced.

Breakfast:   a bacon egg sandwich, green machine drink

Exercise:  30 min BC workout with 90 sec plank and 20 pushups.  4 ladders outside.

Snack:  Fruit snacks, a couple spoonfuls of honey greek yogurt.  Yum.
I was feeling so yucky I just sat on the couch and picked up one of my daughters books to read.  I set the timer for 15 minutes so that I wouldn't get too stuck (I can read all day long)
I then got up and started doing some putter cleaning.   It's almost as if I don't have a purpose at times.   Time to figure out my cleaning house purpose so I can feel a drive!

Stitch fix #5

My fifth stitch fix.  I might just be in love with this service.    I have been reading other blogs about how to get your best fix.   They suggest requesting items and looking at other peoples fixes, pinning what you like from those.   So I did that.   I requested a polka dot shirt, one specifically that I found on someones blog.  They've sold out of it but sent me a different one that I think I like maybe a little better.   I also am pretty sure the tiered top is one I had pinned as well.  I love the look of it!   So here is my break down.  Let me know what you think.

Here is my box laid out with my white jeans under the polka dot shirt.  

Healthy Journey Day 294

Busy yet not busy day.   I didn't take the time to type out all my meals today so I am catching up late at night.   I did have fun trying on my stitch fix though...check out my other post on that.  :)

Blood sugar was 98...not bad after ice cream for dessert last night.

Breakfast was some greek yogurt (honey flavored) it is so yummy!

Exercise:   A boot camp workout and then pushups/plank followed by biceps (15 lb weights 20 reps) squat kicks, lunges and overhead presses (12 lb 20 reps)   I found this app called Done!  (I searched accountability apps and it came up)  My friend and I are trying it.   We have water and veggies/fruits that we report in on.   So far I am liking it.

Snack:  Smoothie with green machine, power green mix, protein powder, blueberries, half a banana

1 veg 1 fruit...approx. ;)

Lunch:  Leftover roast, veggies and ranch  

Veg 1

Snack...I needed something sooner than I expected after that so I snacked on pb ritz and candy corn

Snack after school:   ice cream.  More from what I made last night.  So yummy!  I ate a bit more than I needed to.

Dinner:  Pineapple meatballs.   I put cut up peppers on mine, although I still wasn't hungry after the ice cream I ate so I didn't have too much.   A fruit and veggie serving there.   

Water 72 + oz, 10k steps.   Progress!  :)

Healthy Journey Day 293

A back to work monday

Breakfast:  oatmeal with milk

Exercise:   A 30 min BC video and then 20 pushups, a 90 second plank.   We ran 4 straight ladders outside too.   Trying to build up my stamina.  Thinking I will do the pushups and plank daily to build it up!

Snack:  an orange and a piece of cake leftover from last night.  Oh so yummy!!

Lunch:   A chicken wrap with tomato, cucumber and kale.   I only ate half and then ate some candy corn and grapes.  The chicken was a little spicy which made it hard to finish.  Maybe I will try it with mayo tomorrow...I used hummus today which didn't really temper the heat.

Snack:   I ate fruit snacks and candy some pb ritz here and there through the afternoon.   In the mood for something really chocolatey but didn't have anything that was what I wanted.  A glass of green machine as well

Dinner:   Roast.  Oh so yummy.  Perhaps the best I have made.  I made some ice cream as well.  Mmmm Homemade Chocolate ice cream   yYUMMM!@

10k steps, 2 fruits, 2 veg,  72 oz water.

Healthy Journey Day 292

Weighin Sunday.   192.8.  I was surprised.  Not only is this my PMS week...but I ate breakfast before weighing (a no no!)   That puts me at 6 pounds down in 2 weeks.   Best results I have had in a long time.  I am focused on my three habits...steps, water and veggies/fruits.   That is it!   I have not even been very good about the veggies/fruit one yet.   Loving this progress!!

No blood sugar

Breakfast at 9:30 Chocolate smoothie.  Carnation IB in milk, (half a serving)   Two handfuls of greens, half a banana, blueberries and some chocolate protein powder.

Healthy Journey Day 291

A fun day today.  We took a drive up and walked through some trailers and visited smith and Edwards.  It was a great mini road trip.  

Blood sugar was 92 this morning. Nice!

Breakfast. An orange and a bowl of mini wheats and milk. 

Snacks:  peanut butter crackers and pretzels fruit snacks. (Road trip food) usually I don't take anything with us so having that and water was a huge plus. 

Lunch. Brats and hotdogs.  Hubby had picked up some he found at target.  I cooked them on the grill. Love our new grill!! 

Snack.  1 cup of green monster smoothie

Dinner I wasn't very hungry so snacked on veggies and some Oreos with milk.  

I made the rest of the family ham sandwiches. 

Finishing up my water.  Exercise was 30 minutes on the bike. So steps aren't too high today. 

Healthy Journey Day 290

I actually took my blood sugar this morning.  It was 101.   Nice.  I felt really good about that.  Not that I ate in a way that should warrant it.

Breakfast was an orange.

I procrastinated exercise and snacked on the candy pumpkins we bought yesterday.

Completed a JR workout and then ran/walked to a neighbors house and back.

Lunch was a breakfast sandwich.

More snacking on pumpkins, the samples at sams club and fruit snacks

Dinner:   Pork tenderloin in a maple glaze.  Veggies and milk. a little ranch dressing too.

Healthy Journey 289

It's been a crazy day.  I didn't sleep well last night and didn't feel to good either so today I have felt like I hit a brick wall. 

Breakfast was oatmeal:

Snack:  Orange.

Trainer workout.  Ran ladders.  12 lb weights for lunges, deltoids (10 lbs) abs, more ladders, squats and more shoulders.  Tiring!  Only about 500 calories in an hour...Gee only.  I think that's pretty good!

I ate a breakfast sandwich and two toaster strudel for my after workout meal.  Then my hubby came home about noon.   I didn't get much else done.

Healthy Journey Day 288

It's been a good day.  One where I spent more time sitting.  But thats ok.   I had to wait for someone at the building for my hubby.  So that took a chunk out of my day.   Started out making pancakes for the kiddos.  I had some with peaches and yogurt and a little syrup.  Yum.  The peaches are about dead though. 

I ate an apple while I was driving.  We left at noon and I was a little hungry.  I had been snacking on pumpkin chocolate chip cookies too. 

Healthy Journey day 287

Be Your Best Self Today
  

Gratitudes:  email, telephones, Tv.   Computers.  We have amazing electronics!
 
Intentions for the day: Clean house, do laundry.  Survive taking the boys to Tball.  Plan menus and run to costco

Morning Blood Sugar: Gee I forgot it again.   Don't know why I am out of the habit.


Exercise:  lifted 15 lb weights...biceps and overhead press.  20 reps.  40 forward lunges. one ladder. 

Breakfast:
Time: 7
Hunger  Level *:
Ate:toast pb and peaches
Comments:


Snack:
Time:11
Hunger Level*:
Ate:english muffin with egg and bacon
Comments:

Lunch:   a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. 

Snack:
Time:  3:30
Hunger Level*:
Ate:  chicken salad on crackers, a little nutella
Comments:

Dinner:
Time: 5:15  had to eat early to get to tball sorta ontime.
Hunger Level*:
Ate:  Lemon Pepper chicken.  Noodles.
Comments:  Afterwards I grabbed a thing of water and orange cupcakes as I was driving home.  Only ate one cupcake...
Water intake:  72 plus oz

Daily Wins:  I have 15000 steps.  Talked with my SIL for 1 & 1/2 hours.  Apparently we had a lot to talk about.   I paced the whole time.  Feel worn out but yet accomplished.  Especially since I really didn't exercise...It was a token amount.  :)

Daily goal:
Drink 64 oz water  Complete.   Continue to strive for daily. 
1 fruit, 1 Veg. 
One load of laundry to completion:  wash-dry-fold-put away

2015 Goals:

1.  Post a total of 365 days on the blog

2.  Run a 10 min mile
3.  Squat 95 lbs

4.  Complete morning and evening routines on a daily basis.

5.  Weekly meal planning

6.  Run a Half Marathon in October
7.  The Amy stretch!
8.  Brenda Vance Stairs
9.  10 full pushups--met!!

I am 34 inches thinner from my bust/waist and hips and a size 8's measurements of 36/28/38 on October 7, 2015.  I am following the trainers workout and food plans drink 64 oz of water a day and getting 8 hours of sleep every night.
I track this by completing my measurements every 4 weeks and weighing in weekly. My expectation is to see a decrease of approximately 5 inches per month.

 I am completing my daily trainer workouts, planning my meals, eating as I am hungry and listening to my fullness cues. I get in 10000 steps 6 times a week. I measure my progress with Sunday Morning weigh ins and document it on my blog. I stick to a regular bedtime and use a timer when I am on the computer.  I feel energetic and strong. I Feel good in my own skin.

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.