I Could Write A Country Song And Potaleo Salad!

Have you ever felt you’ve had one of those days, weeks, months or hey even years that everything seems to go wrong or things seem to just be off a bit? I’m sure you have because I believe we all do from time to time and if we never had those off times then I think the country music industry would be null and void!

It’s no secret if you know me that I have always had the dream to live on a tour bus. There was a popular christian group many years ago that my friends and I would travel to see in concert we followed them everywhere and they even started recognizing us and knowing our names! We weren’t exactly stalkers we just had a great love for their music and enjoyed traveling and having fun with each other. There was one night in particular that sticks out in my memory where we actually had the opportunity to meet and greet with them and they even allowed us on their tour bus to get a glimpse of how they traveled. It was a great night, one we will never forget and in the words of my friend Christy and she prayed to bless our food that night ….”Wow”.

Of course this tour bus in my dreams would not be for me seeing that I don’t sing but I like to pretend I can. I would be the on bus chef or in my biggest of dreams I would be traveling with my talented singing future husband and being his biggest support and cheerleader!

I can look the part but this girl only sings in her car by herself pretending to be Celine Dion or for the audience of my two mini dachshunds who start howling along with me! Just remember looks can be deceiving.

This past weekend I could have written one of those sad country songs which takes you through the scenario of my wife left me, the house burned down and even my dog wouldn’t look at me kind of songs. My rendition looked more like this….

My precious baby dog has minor back issues and was pitiful…. ( On the mend though)

My Blendtec blender died mid nut butter making….. What could be more tragic in the kitchen?

My reaction to this tragedy was the same reaction you have while watching a scary movie through the cracks of your hands as if that makes it less scary. It didn’t help!

To the world it’s just a blender but to a foodie it is the world….okay i’m being dramatic but this is my sad sappy country song.

Oh well life does go on and the new blender will be here in a couple of days and I’ll be blending once again as if nothing ever happened.

Since I am talking so much of country how about a little southern concoction? Nothing says the south like good ole potato salad. It’s a staple at any family gathering, church function or picnic and it’s one of my favorites.

You either like it a bit on the sweet side or you are all for the dill. Me? I like it either way but since I’m watching the carb thing I decided to try a little Paleo take on it.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I really don’t have recipes I have concoctions so that being said I’ll share what I threw together in this Potaleo Salad.

Potaleo Salad

Approx about 2 cups Steamed Cauliflower

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 chopped onion

1 large dill pickle

1/2 Tbsp Earth Balance Mayo

1 Boiled egg

Dijon mustard to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Pretty good concoction….That concludes this trip down southern memory lane!

Happy trails to you and until we meet again!

Confidence

Confidence do you have it? I will confess that up until about two years ago I didn’t have much or at least it has come and gone over the years. Growing up a chubby and shy little girl I lacked very little of both confidence and self-esteem. Add in the ups and downs of life and the unfortunate rejection from a recent divorce and you’ve got a whirlwind of mixed up feelings and wounded emotions.

Websters dictionary defines confidence as the state of feeling certain about the truth of something so in order to have confidence in myself I must believe the truth about me and concentrate on those thoughts. That is a lot easier said than done when you have fought and struggled with those negative thoughts for so long.

Over the past two years I’ve done some serious soul-searching and I’ve come to learn so much about me I never knew before. I’ve made peace with my past and I’ve even stooped down and looked into the eyes of that little chubby, freckled cheeked shy girl and told her that although she never saw or felt it at the time that she was cute, lovable, talented and capable of so much more than she ever thought. Even though she never saw it in herself due to cruel words spoken to her through others due to their own insecurities that indeed she had confidence! She simply had been believing lies that made her think otherwise.

She bought the lie that unless she was super thin, wore the best clothes and tried to take on someone else’s personality  that nobody would ever want or desire her. She listened to the voices of many that said she wasn’t good enough, she didn’t dress right, or that she just wasn’t enough and that led her to make poor choices in life and toxic relationships that have left some scars HOWEVER I stand on God’s promise that He works ALL things for our good and that most certainly includes our mistakes and poor choices.

The past is the past and I’m moving forward full steam ahead!

There’s something to be said about the girl, woman and lady who has confidence. It shines through and it doesn’t come from the number on the scale or that number on the tag in your jeans it comes from knowing who you are, whose you are and what he has gifted you with to use for His glory in this life. God created us all different and we come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors that makes life exciting and beautiful.

I have viewed for so long the super thin models that donned the cover of all my favorite fashion magazines as the idea of “perfect”. Let’s face it there is no perfect size, perfect weight or perfect person and I’m really tired of chasing that. Something within has changed and now I don’t see those waif thin women as my ideal of  perfect frankly I see them as miserable. I’m not talking about those that are naturally thin by nature I’m referring to unhealthy thin. Who wants to live life on a diet of restricting food, obsessively counting calories and starving yourself for the price of “beauty”? Not this girl. This girl wants health, strength and vitality. In the words of The Bee Gees ….I’m Stayin’ Alive.

Nearly two months ago I started a strength training program by Chalene Johnson and I’ve loved every sore and aching minute of it because it has taught me that being strong and healthy is beautiful. It has given me the confidence to believe in the strength I have and wouldn’t you know it I actually have some muscles under that skinny fat of mine! I think the most exciting thing I’ve learned is that muscle burns fat and I can EAT FOOD….good, healthy food of course but I no longer have to eat a carrot and call it a day! Liberating I tell you…liberating!

We never stop learning in this life and we learn most from our mistakes and failures so when you fail or fall don’t stay there wipe the tears from your eyes, dust off your knees and keep going!

I’m confident in knowing…..

I’m fearfully and wonderfully made

God has great plans for me

That I have the ability and strength to make healthy and wise decisions everyday

That I will fail and fall but I don’t have to stay there

I am strong

I’ve been gifted with talents and abilities that are unique

I’m one of a kind and not a duplicate

Yes I’ve been hurt in love but that won’t stop me from loving again

I’m a dreamer and I won’t stop dreaming or praying BIG!

My journey with disordered eating and thinking has not been fun but it’s been a learning experience and I’m thankful for it. I’ve been contemplating blogging about confidence for a while and posting these pictures is just a glimpse of my struggle to be thin and accepted and I used to cringe looking at them because I know exactly the pain behind those smiles but I’ve been set free to see me in a different light. The very last picture is me today and I can tell you that smile is real and all that is behind it is hope, big dreams and most importantly….CONFIDENCE!

Chains, Grains And Calories Oh My!

Good Saturday morning to you! I hope you slept in, enjoyed your coffee, and are now ready to face the day!

My Saturday morning finds me ready to visit Trader Joes and a few other grocery stores to get prepared for the upcoming week. Most people dread the grocery store but for me I find that I get just as giddy as someone may get if they are going to the mall for a little shoe shopping. I am a true foodie at heart!

It’s been a great week full of all the busyness of work and keeping on schedule with strength training with Chalene. My muscles are experiencing new and painful things and there are days I want to skip it but I’ve set my mind on pressing through and finishing!

My muscles are not quite crying as they were nearly three weeks ago but they do still whine a bit. 😁

Going into this new program I was a little apprehensive because like many women we have this vision when someone mentions strength training that somehow we will end up looking a little like Arnold. It can especially be hard for someone like myself who has struggled for so long with disordered eating. I’m certainly not where I used to be but those chains still will try to grab ahold of me from time to time.

I’ve spent most of my life restricting calories, weighing my self daily and exercising until I’m exhausted. Now that I’m 42 those days are gone. My passion is now for healthy eating habits, being comfortable in my own skin and being strong to live this life I’ve been given.

I remind myself of this verse pretty much everyday…..1 Corinthians 3:16-17 You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred and you, remember, are the temple. Ouch guilty as charged!

It is sometimes a daily struggle trying to balance making healthy choices when your taste buds are screaming for some chocolate or some sweet delicacy! I’m determined to make choosing healthy food a priority but also allowing myself a treat from time to time. Everything in moderation.

Speaking of sweet treats there is nothing that I love more than finding a recipe that not only is sweet but it’s good for you too. That’s where Pinterest comes into play here.

Scrolling through Pinterest late at night when counting sheep just doesn’t work has become a pastime of mine lately and when I saw that this recipe from http://veganyackattack.com/ included one of my very favorite ingredients I knew I had to give it a try.

Ahhhh yes BANANA’S!! This happy yellow fruit is a staple in my everyday diet. I’ve come along way from simply just peeling them and eating them like a little monkey. I’ve come to love them sliced up in overnight oats, banana soft serve or mashing them into a puree for baking.

Not only did this recipe have me with banana’s it also had me at chia seeds. I’ve given up the consumption of processed flours and grains for sometime now and the chia seed ( not a grain) is a nice change up from having the traditional oatmeal for breakfast. This definitely hit the spot!

I changed things up a bit but here is the recipe….

Banana Cream Chia Pudding

• 3/4 cup banana
• 1/4 Cup canned Light Coconut Milk ( I used TJ’S Coconut milk plus a splash of Almond milk)
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp Maple syrup or sweetener of your choice ( I only used 1/2
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 Tbsp Chia seeds
• Pinch of salt

Her recipe called to puree the banana, milk, water, syrup, and salt and then add chia seeds. I just sliced up the banana, added all other ingredients and let it sit overnight.

It’s your choice but here either way it’s delish!

Finding that balance between healthy and satisfying a craving has me constantly trying to find or recreate the sweet treats that comforted me growing up to ones that fill the need but also benefit me nutritionally. Challenge accepted and happy Pinning!

This concludes my rant on chains of disordered eating, processed grain consumption and calories. It’s time to eat my pudding! 😉

Well If That Doesn’t Beet All I’ve Ever Seen

Happy Wednesday!

This post finds me in deep thought or semi deep thoughts on the subject of failure. Every year on my birthday I find myself getting more and more reflective on things like where I’ve been and where I’m going.

It’s still hard for me to believe I just turned 42!! If age has a feeling I don’t really feel 42 I’m still very much a kid at heart. I will say though that some of the greatest things that comes with age are wisdom and confidence.

I have had the courage to look back and observe where I’ve been but I have the hope and wisdom to know where I want to go in my future.

In the past I have always put way too much pressure on myself in trying to find my “calling”in life. I always thought that it was somehow this one certain thing I needed to be doing to fulfill me until I read something the other day that finally clicked on the light for me.

It was an excellent article on finding your calling and comparing your life to a dart board. It simply stated that as long as you are throwing those darts and hitting the board of life with the things you do well and enjoy that somehow one day it will all line up and you will be exactly where you need to be. You don’t always have to be 100% accurate as long as you keep throwing those darts and trying. Yes, keep your eye on that bulls eye but don’t be so focused on it that you frustrate your self when you don’t hit the mark every time just keep trying.

Even in our failures there are always lessons to learn and positive things we can take away from those things if we are determined to keep looking up!

You have to ask yourself what if I try and fail? The answer is you fail, learn from it, get up, dust yourself off and try again. Do not allow yourself to wallow in that murky stuff called self pity. Self pity is the the quick sand that will suck the joy out of life.

You’ve heard it said before….. If at first I don’t succeed try try again!

Great words to live by don’t you think?

I find that I fail a lot in the line of cooking but that doesn’t keep me out of the kitchen. In fact it spurs me on even more! Failures in the kitchen come in the form of cakes that flop, cookies that burn and dishes that only the garbage disposal seems to enjoy but there are also those experiments that make you want to do a little happy jig.

I didn’t really do a jig in my kitchen the other night but my tastebuds were happy! After countless other failures in roasting beets I decided to give it another try. Every attempt I had made in the past only resulted in exceptionally dry beets but these turned out nice!

Beets are not for the faint of heart. They are not pretty in the least and have a very strong earthy flavor that only a few love.

My favorite way to eat them are pickled. My mom cans the best but due to their sugar content I enjoy them sparingly.

Before I started I googled info on just how to properly roast a beet and followed the instructions while adding in my flare with spicing them up a bit.

The beets were not alone. I decided to throw in some carrots.

I’m pretty sure my love for carrots developed early in life while watching Saturday cartoons.

Bugs Bunny definitely loved his carrots and watching him continuously gnaw on them in every episode made me crave them. Yes I can thank good ole Bugs for turning me into a vegetable freak! 😉

Annnnd we are back to the beets.

You will want to cut off ends and wash them thoroughly. I rubbed mine with olive oil and drizzled a pear infused balsamic vinegar over them, wrapped them in foil and roasted them at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes.

50-60 minutes seems like a long time but this is where I’ve failed in the past by trying to rush the progress.

Patience……patience……

Beet and carrot bombs!

When 50 or so minutes is up what you will have is a delectable roasted beets.

It’s your choice on what to do with from this point. Be creative slice them up on a salad, sprinkle them with some stevia and cinnamon or just eat them as is.

I drizzled mine with a little of Trader Joes balsamic glaze… Love that stuff and it made these beets so yummy!

Just remember failure is not fatal. Keep trying!

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the movie Hope Floats..,

Beginnings are scary. Endings are usually sad, but it’s what’s in the middle that counts. So, when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will.

Weekend Review

How is it that Monday always seems to sneak upon us an grab us from behind while we are not looking? I need another Saturday!!!!!!

Okay enough of the whining but it has been a very busy and productive weekend. The weather has been gorgeous and I accomplished many needed projects around the house.

I celebrated my …ahem… 30th…okay more like my 42nd birthday on Thursday. My mom and two sisters treated me to lunch at the Tomato Head ( one of my favorite little restaurants) on Friday and coming home from work later that day I found my younger sister had lovingly painted my bedroom as a birthday surprise. She’s such a great sister who happens to be very creative and talented.

Painting is not my thing but I did help her later that evening in finishing up a bit. It turned out great!

The fur babies were exhausted after their schedule and living space had been infringed upon so they crashed hard with me on Saturday afternoon….

Oh the dog days of Spring. Do you ever get the feeling that you are being watched?

I also found myself cleaning out closets, drawers and even the refrigerator like a mad woman which resulted in today’s lunch. Lets just call it the clean out the crisper drawer salad. I couldn’t even tell all that was in it I just started chopping every vegetable that was on death row! 😉

Pretty darn delicious if I do say so myself! 😉

I even managed to squeeze in a little Pinterest recipe experiment…

It was supposed to be breakfast cookies but it turned out more to be a breakfast granola regardless it was yummy!

I’m feeling like I need a weekend to rest from my weekend but it feels so good to accomplish tasks and to clean out the clutter!

Have you began your Spring cleaning?

If not I hope you find time to do it soon because its a freeing feeling!

Well here is to another Monday! I hope yours was a good one. 😊

21 Days And What I Ate Wednesday

I’m sure you have heard it said before that it takes 21 days or three weeks to from a habit whether that be a good one or a bad one. If that is so then I’m officially seven days into forming a good one.

Last Wednesday I started strength training and although I do quite a bit of running I’m discovering new muscles that I did not know existed. Is there such a thing as a good pain? When I type that I hear John Mellencamp singing “Hurts so good”, and I believe there is some truth in that statement.

This last past week I have faithfully followed Chalene Johnson in her Chalean Extreme program and let me just say my muscles have been crying! It’s the kind of pain that you know it is working. You are pumped with energy, motivated to see progress, expectant to flaunt a little muscle , and weepy and begging for a little mercy because well it HURTS all in one emotion! To think I was going to start with the Insanity program first! 😳

At this point in the ball game dropping things and having to bend to pick them up or simply sitting becomes a great challenge that when you do it you feel as if you deserve a standing ovation!

Seven days are behind me and fourteen more lie before me in forming this very much-needed habit. I’ve known for awhile that I should concentrate on building muscle but I’ve ignored it. I’m reminded everyday that muscle burns fat, it helps build a strong core, builds strong bones and helps you in your everyday tasks.

As I was sipping on my Synergy Kombucha this afternoon I got a little message in a bottle….

I’m stronger than I think and I’m starting to believe it.

What new habits are you forming or trying to break?

Not only does muscle burn fat but I’ve noticed that all of this strength and circuit type training makes me one hungry girl so I have to be prepared with my meals everyday and especially snacks.

A lot of other healthy blogs I follow have mentioned ” What I ate Wednesdays” so I’m going to let you have a peak at what that is. It’s great accountability too.

Breakfast

1 banana wrapped with Trader Joes crunchy PB in a tortilla wrap…. um YUM!

Breakfast on the run!

Lunch

A ton of roasted veggies mixed with TJ’s baked tofu and tossed with a little barbecue sauce I threw together….have I mentioned I’m always ready for lunch?

Snack

Scrambled egg whites with sliced strawberries mixed with a little protein powder…don’t knock until you’ve tried it.

Dinner

Hmmm…. sorry the jury is still out on this one but I can guarantee there will be vegetables involved

Now I can say I’ve participated in “What I ate Wednesday” and probably bored you to tears but hey that what we foodies do….. We love to look at, talk about, take pictures of and eat FOOD!

Happy Wednesday! I’m off to join the choir at my new church home. I’m no Celine Dion but I pretend I am in my car with the radio up! 😊

Mondays & Strawberry Cheesecake

In the words of the popular 80′s band the Bangles… It’s just another manic Monday but if Mondays are so manic what could make them more manageable? How about a little strawberry cheesecake? The even better news is that this cheesecake is 100% guilt free and good for you!

I say lets do it and get this Monday show on the road!

Guilt Free Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie
1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder ( your choice I used Designer Whey)
1/2 of a Quest strawberry cheesecake bar
About 3 large frozen strawberries
Sweetener such as stevia if needed
6 or so ice cubes

If you have never tried a Quest bar you are missing out… So good!

Blend in a high power blender and enjoy!

I’ve spent my morning with Chalene Johnson already and she has me pumped and begging for a little mercy this Monday morning but I LOVE it! Muscles here I come! 💪

If you were to ask me what’s the one thing you should do to make healthy eating easier my answer would be to prepare and always think ahead. This is something I have to do to keep myself on track. I will plan my meals and snacks for the next day so that I won’t feel overwhelmed in making healthy choices when I’m stark raving mad with hunger. Once you start this little practice you won’t regret it!

When I start planning my meals for the next day I torture myself often because there are times I can’t wait until lunch for the next day. The anticipation gets me as in the case of last night.

Whats on the menu for today?

Manic Monday Roasted Veggies With Tofu

2 cups chopped Zucchini
1 cup chopped yellow squash
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2/3 cup frozen corn
1 serving Trader Joes baked teriyaki tofu (chopped)
1 tsp olive oil
Season to taste with your favorite seasonings

Bake for about 30 – 40 minutes in a preheated 450 degree oven until nice and roasted.

I don’t mess around when it comes to lunch … I take it seriously! 😉

Here’s a great quote to get this new week underway…

Manic shamanic …. Here’s to a great Monday! 😊