Lifestyle Change: Update

In January, Kris and I started Jamie Eason's Live Fit program again. Today we just finished up week 6 so we are halfway done!! I have been taking pictures a long the way to see how much progress I am making. I have been seeing little changes here and there, but most importantly, I feel great! I didn't start this workout to lose weight, I started it because I wanted to feel better about myself and take care of my body. I am not one of those skinny girls that thinks that they are "fat" and that I need to be in the gym all the time. I am just wanting to tone up and feel better about myself from the inside out. :)

The gym and eating better have become just another part of our day. We go to bed at 8 pm, get up a 4 am for an hour long gym session, go to school, come home study/play with the dogs/ eat dinner/, relax for an hour at 7 pm, and back in bed by 8pm. Some say we are crazy, but its our routine and it works for us. :)


Here is my progress that I have made so far. Although its not drastic changes, I am still proud of myself. I don't see the results on the scale, but thats not what matters. What matters is that I can run two miles in 20 minutes now, I can do a 'few real pushup', I am working on my pull ups, and each day I try and push myself by adding more weight. They may be little things, but they are the little things that keep me going. :)



                     Day 1: January 1, 2013                                                 February 16, 2013

These Pictures were taken after one month, February 1st

Happy Hearts Day!

Most people aren't too crazy about Valentine's day...but I'm not one of those people! I love Valentine's day... I love all holidays! Today was a special Valentine's day for me, because I got to spend it with my forever Valentine, my husband. It is also a great feeling to not have to share him with the Navy on these holiday's anymore. ;) 

Last night we made a sweet-cheat-treat....chocolate covered strawberries! 

I thought I would try and be good by getting unsweetened chocolate, bad BAD idea! 

It was so gross. Thank goodness we taste tested it before dipping the strawberries. 

I did a double broiler on the stove to melt the chocolate and then dipped the strawberries in the semi-sweet chocolate. Next I melted the white chocolate to drizzle on the strawberries....it got a little messy! 

(using a whisk helps!) 

As far as gifts go, we kept it simple this year, nothing over the top! 

I made some coffee mugs and got him white coffee, which is our favorite! 

The mugs were from the dollar tree, so it was a cheap and easy gift! 

Plus the cute red mugs match our kitchen.

I used a oil based paint pen instead of a sharpie (I was told that it stays on better) and you bake them for  30 minutes at 350. *Hand wash only* 

I'm so cheesy! I can't help it. ;)

Kris spoiled me with an edible arrangement, so cute and yummy! I have wanted one for a long time, and I finally got one! <3

This is SO me. ;) 

We started out our day with a great gym session. Arms and abs! Of course I had to rock my pink shoes and pink yoga pants. <3 For breakfast I made PINK strawberry banana protein shakes and egg mc'muffins. 

Protein Shake:

Strawberries

Banana 

Banana Protein 

Ice 

Soy Milk 

Chia Seeds

Pineapple 

Egg Mc'Muffins:
4 Scrambled Eggs
Spinach 
Natures Seasoning 
Sicilian Seasoning
Topped with feta cheese
Turkey bacon 

Spray muffin tin with pam, line with a piece of bacon, and pour in the scrambled eggs.
 Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. 







Even my spoiled rotten dogs got Valentine's day treats. Homemade dog treats:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1/2 cup organic pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes

Cool for 2 hours

Store in the fridge

Hope everyone had a great day! 
XoXo 

Tasty Tuesday!

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Good morning everyone! Happy Tuesday! :) I am still new to the blogging world, and this is my first time trying a link-up! I wasn't too prepared, but I have picked one of mine and my husbands recent favorites. Cauliflower pizza crust---Amazing! In January we jumped on the clean eating bandwagon, so we have been experimenting a lot with new healthy recipes. Dig in and enjoy. :)

                            

1 head cauliflower

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400° F.

Remove the stems and leaves from your cauliflower and chop the florets into chunks. You can add it to a food processor or I used a slap chop to cut it up really small. 

Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 8 minutes.

In a bowl (or I used a kitchen aid mixer) combine the cooked cauliflower with all remaining ingredients.

Spread dough out evenly over pizza stone or cookie sheet. 

(Make sure it is thin to get a crispier crust) 

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden, crispy on the edges and cooked through the middle.

Remove the crust from the oven.

Top with pizza sauce and toppings. (Too many heavy topping might weigh down the crust, but I added as much as I wanted and just ate it with a fork)

Broil the pizza for 5 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted.

Dig in and Enjoy :) 

We topped ours with a pesto sauce

fresh tomatoes 

cooked chicken (seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper)

artichokes

fetta cheese

 

 Pizza and wine <3 

This was another one we tried out! 

Red pizza sauce

Onions

Jalapenos 

Chipotle seasoned chicken 

Meal Prep and Overnight Oats

With our busy school schedules we have turned our sundays in to study time and meal prep day! It is nice to spend time in the kitchen together while we both help out with the prep work. 

Spiced Pumpkin Overnight Oats:

Organic Pumpkin 

Unsweetened Almond Milk 

Cinnamon 

Nutmeg 

Vanilla Greek Yogurt 

Chia Seeds 

1/2 Banana 

1 Scoop Banana Protein 

Quick Oats 

Almond Joy Oats:

1 Scoop Chocolate Whey Protein 

Unsweetened Almond Milk 

Unsweetened Coconut Flakes 

Sliced Almonds 

Vanilla Greek Yogurt 

Quick Oats

Topped with a coconut almond granola 

Coconut Banana Protein Bars:

For this recipe, I got it from 

Undressed Skeleton, she has some great recipes! 

1 Cup Unsweetened Organic Coconut

1 Large Banana (Extra Ripe)

1 Cup Whole Grain Oats 

1 Tbsp Organic Vanilla Extract 

1/2 Cup Ground Flax Seed 

1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk2 Tbsp Mini Vegan Chocolate Chips

 1 Packet Truvia (Your Choice Of Sweetener)

*I skipped the chocolate chips and truvia

 and instead added 1 Scoop of Chocolate Whey Protein* 

Bake @ 350 for 11-13 minutes 

Banana chocolate oatmeal muffins: 

1 1/2 scoops vanilla protein

 1 cup quick oats (slap chopped or in the food processor)

 1 1/2 bananas mashed

 1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

 1/8 baking powder

1 egg

1 egg white

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.

Cinnamon spiced chia overnight oats:

 3/4 cup hot chia tea

 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

 Cinnamon

 Apple-butter banana overnight oats: 

2 tbsp organic apple butter

 1/2 banana 

all spice

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

3/4 (or 1 cup) of quick oats

wheat germ

Overnight Oats: 

1 cup of quick oats

 2 bananas

 1 scoop of banana protein powder

 unsweetened coconut flakes

3/4 unsweetened almond milk

 3/4 plain Greek yogurt (it said to use vanilla, but I just used plain)

 set in fridge overnight and they will be ready in the morning

1 can of organic pumpkin (not the pumpkin mix)

1 1/2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (I added that instead of 1 1/4 cup of sugar)

1 cup of whole wheat flour

 2/3 cup of quick oats

1/2 cup of applesauce (I used that instead of a 1/2 cup of vegetable oil)

 3 egg whites (instead of 2 eggs)

 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup of water

 1 tsp baking soda

 1/2 tsp of salt 

bake at 350 for 10-12 mins

 (but I had to bake mine for longer, 20 mins. I think it's because of the apple sauce)

Mason Jars are great for salads and for the oats: 

Chickpeas 

Tomatoes

Red Onion 

Cucumber 

Feta Cheese

Spinach 

Cheat Night!

Kris and I decided to set a once a month cheat night! We thought that it would be nice to reward ourselves after all the hard work that we had done. Once we made it to February 1st, we were so ready for cheat night. We decided that we wanted pizza and I wanted to go to Mackenzie River Grill because they had pizza AND an amazing chocolate dessert. If you know me then you know that I am a choco-holic. We both had light lunches that day, so we could enjoy our cheat meal. We kind of went a little overboard! 

Lodgepoles (Cheesy Bread Sticks)

The Rancher Pizza 

and of course...MY FAVORITE:

Mack Lovin'

We definitely overdid it, and in the end didn't enjoy it as much as we thought. We were both saying that we would have been happy with a salad and a steak. It is amazing how even after a month your taste buds and cravings change! 

Breakfast

When we aren't enjoying post-workout smoothies, we still try and make the time to have a nice filling breakfast, yet still healthy!

Morning coffee is a must! My vanilla creamer is my one cheat ;) 

Sometimes I get the SOdelicious French Vanilla Coconut Creamer or the Silk French Vanilla Creamer. 

Egg Whites with Natures Seasoning 

Topped with Salsa

and a side of Turkey Bacon 

  Almond Butter French Toast:

1 Egg White

2 Eggs

Unsweetened Almond Milk 

Splash of Vanilla Extract

Cinnamon 

Nutmeg

3 Pieces of Eziekel Bread 

Almond Butter 

Pan Fried Bananas 

Ezekiel English Muffin

Morning Star Veggie Sausage

Egg Whites 

Natures Seasoning 

Tomatoes

Smoothie:

Almond Butter

Banana 

Banana Protein 

Unsweetened Almond Milk 

Ice 

Spinach 

Ezekiel English Muffin 

Sunny Side Egg with sicilian seasoning 

Avocado 

Salsa 

Turkey Bacon 

Coffee 

Vanilla Creamer 

Ezekiel Toast 

Almond Butter 

Banana 

Tangerine 

Smoothies

At the beginning of the year we started off with the Dr. OZ three day smoothie cleanse. It was a nice way to clean out all of the junk from the holidays (Halloween - Christmas)

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-3-day-detox-cleanse-one-sheet

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days...yum:

 The cleanse wasn't about losing weight, it was about cleaning out

 all the bad junk from my body, but I still took some before and after pictures. 

We started Jamie Eason's Live Fit diet and workout plan and we are currently on phase two of the program! Check it out! Now that Kris and I go to the gym 6 days a week, its nice to come home in the morning and have a nice refreshing post-workout smoothie. Here are some of my recent favorites. Forgive me that I do not have exact measurements, I add a little of this and that as I make it. ;)

1 Scoop Chocolate Whey Protein 

Chia Seeds

Handful of Spinach 

Unsweetened Almond Milk 

1 Banana 

Ice 

Peanut Butter 

Chia seeds are amazing in the smoothies! 

I forgot what was in this one! 

I'm guessing that it was:

Vanilla Protein 

Blueberries

Strawberries 

Raspberries 

Ice 

Unsweetened Almond Milk 

Pumpkin Banana:

Organic Pumpkin Puree 

1 Banana 

1 1/2 Scoops of Vanilla Protein 

Cinnamon (to taste) 

Spinach 

Ice

Unsweetened Almond Milk 

1 Banana

 Unsweetened Almond Milk

 Handful (or two) of Spinach

Almond Butter

Wheat Germ

1 Scoop of Banana Protein

Coffee AND a protein smoothie --- Yes Please! 

3 Shots of Cold Coffee

1 Banana 

1 Scoop Banana Protein Powder

Splash of Unsweetened Almond Milk 

Ice 

Almond Butter 

Handful of Spinach