Monday Made It: BBQ chicken slaw bowl

So last time I linked up here at Monday Made It, I blogged about creating a bullet journal on my normal blog The Idea Backpack. So far I am loving my bullet journal. I love having a more organized approach to my idea journal. Between teaching and working on my PhD, my life is a never-ending to-do-list (which is part of why I struggle finding time to fit in blogging).

I really would like to have something crafty to link up with, but I am currently taking 6 hours of graduate classes in summer session 1. So far it is keeping my month of June pretty busy. I do enjoy seeing what everyone is making to find some inspiration. I am hoping to have more time to create some things in July and August. I will probably be teaching middle school again this year, and I am hoping to use photography as my classroom theme. Not quite sure what that will look like yet, but still looking for some inspiration.

One of my goals this summer is to work out more regularly and eat a little better. This last school year (particularly the Spring semester) was pretty stressful and my workouts and eating routine went out the window for the months of April and May. For the last few weeks, my husband started up again with P90x3.  I haven't done all of the workouts with him because of class, but I have been doing about 4 of the workouts a week with him. My goal is to do 3-4 of the P90x3 workouts with my husband and go to yoga at the studio about 2 times a week. I just have been struggling keeping up with my homework for my two summer session classes and getting in a routine.

For this week's Monday Made It, I have an easy recipe to share with you. For the summer, I am trying to cut way back on grains and sugar. I have been trying out more Paleo recipes. I would like to do a Whole30, but for now I am just trying out more Paleo friendly recipes. However, it is so hot I haven't had much desire to actually cook. That's why this post caught my eye when Nom Nom Paleo originally shared it on Facebook. It was a link to easy salad bases that hold up all week.
From that post, there was a link to the Upside-down BBQ chicken bowl.

I made it tonight. It was really yummy and super easy. I used the broccoli slaw from Trader Joe's and their precooked pulled BBQ chicken. The whole recipe took about 10 minutes to make. I left out the almonds and the kale, but my husband and I both really liked it. Paleo-friendly and minimal effort.

Meal Plans Week of September 13, 2015

My life is so hectic with graduate school and teaching.  It seems like when I am not at work, class, or sleeping, I am doing homework. I have done very little workouts the last three weeks with trying to get in a back to school routine, so I am ready to get back to workouts this week. We have been doing P90x3.  This last week should have been "Victory Week," so we are going to do "Victory Week" this week since we missed a lot of the workouts last week. With my schedule of having to go to class two nights a week, I may have to do workouts either early in the morning, late at night, or sometimes double up other days and forgive myself a workout on days I have class.

We ended up eating out a lot last week because I ran out of steam to cook.  This week I have decided to use my crockpot more in order to avoid some of the fast food. My goal in general is to move back towards more of a Paleo diet, but those recipes can be more time-consuming to make sometimes.  I really like a lot of the Six Sisters Stuff recipes because they are tasty and easy, so for now I am probably going to use a mix of Paleo recipes and Six Sisters recipes as I work on establishing a routine.

My plan for Meals this week

Below is my general plans for meals this week.  Sometimes I will choose to change things around depending on my mood, but this is my general plan.

Sunday:

Last night I made Creamy Ranch Chicken in the crockpot and served it over brown rice.  I also threw zucchini and baby carrots in with it while it cooked in the crockpot.  It came out pretty good and made for an easy Sunday dinner.

Monday:

Diestel makes a Turkey Chorizo that Kyle and I both really like that I can get at Whole Foods. I like to use it to make quesadillas, frittata, or breakfast tacos.  We usually do some type of breakfast for dinner at least once a week. Monday night I am going to make a frittata with the turkey chorizo, spinach, and bell pepper. I may also sneak in some other veggies.  We will probably have it with some biscuits.

Tuesday:

I will use the leftover Turkey chorizo to make quesadillas with some spinach and cheese. I will probably make roasted squash and zucchini to go with it because I have a lot that I purchased from the Farmer's Market on Saturday.

Wednesday:

Wednesday night I have class so we will usually do leftovers, wraps, or I will make something in the crockpot. This week I am going to make Crockpot Picadillo.  Picadillo is really tasty on rice, a salad, or in tacos.  Kyle prefers it as a taco.  I like it all three ways. Once again I will probably sneak in some extra veggies in the Picadillo because I have a lot from the Farmer's Market.

Thursday:

I have class again. We will do leftovers.

Weekend:

We will probably finish off leftovers, eat Chick-Fil-A at least once, and I will also make Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs in the crockpot.  You can read about the recipe I use from this post.

As you can see I am using my crockpot a lot this week. I am hoping it will help me be more successful with meals this week. How is your eating going with the back to school craziness?

Taking time to Enjoy Food

I have been eating a paleo diet for about three weeks now.  I realized the other day that I have enjoyed food a lot more in the last three weeks than I have in a long time.  That sounds crazy!  I have cut out a lot of things from my diet and been forced to cook a lot more.  How can I enjoy food more when I take out grains, dairy, beans, soy, corn, etc?

I have always had a love/hate relationship with food.  I love to eat, but then nothing sounds good.  I don't want to cook.  I don't want to eat out.  I think a lot of this emotional tension over food is that a lot of foods made me feel blah.  When you eat something and then feel blah, it doesn't sound good the next time you think about eating it.  Over the last few weeks,  I have not felt blah.  Nothing has disagreed with me.  You can enjoy food so much more when you don't have to worry how you will feel after you eat it.

Did I mention I have also had fewer headaches?  Another bonus.

Anyway, I look forward to trying more paleo recipes and see where this new journey takes me. I am learning to enjoy food and learning how to make good decisions when eating out.

What kind of relationship do you have with food?

Whole 30 Week 1

I decided to start Whole 30 on January 3.  Many teachers are actually doing Whole 30 in the month of January.  You can check out what everyone is eating on Instagram with hashtag #teachersofwhole30.

I think the inspiration for many teachers to get started with Whole 30 began with Rachelle at For Blogness Sake.  She has some great posts on Whole 30. You also can go to the official website.

I have been considering trying the Paleo diet for awhile.  I have read quite a few stories like Danielle Walker's story at Against All Grain where the Paleo Diet helped them reverse a lot of the symptoms of their autoimmune disorders.  Autoimmune disorders run in my family.  I already have asthma and thyroid issues, and I also know I am probably high risk for other autoimmune disorders considering my family history.  I also struggle with chronic tension and tension headaches. I already know I feel better when I east dairy free and gluten free.  Well, now I am going to try grain free all together.

I created a Pinterest board to save Paleo Recipes.  You can click HERE if you would like to follow the board. I tried a few of the recipes the first week and really liked all of them.

Dinners from Whole 30 Week 1:

I started off making the sausage and veggie skillet.  It had some kick to it, but it tasted really good.  It was an easy and quick meal that would be a really easy one to throw together. I used a turkey kielbasa when I made it.

I then made a beef stew in the crockpot.  You can't go wrong with something warm that cooks for hours in the crockpot.  It was filling and made good leftovers.

I decided I wanted to try this Asian Chicken Stir Fry recipe.  I also had been wanting to try making cauliflower rice, so I also made this cauliflower fried rice to go with it.  Both tasted good, but it was a bit involved to make both at the same time.  If I made it again, I would probably blend  up the cauliflower ahead of time.  I would probably also just morph it all into one dish to make it easy like a chicken cauliflower fried rice with extra stir fry veggies.

I will have to do another post to share what I have tried this week.  I will say I have enjoyed all of the recipes I have tried.  Who knew you could enjoy food so much without grains, beans, sugar, or dairy?

A New Bible Study: The Best Yes

I have tried several online bible studies and have enjoyed all of them for different reasons.  This week I started a new bible study with Proverbs 31 ministries.  We are reading The Best Yes by Lisa Terkeurst.

I am excited about this study because it is about putting boundaries in your life and working on what to hold on to and what to let go of.  Boundaries and balance will always be part of my struggle, so I am excited to keep working on it.

She talks about the "disease to please" in the first couple chapters some, which I know is something I have given into. In chapter two, Lisa talks about seeking unbroken companionship with God.  We spend so much of our lives running around trying to please others and cross off to-do-lists that we forget to stop long enough to listen to God. She talks about how we need to look for his direction in our lives before we ask for instructions.  We get so busy that we ignore his prompting throughout the day.  I know I am guilty of this.  My prayer this week is that I seek more companionship with God.

Being Comfortable with the Uncomfortable

I just got back last night from two days at camp with my students.  It was an exhausting, wonderful, and difficult experience all at one time.  It was wonderful to see my students grow and bond from this unifying experience.  They got to do a series of mental and physical challenges like kayaking, ropes courses, rock climbing walls, archery, fishing, and hiking.

It was difficult because mentally and emotionally I had to face some things about myself. I am a planner and a perfectionist.  I like to always be prepared.  Now as a teacher, I think trying to be as prepared as possible is always a good thing.  One of my goals now that I am back from the camp is to sit down and make a chaperone backpack with a more detailed first aid kit and more detailed procedures.  We only had a few incidents to deal with at camp, but overall for the future I would like to be more prepared.

But I was reminded how uncomfortable I am with uncertainty.  I am a planner and an overachiever.  I rarely leave any detail unplanned for.  I put enough pre-thought into things that I also usually handle the unforeseen very well.  I was also the kid who avoided the things I was not good at because it meant being uncomfortable.  I have never handled failure well.

Last night when I got back from camp, I read this post from Mind Full Collective entitled "Embracing the Breaking."  Have you ever read a post that spoke to you on every level?  God has a way of showing his message in every aspect of your life if you take the time to listen.  In the post, Mandy writes "In order to go deeper, sometimes we have to get comfortable in the very uncomfortable places."  I rarely let myself get uncomfortable.  I bury the uncomfortable emotions. I am not comfortable with uncertainty.  This is the root of my trust issues.  I stand on my own.  I do it all myself.  Trusting means allowing for uncertainty.

Source: Pinterest

God has been giving me the same message for months in different ways. I need to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. I need to let go long enough to break.  If I ever want to work through the difficult moments from my past, I have to be broken. If I allow myself to be broken, then God can meet me at that moment.  But being broken requires surrender and trust.  If I am truly honest with myself, I trust myself more than anyone else...even God.  I leave things at the altar, only to run back and pick them up again.  I don't trust enough to leave them there and walk in faith.  At the root of that lack of trust is fear. I am not sure what that fear is, but I learned over the last two days watching my students that we have to face our fears.  We have to be willing to climb the wall or cross that ropes course and trust that the harness will catch us if we slip.

An Easy Approach to Meal Planning

Well, graduate school starts up again tomorrow and the school year for my students begins on Sep. 2nd.  Back to School is always a crazy and stressful time of year.  My eating and workouts have been less than stellar the last couple weeks.  I just have been running so many errands for work to get my classroom set up, as well as working all day with my summer school kids.

Since tomorrow is a fresh start, it is a great time to get started back up on a regular routine with food and workouts.  Now, I have a love/hate relationship with food.  I love food, and I love to eat.  However, I hate figuring out what to eat.  I tend to get sick of things very quickly.  My husband is simple.  He could eat the same thing every day.

I tend to plan and cook most of our meals. I try to get his input, but he only ever suggests breakfast tacos or chili. So, yeah I never really feel excited about his suggestions.  I threw out the idea of him having to be responsible for dinner a couple nights a week, but he will pick something I won't want.  Then, we are back to where we started.  So, I started thinking about what things would I be content to eat every week.  If I could come up with 2 meal ideas I don't mind eating every week, then it is less for me to plan.

We do usually eat breakfast tacos or some type of eggs at least once a week.  Eggs are so easy, and I have always liked breakfast for dinner.  So I decided one of our easy meals each week will be an egg meal.  I also love pizza.  Dairy doesn't agree with me very well, so if I order pizza it always upsets my stomach.  When I make pizza at home though, it usually does not bother my stomach because I use cheese sparingly.  I also like making pizza because it is easy leftovers to take to work for lunch.

Tips for Easy Meal Planning

1) Choose at least 2 meals you don't mind eating and cooking every week.  If you choose recipes that are very simple to make, this will make your life even easier. Choose something others in your household like to make, and this may even allow you to split up the responsibility.

2) Pick one new recipe each week.  I find by picking one new recipe a week I get to try something new, which satisfies my need for variety, without overwhelming myself.

3) Pick one other recipe that you know off the top of your head that you rotate over the weeks.

4) Make enough to have leftovers so you get some extra dinners or lunches out of it.

5) Try cooking more than one meal at a time.  This means less nights of cooking and cleaning up.  You can just heat things up for leftovers.  I often like to make one recipe on the stove and then another recipe in the oven or the crockpot. 

I usually plan about 4 meals for the week, and then we eat some of them more than once.  I do not like to plan which meals are for which days because this way I can see what I am in the mood for each day. This week we are eating:

• Breakfast for Dinner: Breakfast Tacos with turkey sausage and veggies of choice

• Pizza: Homemade pizza with sausage, bell pepper, red onion, and black olives

• Recipe from the rotation: Picadillo (I like to use Skinny Taste's recipe, but I use tomatoes instead of tomato sauce.  It is good with quinoa, brown rice, as tacos, or on a taco salad.)

• New recipe: Summer vegetables with sausage and potatoes (Another Skinnytaste recipe)

Do you follow any food blogs on Facebook?  This is a great way to get ideas for recipes!  Recipes come across your feed, and you don't even have to go searching for them.  This is how I found Skinnytaste's sausage and veggie skillet this week. 

How do you like to meal plan?  Any easy solutions? 

Why does accountability matter?

I am not sure I would get anything done without accountability.  I make things important when I feel like someone cares and it matters.

The first step is being honest with yourself.  I know I try harder when someone holds me accountable.  I own that, and I am okay with it.

Source: Pinterest

When I first got a personal trainer in 2006, I would show up because I didn't want to lose $50 for not showing up.  I had accountability.

I love to workout with friends because it gives me accountability.  I have a Signature membership at Sunstone Yoga here in Dallas.  It is amazing.   I can bring someone with me for free every time I go.  I think I have taken everyone I know at least once.  I am so much more likely to go if I know someone is waiting for me.

My favorite accountability partner is Nala.  If we don't go on a walk, she looks so sad.  I hate to disappoint her.  So we walk.  Even if I don't get a workout in, I know I will probably walk at least a mile.  At least I'm moving.

Sometimes when you walk, you even have to stop and smell the roses.  Like she did this morning.

If you find an accountability partner, you just might you find it easier to build a healthy habit.  Challenge a friend to workout with you or drink more water with you.

Have you ever found it difficult to get in a regular bible study routine?  I know I did.  I discovered Hello Mornings.

I love it!  Best thing I ever did to get in a bible study routine.  They provide a six week bible study, and there are daily check-ins on Facebook or Instagram. It is amazing how much more motivated I am to do my bible study in the morning just because I get to check-in with someone.

So if there is something you want to change in your life, I encourage you to consider finding an accountability partner. 

Conquering those Cravings on the Drive Home

Have you ever had one of those days where you ate a great breakfast and packed a great lunch, but then caved on the way home? I know I have all too often.

Anyone who knows me well knows I am a complete other person when I get hungry.  I stop functioning.  It is all I can think about.  It shouldn't be that hard to wait 15 minutes to eat until I get home, but it is. It is near impossible.  When I am hungry, I cannot resist the drive through.  

I finally had to accept that the best thing I can do is pack a snack just to eat on the drive home.  This satisfies my hunger and keeps me from caving at the drive through.  It also saves me money!

Easy Snacks to Eat on the Drive Home

1. A piece of fruit

I like to pack a banana, a sliced-up apple, or a sliced up-peach.  I prefer to eat most of my fruit sliced up.  Some fruits are too messy to eat in the car, but apples and bananas are perfect.  My favorite is probably an apple because then I don't have to worry about what to do with the banana peel.

 

2. A granola bar or protein bar

These aren't necessarily all natural, but they are a great solution when you are starving and trying to avoid fried food.  There are so many varieties, you can find something you like.  My favorite bar is the Nugo Dark Chocolate Pretzel bar. 

3. Popcorn, pretzels, or crackers

Pack a sandwich or snack baggie with your favorite popcorn, pretzels, or crackers.  These are all easy to eat in the car and better for you than french fries. 

I actually usually buy healthier crackers than Club crackers, but I did buy some of these the other day because they are just so good. 

4. Sliced veggies

You could pack a snack baggies with some carrots, celery, or bell pepper slices.  This is a snack I usually eat at work more than I do in the car because I prefer to eat raw veggies on salad or have something to dip them in like hummus, ranch, or guacamole.  However, if I pack to popcorn or pretzels than I don't mind alternating a bite of carrots/celery with a bite of pretzels or popcorn. 

5. Crackers and peanut butter or almond butter

You could pre-make some cracker sandwiches with peanut butter, almond butter, or your favorite nut butter. I keep thinking I should do this more because I used to love the pre-packaged peanut butter cracker sandwiches from the vending machine as a kid. 

6. Cheese Slices

I usually try to cut back on dairy, but you could bring string cheese or cheese slices if you eat dairy.  This is great with crackers, veggies, or an apple. 

7. Turkey Jerky or Deli-meat

Trader Joe's has some fabulous Turkey Jerky.  It is a great snack for some extra protein.  You also could pack your favorite deli meat to eat with veggies, cheese, or crackers. 

What is your favorite snack to pack for the drive home?

Tips for How to Drink More Water

You always hear that you should drink more water.  Once you start drinking water regularly, it is easy. You body will crave water.

I don't think anyone will dispute water is good for you.  We all know it is good for you...vital to survival. The issue is wanting to drink other things more than water.  Here is an infographic I found listing some of the benefits of drinking water.

Source: Pinterest

Initially though, it can seem impossible.  I grew up on Dr. Pepper.  That was what I drank.  Period.  Later, it morphed to other sodas.  But I rarely drank much else.  When I graduated college,  I started working with a personal trainer.  She told me I had to drink 80 ounces of water a day.  At first, I thought I would die.

As I learned to drink water regularly, here are some tips I learned along the way.

1. Drink water at room temperature

The first tip she suggested to me that made it easier to drink more water was to drink water  at room temperature. When water is cold, you drink small sips.  When it is room temperature, it is easier to take in more at a time.  At first it may seem strange, but you quickly get used to it.

2. Set goals and deadlines throughout the day of when to have finished a certain amount of water

I also would set deadlines for myself.  I had to drink my first 32 ounces by mid-morning. Then, I would refill my water bottle and drink the second 32 ounces before I left work.  After that, I could drink the last 16 ounces in the evening.

3. Exercise

If you exercise some most days, you will find it easy to drink water. You will need to stay hydrated, and will easily drink down at least 20 ounces.

4. Add lemon slices or cucumber to your water

This is my favorite suggestion.  I just started doing this the last few months.  I drink so much water that sometimes I just want something other than water.  However, adding cucumber, lemon, and/or mint to my water makes it taste like something other than water.  It is so refreshing on a hot day, too and very detoxifying.

5. Infuse your water with fruit

If lemon and cucumber aren't your thing, you can find lots of recipes on Pinterest for other fruit infused waters.  The possibilities are endless.

Source: Pinterest

5. Make water bottles/cups ahead of time and keep them in the fridge ready to go

If you choose to make fruit infused water or lemon water ahead of time, I suggest making some cups ahead of time and put them in the fridge.  Then, you can just grab one and you are ready to go.

5. Add a drop of lemon oil to your water bottle

If you like lemon water but are short on time or out of lemons, you can add a drop of lemon oil to your water bottle.  I like water with lemon slices over ice, but I like adding a drop of lemon oil to my water bottle I carry with me throughout the day.  Lemon oil is a nice addition to your room temperature water bottle and still very detoxifying.

Knockoff Starbucks Passion Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade (Made Healthy)

People always said when I got to college I would learn to love coffee.

I made it through an undergraduate degree and I never liked coffee.

I made it through my Masters and I never liked coffee.

I am working on my PhD and I still don't like coffee.

I do LOVE tea though.  Tea is happy. I love hot tea and iced tea.  I love green tea, herbal tea, black tea, and sweet tea.

When I was 12, I got to go spend about two weeks with my grandparents in West Virginia for the summer. In the evenings, Grandmommy would make a cup of hot tea and we would work on a puzzle. At the time, I had to have milk and sweetener to like black tea.  Tea represents simple pleasures and stolen moments of bliss.

Now, I love a cup (or giant mug) of black tea.

But sometimes it is hot outside...like 100 degrees in Texas.  I spend a lot of time at Starbucks.  I am a graduate student.  Sometimes I can't study at home.  It is just too quiet.  So I go to Starbucks so it is loud and I have something to tune out. I love to get a Starbucks Shaken Passion Iced Tea Lemonade.  It is so refreshing.  I like it sweetened or unsweetened.

Source: Pinterest

The thing is it is Starbucks, so it is expensive. I decided to make my own version of this refreshing goodness at home.

Hence, we have:

 Knockoff Passion Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade

Just brew a kettle of hot water. Use 2 tea bags and let steep. Add to a pitcher.  Add some more water to the pitcher.  Let it cool in the fridge.  Then add lemon slices.  It is tasty as it, but you can add some stevia to sweeten it.

Make up some travel cups ahead of time and grab it on the go before you leave the house.

Working It Wednesday: Getting in a Workout Routine

I keep hoping to get on here and blog more about how I am keeping balance in my life.  School has been out for a couple of weeks.  I have been trying to get in a workout routine.  I am going to link up with Surfin Through Second's Workin It Wednesday.

I am trying to do hot pilates/hot yoga classes about 2-3 mornings a week.  Other days I go to Zumba or Bootcamp classes.  I am inspired by all of these teachers out there like Rachelle at Forblognesssake who are doing great going to the gym and working the equipment on a regular basis.  I admire them...I really do.  I, however, do not successfully workout that way.  I think it is perfectly healthy to be honest with myself and know my limitations.  I have accepted that with work and graduate school, my schedule is crazy.  I like to do fitness classes.  I like to show up, have someone tell me what to do, and go home.  I don't want to have to go to the gym with a plan and decide what to do.

I also love to go to classes with friends.  I have a  membership at Sunstone Yoga here in Dallas, which is awesome.  I can actually take a friend with me for free every time I go.  It has worked out great.  I take friends, my sister-in-law, and even my husband a couple times.  I also like going to Zumba with friends when I can.  I usually text some of my friends at the beginning of the week to see who is available when, check studio and gym schedules, and then schedule my workouts on my Google Calendar.  Then, my workouts show up on my phone calendar and can even be linked to friend's calendars.

I love my instructer at my Bootcamp Fitness class and the women who go.  They are awesome!  My Bootcamp instructor goes to yoga with me too, so she encourages to push myself further in my practice. It gets a bit pricey to do Bootcamp 3 times a week with my yoga studio membership, so I have been doing Bootcamp once a week.  I just went back to bootcamp this last week after almost two months because I had hurt my shoulder about 6 weeks ago, so I took a break from weights.  This was me all sweaty and red-faced after that Bootcamp class on Saturday.  I am thinking about trying some other classes with weights at the gym too since they don't cost me extra.



I have a lot of autoimmune diseases in my family, so I get a lot of inflammation easily (hence, the red face).  I try to listen to my body and make sure I get enough rest and do enough stretching.  I am trying to experiment with more anti-inflammatory eating.  I try to avoid sugar, dairy, and gluten as much as I can.  The last few days I ate all of those things though because we celebrated my husband's birthday and I went to a gender reveal party. This was my husband and I with the brownies my sister-in-law made, which were very yummy.



I have been trying to eat more quinoa and experiment with other gluten-free goodies.  One of my favorite lunches lately is a black bean quinoa salad over spinach.  It is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan.  It is so yummy.



You can't go wrong with black beans, quinoa, onion, corn, bell pepper, and garlic. The time I made in the picture above I also added fresh squash and zucchini.

My Menu Plan for the Week and a new Book Study

I am going to post about what I have planned for my week on the personal front.

I went to yoga yesterday after not working out much the last week.  We were on a one week break from boot camp, and then I got an adjustment from the chiropractor that left my spine sore and tender for two days. Apparently, I went longer than normal between adjustments. I am ready to get back to some workouts and more yoga this week.  Now, that the weather is cooler I really want to start doing some more running and walking with Nala.

I have lots of homework for grad school this week. Next week, I am going to the iNACOL conference on online learning. I am really excited about going, but I have to get all my homework done before I leave. Yikes!

This week, I decided to make some recipes all from SixSistersStuff.  Their recipes are so easy with lots to choose from. I try to pull at elast one recipe each week from their latest Weekly Menu Plan.

This week from their menu I chose the Cheeseburger Casserole. 

I made it last night. It was yummy.  I am taking some in my lunch tomorrow with baby carrots and an apple.

I also made some Southern Chicken and Corn Chowder. 

It came out really tasty.  It did not come out as thick as I would have liked, but there is so much veggies that it is still a really hearty soup. It made a really big pot and the hubby and I won't eat it all. So I am going to take some tomorrow to my in-laws.

Later in the week I am going to make:

Crockpot Chicken Quesadillas

 

Crockpot Beef Stew

Pioneer Women had a recipe today for Pumpkin Cinnamon rolls that sound amazing. What are you eating this week?

I am also getting ready in to start an online book study for Emily Freeman's new book A Million Little Ways. It's all about finding the beauty in every day. I am excited about it. :) 

Peek at my Week: My Dinner Plans

My Workouts

This past weekend, I was able to start working out again after not working out for a week and a half due to a cold.  Not working out for over a week had my stress out of control. It is amazing what a difference a good workout makes. On Thursday, I did a 30 minute pilates class and my 1 hour bootcamp class.  On Friday, I did not have a muscle that did not hurt.

Saturday morning at 8am I went to bootcamp. We did lots of abs, which was torture because my abs were still wore from my 2 workouts on Thursday.  After bootcamp, I went to a Holy Yoga class. It was awesome!  I had not been to a Holy Yoga class in awhile. I love the experience of physical surrender while praising and worshipping. It was a cold rainy day on Saturday, so I stopped at Panera on my way home from yoga and got soup. I came home and took a 4 hour nap on the couch. That night I went to dinner with my sister-in-law, Emily.  We had Greek food at Ziziki's for dinner, and went across the parking lot to Breadwinners for pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.



Sunday morning I went to hot yoga before church.  I love letting all the tension and stress go before going to church. Right now at church Dr. Jeffress is doing a series on Revelation. After church, I pretty much worked on lesson plans and did laundry.

My Dinners this Week

Today, I planned what I am going to eat this week and went grocery shopping. I am planning on cooking the following items this week. When I cook, I usually cook 2-3 meals at once so I only have to cook a couple times a week.  We just reheat stuff throughout the week.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

We had this tonight with carrots and celery. I got the recipe from this week's Six Sister's Weekly Menu.

Turkey Chili

I just make chili in the crockpot with cooked ground turkey, 3 Alarm chili seasoning, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can pinto beans, 1 can black beans, 1 can kidney beans, bell pepper and onion.  I cook it on low for 2 hours.

Chicken and Spinach Lemon Pasta

Emily gave me this recipe and said it was good.  It is from Rachel Schultsz's blog. I probably will use a different pasta than Angelhair though because I have a bunch of pasta to use up.

Breakfast Tacos

I have been making frittata a lot lately, so I am going to change it up this week and make breakfast tacos with eggs, turkey sausage, and cheese. I recently discovered Jimmy Dean's Turkey Sausage crumbles. They are fully cooked and already crumbled. You just sprinkle them in whatever you are making.  It is so easy!

Lunches

I really love packing Bento lunches for myself.  It helps me eat more balanced having it all in one box.  I am a slow eater, so I seem to actually eat more if it is all in one container versus several. I probably will take a breakfast taco in my lunch one day and some leftover pasta another day.

For tomorrow I packed a homemade lunchable with turkey, salami, cheddar, crackers, carrots, celery, and an orange.

I'm here

My goal for 2013 was balance.  I'm pretty sure that will be my goal for 2014 as well. Ultimately, I want to blog here about my fitness journey, what I am eating, my lunch ideas, how I am balancing work and graduate school, and my spiritual journey.

I decided to do a fall bible study at Stonebriar Community Church, where Chuck Swindoll is the pastor. I am doing the bible study with my sister-in-law Emily. This first week was a bit of a fail for me.  The bible study homework did not happen for me.  I had so much graduate school and work stuff, I got buried in busy.  It is no excuse.  I need to make time for God, quiet time, and bible study.  I need to make time to be still. Being still to be in the moment with God should be easy and natural.

I want to get back to finishing Grace for the Good Girl. I think I am going to try and blog about my thoughts on the bible study. Right now I am going to pray and then get some sleep.

Being Set Free from Life's Pains

I wanted to do a quick post this morning to mention my aunt just released her first book.  My aunt's book Daughter of the King: Finally Free is released today.

I am almost done reading the book; I read most of the book in one sitting.  My aunt, Fran Speake, details how her faith in Christ helped her overcome a childhood of neglect, abuse, and low self-esteem.  She catalogs how as an adult she sought to fill that inner void with drugs and the wrong men. Her memoir is a story of pain, but a powerful testimony to the power of faith and the redeeming grace of Christ. I knew many details of my mom and aunts' childhood, but it was so much more profound to see it through the eyes of someone who experienced it.  I can see how each generation of my family truly tried their best to give their kids more than the previous generation. As humans though, we will always fall short and disappoint one another. Only God truly fill that inner void.  Short respites from emptiness can be found in relationships, food, drugs, alcohol, exercise, and other earthly endeavors.  None of these things provide lasting peace or that deep joy that overcomes life's deepest pains. Through her faith, Aunt Fran is able to both see her life and choices clearly and be thankful for what she has been set free from.   We have to acknowledge and face the things that haunt us, and then set them down on the alter for Christ to pick up.  We often surrender our burdens only to pick them back up again. The hardest part of being set free is claiming that freedom every day.  We can let go of the hold the past has on us, but we do not forget.  Those memories and pains are something we can choose to give to Christ as often as is necessary. What we surrender to Christ we must choose to surrender daily.  You can go to Fran's Facebook page.  She is doing giveaways today for signed copies of the book.

Worship is Active and Not Passive

Bootcamp is on a two week break, and I already can tell a difference.  Yesterday, I was feeling overwhelmed when I realized how much I need to get accomplished this summer to get ready for next school year. Normally on Tuesdays, I would have my bootcamp workout.  Stressful day and no major workout...I was still stressed.  I realized how much less stressed I have been the last 4 weeks.

Spiritually, I know I am supposed to not worry...to let go and let God.  This is so hard sometimes.  I can be such a control freak over my immediate life and to-do's.  I feel like over the last month or two God is really showing me that worship and surrender are ACTIVE and not PASSIVE.  What I mean is that for me I am coming to see that there is something amazing that exercise does for me spiritually. Let me clarify.  When I work hard and sweat hard, I let go and I surrender.  Each lap and each physical movement helps me let go of the worries and distractions and stresses that weigh me down.  As I sweat out the stress, there is more room for God...more room for prayer.

Exercise is great for me physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I am finding that as I feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally, I also see improvement spiritually.  I take more time to seek God throughout the day and the week.

(Source: Pinterest)

I also have been trying to go to Holy Yoga once a week.  I have always enjoyed yoga, but there is something special about actually doing yoga with other Christians...about actually worshipping while being physically active.  With holy yoga, you are actively worshipping.

Today, I got up and went for an interval run/walk with Nala.



Running and I do not have a great relationship, but I feel like I need to keep trying. Things worth doing are always hard.

(Source: Pinterest)

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Bootcamp Fitness

I started this blog so I could document my personal journey with balance.  The last few weeks I have been going to a bootcamp fitness class with Texas Bootcamps.  I have really enjoyed it.  It is on a two week break.  I will miss it.  I know exercising outside in summer in the Texas heat...it sounds crazy, right?  I absolutely love it, though.  Other people are exercising with you, so it motivates you to keep going...keep pushing. We meet three times a week, and each workout is different.  You never get bored, and your body doesn't plateau as much with all the variety.  I feel so much stronger.  I have been sleeping well, I have more energy, and I am in a lot better mood. 

(Gotta love Pinterest quotes for motivation)

Speaking of sleep, I really should be in bed already.  Time for some water and sleep.  I'm going to restart the Fast Metabolism Diet again tomorrow.  I keep starting it and getting sidetracked.  Hopefully this time I can make the full 28 days.

Holy Yoga and a Long Walk

Well, today was Day 9 on the Fast Metabolism Diet.  I do feel a lot better, and I have lost 3 pounds.  I have not followed it 100% perfectly, but I have tried to follow it pretty closely.

Eating better and working out more is so time consuming.  I feel good, but I also am just tired. The positive side of exercise though is you sleep better. Yesterday, I did 30 minutes of hot yoga and then an hour of holy yoga.  That was my second time to go to try holy yoga.  I really enjoyed it.  I absolutely love the idea of worshipping God while exercising.  Worship just feels like it should be active and not passive.

Today, Nala and I walked two miles on our favorite trail by the duck pond in the beautiful weather.  (With Texas the beautiful weather will not last long.)  Then, I went to an hour of boot camp fitness. I made a quick dinner taco of ground turkey, kale, and salsa on a spelt tortilla.

Now, I finally am blogging and getting ready for bed.  I really need to keep up with my gratitude list. Today though, I was grateful for the beautiful weather and a good day at school. 

Prayer, More Fitness, and a Better Metabolism

This weekend has been a great weekend.  Today I went to church at First Baptist Dallas. I have really enjoyed the guest speakers over the last couple weeks for the opening of the new sanctuary. We have had Dr. David Jeremiah and Jym Cymbala.  Today Dr. James Dobson came and spoke. The last couple sermons have convicted me on how much more I need to consistently be praying. I enjoy praying when I walk my dog.  We have a trail by a duck pond down the road. I enjoy walking Nala over there.  I find it very peaceful, and it brings me a lot of joy.  I like praying while we walk. The ducks, the water, the trees, and the sunshine all help me let go and let God. Over and over I am reminded of the importance of surrender and faith.  I am an achiever.  I always have a list to accomplish, so it is a daily...hourly choice to surrender and not worry and not overthink.

This week I finished week 2 of bootcamp fitness. I can already tell I am getting a little stronger. It feels good to feel some progress.  I also started a meal plan this week to help increase my metabolism.  I have a slow metabolism even though I am a small person.  I can gain 5-10 pounds quickly (especially when my thyroid levels are off) but then it is so hard to lose that 5-10 pounds. I found a website called The Fast Metabolism Diet.  I purchased the book through Kindle and the app for the i-Phone. 

The diet lasts 4 weeks and each week you go through 3 phases. The first 2 days you eat more grains and fruit, the next two days you eat veggies and protein, and the last 3 days you eat a mix of all of it. In general, you cut out sugar, alcohol, wheat, dairy, soy, and corn.  Just cutting out dairy and wheat can help your body detox.  On Thursday and Friday, I felt awful and had headaches from detoxing and allergies. Yesterday, I felt a million times better. The app for the phone is amazing (it also only costs $1.99)! You eat about 5-6 small meals per day.  At each meal/snack it tells you what types of foods to eat and then gives you choices.  I like this a lot better than other meal plans I have seen because it tells me what to eat but still gives me options. So far after week 1 I have lost about 2-3 pounds. I am glad to have found something to help me know what foods to eat to help increase my metabolism, and it did not cost me a fortune.