Inspiration

I am a people person, I like helping people, making them laugh, being a shoulder to lean on whatever a person needs I am usually there to give it. With my weight loss I want to help and inspire other people to change there lives like I have done with mine. So after my Superstar post last week, a close friend told me how myself and another friend had inspired her to make this year her year. I am so proud of her for taking the first step, you can read about her goals on her blog here. I was so honored to be some ones source of inspiration that I have grown up with.  Then I started to feel like I've already let her down and that was a sham. I have become I huge slacker lately and just can't seem to shake that.

 

 

Well this was my wake up call, I want to be able to help other people and have others look up to me and give them advice. I am going to have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. I have actually been slowly making my own small changes and starting to eat the right food again and using MyFitnessPal to log what I eat. I made the most amazing soup the other night and am so excited to have leftovers in the Freezer.  It was Chicken, Spinach & Tortellini Soup, here is the recipe:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tbsp oil
1 box Low Sodium Organic Chicken Broth
1 large, coarsely chopped tomato
1 stalk celery, sliced
¼ red pepper diced
Diced Onion to flavor
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ¼ cups  frozen or refrigerated whole wheat cheese-filled tortellini
1/4 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups  packed, chopped fresh spinach


1. Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed saucepot at medium - high heat. Add chicken and cook and stir until browned - about 5 minutes.
2. Add onion, garlic, celery and red pepper and cook until softened
3. Add broth and tomatoes, then heat to a boil
3. Stir in tortellini, oregano and pepper and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
4. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach and simmer soup until tortellini is cooked through - about 5 minutes.
Note: You can use precooked chicken strips (8 oz /1 cup) to save on time if so just put steps 1 & 2 together. Also you can use frozen spinach which I did , add it on step 3 instead of 4.

I have also been trying to work out more but seem to have little motivation. I needed to change that so I decided to break out my Focus T25 dvd's and have been doing workouts.  I feel amazing!  I forgot how good it feels to get all sweaty and feel sore muscles the next day.  I already feel better and have more energy throughout the day. I am now on the right track again and I can tell you my pants are yelling at me to get my lazy butt in gear too lol. I am thankfully for my friend who I inspired because she ended up inspiring me too :)

 

Tea Time

I recently posted this picture on my Facebook, saying how I was enjoying a nice cup of Tea and to thank a new friend for getting me hooked. Now I am used to getting likes on pictures but this time I got comments and lots of them! That's when I realized tea and coffee are the like a universal language.  It's used as a social gathering, who hasn't said "hey let's go for a coffee" or just curled up on a afternoon with a cup of something warm to relax. I'm just starting to explore teas I am usually a coffee drinker.  The only tea I ever really knew was Orange Pekoe and I just can not drink it black I have to have milk and sugar.

However recently I was introduced to Green tea and used it as an aide in my weight loss. I brew up a cup every night, add lemon and then pour it into a one litre jug and fill with water and chill. The next day instead of just water I drink it all day.  This really helped me up my water intake because honestly I really hate drinking water. I realize now I was probably very dehydrated because before this I really only drank at meals and I sure wasn't drinking water. There are some really great benefits to drinking teas and water like having great looking skin, seriously that girl with the radiant glowing face over there probably drank her 8-10 glasses of water a day.  Also both tea and water are good at suppressing your appetite, drink what before your meal to feel fuller faster and drink tea in the evening to stop those late night cravings.  And believe it or not water can also help you feel not as bloated, weird I know but more water will actually help you not retain water.  It helps to flush out salt and other stuff that makes you feel that way. 

So if I wasn't drinking water what was I drinking? Well coffee in the mornings for sure, which I just can't change.  However I did convert my double, double to a 2 milk and 1 sugar, also fruit juice, iced tea and the occasional pop. I am so so happy I was not a heavy pop drinker there is so much sugar in there it's crazy! Did you know a 20 ounce soda has 16 teaspoons of sugar! You can literally drink up your daily calories and because your thirst isn't quenched by sugary drinks you tend to be more hungry thus eating more.  Now I admit Starbucks is my one weakness and I love coffee, but I try to make my choices the "skinny" version (non fat milk, sugar free syrup and no whip cream) whenever I can. I think the next time I'm there I may be adventurous and try a Chia Latte.

Now although Tim Horton's has donuts, cookies and timbits waiting for you to munch on that doesn't mean you can't have a nice treat when you do have your tea and coffee. Why not try out these awesome little bites:

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey (raw honey preferred)
1 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened preferred)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 scoop chocolate Shakeology
1 tsp natural vanilla

Mix all together & form into balls. Wrap with wax paper and store in the freezer.

Note: You can use 2 scoops of shakeology to up the nutrition level and of course make them more chocolatey! Oh and you can throw in 1/2 cup of mixed nuts for some crunch. If you do this, put in a full cup of peanut butter and you may need a splash of water or (just a splash though!). For the ones in the picture I used almond butter, vanilla Shakeology and added dried cranberries, they have been a great afternoon snack!

Superstar

There has been a lot of different sources for motivation whether it be pictures, people or TV that have inspired me throughout my healthy journey so far. The very first thing that started to motivate me were TV shows. I love watching weight loss transformation TV shows, they encourage and inspired me to start to get healthy. If it wasn't for these few shows I don't know where I would be now. Maybe still drowning in fat.

 

I only watch the Biggest Loser every once in awhile but I like trainers Bob Harper (we share the same birthday) and Jillian Michaels. Shortly after Jillian Michaels left the show a few years back she had her own show Losing It that aired over the summer. I watched it faithfully and cried at the end of almost every episode. Yup I'm a sap hahaha. They just get me, every single time. It just tugs at my heart, watching people making such sacrifice and changing there lives so dramatically.  So after watching that show I decided to make a change. I could do it, I could lose it!

 

 

Fast forward to the fall and still hadn't really gotten started but knew I wanted to. I started watching Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition hosted by Chris Powell. I really love this show and watch it every season.  After a few more teary episodes I did start my journey because I figured if these people who are all much heavier then I was can lose over 100 lbs in 1 year surely I could lose 50! I even emailed Chris when I hit my goal to thank him for inspiring me! I did get a response back but not from Chris directly. I even follow Chris's wife Heidi on facebook as she posts some awesome recipes. For instants I never would have thought to substitute a rice cake for bread in these Turkeywiches.

 

 

When I started out I thought that 50 pounds sounded like way to much of a goal to accomplish.  So I set a short term goal to loose 30 lbs by my 30th Birthday that year. I found that breaking down my goal helped out alot, it didn't seem so daunting. I might not have reached that mini goal but got close at 25 lbs but most importantly I was starting to learn to eat more healthy and work out. Just one small change is all it takes :) 
 

The Spice of Life

Plain, simple, boring..... No, I'm not talking about my life.  Although sometimes it is that way but I'm talking about food. Salad, veggies and chicken can be tasty but also can be pretty plain, simple and boring without a little spice or seasoning to them. There are so many different ways to add a some spice to your food life.  I have a  few favorites, including a new, old one.

 

Do you remember the commercial for Frank's red hot sauce.... For me that's Pesto. I would put the S#!+ on everything! You name it tossed with pasta, used as salad dressing, put in wraps, on sandwiches, sauce for mini pizzas, you get the idea. I took it on a chicken wrap (wholegrain wrap, mixed lettuce, chicken, cucumber & pesto) to work for lunch and literally felt like I was transformed to a fancy bistro instead of my lunch room! It's so versatile, you can make your own or I like myself, I opted to buy it already done.

 

I find different seasons also play on the spices I use.  My favorite season is Summer and I spice up my summer by using a Mediterranean spice mix. I use it on bbq chicken, I make a Greek chopped salad (chopped up cucumber, red onion, red peppers, celery, tomatoes & feta, toss with evoo and greek seasoning mix) and toss my pasta in it. It's also nice to have this on occasion in the winter on my baked chicken, makes me think of warm weather.

 

 

Lately my new, old favorite spice mix has been Tex Mex. If fact I cooked up a little chicken with it to top off my salad for dinner tonight! This new old combo came about last month when I made turkey tacos for the first time. (See my Snowy Day post for more about that.)  I can't wait to make them again and ground turkey was on sale this week! Plus since I bought a whole bottle of Tex Mex spice I can't wait to experiment and try other ways to use it... Maybe turkey burgers or tex mex meatloaf will be in my future. Either way sometimes plain and boring isn't so bad, but even a simple spice mix like salt and pepper can jazz up a meal.  What's your Spice of Life?

Do I have to make a Resolution?

So with the Holidays over and a New Year ahead of us I realized that a post was overdue. Hopeful everyone out there had a great time over the holidays, I know I did! Visiting with family & friends and of course over indulging with lots of food, chocolates and drinks. I know I am ready to get back into a routine and put my focus back into living lighter again.  I don't really believe in making the traditional New Year's Resolutions anymore as I find they don't really last longer then the month of January.  So instead I am embracing the New Year as fresh start and clean slate.
 

 

There really is a ton of possibilities that the next 365 days will bring. Sometimes it seem daunting to start something new or get back into something you have already been doing. Just take it one day at a time. Sure it's fast and easy to grab a frozen dinner or other prepared meal or skip working out but with a little pre planning and prep having fresh fruit and veggies at the ready will ensure a positive food habit.  Prep had been my hardest task lately, I buy the food and end up wasting it because I get to lazy the night before to pack my lunch.  Weekends are usually my prep days so I start thinking what groceries I need to pick up but occasionally its nice to have a little help with it. Enter my Guilty Pleasure... 

 

 

Yup, that's right magazines... They call to me at the checkout like the chocolate bars should, which I guess is a good thing lol.  I used to be a Cosmo girl but since starting my healthy quest I realized there's magazine's for that too! Depending who is on the cover and what other articles are in them depends on the magazine I choose. My fave is Women's Health as I find it has just about everything, different articles, motivation and recipes.  Recipes or meal plans are what help with my grocery shopping and prep work. The meal plans are a great source to give me different ideas for lunch and dinner and sometimes even snacks!  I admit I picked up the most recent Self magazine because Jillian Michaels was on the cover.  I have only given it a quick flip but I'm excited to read more about the meal plan they have it. Maybe I will have a few new recipes for upcoming posts.  

 

Let's face it I don't have room to keep a stack of magazines for one or 2 articles or recipes I like in it, so what I do is photocopy what I want and keep it in a folder. It's great to go back and look through them for new inspiration. It's also good to look back and go over your past year, what worked well and what didn't?  What can you do different in the new year? What did you learn in the past year you can bring forward in the new year? By making a fresh start, it offers new hope and renewed motivation, I'm excited to wipe the slate clean and build a Great Year!