The Case for Staying Home

{As a forewarning, this post is not for everyone and I completely understand that.}

I grew up in a home of a full-time working mom and I always admired her hard work and all that she handled with ease, or so it seemed. I always went to daycare (probably the best one ever, with people who will always be important to me) and had way too much fun. I had a dad who would stay home with us and who would make dinner and clean the house. It's just what worked out for my family and I wouldn't change that for anything.

However, being a working mom is also not for everyone. And that is ok, too. For as long as I can remember, all I've wanted to do is be a mom. People would ask me in college what I wanted to do when I graduated, and my best response was that I wanted to be a mom. Everything else would be extra.

Really, this post is for those of you with that type of heart. Maybe you're a mom right now who is staying home with your kiddos. Maybe you're a working mom who would love to be able to stay at home. Or maybe you're dreaming of someday becoming a mom and wonder if staying home someday is what you want to do.

So let me make my case, and maybe give some high-fives and encouragement to those type of moms out there..

Before I state my case, I do have to admit that staying at home to do this mom thing wasn't always comfortable and for sure wasn't something I was necessarily proud of - until recently.

Staying at home means that you don't ever really get a break. You're always 'on'. You're always needed in some way. Your day starts early and it ends late - sometimes way late into the night. You get to deal with all of the moodiness, crying fits, sick kids, etc. It's not always fun and every day is a new challenge. For a long time a big part of me felt like it was a burden and I wasn't able to socialize or be out in the world as much as I wanted to. But something shifted in me after my miscarriage that told me that being a mom is the biggest blessing you will ever be given. Losing a gift like a child is one of the most, if not the most, challenging things we can go through. And it was then that I realized how important of a job I really have, and what a blessing my girl (and future children) truly is.

It seems these days that stay-at-home-mom-ing isn't the popular thing to do. Daycare centers are packed full; starting up your own daycare gig is a great way to earn a living with so many kids who need it. That's an awesome thing to be able to do if you have a heart for it!
I honestly know just a handful of people, and one very close friend, who are stay at home moms. And even when I decided to quit my job I got a lot of questions of "how will you stay in the game of business?" or "how will you make enough money?" or whatever other "why are you doing that?" type of thoughts and concerns, which all are good questions to consider...

But here it is. All of my "why's" and all of the blessings I've been able to reap as a stay at home mom:

I get to be part of every moment of my children's life! Whether you see that as a good thing or a bad thing (and believe me there are good times and bad times!) it's a privilege to watch my daughter grow up and to experience everything with her for the first time. There are definitely no regrets that I have about spending almost every waking moment of her life with her.

I get to teach her what I want her to learn! As a parent, it's really our job to create and form our children to be the type of adults we want them to be. And it starts the moment they're born. Every day I get to show my girl how to act, how to love, how to be healthy, how to be out in this world and how to love others. I take this part of parenting quite seriously and I love that I get to be the one to teach her these values early on.

I get to do fun things with my girl! Just today we went to the library and both had such a fun time. Story time, playing with other kids, reading and learning together. There's plenty of those sort of things at daycare, but I'm happy I can bring Leslie to different places where she can experience different things whenever we want. Though, most of the places we go are free, we can still get out and do new things together.

I have the time to focus on my own health. This is of course the biggie for me. To be able to prepare healthy food for myself and my family is everything to me. Having more time at home to do this sort of thing is the most value I can find staying home. Plus, during nap time I can either take a nap or I can workout or I can prep dinner - whatever I can do to put mine and my family's health first.

Not having to rush out the door is a huge stress-reliever for everyone! My husband has to work, of course, and he has a bit of a crazy schedule of his own. So the fact that I can manage the house and our family is a huge relief for him and for me. Not to have to coordinate who brings the kid to daycare or who picks them up or who will be home for bedtime, or whatever else is going on, makes life simpler. And I thrive on keeping life simple.

My kids have consistency. Which, any kid can have consistency if you make it a priority. To have your caregiver on the same page as you, and to keep your evening life consistent for your kids is all that needs to be done. But I guess I am able to have control over this the way that I want to. My sleep tactics, my discipline, my rules and expectations, and it's the same all day long.

I get to do more of what I want to do. At least, sometimes. We don't all love our jobs, I really quite hated my job when I was working (which made that decision an easy one). And if I was still working I'd be doing something that I didn't like, plus have to be a good mom and a wife and a friend, which would leave little time for doing certain things that I want to do. Whereas now, I am able to help more with church, and even start up my own business if I want to! I'm able to have a little bit of extra time for working out or reading or spending time with my husband - or blogging! - and it doesn't have to be rushed.

I am able to save our family money by staying home. It's not just daycare costs, it's also the cost of clothes, food, gas, car maintenance, and more. I've started to have more of a hand in managing our money and I've found a lot of joy in it! I'm a saver, for sure, so anywhere I can find a way to save money I'm all about it. And in doing so - back to preparing healthy food - using more real food ingredients, because I have more time, makes healthy eating a lot cheaper when I don't have to depend on much of any prepared foods. That alone is a huge money-saver! So just because you're working doesn't mean that you have more money. In fact, it may mean that you're spending your hard-earned money on things that you don't really want to, when also sacrificing time with your family.

These reasons, and more, I just felt like I needed to share - NOT to shame any mom who is working to provide for their family, but to really explain that if you can, and if you really have this desire to stay home, it is way more than worth it!

The first three years of a child's life sets up their foundation. These are years of huge developmental milestones of language, social, behavioral, and emotional development. I know that I'll never be mad about spending these years with my kids, sacrificing my time and energy for their benefit. It may seem like an old-fashioned thing to do these days, but I can't imagine my family functioning in any other way right now.

Plus, I can't really imagine a life not being able to hang with this girl all day... 

Who is now awake from her nap and I need to end this rant here. Until next time.

Thoughts of "Tomorrow"

When I get off track with my eating I definitely recognize it. It doesn't go unnoticed at all. I'm not dumb. I know when I feel puffy and a little more tired. I know when my sweets cravings start to rage again and I search high and low for a piece of chocolate. And I know that you know what I'm talking about. 

Those things don't go unnoticed, but those indulgences do continue longer than we should let them. 

Here's what I mean...

It seems there's this consistent phrase that we have all told ourselves and have all heard others say.

"I'll start on Monday"

..or some version of that, like "next month I'll do this" or "next year I'll get healthier".

But why not today? Right now? What is stopping you from making your health a priority right here, right now? 

Is it the junk food hiding in your pantry? -throw it out! 

The diet soda in your mini fridge? -get rid of it! 

Or maybe the quick McDonald's trip you take every lunch break? -go somewhere else! 

... there's always a quick solution for any unhealthy option. Usually that solution is just to throw it out or not eat it.

I know it's easier said than done, but if your health is important to you there's really not a good reason why healthy changes can't start today. Even if it's a small adjustment.

We rely so much on our excuses as real reasons not to take hold of our health. 

Why is that?

An answer to that question might be something as simple as: it's easier.

Am I right?

It's easier to eat those donuts in your work's break room because they're staring you in the face.
It's easier to sit on the couch and watch TV instead of going on a walk.
It's easier to eat something that tastes sweeter than eating veggies that maybe aren't as sweet.
And it's definitely easier to grab a quick kid's meal than making dinner at home while your kids fuss at you the entire time because they're hungry (believe me, I know!).

But again, if you care about your health and your family's health, you'll need to put some things in place to help you avoid these easy options.

And to be honest, that is where someone like myself can come in handy [totally not just saying that because I'm a health coach!]. Having tools in your life like accountability, or learning how to monitor  your lifestyle or how to schedule healthy habits that work for you is really someone like myself's expertise.

Get a buddy, if not a coach or a trainer. Get someone on your side who will keep you accountable and support your healthy desires. Get someone to push you along your way so that you don't have the excuse of 'tomorrow' or 'later'.

Also, if you're not sure where to start or what healthy really means (because let's face it, there's a lot of good and bad opinions out there), start researching (or shoot me an email)! You can have all of the knowledge about proper nutrition, it just takes some time to learn the truth.

I'll leave you with a challenge:

Today - right now! - plan what you're going to do for your next meal to make it healthier. 

Will it be to add in some veggies?
Will it be to choose a healthier place to eat for lunch?
Swap the fries for a salad?
Or even better - swap your chemical coffee creamer for real heavy whipping cream?
Eat eggs for breakfast instead of cereal?

Stop the thought of "tomorrow" that lets you rest in your excuses. Instead, look at some ways that you can get started right now.

..that's all folks.

Taking Control

I'm back to this blog because I just couldn't say goodbye to the hours of writing I've done over the years.

So it's been a month since my last post and life is just ticking right along.

I've been busy with a project all summer that I am super excited about.
I just took a wonderful vacation with family that has given me a breath of fresh air - literally!
I have been soaking up my girl's toddlerhood every single day. Good or bad. Happy or sad. Smiles or fussing. She's been my buddy this summer. And I can't believe I'm starting to plan her 2nd birthday party already!

I've been keeping busy, not because I have to, necessarily, but because I need to. When I'm busy I don't think about not being pregnant. So I just keep looking for things to do!

But more than that, I've been looking for things that I can control. Because when something happens that's out of my control, I look for ways to grab hold again of what I can control.

Which got me back into working out and eating real food! Not that I got way off track, but I became a lot more liberal with my choices and got off of AltShift.

And with coming back to a better routine I've come to the conclusion that you (me .. us) are in total and in complete control over our lifestyle - healthy or not.

I decide what I eat in the morning for breakfast, how my day will go with my food decisions.

I decide if I'm going to take a walk or to lift smart that day.

I decide if I'm going to buy crap or good stuff at the grocery store, or take 20 minutes to plan out my dinners for the week.

I decide if I'm going to let social media intrude on my mind and lose sleep staring at a screen.

I decide how I'm going to spend my time and my energy.

Plain and simple.


And you decide all of those things, too. Whether you like it or not.

It can be a hard fact to digest sometimes, that I .. or you ... are the reason for your current state of health, as far as your lifestyle goes. Especially if you don't like where you're at.

BUT because we are in complete control over what food we eat or how we move or how we spend our extra time - we can do something about it!

And that's what I decided to do after last month. Instead of dwelling in my sadness (which, believe me, I still have my moments) I decided to get back into lifting again and start meal planning for me and my family.

I've been able to be happy with my body again, instead of being frustrated with it. To feel good about myself and proud of how my body is changing with the right exercise and nutrition.

It's been a good way to work through the hard stuff. And I don't think we rely on plain old exercise or eating right enough these days to combat stress. 

When life throws you things that are out of your control, decide to take hold of the things that you can control. 

It's what I've learned this past month and I can say that I'm better for it.

Here's to a healthy start to a new school year and back to routine! 

How I'm Really Feeling

 

I wish this was my post announcing that I'm pregnant. In fact, I just deleted the start of a post I had written up just a week ago wanting to tell all of you that we are expecting our second baby.  

After 7 short weeks my little peanut was taken away. 

I went in to see my doctor and she gave me a few words as comfort and reminded me that this is a silent pain that so many women try to go through on their own and try to hide to forget. 

And that shouldn't be. It's a real hurt with real pain and real hope that has been squashed. 

So here I am. Doing what I do - write. 

This week has been life changing. 

Over this last weekend I had a bad feeling about the pregnancy. Then Monday I had an ultrasound that looked very bleak and wrong, and yet any strand of hope there was I clung to it. Maybe I had my dates wrong, or maybe this bleeding was just from the baby implanting. Anything to keep hope for this life alive. 

But I soon came to terms with the situation. Monday night through Wednesday morning was full of tears. Times of sobbing, losing my breath, literal pain in my heart. Feelings I've never felt before all thrown in my face at once. 

Part of me was scared to go through it all. Part of me just wanted God to fix this. And part of me didn't even know what to think. 

Yesterday I delivered my baby. It felt just the same as when I delivered Leslie, going through all of the phases of labor. However, feeling all of the labor pain was welcomed. It was really the last way that I could act as this baby's mother. After that it will be over.

And it was over. I knew that my baby was gone. I was emptied out. My baby was no longer with me. 

As strange as it may sound, that moment made me feel relieved. And until reading about David, I didn't know why I felt so relieved. But in the book, "Safe in the arms of God" it explained it perfectly:

"David replied, 'While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' But now he is dead why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me'.

"David cherished this little child. Even though he knew his son had been conceived in sin, he loved him and wanted him to live. He fasted and prayed intensely for his fragile life. Like us, David had strong hopes that the Lord would graciously relent and allow the child to live - but he had no assurance that God would do so.

"Here's the key to the change in David. He ceased his mourning after the baby died. He felt no further reason to fast and pray because his sorrow was instantly and completely replaced by hope. He declared, 'I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me'." 

My sorrow, too, was instantly replaced by hope. The days before the end I cried and prayed over this peanut that it wouldn't really be gone, that God had to do something to save it. But once it was over my fear was really replaced by a huge peace. I know where my baby is. I know he/she gets to be held by Jesus right now. And that's what makes me burst into tears. It's the biggest comfort I have. And it's the promise of heaven that keeps my eyes fixed on Christ. 

Forever I'll wonder what this baby would look like. If it were boy or girl. If it would have my eyes or his smile. I'll know someday, and I'll get to love on my 'bonus baby' then. 

I'm still sad. I will never forget this baby. I'm its mommy and I can't hold him/her. I can't smell it's sweet baby head or nurse it to sleep. I can't stare at its little nose. None of those things. 

But I appreciate this moment in my life. There's nothing so painful and yet so amazing that I am now a part of with so many of you who have done this same thing, or even worse. 

We hope to add to our family very soon, and will delight in the day when our next baby keeps us up at night and steals all of our heart and energy.

If you could just pray for us in that hope. I want a big baby belly and I want to deliver a crying, pink baby again. I want Leslie to have a sibling to fight with and torment, and of course love. We just want our family to be complete. 

Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb?

Even should she forget, I will never forget you -Isaiah 49:15

My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.  But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.  "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." -Lamentations 3:20-23

​​

Life is like a mountain. We may stare at the mountain top and dream to reach the top. Train for it, climb it, and sometimes we make it. But what we see from the top is all of the vegetation and growth that happened in the valley. And it's a beautiful view. 

Italian Meatloaf - low carb and gluten-free!

Another yummy and super easy dinner recipe to share with you! I've made this one other time but this time it turned out much better.

Growing up I didn't eat a ton of meatloaf, like maybe many of you. I actually love it and appreciate how easy it is. Kinda like one big meatball! But this is a fresh new spin on your plain old meatloaf. 

I've learned to use Parmesan cheese in place of breadcrumbs in any meatloaf recipe to make it gluten-free and lower in carbs. It holds together nicely, too. 

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Italian Meatloaf (low-carb, gluten-free) 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (you could also sub half a pound of hot Italian sausage if you'd like) 

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 egg

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp parsley

1 cup marinara sauce, divided

1 cup mozzarella cheese 

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 

Mix together the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, plus 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce

Put the meat mixture into a loaf pan

Pour the rest of the marinara sauce over the meat in the pan

Top with mozzarella cheese and then Parmesan cheese. Add a little extra parsley for some color on top

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until it reaches 165 degrees in the center 

Here's my loaf fresh out of the oven. 

Makes for great leftovers too! 

Typical 3 Shift Day (Low Fat)

I shared my typical low carb day with you in an effort to show you what eating low carb looks like. 

Eating low carb is great to get started towards fat loss. When we limit the sugar we give our bodies to use as energy, it forces our body to tap into our stored energy - that is, our fat! 

However, our bodies do need carbs. Our muscles need carbs for energy. So it's good to keep our metabolism going with the addition of good carbs and starches to kind of refuel, in a sense. 

Initially, eating low carb will give you pretty quick results. But it may stall out after a while because your body adapts to that change. So it's good to switch things up a bit. And eating low fat can really be quite healthy as well. 

Which is why AltShift has a low carb stretch and a low fat stretch where we add in some starches. 

So here it goes. My 3 shift day. 

Honestly, it's taken me a long time to get used to eating low fat while also trying to limit grains like oats, bread, and keeping my fruit intake down. I still eat oats from time to time, they're shown here, but I know they cause some digestive issues for me so I try not to eat them too often. Same goes for fruit, but the summer is tough with delicious fruit everywhere. 

I do my best. 

I usually start my day with plain Greek yogurt and blueberries with a touch of vanilla and cinnamon. It changes things up from eating eggs all the time. This morning I got a little cinnamon happy.. 

My mid morning snack was a bowl of oats with half of a banana, since the toddlers around here didn't want it. 

Lunch was leftover salsa chicken and rice with beans. (Also why I appreciate going from high fat to low fat is that things like rice and beans are super cheap!) 

Then I had a snack of various veggies and a touch of hummus. 

Dinner was another good dose of chicken and rice. I kind of love rice. Especially jasmine rice. Oh yum! 

Can you guess whose is whose? 

After dinner I had a snack of popcorn and a protein shake. 

That's pretty much it! 

Here's the nutritional breakdown for you:

Calories: 1,627

Fat: 39g

Carbs: 194g

Protein: 131g 

I'm learning to like my low fat days. But of course nothing compares to bacon, avocados, heavy cream and butter. Good thing there's more high fat days than low fat days. 

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Stay cool today! Go play in the water with your kiddos! 

We may need to take another trip to the splash pad. 

My Experience with Creatine

For the last month or so I've been experimenting with creatine.

...that sounds like I'm using drugs...

Let me try again.

For the last month or so I've been taking creatine to enhance my workouts in hopes to build a bit more muscle.

Better?

And I just wanted to share with you my thoughts in case you've ever thought about taking it as well.

Before starting to take creatine I did a little research just to be sure that it was safe and what I should or shouldn't do.
I did find that overall creatine is generally safe for most people, given you take the correct dosage, of course.

Also, it has been recommended by some groups to start with a loading phase where you take more than the recommended dose for the first 7-10 days. I did not do this step as I've also read that it's not necessary to see the benefits. And I can attest that it's not necessary.

I have been taking 5mg of creatine on days that I workout. I try to take it 30-60 minutes before I start my workout, but sometimes my day gets rearranged unexpectedly and I end up taking it in the morning and wouldn't workout till after dinner. So my timing hasn't been consistent.

I appreciate that this stuff is pretty darn cheap. I bought mine from Target for a little less than $15 and I've barely made a dent. This stuff will last me a while. Anything you buy, just make sure it's pure creatine monohydrate. No other junk in it.

So here's what I noticed:

• I am WAY more thirsty! Holy cow, I could drink 3 gallons of water a day when I have this stuff. It's like I'm nursing again! Creatine pushes water from your bloodstream into your muscle cells to give them more oxygen to produce more work. So you're losing water from your system that way. Invest in a huge water bottle. 

• I have been able to add either more reps or another set in my workouts. So my exercise volume has definitely increased. 

• The weight I can lift has increased as well. Of course, I am still limited in this department since I don't have access to a gym. But going up 5lbs for upper body dumbbell exercises is a good progression for me. 

• With more volume and more weight I have noticed more muscle. Now, whether that's all my muscle growth or if it's just more water filling up my muscles, that's up for debate. Either way, I'll take it. 

• There's no noticeable 'feeling' or 'sensation' that I've ever experienced. It's not a weird magic pill in that sense. 

• I've learned to mix it VERY well in whatever drink I add it to. Your husband will thank you. #nuffsaid 

The benefits of creatine are in response to an intense workout. If you start to take creatine without working out then most likely you won't see much of any difference. Creatine allows you to do a little bit more in your workouts so that you see a little more in your progress. Not the other way around.

Overall I think creatine has been beneficial to my goals. I really just want to get stronger and gain some good, healthy muscle mass. And I think I'm on my way there. 

Low carb Avocado Chicken and Bacon Salad

This is what's for dinner tonight at my house! It's quickly become a favorite of ours. 

We are finishing up our low carb stretch and had to use up some bacon and avocado, so this was perfect. 

Which reminds me that I owe you all a little snapshot of my 3 shift, or low fat, days. I'll get on that tomorrow. 

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Avocado Chicken and Bacon Salad

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded 

2 avocados (I only had one so I added a 1/2 cup of mayo to substitute)

1-2 stalks of celery, chopped

1/4 cup chopped red onion

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp coriander 

1 tsp cumin

Juice from 1 lime

4-6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped (I had 6 to use up. Can't go wrong with a little extra bacon) 

Directions

Mix all ingredients together, chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. 

Easy as that! 

Get outside and go for a walk on this gorgeous day! 

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken and Rice

Today is a 3 shift day, for those of you familiar with AltShift. Which means I get to eat yummy carbs like rice and sweet potatoes, both of which I've had today. Yum! 

Tonight for dinner I made a new favorite: Hawaiian BBQ Chicken 

I had to share this with you because I want to eat more and you will too. 

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Hawaiian BBQ Chicken 

Serves 4

Ingredients 

4 frozen chicken breasts (you can use fresh, too, just cut down on cooking time) 

Salt and pepper to taste

BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's) 

1/2 red onion, sliced

Pineapple, diced 

3 cups rice, cooked 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line a baking pan with foil and place your fresh or frozen chicken breasts on it. 

If frozen, cook the chicken for 30 minutes

Remove chicken from oven, season with salt and pepper. 

Pour 3-4 tablespoons of BBQ sauce over each chicken breast 

Top with 1 Tblsp red onion and a few chunks of pineapple

Cook in the oven for another 25-30 minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. 

Serve with rice and a bit more pineapple and BBQ sauce if desired. 

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Legs and Butt workout - Plus a little from my heart

It's been a while. I love sharing info with whoever reads this thing anymore. I love everything health and fitness. And I love learning and experimenting. 

Lately I've been quite focused on my own fitness and on my own family's health. Plus everything that comes with being a stay at home mom and wife has taken up my time these days. 

We need to prioritize what's important and what we can handle without going completely crazy. So I'll do my best. 

I have to admit, last week was a tough week as a stay at home mom. Nothing was really out of the ordinary. Toddlers were still being toddlers, my house and hair were completely a mess, and life carried on as usual. 

But my head and my heart were a little off. I can blame it on hormones or on the fact that I'm home alone with little people who don't speak very good English all day long. Whatever the case, I struggled to wake up to be ready to be a mom. I just didn't feel like doing it. 

I wanted to sleep in and make breakfast and drink my coffee without any whining. I even tried to wake up before my girl just to be able to do those things, but she beat me to it! 

We all need a moment to ourselves. Honestly, last week I wanted the entire week to myself. To disappear and do whatever I wanted. 

Pride, selfishness, and a little jealousy were all in the mix. Because being a mom is hard and sometimes you don't feel like doing it. It can be a lonely gig. 

But that's ok!

God gave me a big ol' hug and let me know he's right here with me. He reminded me of the joy I've gotten from my little punkin. We had so many sweet moments this weekend and so many snuggles. 

“When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

Psalm 94:18-19

That big belly has given me more purpose than anything. Life is hard with these little people. It's ok to admit it. But soaking up the sweet moments makes the hard ones more bearable. 

So this morning I woke up with a new mind and heart. Ready to enjoy whatever comes with the day. 

Something that always puts me in a good mood is a good lifting session! 

Here's what I did this morning in my living room while the babies were napping. It took about a half hour altogether. It may look simple, but if you lift a heavier weight and complete all the sets you will work up a sweat! 

If you have weights at home, use a weight that you can only lift 8-10 times before failure or losing good form. If you don't have weights, body weight is fine. Or you can get creative and grab a gallon of milk or water or your own chunky baby as some added weight.

If you're feeling uncertain about some of these critical moves like the squat or deadlift, please do some educating and practicing before you attempt heavy weights with these moves. 

For some good tips, watch these two videos

Deadlifts: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_aA_i4AcOHE

Squats: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0h3Z8jgXCR4

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Legs and Butt Workout

Take 5-10 minutes to warm up with jump squats, slow body weight squats, or bear crawls to get your body ready. 

{Superset - complete 4 rounds}

•8-10 front squats•

•8-10 deadlifts•

(Rest 1 minute between each round)

Rest for 1-2 minutes before moving on

{Superset - complete 4 rounds}

•8-10 lunges per leg•

•8-10 weighted hip thrusts• 

(Rest 1 minute between each round) 

End with some good stretches for your hamstrings, quads, and booty. 

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Enjoy your Monday everyone! 

Guilt-Free, Low-Carb Mac and Cheese

Well, well, well... We meet again. 

It's been a busy couple months, as always. I'm in a new house, in a new city and I couldn't be happier! 

Moving is stressful. Everything is everywhere - including your brain. The best part of being in the new house is knowing where all of my stuff is. Well, most of it, anyway. 

The routine is back and swinging! I've got new things to share with you as I keep learning new things all the time. 

Today I want to share a yummy in your tummy recipe - a low carb, guilt-free version of Mac and cheese! 

I really love eating low carb. I feel my best, I eat more veggies and meat than I would otherwise. It's easier on my digestive system. And I lean out quite a bit when I don't eat the starches. 

However, if you are at all sensitive to dairy this is NOT the recipe for you. 

Mac and cheese has always been a favorite. My mom makes the best Mac and cheese, which I grew up having at least a couple times a week. But she made it with Velveeta and, of course, pasta, both of which are a no-go for me today. 

This is adapted from a Food Network recipe and I hope you find it a new comfort food for you and the kiddos. 

Low-Carb 'Mac and Cheese' 

Ingredients: 

1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces

1 cup heavy cream

2 oz. cream cheese

1.5 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste 

Dash of paprika 

Directions:

Spray or grease with butter a 13x9 glass baking dish

Place chopped cauliflower in the dish and microwave for 3-4 minutes until cauliflower is slightly softened 

In a small saucepan, simmer heavy cream 

Then add the cheeses, stir until melted 

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix 

Pour cheese mixture over the cauliflower

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup

In my last post I mentioned that I had eaten leftover a low carb version of Zuppa Toscana soup. I wouldn't not give you the recipe after mentioning a new favorite of mine. 

So here it goes, but it does come with a story I have to share with you...

My husband and I enjoy having people over, which we don't do nearly as often as we'd like. Babies. They ruin things sometimes. But that's a bad excuse. 

Anyway, since we are moving I wanted to have my parents over for dinner at our current house one last time. 

My parents are usually the ones to host all of the family dinners. They have the equipment and serveware to do it all. Plus, all of us kids get a free meal out of the deal.

So having them over isn't really a big deal, but it is kind of ... if you get what I'm trying to say. Since they are always serving us food, I like to return the favor every now and again. 

With that said, I was excited to try out this low carb Zuppa Toscana soup for them. I planned out a very Olive Garden-y meal, not that I really love Olive Garden all that much to begin with, but I figured if I had their soup I may as well do it up. 

I made their dressing from scratch, had their croutons and pepprochini peppers, and I even had buttery garlic breadsticks, which never happens. And, of course, I made the soup to go along with everything. 

After the meal was cooked, ready to go, I realized that my parents are Scandinavian. 

Not that they wouldn't eat Italian food. But this soup has a bit of a punch of spice. And my Norwegian and Swedish parents haven't even quite gotten down the use of salt and pepper yet [love you Mom!]. 

I was just hoping that they'd roll with it and end up enjoying it. 

We all sat down for dinner and dove into the meal. I started with the salad and hadn't quite had a big scoop of the soup at this point. 

My mom seems to be handling it ok. She says she likes it. Cool.  

Then I look over at my dear ol' dad.

He starts sniffling. 

Drinks a sip of water. 

Takes a bite of salad, a bite of a breadstick, all in an effort to tame this spicy soup. 

He's struggling. Definitely not enjoying this soup like I had hoped. 

He didn't admit to being overwhelmed by the spice initially, but on his way out he did say that he was sorry he couldn't finish the soup - that there was something that packed a punch in there! 

 Fail. 

At least his sinuses are all cleared out now. 

[And he would absolutely hate that I just told you this. So it's our little secret!]  

I felt pretty bad, to be honest. I should have offered him a peanut butter sandwich or something. 

With that, here's my warning: If you're not used to spicy foods, please beware! 

Or you can always swap out the spicy Italian sausage for mild sausage. I'll probably do that the next time I serve this for company. 


Now for the recipe: 

{Adapted from Low Carb Yum} 

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound bulk hot sausage (or mild)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 74 fluid ounces chicken broth
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped in bite-size pieces
• 10 ounce package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and the water squeezed out a bit
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
• ground black pepper

Directions

1. Brown sausage with onion and garlic in butter or oil in large pot (6-8 quart).
2. Add broth and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in chopped cauliflower and spinach. Simmer until cauliflower is tender.
4. Mix in cream and bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

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Enjoy! 

Low Carb - what I ate today

My goodness, life has been busy. Out of the blue my husband and I decided to move! We have only been in our current house for 4 years, but the right house at the right time just showed up and we jumped. Let the chaos of moving ensue. 

Well, Easter is over and hopefully you're working on ridding your house of all of that candy. It's a new day and let's face it, summer is on its way and we have shorts we have to wear. 

Despite the holiday and this packing nonesense, we are still going strong with Alt Shift. If you haven't read any previous posts where I mention Alt Shift, it is a way of eating designed specifically for fat loss while preserving muscle. We started this protocol back in September with just a few bumps along the way in the form of Christmas and birthdays.. 

But the great part about Alt Shift is that there's no 'failing' or starting over. If you have a bad day or a bad meal, you just keep on keeping on as if nothing ever happened. Because that's just how life goes. 

We just finished up our 3 days of eating low fat and have started our 5 day stretch of low carb. It doesn't matter how long I have been 'shifting', every morning on day one of our 5 shift I want to throw a party because I get to slather my eggs with butter and cheese, fry up some bacon, and fill my coffee cup with heavy cream. It's glorious! 

But eating low carb doesn't come naturally for most of us. It can be quite a change of eating as you first give it a go. We are eating under 30 grams of carbs on these days, which is just about the amount of carbs in a banana.

Our low carb days usually surround eggs, full fat dairy, meat, and green veggies. There just isn't room for much else. 

So what I wanted to show you is what I've eaten today to meet my desired calories while still staying below 30 grams of carbs. 

[I did not take photos of my dinner because I was getting hangry and there was no time to stop and snap a pic.] 

•Breakfast was a cheese and bacon omelet (shared with my toddler), coffee with cream and some Kerry Gold - that's the gold halo on top of my coffee you see. It's from the gods, for sure. 

•Munched on some pepperonis (I know, I'm gonna get cancer 😜) and cheese that Leslie didn't want. 

•Lunch is a cheeseburger patty with mayo, organic ketchup and cucumber slices

•Snacks of peanut butter and celery, and La Croix with a splash of heavy cream. 

+ Plus my dinner, which was 2 scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and a bowl of leftover low carb Zuppa Toscana soup for the win. -Random combo, but I tell you I was HUNGRY! 

Here is how my day broke down: 

My calories are just over 2000 and honestly I will probably have a snack of some kind before bed. A girl can eat!

This is very typical for me and very doable. I love my 5 shift, low carb, days so much 💜

If you have a fat loss goal, or if you're like me and want to gain some good healthy muscle weight, I'd recommend Alt Shift over and over again. I hope to share more about my progress with this way of life, especially with my fitness. But that will have to wait for another day. 

I share this just to give as an example. To give you a real life scenario of what this looks like. I don't always do this perfectly, but I do my best which is what I can expect of myself. 

Next up I'll share with you what my low fat 'shift' looks like, but that won't be for a few days. 

For now I will enjoy all of the bacon, red meat, butter and cream that has filled my fridge. O.M.Yum. 

I HATE Moderation!

Ok, hate is a strong word. But this whole idea of 'moderation' has got me way off track. 

The thought is always there, "I haven't had any sweets for X amount of time, it's ok if I just have one cookie." 

You know what happens next? 

"Maybe just one cupcake.." 

"Just one pint of ice cream.." 

Yea, that's right. And what's even worse is that this one is my hubby's because I ate all of mine in one sitting! 

"Hello. My name is Chrissy and I'm a sugarholic." 

There should truly be some kind of support group for folks like me. Im sure there is somewhere. 

Moderation. 

I see it as more of an excuse to eat junk. 

You think thoughts like, "well, it's just one donut a week [my church friends know what I'm talking about!]" or "it's a special celebration, it's ok if I have some cake."

But I know all too well that moderation can lead us totally off track from our healthy eating. It signals our brain to want and crave sugar again! And that's what I'm dealing with now. 

Getting back on track isn't always easy, especially with stress in the picture - which is what sparked my apparent need for Mr. Ben and Mr. Jerry - but it can be done. 

Just take some steps to get there

•Get rid of the temptation. Throw it away. Don't buy it. Get your husband on board to say no when you look at him with desperate eyes when you ask him to make an ice cream run. [My man is much too good to me - to a fault, possibly] 

•Make a plan. Not only plan meals and snacks, but plan what you're going to do next time you find yourself in that desperate situation. Maybe take a quick walk which will help remind you that your fitness is much more important. 

•Don't beat yourself up. I tell you that I've given into Ben and Jerry to encourage you that you're not a failure if you have done the same. Treat the next day like new. Eat a healthy breakfast. Workout. Just keep on keeping on. 

Maybe this post is just my confessional. But I hope to encourage you to just keep your eyes on your goals when things don't go perfectly. 

Now off I go to eat my veggies and meat. 

What About Fake Sugar??

Let's just keep talking about sugar, shall we? 

This time let's talk fake sugar. You know, the type of sugar in diet sodas, sugar-free Jello, Crystal Lite, Splenda, Truvia and the like. They go by the names sucralose, aspartame, xylitol, sorbitol, or mannitol. 

These types of sugars have zero calories, so doesn't that mean they won't make me fat? 

The simple answer: No. They will still make you fat. 

Read on to understand a few reasons why going 'diet' is still not good for fat loss. 

1. Artificial sweeteners can cause insulin resistance. 
This means that insulin starts to be ineffective, leaving the glucose wandering in your bloodstream instead of using it as energy or storing it as fat. 
Why is this a concern? This is the first step towards diabetes! 

2. These sweeteners are sweeter than sugar. 
When your taste buds get used to flavors so sweet you will continue to crave very sweet things, which are usually high in refined sugar which will lead to additional stored fat. 

3. Your body senses what's coming in.
Our bodies are pretty neat. They can sense what types of food you're about to put in it. If you're looking at a brownie or cookie, your brain knows that those foods are sweet so it will start to produce insulin in preparation of you eating those foods. It does the same thing with artificial sugar. When our insulin levels are high more glucose is then stored as fat in our body. 

4. Your cholesterol will rise. 
And not the good kind of cholesterol! Triglycerides can increase dramatically from sugar, including artificial sugars. Triglycerides are the form of cholesterol responsible for heart disease. 

Just these few reasons are huge. It goes to show you that calories don't matter. 

The quality of the food you eat is all that matters, and sugar - even fake sugar - is the culprit for so many health issues. 

Where are these things hiding? 

-Splenda. I already mentioned it by name. It may be tempting to bake a cheesecake with this for a low-carb, 'sugar-free' treat, but just don't do it. 

-Truvia. They get you with saying that it's a 'natural' sweetener. The fact is that it contains the sugar alcohol erythritol. So just put it back on the shelf. 

-Sugar-free syrups at popular coffee shops. Sucralose is what is used. No thanks. 

-Diet sodas. Of course, right? Aspartame, saccharin, or Splenda. None of it will help you with your fat loss goals or help your insulin regulation. 


So, please don't believe the lies that tell you that 'sugar-free' or 'diet' foods or drinks are healthier for you. Now you know that they're just as worse, if not worse as regular ol' sugar. 



For more reading on this subject:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25828597

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21505330

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26095119

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739512_9,00.html

Last Minute [Sugar-free] Date Night Ideas

Another Valentine's Day approaching us, and with that comes the many, many treats, chocolates, sugary things our loved ones lovingly gift to us (if we are so lucky). 

Around my house chocolates aren't allowed this time. That's just what the hubbs and I have decided this year. We have been working too hard to let every single holiday be an excuse to have yet another treat. 

Plus, the guilty, bloated feeling I'm left with isn't really worth satisfying my taste buds for a few minutes. 

Here are just a few different ways to treat yourself or your significant other for a special occasion:

• Cook a fancy meal at home
• This year we are making ourselves some fancy steaks and sauteed veggies. Add some candles to the table for an even better ambiance 

• Give yourself an at-home pedicure
• Or the real deal at a salon.. but I'm cheap

• Give the gift of clothes
• Every girl loves clothes, or a small shopping spree

• Soak in a hot bath
• I recently did this after a bout of the flu and it was surprisingly refreshing!

• Take a night out with the girls [or guys]
• Let your significant other off the hook to enjoy time with friends

• Check an item off your bucket list
• Tattoo? Polar plunge? Get adventurous together! 

• Call up your babysitter and go out to a movie
• If you're like us, we don't ever treat ourselves to a movie at the actual movie theater. Maybe it's because we now have a baby with a bedtime, or we have become even more tight with our budget - probably both - but going to a movie is definitely out of the ordinary for us.

• Spend the night under a cozy blanket and go star gazing
• My many years at camp has made me a sucker for just taking a moment to enjoy the starry night in the middle of nowhere. So relaxing. 

Enjoy your Valentine's Day, or any special night, with your loved ones! 

And remember that not every holiday has to be a reason to indulge in the sugar bowl.