Meal plan Sunday and a new challenge

Wellll............I have fallen off the wagon big time folks. It happens to all of us right? With that being said I am back to square one!

Monday starts a new challenge I am doing with a few girls from work. 28 day challenge in fact! Here is the workout schedule we'll be following:

 

As you can imagine, I am SUPER nervous! This is a lot for me but I am going to do my best! In tomorrow's blog I'll post some before(don't be scared of me!) pictures and my honest to God measurements. I am thinking on my cardio days I'll do a 30 minute video at home. I have some you tube videos I really like to do. My stroll and stretch days I'll of  course stretch and take the dog for a long walk(at least a mile) 1 mile is about what I can handle right now though I am working on building up endurance! 

NOW on to the meal plan. I wanted to keep it simple this week and not have to cook every day so I am eating a lot of leftovers this week. If you know me, you know I really don't like leftovers. So I am trying to learn not to waste food and eat the darn leftovers. Here we go.....

 

Breakfast will be 2 baked eggs with bacon and a cutie orange
Snacks will be boiled eggs, lunch meat, pickles, cheese or pepperoni (whatever i feel like. 2 snacks a day)

Monday lunch is a salad with shredded chicken, cheese, french's onions, boiled egg and dressing.
Monday dinner is cheeseburger casserole

Tuesday lunch is cheeseburger casserole
Tuesday dinner is buffalo ranch meatballs with green beans

Wednesday lunch is buffalo ranch meatballs with green beans
Wednesday dinner is cheeseburger casserole

Thursday lunch is the rest of the meatballs and green beans
Thursday dinner is brocoli cheese soup and a salad

Friday lunch is brocoli cheese soup and a salad
Friday dinner is the last of the cheeseburger casserole

Saturday is brocoli cheese soup and salad
Saturday dinner is my treat out

This menu is super low carb and full of healthy fats and protein!

What are you having this week? Feel free to share my blog with your friends and family! I'd love to be able to share my meal plans with them too!
I'm back to no soda after today. I'll drink lots of water, unsweet tea and sparkling ice (flavored carbonated water)

THIS is What Happens...

This is what happens when I don't meal plan...
     I eat out too much and spend over $200 doing so. IN ONE WEEK!
     I eat WAY too many carbs and feel the side effects
     My whole week feels off.
     I don't go to Curves
     I forget to make my car payment

Legit... when I don't meal plan my whole week gets thrown off! So last week was BAD! This week I am back at it! Here we go...

I am venturing into fat bomb making! What in the world is  a fat bomb?! Let me tell you about them! Fat bombs are easy healthy snacks that are full of good fats and low in carbs and protein. Seeing as I am trying this whole low carb high fat diet, they are perfect for me! Here is the recipe I'll be making.
Strawberry Cheesecake Fat Bombs! I'll be snacking on these through out the week so  I hope they are good. There are about a bazillion different ones you can make so use Pinterest to find one that sounds good to you!

I'm planning to eat breakfast at home instead of on the go. A couple of eggs with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Some spinach and some cheese and a couple of slices of bacon!

Other snacks will be hard boiled eggs and string cheese!

Monday lunch I'll be eating out because I am training a new employee and work likes me to take him out.
Monday dinner I'll be having those Asian porkchops I posted about previously. They smelled delicious cooking in my crockpot today! I'll be eating them with green beans.
    Aldi's has the best little green beans in their frozen section! They are called mini beans or micro beans or something. But they are DELISH!

Tuesday lunch will be porkchops and beans.
Tuesday dinner will be cheesy taco skillet. You heard that. Cheesy Taco Skillet!  I love tacos and I love cheese so I'm combining them together!

Wednesday lunch will be left over taco skillet.
Wednesday dinner will be baked chicken wings and zuccini chips! Here's the recipe for the chips! Oven Baked Zuccini Chips
I haven't decided on a flavor my wings yet but I am sure it will involve garlic and buffalo sauce!

Thursday lunch will be taco skillet again. Because I expect it to be amazing!
Thursday dinner will be a cauliflower crust pizza. I've never made it before so we'll see how it goes!

Friday will hopefully be left over pizza. If not then I may need to improvise.
Friday dinner will be low carb chili! I know it's getting warm outside but I can eat chili and soups all year round! Here's the recipe I use! Low Carb Chili
Kendra from Peace Love and Low Carb really comes up with some great recipes. I have made quite a few of hers and all I can say is yummmmmmm!

Saturday will be left over chili for lunch
Dinner might also be chili but possible with some zuccini chips like nachos! We'll see.


And there you have it folks! This weeks meal plan. As always, I'd love to know if you or your family tried anything new this week!

I Completed a Marathon!

You read that right! I completed 26.2 miles ON MY OWN! No I didn't do it all at once, but I set a goal to finish in 12 days and I finished in 10! I started on March 2nd and finished on the 12th!

You know those ads that pop up on your Facebook and annoying the living you know what out of you? Well, one popped up called The Race to Oz and I clicked on it! Interesting! I never click on those things but this one had a shiny picture, and everyone knows I LOVE shiny things!

Make Yes Happen! is an online race platform that can connect to your step monitoring device. I have a fitbit so I linked it up!

I chose the Race to Oz as my first race, because I lived in Kansas! I thought 26.2 miles would take forever because I have a desk job. I literally sit at a desk all day with very little chance to get up and get moving. Could I finish in 12 days? I didn't know but I sure was going to try!

It costs $25 to register for your race. Ok sure! It's worth it if it gets me moving more! So I signed up! I started exercising every day. Curves, walking and even "biking". I have an under the desk bike peddler that I use while I am working. You might think that's cheating but it's hard work! I break a sweat doing it and my legs are getting so strong! They are starting to get muscle mass and lose fat! WOOHOO!!

Every night, Make Yes Happen sends you an email with your progress. Along the way you get photos of where you are in the route. For me it was pictures of flat fields from Kansas but it was still cool!

One morning I woke up and had 3.9 miles to go so I busted butt that day and got in that 3.9 miles plus more that day!

The coolest part, you get an actual medal when you finish! I was leery about this but really hoping it was true! Low and behold, this beauty showed up a week after I finished!

Isn't she pretty! My first medal!!  To me, it's a proud moment! I pushed myself more than I ever have before. It might seem like something small to others but to me it's HUGE!

Makeyeshappen has a lot of races you can choose from. My next one will be the Road to Hana. It's the 60 mile road in Maui that runs along the coast! My mom and step dad have actually been on the road and driven it and I am excited that mom is going to do this one with me! I plan to start on April 1st and want to be done before the 20th! That's 3 miles a day! If you want, you should sign up too! Join us and get a pretty medal and celebrate your success!

From Golf Ball to Garden Decoration

Those of you that know me, know that I LOVE to craft! I crochet, I sew, I paint, I make things, I break things. 

I went to Michaels to get 4 bottles of craft paint for this project. Wrong move. They were having a HUGE sale and I ended up with 12 bottles of paint, paint brushes, plastic storage bins and more! (don't you like my pimpin joy bag!)

I used to enjoy golfing but I don't really get out much anymore so I decided to put my golf balls to good use! I found my inspiration on Pinterest, of course! I knew when I saw them that I just had to make these cuties!

This whole process took a loooong time. I literally watched paint dry on Saturday folks!

Now, my golf balls were light purple in color so first off I had to pain them white! It took three coats of 

An egg carton makes the perfect holder while you are waiting for your balls to dry. If you start with white balls you can obviously skip this step.

One my white balls were dry I started with the color. Red and Yellow. This also took 3 coats of paint 

on each half of the ball. Again, I watched paint dry. I also watched Chopped which is on in the background! Love that show!

 

Once the color were dry I added my stripes and faces on the bees and my dots and faces on the lady bugs. I waited, again, for the faces to dry and drew the eyes on and look how cute these little dudes are! They will make the perfect addition to gardens or flower pots!

Aren't they just the cutest?! I'd be happy to make a set for you if you'd like! I'm going to make a few sets and sell them in my mom's little flea shop store! They'll be $15 per set of 6 plus $5 shipping if you'd like them for your garden! Email me at tbh7982@gmail.com to let me know you'd like a set!

I think next set I make I'm going to try ping pong balls. I'll cut a small hole in the bottom and fill with sand to add weight. Then plug the hole with hot glue and paint away! That way I don't have to paint the white to cover up logos and they'll still be heavy enough to not blow away! I'm also going to use googly eyes instead of painting the eyes on!

What do you like to craft?

It's Meal Planning Sunday!

Well hello there friends and family! I hope you are all enjoying the weather you are having. Some of you have snow and some of you, like me, have been experiencing temps in the 80's! Ahhhhh the joys of spring!

I try to plan my meals on Sunday while I am at my dads house and then shop after work on Monday. This weeks meal plan is looking so fabulous! I was so excited to share it with you! So here it is!

I'm planning to make some spinach, egg, cheese and bacon bites to have for breakfasts this week! It's my own recipe so I'll share it with you next week if it turns out well!

Snacks will again be boiled eggs with home made cheese its(recipe below)and sugar free jello. One in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Monday-
Lunch is leftover Philly Cheese steak bowl!

This is a recipe from last week and let me tell you, it is AMAZING! It's definitely one of my new fav go to's! I was too impatient to cook it in the foil packets so I  cooked my onions and peppers in a skillet with some olive oil and butter and garlic(lots of garlic) Once they were cooked I removed them and put them on a parchment lined baking sheet and put my beef in the same skillet for a VERY quick sear. I then added the beef to the veggies on the tray and put under the broiler for 4-5 minutes until the veggies started to get a little brown color to some of them. YUM!!!! I filled a bowl and topped with provolone cheese and pepper and let it melt!

Dinner will be a steak marinated in olive oil, garlic and chili powder. I'll top it with sauteed onions and mushrooms. I plan to sear this in, you guessed it, butter in my cast iron skillet and then finish under the broiler.

Tuesday-
Lunch will be chicken salad made with chicken breast, apples, grapes and greek yogurt. A side salad to round it out.
Dinner will be Chicken taco burgers. I didn't get to make these last week but will this week for sure!

Wednesday-
Lunch will be left over Chicken taco burgers
Dinner will be spaghetti squash(so versatile) with mushrooms, parsley and Parmesan cheese

If you haven't cooked with spaghetti squash before, you NEED to! It really picks up any flavor you put with it and I've tried a LOT of things! I cook mine in the microwave. Cut in half, put face down on a microwave safe plate and cook for 13-15 minutes. WARNING! It will be VERY HOT when you take out of the microwave. Let cool for a couple of minutes then scoop out seeds. Once seeds are out you can scrape the "noodles" out with a fork!

Thursday-
Lunch is leftover spaghetti squash from dinner Wednesday.
Dinner I am eating out with a friend

Friday-
Lunch will be chicken salad again
Dinner will be a cauliflower chicken enchilada bake. This is a new one for me so I'll let you know how it is in a later blog! Here's the recipe: Cauliflower Enchilada Bake

Saturday-
Lunch will be left over enchilada bake
Dinner will be Asian pork chops with veggies and more veggies!
Another new recipe for me! Crockpot Asian Pork Chops


Oh ya, those home made cheese its! Let me tell you. They satisfy my need for cheese and chips! Super easy to make!

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cut your choice of cheese into little bite size pieces and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Do NOT forget the parchment paper! It's important! I like cheddar the best!

I sprinkled mine with garlic powder and chili powder. Pop them in the oven for about 5 minutes, but watch them closely! Take them out when the edges start to get brown. Let them cool completely on the tray! These stay good in an air tight bag or container for a couple of days so make a batch of them! They are very tasty! Experiment with them, add different spices and use different cheese!


Voila! There you have a complete week meal plan! Let me know if you and your family try any of the recipes! I'd love to hear your reviews!

How Do You Feel About Meal Plans?

Well, how DO you feel about meal plans?

Personally I LOVE to meal plan. Yes it takes some time and Yes it can be difficult but I love knowing a whole weeks worth of meals a head of time! I get almost all of my recipes/ideas from Pinterest! What a great place to research recipes! Of course I do have to do some googling on ingredients a lot because I need to know the sugar/carb count but that's ok. It's kind of fun learning about different ingredients!

I make my meal plan and shop only for what is on my list! It makes grocery shopping so much easier and actually saves money! By  not throwing in random things and only buying what is on my list I can budget easily and shop eve easier!

I also eat my leftovers for lunch the next day!

Here is my plan for this week. Sorry it's a little late!

Breakfast for me this week every day is 2 scrambled eggs and 2 pieces of turkey bacon.
Snacks this week-AM snack-sugar free jello cup. PM snack is cheddar cheese, salami and boiled egg.

NOW onto dinner!

Monday-I had a Mexican zuccini beef skillet.  This is one of my MOST favorite go to meals! It's done in about 20 minutes! I top mine with a little cheese, taco sauce and sour cream. You can also serve it over brown rice.
Here's the recipe: Low carb zuccini beef skillet

Tuesday- I had Cream cheese chicken with bacon and green beans. This is a favorite but takes some time. It's better if you use big chicken breasts and pound them a little bit thinner so that you can really wrap the cream cheese up in there. And who doesn't like bacon?!
Here's the recipe: Cream cheese chicken wrapped in bacon

Wednesday- I had Broiled garlic chicken thighs with fresh green beans. This was REALLY good. The recipe calls for soy sauce but I didn't have any so I used teriyaki sauce and it was still good. Be aware, using your broiler causes smoke because the sauce splatters when cooking. I also bought bone in chicken thighs and removed the bones myself because they were $0.49/lb at Aldi. Next time I'll pay more for boneless LOL
Here's the recipe:Garlic broiled chicken thighs

Thursday- I am having steak with onions and mushrooms. I'd love to grill my steak but my grill is out of commission right now. Instead I'll sear it in my cast iron skillet(which I LOVE) and then broil it until done. I sautee the mushrooms and onions with some minced garlic and olive oil and voila!

Friday- I am having a Philly cheese steak foil packets! I'll let you know how this is when I write my next meal plan post! I am eliminating the potato to keep this pretty low carb.
Here is the recipe: Philly cheese steak packets

Saturday-I'm having chicken taco burgers! Chicken TACO BURGERS! I'll let you know how this is when I post my next meal plan but who doesn't love chicken and tacos!
Here's the recipe: Chicken Taco Burgers

So there ya have it. A nice healthy meal plan to keep me on track to get my diabetes under control and lose more weight!

So far I've stuck to it! Except for today.... We had a pot luck so I ate a lot of veggies, a tiny spoon of noodles, a few wheat thin crackers, a rice crispy treat and some apple snickers salad! I did pretty good if I do say so myself!

Would you like me to share my meal plans every week?  Maybe you and your family can be inspired and eat some of the same things I do!

Dead before I'm 40

It's been some time since I last posted. I'm struggling.

I have given up on the C25K program. I'm just too overweight to run. My fat bounces around and it hurts so bad. Starting Monday I'm going to start with just a walk every day and gradually increase my speed. Maybe speed walking one day will be my friend. Cookie likes to go for walks but he's getting old and won't be here forever so I really need to learn to do it on my own.

My weight is slowly creeping back up. I'm depressed about it. My blood sugars remain out of control. I'm even more depressed about them. I am slowly killing myself and I know what I need to do to change it.

I'm going to venture into the land of low carb high fat diets. I have read so many beautiful success stories and have an online friend who is having great success with it. I can't not try it. The problem is, how do I stick with it when everyone around me is eating all of this good looking bread, chips, pasta, sweets etc. I just feel so isolated and alone in this journey I'm on. I know my friends and family support me but here's how it goes... Keep up the good work Tif, you look great Tif, WOW you've lost weight Tif. Then... chomp on chips, lets have lasagne and garlic bread for Easter, lets have pizza for supper, lets have Jimmy Johns for lunch. *sigh* I guess they just don't get it. No I don't look great, No I haven't lost more weight, No I am not doing good work. I AM DYING! Literally and you can't see it but you need to understand what I am saying!

Our break room at work sucks. We have a toaster oven and microwave. I struggle with lunches because I really can't eat salad every day. I just can't. I've tried and tried and it doesn't work. My kitchen at home is bad too. I hate cooking there. I know I have to but it sucks.

I'm on 5 medicines aday and only a few weeks away from insulin. I do NOT want to go on insulin unless I can come off of these other meds and I know my Dr won't let me. I have diabetes which in turn has caused high blood pressure and high cholesterol so I take meds for all of that! It's so annoying. Oh hey, I can't stay out late because I have to get home to take my meds. Ya that's awesome. NO, no it's not.

All I'm asking for is some prayers that I can heal my body and live a long life. It's not easy and I fail badly sometimes. If I don't turn this around now I'll be dead before I'm 40. Think about that.

If you have any recipe ideas you come across please email them to me at tbh7982@gmail.com or send them to me on facebook! I need all the help I can get people!

Ice Ice Baby!

Brrrrrrrrr..... it's been cold outside lately here in NC! Because of that I haven't been able to get outside to do my C25K workouts! I did manage to get two days in last week, 2 days at Curves and 1 day of walking in home and a few minutes of kettle bell workout! GO ME! That's 5 days in one week. A record for me!

This morning we were covered in ice and my store was opening late. I got up anyways and did my C25K in my living room. It's getting easier for me to get thru the first days! I think I'll repeat week 1 and then move to week 2. I'm signing up for a 5K for 7/9 in St Charles, MO. I'll be there visiting friends and family for my bday and want to do my first 5K with my best friend! I am determined to run at least half of it but think it would be AWESOME if I could do the whole thing at a jog!

I tried some new recipes last night! Sweet potato chips baked in the oven were delish! I can have sweet potatoes because they don't spike my blood sugar like white potatoes do! It's great! I also made a tostada shell out of cheese baked in the oven. One of my favorite breakfasts is a fried egg on top of toast but I can't have toast anymore so I put it on top of the "tostada" and it was REALLY good!

Learning to eat new things and how to substitute things is difficult! I get sick of eating the same thing over and over again so I need to keep learning. Thank goodness for Pinterest! What would we do without it? We'd have to go to the library and research new things to eat and cook! GASP!

I haven't lost any weight according to my dad's scale. *dislike* I feel stronger though and my clothes are fitting a little better after 1 week! We'll see how I do at my measurement appointment at the end of the month with Curves!

Warmer weather is on the way and I am really looking forward to getting back out on the streets to continue running! That's so weird to say out loud. I look forward to exercising each morning now! It gives me energy to get thru my day and I just feel better in general!

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd............ that's all I have for you today!

OMG I hurt!

Well ladies and gentlemen, Here is my report. The 2nd day burn did indeed set in on Tuesday. My hips, thighs and mostly my shins were hurting all day. I kept stretching and stretching and it helped a little bit but not enough. I was walking funny, I know I was, to compensate for the pain. At the recommendation of a friend, I am looking into a pre-workout supplement to help with my recovery. I made it thru the day at work and headed to Curves. I though that I wouldn't be able to make it the full 30 minutes but I did. I found that it actually helped the pain reduce! YAY!

Last night I tried a new recipe. Rachel Ray's black bean soup! It was meat free unless you count the chicken broth. It was delicious! I topped mine with a little cheddar cheese, sour cream and just a few tortilla strips for some crunch. I ate 1/2 of an avocado on the side. I do recommend you try it!

Recipe:
4 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium carrot finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can(14.5 oz) petite diced tomato
2 cans (15oz) black beans drained
3 cups low sodium chicken stock

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and carrot, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and oregano; cook, stirring often, until aromatic. About 1 minute.
Add tomatoes and cook until some of the liquid evaporates. About 5 minutes.
Add beans and stock. Bring to boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Stirring often until the soup thickens and the flavors meld. About 20 minutes.
Let cool for 2-3 minutes then puree 1/3 of the soup in blender. Add back into rest of soup and mix together.
Serve.
Top with sour cream, cheese, tortilla strips etc.

Today was day 2 of the C25K program for me. I got up at 630 am, put my gear on then headed out the door. Holy crap it's cold outside. None the less, I pushed on. Pushed thru my 5 minute warm up walk and then pushed through 17 minutes of walking/jogging. I had to quit after 17 minutes. My lungs hurt so bad from the cold air I think they were frozen! But I did 17 minutes! I'll try to do another 15 minutes after work tonight so I'll have gotten in a full 30 minutes today.

I can already tell the difference in my body. On Monday I had so much energy and it lasted all day! Usually by 3 or 4 pm I am dragging and struggling to make it thru the day. I hope I have the same results today! It's a nice feeling to not be tired towards the end of the work day. Especially since work is pretty slow right now.  I also slept like a rock on Monday night. Usually I am up 4-5 times in the middle of the night!

I go to the doctor tomorrow for my diabetes check up. I know she's not going to be happy with my lab results but neither am I. Thus the reason for the renewed dedication to exercising and eating healthy. She's going to want to put me on insulin but I'm going to tell her no. I want to wait another 3 months. I think I told you all this in my last post. LOL Sorry for the repeats!

So, I'm off to work. Another day and hopefully some more dollars!

Peace out girlscouts!

Back to Square One

I'm back to 269lbs! EEK! I was doing so well and then winter hit and BAM I gained 20lbs back!

It's been over 2 years since I wrote here so I thought I'd start again! It'll help me track my progress and I can share my successes and failures with others.

Today marked the first day of my C25K program. Couch to 5k program if you don't know what C25K is! My mom registered to do a 5K in July and, well, I can't let her show me up. I've researched the program and always wanted to try it but always found an excuse not to. No more excuses! At 530 today, 2.8.216, I put on my leggins(super cute by the way) laced up my New Balance shoes and headed out the door. Iphone in hand of course. My app, C25K allows me to use my own music(YAY!) but also tells me when to stop and start running.

5 minute warm up-I left the comfort of my small circle complex and ventured out into the streets. I thought I would die 3 minutes in. Did I mention how out of shape I am? I kept going, chanting to myself-don't puke, don't puke, don't puke. Then the voice says... start running now. PANIC! Run I can't run. I'll fall. I'll make a fool of myself. OMG!!!!!!

60 seconds later I realize I just jogged! OMG! I did it! A full 60 seconds!

90 second walk, don't puke, don't puke

RUN! 60 more seconds then back to walking... for 20 minutes the process repeated.

I ventured back to my circle complex to do the run/walk part of day 1 because I wanted to be close to home for #1-to puke which was inevitable(but never did happen) and #2-for my inhaltor should I need it.

The hardest part of day 1 was breathing. I focused on my breathing....3 counts in....4 counts out.

So there ya have it folks! I actually completed day 1. Now I am waiting for the burn to set in for tomorrow!

I'm also doing Curves 2 nights a week. This is my plan-MWF C25K T-TH Curves

I'm type 2 diabetic and I have PCOS so I have a lot going against me. My blood sugar levels are straight up out of control and I just know my Dr is going to try to put me on insulin when I see her on Thursday. I don't want to go on insulin so I'm going to tell her no. Give me 3 months-thats how often I go for checkups.

I KNOW I can control my levels with diet and exercise. GAH! Diet AND exercise! So far I've lost 75lbs with just diet but now I must add in exercise to continue.

I'm a low carber. I'm addicted to potatos and bread. My body is starting to go into withdrawl(seriously) and I don't like it but I must push through! Low carb doesn't have to mean gross or bland food. Just tonight I had blackened chicken with a cauliflower alfredo sauce and it was Deeeeelicious!  I also made some cowgirl crustless mini quiches to have for breakfast this week. Yummmm!! (Thanks Pioneer Woman for the recipe)

So there ya have it folks. I'm starting over... AGAIN! I'm going to have ups and downs. Join me for my roller coaster ride!