Healthy Dessert Series-Pt. 1

Since I am always looking for alternatives to stuffing my face full of Oreos, Ben and Jerry's, and donuts, I have done quite a bit of experimenting with some recipes.

Not all of my recipes are fantastic, but some of them really hit the spot. Mainly these come together because I need to use something up or I want to see how certain flavors will mesh. 

I purchased two sets of popsicles molds. One I got at Dollar Tree and another on Amazon here.

I like having two different sets, one with four popsicles and the other with six. This makes it easy to break up the recipes to fit the calories that I am looking for. 

I am really bad about taking photos or doing anything even slightly professional, but I'm hoping just the recipe will inspire you. 

My main inspiration for these first two recipes I'm sharing came from my love of Yasso bars. They are so super good, but pretty expensive ($3.98 for 4 at Walmart), so I was looking for something a bit more budget friendly.

Most of the items can be swapped out with different brands, but it may change the nutritional information slightly. I build my recipes in MyFitnessPal and it is super easy. 

I found some Cookie Dough Bites and Birthday Cake Cookie Dough Bites at Dollar Tree that looked delicious, the rest was just trial and error. You could always swap these out for some dark chocolate chips or crushed up cookies, really the choice is up to you!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt Bars

Serves 4; can be changed to 6 servings to fit in your mold

Ingredients:

6 oz Plain Greek Yogurt-I used Harris Teeter brand

1 package Cookie Dough bites

7 oz Fat Free Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

1-2 oz milk of your choice

Method: 

Mix all ingredients together, the milk will help the items blend together. Pour mix into the popsicle mold and freeze overnight remove and store in the freezer. To remove, place the molds in lukewarm water to the top of the mold and wiggle to release. I store mine in quart size bags which works perfectly.

Chocolate Birthday Cake Popsicles:

Serves 6; but can be adjusted to fit your needs

Ingredients:

8 oz Plain Greek Yogurt

4 oz Fat Free Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

2 tbsp Ghiradelli Unsweetened Cocoa

1 package Cupcake Bites with Sprinkles

Method:

Mix all ingredients together and spoon into popsicle mold. Freeze overnight then remove from mold and store in the freezer. 

Aldi Haul #1

Oh Aldi. I've recently re-discovered how much I love shopping here. And my wallet agrees. I'm here to bust the myth that eating healthfully has to be expensive. Now, I don't do all of my shopping at Aldi, since there are a few treats and certain things I enjoy that Aldi doesn't offer. I have found that I can get most everything that we eat there. I am picky about how certain things taste and a few items, the Greek yogurt mainly, that I purchased this time were to try out. I do prefer certain brands because they may have less sugar or fat, but I'm willing to try it once before I completely rule it out. 

The food above will last about 2 weeks. I will most likely do a smaller trip to pick up eggs and milk, but for the most part, this is it. 

I plan to do some posts about easy dinners that are actually things that we eat. I tend to post my breakfasts and lunches to Instagram pretty regularly, but if people are interested in those as well, I will post them. 

I'm including a spreadsheet of the prices I paid at my local Aldi, these may vary based on where you live. All of the food pictured above cost me $102. That's crazy! I love how far my dollar goes at Aldi. 

Here's the pricing list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XJ5p1UQPMIal6woPM4CnB61-mrFsP7S-9xM97EoAVmM/edit?usp=sharing

A Major Milestone

This week has been a little bit weird psychologically. I'm at the point in my journey where this time last year I was the same weight and it is where I plateaued. I wasn't trying very hard to continue losing weight, but I was logging my foods in MyFitnessPal and exercising. I was happy with the fact that I was over 10 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight by the time Everett was 6 months old. I was fine just where I was and figured I would continue to lose weight. I quickly learned that my body doesn't work that way, which I should have known.
I quickly gained back the weight and here I am today back on the same journey as a year ago. This time around is different in many ways, which I'm sure you know if you follow this blog at all.
I have a much larger goal in mind and a ways to go before I reach it. This isn't a stopping point, this is just one battle won in a larger war. I'm proud that I've pushed past the lowest weight I had been in over a year. I'm now at the lowest weight I have been in over two years. The most comforting thing is that I haven't made some huge change to continue losing weight. I have just been sticking to my routine, eating good foods and exercising regularly. For me, this is a great motivation. There's no huge secret. Find what works for you and stick to it!
It isn't just seeing that number on the scale, because that number only tells you so much, it is the fact that my clothes fit better. That I'm able to wear things I haven't in ages because they are finally comfortable. It is wanting to take pictures with my son and husband because I don't feel so self-conscious of how fat my face looks.
It's feeling strong and healthy and craving good foods and not being hungry because I'm fueling my body and feeling happy!
I hope to continue this trend and continue to pass milestones that allow me to feel motivated and happy with the progress I'm making. Thank you to everyone who continues to cheer me on and comment on how well I'm doing. This blog has been a great way to hold myself accountable and I love being able to candidly share my journey with all of you.
Have a great weekend!

Motivation and March Update 1

This week has been a difficult one as far as staying motivated. The main reason being that our A/C wasn't working until this morning. The other being that I felt stuck in my routine. I knew I needed to do something to switch things up so that I would stay on track.
One big help is my wonderful husband who keeps me going and another has been just doing it. Sometimes I slog through the first few minutes of my workout, but I always feel better after I do. Since I've kept to my routine, it has been easier to continue on. I watch an interesting show, put on some new upbeat music, find some new moves to work into my bodyweight routine, basically anything to mix it up. Everett and I have been going outside to the park or walking trails almost everyday now that the weather has warmed up and I love it. He is a big fan of the outdoors as well, which makes it fun for the both of us.

So the past few weeks I went from 177.6 to 173.8, almost 4 pounds down. I'm now at the lowest weight since I had Everett and I was around this weight a year ago almost exactly. I still have about 39 pounds to lose, but I am feeling so much stronger and better overall than I have in a while. I'm proud of what I've accomplished and it makes me motivated to continue to make changes and try new things constantly.

I hope you all have a fabulous Monday! Get out there and move!

Product spotlight: Ginny Bakes

The more that I've committed myself to health and fitness, the more I've discovered the variety of foods available. Instagram has made me more aware to these companies and foods than ever before and I am excited to be able to try as many as possible. 

Because these products are not always available where I normally shop, I have made a few trips to Whole Foods and have purchased some online when I find a good deal to give them a try. 

I am in no way saying that you have to spend more money to eat healthfully, but I am interested in trying a variety of brands and products as a way to keep healthy eating varied and exciting. 

One such company is Ginny Bakes. I did order these products online because, as a new member to their email list, I received $5 off my order of $25 or more. I did the math and it ended up being the most economical choice and was the best price per package versus regular store retail. 
They are stocked in my local Earth Fare, but when I called to check and see if they were available, as the Ginny Bakes website suggests, they were not in stock. 

Within my order, I did not purchase every single type of product they offer since I was most interested in their cookies. Ginny Bakes cookies are organic, gluten-free, non-GMO certified, vegan, kosher, hand-made, and absolutely delicious. Ginny Bakes is also a family company that partners with suppliers that are committed to being good stewards over the planet.  Another aspect that appealed to me is that the regular cookies are only 50 calories per cookie, so I feel like I can indulge without undoing my day. 

While I do not employ a gluten-free diet, my mother does due to a gluten intolerance. This makes me extra happy when I can find a product I love that she can enjoy as well. 

Onto the actual products. I purchased the Blissed Out Bundle which includes chocolate chip love, chocolate chip oatmeal bliss, double chocolate happiness and chocolate macadamia love. I also purchased one box of GB minis in Butter Crisp Love. Each packet is 120 calories of mini goodness. 

These cookies are CRUNCHY! I am all for a soft cookie, but I love a good, crunchy cookie as well. The flavor is rich and the individual flavors shine through. The classic chocolate chip cookie isn't packed with chips, but not lacking in chocolate by any means. I am a person who likes to enjoy the actual taste of the cookie, paired with the chocolate chips throughout. The macadamia chocolate chip cookies are perfectly nutty and equally delicious. I enjoyed the butter crisp minis paired with some almond butter, which took them to the next level. The oatmeal chocolate chip cookies make me feel like I'm getting an indulgent dessert, but the oats make it feel extra healthy. The double chocolate happiness is just that. Perfect cocoa taste with chocolate chips mixed in. 
Everett tries to steal bites and David absolutely loves these cookies as well, so I know I'm not biased.

I absolutely loved every single flavor I tried and am excited to be able to try more flavors as well as the other products they offer like their baking mixes, bars, crumbles and the list goes on. 
Like I mentioned above, if you sign-up for their email list, you will be able to get a discount on your order and if you purchase a bundle, you receive free shipping! 

*This post is in no way sponsored by Ginny Bakes. I just love their products and wanted to share the happiness with all of you!*

Non-scale victories pt. 1

Happy Friday!

I think a large part of any fitness journey is taking time to appreciate the little victories that don't include the number on the scale. This is vital especially because the number on the scale is just a number. It doesn't tell you what you are worth.

1. Being able to wear my wedding rings again!
2. Officially retiring my size 14 jeans
3. Wearing a medium shirt and having it fit well rather than feel tight.
4. Choosing to park further away because I know I won't get winded from the walk.
5. Upping the resistance on my recumbent bike because the lower setting was too easy.

I'm hoping to keep this series going over the course of my journey. I am amazed by how great I feel and how the choices I'm making are having serious impact.

Thank you all for following along with me and have a great weekend!

Full February Progress

I cannot believe that another month has come and gone. Time is flying by in so many ways and I can hardly keep up.
I'm still going strong with all of my goals and have found that consistency is key more than anything else. This month I lost 8.6 pounds, keeping me ahead of my targeted weight loss. I am still so shocked by how great I feel and how much easier it is to go about my day. I am still working to kick the caffeine habit, but I haven't had any soda in two months.
This month I've decided to add the goal to be up by 6:30 am each week day so I can get ready for my morning before Everett gets up. I feel like this will help me get a jump start on things.
I am so excited to be sharing my journey with all of you and can't wait for what comes this next month!

Right Arm:15
Left Arm: 15
Right Leg: 26 (.5 inch lost)
Left Leg: 26 (.5 inch lost)
Right Calf: 15.5 (.5 inch gained)
Left Calf: 15.5 (.5 inch gained)
Natural waist: 32.5 (1 inch lost)
Waist at belly button: 36 (3 inches lost)
Hips: 44 (1 inch lost)
Bust: 40

I didn't see quite the same results in loss as last month, but I feel like I am losing more weight in the areas that I tend to hold onto it, mainly my midsection. My progression photos have helped me to see how my body is changing so I take that into account as well.

Left: Jan 4//Right: Mar 1

Left: Feb 2//Right: Mar 1

Starting weight: 197.6//Current weight: 177.6//Loss since Jan. 4: 20 pounds//Overall: 62.4 pounds

February Progress Week 1

I was going to include this with my January update, but I didn't want to take my measurements that early. I think its important to consider your body measurements when looking at your overall progress. Weight loss can be from water weight, but real results will show up in your body measurements. I measure both my natural waist and waist at the widest part because I have such an hourglass shape, so it's helpful for me, hence the reason I have two separate measurements.

January 7th inches-                                               February 5th inches-

Weight: 195.6                                                        Weight:183.2
Right Arm: 16                                                       Right Arm: 15
Left Arm: 16                                                         Left Arm: 15
Right Leg: 27.5                                                     Right Leg: 26.5
Left Leg: 27                                                          Left Leg: 26.5
Right Calf: 16                                                       Right Calf: 15
Left Calf: 16                                                         Left Calf: 15
Natural waist: 36                                                  Natural waist: 33.5
Waist at belly button: 41.5                                   Waist at belly button: 39
Hips: 46.5                                                             Hips: 45
Bust: 41                                                                Bust: 40

Total: 242/247.5                                                   Total: 231.5/237

That's a total loss of 10.5 inches! This isn't extremely surprising considering I've lost 12.4 pounds in a month. This is not typical weight loss, but since I started at a much higher weight and have a lot to lose, I've lost more in a shorter amount of time. This isn't a sustainable rate of loss and I wouldn't want it to be. A key to successfully keeping the weight off is to be consistent with new habits and stick to your goals.

January Progress

So after the holidays and vacation, I did what most people do and recommit to fitness and weight loss.
My reasons are numerous, the biggest one being that I had now gone over my pre-pregnancy weight and I felt awful all the time because of how I was eating. I felt tired all the time, had consistent headaches, I found myself getting agitated more easily, and I didn't feel happy with that.
I knew something had to change and I had to be all in.
I know all the things I should be doing to control my weight and get my body strong, but I don't always implement them. Usually I lack motivation and go completely in the other direction. I gain weight pretty easily if I'm no paying attention to my diet choices and staying active.
So, January 1st rolled around and I had to game plan.

-I was going to use my recumbent bike to complete 1,000 miles this year. My husband's goal is to run 1,000 miles and I figured I could manage biking that many.
-I needed to focus on portion control, nutrient dense foods and tracking what I eat. I use MyFitnessPal and absolutely love it. It always helps me.
-I needed to do other strength training so I could be strong and capable.
-I needed to drink more water! This alone has been so crazy helpful.

With those things in mind I set out to meet my goals. At first I wasn't sure how much weight I wanted to lose. My main focus was just to feel better and do better. About the second week of January, I decided I was going to get my weight to 135. This is about 5 pounds less than the healthiest (when I came home from college) weight I've been able to achieve. I still have about 50 pounds to lose in order to meet this goal.
I know it won't be easy, but I know it will be worth it.

So far this month I have lost almost 12 pounds. I know this is mainly because I was eating so poorly in the months leading up to the new year, but I am prepared to alter my plans when the plateau is inevitably hit.

I am so grateful to my wonderful husband for motivating me to always do my best and to really challenge myself to do better.

My extended fitness journey

Let me start by saying my weight has almost always been an issue. Now, I also know that weight isn't everything and who you are as a person truly matters, but I want my body to be the best version it can to be there for my son and husband. I want it to function at an optimal level, so that I don't feel restricted in my life.

I cannot remember a time when I wasn't at least somewhat overweight. When I was younger, this didn't really matter to me but now it has become something I have to care about. 

I was fairly active in high school with dance and musical theatre. I didn't care too much about what I ate, but tried to make good choices. I drank lots of water due to choir and my other activities. I usually ate whatever my mom prepared and she always kept healthy food in the house. I wasn't obsessed with my weight, because my teenage body did okay. 

I became more aware the year I graduated high school. I look back at my graduation pictures and cringe because of how chubby my face looks. I decided I wanted a change. I wasn't that overweight and was actually fairly in shape at that point, but I wanted to do more. I started a plan with a local office in Huntersville that helps educate about health and fitness. I was taught to choose more nutrient dense foods, move my body, record what I ate and so on. I had lost about 10 pounds when I left for college in Idaho.

I really flourished in college as far as my personal health and fitness. My roommate and I would go to the gym regularly. I walked everywhere, mostly uphill, in the cold. I drank lots of water, I ate lean protein and tons of veggies, I took care of myself. I didn't have a scale at school, but I knew that I had lost weight based on my clothing and looking at pictures. I was happy and healthy.

After a year at college, I came back home to North Carolina and started work. I still did pretty well with what I ate, but my schedule was consumed by work. I also met David very shortly after I moved home. While David and I dated I tried to continue making good choices, but oftentimes that was overshadowed by wanting to have fun and go out to eat. I was still pretty healthy when we got married in June. I was in love and didn't really care about anything else.

Our first year of marriage I started a new job as an office manager. I was sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day and spending 2+ hours in the car commuting. I also had to work at night when I got home, so I didn't really have the time to work out. We ate whatever I had time to throw together and a lot of times just ate pizza or Cook Out, which was right across the street. That Christmas David got the recumbent bike for me as I told him I wanted to be more active and lose weight. I wasn't very committed and would try to find little moments to exercise. We bought a scale at some point and I was shocked by the number.

We moved right before our 1st anniversary and life continued to be crazy busy. David was in school full-time and working as well. We continued to eat pizza. At this point I weighed about 190 pounds. I decided around September or so that I wanted to try losing weight again as we were talking about starting a family. I assumed it would take a few months to get pregnant and that I could lose weight in the meantime. I had stopped birth control and then 4 weeks later held a positive pregnancy test in my hands. I was disappointed that I wouldn't be in the best condition to carry my baby, but decided to make the most of my situation. I ate fairly well during my pregnancy and did my best to be active, but I was still at the same job sitting on my rear all day and being pregnant is exhausting. I didn't have any motivation to workout.

I gained 50 pounds during my pregnancy and couldn't wait to start trying to lose the weight again. I had a c-section which meant I was pumped full of IV fluids and had some swelling. Everett was 8lbs, 9oz at birth, so I figured I would have lost at least 10 pounds by the time I got home from the hospital. Out of curiosity, I stepped on the scale when we got home to find I weighed the EXACT same as I did before he was born.

Then, the swelling when down and I dropped 30 pounds overnight. I was excited, but knew I had a long road ahead of me. I went back to work at 4 weeks postpartum and tried to fit some fitness into my busy schedule. This time I was on my feet for 8+ hours a day and could tell that I was out of shape.

I breastfed for 4 months, which I know contributed greatly to my weight loss. I was more conscious about what I was eating and started using MyFitnessPal again. I stopped nursing when I started working full-time and kept losing weight. I used the 21 Day Fix from Beachbody and got control of my portions and fitness routine. I was feeling strong.

I had gotten to my pre-pregnancy weight by the time my baby was 3 months old. 

Life was still crazy, but somehow we made in through while I worked full-time, David went to school and took CPA classes AND watched Everett during the day. I kept on this course for the rest of the summer until I quit my job to stay at home full-time when David started his job. 

Being at home full-time was a welcome change and I enjoyed the time I got to spend with my baby. I wanted to relax and not worry about working out. At this point, my weight had plateaued at 172 pounds and I was okay with that at the time.

Life continued to carry on and we moved into a house. I was focused on getting our home set up and spending time with Everett. Then the holidays arrived and I just wanted to spend time with my family and not worry about what I could and couldn't eat and take time away from being present with them. I had a doctors appointment on Christmas Eve and found out I was now above my pre-pregnancy weight. I couldn't believe I had failed my body so much again.

I decided enough was enough and I was going to do everything in my power to change. I wasn't going to flake out again. I wanted to be 1000% committed to being as strong as possible and be my absolute best self. I made some very serious promises to myself and have my wonderful husband to motivate and help me in my journey.

I'm hoping that by sharing my story I will be able to inspire others to start their journey, to motivate themselves to be better. 

If you were able to hang in this long, I'm impressed! 

I will be posting my January progress very soon so keep an eye out for that. 

Back in business

Well I've decided to dust off the blog and document my life. I've recommitted to my health and want to document my fitness journey.
I'm sure I'll throw in some lifestyle and beauty recommendations every once in a while, but it will mainly be about my health and fitness. I am by no means an expert on any of this, but this is a great way for me to be accountable to myself. I'm planning to post a couple of times a week to keep things consistent.
In the next week I'll be posting my progress since the beginning of January as well as a complete history of my weight loss journey. My full story is a long one, so that will take some time to hammer out.
Please comment or let me know what kinds of posts you want to see.
Here's to diving in to something new...again!

Happy Friday!

So it's official. I have lost over 20 pounds!
This has definitely been a learning experience, but I am amazed at how good I feel. I still have some weight to lose, but being healthy is so much more important to me. I know that I am feeding my body the things it needs to function properly.

Here's a nice brace face shot. I've been wearing color on my lips more often mostly to see if I like it. I'm usually a lip balm kind of girl, but I love most of the lip colors from Tarte. Both their lipsticks and the LipSurgence line are ultra moisturizing and have great pigmentation. 

Also, a picture of the hubby with his new haircut and sunglasses. He has been majorly sick for the past few days, which is never fun at all. He is on the mend today and I have ordered him to stay in bed. 

Happy Friday!

What happened in your week?