Body Image and the Devil

So... heres the token diet post! haha Over the past few weeks I have been so infected by talks with women and girls that I adore about the topic of weight loss and taking care of your body.  There are sooo many different views on this but what captured my heart was a story of a patient that battled with anorexia. This sparked a lot of conversations amongst people that I work with about body image, and this is where my heart began to break.  You can spin it which ever way you want, but body image and eating disorder struggles are an EPIDEMIC! For some strange reason our society has made it okay for 5-6 year old girls to understand what it means to be "skinny" and that if you are not that way, that you are an outcast.  As a christian and as a woman there is so much that can be done to make strides in this area.

okay stepping off the soap box... with my upcoming wedding I have wanted to be in good shape and for me to feel good about my body! It has been sooo important to me that this is being done for ME, instead of for the 200 people that are going to be starring at my ghetto backside. So I have been trying to "eat clean."  Apparently this includes things that are not processed and are grown naturally or able to obtain naturally.  Lots of fruits, vegetables, and protein! Since June with this regimen and my wonderful Advocare products I have lost around 9 pounds.  My weight doesn't fluctuate a lot so this was a lot for me! I have also lost quite a few inches, but haven't done exact measurements! So...I def couldnt be farther from a diet/exercise expert or even a little educated.  I am learning more everyday about what I can do to make my body healthy and take care of my self.  Here are just a few examples of what I have been eating.
Breakfast: EggWhites or a fruit protein shake, special K
Lunch: Salad with cucumbers, olives, and tomatoes with lemon juice and little olive oil
Dinner: Turkey sub from Subway, chicken breasts, etc.
Snacks: LOTS of fruits, almonds ( so I am obsessed with these wasabi and soy almonds, not sure that wasabi and soy are "naturally grown" elements but they are delicious :))

Also, let me be real honest here, I HATE the gym.  And I'm not just partial to the gym, I pretty much hate exercise all together!! buut I have heard all my life that diet is 90% of achieving your weight loss goals. This probably means that Taco Bell and Sonic shouldn't be regular on my debit card charges :)
But I do have to say that I feel a sense of empowerment, like I am part of a big fitness movement when I am at the gym and look around to see people of all ages, and all weights trying to take control of their lives.  I like to reflect on this while silently competing with the skinny toned blonde on the treadmill next to me that isn't breaking a sweat while running at like a 7 for 45 minutes.  I feel a little like the water boy of the fitness movement during this time, but none the less empowered. :)

Weight and body imagine is a sharp sword in the world that we live in today.  We have the power to build up and encourage young girls around us everyday to instill in them the definition of beauty.  To me that means loving who you are and being the best you that God created.  I am doing my best to take care of the vessel that God gave me, so that I can be the best wife, friend, nurse, daughter, sister, and one day mother that he intended for my life.  Some days this is easy for me, and some days I want the greasiest pizza I can find for all 3 meals, but even on those days, God along with everyone else will love me just the same.  I know this is way scattered brain, but I could go on about this for days.

I have learned a lot about fitness and diet from my incredible (almost sister in law:) - Erin! Go check out her blog: http://www.thememmers.com/

I will continue to post random things about diet and fitness but they will be in snack size portions next time I promise :)

a Wicked good time :)

Cody and I were soo fortunate to get a "wedding present" from his dad of a trip to Boston!! We went over labor day weekend! Our gift was thru Rangers Destination program (this was the pilot trip) Basically the package includes tickets to 2 games, a hotel for 2 nights, a meet and greet with a player, and a tour of the stadium, and then you take care of your transportation to Boston!! I know, we live a hard life around here :) 

Cody has a friend that lived in the Boston area for quire sometime so we got a little travelers novel all of the must do and see places around the city! The first thing we checked off the list was paying a visit to "The Sausage Guy" and order a sausage grinder! This consists of an italian sausage with grilled onions and pepper on a hoagie roll, sounds simple right? well let me just tell you, its AMAZING! Evidence by, I think I had like 4 or 5 in our short trip :) oops! 

Cody and I are huge sports fans, and love baseball so going to Fenway Park has always been high on our bucket list... This park does not an any way disappoint. The passion and intensity in all the fans is so contagious and you can just feel the love of the sport inside that park! It was such a cool thing to get to see some games there! 

So in Boston, Jamin(our friend) said that we had to visit the north end and get some italian food. So sunday night we get ready and head to the north end. It is composed of a few streets with restaurants lined up one after another, ALL ITALIAN!! its insane! each restaurant only has like 10 tables! Everyone told us, just pick one, they are all great, so we did and it was amazing! :) Makes me want to go to Italy even more now! there was literally not anything left on either of our plates....

 one more thing that i was obsessed with in Boston was the following.... seafood mac and cheese!! I am a mac and cheese lover, lover! and this had crab lobster and shrimp in it and it was amazeballs!

We had such a great time! Def recommend this city to EVERYONE! :)

invisi-miracle!

Today I finished my Invisiline treatment!! I started in February and finished today! Its sometimes hard to see a difference when i examine them everyday but here is a before picture!! 

And here is today!!! :) 

Weddings, Registering, and more!

Tis the season for weddings!! :) A few weeks ago my dear friend Sarah Grace got married!! It was so beautiful and I was so blessed to be part of the whole thing!! :) She is a Florance now!! WOO HOO!! The next weekend my sweet friend from high school Amber got married!! Her ceremony was so unique and intimate! I loved it! Always nice to go to weddings when you are planning one! They both looked incredibly stunning! Made me excited to get all glammed up in November!  

Cody and I finnnnallllyyy registered!! Hahaha I bet at least 2 people a week since we have been engaged have asked me if we have registered yet, and now I can say its done!! One of the reasons why I put this off for so long is because I tend to become obsessed about things like this.. so now Crate and Barrel and Bed Bath and Beyond are on my my very frequently searched list! :) The second reason is for the picture below! My sweet and precious fiance was soooo patient and wonderful for about the first 2 hours... Pretty sure we have an entire set of Texas Flag memorabilia on our registry (you can just pass that right up when you are picking out a gift for us :)) Pretty sure this is a pic of him scanning Texas Tech cups!... sheesh...  

And just in case you were missing baby Eden as much as I do.. here is her picture!!! She is just the most precious thing ever and I hate being away from her!! 

Stuffed Bell Peppers!

I altered this recipe from DashingDish.com which has some amazing recipes! I did it a little different! I doubled the recipe and ended up with TONS of left over stuffing, we used for tacos for the rest of the week! :) 

• 2 Medium bell peppers (any color pepper will work!)
• 1/2 Pound lean ground turkey (or lean ground beef)
• 2 Tbs chopped onion
• 1 Can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Can yellow corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 Cup (8oz) salsa of choice
• 2 Tbs taco seasoning
• 1/4 Cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (or shredded mozzarella)
• 1/4 Cup fat-free sour cream (or low fat ranch)

Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds.  In a large pot, cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.  Remove the peppers from boiling water and rinse immediately in cold water.  Then you can set them aside in the baking dish you will use! 

Use a large frying pan and add the turkey and the onions over med-high heat, until there isn't anymore pink in the meat! 

 Add beans, corn, salsa, taco seasoning and 4oz chopped green chilies, simmer for 7-8 minutes until everything has been heated.  Spoon mixture into the peppers and then add cheese on the top.  


Cook at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Option to add tomatoes, sour cream, black olives or additional salsa! And enjoy! :):) 

Our first brisket experience!

For the fourth of July, Cody decided he wanted to smoke his first brisket!! This process is kind of like babysitting for 14 hours is what I discovered! :) In his family is a tradition that everyone creates their signature rub, his naturally becoming, Codyaki!! This was the first day...




This is after 4 hours in the oven and i think 12 hours on the smoker!

HA.. the chef tasting his creation and very pleased!! 

Needless to say that wonderful Tshirt, I think still smells like the smoker! haha!! I am so blessed to have a wonderful fiance that loves to cook and grill! :) No complaints here!! For the most part, it was a successful first smoked brisket attempt!! 

Cutest Niece on the Block!! :)

It has been a very busy few weeks around here!! My sweet sister had her incredible little girl about 3 weeks early! She only weighed 5lbs and ll oz! She is doing so great and getting so big already! :) I have had so much fun this week hanging out with them in Ohio, but i will say our household will be baby free for a few more years! I like sleep, okay love it , maybe a little addicted !

But I have to admit, that little smirk will grab your heart and take hold! :)