I quit. Boo.

Welllll so I quit on my detox. Didn't make it all 5 days like I wanted to. Quick recap of today.

I woke up ridiculously late. I rushed to get to work and looked like poo and super sleepy. Lo and behold, I was the first one in the office. I could've taken an extra 10 minutes to make my hair look presentable. Argh! I did weigh myself before I went to work. Unfortunately, I was up 1.2 lbs. Not what I needed today! Needless to say, I was uber grumpy by the time I got to work.

Not happy.

I'm the green one.

I wanted to share with you my "micro-scrambled" eggs that I eat almost every morning. Do you ever think you don't have enough time for breakfast? Never fear with these eggs! Simply crack an egg or two in a coffee mug, add in approx 1 tbsp water per egg, scramble with a fork, and microwave! It literally takes 1-2 minutes for your eggs to be done. Some tips: Spray the inside of your mug with non-stick spray. It will be much harder to clean if you don't spray before! When the eggs are done, use your fork to break it up. It will be one big egg chunk (that sounds disgusting) but if you break it up, it will be a much more familiar consistency. Add seasonings! Add cheese! From plain with S&P, to spicy with hot sauce and salsa, or cheesey with err cheese, you can be creative and have a yummy breakfast quick! Today I kept it simple, since of course I was still doing the detox. Just 2 eggs, a bit of water, and a scoop of ground golden milled flax. PS If you are adding flax for the nutrients, you're going to have to add more water. It absorbs most of the water! If you don't use flax, then you will have a bit of water in the bottom of the mug when you're done.

Totally not the best pic!

OH the most important tip. Buy a plastic, microwavable soup bowl that has a lid. I bought mine at TJMaxx for about $5. I thought I would use it for soup or lunches, but I ended up using it only for eggs! It is perfect!! I just googled it and you can buy one at Shop Get Organized for less than $7. As often as I use mine, totally worth it!

Eggs for breakfast, 1 green bell pepper for early afternoon snack, 2 packs of tuna for lunch, 23 boiled seasoned shrimp for dinner, and a ton of asparagus (1/2 pound?) for dinner. I broke my detox after lunch when I had super stinky breath. I was not in the mood to have stinky breath all afternoon so I had one serving (2 pieces) of trident white gum. Then I needed more. Had 2 pieces of Extra Dessert flavors gum. At the end of work today, I was definitely not as hungry as yesterday, but I had broken my detox :( And yes, approx 670 calories later, this girl was still hungry. (Who wouldn't be hungry with only 670 calories?? 15 from gum!) I broke down again, and had a Carbmaster yogurt. Another 60 calories, 8 protein, and 4 carbs. I love that they taste so good and have so little stats, but sadly, against the detox :( 

I wasn't planning on breaking my detox today with yogurt and gum, but I was definitely planning on breaking it with a glass of wine during Grey's Anatomy. I'm still going to have it, but I'll be bummed in the morning when I'm up weight again. Le sigh. I will at least enjoy it tonight! Ed. Note: Tried the wine, it's skunked. I haven't had that happen in a while!! Either I run to the liquor store and get wine (definitely getting boxed wine so it lasts longer) or I not buy wine, save 120 calories/3.7 carbs, and finish my detox half way decent....

All in all, it's about balance, isn't it? I've read no less than 3 blogs in the past 24 hours that talk about finding the balance, so I know I'm not the only one out there struggling to find the balance. I'll do semi-detox again tomorrow, and start my Saturday with Bar Banter-focus on abs (yay!) move, then get back to a routine on Monday. Alright...I'm headed to the liquor store. I can't watch the premiere of Grey's Anatomy without a glass of wine...I just won't drink the whole bottle ;) Balance!

My apartment stinks :(

Detox sucks. I wouldn't recommend it the way that I'm doing it. If you want to do a cleanse, then talk to a doctor/nutritionist and get a plan that suits you and still works to detox.

Let's recap the past few days.....after I posted on Monday night, I decided to cook up some mushrooms. Instead of sauteeing like I normally do, I steamed them. They actually didn't taste bad and I (errr) ate them all. And then.....well.....Meredith said on her detox "regularity is a bonus." Um how about full blown COLON CLEANSE. I don't think you need to know anymore than that about night one!

Day 2...not bad at all! Eggs for breakfast, no flax. Lunch: 2 packs of tuna. Lettuce was frozen so I didn't eat that. Dinner: lemon pepper sole dover, little bit of chicken, asparagus (duh), grilled/broiled bok choy. Finally filled and good to go. No real complaints except not being able to have the following: propel zero/powerade zero, yogurt, cheese, more coffee, gum, oh and my fatty meats (bacon! red meat!).

Bok Choy on the broiler pan. YUM!

Bok Choy round two....slightly burnt! Eeeks

Observations after 2 days. It's really not that bad! I've dropped a few pounds in a few days and realized that 1) I don't need to eat as many calories as I normally do or normally think I do [I haven't been counting things or watching portions at all] 2) I don't need to always count calories and carbs. That is a nice bonus! 3) I don't really need to use butters or oils.

I'm looking forward after detox where I plan on combining things like.....less fats and artificial sweeteners, with adding back my regular foods and portion control/counting calories. I think that way I can get the best of both worlds. Oh! I haven't been exercising this week, so adding that back in!

Day 3: IT SUCKS. I think I need to be snacking more on veggies during the day. I don't think I'm doing this properly. You definitely have to eat more veggies during the day. By the end of today (no caffeine!) I was dyyyyyyyying. So tired and no energy. Day 3 was not fun at all. I came home, at my leftover fish and cooked up some cauliflower. I ate a shit ton of cauliflower cuz I was starving. And let me tell you, I am not satisfied. Full, yes, but not satisfied. I am still exhausted, didn't enjoy my food, and dislike the lack of variety.

I think even my version would work, but the key is planning ahead. Make sure to have enough snack veggies for work. Have enough variety to make something yummy for dinner....boiled cauliflower with cajun spices is not the answer. I started some hardcore Paleo/workout fab bloggers, who have some amazingly healthy and delicious looking recipes. I don't think I could ever go full Paleo, and my life will never be that hardcore working out, but again, I think I want to take bits of that and adapt it to my life.

One day (probably a cold snowy day this winter) I will write my whole "weight issues" story/history.....but here is a quick part....At one point when I was living in Houston, I was eating around 650-900 calories a day, keeping to about 25 total carbs a day, and 100g of protein. I'd workout 6 days a week. I got down to my lowest weight probably since Junior High. I looked great, felt great, and was able to run my first 5K in less than 28 minutes. But let me tell you, eating that way was not healthy and I didn't have much of a social life. There are many positives from that time period that I would love to get back to again (I hardly drank at all! low fat! exercise!) So being where I am right now....is difficult to say the least. I want to go back to where I was in 2011, but I know it wasn't the healthiest way. It was quick & easy....but not the best. So I'm torn. I want to get there quick and easy so I'm hoping this detox gets me partially there. Today I weight in at 135.8lbs, I'm 5'8...so I know 900 cals plus working out is not what I need. 

All that being said.....I'm trying to be on my way to get back to that point, but in a healthy way. Hopefully this blog will just be one outlet for me to get there....the right way.

3 Cheers to getting healthy and losing weight The Right Way. Good night my lovelies. I'm so tired I just wanna crash early tonight!

Detox is tough!

Day one of detox.....is almost over. Well, it wasn't hard until about 20 minutes ago, when I had already eaten dinner, but still feel like I'm starving. I'm about to go back to the kitchen to figure out what veggies I can eat. Breakfast was relatively normal: 2 eggs micro-scrambled with a scoop of flax. Lunch wasn't bad either: 2 packets of chunk light tuna in water, and a garden salad-tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, and a bit of lettuce thrown in. Easy peasy. Dinner was yum! I had a bit of leftover baked chicken as an appetizer because my stomach was getting hungry. The actual meal was asparagus steamed with lemon pepper mahi mahi. I bought roughly a pound of asparagus last week, cut the big nasty ends off, and threw them in my pot to steam. It took only about 3 minutes on boil to have the nice "al dente" crunch. I ate half of that with salt and pepper as I waited for for my mahi mahi to come out of the oven. And then I munched on some more stalks. And had the rest with my mahi mahi. I love my asparagus! It was odd not to put melted butter or shakey parm cheese on my asparagus, but I love it with some S&P so no worries there. The seasoning on the mahi mahi was amazing as well. It was also odd not to even spray my oven pan with non-stick canola oil. Just say no! Thankfully my fish didn't stick. However, like I said...I'm still hungry! I even have seconds of the mahi mahi. I guess I will need to dig into more veggies with my evening tea.

Asparagus.  I love this stuff!!

More asparagus and Mahi Mahi!

I would have to say the hardest part was realizing that I cannot have gum! Sugar-free gum & mints have artificial sweeteners!! Stinky breath for sure today. Ooops. I'm honestly not sure how effective today was from a "cleanse" or "detox" day, but I will say it was definitely healthy. Who can argue with vegetables, fish, a bit of chicken, and 2 eggs?

I'm super pumped about this week....new fall tv! Tonight I'm watching The Voice, 2 Broke Girls, and it was supposed to be How I Met Your Mother but I just realized I MISSED IT. Crapola. How did that happen?!? I thought I set my phone app to give me a reminder for all my shows today! :( Bummer. Let's hope CBS puts it online tomorrow. Well, I'm not about to miss 2BG, so I'm gonna bounce! Adios lovelies!

What's your favorite healthy food? How do you satisfy hunger pains? What are you watching tonight??

Well Hello!

I hate when I do dumb things......like brushing my teeth and then immediately eating a dill pickle. GROSS. Now that I've got that off my chest haha

Inspired my one of my high school friends -who is now a TV Meteorologist in Florida-super cool job if you ask me- I am going to do a mini detox this week! Meredith is blogging about her "Find Your Fit Challenge"  and you should check it out to see what how she is getting fit. I am/have been on my own personal journey to get fit and healthy, and I've never done a detox before. I normally am anti-detox, and definitely anti-cleanse, but I've been feeling gross on the inside. Ya know....too much processed crap and what not. I've been doing so much better, back to low carb, but I want something different. My detox is not going to be the same as Meredith's detox, but it will be adjusted to me. I firmly believe that everyone's diet and exercise regime should be tailored to the individual. I am not a nutritionist, and am creating my own detox, so please don't follow mine without talking to your doctor first. That being said, here is my plan:

As many vegetables as I like. I am still planning on sticking to low glycemic vegetables, so that eliminates some. Goal is to have veggies at every meal, including breakfast. They will either be raw or steamed. Or roasted.

I would also do low glycemic fruits, but I've never been huge on fruit, so I might not have any this week. I normally don't. Hmm maybe I should start incorporating low glycemic fruit back into my diet (in moderation)....just a thought...

One or two eggs for breakfast with my scoop of flax. Not sure how I will incorporate flax in my breakfast because I usually put it in my yogurt. Maybe in my microwaved scrambled eggs?

No dairy. That's right. NO CHEESE. No low carb yogurt!! This will be difficult, but I'm only planning on doing this for 3-6 days.

No alcohol. Duh. It's a detox.

1 cup of coffee per day. Just one. Eeeks. Lots of water and tea.

No artificial sweeteners! Yikes!

Lean protein. This will be eggs for breakfast, tuna or chicken at lunch, and fish for dinner (maybe chicken). I stocked up discount fish today (score!) so on the menu will be Mahi Mahi, Salmon (ok that is fatty, but good fats, so maybe that will wait till Thursday) Tilapia (I think? I don't remember!) and shrimp. All will be lightly seasoned and baked/broiled/grilled. No cooking with oil or butter! Oh and I think I have leftover chicken.

No oil, butter, ranch dressing.

Basically, not much different than most of my days. I'll be increasing my veggie intake, cutting back my fat intake (much needed) not having artificial sweeteners, and the biggest change.......no dairy! I live on my yogurts and love my cheese. I should be able to make it three days, maybe six max. I will let you know how it goes and how I feel after. If it doesn't work, maybe I will follow someone else's proven plan.

I realized after Bar Method yesterday that it was the last day of my pass!! Sooooo sad! I will be buying a 3 month pass, but since I am moving this week, I've decided to delay a week. There is a studio near my new apartment, but I've started to have a connection with my studio, so I don't think I will switch. I did buy a Living Social deal for 3 classes at the new studio, so unless I have an instant, better connection, I will not be switching. I did actually think of a Spend Less tip, however. Most studios have a discounted price for new members. The new studio has one of those, so I could save $26 for one month at the new studio. I just have to decide whether I want to "cheat" on my current studio. I really love my instructors and classmates, so it will be difficult switch and save money. The positives are 1) saving money 2) close to my new apartment 3) Tuesday evening classes 4) Sunday classes. I mean I would go to new studio Tuesday, Saturday & Sunday, and my current studio Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.....but that would be $99 at studio new, $125 at studio old. And that is not Spending Less! Would I even go 7 days a week? Probably not. Plus, I want to start doing Zumba again. Maybe I can find a Zumba place by my new apartment and do Zumba 3 days a week and Bar Method 4-5 days a week.....

Wow, I think this blog post today is more of a "dear diary" format, with a stream of thoughts and asking myself questions. Whoops! Sorry lovelies, I hope it wasn't too boring for you!

This weekend was a bad weekend for football, so I am beyond ready to go to sleep and wake up to a new week! Good night my lovelies!

Quickie and a Video

Lots to do today but I wanted to give you a quick post!

1) Signed a lease at a new place yesterday!! Super excited to move in!! (Part of my busy day today)

I'm so blessed to randomly be living in the mountains!

2) I joined the diet bet and have "lost" 3.2 lbs woohoo!

3) I'm inspired by people left right and center to get my butt in gear and do better. I need to remember that and keep improving. 

4) College football today, UFC tonight, maybe Park City tonight, and Steelers tomorrow. I LOVE FALL WEEKENDS

5) I get distracted soooo easily. I am a multi-tasker by nature, and tend to get distracted easily. 9 times out of 10 I get distracted while cooking bacon and burn it. For a while I was banned in the one6four from cooking altogether because of a bacon burn. Oops.

Breakfast turned out pretty well anyways...

8)Went to Bar Method at 8:30am. I love it. Can't stop won't stop! Feel the shake! Check them out. Haha ok I think I'll stop plugging them, but I promise you, you will see results!!

7) Lastly...I may not be a high school athlete (hahhaha) or even an athlete on a co-ed softball team :( but I saw this commercial on TV and the message really spoke to me. "Come back UNTOUCHABLE" Think about this body when you want to sleep-in in the morning....when you want to quit instead of doing another set.....good thoughts!

Today...let's all be UNTOUCHABLE. Make it a great one lovelies :)

What's on your agenda this weekend? Who or what is your inspiration? What makes you untouchable?

Link Love!

While I sat here watching football, playing SongPop on my phone, and staring at my computer screen....I couldn't think of anything to post! Again, no recipes, no cool tips or tricks, and no cute outfit ideas. I do have 2 pictures of my "post workout" and "dinner" foods...but no real post! I decided I'll keep it short and sweet, and link up some of my favorite websites.

First, my food pics...

Post-workout. 3 oz of leftover Chicken that I baked 2 nights ago, topped with some jalapenos for a kick and a dash of grated romano. Not exciting at alllll and probably not enough carbs for right after a workout. Should've had my low carb yogurt, for a better balance, but I wanted lean chicken.

Dinner! Baked orange roughy. I took a picture when it was still on the baking sheet but it didn't turn out nicely. I wanted to take another one after I set it on my plate, but completely forgot! I just dove right in. This tasted amazing and was so simple! All I did was spray each side with canola oil, added salt and pepper, and sprinkled red pepper flakes on top. Baked it for about 10 min on 350, then broiled for 2 minutes so it would crisp up a bit on the top. Yum! I also got it on the sale section, so my yummy piece of meat was $5.99/lb, or less than $3! Less than $3 for dinner! Solid!

Just a few links for ya today...

1) 5 Ways to Make Starting a Diet Easier For anyone who is looking for that kickstart on a new diet

2) tracker.dailyburn.com My absolute favorite way to track what I eat, my workouts, and my weight. The only downfall is that they are somewhat limited on workouts. Otherwise, no complaints! I'm constantly on this site and on the iPhone app.

3) Tastespotting Check it out, drool, find new blogs to follow!

4) Iowa Girl Eats My Bizzy Kitchen Heather's Dish The Bargain Blonde Kalyn's Kitchen Prevention RD My favorite blogs! I follow TONS of blogs....probably around 25 now.... but I've been reading these the longest and are my favorites! I highly recommend you check them all out. Tell them I sent you ;)

5) Bar Method SLC Lastly, my new favorite Bar Method Studio! Even if you don't have a Bar Method studio in your area, be sure to check out their store for DVDs and what not. Love my Bar!

That is all for now my lovelies! Make tomorrow an amazing Friday!

What I Wore {to workout} Wednesday!

Woohoo finally something I promised I would post! What I Wore Wednesday....or W3 for short. 3W? Hm. WWW. W3!

Post-Workout. Don't judge!

For today's Bar Method class, I chose my new Under Armour running capris, cotton slub tank, and my brand new black Bar Method socks! I told myself as I was walking in to the studio....NO! Do not buy new socks!! But I got in and caved! Who wants to wear grey socks with a black workout outfit?? Not me! I go to Bar Class 3-5 times a week, so having 2 pairs of Bar socks are totally worth it. Anyways....let's talk about my outfit, no?

For Bar Method classes, you have to wear pants/capris that cover your knees. Why? So you don't get rug burns! (I think...?!) I ordered these new capris from Under Armour that are technically for "running." They are nice and tight, and they did not bunch up around my knees. Being 5'8 and leggy, that is definitely a concern for me! They were comfortable and functional. 10 out of 10 (for Bar...running? not sure yet!) There is a zipper on the back so I could throw a key and phone (maybe?) in my butt if I ever go for a run. We shall see...

Next up, the tank. Comfy, lightweight, and most importantly, cute! I take that back. Most importantly, it is long. Not super long, but long enough where I don't have to worry about exposing my unsightly tummy to the masses during Bar class. I wasn't sure how Under Armour "semi-fitted" would fit on my body, but it was pretty true to size. 10 for 10. I might even will absolutely be wearing this when I'm not working out as well. 

Black Bar Socks...maybe an indulgence I didn't need, but I will not go to Bar Method without special socks. They have grippy bottoms and a little extra nub of sock on the back so you don't rub your skin on the bar during workouts. 

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend Bar Method classes, especially the lovely ladies at my SLC studio, and my Under Armour workout gear. That's all for today! I'm hoping to work on some recipes this weekend, because what is a blog without recipes?! Especially with cookie dough in my title!! 

Make tomorrow a great one my lovelies!!

*Full disclosure: I receive a significant discount to order Under Armour. However, the opinions and views are entirely my own!

Diet bet...?

Awhile back, one of my blogs I read posted about a "diet bet." I thought about joining, but didn't. Now that I've made yet another renewed conscious effort to lose some poundage before Halloween, I thought hmmm maybe that is a good idea! The website DietBet allows people to create or join a bet pool to win money as you lose weight! The idea is everyone pays into the pot-you can set the amount-and everyone has the same goal: 4% in 28 days. Completely doable! The winner takes all, or winners split the pot. It would definitely be a huge incentive for me to keep making smart decision and work my way towards my Halloween goal. Yes, that would include cutting out (cutting back?) on these:

Tailgate treats!

So.....anyone want to join me? I think I will join Friday. I have 5 weeks till my goal, so that takes me a week before......hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! 

Today's food thoughts: Not bad, but could be better. I had a brat & spreadable cheese snack when I got home from work while I was waiting for dinner to cook. It tasted good, but didn't feel good. It just felt "dirty." "Greasy." Not something that my body wanted. Maybe my mouth wanted that taste, but not my body. When dinner finally finished, I 100% regretted my "snack." Dinner was broiled Cajun seasoned Salmon with steamed veggies. OMG SOOOOO GOOD. Salmon is so good and so good for you! I wish I hadn't tainted myself with the brat. I try to always think, "is this something my mouth wants, or something my body needs?" Every once in a while yes it is good to have something your mouth wants (aka flourless chocolate cake yum!) but doing that too often leads to problems. I just feel so much better inside and out when I eat healthy. 

I know what I need to do, but it is the actual "doing" seems to be the problem. Anyone else agree? 

Ok who's joining Diet Bet with me?? 

Ciao lovelies! 

It's so Complicated!!

Arghhhhhhhhh I hate complicated! What is so complicated you ask? Configuring my blog :-P I really want to add a Feedburner link so people can subscribe to my blog via email. I thought I did it, but alas, I don't see it on my blog.

Anyhoo...I had a really great week of eating and working out...lost about 4lbs!! So excited!! I even got complimented at the tailgate! And then the tailgate happened. And then Sunday was not much better. Today was ehhhh....better, but not where I want to be. I said at the start of the football season that splurging one day every other week-ish, at the tailgate, was no big deal. It isn't! But the tailgate PLUS 2 days after....that's a problem. Glad this week is away so no tailgating, but I can't yo yo like this and expect to be healthy and in shape. Le Sigh. If anyone wants to send some good vibes or tips of limiting cheat days to 1 day a week, I'd be super appreciative. Sometimes I can be really good, sometimes, not so much. Complicated. As we speak, I'm sitting on my couch, blogging, watching The Voice, and eating sunflower seeds. I'm not hungry! I swear I'm not one bit! I'm going over my calories, fat, and inching up on carbs too, and I know this! Yet, I can't quit. I used to be so good too :(

My new goal is to be the same weight I was last year at Halloween, this year at Halloween. ...shit...I just looked at my log from last year and I have to kick it into high gear. OMG it HAS to be hardcore. Like 7 days a week working out and limiting my tailgate cheats. As of Saturday morning's weight, I have 7 pounds to lose. As of this morning, I have 9.2 pounds to go. In just under 6 weeks (39 days) I now have...drumroll please....1.5 pounds per week to lose. Please cheer me on and join me in my quest for healthy!

I still have yet to write my "about me" blog, and it will be hard to put it all into writing for all to see. I want to do it, but it is going to take a lot! Also.....I need someone to help me update my blog layout so I can have a legit "about me" section. COMPLICATED!

What's COMPLICATED in your life? What are your healthy goals? Leave a comment or email me if you want to join my quest for Healthy by Halloween!

Yucky stomach :(

Hey y'all....yesterday was a severe case of yucky stomach. I was up late Saturday because of an awesome football game...(if you haven't seen it yet, Yahoo! has a good recap of the ending here: Utah beats BYU Strangest Way Possible) and so I slept in Sunday. Tangent: Weird thing about Mountain time....11am is the first Sunday NFL game!! I mean I still called it the "1 o'clock game" when I was in Texas....but now the "1 o'clock game" is 11am, and the "4pm game" is at 2pm! I digress. Woke up, had my normal carbmaster yogurt for breakfast, with a tiny bit of leftover coffee and got ready for church. 11am mass (yup, missed the majority of the early game..boo!) grocery store for some AMAZING deals (score!) finally finally finally got my car washed, and went home to eat and get ready for the game.

Well. My stomach has not been happy since. I don't know if was the crappola I ate Saturday at the tailgate (theme: "just desserts." fried desserts.) that set me off with the tons of carbs and alcohol plus the exciting game and the late night, or something that I ate Sunday early afternoon. I really hope it was the tailgate or something that wasn't cooked all the way through when I ate it Sunday, because I have leftovers of everything!! I ate the most random things on Sunday, so it could be anything. It all tasted good to me, but I know it will be odd to you so I will spare you the details. Especially since potentially something got me sick!

I'm going to let you in on one of my weird quirks. Unless I am completely incapable of eating, I will keep eating. I have to be lying on the ground in pain, puking my guts out, or sitting on the toilet for hours. 9 times outta 10, I will still eat, even if I'm not feeling well. I have this odd mentality that "ok, I ate something that isn't right....there is some kind of food remedy out there that will counteract my yuckiness and make me better." I am so odd!! I know most people will not feel well, and won't eat again! I mean it makes sense....why try to eat something when it could make you worse. Although, I am like most (some? a few? anyone? Bueller?) that have a secret hope that you will get sick just enough to not eat and lose a few quick pounds. But yet...I still eat!! Geeze. Anyways....cheers to a good Monday crosses fingers!

What do you do when you are sick? Do you (secretly) hope you'll not eat and lose weight? Do you pray for it to end quickly?

Have a good day lovelies!


PS: First post I wrote and scheduled for a morning post....we shall see.....

So sorry! More September Saving tips!

After an impromptu road trip, I've been trying to get back on track and blogging has fallen to the wayside...yet again!

Let's see.....not much exciting to update!! So, I'll just get to a few money saving tips!

Don't throw it away! Again, another food tip. Anyone else like using a crockpot as much as I do? Well, I usually do things quick and simple. Some chicken, salsa, cheese, and a few seasonings. Let it sit overnight or all day and dinner is done! Well, I thought, why not keep the leftover "sauce" and use it for something else? Easy peasy! Made scrambled eggs the next morning, cooked with the leftover salsa mixture. Yum and hearty!

Use savings websites to your advantage! Again, you can use sites like Haute Look or Beyond the Rack for clothes and home goods, or my new one Wayfair for furniture and home, for sweet deals off designer brands. Another HUGE help for me is Surviving the Stores. They tell you the best deals out there for all sorts of stores, including coupon matchups, super sales, restaurant coupons, retail sales, and more! Seriously, check it out if you want to save some serious cash!

Finally, don't buy what you don't need. Easier said than done, trust me, I know! But, when you are in line checking out, or get bored and run to the mall, just ask yourself....wait....do I really need this? Am I really going to get the full value out of this? Today, I spent an extra $15 today because I needed to clean my floors. I could've taken more time out to go to a different store and find a bucket (I have a mop and floor cleaner!) for cheaper, but I knew I would get the full value out of my new swiffer ($15) and I would get my floor cleaned instead of waiting longer. That was worth it. The extra body wash and bubble bath I grabbed because it was in the same aisle? No. Not the brand I should've bought and I didn't have a coupon.

Lastly, return it. If you bought it and regret it/no longer need it/decide it's just not right, then return it! Don't let things hang in your closet or sit on the shelf just because returning something is a hassle or embarrassing. Trust me, those cashiers aren't making enough money to judge you. Take the extra 5 minutes the next time you're at the store and get your money back. In fact, I have somethings I need to return this week....


Happy Money Savings my lovelies! I'll be blogging more this week, promise ;) Can't wait to see you all back here!!

Ways not to Spend Less in September: impromptu road trips and buying outfits the night before said road trip. #oops. #somethingsareworthit 

I know that's hard to read, but it says 138.2! Slowly but surely!!!! Down 2.4 lbs in two weeks! Time to pick up the pace, no slacking :) good morning lovelies...I'm off to work!

Such a *slacker*

Ok y'all....serious confession to make. I love having a blog. I love blogging. But, I hate writing!! I don't get to my computer to sit and write a post till 10pm and by that time, I really just don't want to do it. I promise, I'll keep up with the blog, but who knows how often I will post. Le sigh.

What I Wore Wednesday: I was rushing out the door so I didn't take a picture! Luckily, I have an old picture that you can see my top.

You can barely see it (sorry!!) but it is my new favorite shirt. White and black stripes, in three different directions....2 diagonal on the top and horizontal just below the boobs. I love it because it is rushed on the sides and the multi-directional stripes really disguise any flaws. Perfect "fat day" shirt to hide any self-conscious bits. I wore black NY & Co. work pants-woot...I only like 10 pair- and my silver and black Paris Hilton shoes. Like I said, I was running late, so just did makeup and minimal jewelry. Next week I promise better pictures and descriptions.

Shirt: From TJ Maxx
Pants: NY & Co.
Shoes: Paris Hilton via www.Hautelook.com

September Spendless Tip! 

Be mindful with groupon/livingsocial etc. purchases! I love those websites to purchase things at a great savings, but be careful!!! People tend to buy these great deals, but never use them! A great deal ends up becoming a waste. Make sure what you purchase is something you 1) already do aka oil changes or 2) will use right away.

I recommend putting a remind on your phone or schedule your appointment right away so you use the deal. Second tip: USE THEM AFTER THE EXPIRATION!!!! If the deal has expired, the value you paid is still valid!!!! Sometimes indefinitely, sometimes for a year, but don't just throw it away!! Check with the website you purchased it from, but odds are, you will still get your monies worth. Also check with the retailer to see if they will honor the deal value. I've had cases where they honor the full value, especially if I'm just barely outside of the expiration. Don't throw your money down the drain :)

That's all from me today!

Stats for today: 1209+ Calories, 100 Protein, met carb goals, slightly high fat goals. I gave into cheese
Exercise stats: Felt the burn in 1 hour of Bar Method
Spend less: Didn't buy extras from Walgreens when I picked up my subscription! Small bags of nuts, vitamins, and sale makeup meant nothing to me today :)

Goodnight Lovelies!!

Tuesday Tips

Good Evening!

Yes, I am an evening blogger. Sorry :-/ And no, I can't wrap my brain around scheduling a morning post the night before...just doesn't make sense to me!

Before I get into Tuesday Tips, let's give a quick recap on Spend Less September! Today I brought in my own coffee to work! Yes, brewed just how I like it in my reusable travel mug. No more spending money at Starbucks ($2.43 a pop) or McDonalds ($1.08 or whatnot) each day. I just have to buy a big ol' thing of coffee every few weeks and I'm golden! I'm trying to cut back on my sugar free flavorings, so that will save me some money too and help in the health department. I also packed lunch and did not buy a diet coke, even though I was craving it like none other. Again, good for the wallet, good for the health. My boss asked if anyone wanted to go grab lunch today. As much as I love good company for lunch, I declined and ate my packed lunch. Seeing a trend here? Good for wallet, good for health!

Here is my tip of the day: Go to the Grocery store early in the morning or late at night. My new routine is going to Bar Method early on Saturday morning, then heading over to Smith's. Grocery stores will mark down product that will expire in the next day or so, and you can get it for super cheap! I know you might think "eww gross, expired food!" But the thing is, it's not expired!!! I wanted just a bit of milk last week so I could make sugar-free pudding. I didn't want to spend the almost $4 on lowcarb milk, because I don't like drinking milk and it would go bad. Instead, I paid $1.77 for low carb milk I had to use within 4 days. I didn't use it all, but I definitely used $1.77 worth! Winning! Same thing for meat. You can definitely get good cuts of meat for cheap. Same with veggies! I love buying the pre-cut tray of veggies when they have about a day or 2 left. Super cheap, perfectly portioned, and I can just throw them in salads or have something to munch on. That is my tip of the day!

Dinner today was just leftover chicken and zucchini. It was super tasty and I love how healthy it felt. I'm glad I'm getting back into eating more lean meats and veggies. Oh wait. I lied. My chicken was dry from it being leftover then over microwaved (whoops) so I decided to add some salsa for moisture. Then I saw the packet of ranch dressing eyeing me in the fridge. Slutty ranch, wants to make me curvier. I caved! The only "brightside" of it was that I only ate about 1.5 oz of the 2oz in there. Sigh....still not good. Ranch is sooooo fatty! Other than that, I enjoyed my healthy dinner. Hey...there is another Spend Less September tip! Don't buy ranch dressing!!! Save yourself the money AND health. BAM. Love it!

Warning! Soapbox: That was the best/worst thing when I went uber healthy last year. (No worries, an "about me" post will explain this all in the near future). I was miffed that I had to spend so much more money on healthy food, but then my health coach (HC) (hahahaha omg Big E I hope you are dying laughing on that reference) err sorry...side tracked...HC made two important points on spending money on healthy food. 1) You aren't buying cheap crap anymore. The amount I spent on cheap crap is going into healthy food. It balances out. 2) Even if I am shelling out slightly more for healthy food, it is much better in the long run. Do I want to be a mom not being able to ride on roller coasters with my kids because I can't sit in the seats? No. (True life experience). I want to be healthy and fit in the long run, so it is worth it to spend a bit more on healthy food than it is on crap. Needless to say, I'm willing to skimp on other things to eat healthy. Now I just have to cut out the crap completely or else....is it really worth it? (YES! Always yes to swap a bit of crap for some health!)

Alright, I am done with the soapbox! No pics today, sorry to disappoint. An update on my lip (did I even mention my skunk lip?) Still burned. But now, it is dark and discolored, instead of white. Joy!

Today I: Ran/Walked for 36 minutes/2.94 miles
Today I: Ate 1226 Calories, 113g Protein, and stayed in my target Carb/Fat range (except I'm craving a salty snack. Let's add another Claussen pickle slice and hopefully avoid mindless munching on mixed nuts)

Goodnight my lovelies!

Spend Less September!

I promised I would post about my new theme for September today, so here it is! I will Spend Less in September. Each post, I'll give a few tips on how to cut back expenses, and give updates on what I have done to spend less in September. I'll include slip-up and successes, and hopefully by the end of the month, I'll have saved a few bucks!

Quick photo dump, then I'm off to bed. I have to be at work at 7am!! It is going to be a MASSIVE challenge for me, since I can barely get to work by 8:45am. Yuck-o.

Veggies with my dinner....sprayed with canola oil (thought I had EVOO) sprinkled with salt & pepper, boiled. Yum!

Burned my lip this morning :( Metal for resting on frying pan then into mouth = BAD idea

Chicken for dinner. Pepper & Hot Salt (YES!) and baked at 350 till done. Sprinkled with shakey cheese.

Since I haven't quite found the M.O. of this blog....food? fashion? recipes? life? weight loss? I'm going to just randomly through in things until I get it right. :)

Today I went to Bar Method Class for 1 hour of exercise

Today I ate approx 1300 Calories, 140g Protein, and within my carb & fat goals.

I forgot to record my weigh-in this morning (even though I'm 99.9% sure I remember) so maybe I'll post that tomorrow. Or at least if I've gained/lost. 

Today I did not drink caffeine or booze. *unless my raspberry tea had caffeine

Overall, a successful day! Goodnight Lovelies!

Time for a Recipe.....sort of

Hello my lovelies!

This will be another quick one today, but I have to brag about my amazing half birthday! I wasn't actually setting out to celebrate my half birthday, but it turned out to be pretty dang amazing anyway! I woke up IN MY BED which was amazing in itself! Sorry airmattress, but I'm over you for a hot minute. Did some online window shopping in bed, then made coffee in my coffee pot!! Oh how the little things make me happy. It has been over 5 weeks since I've slept in my own bed and used my own coffee pot. FIVE. July 19th,was the last time I slept in my bed. CRAZY! While I was window shopping, not buying, K texted me and asked if I wanted to go to brunch and hike with the girls, so of course I said yes.

I drove up to Snowbird, yes *the* Snowbird resort, where I met the lovely ladies for brunch. That place is absolutely huge and awesome. I need to go back! They are having Oktoberfest right now and I would kill for a beer, wienerschnitzel, German potato salad, and hot soft pretzels. Sigh....reminds me of the beer gardens in Germany....but instead we had a nice brunch with coffee. I had an omelette with mushrooms, onions, cheese, and diced ham, and some cottage cheese on the side. Forgot to take blog pics. We then hiked up to Cecret Lake (pronounced Secret). It was a short and simple hike, but not entirely easy. It was the highest altitude I've hiked thus far, so at first I felt all tingly and out of breath. But, only about 1/2 hour each way so totally doable and the view was amazing!!!

We like taking tons of posed photos that look "unplanned"

Not dancing, just trying to get into position!

Me, B & K

Sorry for the mass amounts of photos. Wait, I'm not sorry. You're welcome :)

I got back and had a snickey snack of a bbq bacon wrapped chicken skewer (yes, it is a snack in my book.....could be why I've gained weight...) and took an amazing shower. Talked to a few peeps and went to church. Got home and made the ideal half-birthday dinner, which happens to be almost exactly what I had for my actual birthday this year! Just thought of that! King Crab and Asparagus.

My first blog recipe! ...Ish

This isn't really a recipe, but just letting you know how I cook my crab.

Step One: Buy copious amounts of King Crab when it is on sale. When I lived at the 164 (always pronounced "the one-six-four" never anything else!) HC liked to cook crab a-lot. I enjoyed every second of it. We had King and Snow and Red Royal and I think maybe even Queen once. If King Crab is on sale, then buy the shit out of it. I only bought about .75 lbs, but I should have bought more. It was on sale for $9.99 a pound. I've seen it for upwards of $19.99 a pound so I said yes please! I think the flavor of King Crab is the best, plus the legs are the biggest so you get the most meat out of it. Red Royal is good, as is Snow, but Snow is the most time consuming to eat. If you can get King, I highly suggest it. (I cook HC cooks Snow & Red slightly differently than King, but this way works for all 3).

Step Two: Buy your seasoning. I used Tony C's creole spice mix. You can buy the seasoning of your choice. My suggestion is to buy a container of spice mix, and not the boil bags. I think it flavors the crab better that way.

Step Three: Pour a shit-ton of seasoning into a stock pot of water. Yes, that is a term of measurement in my apt. You want to cough from the smell of spices in the air and the water to turn dark red/brown, then you know you've poured enough.

Step Four: Boil the water.
Step Five: Add crab legs and boil (lid on) till it's done. About 10 min. Don't over cook! How do you know when it's done? I don't know. When you think it is. Seriously.....it doesn't take long to boil. 10 min should be plenty, but if you are cooking more, you might want to do 15. Don't boil longer than that!! 5 minutes min to about 15 max. Just sayin'

Step Six: Dump out boiling water, put crab back in stock pot with lid till you're ready to eat.

Step Seven: The key to crab: Browned [salted, always salted] butter. While my crab was cooking, I boiled some asparagus with a dash of coarse sea salt (no iodine) in the water. I used the same small pot to brown the butter. Get it as hot and brown as possible, but pleeeeeeeeease don't burn it. Just don't. I always use way too much butter, but it is so darn good! I think I had a quarter cup browned for both my asparagus and crab dipping. Oops.

Step Eight: Take crab out of pot, crack open, and dip in browned butter! Enjoy!!

Seriously I was so surprised how amazing it tasted. Usually HC always cooked the crab, so I was sure I was going to screw it up, but I didn't. The best part was every single leg of crab was full of meat. It was so frickin' good. So good. I mean, I can't even describe it accurately without taking this blog into Rated R territory. I'll just post some pics. I enjoyed it way too much and forgot to take good pics, but here are a few. Oh and asparagus (my absolute favorite vegetable no questions asked) is just flash boiled or steamed with some salt so it is al dente. Topped with a dash of salt, pepper (forgot that today) shakey parm cheese, and a bit of browned butter. Easy breezy.

See the fuzz on the end of the crab claw?? Creeped me out to the MAX but I didn't let it bother me, some how. I could not let fuzz stand in my way of food orgasms. Oops. Just took it to Rated R. Apologies.

Asparagus as soon as I remembered I wanted to take pics. YUM

Ok ok I'm still working on my photog skillz.

And that is the story of my half birthday. 27.5! Can't wait for the next half :)

Here are some pics from Friday that I was able to upload today....

Ladies at dinner. Couldn't fix the red creepy eyes :(

Sadly, this is instagramed. K doesn't look as much as if she's photo-bombing. Still have creepy eyes tho :(

Again, instagramed. Creepy eyes. Pre-edit, K totally looked like she was bombing a pic of S & I, but she wasn't. 

Good night lovelies! Get ready, tomorrow I'm announcing September's theme!!

So much to write!!!

WOW I feel like this could be a marathon post, but since I hate running, I won't let it get that long...I hope. ;)

Next week blog goals:

Figure out a theme for Monday and stick with it. Not sure what...........suggestions? This Monday will be Moving Monday, where I post all about my ridiculous move, but after that, I'm not sure!

What I Wore Wednesday. I'm not quite ready to put it all out there for "What I Ate Wednesday," but I can totally do What I Wore. (whoops typo just put "whore." Definitely NOT "What I Whore." EEKS)

Friday Faves! I know lots of people that do link ups for Friday Faves, so I'm all in!

So let's see where to begin...I don't even really remember what I did the rest of last week. Apparently nothing that exciting! OH duh....Wednesday I stayed up till 1am baking for the tailgate! I was highly disappointed in my box mix red velvet attempt at whoopie pies, so those were scratched. I made a batch from scratch on Wednesday....yes, I actually bought measuring cups and a mixer. They actually turned out pretty amazing. Still don't have the high altitude baking down yet because the second pan was super gooey and not cooked all the way through in the middle. Don't get it twisted, I ate the shit out of the gooey stuff because it was so amazingly yummy, but I didn't think my coworkers would appreciate the possibility of uncooked eggs. So I was left bringing about 15 whoopie pies and cake balls -which I think are still in my coworkers car...ooops- that they ate. And liked! Sad part was that I grabbed red icing, not food coloring. They were not red velvet, just brown velvet!

Thursday we worked a bit in the morning then went to the tailgate. I ate wayyyy too much. And drank more than I needed to, carb and calorie wise. No, I was not inappropriate around my new coworkers thank you very much! I sat with K & B (surprise!) which was tons of fun, even though B hardly knows anything about football.

The game was fun but we left at the start of the 3rd quarter when it started raining, and ended up at the bar. I had another beer there, because I was not about to mix my booze! Note to self: Beer is not good for the waistline or for the feet. I'm having severe puffiness up here and I can't figure it out!!! Anyone know why I would be super puffy in high altitude? Doesn't make sense to me, but I guess I should see a doctor.

Anyhoo...Friday at work was quite slow. I got in late (still beat the boys)  around 9:15am and left around 2pm. I got my nails done....shellac French mani... for half price. I somehow always luck into that! I love them this time!!! So super cute and looks like they will last a while. The owner told me to come back again next time and they will do them again for half price. Love it!! I had plans Friday evening to meet up with K & B for K's bday, but I realized I had nothing cute in my closet that fit me. Plus, they were all wearing white pants. I did *not* want to stand out in the wrong way! I ended up buying a whole new outfit (ughhhhhhh not good saving money) for the night. The pieces are super cute and I could totally remix with other pieces I own. The good part was that I bought it from a consignment shop! Apparently my pants should've cost $150, but I got them for $45, tags still on! K, B & R (the three bffs) loved them and wanted to know where I got them! I was so embarrassed to tell them it was from a consignment shop, so I waited until everyone had a few drinks in them before I shared. I also bought a cute black/gold shirt that conveniently hid my tummy pooch -score!- for $17. I shouldn't have bought that, but it was super cute and perfect for the outfit. I will definitely be re-wearing that. I bought a gold bangle for $6 to make the outfit complete -again....completely unnecessary- but I felt really put together and "adult," not broke college kid. That was a huge self-esteem booster, considering I'm the youngest one of the group by about 7 years. Finally, I bought a black Armani Exchange jacket for $11.50! Score!! I didn't wear it because it was too warm and I didn't need it, but I love it! I always admire people's clothing who look "put together," and it recently clicked with me that layering with a jacket really adds to that "put together" look. I'm not sure how much the jacket originally cost, but it is in amazing condition and for $11.50, I couldn't pass up an Armani Exchange jacket that will make me feel "adult" and "put together." In the end, although I feel like I spent entirely too much hard earned money on one outfit, I will definitely get a lot of use out of the items and it will be worth it in the end.

Going out with the girls was so much fun! One thing I was lacking in Houston were female friends which makes me appreciate the fact that I've become one of the gang so quickly. There were 6 of us that went to this cute little local (yes, semi-hippie) restaurant cafe for dinner. I had a steak salad which was amazing. You could definitely tell the veggies were local and fresh. I subbed out potatoes for extra asparagus -obsessed. Best decision of the night! We split tapas (I only had a shrimp stuffed mushroom and a bit of the hummus) and dessert- tiramisu and blueberry/lemon bread pudding. I did really good and only had a nibble of each dessert! And no drinks at dinner! Happy Birthday K!

We then went to K's favorite bar, Dick & Dixie's. Honestly, it's not my favorite. Not bad, but just not my scene. I'd much rather have a hole in the wall sports bar type bar, instead of a whole in the wall hippie/emo/occasionally lesbian bar. But hey, fun company and cheap drinks so I can't complain!

Ok I got rid of the red-eye on my phone, don't know why they still look creepy here!

We left D&D probably around midnight-ish because one of our coworkers, S, was having a graduation party. In the hierarchy of our office, K is the boss, then me, and S is below me. I don't like to say I'm his boss, but yes, technically he does have to listen to me. We're more like a team, which is amazing. Anyways, that is boring. S was celebrating his MBA graduation. Yay S! S made a point of introducing me to a lot of his friends, since we are both the same age. His friends were tons of fun and I really hope they invite me out again. I could see us being good friends. We'll see. I'm already becoming good friends with K, but it would be fun to have 2 groups of good friends. K & B and the girls, S and the boys. Plus K & S have been friends for a while, so we could even all be friends and it not be awkward. I hope. Haha I sound like a little kid talking about friends. Fast forward to age 27 please :) K has a cute pic of the three of us that I hope she sends me soon. Def will post! I ended up driving....don't know why I volunteered, but I don't mind at all.....and the gang wanted to stop for 24 hour breakfast burritos. Gotta love drunk food cravings! K had a California Burrito-steak, potatoes, cheese? guac? and B & R had egg & cheese breakfast burritos. I opted for the smaller Carne Asada taco. No potato and I hardly ate much of the tortilla. Yay late night snacking. The cute pic is us waiting for our burritos.

Love ya ladies! Oh it rained. See the back window? K loved it.

S & I (and N) bought K a cake for her birthday that we brought to the tailgate. And by "we" I mean S. He picked out the perfect cake. Chocolate with chocolate mousse and ganache or some incredibly amazing combination of chocolate. Totally pigged out on that when we got back too. Whoops. Hey, it's a bday.....you can't *not* have cake. Glad it wasn't mine because I would eat the entire thing. Without sharing. In one sitting. OMG ILoveChocolate. haha

Now today. Today was crazy and will be part of my moving post. What I will tell you, is that I went to Bar  Method class this morning and went on a 5.75 walk/run this afternoon. It felt sooooooooooo goood!!!!! I think I overate today though. That is my problem. Just because I exercise I think that it gives me free reign to eat a ton. It does not. I've now been sitting on my new rocking cushy office chair for the past 2 hours. It's called "Moving Karma" and will be part of my moving post.....stay tuned ;)

And with that, I am hot, sweaty, and dirty, so it is bath time for me! Good night lovelies.

WAIT!!!

Happy Labor Day weekend!!! What are your exciting Labor Day plans?? Tomorrow I'll be going to church and either going to brunch and mountain hiking with the girls (K, B & R) or I will be cooking breakfast and going for a walk in the park, similar to today. Who knows what Monday will bring! Maybe shopping both days!

Ok good night for reals yo :)