38 is GREAT!

Today is my BIRTHDAY! I am 38 ... hard to believe, I really don't feel 38. But then I look at my kids and can't believe how big they're getting and can't believe they're really mine so I guess I must really be 38, whether I feel like it or not. =) 

So anyway, I haven't blogged in forever and I feel bad, but life has been so, super busy lately and thankfully we only have 3 and half more days until the school year is over - then we can enjoy SUMMER! Yay, can't wait! 

I thought it would be fun to document some things about myself at 38 ... some things haven't changed but some things have. For one thing, with every year that passes I feel more and more confident in just being who I am. Not trying to be someone else, or trying to impress people, or trying to change to whats expected of me - but simply embracing the ME that God created me to be. Little things like the fact that I'm so emotional and cry so easily - so what, that's me - get used to it, it's not going away anytime soon. And that I like to change things often, not because I'm discontent, but because changes are fun and keep life interesting. I love changing around the furniture and decor in my house ... I also love changing things like my hair cut and color. Change is good. Embrace it. 

Some things I love ... coffee always tops the list. =)

Family. Friends. Reading. Scrapbooking. Taking photos. Flowers. COLOR. Decorating.The beach. Swimming. Relaxing. Watching my kids play sports. Being with girlfriends. 

Movies nights with my family. Baking. Camping. 

Sitting outside and enjoying a quiet morning.

Smiles and hugs from kids at school. 

This year I got my nose pierced! Not something I EVER thought I would do! Bob had been begging me to do it for SO long and I kept saying no, I'm not interested. Finally around Valentine's day I had been thinking about it more and thinking about how he is always SO good to me and would do anything for me. I thought that if he was willing to do so much for me, why couldn't I do this one little thing for him. I'm not gonna lie, it did hurt when they did it. But only for a little while and then it's been fine ever since. 

And I actually really like it now. 

 And can I just say how thankful I am for this guy? Later this year we will celebrate 18 years of marriage ... I have known him for more than half of my life and could not even put into words how blessed I am. I have never, ever, ever met someone as selfless as him - he will literally put me and our girls before himself in just about every single scenario. He is always going above and beyond to make sure we are safe, cared for, loved and yes, even spoiled. 

Then there is my amazing family. I am incredibly blessed to have the family that I do. This year my Mom got married to a wonderful man named Wayne and I got 6 new step-brothers and sisters along with more nieces and nephews. It's something I never expected, but has already been a blessing. And not to mention that I am SO happy for my Mom. 

This year we've all tried new things. Some good, some bad, some hard, some fun. One thing I never thought I'd do was run a 10k. Just about 4 years ago I had never run more than 30 seconds in a row. I couldn't even get a quarter mile without feeling like I was gonna die. But through Bob's encouragement and a lovely little plan called Couch to 5k I slowly learned how to build up to running a 5k ... then, last year through my friend Christina's encouragement and lots and lots of lovely miles we put in together, I finally built up to a 10k! So in the past year I have run TWO 10K's and a few 5K's as well. It's an amazing feeling to know you can conquer something like this! And in just a few short weeks Bob and I will be running in our first ever Spartan Race - I am definitely nervous but also excited to prove to myself how strong I am and how far I've come. Now if you're reading this thinking 'no way, not for me, I could NEVER do that' ... trust me, you CAN! I have a lovely friend Erin who blogs here ... go check out her posts on running, weight loss and how far she's come in all of this. Anyone can do this!

I love, love, love my girlies ... so deeply that sometimes it hurts! It hurts when they don't respect me how they should, or don't seem to care if my feelings get hurt over something they say or do or when they would prefer their friends or their ipods over me ... but more than the hurts are the crazy, amazing ways that I learn and grow through being their Mom. Sometimes I am the worst perfectionist and think it's totally my job to make sure they 'turn out right' ... not remembering that these are amazing girls, each with their own gifts and personalities and that God will see them through! He has big plans for these girls! He loves them SO much more than I ever could! Being a Mom is tough sometimes and I often feel the weight of the world on me ... but it keeps me on my knees before God, asking Him daily to watch over them and give us wisdom in raising them. And I am one proud Mama ... they are smart, beautiful on the inside and out, talented, and I am just so thankful for both of them!

Since I am such a perfectionist at heart I am always trying to find ways to improve myself. Reading articles about raising kids, reading books about parenting through the teen years, trying to find ways to become healthier and teach my girls about healthy choices, etc. I love the idea of always changing, always working toward new goals, always challenging yourself and learning new things. I have some goals for summer, which include reading a large stack of books on lots of great topics that I have sort of been putting off during these busy school-year months. Summer is such a great time to sit by the pool and read while the girls swim. I also REALLY want to catch up on my scrapbooks! I am SO far behind! I have started doing more of a 'Project Life' style instead of 12x12 fancy, decorated pages ... much easier to slide the pics in and be done. I hope to show some pages I've done in future blog posts. 

So anyway ... I guess that's all for now ... thankful for another year of LIFE and just thankful to be ME! 

 {So far} ... 38 is GREAT!! 

My 2014 Vision Board

OK it's Saturday and I have time so here comes another blog post for today! I have a feeling most of my posts will happen on the weekends when I have time to catch up!

So I read this fab blog called Peak 313 Fitness and this year she talked about making a vision board to visualize your goals for the year. Her post is HERE if you want to take a moment to read it and get an idea what I'm talking about.

Taking my word INTENTIONAL and running with it, I had SUCH a fun time putting this board together! I already had the large bulletin board in my bedroom, it had photos of hubby and I through the years on it - I moved those photos to another place and used the bulletin board for this project. I used things I found in magazines, some free printables from the Peak 313 blog, and also printed out some things from my Pinterest Boards that I found especially inspirational.

The board is set up in four sections with four major areas of life I'd like to be intentional in this year. 

Relationships, Finances, Health and Faith. 

I know a few friends who are making similar goals this year and I'm excited to have people who will help keep me accountable and cheer me on. I hope to do likewise for them as well and pray that I can be an encouragement in their lives as well.

Clare's vision board idea stems from the concept of 'dream it, do it' ... so you dream of the progress you'd like to make in certain areas of your life, then you make a plan of action so you can DO IT! 
I also LOVE how on Clare's posts she uses this verse as a guideline, after all, if you pray that the Lord will help you, He will never fail to show up and give you the strength to accomplish great things! 

                                    “Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
                   and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3

OK, here is the whole picture of my board: 

Here is the HEALTH section

And my health section DREAM IT / DO IT goals:

Here is my FAITH section

And my faith section goals:

Here is my FINANCES section

And the finances section goals:

My RELATIONSHIP section

And the relationship goals:

I put this photo of my family over the photo of NO FB ... not because I am 

going to stop using FB altogether, but I want to be intentional about limiting

my time on there and specifically limiting the time while my family is home

and awake. If the girls aren't home or are already in bed for the night I don't

mind spending a little time on it. But if it's the evening time and everyone is home

and awake I want to spend that time WITH THEM, not with FB. 

At the top of the board is my word for the year as a little reminder. 

And in the center I printed out Clare's Dream it ---> Do it graphic. 

Here is the whole thing hanging on my wall. I get so inspired each time I walk past it!

How about you? Do you have big dreams, plans or goals for the year? 

Taking care of myself this year

so I am sort of lazy when it comes to all sorts of things that relate to taking care of myself.

I forget to floss ALL.THE.TIME.

I don’t wash my makeup off at night, way too often.

I loathe exercise.

I love krispy kremes  

 

there are just so many unhealthy habits that I want NEED to break and work on this year.

it’s so easy to tell my kids they need to take care of their teeth or skin or bodies, so why don’t I follow my own advice?!

 

another thing I neglect is the way I look. don’t get me wrong, I DO like to dress up, put on makeup and look nice – but I just don’t make it a priority on a regular basis!

at home I’m happy in my sweat pants and slippers, ya know?

 

so this year I’ve decided I need to set a better example for my girls. I’m not saying I have to be vain or put beauty above all else. but I do need to take care of the body I’ve been given and that means even the little things like teeth and hair and such.

 

one thing I’m so bad about is scheduling regular haircuts. I’ll get a cute cut and then won’t make another appointment for MONTHS to the point that I look like a shaggy dog cause my cute cut has grown out all funky. my hair has had that shaggy feel for the past couple of weeks so today I made the time to go get a cut … and it feels SO much better!

 

BEFORE

AFTER

BEING SILLY  

 

 

 

 

 

it’s definitely not a BIG change, but all that yucky bulk is gone and it looks and FEELS so much better!

 

another change this week is that I’m back to exercising again and back to using the myfitnesspal app. I got an iphone for Christmas {for the first time, yay me!} and having the app right on my phone is AWESOME and so easy for tracking my food and exercise.

I will be back to share more about all that soon.

but for now, have a wonderful day friends!

You CAN eat Healthy on a budget

Soooo, I've been trying to make some positive changes around here - one being stick to a good budget and another being trying to eat healthier. I will be the first to admit that those two things don't always go well together! It's a fact that healthy, WHOLE foods DO cost more than buying cheap, unhealthy, convenience foods. But who wants to sacrifice good health for a cheaper price tag?

My goal has been to stick to {about} $100 each week for our grocery budget. We live in a VERY expensive state and we are a family of four, so this is no easy task. There are definitely some weeks that I go WAY over that budget and especially on weeks when I need to add household items but on this particular week I was able to get everything you see in the pictures below for $93 and that was with NO coupons.

Also, I DO have some things on hand already, a few things in the freezer and the pantry ... and like I said, I didn't need any household items this week. But overall I thought I did pretty well considering most of it is stuff that is good for you.

PANTRY ITEMS:
1 bag croutons {we are doing a salad bar for dinner this wk and the girls requested these & the bacon bits, otherwise I wouldn't have bought either one}
1 jar bacon bits
1 box sugar free jello
1 box sugar free pudding
2 boxes healthy harvest pasta
1 box green tea bags
1 can peaches {my girls love}
1 bottle of ranch {for my daughter}
1 bag pita chips {hubby's snack of choice with his hummus}

FRIDGE/FREEZER ITEMS:

1 carton unsweetened almond milk

1 bag pierogies {for the girl's lunch}

1 carton eggs

1 bag green beans

1 bag corn

hummus {for hubby}

butter

forgot to put these in the last photo:

1 lb butter

3 Chobani greek yogurt {my fave}

MEATS:
1 whole chicken {not very big but will be enough for a meal}
1 lb ground turkey
1 pork loin
perdue short cuts {wouldn't normally buy but these are for the salad bar night}
3 packs imitation crab meat {another of hubby's fave snacks}

VEGGIES:
1 lg bag romaine lettuce
1 bag spinach
1 {5 lb} bag carrots
2 packs grape tomatoes
2 sweet potatoes
4 cucumbers

FRUITS:
7 bananas
6 Gala apples
1 pck strawberries
6 lemons

Meals I plan to have this week are:

T - Turkey Meatloaf with Sweet Potato fries and Green Beans

W - Egg Salad Sandwiches {on Awana night when we need to get out the door}TH - Whole Chicken with Corn and Salad

F - Salad Bar night

S - Pork Loin with Potatoes and Broccoli

SU - Tacos {daughter's request for her family bday party}


Overall I think I used my budget fairly well this week. I have some good, healthy meals planned and lots of fresh fruits and veggies on hand to encourage healthy choices.

What are some of your tips for stretching your budget to allow for healthy choices??

Ate Eight Challenge

So I mentioned in my 'November' post that I'm doing a challenge with my mother in law where you have to eat these 8 super foods every day. At first I was a little intimidated and not totally sure I'd be able to squeeze all 8 in every day! But it's been 4 days now and I'm finding it's really not that tough, you just need a little creativity! I figured I'd post what I've had the the past 4 days and maybe it would encourage others who might want to take on this challenge but were nervous about it.

I will also say that I'm SURE I will really need to start mixing it up soon as I'm confident that I'll begin to get bored with the same 'ol stuff. But for now certain things are my go-to items and I have them every day. Also, I HAVE eaten some snacky kinda things that I SHOULDN'T have this week - I am SO not a perfect, healthy eater but I'm working on it. So please forgive those things when you see them. =)

Just to review, here are the items on the list {and their substitutions in brackets, you will notice I use MANY of the subs}

1. Spinach {kale, bok choy, romaine}
2. Yogurt {kefir, soy yogurt}
3. Tomatoes {tomato juice, watermelon, pink grapefruit, papaya, guava}
4. Carrots {sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, yellow pepper, mango}
5. Blueberries {purple grapes, prunes, raisins, strawberries}
6. Black Beans {peas, lentils, pinto, kidney, fava, lima}
7. Walnuts {almonds, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia, hazelnuts}
8. Oats {quinoa, flax seed, wild rice}



Tuesday
Breakfast -
1. Oats cooked in the microwave with
2. Raisins,
3. Walnuts
and Blueberry Agave syrup

Snack -
4. Pumpkin smoothie made with ice, milk, sugar, spices, pumpkin &
5. yogurt

Lunch -
Margarita Grilled Chicken {at Chili's w/ family} with
6. Black beans

{5 mini swedish fish while waiting for dinner - it's HARD with all this Halloween candy in the house!}

Supper -
Baked Fresh fish {that hubby caught!}
Fries and a
7. Spinach salad with
8. Tomatoes

In the evening - a cup of tea

Wednesday
Breakfast -
1. Oats w/ Agave
2. Raisins &
3. Walnuts

Lunch -
4. Spinach salad w/
5. Garbanzo beans, apples, feta cheese
6. V8 juice

Snack -
7. Pumpkin smoothie w/ milk, ice, sugar &
8. Yogurt

{2 mini candy bars - one Almond Joy, one 3 Muskateers - I'm really trying hard to avoid the candy, most years I would be gobbling a TON of it up but this year I'm trying so hard to stay away from it, so a piece here or there I'm not gonna beat myself up over}

Supper -
{Chili's again! Crazy, I know, but it was Awana night and I went with friends!}
Grilled Chicken Tacos w/
Black beans {so double beans for the day!}

No snack in the evening

Thursday
Breakfast -
1. Oats {are you seeing a pattern here?!} w/ cinnamon sugar
2. raisins &
3. walnuts

Snack -
4. Pumpkin Smoothie {same ingredients as the other days} w/
5. Yogurt

2 Ritz crackers and a slice of Amer. cheese cause I was starving before I got home for lunch!

Lunch -
Sandwich made with 9 grain bread, ham, meunster cheese and
6. 1 cup spinach piled on the sandwich

Snack -
1 cup smart food popcorn
coffee

Supper-
7./8. Taco soup {beans and tomatoes}
Organic shredded cheddar cheese
bagel chips {needed something crunchy, should have just skipped these but oh well!}

Dessert-
Baked Pear dessert w/
Yogurt and {2nd serv. for the day}
Almonds {2nd serv of nuts for the day}

Friday
Breakfast-
1. Oats w/ Agave
2. Raisins
3. Walnuts

At our MOMS program-
2 mini lemon poppyseed muffins
cup of apple cider

Lunch-
4./5. Taco soup {tomatoes and beans}
Organic cheddar cheese

Snack-
Single serve pack of Lorna Doone cookies
coffee
2 pretzels {just had the terrible munchies this afternoon!!}
THEN, cause I still wasn't satisfied an hour later ...
Decided to make myself a
6. Pumpkin smoothie {cause at least if I'm gonna keep eating, it should be good for me!}
7. with yogurt in it
8. and I threw in a cup of spinach too cause I didn't feel like having salad today but that way I still got my spinach in. TRUST me, you could NOT even taste the spinach in the pumpkin smoothie.

And that's it ... we haven't had dinner yet today.
Sorry for those who find this incredibly BORING ... but I always like to hear what other people are eating to get ideas of how to be healthier. So I figured I'd share. Again, I am NOT a perfect eater by any means ... totally a work in progress here! The two big things I need to work on are choosing GOOD, healthy snacks when I'm hungry instead of useless stuff like cookies and pretzels ... AND kicking my sugar habit {I just can't seem to have my coffee, oatmeal or smoothies without sweetener in them - any advice on this??}

And if you actually read this whole post and are even remotely interested I will continue to post some of my daily meals ... if not, feel free to stop me by saying 'no one cares Kathy!' in the comments. =)

Have a great weekend!!!!!

{Day 30} Taking Care of the Me in Mommy

I know I've talked a lot about books or blogs in the past month. In case you haven't noticed yet I REALLY love to read! I love to read books, blogs, magazines, anything! I just love to learn and grow from things I read. I constantly bookmark blogs with awesome content that I want to remember. I also mark up my books with lots of highlighting and underlining. I just feel like there is so much really great information out there that can help me grow as a Christian wife and mom and I just can't get enough of it!

So here I go recommending another great book. Taking Care of the Me in Mommy by Lisa Welchel is a WONDERFUL book! We did this book as part of our MOMS group 2 years ago and it was really, really good for me. After all, if you're anything like me, you tend to leave taking care of yourself as the last thing you do. Being a Mom means you tend to take care of everyone else's needs before your own. And that's OK, as long as you aren't neglecting yourself in the process.

Reading this book helped me learn a ton of little ways I could take care of my body, soul, and mind. Lisa Welchel is a fantastic author who is very genuine and real about her own life. You never feel like she's too good or all high and mighty because she's a celebrity. She's humble in sharing both her strengths and her failures which I just love. I feel like she would be one of my very best girlfriends if I knew her in person.

I will readily admit that I go through big phases of taking care of myself well and not doing so well. There are times I neglect to floss my teeth or wash my makeup off at night. There are times when I fail to eat healthfully or might not exercise for weeks. There are times when I fail to have my quiet time with the Lord for weeks on end. Or when I am not feeding my mind with beneficial stuff. I am a work in progress FOR SURE and I mess this up all the time.

But I'm trying. I know I've said it many times before but I feel like it bears repeating. I'm trying. It's hard. I fail. But I try. I grow ... I take a few steps back ... I grow again ... and on and on it goes. But as I've grown I have begun to realize that I am a MUCH better wife and mom when I AM taking care of myself.

Taking care of myself physically is probably the hardest thing for me. I have said before that I hate to exercise and I love to eat - it's NOT a good combination! hahaha But seriously, being a healthy mom is a challenge for me. I have to MAKE myself choose healthy foods and avoid unhealthy ones. I have to push myself to exercise even though there are a hundred other things I would much rather be doing. But when I do those things - I feel SO much better! I am happier, healthier and setting a great example to my girls. They need to see that it's important to take care of yourself for a long life filled with good health. One thing that helps me with this is to set small goals and take baby steps. By that I mean - don't all of the sudden say 'I will exercise 10 hours this week!' or 'I will eat all vegetables for the next week!' -- instead, make small changes and set small goals for yourself. Last year I decided I wanted to learn to run. So we chose a 5k that was about 3 months away and began running little by little for 2-3 days per week until finally I was able to run the whole thing! It was such a great feeling of accomplishment and I knew that I wanted to reach that goal, so I wouldn't let myself quit in my training.

Taking care of my soul/spirit is another thing with amazing benefits when I do it. There are many days I do not choose to read my Bible or have my quiet time. It's not something I'm proud of, but many times there are so many other things competing for my attention. However, when I'm doing well and having a consistent quiet time I feel closer to the Lord and am a much better wife and mom. I am the kind of person who likes to have some sort of devotional with questions or ideas to make me think. There are TONS of wonderful Bible studies / devotionals for women out there. I suggest getting one and your Bible and a blank notebook for praise and prayers and just make yourself sit for at least 5-10 min every day. Each day your time will probably grow and grow as you draw closer to the Lord.

Taking care of your mind means you have to do things to keep your mind working. If you stay at home with your kids and don't hold down a job outside the home you can often feel like your mind has turned to mush. {At least that's how I feel!} Many days I'm not even sure what day it is! How sad is that?! Challenging my mind is a good way to keep it from turning to mush. Homeschooling my kids has CERTAINLY helped a lot with this! I am learning and re-learning SO many things right alongside my girls most days! But even if you don't homeschool, there are lots of things you can do for your mind. Read the newspaper, do word puzzles or Sudoku, read GOOD books, stay aware of current events, etc. Good books are ones that will challenge you and help you to grow. There are also tons of wonderful pieces of literature out there. Don't waste your time on junk reading - use your time for filling your mind with good things that will help you grow and mature and learn. {This is nothing against good fiction, I DO read and love fiction - just be sure the things you read and the themes represented are quality and worth your time.}

Here is a list of simple things you can do to take care of yourself daily:

* get enough sleep at night
* eat a healthy breakfast to begin your day
* spend a few minutes in quiet time with the Lord each morning, even if you need to shoo your kids off for a few minutes until you're done
* drink lots of water
* plan healthy meals and be sure you stock your fridge and pantry so you're prepared to make them
* do something active
* have a little quiet reading time each afternoon - it's good for kids AND for us!
* wash your face, brush your hair and teeth, floss your teeth {seems simple but I know I've neglected these things at times!}
* get to sleep at a decent time every night

Today's Challenge: Start taking care of yourself! hahaha ... is that too simple? Well, I know how hard it is to take care of yourself and put your needs higher on the priority list so I think that's enough of a challenge for one day. =) OH, and if you get a chance, check out Lisa's book, Taking Care of the Me in Mommy - I promise you'll love it!

FOUR ... count 'em ... FOUR Healthy Recipes!

Hey friends! As I've stated in the past I'm working towards healthier eating and also trying to eat more WHOLE foods, less processed. It's definitely a work in progress and probably always will be. But I thought I'd share a few recipes I've made recently in case any of you are interested in healthy/whole eating too.


PS. My friend Jessica is AWESOME at this, she has made homemade NutriGrain bars, homemade POPTARTS!, and even homemade Graham Crackers. She has done a lot of research about what is IN many of our convenience foods - and since most come up with HUGE lists of unknown items she finds ways or recipes to make them with whole foods. She inspires me! If you click on her name above you can check out her blog where she shares some great recipes.


In fact, this first recipe I'm going to share is one from Jessica! She calls it her Breakfast Cookie, so I've adopted that name as well. After all, who wouldn't want a cookie for breakfast??!!

BREAKFAST COOKIE

1/2 cup old fashioned oats {not cooked} 4g fiber, 140 calories, 2.5g protein
2 TBSP whipped Peanut butter or Natural PB {I have done both depending on what's in my pantry} 2g fiber, 150 calories, 6g prot
1 tsp cinnamon
1 TBSP ground flax seed 2g fib, 30 cal, 1.5g prot
drizzle of honey {didn't look up nutritional info - I think it's about 70 cal per TBSP - sometimes I leave this out}

Mix it all together in a bowl - it won't totally come together like a 'cookie' so I just eat it with a spoon. I LOVE peanut butter so this is yummy for me. It is a bit on the dry side, so I had a half cup of skim milk with it {4g prot, 0g fib, 45 cal}.

Makes this breakfast 265 calories, 8g fiber, 14g of protein You could add a piece of fruit to this and still be under 400 calories for the morning. And with all that fiber and protein you are sure to stay full for awhile!

Next we have one of my FAVE lunch recipes ...

CHICKEN SALAD WRAPS

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts {which I cut into small strips and boil in a pot of water to cook} then dice them up into bite size pieces. (0grams fiber 220calories)
1/4 cup craisins (3grams fiber 130 calories)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (2grams fiber 190 calories)
1 cup chick peas (14grams fiber 220 calories)
1 red delish apple chopped up (3grams fiber 91 calories)
Mayo - 2 TBSP (0fiber 200 calories)
Some times I add a little diced up onion just for added flavor.
And of course you can add salt/pepper or whatever seasoning you like.
Chop the chicken and apples and onion and then mix everything together.

I spoon some into large pieces of lettuce, then wrap them up and eat it like a taco! Makes 4 servings - make it on Monday and have lunch ready for the next 4 days. 262 calories per serving and 5.5 grams of fiber per serving. {Sorry, when I figured out my nutritional info on this one I forgot to do the protein count - but trust me it's high with the chicken and the chick peas!}

And now, how about a yummy dessert?

CHOCOLATE/PEANUT BUTTER RICOTTA SHAKE

{before you cringe just TRY it!}
1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese {120 cal. 20!! grams protein 0 fiber}
1/2 cup Almond milk {30cal. .5g prot. .5 fiber}
1 TBSP peanut butter {90cal. 6g prot. 0 fib}
1 truvia packet
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup of ice
Blend all together and serve in a large 16 oz glass.

THIS TASTES YUMMY AND CREAMY, JUST LIKE AN ICE CREAM SHAKE! It's got a total of 240 calories, 26.5g protein and .5g fiber. You will feel FULL after drinking this!

I did a little comparison with Stewart's Choc. Peanut Butter Ice Cream - for 1/2 cup there is 200 calories, 14g fat, 0 fiber and only 4g protein. And it's ONLY a half cup! Which isn't much if you ask me! The shake has SO much protein that it's sure to make you feel full!

Lastly I have a homemade granola bar recipe that I just made this week ...

HOMEMADE CHEWY NO BAKE GRANOLA BARS {from the blog New Nostalgia}

■4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter {I used reg. butter}
■1/2 cup packed light brown sugar {I didn't even 'pack' it, just loosely filled the cup}
■1/4 cup honey
■2-1/2 cups oats or leftover granola {I used all oats}
■1/2 cup total of the following ingredients: wheat germ {about 1/4 cup}, ground flax seeds {about 2 tablespoons} and whole flax seeds {about 2 tablespoons}. Or substitute with more oatmeal, rice cereal, or nuts. {I did the whole amount of ground flax seed}
■1/2 cup Craisins
■1/2 cup chopped almonds (you could sub any nut or seed)
■1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I did 5 TBSP DARK choc chips)
■*I added 2 Tbls Chia seeds (I did not use)
I also added about a TBSP of cinnamon.

1.In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the honey and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
2.Add the remaining ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, to the saucepan and fold the ingredients to evenly coat with the sauce. Transfer the granola mixture to a 9-by-13-inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly to evenly fill. Gently press the chocolate chips onto the top of the granola. Let the granola mixture set in the fridge until firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into 2-1/4-by 3-inch bars. (I didn't measure, but cut mine into 12 'bars')
3.Store in the fridge.

I figured out the nutritional info on these and they came out to 242 calories per bar if you cut them into 12 pieces. Not a bad snack. If that seems like too many calories for a snack you could cut them in smaller pieces or you could adapt your ingredients.

So there you go friends ... a breakfast, a lunch, a snack and a dessert. Now I just need to work on building my healthy dinner options! If you have any you'd like to share I'd love to hear from you!

So about that 5k thing ...

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I signed up to run a 5k on Thanksgiving day. Now before you think I'm crazy, or that I've been running all my life, please hear me out!


At this point I haven't actually run the race yet so it may sound cocky to say, but I really do think ANYONE can run a 5k.


I have probably made it known on here that I LOATHE exercise and I LOVE to eat. A terrible combination, right?!


For the past several years I have started and stopped diets and exercise plans at least a dozen or more times. I'm one of those people that starts out doing well on Mon, Tue, Wed and Thur and then ruins all my good work by being lazy and splurging too much on Fri-Sun. ;)


I have also always been the kind of person to make excuses and say that because I'm a busy homeschool Mom I just don't have time for exercise. Or that I can't go to the gym because I have the girls with me all day, every day.


Well I'm not sure what changed, but this fall I began to notice that I had gained a bunch of weight over the summer. I couldn't fit in most of my clothes and could not afford to go out and buy new, bigger ones. I have a closet full of things that are just too small and tight. And it's really NOT in our budget to go out and get a whole new wardrobe! I guess all that loathing exercise and loving food finally caught up with me!


I decided to try 'learning' to run. I know that sounds silly but when I first got started I could not even run for ONE full minute without stopping to walk. So I loosely followed a plan called the 'Couch to 5k' plan which is something I would highly recommend for anyone who would like to learn how to run. You start off really easy by running 30 seconds, then walking 2 minutes and you keep doing intervals like that. Each week you increase your running time as you slowly decrease your walking time. All of the sudden you are running most of the time and hardly walking at all!


As of this week I can run between 2 and 3 miles without stopping. It's still not easy. It's still hurts almost every time. I literally have a running conversation with myself in my head the WHOLE time - it goes something like this - keep going, you CAN do this, don't stop, YES, you CAN do all things through Christ who gives you strength, almost there, hang in there, don't quit, not much further .... and so on and so on. I can't talk to other people when I run because I'm too busy 'talking' to myself! hahaha


As of right now my plan is that I run 3 times per week and on the in-between days I do some other form of exercise. My current faves are the TurboJam videos which I can do in the comfort of my own home. Some days I do the elliptical machine, meet a friend to walk, or go for a hike with my family. And then I always take Sundays off to rest. So my goal is to exercise 6 days per week.


Out of the past 32 days I have done 23 days of exercise. I have missed some days but instead of feeling like I've failed, I just pick myself up and move on. As someone who has constantly failed to make exercise consistent in my life I am very amazed at what I've accomplished this month. I'm not trying to be proud or cocky - just trying to encourage everyone that it IS possible.


They say it takes 21 days to make a new habit stick. I'm really hoping and praying that this will stick and that I will stick with it even in the coming winter months. I admit I'm a little fearful of how I will run once the weather is too cold or how I will keep up with this. But I'm praying that I will just keep doing my best.


Finally, I can't really say that I've lost any weight or that my clothes are all fitting better now. But I KNOW that I'm making better choices for my health. And I can feel my endurance getting stronger. I still splurge on treats sometimes but I'm trying to just focus on being a healthy person and not worry so much about what the scale says.


Oh yeah - yes it IS so hard to make the time to schedule exercise. But Bob has been super supportive of me and helps out any time he can. I also take advantage of things like when the kids are at soccer practice - instead of sitting in a chair watching the practice, I walk/run laps around the field. Or while they are at Awana I walk around the mall. I also have to rearrange our schedule some days so that I can run before hubby goes to work or things like that. It takes a lot of juggling but it's so worth it. And the TurboJam videos I do many days while the girls are playing together in the afternoons. Some times they even sit and watch me! I think it's great that they see their Mom making good health a priority.


So anyway, sorry this has gotten so long winded. I guess my point is that if I can go from not being able to run for a full minute without stopping to being almost prepared to run in a 5k - YOU CAN TOO!


Check out the Couch to 5k plan and remember YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES YOU STRENGTH! PHIL 4:13