A Date With Jillian: 30 Day Shred

30 Day Shred

Don't you love our Cow Skin Rug! 

For a couple of weeks I have been wanting to find a good at home workout video to do on my days that I do not go to the gym.  I have heard so many good things about Jillian's 30 Day Shred from online comments, and I have since heard from people I know that it is a great video and has great results.

I first heard about the 30 Day Shred about 5 months ago from a blog that I read call Mama L.  She had great results from doing this video (along with healthy eating of course).  Another fellow blogger, Holly, at Where We Can Live Like Jack and Sally blogged about her 30 Day Shred Challenge today too! Be sure to stop by their blogs and share the love!

I purchased the DVD for 9 bucks at Walmart. (I can't help but think of Honey Boo Boo's " A dollar makes me holler!" saying) The DVD says you may need a yoga mat (if working out on a hard surface) and 5lbs hand weights. 

I was so excited to have this new DVD for me to do at home. In my head I was thinking that I was going to rock this workout! I have been working out for 3 months/ 3 days a week hardcore. I have been using 20-25 lbs weights, this was going to be a piece of cake workout. WAS.I.EVER.WRONG!! I think I got over confident and bought 8lbs hand weights. These are a killer!

Jillian is a beast! I did her 20 min workout and was so exhausted when I finished. She definitely gave me a run for my money. Day 1 on level 1.....I was sore! I could not believe how effective her 20 min workout was.

Butterfly lifts

Killer Ab Workout!

I am looking forward to seeing how Jillian is going to workout my body for the next 30 days. (i.e I rotate gym and at home workout days) 

I'm headed for vacation this week and will be taking this DVD with me.  No excuses right?!  Not even on vacation.

For all you followers...all 12 of you, do you care to join the challenge?  This is a quick but intense workout that we all need...regardless of if we need to lose weight or not.  Let me know if you would care and join in on the 30 Day Shred!

Cheers to Healthy Eating!



Skinny Baked Spaghetti

Skinny Baked Spaghetti

Skinny, quick, and delish!  I love anything pasta. This past week we wanted a pasta meal so I decided to make Skinny Baked Spaghetti. 

You will need:

-Pasta

-Sauce

-Ground Meat (93% lean or deer meat) 

-Any kind of Fat Free Cheese

-Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning

Boil pasta and brown meat as usual.  Instead of adding butter or salt to the pasta, shake some Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning to help the noodles not stick.  Add to meat as well.

Did you know that if you place a wooden spoon over your pot it will prevent water from boiling over. (Thanks Pinterest)

When the meat is cooked thoroughly, add any No Sodium or Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce.  Add more Mrs. Dash Seasoning to taste.

I purchased this at my local Ingles.  Low Sodium sauce that had less than 30mg or sodium for 1/2 cup.  Flavor is wonderful!

I usually add plain noodles on the bottom with a little fat free cheese on top to have the noodles stick.

Mix, meat sauce and noodles and layer in a baking dish.  Add Fat Free cheese on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min until bubbly.

This is an easy go to meal without the calories, fat, and sodium than your normal spaghetti dish.

Cheers to Healthy Eating!

Daily Tidbits:

- I have a date with Jillian Michaels when I get home.  Shes one hardcore lady.

-I've never been much of a lettuce eater, but here lately I will eat it everyday!!  So good.

- I joined my first link up this week.  We ill being doing a jewelry swap and I will post what I get in the mail near the end of the month. Excited to see what I get.

Skinny Buffalo Chicken Wrap

This past weekend I made the hubs his favorite Buffalo Chicken Dip.  He loves that stuff! 

Anyhoo, I had some leftover chicken, cheese, and Franks Red Hot and wanted to use it up. 



I saw this picture on Pinterest of course!


I cooked up some chicken and shredded it with a fork.

Add in some Franks Red Hot and stir.

Design your wrap!! On the 100% Wheat wrap add your Chicken, lettuce, Fat Free cheese.

You can easily add in some corn or black beans to make it more of a Mexican style wrap.  Maybe even some Rotel!

Again, easy meal to use up leftovers and make a healthy skinny meal!!

Cheers to Happy Eating!

Daily Tidbits:

- " ignore all the rude, mean, or grumpy people that may fill your day...dont let the poison of their unkindness have the power to take your joy away."

- Check out http://pintester.com/  This blogger tries different things on Pinterest to see if they work or not.

Kale Chips...not what I thought

Happy Friday- Eve!!

***Just wanted to say thank you for all the encouragement you guys gave me about my last weight loss blog.  I have had an enormous out pouring of positive comments via text, FB, and emails.  It is nice to know people out there are so supportive.***

Ever look through recipe books or online for a new recipe to try? I find myself looking online All.The.Time! The pictures and the comments about the recipe honestly make me want to fly to the grocery store, buy all the ingredients, and come home and Cook Up A Storm!

Every month I try (key word is try) to plan out our monthly meals before I go and get groceries. I am constantly trying to mix up our menu by adding other things in the mix.

This led me to watching You Tube videos and found a lady (a health nut and is also the little girl who sang the Cupie Cake song) making Kale Chip.

Kale. Ever heard of it? I have never even heard of Kale but wanted to try them out. I'll try anything if it is a good alternative to Chips. The lady said she could eat three bushels in one sitting without the guilt. She just raved about them! So, what do I do...go buy Kale and make Kale Chips for a healthy snack or side for the hubs and I.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Thoroughly wash and dry the Kale before using it.  Holding the stem with one end, pull the leaves down the stem and off in one motion.

Tare Kale leaves into bite sized pieces and place onto a cooking dish.  Lightly drizzle some EVOO and a little Mrs. Dash seasoning.  Bake for 10 min, flip the Kale over, and bake for 3 more.  Chips should come out crunchy.

And this is what I was left with.  Kale Chips...not your average Potato Chip...but good enough??

This was a new recipe FAIL!  I usually like all leafy greens but this, I could not stomach.  I asked the hubs to come and try it as well.  He didn't seem to mind it as much as I did.  The initial bite was not bad, but the after taste...UGH!

(I did serve some to my Pup Ellie...didn't go down too well)

Do you need a healthy alternative to Potato Chips?  Do you like leafy greens?  Maybe you will like having this to snack on.  Maybe.

Daily Tidbits:

- I got an email from my Gym asking if watching the Olympics made me want to tap into my inner athlete...i thought they new I was a medalist in gymnastics!

- I could drink a Chi Tea Latte everyday.  For.ever.!!  (Sandlot...anyone?)

-I found a new obsession with Frank Red Hot Sauce.



Week 12 Weight Loss Update

It has been 3 weeks since the last time I blogged about my weight loss. I have had positive and negative feedback on why I blog about this topic. Let me just say, I write this blog for me. If other people are able to enjoy it along with me, then I welcome that. I am still learning about my new lifestyle and it has become interesting to me.  I am by no means an "expert" on clean eating and working out.  I am not trying to be.  But I am enjoying what I am learning about just being a more healthy individual.  I enjoy being healthy. I enjoy the foods I eat. I enjoy sharing my new knowledge with other people. I enjoy making new recipes for my family without the calories/fat/salt/sugar. I enjoy that. Just like I enjoy writing a blog. I thought about not talking about it anymore, but I have decided to keep on keeping on. I write to keep myself in check.  Its therapy and motivation for me.   

So, 3 weeks ago I left you with this.

I started on May 16, 2012.

May 21- Down 7lbs
May 28- Down 4.5lbs (11.5 Total)
June 4- Down 2lbs (13.5 Total)
June 11- Down 3.5lbs (17.0 Total)
June 20- Down 1.5lbs (18.5 Total)
June 25- Down 2.5lbs (21 Total)
July 2- Down 0 (21 Total)
July 9- Down 2.5lbs (23.5 Total)
July 16- Down 0 (23.5 Total)

Now I can add

July 23- Down 1.5lbs (25 Total)

July 24- Down 1.5lbs (26.5 Total)

July 30- Down 1.5lbs (28 Total)

August 6- Down 0 (28 Total)

When I first started, my goal was 25 lbs. I am pleased that I have surpassed that with 12 weeks of hard work.  

May 16, 2012	August 1, 2012
27.4% Body Fat	21.4% Body Fat
16 inches Triceps	15 inches Triceps
24 inches Muffin Top (Hips)	14 inches Muffin Top (Hips)
30 inches Abs	22 inches Abs
19 inches Thigh	13 inches Thigh
Shoulders: -1.5 inches Chest: -2 inches Hips: -2 ¾ inches	Waist: -3 ¼ inches Arms: -1/2 inch Legs: - 1 ½ inches Calf: -1/2 inch

 For the whole month of August I will be training myself. (My trainer went home to London to see some of the Olympic Games...how awesome!) By the time my trainer comes back into town, I will be leaving for a much needed Vacation. My workouts so far have been good...my eating could be better. I slacked off and ate some bread and baked beans this past weekend. But it was soo soo yummy.

I was debating on if I should share my before and current picture.  I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet.  I am using this as motivation for me.  To know my journey is not done yet.  There are always going to be areas to improve.  This was me back in May right before I started and this is me now.  Yes, I am pleased where I am but there are other goals I want to achieve so I am not done yet!!   I have now set a second goal which I am 7.5lbs away from reaching.

Cheers to Eating Healthy!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is a dip favorite at the Edwards house.  My future bro in law's mother made this for us a good while back and it was gone in no time.  Thanks Regina for this great recipe!
As always, I am continuing to try out old recipes and making them "skinny".  This is easy to make a little more figure friendly and not sacrifice the taste.

What you will need:
-Tostitos Scoop Chips (Can use reduced fat)
-8oz Cream Cheese, softened (Fat Free)
-Chicken (Canned chicken works great for a budget; or use Boiled Chicken Breast and shred)
-Blue Cheese (Can substitute for Fat Free/ Lite Ranch Dressing)
-Franks Red Hot Sauce
-Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Fat Free)

Franks Red Hot Sauce





Place shredded chicken in pan and add half bottle of Franks Red Hot Sauce

In a separate bowl, add cream cheese and blue cheese.  Stir until smooth.

Spoon cheese mixture over chicken and add remaining hot sauce

Bake for 20 min or until mixture is heated through.  When it starts to bubble, its ready.

Add cheddar cheese and place back in over until melted.

Google

(of course I didn't get an after picture...again...because the hubs got to it first)



This is a great dip for chips but you could also use crackers or veggies.  It is also easy to double the dish.  Some people have doubled the amount of chicken and the amount of cream cheese only.  Makes a more thick dip.

Just in cause you were wondering, here are the Nutrition facts for the dip. 

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size	1/16 of recipe
Calories	144
Fat	11.2 g
Saturated Fat	4.7 g
Carbohydrates	2.5 g
Fiber	0.3 g
Protein	7.8 g
Cholesterol	36 mg

Daily Tidbits

-I am looking forward to seeing my brother, sister in law, and nephew this month.  My Aunt Alice is even making the trip with us this time.  So excited for her to meet Declan.
-After a quick trip to Philly, the hubs and I are beach bound for our Anniversary.  Can not believe this time last year we were planning our dream wedding.
- I still have not purchased any makeup related items.  It wasn't as hard to give up as I thought it would be.
- Enjoyed an amazing Chi Tea Latte from Starbucks this morning.  It is my new fav!

Life Is What We Make It



When I got married, I knew that Luke and I were going to find our own church to attend as a family. I was very apprehensive about leaving my home church just because it was what I knew and it was familiar to me. I knew everyone in the church and they were like family to me. Luke wanted a church that was close to home and that was a good church to raise children up in. I decided to become a member of the church that we were married in; Luke was already a member and I only had to transfer my membership. Our church has a wonderful pastor and we enjoy his message every Sunday.

Every Sunday the congregation has a meet and greet (welcoming) time where we say hello and good morning to our neighbors sitting around us. This past Sunday I was talking to Luke about how uncomfortable I was when it came to greeting our neighbors because I am a shy person by nature. I always wait for people to come say hello to me...I never make the first attempt to say hello.

Then the pastor started his sermon. He was out of town last Sunday and he visited with another church. He said that the entire time he was there, 4 people greeting him. Only 4, out of the entire congregation! I sat there thinking, "well that wasn't very Godly of church going people to not say hello to him." Then I started thinking more...I am like the other members of that church that did not say hello to him. Yes, I am a shy person but how hard is it to greet someone. Am I using being shy as an excuse? Maybe.

It made me think about the church I grew up in and all the members there that I love. If I made the effort to greet the members of the church where I attend now and get to know then, they will become familiar to me and become like family. If I made an effort to become more active in church I will get to know more people. If I attended Sunday School there I would get to know more people.

It is not the church's fault that I don't feel 100% comfortable. It is my fault for not knowing more members which in turn will make me more comfortable with my surroundings.

I do love my church. I love that I can go there with my husband and my in laws and worship God. I love the pastor there. His sermons are always so good. He always happens to preach on things that I need to hear. I just need to make my church experience what I want out of it. Its up to me to break out of this "shy" cycle and just get over it.

Daily Tidbits

- I have been eating orange Tic Tacs like they are going out of style.  This is my good to "treat" item when I need to fix my sweet tooth.

-I am doing my training and eating by myself all this month...Crazy I know.  Makes me nervous to do it on my own.

-Spent the weekend with family.  Saturday was shopping and lunch with mom.  Then mom and dad came over for dinner. Sunday was dinner with Luke and my in laws and Luke's grandparents.

-Baked spaghetti for dinner tonight.