Veggie Beef Stew

Just wanted to post a quick recipe! I love soups, partially for their flavor, and partially because they last me all week for meals. Lazy or prepared? I say both. 

This soup is loaded up with veggies, and you still get some protein from the beef. I always feel full and satisfied when I eat this. My next experiment is to try some paleo biscuits to go with it. 

Here's the recipe! 

Ingredients

1lb beef stew meat

1 cup chopped onion 

4 cups beef broth 

4 cups canned, crushed tomatoes or 3 cans sliced stewed tomatoes (I like these better) 

3 cups chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery 

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup shredded cabbage 

1 cup cauliflower 

1 cup zucchini 

1 cup squash 

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

2 tablespoons of olive oil for pan 

Instructions 

Coat a large saucepan with olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add beef and onion and cook over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is lightly browned. (About 5 minutes.) Add  meat,broth, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and tomato sauce, along with 4 cups of water to soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer for 1 hour. Add remaining ingredients and cook until cabbage is tender, or 20-30 minutes. Ladle evenly into soup bowls. Makes 10 servings. 

Testing Limits

I'm currently sitting here, reminiscing on the Do Life Better Challenge. In some ways, it tested my limits and pushed me to try harder than I have when it came to eating habits. However, as far as the rest of my life/fitness life goes, I have not tested my limits in a LONG time. Starting Crossfit tested my limits. Now, I'm comfortable at my gym and confident in my movements and improvements. Each workout pushes me further physically, but that is because I have a box, coach, and friends who encourage me. If I'm being honest with myself, I probably would not do these workouts if it was up to  just me. I've gotten out of the habit of self-motivation. I need to reach higher, try harder, and break through some boundaries.

Where am I going with all of this you wonder? Well, I am openly stating I am going to start a new journey. This new chapter of my fitness is going to be focused on testing limits, and accomplishing feats I would have never thought possible. I still don't even know what all I will achieve, but I am going to start with a couple simple ones.

I'm bumping workouts up to 5x's a week.

I will run a half marathon in April. I am going to start training for it very soon, and run with a perseverance I have not previously had.

I'm also starting a fitness Instagram, because I know documenting this new chapter will help keep me accountable. Feel free to follow me there. I will need all of the motivation I can get.

If there is one thing I could pass on it is to strive to not lose your self-motivation. Only YOU can make yourself healthy. Only YOU can accomplish your goals, and only YOU should feel the ultimate success in knowing this is your journey, and YOU will succeed.

Fitness Instagram: love_living_healthy15

Do Life Better- A Recap

So much for updating during the challenge. A 8:00 to 5:00 job, gym time, and having a social life got in the way. Oops!

The challenge has officially ended, and I can happily report I lost 6 lbs! I'm seeing a number on the scale I hadn't. I couldn't get past 135 for over a year and just like that, bye 135! Hoping to keep that a lasting trend. I haven't measured my inches yet because I took those 2 weeks in, and I want to give myself some more time. My pants are fitting more loosely though, so that's a positive.

I loved this challenge, but am so excited about tailoring it to my own life. Loved it because it jump started my healthy eating habits again, and I will not be going back to old ways. I didn't love it, because I became a little OCD about my points. There were several occasions where I did not have a choice on the meal, (work functions out of town) and it stressed me out to have to eat food that wasn't "healthy." I want to be able to be a little more relaxed on eating a "cheat meal" even if it's not by my choice. Most of the guidelines that were set, I am sticking to. 

I can honestly say I feel like I'm doing life better. Losing the weight and knowing I'm fueling my body with nutrients just motivates me overall. It's caused me to keep reaching for more goals. 

I'm so grateful for the community I have at crossfit, and for the opportunity. Here's to continuing to do life better, but with a couple more Starbucks drinks added in! 

Do Life Better Challenge

My crossfit gym is hosting a "do life better challenge," and it couldn't have come at a better time. However, these meal guidelines are like paleo, but worse.... As in more strict. I've been referring to it as going into starvation mode, or the lettuce diet. Yes, I over exaggerate of course. It's actually not going to be that bad, and the rigidness of it will help me to be more disciplined. 

It is not solely about clean eating. Do life better includes getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and getting a workout in. All of these aspects are vital to a healthy lifestyle, thus the challenge. You sign up with a partner and pay a small fee that will go towards the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes. Honestly, the money and buddy system is what I am most excited about. It gives me more motivation and consolation that someone is "suffering" with me. 

This challenge is not about winning for me. It is pushing myself towards a better lifestyle that I know I am capable of obtaining and living out. It's about conquering goals I have not yet reached. 

The challenge runs from September 22 through October 31. I plan to try and lose at least 5-10 lbs or significant inches. Both would be amazing. I also will be taking before and after pics to see if I tone up more. I am not focused on getting skinny, just a better version of myself. I lost 50 plus lbs before, I can make another huge stride in my fitness with this. 

So, here is to possibly seeing the 120's and dominating this challenge. It's time to get back into gear, and take my eating and lifestyle more seriously. 

Have I ever mentioned I love crossfit? Because I do. It has been one of the best things for me! Just throwing that in there again. 

I will be updating during the challenge! Feel free to start your own challenge. Maybe come up with some guidelines for yourself to achieve a goal you have. As cliché as it sounds, there is no better time to start than now! 

                                     

Clean Eating and Recipes!

Whew! I am back to following a much healthier eating lifestyle and it feels great. Even when there were celebrations and things going on this weekend, I stood my ground and only indulged in something called a trail mix cookie. Which, was actually semi healthy considering it was fruit and oats. (Ok, I'll stop making excuses..) Anyways, just by eating "cleaner" these past two weeks I have lost 3 pounds and that is always an encouragement, although not my sole focus.

I have moved into my new house and love it! Cooking and meal prepping is going much smoother now that I have more of a permanent place. I want to keep this post short and sweet, and give y'all some examples of the things I have cooked lately! I found the recipes on Pinterest, (of course) and will be posting the recipes beneath them. Cooking and eating healthy has become an enjoyment again, which I am thankful for. I am thankful for the insight I received by not following this lifestyle. However, I am more than happy to be back on track.

One thing to take away from this post: In fitness, exercise, clean eating, and living healthy you have to find something that brings out passion in you. Whether that be the people you workout with, or the recipes you create, or the goals you achieve. In my opinion, passion is vital to success and success only brings about more passion. Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Ingredients

Cooking spray 

2 medium zucchini 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)

1/4 cup plain panko bread crumbs

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and whatever other seasoning you'd like. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. 

Ingredients

1 medium size head of cauliflower 

Salt, pepper, butter, cheese, and  bacon to your own liking

Greek yogurt for sour cream 

Tear cauliflower into florets and cut off the stems

I steamed mine in the ziplock steamer bag for five minutes

Add half of bag to blender with a splash of milk

Blend until smooth and add other half

Add all the ingredients you would to mashed potatoes, or go with a healthier option 

Ingredients:1 package chicken breasts whole or already cut into strips (I used the strips) 
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 packages regular cut bacon 
 1/3 cup raw honey 
 1/2 cup ground mustard
 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Dash cayenne (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400F, making sure the oven rack is about 1/3 away from the oven top. 
2. Line a baking pan with a baking sheet or foil (to collect dripping)s.Slice chicken strips (if not already sliced)  to about 1 1/2 inches thick and wrap in a slice of bacon. Place each on a wire rack set over the baking pan.
3. Mix the raw honey, mustard, vinegar and cayenne (optional) in a small mixing bowl until combined.
4. Baste the top of the bacon wrapped chicken strips with the honey mustard mixture and place in the oven for about 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Remove the pan from the oven and flip over the chicken strips with a pair of kitchen tongs. Baste the other side of the strips with the mixture and return to the oven for another 12-15 minutes or until bacon is crispy. 
5. Remove from oven and serve.

Dinner is served! The green beans I just cook in a skillet with olive oil, salt, and pepper. There isn't really a recipe for them. I had such a blast cooking this meal, and it tasted amazing! Stay tuned for my next post about food and fitness.

Ripped Hands and A Routine

This is week three of making crossfit a priority again in my life and I could not be happier. Has everything gone according to planned? No, but life is not supposed to be a strict schedule with no room to move or breathe. I am throughly enjoying how I have things "scheduled" for now. I do crossfit 3 times a week. Most of the days I have been going after work, because that has been what is best for me. Today, I went on my lunch break and loved it! It is so nice knowing that I can just head home after work. I am going to slowly start to work towards working out again at 6:15 a.m., but only if it seems like the best option for me.

I knew getting back into working out would be difficult, but I am truly thankful for the experience. I did not lose 50lbs by sitting around and not doing anything. I will not maintain a healthy lifestyle or workout regime by sitting around either. Being fit and dedicated is one of the most difficult lifestyles to uphold, but it is one of the most rewarding. My hands ripped, I was so sore I couldn't walk upstairs, and I was exhausted at night, but I could not feel more amazing. Week 3 has proved a lot less challenging, although I'm sure I will take that statement back when I have to climb 3 sets of stairs to go home tonight.

I will never take a month off again, unless forced to for some reason. In that month, I just did not feel like myself. This is how I know I need to have some sort of fitness activity in my life. It is not a want, it is a need. However, I am incredibly blessed and never want to take my ability to be active for granted. God has blessed me tremendously!

A new short term goal I have set is to eat clean the whole month of August. I want to jump start my healthy eating habits again and I believe this will be the best way to do it. Luckily, I have some friends who will be doing this with me. I am excited to begin this with them and start fresh! I will be moving into a new house too, and I am beyond excited to be able to cook with my new roommates.

Life has been wonderful lately and I am so encouraged by my journey. I believe that is is vital to be proud of yourself and appreciate what you can and will accomplish. I have so many more milestones to achieve, but I am looking forward to reaching new goals.

5:15 PM Crossfit Class

Hands After Pull Ups- Ouch! 

Daily Routine

I have not had a steady routine for about two months now. Graduating and starting a full time job mixed in with traveling for my job has just left me on the go all the time. Flexibility is a good thing, however, I have become so flexible that I have no set schedule. The only thing I have scheduled is when I wake up in the morning. Other than that I am just doing whatever needs to be done that day, or whatever I have "time" for (make time for).

To some people, this might sound like a wonderful scenario. Not having to plan, and just living day by day. For me, I need more structure than that, especially when it comes to working out. My workouts have suffered so much because I have not created a routine to follow and I end up not fitting it in to my day. This is all about to change. I'm at that point where I know if I do not doing something now, it will just become worse. Time to get back to a schedule and routine when it comes to workouts!

Here are my short term goals: 

When I get back to Abilene, I am going to start going back to CrossFit on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Tuesdays and Thursdays I will be getting back to running in the evening. 

I also will be trying a new healthy recipe each week to keep clean eating fun and entertaining. I will try and post some of the good recipes here. 

I believe in setting short term goals you know you can accomplish. It always helps me to feel motivated to get back on the right track. I really do love fitness and working out, and I want to become as passionate as I was when I first started. I know that I am no where near close to my full potential, but I am excited to start working more towards it. 

Setbacks and How To Overcome

Traveling this week has definitely taught me about setbacks. I was really motivated writing my last post on tips that I would be doing this week. Well, even when you're planning ahead, you can still "mess up" or have a setback. The key is to not to focus on your mistakes and just keep pushing forward.

At one restaurant I was able to stick with my original meal choice, and made a pretty healthy decision. The next meal was catered and I had no choice. I avoided the bread and mashed potatoes, so I was left with baked chicken and peach cobbler. Should I have eaten the cobbler? No, but I did because I was starving. Should I have brought more snacks? Yes. Trail and error. The next restaurant we were going to eat at was not open, so we went to a burger place. I should have been more strict and not gotten a bun but I didn't even think about it. I need to learn to plan ahead when your meal options might change.

Workouts also did not go as planned. The first night, I got a great workout. The fitness center was great and the room was spacious for other exercise. The second hotel, not so great. No workout facility, and I would not have laid on the floor unless someone paid me. Crunches are incredibly hard to do on a bed haha. I could have been more dedicated and done more on the bed, or wall sits, but I opted to go to sleep since we got in around 9:30 and it was 10 something before I was even settled in.

Here is why I am thankful for the setbacks. I know what I need to fix. I know what I can do better next time. Every day I am finding myself a little more motivated to pick back up on my healthy lifestyle, and every day I am feeling a little better about myself. Each day is a new opportunity to better yourself. Just because you mess up one day, or eat a bad meal, take the next day to not do that again. You don't have to wait until the beginning of the month or a Monday. Start now.

It might be a Thursday, but I am going to make this Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday the most successful yet! There is no reason not to.

Goals for Traveling This Week

I know I will be traveling this week, so my normal routine will be switched up. Here are some strategies that I will be doing in order to stay healthy, and active while traveling. 

At most of the luncheons there are at least two food items I can eat, so I will be looking for an meat and a veggie at every meal. No dessert, or bread, even if everyone else is having it!

My plan: 

• Bring running shoes and utilize the hotel's workout facility. 
• Bring my own snacks if the meal is not enough. 
• Brink my tervis for water. 
• Look up the restaurants ahead of time, and make a well informed decision about what is the healthiest option for me. 
• Print out some travel WOD's I can do at the hotel. 

Here is a link to a website I found with some amazing travel WOD's. 

Great Travel Workouts!

Fueling the Desire

Wow. I have not posted on here in ages, and that truly saddens me. Life got so incredibly busy with finishing my college career, this blog became pushed aside in the grand scheme of things. I reformatted everything over Christmas break, and I am not sure I love the changes. I have thought about going to a new website to start with a fresh perspective. Then again, this is where I started, so I have a sentimental connection to this blog. I am going to keep it for more of a personal use more than anything.

I want to start out by saying that I have lost my passion. Yep, I said it. Clear as day so everyone knows. Don't get me wrong, I still workout and I still love Crossfit and my new box. However, I need more motivation to get back to the completely healthy lifestyle. To the morning workouts. To motivating other people. Helping other people helps me to feel like I'm making a difference. I have to continue to make a difference in my own life in order to be a good example for others. So, this is where I am starting over. I want to find the desire again, and writing goals down here, and posting here is going to be a motivation for me. Even if no one reads it, it is still public so I feel some sense of accountability.

I have come way to far to lose any progress now, which, thankfully I have not yet. I have still been making gains at the gym, but I know I am capable of so much more. Look for an even bigger difference in my lifestyle, and my persona in general! I'm back and ready to go harder than ever before.

Goals for this summer:

• Incorporate God into my fitness lifestyle as well. 
• Get back to drinking more water! 
• Healthy foods even when no one else chooses them. 
• Saying no to sweets on a regular basis and saving them for a cheat meal. 
• Getting back into running.
• Getting back to morning workouts. 
• Going to workout after work if I missed a morning.
• Working out on business trips because I have a lot of them. 
• Motivating other people and putting my story out there.