"No offense, but..."

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times in my life I've felt like I'm not enough 'something'.  Not good enough, not spiritual enough, not skinny enough.  We all know that no one is perfect, but what happens when we extend an expectation of perfection onto others?  When we don't mean to offend but we say something offensive?  So many times we've all bit our tongues to a snarky remark or rude judgment and just let it float on.  How else are we supposed to handle stuff like that?

I truly have no answer to this, but I so wish I did.  There are often times that people close to us will say something incredibly offensive but not 'mean it that way.'  We've all passed judgment on others, including myself, and I rarely stop to think "I wonder if what I'm commenting on/thinking about might be a daily struggle for that person..." I understand honesty and truthfulness, but I think we all need to be more aware of others feelings and think before we speak to ensure we aren't offensive.  Even the smallest passing judgment can be seriously hurtful, especially when you don't stop to think about what battles people are fighting on their own.

We all have our own ideas of how things should be handled: how the kids should be raised; how the house should be kept; what fitness and eating well looks like, and rarely do two individuals agree 100% on these things, yet we almost all feel like our way is the right way and then feel the need to push that way on the other person.  I believe we should all be free to have our own opinions, but I also feel like there are situations in which our opinions are best kept to ourselves. Obviously, I could go on and on about this topic, it's such a predominant issue, but I won't.  I am going to make an honest attempt to make a serious change to be less judgmental and think more before I speak, and I hope others will do the same!

CrossFit's "Skinny Fat"

I happened upon this article on Pinterest and, normally when I find something like this I'll scan it for a minute or two and go back to aimlessly wasting time browsing for DIY projects I am likely to not ever DIY.  This article held my attention from beginning to end AND even reading back over certain sections.  A lot of it is information a lot of us are already aware of, but it really drives home the point that 'skinny' does not mean healthy and more importantly, the thing a lot of us ladies can be scared of, bulking up is almost impossible for women - we just aren't built to bulk up (you know, with muscle...with fat we can definitely be bulky...)

So...check it out, it really has some good advice.  http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/

Just. Plain. Genius.

Zucchini Cakes

Image and recipe from lifesambrosia.com

Okay okay, chalk it up to laziness - or forgetfulness - I haven't charged the camera, hence all the meals I've made in the past week or so have gone un-photographed.  Including last night's Oven Fried Chicken and Zucchini Cakes.

The OFC was okay...but note that I did tweak the recipe and instead of using 1 cup of flour, I used 2 tbsp, which is a BIG difference but was the only way I could make it, and instead of dredging or shaking the chicken in the bag of flour mixture, I sifted the mix over the chicken and then baked.

The zucchini cakes (the recipe which I cannot take credit for, aside from my little tweak) on the other hand are the hubs new favorite and we always end up fighting over who gets more.  They are awesome with a little ranch or sour cream.  The tweak I make on this recipe is instead of using 1 cup of Panko, I only use 1/2 cup and they still are wonderful and stay together just fine (and I may very well use more than 1/2 cup of cheese).

Zucchini Cakes:

Ingredients (from lifesambrosia.com)

• 1 large zucchni grated, excess water removed (Note: To do this, after you grate the zucchini, put the grated zucchini into paper towels and squeeze to release the water)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs (I use 1/2 cup instead...less carbs!)
• sprinkle of ground nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon (Note: If you add too much it can quickly take over the taste, less is more)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a heaping tablespoon form the mixture into 8 patties.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once heated, add patties and cook until golden brown. About 3-4 minutes per side. Serve.

Sit tight, more recipes to come ;)

Brief Hiatus

It's been about 2 weeks since the last post, but I promise there are some good ones coming your way!  After a 9 day vacation, the first half spent in Roanoke and cheering on the Hokies in Blacksburg, and the second half in Charleston, South Carolina spending Thanksgiving with the family, we are finally home and trying to settle into the regular routine.

It's tough going on vacation, minding what you put in your body and keeping up with your exercise regimen, and sometimes it doesn't go as planned.  The first 6 days were great - I watched what I ate and ran/walked/conditioned for a little bit each day.  The last 3 weren't so great. The first of which was Thanksgiving, and although I went on a walk in the morning, I destroyed any efforts I'd made earlier by eating a Thanksgiving dinner.  I had smaller portion sizes, but there was no carb counting on Thanksgiving day. Which unfortunately trailed into the day after Thanksgiving.  Then the next day was a 7 hour drive.  So I'm not thrilled with my will power while away, but I am happy to be back and getting back into healthy eating, far less alcohol and more exercise.

Which reminds me, it's time to hit the gym - if only it didn't take me until 2:30 in the afternoon to actually get off my butt and go...

Fitness at Home

I did this this morning:

Twice.  Most of the time I look at these 'at home' workouts and roll my eyes, saying I can get a better work out at the gym than doing this stuff.  WRONG.  Like I said, I could only do this sequence twice.  It suggests 3-5 times.  Twice.

I'll be doing this more often and working my way up to 5.  I might even try other ones I find.  Any 'at home' workouts that seem easy but are hard that I haven't seen yet?

Marinated & Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

This is a very quick go-to recipe when you are in a hurry but still want something delicious, savory and nutritious.  I love mushrooms and portabella's are one of my favorite. They are so similar to a meat, but with the mushroom texture and a flavor all their own.  So yummy!

Healthy Fried Pickles

I know - impossible to fry something and it stay healthy - right?  Nope!  I had been browsing around for something to make for lunch yesterday and I kept seeing fried pickles.  I love fried pickles. I decided there had to be a way to make them while still keeping in the low carb regimen.  I figured it out!

Cravings and Snack Ideas

Cravings are annoying, frustrating and just plain mean.  So many times I've just been sitting around, keeping to myself, and all of the sudden my head says "something sweet?" or "something salty?"  Sometimes it's because I get stuck in the Food & Drink category on Pinterest and some of the recipes and pictures on there are enough to make you hungry after a giant Thanksgiving meal.  It's so crazy how visual stimulation can trigger hunger to the point that you feel like you can't fight it.

The point of this post is to show one thing I did find helpful on Pinterest - a "Craving this - Eat that" chart, and also to give you a list of things I like to snack on that are readily available and require little to no preparation to eat.

First, the chart:

via Pinterest

I think these hit the nail on the head, or at least come really close.  For instance, I honestly have not had a craving for bread/pasta/other wheats since I started eating more protein.  True story.  Another true story - I can usually beat any craving with cheese.  String cheese, Jarlsberg Swiss, cheddar, mozzarella...I love it all.

Here is a list of my 'go to' snack foods when I get a little hungry during the day.

WATER - I think the statistic is something like 80% of the time you 'crave' something, you are actually thirsty.  So the best thing to try first is a few swigs of H20 and see if that takes care of the pang.
Almonds (Kroger makes excellent flavored almonds that can be found in the produce section - I love the sea salt and vinegar ones and the honey chipotle kind). About 20 almonds are 6g carbs and 6g protein.
Cheese - any cheese.
Cottage cheese - I don't know why I don't consider this a 'cheese' even though it is...maybe the texture?
Greek yogurt - I'm a texture person so I can't eat a whole Chobani in one sitting anyway, but most of the ones with fruit on the bottom are higher in carbs than the plain vanilla kind, so keep that in mind.
Sundried Tomato & Basil Wheat Thins - a handful of these is about 10 carbs and a great salty satisfaction.  (note: I bought these last week and still haven't had a craving for them so the box is unopened...yay me!  but they are so good...)
DARK chocolate - I'm talking 70% cacao or more.  I got 88% and a 72% with mint, both at Whole Foods.  Just a little bit (literally, a square or two) will kick any sweet tooth in the face, and it's so good!
Fruit - berries are best for snacking.  For me, apples, pears, mangoes are all great, but a whole fruit is 30 carbs, so I usually half the fruit, put the other half in a baggie and suck the air out, pop it back in the fridge and eat it the next day.

I will say that in my own experience with the low-carb, high protein, a lot of the time I'm just not hungry.  I still eat what I'm supposed to, but I just don't get cravings for things like I used to.  I used to want ice cream every night after dinner. The hubs ate Sorbet right in front of me the other day and I didn't care one way or the other.  It was amazing.

If all else fails, give in to your craving, but just a little bit. Give your body what it's saying it needs, but mind your portion.  We all have to indulge sometimes, and holding yourself back from a constant craving may only lead to a total binge.  You can always make up for a little indulgence at the gym :)

Do you have any snacks you run to when you have a craving for something??  Share them, we can all use new ideas!

Patience

All images from Pinterest

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Green Monster" Smoothie

This is a very quick and easy smoothie that has a lot of protein and I promise it tastes great!  It makes me feel like I am having a milkshake, even if it is 8:00 in the morning.  You could even make this at night, pop it in the fridge and have a healthy, tasty breakfast on the go!  It'd also be a great recovery shake for after a tough workout.  There really isn't any scenario where this wouldn't be great!

This recipe is derived from Angela at Oh She Glows and her Classic Green Monster.

Making a Change

We all have things we want to change about ourselves.  Be healthier, skinnier, more muscular, have more patience, be less judgmental, less jealous, etc.  I think it's completely normal to want to make changes to yourself.  The hardest thing about wanting to make a change is actually doing it.  So many times we hear ourselves or someone else say "I'm trying to..." - I'm trying to eat healthy, I'm trying to get fit, I'm trying to have more patience. 

I think we say "I'm trying to..." because we expect that we'll fail.  We say we are "trying to eat healthy" because we know that at some point we're probably going to make a bad decision regarding what we put into our bodies.  Or we are "trying to be patient" because we know that a few more words or actions could put us over the edge and we'll lose our patience. 

So many times I've told myself, and others, that I'm trying to lose weight. I'm trying to be healthier. I'm trying to be happier. I'm trying to be more understanding. I'm trying to be less judgmental.  And so many other things I'm trying to do, but maybe only 'trying' puts me at a disadvantage because it's like I know subconsciously that at some point, I'll fail.  

I'm tired of failing and I'm tired of feeling bad for myself for not giving something my all because I'm scared I'll fail at it.  I think it's going to be really hard, but I want to stop "trying" to change and ACTUALLY change.  If you have something you want to change, stop "trying" and ACTUALLY change it.  Maybe one way is to stop using the term 'trying'.  Instead of trying to do something, say what we are or are not doing.  I am healthier. I am happier. I am not judging. I think we can make ourselves believe what we are or are not instead of making it easy on ourselves to fail by just trying. It'll take motivation, being self-assured, maybe second guessing yourself a little bit and making decisions that maybe you aren't used to making, being HARD on yourself, but I can bet you one thing, it'll be worth it in the end. 

Via Etsy

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ewww Brussels Sprouts!! Right?? WRONG! These are the vegetable I crave most in the winter.  I agree, the 'old' way of making sprouts can be less than appetizing - boiled and buttered into a mushy mess.  But this way will make a believer out of any Brussels Sprouts hater!  They are nutty, crispy, a little cheesy and oh. my. goodness. so good. SO good.

 

Crispy Coconut Chicken Nuggets

This is a quick, extremely tasty recipe from Our Best Bites that I altered a bit (as usual) and scaled down for one since the hubs is out of town.  Kids would LOVE these - they are sweet and a little spicy (not hot spicy...spices spicy - SO good) and would be perfect served with a side of pineapple relish or something to that effect - even honey or ketchup would be great!

Brown Butter Balsamic Tilapia

This is my go-to dinner when I can't think of anything else to make.  It is originally a Rachel Ray recipe for Tilapia with Balsamic Browned Butter and Creamy Farfalle, but since I'm doing low-carb, I can't have the Farfalle (although we have made it before and it is good) and I have also made a few changes to make this a bit healthier.  I paired this with sauteed asparagus (which I'll show how to make too) and glazed the whole dish with the balsamic glaze. Everyone we have served this to has LOVED it - Robert's aunt doesn't like fish but really enjoyed this dish, it's just delicious!

Easy Cheesy Veggie Eggs

I typically find that some of the yummiest foods are the easiest and most simple to make.  This is my go-to weekend breakfast (and sometimes week day) that never fails to please me and the hubs.  It is also low-calorie, low-carb and high protein - LOVE!

Cheesy Cauliflower Cakes

I will start by saying no matter what you think or how you think this will taste, trust me when I say this dish is delicious.  It's a great way to get those veggies on your plate, especially if you aren't a fan of veggies.  Kids would love these as well - anything that has 'cheesy' and 'cake' in the title would please any palate!

The next thing I will say is, I have to make these again, not just because they are yummy, but because my first attempt to make 'cakes' turned into making mashed cheesy cauliflower stuff.  Still absolutely delicious, but not the prettiest thing I've ever made.

Snacking rules

No really - everyone loves a good snack.  I used to think a good snack was a candy bar or handful of m&m's - I always had that crazy sweet tooth that never seemed to go away, but amazingly after eating this high protein low carb stuff, I haven't had much of a craving at all for sweets (until I scour pinterest's food section and see all the sweets on there, then I'm done...) so this is a super easy, convenient and yummy snack that is good on the go or at home.

Italian Sausage & Zucchini Non-Lasagna

It's my first food post!  To start, I'm sticking with the things that are fairly easy and definitely tasty.  This brings me to this recipe, Italian Sausage & Zucchini Non-Lasagna.  I call it a non-lasagna because it's got most of the same ingredients that I'd use for lasagna (since I have recently been subbing zucchini strips for the pasta), only MUCH quicker and not layered.  This is not only easy, but quick and easy to make your own with adding other veggies or more meat, etc.  The nutrition information is at the bottom of the post. 

Welcome to LLER!

Living light and eating right hasn't always been my life's mantra.  It's been more like living however and eating whatever, which hasn't been one of the best choices I've made.  I am on a journey to lose weight, get fit and stay healthy - in mind, body and soul.  My journey has, so far, included a lot of ups and downs, emotionally and according to the scale.  That roller coaster ride is no longer my forte.  I'm ready to take it off, keep it off, and hopefully in the process, help others on their own journeys.  Join my on my journey - it's sure to be fun...most of the time!