Day 24- My Favorite "Go To Meals"

I've been asked about this a lot lately so I'm putting together a list of my favorite food ideas that I've loved since the beginning of the year. Some of them require a recipe and some of them don't! I'm not a strictly clean eater but I've found some regular meals that are liveable, realistic, and delicious! We can still eat healthier and modify our meals without feeling like we're "dieting". It's about finding ways to make a better choice....

BREAKFAST FAVORITES

• Oatmeal
• Shakeology
• Honey Chia bread toasted (Costco)
• Eggs (vegi omellete, hard boiled, or scrambled)
• Special K with Red Berries and  Almond Breeze milk
• Grapefruit and Plain Greek Yogurt
• Any Greek Yogurt for that matter with fruit.... :) 

LUNCH FAVORITES

• I pair sandwiches with a small pile of kettle cooked chips and fruit (apples and plums are my favorite with sandwiches!)
• Turkey sandwich with avocado, tomato, lettuce
• Turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, pickle
• Leftovers from the night before (chicken/rice, soups, chicken tacos, and steak are all still good the next day!)
• Anything curry... really hits the spot! During the school year I look to buy the curry meals in the organic freezer section. 
• Dole Cesar Salad kit with rotisserie chicken from Costco. 
• Eggs
• Tuna over sliced tomatoes
• Arugula and spinach salad with feta, mandarin oranges, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette
• Spinach salad with dried cranberries, almonds, and poppy-seed dressing 
• Chicken with a slice of ham and a slice of swiss cheese on top- baked- vegetables on the side
• Vegi burger with a Thinwich for a bun, dressed with avocado slices and salsa.(TRUST ME)
• Fruit salad (berries, grapes, banana, apple) on the side of a lean protein
• Turkey roll ups- place feta or goat cheese with avocado inside a slice of turkey and roll up! 
• Open fajitas- cook steak strips, peppers, and onions with fajita seasoning and olive oil. Place a little cheddar cheese on top at the end. Use one small tortilla and tear into pieces and throw it on top! 
• Orchard Chicken Salad- "Our Best Bites" Cookbook/Blog

Dinner Favorites

• Rotisserie chicken pieces mixed with Dole Cesar Salad
• Grilled Baja Citrus Chicken with a mango/avocado salsa on top, served on rice- Life As Mrs. Larson Recipe
• Tin Foil Chicken Dinners- Recipe
• Grilled chicken tacos- with either lettuce or broccoli slaw, fat free sour cream, fresh salsa, pinch of cheese
• Lemon Pepper Tilapia- frozen tilapia cooked in electric frying pan with evoo, lemon juice, and lemon pepper.
• Whole Wheat Spaghetti with EVOO and Parmesan cheese
• Tortellini Soup- (with or without sausage) Our Best Bites Recipe
• Steak- (marinades, bbq, rub)
• Chicken breast stuffed with feta and pesto- slit the side, insert filling, bake
• Grilled Chicken/Steak Skewers- pieces of steak or chicken on skewers with zucchini, peppers, onion
• Grilled Pineapple Chicken Skewers- pieces of chicken, drizzle of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce, and pineapple chunks

SIDES

• Green Salads
• Cooked Zucchini
• Avocado/Mango/Red Pepper mix
• Baked potato slices with EVOO, garlic, salt, pepper
• Asparagus
• Grilled pineapple
• Fruit salad- berries, banana, apple, melon
• Green beans
• Cubed orange squash- baked
• Corn on the cob
• Rice
• Whole grain pasta with marinara, evoo, or homemade mushroom sauce
• Tomato slices with fresh mozzarella and basil on top
• Sauteed mushrooms with garlic and onion
• Cooked carrots with evoo and parsley
• Cooked broccoli
• 
  

Day 22 & 23- Appreciation in small things and hurtful moments

Day 22- Appreciating the Small Things

Taylor accidentally erased this even as I was typing. The other day I was on a walk with her over to the Oquirrh Temple and was thinking about how incredibly blessed I am to be the mother to this precious daughter of God. I appreciate her sweet spirit so much and the happiness she has brought to our little family. This little one year old has taught me a lot about giving, patience, forgiveness, love, and fun.

• Whenever I tell her let's go for a walk she'll run and find my sandals and try to help me put them on. 
• While cleaning the house Taylor will clean and "wipe" things down with us. She also loves to vacuum and sweep. 
• She will say she's sorry by nuzzling her head in our chest and giving a warm smile. 
• When Shane comes home she lights up like a Christmas tree and that look is only reserved for him. 

Shane and Taylor walking to swim lessons! 

• Even if we accidentally bonk her (she is at just the right height to get bonked often) she will show forgiveness by hugging us after we've said we're sorry. 
• She will run up to us randomly to hug us and lay her head on us. Also if she catches our glance while she is playing she will pull a funny face to make us laugh. 
• When she sees a baby she will say hi and try her best to be "soft". 
• MY FAVORITE!!! Whether it's an animal or a bug, Taylor shows love and appreciation to all of God's little creatures. She will talk to them and watch them with the most loving care a one year old could muster. Taylor will get excited over an ant walking by her toes and get the most joyful and curious look on her face!

Taylor is trying to pick up a bug that looked injured...

Day 23- Finding Appreciation in a Hurtful Moment

Taylor and I went to the library to return our books and she kept running around. I think she really likes the other kids, the child sized furniture, and all the books to choose from. While we were waiting to check out our books, one of the items dropped from my hands. I had a squirmy Taylor in one arm and a pile of children's books in the other. The mother in front of me said "Oh let me get that for you" with a kind smile on her face. She bent down to pick up the item and said "It's hard enough to have a one year old, but to have a one year old and to be pregnant is REALLY hard." She gave me sympathetic eyes while she put the item in my hand. I said "Thank you so much" without pausing or showing the hurt that her comment had made. However, I couldn't stop thinking about ir while we checked out our books... while we walked to the car... while I drove home... and while I tried to enjoy the evening with my family.

I couldn't stop thinking about it because I KNOW that at my heaviest weight after having Taylor I still looked like I was pregnant. I didn't just look like I was barely showing- I looked like I was 6 months along. For any woman, it's hard to be overweight but it aches to be so overweight that people mistake you for carrying another life in your belly. I had been working so hard! I had gained close to 50 pounds with Taylor and have lost all of it. What is left is a work in progress...  I thought my body was showing progress as well so this made me take a step back and look at what had just happened. 

Another woman with sincere intentions was trying to help me out because she thought I was pregnant and struggling with my one year old in a library. That was very kind of her. On the other hand, she didn't know that I have lost 30 lbs, bra sizes, pant and shirt sizes, and inches in the last couple of months. She didn't know that I used to have a hard time going to church because I felt that no matter what I wore I looked frumpy. She didn't know that I've struggled with my weight for the past 7 years of my life and am finally doing something about. She didn't know that I'm so happy about working out and eating healthier that I'm a coach now. 

But she didn't need to know all of that. She just needed to have me say thank you and show appreciation for her simple gesture of kindness. 

It made me think though about my latest plateau. I've been stuck at the same spot for about a month. Why have I not continued to make progress? I am not where I want to be even though I'm happy at how far I've come. I'm not happy staying in the same place and want to continue making progress. I'm thinking that maybe the efforts I've been making were enough to get me this far but not enough to take me farther...

I'm wanting to go farther so I need to push my efforts farther. I need to keep challenging myself. So I'm registering for a 10k in July and going back to tracking my food in My Fitness Pal. I'm going to be more diligent about my blog as well. :) Change makes change!