TGIF & Eats for the Week!

Good Morning & Happy Friday! :) 

I feel like it's a little strange for me to say "TGIF" because I am a SAHM (stay-at-home Mom) but of course we love when Brian/Dada is home! It's nice to have another set of hands with the girls as well as just simple conversation that isn't "Mackenzie, do you have to go potty?" "Please don't sit on your sister!" "No, you can't have chocolate for breakfast." Weekends for us are awesome, especially when it's a long one! Memorial day weekend is here, I can't believe it! Now to figure out what I'm making to bring to a BBQ on Sunday. Hmm.. probably a hearty summer salad. It is the unofficial start to summer, right? :-P

Since I do my weigh-in's on Mondays, I consider that to be the "end" of my week so this week so far has been pretty good. I've been doing well with my weekly goals and I'm loving the structure I gave myself. I need to get a little bit better with my water intake but my workouts have been awesome. 

Here's what we've been eating.. 

Monday: (not pictured) Brian was home from work early so he fired up the grill. We had simple marinated grilled chicken with corn on the cob and fresh broccoli 

Tuesday:

 I needed to go grocery shopping in the worst way so I ran out to get shopping done when Brian got home (early again) I love my girls but I can shop so much faster alone, and it's totally a mini vacation for Mama. Truth! Anyways, by the time I got home.. we decided to keep it simple and I'd just buy a rotisserie chicken while I was there. Can't complain about that! I ended up making the best chicken salad EVER! Thanks to Courtney! If you don't follow her blog, you should. I've been reading it for years. She's awesome! http://www.sweettoothsweetlife.com/2015/05/14/the-best-ever-chicken-salad/

Wednesday: 

I made fresh mango salsa (not bad for my first time but used a liiiiiittle too much cilantro. Sheesh! It was like a kick in the face. Still delicious nonetheless. :) Brian had a work meeting late so I actually ended up over at my parents for dinner. I brought along my mango salsa and enjoyed it over salmon! Served with broccoli slaw we threw together, sauteed spinach & some asparagus. So yummy! Mackenzie is obsessed with her cousin, Haley (my 9 year old niece) so anytime we can squeeze in a visit during the week, she's on cloud 9! :) 

Thursday: I was planning on stir fry but had out beef instead of chicken and decided to make Mongolian Beef. It was so good the last time we had it, so why not? I skipped the jasmine rice I made and just had extra fresh broccoli. SO good! 

This is the recipe I use.. Tastes just like PF Changs! :) http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/PF-Changs-Mongolian-Beef-Copycat-Recipe.html

I'm going to do pork tenderloin tonight. Not sure how yet. I'm thinking maybe a simple balsamic glaze or maybe even dijon style. We'll see! But just for fun I want to share what I had for lunch yesterday.. 

OMG, SO GOOD! I made homemade tzatziki to go over Greek salad with grilled chicken. I don't know why I've never made it before, but I'll definitely be doing it again. I've got plenty leftover to enjoy for lunch again today. Yum!

 I used this recipe.. http://thewanderlustkitchen.com/authentic-greek-tzatziki/

That's all for now. Have an awesome weekend! <3

XO,

A

Monday Weigh-in & Progress

Well it's Monday and the start of a new week for me. That means getting on the scale.. 

Down 1.2 pounds this week. I can't be mad about that but I had a hard time being happy. If there is something I'm really good at, it's getting inside my own head and let self doubt get the best of me. I immediately tried to put my feelings in perspective. 

Ten weeks ago today, a light bulb came on. I told myself I was going to start over. Take on a new lifestyle. Track what I eat. Clean up old habits. Work out every day. Stay positive and work on me. In 10 weeks I have lost 12.4 pounds. That is something to be proud of. Averaging a little over a pound a week, I'm happy with that. I knew this journey was going to be hard work. I knew it wasn't going to happen overnight. But I still want it more than I have ever wanted anything so I need to hold my chin high and keep moving forward. 

I need to get better about creating a list of goals for the week after my weigh-ins. I need more structure. I'm going to work on a meal plan for tonight and share it tomorrow. 

Goals for the week

- Drink water!!!! Gah, I'm so bad at this! I have a 32 oz nalgene and I need to keep it by my side at all times. *chug chug*

-Choose better snacks. Cookies aren't going to get me anywhere!

-Try a different workout twice this week. The treadmill can get boring. Time to step out of my comfort zone. 

- Do the "tank top arms" workout 3x this week. 

-Stay positive! No negative thoughts. Focus on progress. Gotta get my head in the game!

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XO,

A

All about Salad

Happy Wednesday! 

Salad can mean many things. It doesn't always have to be a bowl of boring leafy greens. I like to think outside the box. First of all, it has to be colorful. Don't forget we eat with our eyes first. Make it beautiful! Summer time is just around the corner and that means LOTS of yummy veggies and fruits are coming in season. Yes! New England had a brutal winter and couldn't be more excited about our garden this year. My husband spoiled us! I love picking produce from our back yard! 

Now let's talk about some salads I've been obsessed with lately.. 

It's a pretty lame title but this poppyseed salad I made for a cookout over the weekend was so so good. I followed a recipe for the dressing but when it came to the main components of the salad I kind of just went with whatever sounded good. I unfortunately don't really measure anything either when I'm making my dishes unless I'm following a specific recipe (like the dressing) I will say though that I have a scale at home and I always weigh any protein.

Ingredients

-Romaine lettuce

-Grilled chicken breast

-Red onion

-Green apple

-Dried cranberries

-Flax seed

-Chia seed

-Sunflower seeds

I searched through pinterest and just picked whatever simple recipe I could find. Turned out to be delicious! Here is the link..
http://thekitchenmccabe.com/2013/11/26/the-best-homemade-poppy-seed-dressing/

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This salad I find myself eating every week. I never really make it exactly the same every time. I usually will use ingredients I have on hand or produce that needs to be used up. I always use the same dressing for it which is Ken's Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy. It's perfect for this salad. 

Ingredients

-Napa cabbage (or lettuce) 

-Cucumber

-Grilled chicken breast (This would also be yummy with shrimp!)

-Scallions

-Flax seed

-Chia seed

-Fresh gourmet Wanton strips (I can't resist these! 35 calories per serving!)

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This is another salad that tends to change but nothing too drastic. For example: In this particular picture I threw some alfalfa sprouts on my salad. That isn't a very common thing for me, haha. Just wanted to use them up! I eat this salad with light blue cheese dressing. :) 

Ingredients

-Iceberg or Romaine lettuce

-Grilled chicken breast (tossed in franks hot sauce) 

-Chopped tomato 

-Cucumber 

-Red Onion

-Flax seed

-Chia seed

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I made this salad a couple of weeks ago for a party. YUM!!  This is exactly what I mean about thinking outside the box. It's a quinoa salad. No lettuce involved. :) I got the general idea from this recipe but I never really stick to it. 

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/dinner-tonight/southwest-quinoa-salad/

This recipe from Skinnytaste also looks yummy!  http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/08/southwestern-black-bean-quinoa-and.html

Ingredients

-Quinoa 

-Black beans

-Tomato

-Scallions

-Avocado

-Corn

-Lime juice

-Fresh cilantro

-Cumin

-Chili powder

-Fresh garlic

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I love my spiralizer. It's awesome for making zucchini noodes (zoodles) or for making a spiral cucumber salad. I want to try it with the stalks of broccoli. Maybe I'll try this week! :) Anyways. I bought mine on Amazon. Here's the link.. http://www.amazon.com/Spiral-Slicer-Spiralizer-Complete-Bundle/dp/B00NEAO4S2/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1431545749&sr=1-2&keywords=spiralizer

I love a good greek salad. This was my deconstructed version of one. I included beets on the side. Because, well.. beets are awesome. Hah. 

Ingredients

-Cucumber

-Grilled chicken breast

-Red onion

-Feta cheese

-Black olives

Pretty basic but always so tasty. On this occasion I used store bought light creamy greek dressing but I usually just whip up my own using olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley. 

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What's not to love about a simple tuna salad? I'd like to try and ditch the mayo but I still can't do it! I typically add pickles, diced onion and sometimes celery to my tuna. In this picture I kept it pretty simple. No need to really share ingredients. Used mixed greens, sliced red onion and chick peas. Topped with the tuna and some banana peppers. Nom nom! I used a simple balsamic dressing for this salad. 

Well I think that covers my "go-to" salads. With warmer weather approaching, I will be branching out with more salads. Bring on the bean salad! I love cookout food. It doesn't always have to mean chips and dip. Switch it up and bring your favorite salad! 

XO

A

Mother's Day & Monday Weigh-In

We had a great time celebrating Mother's Day yesterday. I'm so lucky that my day starts and ends with my little girls. A hug and kiss from them every morning is all I need to get through the day with a positive outlook. There is nothing better! 

We had a big cookout at my parents house down by the beach. The weather was gorgeous (it was actually pretty hot even with a seabreeze!) A perfect 10 if you ask me! We even packed a change of clothes to go for a family walk. Not a super long one but we got moving nonetheless. We were both sweaty beasts but I always give Brian a hard time that his face never gets red and splotchy like me. Hah. Although, being 5'3 up against him at 5'11 I swear I take 4 steps for every 1 step he takes. I let him set the pace and he made me work for it! Thanks babe! <3

Eating at the cookout actually wasn't bad. I may have a few chips and guac along with some buffalo chicken dip but I did my best to hover over the fresh veggies and a DELICIOUS salad I made which I'm going to share later this week because I will definitely be making it again! I've even got chicken leftover from yesterday that I'm about to throw on a salad for lunch. I love being prepared and thinking ahead! :)

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I was eager to hop on the scale this morning as I thought I had a pretty good week. I kicked ass with my workouts but the more I looked back at my log on myfitnesspal.. I was very "snacky" and honestly, my choices weren't as good as they should have been. Ugh. I need to find the balance between getting in workouts and keeping my eating on track. I feel like I'm up and down right now and I need to regain focus. I'm happy it was a loss for this week but I really want to see a number that gets me excited again. It's a new week and another chance to start fresh. Bring it on! 

XO,

 A

                                        

My Rollercoaster Ride

Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Not that I want to reminisce, I feel like it gives you a better picture of my "story" This is me. I have a big smile in these pictures but I feel like that doesn't tell the whole story. I convinced myself I was happy. I was dating a guy I had a feeling I would spend forever with (I was right!) I got comfortable. For too long. I don't want to say I didn't care that I was overweight because I did. I just never did anything about it. Life was good, why mess with it and get stressed about losing weight, right? WRONG. If I had known then, that I could feel the way I do today.. I would have started when I noticed it becoming an issue. Even at 187, that wasn't where I should have been. I'm 5'2 and no, I don't plan on ever being 130 lbs. I just don't think it's in the cards for me. That may be self doubt talking, I just can't see myself getting there. Although, I'm confident I will reach my goal. I can't wait to share every milestone with you guys. Now for the pictures.. Dun Dun Dun...

All over the place, right? Crazy to see how up and down my weight has been. I was proud of the work I put in to drop the weight for my wedding but I knew I could have done better. To look and see where I am now, it is hard to accept that had I just cleaned up my eating and got my ass moving, I could have easily been under 200 lbs. (That was my goal for my wedding day) All thoughts aside, I felt truly beautiful on my wedding day so I have no regrets! 

I keep finding myself asking "why now?" Why did the light bulb finally turn on in my head? I feel like there are so many answers. The main one being "WHY NOT?" For so long I have played the game. I've tried every diet out there but never once considered doing it the old fashioned way. Focusing on my eating and exercising. And since I've started this whole new outlook 8 weeks ago.. I have never felt so good. I feel like this is the most success I've had ever before in trying to lose weight and it's so exciting. I never want to lose that feeling. 

I want to be a role model to my daughters. I want to inspire others. I want to make my husband's jaw hit the floor. I want to be healthy. I want to be happy. I'm doing this for me. Because I deserve it.  

XO

A

Let me introduce myself..

I'm Amanda. I'm a Stay-at-Home Mom to two little girls. Mackenzie (2 years old) and Riley (9 months) I'm married to my high school sweetheart, Brian. We're celebrating our 4 year  wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks. I love to be outdoors (putting my double jogger to good use) or spending weekends at Nantasket Beach! I love to be in the kitchen. Cooking or baking.. I love it all! They say we eat with our eyes first so I love to make food look pretty and of course snap a picture of it! (Be sure to follow me on Instagram! @myjourneytofitmama) I'm a shopaholic (Ask my husband!) I'm a lover of all things chocolate. I could eat pizza for the rest of my life. I have a fitbit and to say i'm obsessed with my steps would be putting it lightly. I certainly have a competitive spirit when it comes to challenges. It's all fun and games until someone forgets to charge their fitbit! Ugh, been there! I track on myfitnesspal and worship skinnytaste.com. I suppose that's a brief summary of me. I'm even learning to get to know me better as I'm on this journey. We'll learn more about the new me, together!

I used to blog a few years ago and honestly, I let it slip away. My reason? I was talking the talk but I couldn't walk the walk. I wasn't committed and it just wasn't right to pretend like I had a grasp on things when I didn't. I was seeing a personal trainer and doing weight watchers, I felt like I had a pretty good rhythm going then I got pregnant with my daughter Mackenzie. I was pleased with my weight gain (it wasn't an easy pill to swallow) but I knew I had to stay in control as much as I could. Once I hit my pre-pregnancy weight after she was born, I told myself it would be my turning point. I would finally take control of my weight and I'd reach my goal I had been dreaming of since high school. I celebrated Mackenzie's 1st birthday weighing 194 lbs. (That's the lowest I have been since I graduated high school at 187.) I got comfortable and hovered right around there until I got pregnant with Riley two months later weighing 206. We wanted our kids to be close and age but obviously I was a little discouraged that I couldn't drop more weight, knowing it would be beneficial to my health. 

Getting the baby weight off the second time around is no joke. I had people telling me "just you wait, it's much harder to lose the second time around!" I would playfully roll my eyes and nod. They weren't kidding. I am currently in "ONEderland" again. Finally! When people ask "How much weight have you lost?" It's hard to answer. It's all about how you look at it. On the day I delivered Riley I weighed 234 lbs. That number dwindled down a little over the next couple weeks but not as much as it did with Mackenzie. Ugh! What a tease! Anyways, I considered my starting weight to be 218.. which is how much I weighed at 6 weeks postpartum when I was cleared to workout again. I started slowly but surely working out again (barely) just trying to get better about cleaning up my eating. It wasn't until early March that a switch was flipped. I decided I was ready to finally work for it. I'm tired of saying "when I lose the weight.." or "someday.." or "I'll start on Monday" Screw that. This isn't a diet. I have changed my life. I am so incredibly blessed to have two daughters that take killer naps. That's quality time for Mama to workout! I get downstairs on the treadmill and work for it. What I love about working out lately is that I don't feel like I'm being forced to work out. I WANT to work out. I want to sweat. I want to change. I want to be happy in my skin. I'm getting there. I can't wait to see what the future holds me. Today I am 197 pounds. My goal weight is 160 lbs. I haven't set a deadline. It's not coming off overnight. I'm doing my best every single day. That's all anyone can do. I'm working hard and learning to love myself again.   

That's enough rambling for now! Sorry if that was overwhelming. Hah. I need to work on that!

Xo

 A

           April 2010                  April 2015