Happy Thanksgiving!!

Today is going to be my cheat day...clearly. lol. I'm going to try super hard not to go overboard but I can't make any promises. I love holiday dinners because all the best food comes out!!

But just wanted to jump on here real quick to tell you all 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Skinny Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

   

     I know what you're thinking....not possible...but it really is!

     This is actually a recipe I had from Hopelessly Ever After as you can tell in the pic. It's such a good recipe and with Thanksgiving coming up I just figured it would be something awesome to add to your dessert menu and you wouldn't feel guilty about it!! You can always change the topping to fit the season. Maybe a thin layer of pumpkin pie filling in between the layers of cream cheese. Or a dollop of pumpkin whipped cream or something. (drool) Just know that the nutritional facts below reflect this recipe alone. :) Yum...maybe I'll make this again myself with the pumpkin idea. Sounds delish!!

     This recipe is actually changed from the original. For those of you who haven't checked out the amazing Skinnytaste website you're missing out. You've got to go on there and see all the awesome recipes!! The original recipe was actually for Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. But I, of course, added my own twist to it. Mostly because raspberries were so expensive!!!

Here it is!!

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Nutritional Facts: Servings (9) Amount per Serving - Calories: 181, Total Fat: 7.1g, Cholesterol: 14.9 mg, Sodium: 145.9 mg, Potassium: 99.5 mg, Total Carbs: 24.6g - Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g, Sugars: 16.8g, Protein: 5.5g

INGREDIENTS:
     4 low fat graham crackers, crumbled
     1 tbsp light butter
     1/4 cup, sugar
     8 oz low fat cream cheese, softened
     1 tsp vanilla extract
     6 oz fat free vanilla yogurt
     1 tbsp flour
     2 egg whites
     1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate (for drizzling)
     9 strawberries

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a square baking pan with nonstick spray.

Mix together the graham cracker crumbs and the butter and press into the bottom of the dish.

Slowly beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Then, gradually add in egg whites, flour, and yogurt. Do not overbeat!!

Pour over graham cracker crust (I needed to spread mine out a little with the spatula to make it even).

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until center feels almost set. Cool to room temp and then put in fridge for a few hours.

Cut pie into 9 equal bars (I made mine a little bigger and couldn't finish the whole thing). Melt the chocolate and then drizzle on top of the bars. Add a few strawberries and confectioner's sugar for garnish.

   

Weekend Fail!!

I don't want to repeat everything in this post because most of you followers already follow me through Hopelessly Ever After. Long story short, I had an awesome weekend!! I went and surprised my bestie with her sister in VA for her birthday. So awesome. Check out Hopelessly Ever After for more deets. Plus I have a giveaway going on over there!! Here's a quick pic.

However....with that, means that I failed desperately in the food department. I feel like Mike and I have been doing awesome with our diets and I'm so proud of us, and I knew that going away this weekend I was going to be eating some things that aren't exactly healthy for me. Buuuuuttt....it was waaay worse than I had imagined.

Friday night when we went out I had been drinking all day. So, knowing we were also going to drink all night I got myself a burger...with hush puppies. I also got mussels for an appetizer, but I don't think they were that bad. Maybe a little high in sodium because of the broth, but, overall not bad. Please let me know if I'm wrong about that. lol. I don't know a ton about eating well.

But then, I drank, and drank, and drank that night. And ate frozen pizza. It was bad. And I didn't care. Until Saturday morning.....

UUMMM Hangover from hell. I honestly didn't remember being that drunk when I went to bed, but apparently my liver didn't agree. Ugh, it was awful. And all I wanted was something fried. So....I got it. Crab and corn fritters. And they were delish!! Not to mention we ate at Flip Flops in Va Beach which, if anyone watches Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, you might know Guy went there for an episode. So, of course I was stoked to try their food. And I tried a little bit of everyones. lol. The tater tot nachos were on point!! Ugh, now I'm hungry again.

Unfortunately, they didn't satisfy my needs and I kept eating, all day. And then I thought...why not bite the dog that bit ya, and started drinking again....

So in short, I failed miserably this weekend. But, when I got home I had a salad!! Ugh...this week is going to be hard. One step at a time!!

Linking up for Weekend Shenanigans.

Weighing In...and a shake recipe!!

I know I said I would give my measurements yesterday, but it took Mike and I a few days to find our measuring tape after the move so I'm a little late. But, like my momma says, better late than never. And really this is the truth. Last time I was doing this weight loss journey I vowed to take my pics from before. I thought about it every day and eventually it was just too late and there was already progress. I was always curious about how many inches I actually did lose, and put on in some places from muscle. So I'm really happy to be doing this

So here it goes. I only took measurements of things I actually care about. For example, I could give a ish less if my arms got smaller. Truthfully, I think my arms are fine, even with the little bit of extra wave that goes on some times. So, if I build muscle and they get bigger, like last time, that's only better for me. :)If you want to know what I look like half naked, scroll down to my first post. If not (I don't blame you) just keep reading. lol.

From just under the belly button (my biggest problem area): 37 inches

hips/butt (ba donk a dont): 42 inches

Thunder Thighs: 22 inches

I'm almost done my first week of Focus T25 with Shaun T. Today was the hardest one by far. I have an exciting weekend ahead, which I'll tell you about on Monday, so I had the day off. And, as usual, I'm awake bright and early still, while the boys sleep. BOO!! So I figured I might as well get up and get my workout in. 

Today was the Lower Focus workout. I don't have much lower body strength which blows my mind. My lower body used to be on point. I had thick quad muscles and sexy calf muscles. I was a dancer for 15 years and then a cheerleader all throughout high school. I was constantly working my lower half. Now it's everything I have to keep balance.

Part of that is because of the broken foot and it just plain hurts to put all my weight on it, but I tried and I did my best. I had to take a few 2 second breaks just to release the pain. lol. But pain is good. I can tell you my legs are shaking like the leaves on a tree right now!!!

OK, so I mentioned in the last post about drinking a protein shake after my workout. Drinking one right now actually...

I had a few people ask me about how I make my protein shakes, so I figured why not write the recipe in the blog!! It's so easy!!

We use just regular old whey protein from Walmart. It's like $16 per 1.95 lbs. We usually buy a few different flavors so we don't get bored. Vanilla is by far my favorite though.

Put all this in a blender...

1 heaping scoop of protein

1 banana frozen or not

1 spoonful of peanut butter (optional)

about 1/3 cup of oats (optional)

cover with milk

ice cubes until your desired thickness

Blend.

BOOOOM!!

So easy. and Delish!!

How's your workout journey going?!?!

I started T25...

...and I'm actually writing this right after. Holy Crapizoid!! And it's only day 1!! I'm so nervous. I should really stop reading what other people have written because I'm starting to get super freaked out about the future workouts. I also forgot that you were supposed to start on a Monday but I still started with the Cardio workout.

Here are a few tips....at least from someone who just started this whole thing. Don't start from being a straight lazy fat lard like I did. Get your cardio up before starting. I had to do the modified version starting at about 3 minutes in. I was already done, out of breath, and in pain. If the workout was any longer than 25 minutes there is no way in hail I would have made it.

Also, make sure you're still not harboring a cold when you begin your workout. I'm pretty sure, since I was doing cardio and all, being able to breath would be a requirement. Plus, since when I breath heavy it feels like razor blades are cutting the back of my throat, the whole nonstop no water thing just didn't work today. I admit I took 2 very very short water breaks. But legit like 5 seconds. And I kept moving. Booyah!!

Anywhoop....here's the before and after pic I took. I was so nervous. I truthfully don't like doing videos because I feel like I don't give my best. This time, I really did. Although I was doing the modified version...but I was grunting and moaning and really trying. I promise!!

But then....I came downstairs and made myself a protein shake. Yup...she's in a huge beer mug. Hey, it kinda tames my craving. But, overall, at the moment, while I'm sitting here writing I'm really proud of myself for pushing through. And even though I did the puss modified version I know I'll eventually make it to where I can do it full fledged. I hope. lol.

Until then...cheers!!

Stay tuned because tomorrow I'm going to give my measurements. I can't believe I'm doing this. lol.

Taste of Tuesday - Skinny Mini Chicken Pot Pie

     This is one of my favorite skinny recipes. I found it during the last time that I was into this whole healthy thing. See, Mike can eat chicken and rice every single day for lunch and dinner. I have to have some variety, and unless I do something that I can actually deal with and stick with, this is not going to work out. I have to make this lifestyle change something I know will be a part of me for the rest of my life. When you get into the swing of cooking and eating healthy, then it just comes naturally. That's what we need!!

     I have been keeping a board on my Pinterest page for healthy ideas. It's just any exercises, food, inspiration, etc that I come across to keep this healthy living up. A few months ago I came across this recipe for these mini chicken pot pies.

These were AWESOME!! You would never even guess they are skinny!! Supposedly only 185 calories each!!!

Skinny Mini Chicken Pot Pies
INGREDIENTS:
     1 can Pillsbury Grands Jr. (10 count)
     1lb chicken, cooked and diced
     1 10.75 oz can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
     1 cup frozen mixed veggies, thawed
     3/4 cup shredded cheese
     1 tsp dried italian seasoning
     1 tsp onion powder
     1/4 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a 12 cup muffin pan, spray 10 of the cups with cooking oil. Pour a little water in the other two when baking.

2. Separate the biscuits and flatten out each so when they are placed in the muffin tins they create a cup.  The dough should come up the sides of the muffin cups.

3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the chicken, soup, mixed vegetables, cheese, and seasonings. Spoon the mixture into the "biscuit cups" evenly.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Serve right away. Use a knife to help you pull each "pie" from the tin.

Let me know if you try these or if you have any suggestions for the next time!! We're always up for suggestions!!
   

Linking up with Jess and Ashley for Taste of Tuesday!!

Hey Guys!!

Hi friends!! Welcome to the new blog! Don't worry, Hopelessly Ever After will still be in effect but I think I need this to get me back on that fitness bandwagon. Don't forget to join via GFC and Bloglovin' so I can see who's with me!!

About a year ago I made it a choice to start working out and eating healthy. I was making a lot of progress and even lost about 10 pounds (I put on a ton of muscle) until I broke my foot. I know, I know, and excuse. But truthfully it stopped me from my routine and once that happened it was so hard to get back on. My husband, Mike, and I also moved farther away from our gym so it takes me about 20 minutes to get there, now. However, that too is an excuse because Mike goes every day. That's right, I even have a gym rat husband and still can't get my ass in gear.

So...that's why I started this blog. Motivation is my biggest downfall. I was working out with a friend but truthfully, our little tiny gym is quite expensive. The only reason I could afford it is because of Mike's Correctional Officer discount, so I don't blame her for not wanting to pay a lot. She still works out but she does it to videos which is what I'm determined to do as well. A good excuse not to have to drive to the gym!!

Here's where I'm going to need your help! You guys are going to be my motivation. You have to keep me in check!! If you notice I haven't posted something useful in a while, you gotta get me right!

Here's where I'm freaking out. I had Mike take 2 pictures of me today. They are nastaaayyyy! So...look if you want, but that's what this blog is all about. Getting this body back in check. 

 So there I am. In all my glory. Look at the junk in that trunk!! OMG!! And I have this horrible "B" belly. Here let me spell it out for you. Sorry to make you look at this again. I'll make it smaller this time.

Hey at least I'm good with everything below the knee. :) 

So here it goes!! Please help me stay motivated!!