Honeymoon: Galveston

last time i was here, i wasnt a married woman yet. but now i am!

and i was also trying to fit into my dress. well i did!

now we are happily on the honeymoon and loving every minute of it. i didnt wanna forget it all, so i wanted to blog about it. ill also blog about the wedding, which went perfectly, once i get my pics in. so here we go.

after waking up at the hotel we stayed at saturday night, we went home to finish packing, stopped by moms to open our cards we received to see if we had any other honeymoon money and hit the road! we were beach bound!

 once we got there we needed food and hit up the Sunflower Bakery and Cafe. i had been there once before and remembered it being very delicious. my memory was right! i got a regular cheeseburger. but it was homemade on a homemade bun. and homemade fries.holy yum!

 afterward we headed to the hotel. and our room wasnt ready... for like 20 mins. so they upgraded us to the suite with the jacuzzi tub! heck yes! we had an ocean view from all 5 of our hotel windows. it was a pretty kick ass room. the jacuzzi tub was big enough to fit 2 ;)

 we then headed out to the beach for awhile, grabbed a quick bite and called it a night. we woke up bright and early the next morning cuz we wanted to be at the beach as the sun was coming up. it was so worth it! since its off season and during the week we basically had the beach to ourselves. it was quiet, but windy and cool. and the water was really cold too.. so i stayed on my towel alot.

 after hanging out there awhile we headed back to to hotel to clean up cuz we had a few places we wanted to go. one being specs to stock up on alcohol and so jamie could go since he hadnt been to one yet. and the other bring russo's for a big pizza slice! then we returned back to the hotel and napped until dinner.

we went to saltgrass for dinner. its one of our favorite spots. i have a spot in my heart for their filet mignon. i was one happy girl!

this morning we slept in then packed up to hit the road for san antonio. we arrived about 3 and headed for the riverwalk. but that will be for another post!

Wedding Week

well, its wedding week. but if its anything like yesterday im gonna rename is "hell week" every person involved in the wedding, except florist and church, called me yesterday.. eeek!

it is also wedding bootcamp week. i tried on my dress sunday for some alterations that we decided not to do, and the dress was a bit more snug than id like. it wasnt popping the seams tight, just uncomfortable. so i plan to cut back on the munchies, drink lots of water, and do some working out.

yesterday i did a turbo jam workout that has left me feeling super sore in my back today.. so ill have to find a much less physical workout today, like just walking. i have a meeting every night this week so im hoping i can fit in all my workouts in the morning.

wish me luck!

Small Victories

this is probably i post i should have done ohhh about a month ago. but better late than never right??\

So about a month ago i woke up to our first beautiful fall morning and i saw this:

 i had no excuse not to get out on the beautiful day.. so i threw on my running clothes and hit the pavement. Jo was right.. the day was gorgeous.. weather nice and cool. perfect running weather. i went into it knowing i wanted to try and run a mile. i go into almost every run like that. ive posted before about how running isnt easy for me. my mind always takes over and tells me i cant. i think im slightly overcoming it though. well this time i was much more determined. and this happened:

i did it! i actually ran a mile! now i know thats a tiny victory.. but it was huge to me! and thats all that matters i suppose.

now that i knew i could run a mile.. it was my new goal to run a mile all the time

and it became easier and easier

but i knew i was ready for more. my plan was to slowly build up my distance and worry about time later. cuz i cant really change my time until i lose some lbs. fact. well that was my plan anyways.. unitl i did this:

though i was super proud of myself.. i then realized i would be setting the bar high to do 2 miles everytime! which i knew wouldnt happen cuz i psych myself out all the time. ive only ran twice since then but shorter distances.. like not even a mile. but hopefully soon i can get myself to run 2 miles again.. and then hopefully 3.1 miles to finally succeed in my goal of running a 5k.. itll happen before the year is over.. i just hope sooner rather than later.

10 days

Ive been quite busy lately. Im sure you could tell by the lack of post. Wanna know why? I get married in 10 days! Yea, I know... Im freaking out too. This is my attempt to try to lose some lbs before the wedding... eek!

Gotta be prepared!

Ill be back hopefully before the wedding to give you an update. And hopefully be back alot more after the wedding.. cuz i have big plans :) Check ya later!

Getting back on track

 

Well, I am slightly back on track. And have 2 recipes for you. There arent my recipes.. but there are good and have to share.

My fiance joined a biggest loser competition at work. Ive been waiting for this for awhile. For him to be on bored with weight loss and we can support each other. His one request… healthy meals to eat. Ive got him covered, and its also got me packing a healthy lunch as well.

I am lacking pictures.. but here is what ive done. I planned out the meals and went to shopping. When i got home, it was prep time.

The meal plan goes as such:

Me:

breakfast : fried egg on english muffin with cheese, strawberries, v8

lunch: taco lettuce wraps, deviled eggs

J:

lunch: chicken wraps

Dinner:

Spaghetti with ground chicken meat sauce

Teriyaki Pineapple Burgers

Chicken & Broccoli rice

Pork chops with southwestern black bean salad and mexican rice

Crockpot chicken tacos

 

To begin prep, I started boiling eggs and cooking meats. For the chicken for the grilled chicken wraps I just seasoned the frozen chicken i had and baked it in the oven for about 45 mins. For the taco meat, i followed the recipe. I bought hearts for romaine and pulled the leaves off to use as the wraps. I also cut some of the romaine up to use in J’s chicken wraps. Once the eggs were done i shelled them, cut them open and deyolked them to mix with seasoning and mayo, and refilled them for deviled eggs. The only other prep work I had to do was cut the strawberries and i was ready for the week!

Lunch!

 

Dinner tonight was Teriyaki Pineapple Burgers. They were awesome! I pretty much followed this recipe.

 

But then i decided to add BBQ sauce…

And then grill the pineapples on top…

And they were delish!! Cant wait to eat the leftovers!

Well thats enough for today! I shall return with more recipes soon!

Resolutions Update

I'm a month and 9 days late posting this.. but its now or never right? I wanted to go over some of my resolutions to see how I was doing so far. Here we go:
Personal:
Save money to buy a house for when we move out the apartment - Well i guess that is done.. we have moved in the house.. not totally settled in and still have repairs to make.. 

Food/Fitness
Try new healthier foods – Im attempting to.. I cook a lot more healthier than I use to, and including lots of veggies in things.
Cook more often (no eating out or cooking processed foods) – Ive gotten a lot better at this. We rarely eat anything processed. I make a lot of things from scratch. SO much tastier that way!
Run 3-4 times a week – I go back and forth on this. some weeks I do. most weeks I don’t. Especially the last month. Ive been sick and busy with the house. But for the last 2 days ive gotten out and ran. Hope this is a start to a good thing! I wanna run a 5k before my wedding. I have 2 months to train!
Run a 5k  - nope.. see previous answer
Strength train at least once a week -  nope.. but im bout to start a weight training program… cant be flabby for the wedding!
Do pilates at least once a week -  nope… but I did it tonight! does that count?
Lose 30 lbs  - currently at 6 pounds down… but I still have 4 months to reach this!
Blog Post more – Obviously im failing at this.. but hopefully for not too much longer!
Post more recipes  - I would.. but I always forget to take pictures!

Ive got a lot of work to do!! Eek!

forgetful?

why do i keep forgetting about my precious blog?? well i know its here.. but its the last thing on my mind. planning a wedding and buying a house (!) has been my top priorities. i want to blog about both.. AND update you on my lack of weightloss and workout.. and so many recipes.. but i close on my house friday. im gonna be a homeowner!! lots of packing.. and ideas in my head. my house is gonna be glorious :) 

at the beginning of the month i started 5k training again. i went for 2 solid weeks! i was feeling very motivated and was making progress. i was the queen of the track. but then last friday... i got a bad cold.. that i still somewhat have.. i can finally breathe again! sooo... i hope to get back on the track.. if itll stop raining..

yes the rain.. its been raining for a solid week.. kinda puts a damper on plans.. and running. le sigh. i did however sign up for tina's bootcamp. im exicted!! maybe itll give me the push i need. cuz i do have a wedding in 3 months..  is it really 3 months.. eek! ive been busy getting everyone booked and creating decorations.. so much to share.. so little time..

i guess ill share a few pics of what ive been up to lately...

5:30 am

 

Thats what time ive been waking up lately. And on purpose. Ive been getting up early to go to the closest school track to get my runs in. Ive started my 5k trainer over again. Im only in week 2, but im seeing improvements in my running already, since taking a 2 month break.

 

 

Along with my running i hope to throw in some strength training. No one wants to see my are jiggling around at the wedding, right? or back fat… le sigh. Anywhos. I have a plan all scheduled out for this week.. lets just see if i can follow it.

 

Ive also been reading up on clean eating, made a grocery list, and hope to do some prepping today. Eating is a bigger issue for me than exercise, so i hope this new lifestyle change helps alot and can lose the weight i hope to. of course there will be cheating.. im not letting the eclair cake i made go to waste! :)

 

Hope you have a great sunday!

Its been awhile...

I thought I would posting to tell you that I lost about 6 pounds over lent when I gave up sugar, however, I cant. After weighing this morning... all the sweets ive had since easter have now made my weight loss a total of 2 pounds. I wanted to cry! Problem is im craving sugar more now since i gave it up for lent. ugh. Lent should be year round. I dont now why i can just tell myself no.. i did for 40 days!

But that will all change. This morning i ran. I am determined to get back into exercising. I must fit in my dress that i bought at 6 lbs down! I recently read the first few chapters of the 17 day diet. Seems easy enough.. its very similar to the Paleo diet i thought about doing. but who am i kidding? i need my samiches and beans!

I will hopefully be posting alot more on here to try and keep myself accountable (isnt that why i started the blog??)

Have a great memorial weekend!

Bringing it back

Yesterday was a stressful day at work. We have a friday deadline and so much left to do! So of course I freak out. And would LOVE to eat chocolate or have a drink, but i cant. And I couldnt exercise at work, that would just be silly. So at lunch with my salad, I had a little cup of mac n cheese.. I felt like crap after this... why did i do that? Oh right, Im an emotional eater. But im glad it was only one small cup. I usually eat more food than that when im stressed. But when i got home i knew i needed to burn off some of that energy. But i also wanted to do something i hadnt done in awhile...

That's right folks, i have turbo jam. I got it about 4 years ago and did it religiously.. sadly with no results. Probably cuz of my eating.. Anywho, I loved doing it again. Something about punching and kicking alot really gets anger out of you! I will def. be doing this more and more.. im bringing turbo back ;)

Oh, Tuesday I ran. 2.22 miles in 34 mins. Im proud. Im going back to my "run your butt off" training. Then i came home and did my kettlebell workout. Hurts so good! Im left sore for a few days the few times ive done it. no pain no gain right?

on another note: i tried this yesterday..

 

My boss does crossfit and is doing the paleo challenge right now, and he eats this about twice a day as his snack. We usually pick on him about it and he always wants me to try it. I told him i needed to put it on something, because i wasnt going to eat it right out the packet like he does. I had apples for a snack yesterday and he said "you must try it now", so i squirted it on my apple pieces. I am a fan! Im a huge fan of peanut butter, so i want sure how i would like it cuz he said its nothing like peanut butter, it was better. Im not gonna say it was better, but it sure was yummy and im going to have to pick me up some.

Hope everyone has a good day!

How to cure a bad day

Yesterday was not a good day. Work wasnt going so well, I realized how far away we were financially to buying a house, and I still wasnt on track with my diet as I would like. I would usually turn to alcohol or sweets/chocolate. But, I gave that up for lent. Which made my day even worse. But better at the same time. It helped me see I dont need those things to try to help me feel better. I have always been an emotional eater, and this was a great way to see that I dont have to be.

On my training plan yesterday was elliptical for 30 mins and a strength workout. The strength workout seemed to easy, so I added my own exercises in there. Then it was time for the elliptical. Honestly, I hadnt the elliptical in awhile, so I knew it was going to be hard. I did the first 15 mins and wanted to give up. But i REALLY wanted (and needed) those extra 15 mins. So i decided id take a little break. I went in the kitchen, turned on the oven, and prepped the chicken to go in the oven. Then back to it I went. Then after 5 mins, I went and put the chicken in the oven and some water boiling. Then back for another 5 mins. Then, put my noodles in the water and back to it! It was so much easier breaking it up like that. I didnt feel like I was forcing myself to do. I wanted to do it, just i knew i would need short 2 min breaks in between. But im proud I didnt give up. I started to feel much better.

Dinner last night was broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken and mac and cheese. Not the healthiest thing, but it was easy. I think the mac and cheese made me feel better too :) Gotta love the cheese ;)

I then set out to Sam's for grapes, spinach ravioli, and a bag of roman salad, for my salad in a jar.

I took a detour on the way home for a little photoshoot of a church that just got finished being built. It is also the church the architects I work worked on. Its beautiful!

 

 Well off to work! Hopefully no bad day today!!

How do you get over a bad day?

Refinding motivation

I havent exercised in a week. And im at the same weight i was wednesday. Not that i thought it would just come falling off, but i thought it would budge a little bit more. I realize now that i really do need to get my butt off the couch and do something.

This week I plan on doing lots of elliptical, and some new videos i got.

 

 I am going to alternate days of these two and add my elliptical in there. Last time i weighed was Friday, so i dont plan on weighing again til this Friday. I dont want to become one of those obsessive people that weigh in 3 times a day. I will listen to my body and eat and work out as i see fit.

Speaking of food, i sorta pigged out yesterday, whoops! well not really pig out, but not really healthy eating. Though i did make baked zucchini bites!

I cut two small zucchinis in about 1/4" pieces, dipped them in egg, and coated them in a mixture of bread crumbs, parmesan and seasoning. baked for about 15 mins, and they are done. they werent super mushy like the first time i tried zucchini. I dont like mushy. I thought they were really good, even jamie liked them!

Im going to try new things this week! Jamie always says he doesnt want to eat the same thing all the time and wants to try new things. So here is my menu:

Spaghetti squash, with marinara and chicken meatballs

Baked potatoes and chicken bites

Turkey burgers with kale chips

Tacos

Pancakes

Hopefully we will enjoy these new things too.

I hope everyone has a good rest of the weekend. Im headed to get exercise in, mowing my grandpas yard!

Still here

Well, im still here. Jamie was off for a week, so I had to take full advantage of spending time with him since he usually works nights and we don’t get to spend much time together.

Saturday morning me and jamie set out for New Orleans. We hadnt been in almost 2 years and he wanted to do a little shopping and I wanted to do some walking around and looking at the flea market.

After a couple hours we headed to Baton rouge to check into our hotel. It was in the down town area, and in walking distance to the concert we were going to that night. It was a very modern hotel with a gym, bar, and restaurant.
 

After meeting his friends at the bass pro shop for a little shopping, we headed to the concert and waited for the doors to open. The concert was pretty good for being a band  I don’t listen to. Puscifer. Look ‘em up!
Sunday we did quite a bit of shopping at a near by mall. Then headed home.

I didn’t workout like I wanted to over the weekend. But we did lots of walking, so I figured that would make up for some of it. I really havent worked out since friday.. Totally already broke my lent rule.. ugh. But I havent had sweets or alcohol. And im craving sweets more and more everyday. Mainly cookies.

Im doing really well my eating. Ive been tracking my breakfast and lunch and just eat a small portion for dinner and fill up on water the rest of the night. This plan has me 3 lbs down already!! I really need to get motivated to working out again. Only 5 more weeks til I go dress shopping.. gotta step it up!