Weekly Goals

One of the main reasons I've revived this blog is because I got to following others and thought, "why not?"

Among those that I follow is Crafty Healthy Mommy. Amber and I had a mutual friend in high school and even though we didn't hang out much (she went to a different school) I always thought she was really sweet. When I got on My Fitness Pal about a year ago, I linked up with her and couldn't believe my eyes. This girl is incredible. Check her out and see for yourself.

Anyways, something she does on Mondays are post her weekly goals. This is a linkup to another blog I follow,  Operation Skinny Jeans. 

They post some goals for the week and then revisit them the following Monday to see how they do. I thought I'd give it a go, so here we go...

1. DRINK MORE WATER

I drink 6-8 ounces of water everyday. However, I have read some places that you should take your weight, divide it by two, and that's how many ounces you drink. For me, that's 118 ounces. Yup, do the math. I just told you how much I weigh. Oh well. 

I've got a beauty of a water bottle that holds 24 ounces. That means I've got to drink 5 of these bad boys. Everyday. Lord, I'm going to pee a lot.

2. CLEAN MY KITCHEN

I'm not a messy person by any means. However, my kitchen could use a good tidying up. This includes the pantry, fridge, cabinets, everything. I'll make sure I take some before and after shots for you guys... and by shots I mean shots of tequila. pictures.

3. LOSE 1.8 POUNDS

I am 1.8 pounds away from having lost 40 pounds. Never in my life have I stuck with something like this for so long. I've joined Weight Watchers and workout programs and diets and all that crap in the past, but just making a choice to STOP BEING A FAT ASS has been the thing that has worked for me. When I get to 40 pounds lost, I can then focus on 50. One step at a time.

So there they are. My 3 goals of the week. What are yours?

My First Birchbox

Okay. I have a new obsession. Birchbox. Have you heard of this fabulous idea?! I mean seriously, why couldn't I think of it? It combines two of my favorite things: beauty products and snail mail. Wouldn't you be excited to receive this little beauty in your mailbox?

I love anything having to do with makeup, hair, whatever. Stores like Ulta and Sephora are my definition of heaven. Honestly I love this stuff because let's face it, it doesn't come with a size chart. It doesn't matter if your a size 4 or a size 34, makeup always fits.

There is nothing like opening up the mailbox and having something in there besides junk. How many Dollar General fliers does one person need? I love cards and invitations and packages. It's like Christmas!

Birchbox is a combination of both. You pay $10 a month and get a box of fabulous goodies. Check out out what I got this month:

Top left: Simple Revitalizing eye roll-on

Use for under eye bags and circles. Lord knows some mornings I NEED this.

Top right: Mirenesse Glossy Kiss in Starlet

This is a lip and cheek stain. The shade I got is REALLY REALLY red so I'm not sure if I'll use it or not, but who knows!

Bottom left: Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir 

Use for your hair.

Bottom right: folle de joie eau de parfum and LAFACE PUR purifying facial wash

The perfume smells AMAZING. 

Not pictured: 1 year subscription to Women's Health Magazine.

Once you get the samples and try them out, you can go on their website and purchase the full size items. I'll try everything out and let you all know what I think! 

Interested in Birchbox? Sign up using this link so I can get some referral points!

Cooking for One

Cooking for one is probably one of the biggest things I hate about being single. (Okay not the BIGGEST, but it ranks right up there with having to do all the lawn work and remembering to buy toilet paper.) Do you know how hard it is to take a recipe and divide it into 8ths? How the heck to you use an 8th of a can of something anyways. It's such a waste of money. Can you say IRRITATING?!

So here are a few tips I've collected that seem to work for me:

• When you want to make a casserole, split the recipe into two pans, one being one of those disposable foil pans. When you're done making it, throw some foil on that bad boy and stick it in the freezer. I know I can't go through a whole casserole before it either A) goes bad or B) I'm burned out on it. Say this with me everyone, "THE FREEZER IS MY FRIEND"
• While on the subject of freezing food, it is really hard to make a single serving of soup. I take my leftovers and put individual servings in ziplock bags and then freeze the bags. When I want to eat some soup, all I do is boil a pot of water, throw in a bag of soup, let it thaw, and then I dump it in a bowl and heat it up in the microwave.
• On Sunday, I write out my whole plan for the week and I only buy what I need, especially when it comes to produce and dairy. If I plan on eating 3 apples, then I buy 3 apples, not a whole bag. A coworker and I have started sharing bags of cuties because I'd rather give her half my bag than throw them away when I don't eat them in time.
• Find recipes that use many of the same ingredients  The other day I made a black bean and chicken enchilada casserole. I saved half a cup of the black beans and 1/2 a cup of the corn and threw them in some lock n lock containers and put them in the fridge. Today for lunch, I'm going to bust those out to use for some healthy BBQ chicken nachos. 
• If you're anything like me, I hate milk. The only time I use it is for cereal or recipes. I've found that organic milk, though more expensive, lasts FOREVER. I hate when I end up collecting 3 half used half gallons of milk in my fridge with an expiration date a month ago.
• Get creative! I like throwing stuff together and seeing what comes up. If it fails, there is always PB&J.

Below are three things I came up with and are now staples in my dinner plans. Please feel free to share with anymore you might have!

Chicken and Hummus Tortilla

• Heat up a whole wheat tortilla in a skillet, flipping from side to side until crispy. Place on plate.
• Throw some grilled chicken strips (Tyson Grilled and Ready are my favorite) in the skillet to heat up.
• On the tortilla, spread 2 Tbsp. of supremely spicy hummus (or whatever kind you like). 
• Top with romaine lettuce, chicken strips, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, a sprinkle of feta cheese, some salad dressing, and croutons.
• Cut like a pizza into wedges.
• Calories: 493

Mediterranean Chicken Pita

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Place a whole wheat pita on cookie sheet.
• Cover with 1 Tbsp. pesto, grilled chicken strips, roasted red peppers, and cheese.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Calories: 517

Cousin Love

How is it that I've let almost a whole year go by without a post? Yet, once again, I suck at life. (Just kidding.)

If you didn't know, I'm training for a half marathon. Let's be honest, the only real reason I'm doing it is so I can have one of those awesome 13.1 stickers on my car. I'll probably be more excited about that than I will be finishing the actual race. My cousin and I completed the Papa John's 10 Miler in Louisville of April 6th and let me tell you, Holy Hills, I. hate. hills. My cousin Holly told me that if I finished, I could do her hair when we went out that night. If you don't know Holly, that was a huge honor.

It always surprises me when people think it's crazy how close I am with my cousins. They really are some of my best friends. I think it is pretty awesome that we text and talk all the time. Two of them are in this half marathon journey with me and come August, we are doing a Warrior Dash too. If I've learned anything from this training and running, it's that you have to have a support team to do it with. Without them I'd had quit a long time ago.