Striving for Health & Simplicity

Over the last few years life has changed drastically. I went from being a student living the single life, to a wife and mother with a career. As life changes so do my needs for Kitchen Equipment. I'm on the look out for things that make my life easier and make meal prep a lot easier. I strive to live a simple life with not a lot of clutter so items that can pull double duty are also very important to me! My top three pieces of Kitchen Equipment that help me maintain my healthy lifestyle are: Ninja : This is an absolute must have for me! Some of the features I love are that it comes with two smoothie cups, making our breakfasts quick and easy to make! I love that there's only one base but is also my food processor and blender. Making it super quick to whip up a batch of coleslaw or Banana Ice "Cream".  Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer : Oh my goodness, what can I say about this machine other then it's simply amazing! The different attachments make it extremely easy t...

How is it Thursday already!? We're almost at the end of Week Three of our Healthy 2019 Challenge! That's amazing! Originally we were thinking of just doing four weeks strictly, but the results have been so amazing thus far that I'm going to continue on the 6-Week Plan until it finishes. I do add in eggs on the weekends simply for the ease of only cooking one meal at lunch time. Just a reminder to make sure you're getting the proper amount of fruit and vegetables in each day! I don't list every single item I eat throughout the day, you'd find that pretty boring! Week Four Friday: Breakfast-Smoothie Lunch- Chick Pea Spread on whole wheat wrap with Pineapple, Melon, & Unsweetened Apple Sauce Supper- Roasted Vegetable Pizza & Fruit Salad Saturday: Breakfast-Weekend Smoothie  Add additional frozen fruit & some Avocado Lunch- Poached Egg & Fruit Salad with a Clementine  Supper-Out for Date Night Sunday: Breakfast-Week...

Wow! Today is the start of Week Three of our Healthy 2019 challenge! It's hard to believe we're already a third of the way through the strict 6-Week Eat to Live plan! The last two weeks have been amazing. They've been filled with hard work but the results have shown that that hard work has paid off! Non-Scale Victories: Loser Fitting Clothes More Energy Mood Stability Decreased Aches & Pains Measurement Victories: Down 3.8lbs  Down 1.25" The measurement victories are most likely a little bit off. I wasn't able to weigh in when we started on January 1st so my last weight/measurements are from December 24th. I know I gained weight and inches between Christmas and New Years so I would guess I've lost more weight and inches then my numbers are showing me. Here's to another successful two weeks!

I have to be honest, this second week has been really hard! Both E and I came down with a cold over the weekend. I had 16 dinner guests over on Sunday night which was amazing, but I had to make myself a different supper leaving me feeling like I was missing out. Despite the challenging week I still managed to stick with the plan 99% of the time. I did have some meat in one of my lunches, but other then that I was pretty strict despite not feeling well! We had some visiting on deck this weekend which is why you're seeing this post late! I will try and get into the habit of writing them on Thursday nights! On deck for Week Three are a couple new things, I need a change and I feel like if I keep eating the same thing I'm going to snap. Week Three Sunday: Breakfast-Weekend Smoothie  Add additional frozen fruit & some Avocado Lunch- Tofu "Egg" Burrito Making a batch of Tofu Eggs, adding some veggies & placing it in a wrap.  Supper-Mushroom Strogan...

How's everyone making out!? It's hard to believe that Week One is almost over! How are the sugar withdrawals? I haven't found the withdrawals to be too bad. There have definitely been some difficulties but overall I feel great despite fighting my first cold of the season. I apologize about the delay for Week Two meal plans. You can thank my cold for that.  Don't forget to make sure you're having an ounce of unsalted seeds/nuts per day! Because I'm up so early with E, I generally do have a snack around 10am and that's when I have my seeds/nuts. Week Two Sunday: Breakfast-Weekend Smoothie  Add additional frozen fruit & some Avocado Lunch- Leftover No Pasta Lasagna & Clementines Found in the Eat to Live Cookbook Supper-Butternut Squash Noodles, Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, & Fruit Salad Monday: Breakfast-Smoothie Lunch- Chick Pea Spread on whole wheat wrap with Pineapple, Melon, & Unsweetened Apple Sauce Supper-Large Tosse...

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that it's already January 1st! Where did the last year go!? Originally we were supposed to be spending today with family but the weather had other ideas! Since it was a snowy morning we decided to clean out our cupboards, stock our fridge & pantry with Eat to Live essentials, and buckle down! Over the course of the next four weeks I'll provide what our meal plans look like in hopes of giving you some ideas! I'm big on meal prepping which is what will help me stick to this plan. Hubby doesn't eat beans, so where I'm eating beans he'll be having his usual piece of meat. Don't forget to have your appropriate amount of water, and fruit/veggie servings! Week One Tuesday: Breakfast-Smoothie Lunch- Nutritarian Tofu Scrambled Eggs with Pear & Pineapple Slices Supper-1/2C Rice with 1C Black Beans, Pepper, Onion, Mushroom, Broccoli, Snap Peas & Carrots Wednesday: Breakfast-Smoothie  Lunch-Nutrit...