Friday, December 28, 2012
Perception
With the new year close and Christmas just ending, we're probably all doing a double take in the mirror and promising ourselves that this new year will be different. If you're anything like me, you're already planning out the ways you'll lose weight or the steps you'll take to become a better version of yourself. Well, that's great and all, but let's not lose focus on the overall goal of what we're trying to accomplish with this. We're trying to be happy. We're trying to find true joy. Isn't that what we're all looking for? Well, as obvious as it would seem that we'll be happy when we lose weight or whatever, we can't just assume that happiness will appear then. When will enough be enough? When will you finally be happy? Thus, today's blog is all about perception.
Although this picture was intended to be funny, I'm going to use it to present a challenge. This new year, may we all see this in the mirror. We're all the "tabby cat" in our own minds: cute, sweet, though hardly a powerhouse of mountain lion fantasticness. So this year, resolve to see a cougar in the mirror. See someone who is strong and powerful, even if the initial reaction is someone who needs to toughen up or slim down. You are who you perceive yourself to be. Perceive greatness, then go achieve it. CHOOSE to be happy NOW. Happy holidays and New Year to you all!!! Remember, you GOTTA love it to lose it! XOXO-Brooklin
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Week 2 of Clean Eating
So my friends, welcome back for the second week's post about my progress. First, I have to say, I'm soooo much better off than I was last week. I feel better, I have more energy and most importantly, I have more self esteem (this usually happens whenever I take an active "role" in my life :S)! This week, I've tried some interesting meals and some that were delicious. Not wanting to "bash" anything or anyone, I'm only including the recipes that are tried and delicious (there was only one that I couldn't/wouldn't eat). They are all off of Dani Spies' website, cleananddelicious.com.
Alright! So this week, I tried the Chicken and White Bean Chili. I was pleasantly surprised by this dish! It was DELICIOUS! I added some scallions, a little bit of cheddar cheese, and a dollop of greek yogurt to the top, stirred it up and yum! I am disappointed to say that no, I'm bad with my camera and did not get a picture of this deliciousness, but I would recommend it to anyone! It's great for a cold fall day when you come home wanting something hearty and delicious. Yum. Nuff said.
Next, I tried the Bison Taco Bowls. Again, I will reiterate that I am a poor college student and that there are very few, if any natural food stores around here. Thus, I ended up using low fat beef. OH MY HONK. These are the SHIZ!!!!! I loved these sooo much! I even took some to one of my friends who gulped it down within a few minutes (her husband helped). She said that she would eat this meal any day! I ended up making my own taco seasoning from allrecipes.com and it was soo good without the added sodium and preservatives. This dish also reminded me a lot of my mom's Navajo tacos she'd make when we grew up, so I dove into this dish.
The last meal I made this week was the Salmon Burger. I topped it with Dani's creamy dill sauce and ate it with a couple of toasted pieces of bread and it was SOOO GOOD! My friend upstairs again was going to be my guinea pig, but since she hates seafood, I watched her husband devour it within a few minutes. Scrumptious! One thing I will say is that this dish, if not immediately cleaned up after (I know that sounds like an Oh duh statement) will start to become rank...and fast! This week our kitchen was a disaster because we had a bug problem (not the kind that comes from being dirty, but the one that actually can come home from the store with you - ick!), so there wasn't really room to make food, let alone clean it up :S. So, after the exterminator left, it's been a process to try to piece things back together. Anywho, if you love fish, Salmon in a can is THE BOMB and totally delicious! Just watch Dani's schpiel in the video linked above for the burgers.
So that was my week! I was very busy, so most days, I ate leftovers or I accidentally skipped meals due to work (don't do that!). This week, my goal is to be prepared with foods to take to work and snack on them so I am never hungry. Once the hunger sets in, I kiss reality goodbye and start digging into the junk food :S.
A parting word comes from my wish-she-could-be friend, Tay Tay. She be wise :D
This week is all about being thankful for what we have and who we are. Be thankful you can walk, talk, run, and eat whatever you want. Take the time to decide who you want to be and what you want out of life. Then, go for it! Full blown run for it like you're running from zombies! Just as Taylor said, it's never too late so don't count yourself out yet. Peace out chicas/chicos! Don't go too crazy this week, but live it up with your holidays! Remember, you've got to LOVE it to LOSE it. XOXO.
Alright! So this week, I tried the Chicken and White Bean Chili. I was pleasantly surprised by this dish! It was DELICIOUS! I added some scallions, a little bit of cheddar cheese, and a dollop of greek yogurt to the top, stirred it up and yum! I am disappointed to say that no, I'm bad with my camera and did not get a picture of this deliciousness, but I would recommend it to anyone! It's great for a cold fall day when you come home wanting something hearty and delicious. Yum. Nuff said.
Next, I tried the Bison Taco Bowls. Again, I will reiterate that I am a poor college student and that there are very few, if any natural food stores around here. Thus, I ended up using low fat beef. OH MY HONK. These are the SHIZ!!!!! I loved these sooo much! I even took some to one of my friends who gulped it down within a few minutes (her husband helped). She said that she would eat this meal any day! I ended up making my own taco seasoning from allrecipes.com and it was soo good without the added sodium and preservatives. This dish also reminded me a lot of my mom's Navajo tacos she'd make when we grew up, so I dove into this dish.
The last meal I made this week was the Salmon Burger. I topped it with Dani's creamy dill sauce and ate it with a couple of toasted pieces of bread and it was SOOO GOOD! My friend upstairs again was going to be my guinea pig, but since she hates seafood, I watched her husband devour it within a few minutes. Scrumptious! One thing I will say is that this dish, if not immediately cleaned up after (I know that sounds like an Oh duh statement) will start to become rank...and fast! This week our kitchen was a disaster because we had a bug problem (not the kind that comes from being dirty, but the one that actually can come home from the store with you - ick!), so there wasn't really room to make food, let alone clean it up :S. So, after the exterminator left, it's been a process to try to piece things back together. Anywho, if you love fish, Salmon in a can is THE BOMB and totally delicious! Just watch Dani's schpiel in the video linked above for the burgers.
So that was my week! I was very busy, so most days, I ate leftovers or I accidentally skipped meals due to work (don't do that!). This week, my goal is to be prepared with foods to take to work and snack on them so I am never hungry. Once the hunger sets in, I kiss reality goodbye and start digging into the junk food :S.
A parting word comes from my wish-she-could-be friend, Tay Tay. She be wise :D
This week is all about being thankful for what we have and who we are. Be thankful you can walk, talk, run, and eat whatever you want. Take the time to decide who you want to be and what you want out of life. Then, go for it! Full blown run for it like you're running from zombies! Just as Taylor said, it's never too late so don't count yourself out yet. Peace out chicas/chicos! Don't go too crazy this week, but live it up with your holidays! Remember, you've got to LOVE it to LOSE it. XOXO.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Transitions
Hey all, this week I am starting a transition or transformation really. I am tired of my overly processed, fast food lifestyle I've been living for the past 5 or so years. I have been mentally and physically drained not to mention the acne and the lack luster hair. So thanks to my dear friend Tyann (SHOUT OUT!), I have decided to focus my efforts on trying to transition to a clean diet. Actually, strike that, let me rephrase that... Lifestyle. Does it get to anyone else the fact that diet has the word "die" right in it? Well, I don't want to die and I certainly don't want to diet, so I'm changing my lifestyle.
If you haven't heard of Dani Spies at cleananddelicious.com, CHECK HER OUT! She is phenomenal! She is so knowledgeable and educated. Best of all, she gives full blown videos of her cooking so that her recipes are easy to recreate! You can look her up right on youtube and explore some of her videos.
Today my post is all about bettering myself. I am sick and tired of hating my life dieting to try to get to a point where I'll love EVERYTHING about me. Isn't it odd how we do things we hate to get things we love? What if we can have the best of both worlds and love the journey? With clean eating, I believe this is possible!
So over the next months, I will be posting what I think about Dani's clean recipes and others I find along the way. I will post my progress (and my set backs-I am human after all) with clean eating. Do remember that I'm not a dietitian so if you have any food/health related questions, speak to your health care professional. You can ask me and I will do my best to answer...but...again, I'm not a professional. Also keep in mind that I am a poor college student's wife, so I will do my best and make certain substitutions to make sure that this diet fits in our budget. By the way, I am also extremely picky about what I will or won't eat, so when I say something is delicious, I MEAN IT! I'm not just trying to get you to convert to clean eating...or am I?Jk.
Let's begin with day 1!
Today, I woke up and made some rolled oat oatmeal and added ground flax and chia seeds to get my Omega 3's and help to stave off hunger. I was afraid I'd dislike the added texture, but didn't even notice! I also added some frozen berries I got at Walmart instead of adding sugar. I was expecting a negative reaction so I prepped myself (and yes, I prayed that it would taste good). I was PLEASANTLY surprised at how delicious it was! The tip here is to make the oatmeal with milk instead of water. It gives it a creamier flavor. Also, if you have the time, I'd make it over the stove instead of in the microwave. I tend to overcook mine or it just explodes and makes a mess :S.To add to my oatmeal, I had a beautifully red grapefruit without added sugar on top like I usually do. I love the fact that they're in season! There's a stark difference in color and sweetness when they're out of season haha!
For lunch, I had Dani Spies recipe of Tuna pasta. Here's the link: Dani Spies Clean Eating Tuna Pasta Salad. This recipe is delicious! I made a recipe sometime last month that was clean and also had the purple onions. I have to admit, I HATED it. I did not like the red onions AT ALL!!! The flavor was so overpowering that honestly, the dish sat in my fridge and didn't get eaten (bad me!). This time however, the flavors of the whole grain pasta, peas, tuna and purple onions blended so well! In fact, they gave the onions an almost sweet tang to them. LOVED IT! And my husband loved it too :D That's always a bonus!
For dinner, I made Dani Spies Tilapia Oreganata. Dani Spies Tilapia Oreganata I don't think I made this one quite like she did. The picture was VERY different from how mine turned out. It was still good and we served it with a salad drizzled in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My advice is to make sure you have a lemon zester (I used a regular sized cheese grater and then chopped the zest with my knife to make it smaller) which would have made the dish better. Make sure you also don't use anymore of the lemon than just the zest. Stop before you zest the white pith, otherwise your dish will turn out with a bitter zing to it. Also, this might be an "oh, duh!" statement, but make sure you coat EACH side in the herb oil, otherwise, it won't have the same flavor. Lastly, if you don't have whole wheat bread crumbs on hand, take a piece of bread and send it through the blender/magic bullet/food processor or whatever you have on hand. Each of these will get the job done. Bread that fits into the clean diet is a little difficult to find, at least in our extremely small town in Washington. I did find an organic bread that I figured would work. It's called Dave's Killer Bread. It's got 5 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, and is 100% whole grain. There are lots of nuts and seeds on the sides as well so it's delicious. It is a little tougher than regular bread, so in case this means it's going bad, I've been storing it in my freezer. Here's what it looks like.
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After dinner is where I have to be really careful. I get all sorts of cravings! I turn into a prego woman on crack (and I'm not even prego!). So to avoid getting myself into trouble, I turned to some strawberries for "dessert." This helped with my sugar cravings, but just like always, right after I satisfied my sweet tooth, my salty molar jumped up and declared it wanted its fix too! This is where the night turned interesting...
Kale chips...for all those who have tried them, you know. For those of you who, like myself, were/are hesitant, three words. BOMB. DOT. COM. These are DELICIOUS! In my picture, you can see how they're cooked just right and when you put them in your mouth, mmm, mmm, mmmmmmmm! Them be lip smackin good :D! Here's a video of Dani Spies making them Dani Spies Kale Chips
Be warned that they are not potato chips. Do not go into that first bite expecting potato chips...you will be disappointed, but only minimally. Also, make sure you don't use too much salt (lesson learned on my part).
Last thing I made tonight was Dani Spies (I know I talk about her a lot, but that's cuz she's the shiz!) protein pumpkin pancakes. Mmmm! So good! Typically, I would prefer to stop at the kale chips, but I was ironically still hungry (this happens to my body when I transition into different eating habits, so whatevs).
This is when I whipped out my newly acquired coconut oil. I'm oober excited about coconut oil :D and rightly so. I bought this baby at Walmart. It's not organic, but again, I'm a college student doing my best. We also don't have any health food stores around her (that I'm aware of), so I'm workin' with what I gots!
Before y'all roll your eyes and say "Oh my honk! You didn't just say coconut oil! It's a saturated fat!" Well, yes, it is. However, it is a good fat! Repeat with me...GOOD FAT! I know-unlike unicorns, IT DOES EXIST! Not only does it help with preventing injury to your arteries, but it is 50% lauric acid which prevents heart disease and helps to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. But wait, it doesn't stop there! Next it can help with hair that has been damaged or is extra dry. Next time you go shopping for shampoo/conditioner, look at the ingredient list on the back and see if there is coconut oil in there. If so, your hair will be repaired and on its way to gawgeousness in no time! Also, if you have psoriasis or eczema, whip out some coconut oil and rub it in. I have waitress hands since I work as a server and will be putting coconut oil to the test this week (come back next week so you can see the progress on my nasty, dry hands). Coconut oil also helps your body fight infection and sicknesses along with promoting an overall better health weight-wise and digestion-wise. To read more, click here.
Wondering why I brought up coconut oil? Because I oiled my pan with it! This makes the pancakes extra crispy and soooooooo gooooood!!!!!!
So back on track, I tried the protein pumpkin pancakes and they have my stamp of approval! They're very moist in the inside and drizzled with a few drops (notice I said FEW) of Agave nectar (picture below), they rocked my socks off. I'm excited to try this babies tomorrow and see how long they hold me over.
Dani also has a great video here to see how you can freeze some of the pancakes and be prepared when a hectic morning hits ya head on.
Now that I've officially dumped my brain onto this blog post, I hope you come back and read up on my next meals. I'll take pictures tomorrow of the meals I attempt so y'all can see how they turn out when an amateur cooks them. Please take the time to look at Dani's website and subscribe to her youtube channel. She posts once a week and again, is rockin' awesome! If you have websites or know of some videos, tried and true clean recipes or ideas, please feel free to post them in the comment section! I am always looking for feed back, help and inspiration. On the way out, I'll leave you with a niblet of pinteresting inspiration:
Enjoy today. Right now. There is someone out there wishing they had your life and the time you have. Make it count and make the changes necessary in your life to leave the negativity behind. Remember...you HAVE to love it 2 lose it. Peace out my Hottie-McHot-Hot friends!!
If you haven't heard of Dani Spies at cleananddelicious.com, CHECK HER OUT! She is phenomenal! She is so knowledgeable and educated. Best of all, she gives full blown videos of her cooking so that her recipes are easy to recreate! You can look her up right on youtube and explore some of her videos.
Today my post is all about bettering myself. I am sick and tired of hating my life dieting to try to get to a point where I'll love EVERYTHING about me. Isn't it odd how we do things we hate to get things we love? What if we can have the best of both worlds and love the journey? With clean eating, I believe this is possible!
So over the next months, I will be posting what I think about Dani's clean recipes and others I find along the way. I will post my progress (and my set backs-I am human after all) with clean eating. Do remember that I'm not a dietitian so if you have any food/health related questions, speak to your health care professional. You can ask me and I will do my best to answer...but...again, I'm not a professional. Also keep in mind that I am a poor college student's wife, so I will do my best and make certain substitutions to make sure that this diet fits in our budget. By the way, I am also extremely picky about what I will or won't eat, so when I say something is delicious, I MEAN IT! I'm not just trying to get you to convert to clean eating...or am I?Jk.
Let's begin with day 1!
Today, I woke up and made some rolled oat oatmeal and added ground flax and chia seeds to get my Omega 3's and help to stave off hunger. I was afraid I'd dislike the added texture, but didn't even notice! I also added some frozen berries I got at Walmart instead of adding sugar. I was expecting a negative reaction so I prepped myself (and yes, I prayed that it would taste good). I was PLEASANTLY surprised at how delicious it was! The tip here is to make the oatmeal with milk instead of water. It gives it a creamier flavor. Also, if you have the time, I'd make it over the stove instead of in the microwave. I tend to overcook mine or it just explodes and makes a mess :S.To add to my oatmeal, I had a beautifully red grapefruit without added sugar on top like I usually do. I love the fact that they're in season! There's a stark difference in color and sweetness when they're out of season haha!
For lunch, I had Dani Spies recipe of Tuna pasta. Here's the link: Dani Spies Clean Eating Tuna Pasta Salad. This recipe is delicious! I made a recipe sometime last month that was clean and also had the purple onions. I have to admit, I HATED it. I did not like the red onions AT ALL!!! The flavor was so overpowering that honestly, the dish sat in my fridge and didn't get eaten (bad me!). This time however, the flavors of the whole grain pasta, peas, tuna and purple onions blended so well! In fact, they gave the onions an almost sweet tang to them. LOVED IT! And my husband loved it too :D That's always a bonus!
For dinner, I made Dani Spies Tilapia Oreganata. Dani Spies Tilapia Oreganata I don't think I made this one quite like she did. The picture was VERY different from how mine turned out. It was still good and we served it with a salad drizzled in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My advice is to make sure you have a lemon zester (I used a regular sized cheese grater and then chopped the zest with my knife to make it smaller) which would have made the dish better. Make sure you also don't use anymore of the lemon than just the zest. Stop before you zest the white pith, otherwise your dish will turn out with a bitter zing to it. Also, this might be an "oh, duh!" statement, but make sure you coat EACH side in the herb oil, otherwise, it won't have the same flavor. Lastly, if you don't have whole wheat bread crumbs on hand, take a piece of bread and send it through the blender/magic bullet/food processor or whatever you have on hand. Each of these will get the job done. Bread that fits into the clean diet is a little difficult to find, at least in our extremely small town in Washington. I did find an organic bread that I figured would work. It's called Dave's Killer Bread. It's got 5 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, and is 100% whole grain. There are lots of nuts and seeds on the sides as well so it's delicious. It is a little tougher than regular bread, so in case this means it's going bad, I've been storing it in my freezer. Here's what it looks like.
.JPG)
After dinner is where I have to be really careful. I get all sorts of cravings! I turn into a prego woman on crack (and I'm not even prego!). So to avoid getting myself into trouble, I turned to some strawberries for "dessert." This helped with my sugar cravings, but just like always, right after I satisfied my sweet tooth, my salty molar jumped up and declared it wanted its fix too! This is where the night turned interesting...
Kale chips...for all those who have tried them, you know. For those of you who, like myself, were/are hesitant, three words. BOMB. DOT. COM. These are DELICIOUS! In my picture, you can see how they're cooked just right and when you put them in your mouth, mmm, mmm, mmmmmmmm! Them be lip smackin good :D! Here's a video of Dani Spies making them Dani Spies Kale Chips
Be warned that they are not potato chips. Do not go into that first bite expecting potato chips...you will be disappointed, but only minimally. Also, make sure you don't use too much salt (lesson learned on my part).
Last thing I made tonight was Dani Spies (I know I talk about her a lot, but that's cuz she's the shiz!) protein pumpkin pancakes. Mmmm! So good! Typically, I would prefer to stop at the kale chips, but I was ironically still hungry (this happens to my body when I transition into different eating habits, so whatevs).
This is when I whipped out my newly acquired coconut oil. I'm oober excited about coconut oil :D and rightly so. I bought this baby at Walmart. It's not organic, but again, I'm a college student doing my best. We also don't have any health food stores around her (that I'm aware of), so I'm workin' with what I gots!
Before y'all roll your eyes and say "Oh my honk! You didn't just say coconut oil! It's a saturated fat!" Well, yes, it is. However, it is a good fat! Repeat with me...GOOD FAT! I know-unlike unicorns, IT DOES EXIST! Not only does it help with preventing injury to your arteries, but it is 50% lauric acid which prevents heart disease and helps to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. But wait, it doesn't stop there! Next it can help with hair that has been damaged or is extra dry. Next time you go shopping for shampoo/conditioner, look at the ingredient list on the back and see if there is coconut oil in there. If so, your hair will be repaired and on its way to gawgeousness in no time! Also, if you have psoriasis or eczema, whip out some coconut oil and rub it in. I have waitress hands since I work as a server and will be putting coconut oil to the test this week (come back next week so you can see the progress on my nasty, dry hands). Coconut oil also helps your body fight infection and sicknesses along with promoting an overall better health weight-wise and digestion-wise. To read more, click here.
Wondering why I brought up coconut oil? Because I oiled my pan with it! This makes the pancakes extra crispy and soooooooo gooooood!!!!!!
So back on track, I tried the protein pumpkin pancakes and they have my stamp of approval! They're very moist in the inside and drizzled with a few drops (notice I said FEW) of Agave nectar (picture below), they rocked my socks off. I'm excited to try this babies tomorrow and see how long they hold me over.
Now that I've officially dumped my brain onto this blog post, I hope you come back and read up on my next meals. I'll take pictures tomorrow of the meals I attempt so y'all can see how they turn out when an amateur cooks them. Please take the time to look at Dani's website and subscribe to her youtube channel. She posts once a week and again, is rockin' awesome! If you have websites or know of some videos, tried and true clean recipes or ideas, please feel free to post them in the comment section! I am always looking for feed back, help and inspiration. On the way out, I'll leave you with a niblet of pinteresting inspiration:
Thursday, October 18, 2012
You and I are BEAUTIFUL! Just the way we are.
Thank you Dr. Seuss! And remember, you gotta listen to him! He's a DR! Go have a great day and don't get down on yourself because you're not a size 0. Chances are, you're a lot happier than the model you see on TV. XOXO
BJD
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Why Love 2 Lose?
Statistics show that those who love themselves and the way they look before they lose weight, lose more weight. When I first read that, I totally didn't get it. Go back and read it again if you have the same reaction. Facts are losing weight is hard and its even harder to love yourself when society makes you feel like you have to lose weight to fit in or even feel beautiful about yourself. So, the goal of this blog is to provide an alternate mean of motivation aside from naked pictures of bodies normal women NEVER have. This blog is for me and for you. I'm normal, average, and just like you, I need to lose some weight. Here are the goals for this blog:
First: Everyone is welcome! Of course!! It's not a club, but even if it was, no one would be denied membership.
Second: This is the mission statement each reach should adopt: "I will love myself even if I'm going to hate doing it!" Repeat, repeat, repeat!
Third: the only posts that will be posted here are to inspire others. Same with the comments. Old rule goes if you can't say anything nice....Well, you know the rest.
Fourth and final rule: This blog is to remind you of reasons why you need to become more healthy. Not to EVER make you feel fat.
Read on my precious friends and remember you are beautiful inside out. Remember that no one, no matter how hard they try will NEVER, EVER be you! You are unique and friggin' awesome. SO EMBRACE IT!
First: Everyone is welcome! Of course!! It's not a club, but even if it was, no one would be denied membership.
Second: This is the mission statement each reach should adopt: "I will love myself even if I'm going to hate doing it!" Repeat, repeat, repeat!
Third: the only posts that will be posted here are to inspire others. Same with the comments. Old rule goes if you can't say anything nice....Well, you know the rest.
Fourth and final rule: This blog is to remind you of reasons why you need to become more healthy. Not to EVER make you feel fat.
Read on my precious friends and remember you are beautiful inside out. Remember that no one, no matter how hard they try will NEVER, EVER be you! You are unique and friggin' awesome. SO EMBRACE IT!
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