Something's Up!!

I honestly don't know what has gotten into me lately...but I've been bitten by the cleaning/organizing bug!  I have always struggled with laziness.  I HATE work...ESPECIALLY cleaning!  I mean, it's so mundane, and it constantly has to be done.

In the past few weeks, I've noticed that messes bother me.  Like, I pulled all of the couches away from the walls and swept everything out from underneath because it bothered me that it was there.  Today I finally tackled the corner of our playroom that I used as storage...that's been there for literally months and months.

I suddenly want everything to have a place, and be in it's place.  I want the floors vacuumed.  I want the bathrooms wiped down every night.  (Ok, Mom...you can get up off of the floor now.)  I want the kids' rooms cleaned up every day.  I make sure the kitchen is clean and dinner is cleaned up immediately after dinner. (yes, I mostly let dishes sit for a day....or two...)

My favorite thing to do is connect my phone to our speaker and blast upbeat, Christian music while the kids and I clean.  It turns into a dance party at times, but I make it fun...and we LOVE IT! (Just try listening to Unspoken's Open the Clouds without dancing...I dare you! )

I'm not sure what's happening...but my husband is certainly NOT complaining, HAHA!

Trim Healthy Mama Discovery

After researching about PCOS, I came to the conclusion that THM was the best diet to adopt 100% (or at least TRY to do 100%).  And when I determined to do that, I discovered something.

It really isn't THAT hard to stay on plan!  

Even when I'm running errands!  I don't have to deprive myself of fast food in order to stay on plan.  I can order a Breve Latte at Starbucks, coffee with cream at McDonalds, and there are so many other choices.

I find it WAY easier to stay on plan when I purposefully keep on plan foods in my cupboards.  I also find that having a strong motivation to stay on plan helps.

My motivation is to slim down for my friend's wedding in May.  She asked me to be her bridesmaid, and the dress she picked is gorgeous!  I was surprised I was in a size smaller than I thought, but I still would like to not look like a stuffed sausage.


If I can stay mostly on plan, please know that...

YOU CAN DO THIS!!

THM Recipe Review: Rich and Tender Stew (S)

Rich and Tender Stew (S)

Pros:  Easy, Slow cooker meal

Cons:  Isn't filling (for me anyway)

Cost:  Good, if you can find a cheap roast

Times Made:  5

Rating: ****

This recipe only got 4 stars because it doesn't really fill me up.  That may just be me, but I'm being totally honest in these reviews.  It tastes AMAZING!!  The Radishes in place of potatoes is a breakthrough.  My kids enjoy this meal.  It feeds my family of 8 with leftovers for hubby's lunch the next day!  We bought half of a half of a cow, so I have plenty of roasts to use for this. 

Trying New Things

Lately, I've been getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things!

I've posted quite a few pictures of my crochet work in a few crochet groups I'm in on Facebook.  I've had several ladies ask me to do video tutorials and post them on YouTube!  I did 2 videos before, but they were mostly for a few Facebook friends that crochet.  So, I'm working on one now.

I discovered silicone wedding bands.  I.  Love.  Them!  So comfortable, they don't pinch when you're using dumbells or kettlebells, and they don't get wear and tear like metal rings.  I recently had my engagement ring resized, and in the process, the band part got flattened and thinnned, although I don't understand why...because I got it a size smaller.  Anyway, they are great!  I tried a Qalo, but it was too big, and really expensive.  I found another brand called RAAZOS on Amazon.  You can get 4 bands for $12!

  
It's a new year, and I can't wait to see what God does for us in 2017! 

Thoughts on Husbands

Everyone talks about how women need compliments about their appearance so their confidence, self esteem, whatever, is boosted.  I personally love it when my husband says something nice about me.  But do you ever, as a wife, say nice things about your husband's body to him?  I'm not talking sexual things...I'm talking compliments. 

The other day, my husband and I were getting ready for bed, and he was trying to see his back muscles in the mirror.  He said, "Back muscles are kind of annoying.  You can't look at them and enjoy what they look like."  I replied, "Well I certainly enjoy them.  You look great."  The look on his face was just so eye opening for me.  He looked so pleased and happy that I would say that.  He was like, "Really?  Ok, well that's good, I suppose,"  and smiled wide.

We as wives need to be encouraging our husbands by telling them things like this.  We aren't the only ones who appreciate a compliment on our bodies.  They need to know that we love and admire their bodies, just like they do to ours.  It encourages them, and makes them feel good. 

Especially if your husband is into working out and fitness.  He needs to hear that he is making progress, or that you appreciate what he's doing.  Even if you already thing he looks amazing, he may be insecure. 

Now for a little husband bragging on my part...

I never noticed my husband had gotten quite large after our wedding.  He decided he wanted to try a Tough Mudder obstacle course in 2014.  I thought he was crazy, but he was determined.  He started working out to prepare, and he lost about 33lbs.  Looking at old pictures one day, I was astounded that he was so big at one time!  I had never noticed, and I thought he was always my Hot Guy.  In all, he has lost 55lbs. and even so, he steps on the scale and sighs because he isn't losing the weight he wants to.  I always tell him to stop obsessing...he looks great, and it will come off with all of the hard work he puts into his fitness. I love my man, and appreciate all he does! 

THM Recipe Round Up: Lemon Recipes

I am a lover of lemon, so I thought I'd do a round up of some delicious, THM-approved Lemon Recipes!  Any recipe from the THM Cookbook will have page numbers!  All recipes listed are linked to the actual recipe on the website of it's creator!  Just click on it.  I posted a yummy lemon cake recipe by Joanie Hummel here ---> Joanie's Lemonlicious Cake


Savory Recipes:

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken with Brown Rice (E)
Lemon Butter Chicken Instant Pot (S) or (XO)
Lemon Pepper Pork (S)
Baked Lemon Butter Tilapia (S)
Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Squash (S)
Lamb Spanakopita Burgers with Tzatziki (S)
Lemony Chicken and Quinoa Soup (E)
Grilled Chicken Tabbouleh Salads (E)
Lemon Herb Drummies (Pg.51) {S}
Roasted Pork with Lemon Garlic Green Beans (S) 
Low Carb Lemon Sesame Chicken (S)



Sweet Recipes:

Pavlova with Lemon Curd Berries (S)
Lemon Cream Pavlova (S) or (FP)
Lemon Berry Buckle (S)
Creamy Oatmeal Lemon Bars (S)
Sugar-free, Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf (S)
Lemon Poppyseed Protein Ball (S)
BBLD Crepes (S)
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins (S)
Lemon Squares (S)
Luscious Lemon Yogurt (FP)
Creamy Lemon Ice Cream (S)
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins (Pg. 278) {S}
Lucious Lemon Cake (Pg. 289) {S}
Lemon Curd Layer Cake (Pg. 299) {S}
Lemon Creamsicles (Pg. 368) {S}
Lemon Slushy (Pg. 372) {FP}
Superfood Lemon Coconut Chews (Pg. 383) {S} or {FP}
Meadow's Lemon Coconut Truffles (Pg. 386) {S}
Lemon Pucker Gummies (Pg. 387) {FP}
Gluten Free Lemon Cake (S)
Lemon Blueberry Muffins (S)
Lemon Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping (S)
Strawberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies (S)
Blueberry Lemon MiM (S)
Blueberry Lemon Creamsicle Shake (FP)
Strawberry Lemonade Squares (S)



Drink Recipes:

Sugar-free Lemonade Frosty (FP)
Singing Canary (Pg. 398-399)  {FP}
Creamy Coconut and Lemon Turmeric Shake (S)
Frosted Lemonade (FP)
Frosted Strawberry Lemonade (FP)
Lemon Fat-stripping Frappa (Pg. 419) {FP}
Lemon-Lime Trim Pop (Pg. 443) {FP}



Sauce Recipes:

Creamy Lemon Dessert Sauce (S)
Lemon Aioli (S)

Recipes taken from these wonderful blogs:  Mama Shire, Nana's Little Kitchen, Joy Filled Eats,The Coers Family, My Fling with Food, The Northern Nester, Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved, Rohnda Sue,  Briana Thomas, Gwen's Nest, Oh Sweet Mercy, Chrissy Benoit in Love, My Table of Three, and from the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook by Pearl Barret and Serene Allison.

THM Recipe Review: Chicken Florentine (S)

Chicken Florentine (Pg. 46)

Pros:  delicious, slow cooker meal

Cons:  None

Cost:  Inexpensive

Times Made: 8

Rating:  *****

This is a recipe my whole family loves.  Yes, my kids LOVE a recipe with spinach in it!  I made it for our church's monthly fellowship meal, and so many women said it was amazing.  It is SO easy to just throw everything into the crock pot and go on with my day.  All I do at dinner time is shred the chicken and make some Dreamfields pasta.  (you can also use zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash)  My daughter gushes about this meal...telling me over and over again how good and yummy it is.  I highly recommend it!  The recipe as written in the cookbook feeds my family of 8 with leftovers.  

THM Recipe: Joanies Lemonlicious Cake (S)

A mama in the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook group has given me permission to publish her recipe for lemon cake!  I am obsessed with lemon everything!  It's one of my favorite flavors.  So, here it is...

Joanie's Lemonlicious Cake (S)
 (created by Joanie Hummel)

Makes 12 cupcakes, or 1 sheet cake
(Print This Recipe!)

For the cake:

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup THM baking blend (or your own blend)
2 TBS collagen
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp mineral salt
3/4 cup gentle sweet (or other sweetener, converted.)
1/4 tsp guccie (glucomannan)

Wet Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon extract
4 oz. (1 stick) butter, melted

For the Frosting:

6 oz. 1/3 fat cream cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup gentle sweet (or sweetener of your choice, converted.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix up dry ingredients.
Mix up wet ingredients.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix well.
Pour into a greased 9x13 pan, or 12 muffin pan.
Bake for 30 minutes for 9x13, or 20 minutes for cupcakes.

For frosting,
Mix all ingredients and whip to thicken.

Frost after cake/cupcakes have cooled.

ENJOY!  

A Health Commitment

I started a  Health Bet challenge group today!  It's a 28 day commitment to work out at least 3x a week, and have a Shakeology shake 5x a week.  At the end, you get a money payout for participating!  So, why did I sign up to do it?

1.  I never really follow through on fitness commitments.

I don't know how many times I've committed to a certain number of workouts a week, and never done it.  Even when I got my Fitbit, I rarely do more than 3 workouts per week.  I've been wanting to up my workouts as I seem to have hit a plateau in my journey to lose weight and get fit.  With this challenge group, you can do workouts at home, or at a gym, or at the Y. So, even if I can't make it to the Y during the week, I can still workout at home and it counts!

2.  I usually have coffee for breakfast.

Ever since I had Winry, I just don't like to eat breakfast.  I have coffee with creamer, and I'm good.  That's really not a healthy breakfast, so I decided to try Shakeology.  It is packed with nutrient-dense super foods, and is super easy to make in the morning...just a scoop, milk, and ice. 

3.  You get paid!

The Beachbody Health Bet is a $2 million prize split among finishers who complete the bet for the 28 days.  Who doesn't want to make money while doing something good?  All you have to do is log in 3 workouts per week, and drink Shakeology 5 days of the week and log that in with a picture.  Shakeology comes in a variety of flavors, so you can pick one or get a few packs of all of the flavors. The cash prize can be anywhere from $5-$500!!  Ladies I know who have done it before have gotten $20-$150! 

*I did talk and explain this challenge with my husband, who said I could do it.  He is very encouraging.  I'm already doing at least 2 if not more workouts a week lately, and I already had some Shakeology from my last pregnancy.  My Zumba/PiYo instructor gave me a half bag so I could get some nutrition despite not being able to keep things down.