Thursday Confessions

This is one of my very favorite types of post that I have seen on various blogs. Want to know a little too much about me? No? Well stick around anyways! It could be fun!

1. I could eat popcorn EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. for the rest of my life and never get sick of it. My variously flavored air-popped popcorn is my absolutely FAVORITE thing. Although I wouldn't recommend trying smoked paprika with nutritional yeast.... it just didn't float my boat.

2. I am a picker. Majorly. Ask cute hubster. Zits? Whiteheads? Blackheads? Stray hairs? Pick. Pick. Pick. Way TMI? Okay... moving on.

3. I rarely sleep well. I psych myself out and anticipate everything to death and so I toss and turn and incessantly look at my clock as the hours tick by.

4. Sometimes, okay a lot of the time, I worry about making it in the fitness field. I don't know if I will ever feel like I know enough. Piano has always come so naturally to me and so teaching it has always been no big deal. But fitness? I want to share my love and passion for this subject but I NEED to get over all of these irrational fears!

5. I check Facebook on my phone a lot. Lots of people play games on their phone? I check Facebook for the gazillionth time of the day. I know, I know... I never spend long on it I just randomly check it over and over and OVER all day long. Update your status more for my benefit, okay? ;-)

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Do you have any confessions to share? I would love to hear them!

Loves...Shayla

One Word Wednesday

Multitasking

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Do you multitask or try to just focus on one task at a time? Any tips for how to slow down and still get everything done?

Loves...Shayla

Tuesday Tidbits

Recently I had an interaction with a friend that really got me thinking about the concept of goal setting and how to become what we desire to be. I am definitely one to expect more of myself than anyone else could expect of me; however, I believe firmly in a concept that I shared with her and want to share with you now:

I think that too often too many of us see where we want to go and jump into trying to be the person that would already be there. I know that this was really hard for me to not do when I first started my fitness journey, and if we are being completely honest, it is still something that I struggle with.

When we create an image in our minds of how we should be we don't naturally desire to follow a painstaking process to become that person. We put ourselves into positions and situations which are part of the life of our future selves, but not yet maintainable by the person we are today. That doesn't mean that we won't get there someday. We absolutely will as long as we stick to it. But we must arrive there step by step. 

In completing the questionnaire sent to me by Prevention.com on, "Is This The Life You're Meant to Live?" I have realized many different things about myself... I am 1st in line of setting goals far and away above myself and then worrying about what I cannot yet achieve with the means available to me. 

So what do we do? Is there an aspect of your life that you wish to change? Is there something about your life that you want to make different?

 

It is alright that we aren't there yet. We want to be there and we will get there. So today we will set goals that we can achieve right now. 

Yesterday, I couldn't stay on top of my homework, my kids, and the housework. There was just too much to be done. The kids aren't optional and I had several homework assignments that were due by 11:55 pm. Sorry housework... where I was yesterday was not a Superwoman housewife. (Although I am sure even with a pile of laundry on our bedroom floor my amazingly cute hubster would beg to differ. How did I get so lucky?) 

This was brought into a huge light of perspective for me when I read Daring Young Mom's blog post on Drops of Awesome. Have you read it? Go and do it now. Maybe yesterday I wasn't a Superwoman housewife that could do everything that needed to be done. But by golly I started from where I was, took what I could in stride, and I even managed to put a few dishes away and a few more into the dishwasher! The kids were taken care of and fed and happy. Woohoo - drops of awesome.

So no matter where you are in any aspect of your life... start from there. Don't expect to go from the bottom of the mountain to the top just because you want to be at the top - appreciate and enjoy the climb. 

Do just one thing. Take one more small step. Don't worry about sprinting or leaping or being everything that you believe you see around you and is expected of you. Do what you can today to improve by just one small step.

The top of the mountain is coming as long as you keep climbing. 

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: What have you found that best helps you set and maintain goals? Do you have a personal niche that works for you every time?

Loves...Shayla

Menu Monday

Time for another round-up of what we will be getting to enjoy this week! I am excited for some of these new meals!

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH & TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH

I have class on Monday and Tuesday nights normally. Cute hubster does a great job providing for himself and the kids on these days and I usually just grab something quick before I leave.

Happy birthday to my dear sister-in-law, Marie, on the 26th!

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH - Soy Lemon Chops with roasted potatoes and peas. We will need to use Tamari instead of soy sauce because of my gluten free needs but I think that this meal will turn out to be easy and delicious!

Photo courtesy of Allrecipes.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH - Naughty Nutty "Noodles"

Photo courtesy of Delightful Taste Buds

FRIDAY, MARCH 1ST - Spicy Vegan Tofu Rice Bowls (It is based on the sauce from the recipe below but otherwise is an original creation of mine so watch for the recipe later this week!)

Photo courtesy of Kalyn's Kitchen

SATURDAY, MARCH 2ND - DATE NIGHT! We have a fun get together planned with our best friends. We like to get together for dinner (Outback Steakhouse this time) to catch up and play games but this time we get to celebrate the engagement of the beautiful girl on the far right! CONGRATULATIONS CARI and PAUL!

SUNDAY, MARCH 3RD - EXTENDED FAMILY DINNER: Sunday we are getting together to celebrate the birthday of this wonderful man, my Grandpa. He is one of the most amazing men I have ever known and I am so happy to be able to celebrate his 70th birthday with him! I will be making a special family dessert recipe for this day - Frozen Ice Cream Angel Food Cake. I will take a picture and post about it later this week!

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: What exciting things do you have on your menu this week? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

This week contributed some very tasty eats to our pallets and I am excited to share these gems with you!

MAPLE LEMON SKIRT STEAK

Recipe + Photo Courtesy of Prevention.com

We don't eat a whole lot of beef around here so it is always kind of a special treat when we do. Plus, petite sirloin was on sale this week so that is just an amazing excuse to pull out one of my beef pins to try out. I have never heard of skirt steak so if any of you have... enlighten me!

I also don't know why they call it petite sirloin - these babies were huge! I sliced mine in half BOTH ways and they cooked up quickly. Besides the baked potatoes that I served on the side of this the whole meal came together in a half hour. I also served it with roasted red and green peppers and yellow onion. Very delicious.

We particularly liked the sauce which I didn't change anything about. It is a bit on the sweeter side of things with a tiny bit of a kick from the dijon mustard. Cute hubster loved it.

Pin it!

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SWEET POTATO-PEANUT BISQUE

Recipe + Picture Courtesy of Eating Well

Not kidding, this is one of my new favorite soups. Now, granted, I am not much of a soup person. Maybe that is more comforting to you because I am really picky about the soups that I like. But we loved this. I will admit that I balked at the recipe list... when you look at it it just doesn't seem possible that it would all come together but it does and it just... works!

I thought that this soup was extra tasty fresh but it is still quite good as leftovers. And it is filling too. One bowl was plenty for me to feel satisfied 

The only changes that I made to the recipe were that I used olive oil instead of canola, we used the tomato-vegetable juice blend, and we didn't garnish with cilantro. Cute hubster doesn't like cilantro so I leave it out when it is optional. 

Pin It!

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CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Beth at Eat.Drink.Smile.

UPDATE!!!

This week I made this crust again for our pizza eats on Monday. 

I used ~3 cups riced, cooked cauliflower (1 large cauliflower worth), 1 1/2 cups part skim mozzarella, 3 whole eggs, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast, and 3 tbsp ground flaxseed. I oiled my pan and spread the whole thing on a cookie sheet and baked for about 17 minutes. I then proceeded to top the pizza and cook for 5 minutes more. 

It was FABULOUS! Best time we have had it yet with the best texture. And this way you can do a whole pizza and have the family separate it out into individual sections instead of having to do little pizzas individually. 

Pin it!

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Have you made anything delicious this week that you can share with me? I LOVE getting new ideas! I am particularly looking for a single serve pizza crust that you can cook in a frying pan and is gluten free... too much to ask? 

Loves...Shayla

My Girl [A]

It just wouldn't be right for me to let this day pass by without saying something about my girl [A]. It is her birthday today and we are going to be out and about celebrating with her.

My dear [A],

You and I have learned so much together.

You gave me all of my first experiences with being a mom.

You have taught me so many lessons about patience, kindness, curiosity, happiness...

And mostly about love.

We have had our ups and downs.

And sometimes we don't always get along...

But no matter what,

I always love you.

Happy birthday, my dear girl!

Love always,

Mommy

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: What fun things are you doing this weekend? Any special events in your household?

Loves...Shayla

Friday Fun: [Healthy Living Survey]

I saw this Healthy Living Survey at the wonderful Best Body Fitness - another blog that I love and one you should definitely check out if you haven't already! It looked like a bunch of fun so I decided to complete it as well.

1. What did you eat for breakfast?

This is my typical breakfast set up - breakfast, water, journal, scriptures. Since there has been a whole lot of talk about pancakes on the web lately because National Pancake Day is coming up it was definitely on my mind after Cardio Circuit this morning. This gluten free, Tone It Up Pancake from SarahFit is definitely my favorite. I just add water to thin out my batter if I need to. Topped with homemade almond butter and however much banana I have left after what I use in the pancake. 

2. How much water do you drink each day?

Picture Source here

Just call me a camel. Did you know that camels can drink as much as 200 litres [of water] a day? Okay so I certainly don't drink that much but if the recommendation for water drinking is 1/2 ounce for every 1 lb that you weigh I almost always double that recommendation. On average I get over 100 ounces per day although during the week I usually average around 150. (Weekends are harder...) It is something that I crave and I just drink as my body desires it. 

3. What is your current favorite workout?

Picture source here

I really do like all of my workout classes (Boot Camp, Powerflex, Power Pump, Cardio Circuit) and most all types of working out (except Spinning... YUCK!) but my heart belongs to Step. I absolutely adore step! I am just starting into it and I'm not very good at it yet but someday it is absolutely one that I want to certify to teach.

4. How many calories do you eat each day?
I honestly have no idea what the answer to this question would be. I don't track my calories and try to intuitively eat what I feel like my body needs. Some days that may be fewer calories and some days it may be more!

5. What are your favorite healthy snacks?
Popcorn, popcorn, popcorn!!!! Did I mention popcorn? I absolutely adore air-popped popcorn. I recently discovered how delicious nutritional yeast is on it as well. I usually toss it with just a little melted coconut oil and whatever seasonings I am feeling. If I don't eat popcorn I usually nosh on an apple, carrot, or some lowfat cottage cheese.

6. What do you usually eat for lunch?
Lately I have been switching between two different main lunches: Tuna Salad (albacore white tuna, classic hummus, lowfat cottage cheese, balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper, fresh ground pepper, sprin mix and extra spinach, and some Craisins), and Veggie Loaded Sweet Potato (baked sweet potato topped with salsa mix of sauteed onions, kale, purple cabbage, black beans and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese).

7. What is your favorite body part to train?
Favorite would definitely be the lower body/legs. I really like lower body exercises and {Step} and running.

8. What is your least favorite body part to train?
Core and triceps... but that is only because I need to train them so much. But oh it BURNS!

9. What are your “bad” food cravings?
I really don't like the word "bad." A better question would be, "What are foods you crave that should be eaten in moderation?" The funny thing is though... this still doesn't greatly apply to me. I crave things that I cannot eat because of my gluten/sugar intolerance. (ie: cheeseburgers and pizza). But if I do crave them then I eat plain patties with all the trimmings and make cauliflower crust pizza. YUMMY!!!

Photo source here

10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?
Sure do! I take Fish Oil and Evening Primose Oil (for my bad eczema skin) every day. I just ordered a Calcium+Magnesium w/ Vitamin D vitamin to start taking daily. When I did a nutritional analysis on myself for a class last semester Calcium and vitamin D were the ones I was consistently low on.

11. How often do you eat out?
Once a week for date night! WOOHOO for date night! We used to get take out for emergency dinners occasionally but that is hard when you don't eat gluten. I would much rather throw together a quick salad for myself than buy a $6 mediocre replacement.

12.  Do you eat fast food?
Uhhhhh... no not really. Again with the gluten free business. I hate paying high price for mediocre food just because I need to eat gluten free. However, if Cafe Rio counts as fast food then the answer is yes. I get their chicken salad without the tortilla or dressing and just flavor it with the salsas and lime - SOOOO yummy!

13. Who is your biggest supporter?

Absolutely this guy! I am so glad that I am married to him!

14. Do you have a gym membership?
Yes I do! And whatever bad things you have to say about Gold's Gym... it is very inexpensive for me because we get a discount through my husband's work and I have really enjoyed it. It isn't the Ritz but it works and I have really enjoyed the people that I have met there.

15. How many hours of sleep do you get each night?
Typically 7. Since I get up about 5 am each day we try to go to bed no later than 10. I would prefer to get more but 7 usually does the trick for me.

16. Do you have a “cheat” day?
No. I eat relatively the same every day. Occasionally on special occasions I will splurge and eat more than I usually do but I can't eat desserts out and don't splurge on free breads either so... yeah.

17. Do you drink alcohol?
Nope. Never have, never will. The members of my faith promise to abstain from alcohol. If you want to learn more visit this site here.

18. Do you have a workout buddy?
I don't go to the gym with anyone but if I am working out at home you can bet that my kids will happily be my buddies. My girl [A] loves to do yoga with me and cute hubster will occasionally do some exercises with me although his primary focus right now is getting better at push-ups.

19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?
Oh man where could I even start with this question!? So much of my life has changed since committing to a healthy lifestyle. I am healthier, I am happier, I have more energy, I have more lasting joy. I have new purpose and direction and I am loving the challenge!

20. What is the last healthy thing you did?
We made a healthy, homemade DELICIOUS dinner (look for my review on Sunday).

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Answer any of the above questions about yourself! I would love to get to know more about my readers.

Loves...Shayla