Weekends

Weekends are my favorite. Time to unwind, regroup and major family time. Weekends can also be hard on your lifestyle change. I refuse to say the word diet because this isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle change. Diets end and diets fail. This isn't going to end and these choices I'm making aren't going to fail, plain and simple!

Okay now that I've gotten that off my chest back to the point of this post.

Weekends are also a great time for me to meal prep. I can get my breakfasts (when I don't do a meal replacement shake), lunches and sometimes dinner made ahead of time so all I have to do is put it in the crock pot or warm it up. This has been huge in helping me stay on track health wise and financially. I would really hate to know how much money I have dropped on getting my lunches from fast food restaurants, pizza places, etc over the last 5 years since I've been working at my current job. Like, I think it would make a huge dent in my student loans if I were to add it up!

Meal prepping at first seemed expensive because I dropped a chunk of change at the grocery store but now I can go to the store, spend $75 and eat for a week and half. This has also cut way back on Matt and I eating out during the week, which also saves a ton of money.

Typically, my meal prepping starts with cooking my chicken breasts in the oven. Usually it is either chicken that my parents have raised or ones that I buy in the store, a pork roast or beef roast in the crock pot, sausage and eggs.

The sausage and eggs I make into my breakfast wraps. Most of the time they are simply, sausage, eggs and cheese because this is all Matt likes in them. If I get ambitious I will cook up some onions and peppers and add those to another batch just for me! I put the cooked sausage and egg into the egg roll wrapper, roll and bake till golden brown. Then I put them in the freezer and grab out what I need. A minute or so in the microwave and voila, a quick hot breakfast packed full of protein.

I am by no means a food photog they are usually taken on my phone too so no fancy camera used

Another item I love to make on the weekends and have it for quick lunches are my buffalo or BBQ chicken roll-ups. So quick and easy and delish! The only way I could make them better would be to make my own sauces but I use what I have and that is Frank's Red Hot or any BBQ sauce. I shred up the chicken, put it in a zip lock bag, add the sauce and shake what your mama gave ya! Roll them in the egg roll wrappers, bake and enjoy.

I've also become a big fan of the frozen recipe ready vegetables that you can buy the onions, peppers, mushrooms all ready to go into the pan. Makes it so easy and there is no waste because what you don't use goes back in the freezer.

I used to think the weekends were for relaxing, catching up on house work and not cooking. Now, I've changed my thinking and try to keep the house picked up during the week and do a lot of my cooking on a Saturday or Sunday and I have more time to spend with my family.

Stumbling

These past 2 weeks have been rough. By rough I mean I feel like I have been pulled into a million different directions without a plan or time to even consider making one. Sounds like an excuse, yes it is but it is also real life.

The bootcamp challenge at the gym ended on Valentine's day. Just in time for my date with George Strait! Well, my husband had to go as well =). My results from that challenge included 19lbs gone (not lost because I don't intend to find them again) and 27.75 inches gone. With results like that, I came in third place! First time the last couple of boot camps at the gym I placed!

The following week I was at a conference. I was driving back and forth. I was able to plan some snacks (strawberry almonds, grapes, protein bars etc). However, lunch and dinners were hard. I took my MNS packets and had my carb ease and fibo trim, yet it didn't seem like enough. The nice part about driving back and forth was that I was able to keep up with my workouts. The eating probably wasn't as bad as a I think it was but I still didn't have complete control and I didn't really like that! If that week taught me anything, it shows that I love having control over my choices.

This past week, the sickness has hit our house. Reagan got sick on Saturday night. 3 or 4 baths and bed changes later we were finally able to go to sleep. Then Matt got sick. He of course was dying as most men do when they are sick. So far I have been able to avoid that end of the sickness. Then yesterday, Reagan tested positive for RSV. So today, I am home with her. At least I know that I am control of my choices today.

When things get stressful, I want to turn to food. Not because it will make the stress go away but because I think that it fills me. It gives me something to focus on. And that, that is the hardest part of my past to move on from. Eating when I am stressed has been my go to for so long and I thought I had conquered it until things like this pop up. I feel like it drags me back 10 steps.  I know no one is perfect and stress gets to all of us no matter how much we try to avoid it but somehow it doesn't seem to effect others like it does me. I feel kind of like an addict who has been clean for so long then you get one whiff of  your trigger and it drags you back in.

But this time, I won't be staying back here. I won't let this turn of events keep me from achieving my goals! I know what I need to do and like Scarlett O'Hara said in Gone With the Wind, "after all tomorrow is another day."

Results!

24 day challenge results

Megan
Total Inches Lost- 17.5
Total Pounds Lost- 11
Feeling- Amazing

Mom
Total Inches Lost- 14.5
Total Pounds Lost- 4
Feeling- Can't wait to do it again!

Want to feel better about yourself, get healthy and have more energy. The 24 Day Challenge is a great place to start. I would love to help you become the best version of you!

Source- Pinterest

Day 24

Last day! Seriously the last day! This challenge has been just that a challenge but I think I kicked butt. I will say having the accountability of this blog, tracking my food in MFP and having the team support made it possible.

Food Choices

Breakfast- Sausage links

Lunch- Chicken cutlets. I bought some on Saturday night and have been letting them marinade in italian dressing and pulling them out and cooking them as needed. So easy and so delicious.

Supper- Pork Loin with a few mashed potatoes.

Snacks- Peanut butter and I did have a few ready bake chocolate chip cookies

Water- 172 BOOM!!!

Exercise- The gym was closed due to weather (I had a snow day from work as well) so no 2 a day :( but I did play with Reagan and clean.

Will post results soon!!

Day 23

Today was a bad day. Like bad. But I wouldn't be honest with myself if I didn't record it.

Food Choices

Breakfast- Amazing Chobani strawberry bowl

Lunch- Almond crusted chicken. Broccoli, Then the down hill spiral started. I had some ranch with my chicken and I was still hungry so I had a scoop of peanut butter.

Supper- Matt wanted steak so we had steak and I had some potatoes. Along with an ice cream bar :(. Also for whatever reason, I got into the peanut m & m's and COULD NOT STOP!

Snacks- Strawberries, strawberry almonds and fun size m & m's and snickers. I was on a chocolate binge and just couldn't be stopped.

Water- 50oz yea like I said, crappy crappy day

Exercise- Spin sculpt in the morning. I should have gone to the evening class as well if I was going to eat like that!

I had a bad day. I could see exactly what I was doing and I did it anyways. However, one bad day does not take away from all the good that I have done so far. Life goes on and I just make better choices the next day.

Day 22

I feel like I should always give a preface to the day that I am blogging about. Sadly, I have nothing.

Food Choices

Breakfast- OMG let me tell you about the amazingness that is my breakfast. A, a girl I work out with shared this awesomness with me and I just have to share it with you! Her version of the power bowls from Panera. This one has a cup of Chobani greek yogurt, 3 sliced strawberries, 24 almonds (I put mine in the bullet mixer and ground them up) and a drizzle of honey. This amazingness has 356 calories, 17g of fat, 25 grams of carbs and wait for it, 29 grams of protein! Ahh so freaking delicious!

Lunch- 2 of my BBQ chicken wraps and broccoli.

Supper-  Breakfast for supper. 2 fried eggs, ham and a slice of cheese. Hit the spot on this cold night!

Snacks- Blue Diamond Strawberry Almonds, where have you been all my life?

Please ignore the dirty dishes in the sink, bleh I need a maid!

I also had my trusty apple and peanut butter

Water- 135oz Another great day!

Exercise- Monday 2 a days!

Day 21

Super Bowl Sunday! But...we didn't have a party to go to so there was no food to prepare myself to avoid which is always way easier.

Food Choices

Breakfast- I made french toast for Reagan and myself. I also had sausage to get protein in so it wouldn't be a complete carby meal.

Lunch- 2 smoked sausage links

Supper- Another nice part about going to my parent's house for supper, mom is on the challenge as well so she was going to make something good! Chicken tacos it was. Delicious!

Snacks- On the weekends I struggle to get my snacks in since I'm not usually on a structured schedule like I am at work.

Water- 114

Exercise- Reagan and I played and played and I chased and chased