Dreams realized. New focus.

This [weight loss] blog got dropped like a hot potato last spring. Our life as planned got interrupted.

It was the end of April. I had been running a couple miles a week, and in the middle of the month "ran" a 5k with my husband's office. Not only was my time more terrible than my typical terrible time, but I couldn't run longer than 5 minutes, which was shocking because just the week before I had run straight for nearly 30 minutes! I was just exhausted, and winded. Maybe I was getting sick or something.

Then we traveled to my sister in law's wedding in dusty West Texas. I fell asleep on the way there and woke up with the sorest throat ever and feeling super run down. I figured ew, dust. and maybe its a cold coming on.

At the wedding reception, I had a beer. It tasted weird and metallic. Like I picked up a stray house key off the floor and licked it. Hmmmmmm.

On the way home I started to wonder. My usual go-to when something weird is going on is to pee on a dollar store pregnancy test. And I had exactly one at home. So that was the game plan... rule out pregnancy first then run to the drugstore for some cold meds, get hopped up on them, and conk.

I got home from the trip, got the kids settled, and unceremoniously slipped out to go test my pee for baby.

Not only was it positive, the pink line showed up immediately. Sinking feeling. I had never felt this way about a pregnancy before. Immediate mommy guilt fought the hot tears rolling down my face. I called my husband into our room for insta-support. I could tell he was disappointed at the emotions exploding from my face- he is always my rock and constant stream of positive. I felt so negative about this discovery. I knew that this baby would be a multiplication of love in our family, but I also had so many questions.

How is this going to work?
Where is this baby going to even sleep?
How will we ever pay off debt after adding another mouth to feed?
How will I ever lose the weight?
What about MY plans, MY dreams, MY goals?

Thank GOD for 9 months of gestation. I had all that time to soul search, re-evaluate, and reimagine my dreams. The pregnancy was really hard on my heart, and I unfortunately spent some time in ICU after a scary episode. Thats for another blog, when I share how Jude earned his name.

But looking back, I am so happy it happened this way. Jude James is pure joy for our family. How did we ever live without his tiny kitten noises, and his angel-kissed face. How did I ever live without knowing what it was like to nurse a newborn around the clock (I didn't have such a great experience with nursing my first two). How did I ever doubt my God, who slid this baby into our lives, an unforseen but precious Christmas gift?

You, little man, are life altering for all of us. Your brothers adore you. You are the pride of your daddy. And you are your momma's dream realized.

'Surviving' Mode vs. 'Thriving' Mode

I'm starting this blog series on surviving vs. thriving to record the journey we are currently going through. We've been in 'surviving' mode since June 2012, when my older son was born. The list of things that kept us in survival mode is pretty bananas...

*pre-eclampsia emergency hospital stay June 2012 (lasted 5 days)
*son was born June 2012, 4 weeks early
*gallbladder started acting up, was removed through emergency surgery and a 3 day hospital stay Sept 2012
*mom was diagnosed with leukemia October 2012
*moved 2 hours away with 4 month old, to care for mom's affairs and help with my younger siblings October 2012 - April 2012
*found out I was pregnant with baby2 Jan 2013
*put on bedrest Summer 2013
*developed pre-eclampsia August 2013
*son #2 born August 2013

Since baby #2's birth we have been in survival mode- transitioning to life with 2 closely spaced babies wasn't very easy. All that stuff sounds so terrible when I typed it out but watching my mom's battle through leukemia, while sobering, there was so much victory and joy in being able to cherish and serve her during that time. These challenging months we've been through have been a blessing long term and both my husband and I have had major growth spurts spiritually and emotionally during these times.

Here we are, 7 months later and finally getting to the point where we can start moving from just surviving and keeping our heads above the waves to really thriving personally and as a family.

Part 1 of this transition was getting our sons on a good schedule, which we have done finally!
Part 2 of this transition is getting our home under control.

This week we are taking the boys to a family member's home for a few days and purging and deep cleaning and organizing our disaster zone. I'm excited, nervous for the amount of work... and looking forward to getting a little more sleep than I usually do. Woot!

I'm excited to write more for this series. I didn't start this blog as a parenting blog because that's already 70% of my life and efforts, and while I'm passionate about raising my boys to be amazing and God-fearing adults, I really don't want to lose my true passion in that- fostering personal growth, health (spiritual and physical), and the growth of marriages- ours and others. A little bit of parenting stuff might bleed through into this and I'm gonna let that be okay.

Next up in this series is survival through 'surviving' mode

{AdvoCare} 10 Day Cleanse

11 days ago I did my first real postpartum, non-bfing AdvoCare Cleanse. As you know, I'm a distributor, so I do love the products, and I do share them with others as a business. But for my personal journey, the last 2.5 years I've been limited in the products I was able to use. So when I decided to be done pumping for Noah, I knew it was time to get serious about my health and reintroduce the products I'd been unable to use.

The Cleanse Overview

Spark: I don't know how I would have made it through my pregnancies without spark. I drink 1/2 a day while pregnant and 1 a day while breastfeeding. During the cleanse all you can drink is spark and water. 2 a day max and A gallon of water daily or more (shoot for half your body weight in h2o)

Omegaplex: This is an omega3 supplement and the best one I've found. I usually take 2-3 a day instead of the suggested 1 because everyone needs extra omegas. Great for skin, nails, hair, heart, brain, GI tract. I don't burp fishy after I take them, unlike other brands I tried.

 Herbal Cleanse: In the herbal cleanse box there are 3 products. Fiber drink (PLUG AND CHUG BABY), herbal cleanse tablets (full of all sorts of natural herbs and goodies to reduce toxins) and probiotic restore (replaces the bad gut flora with good gut flora).  

What I Ate

I usually try to make an interesting menu for myself because I'm a bit of a foodie and cooking is my hobby. But this time my mantra was "back to basics" so thats what I did. Super balanced meals, and I ate a lot of the same things. It wasn't bad at all and it really took the focus off my food. I pre-prepped everything.

Breakfasts were meal replacement shakes or boiled eggs and greens with a wee bit of hot sauce
Lunches were salads with boiled eggs, tuna or chicken, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and a dash of hot sauce or lime juice and chili powder
Dinners were grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, and brussel sprouts or tilapia and asparagus.
Snacks were almonds and banana, almond butter and apple, or sweet potatoes w/ boiled egg and hot sauce

Results & Final Thoughts

My results were incredible. I lost 9.1lbs, which is great and all but it was pretty much the weight I had put back on while I was weaning from breastfeeding (which was stressful), the most important part for me is that I feel really good. My pants fit really loose and I can tell my vitamin absorption is higher than it was because when I eat, I feel energy and not the constant need to nap. As a mom of 2 under 2, that's more important than the weight dropped.

I really felt good this time while cleansing. It was my first real cleanse after babies and nursing and all that, and I felt like I was removing the food distraction by doing the meal prep. The 6 fiber drinks weren't my favorite moment during the day (first 3 days and last 3 days), but I plugged and chugged and they did their job! I did very good with the meal prepping and my family didn't suffer from having to eat lean meat and veggies for every meal because I made them their own dinner and it wasn't hard knowing I had a dinner ready for myself already.

Whats Next?

Consistency, thats whats next. Getting back to training for my 10k and half marathon early next year. Going on AdvoCare's MNS max C nutrition plus thermoplus. And thinking about trying 1 slim a day too. I am going to continue meal prepping for myself, with less basic meals this time.

Feeling blessed to have these products on my side and because I have momentum now I'm going to keep pushing this massive boulder up the hill, knowing its going to continue getting smaller and smaller and smaller. Its easy to get caught up in the mindset that its only the products working... I want you to know this plan requires consistency and hard work to achieve the results you desire. Diet mentality doesn't work here. But focus and determination mixed with consistency will always help you achieve your next milestone.

And praise the Lord for that!

Curious about trying the 24 Day Challenge with free coaching from me? Email me... chasingahundred [at] gmail DOT com

{Life Update} The one with the new season.

Its been awhile. I have a bazillion excuses why I haven't blogged... one because the destruction of my laptop. It was getting really slow and was really really old so we pulled out my desktop from college (it was majorly virus infected), pulled all the important stuff off it and reformatted it and it works now! So I have blogging capabilities. Anyway... onto the life update. God always makes it really apparent to me when we are transitioning into a new season. My desire for some massive changes in our home has really clued me in. We have the opportunity to send our boys to their grandparents house for three days so that we can do a deep purge of our home and minimize majorly. We have also started Dave Ramsey's baby steps. We had step 1 complete and then washer went out this morning, so we have to go back and re-add to the emergency fund depending on how much it costs to fix the silly thing. I am grateful the money is there! I stopped pumping exclusively. This is still a bit tender for me, but I don't regret the decision to discontinue. I'm so blessed I had the ability to provide both my boys breastmilk almost exclusively (ben had formula for 3 days as a newborn)for 6 months. Meaning I pumped 14 months for both boys and I'm proud of myself for getting there. Noah adjusted to formula and solids beautifully, just as Ben did and I'm grateful for the convenience and my newfound freedom from hanging with the pump 6-8 times a day. All parenting aside, my weight loss has been slow. I'm still hanging between the 35-40 mark. Weaning from the pump was stressful and during that 2 weeks I gained some, which is to be expected. I've cut back on working out for now until we get our four walls into check this week and then next week I start training again to run longer distances. The plan for now is 2 short (2 miles?) runs a week and one long run (4+) miles. Our busy summer is barreling quickly toward us. I'm trying to prepare! Oh and sleep. Yeah... not getting much of that these days. I mean I do have a 7 month old and a 21 month old but yeah. I'm pretty pooped ;) More on my most recently successful cleanse later. That one gets its own post!

Persist without Exception

Even though people make fun of you... Persist without exception

Even though they don't believe in you... Persist without exception

Even though you're sad and want to emoeat... Persist without exception

Even though you fall down, get up... Persist without exception

Even when you miss you alarm and wake up late, find another time to workout... Persist without exception

Even though making dinner is inconvenient... Persist without exception

Even though soda sounds tastier than water... Persist without exception

Even when everyone else is eating it... Persist without exception

Even though you're afraid of failing... Persist without exception

I've been creating too many exceptions for myself lately... Oh it's dinner out with friends, I can eat a burger and have a coke! Oh it's Sunday night, I can eat an excessive amount of dessert... Oh I just ran 3 miles, I can eat what I want today.

I'm so tired of this mindset. So tired of the excuses, tired of the fat clothes and especially tired of reaching for food to support myself emotionally. I was made for so much more than this. 

Today my new script is "persist without exception". When something happens and I want to deviate from the plan... Persist without exception. I am not the exception, I am the rule. I'm worth sticking through it and reaping the rewards of true health and physical fitness.

What areas of your life need a little script re-writing?

Quick Update 2/2

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I have some neat things going on in my life I'd love to share.

I ran 3.1 miles in just under 54 minutes the other day. It was my first 5k (on my own). I walked about half a mile total. The third mile felt SO good! I know 54 minutes is really slow but I'd like the haters to remember that I am carrying around 60-80 extra pounds over my healthy weight. I fully expect to be running faster 5ks as the year progresses and my weight drops and my endurance builds.

I signed up for the Disneyland 10k in August! Going with my best friend and I am so excited. Feb 2015 is the Princess Half and I will begin to train for it in the fall.

My first 5k EVER is in 6 days. I'm so stinking excited. I want to run it in 50 minutes or less. With my marathoner bestie by my side I know I can do it!

I can now do 15 push-ups consecutively. I still modify with knees but I'm working on it!

I've been reading the book "Made to Crave" and it's really been eye opening to realizing that this journey is highly spiritual. It's equipping me in new and transforming ways.

In January I lost 8 pounds! I gained some over the holidays, but I now claim victory over that struggle!

Fight on friends!

Jaci

1 Cor 10:23

1 Cor 10:23

Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial (paraphrase)

This week I started a bible study through proverbs31 ministries (p31.org). We are studying the book "Made to Crave" by Lysa TerKeurst. In all honesty, this is perfect timing.

You all know this blog is about my weight loss journey. As much as I want to lose the weight to feel good about myself, to be healthy, the glory of fitting into my skinny jeans (and posting it on Instagram)... I'm realizing that this journey has to be so much more than that to continue to be successful.

So in the 4 chapters I've devoured of this book (pun totally intended), I have just been blown away by how much The Lord has shown me about ME this week.

Let's cast some light into the dark corners for a second. I hope this is as healing as they say it is. 

I dislike the conflict and disorder In my life so much that I try to avoid it at all costs. Sometimes this is subconscious for me and sometimes I'm clapping my hands over my ears and screaming "LA LA LA" to ignore the blindingly obvious problem in front of me. This isn't just a one-facet-of-my-life kind of disease... It has worked it's way through *almost* everything I'm facing.

When I avoid, I eat. Like shameful, hiding in the corner, throw away the fast food bag so my husband doesn't see it, pretend-that-didn't-happen kind of eating. It's obvious from the last 8 years that this isn't working for me. I don't even know how much weight I've actually gained since then- because I was avoiding the scale.

Reading this book, all 4 chapters I've read so far, have just completely ripped off my blinders. I've realized that this isn't just a control over food kinda issue... This is a hiding from God, perfectionistic, walls up, stinking thinking kinda problem.

So there's the problem. It's funny to me how simple simple simple the solution is: ask for help. My job is to ask the Helper, the Healer, my Hope, my Father to replace my fearshamedoubt cravings with cravings of Him.

Cravings have become a prayer trigger for me... A trigger that I need to ask for guidance. In "Made to Crave", Lysa shares on page 29 "God never intended for us to want anything more than we want Him." I mean, wow. How simple and profound is that?

I've been repeating 1 Cor 10:23 to myself. Of course it's permissible to eat whatever I want. When I'm in the kitchen making myself a meal, I'm asking myself: is this beneficial? Is this food going to fuel me to complete my purpose- my God given assignments here on earth? Chances are when I frame my decisions with fueling the Father's will and my work for the Kingdom... I'm going to eat something green instead of something white and refined. Because when I'm really honest with myself, that's what He created for me to eat. God didn't send down Doritos from heaven. He didn't plant Oreo trees either.

I need lots of prayer in this journey. I'd love to pray for some of my brothers and sisters going through this journey too... Share in the comments how I can pray for you and know that you'll have me warring for you as much as I'm warring for myself.

Blessings.

Jaci

I'm back! Lessons from 2013

I took a little holiday hiatus from the blogging thing. Forgive me.

Things I learned in 2013

I'm made from a stronger fiber than I realized- but only when I depend on God for strength to continue.

Cancer does not stand up to our Heavenly Father.

The words that come out of your mouth matter. You either speak life or death.

Emotional eating is another form of idolatry.

Angels are real, and so are demons.

My husband is an amazing spiritual leader for our family.

I am an overcomer.

To hold tight to the promises God shows me in scripture and remember them when the enemy tries to tell me I'm not what God says I am.

The right worship music will always lift my heart and make my kids moods better.

I can run a 5k.

I will become what I believe I am.

The things I see and ingest on a daily basis (from the media, books, music, movies) will ignite a spirit within... I just have to decide what kind it's going to be.

As an extrovert, social media will not fill my need to be energized by other people... It's a very poor replacement for eyeball to eyeball relationships.

I am worthy of my husband and boy's love.

I am ready to become more in 2014.

God brings all things back full circle, if you seek Him and are obedient to His callings.

Journaling is a very powerful form of prayer and recording what God speaks to my heart.

Things I'm looking forward to in 2014

My first 5k

A deep relationship with my Father

Oneand2 Marriage Conference

2 family weddings (and wearing smaller dresses to them!)

Family reunion

My first Disney race

Watching the boys grow

Fighting for my business

Helping other people get their health back

Waking up next to and kissing my husband every morning

Becoming closer to the Proverbs 31 wife and helpmate I was created to be

Fighting for my purpose

Completing the assignment my Father God has given me this year

It's going to be a good one friends!!!! What is one thing you've learned and one thing you're looking forward to this year?

Winter

I went for a run in 34 degrees today. I do have to say it might have been one of my most empowering runs yet. I woke up really not wanting to go... but knowing that consistency over time breeds results along with a predicting massive winter storm coming, I better get my tush out of bed and go run. The first 5 minutes was NOT FUN, but once my body warmed up I started getting the momentum to keep going. While I was running, certain scriptural themes kept popping into my head: seasons, pruning dead branches, harvest. Just like when winter comes everything dies back- there is no new growth without winter. And oh man, is winter dark and cold and uncomfortable. Winter is when we fight colds, wake up with frozen toes because our feet poked out under the covers while we slept, when being outside is just not too much fun past the 10 minute mark... but when spring comes, we welcome it with open arms and ready hearts. The birds sing, your tulips start poking through the dirt, and the fruit begins to grow.

This is the season I'm in... new growth, tiny blooms, birds singing. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the winter most of 2013 was... my mom's cancer, long distance marriage, grasping at whatever faith I had to hang on, complicated pregnancy, many weeks of bed rest with a toddler, lots of "no"s in our business... I was in tears most days before Noah was born. But the day of his birth, everything shifted. I was born again too. My eyes were opened to my lack of obedience to God. I started digging into my bible again, praying and worshiping again, asking the Holy Spirit "show me", dreaming for my family, speaking my visions of the future, opening my mouth and letting blessings come out not curses, and I began to push myself physically. When you see a little bit of growth, be encouraged. Stay the course. Continue to fight. Soon, you'll have an entire field ready and a reward larger than you ever could have imagined. Prepare your storehouses. Harvest is coming!

Christmas Baker's Edition GIVEAWAY!

It’s Christmas Baker's Edition Giveaway Event

Organized by: Mom Powered Media. Co-hosted by: Shannon's View from Here, My Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Life, Joans 5 Star Reviews, Sweetphi, Mommy Kat and Kids and Naturally Frugalicious.

MY FAVORITE SEASON OF ALL IS HERE! My favorite childhood memories revolve around baking and decorating Christmas cookies and making our traditional Christmas morning monkey bread with my mother. I am so looking forward to this new season of life as my babies turn into toddlers who are starting to "get" gifts and opening presents and the joy of Christmas giving. Its going to be an incredible Christmas for my family this year.

MPM Network Bloggers are gearing up for an amazing holiday season. Make sure you stop by and checkout all the tasty recipes below. Surely you will find something that makes your holiday even yummier!

One lucky reader will receive a KitchenAid Tilt-head Stand Mixer + accessories!

Giveaway ends December 9th at 11:59pm, open to US & Canada, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:Jaci Hynes from Chasing a Hundred is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. Please contact teri@mompoweredmedia.com with questions or to see your business or blog featured on the next big event!

Brooks Pure Cadence 2 | REVIEW

Once I was cleared to start being active again postpartum, my husband and I made a trip to REI to peek at running shoes. I was ready to finish the Couch to 5k training I started in October 2011, the month I found out I was pregnant with Ben. My feet had also grown an entire size through both pregnancies.

We left the store with a pair of vibrant purple shoes… I was way excited about the color, they were comfortable and really only time would tell if they were my running shoes or not. (REI has a great return policy if you’re not satisfied with your items long term.)

The Brooks Pure Cadence 2 shoes came with lime green laces which I was completely sold out for. I love running in neon anything! The color I chose is pretty fabulous… purple and teal. I feel pretty when I lace them up!

They aren’t minimalist style shoes exactly, but there is less padding which I’m a fan of. My husband is a bit of a minimalist shoe snob, so he really wanted to get me into a pair close to that for my 5k training.

The shoes are very light which is a plus and there is this feature called the Progressive Diagonal Roll Bar that helps prevent overpronation (which leads to certain foot complications, ouch). The shoe’s tongue is attached to one side which I thought was going to be weird but was actually quite comfortable.

All in all, this shoe gets a 4/5 from me. As my first real running shoe, I don’t have much to compare it to. I can say though, after consistently running for 5 weeks, my feet have had no issues and I plan to wear them out with my new hobby! The Brooks site says they should last me 250-300 miles or so.

Love 'Em! What are your favorite road running shoes?

Fist Pumps & Roasted Leg Quarters

I just finished week 4 of couch to 5k and I am so excited to start week 5. I'm finding that a major perspective shift and attitude change has really affected my runs. I used to say "I'm scared of the next week. I don't know if I can do it", and guess what? It made me dread running, even though after every run I felt incredible and victorious. I've started looking forward to the next week as a challenge I KNOW I can overcome. I bet you can guess... That's made it more enjoyable. Its hard to find excuses not to go run because I really enjoy the challenge each new week brings.

So on Friday... I'm running, and nearing the end of my first 5 minutes running stretch and I'm battling those voices in my head: "There's only a minute left, it won't hurt if you stop", "you can't do this anymore". (I really believe the enemy is afoot anytime I'm close to victory and breakthrough. He doesn't want us to win! He wants us to live in the "I can't" "I'm too fat" "I'm too sick" "I'll do it tomorrow" mentality).  I'm so close to succumbing when I look up as a car drives by. The man in the car is smiling, dancing, and fist pumping for me. I couldn't contain my laughter and pushed through the pain and praised Jesus that last 60 seconds for sending me some relief. He knew he looked ridiculous, but he took a risk and it made the difference to me.

You see, guys... God did not create us with this negative "self talk". We were created to be victors in Him. People flinch and shrink and maybe even roll their eyes when we talk about Satan's lies and his tactics to bring us down, but its real. When I say NO to the enemy, I'm saying YES to Christ, to abundance, to victory, and to being an overcomer. It just took a couple fist pumps for me to remember that I have the power to say "NO, I will not fail, I will not stop, and I will finish the race."

--

On another, lighter note... I'm going to share one of my FAVORITE recipes with you! I love roasting leg quarters. SO MUCH! So here we go! You'll need...

3 tbs EVOO
Juice of 1 large lemon
Your favorite spice blend
S&P
Chicken Leg Quarters

First, take your leg quarters (drumsticks work too!) and rinse them off/pat dry. (OPTIONAL: brine them in pickle juice for a couple hours beforehand. They get super tender and don't taste like pickles, I promise) Next whisk 3 TBSP of Olive oil with a combination of your favorite spices. (for me its, garlic, paprika, and lemon pepper.) Squeeze 1 large lemon into the mixture and whisk.

Lay out your chicken in your roasting pan, Cover generously with sea salt. Take the olive oil mixture and pour all over the chicken, making sure the skin is covered with it. If you add paprika it should be a GORGEOUS orangey color. Turn the legs skin side down and cook at 350 for 45 minutes. The flip them back up and cook for another 45 mins at 350. The juice coming out of them should be clear! Then look at the skins and decide if they're crispy enough for you! If not, broil on low and check every 2-3 minutes.

They SO yummy served up with the pan juices drizzled on top and served with butternut squash mash and sauteed sesame spinach! Enjoy :)

Jaci
Chasing A Hundred

Broken Toothbrushes

Something my husband and I recently realized was that our lives were lacking consistency. And we vowed to change that for our children, especially.

Since our decision to push through and be consistent in our daily home and life operations, my husband has snapped TWO toothbrushes. We laughed about it both times and didn't really think much about it until it happened again last night. My husband really doesn't know his own strength anymore. When he warms up a bottle of expressed milk for our youngest, he puts the cap on it so tight I have to wait for him to come home to open it! Yeesh, dude. He has been consistently working out- lifting, squats, abs, you name it, reading the bible, speaking his affirmations over himself, and working to grow as the leader of our family. And that consistency has finally resulted in super strength!

As for me, it's been all about finding lots of little moments to say hi to God every day... And digging into the Word. Oh, how many God nudges I've missed these last 25 years because I lacked consistency and the desire to know Him. Also, consistently taking my AdvoCare products and doing couch to 5k and the Can You 24 Workouts 5-6 days a week. It's all entwined... Speaking to God the moment I open my eyes in the morning launches me into a full day, and working out keeps me chugging along and not so sleepy I forget to worship my Creator.

Thanks to consistency we're getting stronger. Not just physically- I'm so excited about the strength we're developing in our parenting, our faith, and how we fight for our goals. We have a message to share and we want out lives to speak it strongly- not only our mouths.

Consistency over time is what gets you results... And maybe even a couple broken toothbrushes along the way.

Jaci

Guest Post and Blog Giveaway!

To kick off my new blog and share my continuing weight loss transformation, Staci over at Luker Family Tales invited me to be a guest blogger! Go read and participate in the AdvoCare product giveaway I'm hosting here. Thanks Staci!

Recipe: Hearty Ham & Bean Soup

I made this soup a couple weeks ago... Then I was rummaging through the fridge for breakfast leftovers the day before grocery day and there was pretty much nothing to eat! So I got creative by adding an egg on top of the leftover soup and it was amazing. If you know me in real life (if not, you'll learn) that my sole FOODlosophy is "put a sunny side up egg on top. That'll taste good."

Here is my recipe! Soup is easy because it requires little to no measurements.

6c (roughly) homemade chicken stock
Ham steak or leftover ham bone, ham hocks
Chopped veggies (my fav is garlic, green beans, squash, yellow onion, carrots)
2 cans of great northern beans, rinsed well
Spices: paprika, pepper, garlic powder

In a soup pot, drizzle a little olive or coconut oil and sauté chopped veggies until tender, add ham pieces and cook until warm. Add 6 cups chicken stock and 2 cans of great northern beans. Add spices to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring every minute or two (so the bottom doesn't burn). Then set the heat on low and let it simmer until it's as thick as you like it or you're ready to eat. If you want a thicker soup add less chicken stock.

It's really hard to mess up, I promise!

Clean Eating

I've spent the last month really trying to figure out what I want this blog to be. Then I realized that it was the perfectionist in me that was keeping me from actually writing posts. Boom, truth bomb. Perspective shift: instead of planning and planning and planning, action is more productive. Just do it, then figure out if it works.

I've decided to share some of my clean eating recipes, but first I need to define & share my definition of clean eating with you.

Clean Eating is such a buzzword these days. I've found myself thinking "but what does that even mean?!" when someone refers to clean eating so here is how I define clean eating for me.

*avoiding processed foods
*eating more vegetables than fruit*avoiding refined sugar and instead opting for local honey on occasion
*eating lots of meat, locally sourced, grassfed, pastured, organic if possible
*avoiding dairy and wheat products, creamy sauces, and alcohol

*I don't count calories- I eat to satisfy my hunger. I wholly believe in QUALITY over QUANTITY. I'm happy to listen to my body and figure out what I need from there. And sometimes that means a protein-packed snack at 11pm before bed. I break all the rules.

Now before you cheese lovers completely pass out, let me explain. I strive to do this at least 80% of the time. For me its about balance, its about choosing life-giving foods, and feeding my brain, gut, muscles, etc what they need to function at their highest performance level.
I went the "diety" route for the last 7 years and I'M STILL OBESE. Choosing whole foods is a lifetime decision I've made and I'm very very happy with how I feel. And I'm happy to say that after 2 months of making these choices, doritos and dr pepper taste disgusing, and make me feel pretty disgusting.

How do YOU define clean eating?

Philippians 3:12

"I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and make it mine." Phil 3:12

I'm 2 weeks into my "new year" and standing strong!





Yesterday I did week 1 day 1 couch to 5k. This is going to be a fun journey!

Happy New Year!

Last Friday I turned 25. It felt so good to spend the entire weekend with some of the most important people in my life. We spent the day dreaming and loving on our two blessings and thanking God for every good and precious thing in our lives- it all comes from Him.

Saturday I woke up and could not shake the thought "Happy New Year!". You know when something gets in your brain and you just can't shake it? Well this is my year. 25. This is the PEAK of my 20s. I have cried and begged The Lord for things to change for so long- for my family financially, for my health, my friendships, my productivity.

For things to change I have to change.

I can't keep doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. It's sheer insanity, as the cliche goes.

There are 3 areas in my life that really REALLY need some work. I mean lots of work- almost to the point where I don't know where to begin.

1. Spiritual -
praying constantly, praying with kids during day not just bedtime- talking about God more
Journaling with God
Consistently attending mass, becoming an active community member of our church
Praying with husband every chance I get

2. Health -
Consistently choosing whole foods, cutting out dairy & grains, grass fed meat when we can afford it
Cooking and preparing snacks instead of eating out
Working out (once my OB clears me!) - running c25k, Advocare CU24, and lifting in garage

3. Family -
Budgeting (and following it!) and furthering our business for financial growth
Date nights for our marriage and emotional well being ;]
Pressing through with breastfeeding Noah and persevering!

Lord, you sent your only son to lay down his life so that I could have freedom. But I find myself in bondage- to food, debt, and laziness. Lord, release me from these. Take me to the place I need to go to further Your kingdom. Show me what needs to be cut from my life so I can move forward. I am thankful for the blessings you have bestowed upon me these last 25 years and I am readying my heart to receive what you have for me.

Today I Made the Bed.

Today I made the bed. This may seem like a small feat to many. Actually, it's quite embarrassing. Ever since I was a kid, I've struggled to care about my mess. Which led me to struggle with caring about myself. Deep down somewhere in my past, I stopped caring about what I looked like, and what and who I surrounded myself with.

Somehow this led to a gigantic weight gain over the last 8-10 years. I just stopped caring about myself.

I can't exactly pinpoint why. I have a loving, handsome, champion of a husband. And two sons. B is 14 months and N is 2 weeks old. I care for them. I was (and still am) careful to breastfeed both, even though its been a struggle for me in both cases. I feed my husband and toddler hearty and healthy meals. I snuggle and play and dream with my sons & my man. I take them to the doctor when they're sick, pray over them daily and take them to church (I could do it more), and worry about their safety and their futures (which I could do less of).

But somewhere there was a disconnect about caring for myself. And our home.

Last night I prayed for the strength to change. And today I got up, and made the bed.

This is my journey, chasing my dreams of losing 100 pounds and becoming more.