Faith. Fitness. Food...Oh My!

I'm PLANNING AHEAD and I recently came across a friend's status that really touched home for me...

For the last 3 weeks, I've been focusing on my personal growth, both physically, mentally, and spiritually, and honestly, I've seen some AWESOME changes in all areas!

I've been working out consistently!
I've been taking control of my cravings, thanks to the book "Made to Crave"
I've stepped out of my comfort zone to do things I have been led to do!
I've grown closer in my relationship to God!

All in all, it's been a great 3 weeks, BUT when I read my friend's status, she mentioned something about RIVERS vs. RESERVOIRS.

Lately, I've been a RESERVOIR because I've been focused mainly on my self...AKA retaining all the knowledge to myself just like a reservoir retains water! And personally, I think it's okay that I've focused on myself because  I needed a few weeks to focus on myself...

BUT...

I want to be a RIVER! I want to let the knowledge I've gained these past few weeks flow into the next person and the next person!

I know there are several people out there, who like me, are afraid to try new things because they are afraid to fail or afraid what their family may say or simply afraid they won't be able to change at all!

This weekend, I've been working on creating a GROUP that focuses strictly on the areas I've been working on myself! 

FAITH ---> Growing closer to God using the book "Made to Crave"
FITNESS! ---> Taking care of your temple by exercising to a program!
FOOD! ---> Resisting temptations/cravings & focus on clean eating!
FELLOWSHIP! ---> Develop friendships that help us grow better together!

It will be a group in where we GROW TOGETHER! The group is open to anyone who wants to take control of their life in all areas mentioned and become a better version of yourself!!

Who's ready to take control of their life!??!? Message me for the details!

The group won't start until February, but I just felt like I needed to put this out there for everyone wanting to be better!

First 3 people to commit to A NEW YOU, will receive a FREE GIFT from me to help you along this journey!

Healthier Shrimp & Grits

About 2 weeks ago, I started reading "Made to Crave," and working out to Shaun T's newest program, Insanity Max:30. First, the book has really changed my way of thinking about food and Max:30 is just a plain ole insane workout that I'm loving! 

 I started a Free Clean Eating Challenge Group with a few other ladies and we spent the week uplifting each other to make healthier food choices, swapping recipes, and just having fun week staying positive! One of my friends, Andrea was in the group and shared this Buffalo Cauliflower Bites recipes and it looked DELISH! I'm not a huge fan of Buffalo flavored things, but the CAULIFLOWER sparked my interest!
 
Being the SOUTHERN girl that I am, I have been CRAVING some SHRIMP & GRITS lately! 

BUT....I didn't want to sabotage all of my healthy eating and working out by stuffing my face with a bowl of yummy deliciousness of cheesy grits!  

After Andrea posted about the Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, a light bulb went off and WAHH LAHH, I decided to try replacing the grits with cauliflower! 

And much to my surprise...I FELL IN LOVE!

There are definitely some kinks to work out in figuring out the serving size, but overall a SUCCESSFUL RECIPE!

So for all those pretty ladies begging for the recipe...here you go! QUICK, EASY, & DELISH!

 INGREDIENTS: 

• Head of Cauliflower
• Large Shrimp, tail removed (I used 6-8)
• Sliced Mushrooms (I LOVE mushrooms, so I piled these high)
• 2-3 Green Onions, chopped
• 1-2 Slices of Turkey Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
• Clove of Garlic, minced
• Low Sodium Old Bay Seasoning 
• Coconut Oil or Olive Oil

RECIPE:

1. Cook turkey bacon and place aside; crumble once cooled down.
2. Chop cauliflower into chunks and toss into a large saute pan with about an inch of water; cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until cauliflower starts to get a tad bit translucent.
3. While cauliflower is cooking, chop up mushrooms, garlic, and onions.
4. Heat coconut oil in saute pan; add mushrooms and garlic and cook for around 5 minutes (really your preference on how you like your veggies, soft/crunchy).
5. Toss shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning and add to the mushrooms and garlic and cook until pink. 
6. While shrimp is cooking, drain cauliflower if needed and mash with potato masher. I didn't whip them only because I wanted to mimic the texture of the grits, so I left some pieces unmashed! 
7. I added a BLUE container of cheese (21 Day Fix portion control containers), but if I had to guess, it would be less than 1/4 cup! 
8. Start plating your bowl....1 cup of cauliflower "grits," 1 cup of the mushroom and shrimp mixture, sprinkle on some additional cheese, onions, and bacon!
9. TAHHHH DAHHH: Healthier Shrimp & "Grits"

ENJOY & HOPE YOU LOVE IT TOO!

 

 

Quinoa Veggie "Fried Rice" Recipe

Oh my, my mouth is watering just thinking about this recipe! 



I found this recipe on, where else but, PINTEREST! The original recipe was found HERE!

The best part of this recipe...it's can be completely altered to fit your veggie needs! 

There is no meat in this recipe because it already PACKED with PROTEIN, but can definitely be changed to incorporate meat!

For lunch, I had it without chicken, but if I needed a quick dinner, I just grilled up some chicken to go with it!

Now for the DISCLAIMER....if you are small town NORTH CAROLINA GIRL and you LOVE your local Japanese restaurant's SHRIMP SAUCE (or if you aren't from Shelby, people call it YUM YUM SAUCE), it would be PERFECT on this dish! 

HOWEVER...if you are reading this, it probably means you are looking for ways to start incorporating more healthy dishes into your weekly meal plan. SOOOO....it's probably not the best to DROWN this awesome recipe with that mayonnaise/sugar based sauce! 

And besides....this recipe doesn't even need it and was still TOTALLY TASTY without it!

Ok I'm going to stop making your mouth water and get right down to the recipe and how I altered it! 

The original recipe called for regular olive oil and that's what I have in my spray bottle, but when it came to sauteing the veggies, I mixed half coconut oil and half sesame oil for more flavor! There is something about that combo of oils that give any dish a little bit more of an Asian flavor! I always saute my veggies in that combo now!

You can also eliminate or add any veggies you like! I had some leftover brussel sprouts, chopped them up, added them to this dish! 

This recipe is sooo flexible and SOOO YUMMY! 

 

New Year. New Design.

With the New Year comes New Year resolutions and we all know how most people feel about resolutions...

 
Some say, "Resolutions, smesolutions...you'll break that resolution in 2 weeks"

Others might say, "Ahhhhhh, I hate how crowded the gym is in January...after 2 weeks, those people will quit."
 
And for a LOT of people, the New Year gives them a little HOPE...the hope that they lost in themselves throughout the previous year! 


It's a new beginning to fix, change, improve, enhance, live, dream, and become the person deep down inside YOU KNOW you are capable of being! 

Every year, I make resolutions and like most of us, I hardly ever follow through with them, but it doesn't stop me from making a new ones every year! Once I started actually writing them down and/or printing them out, they became easier to keep!

So here they are.... New Year. New Design.

This year, I decided to keep them a little more simple, but each one helps me (in some way) accomplish the GOALS I have for myself for 2015. I'm not putting a ton of pressure on myself and if I fail one day or one week, I don't feel like I've broke my resolution! But I do know, if I'm not consistent with keeping my resolutions, then my goals for the year won't be accomplished! 


My GOALS for 2015??? Don't worry, I'll show you my 2015 Vision Board very soon!!!

Deployment, Marriage, and Dumpster....OH MY!

Since the Screech has been gone, I've gone through a plethora of emotions! HA...plethora is my fancy word for the day! 

Let's see...

• I played the "I'm going to be a badass" and handle this deployment like a BOSS---->All the women who independent...throw your hands up at me!!

• I ate everything but the kitchen sink after I realized I can't be the badass military wife!

• Had a mental break down when I couldn't operate the stupid weedeater and my grass grew to be about 2 feet high! 

• Lots of crying...and I'm not a pretty crier!

• I vegged out watching all of House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Parenthood...while eating Cherry Garcia ice cream! 

• Freaked out again when Dumpster ate some chicken wing bones...so I ate my own chicken wings!

• Hit the "OH CRAP...When did I get so squishy" weight on the scale and decide what's one more week of cheat meals!

• Started making myself happy with endorphins...AKA PIYO! 

• I felt EMPOWERED once I took back CONTROL of life!

• I stepped outside of my comfort zone and met new people...and actually had  blast doing it! <<<--------NOT MY STYLE since I'm such an introvert!

• Started waking up and deciding to be positive, being thankful for the small things and really enjoying my life.

THEN...HE sent me this picture this morning of him and "Dumpster" AKA the cardboard cutout version! 

And the tears have filled my eyes all day...not because I miss him, because I REALLY do MISS HIM, but today was the first time I thought about his roller coaster of emotions and how I, at least, have Dumpster to keep me company.

After work, he goes home to a "house" and doesn't get that "115 pound, tail wagging, let me drool all over you because I never thought you were coming home, and I'm about to pee all over you" FEELING when he walks in the door! I know he misses me deeply because he tells me everyday, but I know he misses his buddy just as much...because Dumpster likes lounging around in the garage and doesn't complain about the dishes not being done..haha!

Screech is overseas, sacrificing being away from ME and DUMPSTER, so that he can provide US the life we hope to have once he returns. With all that...he still finds a way to SMILE, be happy and thankful for this journey!

If a grown man can hold his FAKE DOG and still smile that big, I can put my big girl panties on and make everyday AWESOME!

Meal Prep Sunday

When I think of Sunday Funday, I think BRUNCH and MIMOSAS, followed by a lazy afternoon of NETFLIX, SWEATS and NO BRA!

But this Sunday...I decided to enjoy my mimosa (still with no bra) while prepping my meals for the week! 

 

In all honesty, I get on my "Meal Prepping" kicks and then fall off the wagon the next weekend. It's a vicious cycle...one week I'm meal prepping like a BOSS and the next weekend, I let the mimosas get the best of me!

BUT, NOT THIS SUNDAY...(or the next Sunday either)

I've been doing PIYO for over a month now and I'm seeing AWESOME changes in my body. I'm way more flexible. I can actually do a backbend again...hell, I even did it on a PADDLEBOARD! Thanks you PIYO for my CORE STRENGTH! However, I still got that SWISH I'm ready to get rid of around the mid-section! 

So in less that 2 hours...and my meals are made for the week! Here's the break down of what I did on my SUNDAY FUNDAY!

MY SUNDAY FUNDAY BREAKDOWN

1. Wake up, enjoy a cup of Joe, and drink my ohhh so yummy SHAKEOLOGY!

2. Walk Dumpster and start talking to myself so I can figure out what sounds yummy!

3. While enjoying my 2nd cup of coffee, I make my grocery list (listed below)

4. PUT ON BRA and go to the grocery store!

5. Start the official 2 HOUR MEAL PREP COUNTDOWN!

GROCERY LIST

• Veggies (Zucchini, Squash, Broccoli, Carrots, Peppers, Onions, Salad Mix, Cucumbers, Mushrooms)
• Fruits (Grapes, Pineapple, Apples)
• Chicken Breasts
• Hummus (Publix Chili Lime is my favorite)
• Eggs
• Avocados (or Guacamole)
• Quinoa or Brown Rice
• Cottage Cheese
• Whole Wheat Wraps
• Frozen Fruit (for my Shakeology breakfast)
• Marinade (depends on my mood what I like)

MEAL PREPPING

1. I start off by marinating my chicken right off the bat (usually for an hour).
2. Using my rice cooker, I go ahead and cook my rice/quinoa. This usually takes about an hour, but with the rice cooker, I don't have to worry about it or stir it or freak out when it over boils and makes a complete mess on the stove!
3. Boil my eggs to use as a snack or a little extra protein for my salads. 
4. Chop up my veggies for snacks (carrots, cucumbers, and red peppers)
5. Fill my pre-portioned containers with hummus so I don't eat the whole container (I use hummus for my snacks...easy on-the-go meal).
6. Chop up veggies for my salads and portion out my salad mix using the 21 Day Fix containers so I don't go overboard with my proportions. 
7. Chop up veggies for meals. This week I'm having stir-fry for the first 2 days so I went ahead and cut up those veggies to save time on dinner.
8. Grill up my chicken and try to devour all the food I just prepped!

      

TYPICAL DAY OF MEALS

• Breakfast--Shakeology with frozen fruit
• Snack #1--Cottage Cheese with Pineapple or Boiled Eggs
• Lunch--Salad with Grilled Chicken and Veggies
• Snack #2--Raw veggies with hummus
• Dinner--Stir Fry Veggies with Grilled Chicken and Quinoa (If time isn't an issue, I will whip up something that I didn't prep on Sunday) 

Want to see more recipes or meal prep ideas? Comment below and I can make that happen! 

 

Switch Up...A little T25 action!

Hey there!

Not sure if you remember me, but I'm Haley (Hi, Haley ----> My way of saying Welcome Back to myself!)

My "art teacher diva" alter ego took over while I was getting back into the groove of teaching, but NO WORRIES....

Fit, happy, and healthy Haley is making a COME BACK! 

I was making every kind of excuse and working here and there. I changed my attitude, and NOW, I'm back to drinking my Shakeology everday, eating better, and getting my workouts in! 

I'm keeping myself ACCOUNTABLE with a little tracker I made. I love making to-do lists and feeling EMPOWERED when I draw a little squiggly line through one of my tasks! Did I mention, I'm a teacher? We love to make lists! 

It definitely feels FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC to get back in the groove, but I won't lie, those first few workouts were...DRUM ROLL....a little difficult! 

Instead of dwelling on the fact that I didn't do a few particular workouts from PIYO, I decided to make it interesting and switch up my workouts this week! Due to my crazy schedule, I was running low on time...soooooo Focus T25 to the rescue! 

NO EXCUSES OVER HERE....it's ONLY 25 minutes! Quick and fast paced CARDIO workout! 

T25 is seriously an awesome workout...I mean, really, who gets results in just 25 minutes?!? 

Awhile back, I did T25 for a month and saw awesome changes in my body! If time is your excuse, let it be NO MORE! Ohhh...and did I tell you my secret?!? The T25 CHALLENGE PACK is on sale for a few more days!

STOP MAKING EXCUSES and GET YOURS TODAY!

Find me on FACEBOOK and message me for more details!  

My results in just 30 days!