Take Two!

Photo by Rachael

After my last post, I received a lot of feedback saying the green bell peppers are yucky and I should try to use red ones. So I did and guess what? I love it! The sweetness of the pepper and the combined flavors of the stuffing made this meal so good. I had it two nights in a row! There is still a lot of stuffing left so this girl is going to go get some more red bell peppers. What about yellow bell pepper? Does anyone have a preference to that blast of color? I may try it just to see what I prefer. I also added some seasoned salt to the stuffing to add a little bit of spice to it. That was a good idea too.

This past weekend the boyfriend and I did not try any new healthy meals, but we did take this hot vanilla recipe and turned it cold. My man does not like chocolate (crazy, I know), but he seemed to like this recipe. It probably would taste better hot and with less cinnamon, but it was pretty yummy.

Since I am lactose intolerant grilled cheese sandwiches are off the market. This was my go to meal when I did not go to the store and bread and cheese were the only decent things I had to eat. So I was on pinterest and found this delicious replacement that has nutrition and protein! Hey all you vegetarians I said protein! This recipe only has three ingredients. Two slices of bread, peanut butter spread on both sides, and one banana. All you do is cook it the same way you would a grilled cheese. Instead of using butter I used olive oil cooking spray. Give it try guys and gals, it is really good!

Well…I did it.

I finally made the stuffed bell pepper I talked about last week! If you remember, I mentioned that I do not like bell pepper that much. This meal confirmed it. The stuffing is delicious, but the bell pepper is just yucky in my opinion. To all the bell pepper fans, I apologize. I tried it and my taste buds failed me. Here is the recipe if y’all would like to try it. I think I may try it again and not put the pepper in the oven for such a long time. However, I could eat this stuffing on its own! YUM! I added zucchini, squash, and black beans to the recipe. It is rather disappointing that I didn’t like the entire meal. Oh well, you win some you lose some!

 

My boyfriend is, SURPRISE, coming to visit for the weekend starting tomorrow! We will probably try cooking some delicious new meals while he is here. I will post more when we do! Let me know how the bell pepper meal was for y’all. I would like to know if someone changes things up. Inspire me!

 

SIKE!

Okay so I unintentionally lied. I am strapped for time because of big projects and tests. Oh the life of a college student right? So I made a less time consuming dinner that is filled with deliciousness. It is called Avocado spaghetti. If you like spaghetti and avocados this is the dish for you. And if you don’t like either one…well…try it anyway. I am not a fan of avocados, but you put lemons in the sauce and I love lemons. It was a good enough reason to make it. Plus I need the protein. There isn’t really a certain pasta you have to use for this. I used whole wheat spaghetti. You can make as much or as little as you would like. I made a little bit extra for lunch tomorrow.

Photo by me

I will try the stuffed peppers this weekend when I have a little bit more free time. Here is the recipe though if you would like to try it yourself. Let me know what you think!

Going Vegetarian

Over spring break my best friend and I were reminiscing the challenges and adventures we went through together. One summer we had decided to cross one thing out of our diet each month, i.e. bread and chocolate. We wanted to do something like that again, but we both already it rather healthy. She is a vegetarian and I am dairy free (lactose intolerant). This time we decided to try each others eating habits for the month of April. I am going to be eating vegetarian, and she will be going dairy free. It is difficult since both of us are cutting out things that we enjoy to eat. However, I am finding that vegetables are much faster snacks to grab, and they taste yummy! Tonight I am  going to attempt to make vegetarian stuffed bell pepper for dinner. I am not a big fan of bell pepper, but I have heard that putting other flavors in makes it amazing.

Picture from interest

I am looking forward to this month of fruits and veggies. I need to put more in my diet, and this will help me get in a routine of eating better. Feel free to join us in this exciting adventure. I will be posting about my recipes and struggles during this month. If you are going through some of the same, or know of a way struggles can be overcome, comment please! All suggestions are welcomed.

Final Stretch.

Can you believe March is almost over? That means final assignments and a whirl wind of getting everything done. So for those of us who are still staying involved with the March Ab challenge, the final stretch is here! This thing ends on Sunday! Keep going guys and gals. 

Busy busy

Hey followers! This past weekend was super busy. I was getting interviewed for internships, and catching up on a lot of homework. Today I decided that I would do a quick blog about my weight loss journey. It is going to sound a little bit conceited, but I have worked hard!

The picture on the left is me August of 2012. The right is me 3 weeks ago during spring break. I lost a total of 25 pounds and still have 10 more to go!

Photo by Rachael McCarn

My boyfriend saw me for the first time on Sunday since I have lost an incredible amount of weight. He kept saying “You are so skinny! Where did you go?” It made me feel rather good about myself. As we were hanging out in Old Town Alexandria, we decided to go into this cute little boutique. There I tried on two dresses. A beautiful SMALL blue dress, and the size 2 green dress pictured below. I felt fantastic, and even had room to breath!

Photo by Rachael McCarn

So for those of you who feel kind of lousy and are tired of not seeing any results, it will come! Do not give up hope. If you are truly eating right and exercising you will get the same results. Maybe better results! Just hang in there and stay strong. You are going to look fantastic. Keep it in your head that it takes about 4 weeks for you to notice a difference, 6 weeks for family and friends to notice, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world. Sitting doesn’t get you anywhere guys. Go get that body you have always wanted!

Ab update.

How is everyone doing with the March abs challenge? I am catching up on it today. Triple the work! Yikes! Try not to get behind…trust me..it is not fun. 

How are you feeling? Can you tell a difference yet? Let me know!

Missing Person!

This is my friend Melissa! I told y’all last week that she agreed to be a guest blogger for me while I was out of town. Check out her products and blog please. She has lost over 60 pounds! That is why this blog is titled “Missing Person”. So do not freak out, she is safe and sound! Thanks for doing this Mel! I look forward to watching your blog grow. You look beautiful, and I am very proud of you.

Melissa in pants she hasn’t worn since being 115 lbs.

Hey Guys!!

I am so glad to be guesting on Rachael’s blog!! I love that we both share this insane love of finding the best and easiest ways to stay in shape and healthy! And believe me I have been around the block trying everything because I was so desperate to lose weight.  You see, having been a ballerina for 8 years, and starting at a young age, there is an image that we implant in our heads, so I always felt that I was too heavy to feel confident, and you know what happened? I was so often speaking heaviness into myself and eating out of anxiety of losing weight, I actually gained 60 pounds guys. I went from being very sick and an unhealthy weight of 100 pounds, to 160 pounds.

So yes, that is the tragic story of my life; however I have found victory in that area! And I couldn’t be more excited for where I am heading and what my body has in store! In November of 2011, my boyfriend introduced me to a plant based company called Nutrilite, and they are the number one vitamin and dietary supplement company online! And that’s because you can only purchase it online, so it’s pretty high class. (haha) Can you imagine what they would be if it was sold in stores? All of Nutrilite’s supplements are made from organic plant concentrates, and this particular supplement changed my life in a healthy, natural way. I began to take Slimmetry. Basically I am not going to act all scientifically and try to talk smart, but when you take it a half hour before you eat, it naturally boosts your metabolism using Green Tea Extract, and then when you do begin to eat, that your metabolism is already rocking itself out, and then the supplement uses Yerba Mate to help you get that feeling of being satisfied. I know for me, the biggest thing was never feeling full! I literally would eat a whole dinner and ten minutes later want some more food, my stomach was a bottomless pit. The first day I took Slimmetry I was eating at Chipotle with my sister. We did our annual Veggie Burrito bowls (might I just point out that they give you more food in the burrito bowl then in the burrito though they cost the same thing? Bad idea guys! If you really want to get more for your buck, split the bowl in half at the very start, and don’t cross the line, save the rest for the next day. The sodium intake is insane) I had taken my Slimmetry on the way there, and by the time we got our food I could eat it. Instantly, I noticed that my stomach was warning me that it was starting to feel full and that I should start packing the bowl up and saving it for later. I was in disbelief. I had always been able to finish my bowl; I was also 60 pounds overweight.  The best thing about Slimmetry is that it is a long lasting weight loss supplement. I was so frustrated with the commercials about weight loss that I would see, because have you noticed they don’t keep the same spokespeople? Or a year later the supplement was found to be fatal…yikes! Not interested! But I have had a break through and I cannot express how much better it feels to fit into skinny jeans that I haven’t fit into since I was 115 pounds!

Before and after picture of Melissa. (L) 60 lbs. heavier. (R) recent.

So guys I have one last thing I want to let you all know about, and I am just so excited to have access to this program. Nutrilite is launching their newest weight loss program (that Slimmetry is heavily involved with) called BodyKey. They have made this to be an intense program that will fit any lifestyle, and starting March 20^th they are doing a 90-day challenge, where I will be leading teams of 5 and we can win weekly prizes if we accomplish the most weight loss. I am only trying to lose roughly 5 pounds, but I am definitely in for the recipe and work out suggestions, but the best thing about this new program is whether you want to lose 5 pounds, or 100, they set it up just for you. I am open for any questions, or if anyone would like to try it, contact me at my blog “nutritionedbeautymuse” Again thanks Rach!! Love your blog and I am so happy I could be a part of it!

Stretching as Promised

I know I said I would post this yesterday, but I had a final project to do for school. Sorry!

There are also some great yoga videos for stretching too. If you click here it will take you to a 12 minute yoga stretch “class”. Denise Austin is fantastic. I have done the workout videos she has on youtube, and they are incredible!

Here are some stretches I do after working out. I do a few of the same stretches after warming my muscles up so they do not get tight during the workout. After running I do some calf stretches.The first I put my hands on the wall, bring my right leg forward (bent), and put my left leg back.Lean forward until you feel a good stretch in your left leg. Count for 20 seconds and switch legs.

Then I sit on the floor and do a butterfly stretch. For this stretch you bring the insides of your feet together so your knees are bent. Then lean over till you feel a stretch in your hip or inner thigh, but don’t stretch so far it hurts. Count to 20 again and release.

To keep with the hip flexor stretches, kneel on your right knee and bring your left leg forward at a 90 degree angle. Lean forward till you feel a stretch. Count for 20 and switch. The stretch should look like this

Photo by Osteoarthritis Blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdandersonfocused/5413310460/

I also do the standard standing up with both legs together and bending over to touch my toes stretch. Do this for 20 seconds as well. You could also do a lunge stretch where you stand up put one leg out farther and lean over till your nose is touching your knee. If you are not able to stretch that far, don’t worry about it! You don’t have to be a super flexible person. Just make sure you are getting a good stretch so your muscles do not tighten up.

A few warnings about stretching too. If you see a stretch that you have never done before, please research that move before you try it. There are some stretches that can damage your muscles and joints. Also, do not hold one stretch for more than 30 seconds. Over stretching is just as bad as not stretching. This is where tears can come in.

Try taking a yoga class. Men, it is helpful for you too and you will only gain more man points if you go! Here are some yoga stretches for women, and some yoga stretches for men. Below is a picture of some others stretches that are good for you too. Honestly, I have done some neck stretches when I have had a headache and it helps relieve the pain to the point where I do no need to take anything. You could do this for just about anything too. Back pain, neck pain, hip pain, but if you have a medical issue please talk to your doctor before doing any of these stretches.

Photo by ROWfit
http://rowfit.ie/?p=370

Next week I will be on vacation, but a good friend of mine, Melissa, has said she will be a guest blogger. She is going talk about some great, healthy weight loss diets that have been successful for her. Have a great week, and talk to you next week!

 

March Madness

Six-Pack Abs

March Madness is upon us.

That means basketball!  But it also means this crazy ab workout is about to start. Remember my post about the February Squat Challenge? I put it up a few days late, sorry, so I am putting this post up the day before the challenge starts. Can you believe that tomorrow is March 1st?

For this workout, each day is broken down for an easy workout that builds up over the month. All it consists of is sit-ups, push-ups, and planks that increase in time and reps each day. Every Sunday is a rest day so you won’t be dying for the entire month! I did the February Squat Challenge and I have great results so I am so excited for this challenge. If you are up for it let me know and we can encourage each other through out the month.

Let’s get those abs!