On a Quest For the Perfect Bar

I've heard a lot about Quest Bars for quite awhile from people in my low carb groups and finally decided it was time to try them :)  So far I've had the lemon and I'm on the fence about these…I wasn't crazy about that particular flavor but I've heard good things about the cookies and cream so I'm keeping my hopes up!  So much so that I picked up the Smores and Strawberry Shortcake flavors as well ;) If you've tried these weigh in and let me know your opinion, I'd love to hear from you!

A Work In Progress

Every time I see pictures of myself from before I started my weight loss journey I am amazed at how sick I actually was. The picture on the left is me at 275lbs at the beginning of my journey, I had blood sugar readings in the 350-400 range, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a bad thyroid...I was incredibly sick! The photo on the right is me just 4 months later at 233 pounds. I'm off all medication, my diabetes is under control, I feel amazing and am living life! I'm so grateful for those around me that motivate and inspire me!! 

Leslie Sansone

I just didn't feel like going out today to walk so I tried this DVD for the first time and I must say, it really worked some areas on my body that I didn't even know existed! It was different from normal outdoor walking for sure, I actually felt like I got a better workout than being outside!  And because you are walking in place to the beat of the music and the music gradually gets faster and faster, before you know it you've walked a mile or two!  This one is a keeper, I really love it!  ‪

Be In Love With Your Life

Yesterday when we were out on our walk I had my daughter take a few photographs of me from behind because that is the one view that I don't really get to see during my weight-loss transformation. I usually don't that big of a difference when I look at myself in the mirror and can only REALLY see a difference when I put up a before and after photo of myself … when I saw this picture it really took my breath away! I can see a huge difference! I know I'm not there yet and have a ways to go but just seeing this really boosted my motivation and made me so happy because NOW I can see a difference! 

Happy Mommy Day!

Yes, I now eat completely healthy :) But my amazing church (James River Church) honored all of us mom's by surprising us with a sweet gift of truffles so I just had to indulge a little!  This is one of the many reasons I love my church so much, they really take the time to show how much they love and appreciate everyone by doing things like this :)  All of the volunteers who came together to make each individual gift (and there were THOUSANDS of these as we are a BIG church!)  I feel so blessed to have such an amazing church home!  Happy Mother's Day to all of the mom's out there, I hope your day is amazing!

Holy Guacamole!

(image courtesy of http://nourish-and-flourish.net/)

I am in LOVE with Chipotles and am REALLY in love with their guacamole!  So I'm sure you can imagine that when I found the recipe for it on their website my mind was blown!!  Because you NEVER can have enough guacamole, it's such a great source of healthy fat.  Want the amazing recipe?  Here you go:

THIS IS ALL YOU’LL NEED:

• 2 ripe Hass avocados (In the restaurant, we use 48 per batch, multiple times per day)
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
• 1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
• 1/2 jalapeño, including seeds (finely chopped)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

HOW TO DO IT:

1. Choose the right avocado. It should feel squishy yet firm (like the palm of your hand), and be a 
nice dark green color on the inside.
2. Cut the avocado in half and the remove the pit (carefully!)
3. Scoop the avocados and place in a medium bowl.
4. Toss and coat with lime juice.
5. Add the salt and using a fork or potato masher, mash until a smooth consistency is achieved.
6. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
7. Taste the guacamole (over and over) and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Chance vs. Change

Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change! If you're not living a healthy lifestyle (spending time in prayer, eating healthy, getting plenty of exercise, also getting plenty of rest, being as stress free as possible) then make some changes to LOVE and HONOR yourself!! Take time out for yourself, treat yourself to some quiet time alone in a room curled up with a good book or out for the day with good friends enjoying a nice healthy lunch or a long walk.  Your body, heart and mind will thank you!!

(By the way, my third 5K is in the books and this one was a virtual Run for God which means I was able to choose my own course and do it at the time of day I wanted to so I chose to do it outside in the drizzle!)