one hell of a year.

The end of the year blog posts. I hate them. I hate sentimentally looking through my year, gushing over the moments with readers who probably don't give a damn and making my life sound so much cooler than it probably is in reality. But, after doing my Flipagram video of pictures (seriously, download the free app - it's kind of cool), it made me stop and take a moment to think about at just how awesome this year was. So, in true cliche blogger form, I have to highlight some of the biggest moments that took place this year.

Some of our closest friends got married. My best friend since childhood tied the knot with her best friend, and Rob and I's friends said "I do" just a few months before that. In addition to our own big day, we got to share in their moments as well - and it's been so fantastic to see these couples embrace marriage and grow together. I don't think I've ever caught the "marriage fever" that makes some girls giddy with glee over weddings. I think I'm just finally at a point in my life where I'm genuinely happy to share in other people's happiness.

I ran oh-so-many races. Tis the season to become a better runner, and I'm definitely no exception this year. I fell in love with running a few years ago, but I've never made more progress, both in speed and distance, like I did this past year. I trimmed a solid 5-7 minutes off my 5k pace, ran my first 10k and finished my second half marathon in 2:32:56, almost a full half hour off my time in 2011. I cut almost 10 minutes off my Turkey Trot 5 mile run and ran more races this year than ever before. I discovered the Galloway method of incorporating frequent walk breaks into run intervals, which taught me that walking doesn't make you a weaker runner - it can make you faster. And honestly, I don't say this very often - if ever, but I know I inspired people to become runners. And that makes my heart full. 

I made new friends, and renewed old friendships. Forming the Healthy Habits Dayton group has allowed me to reconnect with old friends and make brand new ones. As an adult, it's not always easy making new friends - let alone ones who continuously push you to be your best. I'm so incredibly thankful for these ladies, and for the constant inspiration and support they provide. 

I had so much fun at the lake. A new ski boat brought a summer full of new adventures with my family. We spent weekends wakeboarding and wakesurfing (let's face it - I watched), stayed on the water until the sun went down and woke up early to do it all again. We ate fresh brownies from the local general store, drank entirely too much Bud Light Lime and laughed until we cried as we rocked our seriously awesome dance moves a the local tiki bar. It was the kind of lake summer that makes you immediately start the countdown until it can happen again. 

I O-H-I-O'd on the field at the Horseshoe and in Michigan's stadium. If you're a Buckeye, this needs no other explanation. 

I got involved. It's been a longtime goal of mine to get involved with a local animal rescue organization, and I was given the opportunity this past fall when I accepted a part time position as an offsite event coordinator with the Humane Society of Greater Dayton. I'm still so new to this experience, but I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity. We have our two big mutts at home, and though I know we can't take on anymore animals in our home, I finally feel like I'm doing something I'm passionate about. It's long overdue, but proof that it's never too late to get involved and make a difference. 

I got [more] fit. I am not at my goal weight yet. I still have progress to make, and I still have weight to lose. I've gained a cushiony 6 pounds since I got back from the wedding and am ready to devote myself back to fitness and health now that the holidays are over. I learned a lot about eating clean, about moderation in food and exercise, and about balancing life and the pursuit of weight loss. I've also learned that there is no beginning and end to this journey - and it requires a constant evaluation of how I approach my new healthier lifestyle. Most importantly, I'm learning (yes, still learning) to approach health based on how it makes my body feel, not how it looks on a scale. Also - the Air Force Marathon regram/d me. And that makes me feel fancy. 

I got married. Oh come on, like you didn't think I'd save the best for last? But really - I did get married. A year's worth of planning, coordinating with vendors through emails, not seeing anything in person except for a brief trip in April - it all paid off. We got married in Hilton Head Island, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't wish I could go back and relive that entire day over and over again. I get so overwhelmed just thinking about it that I can't even find the words to describe it (and seriously, if I can't find the words, we know it must be intense). I want to live that moment over and over again, on repeat. I want to live there, to do my morning run through the sand where we said "I do," and have breakfast on the patio like I did with the girls on wedding day. Over and over again. And again.

Photo credit goes to the lovely Jen at Carolina Photosmith

This doesn't even begin to cover it. I took a day trip to Hocking Hills with Rob and the dogs, went to Chicago, took a wedding-planning trip to Hilton Head in April, watched my brother graduate college, laughed until I cried with my family, went to baseball games, drank margaritas, celebrated friends' promotions and life changes, and laid in the grass with my dogs on warm sunny days. 

I've spent so many years coming up with lists of things I want to do. I have lists in my head of bucket list items that still sit untouched, and I feel the time desperately slipping away from me every single day. That being said, 2013 was proof of just how much we're capable of. I did so much in just 12 months, and it makes me so hopeful of what the future holds. 

We are so capable of achieving anything we want out of this life. Don't forget it. 

resolutions worth keeping.

As we approach the new year, most of you are probably mentally scrolling through all the things you'd like to accomplish next year. You'll most likely want to lose that extra weight, train for a half marathon, volunteer more, get engaged, be more organized and finally grow that garden in your backyard so you can make homemade salsa. Don't get me wrong - those are all lofty goals. I'm personally a big fan of resolutions, whether they're made in January or in the middle of the year. Anytime you decide to better yourself or the lives of people around you, you ought to be applauded. What I also think, though, is that there are so many simpler, more feasible things you can do every single day to make the world a better place. Here are some of my recommended resolutions worth keeping in 2014:

Be polite. This should be a no-brainer, but sometimes we are so self-involved that we fail to realize how unintentionally rude some of our actions are. Here are some simple things you can do to exercise this civil obligation:

• When someone opens or holds a door for you, thank them.
• When crossing a parking lot and a car stops for you to pass, show a little respect by giving them a "thank you" wave and, if physically possible, hustle your ass across the street. This goes for drivers too - if it's raining, snowing or otherwise inclement weather, stop to let pedestrians cross. Seriously.
• Be nice to customer service representatives. Usually, they're just the messenger, and if they are able to do you any favors, they sure as hell won't exercise that power if you're being a jerk.
• If you're in customer service, be nice to your customers. Part of your job is to make a consumer's experience as pleasant as possible - unless of course they're rude to you. But even then, kill 'em with kindness. 

Be more self sufficient. How much do you rely on something or someone else? Whether you're living on someone else's dime, checking your phone every 5 minutes or constantly filling your free time with trashy reality television, we could all learn to be slightly more reliant upon ourselves and less so on other people and mindless forms of entertainment. Read a book. Have a conversation. Take care of the people who take care of you. Eat those leftovers before they go bad instead of going to Chipotle instead. 

Pay it forward all year. Around the holidays, you always hear about people paying it forward. Newsfeeds are full of people who had their coffee paid for by the car in front of them, by strangers paying off gifts on layaway. Who says we can only do that in December? Surprise someone by paying it forward on a random June day, or by donating to your favorite charity organization with a fraction of your tax return instead of during the holidays. Imagine if we kept up the notion that there is still hope for humanity for 12 months a year instead of just 1 - maybe at Thanksgiving, when people are inundating your Facebook newsfeed with their "daily thankful" post, we'd have more to talk about. 

Be conscious. How many times have you arrived at work in the morning only to realize you don't have the faintest recollection of the drive there? My morning commute is so habitual, I could do it with my eyes closed. How much of our lives are we living that way? Make an attempt at being more actively engaged in your life - it is yours, after all. Instead of zoning out, turn the music up. Instead of letting your brain flatline on your way to work, think proactively about your day. Glance at the person in the car next to you and imagine what their life is like - use your imagination, think creatively, and learn to realize when you're going unconscious. 

Speak less, listen more. Make a decision right now that you will not mouth off unless you know what the hell you're talking about. So much of this country's problem is how quickly we are to speak before we listen. The freedom of speech is a beautiful thing, and technology has allowed us to really utilize this in a way that, often times, is really pretty awesome. That being said, it's also allowed us to communicate too easily before critically engaging ourselves with the topic at hand. Learn to back up your argument. Educate yourself. Stop repeating things you hear about politics, healthcare, the government, voter rights, welfare, immigration, the war, diet and nutrition, exercise, animal rights and every single celebrity who had a baby and wants you to know about it, just because you heard it from so-and-so and therefore it must be right. Imagine if we all had the tools to speak and communicate whenever we wanted, but we thought first instead of lashing out. Imagine if we actively realized that what we said on Facebook or in a text or in the comments of a news blog would actually be on a screen for someone else to see across the world. Imagine if we realized how permanent the things we say are now, how quickly spread our ideas could be - and made sure to speak accordingly. 

Go private. Social media has allowed some of our most precious moments to be publicly seen and heard across the world. Our Christmas gifts, newborn babies, new puppies, engagements, weddings and what we had for dinner are all just part of a normal day on Facebook. (Side note: I did not know how popular it was to propose to people on Christmas until yesterday's Facebook newsfeed viewing). But before Facebook, there was a time when those moments were shared with the select few people you cared about the most. The surprise dinner your husband prepared for you was made specifically for you to see, not the people from high school you don't even keep in touch with anymore who are scrolling through your photos. The engagement ring your fiance picked out was something he spent months saving for, weeks picking out and days planning the most perfect engagement. He confided in his closest friends and your families, and you just showed everyone like he picked it up at the supermarket (don't get me wrong - I totally did it too - but putting it in perspective makes you think). The pictures you post of your kids will still be on the internet in 10 years when they're old enough to Google themselves. Those are special moments. Those are YOUR moments. By all means, share things you want the world to see and know - but think critically before you take some of your most precious memories and moments and allow them to become someone else's. 

Push yourself. Think critically about the things in your comfort zone and the things outside of it. Make a resolution to force yourself outside of that comfort zone and into something you know will turn you into a better person. As for me? That's running. Half marathons take discipline and training that I don't normally have the mental or physical energy for - but making a commitment to do it makes me physically and emotionally better in the long run. Whatever you think you can't do but secretly want to - decide to do it in 2014. 

Engage. Take everything I've said up until this point, combine it all and become more engaged in your own life. Have more face-to-face conversations. Ask your grandparents questions before it's too late. Run a race. Spend too much money on the best meal of your life. Rescue an animal. Have a baby (on purpose). Chat up a stranger in a waiting room instead of mindlessly checking Facebook again. Read. Learn. Go for a walk instead of watching another SVU rerun (that one will be hard for me). Give someone a chance. Don't be so quick to judge. Soak up a beautiful sunrise on your morning commute instead of getting pissed that you got stuck behind the school bus (God, I hate that). Ask your friends questions instead of just talking about yourself. Take a minute in your most monumental moments to reflect on how you feel. 

Also, have better grammar. And don't post your shit on Facebook unless you do it with the appropriate versions of your and you're. 

Being a better person in 2014 isn't always about losing weight, eating clean and volunteering all your free time. Don't get me wrong - those are all on my list, too. But sometimes the best things you can do are the ones that change your perspective. The ones that change how you see the world, and that change how someone else sees the world. Your actions, however large or small, have the opportunity to change someone else's reality and you get to decide how that happens. How will you make 2014 a better year for you, and how will you make it better for the people around you? If you have the time, watch this:

http://postgradproblems.com/frustrated-with-growing-up-shut-up-and-watch-this-video/

Note: This post was inspired by a woman walking out of Kroger this afternoon who didn't even bother to acknowledge that I had stopped to let her pass with her Starbucks. On the bright side, without her lack of awareness, this post wouldn't exist, and I wouldn't have inspired anyone to be better in 2014. (God, please tell me I inspired at least one of you). 

It's going to be hard.

While browsing through my Facebook newsfeed today, I stumbled across a post from a person who will remain anonymous. She's a major leader in the health and wellness industry, and I actually really admire her. That being said, this person had posted a new program put on by a weight loss/fitness organization that, in all its big, bold pretty lettering, promised to make "losing weight as easy as 1, 2, 3."

I get it. Companies have to appeal to people. They have to come up with attention-grabbing, fun phrases that will attract new consumers for their product. But let's stop for a minute and think about what they're doing here. As easy as 1, 2, 3? I'm sorry, but eating a donut is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Losing weight is not. Losing weight is fucking hard. It's exhausting, time consuming and emotional. And when we believe that it's supposed to be as easy as counting to three, we're setting ourselves up for failure. Try counting to 1,000,000 in Japanese. Then we'll be a little closer.

I don't mean to deter people from making healthy changes. I just want people to have a realistic expectation of the road ahead. I want people to be inspired, motivated and encouraged by companies and organizations, not mislead by them. After a month, I don't want people to feel defeated because they haven't had the results they expected in the first place. I want people to start associating happiness with healthiness, not with weight loss. I want people to be aware. 

Instead of making weight loss look easy, let's make it look real. Let's show people's struggles, celebrate not only the successes, but the act of getting up just one more time after another perceived "failure." Let's celebrate the choice to make permanent lifestyle changes in our lives. Let's share the stories of failed attempts, good intentions gone wrong and the giant bowl of potato soup I immediately regretted after eating last night.

I don't want to believe that it's easy, and I don't want you to either. I want you to believe that incorporating healthy choices, both in food and exercise, will make you infinitely happier knowing you're treating your body well. I want you to know that making healthy eating choices, even if they don't show on the scale, is still worth celebrating.

I want you to know it's not as easy as 1, 2, 3 - and don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise.

I want you to know that you will gain some weight in the process of losing it, you will hit a goal "size" and realize it doesn't make you happy like you thought it would. You won't lose weight in all the places you want, and you'll have "trouble areas" for the rest of your life. You may realize, at some point, that your goal weight isn't going to happen - that your body won't be happy there. You will struggle to get back on track, due to this crazy thing we called "life." Things will take you off course - weddings, vacations, babies, new friends, and just plain old laziness. An SVU marathon will ruin a well-planned day of activity and you will, at some point, feel like a total dumbass in a gym, exercise class or fitness experience. You will look at yourself in the mirror and cry, laugh, celebrate and fantasize - sometimes all at the same time. You will search for motivation in some of the strangest places, and you'll get it from some of the most unexpected people. People will judge what you eat, and you'll start judging others. Worst of all - you'll start comparing yourself to others. Don't fall into this mind trap. Your happiness is yours and yours alone.

But somewhere in all of that, here's what else will happen: You'll be amazed at what your body is capable of. One day, that "I feel stupid" gym experience will turn into the "I feel like a rockstar" hour. You'll form a relationship with yourself, your body and your mind. You'll walk into that store you could never shop in and try on a size you haven't worn since high school. Sugar will make you sick - yes, that's a good thing. Learn from it. You will feel stronger, both mentally and physically, than you ever thought possible. You will post before and after pictures on Instagram and be overwhelmed with pride. You will see differences in your muscle definition way before anyone else does. You'll find yourself mindlessly choosing an apple instead of potato chips. Best of all, you will find happiness from treating your body like the temple that it is. 

Don't let anyone tell you it's going to be easy. Look around. If it were easy, we'd all be skinny healthy. But guess what? It's not easy, and that's why so many people choose the easy route. You don't have to be one of them, though. You can be stronger, fitter, healthier and yes - thinner. The best thing you can do though, is admit that it's going to be awful and hard and horrible and miserable sometimes. And, knowing all this, do it anyway.  

losing my habits.

Oh my, friends. I just looked at the date of my last post, and I sincerely apologize for the hiatus I've taken from blogging and, inevitably, for my healthy choices. The truth is, I've been avoiding blogging primarily because I've been avoiding confronting my lack of accountability lately. I refuse to blame being a newlywed as the source of my laziness. Rob and I already lived together prior to getting married so in the grand scheme of things, our lives are hardly any different than before. The months - hell, the year - leading up to the wedding were so stressful and full of meticulous planning. Every minute of every day was planned around work, workout schedules, half marathon training, wedding planning and preparation, on top of all the regular routines of life. Most of us struggle keeping up with the hectic reality of our everyday lives, and it's safe to say I took too much on at one time. Who, me? Never. 

So yes, part of my laziness lately has inevitably been due to the newlywed phase. But primarily, I've been relishing in our lives being back to normal. Normal. I hardly know what that word even means, but as I sit here cozied up with a blanket and a movie, I'm oh-so-consciously aware that I don't have any other obligations sitting on my shoulders. It's both daunting and refreshing, all at the same time.

I've always been driven by goals. Deadlines, due dates, planning and preparation. After college, you're left with so much empty time. No homework, no clubs, meetings and tests to study for. You're no longer obligated to get involved in anything you don't feel like getting involved in, but that means it takes even more gumption and initiative to give more of your time since there's really no motivation to do it anymore except your sheer desire to. That means that evenings are wide open for things like happy hours, ice cream dates, and spending hours on the couch with a good book or movie, a bowl of popcorn and a cup of hot chocolate (did you know that snacks have calories? I know, it's total bullshit).

Making the decision to fill those empty hours with workouts and cooking homemade, healthy meals was a major change in lifestyle for me. I commend myself for building the habit, for sticking with things even before I was "sweating for the wedding" or when I didn't have any major races to train for. I still indulged in life, and always will, but I somehow managed to blend weight loss seamlessly into my life until I was making choices just because it was part of my life, not because I was forcing myself to.

Have you ever stopped a habit? Have you ever built up your running mileage and then taken 2-3 weeks off? Ever swore you'd stop smoking, made it three weeks and then smoked half a cigarette from a friend at a bar? Then you know it's a downward spiral after that. Trying to hit the pavement after a 3 week running hiatus almost feels like starting over. The slightest bit of nicotine in your system can trigger an addictive quality all over again. The bottom line? You broke the habit. Well guess what? I broke the habit.

I came back from wedding wonderland 7 pounds heavier than before I left, and I'm only down about 2 of those. I'll have a day with great choices, get a workout in and spend the next two days eating all the food. I'm without a gym membership right now, and running as my only source of cardio isn't cutting it for me now that I'm not training for a race. This cold weather has me only wanting carbohydrate filled comfort meals, and the dark, cold mornings mean that morning workouts are a thing of the past. Calling this a funk, a rut or an "off week" would be a major understatement.

Yesterday, the Air Force Marathon page on Facebook shared a before and after photo I posted on Instagram shortly following my half marathon last month.

I do before and after shots all the time, mostly as a reminder to myself of how far I've come. But in this one, I had mentioned @afmarathon and they shared it on their Facebook page. It now has over 700 likes and several comments on Facebook, and I am so overwhelmed with the amount of support that's out there for not just me, but for anyone willing to make healthy changes in their lives and talk about it openly. That being said, seeing that yesterday made me feel like I'm hiding a giant secret. Because the truth is that I'm hardly on my A-game right now. I can't stop eating, can't stop making poor choices and cannot for the life of me get my healthy habits back. Those pictures show the success of dedication, motivation and determination - and right now, I am none of those things.

I will be again. And I'm hoping that by writing it openly here, I'll start a series of accountability methods because I really just hate crying wolf. Back when I kept a blog on Weight Watchers, there were a couple years where every few months had a new post about rededicating myself to the plan. I will not rededicate every few months. I will not. I will rededicate NOW, and build back up the healthy habits I know I'm capable of. 

So help me God. 

Here's to just doing it. 

from a smith in the south.

Greetings, friends! I'm writing to you as a married woman in beautiful Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Yeah, I'm not real mad about it.

I could write to you all for days about the dirty details of my wedding, but I'll save that for later. Here are some of my favorite things about our big day - and some photos to show you just how fabulous the weather was, how wonderful my mother's hard work and decorations turned out, and how beautiful the entire day was.

I cried like a baby. I held my shit together ALL day. Like, lockdown. Everyone kept asking me how I felt, and I was completely honest - I felt nothing. I did a great job at taking mental pictures of everything, and I'm still actively reviewing them all. But I didn't feel a single thing until I was walking down the aisle with my dad, and saw Rob standing up there. I think almost everyone there - including some of the most cold hearted of my friends - teared up. Tears are a good thing. I'm so happy I had them. They're proof that I was engaged.

I tried to cut our cake with the serving utensil instead of the knife. And to think I'm the good cook between the two of us.

Rob had a rip in his pants before the reception even started.

My dad did the sprinkler, the shopping cart, made everyone in the audience cry and did a kickass air guitar to Journey.

My grandpa did the Gangnam Style dance.

The night of our wedding, my new husband's main priority was jumping into a pool full of straight men in his boxers.

We're still eating leftover wedding cupcakes. Mojito was totally the way to go.

In closing, here's what you're really here for - some photos :)

Our amazing photographer participating in our hashtag fun - this was so much fun to do with her, and I couldn't have imagined a more perfect person to shoot our wedding. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook - you won't be sorry!

Our reception - at the Dunes House in Palmetto Dunes. They did such a fabulous job setting up and hosting the most perfect evening we could have ever imagined. 

My mother, unbeknownst to me, took paw prints of both our dogs with washable ink, and had the prints framed and put at our table for the reception so the dogs could be with us for the wedding. I had totally locked up the tears during pictures with our photographer, and then lost it once I saw the prints. 

Centerpieces. My dad cut up old skids into wooden planks, topped with white lanterns filled with starfish. Mason jars filled with sand and tea lights sat alongside these, and my mom tied monkeys knots with rope to hold our place cards. Tables were named with iconic places in Hilton Head important to Rob and I, rather than typical table numbers. 

The #smithberryhhi hashtag was the best thing we've ever done. It was so fun to look through Instagram photos after the big day was over, and seeing everyone's take on the entire weekend was hilarious. 

The most beautiful scene this world has ever seen. Fifty of our favorite people in the same place, under the same beautiful sky, for the same reason.  

Welcome gifts for our wedding party and officiant - girls got Kate Spade bow bangles, guys got new Leatherman knives. Everyone got monogrammed towels with their initials and a fabulously designed welcome packet with sand dollar ornament.

If you're considering a destination wedding, I'd highly consider it. We couldn't be happier, and for as frustrating as it can be planning a wedding from afar, we were so thrilled with all our vendors, I can't even tell you how thankful we are. Each and every person, from the legal officiant we had sign our license, to our cake, amazing photographer and perfect DJ/musician, we were beyond thrilled. Here are the vendors we used - and who we'd recommend to you over and over and over again.

Wedding Venue: The Dunes House, Palmetto Dunes, Hilton Head Island, SC
Photograhper: Carolina Photosmith
Music: Johnny Breeze Event Entertainment 
Cake: Sweet Carolina Cupcakes 
Flowers: Flowers By Sue
Print Design: Beach Street Creative
Decorations: My Mother. As original as they come.

the one with the half marathon.

Happy Monday, friends! And yes - it is actually a happy Monday, because it's my wedding week!!!

This will be my very last post as a single lady, and I'm chalking it full of good vibes and motivation to get you through the week ahead. Let's talk about how I rocked the shit out of the Air Force half marathon this past weekend, shall we?

Yep, that's right. Despite having run one half marathon before, in January 2011, I felt like this was my first one. I'm in a totally different frame of mind now, and my lifestyle has changed so drastically that it's hard to compare this one to my first half. I was fortunate enough to run with my friend Kim over at Fabulous Fit Foodie, who provided such a good balance for me along the way. My official chip time was 2:32:56 - almost a full 30 minutes off my final time from my 2011 half. Winning? Yes, that's what winning looks like to me.

As for the race itself, here's a brief rundown of what goes through my head during each mile.

Mile 1: Alright, I'm off. I feel good and dear God I hope this damn rain stops. I didn't buy a $60 lululemon shirt just to slip and fall on my ass. Is my volume up enough? Are my running pants adjusted properly? WHY ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE IN MY WAY.

Mile 2: Okay, this is the groove/pace I'm used to. This I can do. Thank God for Kim, or else I'd already be bored. Who the hell put a massive hill during the second mile of a half marathon? This person should be shot, immediately. 

Mile 3: Pace yourself. Don't jump the gun - don't start off too quickly. You've got a lot of miles ahead of you. Don't burn out too quickly.

Mile 4: I'm a full 5k into this race - awesome! One fourth of the way done, almost. Time to pop some sports beans and convince myself they work (they actually do, but I always wonder). I can totally do a 5k 3 more times. I GOT THIS.

Mile 5: My legs hurt. So does my stomach. Why did I insist on eating a banana this morning? I know I run better on an empty stomach, contrary to what's recommended. Ugh. Time to pop some Gu. Kim recommended peanut butter - it's not bad. But this is not peanut butter. Real peanut butter comes with sweatpants and crackers. I've been deceived. 

Mile 6: I feel good. This Gu really works. Except now I have peanut butter mouth. And my hips and legs are killing me. I vaguely remember the early parts of my running career, where it was stamina that caused me to burn out - not physical ability. Now, my lungs can run for days. It's my body that hates me. But we're just about halfway through! 

Mile 7: Okay, it's all downhill from here. Metaphorically. I know there's a hill coming up. But I'm more than halfway through, and Kim and I are rocking a totally kickass pace. Maybe we should slow down a bit. 

Mile 8: THERE'S the hill everyone was talking about. It's an ON RAMP to a damn highway bridge. Cruel. Let's slow our pace so we don't puke on this road in front of all these people. 1 minute walking, 1 minute running instead of our usual 1:3 ratio. We will survive! God, my hips hurt.

Mile 9: Thank GOD that's over. It has to be all flat and downhill from here. And thank God for all these people in the cheering section. I would have passed out forever ago if it weren't for you guys. I love that my name is on my bib - these strangers are yelling "Go Lauren" and I am in love with it. 

Mile 10: Why, God, why. It hurts so bad. We should have just gone to breakfast instead of run this stupid thing. But there's only a 5k left, right? I mean, I can do that. But HOW in God's name are there all these deceiving small hills? They're horrible little monsters. Kim, we got this. I am so thankful for the people along the race course running with us who said things like "You got this!" and "Those full marathon runners make this look so damn easy." 

Mile 11: I can do two more miles. Just two more. I run two miles in my sleep. It's just two. My hips seem to think two miles feels more like 16 at this point. 

Mile 12: What is this awful pain in my heels? Is this the tendinitis Kelly was talking about? Oh my God, am I getting tendinitis in the middle of my race? Kim, I'm pushing to the finish - I'll see you there. Keep going, just keep going. You can stretch when you're done. Holy hell it hurts. Maybe you can stretch now. Just for a hot second. STRETCH. STRETCH FASTER.

Mile 13: THERE'S THE FINISH. Oh geez, it's so close. SO CLOSE. Just keep going. GO. GO. GO. WHERE IS MY FAMILY? They said they'd be here, I don't see them - I don't want to cross the finish line if they can't see me do it! Ahhh - there they are! Ok, RUN LIKE HELL. 

And then it's over. It's the shortest, longest, worst, best experience of your life, all at the same time. It's emotional, physically demanding and brutal. The moments after the race leave you breathless, yelling out to anyone who can hear you that you'll never, for the love of God, do this again. Who the hell does this for fun? you yell. And then you realize, after the pain subsides, you regain logical conscious thought and you've had at least a day to reflect on the madness, that you're the one who does it for fun. And as much as your body hates it, you'll probably do it again - sooner than later.

Here's a couple good shots from race day - I am ever so grateful for the fabulous ladies I run with, and for the constant support of my family and soon-to-be-husband. You're all stars in my book! And watch me cross the finish line at the very end - yay for good friends and family capturing this one!

just keep swimming.

I am starting to loathe the part of me who scoffed at brides during their final weeks of wedding preparation. They clearly can't handle the pressure, I said. They should have prioritized better early on, I said. I should have known that karma bug would come back to bite me in the ass. With exactly two weeks until the big nuptials, it's safe to say that if I get dressed in the appropriate attire on any given day, I'm calling it a success.

On top of that, let's throw in running a half marathon next weekend, starting my very first week of Tina Reale's Best Body Bootcamp and spending some time with the Humane Society of Greater Dayton at one of their local adoptathons this weekend, and I'm pretty sure you can call me a tired panda. But here's the best thing about this kind of busy I've been lately - every single bit of it fills my heart completely. And that's the best kind of busy.

I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be for my half marathon. I can't run any more miles, do any more strength training or warp my diet any more to make much of a difference to next week's race. As always, this completely non-competitive girl will be thrilled to cross the finish line and plaster my smiling face, medal in hand, to every social media outlet I can think of.

But since I'm new to Best Body Bootcamp (BBB), I want to review my very first week and let you know how it's going. Some of you have asked me to keep you posted, as you're looking for some structured workouts with a flexible schedule, and I think I've found your ticket.

I had two personal goals to set this week - I've mentioned them in last week's post, but again, they were to drink a shake each morning and get at least 64 ounces of water in each day. My crazy weekend schedule prevented me from fully completing my morning shake goal, but I'm happy to say that I got my water intake in 6 days out of 7 this week. It's a conscious effort to drink that much water when you haven't done it in awhile, but it was a fabulous reminder of how much better I feel when I do it.

I barely managed to squeeze in this week's exercise requirements, but these days, I'm counting even a brisk dog walk as countable activity. Between running around like a chicken with its head cut off picking up things for the wedding, tying up last minute travel arrangements and freaking the hell out about the dog virus that has been plastered to the news this past week (thanks mainstream media, you've successfully given me a panic attack every day for the past week), I haven't been able to do as many of Tina's workouts as I would like. This week, I'm making a valid effort at dedicating even 20 minutes to a designated workout. I know I met last week's requirement, but I can tell I'm not pushing myself like I should be. Or maybe I should just lay off myself since I'm getting married in two weeks, running a half marathon in a week and getting ready to be out of the office for 10 days. There's a new thought.

Anyway - for those of you considering Tina's program, I'd highly recommend it. I really like the accountability of the Facebook group - the girls check-in daily for workout logs! If that's not motivating enough, I don't know what is. I'm also a big fan of the actual workouts. I watched all the videos, and the workouts I've done so far are awesome - challenging, but not to the point where you feel like a total idiot for having signed up. The best part about it is that it's totally up to you when and where you workout. For me, this took place in my living room with both dogs doing their own version of downward dog in a heartwarming attempt to support their mom. At least that's what I'm going with.

Happy Sunday, friends!

measuring success.

Happy Sunday! I regret to inform you that this post will not be a weekly meal planning one - the craziness of our schedule has made it nearly impossible for me to accurately track my grocery bills. With the wedding just three weeks from today, and my half marathon looming even sooner, I'm pretty sure the only A-game I've been on lately is not losing my damn mind. Surprisingly, I'm surviving in tact.

My "scaleless in September" attitude is working, believe it or not. In all honesty, I weighed myself once - this past Friday - and I was happily at the same place I was before I committed to the idea of not weighing myself so frequently. It's all I can ask for, considering all that's on my plate right now (literally and metaphorically).

What I want to talk about is measuring success. Usually, as with most tasks, you often look for a concrete way to measure how well you've gone. Teachers judge students' progress using grades, football games are scored on a points system, and people losing weight go straight to the scale to see how they've progressed. I get it. It's measurable, and you can't manipulate a number. But teachers, coaches and most people struggling to lose weight know that there are thousands of other ways to measure success than a number. My hiatus from the scale this month has forced me to reevaluate how I measure my success at the end of the day, and it's forced me to take a look at what I view as a win or loss.

I've been without a scale for just 8 days (and that hardly counts, because I still weighed in once), but without the stress of daily weighing, here are the ways I've measured my success:

• I ran 10 miles yesterday. TEN MILES, you guys. I have no idea how many calories I burned, because I'm not concerned with how that generates on the scale right now. What was I concerned with? Fueling my body, hydrating, maintaing a good pace and taking care of my body afterwards. In other words, what you should care about when you run 10 miles. Not how many pounds you'll lose as a result. The one thing I've learned about long distance running? Don't do it to lose weight.
• I hate my legs. I have a stocky build, so even though I've lost about 70 pounds, my legs are still thick. But I rocked shorts yesterday anyway - and when I looked in the mirror yesterday, for the very first time in my life, I thought to myself, those legs just took me 10 miles. I love those legs.
• Without a scale, I'm forced to evaluate every single food choice based on how it's going to make me feel - not how it's going to appear on the scale the next day. I learned this lesson the hard way after consuming half my weight in nachos and french fries Friday night, followed by Chipotle after my run yesterday. Realistically speaking, I probably burned most of those calories during my run (and what I didn't burn in that run, I know I will this week), but that's not the point. Those choices made me feel like shit. I mean, seriously guys. Awful. I've been trying to lose weight, but I'm still teaching myself lessons every single day. 

In the spirit of measuring success in various ways other than the scale, tomorrow kicks off my very first ever Best Body Bootcamp - an online program designed to provide 8 weeks of strength training and bootcamp exercises with the option for weekly prize drawings. Tina provides the workouts, but really advocates for making the program work for the individual. With that, she asks that each participant set two individual goals each week in addition to meeting the weekly requirement of being active 5 times per week to be eligible for prize drawings. 

I am in love with the idea of setting personal goals each week that make me strive towards being healthier in general - not towards losing more weight on the scale. The goals can be anything that will personally aid you in being a healthier you. This week, my two personal goals are:

1. Drink a ViSalus shake every morning for breakfast. I've given up my shakes lately, but need to get back on track as we near the wedding day. The shakes make me feel great, help refuel me after workouts and start me off on the right food each morning.
2. Drink 64 ounces of water every day. I have a big 32 ounce water bottle that I used to be really good about filling up twice a day at work. It curbed my need to snack at the office, made for better workouts and hydrated me before and after long runs. Time to get back on it!

I've been doing a lot of running these past few weeks, but not a lot of anything else. The calories I burn running have allowed me to eat fairly poorly and still break even on the scale, but my body feels weak. I've lost some serious core and upper body strength, and I'm really looking forward to incorporating BBB into my schedules, especially over the next 3 weeks, so I feel strong and confident at my wedding. I've learned the hard way that it's not enough just to do cardio - strength training gives me a sense of strength the same way that running does. 

Here's to kicking off a new workout program, a new week and the official 3-week countdown until my WEDDING!

scaleless in september.

Happy Labor Day, friends! I hope you're all enjoying the always-needed long weekend, and soaking up every last bit of all that summer has to offer. Around this time of year, I always feel so mentally ready for all that fall brings, but then I'm so quick to miss the summer months. I'm living out every minute of these warm days as best I can. This past weekend was no exception - we wrapped up our last official weekend at the lake with the family, and it was the most beautiful weekend we've had all summer. It's been so unusually wet there this summer, and our previous trips down have been filled with rain, clouds and not a lot of sun. Fortunately, we were blessed with some beautiful skies this weekend - I couldn't have asked for anything more.

I also get to keep summer going as long as I damn well please because September is my WEDDING MONTH! Yep. Really. It's crazy how fast time flies, but at the end of the month, Rob and I will be en route to beautiful Hilton Head Island with our closest friends and family for the big day. I. Cannot. Wait. It's safe to say I won't be transitioning into fall until I'm no longer a Mayberry. This is so bittersweet, but I'm excited for everything the future holds.

Because it is my wedding month, and because I don't want to miss a single moment of it, I'm going to do something crazy. I'm participating in a scaleless September. It sounds like a death sentence - not watching your weight the month of your wedding? Am I crazy? No, and here's why.

Ever since I started having weekly weigh-ins, my diet has been focused around that one day a week I step on the scale and record my official gain or loss. Therefore, my entire "week" is typically focused on what's going to generate the biggest loss on the scale that week. Nights before my weigh-in are typically really light dinners, and the couple days right after my weigh-in are filled with high-calorie "binge" meals knowing I'll have another 5-6 days to make up for it before I weigh-in again. It's all centered around that one day. Once I'm in the routine of living this way, I have to really take a step back and realize that I'm honestly missing the bigger picture.

I eat, I workout and I function based on the scale. For some people, that works out fabulously. For me, it's a downward cycle. Before you know it, I'm actually not eating that great. I make horrible choices on the weekend and then I'm detoxing the first few days of the week in order to have a loss by my weigh-in day, which has always been on Thursdays. My focus becomes losing weight, not eating healthy. The two are not mutually exclusive, and that's what we so easily forget.

So for this month, I'm giving it up. When I start making eating and exercise choices based on what makes my body feel good, what challenges and pushes me mentally, and what I know makes me a better person, I'm forced to evaluate each choice for what it is, not for how it'll appear on the scale the next day. Truthfully, it's the way that the journey towards being healthy should work, but I often lose sight of that. I want to enjoy every single moment of my wedding month without the scale dictating how I feel. If I don't hit a certain number on the scale, I don't want to feel less beautiful in my wedding dress. I don't want my walk down the aisle to be exciting because I met a weight-loss goal I'd set, I want it to be exciting because I'm marrying my best friend.

This doesn't mean I won't be staying on track and making the right choices this month. I have a half marathon in 3 weeks, another one a month after that, and this past weekend's indulgences have proven to me that my body desperately wants to get back on track with my eating. It just means that I'm going to be looking at my choices from the bigger picture - not for a weekly weigh-in.

Wondering if you think giving up the scale is for you? Take a look at the things I realized I was doing before I decided it was best to put that scale away for a while.

- I routinely discredited runs, workouts and weeks of tracking and making healthy choices if it wasn't reflected appropriately on the scale.

- I discovered I was typically down more after a good cardio session - therefore, I'd always run the Thursday morning of my weigh-in before I stepped on the scale, even if it didn't make sense for my training to do so.

- The 2-3 days after my weigh-in were filled with poor eating choices, followed by days of no carbing it and "recommitting" in order to break even or have a loss at weigh-in.

- I'd excuse incredibly poor choices throughout the week if they magically resulted in an unexplainable weigh-in I wasn't expecting. If I said "screw my diet" the night before weigh-in and ate pizza, I'd still celebrate the loss if my body gave me one.

It was really the first of these, and the last - the combination of the two - that made me realize my priorities weren't exactly on par. I'd discredit an entire week of awesome choices, meal planning, sticking to my workout schedule and accomplishing a great long run just because I didn't lose on the scale. But if I ate like total garbage, missed a few workout days and my body (because bodies do this, we know) gave me a loss that was undeserved, I'd celebrate it. I need to detach myself from the concept of constantly weighing myself. Realistically speaking, I need to break the addiction.

So here's to a scaleless September, making the right choices, fueling my body and pushing it to completing my second half marathon, and then walking down the aisle (or, down the beach) and marrying my best friend.

Happy September, friends!

meal planning, week 5 - and more dog food.

Happy Sunday! I apologize for being such a bad blogger this week. There's been a lot on the table on all fronts, and I'm pretty sure if I got the chance to sit down, it was mostly to sleep. And eat. I never forget to eat. Ever.

On the wedding front, we had a big decision to make - we decided to cancel our local wedding reception, intended to be held two weeks after the big day in Hilton Head. As to be expected, it wasn't an easy choice, but we've decided to focus our energies and efforts towards the actual wedding celebration with just close family and friends - after the initial "bummed-ness" I felt, I'm happy to say it feels good to know that this year old build-up until the big day will now culminate in what I imagined as my dream wedding for as long as I can remember. Knowing I'm not trying to plan essentially two weddings has reduced my stress level infinitely.

In addition, on the home front, this weekend has been Operation: Fix the Leak at our house. This whole thing should really be titled "as seen on HGTV," but we've managed to make it work. It's been a long weekend for everyone, the dogs included, and I can't tell you how fantastic it is to have such supportive friends and family willing to help us out. In a nutshell, this is what my weekend looked like:

So, if you can imagine everything being taken out of our bathroom, can you begin to imagine where it all is? Yes, scattered around our house. There's a vanity in our office, drawers all over our kitchen table and a bathroom sink in our living room. There are mud rags and shovels in the entryway, and countless paper towel rolls, water bottles and dirty t-shirts in our kitchen. As most homeowners can attest to, what is supposed to be a 1-day project has turned into a full weekend of repairs, and that's assuming Rob finishes up today. To say it's put a dent in my meal planning and organized structure I live by would be an understatement. But, never fear - I've done my best.

I lost .2 at this past week's weigh-in. Am I disappointed? Absolutely. I am at the very bottom of a "decade" (a set of 10's, for those of you who don't give a damn about weight loss - ie, moving from the 140s to 130s, which is not where I am, but wish I was), and I peeked at the scale the day before weigh-in and, you guys, I was in my new decade. I was in it!

And then, because my body hates me, I got out of it for my actual weigh-in. The body is a bitch that way sometimes. Despite that, I did get a 9 mile run in on Friday - a fantastic one too, I won't even lie. I maintained an 11:09 pace, had negative splits for the first 5 miles and finished strong. More importantly, I felt strong. It's the first time in a while I've felt that confident in my running, and I hope to God it doesn't go away. I took a rest day yesterday, then hit the gym this morning where I did a timed 1 mile on the treadmill (9:26, yay!), and finished with an upper body/core strength session. I'll pick the miles back up next week, but I wanted to give myself time to recover. The best part about my house currently being a hot mess, is that the scale is buried somewhere in bathroom drawers and pulled up tile pieces, forcing me to live without it. This is so good for me.

If you didn't check in on last week's meal planning post, you can catch up here. I made a delicious new recipe - Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing (which is way too much of a mouthful, so I call it Thai quinoa salad). It. Was. Delicious. I made a dinner of it by adding Emily Bites' Thai Chicken Skewers (I made them in a pan, not on skewers on the grill), and Rob ate the leftovers all week. I'd highly recommend this!

YUM. No other caption necessary.

I had meals planned out all weekend, but late nights of leak-fixing allowed me to only make one of these and feast on the leftovers last night instead of making my second meal. Leftovers all weekend means I have a rollover meal from last week, leaving me with too many meals planned next week - if that's even possible. This week's meal plan is a little funny, just because we're not going to be around Labor Day weekend and I needed to pick up some "cookout" foods for the weekend. In addition to our normal groceries this week, I picked up soda for Rob, which is an added $10 I hate spending, but he demands on occasion. So, here are the details:

Total spent: $97 + $15 spent Friday to pick up english muffins, PB2, and some fruit
(this includes meat to last us through next weekend, 4 cases of soda on sale 4/$10)

Sunday:

Emily Bites Taco Cupcakes (rollover from last week - already have the ingredients)

Monday:

BBQ Chicken Quinoa (new recipe - pretty excited!)

Tuesday:

Emily Bites Pizza Logs,  roasted veggies

Wednesday:

Skinnytaste Meatloaf Cupcakes (I don't make the mashed potato topping), corn on the cob

Thursday:

BLTA's

Weekend: Hamburgers, chicken sausages and Schmidt's Bahama Mama's (yumsauce)

*My 1-too-many meal: garlic & herb chicken using Land O'Lakes Saute Express butter cubes (both the butter cubes and chicken, frozen, will last until next week, where we can use them one night)

Things I already had at home: all the ingredients for Taco Cupcakes (this was a rollover from last week), BBQ sauce, one giant zucchini from a co-worker's garden, and corn on the cob (I bought a bunch from the local market last week)

This week's grocery list looks as follows:

Produce:

cilantro

2 zucchini

1 yellow squash

head of lettuce

2 tomatoes

grapes (fruit for the week)

avocado (2)

white onion

Dairy:

Saute Express butter cubes, garlic & herb

2 carb-master yogurts (for snacks)

1 good block white cheddar cheese (splurge item!)

cheese slices, for hamburgers

shredded colby jack cheese

mozzarella string cheese

Meat:

chicken tenderloins

bacon

chicken sausages

Schmidt's Bahama Mama's

hamburgers (these came on sale in a pack of 10 - I separated them into two packs of 5 and froze them, so we can use them as a meal next week, too)

ground turkey

chicken breasts

pepperoni

Aisles:

egg roll wrappers

pizza sauce

soda

black beans

frozen corn

quinoa

Honestly, it was a pretty long list and I'm fairly surprised I survived for less than $100 - again, without a single coupon. I always go into panic mode when my dinner plans are thrown off course, but I've gotten fairly good at just looking at my week's meal plan, picking the meal with the least perishable items and holding it off until the following week. It takes some shifting around of what I had originally planned, but it works out. 

Lastly, I'll leave you with this little fun fact: Friday, I picked up dog food for both pups. You may remember my original post about dog food here, but this time I needed two 30-pound bags. The cashier had to have thought I was a nutcase for throwing one bag over my shoulder and asking her to lift the second bag onto my other shoulder. "I have someone who can take those out to your car, ma'am," she said to me. I told her I was fine - that I had lost 67 pounds and I needed this 60 pounds on my shoulders as a reminder of how far I've come. It sounded good in my head, but I'm pretty sure she still thinks I'm crazy. Regardless, by the time I got to my car, I was winded, my knees hurt and I was already sweating.

This is what 60 pounds looks like. This is what I carried on my body for years, never realizing how much easier my life could be without it. These two bags of dog food are a constant reminder that I shouldn't fuss over the minor details, and a visual representation of what I carried around with my every day. I'm so thankful for these two bags of dog food, you will never ever know. I will carry them out every single day until I am 90 years old and cannot lift them any longer. I don't need the extra weight, but I need these bags, and I will for the rest of my life.

Here's to a great week!

meal planning, week 4.

Happy Sunday, friends! If you're here in sunny Ohio, I hope you're making the most out of the beautiful weather we've had this weekend. It's been a nice change from the grey weekends we've had so often this summer, and I managed to make the most of it by getting outdoors, spending some much needed time with Rob and the dogs, and getting in some seriously awesome activity. But that's for another post. You're here for meal planning, right?!

I'm pretty excited about this week's finds. After last week's expensive trip, I was feeling discouraged about my grocery shopping trips and my ability to provide you with the best bang for your buck. That being said, we had some pretty awesome meals last week - we tried several new recipes, which you may remember from last week's meal plan and Rob even requested a few of them again this week - WIN! I always get nervous when I invest in ingredients for a new recipe, for fear that we'll HATE it and I will have wasted the money for nothing. Last week's menu included these fabulous new additions to our regular meal catalog:

Emily Bites Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese "Muffins"

Skinnytaste Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps &
Skillet Mexican Zucchini

I'd make both recipes again in a heartbeat. The only thing Rob and I weren't a huge fan of was the blue cheese flavor in the mac and cheese cups - I don't like blue cheese anyway, but I think when I make it again, I'll use low fat ranch dressing instead of blue cheese. The turkey taco lettuce wraps with skillet mexican zucchini are on this week's list again! I would highly recommend them both - but obviously the lettuce wraps are probably better for you in that they're full of whole, natural clean ingredients. But god, I love me some mac and cheese.

In addition to leftovers for lunches this week, I am making Thai quinoa salad - a new recipe recommended to me by a friend who recently made it and loved it. It holds up great for leftovers and I plan to munch off it all week - it's packed full of veggies, protein and tons of flavor and will go well with our Thai chicken planned for Tuesday. It's also something different from the inevitable go-to salad. Speaking of salads, though - Kroger has these pre-made guys and I love picking up one to break up my boring lunch routine:

At just 6 Points Plus, this guy makes a fabulous addition to your lunch hour. Just sayin. I've also been looking for low-point snack options and something to curb the insatiable sweet tooth I've had all summer. Rob and I, despite being better about eating out, have made more ice cream runs than real runs this summer, putting a dent in our weekly budget and a couple extra hundred calories added on to our days. To combat it, I've picked up an idea from Weight Off My Shoulders - she uses VitaCakes mixed with fresh strawberries and a dollop of fat free Cool Whip as a delicious dessert for just 1 Points Plus. I also picked up individual sized ice cream cups (tell me you've seen these) for Rob - who, unlike myself, doesn't last long on the low-fat dessert alternatives. This at least gives him some portion control, and who doesn't like things that are mini?

Now that we've got dessert covered (in the words of my grandmother, "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first") we can move on to the real meat of this post - the meal plan and shopping list. Here's the dirty details:

Total spent: 

$81.00, + $7 spent at my fancy local market to get a few items = $88 total

Sunday:

Garlic & herb chicken, corn on the cob

Monday:

Hamburgers on the grill, sweet potato fries

Tuesday: 

Thai chicken with Thai quinoa salad (SO excited to try this!!)

Wednesday:

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps with Skillet Mexican Zucchini 

Thursday:

Spaghetti squash with Italian turkey meatballs and marinara

Friday:

out to dinner

Saturday:

Emily Bites Taco Cupcakes

 Before I make my grocery list, here are the things I had at home and didn't need to pick up: 1 pound of frozen chicken breasts, sriracha, sesame oil, low sodium soy sauce, PB2, honey (all the ingredients for Tuesday's thai chicken skewers are worth the investment - you'll have them on hand and only need chicken and a few fresh ingredients to whip this meal up), queso cheese and salsa for my taco cupcakes, cilantro paste (purchased last week for skillet mexican zucchini), and cheese slices for hamburgers. I know this sounds like a lot, but once you invest in the ingredients once, they tend to last at least two rounds (or more), so I just so happened to be on an off week for purchasing them. 

Produce:

corn on the cob

3 limes

lettuce head

spaghetti squash

4 zucchini

cilantro

1 tomato

green onions

1 jalapeño

1 red pepper

1 red onion

1 white onion

red cabbage

shredded carrots

4 baked potatoes (for today's potato skin lunch)

strawberries (fruit for the week)

Dairy:

Land O'Lakes Saute Express (Garlic & Herb)

Low-fat sour cream

reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Laughing Cow Queso wedges

Egg Beaters Southwestern

Meat:

chicken

Italian turkey meatballs

1 pound ground beef

4 hamburgers

99% fat free ground turkey

Aisles:

Cashews (ended up omitting these from my quinoa salad - nuts are too damn expensive)

marinara sauce

black beans

hamburger buns

VitaCakes

fat free Cool Whip

And, since every week, I find myself learning something new, here are a couple observations:

- My list was heavy on produce, light on aisle foods - proof that buying fresh foods isn't always more expensive than its processed enemies in the neighboring aisles. 

- Nuts are expensive. I ended up omitting them completely. I also hesitated big time on making the quinoa salad because it does call for tons of fresh vegetables, which add up in cost. I played around with my meal plans to see where else I could use the ingredients, and found that I'd use green onions, red peppers, onions and limes in at least one other recipe. Winning. 

- Spaghetti squash isn't really in season until this fall, so when you catch them in the store through the summer, I'm more than willing to plow someone down in pursuit of it. That, paired with Italian turkey meatballs and marinara sauce, is a super cheap meal that you can do for about $6 total (we get 3-4 servings out of it, you do the math). This always helps keep my bill down, and I fully intend on experimenting with different spaghetti squash recipes this fall. 

- I've learned that the ticket to actually eating the meals we plan is to make sure they're good. I mean, it may take a little more work, but this whole thing is really just a trick of the mind. I tend to crave "bad for me" food on the weekends, so by planning Emily Bites' taco cupcakes, I'm more inclined to eat at home. Loaded with meat, beans, queso and salsa, these babies totally hit the spot without ruining your diet. 

Alright - I think that pretty much wraps it up. My apologies for making this entirely too long. I clearly get really excited about food. Understatement of the year. I wish I could rant for this long about workouts? Hope everyone has a great week!