weighing in.

Today, in my Weight Watchers world, is weigh-in day. And more importantly, it's the start of a new week - a fresh set of points to track, and a blank slate to mentally refresh from the past week's successes and slip-ups. Despite my poor history of tracking points, this is the one thing I do really love about Weight Watchers. It's like a weekly chance to start over - no judgment or baggage follows you into your new week. It's a brand new 7 days, and it's waiting for you to mold it into whatever you want. Weekly weigh-ins and seeing that fresh start? It's half the reason I've stuck around this program for so long.

That being said, I've learned that I have the best chance at success when I really sit down and evaluate the last week's eating choices before diving head first into that shiny new set of points. It's tempting to want to box up a bad week, and put it in the back of your mind where you store things like cleaning your baseboards and your credit card debt - things you know you need to evaluate, but don't want to deal with. But fessing up to yourself is the hardest, and most important, part of your journey towards being healthy. The food still goes into your body, regardless of whether you mentally acknowledge it - and the calories remain in there even though your mind knows you had a busy schedule and couldn't squeeze in those workouts.

So today, and probably on future Thursdays, I'm going to weigh in on my weigh-in. I lost .1 today. Point. One. I am less than 1 pound from being in a new "decade" - a decade that I've subconsciously deemed my "goal decade," and for the love of God, I just can't break through it. I've maintained, despite bachelorette parties and other indulgences, for over a month - that tells me that once I hit goal, I'll be the poster child for maintenance, but it doesn't do me a lot of good in the meantime. I shouldn't be surprised, because let's look at this past week:

• I only got in four days of activity, plus one 3 mile walk on my rest day. I know I shouldn't be complaining about that, but my body needs more. I logged 16 miles running, 3 miles walking and 1 bootcamp workout, but only got exercise in on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I need to work on spreading out my runs so I don't get the inevitable runner's burnout midweek. 

• This week's indulgences? Orange Leaf, Dairy Queen, a piece of chocolate silk pie, Chipotle, BBQ kettle chips at German Fest, a Subway breakfast sandwich and a delicious serving of sundried tomato tortellini salad with lunch yesterday. All that - and I still maintained. I guess I should be celebrating, because that has to be some kind of miracle.

• I've been a bad snacker lately. I've been hungrier than normal - probably because of the mileage I'm putting in, but I haven't been prepared with the right kind of snacks. I've munched on peanut butter and saltine crackers instead of almonds, string cheese and fruit. Prepare for hunger, Lauren. In the words of Scar, Mufasa's horrible brother, "Be prepaaaarreeeddd!" (extra points to you if were singing that in your head)

• I make a lot of excuses for myself. It's been a mentally tiring few weeks. They say that when it rains, it pours. Between wedding planning, unexpected and expensive home repairs, and feeling out of control of life's unexpected twists, I'd be lying if I said I didn't eat my feelings a little. I need to start asking myself again, like I was a few months ago, if each choice I make is bettering my life or hindering it - when I actively engage in my choices, I usually make better ones. 

• I didn't track. Once again, after an over-indulgent weekend, I decided it would be too much of a hassle to track so I decided to forego it completely and decided to just eat "mindfully" for the remainder of the week. This is a shitty sort of logic, incase you were wondering. 

Reading, and forcing myself to see the ways I can improve, helps me solidify goals for this upcoming week. Here are a few I'm gong to focus on - and keep in mind that my goals may be simple and obvious, but small changes often lead to big results.

• Track. Everything. No excuses. Starting today.
• Vary my runs. Focus on two short runs (3-4 miles) and one long run this upcoming week. My workouts tend to run Sunday - Saturday, while my WW week runs Thursday - Thursday, but I am planning a 9 mile run within the next week or so. 
• Go back to Zumba. Running, as of right now, is my only cardio and thus becomes a source of burnout for me. Switching it up with Zumba, a good hour of cardio that I love, will help me vary my workouts and look forward to my runs.
• Don't binge eat this weekend. Weekends, like most of us, are my downfall. I'm planning NOW, so I can stay on track and stay focused. 
• Get good walks in on my rest days. Walking the dogs, even if it's just a couple miles, gets me moving and helps me make better choices the rest of the day. 

There you have it, folks. Here's to a new week, and hopefully a better loss next week. I'm so close to that new decade I can taste it (it tastes like cheesecake). Hopefully being honest about it here, in public, will help me stay accountable through the upcoming week. Happy [almost] Friday!

What are you going to do to stay on track this upcoming week? How will you battle the inevitable temptations of the weekend?

Transformation Tuesday - who inspires ME to transform?

Over on Instagram, Tuesday is known as Transformation Tuesday. Often times, people post pictures of themselves with friends as kids, and then as adults - it's cute, really. But more often than not, the hashtag is littered with people who have before and after pictures of their weight loss. It's ridiculously inspiring to see, really. I am such a visual person, and I've always searched for before and after pictures when I'm looking for some motivation. People change their lives. I mean, you hear about it all the time but seeing it never gets old. These people - everyday people with busier schedules than you, three kids, newborns, six dogs, sick relatives and medical problems, full time students, women over 40 - I mean, these people are literally transforming. If they don't make you believe it's possible, nothing will.

I owe so much of my success to those people. Reading all the articles, all the meal plans and all the exercise plans in the world won't give you the kind of inspiration that a real life person will. As of late, I have desperately needed the inspiration - and I continue to find it in the girls whose picture I'm going to share with you. These girls are me. They are you. They are anyone in their 20s faced with challenges like happy hours, bar nights, weddings full of delicious tempting food and open bars, boyfriends and husbands who eat like the manliest of men, and the overwhelming desire to watch hours of ABC Family instead of go workout. They have full time schedules, full time lives and zero time for bullshit. They juggle in-laws, multiple pets, social circles, volunteer and personal obligations, and can often feel the sometimes impossible-to-combat laziness of their pre-healthy lifestyle creep back in all too often. They are you. They are me.

But each of them, in their own way, made a change in their lifestyles. It starts with a decision, it continues with a choice to sign up for things like Weight Watchers, try a new bootcamp, step outside their comfort zones in a city where they either know nobody or they know too many people to feel comfortable trying something new. They spoke up - they admitted they were unhappy with their health, their bodies, their frame of mind. They wake up at 4:45, 5:30, 6:00 - any time before some people normally roll out of bed, and they take one small step towards their goals. They run, workout, pack their snacks for work, lay out workout clothes and set meat out for tonight's planned dinner.

They also ditch workouts, struggle with small gains, falling off the wagon and indulging in too much happy hour. They eat pizza, don't regret it, and often times regret it so much that they run crazy miles to mentally make up for it. They are real, and they are constantly battling the odds. They prove to me daily that if they can do it, I can do it. And so can you.

Today, I share with you two "Transformation Tuesday" photos that will make you jump off your ass and put your dusty old running shoes on. They will make you put down the bag of chips.

Kelly has lost 80 pounds, and is still going strong. EIGHTY. EIGHT-ZERO. Do you know how much that is? She consistently proves that, even as a busy career woman constantly on the go, you can still succeed at eating healthy. This girl pre-plans snacks for meetings and overnight travel, gets her exercise in even when she's away from home and even roped her boyfriend into having weekly weigh-ins with her. And guess what else? She is still a fan of happy hours, delicious food and all the things you'd never expect from someone who makes those kinds of changes. 

Kim has detailed her weight loss and fitness journeys on her blog, Fabulous Fit Foodie. This girl, despite only recently getting back to Weight Watchers, has already lost over 13 pounds - but it looks like she's lost way more. She strength trains using online bootcamps you can do in your home or at the gym, she runs, and she's a recent triathlete. TRIATHLETE. Seriously. She indulges in all life's goodness, including pizza, her favorite beers and wine flights at happy hour, but she still makes fitness and eating right seem so incredibly approachable. Her motivation and inspiration is endless, and her perspective on maintaining a healthy lifestyle is always what I need to hear.

I can't tell you enough how inspired I am by these women. They are proof that reaching your goals seems so much more attainable when you're surrounded by like-minded individuals who care and support you. They provide constant words of encouragement, and them, along with every other girl as part of our Healthy Habits group here in Dayton, have provided me with infinite inspiration.

My advice? Find your own inspiration and let it guide you through your journey. Find people who want you to be a better person, strive to help you reach your goals and don't let you settle for anything less than your absolute best. Use their before and afters (or before and "during" as these girls tell me) to help fuel you when you need the extra push, and chances are, they'll be using you for the same inspiration.

Happy Transformation Tuesday, friends - may you all find the inner strength and motivation needed to make the transformation (or continue with it) that you know deep down will make you the best person you can be!

meal planning, week 3.

Happy Sunday, friends!

Thought: I think I'm happier doing meal planning posts on Saturdays or Sundays, as opposed to Mondays. Most people have done their shopping for the week by Monday, and posting it then doesn't seem all that helpful. Anyway. Moving on.

Rob is on his way home from his bachelor "weekend" at Put-in-Bay, which means time is quickly running out for me to silently soak up this clean house, relaxation and some Harry Potter (a must when Rob is out of town). This has been the first weekend in over a month that we've had nothing going on - needless to say, I took full advantage of the opportunity to lounge around, eat in my pajamas and be on my own schedule.

This past week has been, to say the least, a hot mess. I've lacked motivation in the eating and exercise department, my recovery from last weekend's bachelorette festivities has proven less than stellar, and to top things off, we had a broken HVAC and now a mystery water leak in the house. It was all I could do to just keep treading water this week - which, unfortunately, does not burn calories. Not surprisingly, I had a small gain this past week at weigh-in, my heart hasn't been in my runs, and yesterday's planned 8-miler turned into barely squeaking out 5. I know, 5 miles is nothing to be ashamed of, but half marathons are quickly approaching and now is not the time to lose steam.

It's safe to say this weekend is exactly what I needed. I finally got our bridal shower gifts put away, did some much needed cleaning and organizing, and some much needed R&R with my puppies. Speaking of which, today is Scout's birthday! My big baby girl turns 4 today - I still remember bringing her home on a cold November night from the humane society at not even 3 months old. Cannot believe how old she is getting - she's the absolute best. Everyone say happy birthday to Scout!

This weekend, I managed to get in my five mile run, as well as a short walk with Brody on Friday night, and a 3 mile birthday walk with Scout this morning. Overall, it's about 8.5 miles for the weekend, which makes me feel at least slightly better about my half-ass run yesterday. Heading into this week, I feel more focused and ready to tackle my goals. Rob and I are finally at the "calm before the wedding storm" where we have ZERO planned from now until the big day - I'm hoping I can relax, finish up planning and focus on my weight loss and preparation for my two half marathons this fall.

This week's farmer's market finds - not pictured: the 50 cent hotdog
I bought to eat while I browsed the selection. Obviously necessary. 

So, want to see what's on my grocery list this week? Let's get down to it then, shall we? This week was an expensive one - I know, you're all here because you like seeing cheap grocery lists, but not every week is a $100 or less deal, unfortunately. I ended up spending $114 at the store today - in addition, I spent $12 on fresh produce at the farmer's market yesterday, totaling $126 for the week. My grocery budget is about $400 per month though, so with the past two weeks' cheap trips, I'm well under budget for the month.

In my defense, I will say I do have more meals planned now that we're both going to be in town this weekend. I'm also trying a few new things, and taking on a few more recipes since I finally feel like I can breathe. We also have a guest for dinner one night this week - this doesn't really merit buying more food, but I had to take into consideration that we probably won't have leftovers from that meal. In addition, I originally planned a pot roast in the crockpot for tonight, but wasn't a fan of the cuts of meat at the store - I made a last minute swap to have steaks on the grill instead, which obviously costs more.

Sunday: 

filets on the grill (on sale at Kroger), roasted asparagus, corn on the cob

Monday: 

BBQ grilled chicken, baked potatoes, roasted zucchini

Tuesday:

Chicken pesto kabobs, corn on the cob, roasted zucchini/yellow squash/red potatoes

Wednesday:

  Turkey taco lettuce wraps, with skillet mexican zucchini (trying both of these for the first time) 

Thursday:

Buffalo chicken mac and cheese "muffins," salads from Kroger

Friday:

  Buffalo chicken potato skins, roasted veggies

And the shopping trip begins. Don't think shopping
with your list is cool? Think again. I'm also close to
bringing a calculator with me. No judgment.

We have a few days with no leftovers for lunch, so I added 1/2 lb of ham to my list, as well as bacon to make BLT's with avocado (make the bacon ahead of time, assemble the wrap at lunchtime). Breakfasts are, again, southwestern scrambles in a mug or oatmeal.

This week's grocery list was a long one. I'm tackling several recipes that, while I can reuse the ingredients, do require random purchases at the store. I also forgot some things. Because heaven forbid I only go to the store once a week. Before I show my list - here's what I have to go back for tomorrow: grape tomatoes, 1 bell pepper, 1 small onion, and about 4 baked potatoes - and probably something else I'll discover halfway through the week. Oy.

Produce:

Asparagus

1 bag red potatoes

Basil

Garlic

Lime (2)

1 Jalapeño

Bananas

1 cantaloupe

1 bag grapes

1 head iceberg lettuce

Cilantro paste

1 avocado

2/$5 pre-packaged salads (for my lunches)

Dairy:

1 package cheese slices (for Rob's ham sandwiches at lunch)

1 block sharp cheddar cheese

1 6-pack eggs

2 small Egg Beaters, southwestern cartons

Fresh queso blanco

skim milk

Meat:

1 lb ground turkey

Chicken (this was not remotely close to being cheap at the store today, so I made the last minute decision to buy Perdue's individually wrapped breasts in packs of 5 - two packs were $12.00, as opposed to spending $21 on the chicken I normally buy)

2 filets (honestly, the bulk of my meat expenses this week)

bacon

1/2 lb Boar's Head ham (I'm a deli meat snob, not even sorry)

Aisles:

high fiber macaroni

makeup remover

high fiber wraps

1 4 oz. can tomato sauce

Applegate chicken sausages

Looking at my menu plan for the week, here's a few things I'm noticing as the causes for my hefty bill:

I planned more for lunches this week. I bought two pre-packaged salads for myself, as well as ham and cheese for Rob to make sandwiches and bacon for us to make BLT's (this will probably take place on the weekends more than through the week). I know we'll have some leftovers, but I don't know how many and I noticed myself picking up lunch a few times last week because of a lack of leftovers. We'll see how this works.

My favorite weekend lunch or quick dinner: BLTA's -
a BLT on a high fiber wrap, loaded with avocado. Lots
of good fats, without sacrificing on taste! Yum!

I planned meals for every night. I'm ready to get back to cooking daily. I love it, honestly, and my body can't handle eating out. I didn't plan anything for this upcoming Saturday - I'm planning on a date night one night this upcoming weekend, so Friday's meal can be used Saturday (or even for lunches) if need be.

While I'm able to reuse my protein in the buffalo chicken, I'm still making two separate meals with it, costing me more in ingredients. I'm also making a couple sides that are multi-ingredient worthy, as opposed to buying a $2 bundle of asparagus as my side every night. 

I bought filets. I mean, there's no sugar coating that one. I'll own up to it. 

Alright, friends - there you have it. Meal planning, week 3. All my meals, except for the mac and cheese "muffin" night, are pretty low in carb, almost entirely "clean" and packed with protein and veggies. Every meal falls into the daily points I typically allot for dinner in my Weight Watchers tracker, and there are enough carbs going on to fuel me for my longer runs or more intense cardio sessions I have planned this week.

Here's to making it a great week - what are YOU eating this week?

battling the grocery store - tips and hints to surviving shopping day.

There are really only two ways to approach grocery shopping - you either enjoy it, or you hate it. Most people I know loathe making their weekly shopping trips. From friends to family members, most of us say the same thing - we always end up spending a fortune. With rising food costs and the ever-increasing need to shop natural and organic foods, we often push our cart begrudgingly to the car, feeling like that God forsaken supermarket just sucked out our souls - and our savings accounts.

But it doesn't have to be that way. I'm no grocery shopping professional, and on weeks when Rob and I need shampoo, dog food or randoms like toothpaste and makeup remover, I walk out spending way more than usual. That being said, I've gotten much better. I live so dangerously close to a grocery store, I have to make an effort to plan ahead so I don't make daily trips - and sometimes I still find myself there 4 times a week. But I've had several people ask me how I grocery shop, meal plan and budget without clipping a single coupon, so I thought I'd share what I know about that habitual hour of shopping I do every weekend. Some of you may laugh, knowing you shop for well under what I spend a week - and if that's the case, I encourage you to share because I love saving money just as much as the next girl. Keep in mind that if you're already busting your butt to save at the grocery store, all of this will probably sound mundane and obvious to you. But if you're showing up at your local supermarket once a week with nothing but a shopping cart and a handful of ideas and wondering how you spent $125 when all is said and done, you may find this helpful. 

Here are the basics: I shop for two people, once a week. I budget between $75 - $100 per week for groceries. This includes breakfasts, lunches and dinners at home. If I spend less than $100, I usually take the rest out in cash and keep it aside for extras I forgot about and need to pick up through the week - and let's face it, you always forget something. 

Plan, plan, plan. I know meal planning sounds overrated and time consuming, but it is vital to saving money at the grocery store. I don't plan every single meal out, but I do plan dinners - not only does this keep me from veering off track with my eating and weight loss goals, it keeps me from buying random ingredients at the store and then never using them at home. 

All the cool kids make shopping lists. Once you have a plan for meals for the week, make a list. I break mine into four categories - produce, dairy, meat, aisles. Break down each meal by ingredient and list it where it belongs. Mine is broken out based on where things are in the store - I do a perimeter round first (as you should, because that's where all the fresh foods are), then hit up the aisles. Having everything broken down by area leaves no questions for me - and no thinking. And no thinking means fewer opportunities to look at those ice cream bars or something with brand spankin' new packaging and think ooooh, shiny - I could make something with that this week, right? Wrong. Stick to your list. Do not make eye contact with other things. 

Be realistic. When I first started meal planning, I'd plan for every night of the week. It sounded super ambitious - 7 days of home cooked meals? I must be the most disciplined 20-something on the planet! But realistically, I would always have food that went bad or didn't get used. Rob and I eat out, on average, about twice a week - and usually on weekends. Planning meals full of fresh ingredients that could go bad is a great goal, but not realistic for us. Once I gave up trying to be perfect and settled at planning a solid 4 meals a week, with at least one leftovers potential, I stopped throwing as much spoiled food out at the end of the week. 

Less is...well, less. I learned this the hard way, and still find myself learning. I buy lots of produce - we eat tons of fresh fruit and vegetables, but I often over estimate our needs. I'll buy three zucchinis, knowing I'm using them as a side one night, but we only ever end up using two - which means one always goes to waste. The same usually goes with tomatoes, avocados, and bags of fresh lettuce. It takes you some time to figure out what you typically use, but start paying attention. This also goes hand in hand with basing your weekly needs off your meal planning list. Also - I buy one or two fruits per week. If I buy grapes, strawberries, watermelon and bananas, half of it gets thrown out. I'll switch it up every week, but I buy 1-2 good fruits and we mix those up through the week. 

Reuse ingredients. Try to plan only 1, maybe 2, ingredient-heavy meals per week. Buying 5-6 ingredients for multiple  recipes gets pricey, and often times you don't need those ingredients afterwards, making it a total waste of money. Also - if you make any kind of meat in bulk, reuse the leftovers in different ways. I did this with buffalo chicken this week - do not even get me started on the hundreds of ways you can reuse shredded buffalo chicken. Tonight we made buffalo chicken rolls, and tomorrow the leftover chicken will go on top of a baked potato. 

Cut a side dish. The notion that we need to eat a meat, a starch and a vegetable is total horseshit, in my obviously unprofessional opinion. I eat pretty low carb, or at least focus my meals on whole, natural foods. We will make a good meat on the grill and a heaping pile of roasted vegetables or corn on the cob and be full. The starchy sides like rice, potatoes and pastas, albeit delicious, are often unnecessary. I'm all about fueling your body and I encourage you to do so in the best way possible, but not every single dinner needs to be a three course meal. 

Don't buy lunch food. This is really a personal preference. Since I only have to cook for two, we often have lots of leftovers, which makes for perfect lunches the next day. I stopped buying deli meats, sandwich stuff, soups and most snacks, and we typically eat last night's leftovers for lunch instead. Yeah, sometimes it gets repetitive and boring. But if we don't, we end up a) spending money on lunch food and b) throwing out our leftovers.

To put this into practice, here's what my grocery list looked like this week. Keep in mind that I'm going to be out of town this weekend, leaving Rob alone. I had to plan for meals that made leftovers for the weekend since, let's face it, he's probably not going to cook. I planned dinners out for the week, leaving enough for leftovers and purchasing the bare minimum for lunches, knowing in advance that Rob would have to eat out a few times this week due to his work schedule.

Sunday: (returned home from out of town) Garlic & herb chicken with corn on the cob
Monday: spaghetti squash with turkey meatballs and marinara
Tuesday: Crockpot buffalo chicken, made into buffalo chicken rolls, roasted zucchini/yellow squash
Wednesday: leftover buffalo chicken on baked potatoes, corn on the cob
Thursday: spicy sausage pasta from Emily Bites
Friday: leftover pasta from Thursday's dinner
Saturday: Rob on his own, Emily Bites pizza "logs" for lunch
Sunday: TBD - I have to send Rob to shop on his own this weekend. Lord help us all. 
Breakfasts: Southwestern scramble in a mug (Southwest Egg Beaters, Laughing Cow Queso cheese and Applegate chicken and maple sausage links)

Produce:

1 spaghetti squash

corn on the cob (pack of 5)

1 package broccoli slaw

2 baked potatoes

2 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1 bundle green onions

1 bag romaine lettuce, for lunch salads

Grapes

Bananas

Dairy

Land O'Lakes Saute Express - Garlic & Herb (this is the easiest "on hand" ingredient for last minute chicken recipes!)

1 block pepperjack cheese

Southwest Egg Beaters (usually 2/$5 at Kroger - I leave one at home for Rob, take one to work for me)

1 wheel Laughing Cow Queso cheese

Meat

Turkey meatballs

1 package chicken tenders

1 package chicken breasts

Johnsonville chipotle chicken sausages

Aisles

Marinara sauce

1 large bottle Frank's buffalo sauce

1 packet Hidden Valley ranch mix

Egg roll wrappers (to be used for buffalo chicken rolls, and EB pizza "logs")

1 box high fiber pasta

Applegate chicken & maple sausages

dish soap

Things we had at home that we needed for recipes this week: Rotel, blue cheese, pepperoni and reduced fat mozzarella string cheese for pizza logs, and low sodium chicken broth.

It's really not a perfect science - and sometimes I walk out of there spending a fortune after I feel like I've put adequate efforts into planning. Other times, I feel like I wing it and get away with only spending $50. I am a huge advocate for meal planning - both for health and weight loss reasons, and for budgetary purposes. You're less inclined to eat out when you know you've got chicken set out for that evening's recipe, and much less likely to eat out for lunch when you get to take yummy leftovers for lunch instead of a plain turkey sandwich.

Whatever you do, make a list. And if you're into couponing, I'd highly recommend it. I just have zero patience for hunting down coupons, printing them out or cutting them out of the papers.

And my number one tip for surviving the grocery store? Don't bring your husband. And make a Starbucks run beforehand - since drinking wine while grocery shopping is most likely frowned upon, nursing a giant iced coffee every time you're overwhelmed by soccer moms who let their kids run wild in the aisles will help push you through the hour.

Happy shopping, and happy Hump Day!

Cheesy Turkey and Zucchini Lasagna

Adapted from: Skinnytaste's Zucchini Lasagna
Servings: 9 (you'll get more depending on the pan size you use)

One of the hardest parts about going low carb for me has always been giving up pasta. Things like macaroni and cheese, a giant bowl of spaghetti and my absolute favorite - lasagna - were staples in my home growing up, and the idea of living without them hurts my hungry little heart. I've also been making a valid attempt at limiting my red meat consumption. Since I don't like fish, sometimes I feel like all I cook are chicken and beef. I decided to switch it up and try my hand at zucchini lasagna with ground turkey and oh-so-much cheese. If you love lots of cheese and are willing to give zucchini a shot in place of traditional lasagna noodles, you will most likely fall in love with this. Even my "meat and potatoes" fiancé ate two big servings of it.

I will tell you up front that I ignored the original recipe's advice of grilling the zucchini for a few minutes before assembling the lasagna to help soak up some excess moisture. I did my best to soak it up with a paper towel, but both Rob and I agreed we'll grill the zucchini next time.

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 Tbsp olive oil

Sausage seasoning

1 monster sized zucchini (or 4-5 smaller ones), sliced thin

*if you use smaller ones, I suggest slicing them lengthwise - I got big guys, so I cut them into rounds*

2 cloves garlic, crushed

22 ounces low fat ricotta

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 tsp italian seasoning

116 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 cup marinara sauce (I used Ragu, because I am cheap)

1 1/2 cups part skin shredded mozzarella

I told you this guy was going to be cheesy.

Preheat oven to 350.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a pan, and mix together your ground turkey and sausage seasoning. I buy the 99% fat free turkey and it tends to stick to the pan without some oil. Cook turkey until brown. If you love ground turkey on its own, you don't have to add the sausage seasoning, but I have a man in the house who could detect my "healthy" attempts from a mile away, and the seasoning was delicious.

Add 2 cloves of crushed garlic and your can of crushed tomatoes to your browned turkey, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slice your zucchini thin (about 1/8 inch thick) and throw those babies on the grill on low for about a minute on each side. This is the step I totally bypassed, but won't make that mistake again. Listen to Gina at Skinnytaste - girl knows what she's talking about. When they're done, soak up any excess moisture with a paper towel.

In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1 egg, parmesan cheese and italian seasoning.

As you prepare to assemble, divide your mixtures up based on the number of layers you want to do. I got 3 layers out of my ingredients, with the final layer being zucchini, marinara and a topping of mozzarella. In a casserole dish, layer marinara sauce, zucchini, turkey mixture, ricotta mixture and mozzarella cheese. Top your final layer with remaining mozzarella cheese, and bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and starting to brown. If you like your top layer nice and browned, turn the broiler on for a minute or so at the very end.

Let it cool a few minutes before serving - I used a 9x9 pan and got 9 servings out of it, but definitely stacked it so high that it started overflowing so I'd recommend a 9x13.

Enjoy!

the time will pass.

I was mindlessly browsing Pinterest the other day, pinning more projects I'll never do and a thousand ways to save $10 on my wedding, which I'll never even look at. Then I stumbled upon this. I brush most of the cheesy quotes I see on Pinterest off, but two days later, I was still thinking about this.

About a week ago, I had a gum graft surgery done. I was put on a strict liquids and soft-foods diet for about a week and I won't be able to bite using my front teeth for up to 6 weeks. I wasn't able to do physical activity for 3-4 days, but the graft feels so strange and sensitive that it hindered my exercise routine for nearly a week. Nearly a week? I know, it's not that big of a deal. But in the midst of the wedding dress diet, and the fact that I feel ridiculously restless without any sort of cardio in my day, I felt like a train wreck. So I spiraled. I spiraled into this boo boo kitty, self-loathing, poor me attitude that left me eating mashed potatoes and more macaroni and cheese than I consumed during my four years of college. This obviously resulted in my first weigh-in with a gain this year, and I can honestly say that I'd rather be punched in the leg repeatedly before having to deal with using my tongue to chew food ever again.

But here's the moral of the story: Regardless of my attitude, the time still passed. Despite my acting like the world had suddenly stopped (and so did my will to cook and do laundry), I was disappointed to learn that Thursday still came, my body still took in twice my needed caloric intake and I still gained weight. And unfortunately, that's the hard truth. Like it or not, Monday will come after Sunday, just like it always does. And like it or not, the time passes while we're sitting here thinking about our goals instead of actually seeing them through.

My struggle with weight loss, like many, is lifelong. It's a constant process as you try to find balance. The first time I lost 50 pounds, I drank it all back on and after finally getting my shit on lockdown at the beginning of 2012, I still spent a good 6 months beating myself up over having gained the weight back in the first place. No one wants to re-lose the same 50 pounds, or hit the pavement for the first time in months, only to learn you can only make it to the end of your street before hyperventilating. Starting over when you know you're capable of more is a hard pill to swallow, especially if you hate being wrong. Starting over from square one and mentally wanting to run 6 miles when your body can only handle 2 is frustrating. Hitting the same weight loss milestones as you've hit once before is like deja vu you never wanted to experience. There's no sugarcoating it.

But the six months I spent harping on what I messed up in the past is six months I can't get back now. I can't spend any time now imagining where I'd be had I not beat myself up for the first six months of last year. But looking back on it, I guess I learned something in the long run. The time will still pass. Whether you spend it bitching and moaning, avoiding your credit card debt or busting your ass at the gym, the time will still pass. That wedding you wanted to lose weight for will still come, regardless of what you did with the time in between. The debt collectors will still call, even if you ignore their calls for two months. What you do with the time is yours.

And in a world where we often feel like we have such little control over what happens, that is something we can control. I can't control the fact that I had to get a super obnoxious gum graft done weeks before a trip to Nashville and right in the peak of my awesome workout/eat right motivation. I can't control the fact that I already gained back most of the weight I lost the first time. What I can control is what I do with my time now. What I can control is my attitude, and the way I approach each new day. What I can do, is take what I learned from such a simple quote and recognize all the times I've failed to utilize it in my life - and learn from it. I can repeat it to myself every time I bail on a workout, and every time I want to give myself a break from my diet for a couple weeks.

The time will pass, with or without your participation. What do you want to do with it?

get smart.

If you have half a brain, chances are you're capable of perusing Pinterest and knowing better than to think half the explanations for the projects, exercises and wedding DIY's are legit. Let's face it - this super frugal girl pinched pennies and saved a fortune on her wedding, but you're probably not going to chalkboard paint mason jars and personally label them all just to save a few bucks on plates from the catering company. Someone's gorgeous DIY wreath is the average person's craft nightmare, and you HAVE to know better than to think you can legitimately lose 10 lbs drinking nothing but tea for three days [and not pass out].

Which brings me to my biggest issue lately - believing the health myths. Buying into the diet fads. Following a 1-2-3 plan to weight loss and not being an independent thinker. Here's a shocking idea: your body is not the same as mine. Mine isn't the same as my mom's, or my brother's, or my dad's - and we're in the same fucking family. So why in God's name would you think that you're going to get the same results as person A, B or C just because you both read the "30 lunches to lose weight fast" article and followed it to a T? Chances are, you're probably not.

If you've decided to get healthy, lose weight, tone up, build muscle or just eat better, you have to stop reading made-for-you plans that are supposed to fit the general public. I can tell you from personal experience that I have friends who can eat 100-calorie packs all day long and lose 20 lbs, and I would gain weight from them. I have friends who gain weight from eating chocolate, who lose weight from eating bread, whose bodies do things that mine would run away screaming from. If you've decided to make a change in your lifestyle, I totally applaud you. As someone who lived in fat-kid denial for years, sometimes the hardest part is just waking up with the commitment to making a change. But what I wish I would have done earlier, and what I wish more people would do now, is educate myself.

Educate yourself. Do not sign up for the coolest diet trend that gives you the highest probability of success. Following Weight Watchers, South Beach or Jenny Craig will not teach you anything in the long run if you don't know what the programs are designed for. Reading thousands of articles on pre-planned meals and trampling through your grocery store with a list you didn't come up with on your own won't help you. Blindly grabbing the 100-calorie packs and whole wheat pasta boxes won't teach you anything if you don't know what's in them. Learn what food does to your body - understand why foods on Weight Watchers with higher carb counts are now higher in points. Learn about why Atkins preaches a low carb diet, and understand that it doesn't give you the right to eat 6 lbs of bacon a day. Stop eating boxed meals from the freezer section just because there are pre-determined points or calories labeled on the front.

I'm not saying you don't have to start somewhere. Any change to your diet is a good one, and making modifications and finding low-fat alternatives to your favorite foods is awesome. What I'm saying is that so many people go through life not knowing what refined sugars are, what "good fats" and "bad fats" are and what carbohydrates can do to your body when eaten in excess. So many people go through life not knowing how to fuel their bodies before and after workouts, how to create habits that will last a lifetime, and not just until the hit their goal weights. Depending on a program to guide you in the right direction is AWESOME. Programs like Weight Watchers and even free tracking systems like My Fitness Pal are awesome for showing you how to monitor your portions, incorporate healthier alternatives into your diet and how to balance your intake versus output. But you still need to learn what food does to your body.

If you rely on plugging numbers into an online tracker or pulling all your resources from the latest "top 10 healthiest dinners," you may stay fit, but you're never going to know why. The internet and social media has been a great outlet for utilizing fitness options and finding new healthy recipes - but it's also made us so dependent on following directions from someone else instead of learning about how our own bodies work. If you learn about what you're eating, learn about what you're putting into your body and how your body reacts to it, you'll quickly learn that someone else's "healthy mac and cheese" is your body's nightmare, or that someone's favorite low-cal casserole is actually just full of high-sodium cans of processed food that you can't even read the ingredients to.

Lord knows I am not perfect about my diet and exercise routines. I love fried macaroni and cheese almost as much as I love a good cheeseball - and one time, I totally fell for my grandma's line that her delicious oatmeal cookies could be considered "breakfast cookies" because there are oats in them (no, I was not 10...this was less than a year ago). All I'm saying is that you owe it to your body to do a little research instead of just eating the 10 meals some food blogger hand-selected from the internet as YOUR top 10 healthy meals. News flash: Your top 10 healthy meals are constantly evolving, and they're going to be different than mine. Your top 10 healthy meals should be established by you and only you, once you learn and experiment with different foods and understand what they do to your body.

Your body is your body, not anybody else's. Nutritionists and informational articles can point you in the right direction - they can help guide you, and weight loss programs are awesome forms of accountability and putting all that nutrition "junk" into easily utilized numbers. But chances are, you're not going to spend the rest of your life tracking every snack you ever eat (that'd be a lot of snacks for me), so you should do yourself the justice of learning about what you're eating so you can function on your own without someone else telling you want to consume and when.

Independent thinking is something that's often lost today - and it's probably half the reason this country has an obesity problem. You only get one body. Learn about what you're eating, and treat your body like the temple that it is. Feed yourself what you know to be good, and indulge in what you know to be delicious (and sometimes bad). Don't live by anyone else's nutrition rules, and don't let someone else decide what's right for your body. Educate yourself, and your chances of maintaining a healthy lifestyle long after you commit to one are much higher.

End rant. Stumbles off soap box and apologizes in advance for offending anyone.