Hot Mess Express

* My nails look HORRIBLE right now. Horrible, I tell you. There are several chips in them and I keep seeing them when I'm at work and nowhere near nail clippers and then I get home and completely forget to trim them. This has been going on for a couple of days. I should really put some clippers in my purse.

*Also my pedicure from over a month ago should probably be done now.

* The breakfast and lunch I packed for today is basically all carbs. Because I cannot seem to get myself together enough to go grocery shopping on the weekends and then I don't want to go after work so I'm left with peanut butter and jelly for lunch.

* I spilled eyeshadow all over my jeans in the car on the way to work this morning. That stuff does NOT come out with a wet paper towel. Just trust me on that one. 

* We're having kind of an End of Summer BBQ party this weekend and I'm seriously agonizing over whether to decorate for fall this week (Adam decrees that I shall not decorate for Fall until the official first day of Fall, which is tomorrow) or if I should keep my current, more summery decor up until after the party. Like, I really cannot decide about this. I am fully aware of how ridiculous it is that I cannot make a decision this simple. 

* I'm both excited for the party and also kind of dreading it a little because it means having to super clean the house and be all "on" for the party, know what I mean? I'm such a strange mixture of introvert/extrovert. I love hanging out with friends and I LOVE entertaining so I enjoy planning these things but then my introvert side peeks out and all I want to do is find a hole to crawl into with my books and my puppies and my Adam and hide from the world. 

* I know I haven't been as present on the blog and on your blogs and I'm sorry. My schedule has been kind of weird lately, also I've been dealing with some anxiety issues and that always kind of puts me in survival, "do the bare minimum to get by" mode. 

*Basically I'm a hot mess right now.

Clean-Eating Treats Recipe Roundup

I've really been trying to straddle the line between "eat completely healthy all the time" and "eat ALL the bad food"- you know, that moderation thing.

I can do the really strict thing for about oh, two days (maybe) and then I'm like WHERE'S THE CHOCOLATE ALREADY so I need a plan to eat a mostly healthy diet with a little treat each day. I seem to be able to stay on track better this way.

So I've been pinning a bunch of recipes (BTDubs you should totally follow me, plug plug) for desserts that are clean-eating (or mostly clean-eating), lower calorie and smaller portions, but still satisfy the sweet tooth. These are the ones on my list to try, I hope to be able to make them soon and then I will report back with my findings! #fortheblog

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bars

Skinny Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Skinny Vanilla Bean Donuts

Guilt-Free Chocolate Truffles

Clean-eating Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Single Serve Brownie

Have you tried any of these? What are your go-to clean-eating goodies?

Ac-centuate the Positive

I've been feeling kind of overwhelmed with just life stuff lately and it's trying to get me down. But I hate being a negative nellie, so I've decided to write out a list of all of the positive things going on, the things I'm proud of or excited about.

* I totally nailed my nutrition and workouts last week and lost 7 pounds on the scale from last Sunday to Monday morning. I know a good bit of that was water weight but it still feels great to be back on track! And getting rid of that much water weight I can see and tell a difference in how my clothes are fitting again!

* Because I've gotten rid of the bloat I'm seeing some of the definition in my muscle that I've been working so hard to get the last couple of months.

* I knew meal planning totally worked for me, but I am amazed at how much better it goes when I have it typed out in a spreadsheet, printed, and hung on my refrigerator, as opposed to just saved on the computer. Turns out I NEED it in front of my face every morning when I'm packing my lunch and snack for the day. And for some reason doing it with cute fonts and colors seems to help too. I'm easily amused.

* Our BBQ party is this Saturday and I'm so excited! I have some fun recipes I'm looking forward to making for that and it will be so good to hang out with friends.

* I have the day off this Friday so I get a three day weekend, WOOP! Plus that will give me extra time to get the house ready for the party.

* I don't have it hung on the wall yet, but my gallery wall is all in frames and ready to go and I LOVE it! It's taken me some time to get together because I was trying to use as much "found" stuff as I could to avoid spending too much, but it's really come together nicely.

* I've been getting more responsibility at the job lately, and I'm receiving some great positive feedback on my work!

* I made a new 21 DF friendly recipe for Chicken Enchilada Soup over the weekend and it was delicious! It's perfect for dinner and as leftovers for lunch the next day.

* Since I made that and I actually really enjoyed cooking it, it's inspired me to take on more new recipes to put some variety in the dinner rotation.

* Adam and I spent half the day Sunday just relaxing and sleeping and eating pancakes for brunch, and it's the best day I've had in a while.

See? I feel better already! What are some good things going on in your life?

I'm Back!

Well hiya! I missed y'all! Last week was actually really nice though, I thoroughly enjoyed my time "unplugged". How was everyone else's week? I feel so out of the loop!

I did a lot of reading and finished The Husband's Secret and OMG SO SO GOOD. The epilogue. I won't give any spoilers but suffice it to say mind. blown.

This weekend was really nice as well. We go to our church's Thursday night service, so our Easter service was Thursday night instead of Sunday morning.

Then Friday at work was actually pretty nice because things were pretty slow and low-key. Adam dropped our fur babies off at the vet Friday morning so they could get caught up on all of their shots and check-ups and heartworm/flea meds and HOLY WOW it was a small fortune! Don't have three dogs unless you want to spend a buttload of money every time you go to the vet.

Then when we got home from dinner that evening we opened the garage door and heard a loud POP. This is not a good sound. Turns out one of the cables on the side of the door had slipped off the track and the door got stuck. Adam worked SO hard to get it fixed and he did fix it, he got the cables back on the track and retightened the springs, and he got it to go up and down a few times! But as he was finishing up and tightening one of the big springs in the middle it broke in half.

So now we have to pay to have someone fix it.

I guess when it rains it pours, huh?

On Saturday we had plans for Easter dinner at a friend's house, so I spent the morning baking and decorating a Carrot Cake to take.

Dinner was wonderful and we had a great time with our friends! 

Adam said he made this face because "The Easter Bunny Cometh" 

AMAZING Lemon Meringue Pie made by friends

All the yummy goodness

The inside of the cake! 

Our selfie

Sunday looked mostly like a whole lot of this: 

It is most definitely way past time for me to really get back on track with my eating plan, so I planned out my entire week, every meal including snacks. That seems to be the best way to keep me on track. So today is a fresh start, and I am so ready! 

How was your Easter weekend? 

My Fitness Favorites

*This is not a sponsored post, I just love these products! I do receive a credit if you sign up under Fabletics with my link* 

I don't know about you, but getting in shape and staying in shape is HARD work for me! It certainly doesn't come naturally. I need all the help I can get to keep me motivated and determined! These are a few of my favorite fitness tools:

Nutrition Trackers

+  21 Day Fix containers and nutrition plan

These babies are GOLD I tell you. GOLD. Especially if you are struggling with knowing what kinds of foods to eat and the right portions. With the help of these and the workouts I lost 20 pounds last year, and not only that but they totally revolutionized the way I eat. Not that I don't still indulge in junk food (If you've read this blog for any amount of time you know I do!) but I know how to get back on track right away and it's helped me SO much with my view of food. After eating this way for a few weeks I had a much better grasp on portions and I realized how little protein, fruits, and veggies I was eating before. Game changer.

If you want to know more about this program, feel free to ask!

+ My Fitness Pal App

Pretty much a "duh" at this point, I know. Most people already know about this one. Even though I use the containers I do like to sometimes log my food choices in My Fitness Pal, just to make sure I am staying in the right calorie range. It makes it so easy to log calories!

+ Water Your Body App

I'm sure this isn't the only app like this, but this is the one I've been using and it had made a huge difference in the amount of water I'm drinking! I've always been horrible about drinking enough water, mainly because I just forget to drink it! And I prefer sweet tea and coffee. Oops. But this little guy will remind you throughout the day with a notification on your phone, and then you log how much water you drink throughout the day until you reach your goal.

Workout Gear

+ Fabletics

Another one most people know about I think, but in case you haven't heard, Fabletics is the active wear company owned by the lovely Kate Hudson, and they have really nice quality workout gear for really affordable prices! You sign up to be a VIP member and they charge your card $49.95 each month, which you can then spend on anything you want. Or you can skip the month and not be charged, as long as you do so by the 5th of the month. I definitely don't buy something every month, but whenever I need a new workout top or pants, they are a great resource! They have really cute, fun, brightly colored gear. And doesn't a cute outfit just make working out a little more fun??


+ Nike sports bras

So for those of us who are bigger up top, working out with a not so supportive sports bra can be both annoying and painful! I've tried different brands and so far my absolute favorite are the Nike Pro Victory Compression Bras. They're really affordable, come in great colors, and have great support. Plus they hold up really well! I've had two of them for about a year now and washed them who knows how many times, and they still look brand new! I do hang them to dry, which I think helps them keep their shape and elasticity better than tumble drying.

+ High Density Foam Roller

This thing is awesome! I was having some serious low back pain due to tightness in my muscles, and my chiropractor told me to get a high density foam roller to work on loosening the muscles in my lower back and hips. It's been a life saver. It's also great for working the arches of your feet if your doing a lot of jumping or running. It definitely doesn't feel great at first because it's really firm on your tight muscles, but once it starts to loosen them up you feel SO much better! 

There are a lot of little things that help me along the way, but these are among the most effective fitness and nutrition tools for me! What helps you stay on track? 

Confession Session

YOU GUYS. Do you not LOVE my new look?? Because I LOVE IT so much! I cannot say enough good things about Sarah of Social and Chic (and her blog Venus Trapped In Mars)! She designed and installed the template and I could not be more thrilled! Isn't it fabulous?? Seriously, if you're thinking about a new look for your blog, check her out! She does custom design too! Thanks SO much Sarah, it's beautiful!

And now for some confessions:

* I got on the scale on Monday morning to mark where I was at the official (re)start of my weight loss plan and it was NOT pretty. Let's just say there's nothing like a big ole scale reality check to give me just the kick in the pants I need. Turns out I can't eat everything in sight without consequences. Huh.

* I had heard about it before, but it literally just occurred to me that I can borrow e-books from the library on my Kindle instead of always having to go to the library to get them. Mind=blown. Now I do prefer "real" books and I LOVE the library, but sometimes it's nice to just grab the e-book you know? Especially if your branch never has the ONE book that you need to continue reading the series you're on.

* There are so many dramas at work right now and I just can't even.

* I was both fascinated and supremely creeped out by the giant moving lion thing Katy Perry was riding in her halftime show on Sunday night. I mean it was kind of cool, but also the red eyes and the way it moved weirded me out.

Seriously, though, how crazy is this thing??

* My BFF and I went to the mall last night and we went into Charlotte Russe, which we used to shop at ALL the time as teenagers. We actually did find some pretty cute stuff, but also there were a lot of tiny shorts and super short dresses and the music was SO LOUD and I'm pretty sure I sounded like an old lady, I was all "WHAT? I can't hear you, this music is SO LOUD!" Ahh youth.

* The other day I brought a can of tuna for lunch, along with some spinach and a tortilla, planning to make a wrap. When I went to the break room at lunch to make it I couldn't find the can opener! I was so bummed, that was my protein! I NEED protein or I get super hungry, or more like hangry. I looked in every drawer and cabinet and no can opener. So I just ate my sad little protein-less spinach wrap. Then later someone found it just as I was going on my afternoon break and I legit busted that tuna out for my afternoon snack, I was so happy. Do not stand between me and my protein.

Link it up lovelies!

Goals, I got 'em

So I'm a little late to the game but I thought I would join the fun in setting goals for September! This month's theme is fitness- oh my, so needed for me, as I have been majorly lacking in motivation!

1. Get back to exercising regularly, for me 5 times a week.

2. Work on my water drinking! I would like to be drinking at least 4 cups of water every day by the end of the month (I know this doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm really bad at drinking water and drinking 4 cups consistently would be a major accomplishment for me).

3. Eat clean Sunday through Thursday, allowing myself a cheat meal or two on Fridays and Saturdays.

4. Get the scale to move already! I have been stuck for a while and it's TIME!

Thanks to all of these ladies for hosting the link up!