Super Shred - The BIG Results Diet

My Mom - a personal trainer - had a client come to her a while back asking about this book. She replied that she didn't know much about it, but like any good trainer would do she went out and did her research. She read the book, looked over it, then bought an additional copy to send to me. She asked me to look through it and tell her what I thought.

The first time I heard about it... I'll be honest... I rolled my eyes. Another diet book... claiming big results fast. There are plenty of plans out there that say they will give results fast, but they aren't really--healthy. However, I knew my Mom wouldn't send me something unhealthy.

I looked through it and found wonderful things! Dr. Ian Smith obviously had done his research and knows what he is talking about and doing. The more I read, the more I was tempted to try it. He doesn't have you eliminate anything! You still eat all food groups and you're not starving yourself! You are still eating! Dr. Smith has you spread your food throughout the day. Some days you have more meals, some days you have more snacks.

Spreading them out like that and using high/low calorie days is a form of intermittent fasting which has great proven results for loosing and maintaining weight loss.

Also, his meal plan has flexibility! He doesn't have a strict plan. He gives you options for every meal and TONS of options for both 100 and 150 calorie snacks! You can even have frozen yogurt!!!

After talking all this over with my mom/personal trainer I told her I wanted to give it a go. She is also doing it! She had knee surgery a few months back and her doctor said it would be good for her to get as lean as possible to keep as much weight off her knee as she can. She already looks amazing! She just needs to lean out a little more.

I wanted to do it as a jumpstart back into healthy eating. I've been sliding down hill. I do great doing the morning, but between lunch and dinner I have problems and then snacking at night with the Hubs... not good. So I'm rebooting my body with this plan. Plus... if I happen to lose 20 pounds in a month, that would be amazing too! Haha. Even if I only lose 10 pounds, it's still better then the non-moving scale that I've been seeing.

I started the plan yesterday. Week One, Day One is complete! I did it perfectly! Until... night time. :/ I already told myself I would fudge the rules a little for date nights with the Hubs, but I went a little overboard. Not to bad, but still more then I should have. I had a couple bites of "Zebra popcorn" which was great and fine... but then I had more then my fair share of peanut brittle. Ugh! It's okay though. It's just the first day and I still did really good.

Today, Day 2! So far so good! Check out my instagram to see some of what I'm eating. @spicyfrost

Until Next Time!
Spicy!

Guilt Free Chicken Crusted Alfredo Pizza!

Wow, that's a bit of a mouth full... but so is this delicious dinner!

Now, for those of you who know me... and for those who don't... I am a wanna-be-chef. I yearn for the day that I can just come up with a recipe out of the blue and have it be amazing! I'm working on it though and I've become increasingly accomplished at making other peoples recipes into my own. I can alter any recipe I come across... and I've only ruined one... Haha.

This pizza is gluten and guilt free, well kind of... I mean you still can't eat the whole thing and be fine. :) I got the original from my mom, I made this kind on my own, but the crust is the same. Just the toppings are different.

So, here's what you need... For the crust...
1 pound ground chicken (cooked)
1 cup[maybe a little more] white cheese (I used a mix of Italian cheeses)
Seasonings: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Italian Seasonings (I usually just sprinkle it all over one time)

Alfredo Chicken Toppings...
Shredded Chicken
Turkey Bacon
LIGHT Alfredo
Cheese
Roma Tomato Slices

1.) Preheat Oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2.) Process (or use a blender)chicken and cheese together. It will be thick. And crumby.
3.) Press the chicken/cheese mixture onto a greased/sprayed/or parchment paper covered pizza pan
4.) Sprinkle seasonings on top of crust.
5.) Spread LIGHT Alfredo sauce across the seasoned crust. Sprinkle on a light layer of cheese. Lay out shredded chicken across pizza. Break apart the bacon with hands (if you have a better idea, go for it) then crumble it across the pizza as well. Follow up with the Roma tomato slices. (we only did half because the Hubs doesn't like tomatoes.
6.) Add another layer of cheese and throw in the oven! (don't really throw it, it will make a mess)
7.) Check at 10 minutes, then add time as needed. I think we were between 16 and 20 minutes? We are in high altitude though.
8.) Let it cool and chow down!

I've seen other recipes where you put the crust together then bake the crust before adding toppings on. Once the toppings on you bake it again. I cheat and skip that step. I've found doing that cooks the crust more then either the Hubs or I like it. So, I'm doing it my way. :P

This was delicious and the Hubs gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. He almost never gives out five stars, so four stars is HUGE.

Hope you enjoy! :D

<3 Spicy
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Craving Struggle

Wow, I want cookies!

I have already had two today, I will not eat anymore!

I have two plates of cookies in my kitchen! Thank you to the wonderful ladies who brought them by... But your temptations are very hard to resist! As of the moment I'm not saying "no" to anything, I'm just counting calories so I'm allowed a couple cookies. But seriously people! I want to shove them all in my face!

Sigh...

I need to go drink some water ;)

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Mini Triumph

Phone Update

I really really really wanted some chocolate today when I was checking out from the store. It wouldn't be that hard. It was right there. All I had to do... was grab it! No. It wasn't worth it. Last time I grabbed something at checkout and ate it I felt awful afterward! Just let it go... but I really REALLY wanted chocolate.

I was up next.

I walked passed the chocolate... and didn't look back.

Seriously, it's ridiculous how small that is... but it made me feel SO good! ;) Mini triumph people! They build up!

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Nov 15th

Update From My Phone

Okay, I know it's been a long time. Sorry about that. Lots has been going on and I promise to do a few catch up posts. Bear with me while I do those and write my life away. I'm having some mental breakdowns and breakthroughs and they are big. I'm excited to have blogger on my phone so I can type out a quick thought when I need to. It will be encouraging when I'm in a rut. I can just hop on here and tell you all about how miserable I am and then I'll feel better! Haha. Seriously though. It's about to get uber personal up in here. ;) Well...  As personal as I get. :P

Lately the struggle has been all about food. I do great until after lunch. For some odd,  annoying reason my mind thinks it's my reward/dessert/punishment time and all I want is candy or dry cereal (like fruit loop cereal,  not the good cereal) or) LW's gold fish (I always feel bad about that one)... So that needs to stop. Anyway... I'll keep you posted!
Until Next Time!
Spicy

November 6th

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to Thankful Thursday!

I remembered where the link up was so we are LINKING UP! :D WOOT!!!

Sweet! :D 

Lets go on with this!

1.) Toddler Giggles. On days where LW makes me want to pull my hair out. When I have mental and emotional break downs. When I am fighting, really really fighting, the urge to scream at him. When he has effectively dissolved every ounce of patience I have left. (all of which happened yesterday) His giggles make everything better. Today is a much better day and I love listening to him giggle. 

3.) A Loving Hubby. I miss my hubby every day when he leaves for work and I can't wait to see him when he comes home. Some days I miss him more then others. Yesterday, with having the bad day that I did have, missing him as much as I did on top of everything else was not helpful. I was so thankful when he came home and was very patient with me as I became more normal. He helped with LW more then usual, did most of the talking throughout dinner while I tried to be happy. We laid LW down, he went right to bed, and instead of finishing our plans of cleaning the hubs let me have a nice shower and then we cuddled and ate popcorn. It was exactly what I needed. Just time with my hubby/best friend. :) I say it often, but it is just as true as the first time I said it. He is the BEST thing that ever happened to me. I love him so much.

I only have two for you today, but I think that is good enough. :) Sadly I didn't do Workout Wednesday yesterday, but from the day I was having, I think I can be excused. I did have a great workout though. Maybe I'll share it with you next week instead, unless I have a different one... or maybe I'll share two! You'll just have to wait and see!

Also, I purposefully didn't update belly stuff this week. I will again next week though. I'll be 34 weeks! Crazy! Check back tomorrow for Five on Friday Link Up! :D

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Weekend Recap Mon 30th

Wow! I can't believe it's the last day of September! Crazy. This month has gone by so fast. Actually this YEAR has gone by really fast. Wow... Anyway!

Nothing too exciting to report about this weekend, except for the fact we moved LW to a new room and a new bed... a toddler bed.

Yay for Cars :)

This bed has actually been up for a couple weeks. He has loved going into the new room and playing in it and on his bed. He even wanted to sleep in it before this weekend. The room wasn't quite ready yet though and neither were the hubs or I, so on Friday this is what I did to LW's old room (the nursery).

I took all his crib bedding out and put it away and replaced it with our baby girls things. (bumpers and sheet made by my sisters and mom and aunt, blanket with tassels made by mom-n-law)

LW didn't have practically any decorations in this room anymore. They were taken down a while ago by either me or him, so all I did was add wall decorations given to me by my sis that I call Sassy. 

LW walked in after I had put the butterflies on the wall and started laughing. It was funny. 

The room is not done yet, I still have quite a few things I want to do in there. A few decorations I need to finish and hang up. I also have a ruffle skirt to put on the crib as well. I'll post pics when the room is all finished.

I LOVE the girl theme of this room! I so needed a girl. Boy stuff is cute and fine, but girls are just SO FUN! I can't wait. Literally... I am so done being pregnant. Haha.

Moving LW to his new room and bed is really the highlight of the weekend. I know some moms are going to hate me for this, but it went great! Friday night we followed his same routine (after keeping him up all day/no nap) which usually goes something like this... Change diaper, get in PJ's, brush teeth (which he loves), read a book, family prayers, get in bed, and lately after LW lays down with all his blankets and stuffed animals he looks up at me and says, "Sing?" So I sing. We did all that, he was great. The hubs and I said Nighty Night and we walked out.

We stared at each other in the hallway after closing his door. He has slept with his door closed for a LONG time now so that wasn't any different. He was totally quiet. The hubs was making jokes about how in five seconds or something he was going to start screaming his head off, while I was going... "stop jinxing it, maybe he will be fine." About a minute later LW did start crying, but not screaming. 

The hubs and I walked into our room and waited with LW knocking on his door asking for "Mommy". Oh, what a heartbreak, but I was determined to do this and would not be swayed. He was doing pretty good so we let him cry it out for about 7 minutes before we walked into his room. We took him back to his bed, tucked him in again, I sang a short version of a long lullaby he loves and we walked out. He immediately started crying when we started walking away and was at the door seconds after we closed it.

I was prepared to do this for a long time if necessary. The hubs and I had agreed that after ten more minutes we would go in again. Five minutes later, LW was quiet. A half hour later the hubs and I were laughing in disbelief. Had it really been that easy?

Well, it had. LW slept the whole night and knocked on the door in the morning when he woke up at 8am. Saturday we went to a book signing to visit and support my sis-n-laws books! She is the author of the Seers Trilogy. It's amazing, just saying. :) We didn't get home until after 8pm, LW usually goes to bed closer to 7pm. He fell asleep in the car and barely budged when we transferred him to his bed. He was awake and asked me to sing so I did, but we walked out without any fuss and he fell straight asleep. 

 Last night wasn't quite as easy, but it was still good. We laid him down, walked out, he cried for maybe a couple minutes, then went quiet... then the hubs had to walk over to his bedroom door and he started crying again, but only for a few minutes then was quiet.

All in all, it is going really well. I look forward to the day when he doesn't follow us to the door after we leave, but I will take what we have over what other people go through any day. :)

Now I know baby girl isn't due to arrive for a while, but we want LW used to his bed before she makes her bebut. She wont be sleeping in her crib right away, but we also don't want him associating "losing his crib" with her. All in all, it's just easier this way and he is obviously ready enough for it.

Now... to try naps today... :S Wish me luck.

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Five Friday Favs

LINK UP!!!! YAY!!!!

My first link up since being back to blogging! It's a fun one too! Woot!

Welcome too.....

1. FALL/AUTUMN!!! I may be a little obsessed.

PB Pumpkins - via pintrest

via pintrest

via pintrest

via pinterest

I could post a million pictures of things I love about fall/autumn time so I'll just leave it at that. I'm obsessed with long sleeves, sweaters, boots, and all things pumpkin. :) I LOVE cold weather! Everyone here has been complaining about the sudden weather change, it went from 80 degrees to 50 degrees in two weeks(we even had a SMALL amount of snow on our playground in our backyard this morning), but I am loving it! Bring on the cold! :D And it's been super rainy and I love that too. I just love it! :D

2. Planning. Another thing I may or may not be obsessed with.

I love planning things out. I love having things to write in my day planner! Right now I'm currently obsessing over workouts and running and eating healthy. I want to wright it all down! But I have a rather small day planner and I don't like using pencils... so then I have to cross stuff out and then it looks messy. Maybe I should just get over my "no pencil" thing. ;)

3. Creativity.
      Do I really need to explain this one? I have a blog. I'm a writer and aspiring author. I draw. I have had a blast coming up with ideas to decorate our baby girls room (a lot of them I can't do because they would cost to much). Creativity all around is amazing.

4. BOOTS!!!


I may or may not be obsessed about these as well. I only have two pairs of boots... I need more!!! XD

5. Running.

via pinterest

via pinterest

via pinterest

via pinterest

via pinterest

via pinterest

I WANNA RUN!!!! I want to scream that at the top of my lungs! I miss running! Why did I ever stop? Oh ya... I got injured. I could have gotten back into it though, before becoming pregnant and then I could have continued running throughout my pregnancy, but starting to run in your third trimester after not running for ... a long time... is not smart or safe. I can not wait to hit that pavement after this baby girl comes and I've been cleared by the doc. :)

So if you are out hitting the pavement or trails or even the treadmill, run a little for me please! :D And I'll do the same for you when I can. :)

Happy Friday! :D
Enjoy the weekend!

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Thankful Thursday

So I thought I was going to be all original and come up with Thankful Thursday and be like, HEY Link Up with me! Then I was browsing a ridiculous amount of blogs and saw someone doing a Thankful Thursday link up, bummer. To bad I don't remember which site it was, otherwise I would be linking up right now.

I am Thankful for...

        1. The ability to move! I want to say run or walk, but moving is appropriate. There are a lot of people out there who can not move, they can't walk, they can't run, and I am so very grateful that I can. I found this site www.whoirun4.com and I am thoroughly inspired. I want to be paired up with someone, but I feel I should be 'not pregnant' before I do so. That feeling may change, but that is just how I personally feel. I can't wait though!

        2. Love. I am so very thankful for love. A life without love is no life at all. The hubs has given me the greatest gift of all. Love. I find more of myself everyday I am with him. He loves me for me. He is the one person on this entire planet, in this entire universe that truly knows EVERYTHING about me. He is my best friend. We miss each other so much when he is at work and if we have a day when one or the other is extremely busy and we don't get to see each other or spend time with each other very much, it's very hard! A little while ago we made a deal, a promise. It may be silly to some, or even ridiculous to others, but I love it and I love that he loves it too. We as a couple, are going to do everything in our power to NEVER be apart, even for one day. Hours, fine, that's inevitable, but a full day... even the thought makes us both sick. I LOVE that we LOVE to be around each other. I LOVE him.

         3. Inspiration. I came across something this morning. More like it fell out of my pen while I was writing in my journal and then made me feel bad. I found something inside of me that I have known is there for a long time, but it was kind of just in the back of my head. I didn't think about it much because it made me feel terrible. Let me give you a little insight to what I'm talking about.

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- many call us Mormon, but that isn't our name. Part of our beliefs is that our body is a temple, a gift from our father above. Now... I'm going to get real personal here for a moment... I am in NO WAY trying to offend anyone, this is just how I FEEL. With that said... What on earth have I been doing to my body? I am overweight (not thinking about the fact that I am pregnant right now, I'm talking about non pregnant me) boarder-line obese. In what way is that treating my body like the temple it is? I should be doing everything in my power to take care of my body! Talk about a slap in the face considering I was pigging out on cookie dough last night while dinner was cooking(no it didn't have egg in it). Ouch. With this new found thought/inspiration I took a new approach to today. I've been kind of watching what I eat and how much, but I haven't let it consume me... Today, I have been eating extremely healthy, minus the cup of Hot Chocolate I had this morning, but it was 59 degrees in my house and I needed something warm! Yeah!

Sorry, little too much attitude. :P I went on a walk today with LW even though minutes before I had decided not to do it. It was cold, I was tired, I needed to clean, but in reality I was sitting on my butt not really doing anything. Then LW went and grabbed his shoes and put them on his wrong feet, came up to me, and said, "Walk?" I told him no. He was upset. I grabbed something to put away(half cleaning) and said maybe we would go after I was done cleaning. That changed very quickly and I changed my clothes, threw my hair up in a ponytail, and was ready to head out the door. LW even grabbed MY shoes for me! (they were the wrong ones and he was very upset when I went to put them away, but then was happy again after he saw I had grabbed another pair).

We came home and had lunch and LW wanted a few goldfish. I gave him a few and was about to grab a rather large  handful when the thought, "My body is a temple" came to mind. I put the goldfish away and grabbed almonds instead. That may not seem like a huge deal to some, but it was for me.

I've been making little goals here and there and two of the three I've set in the last month are quickly becoming habits. I'm making another goal, a challenge, to myself (you can join too if you want!).

found on pinterest

My challenge to myself is to view and treat my body like a temple. To build it up so it can withstand anything and keep it pure. I'll be starting a new page, I don't know what I'm going to call it yet, but it will be a journey to building my temple. I'll post pics of food I eat, write down choices I've made, and post pics of my ever developing temple there as well. I'm competing with myself to build a better me.

Until Next Time!

Spicy

32 Week Tummy Update

It's been quite some time since I did a belly update so things have changed a lot!

Ready for the pic?

I have a belly! Well, I did last time too, but it was much smaller. Sorry there isn't my awesome white board ;) but I didn't feel like it. :P Now a comparison from last time I was pregnant...

I wish these pics were more similar so you could see more of a difference, but if you can't tell. I'm carrying very different and I'm smaller. I know some people might not see much, but I see a ton! like those shorts I'm wearing in my 1st pregnancy picture, fit me great then, but this pregnancy... I don't wear them much, partly because it's getting cold here now and also because they are big on me! My arms are still smaller then they were last time. And my face is thinner, but that is hard to tell because in the current pic I have my hair down and the older pic it's up which makes your face look thinner. My hair is also longer now, but that's besides the point, haha.

Okay! Belly update stuffs...

How far along? 32 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I'm no longer answering this question, I will tell you when I'm done being pregnant.
Maternity clothes? Mostly! I still have some of my non maternity stuff that I'm wearing, crazy right?
Stretch marks? No new ones, and the old ones aren't really showing up, yay LOTION! But really got the stretch marks last time around 36 weeks so we will see. I'm lotioning up like crazy though to keep them away as long as possible.
Sleep: Bah, bad question. I wake up multiple times a night. Not really for any reason, just because. I seem to be constantly restless and I can't get comfortable. 
Best moment this week: Um... ?
Miss anything? A good nights sleep! Being comfortable. Serious working out and running! I want to run so bad!!!!
Movement: YES! Like crazy! She likes to kick the hubs when we are going to sleep, hahaha.
Food cravings: Not to much anymore, but when I do crave something it's usually sugar or chocolate which is weird because chocolate isn't really something I love. I mean I enjoy it, but I would rather have other things. Unless it's a reeses, but then we are getting into chocolate and peanut butter and that's a whole different story.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, not anymore.
Have you started to show yet? Um... yes
Gender: GIRL!!!!!!!
Labor Signs: Some Braxton Hicks/Contractions nothing serious.
Belly button in or out? Officially out. Weird... That's another difference. With LW I never had an outy because of my extra fluff. I don't have as much this time so I have an outy. Weird.
Wedding rings on or off? On :) I only take them off at night because my hands swell when I sleep, but then in the morning they go right back on! :D YAY! I had to stop wearing them early on with LW because of swelling.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Usually happy. But LW and his toddler tantrums definitely make that hard... really hard.
Looking forward to: Not being pregnant anymore. I'm so done, being a mom of a busy body toddler definitely makes this whole pregnancy thing a lot harder. Plus, I want to workout HARD and run and run and run and not be in pain. I think the relaxagin (or however that is spelled and said) is making it's way around. I have old injuries flaring up that cause me daily pain. Both my shoulder and my ankle. Not fun.

YAY! Only 8 more weeks to go, two months! Yikes! And only 5 more until I'm full term. :D YAY!!!! 

Until Next Time!
Spicy!

Weekend Recap

This weekend we took care of mowing our lawn and cleaning the kitchen. Done.

Just kidding!

I found a new trick on Saturday!

... Of course... it was after LW woke up and had dried blood all over his face. :(

Poor kid had a bloody nose sometime during the night. It was on his cute little pillow, his sheets, his pajamas, and even his stuffed Pooh Bear. I walked in to get him up in the morning and he held out his hand and said, "OH NO!"

LW is a clean freak. Even at two years old. He gets it from his Daddy. What two year old BOY hates being dirty? Isn't that in their job description? To be dirty? Anyway, he had dried blood on his hands. I was terrified when I walked in the room because before I turned the light on... I was SO worried he had made a nice present for me in his diaper and then got his hand in it... ew. That would have been really bad to have all over his face. I'm glad that hasn't happened and I'm knocking on wood that it never does.

Now, I've had a few people ask, why do you think he had a bloody nose? Well.... both the hubs and I are unfortunately very susceptible to bloody noses and living in a dry high desert like Utah doesn't help. As a kid I had them all the time and thankfully they slowed down as I got older. Then I moved here and both the hubs and I have one probably close to once every two weeks. They aren't bad ones, but they are still bloody noses. Sorry kiddo...

Anyway, back to the story.

I quickly grabbed a wet wipe and tried to get some of the dried blood off his hands, but if you don't know... dried blood isn't the easiest thing to get off or out of things! The hubs and I agreed it would be best just to stick him in the tub. SO we did. He had a nice bath with the hubs while I stuck his sheet in the laundry.

THANKFULLY he didn't get any on his blankets, which really surprised me because he cuddles with those things like crazy. Yes, multiple. He has two that he will not sleep without.

Unfortunately though, it was all over his pooh bear. He loves Pooh Bear, or as he calls him "Pooh Pooh". Cute kid. I snatched the poor little stuffed creature away and hid him while I did some research.

How on earth do you get blood -- old, dried blood -- out of stuffed animals? I couldn't just throw Pooh Bear in the wash, he'd get ruined and LW would be devastated.

I was getting so frustrated because I found other people asking the same question and TONS of people kept saying, "EW! Throw it out!"

I'M NOT GOING TO THROW OUT A TEN DOLLAR STUFFED ANIMAL!

You can do that, I'm a penny pincher and that is just ridiculous, it's a little blood. It happens. Get over it and clean it, oh brother.

Sorry, I'll get off my soap box now. ;)

I finally found someone saying, "Poor hydrogen peroxide on it, it's what nurses use to get blood out of their clothes."

My first thought was... 'won't that ruin the color?' So I tested it on the pillow first. I didn't want to poor the peroxide right onto the pillow though so I poured a little on a rag and scrubbed. It didn't hurt the color one bit and it came out great with some scrubbing.

Next... was Pooh Bear. A part of me wishes I had taken a before picture, but at the same time i don't want to remember Pooh Bear with blood all over him. That's just to sad. And I have a feeling this wont be the last time something like this happens.

I started with the rag and although it was coming out, I could still see where the blood had been. After a few minutes of frustrated scrubbing I finally poured the peroxide right on the spots of blood in little amounts at a time.

It fizzed...

It bubbled...

I thought I was ruining my childs favorite (well, one of his favorites) stuffed animal.

Then it cleared.

And this is what I saw.

Nothing but a slightly wet Pooh Bear!

Hydrogen Peroxide wins! I was so happy! And once he dried, LW was more then happy to have his little stuffed Pooh Bear back. It all came out beautifully and left Pooh Bear still looking the same as before. No crusty stuffed animal fluff. Just a good old stuffed animal.

Yay! Best Mommy Award goes to me! And the peroxide, haha.

Thanks Hydrogen Peroxide for bringing the smile back to my little guys and pooh bears face. ;) Haha

And here's a picture of his royal cuteness just for your enjoying pleasure.

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Weekend Recap

What did I do this weekend?

Saturday I woke up and changed a struggling, fighting, screaming two year olds diaper and said, "I'm done! We are SO potty training you this week!" See, I don't have anything going on this week besides the grocery shopping I did this morning so it is perfect! He fights me every time I change him, but Daddy changes him and all is good. Ugh. Sometimes I wish HE was the stay at home parent and I could be the one to come home to a suddenly happy, loving toddler.

Then we went out to lunch with a bunch of family to celebrate the onslaught of birthdays we have in September. We went to Sizzlers, I had the Malibu Chicken and LW ate most of my fries. :( Then I stole some from the fry platters in the center of the table and all was good. Ha!

On our way to lunch

Saturday night, the hubs and I set up a toddler bed. Dun, dun, dun..... LW LOVES it! Until he realizes we are serious about him sleeping in it. Saturday night he crawled right in and we thought, "Wow, well... if he wants too okay." We weren't going to have him sleep in it Saturday. Well.... he didn't. The second he realized we were actually going to put him to bed in the toddler bed he jumped out of the bed. So into the crib he went.

We will be putting him in there soon though and it's going to be... fun... The room isn't quite ready yet, so the bed is just sitting there all together with all new Cars bedding and he can get in and out of it as he wishes. This new bedroom is bigger and we did not want to move the crib. I've heard a lot of people say to put the toddler bed right where their crib is... that's not going to work for us. Baby is coming in a couple months and we want him in HIS room before then. A.S.A.P! I also don't want him associating "losing" his current room with the new baby, we don't want any more resentment then what a first child already goes through when the second one comes along.

Sunday was a big day of relaxation, lots of cuddling, and family time. :) And it was much needed.

It feels good to be back to blogging. I know this is only the second post I've done this month, but it does feel good. I had forgotten how much I loved it. :)

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Where Did September Come From? Is Fall Here Yet?

Oh Wow! I can not believe it is September already! What?! Where did the time fly? Then at the same time... CAN FALL GET HERE ALREADY!?

Who else has fall fever?

I can't wait for...

Long Sleeves

Boots

Fuzzy pajamas

Sweaters

Blankets

Boots

Hot Chocolate

Sweaters

Pumpkin EVERYTHING

Boots

Sweaters

Pumpkin....

Did I mention Boots, Sweaters, and Pumpkin!? OH! I love fall/winter! Just get here already!

Well, I couldn't help it and I dove right into fall with THIS recipe from At The Picket Fence.

picture courtesy of atthepicketfence.com

I feel like I'm terrible at food pictures so I'm using her's. It just looks so good! :D

 Now, as per Spunky and my religious beliefs and personal choices, neither of us drink coffee. Which posed a BIG problem when I was craving this delicious hot pumpkin flavored with coziness and love drink. Until I asked one of my other sisters... let's call her... Sassy, who worked at a coffee shop, for some help. Thanks to Sassy's advice I was able to make this without coffee and substitute a few other things to really make this drink my own. 

Pumpkin Pie Latte (coffee free)

Ingredients:

2 cups White Hot Chocolate

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup Vanilla Almond Milk

1/4 - 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree, per taste (I really like pumpkin so I added a little more then half cup, didn't keep track, sorry)

1 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Whipped Cream

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine half and half, vanilla almond milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and bring to a low simmer while whisking. Be careful not to scorch.

Divide White Hot Chocolate between four mugs (or don't and keep it all for yourself ;) ). Slowly add pumpkin mixture. Top with whipping cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. Drink up! 

I also added a crumbling of graham crackers on top of the whipped cream. Delicious!

I guess I'm not waiting for fall to come to me. I already caught it and I'm not letting go!

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Weekly Goals and a little Annoyance

Okay, I'm going to rant about how annoying people are for a minute then get to my weekly goals so if you want to skip this part you can.

Why are people so annoying? Why do they feel like they have to tear anyone down when they are trying to be better? Why does the world see things so unhealthy!?

I've mentioned before I'm not where I wanted to be (health or weight) when I became pregnant again, but I am healthier then I was last time! I am eating better this pregnancy as well and continuing my workouts which were very sporadic during LW's pregnancy. Also, having an OB/GYN who doesn't listen to you or thinks your lying about eating well and working out or thinks your anorexic because you lost 3lbs is stupid.

So here's the deal for the world to see and know. I lost 10 lbs with LW before I started gaining weight. You want to know why? I was fat and when I found out I was pregnant I instantly stopped eating candy/sweets and stopped drinking soda. Guess what my OB/GYN at the time said? "You have the weight to lose and it's good not to consume those things anyway." Ta-da! I didn't gain a single thing until I was close to 28 weeks pregnant and then I gained about 20lbs. People are different! Some people gain weight their entire pregnancy, some don't gain until the second, some don't gain more then 15-20 lbs while others gain 50+ lbs (not recommended or healthy, but I'm making a point). Everyone is different and every pregnancy is different as well!

And guess what?! Whether your pregnant or not, eating healthier will make you lose weight. I'm NOT trying to lose weight, I'm just trying to be HEALTHY! I eat a TON. I'm not on a "diet", I'm just eating healthy. My OB/GYN doesn't know anything about me because she won't spend more then 5 minutes in the same room with me, I'm just a number to her. A patient should feel like a person, not a number.

I'm not thin or have super defined muscles (though I am pretty muscular) so looking at my "cover" and hearing I'm eating healthy and working out may be hard to believe. But I am. The world needs to GET OVER the whole "eating for two" thing about pregnancy. You're NOT eating for two adults, you're eating for yourself and a little TINY baby who needs about 300 calories. Look it up. And getting pregnant doesn't mean it's "fat time" or "gaining weight time" or anything else that this world believes which is really sad. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing and it should be just as healthy as life should be.

Our baby girl is healthy with a steady 160 heartbeat. So there. :P

Whew... now onto my goals and a much happier note!

Weekly Goals!!! (July 8 - 14th)

1.) Walk everyday. Walking is easy and a great exercise. It doesn't have to be a fast pace, just have to get up and move. Plus, it gives me a little "me time" while LW just sits back and relaxes in the stroller. May have to do this at night after he goes to sleep though this week... we'll see.

2.) Keep a Food Log. I know food logs can be faked, but mine aren't. Keeping a food log will keep me on track with what I need to be eating for the baby and for myself. Plus, pregnancy makes me super forgetful so I have to be writing down everything anyway, haha.

3. Complete Three Strength Training Sessions. This can be circuit training, weights, intervals... whatever!

4. Have fun with Spunky! I'm way excited that Spunky is going to be staying with us for a couple weeks! We are going to be doing everything together and it's going to be awesome!!! What better motivation to workout and stay on track then being with your sister who is also trying to be healthier? Perfect!

Here's a little update on LW: He's a tyrant. He hits (we are working on that, A LOT). He screams. He's upset about everything no matter what. He has started refusing to say Please, which then I wont give him what he wants which results in a tantrum. Oh well kid, ya gotta learn. Recently he's become a very picky eater and will cry about everything I put in front of him (not putting up with that). Aside from all the things he is doing that are driving me crazy, he also does the most adorable things and is the cutest boy ever. He is talking a lot more, which is really really cute. He loves getting "feel better kisses" and giving them as well. He asks for a hug every now and then. He sings with me when I sing and will sometimes sing on his own with a wide grin. He LOVES anything and everything having to do with cars. He is the cutest little boy ever!!!

And he is so getting potty trained over the next too weeks, haha! Wish us luck!

Until Next Time!
Spicy

20 Weeks Down; 20 to Go - Gender Reveal!

I know you all have known for a while now that we are expecting again, but this is the series of pictures used to announce it to everyone else and to reveal our baby's gender!

Gotta love LW's silly tongue sticking out face

Which will it be? Boy or girl?

Make a wish!!!!

WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!!

YAY!!! The Hubs and I are so happy we are having a GIRL!!!! I was holding in the biggest squeal of excitement when ultrasound lady told us the gender. Hehehe!

Now all the planning,crafting, buying, decorating, and preparing can begin! 

The only other thing I have to say before some comparison pictures and the weekly update is... my OB/GYN is annoying. I miss my midwives. :( Now back to the happy stuff.

Left - 20 Weeks with LW.          Right - 20 Weeks with Babe #2

How far along? 20 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 0+/-
Maternity clothes? Maternity pants, yup. Maternity shirts, not really. They still look funny on me. Sticking with my regular clothes as long as I can.
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: Better then last week, but still not great.
Best moment this week: Learning the gender and being able to FINALLY plan stuff! I've been nesting like crazy!
Miss anything? A good nights sleep and laying on my tummy. Eating what I like. I'm so picky with this pregnancy, blasted food aversions. My HIIT workouts!
Movement: YES!
Food cravings: Some hot, thick, fluffy dinner rolls with cinnamon honey butter smothered on them.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Have you started to show yet? Yes.
Gender: GIRL!!!!!!!
Labor Signs: No.
Belly button in or out? In, but it's looks funny.
Wedding rings on or off? On :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Usually HAPPY!
Looking forward to: All the planning, decorating, and fun stuff like that! :D

Only 20 weeks to go!!! Some days I can believe I'm 20 weeks and others I can't believe it at all. I still don't "feel" pregnant. I didn't really feel pregnant with LW until later on either though. Guess that is the same so far. Anyway, sorry this is late. Make sure to come back tomorrow for Workout Wednesday! Friday will be week 21 with another update! Also, check out what Spunky's been doing the last week with her new plan; just click here! She's working on her second one so watch for it this Sunday too! 

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Breakfast and Workout

Workout Wednesday is a no go today. I tried finding another link up that I liked, but since I'm not losing weight and don't own a scale I couldn't do Weigh In Wednesday and there was another I found that I don't really like or understood. So I'm going to stick with posting a workout today, but I will also let you know what I had for breakfast. It was delicious, yummy, filling, and healthy!

Monday nights workout for me focused on core and was centered around planks. I ended up dropping to my knee, which still gives a great workout and I am sore, because I'm not as strong as I was a few months ago. That's really frustrating by the way, but the trade off is well worth it. I know I can get back to that strength and even better after baby #2 comes in November.

The workout came from Pumps & Iron and is her side plank workout.

 My review? It was awesome! And quick, but still burned so good! I'm loving working out with a partner. The Hubs did a seven minute interval workout, it's fun watching the man I love workout along side me. We don't do the same workout at this point, jumping/high knees/high intensity cardio are all uncomfortable for me now that I'm in Month 5 of pregnancy.

Tonight I asked him if we could do the same workout or at least let me design one for him. I'm debating between a Deck of Cards workout or a nice Yoga Flow. I'm leaning toward a yoga flow. I'll update later with the chosen workout.

Breakfast this morning was a concoction of yummy healthiness. I had bought some precooked turkey breakfast patties a few months ago, they've been sitting in the freezer with a few left since. I wanted to make sure there was no flour in them and guess what? There wasn't! Woot! No sugar either! Sweet!

I popped one of those bad boys into the microwave with 1/3 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, letting it melt over the delicious meat. Then, I took one large egg and cooked it sunny side up. I placed it on top of the cheesy breakfast patti, cut into it and let the delicious yolk spill onto every mouth watering bite. YUM!!! I finished it off with a cup of Almond Milk (Vanilla - unsweetened) and a juicy fuji apple. Delish!

There ya have it! Have a great Wednesday!

Until Next Time!
Spicy

New, Healthy Breakfasts

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I've been focused on other writing. :)

I have however been attempting to find more breakfast ideas. Remember my goals a while ago about no sugar and no breads. Breakfast meals/recipe's generally have some kind of bread or baked good. It's been a challenge to find new ideas.

I did find a couple though!

I will be trying them out over the next couple days and I will post reviews about them and the recipes. I'm terrible at following recipes, I like adding my own twist. It will be fun to tell you the original recipe and then my additions.

Remember to check back tomorrow for Workout Wednesday!

Until Next Time!
Spicy

19 Weeks; Sweetarts are not vitamins!

I learned a hard lesson this week. I went a little over board on camping treats... One of the treats I bought was Mini Chewy Sweetarts. I do not recommend doing this... I could not stop popping those things into my mouth. Four at a time. They were SO delicious. What's left of them are currently sitting in the back of my pantry while I try to forget about them. 

In case you were wondering...

Sweetarts are NOT vitamins! 

And if you eat to many of them you wont feel very good...

I had to reevaluate what I was doing. So I woke up at 6:45 am. Said my morning prayers, read my scriptures, and got ready for the day. A routine I haven't done in... well... a long time. It felt AMAZING!!!!

Oh and the hubs is on board with working out! WOOT! We worked out together Wednesday night and we are working out again together tonight. He did a speed interval workout that lasted 10 minutes and I did a weights and intervals workout that probably took me 20 mintues from start to finish. He got a little dizzy after his workout so he sat down, drank some water, and waited for me to finish then we stretched together. My baby belly is getting in the way of some stretches... 

I'm flexible people. I'm used to wrapping my hands around my feet when I lean forward... I can touch my toes. It's weird to me.

Speaking of the baby belly, check it out!!!

How far along? 19 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3lbs+ last I saw (about a month ago)
Maternity clothes? Maternity pants, yup. Maternity shirts, I have one that fits me right now, and it's actually my cousins.
Stretch marks? No new ones.
Sleep: Bah... I slept fine with LW's pregnancy. This one, not so much. :(
Best moment this week: Feeling all the movement! Been feeling it for a while, but I have just been getting excited about it lately.
Miss anything? A good nights sleep and laying on my tummy.
Movement: YES!
Food cravings: Chinese and Mexican food! I'm really craving Mexican food at this moment, haha.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Have you started to show yet? Yes, but someone told me I didn't even look pregnant... So what do I look like? A person who is randomly gaining weight in... only her stomach? There is a point when telling a pregnant lady she doesn't look pregnant isn't a good thing.
Gender: I DON'T KNOW!!!
Labor Signs: No.
Belly button in or out? In, but it's looking funny.
Wedding rings on or off? On :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time, but I seem to be getting headaches easily which puts me in a grumpy mood.
Looking forward to: Learning the gender!!!! I want to know.

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Pregnancy 18 weeks. Healthier, it makes a difference!

I wanted to post the comparison pictures for you of my first pregnancy and this one. This is at 18 weeks. I know it's a different angle, different shirt, different blah blah blah... Whatever. It's the best I've got and you can tell the differences. So there. :P

This is me with my first at 18 weeks. Notice the choppy ugly hair--no actually don't notice that, haha.

Second time around 18 weeks. Healthier w/ more muscle. Thinner face, thinner arms, thinner upper stomach.

See?! It does make a difference! I'm not as healthy as I wanted to be the second time around, but I am healthier! I weigh less then I did last time, I have muscle this time, I'm happier both inside and out! It makes a difference!

Now, onto the update everyone wants...

How Far Along? 18 Weeks

Total Weight Gain/loss: 3 lb gain.
Baby's Size? Currently a melon, about six inches from head to rump
Maternity Clothes? Shirts, no. Pants, yes. I still could wear my regular jeans with a hair-tie around the button, but it's uncomfortable.
Stretch Marks? No new ones. I'm still lotioning up like a crazy person. Hopefully no new ones will appear...
Best Moment This Week: Feeling him/her move!!!
Miss Anything? Um... No?
Movement? A TINY bit. 
Food Cravings? Chocolate, which is weird, because I do not usually crave chocolate. It's not my 1st candy.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not lately.
Have you started to show yet? I think most people would be able to tell I'm pregnant now... maybe?
Gender? Hoping, hoping, hoping for a girl. Another boy is good too though. We will find out soon!
Labor Signs? No! Thank goodness, that would be bad.
Belly Button in or out? In, but I have a major inny anyway, it never popped out with LW. It is looking a little funny though.
Wedding Rings on or off? On, I'm hoping it will stay that way this time. I stopped being able to wear them last time around twenty weeks.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy! I'll randomly feel really upset about something and then I remember it's the pregnancy hormones talking and that makes me roll my eyes, then I feel better.
Looking forward to? Finding out the gender!!! Duh!

There you have it! Keep going strong! 

Until Next Time!

Spicy

What Are Good Days Without The Bad?

Without bad days, we wouldn't know what a good day is. We wouldn't know joy without sadness, or elation without anger. There are many, many wonderful things we wouldn't know without their negative counterpart.

Yesterday was workout Wednesday and I have been linking up with Skinny Meg for a while now to do it. Yesterday just wasn't gonna happen.

I'm a dreamer. I have big, extravagant dreams. Some of them seem unattainable at times, then I always have that voice in the back of my head... the stubborn, head strong, competitive side of my brain that beats back that weaker side and tells it to BE QUIET! My Mom knows better then anyone, if I put my mind to it, there is no stopping me. It's a great quality and I love it! It seemed last November that part of my brain kind of disappeared for a while.

I am an aspiring author. Someone who I love very dearly, who read my book, told me after my first rejection letter in November; "You are already an author, time just hasn't caught up with you yet." Her words helped lift me up after such a terrible moment. Most authors have their books rejected close to twenty times before getting published! That first one, I thought I was prepared for, but it hit me on a personal level like I wasn't expecting. After months of recovery and getting my head and heart in the right spot again I'm in the process of sending in my work for a second time. Wish me luck!

Yesterday another dream of mine took a big hit. I didn't respond well to it. I never considered myself and emotional eater. Usually when I get depressed I lose my appetite completely. I guess that's still emotional eating... or the lack there of. It seems being pregnant kicked that the other direction. I ate a tootsie roll, a long one, not one of those tiny bite-sized ones. And a couple handfuls of chocolate chips (ugh, just writing that makes me feel sick). Now... compared to my sugar tooth I used to have... this is amazing! And the fact it was the only "chocolate" things we had in the house. I wanted chocolate. I also didn't workout yesterday and the hubs brought home wonderful, delicious comfort food. Panda Express. YUM!!!! I told the hubs last night (after he saw how sad I was) that this dream was not stopped. It's just on pause for the moment.

I woke up this morning with a strong mindset. I am a dreamer! I will always be a dreamer! I may not accomplish all of my dreams in this lifetime, but I'm sure as heck going to try my hardest to reach all of them! I can have sad moments, otherwise I wouldn't know the happy moments, but I refuse to let them set me back!

One of my other dreams, as you all know, is to be fit and healthy. To have a healthy pregnancy. I woke up feeling skinny this morning! Which is weird... considering I'm pregnant. But it felt good! I know that my eating habits this week, minus yesterdays mishap, have been making my body feel so much better. I'm working out today and I'm going to everyday from here on out. (not including Sundays) I think my strong, stubborn, competitive brain finally kicked back in today and said, "Enough is enough! You want this? MAKE IT HAPPEN!" I am not at a healthy weight, but I'm going to do everything in my power to have the healthiest pregnancy I can.

I am happy to report that I fit into a pair of pregnancy pants that I couldn't fit into with my last pregnancy. Also I am smaller this time around, then last time as well. I have a comparison picture to show you, but this post is long enough so I'll share that with you tomorrow.

Take your negative, and turn it into a positive!
What are you making positive today?

Until Next Time!
Spicy