My Fitness Pal

   I have to rave about this app that is on my phone and computer. My Fitness Pal is a wonderful and fun app to use whatever your fitness goals are. I heard about this app from YouTube sensation +JennaMarbles on her highly popular vlog channel. This app helps you track your food and exercise while helping you to reach your goals. For example, yesterday I didn't eat as much as I usually do and did not reach my caloric goal for the day. After inputting all my information the app told me this:

Based on your total calories consumed today, you are likely not eating enough

For safe weight loss, the National Institutes of Health recommends no less than 1000-1200 calories for women and 1200-1500 calories for men.

Even during weight loss, it's important to meet your body's basic nutrient and energy needs. Over time, not eating enough can lead to nutrient deficiencies, unpleasant side effects & other serious health problems.

To safely meet your goals:
• Focus on consuming nutrient-rich foods and beverages
• Check your progress in MyFitnessPal throughout the day
• Add nutritious snacks between meals as needed

   Isn't that too cool?! My Fitness Pal actually cares about me. Go check out the app and let me know what y'all think. 

Reading Lables

     I love Pinterest y'all! Pinterest much like coffee understands me. After scrolling around the food section of Pinterest I came across a simple dish that I thought my hubby would like. Hamburger Hash is basically ground beef, onion, potatoes, and shredded cheese. This is the kind of recipe I love to make because while everything simmers I can read research articles for class. A match made in heaven.
    This recipe is brought to you by the blog, Recipes We Love and Ann Kelly. I tried to be sneaky and get pre-cut frozen potatoes but when I read the label I immediately switched tactics. I had assumed that the cold bag in my hands would contain just potatoes and maybe some salt. Damn I could not have been more wrong. Dextrose, Disodium Pyrophosphate, (added to maintain color), Potassium Sorbate, and Sodium Bisulfite were all ingredients in my frozen potatoes. (Simply Potatoes 2014) What is laughable is that the sugar content was listed as 0 grams but dextrose was added to the frozen potatoes. Dextrose is a form of glucose derived from starches. It is one of the most commonly used ingredients in packaged foods because of its affordability and wide availability. Baking products and desserts often contain dextrose, but it may be used as an added sugar in any processed food that is sweetened by the manufacturer. Because the name varies depending on its original starch source, you may not realize a particular food contains dextrose. (livestrong.com)

   I marched my cute butt across the store and bought regular whole potatoes instead. I would rather cut my potatoes by hand than have all the aforementioned crap in my body. Moral of this rant is to simply read the label.

  As you can see I chopped 1 whole onion, I then shredded about 2 cups of colby jack cheese, and diced 1 whole potato. I also had pepper, salt, and garlic on hand to season the meat.

   I sauteed the chopped onion and 1 pound of grass fed beef in about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. The recipe called for vegetable oil which I never use. After the meat was done cooking I drained off all excess fat and set aside. I added another 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil to my pan and then threw in the potatoes. I love a lot of seasoning so the taters got a generous helping of pepper, garlic, and Morton's Nature's Seasonings. Since my taters were raw they required about 20 minutes of cook time. When they were done to my liking I threw the meat back in the pan and then added the cheese to melt on top.

    A great thing about casseroles is they usually tend to keep well in the fridge and heat up nicely. As a busy grad student having yummy meals on hand that only require reheating is a must. What are some favorite recipes y'all like to whip up? 

My Last Semester is Here!

 
   How did August get here so fast?! Seriously, it was June two weeks ago. I am graduating this December with my M.A. in Criminal Justice Administration. Finally! I am actually looking forward to getting a big girl job and putting my degree to good use.

   The only way I will survive my last semester is to run a tight ship and keep my calendar glued to my hand. Working two jobs, dealing with homework, and sorting out mundane domestic chores can be a bit much. But I have a secret. I am always at least one week if not two weeks ahead with my homework. I am that loser who stays home on the weekends completing papers and research. During my school career I have found that being ahead helps when life happens. Life loves to give you the plague, car trouble, insomnia, scheduling mishaps with loved ones, or work emergencies. Yep, life happens and the only way to deal is to be prepared and expect anything. I also like to have easy meals on hand to help my schedule flow more smoothly. Weekends are usually all about meal prep or throwing things in the crock pot. Cutting veggies and fruit then stuffing them into zip lock bags has saved my cute butt more than once.

   Hope everyone has a great week back at school! May the semester be ever in your favor!

Baked Mac & Cheese

Baked mac & cheese with Colby jack and mozzarella.

   Hey y'all, hope everyone is having a great and relaxing weekend! I am trying to relax and do a lot of nothing myself but I suck at sitting still. Last Friday morning I had my Synvisc-One injection done on my left knee. For the next 48 hours I can only walk to the bathroom or take a quick shower. It's actually doctors orders to do nothing but watch Netflix and read. The swelling has finally gone down but I am still very sore and grumpy. Synvisc-One is a wonderful gel that is shot into the knee joint to prevent swelling, and pain from arthritis. I began getting these injections after my ACL transplant and they have been a God send. I can work out harder, run farther, take the stairs all the time, and be a normal active adult. People who have had multiple knee surgeries should think about talking to their doctor about this gel to see if it is right for them. Since getting the injections I am not having to eat anti-inflammatory meds like candy anymore. Once in a great while I will take 2 Aleve for slight pain.

   Let's talk about that gorgeous container of mac & cheese. Tomorrow my church @St. Barnabus is having a Blessing of the Backpacks for all the kids going back to school on Monday. I am bringing my laptop, research materials, and books to be blessed. I think having the kids see that school can be fun and exciting when you get older will help their morale. Knowing that life gets better helped me in junior high and especially high school. College has been a wonderful experience and I am forever grateful that I was able to go. After church services we are having a pot luck and I am bringing baked mac & cheese along with chopped cantaloupe.

   Since I cannot move around much I enlisted the help of my mama to make this yummy dish. I got a cooking lesson while sitting in a chair inside the kitchen. I did get to grate the Colby Jack and Mozzarella so I kinda helped out. Mama taught me how to make a white rue sauce which is known as one of the great mother sauces. When you begin to learn how to cook, this sauce is a must have. It is versatile, velvety, and easy to make. I will write out the full recipe in the next blog post.

   What books or movies do y'all like to distract yourself with when you have to lie around the house?

"ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN" -ELLIE GOULDING

  Jamming out while recovering from Synvisc One injection.

Back Home and Yoga Love

   
  Hey y'all I am back from beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico where I saw two operas and ate a lot of great food. I took my laptop with me so that I could blog while I was away but alas my sweet computer would not link up to the hotel wifi. The weather was amazing with temperatures in the 70's with several late afternoon showers. I could have stayed for a month but Steven was getting lonely so I grudgingly came home. While I was there I did keep up with the yoga challenge on Instagram #confidentyogis by doing most of my poses in the hotel room. Yoga on!

Here is the rundown:

Day 4 Goddess Pose

 

Day 5 Upward Dog

Day 6 Warrior 2

Day 7 Camel (a personal favorite)

Day 8 We were asked to choose our favorite pose, mine was Tiger pose grrr

Day 9 One Legged Chatarunga

Day 10 Tiger Pose

Day 11 Bound Half Standing Split

Confident Yogis Challenge

   For those of you on Instagram there is a yoga challenge that has begun. Every day a new pose is posted on Instagram. Everyone is invited to take a picture of themselves in the pose and post it with the hash tag #confidentyogis, tag @busybodyogi, @paigepodbelsek, @aquaazulboutique. Here are a few of the poses that have been posted.

Reverse plank

Triangle 

King Dancer Pose

Frustrated pose

Guest Post: Healthy Living by DesaRay Goff

 

Me and my little sister :).

 So honored doesn't begin to describe how I felt when my beautiful sister asked me to guest - write for her blog. I am a typical little sister: I adore my older siblings, because I can see the brilliance that most of the world doesn't take time to appreciate.

As I sit here, writing between sets at the gym, I have to take time to tell y'all that I have always had a weight problem. I carry my weight well, meaning most people are surprised when I utter the secret numbers, but you have always seen the chunk on me. In high school Mom and I would do hours of aerobic and walking tapes. The years that followed have been filled with extremes and yo - yo diets, despite the fact that I actually know quite a bit about proper nutrition and working out. I have even been a fitness trainer previously...

Presently my amazing boyfriend and I are members of the same gym. Both of us have a history of being overweight and mistreating ourselves nutritionally. I have recently begun to love me for who I am despite how I look. My gym motivation? Health. Forget looking like a size 2 anorexic model. I want to be able to play with my niece and nephew and not feel winded. I want to know that I can climb that hill if I choose.

All that being said, I take for granted what I know about healthy eating and often forget that not everyone has seen nutritionists for the last 20 years or so due to a chronic illness. All this to say that Ray and I work out together and encourage each other to eat well. He did not grow up with the same knowledge that I did, and I have had fun introducing the idea of fruit as a dessert to satiate a sweet tooth. I give him tips on how to use machines at the gym, and he pushes me to challenge myself. I'm the personality that does the bare minimum at the gym, though I encourage others to do more. Ray doesn't let that slide. Ever. Talk about relationship building! We have been together 5 months now and the gym and nutrition have caused a great deal of arguments due to one or the other of us being lazy or wanting junk. You have not seen wrath until you have told me to put down the French fries. My loving boyfriend is motivated by a desire for me to be healthy that often comes out in a not - so - loving manner. Tact is not his strong suit, so I have had to adjust how I process what is said as he works on his tone and wording.

Despite the frustration, nothing makes me happier than looking over at my guy on the next machine and him pausing to give me a thumbs up followed by his fist pumping in the air to cheer me on! Here's to a healthy lifestyle! 

The healthy and happy couple!

Ray and DesaRay hanging out at the San Antonio Farmer's Market making healthy choices.