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A Sunday Well Spent...

I've seen this pin floating around recently, and it is SO true! After a nice post-church Sunday nap, it feels good to get a few things done. Spending some extra time on Sunday- even just an hour or two can help you start your Monday on the right foot. 

A few things that I find helpful are prepping some food to make meals easier during the week- this can be as easy as a grain, a veggie, and a meat to throw add into lunches or dinners. 

Options for food prep to make your week easier:

• wash and chop lettuce for salads
• cut up fruit to have for snacks or add to your yogurt
• grilled chicken to add to salads or lunches 
• make a large batch of quinoa or brown rice
• chop veggies to have as on the go snacks
• boil eggs
• make a large batch of soup in your slow cooker 
• overnight oats
• pre-portion your usual go-to snacks (pretzels, pirates booty, pita chips, etc)
• mason jar salads

This week I prepped boiled eggs, tuna salad (basically just tuna + mustard+ some boiled egg white), ground turkey, green beans, and brown rice. I made the rice in my rice cooker for dinner tonight (we had lettuce wraps) so it was easy peasy to add a few extra servings in to have for left overs (tomorrow we'll have burrito bowls). Ground turkey is one of my favorites to prep- it tastes delicious re-heated and its easy to mix up with rice for a yummy protein-packed lunch. 


Other easy things to make your work week start off on the right foot: make sure you have (at least some) laundry done, pack your lunch and gym bag, make sure your keys are in the right spot ;), wash sheets/towels, etc. It always feels good to go to sleep in an organized home on Sunday night...

Have a great week!

Good News...

I was accepted into Grad School at the University of Utah and will be starting my Masters in Health Promotion and Education, with a focus in Eating Disorder and Obesity Prevention this Fall! I'm sooo excited to be back in school, studying what I love. 

Go Utes! 

Living with a sweet-eater (while trying to live a healthy lifestyle)

You would never guess by looking at my husband (5% body fat and chiseled abs) but he has the biggest sweet tooth on the planet...and he isn't afraid of a few (dozen) cookies. When we first got married, I'd make him his favorite cookies all the time- peanut butter cookies with mini Reeses cups. Of course, I'd want a few. So I'd eat them. After a while I realized the two of us have very different metabolisms. He's an ectomorph and I can gain weight pretty very easily. 

I eventually eased off on the cookies (although I still make them a few times per month), and they are no longer the temptation they once were. Fortunately we've both changed our eating habits quite a bit in the last 3 years. We eat a healthy diet and live a pretty active lifestyle. I've lost about 10 lbs since we got married (....and I think my husband has gained 10lbs in muscle, but that's neither here nor there...) How do I continue to stay on track with sweets in the house??

my love <3

• I realized that he's not eating sweets to punish me. This sounds silly, but for a while I would get upset that he could eat so many cookies and not gain an ounce. Eventually I realized, he will eat cookies from time to time. It's not the end of the world if I  have 1 or 2 cookies, but I always need to remind myself that if 1 cookie is good, 6 is NOT better. 
• If I don't feel like eating junk I'll blend up a protein shake...which to me basically tastes like a milk shake. OR I will pop some popcorn, and if I'm really feeling crazy I'll throw some dark chocolate chips in. 
• The key is to know YOURSELF. If you can't just eat 1 cookie, then don't even start! Find a healthy snack you enjoy, and eat that instead. There are tons of healthy recipes for mug cakes, clean cookies, protein pancakes, shakes/smoothies, etc that will satisfy any sweet or chocolate craving. 
• If you do have self-control, then have a cookie or 2, and forget about the rest. I usually do baking on the weekends. If we sit down to watch a movie or netflix, I will have my cookie(s), and B will have his...and I will bag up the rest. Later in the week I usually am not even tempted, since I've already had a few...and he eats the rest in no time at all...

Again, the key is moderation, self-control, and not obsessing. If having sweets in the house (that you are forbidding yourself from) makes you crazy, then tell your significant other about it. Enjoy your favorites in moderation, and if you feel it's necessary, just ask them to eat their sweets when you aren't home. Having your partner on board (or at least support you) is a huge part of being successful with a lifestyle change, but just remember your goals! 

Guide to Packing

I'm heading to California tomorrow for Spring Break with my family. I thought I'd give a few packing tips that have helped me to avoid packing my whole closet too much. Since my husband and I live in Utah, and our families live on opposite ends of the country (California and Florida) We've done a bit of traveling over the past few years. I think we've taken at least 10 road trips together, so I'm always on the look out for efficient packing tips. While it's tempting to over-pack "just-in-case" it's never fun carrying a heavy bag through the airport or having your bag overflow the second it's unzipped. 

1. Make a list. Include any special activities you'll be doing, medication you don't want to forget, or any weather/climate- specific items (bathing suit, sunscreen, umbrella, etc). For this trip we'll have 2 travel days, 2 days in LA, and a few days in Santa Barbara, a church outfit, day in La Jolla, etc. 

2. Check the Weather. Last time we were in San Diego, the weather was much warmer than I anticipated, which unfortunately meant I was uncomfortable for a bit of the trip. (It was December and for some reason while I was standing in my closet in snowy Utah, I just couldn't picture myself wearing a maxi dress and sandals during Christmas time...turns out I was wrong.) Look at the 10 day forecast a few days before you leave to get an idea of what temps will be. 

2. Lay everything out. A day or 2 ahead, lay your outfits out including any special accessories, shoes, or bags you'll need to bring along. If there's anything you haven't worn for a while- try it on! No sense in packing something that doesn't fit well. 

3 Mix and Match. Try and aim for a simple color palate so you can mix and match pieces. For this trip (and let's be honest, most of my outfits in general) my color palate is navy and white with a few pops of color (pink and mint). This makes it easy to take outfits from day to night, beach to lunch, etc. The only thing worth bringing extrasof are underwear and basic T-shirts. 

4. Toiletries. When I go to California, I usually let my hair go au natural (curly) so the hair products I bring are different from my day-to-day use.  I made a list of these so I don't forget anything. 

5. Electronics. The night before, make sure you have all of your chargers prepared to be packed up with your phone, laptop, camera, ipad, etc. If you're traveling by air, it's also a good idea to have some movies loaded up for the airport/airplane. Or if you're driving- make sure the car chargers are ready to go. 

6. Food/supplements. No matter how I'm traveling, I like to have a few healthy snacks prepped. We will be taking a little cooler this time so it is possible to have things like Chobani yogurts, sandwiches, etc. That's not always the case though, and if no cooler is available easy snacks include pirates booty or popcorn, apple slices, carrot and celery sticks. We usually stop at Subway on the way to California ...and of course, Hot Tamales are a must for me on road trips. As for supplements, I will be bringing my probiotics and fish oil, and I'm sure my husband will be bringing along some protein powder.