Continuing Tradition

As some of you may know, this is one of my favorite times of the year because it is Aggie baseball season!  My parents have had season tickets to the games for a very long time and I started consistently going to games with my Dad when I was in the 4th grade.  I have spent so many great seasons at Olsen Field and made wonderful memories over the last 22 years (wow I feel old)!

When I was 12 years old I got the opportunity to throw out the first pitch before one of the Tuesday night games.  Definitely a dream come true for me!  Here is a picture of me and my friend Alicia Stephenson on the field before I threw out the first pitch.  Random fact: Alicia is actually the one who taught me the words to the Aggie War Hymn.  She wrote the words out for me on a piece of paper so I could learn them and I'm pretty sure I still have that paper packed away somewhere.  Thanks Alicia! :)

 

I mean look at this view of Olsen Field from Kyle Field (I'm estimating somewhere around 1995)!  No REC Center and check out those parking spots right next to the train tracks.  So different than what you would see today!



Over the years I've taken a lot of friends to games with me, and yes of course a few boyfriends too.  My parents were pretty close to giving up their 4th season ticket when I met Jason.  My father was ecstatic to have someone to talk to about guy stuff so they decided to hang on to that 4th ticket....which ended up being a good choice because in case you didn't know, we got married.

When we had Aria in December 2011, we had to decide whether or not to go ahead and get her a season ticket as well.  I told Dad not to worry about it but because it was the opening season of the new ballpark he thought it might be best to get a ticket while the opportunity was available.  Aria's very first Aggie baseball game was at the Grand Opening of Olsen Field at Bluebell Park and she was only 2 months old.  We took a picture of her first baseball game, but she's wrapped up so much you can hardly see her.  So here is a picture of her a little later in the season.

It warms my heart that she loves going to the games as much as I do!  The Aggie baseball games are so special to me because no matter how busy our lives get we always know that come baseball season, this is where we will be spending our weekends as a family.  So come next season we will have another tough decision to make...do we get another season ticket or hold off?

Photo an Hour - Saturday, 2/07/2015

Answering a call to action from Amanda Joiner, here is my Photo an Hour blog post for Saturday, 2/07/2015!

8am - Prepared the crockpot with ingredients for Steak Carnitas so they would be ready in time for dinner!

 9am - Aria waited patiently for the muffins to get done cooking.

10am - We loaded up in the car to go to Gia and Granddaddy's house!

11am - Appointment at the hair salon.

12pm - Still at the salon, decided to go brown!

 1pm - Late lunch with the hubby.  Trying out the new BBQ place in town.

 2pm - Quick stop at Starbucks for a decaf skinny vanilla latte.  I'm sure you're shocked!

 3pm - Visit to Aerofit for Jason to scope out for a possible gym membership.

4pm - I worked really hard to take this selfie while Jason vacuumed out the truck at the car wash.

 5pm - I got in a lower body and cardio workout while Jason picked up the kid from my parent's house.

6pm - Dinner is served!  The Crockpot Steak Carnitas were amazing!

(Find the recipe here) 

7pm - Relaxed in the bath and read Gone Girl.  I went an entire 9 mins before Aria came to tell me her show was over and she needed me to start another one.  Don't worry, I got right back in!

7pm bonus picture (too cute to pass up) - Aria played dress up in Mommy's boots.

 8pm - The kid is passed out so I caught up on the latest episode of Hart of Dixie.

9pm - Decided to be somewhat productive and put away some of the laundry that may or may not have been sitting there for the past few days. (Don't judge.)

10pm - Desire to be productive has passed so I'm catching up on Nashville and Facebook.

11pm - Finishing up this blog post before heading to bed.  Turned out to be a nice and relaxing Saturday!

21 Day Fix Results

I'm a bit delayed in posting this but Sunday was my last day with the 21 Day Fix.  I do have to say I really love this program!  I highly recommend it for anyone looking for an at home workout routine. I will say that I was not 100% on track, but I did really well with my working out and greatly improved on my eating.  I'm happy with my results but I know that they could have been better.  But hey, it's a start!  I'm trying out a new program so I will post more on it later.

Starting weight: 136.2
Ending weight: 132.2

I lost a total of 4lbs and even though it wasn't much, I can see a visible difference. 

I also finished up with Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Challenge.  This is a free program that walks you through setting and accomplishing goals and to-do lists.  I am amazed at how much better I've been able to stay on top of things in my personal life.  I was able to clearly define goals for myself for the year and from there they teach you how to set up your daily priorities to get you closer to reaching your goals.  I truly enjoyed this program and it never took more than 10 mins a day to go through the videos and tasks.  I have made a ton of progress towards my goals in the last month!

My favorite recipes over the last few weeks: 

Baked Boneless Buffalo Wings with Homemade Ranch Dip

From Healthyfeelshappy.com

Serves 2 

-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
-1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
-1 egg
-1 tbsp butter, melted
-3/4 cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce -1 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-poultry seasoning to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. On a plate, crack the egg and whisk. In another plate, 
add the flour and season with garlic powder, cayenne, and salt. Season the 
chicken pieces with poultry seasoning, and then dip the chicken in the egg to 
coat. Next, dredge the chicken in the flour and place coated chicken pieces on a 
baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the chicken with cooking spray to 
ensure it browns when baking. Bake the chicken pieces for 10-15 minutes and then 
flip and cook the other side for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Stir the melted butter and hot sauce together in a bowl. Dip the baked chicken 
in the hot sauce mixture until fully coated. 

Ranch Dip 

-1/2 cup non fat plain Greek yogurt
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1/4 tsp onion powder
-1/4 tsp celery seed
-1/4 tsp sea salt

Mix everything together in small bowl and taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

From skinnyms.com

·         -4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 40 ounces)

·         -2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

·         -1 medium onion thinly sliced (Not chopped)

·         -4 garlic cloves

·         -1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (for gluten-free use White Balsamic Vinegar which doesn't have caramel coloring)

·         -1 tbsp. olive oil

·         -1 tsp each: dried oregano, basil, and rosemary

·         -1/2 tsp thyme

·         -ground black pepper and salt to taste

Pour the olive oil on bottom of slow cooker, add chicken breasts, salt and pepper each breast, put sliced onion on top of chicken then put in all the dried herbs and garlic cloves. Pour in vinegar and top with tomatoes.

Cook on high 4 hours.  Would be really great served over angel hair pasta!

The Big 5

Today Jason and I celebrate our 5 year anniversary.  I know that many of you are thinking "How in the world has Sarah able to put up with him for 5 years?"  Easy.  I make sure that no matter what, I always remember to tell him we don't have any money.  You want to buy a motorcycle?  We don't have any money.  Yes, that drum set is really nice.  Too bad we don't have any money.  That poker game does sound like fun.  It's a shame we don't have any money. :)  That seems to keep him in check for the most part! (Kidding...mostly.)

In honor of our 5 year anniversary, I thought I'd post the top 5 things I love about my husband.

Number 5: If it's broken, he will fix it.

I have never met anyone who can "do it yourself" like Jason.  The house needs remodeling, Jason can do it.  The shower is broken, Jason can fix it. The oil needs changing, something needs building, the sprinkler needs repairing, hair needs cutting....Jason will do it (okay definitely not the hair cutting again).  I laugh because even Aria understands this about him. Any time she accidentally tears a sticker or breaks a crayon in half, the first thing she says is "It's okay, Daddy will fix it."  If he doesn't know how to do it, he researches it until he does (and in his defense he actually did research the hair cutting before he did it).

Number 4: He is an amazing teacher.

Jason has been given this amazing gift of being able to teach others; not just teach them, but teach them well.  Whether at the dojang, work, or at home, Jason has this way of explaining how something works and breaking it down to help you understand as well.  He is articulate and patient and he loves watching others grow in knowledge and skill. 

Number 3: He is the hardest working person I have ever met. 

I don't know many people who have this drive to always give 100% (and in some cases it seems like more).  Every single day Jason demonstrates that it is not enough to just do something, but you need to see that it is done well.  He never does something half way and understands that the quality of his work directly reflects his character.

Number 2: He loves me more than he loves Aria.

Before we had Aria we sat in several classes at church where the same message was repeated; make sure your child knows that your spouse will always come first.  In order to be a united front in parenting, you have to make sure your marriage is strong.  The best thing we can do for Aria is to show her what a Godly marriage looks like.  By putting me first he shows Aria what a Godly husband is and our prayer is that she will never settle for anything less.

And the number 1 thing I love about Jason: He loves God more than he loves me.

Jason loves God and always makes sure that the decisions we make for our family are based on the things that God expects from us.  He pushes us to live a life worthy of God's love and even though we sometimes fall short he continues to lead us as God has called him to do.

Happy 5 year anniversary to the most amazing husband in the world!  I love you!

Here are some pictures of us over the years.

21 Day Fix - Week One

The first week was about as hard as I expected it to be.  I definitely was not perfect but any time I fell down I got right back up feeling a little more motivated.  When I completed the LiveFit Challenge back in 2013, it was easier to stay on track because Jason was doing it right along with me.  This time it's just me, but he's been extremely supportive and has pushed me on several occasions to make better decisions.

By Wednesday morning I was just flat out hungry.  I'm taking in a lot of food but it's so low calorie that I find myself hungry after about 30 mins.  I came close to eating my hand just to get some relief, but luckily too many episodes of Walking Dead made me reconsider.  In order to stay as close to on track with my meal plan as possible, I made Jason take me to get Mexican food....twice.  I stuck with 2 fajita tacos on corn tortillas topped with only guacamole but I definitely had chips and queso.  

I really enjoyed some of the recipes I tried out this week so I thought I'd share my two favorites.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

Received recipe from by Beachbody coach

Container Count per serving: 1.25 green, 2 blue, 2 orange

2 large Portabella mushroom caps
1 roma tomato, diced
2 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup crumbled fat free feta cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
small pinch of red pepper flakes
small pinch white pepper
1/4 cup Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

In a small bowl, combine the spinach, tomato, feta cheese, mozzarella, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and dressing.  Toss together.

Place the mushrooms in a small baking dish and evenly divide the mixture and stuff the mushrooms.  Don't worry about stuffing them too full.  The spinach will wilt down when it's heated.

Pour chicken broth in the bottom of baking dish, just enough that the mushrooms are sitting in a bit of liquid.

Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 until the mushrooms are soft and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Hummus-Crusted Chicken with Squash and Zucchini

Container Count per serving: 1 blue, 1 red, 1 green

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 zucchini, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup hummus (I used roasted red pepper)

1 TBSP olive oil

1 lemon

1 TSP paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare one large baking dish with cooking spray.

Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini, squash and onion with olive oil until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper.

Place all veggies in the bottom of the baking dish in an even layer. Lay the four chicken breasts evenly on top, then cover each breast with the hummus so that the entire breasts is covered. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken and veggies. Then sprinkle the chicken and veggies with the paprika.

Bake for about 30-40 mins, until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender. Serve immediately.

I thought I'd Pinterest up my weight loss journey (because who doesn't love a good Pinterest craft) by creating these weight loss jars.  I started with 11 marbles in the Pounds To Go jar and for each pound I lose I get to move a marble to the Pounds Lost jar.  If I put any of those pounds back on I've got to move the marble back to the Pounds To Go jar.  As of today I have 3 marbles in my Pounds Lost jar!

I did not post my starting photos last week.  I really struggle with putting them out there this time around. When I began the LiveFit program I hadn't already succeeded so posting photos as I progressed never bothered me because I was making progress.  This time is different because I've undone (almost) everything I worked for so it's a bit embarrassing to admit that I failed myself.

Starting weight: 136.2 
Weight today: 132.6

I can't tell as much from my front photo, but I can see a little more of the changes from my side photo.

Here's to week two and hopefully being just a little less hungry every day!

Starting Over...

...well maybe not completely.  Have I put on all of the baby weight I lost almost 2 years ago? Yes.  Do I make poor eating choices every day?  Pretty much.  But do I still have the tools and knowledge I gained when I went through the LiveFit challenge back in May 2013?  You bet!  In my book that already gives me a head start.

Over the past 6 months I've asked myself what happened?!  What happened to my drive and my self control?  Why is it such a struggle to get back on track?  I think my downfall began when I reached my "goal".  Once I reached my goal I began to convince myself that it was okay to eat that extra treat and it won't hurt if I skip this workout.  As the evidence confirms, that is such a slippery slope; one that I slid right down!

My "fat" pants are getting tight, my back and neck are constantly hurting, and I barely have enough energy to get through the day.  I hate the way I feel, I hate the way my clothes fit, and I hate looking at pictures of myself.

I've been trying to figure out what kept me motivated in the first place and I've come to the conclusion that the main reason I was successful is because I kept myself accountable by blogging.  I originally stopped blogging because I felt like I was spending more time worrying about my next blog or Instagram post than I was playing with my daughter and that was not okay.  I think there can be a healthy balance and I feel like I am in a better position to make that happen.

I've decided to use a combination of tools to get me back on track.  Tomorrow I will 100% commit to the 21 Day Fix.  I have used pieces of this program as a guide for almost a year now, but have never seen the program all the way through.  I absolutely love the workouts and the eating plan is pretty straight forward!  

Also, for the past 7 days I've been completing Chalene Johnson's 30-Day Challenge.  This challenge is a great tool for organizing yourself so that you can successfully set and accomplish goals.  I have really enjoyed it thus far and can't wait to see how the rest of the challenge goes!  You can sign up for this and you will receive 30 days of videos and worksheets to guide you through the process.  The best part about it is that it is completely FREE!  

Jason got me an awesome book for Christmas called God's Guide to Food, Fitness and Faith.  It is a 30 day devotional of Biblical principles for better health.  I thought it was perfect to start along side the 30-Day Challenge as a bit of extra reinforcement. 

                                  

So here I go again!