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!