Change is a good thing

    Wow! Wow! Wow! The motivation I have been looking for is back, Praise Jesus!!! Between the end of school and vacation these past few weeks have been really tough. I finally sat down and mapped out a schedule for my half marathon training, joined a gym (Yes, you heard me. I joined the gym again but more on that later) cleaned the junk out of my house and made a fresh trip to the grocery store. That fresh trip to the grocery store was encouraged by the fact that I accidentally left the fridge cracked for an entire weekend while I was gone and lost everything in there, oops! :( I was frustrated because money is really tight right now but I also looked at it as an opportunity to start fresh. I went to Southside produce and got all fresh fruits and veggies to restock. Then, I made a trip to Wal Mart and got what I needed for 2 weeks of cooking so that I wouldn't have to go grocery shopping this weekend since my normal meal planning/grocery shopping day will be spent with my daddy for Father's day. I have been trying some new recipes that I will share a little later. So far I have liked both of them but the first one definitely is my favorite of the two :) I have another new one to try next week and it's a crockpot recipe which are always fun.
         Now, lets talk about me joining the gym again. After just 2 days of training outside in the BRUTAL heat I felt like I was going to pass out each time. I decided that feeling wasn't worth it and that I would rather pay a little for the gym each month rather than pay a hospital bill due to dehydration. I have been dehydrated several times and let me just say it is absolutely, 100% the worst feeling I have ever felt. One time was so bad my arms started going numb and I couldn't stand up so my mom thought I was having a heat stroke which landed me a trip in the ER. Talk about scary! All of that to say I am now happily training in some air conditions :) One of my best friends and soon to be roommate goes to the gym so I decided to join the same one as her. So far she has been great accountability and it has been super fun working out with a friend rather than by myself. We went to body pump tonight which I really enjoyed however I don't know how much I will enjoy walking tomorrow haha. When we got home from the gym last night we mapped out a schedule so that even if we can't go together we know what to work out that day. I needed some type of schedule to look at each day and go in with a plan so I don't just roam around the gym waisting time trying to decide what to do that day. I will keep y'all update on how things are going :)
    So as far as my meals I went a little pinterest crazy one night while searching for Simply Filling foods. So far I have been very satisfied :) Try them out. They are so yummy and filling!

Week 1: Spaghetti Squash Casserole
https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=vcReBJy3un0
Here's the link to the recipe. The only thing that I did different is I added a potato and used one zucchini and one squash.  Absolutely delicious!! This is by far one of my favorite dishes that I have ever made!

Week 2: Lasagna stuffed Spaghetti Squash

http://arismenu.com/lasagna-stuffed-spaghetti-squash/

Here's the recipe for this one. It is very yummy and filling! I have been eating it with a cucumber and tomato salad. Oh and instead of salad dressing I have been using FF Plain Greek yogurt with a packet of ranch mixed together. You can't even tell that it is greek yogurt. It is absolutely delicious and has been making me eat more vegetables. I can dip my celery, carrots, cucumber and tomatoes in my "ranch dip" and its guilt free!! 

Week 3: Crockpot Quinoa Casserole

http://truthpeacelove.com/crockpotquinoacasserole

I haven't tried this one yet! This is my meal for next week. I am going to add black beans to it and I'm using regular quinoa, not the red one. I have grown to really like quinoa. It is most definitely an acquired taste so don't expect to love it the very first time you try it.   

And last but not least my new favorite smoothie:)

   It is Dt. 7UP, strawberries (I did frozen but you can do fresh if you want), a bananna and some ice. Now, I gave up soft drinks over a year ago so I was very hesitant about this one but it is not something that is going to make me crave a soft drink nor do I feel like I'm drinking one. 

    So far some changes I am seeing in my attitude are the way I am thinking about food. I am beginning to ask myself more "Is that really worth it?" I went to eat lunch with a friend today at BJ's and when opening my menu I went straight to the "lighter" section. WHATTTTT?!?!? Is this the same Heather that thinks "If I'm going to eat out and pay for this food I'm going to get whatever I want and eat every last bite?!?" Yup, sure is people, sure is! By the grace of God I am changing the way I think about food, especially when eating out. Eating out is such a huge part of our culture. I don't want to band myself from eating out with friends so I just have to learn to make better choices. I was very satisfied with my Lemon thyme glazed chicken breast served over brown rice with grilled onion, tomatoes and brussel sprouts all over it. MMMM talk about yummy and filling!! AND GET THIS...I left food in the plate and didn't feel bad about it. I was full so I pushed my plate away and continued to drink my water as I talked to my friend. Wow, this is a HUGE stepping stone for me!!! When my friends ask to go eat out so we can catch up I ask if we can choose a restaurant that has healthy options. Like I said this is SO BIG for me but so worth it. I am tired of playing games with my weight and ready to be a healthy weight range and to become a weight watchers lifetime member. Yes, this is my bigger goal but if I look at that I will freak myself out and run so I'm taking baby steps. Right now my goal is my first 10 pounds. I am hoping to reach this by the end of summer. I am banking on the fact that I will have to get my bridesmaid dress altered for LJ's wedding in August and that will be the best feeling ever! I don't mind paying for alterations if it means I'm getting smaller ;)