Work in Progress

We all struggle sometimes to balance everything we need and want to do in a day. Common advice is that we need to make the time for things that are truly important us. I know you may be eye-rolling thinking, but when? For me, it's getting up extra early. For others, maybe it's staying up late. For all of us, it's usually a trade off of some kind. The key to fitting a workout into your day is planning.  Creating, and sticking to, a workout routine is all about the planning. Set yourself up for success by planning ahead and thinking of a workout as a given part of your day. This doesn't mean you can never take a day off but once routine is established it's so much easier to stick to. Conversely, once it's broken it can be more challenging to reestablish. More than two days off, the harder it will be to get back at it. If you really want to workout, try what works for me to make a morning workout happen. 1. Plan It.  Write it in your planner. Input it i...

  My family loves a good shrimp boil at the beach, where you season and throw everything in together to cook in a huge pot outside. We weren't able to do that this year but, thanks to my mom, we did have a pretty delicious alternative over Labor Day. If you didn't have a shrimp boil this summer, it's not too late with this alternative. No large pot required. Make this simple combination using your oven, microwave and grill. Guaranteed to still be delicious and have great leftovers to mix and match for other meals.  What You'll Need: 1-2 lb Shrimp, peeled and deveined (can leave tails on) 2 Kielbasa Sausages (if you buy long ones or use whole pack if grab another kind) Corn on the Cob, husked, 2 per person 2 lbs Red Skin Potatoes Ready to Bake Biscuits, optional Olive Oil Bayou Seasoning*If you don't have or want, use combination of Paprika, Garlic Salt, Minced Garlic and Onion Powder to flavor to liking.* Paprika Minced Garlic Onion Powder Garlic Salt B...

We weren't the first to get in on the healthy cauliflower trend but once we tried it we were hooked!  Cauliflower Rice is a staple in our house. When we first tried it we bought heads of cauliflower and made it ourselves. Then I discovered riced cauliflower in the frozen foods sections of our grocery stores. Game changer. I'm never going back. Not that making it yourself is hard but I love me some frozen steam fresh veggie bags! I love the cauliflower rice and have used it in so many ways. We didn't have rice that much before, intentionally, but now we sub the cauliflower rice and include with many more meals. Our family's favorites are... Taco (Tuesday) Bowls What you need: 2.25 lbs Ground Beef (for 5+ servings) Taco Seasoning   1 bag frozen steam fresh Cauliflower Rice Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese (lots) 4 Ripe Avocados  1 Chopped Onion or Onion Seasoning Garlic Salt/Powder Hot Sauce Lite Sour Cream (lots) Tortilla Chips 1 Diced Tomato and/or Salsa First we usuall...

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." - Nido Qubein We all have our own unique set of circumstances or factors that affect our ability to get, and stay, healthy and fit. We have different responsabilities, schedules, resources, starting points/prexisting conditions, the list goes on. Most importantly, we are all built differently-physically and mentally. That being said, I have never been a fan of diets or fads. I am not a dietician nor fitness trainer. I am someone whose weight has fluctuated, who grew up in the era of 'clean plate club' and the excess of food typical for those able to afford it. I have always been active although, just as my awareness and knowledge of healthy eating has evolved, so has my knowledge and awareness of physical fitness and exercise. What once may have been thought to be healthy, or may have worked for us, has changed. We know now that our bodies really do no...

DECORATING  YOUR CAKE  What you'll need: lots of icing: store bought or ingredients for icing recipe long bread knife (to level cakes if doing multi-layer or to cut into shapes) big and small spatulas to ice with icing gel for words icing smoothing tool (if you want to be really official) whatever else you want/need to decorate with: food coloring, fondant, sprinkles, candies, themed figurines, etc.  There are tons of easy icing recipes out there but also lots of delicious store bought options. My personal favorite is a store bought vanilla buttercream. You can use food coloring to create desired colors or buy ready to go icing pouches found in the baking isle of your local grocery or craft store. If you're doing a multi-layer cake you definitely want to use a knife to level off the top of the cake that will serve as the bottom layer. Then be sure to use a generous amount of icing on top of the bottom layer, which will be between the cakes, before you...

This is an argument to make your own cakes!  You can save a ton of money making it yourself and still have a great tasting cake with whatever 'theme' you like. My husband always says that his grandma told him, "if you can read, you can cook," because if you can read, you can follow a recipe. Well same goes for baking. Also, it doesn't need to be from scratch. There are tons of delicious and affordable box mixes that you can buy. The box mixes are a great route to go if you don't already have a tried and true recipe that you want to make or if you're not an experienced baker. I have made lots of different store bought mixes and let me tell you, they are easy and truly yummy. Every.Time. If you're skeptical, read on and I will break down in detail for you below. First, you'll need to make sure you have the following: box mix or all ingredients for recipe if from scratch cake pan(s) spatula(s) non-stick spray additio...