Thursday, February 16, 2012

healthy lifestyle changes...

Kaz and I have been doing a lot lately to change our lifestyle to become healthier. There are some habits that we have, that have needed changing for a long time...and the more Annie Rice grows up, the more we want her to see better eating/exercising habits from us! My biggest weakness is COKE ZERO! I honestly have no desire to give it up. I don’t know that I ever will but I literally drink it like I have a coke zero IV hooked up to me! I drink it all day long! Everyday! Even when I was training[well, the little that I did] for the half marathon, I drank coke zero all the time! Little to no water! It’s A REALLY REALLY BAD HABIT! I have been TRYING...TRYING being the key word to only drink soda at night for dinner. Some days, I do really good, others like today I had it for lunch! BUT I AM GETTING BETTER! I’ve made it a goal to drink at least 3 glasses of water a day. In the past, I would be lucky to drink that in a month! SEE, I TOLD YOU IT’S BAD! I told Kaz last night there needs to be a soda rehab!
I’ve mentioned several times on here, some of my eating habits...We have both been really convicted over the last several months about what we eat! More specifically, the amount of processed foods that we eat! Organic wasn’t even a word in our vocabulary. I ate Smart One’s for lunch and sometimes dinner for almost 3 years...EVERY SINGLE DAY! I cut those out all together back in September. I haven’t had one since! I’ve started replacing those lunches with healthier versions...chicken salad made with greek yogurt, PB and banana wraps, etc. A couple weeks ago we heard about a company called Healthy Home Foods[located in NC and SC]. I took a look at the website automatically thinking it would be outrageous because it’s all natural, organic foods, but I almost fell in the floor when the representative told me for our family it would be about $60 a week! I called to get a better understanding and a food representative came out to our house and cooked there food for us! It was DELICIOUS! I was pretty much sold before they came out, but I was definitely sold after tasting the food and seeing how affordable it is! We received our first shipment last night, which is a 6 month supply of food:) It’s A LOT! I’m so excited to be making these healthy changes...As I was looking through the food, I noticed that my husband added in a few items that I didn’t know about...like chocolate peanut butter! HaHa! 
I’ve been trying to add 1-2 fruits/veggies with every meal that I eat! For breakfast, I have eggs every morning! I made some homemade granola over the weekend and I’ve been having a small cup of granola + fresh strawberries with the eggs! It’s yummy yummy! 
I’ve been keeping a food/exercise journal to keep me on track! The reason I decided to do this for at least a month is because the last few months I have had little motivation and it’s my accountability partner:) 
We have been jumping up and down and praising the Lord this week for Annie Rice’s new eating habits! I don’t know where my old picky picky picky Annie Rice went BUT I HOPE she doesn’t come back:) Everyday, Annie has floored me more and more! She has been drinking at least 1/2 a sippy cup of carrot juice everyday! She’s been eating eggs, veggies, subs, really anything we give her without a fight! Normally, we have to fight her on at least the first couple bites and then once she finally starts eating it herself she says ALL DONE, so the fight starts back over! I have been really really proud of her eating this week! 
With some of the changes we’ve made, I honestly feel so much better! I have so much more energy! I pray that I can continue making healthy lifestyle decisions:) 
Here’s the recipe to the granola I made! It’s really yummy!
4 cups of oats
1 1/2 cups of flax seeds
1 cup of sliced almonds
2 cups of honey
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
Mix the oats, flax seeds, and almonds together. Let the vegetable oil and honey warm over the stove. On a baking sheet[I put tin foil over mine so it’s not as messy] lay out the  granola mixture and pour the honey mixture over it. Mix it all together and add cinnamon to taste! Bake at 200 for 10 minutes!
I used the honey, to make it a little healthier. I also did not put any dried fruit because I really enjoy fresh fruit in mine:) 

5 comments:

Morgan said...

This is all so great! Getting healthier is never a bad thing. I'm with you on the Coke thing though, I have to have my Diet Coke every day. No if's, ands or buts about it!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

would love to know your other healthy recipes as well. such as the chicken salad with greek yogurt. sounds delicious. i will have to try the granola recipe. looks yummy. i always look for fresh fruits & veggies ...but sometimes they are not the best quality. keeping the faith though. please keep giving your healthy tips. love hearing them. take care. (:

Laurel said...

For a little less mess (maybe?), we put the oats and things in a large metal bowl ... pour the honey/oil mix over ... mix it all together ... and then spread on the cookie sheet to bake. This way the honey coats the ingredients and not the baking sheet.

:) :) :)

Bridget said...

I don't know that have ever comment on your blog but I just love listening to your heart! I am currently reading the book " In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. You should check it out. It is right up your alley if you are looking to eat more whole and less processed foods and this woman http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/
did a food challenge and lifestyle changed based on this book with her family. I too as a mom and wife have become more convicted about what I feed my family and how I spend our money on food. Keep up the great blogging! It's been a joy to hear your joruney!

Anonymous said...

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