Easy Dinner: Shredded Pork with Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, and BACON

It's so nice to be able to make a healthy dinner for my family that is quick and easy to prepare. With a few minutes of prep in the morning, this dinner requires less than 30 minutes of prep in the evening. 

For the Pork:

4-6 lbs pork loin roast

1 can organic diced tomatoes

1 can organic tomato sauce

the following seasonings are all to taste, I don't measure them, I just eyeball it:

Pepper

Garlic

Italian Seasoning

Salt

Onion

Put the seasonings on the bottom of your crock pot. Then put the pork roast on top. Then pour over the sauce and tomatoes. Cover and set your crock pot on high for 7-8 hours. When the time is up, shred your pork with a couple forks and serve.

For the veggies:

3 medium-large organic sweet potatoes
1 tsp organic coconut oil
8 slices bacon
1 lb organic green beans

In a deep skillet, melt your coconut oil. Chop your bacon into small pieces and add to pan on mid-high heat. While the bacon is cooking, chop your sweet potatoes and trim your green beans. Add in the sweet potatoes and stir. Continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. Then add the green beans in the final 5-10 minutes and stir. Serve alongside your pork roast for a complete meal.

One Pot Recipe: Un-stuffed Cabbage Rolls

One of my ultimate cravings has always been pasta. However, pasta isn't exactly the healthiest option around. It's loaded with empty calories, tons of carbohydrates, and most contain nasty chemicals on top of it all, with little to no nutritional value. So, I wanted to find a recipe that would satisfy my pasta craving without the junk. And of course, it had to be yummy and something my kids would eat. This is so good that my kids call it "Pasta soup" and ask for seconds and thirds. An added bonus is that it is great leftover the next day for lunch too. Note: I always strive for organic ingredients, but use what your budget allows. 

Ingredients:

1 package organic ground beef

1 large head of organic green cabbage

2 cans organic diced tomatoes

1 can organic tomato sauce

1 tablespoon organic coconut oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup water

Seasonings (all amounts to taste):

Himalayan Pink Salt

Organic Italian Seasoning

Minced Onion

Pepper

Garlic

Parmesan Cheese for garnish

Directions:

In large stockpot add coconut oil, minced garlic, minced onion, and ground beef. While the ground beef is browning, chop your head of cabbage and rinse. Once the beef has browned through, add your chopped cabbage and your canned tomatoes, water and sauce and all spices. Bring to a boil and boil for about 5 minutes. Then, simmer for about 30 minutes more, until cabbage is tender. Serve with Parmesan cheese for garnish and enjoy.

Is it worth it?

In our daily lives we are often so busy and so stressed. Every single thing that demands our time and attention has to get weighed to determine its importance. The same goes for eating. If you are working towards a health or fitness goal, you start to question every bite of food that goes into your mouth. You may find yourself asking "Is it worth it?" multiple times a day. So many things make this question come to mind. Is that slice of cake worth it? Is going on that run worth it? Is eating healthy worth it? Is the extra work worth it?Sometimes you have to weigh your options. 

Is it worth it to eat organic? For our family, the answer is YES, most of the time. We don't buy 100% organic foods simply because it's not always financially possible. We have a large family and a limited budget. So, we work with what we have and strive to buy as many of our groceries as possible organic. 

Is it worth it to exercise daily? ABSOLUTELY YES! Whether you're trying to lose weight, maintaining your weight loss, or just striving to improve your health, exercising daily (or at least 5-6 days per week is crucial). Each day there are 24 hours in the day, even though sometimes they feel much shorter or longer. Even if you work 12 hours a day and sleep 8 hours (most people sleep less), you still have the ability to find one hour during the day to exercise. You don't have to kill yourself with some crazy HIIT workout, although HIIT workouts are awesome! Just move your body. Dance, walk, run, lift some weights, do some push ups and squats, walk the dog, run around the house chasing your kids, climb the stairs in your house over and over again, etc. Just do something active for an hour a day, every day. 

Is that piece of cake worth it? If you've been eating clean and exercising, sometimes eating something unhealthy seems like you've failed completely. You tell yourself "Oh well, I had a bite of cake. I might as well give up on ever losing this weight." Absolutely WRONG! It's unrealistic to expect to eat clean 100% of the time. Everyone is human. Everyone has temptations, everyone will have a situation where you can't prepare a healthier option ahead of time, everyone will want a break occasionally. There is nothing wrong with eating that slice of cake OCCASIONALLY. There is something wrong with eating the whole cake, or eating a slice of cake after every meal. Know your boundaries. A good rule is the 90/10 rule. Eat clean 90% of the time and let yourself eat that piece of cake or that tiny bag of chips the other 10% of the time. That way, you don't feel deprived and you're more likely to stick to the healthier options. Plus, the longer you eat clean, the less likely it is that the junk food will be appealing to you anyway. 

Is the extra work worth it? Let's face it, losing weight is hard work. You're not going to be able to snap your fingers and magically find yourself 50+ pounds thinner in the morning. It is a lot of EXTRA work. We're all busy. If you're a mom like me, you know busy is an understatement. So, it can be rather intimidating to realize that your weight loss journey will require EXTRA work. Who has time for extra work? How will you be able to still take care of your house, your family, your job, etc? Take a deep breath and let me reassure you that you will be able to handle it and that IT IS WORTH IT! You might need some help around the house from your spouse, you might need to assign your kids a few extra chores, and you might need to ease up on some of your OCD (if you're like me) and let some things slide every now and again. But you will be able to do it. Feeling better, looking better, and being healthier is ALWAYS worth it. 

Above all, please remember YOU ARE WORTH IT! No matter what sacrifices you have to make, and no matter how much hard work and dedication it will take, you are worth it all and much much more. It is so easy to doubt yourself and your worth through this whole process. It is so easy to let the negative people get into your head. It is so easy to give up. But, those things aren't the right way to go. In case you don't have anyone else to tell you this, listen to me now. You are worth it all, and I believe you can succeed. 

It's race time baby!

It's almost time for my next half marathon. So, this week is all about getting race ready. Even if you're not preparing for a race, it's always good to prepare yourself for success. Getting fit and losing weight is as much about training your brain as it is about training your body. You have to get out of your head sometimes to reach your goals. 

For me, running was something I did in the past. I was on the cross country and track teams in high school. But, high school was a long time ago. As an adult, I exercised, but I very rarely ran. Running just wasn't fun to me anymore. I remember running in high school and we'd cover 6-8 miles a day, 5 days a week. Then, I'd try to get in another run or two on the weekends on my own. I remember running without any music and just using that time to think and clear my head. Sometimes I'd work on ideas for an essay for my English class, or think through a problem I was having with my friends. Either way, running was a stress reliever and a fun thing to do. 

Fast forward to adult-hood, and that is no longer the case. I need music to run now. Running without music is pure torture. Running was never something I wanted to get back into doing really. I simply started running to prove to myself that I could do it. When I was fat, I COULDN'T run. I just wasn't physically capable of doing it. Then, when I lost the weight, I still THOUGHT I couldn't run. And, I let myself believe it. I remember telling my husband that I was going for a run. I stepped out of the house and made it less than a block down the street before I gave up. I couldn't do it. I couldn't breathe. My legs felt like jelly. My knees hurt. My back hurt. My feet hurt. What had I done? This was a little over a year ago. Here I was this woman who'd lost all this weight, but I couldn't run a block. Talk about a feeling of defeat. 

But, after all I'd been through, I wasn't going to let running get in my way of conquering my goals. So, I set out with a goal to run a mile. I went for a run every chance I got. I had to walk/run a lot. I had to train. But, soon I was able to run a mile. Ok, goal one done. Next, let's try running 3 miles. And so I did. I had to work a lot on breath control. I finally got it in my head that my body was capable. But, I had to convince my lungs of the same thing. I practiced rhythmically breathing. I practiced really concentrating on every single breath. And, I practiced keeping my excitement to a minimum. I noticed that every time I reached a new mileage goal, I'd get so excited that I'd start to hyperventilate. So, I had to work on getting my excitement under control so my breathing would also be controlled. 

Once I had 3 miles down, I decided to tackle the half marathon. Crazy right? Of course it was. But, if you don't set your goals high, you will never know what you're capable of doing. I completed my first half marathon in October 2014. And, I immediately set out to find another one to do. There's just such a rush from completing a race that you never could have done just a short time ago. 

My next half marathon is this weekend. I'm excited but also nervous. I'm by no means a fast runner. But, being fast isn't really my goal. I'm simply competing with my old self, I'm not competing with any other runners. I just want to do better than my old self would have done. And, if I can shave a few minutes off of my previous time, that would be great too. 

My point is that you can do anything you set out to do. You just have to get out of your head, believe in yourself, and get to work. What goals will you set for yourself in the coming months that previously seemed impossible? I'd love to read your comments. 

Moms: Taking time to exercise is NOT selfish

Mommy guilt trips seem to come from everywhere. Not only are we usually hard on ourselves, but others tend to be overly critical of us as well. It's not uncommon if you're a mom to hear comments from people telling you that you're being selfish for working out. It's apparently frowned upon for a woman to spend 30 minutes to an hour a day on her health and fitness once she becomes a mother. We are given these ridiculous guilt trips from women (and sometimes men) who try to make us feel like terrible mothers if we exercise. I'm going to be very frank here, but that's total bull!

You are NOT selfish for taking the time to exercise. Did you get that? Repeat: YOU ARE NOT SELFISH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO EXERCISE! Have you ever been on an airplane listening to the flight attendant give the safety speech at the beginning? They always tell you to first put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others in the event of an emergency. You are no good to others if you're dead first. The same thing goes for exercise. How are you supposed to live a healthy and long life caring for your family if you drop dead from obesity related illnesses? You have to take care of your health by exercising regularly and eating right if you expect to be able to care for your family.

It is also important to note that one of the best things you can teach your children is to have healthy habits. Teaching your kids to take care of their health by eating healthy foods and exercising regularly is vital to their well being and long-term health. So, not only are you improving your health by exercising, but you're improving the health of your children as well.

I'm not saying you should spend 3-4 hours a day at the gym and neglect your responsibilities. But, I am saying that there's nothing wrong with getting your workout in during the day. Don't be afraid to take an hour for yourself. Don't feel like you aren't allowed to workout when you have kids. Even if it means waiting until the kids are asleep to get in that workout, it's still important to give yourself that break. You will feel better, your health will be better, and you will be a less stressed and happier mommy because of the exercise.

Prep Ahead to save your sanity and your waistline

We are all busy When times gets away from us, it can be easy to let take-out become dinner far too often. One of the best ways to avoid having to go the take-out route is to prep ahead.

Our schedules just got insanely more busy in our house. We added a newborn daughter. So, we are now a family of 6  with kids ages 10, 5, almost 3, and 3 weeks old. There has been a ton of focus on our newborn daughter because her needs come first. But, there are still 5 other people in our house who need to eat, and healthy food is still a priority.

Yesterday was our organic veggie delivery. Usually I plan to make a stir fry or a stew the next day. But, chopping veggies takes a bit of time, especially when you're chopping a lot of them. We have appointments this afternoon that might run right up until dinner time. So, I knew it would be way too easy to make it a take-out night. To avoid that, while lunch was cooking, I chopped up all the veggies I need for tonight's dinner. I put them in a 6 qt Lock 'n Lock Container and in the fridge they went. When it's dinner time, all I have to do is brown my stew meat in coconut oil, and toss in my pre-cut veggies along with my beef broth and seasonings, and voila. Dinner will be ready tonight in under 30 minutes but will still be healthy and delicious.

Sanity and waistline saved! What are your tips for avoiding the take-out trap? Let me know in the comments section. I'd love to hear from you.

Cardio is awesome right?

Everyone thinks that cardio is the way to go if you want to lose weight. You must walk. You must run. You must bike. You must use the elliptical. You just MUST. Don't get me wrong, cardio is important, but it shouldn't be your everything go-to all the time workout. I have a love-hate relationship with cardio, personally. I love the way I feel after a long run. I love riding my tricycle to pick up groceries or ride to a workout class, etc. But, I feel much better and stronger and LEANER when I'm weight training.

Weight training works wonders for the body. Muscle is lean. Building lean muscle tissue helps speed up your metabolism, which means you will burn more calories. Weight training makes you stronger, not only in the amount you can lift but also in terms of functional fitness as well. If you focus more on a weight training program, you'll start to notice an increase in flexibility and also in your ability to complete random tasks with ease. So, unloading groceries from the car gets easier, stacking boxes on a tall shelf becomes easier, and lifting your toddler becomes a breeze.

If you're like me, you'll find that too much cardio can actually make you gain weight. Cardio tends to make you hungry. You tend to crave carbs when you're doing a lot of cardio. And carbs make you retain water and bloat. For me, I find a good balanced workout schedule works wonders. So, focus on doing mostly weight training or body weight exercises (like push-ups) for 4-5 days a week. And, do your cardio sessions only 1-2 days a week. This way, you get a little cardio exercise in, but it shouldn't hinder your overall progress. I've also found that if you start to hit a plateau in your weight loss, adding in extra weight training sessions can help you get past that plateau faster.

What is your relationship with cardio? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Or are you somewhere in between? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.