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Well hey there! I'm checking in with myself and with all of you as well since I am going to write some stuff here in this dusty old blog space of mine. So it's May 1st and 4 months of 2019 have passed us by. I just started my 7th round of Whole30 because quite frankly the last 3 months have been a free for all. I have been all out of sorts eating and drinking all the things, moving minimally and just generally being extremely unproductive in my health goals and health maintenance.

I did a January Whole30 and it sucked big donkey balls. I am pretty sure I was in a bad mood for the entire month and I couldn't wait for it to end. And when it did I immediately reverted back to Holiday-free-for-all Amy who still shows up every November like that one annoying relative who stays about two hours longer after the holiday party is officially over. Rude. But I did complete the January Whole30 by the book so there's that. I did not however, weigh myself so I am not sure how much weight I lost. I could tell I lost some but I decided that I didn't need the scale to measure the success of my January Whole30 or at all for that matter. I was wrong.

I got on the scale today, Day 1 of this round and as I suspected it told me quite a story. I think it actually cried a little too but that's not important. I know that a lot of people say throw out the scale, go by how you feel, your weight fluctuates every day anyway, you can be healthy at any weight and don't let the scale dictate how you feel about yourself, blah, blah, blah. But for me, when I don't get on the scale I can deny what is really happening to some extent. Ignorance is bliss right? Maybe I need to unbutton my pants because I dried them on high heat? Surely it has nothing to do with the nacho mountain that now resides on my posterior region.  But seriously, getting on the scale is necessary. And I don't think you can be healthy at any weight as much as the anti-fat shamers would have us believe. Just go visit a nursing home and tell me how many old fat people you see there. You won't because there aren't any.

I say all of this to say, I got on the scale today and the number was really, reeeeeeallly ugly, but I didn't feel horrible. It doesn't define me. It was not a surprise and I don't hate myself. The scale did not dictate how I feel today. I have been making bad choices and I earned that number with every glass of wine, slice of pizza and piece of chocolate I crammed down my gullet for the last 3 months. But it is OK. I know that every second of every minute of every day that I am breathing is an opportunity for me to make a different choice and that is HUGE!! I also 100% know that in just a few short days of being on Whole30 I will start to feel markedly better. Since I won't be cheers-ing to anything else for awhile cheers to that!

Fit To Fat To Fit

Thursday, May 2, 2019



Well hey there! I'm checking in with myself and with all of you as well since I am going to write some stuff here in this dusty old blog space of mine. So it's May 1st and 4 months of 2019 have passed us by. I just started my 7th round of Whole30 because quite frankly the last 3 months have been a free for all. I have been all out of sorts eating and drinking all the things, moving minimally and just generally being extremely unproductive in my health goals and health maintenance.

I did a January Whole30 and it sucked big donkey balls. I am pretty sure I was in a bad mood for the entire month and I couldn't wait for it to end. And when it did I immediately reverted back to Holiday-free-for-all Amy who still shows up every November like that one annoying relative who stays about two hours longer after the holiday party is officially over. Rude. But I did complete the January Whole30 by the book so there's that. I did not however, weigh myself so I am not sure how much weight I lost. I could tell I lost some but I decided that I didn't need the scale to measure the success of my January Whole30 or at all for that matter. I was wrong.

I got on the scale today, Day 1 of this round and as I suspected it told me quite a story. I think it actually cried a little too but that's not important. I know that a lot of people say throw out the scale, go by how you feel, your weight fluctuates every day anyway, you can be healthy at any weight and don't let the scale dictate how you feel about yourself, blah, blah, blah. But for me, when I don't get on the scale I can deny what is really happening to some extent. Ignorance is bliss right? Maybe I need to unbutton my pants because I dried them on high heat? Surely it has nothing to do with the nacho mountain that now resides on my posterior region.  But seriously, getting on the scale is necessary. And I don't think you can be healthy at any weight as much as the anti-fat shamers would have us believe. Just go visit a nursing home and tell me how many old fat people you see there. You won't because there aren't any.

I say all of this to say, I got on the scale today and the number was really, reeeeeeallly ugly, but I didn't feel horrible. It doesn't define me. It was not a surprise and I don't hate myself. The scale did not dictate how I feel today. I have been making bad choices and I earned that number with every glass of wine, slice of pizza and piece of chocolate I crammed down my gullet for the last 3 months. But it is OK. I know that every second of every minute of every day that I am breathing is an opportunity for me to make a different choice and that is HUGE!! I also 100% know that in just a few short days of being on Whole30 I will start to feel markedly better. Since I won't be cheers-ing to anything else for awhile cheers to that!
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We are currently in the third month of the year, winter appears to be over for the most part and we just turned the clocks forward. This year hasn't gotten off to a bad start for me exactly but, I wouldn't say it's going all that well either. It's just blah. It's blah and it's my fault that it's blah. Somehow, somewhere over the end of last year/beginning of this year I got off track. I lost all of my motivation and my mojo. I went from being super motivated and checking off the goals daily to couch surfing and Netflix binges. I don't know exactly how it happened or why but I have been having a hell of a time righting this ship. So, I find myself here writing it down to see if maybe this will help. Letting go of this blog and checking in at least semi- regularly here is something I regret and it used to help me stay on task if I am being totally honest. If you have ever written a blog, especially the lifestyle variety where you get to talk about anything you want, it kind of becomes your journal, your book of lists, the place where you outline goals and highlight the good, the bad and the ugly sometimes too. It kept me honest but I just ran out of time or maybe I gave priority to other things and the blog just faded away.

2018 was an awesome year for me. I set out in January with very measurable and specific goals. I blogged about them, wrote them down in prominent places in my home and told people, even the ones that seemed crazy and unattainable. And guess what? I mostly achieved them all, if not exactly, in one variation or another that translated to a win/win for me. It was a banner year for about the first nine months and I was flying high... and then I started slipping. By around month twelve I was looking a little something like this....

Image result for ski jump gif wide world of sports

I blew off mostly every bit of side hustle that I had gained momentum on with my Whole30 coaching business, this blog, creating recipes, social media content, the newsletter I kept not sending out and I just kind of hibernated the month of December away like a miserable potato of the couch. My old pals stress and anxiety got the best of me cause you just never know what triggers them (cough, cough, holidays) but I was determined to turn it around with my January Whole30 because that always works for me. Except this time it did not. Yeah.

Image result for what did you say gif

It didn't work. I did not have enough coaching clients signed up to make an effective support group so I bagged that. Fail. My Williams Sonoma pop ups in December were small but I "hoped" (key word here) people would sign up for the classes I was teaching there in January. Only a few did so I cancelled those too. Fail.  I feel like the wheels came off my January Whole30 right out of the gate and I never did quite recover. It was the worst Whole30 of the 6 that I have done. The. Worst. Ever. I stuck to it but after the first week or so I was kind of miserable but I couldn't quit. What kind of Whole30 coach quits a Whole30? Truth be told a human one. Maybe I should have let that one go or maybe it's good that I didn't but either way I did the damn thing. Then it was February and the shit show kind of started up again. 

So here I sit in March, looking over my 19 for 2019 and somehow I have managed to cross one off the list... shocker. Yet I have not even given any of the others a single thought since the day I wrote them down. So this is where I am starting, with my list of goals for the year. I think my biggest problem  and the main reason why I get soooo off track is I forget to focus on taking the smaller steps toward achieving the bigger goal. I got really good at that last year for awhile and it worked. I was doing a checklist every day and shit was getting done and I was taking better care of myself because that was on the list too. And I totally thought I had my shit together then, I got lazy. I guess I thought I was a pro.

Image result for sloth gif


I am not. I've been on the struggle bus before and it doesn't last forever. I actually feel better just having written this all out so... mission accomplished. Where do I go from here? I think Sherwin Williams. Paint is 30% off this month and a fresh coat of paint on anything is quite cathartic, plus it's on my 19 for 2019 to do some painting.

Cheers!


Current Status....

Tuesday, March 12, 2019



We are currently in the third month of the year, winter appears to be over for the most part and we just turned the clocks forward. This year hasn't gotten off to a bad start for me exactly but, I wouldn't say it's going all that well either. It's just blah. It's blah and it's my fault that it's blah. Somehow, somewhere over the end of last year/beginning of this year I got off track. I lost all of my motivation and my mojo. I went from being super motivated and checking off the goals daily to couch surfing and Netflix binges. I don't know exactly how it happened or why but I have been having a hell of a time righting this ship. So, I find myself here writing it down to see if maybe this will help. Letting go of this blog and checking in at least semi- regularly here is something I regret and it used to help me stay on task if I am being totally honest. If you have ever written a blog, especially the lifestyle variety where you get to talk about anything you want, it kind of becomes your journal, your book of lists, the place where you outline goals and highlight the good, the bad and the ugly sometimes too. It kept me honest but I just ran out of time or maybe I gave priority to other things and the blog just faded away.

2018 was an awesome year for me. I set out in January with very measurable and specific goals. I blogged about them, wrote them down in prominent places in my home and told people, even the ones that seemed crazy and unattainable. And guess what? I mostly achieved them all, if not exactly, in one variation or another that translated to a win/win for me. It was a banner year for about the first nine months and I was flying high... and then I started slipping. By around month twelve I was looking a little something like this....

Image result for ski jump gif wide world of sports

I blew off mostly every bit of side hustle that I had gained momentum on with my Whole30 coaching business, this blog, creating recipes, social media content, the newsletter I kept not sending out and I just kind of hibernated the month of December away like a miserable potato of the couch. My old pals stress and anxiety got the best of me cause you just never know what triggers them (cough, cough, holidays) but I was determined to turn it around with my January Whole30 because that always works for me. Except this time it did not. Yeah.

Image result for what did you say gif

It didn't work. I did not have enough coaching clients signed up to make an effective support group so I bagged that. Fail. My Williams Sonoma pop ups in December were small but I "hoped" (key word here) people would sign up for the classes I was teaching there in January. Only a few did so I cancelled those too. Fail.  I feel like the wheels came off my January Whole30 right out of the gate and I never did quite recover. It was the worst Whole30 of the 6 that I have done. The. Worst. Ever. I stuck to it but after the first week or so I was kind of miserable but I couldn't quit. What kind of Whole30 coach quits a Whole30? Truth be told a human one. Maybe I should have let that one go or maybe it's good that I didn't but either way I did the damn thing. Then it was February and the shit show kind of started up again. 

So here I sit in March, looking over my 19 for 2019 and somehow I have managed to cross one off the list... shocker. Yet I have not even given any of the others a single thought since the day I wrote them down. So this is where I am starting, with my list of goals for the year. I think my biggest problem  and the main reason why I get soooo off track is I forget to focus on taking the smaller steps toward achieving the bigger goal. I got really good at that last year for awhile and it worked. I was doing a checklist every day and shit was getting done and I was taking better care of myself because that was on the list too. And I totally thought I had my shit together then, I got lazy. I guess I thought I was a pro.

Image result for sloth gif


I am not. I've been on the struggle bus before and it doesn't last forever. I actually feel better just having written this all out so... mission accomplished. Where do I go from here? I think Sherwin Williams. Paint is 30% off this month and a fresh coat of paint on anything is quite cathartic, plus it's on my 19 for 2019 to do some painting.

Cheers!


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I still set goals every year even though I don't freak out over letting them evolve a little or change completely over the year as needed. I mean, it's really hard to say on any given day what might be a priority for you 365 days into the future. I think that is the biggest reason that New Year's Resolutions really don't work for so many of us. We forget that sometimes giving ourselves grace when we fall short or need to drop back and punt should maybe always be at the very top of our goal list.

Last year I decided to do an 18 for 2018 style goal list and the goals ran the gamut from big to small. I really, really liked this approach and I am going to do it again this year... list is currently under construction.  The interesting thing for me this past year is that I did go back and read this list throughout the year and no matter where I was on achieving any given goal I never felt bad about it. I looked at it more like a timing thing or maybe it just wasn't the right goal for me at all. But for the hell of it let's take a look at how I did last year:

  • Buy some hiking shoes and hit Sweetwater Creek State Park. Maybe not just this one but it's something I have wanted to do for awhile. I have come to grips with not really being a gym person at this point in life but I like walking outdoors and nature is like Xanax for me.

NOPE - Ummm this was a big fat no. I did hike a 2 mile trail at like 9800 feet elevation in Salt Lake City Utah with all of my fellow Whole30 coaches though and guess what I discovered? I am not a hiker. As amazing as it was I don't love it. I like walking though so I focused more on that and will continue to do so for 2019. Glad I didn't buy those fancy hiking shoes.


  • Finish the book Food Freedom Forever that I bought 2 years ago and do a real Whole30 Reintroduction phase by the book. Complete with mini-resets as needed.
DONE - So worth it.

NOPE - I drank a ton less beer this year because I discovered after my real proper Whole30 reintroduction just how crappy it makes me feel. 

  • Have a date night with my kids once a month and pick a new place at least every other time. 
NOPE - This turned out to be a lot less practical and budget friendly than I imagined it would be.

  • Go to Michigan.
DONE

  • Lose 30 lbs. This really not that daunting considering that most likely after Whole30 is over I'll be close to halfway there. 
DONE

  • Paint and purge at least 3 areas/rooms of my house that I currently am not fond of. 
PARTIALLY DONE - One room completely, others started but not finished. I consider this one a disappointment. I could have done better here.

  • Practice the One Minute Rule regularly. This is another Gretchen Rubin thing... the idea is to immediately do any tasks that come up if they will take 1 minute or less to complete. Like... hanging up your coat, putting dishes in the dishwasher instead of the sink, read mail and toss it, etc. 
GAME CHANGER - I have embraced this and it has had amazing results on just keeping my spaces tidy from day to day.
  • Clean out the side of my garage that is currently not usable as a garage so that when Olivia is home she can park her car in it not in the driveway.
NOPE - no comment
DONE - I didn't take the actual tour but it was still amazing and now one of my favorite places to go for a walk.
PARTIALLY SUCCESSFUL - I made it for drinks. I'll be back though.
  • Take a one day/afternoon class in something I have never done before.
DONE - Took a holiday cocktail class at Gunshow and it was super fun to learn the actual techniques and tools for proper bartending.
  • Read 12 books or 1 a month.
I DON'T KNOW - I decided that this was a dumb goal. I read for pleasure and when I feel like it. I read a lot of good books this year, I'll leave it at that.
  • Delegate, delegate, delegate. I have 2 able bodied children living in my house and a huge team of people at work at my disposal. I need to get better about allowing others assist in the big projects so I don't get burned out and pissed off.
SUCCESSFUL - No shame in cracking the whip as needed.
  • Host a brunch at my home. As much as I love brunch I have never hosted a fun brunch. I have had family/holiday things like Easter or Baptisms but I want to do a fun friends day drinking event. Maybe during Wimbledon?
DONE - This one turned out way bigger than I even hoped when I ended up hosting The Brunch Series Tour with Danika Brysha. There was no day drinking involved but it was an amazing experience and I didn't even have to cook!
  • Take the kids on a surprise weekend trip somewhere unexpected that we can drive to. Southerners give me ideas!!!
WELP - I tried and I booked the whole thing and paid for it and then came the hurricane and destroyed the panhandle. Good news is I got my money back. Will try again!
  • Find a way to organize my shoes. Ugh... this part of my closet is an embarrassment.
DONE - I bought this shoe rack from the Container Store and I love it!
  • Bake a grain free paleo cake. I have this beautiful book on paleo baking and I haven't even made a damn cake yet.
NOPE - I probably would have eaten the majority of it myself so it's whatever. Maybe this year!


So there you have it! I feel great about this list and what it ultimately helped me accomplish. Working on my 19 for 2019 and looking forward to more goal crushing, evolving and self exploration!

Cheers!

Annual Check In - 2018 Goals: How I Did

Monday, December 31, 2018



I still set goals every year even though I don't freak out over letting them evolve a little or change completely over the year as needed. I mean, it's really hard to say on any given day what might be a priority for you 365 days into the future. I think that is the biggest reason that New Year's Resolutions really don't work for so many of us. We forget that sometimes giving ourselves grace when we fall short or need to drop back and punt should maybe always be at the very top of our goal list.

Last year I decided to do an 18 for 2018 style goal list and the goals ran the gamut from big to small. I really, really liked this approach and I am going to do it again this year... list is currently under construction.  The interesting thing for me this past year is that I did go back and read this list throughout the year and no matter where I was on achieving any given goal I never felt bad about it. I looked at it more like a timing thing or maybe it just wasn't the right goal for me at all. But for the hell of it let's take a look at how I did last year:

  • Buy some hiking shoes and hit Sweetwater Creek State Park. Maybe not just this one but it's something I have wanted to do for awhile. I have come to grips with not really being a gym person at this point in life but I like walking outdoors and nature is like Xanax for me.

NOPE - Ummm this was a big fat no. I did hike a 2 mile trail at like 9800 feet elevation in Salt Lake City Utah with all of my fellow Whole30 coaches though and guess what I discovered? I am not a hiker. As amazing as it was I don't love it. I like walking though so I focused more on that and will continue to do so for 2019. Glad I didn't buy those fancy hiking shoes.


  • Finish the book Food Freedom Forever that I bought 2 years ago and do a real Whole30 Reintroduction phase by the book. Complete with mini-resets as needed.
DONE - So worth it.

NOPE - I drank a ton less beer this year because I discovered after my real proper Whole30 reintroduction just how crappy it makes me feel. 

  • Have a date night with my kids once a month and pick a new place at least every other time. 
NOPE - This turned out to be a lot less practical and budget friendly than I imagined it would be.

  • Go to Michigan.
DONE

  • Lose 30 lbs. This really not that daunting considering that most likely after Whole30 is over I'll be close to halfway there. 
DONE

  • Paint and purge at least 3 areas/rooms of my house that I currently am not fond of. 
PARTIALLY DONE - One room completely, others started but not finished. I consider this one a disappointment. I could have done better here.

  • Practice the One Minute Rule regularly. This is another Gretchen Rubin thing... the idea is to immediately do any tasks that come up if they will take 1 minute or less to complete. Like... hanging up your coat, putting dishes in the dishwasher instead of the sink, read mail and toss it, etc. 
GAME CHANGER - I have embraced this and it has had amazing results on just keeping my spaces tidy from day to day.
  • Clean out the side of my garage that is currently not usable as a garage so that when Olivia is home she can park her car in it not in the driveway.
NOPE - no comment
DONE - I didn't take the actual tour but it was still amazing and now one of my favorite places to go for a walk.
PARTIALLY SUCCESSFUL - I made it for drinks. I'll be back though.
  • Take a one day/afternoon class in something I have never done before.
DONE - Took a holiday cocktail class at Gunshow and it was super fun to learn the actual techniques and tools for proper bartending.
  • Read 12 books or 1 a month.
I DON'T KNOW - I decided that this was a dumb goal. I read for pleasure and when I feel like it. I read a lot of good books this year, I'll leave it at that.
  • Delegate, delegate, delegate. I have 2 able bodied children living in my house and a huge team of people at work at my disposal. I need to get better about allowing others assist in the big projects so I don't get burned out and pissed off.
SUCCESSFUL - No shame in cracking the whip as needed.
  • Host a brunch at my home. As much as I love brunch I have never hosted a fun brunch. I have had family/holiday things like Easter or Baptisms but I want to do a fun friends day drinking event. Maybe during Wimbledon?
DONE - This one turned out way bigger than I even hoped when I ended up hosting The Brunch Series Tour with Danika Brysha. There was no day drinking involved but it was an amazing experience and I didn't even have to cook!
  • Take the kids on a surprise weekend trip somewhere unexpected that we can drive to. Southerners give me ideas!!!
WELP - I tried and I booked the whole thing and paid for it and then came the hurricane and destroyed the panhandle. Good news is I got my money back. Will try again!
  • Find a way to organize my shoes. Ugh... this part of my closet is an embarrassment.
DONE - I bought this shoe rack from the Container Store and I love it!
  • Bake a grain free paleo cake. I have this beautiful book on paleo baking and I haven't even made a damn cake yet.
NOPE - I probably would have eaten the majority of it myself so it's whatever. Maybe this year!


So there you have it! I feel great about this list and what it ultimately helped me accomplish. Working on my 19 for 2019 and looking forward to more goal crushing, evolving and self exploration!

Cheers!

Read More
Hey there! Just stopping by to drop off a little recipe love for all of you instant pot or slow cooker people. I made this Whole30 adaptation of a classic Mississippi Pot Roast last weekend and it turned out great!I stink at putting recipes into an actual IG post (if anyone knows how please tell me) so here you go. If you don't care about it being Whole30 you can totally search Pinterest and get the original version. You could also easily do this in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low. I have to say I am loving the Instant Pot though, a whole roast in 45 minutes is the bomb! Enjoy!!


Whole30, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Yield: 6Pin it

Whole30 Instant Pot Pepperoncini Beef Pot Roast

prep time: 5 minscook time: 75 minstotal time: 80 mins

ingredients:


  • 3 lb. boneless beef chuck roast
  • 1/2 cup - 1 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers drained
  • 5 tsp Primal Palate Organic Garden Ranch Seasoning Mix 
  • 3 TBSP. Bob's Red Mill Arrowroot Starch/Flour
  • 1 1/2 cups Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

instructions:

  1. Season roast with salt and pepper. Place roast in the inner pot and arrange peppers on top.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together ranch dressing, arrowroot and bone broth. Pour over roast.
  3. Close and lock the lid and turn the steam release handle to Sealing. Set your Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High for 45 minutes. 
  4. When the cooking time is done, press Cancel and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes, then turn the steam release handle to Venting. When the float valve drops down, remove the lid. The roast should be fork-tender. (If more cooking time is needed, continue pressure cooking on High for 5 minutes, then quickly release the pressure.)
  5. Using a slotted spoon, remove peppers from pot and set aside. Using tongs, transfer roast to a cutting board, cover with foil and let stand for 5 minutes.
  6. Slice roast across the grain and transfer slices to a serving platter. Skim off fat from cooking liquid and drizzle roast with some of the liquid. Arrange peppers around roast.
Created using The Recipes Generator
• •

Whole30 Instant Pot Pepperoncini Beef Pot Roast

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Hey there! Just stopping by to drop off a little recipe love for all of you instant pot or slow cooker people. I made this Whole30 adaptation of a classic Mississippi Pot Roast last weekend and it turned out great!I stink at putting recipes into an actual IG post (if anyone knows how please tell me) so here you go. If you don't care about it being Whole30 you can totally search Pinterest and get the original version. You could also easily do this in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low. I have to say I am loving the Instant Pot though, a whole roast in 45 minutes is the bomb! Enjoy!!


Whole30, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Yield: 6Pin it

Whole30 Instant Pot Pepperoncini Beef Pot Roast

prep time: 5 minscook time: 75 minstotal time: 80 mins

ingredients:


  • 3 lb. boneless beef chuck roast
  • 1/2 cup - 1 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers drained
  • 5 tsp Primal Palate Organic Garden Ranch Seasoning Mix 
  • 3 TBSP. Bob's Red Mill Arrowroot Starch/Flour
  • 1 1/2 cups Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

instructions:

  1. Season roast with salt and pepper. Place roast in the inner pot and arrange peppers on top.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together ranch dressing, arrowroot and bone broth. Pour over roast.
  3. Close and lock the lid and turn the steam release handle to Sealing. Set your Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High for 45 minutes. 
  4. When the cooking time is done, press Cancel and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes, then turn the steam release handle to Venting. When the float valve drops down, remove the lid. The roast should be fork-tender. (If more cooking time is needed, continue pressure cooking on High for 5 minutes, then quickly release the pressure.)
  5. Using a slotted spoon, remove peppers from pot and set aside. Using tongs, transfer roast to a cutting board, cover with foil and let stand for 5 minutes.
  6. Slice roast across the grain and transfer slices to a serving platter. Skim off fat from cooking liquid and drizzle roast with some of the liquid. Arrange peppers around roast.
Created using The Recipes Generator
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