My Health: It's more than just about food, it's about my spirit

I pulled out the veggies I needed to make my salad for the lunch.
The spinach, carrots, tomatoes, carrots and as I started chopping them,
I heard the lyrics from the Pandora station...

And I will worship You Lord 
Only you Lord
And I will bow down before You Lord
Only you Lord

Instantly tears welled up in my eyes and a sob caught in my throat.
I stood here in the middle of the kitchen making myself a salad,
like its the healthiest thing I could do for myself.
Yet, as I heard those words, I also heard the truth in my heart.
My health, it's more than about food. So much more than about food.
It's also about my spirit because I can feed myself physically,
but if I don't feed myself spiritually than I'll never feel completely healthy.

I know deep inside me that I need to open my Bible everyday.
It is one of the things I've wanted to be intentional about this year.
The truth though? I often just think about reading the Word and don't actually do it.
I started off doing well this year, telling myself I would read the whole Bible in a year
with She Reads Truth, but then I got behind and I kind of just gave up.
I'm the type of person that feels like if I can't do something well, I just don't do it at all.
That's what's happened here even though I know it's not about being perfect.
He doesn't call us to be perfect. He calls us to just come to Him.

My heart knows that it needs The Word.
My soul longs for it and I am so good at depriving myself of it.
I could give you a list of excuses (that are real and true), but He wants us to walk with Him
regardless of it all and I've been running away from it lately.
I know though, that even though I eat a salad daily for lunch
and I try to skip the ice cream,
that those things aren't enough for this tired, exhausted mama.
The healthier thing I can do for my body and soul is go to The Word.
It fills me with more peace than anything else ever could.
So in order to get back to being healthy spiritually tomorrow I start waking up early,
before the kids, before my husband, but not to tackle my to-do list,
like I'll feel the urge to do,
but to feed my heart and mind with God.

I know it will do my body, mind, and soul some good.
Not to mention I know my days will go much better
having some time before everyone else wakes.

Do you struggle with this?
What have you found that has helped you?

My Whole30: Week One

I just completed my first week of whole30 on Sunday. 

I know you're like, "wait! wait! wait! what the heck is whole30?" 

I'll try to explain it the best I can, but this site + this book will explain it way better 

and go into way more detail then I am able to. 

In short whole30 is a way of eating healthier for 30 days. 

It's not a diet even though I've called it that, but more so a challenge.

A challenge to cut out added sugars, dairy, and grains. 

There's a lot that goes into that. So, if this is something you're interested in,

I highly suggest reading the book or hoping on the website to read more 

+ looking at the public forms as well. 

So, why am I taking part in whole30?

I'll be honest here (like I always aim to be) and say at first it was all about losing weight.

I've had three babies and gained more weight than I care to admit. 

I've been eating healthier before now and have lost some weight.

But I do want to lose more and get down to my goal weight. 

However, since starting the whole30 it's become more than that. 

I have an emotional eating problem. 

If I'm angry or sad or stressed or feeling any negative feelings whatsoever I eat! 

I'm not talking about fruit or veggies either! 

Usually it's a bowl full of ice cream or ten Oreos in one sitting. 

This is not good! Eating things to satisfy negative emotions is not good!

It simply only satisfies for a time being + does not help me to lose the weight.

Part of whole30 is learning how to have a different relationship with food. 

It's also about kicking your cravings 

and seeing the affect certain foods may have on your body. 

Really, I could go on and on about it all. 

So if I haven't addressed something or you have a question,

 ask and I'll do my best to answer. 

Now, you're probably wondering, 

"What in the world do you eat? I love sugar! I love dairy! I love grains!" 

Me too, me too, but I wanted to give this a try and see how my body responds. 

For the whole30 you pretty much eat five things:

Meat/Seafood/Eggs + Veggies + Fruit. 

It's really not that hard, but I'll share what I ate last week

because I know it seems daunting to have to figure it out and plan. 

I hate meal planning, but am feeling so much better about this! 

For breakfasts my meals are super easy. 

They do not need to be complicated nor do I want them to be first thing in the A.M.

I usually have two different meals in mind for breakfast. 

Eggs (about 3) with a veggie or two and a little bit of fruit, like the first photo. 

I used coconut to cook the eggs and sweet potato hash because that is a healthy fat

and that is another thing you need while on this challenge 

(seriously, read the book...I cannot tell you everything you need to know)! 

The second meal is something I think is absolutely delicious. 

It's called morning mix and is actually a recipe from the book. 

Another reason to check out the book: recipes in the back! So easy! 

Recipe for Sweet Potato Hash:

Chop of however many sweet potatoes you think you'll eat. 

(I chop up about four for my husband and I)

Put on stove, cooking with coconut oil. 

Add in 1/2 tbsp paprika (LOVE this stuff!), 1 tsp oregano,

1/2 tbsp cinnamon,  salt + pepper to taste. 

Cook a bit, then cover, and cook until soft.
Ten or so minutes. 

Another great way to cook sweet potato hash is with coconut oil + olive oil + rosemary. 

I actually like that way better! 

Recipe for Morning Mix

Brown ground beef or turkey (we eat turkey here!) 

Dice an apple. Throw it in with meat.

Add 1/8 tsp each of cinnamon + nutmeg. 

Stir and then put a lid of it and let it simmer a bit until apples are a bit soft. 

You could also make it for dinner. 

Next up our my lunches + dinner ideas. 

Top Left: Deconstructed pizza

Ground beef with 1/2 tsp each of rosemary and oregano. 

Top with tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms. 

Stir in some baby spinach. 

For dressing I believe I used a little of olive oil. 

Top Right: Chicken with salsa (in the crockpot!!!)

Chicken cooked with a can of compliant whole30 salsa. 

Cooked for about 3-4 hours, I believe.

Put it over a bed of baby spinach with a side of carrots.

Second Row, Left: Chicken wraps.

Leftover chicken and salsa in lettuce wraps with avocado + baby tomatoes. 

Side of carrots + mushrooms. 

Second Row, Right: Lemon Chicken cooked on the grill (thanks hubby!)

A side of sweet potatoes, cooked with rosemary. 

Red pepper + broccoli. 

Third Row, Left: Turkey and Broccoli. 

Ground turkey with coconut oil and 1/8 tsp of cinnamon. 

Add in red bell pepper, carrots, and broccoli. 

Serve on a bed of baby spinach.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

Add orange slices on top. 

Third Row, Right: Cashew Chicken. 

You can find the recipe here on the Whole30recipes Instagram. 

It was delicious, but took some work! 

Bottom, Left: Turkey burger grilled up by husband.

Topped with some veggies, compliant mustard and wrapped in lettuce. 

Also more veggies on the side.

Bottom, Right: Mahi Mahi grilled by my husband (he's been good to me! ;)

Sweet potatoes cooked with rosemary.
Homemade guac + homemade salsa. 

He made this whole meal and I was very happy to gobble it up! 

Also, juice in the wine glasses because alcohol is a no-no during the whole30 as well. 

Lastly, here are some of the snacks I ate. 

You're suppose to try and not snack in between meals,

but the first week is all about figuring out how much food your body really needs. 

Also, sometimes you just have to snack and as breastfeeding mama I'm gonna eat when I'm hungry. 

Mostly, no explanation needed, but if you're looking for good snacks for the whole30,
I completely recommend Izzie sparkling waters (apple is my favorite)
and Lara bars (banana bread is like eating actually banana bread)!
Also, since whole30 is a no sugar, no dairy challenge,
there's nothing in the Starbucks cup but coffee.
We mostly cold brew ours at home using the pioneer woman's cold brew recipe,
without adding the sweet stuff, of course!

So, there you have it, my first week of the whole30 challenge. 

I ate variations of these meals throughout the week. 

So, now you may be wondering how much first week went. 

Or maybe you're ready for me to shut up, but if it's the former, then read on! 

I expected the first week to suck. I expected to give up. 

I expected to give in to Starbucks and stuff my face with chocolate and ice cream. 

But I didn't and it was partly because I felt very motivated, 

a lot because I had support from my husband, 

and more so because it just wasn't that difficult for me! 

As the days passed I didn't want Starbucks, or chocolate, or ice cream. 

I still don't and that makes me pretty dang happy! 

It also makes me happy that I didn't feel like I needed coffee everyday, 

that I wasn't as tired and that my mood has been way better!
Funny how food can affect such things! 

For me the hard part was drinking my coffee black. 

Not my favorite, but worth it and I don't feel sick after having my coffee, 

like I ALWAYS did after Starbucks. 

Meal planning was a bit hard at first, but quickly that became easy. 

Going to the store every single day last week + meal prepping took a lot of time. 

Still worth it and I know we've gotten the hang of that this week! 

That's all I really have to say about the whole30 right now. 

I could go and on, but this is already a book in itself. 

Thinking about doing the whole30? Have questions? 

Go ahead and ask! I'll try to answer to the best that I can. 

Goals for a healthy pregnancy (input wanted)

I want this pregnancy to be different than my last. Not that my last was bad...it wasn't, but I know this one can be healthier. When I was pregnant with Braden I really ate whatever I craved and because of that I put on more weight than I should have. I think that happens a lot during first pregnancies because you just don't know much. Its so much easier to put it on than get it off. I know that weight gain shouldn't be the only reason for my goals, but being honest here, that does scare me. I was never one to struggle with my weight until after having my sweet boy. There's more to it though. I know it will not only benefit me, but it will benefit the little one growing inside me as well. 

So, lets talk about some goals: 

I will eat well this pregnancy. This is hard simply because of cravings. I'm super bad at self control, but I am trying and I desperately want to succeed. At this point in my pregnancy its been hard to eat much of anything because the morning sickness has been hard, but I'm striving to eat more fruit and veggies, which I do love, so that's not really much of an issue. Truthfully, I'm unsure of what to eat, especially when it comes to lunch and dinner. I snack well, but other than that its a struggle. I think I may start a food diary... will help me keep track of what I'm feeding my baby!

Drink more water. I've never been a fan of water, but I know I need it. My first pregnancy I drank coke and my doctor told me that it probably didn't help with the weight gain. So no more coke! I usually have one caffeinated drink a day - a coffee, but other than that I need to fill myself with milk, juice, but mostly water! 8+ glasses a day! 

Exercise. Gosh, even that word hurts to type. Working out has never been something I've loved, but that is going to change! I am determined! For my birthday my husband got me a twister stepper, which is a huge motivation. Its sort of like a smaller vision of an elliptical, which I actually like. When the weather is nicer I know as a family we'll do more - going on walks and bike rides. That also motivates me because we'll be doing it as a family. 

Rest. Being pregnant the second time around is so much more tiring than I thought it would be! I've been pretty good at resting when the toddler does and I'm definitely going to make it a priority because a cranky, tired mama isn't good for anyone! ;) 

So, tell me, lovely readers what other goals should I have?
What did you do in order to have a healthy pregnancy?

And whats your favorite healthy thing to eat while pregnant?

Any thoughts and encouragement welcome!

Setting goals

I'm horrible at setting goals. Actually, maybe its not that I am horrible at setting goals... I do perfectly fine at saying what I want to do, but horrible at follow through. I wish I were a more motivated, goal-oriented person, but I don't seem to be. I want to work on that. I'm hoping that if I blog about them, then I will actually follow through. I hope so. 

I have things I "want" to do in multiple areas of my life, so I need to set goals in specific areas. Here I go!

Spiritually

Read The Word daily. Even if its just a single verse.

Journal a few times a week. Its my way of praying and I used to do it for hours at a time. 

Pray with my husband before bed time. We were doing so well at this and need to get back on track.

Pray with my baby before he drifts off to sleep.

Health and wellness

Drink more water. I'm not a fan, but my body needs it.

Exercise daily. Even if its just a walk. I want to learn to be better at running, so maybe I should try that.

Eat better. As in 3 meals a day.

Wash my face twice a day. Its so easy to go to bed without doing it!

I'm sure there is more I could add to this one!

Passion

I want to find out what I am passionate about. 

For one, I love taking pictures and I have this great camera, but I don't know how to use all the functions! So, thats my goal! Figure out my camera!

Write more.

Read more. I need to take a trip to the library.

That's it, for now...
I can do this. I can meet my goals.

::all pictures via pinterest::