Brag About It #3

It's Friday already?! The weeks just keep flying! I guess that's a good thing because I have hit that point where if I step outside one more morning and want to cry because I'm so cold I'm up and leaving. Good thing it's going to be heating up this weekend ;)

I meant to post more this week but between working 62 hours and trying to get my workouts in it just wasn't possible. I'm cooking tonight so hopefully I'll have a recipe for ya'll soon. 

Last Friday I was so happy because people participated in my Brag About It!! Shout Outs go to my Aunt Julie for being a kick ass momma who didn't burn the house down and got her workouts in, my dad (Dougie) for losing another 1.8 pounds, my mom (Kati) for getting her full 8 hours of sleep and workouts in despite horrible circumstances, and Rochelle (aka my second momma) for raising 2 amazing children (I can vouch for one since she is my roommate and best friend!) So that's 2 more people than last week! Woo woo! Maybe I'll get lucky and get 5 people this week :)

I was thinking about this post all week and couldn't think what I was going to say... I just realized I had a huge accomplishment this week!! 30 Day Challenge is over and I made it!!!! I survived NO: pizza, ice cream, fast food, alcohol, or sweets for an entire 30 days! While I was reflecting on the 30 day challenge I decided it really wasn't that bad. My roommate and I celebrated our victory with pizza the size of our face at Papa Keno's and I realized how badly I wanted BBQ Chicken pizza... I was in a happy place last night :)

Then I realized I may have compensated by eating more peanut butter..... Ummm... Oopss.. So I've started another 30 Day Challenge with myself. NO: PEANUT BUTTER (not including pb2, I don't really want to go through withdrawal, and detox just isn't my thing ;)  ), cereal, or prepackaged popcorn. I have a feeling this is going to be a little more rough than the last challenge. 

What are you going to brag about this week?

Want to join my challenge with me?! You've only missed 2 days, and we can have one big party with peanut butter, peanut butter cheerios, peanut butter m&m's and kettle corn when it's all over :)

Brag About It #2

Okayy I'm going to call you guys, my readers, out a little bit. I was super excited about my "Brag About It" idea and only got a few responses!! Come on people! I know ya'll are doing great stuff every week and I want to know about it! Like I said in my last post. People do not spend enough time congratulating themselves. Most people (myself included) spend their time thinking about the things they haven't accomplished and this post is intended to change that for a couple of minutes a week. I know you can do it!

Sooo let's try this again :) 

This week has been a rough one for me. There's just been a lot of personal stuff I've been going through that has taken me on a nice emotional roller coaster (yuck!). In the past when I've gone through these challenges I would turn to food and literally try to eat my emotions away! This time was different. I didn't let this personal stuff get in the way of my goals and I turned to the gym and my fitness classes to distract me for a bit! When I wasn't at the gym I made sure and drank extra water and stuck to the meal plan. Woo Woo!! This is HUGE for me people, I tell ya. 

Now it's your turn. It can be as small as holding the door open for a stranger, a fitness goal you've met, or something random that made you smile this week. Speak up! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I will be working at the hospital :)

Crockpot Chicken Fajita Soup

Happy Thursday!! I am currently sitting in Starbucks typing up this post. I went to a yoga class super early this morning and had some time to kill before work so thought it was a great opportunity to treat myself to some Starbucks! It is so cold outside and this soup would be perfect for dinner tonight! 

I have been in love with anything with avocado's lately. So when I saw the picture for this soup, and it had avocado's on top I said "Um yep, I'm making this." 

I got this from the Six Sisters' website.

Crockpot Chicken Fajita Soup
Cook Time: 4 hours
Serves:4-5                                
Calories per serving: 356ish

Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of chicken
1 cup salsa
2 cups frozen corn
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 Cups water
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1 Cup shredded cheese

Toppings:
Sour cream (I use Greek Yogurt)
Diced Tomatoes
Green Onions
Cilantro
lettuce
Diced avocado
tortilla strips

Directions:
1. Spray crockpot w/ cooking spray, place chicken on bottom of crockpot
2. Combine cream of chicken, salsa, corn, black beans, water, cumin, and cilantro. Pour over top of the chicken.
3. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken and place back into slow cooker and add cheese. Continue cooking until cheese has melted about 15 minutes. 
4. Add toppings and Enjoy!

Workouts, Concerts, & Things... Oh My!

Hello! 

Hope everyone has had a great weekend. I had the weekend off.... What?! I know! This is the first weekend I remember having off where I have stayed in town and have done what ever the heck I want. I have loved every single second of it! 

Workouts
I woke up early yesterday morning to go to a Group Power class at the gym with my roommate. That gym. was. PACKED! It was a blast though. I love working out with Laura we have such a good time :) After that workout I headed over to Title Boxing in Lawrence to meet up with my friend Mallory! She has been a member for a while and loves it so I thought I'd go check it out! After learning how to wrap my hands I was ready for this new workout! It was a freaking blast, and I am super sore today. Of course, now I want to join and have to decide if I want to swing paying for 2 gym memberships... Help!!

I've also been doing some fun treadmill workouts I have found on Pinterest (what did people do without this site?). When I look for treadmill workouts I look for plans that change the inclines and speeds continuously. I've been getting my butt handed to me and it's been great. I've also been hitting up Group Cycle, Group Power, the stairstepper (UGH), and a yoga class every week. So that's what's been going on with that!

Concerts
I love music. Seriously. I grew up listening to classic rock with my dad, and country with my mom. A very large majority of my family (including extended family) are all very musical. I love listening to them all sing.. You are all amazing and my wedding is going to be like a dang concert :) 

Anywayyyy, back to music! I love concerts, from big names in huge arenas, to the little guys at random bars, I love it all! On Thursday I went to PBR Big Sky in Kansas City to see one of my favorite artists perform. Cody Johnson is a great country singer and we had a blast! I'll be super sad when he goes big and I have to pay more than $10 to see him but he deserves to make it big. 

I've also recently purchased my tickets for the concerts at the Cricket Ampitheatre! Holy crap, it is a steal!!! I get to see Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, and Dierks Bentely (including all of their amazing opening acts) for $109. Hellooo!! One of my coworkers is going to Tim McGraw with me, and my mom is going to Lady A with me. That means I have extra tickets for Luke and Dierks. I accepts gifts ;)

The last concert I am super excited for is AC/DC at Wrigley field in September. I have grown up listening to AC/DC, I learned how to play air guitar while mimicking my dad doing it to "You Shook Me All Night Long." Not only are we huge AC/DC fans, but we are also Chicago Cubs fans! I know, I know the Cubs are terrible, but I love Chicago and Wrigley Field is the closest thing to heaven I have ever been to.  
So I have a lot of things to look forward to!

Things
Other than working out and planning all of these shenanigans I really haven't been up to a whole lot. It was nice having this weekend off. I was able to get a ton of meal prep done! I have a ton of egg white oatmeal, bags of veggies, chicken salad made with greek yogurt, and a couple of dinner meals ready for the week. I've been a busy girl :) Speaking of recipes! I rely heavily on Pinterest for recipes so if you are wondering what I've been up to go check this page out!

Since I talked about Pinterest a hundred times in this post :)

So this post has been a whole lot of rambling, thanks for sticking with me :) Maybe one day I'll have exciting things to talk about... 

How was your weekend?

How do you find recipes?

Brag About It #1

Happy Friday!!! It's actually my Monday (wah wah) but that's okay :) I hope everyone has some fun plans for this weekend! Or no plans... I prefer the latter, just because I don't remember the last time I've had a weekend like that! 

I want to start something new on my blog! But in order for it to work I'm going to need to reader interaction :) That means YOU! I have noticed people are very good at putting themselves down. I hear more "I need to do this better, I wish I could do ___, etc." and not enough people building themselves up! 

So the challenge is: Every Friday I will make a post about something(s) I have done that I was proud of that week, and you must respond by bragging about yourself as well! You can either comment on the post itself or on the Facebook link, doesn't matter which one! You can brag about literally everything! It can be about your weight loss, healthy lifestyle, fitness, work, something you did at home... The list goes on and on and on. I can't wait to read everyone's comments!

I'm really excited about this new post and I hope my readers are as well. I'll be so sad if it doesn't work out :( Sooo let's not let that happen :)

Week #1
Yesterday I was at my cardio class with my favorite fitness instructor. She came up and chatted with me before the class and said "You're usually a Group Power girl right?" Then she pointed to where I had been set up and said "You were right there. Girl you have been kicking some serious butt in that class!" I was so proud of myself! The class was packed and the instructor (whom I have a major girl crush on) noticed me working my butt off! 

I am also proud of myself because I did some serious meal prep this week. I have an 8 day in a row stretch for work and knew if I wanted to stick to my healthy eating I had to do it! I now have egg white oatmeal, tuna/avocado salad/ and crockpot chicken fajita soup waiting for me in the fridge! 

Now it's your turn! Brag About It!!!!

What are you most proud of this week?

Day In the Life: Day Off Edition

Happy Thursday! It is Thursday right? When I get consecutive days off in a row I get a little confused..... 

I am enjoying day off #2 today! Like I said yesterday, day's off have been rare so when I get them I take full advantage! 

Last night I went to dinner with some of my friends I met through working at St. Francis. It was great to catch up with them! Congrats to Stacy for getting engaged! Props to you for planning a wedding in 3 and a half months!! You are crazy girl :) 

When I got home I was super excited to finish a movie I started on Netflix called Remembrance. (it was an alright movie) 

 And then this popped up saying too many people were using our Netflix.. This is becoming a nightly recurrence! But instead of paying for my account I'll just wait my turn :) A couple nights ago we seriously had a schedule for when people could get on it. Ridiculous.

I woke up a little early this morning so decided I would make some coffee and watch the Today show. Some of my favorite things: Hazelnut coffee, the Today show, and can't forget Willie :) (I've had her since I was a baby...) Yes, I am a 23 year old who sleeps with a stuffed animal every night.

I got my butt out of bed and headed to the gym. At first I planned on going to Group Cycle (a spin class) but then I remembered my favorite instructor, Sara, was teaching a cardio class and decided to try that. Oh My Lord.... I'm so happy I chose to go but my body was not! She seriously knows how to kick your butt! After this 60 minute cardio class I headed up to the new Yoga room for a 60 minute Yoga class! I'm not really a fan of Yoga but I know how good it is for you so I'm really trying to get to one class a week. 

Hello sweaty Abbi!

The Yoga class was actually really good and the 60 minutes flew! It was 72 degrees in our room and I was dyingg. How do people do hot yoga classes?! 

When I got home I fixed myself some lunch, and of course more coffee... The rest of the day I'm just going to hang out and read my book! I'm reading One Plus One by JoJo Moyes right now. She is a great author and have read a couple of her other books! I set my goal on goodreads to read 40 books in 2015 and I've only read 3 so far.... I need to get going! 

I'll be going to a Group Cycle class tonight then am going to dig into this yummy taco soup that's in the crockpot.. Can't Wait!

Hope you all have a great Thursday! 

How many books have you read so far this year? Any I need to read?

What's your favorite flavored coffee? I finally found sugar free Hazelnut coffee creamer and was so excited I woke up early to have some... Helloooo coffee addict. 

What's your favorite type of exercise class? I love Group Power, I don't know why, it's just my favorite! But I love trying new classes, especially one's that get my heart rate up.

MIA

Hello!!! How has everyone been? I hope everyone has had a great 2015 so far. I just recently spent some time with my family and they mentioned more than once that they sure miss seeing my blog posts... Okay, okay I got the hint! 

My 2015 has been great so far! I pretty much worked January away (I had 4 days off in January) and have slowed down a bit in February. Other than working I have been spending a ton of time in the gym! What's better than making money and getting fit? I figured I should have thrown some fun in the mix so it was perfect timing to go home for my goddaughter, Addyson's, baptism!

Here are some things I've been up to in 2015!

 I'm finally using the "Wagon Wheels" in Group Power! 

Love the equipment at my gym. I can catch up on my blogs when I'm getting my extra cardio in!

I have the sweetest little Goddaughter! Love you Miss Addyson!

 (Grandpa, Dad, Uncle (dad's brother)) 

My dad and his brother are ALWAYS being mistaken as twins.. My dad is 10 years older! Haha sorry Chris :)

I have seen so many people going to these painting nights where you paint a picture on a canvas and drink wine! I thought it would be perfect for something my mom, aunt, cousin could do while I was home! I learned that I am not artistic... But that I am great at acting helpless so the artist helped me paint my picture.. Of course the parts she didn't help with I messed up royally and my picture got made fun of the rest of the night :(

We had a blast!! Thanks Uncorked in Omaha!!

So that's pretty much what I've been up to lately! I almost forgot my roommate, Laura, asked me to do a 30 day challenge with  her. I said yes before she told me the details..... I got myself into the 30 day challenge from hell.... NO: pizza, ice cream, sweets (including everything our patients bring us), fast food, and alcohol.... We are on Day 9 and have both stuck to it! Since I did this challenge that meant no drinking at our painting night... I firmly believe this is the reason my painting looked like a 3rd grader did it. Thanks Laura. 

The most recent highlight of 2015 was getting my brand new desk my grandpa made for me! This picture doesn't do it justice. He did an amazing job. I am so blessed to have such a talented grandpa who put so much and time effort into making this for me. Not only did he make this desk for me, but him and Grandma also drove down to Lawrence to deliver it! It was great having them here. We went to dinner and talked about when they grew up, how they met, and how much things have changed in the 50+ years they've been married. I just love them so much and am so happy they made the trip to Lawrence! I also worried about them the entire 6 hour trip they had back to Crofton and was so relieved when they got home. I must have a little bit of my Grandma in me :) I am truly blessed to have such great grandparents! Thanks for the desk Grandpa, I will find that hidden note one of these days!

What have ya'll been up to?

Any good workout songs you've been listening to? My workout playlist is in need of some new songs! New and old :)

We're having a debate in our house: Are dark chocolate dusted (not covered in chocolate) almonds a sweet? I say heck no! They barely even taste like chocolate. Laura says they are... She's a hard ass and I say I don't care what she says :)