Health Kick

By now, I should have learned that healthy cooking isn't my thing. After my healthy cookie disaster, I should know that jumping into super healthy eating probably isn't going to work for us. Once again, I tried to go max health, and it resulted in an inedible dinner.

I was so excited about making this Spaghetti Squash Lasagna. We're trying to cut out carbs this week, so I figured this would be the perfect solution. Nope. The recipe called for microwaving the spaghetti squash to soften it. On the quest to be healthy, I objected and chose to bake it instead. Apparently, I didn't bake for long enough. The squash was still crunchy. Yuck!

Dinner was so bad in fact, that Hubs and the girls had peanut butter sandwiches for dinner. That was a first in our marriage.

I'd definitely like to try the recipe and spaghetti squash again. The turkey meat sauce was delicious! Next time I'll stick with the directions in the recipe.

For dinner tonight, we had Bruschetta Chicken. AMAZING! I had to toss a little spaghetti on the plate. Just a little! And in my defense, it was vegetable spaghetti, so I count it as a vegetable, and not a carb.



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Green Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

In the quest to become healthier Hubster and I have tried to make some better choices as to what we put into our bodies. Now we aren't going super crazy by completely cutting carbs or dairy or anything like that, but we are trying to incorporate more fruits, veggies, and lean protein. For the past month or two Hubs and I have been making green smoothies for breakfast. It was scary to try at first, but these actually taste pretty good and they allow you go start your day with some fruit and vegetables in your system.

Ingredients:

• 2 Bananas
• 2 cups Milk (your choice, but obviously the healthier, the better)
• 3 tablespoons Chocolate Powder (think Carnation Instant Breakfast or Ovaltine)
• 1 cup Frozen Spinach
• 3 - 4 Ice Cubes

Directions:

1. Start by tossing your banana into your blender. You don't have to slice it, but I've found that breaking them in half works best.
2. Pour in your milk and chocolate, then blend until smooth
3. Add your frozen spinach and ice cubes. If have a good blender, you can just dump everything in at the beginning. 
4. Blend until the little green chunks are gone. About 30 seconds.

Recipe makes 2 servings.

We love these smoothies because they're super quick and easy for breakfast, and taste great! Other than having it's green color, you can't tell that there is spinach in it at all. While this smoothie may not be the perfectly healthy option for everyone, these are perfect for the everyday person just looking to replace their doughnut or muffin in the morning. And worry not vegetable haters, you don't taste the spinach at all! It blends right in and hides.

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Don't Judge Me

On Monday I went to the dentist for the first time in four years. Yes, FOUR years. In the time between my dentist appointments I was pregnant twice and probably didn't take the most spectacular care of my teeth. Pair that with an excess of sweets and gallons of wine and I was certain that dentist was going to tell me that my teeth were getting ready to fall out of my face.

When my adult teeth came in, they had really weak enamel on them. For this reason, my teeth have always been kind of sensitive and I've had to take extra good care of them. After becoming a mom, I started putting the little ones first. Some days I would be so tired that I would go to bed without brushing my teeth. Don't judge!

Source

Part of the reason that my teeth never saw a dentist in Georgia is because I would have had to drive half an hour to drop the girls off at day care, then half an hour back to where the dentist was, and then have to make the entire journey again once my appointment was over. For some reason, driving two hours didn't seem worth it to me. Granted, we've been paying for dental insurance all this time.

After looking at my teeth closely in a makeup mirror the other day, I noticed a black mark on the front of one of my front teeth. Because of that, I immediately called to get setup with one of the only dentists in town. I went into my appointment convinced that I was going to have my tooth pulled since it was all damaged. It didn't help that when they opened up my x-ray, the first thing the dentist commented on was how long my roots were. I thought, "Oh shit. That's going to hurt so bad."

After glancing at my x-rays, I didn't notice any holes or anything unusual. The dentist checked out my mouth with her little mirror and then let me know that there were no cavities. WHAT?! I can't even describe how relieved I was. The only crappy part is that I have to go back next week for two two-hour appointments for deep cleanings. Four hours of cleaning and Novocaine. Not exactly the best turnout. But hey, I'll get to buy ice cream for lunch.

Do you keep up with your semi-annual dental visits?

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Getting into Shape

Stripping down to my bathing suit on the cruise a few weeks ago was a rude awakening for me. I spent the better half of deployment doing CrossFit, so I was confident that my lower backside looked good. After Hubs came home though, I kinda slacked when it came to going to the gym. For the cruise I had a brand new bikini from Victoria's Secret that I was excited to wear and show off the majority of my booty.

Unfortunately, after Hubster came home, many nights were spent on the couch consuming pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Half Baked, Chunky Monkey, Chubby Hubby, all which led to a chubby wifey. I didn't even realize how out of shape I had gotten until I was getting ready to head to the pool the first time. For some reason I never really noticed that my jeans were kinda too tight as well.

Since we should soon be receiving a large chunk of insurance money to replace all of the clothes that was recently stolen from us, I've promised myself that I will get back into my perfect shape again to be able to buy and fit into the smalls that I've always worn. Oh, and not die before my kids are in middle school.

Prior to having kids and getting old, I was able to eat everything and not do a second of physical activity. Outsiders would probably still consider me to be thin, but both Hubs and I agree that I look like a four month pregnant Alex. Apparently, life has caught up to me, and I need to make some changes. I'm not trying to go psycho fitness junkie or do some fad diet, but I have made a loose set of rules for myself.

1. Drink more water. This one is kind of easy. It was easier back in Georgia where my refrigerator just spit it out for me, but like I said, I'm going to have to work a little and reach into the fridge for the gallon of water. I refuse to drink the sink stuff.
2. Cut out the sugary drinks. Being that we come from Georgia, I thought sweet tea was a better option than soda. Probably not. It's been a while since I purchased soda for the house, so now I just have to always order water when we go it. It helps with rule one, and it's free!
3. Eat healthier. I will admit that I like to eat junk food. I'll take a brownie over carrot sticks any day! I have been snacking on fruits and veggies lately though. This in part has to do with trying to get my kids to pick up healthy habits. Before lunch used to be something like nuggets and macaroni, now I make sure to at least include a fruit or vegetable. Snack time is also healthier options like cheese sticks, yogurt, and fruit juice. For a while now we've also been using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
4. Eat less. Snacking has become somewhat of a hobby. I just do it all day. I've also noticed that I eat when I'm bored. Insert water. If I can snack healthier and eat a bit less in general, I think that'll be a good start. Dinner always included a vegetable as a side, but now it also includes a salad. I always wondered why Hubs would have two full helpings. This has helped solve that problem. Fill up on salad before and only have one serving of whatever dinner is.
5. Get physical. I'm too lazy to go to the gym. Back when I was going, it was primarily for the social aspect. Gossip for an hour, go lift and train for 45 minutes, then get lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out. I left my girls behind in GA, so now it's up to me to get moving. I've been trying bust out a couple of pushups when I have down time. 30-Day Squat Challenge anyone? Last night we went for a walk after dinner, which should become the norm for us. Elizabeth has also inspired me with her fantastic results to attempt a plank-a-day.

I'm by no means a doctor or personal trainer, but based on my limited knowledge, I think that making these small adjustments to my life should help get me back on track.