Square Soul Round Body

Hey guys! Wow, has it been over a month already? The whole month of July went by in a blink. It was a busy month. Full of many, MANY changes for my little family. And we're still adjusting. Trying to settle in. Until then, I'm afraid the blogs are going to be few and far between. I may not get back to a regular posting schedule until September. So please, bear with me. But today, to kinda bridge the gap, I have a new recipe for you! So many of the recipes in my repertoire are simple childhood favorites. I knew what they were supposed to taste like, and I could throw my own spin on them. With this recipe, that was NOT the case. I had only tried jambalaya once in all my 32 years. My fiancé ordered it at a restaurant, and we shared it. I'm not sure it was even authentic to the original cuisine. So, essentially, I was flying taste blind when I recreated a recipe for us to try. I researched for a week: Authentic Creole and Cajun recipes for jambalaya. And I used it to crea...

Hey! It's been a while.  I've missed a few blogs, but all with good reason.  We have been very busy with BIG things!  Big events, and big changes afoot!  The most exciting of which happened this past weekend.  We had a family reunion for my Grandma's 90th birthday celebration!  I never realized how much effort goes into planning a 2-day trip for a little family of three.  I can't imagine how my Grandma used to plan family outings with 7 kids in tow!  It was wonderful to see family again.  Some of whom I haven't seen for 9 years or more, and some I've never met in person!   As a special treat, we were able to go to church.  For me, it felt like I was returning home after a long journey.  The readings.  The songs.  Standing next to my Grandma as she sang so beautifully.  I hadn't been to church in so long.  My fiance and our daughter had never been to a Lutheran service before.  I have...

Weigh in: 278.0 ➡ -1.8 Thankfully, the medication dilemma was resolved! Even after only 5 days without it, my body is taking a while to readjust. My sleep schedule has been thrown completely out of whack. And the pain hasn't fully subsided. My taste buds are still wonky as well. It's frustrating to feel so unlike myself. I don't typically have a big appetite, but these days it's practically non-existent. And the smallest influence can ruin whatever little appetite I get. The smell of certain foods is repulsive to a point I have to actually leave the room. And before anyone goes there, no, I'm not pregnant. It's one of the stranger side effects I've experienced. The good news is, I will see my doctor tomorrow!

Weigh in : 279.8 ➡ +1.6 I wish I could say I'm surprised.  I'm not.  This always happens.  I start to make progress and something unexpected takes it out of my control. This week there was a mix-up with my medication.  As in, I don't have it anymore.  I don't really want to get into the details right now.  My symptoms have come back with a vengeance.  So, short story?  My doctor's appointment isn't for another week, and no one can get in contact with him to refill the prescription.  So I'm trying to conserve as much energy as possible to deal with my thyroid condition going untreated for the time being.  Hopefully, I can get in touch with him before my appointment and get back on track.  But, so far, I've had NO luck. 

Weigh in: 278.2 ➡ -1.6 That's a bit better than the last few weeks.  Almost 2 pounds!  I'm a little confused about it because I was not as careful this week with my calories and diet.  But I'm also not going to overthink it.  I tend to obsess over things like that.  I don't want to do that this time.  This journey is not only about weight loss.  It's about all around health.  Overthinking...Obsessing over little things... Not mentally healthy.  So I'm going to take this loss as a WIN and leave it at that!  Enjoy my life instead of trying to pick it apart. Positive note this week: We had an amazing family day at the park this week.  I taught my daughter (and my fiance who has amazingly never played) how to play 2 square.  It was a workout that was much more fun than just a basic walk or lifting free weights.  It didn't feel like a workout until the end when we got home.  Suddenly I noticed all the muscles I had ...

What happens when you have a Family day on Foodie Friday, and you're too busy enjoying it to remember the blog you were supposed to write? You get a Scrumptious Saturday instead!  This week, I decided to switch it up. We have been focusing on quality family time. So I decided, rather than cooking a new recipe myself, I would teach a family favorite to my fiancé and our daughter. But, because I'm a smidge obsessive in the kitchen and knew I'd end up taking over so we had one rule. No mom in the kitchen! I was giving instructions, step by step, without being able to see what they were doing.  So here it is! Chicken Divan Step 1: I asked my fiancé to cube the chicken breast into bite size pieces. Then season and cook. I'm really happy he used our cast iron. It gives food just a bit of extra iron, which in a dish as calcium rich as this, we can use it! Little tip: calcium inhibits iron absorption. I'm proud of him for remembering all four seasonings I asked h...

Weigh in: 279.8 ➡ -1.0 Going into week 8 and another pound down. It didn't occur to me that I titled these blogs at the beginning of the week. It probably should've been titled Week Zero and so on. It's throwing me off a bit. Second guessing my progress because it just doesn't feel like enough. But maybe I'm feeling down about it, because my body has been in excruciating pain lately. A positive note for the week: Despite the pain, I made an amazing soup with fresh ingredients. I didn't take the easy way out with pre-made meatballs, and frozen veggies already chopped. I took the extra time, and added that extra love into my recipe. Planning it out, and executing it, felt like an accomplishment. Pre-made meatballs and frozen veggies are fine if that's what you prefer. But I really wanted to take the extra step, and I did it! Little victory for the week: I'm out of the 280's! Now I know a little gain can undo this little victory. That's why...