Trash time

I have been feeling like a rock star lately.  I have been eating healthy foods consistently and rocking the gym at least 5 times a week since before the new year.  Like, even when I have legitimate excuses to not go to the gym, I do it anyway.  I can feel my body changing (ever so slightly), but the scale is NOT MOVING.  If the scale won't move, guess I will have to move the scale.  To the trash.  Let's face it, with the things that are coming up for me in the next few months, all that scale is going to do is giving me something else to stress about.

Instead of looking at the scale every day, I'm going to look in the mirror. And I'm going to like what I see.  And if I don't, I'm going to dress it up and put some makeup on it until I do.  

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

If you are anything like me, when people suggest you exchange your mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower, or your noodles for spaghetti squash, you give them the side eye.  They aren't the same thing.  Stop trying to make it happen.  I find that these substitutes taste better when I call them by their name.  The original name for this dish was Mac & Cheese.  This is not Mac & Cheese.  Mac & Cheese has Mac in it.  And Cheese.  Mac is short for Macaroni.  Macaroni is a variety of noodle.  This dish does not have noodles in it.  Either way, it is delicious and it's a great side that is much lower in calories than Mac & Cheese.

Ingredients

2 small spaghetti squash

1T butter (I use the land o lakes with olive oil)

1T olive oil

1 small onion

1/4 cup flour

2 cups skim milk

1 cup chicken broth

8oz reduced fat cheese (I use the weight watchers mexican cheese)

4 cups spinach

1/8 cup parmesan

There are a lot of ways to cook spaghetti squash.  My knife skills aren't that great and most require you to cut a raw spaghetti squash in half.  A raw spaghetti squash is about as hard as a brick so I choose not to try to cut an object that is that hard and also very capable of rolling across my counter in half.  Instead, I pierce them with a knife a few times and stick them in my crock pot.  Cook on low for about five hours, or high about three.  This makes it super easy to cut them in half.  When you take them out and cut them they look something like this.

Go ahead and scoop the seeds out the middle.  Use a fork to scoop the "spaghetti-ness" into a bowl.

Use a large pot and heat the butter and oil on medium heat.  Add your chopped onion and saute for a few minutes until they get a little softer.  Reduce heat to low and add your flour.  Stir continuously for 2 or so minutes (there is no exact science with my cooking).  

Add your milk and your chicken broth.  Get your heat back to medium and boil the mixture for a few minutes until it gets a little thicker.

Take your pot off the heat and add your cheese.  Stir until melted.

Add your spinach.

Add your squash.

Dump that mixture into a casserole dish.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan.  Back in oven on 375 for about 30 minutes. Voila!!  Excuse the asparagus on top.  I forgot to take a picture before we ate and this is how we stored the leftovers...

It makes a ton too and reheats well.  I made this Sunday night and we will be able to eat it as a side at least two more times this week.  The best part?  A whole cup of this stuff will only cost you 165 calories!!

I've changed up a few things, but you can see the original recipe HERE.

February Workout Playlist

Better late than never right?  A few quick notes:
*This playlist is super random.  None of it makes sense together, but just go with it.
*Bummer Beyonce's new album isn't out yet.  I really wanted to put Formation on the playlist.  Try to listen to that song and NOT dance.

Click HERE to subscribe to the playlist on Spotify.

Sorry-Justin Bieber
679 (feat. Remy Boyz)-Fetty Wap
Crash-Gwen Stefani
Dangerous (feat. Joywave)-Big Data
Heads Will Roll-Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Everywhere I Go-New Politics
Studio-Schoolboy Q
We Own the Sky-M83
You're So Last Summer-Taking Back Sunday
Lifestyle-Rich Gang, Young Thug
Out of My Head (feat. Trey Songz)-Lupe Fiasco
Rack City-Tyga
Work It-Missy Elliot
Summer Sixteen-Drake
Ego-Bibi Bourelly
Used To-Mutemath

Check my other fitness playlists HERE!

Stuck

I have to admit, I am feeling a little stuck lately.  I want so badly to blog.  I want to write, but I can't seem to figure out where I want to go with it.  I look at other blogs and I am so impressed.  I love their pretty pictures and how passionate they seem to be about one thing.  I think the problem is that I feel passionate about so many things that I'm not sure what to do.

I have always been so interested in diet and fitness and living a healthy lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong, I still am.  However, with even more fertility treatments (much bigger ones) looming in the next 6 months to a year, I feel so stuck.  It's all consuming and to be honest, I just don't want to write about that.  It's tough to be going through something that takes over your life completely and still post recipes.  Everything seems small compared to this BIG thing in my life right now.  But, I'm coming to realize that these small things that make me happy ARE my life right now.  They get my through the days, weeks, months.  I may sound shallow, but fitness makes me happy.  Clothes and shoes make me happy.  Makeup makes me happy!

I know that blogging can help focus my attentions elsewhere and I really want to make a better effort at trying to keep up with things I enjoy.  With the weight gain that is sure to come with injectables and the lack of physical fitness that is about to happen, it doesn't feel right to only be writing about those kinds of things.  So, with that being said, bear(I had to look up if it was bear or bare) with me and these transitions the blog will be going through.  In the spirit of being completely honest, here are some things that may be coming up.

-Diet and exercise (it will always be a part of this blog)
-Fashion (I don't feel like I'm fashionable enough to blog about fashion, but I like it.  So I will.)
-Hair and makeup
-Meditation (yes, I'm trying this!)
-Lots of things about my dog :)
-Entertainment (TV, music, concerts)

What I'm basically saying is that if you read my blog you're in for some pretty random things to come.  I am working on a better blogging schedule to have some semblance of organization here.  Unfortunately, it seems that everything starts with F.  Fashion Fridays?  Friday Favorites?  Fitness Friday?  Well, it's a work in progress.  I would love any suggestions on what you may want me to blog about or what you would be interested in reading!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Addictive

You know how people say going to the gym is addictive and you say, "you're full of shit."  Well, actually it's true.  I've been going to the gym 5-7 times a week for the past three weeks and I have to say I'm hooked.  The great thing about it is that I ate like a mad woman Christmas to New Year and I didn't gain any weight.  Not one pound.  Once you start going  you will continue to want to go.

I used to feel too tired to go to the gym after work.  It's a cycle though and the sooner you realize that the better off you will be.  You're too tired to go to the gym after work because you aren't going to the gym after work.  If you put in the effort for just one solid week of consistently going, you will soon start to crave the gym after work.  I really should be taking a rest day today, but I just don't want to!  You can get there to.  When I take my shower at night I like to feel like I really earned it.  When I don't hit the gym I feel like I'm cheating the shower gods.   I urge you to start earning your showers!  Her's to working hard, knowing your shit, showing your shit, and feeling entitled in 2016!

Welcome to 2016

Welcome to 2016!!!  I don't know about you, but I'm ready to have a stellar year.  In order to do that, I have to hit the gym.  In order to hit the gym, I need some awesome playlists.  I intend to post one at the beginning of each month for your gym going pleasure.  They'll each be about an hour long.  Here goes January 2016's playlist:


Shut Up and Dance-Walk to the Moon
Leather Jacket-Arkells
Die Young-Ke$ha
Panama-Van Halen
7/11-Beyonce
Starstrukk-3OH!3
Jumpman-Drake, Future
F**kin Problems-A$AP Rocky
Let's Go-Trick Daddy
6 Foot 7 Foot-Lil' Wayne
Hands on the Wheel-Schoolboy Q
Strange Clouds-BOB, Lil Wayne
Flex (K Theory Remix)-Rich Homie Quan
Lean On (Dillon Francis Remix)-Major Lazer
Come Get Her-Rae Sremmurd
Throw Some Mo-Rae Sremmurd
No Flex Zone (Remix)-Rae Sremmurd (Obviously I really like Rae Sremmurd right now)



I have also shared to anyone who follows me on Spotify.  If you have Spotify you can follow me and just use the playlist.  Hope yall enjoy!  Happy New Year!

Please Remember

I've been reading some articles lately about resolutions for the new year and although losing weight and being healthy is really important to me, I really loved some quotes I found.  The original article is HERE, but these are a few quotes that stood out to me:

"This year, instead of focusing on being less, let's focus on being more. Resolve to have more gratitude for everything your body does for you. Take up more space in the world. Speak up more about things that are important to you. Do more joyful movement. Eat more delicious food that nourishes you. This year, instead of trying to create a 'new you,' resolve to take the old you out for a spin. I think you'll find that she's pretty spectacular."

"What if I told you that the current you was actually pretty awesome and you didn't in fact need a you-replacement? I'm an anti-resolution enthusiast because my body is perfect just as it is ... Reframe the ideology that positions your body as the thing that is keeping you from fulfilling your greatest (and skinniest) destiny. Your body is many things, but I promise it's not your enemy. The size of your body will never be the most important or greatest thing about you."

"You don't need to lose weight to experience your best self. You just need to resolve yourself to living the life you imagine –- in exactly the skin you're already in. You'd be amazed at how that mental shift can be the best choice you've ever made in terms of health and happiness."

"I can also tell you your worth as a human is not dictated by your medical charts or ability to run marathons. You have inherent value — every human does. It's really that simple."

"New year. Same you. Still awesome."

So, I am obviously not an anti-resolutionist, but I appreciate the sentiment and those quotes are definitely some good things to remember.  You can be happy with and love yourself, while still always striving to be better.  Although I'm always working to better myself and be healthier and my best me, I make sure that I am only doing that for myself and not someone else.  If you're doing it for someone else, it's time to re-evaluate.  Some tips when making your resolutions:
-Write them down!!
-Review them at the beginning of each month and make sure you are staying on track
-Tell people about them.  You will feel more accountable.
-Make sure they are attainable.  If you have never gone to a gym before, a goal of going 6 days a week is not a good goal to have.

When you are making resolutions this year, be sure to remember that sometimes fat people are assholes.  Sometimes skinny people are assholes.  Make sure whether you want to lose weight or not, you  resolve to be a better person in 2016.  Don't be an asshole.  That should be everyone's resolution.

...and in case you were wondering, here are a few of mine...

-Remember to wear my fitbit
-Hit the gym 4-5 times a week
-Sign up for a 5k each month (I think my sister did this one year)
-Blog more! (It makes me happy)
-No more saying "should" (We SHOULD do this or that.  Just DO it!)
-Complain less
-Cell phone doesn't come out at a restaurant unless I need to call 911
-Drink more water (you can never drink enough)
-Stop stressing about things out of my control
-Print out pictures from 2016 and create an album (I'm tired of everything only being accessible by computer)
-Oh, yea and don't be asshole :)