Meet Amy!

starting weight: 163.6

We Aren't Scared Of Sugar: Tell us your favorite motivational quote.

Amy:  "There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." -Nelson Mandela

WASOS: What is your favorite healthy recipe?

Amy: I don’t really have any healthy recipes (just really started cooking not that long ago…everything I “cooked” would come from a box) 

Here is a recipe I found from Pillsbury and have adjusted some things in it. Pillsbury Grands Easy Taco Melts: 

Ingredients:

1lb. ground turkey, cooked and drained1

 ½ cups picante sauce (the recipe calls for chunky salsa but I don’t like the chunky stuff)

1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury Grands refrigerated biscuits (they have a low fat one)

½ cup Monterey Jack or Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Directions:In 10-inch skillet mix cooked beef and ½ cup of the salsa (I just a whole cup). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until hot. Press each biscuit into a 6-inch round. Spoon 1/3 cup meat mixture and 1 tbsp. cheese into the center of each round. Fold dough in half over filling; press edges to seal.Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 9-14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with remaining salsa. 

WASOS: What is your ultimate fitness goal?

Amy: To be healthy and happy for myself and no one else. Once I do that then it will trickle down to my boys and husband, but I’ve realized that if I’m not happy with myself then I can’t be the best mom and wife I know I can be!

You can follow Amy on twitter by clicking HERE.

And if you haven't already, you should go like the We Aren't Scared of Sugar facebook page by clicking HERE. 

Finding my "umph"

Gahhhhh This has been the longest week ever. But not even the week- I started feeling sick LAST week. I took 2 days off. I went back to the gym, back to running. Felt worse, took a few more days off. Taking time off to be sick means... cheese. Yeah. Everyone has their own comfort food, right? Well, in my family... we put cheese on EVERYTHING growing up. So, cheese and crackers (always reminds me of my late great grandma Poole) is my number one comfort food, especially if I'm sick. So, I didn't eat my weight in cheese or anything, but, I definitely ate more than I normally would.

I got back in the gym today and it felt great. My throat is still scratchy and raw, and I'm still coughing a little... I couldn't wait any longer. You know.. in the movie Tommy Boy where Richard tells Tommy "I can hear you getting fatter!" .. That is how I have felt with every passing day that I didn't get in the gym. I ran a 2 mile HIIT (treadmill, not elliptical! Ouch to my shins, but what a feeling of accomplishment!), and did arms/shoulders/chest.

Then I came home, and conducted girl scouts. After my scouts left, I prepared Olivia's & my favorite dinner! Chicken stir-fry over quinoa. Its so easy and fast, and by far one of the heartiest dinners (to me).

Easy peasy lemon squeezy..

• sautee organic boneless skinless chicken in some pam and a dash of olive oil until they're white on each side. Remove from pan, dice (you can probably chop them up completely raw but.. I'll gag. So I have to cook them a little first!) Put back in pan.
• add a dash of low sodium soy sauce. cook until chicken is almost finished.
• add in 1/2 bag of frozen stir fry veggies (plain, no sauces/butter added! I use great value brand since its cheap, simple, and walmart is the local grocery store). 
• add another dash of low sodium soy sauce, 1/8c water, bring to boil. Cover, reduce to simmer.
• Meanwhile, you should have had your quinoa cooking. haha.
• Scoop finished quinoa onto your plate (measure your serving, of course! PORTION control!), top with stir-fry goodness, & sprinkle with sesame seeds.

enjoy! 

Meet Aubrey!

This is the gorgeous Aubrey. :) She is my wing man for the challenges I host. I say that because she helps motivate ME a lot. Annnnd she does all the math for me. I am so, so very terrible at math. Even with a calculator. So, having her to back up my numbers (she charts EVERYTHING- so I have something to compare my math with! SAVING GRACE, haha!) against makes my life a lot easier.

Aubrey has been a part of all 3 of my challenges, starting the first one in July '11 weighing in at 175 and finishing at 168. She started the second challenge at 163 and ended at 156. 

Starting weight for the SBBC: 158.8

We Aren't Scared Of Sugar: Tell us your favorite motivational quote.

Aubrey: "No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch."

WASOS: Share your favorite healthy recipe.

Aubrey:  I like to keep it simple.....grilled chicken with grilled squash and zucchini, with some Tony Chachere seasoning

WASOS: What is your ultimate fitness goal?

Aubrey: I want to feel comfortable going for a run in booty shorts and a sports bra

^^ Me too, Aubrey, me too. We will get there! :) 

If you would like to follow Aubrey's journey to an amazing beach bod, you can view her blog HERE. You can also follow her on twitter HERE. You can also add her as a friend on my fitness pal by searching for Aubarnold.

If you haven't already, go ahead and "like" the We Aren't Scared of Sugar facebook page by clicking HERE! 

Random Recipe Tuesday

^^ Yeah, so I don't think that will be my weekly "thing," but hey, today I feel like sharing a recipe! I suck, super duper suck at protein. I never remember to thaw anything (I took chicken out of the freezer today at like noon, hopefully by dinner its ready to cook. I refuse to thaw anything in the microwave. It feels like eating cancer... even if it isn't. Thats how I feel.) So of course today I didn't have anything for lunch meat-wise. So, I made my very favorite fast lunch ever.

I shall name it.. Spicy black bean salad. :)

You will need:

• 1/3c black beans (cooked and seasoned with crushed red pepper, garlic, cilantro, and onion)
• dark green leafy lettuce
• black olives, tomatoes, peppers, any veggies you want to toss in
• fresh salsa (recipe to follow, super easy, its my Grandma's)
• hot sauce of choice (I prefer cholula).

So pretty much, heat the beans, throw the lettuce in a bowl, top with everything, drown in hot sauce. Quick, easy, delicious, healthy. :) Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Salsa (you can do this one of two ways: a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles (low sodium), or fresh tomatoes and green chiles, the amount of time I have usually dictates what I use). 

Throw these items into a food processor, including your tomatoes & chiles: cilantro, diced onion, 1-2 cloves garlic, fresh cilantro (freeze dried will do in a pinch), sea salt. Process. Smell. Taste. LOVE. :) 

Yay! That salsa is fantastic and so easy, and goes great with everything. 

Today is day THREE in a row for me of completely clean eating, and working out. I feel so so good. I love being back on track- I had no intentions of letting the holidays mess me up so badly. But, lesson learned, and now I am rocking it and weighing in at 125.5, which is great for me. I really don't have a goal weight, I want to build muscle and be jacked. So as I tone up, if that number rises, I'm totally 100% happy with that. 

I have done planks and squats all day. My booty already feels higher. hahaha :D I also did THIS tone it up circuit and at 530 when my babysitter gets here I'm off to the gym to run, and I am going to do the kettle bell beginner workout before bed. I have had my kettle bell for about a month now, and I haven't even watched one of the videos for it. I used to lift at the gym, but all the New Years resolution people are there 24/7 now and its so crowded. So I am just getting my run in (its so cold and wet here... still) and thats it. Thankfully I haven't had to wait on a treadmill yet, I would be so mad! 

I saw this today on a tumblr blog and I LOVE it SO much, I pinned it AND I'm sharing it here- and in my facebook fit is freedom group. :) 

I have motivation :) Do you? 

Random question: Have you ever encountered someone that was not really supportive of your decision to be healthy.. but more like, annoyed by your motivation? Just curious. Please share if you have, and why you think people feel that way. We will be discussing this in my fit group soon, and I would love to have a few examples to share with my girls! :) 

Have a lovely day!