delicious foods, healthy alternatives.

I'm a HUGE pasta and potatoes girl. If I could eat those two food groups for every meal, I would. Obviously you can see how I'm now the weight I am.

I just want to share three of my favorite recipes with you that are healthy alternatives to some of those meals I really crave and love!

Breakfast:
"Sausage" Burrito
Typically, Sausage Burritos range from 300-1,200 calories. Take McDonalds, for instance. Their sausage burrito has 300 calories, and though that may not seem too bad, take a look at the carbohydrates and fat. One burrito has 16 grams of fat (7 of that as saturated fat), 26 grams of carbohydrates, and 12 grams of protein.

My alternative-
1. Mission Whole Wheat Tortilla - 130 calories, 2 grams of fat (0g Saturated)
2. 3 egg whites - 51 calories, 0 grams of fat
3. One slice of Mozzarella cheese - 50 calories, 4 grams of fat (2.5g Saturated)
4. 2 tablespoons of ALL NATURAL salsa - 10 calories, 0 grams of fat
5. Greenwise Veggie Breakfast Patty - 75 calories, 3 grams of fat (.5g Saturated)
6. 3/4 cup of chopped green peppers - 25 calories, 0 grams of fat

My healthy alternative has 351 calories, 9 grams of fat (3 grams saturated fat)
Plus, it is more than double the size of the burrito I could get at McDonalds, and it is packed with protein, so I can get a good workout in a few hours later and not feel exhausted.

Lunch:
Like I said before, I love love potatoes, especially mashed potatoes. The texture and consistency, the flavor... it's all delicious.
Mashed potatoes generally have lower calories (unless it is piled with goodies) but fat intake is still skyrocketing for a small portion because of the butter and milk.
Let's compare it to an instant pack I have sitting in my kitchen cabinet: 199 calories, 9 grams of fat (when prepared).

When I first heard of substituting cauliflower for potatoes, I thought that was bizarre. But then I gave it a try and realized it was absolutely delicious! Whoever created them is a genius!

My alternative:
1. One cup of cooked cauliflower - 29 calories, 0 grams of fat
2. One tablespoon of Olivio (olive oil) spreadable "butter" - 90 calories, 10 grams of fat
*Please note, Olive Oil is a good fat
3. 1 cup of nonfat milk has 83 calories, 0 grams of fat
4. Add pepper and garlic salt (0 calories if you sprinkle)

My healthy alternative has 202 calories, 10 grams of fat (3.5 grams of saturated fat)
It also contains 400mg Omega 3 per serving (from the spread), as well as the benefits you receive from cauliflower, which is low in fat, but high in dietary fiber, folate, water, and vitamin C, possessing a high nutritional density.
Cauliflower contains several phytochemicals, common in the cabbage family, that may be beneficial to human health.

To keep the nutrients, make sure to either steam your cauliflower or boil it for no longer than 5 minutes.


Dinner:
I love my spaghetti - it's something I crave very often but it is something I've now eliminated from my life - for now.
Spaghetti (not whole wheat) has 210 calories in one cup. It also has 1 gram of fat (0g Saturated fat) and 40 grams of useable carbs.
Sauce ranges all over the place, but what I have found is generally it is about 80 calories per 1/2 cup, and 3 grams of fat (0g Saturated). Here's something to be mindful of, though: Spaghetti sauces have high amounts of sugar. This sauce has 7 grams of sugar, and the pasta has 2 grams of sugar! That's a lot when there aren't benefits to the food you are consuming.

Spaghetti Squash is one of my FAVORITE FOODS, and you'll see why!

My alternative:
1. 1 Spaghetti Squash, 42 calories in each cup, 0 grams of fat, 4 grams of sugar (which will be absorbed slowly into the bloodstream because of the fiber in the squash)
2. 1 Jar healthy alternative pasta sauce (low in sugar). One I will use is Muir Glen's Organic Tomato Basil Sauce, which has 25 calories in 1/4 cup, 0 grams of fat, and 1 gram of sugar.

M healthy alternative has 67 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 5 grams of sugar
PLUS...
Spaghetti squash is a good source of several B vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, choline and vitamin B-6.


Anyway, hope you're having a great week and feel free to send your healthy recipes my way! :)

weight loss goal for 2012.

Hello! I know I've been writing a TON - it feels so good to just release all my thoughts and energy onto a little white html box. :-)

For the last few months, I have been addicted to processed foods. I could literally eat chips for breakfast, and then wonder why I felt so tired throughout the day. I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world so I also really started loving things I've never liked in my life, like cake. I can't describe to you the toll these things have taken on my body. I may not look like I'm obese, but on my BMI chart, I am. And I felt it, too.

As some of you may have seen (from what I posted on facebook) I am going on a DISNEY CRUISE in February with David's family! It's going to be amazing - I'm sure the majority of the time I will be watching the Broadway-quality shows! But I also know I'm going to want a cute, toned body so I can wear a cute bathing suit and not feel self conscious. Confidence is always nice. Good health is also extremely important and I know this.

Anyway, one week ago I made a goal and wrote down where I want to be week-by-week, giving myself challenges when I get to certain weights, and also little bits of motivation. I wanted to share with you all what my goal is! By mid-February (5 months from now) I am going to lose 40 pounds. That's 8 pounds a month/2 pounds a week.

What I've changed is I try to stay away from all refined processed foods and sugars, I have put in about two/three servings of fruits and veggies a day (I know it's still not enough, but it's a start) and I still eat dairy and wheat, just in moderation. I've been drinking a lot of water but that's nothing new for me.
Also just have been trying to THINK active - if it's a nice Saturday, like it was this Saturday, am I going to sit around or should I go on a bike ride? My sis-in-law and I chose to ride bikes for a few miles. I'm a huge advocate of Jillian Michaels. Her workouts WORK in as little as a few days. You can literally feel your muscles starting to form and break through the fat in a little amount of time. So I have started the 30 Day Shred, again. I also love Zumba and Spinning and I take both of those at the YMCA.

I'm happy to report I've lost 2 and a half pounds this week, so I made my first weekly goal!
The way I'm going to stay with my long-term goal is I'm going to think about the cruise whenever I want to quit. In my whole life I don't remember ever feeling confident enough to wear a bikini. So I'd like to buy my first bikini in February as a sign of accomplishment. I also am going to look at pictures of myself when I felt the most happy and confident with my weight, and that's when I lost 20 pounds for my wedding two years ago.
Before - July 2009:

After - October 2009:


That was the most dramatic weight loss I've ever been through, and that was only 20 pounds. Now, I'm doubling that amount and I've set goals small enough to where it will be realistic to get to a HEALTHY, happy weight.

Thanks for your support through this. If you are also thinking about losing weight, please leave a comment or tell me on facebook and we can lose together! It's always nice having a good support team during something as challenging as weight loss. I will keep you updated!


Here are some of my favorite pictures (don't have enough time o make them the same size):

all my hats (confusion).

I am a woman of many hats.

I know how to do so many things, and I can do them well, but I haven't mastered any of them yet.
I don't think I'm suppose to have anything mastered considering my age.
Plus, I know that the most successful people in life don't view life differently once they've been successful - they continue to work at it and perfect their craft...

But, still, where do I fall? What do I do with my life? I've just been a little discouraged lately because I haven't heard God on this yet. I don't know what direction I am suppose to go, so in the meantime I'm just living my life day to day. But I'm not getting any younger, am I? And one day I'd like to be able to support my family, I'd like to be able to have a house with a yard, to have a career I love and believe in.

I'm a planner. I like to plan my life. This is why I know God has been more silent regarding this issue.
When I met David and started to fall for him, I immediately took it to God.
"God," I prayed, "If this man is not the one for me, just take him away and out of my life. I don't want to be in another heartbreak if this doesn't work out. I don't want to play any games."
After I prayed that, David started to pursue me MORE and spoke about what God was speaking to him, and it became clear that God wasn't going to take him away. That's how I knew my husband was the one God had intended for me to marry.

Almost every decision I've made in my life (though I have not had too many) I heard God in it. But when it comes to my career... I haven't. And I don't know when I'm going to.

And the dilemma is should I take the leap and just pursue what I want to pursue or do I wait on God to be sure?


Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.

*Sigh*

purpose.

Yesterday and today David and I have sat in our condo all day, catching up on sleep, spending time together, and watching movies. David also caught a little bit of the short sickness I had this week - runny nose, cough, fatigue, etc.

There hasn't been a whole lot going on lately. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Nothing too eventful. I saw my family for a few days about 2 weeks ago. It was great seeing them. As always, though, when I go back to the place I left behind, I feel sadness and confusion. It's safe to say I still don't know exactly why God called us here to Florida, but it's been a heck of a journey trying to find out. Through all the emotions I've felt over the last 2 years, I know that it's going to get better, just don't know when. And I'm laying this out here because I don't want it to look like I have my life figured out, because I'm not God. And I also know that through all the trials and tribulations I endure in life, it makes my testimony that much stronger. And that's what I have to look forward to more than anything, I think.

I have heard that everyone goes through a stage in their life where they feel lost. Whether it's financially, emotionally, physically, or spiritually - or even all the above. I can relate to this with the season I'm in right now. For many years, I've battled bouts of depression. I had thoughts of suicide at 13 and one time planned to go through with it, but I clearly heard God speak to me in the moment of my darkest hour and say, "You have something to live for." I didn't know what that meant, but hearing His voice made me a little afraid. Was he telling me I was powerful beyond what I can imagine? The thought of me living something out bigger than I dreamed made me a little fearful. I (obviously) didn't follow through with the act.
But there were times I remembered that night and wondered why God had spoken those words to me.
When I was in high school years later, a friend called me in the middle of the night. Crying hysterically, he told me that he was about to kill himself but clearly heard God's voice. He heard these words: "Call Shaylee."
Instantly, I saw part of God's plan for my life instantly unravel before my own eyes.
In a moment where I could have ended my life, God wanted to save it so I could help save somebody else's.

Ever since that incident, I have a deeper understanding that everything happens for a reason. The crap we endure, the nights where we feel alone, the people that walk out of our lives, every tear we cry... it's all a part of a bigger plan. I'm not saying God makes bad things happen to people, I'm saying that He can use any bad situation and make it GOOD.

And He has.

To this day, I still deal with anxiety and depression, but I've learned that this is character growth. One day I'm going to be able to help others who are dealing with these things, I'll be able to speak wisdom and life over their future. Counseling is going to help me, but only God can restore me. This I know as truth.

To all of you reading this blog who are feeling alone, worthless, insecure, sad, afraid or helpless I want you to know that it isn't up to you to figure it out. But you will never get better and you won't heal properly if you don't know who Created you. Maybe you're afraid of God, or maybe you've given up. Know that He has not given up on you and NEVER will, no matter what you do in your life. He wants all of you, not a part of you. He wants to show you true joy, He wants to impact your life so you will spread the good news to others.
You are here on earth for MORE than yourself. There are people out there that need you, now and in the future.

And if you don't see it now...
You will.

These are words I'm living by, & I hope you do the same.

Love, Shaylee