Healthier Beef With Broccoli + Why I Haven’t Blogged in 3 Months (HUGE NEWS)

Where do I even begin with this?! It’s been 110 days since my last blog post (which is ridiculous), and it feels like every single day has been a whirlwind since then. So folks, you’re in for a long, juicy read with this post. :o) Looking back on the last 3+ months, I can’t believe how much has happened. I didn’t know how spot-on these words from my last post actually were:

“Things have gotten CRAZY busy over the last 4 months in all aspects of my life (personal, professional, and recreational), and I expect it to get even busier in the next 4-6 months. Posting every single week just ain’t happening, but I’m not going to beat myself up about it. Instead, I’m acknowledging the fact that I’m spending my time doing other things that are really important right now, and I’ll continue to post as often as I can.”

And here’s a little snippet of two posts back:

“I know it might not be kosher to post about this when we have nothing (other than a name) finalized, but hell, I think a girl should be able to dream, dream big, and dream publicly — so I’m throwing this out there a little bit half-baked… We want to change lives. We want to help people get healthy and achieve their goals. And, obviously, we want to have fun while doing it… I know how much of an impact getting my health in check has had in ALL aspects of my life, and I want nothing more than to show the rest of the world that they can do it, too, without enduring hours on a treadmill or starving themselves on 1200 calories/day. Seriously, there’s a better way. I’m living proof, and Kristina is the methodology behind it. No, I’m not drastically changing course in any way at this specific moment. And no, I’m certainly not quitting my day job any time soon. This is a “big-picture” thing that we’re going to put a lot of time and effort into planning and building out.”

Let’s connect the dots between those two posts and the current state of things, shall we?

Asian Barbeque Steak Skewers

Happy Monday, everyone! We’re having some really awful weather in Austin today — cold and rainy with a chance of ice — and I’d be lying if I said it was easy for me to crawl out of bed at 5:15 this morning to lift weights. But, instead of convincing myself that staying wrapped up in my warm blankets and skipping my workout wouldn’t do me any harm, I realized that not sticking to my routine on a Monday morning was the exact opposite of how I wanted to start this week.

Regardless of the crummy weather, how little sleep I got this weekend, or how many excuses I could have come up with to rationalize staying in bed this morning, none of them would have validated starting my week out in a way that gets between me and my goals. This has been a recurring theme for me throughout 2015 thus far. No, my year didn’t get off to a great start. I had a crap-ton of personal stuff going on in January, then had a few crazy weeks of pet health issues to deal with earlier this month, and work has definitely been picking up. I’ve been constantly busy, stressed out some (most?) of the time, and ready to give up a small number of times. Any time I catch myself thinking about that last one — giving up — I remind myself that it isn’t an option.

Baked Pesto Chicken

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. This was my second year cooking for my family, and let me tell ya’ — it was FAR easier this time around. The food was finished an hour ahead of schedule, everything turned out wonderfully, and I only set the smoke alarm off twice — once cooking bacon during breakfast, and once heating up garlic for the stuffing. Of course, we ended it up with way more than enough food, and my workouts were incredible for the following 3-4 days. It’s crazy how much of a difference I can feel during my lifts when I’m eating at a surplus. So many new personal records (PR’s) in the gym!

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes: The Full Menu + Cleaned-Up Green Bean Casserole

Happy holiday week, everyone!

I spent some time at the grocery store and in the kitchen this weekend getting everything in order for Thursday’s big meal, and I want to share what I’ll be cooking for my 16+ family members later this week. :o) A few of these are recipes that I’ve posted before and were a huge hit last year, while others are recipes that I’ve found from other fabulous food bloggers that I’m excited to try out. Here’s the full menu:

Maple-Sriracha Salmon and Grilled Zucchini (Plus: PrettyFit Box Review!)

Hi, everyone! I know I kind of went off the radar for the last two-ish weeks. I’ve been a busy little birthday-loving bee, to say the least.

Birthday Weekend Recap

Last Saturday marked my 25th birthday. Friday night, Ryan and I had a fancy dinner out in west Austin. Lobster macaroni and cheese and fried avocado didn’t fit my macros for the day, but I enjoyed every last bite nonetheless. Special occasions aren’t necessarily an “excuse” to go overboard and binge, but I still wanted to try dishes that sounded enticing (which, at restaurants, usually means they’re higher in fats/carbs). I ordered whatever I wanted, devoured about half of my portions, boxed the leftovers up, and moved on with my life. In my perspective, I know that I make the decisions around what food I put into my body. 90-95% of the time, I stick to my macros and eat healthy, whole foods. I don’t have anxiety about the other 5-10%. I still try to order things that are “healthier” when we do have date nights (for instance, I’ll order a grilled chicken dish before getting any pasta with a super-heavy sauce, mainly because I know that the latter option would make me feel sluggish and nauseous after eating it), but I know that the key to creating the life-long habit of making healthy choices is all about balance. Feeling guilty about food is not a healthy mentality.