Skinny BBQ Chicken Pizza!!!

Hey there Strangers!  It's been, yet again, forever since I've posted anything.  My main focus has been on exercise and eating healthy, plus planning for for my sis's bridal shower, and my friends bridal shower!  So, I've been really busy and trying to stay focused on my goals:)  I hope everyone has had a great month!

This month has been great for me!  I had my sister's bridesmaids and my mom over to my house to work on the bridal. We did ALOT for it and I still have some other things to put together!  I don't want to post anything on here, until it's over with because I'm afraid my sis will see:-o  I want to keep everything a surprise from her:-)

On Wednesday, the hubby and I tried something new and it was a skinny BBQ "mini" pizza!  Let me tell you there were VERY delicious:):)  I just have to share the recipe with you all!

Yumminess Squared!!!

You all know that I'm all about quick and easy.  This recipe is right down that alley!

Ingredients:

- Soft shell tacos(the biggest ones, burrito sized)
 - 1/2 of a can of canned chicken
- Baby Ray's BBQ sauce( or another BBQ sauce of your choice)
- Low mositure/ part skim Mozzierella shredded cheese
- Onions

The directions are really pretty simple!

First, grab a pizza pan and spray it with Pam.  Next, place your soft shell taco on the pan and squirt some BBQ sauce on.  Then, sprinkle on some chicken, onion, and top with cheese!  Voila, finished!  It sure is yummy!!!  The hubby and I also made turkey pepperoni pizza with onions, pizza sauce(of course), and cheese!  That one was just as easy:)

Well, I hope all of you have an amazing Friday and enjoy your weekend!!!  I know I will be:)  It's suppose to be warming up to the 40's here and hopefully melt some of our 2' piles of snow!

Thanks for stopping by:):):):)

Until next time!!!!

Austrian Raspberry Jam Cookies!

I can remember when I was growing up, that my mom would make this petite, and refreshing cookies, but I just never got around to making them.  This year I did though:)  They turned out wonderful and here is the recipe for you all to try, if you would like!

Tastiest Cookie Dough Truffles!

If you are a truffle girl like I am OR you LOVE cookie dough then this recipe is right down your alley:)  These have to be my fav, fav truffle recipe!  They are really pretty easy to make.  You will be happy to hear that this recipe doesn't call for any eggs what-so-ever!

Look at all of that deliciousness!!!

Lighter Fiesta Lime Chicken:)

Oh Yes, you read that right!!!  Lighter Fiesta Lime Chicken, like the kind you can order from Applebee's and it is so, so good!  I like to think of it as mouth watering, but with a whopping 1,280 calories and 47 grams of fat, I have to skip it; not any more:) If you have made a New Year's resolution to eat healthier then this recipe is for you and you should definitely pin this baby!!!

Yumminess Squared!!!

The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!!!

Happy Thursday to everyone!!! It's crazy by how fast my break has flew by already!  I'm one lucky girl because I don't have to go back to work until Monday...woohoo!!  I have to say though, it will be hard to go back after such a LONG break, but I must just push through!

Every year, it is a Christmas tradition that I picked up while growing up, my family and I would make TONS of Christmas goodies.  That's the tradition that I have continued every Christmas since I moved out of my parents house and each year, I add more and more goodies to be made on my "goodies list."  I can't wait to be able to share this tradition and the love of Christmas that I have with my own kiddos when the hubby and I decide to make our family bigger:)  Over the next couple days, I will be sharing with you all some of the delicious, but not so nutritious goodies that I have made!!!

Today, I'm going to share with you, the best oatmeal raisin cookies you will come across!!!

Tropical Paradise!

As I posted yesterday, I went on a trip with the hubby!  The hubby told me that, once I lost 40 lbs that he was going to take me on a trip....so we went to Florida:)  Fort Meyers beach, Florida and it was well deserved and needed!!!  I loved every bit of it.  It was very relaxing, and fun!  We actually got a pretty good deal through Allegiant and the resort was very nice!  I think it would be a great spot for families because it's in a quite neighborhood and it seems to be very safe.  We went jet skiing with dolphins and even got the jet skis up to 55 mph...which was exhilarating:)

Cruising in our car!

View from our room!

Our resort and the jet skis we went on!

Poor little guy had a sinker stuck to him:(

Day 20: Fruits and Veggies!

We're so far into the :

Via

Which brings me to eating healthy and eating your serving sizes of fruits and veggies!  Before I was so caught up on "light" or "reduced fat" or "100 calorie packs", that I didn't focus on eating enough fruits and veggies!  You need to make sure you are eating your fruits and veggies to fuel your body and so you can be happy and healthy:)

Day 19: Skinny, Mouth-Watering Manicotti

Alright!  This recipe is seriously the bomb and it is very low calorie for pasta!!!  This has to be my all time fav healthier/skinny recipe!  This is a HUGE fav of the hubby and he eats ALL of the leftovers for this one!!

This recipe does take a little longer to prepare, but it's soo worth it, let me tell you:)  This is what you need to make this delicious dish:

Skinny, Mouth-watering manicotti

Day 17: Nutella Cookies!

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!  I'm so happy we're half way through the week because this weekend, I'm running my 2nd 5K in over 6 years...woohoo!!!  I can't wait:):):)  Lately, I will go for my run no matter how cold it is because having a goal keeps me on track!

In my last post, I told you how busy I was with baking and cooking over the weekend and how I tried some new recipes that I wanted to share with you all and share for my:

Overall, I think that I will make these cookies again.  The hubby didn't like these as much as my Healthy Banana Muffins, but you can't win them all, right?!?!  I did like these cookies and the good thing is that there isn't any extra sugar other than what is in Nutella, which I'm sure is quite a bit.  For a cookie they, they really are a little skinnier than most:)

It's really simple, quick, and easy to make these!  I mean anyone could do this within a matter of 3 minutes to get your ingredients together and then of course time for baking.

Day 16: Healthy Banana Muffins:)

Alright everyone, this weekend I was one baking and cooking woman!!!  I made banana bread, banana cupcakes, Nutella cookies, AND manicotti!!  Normally, I barely make 2 things out of the week and to make all of those within 2 days is unheard of!  What can I say, I'm on a roll:)

I'm definitely going to be sharing with you all, the above recipes and how they turned out, but today I just wanted to share with you all a recipe for some healthy banana cupcakes for my:

31 Days...

In order to be successful with your weight loss goal, you need some lighter, healthier, and more nutritious recipes to add to your cookbook and this would be one of them(if you like banana muffins!)

Here they are in all of their deliciousness:)

Yummy!

Watching Your Weight Wednesdays!!! (WYWW)

Happy Wednesday !!!  It's that time of the week again for WYWW:) Since starting my weight loss journey, I constantly looking for delicious and nutritious recipes and I look on different blogs, websites, and of course, I can't forget, Pinterest!  I wanted to share with you some of the recipes that I have either tried or want to try, anyways!  I try to look for recipes that are lower in fat or use different types of ingredients to make the meal healthier than what I would make before I started this weight loss journey.  Here are just a few of skinnier recipes that I came across:

I want to start with breakfast and what a better way than to start your morning off with a couple servings of fruit and some protein!  Why not try a delicious Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie!  That sounds DE-lish:)

Via

Or what about some comfort food for breakfast..anyone, anyone???  How about a Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana sandwich!!

Via

Watching Your Weight Wednesdays!!!

Isn't this crazy it's almost Thursday already?!?!?  The week is just flying by and I don't know where it went to!  I've decided to try and make Wednesday's Watching Your Weight Wednesdays or WYWW:)   On Wednesdays, I will post different recipes, exercises, or just some helpful tips for weight loss.  Pinterest will be one of my best friends for Wednesdays!  I seriously have a Pinterest addiction and I've pinned so many neat things that I just need to share with all of you:)  So, if you are in need of some helpful weight loss tips, for sure stop by on Wednesdays!!!

So, I'm going to start with the basics and that is eating healthy = key to loosing weight.  Now, I'm sure we all know this, right?  Well, I had in my head that I "knew" this, but I wasn't practicing this at all and that's why for so many years, I kept on stacking on the weight!!!  Eating your portion of fruits, veggies, protein, and carbs(eating a balanced diet) is key to making a lifestyle change and fitting into those jeans that you have been dying to fit into all of these years.  One of my dear friends told me that she doesn't eat as much fruit because it is "high" in calories.  Fruit is fuel for your body NEVER ever discount the benefits that you will get from fruit!!  Here is a list of zero calorie fruits and veggies:

Via

Zero calorie food means that you will burn more calories from eating it than the actual calorie intake will be:)  So, that is a win-win, isn't it?

Via

This is why you should eat fruit and lots of it(within moderation, of course!)

Keeping My Mind on the Goal!!!

Alright, even though I have lost 30 lbs, this past week I put on 1.2 lbs which I'm not too worried about because I know this week I will do much better, but it does make me think that I need to work harder!  Not only do I have my Color Run goal, but I also have made another goal for myself and it is to be at 163 lbs by the end of September which means I will need to loose close to 5 lbs!  I know that I can do this no problem, I just need to keep my mind on the goal!!!

What I'm about to explain isn't an excuse because I know that I could have had a better week, I'm just telling you all just because I want to:)  The hubby was gone for the whole week last week and I HATE when he leaves, especially for a week!  It makes it super hard to fall asleep at night, so I "treated" myself to some wine on Wednesday and Thursday(which I didn't need at all!)  Then this past weekend, I went out to eat twice and drank 2 nights in a row!!!  That's ALOT of drinking in 1 week!  I'm putting a stop to this now before it continues and completely derails my weight loss journey.

Via

 Sometimes, I get a little worried about this!

Via

 During the summer, I would lift weights 3 times a week, but since school started I can only fit in twice a week!

Via

After a workout, if my muscles are a little sore then I know that I killed the workout!  I need to keep these quotes in mind the rest of this week!

I will make better choices this week and do the very best I can in my workouts:)  This is my pledge for the rest of my weight loss journey.  This is a journey after all and there will be ups and downs.  I can't get down on myself for making a mistake because after all we are human!  I need to keep in mind that we need to get up again and try even harder:):)  My weight loss journey will really not end when I get to my goal, it will continue on for the rest of my life!  I, and for those of you who are on the same road as I am, will have to maintain your weight and watch what you eat and continue to exercise.  So, this is only the very start of what is to come.  I must except this and move on with a positive attitude that there will be times where I might fail in some way, but that doesn't mean that you stop and give up; you keep on going, try harder, and learn from your mistakes!  After all, this is exactly what I tell my students in my classroom, how do you learn?  You learn from making mistakes, but you need to make sure that you take something out of those mistakes and use them for your advantage in the future:)

Here's to continuing this journey and new chapter!!!!  I hope everyone enjoys their Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by:):):):)

Until next time!!!!!!

Mouth-Watering Chicken Tacos!

Happy Friday All!!!  TGIF, right?!?!?  I can't wait until the end of the school day because it is to Minneapolis for a girl's weekend!  The girls and I haven't done just a "girls weekend" in years, so I'm stoked!!!  I'm going on shopping spree to find some clothes that fit me really well:):):)  Woot! Woot!  Once I get back, I will definitely show you all some great finds, or at least I hope to!

The hubby, usually makes meals for us and this past week he made some mouth-watering chicken tacos!  It helped out with my Mexican food cravings:)  It was really pretty simple to make them and didn't take much time!

Small Changes = New Me!!!!

I have been trying to make small changes along this weight loss journey and making small substitution of healthier things I should be eating or drinking.  I thought I would share this all with you and maybe you could give me any other pointers that have worked for you:)

Via

 One thing that I have done is taken pop ALMOST completely out of my diet!  I drank a total of 1 maybe 2 pops in the last 3 months!!!  The weird thing, or I guess good thing, is that I used to drink 4-5 diet pops a day and last time I tried a diet pop, it tasted nasty!! I truly mean it too!  I didn't like the taste one bit.  I have tried Mountain Dew and I can't say the same about not liking that pop.  I still do like it, BUT I bought a can of it and didn't even drink the whole thing because it tasted too sweet and sugary! Some of you may be thinking, big deal, I do that all the time!  For me, that is HUGE because I ALWAYS drink all of my pop and never leave a drop left over, that's how I rolled before.  When I first tried to get rid of pop from what I eat/drink, it was pretty easy, but when I went to the store and I had this urge to grab a pop.  The only reason, I had this terrible urge was because that's what I did ALL of the time before.  If I went to Target, the mall, or Wal-mart then I would grab a pop for the road.  Now, I just grab a bottle of water which I can always drink more water and it makes me feel better because I do have something to drink and it's healthy:):):)

Via

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

Whoop!  Whoop!  It's A-lmost Fri-day AND I'm soooo happy:):):):):)  Friday = Camping Time!!!!!  Before I leave the blogging world behind while I'm camping this weekend,  I wanted to share a De-licious recipe with you!  My favorite veggie of ALL time has to be broccoli!!!  When I was younger I hated broccoli with a passion, but not so much anymore!  The best part about broccoli is that it's yummy, healthy, and a good source of fiber.

Lately, I've been trying different ways to prepare broccoli, to try and spice things up around here!  I made Parmesan-roasted broccoli!

Mmm  mmmm!!!

Ingredients:

- 1 full bag of cooked broccoli
-2 tblsps of light Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsps of chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp of pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 tlbsp of extra-virgin olive oil

First preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Once you have cooked your broccoli, in a middle bowl mix all of your ingredients together except for the extra virgin olive oil.  Spray Pam onto a cooking sheet. Transfer on a cooking sheet and drizzle the olive oil on top of the broccoli.  Place in the oven for 15 minutes and serve immediately:):):)

Yummy!

Believe you, me, it is awesome!  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!!!

Thanks for stopping by:):):):)

Until next time!!!!!!!

Everything Ombre

Since I just read a post about ombre nails (which you should definitely go check out!) on a great blog, Fit, Crafty, Stylish, and Happy, it got me thinking about how I have so many different things that are ombre pinned on my Pinterest board.  Maybe some of you would like them also:)

Via

Lamp Shade!

 Aren't you just loving how the lamp shade just pops out at you!

Ombre

 I heart all of the red in her hair.  It makes her hair look really soft.

Skinny Chili Seasoned Potato Slices

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!  I have officially gotten through the first two days of school:)  Whoop! Whoop!  Busy is my middle name now, especially between working out and school, I'm barely at home!  It's all good though:)  This past weekend, we had over the hubby's family, his mom, dad, sister, niece, and brother-in-law.  They live quite a ways away from us, so they stayed the weekend!  We made supper, and had a little campfire in the backyard:)

The hubby grilled some steak and chicken and I made potato slices, broccoli, and caramel chocolate chip bars.  I will share with you all the recipe that I used for all of those delicious side dishes.  For now though, I will share the Skinny Chili Seasoned Potato Slices...mm mmm, were they good!!!

De-licious!!!!

Lighter Italian Pasta Salad!

Hey All!!!!  It's been a crazy last few weeks!  We went camping 2 weeks ago and then came home and hubby left for a week for work.  I started school this past Wednesday and tried to stay on my same exercise plan, which makes for no free time, but it's all worth it because I feel soo much better after all of my workouts:)  I have even been waking up early to take our puppy for a walk before work, which is completely unlike me since I haven't usually been much of a morning person.  I guess I'm turning a new leaf!

I have some Excellent news to share with you all, I have lost over 20 lbs!!!!  I stepped on the scale on Thursday and saw that I down to 173.2 lbs which means I lost 21 lbs:):)  I was soo happy, I screamed and did a little happy dance.  The hubby wasn't there, but our puppy, Lucy, was and she didn't know what to think!  I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal weight...woohoo!!!

I'm kind of behind on my posts and when we last went camping, I made a lighter Italian Pasta Salad that was really tasty and quite refreshing!  Whenever we go camping, I'm trying to find recipes that will be a little on the lighter side instead of eating really fattening and grease filled food, like I used to do!  That food is not so good for eating healthier!!!

It was pretty easy, it may have taken a little bit of time to chop up all of the veggies, but it was so worth it:)

Lighter Italian Pasta Salad

Yummy Caramel Cashew Chex Mix!

I have been pretty busy lately! On Sunday, the hubby and I got back from camping at Devil's Lake and it was soo much fun:) I'll have to tell you more about that a little later! Then on Monday it was back to school to get my room ready. Tomorrow will be my "first" day of school, just mainly teacher inservice:)

Before I went camping, I whipped together some Caramel Cashew Chex Mix and let me tell you it is the BOMB! I'm not even lying! It is soo addicting:o I don't know why I do that to myself when I go camping, but I had to have something to indulge a little on:)

Finger Lickin' Good!