$100 Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway!

To celebrate YOU and thank YOU for reading, commenting, and following along on my new blog, I'm doing a GIVEAWAY!  This blog is a labor of love and I sincerely hope it is a place of encouragement for you.  As women, we can be especially critical of our appearance and bodies and I hope that we can try to change what we don't like, accept what we can't change, and...

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5 Reasons to Work Out During the Holidays

Hello and happy Monday!  I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and long relaxing weekend.  I had a nice Thanksgiving, but ended up eating way too much.  I went for a great walk/jog in our neighborhood park on Friday morning and it felt so good to get outside and get moving.  That jog made me realize how important it is to keep working out for the rest of...

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Bring on the Dessert!

When it comes to Thanksgiving, most of us look forward to eating some lovingly prepared home cooked food and indulging in a few (or more) drinks.  I'm no exception and especially love getting my kitchen all dirty and smelling delicious aromas from the oven.  This year, I'm not hosting Thanksgiving, so I'm just preparing a few desserts to take.  I like to indulge,...

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Tex Mex To Go

Y'all know that I couldn't make it through the week without preparing and portioning out meals for the week.  This is especially true for my lunch since I typically eat at the office.  One of my "go-to" meals is a Tex Mex dish that I shared recently on Instagram. A few people asked for the full recipe so here you go.  I feel kinda bad because this isn't really...

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Meditation Challenge Update

It's been about two weeks since I wrote in, declaring my intentions for the 21-day meditation with Oprah and Deepak.  The update is I have failed miserably.  Like bad.  In the past 14 days, I have meditated a total of three times.  Yeah.  The challenge started on a Monday, but I began on Tuesday because that's when I got the email linking to the first meditation.  I also meditated on Wednesday and Thursday.  Friday...

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Spiced Sweet Potato Salad with Apples, Grapes, and Almonds

I'm so looking forward to the weekend!  I can't believe it's the weekend before Thanksgiving!  I feel like this holiday has totally snuck up on me.  When did we get so close to the end of the year??This week, I prepared one of my favorite salads (fruit, nut and cheese), and today, my friend Jennifer is sharing one of her favorite salads- made with sweet potatos,...

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Magic

via TylerKnott....

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Breakfast Egg Sandwich

Today I'm bringing you a breakfast sandwich that one of my very-favorite-people-in-the-whole-world, my Grandma, used to make for me when I was younger.  It's an egg muffin and whenever I make it, I always think of her.  It reminds me that sharing food is sharing love and my Grandma is exceptional at that. I use a 100% whole wheat muffin, extra lean turkey ham, 2%...

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Sidelined

I recently mentioned that an injury was plaguing me and, unfortunately, it hasn't gotten any better.  It's my right hamstring or maybe some kind of sciatic nerve pain from being tied to my desk??  Although I have been working out hard the last 8 weeks, I don't think I overtrained.  I'm careful to lift heavy, but not heavier than I can bear. I'm disappointed...

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Salad (Fruit, Nut, Cheese)

Hi friends!  It's good to be back:)  Over the weekend we went to my son's school Fall Festival and had a great time.  He is at that absolutely delightful age of 2 1/2 and I cannot get enough of him!  Just look at those cute cheeks and squishy little arms and hands! The problem with the festival was each parent had to bring a dessert, so I made chocolate...

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You Can Do It!

Hi guys!  An injury has sidelined me for a bit.  Hope to be back soon!In the meantime . . . ...

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My Live Fit (WEEK 8) Recap- Counting Calories

So this week (I just finished Week 8 of 12) on the Live Fit Program, we were supposed to count calories.  I used the formula below to determine I should be eating around 1,230 to 1,530 calories per day, depending on my activity.I found this super cool website, My Fitness Pal that calculates calories for you.  You just type in your ingredients (they have a drop down...

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Healthy Shepherd's Pie (via The Chronicles of Home)

Happy Friday all!  I hope you have some good weekend plans- I know I'm ready for it!  My friend Jennifer from The Chronicles of Home is back with a wonderful fall/winter recipe for you.  She made over Shepherd's Pie to make it more healthy, without sacrificing any flavor.  Since I've been eating pretty much the same thing over and over, I'm really looking...

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How I Wake Up Early to Workout

Are any of you getting enough sleep? I'm definitely a girl who needs her 8 hours and could easily sleep in on the weekend (and take a nap too) if given the opportunity.  I'm realizing that, in order to get all my workouts in, some days I have to exercise before work.  Which means waking up around 5:00 to 5:15 a.m.  UG!  Not being a morning person, I can...

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