Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving week is here!  As much as I would like to eat myself into a food induced coma, not gonna happen this year.  We are staying home and I am planning on trying a "reduced fat" version of Thanksgiving dinner.  My menu plan is below.

Turkey - I bought a pre-smoked turkey, all I have to do is heat that sucker up.

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes - I coat a 13x9 baking dish with about 2 tbsp olive oil then place garlic and rosemary seasoned potatoes in the pan and bake for about 30 min at 425 degrees.

Garden Salad - It's salad, you toss the desired veggies in a bowl and have at it.

Sweet Potatoes - Brent has to have his sweet potatoes, so I am using fresh sweet potatoes instead of the canned ones.  I will use spray butter, a little brown sugar, and of course a few marshmellows on top to jazz them up.

Corn - I just buy a steamable bag of frozen corn, done and done.

Bacon Green Beans  - This is a new one, I have never liked green beans but I am willing to try fresh green beans with a little bacon.   

 

Yellow Squash -  I just cut it up put it in a pan with some olive oil and season with garlic salt.  I cook it just enough to make it slightly soft.  Soggy veggies are not my thing.

Dessert - My mom is in charge of this and I am oh so sure she will not be making anything "light".  I will just have let myself have a taste and move on.

What are you planning for Thanksgiving?

Oh by the way I added new progress pics.  Check them out here.

 

Until next time,

Amanda

Welcome new readers!

I want to welcome all my new readers and followers!  I was so paranoid that no one would read my blog much less comment on my posts.  Y'all know how to make a gal feel loved.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

A blog I sponsored this month is giving away a $75 target e-giftcard as a way to say thank you to her sponsors.  I want my readers and followers to have a chance to win some money!

If you want to enter check out her post HERE.

I will be posting new progress pics on Monday so be sure to check back!

Until next time,
Amanda

Self-Perception and Photos

I overheard a conversation between two high school girls the other day.  It went something like this “Oh you posted that pic to Facebook?  I hate that picture of me, I look fat and ugly!”  The girl saying this was slightly overweight and she was clearly frustrated with the way she looked in the photo.  After hearing this I started thinking how many times I have been in that same situation, hating the way I looked in a photograph.  Trying to make sure I was photographed from a good angle.

In all honesty I don’t feel like I look.  I feel much smaller than what I am and when I see a picture of myself I always think is that how I really look?  I really believe I am a skinny girl trapped in a fat girl’s body.  I dream about what it is like to be skinny.  I often wonder how I will feel or what my body will look like after I lose all the weight.  I have never been skinny and cannot imagine what it will be like when I get there.

The thoughts are what keeps me motivated on days when I really want to stuff my face or give up all together.  I want my outside to look like how I feel on the inside.  I don’t want to there to be a disconnect of my self-perception and the picture. 

This is me today, feeling confident and pretty on the inside. Here's to making it show on the outside.

 

Until next time,

Amanda

This or That link up 90's edition

1. Will Smith now, or Will Smith Then

Will Smith then.  I love Fresh Prince.

 

2. Platform Sandles, or Clear Plastic Sandles

Platform sandals, I had a pair exactly like these in 5th grade.  Fell down a flight of stairs in them, in front of a boy I liked...true story.

3. Tomagotchi's or Nano Babies

I never had either one of these.  I thought they were lame, plus my parents wouldn't spend money on them.

4. TGIF Line Up or Nick After Dark

TGIF for sure had all the classics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. JTT or Devon Sawa.

Um neither, I was drooling over this hottie.  Gwen Stefani is one lucky gal.

 

 

 What are some of your favorite things from the 90's?  Tell me in the comment section below.

 

Until next time,

Amanda
 

Oh Monday we meet again.

My feelings exactly.

I can't believe it is Monday again. This week is gonna be crazy.  The movers are coming at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and I am not ready.  I need to pack up my kitchen for the move but I don't want to have to eat out and blow the progress I have made.  Eating out is unhealthy and you give up control over your food.  I need to get creative and come up with a solution and do my best to manage this week.  I did not work out at all last week so I am going to try and focus on getting my sweat on.  My sanity needs it this week.

If moving, working and going to school weren't enough, Madelynn is sick.  Woke up at 3:00 a.m. on Sunday burning up and coughing.  Awesome.  I hate when she is sick but I do enjoy the extra cuddles.  There is an upside to everything. 

We spent a good portion of the day doing things like this.  Let the pic serve as a reminder, even when you are down there is always a reason to smile.

Looking forward to decorating the new house and will be posting pics once I get it all prettied up.

Until next time,
Amanda

We are homeowners again!

After 6 incredibly long months we are home owners again.  We decided last Spring that it was time to sell our starter home and begin looking for our "forever" home.  After looking around we decided to meet with a local builder and on impulse signed a contract to build before even putting our house on the market. 

Luckily our old house sold within 5 weeks but the downside was we have had to live in a tiny old apartment for the last 6 months and move twice (Brent megaloathed the moving twice thing).

It is really amazing to watch your dream materialize.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I still can't believe this is our new home.  This is hands down the nicest house I have ever called home.  I thank God for blessing us with such a beautiful home and family.  I definitely have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season and always.

 

 

Until next time,

Amanda

 

Obsession

You are an obsession
I cannot sleep
I am your possession

I am sick in the head y'all.  I literally weigh myself a billion times a day, I am scale obsessed.  I will weigh myself first thing when I wake up, then after my shower and one more time before I put my clothes on for work.  If there was a scale at work I bet I would weigh myself there too. What a freak! Just for pure torture, I weigh myself in the evening also, multiple times. Pretty much anytime I see the scale I think "better check my weight".  Even Brent has asked "you are weighing yourself again?" Yes I am, don't judge me!

So I have held an intervention for myself.

I have started by cutting back to once every other day, baby steps.  Eventually I want to cut back to one weekly weigh-in and not obsess over that fricken number everyday of my life.

 

Moment of truth, I really just want to hurry up and lose all this weight but I must be patient.  I mean I didn't pack it all on in a couple of months it took years to wreck my body.

 

Have you ever been scale obsessed during weightloss?  Comment below with how you got over it.

 

Until next time,

Amanda

 

 



Halloween Recap

Halloween is over and I made it all day without eating one piece of candy!  Halleluyer, thank you Jesus!  I did have some chips and queso but didn't over do it.

Anyway, we started our Halloween festivities on Sunday.  We took Madelynn to her school festival.

Madelynn was the cutest little bumblebee on the planet.  Look at that pose, DIVA!

 

 

She played games.

 

 

 

 

 

 She decorated a baby pumpkin.

 



 

They even had litter boxes for the potty-trained children.  Just jokes! It was a treasure hunt.

 

 She had so much fun she ended it with a candy induced coma.

 

 

Last night we took her trick or treating but after a long day in her costume and all day partying she decided she was done after a few houses. Can I get an AMEN!

 

Can't believe October is over but I am ready to tackle November.  I will be posting progress pics around the middle of the month so be sure to check back.

 

Until next time,

Amanda