Oh Happy Day!

Record high temps today! We were in the eighties, can you believe it? Craziness! Especially considering the fact that we had snow on April 1st!

Sunny skies  = One Happy Girl over here!

Sure, good weather can definitely improve my mood, but now, it's time to 'fess up.

I won't lie to you...losing 57 pounds (and still having weight to lose) messes with your head. Trying your best to lead a healthy lifestyle is tough in the beginning (and the middle sometimes!) Now, that being said, I want this blog to be a positive place. I want to inspire others (and myself) to continue leading healthy lives because honestly, in the end, it's going to make me happy.
Weighing 120 pounds isn't going to make me happy.
Wearing a size 2 isn't going to make me happy.

Sometimes I forget these things, sunny skies or no sunny skies.

Of course, being comfortable with my weight is going to make me happy. Reaching and maintaining my "happy weight" going to make me happy. :)
Taking a bite out of life, giving every day 100%, and being healthy is going to make me happy.

Little tip: Wearing yellow is said to create thoughts of joy!

Time to invest in a yellow sundress, perhaps? :)

But you see that girl up there? Her healthy is different from my healthy and that's different from your healthy.

We are all different, each of out bodies require different things, but they all need TLC. I stumbled across this and was blown away.
I can't take credit for it (although I wish I could! Maybe i'll make one of my own!) I found it here!

What It's All About

having thighs that don’t touch

Muscular legs that can carry me for miles, touching or not

a body that all of the other girls envy

A body that I can look in the mirror and be proud of

being a size 0

Knowing that beauty isn’t a number on a tag

Being able to go days without eating

Always eating healthy foods that fuel my workouts

 working out until I pass out

Working out until I am tired, but still feeling great afterward

being thin to get the attention of that certain boy

Knowing that the man I love is in love with my personality, not my body

doing this for my mom, that guy at school, the rest of the world

Doing this for myself, and not caring what the rest of the world thinks.

Now that, my friends...is happiness.
I think once I finally screw my head on straight and get a mindset like that, the rest will just fall into place.

Suite Stir-Fry

Okay, folks. Grab a pen because last night I created a dorm-friendly "recipe" for the books. (Heheh.)
What is it, you ask?

Why, it's a "Suite Stir-Fry"!


You see, I don't really live in a "dorm" anymore. I live in a "Suite" which is really just fancy way of saying we get out own bathroom, washer/dryer and living room, but NO kitchen. Wahh. :(
Anyway, that is just a long winded way of saying that I have no way of being able to cook my own meals during the semester.

Let me tell you this is TOUGH, but for the most part I stay away from the processed stuff and stick to produce, whole grains and all that. However, I would like to say that if I could I would be making different recipes each night with through-the-roof nutritional value, but I don't have the resources or the funds.

I am always on the hunt for the next best thing. (Steaming my own broccoli and sweet potatoes in my room? Yeah. My suitemates think i'm crazy.)

Fresh out of the microwave!

So, last night this hit me. It's not really a recipe because I really just threw stuff into a bowl and called it a meal, but oh well. I'm proud, and it tasted delicious.



Suite Stir-Fry

• 1/2 pouch Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Medley Vegetable Harvest Ready Rice **see note.
• 1 cup steamed Broccoli
• Red + Green bell pepper strips (as many as you'd like, i'm a HUGE bell pep addict)
  
  
  Directions:
  
  First, you must gather the ingredients. You can pick up the Ready Rice pouches at a grocery store on the cheap.
  As for the broccoli and peppers, steal them from the dining hall. I know, it may sound like I have no morals, but if you're in college, you know people bring tupperware and take food out like they're not going to eat for months. But you know what? The staff doesn't care. Plus, i'm taking vegetables. If someone ever stops me i'm going to be prepared with an argument. 1) "This stuff is just going to rot anyway! Plus, I don't have time to go to lunch tomorrow because my class schedule overlaps the lunch time." (This is true, in case you're wondering.) 2) "I'm sorry, but i'm not wasting my meals on food that I have no idea what is in it. I need to stock up on these things because I have lost 57 pounds and I don't intend on gaining it all back eating your fatty dining hall food, mmkay?"
  Alright, that last one may have been a bit of a stretch, but there is some truth to it.
  
  Now, to combine them!
            The rice is so easy to prepare, a college kid could do it. (It's the new Geico slogan.) All you do is tear open the pouch and plop it in your microwave-safe bowl. (BUT MEASURE!!!! I cannot stress this enough. MEASURE. The bag says that 1 serving is a cup and 220 calories and that there are about 2 servings in the pouch. I have found that it is less than 2 cups. Evenly divided I have found that 1 serving should be 1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup.)
          Now, for the veg: steam em'! (Post coming about this little guy soon. It's an essential for college kids.)
        Then toss all the ingredients together in your microwave safe bowl, heat through one more time and add desired seasonings. (I add red  pepper flakes to everything.) 

And there you have it. A Suite Stir-Fry in your dorm. It has whole grains and veggies and most importantly no guilt or weird stomach pains from the dining hall frankenfoods.
Tell me: What's an easy, college appropriate meal you can think of?