Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Making healthy decisions can be tough sometimes, especially for someone who when asked what their favorite food is can’t ever decide between responding with, “Mexican” or “pizza.” So the past year or so I’ve accumulated a few simple tricks to cut out unnecessary calories and more importantly, add in nutrients…. and most importantly, still enjoy what I eat and drink. A few of these tips are from Hungry Girl (if you aren’t familiar subscribe now- I cook at least one recipe a week from their daily e-mails).

On eating…..

·          Substitute non-fat, all natural, plain Greek yogurt in any recipe that calls for sour cream or mayonnaise. I always use the Fage brand. It’s not only less calories, but Greek yogurt is really good for you.

·          Start buying Laughing Cow cheese- it’s delicious and something like 1/3 of the calories of regular cheese. Super easy to spread on wraps, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, etc.

·          Substitute lean ground turkey or ground chicken in any recipe that calls for ground beef. I did this for months in our spaghetti and chili before my fiancé realized it, and even then I only had to spill the beans because he looked in the pan when I was browning the meat and got really worried about the beef looking so light in color.

·          Instead of buying tortilla chips in a bag, which are fried and drenched in salt, I buy one package of corn tortillas, lightly brush them with extra-virgin olive oil, slice them into fourths with a pizza cutter, and bake them. This saves calories, salt intake, and money.

·          Over a year ago my sister and I started buying peanuts and raisins in bulk and mixing them and dividing them up into baggies for the week to take to work. It’s a great healthy snack. (I know it seems like you could buy this premade but most of the mixes include M&M’s or other stuff too).

·          Split, split, split. My fiancée and I split almost everything we order at restaurants, and contrary to some of our servers’ reactions to this, it is not because we’re cheap. It’s because our society has been trained to expect ridiculously sized portions of food, so ONE entrée is typically more than enough food for TWO people. And it does save a little money too, and you even get used to the feeling of leaving a restaurant without being so full you feel sick.

·          And last but not least, it would just be wrong to not give a shout out to my natural homies: fruits and vegetables. They’re what we’re supposed to eat.

On drinking….

·          Incorporate green tea into your day. My new favorite is the Just Green Tea in a bottle from Honest Tea (thanks Katy!) It has zero calories (like all real green tea) and ¼ the caffeine of a cup of coffee. Green tea is one of my favorite simple pleasures, and it’s actually from the earth too which I’m of course a fan of (see previous post, “Of The Greatest Worth”). For current tea-lovers: make sure you check the label before you grab a bottle. It’s upsetting when you actually look at a lot of the bottles on shelves, how many added sugars and syrups are in so-called natural teas. True green tea should have no sugar and no calories.

·          Best cocktail ever: vodka, no-sodium soda water, fresh lime juice, sliced cucumbers. I actually read about this spritzer in Real Simple years ago, and just added the vodka into the mix. So good, and a lot less unhealthy than most alcoholic beverages.

·          Water: One of my guy friends who is a crazy gym-goer and health nut, once told me that your body can confuse thirst for hunger. I haven’t done any research on that, but just in case, I try to always stay hydrated and drink plenty of water. I figure it can’t hurt!

On keeping with it…

·          I love this link from SELF; type in any food and you get the nutritional information: http://nutritiondata.self.com/.

·          Before I go out to eat I try to look at the menu and nutritional information online and have in mind what I’m going to order. Here’s a handy-dandy calculator for a staple restaurant in my life, Chipotle: http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator.

·          And last, but not least, the genius Hungry Girl – I highly recommend signing up! http://www.hungry-girl.com/.

A Man, A Plan, A Proposal

On Friday, May 6^th, at 6:45 AM, my boyfriend of five years, Shane Hendren, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!!

Shane had made breakfast, let me get completely ready for work, and even let me get into my car in the garage before he called me back inside and got down on one knee. I was completely surprised!

That moment in the early morning of a beautiful Spring day is honestly the most special moment of my life so far. Witnessing the man I’ve loved for five years (and secretly loved for two years before that), get down on one knee, nervous and shaking, asking me to spend the rest of my life with him is a moment I will never forget and can’t actually put into words.

In the past few years, quite a few of my closest friends, including my amazing little sister, have gotten engaged and married to their wonderful significant others. I have been thrilled and differently emotional with the news of each one. As one can imagine, during these celebrations it was inevitable that Shane and I receive inquiries as to when it would be our time. While most had good intentions, some people were a little too direct and no matter how it was approached, Shane kept calm and collected and would only say, “I have a plan.” Boy, did he!

After accepting his proposal, he told me that arrangements had been made and I had the day off of work. We celebrated with mimosas and he surprised me again with announcing he had a weekend getaway to Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, MO set up for us.

Also in the surprise plan was a stop in Springfield, MO - the town where everything began for us. We walked around our old college campus and drove by our old dorms and apartments. The entire weekend was a dream. I could go into detail about how wonderful the resort was, and how Shane had planned everything down to the fine wine he brought for the event, but I’ll keep most of the details just for us. We really disappeared into our own happiness and celebration. It was perfect and I couldn't be happier!

I feel incredibly blessed and emotional, not only to be engaged, but with the outpouring of love and support our friends and families have been sharing with us as we take this thrilling step. In fact, our friends and families have been supportive throughout our entire relationship, which hasn’t exactly been by the book. But again, never have I felt a lack of love or support from the people closest to us. And to quote my fiancé, “Toeachizone.” I am so thankful how our relationship has evolved down our own path, I love being engaged, and I love thinking about spending the rest of our lives together. What can I say? Right now, I’m truly loving it all!

Make It Write

I’ve wanted to write children’s books for as long as I can remember. When my sisters and I were little, one of our favorite babysitters, Allison, was going through Education classes to become a teacher. I was in first grade and as an assignment, Allison needed a student around my age to write a story in a certain amount of time. She picked me, and I’ll never forget the story I wrote about a bear, a rabbit, and another creature (okay I forgot a little). I wrote and illustrated it on manila paper with a thick-point pencil, and I titled it “The Greatest Gift.” I won’t go into detail here in case I recreate the story in my future writing endeavors, but I will tell you it was a good one.

Driving to work this morning, I got re-excited about getting back to writing children’s books. I should mention that I’ve started quite a few and for no reason at all, haven’t finished one. For the past two years my only New Year’s resolutions have been to write my first book, and again, no finished product so far. So why am I sharing news of me not writing?

During my commute today I was thinking about how grateful I am; I’m in a good place right now with my job, home life is good, friendships are good, etc. During these thoughts of gratitude a little voice inside me said, “Yes, but this is not all. Don’t waste your passion or your talent. Can you imagine the level of regret you’ll feel if you never write a book? What are you waiting for!?”

Now I’ve mastered ignoring the voices in my head most of the time (hence why no one has committed me yet), but this one I have to respond to. The thought of looking back at my life having not spent it writing makes my stomach hurt. And really, what am I waiting for? Thinking about writing makes me more motivated and excited than nearly everything else I do on a daily basis. So that’s that.

Going forward I will actually be applying this quote from Stephen R. Covey I’ve loved ever since I read it in the pocket-version of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People I skimmed last summer on vacation; it reads:

"You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage---pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically---to say 'no' to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside. The enemy of the 'best' is often the 'good.'"

TGFGF

It has been storming in Kansas City for the past day. When I drove into work this morning it was thundering, lightning, and raining, but I heard on the radio that by the end of the day it's supposed to be sunny and 70. My first thought was: what perfect Good Friday weather. I've had this song in my head all day that I remember from when my sister Erika was in New Generation Singers:

Was a cloudy day, the Earth stood still, Man hung crying in the shadows of a hill called Calvary, An innocent man, belied and scorned, had gladly borne the pain and suffering for a world that should have died there in his place, And as he did, he said...

"Forgive them, no matter what they've done. Forgive them and tell them they are loved. And give to them a chance to go on living. And give to them a life that they could never have before. Father, forgive them"

I just love that this day started out stormy and dark similar to how it was when Jesus took all our pain and suffering as His own; and that later today it will be sunny for us to remember the true Light of the World and what He did for us. Thank God for Good Friday.

Mind the Mind

Last week I spent a lunch break sitting outside Starbucks doing a crossword puzzle. I forgot how much I enjoy them; I used to do one every day. Sometimes I hid them under a notebook during class, and other times I would save it until I got home and could enjoy a quiet hour focusing on the clues and fitting the answers into the puzzle. My recent outing reminded me not only of how much I love crosswords puzzles, but of how great it feels to actually hold a pencil and paper, and read words and focus my thoughts anywhere besides a computer screen. I felt refreshed after my break, and I even completed the entire crossword (okay it was only Wednesday’s puzzle, but I’m still proud!).

Since revisiting my love for crosswords, I’ve happened across an article in Real Simple about tips to feel energized during different stages of the day. One of the recommendations for the afternoon is to take a break and do something to utilize your thinking skills; this could be making a to-do list, balancing your check book, or what I prefer, doing a crossword. I highly recommend taking this tip, not just to feel refreshed throughout the day, but as part of a well-balanced healthy life. Exercising your mind is just as or even more important than working out your body.

Also, a suggestion from me: enjoy this mind satisfying task on something that doesn’t end in ‘phone,’ ‘pad,’ or ‘pod.’ If you’re into Sudoku (something I will never ever master or probably attempt again), buy a book of puzzles. If you’re a list maker, grab a pen and paper and have at it. I know this may seem like kickin’ it old school for some, but your eyes and mind will thank you for turning away from a glowing screen for just a short while.

Feel Good In My Soul

I am so excited about the next couple weekends I can barely hold it all in. One of my best friends is getting married next weekend, and her bachelorette party is this weekend, which means over the next ten days I can truly say I get to see all of my dearest, closest, oldest, and best friends.

They are the people that when my boyfriend knows I’m feeling low, he asks - almost  begs, “Can you please plan a trip or make plans to see so-and-so this weekend?” He knows being around these friends lifts my spirit and is like a makeover for my soul. They are the ones my sister references when she constantly reminds me, “Abby, most people aren’t like you and your friends. I don’t know if you really understand that.” But I do, and I try to never forget it.

My best friends and I fight, argue, tell the truth, support one another, laugh so hard we cry, and genuinely love and respect each other like family. These are friendships of years in the making: The bride I mentioned earlier and I were in the same kindergarten class and college roommates. I have pictures with most of these people before we were twelve years old. And  I’ve said for the past ten years that a couple of these friends are solely to blame for the early onset of my smile-line-wrinkles.

Has any one of these friendships been all roses? Not even close. Has every single one been worth every phone call, plane ticket, train ticket, road trip, and bridesmaid dress I really won’t ever wear again? Without a doubt or hesitation, absolutely.

When the upcoming festivities are over, we will all go our separate ways back to where we call home- Idaho, Chicago, St. Joe, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Columbia, Omaha. But for the time being I’m going to get as much feel good in my soul as I can and enjoy the wonderful, irreplaceable times with my wonderful, irreplaceable friends.

The Four P's to Happ(pp)iness

In college I started praying daily for peace, patience, and positivity.


Peace in the sense of keeping anxiety and worry at bay, and for continual acceptance that I am not in control.


Patience, as it's said, is a virtue and one I have struggled in having my whole life. I pray to not only have patience with others, but with where I want to be in life and sometimes the slow, tedious road getting there.


Positivity is so important to mental, emotional, and I think even physical health. I pray to stay positive, not just when it's easy, but in the face of others' negativity, stressful situations, and when all I want to do is rattle off a few cuss words to alleviate frustration temporarily (I'm working on this).


So after praying for my three P's to happiness for awhile, I started thinking about possibly writing a book about what they mean to me and how I truly know focusing on them has helped me become a happier person. Then it dawned on me pretty powerfully; I was leaving out the fourth and most important P to happiness: Prayer.


My spike in feeling more peaceful, being more patient, and staying more positive was all due to the fact that I had started praying to feel and live that way. I became emotional at this thought and from that day forward have incorporated my gratitude for the power of prayer and the ability and luxury we have in being able to talk directly to God knowing he listens.