Vacation? No Problem

Spring Break is approaching us, and fast (thank goodness).

At the beginning of the year, lots of people have resolutions to start working out, and eating healthier to get that "beach bod". But, my group of friends and I decided to do something different this year besides the beach for our last hoorah.

Taco Tuesday Pt. 2

Mexican food is probably one of my favorite things to eat (mostly for the queso, of course). But faijtas and tacos are my second favorite.  To keep things healthy, I found a recipe on Pinterest on clean eating taco stuffed peppers.  Which combines both fajitas and tacos together into one.

You'll need:

• 4 medium bell peppers (any color)
• 1 lb lean ground turkey or ground beef
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
• 1/2 cup black beans (if using can, drain and rinse)
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 cup salsa

Toppings:

• 1/2 cup tomato, diced (optional)
• 1/2 cup of 2% shredded Colby jack (or shredded cheese of any kind)
• 1-2 green onions, sliced (optional)

Estimated time to make this recipe is 30 minutes. 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Wash peppers, and cut around the stem to remove. Remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers. Set peppers on baking pan. Meanwhile, spray a large pan with cooking spray, and turn the heat up to medium high. 
2. Add the ground turkey, seasonings, and green chiles to the pan. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
3. Add beans, corn and salsa to the skillet with the turkey/ground beef and stir until everything is combined. Remove from heat.
4. Spoon turkey mixture evenly into 4 peppers and sprinkle 2 tbs diced tomatoes (if using) and 2 tbs cheese on top of each one.
5. Bake, uncovered for 30-35 minutes, or until peppers are tender. Remove from the oven, and top with green onions if desired.

Hard Work Pays Off

As I've said before, I've been on and off this fitness journey for a couple years now. 2017 has so far been the year I've stuck with it for so long (sad, but true).

Looking back only 2 years ago I wasn't exactly the happiest person, but I pretended to be.

I wasn't confident in my body, who I was, and I didn't know where I was going in life. I just didn't feel like the person I used to be.

I lost myself.

Last year, I got out of a 3 year relationship and I thought it was the end of the world.

Little did I know, I think it was probably one of the best things to happen to me in a long time. Yes, I loved him and missed him and I probably always will, but it wasn't the right time for me to take care of someone else. I needed to take care of myself- and get serious about it this time.

Mentally, spiritually, and physically.

I've told you before, but last year I lost 20 pounds and felt so much better about myself. I gained some (not all) confidence back, and felt like my life was heading in the right direction.

I turned 21, I traveled to a few places, got to spend more time with my girlfriends, got closer to God, and focused on my future by getting an internship to start. I was still not completely happy as I was still going through the break-up, but it was getting better.

Here I am, almost a year later and I've lost almost 10 more pounds, just interviewed for the Disney College Program, about to be twenty-two in 10 days, and about to go on my last spring break trip in school ever here in a few weeks. I haven't felt this happy and confident in myself in a long time. And let me tell you,

It feels AMAZING!

If you feel like you just can't push through when times are tough, believe me you can. Make small goals, achieve them step by step, and you will feel like an entirely new person.

Trust me, if I can do it so can you.

Fitness Pal

Many times when I find myself on Pinterest looking up healthy recipes or new workouts, I see a lot of advice about keeping a food journal.

Now, there is nothing wrong with not having one, but if you are like me and sometimes eat whatever you want without thinking about it- a food journal is for you.

Step To It

This past weekend I had the absolute worst case of food poisoning in my entire life. I'm talking going to the hospital for them to put an IV and fluids into me because I couldn't stay hydrated. No matter what I did. Yesterday, I finally was able to fully workout and eat normally again without feeling sick.

With that said I did 45 minutes of cardio on the elliptical and the stair master together. I usually do the elliptical almost every time I go to the gym, but the stair master is my worst nightmare. I decided to look up the differences between the two and this is what I found:

Small Changes Make Big Differences

Sometimes life gets caught up with us and we get a little too busy. For me personally, I always try to fit my work out in whether it be late in the evening or early mornings.

Although I know for some it isn't that easy. Between working full or part time, going to school, having a family- whatever the case- these simple changes have helped me tremendously. I hope you find them useful as well.

Fabulous February

I've seen a lot of people retweeting on Twitter saying, "January was just a trial month... 2017 really starts February 1st." Well this isn't true for me.