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Afraid To Be Beautiful

5/30/2014

Is it better to be "good" than a "sexy little devil?"

I spent the past week with 4 of the most amazing women on the planet. Each brilliant, dynamic, & deeply soulful in her own way. Lots of cross over & similarities... but also a wonderful mix of differences that helped us grow each other in our desire to serve the world.

I came here because I am all about leadership. Not in the traditional sense, but in a new way of thinking about & looking at leadership. I believe everyone is a leader. AND... I have a hard time being a leader myself.

Leadership can be scary. When I do something I feel strongly about that someone disagrees with, I get criticized, which is no fun at all. In fact it has happened recently and made me pull back from who I am as a leader. Whispering truths instead of shouting them. Editing myself instead of letting my words & ideas flow. Hog tying my inner leader & throwing her in a closet to wait out the criticism.

Why be embarrassed!? I am the master of GOOF!

But the criticism isn't stopping. In fact, I think I've joined the band wagon. In order to not be seen as an arrogant, self-righteous know-it-all, I have spent more time highlighting my mistakes, sharing my flaws, and dimming my light to make sure the nay-sayers don't get any more annoyed.

While I'm not sure what the nay-sayers are thinking post light-dimming, I do know I've annoyed another group...the people who love me. The people who want me to shine bright & share what I know. The people who accept my flaws, acknowledge my mistakes & know that behind them lays depth, wisdom, & something else I've been wary of sharing. My beauty.

Does it get more arrogant than to say I am beautiful? Good heavens... what a jack ass, right?

Wrong.

Because if all I do is share the other side of me--my goofy, silly, who-needs-make-up-or-a-hairbrush side--I am in essence saying beauty doesn't matter. That it's not ok. That people who strive to be beautiful, both on the inside & outside, are somehow less than those who are willing to be vulnerable & share their flaws.

I realized that once I have become really good at something (like sharing my goofy, silly, flaw-ridden self), it is no longer vulnerable to do so. Now it's second nature.

What would be really vulnerable is to admit that when I stand in front of the mirror... I like who I see. That I love my long shiny hair & full pouty lips. That I think I have a cute butt and great legs. That my B-cup boobs make me really, really happy because I can go bra-optional & not worry how they look. That for the first time in my life, I am super proud of how I look in a bikini.

It's far more vulnerable for me to share a picture of me looking sexy & desirable at 39 than it is to show a collage of my make-up removal gone awry (which I took pictures of, for goodness sake!!). Being goofy has become my protection mechanism.

Scared to be seen this way... what will people think?

No one wants to hurt a harmless goofball.

But lots of women find their "inner mean girl" and start a "who does that bitch think she is?" dialogue when a beautiful woman walks in the room. I know because I've done it. And I also know because I've been hurt by it.

So I wrapped myself in a sea of goofy costumes, silly faces, & things many people find outlandish. They would never do it, so they call me brave. It might have been when I started & didn't know how it would go over. But now I do it all the time... so I am not sure it's brave anymore.

Leadership isn't about being comfortable (which I totally am in my silly, goofy, crazy mode). Leadership is risking discomfort for a bigger conversation. It's opening up to the possibility that someone might unleash her inner mean girl on me... but knowing the risk is worth it if owning my beauty, my brilliance, & my light encourages even one other woman to do the same.

I will keep claiming, being, & doing the things I am comfortable with... mostly because I think the world needs them. But as of today, I am declaring my intention to claim the stuff that scares the crap out of me too. My beauty. My power. My brilliance. Not out of arrogance... but out of service.

Because if I'm scared to do it, someone else is too. And maybe seeing this post will inspire her to claim her own utter freaking AMAZINGNESS!!

My Scary as Hell Leadership Declaration

I love myself.
I love my life.
I love my body just as it is.
I am beautiful.
I am powerful.
I am sexy.
I am desirable.
I am brilliant.
I inspire people.
I spread joy & delight.
I am a shining light.
I make the world a better place just by being me.

Thank you for reading!! If you enjoyed this post or think this declaration might help a woman you know claim her beauty, brilliance, power, or more...please share!! Special thanks to Stacie Frazier of Haute Shots Beauty & Boudoir Photography for helping me find the outer beauty that matches what I know to be my inner beauty. I cannot recommend her work highly enough!!!

This post brought to you by Leslie Stein & the number 10. Because YOU...are...a...10!!!

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Take a Dip Into Self-Reflection: I Am a Swan

5/29/2014

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Swans look calm, beautiful, and poised... BUT underneath it all they're paddling like hell trying to look good and get it right! They are known to have fierce temperaments and extremely strong wings that make for swift actions when either threatened or passionately motivated to fight or take flight.

Vulnerability is the swan's kryptonite and often times the hardest emotion for them to display on the surface. They are also considered sophisticated, gentle, and noble creatures linked to those in their lives that have imprinted on their hearts. Yup... that's me! My own personal profile, my inner animal spirit, and the reflection I see staring back at me from the water below.

As the youngest of three siblings (with two older brothers) I took a lot of pride in bringing home straight A's, going to band camp (yeah I played the flute), getting the most awards in school for perfect attendance, and gaining acceptance and admiration from my family and friends. The outer appearance of my swan like persona used to be so much more important to me in my 20's when I aimed to have the nicest car, make as much money as possible, and portray perfection in both my personal and professional life. Mistakes used to drive me crazy and constructive criticism used to make me stay up burning the midnight oil wondering how it couldn't possibly have been me... definitely A CONSPIRACY! Don' worry I'm not kidding myself with this blog, I still try to look good and get it right...

BUT I have gotten a lot better about embracing my imperfections perfectly.

Although I am arguably one of the most stubborn of all the kids in my family my DIPS underneath the surface (with my rear end exposed) have taught me a few things along the way and given me valuable perspectives.The most valuable lessons that I have learned have come from all the RIGHT MISTAKES I have made in my life. Every fight I have been in, failed marriages or relationships, and the bankruptcy that followed have ultimately shown me VULNERABILITY is not a sign of weakness, that relationships have no DRIVERS MANUAL, and the tangible things in my life never brought me as much happiness as the PEOPLE in my life do.

Looking up from underneath, from inside of you, what do you see? What animal do you most resemble, what is in your reflection? What have your DIPS taught you and how have you let them serve you in your life?

Thank you for reading my blog and if you find that this article has served you or if you know someone who might also be supported by this blog please share.

- Tricia

This blog brought to you by Tricia Sarahs, Super Geek and Chief Optimism Officer!

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Workout Wednesday: Accountability & Training Buddies

5/28/2014

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My phone beeps and a text comes through, “It's that time of the month, I’m really not feeling good”. My response, “I’m sure you’ll feel much better after your workout. see you at 5pm.” As always, my client left the gym energized and with a smile. This made me think back to 20 years ago….

“IF you live to be 35 years old, your quality of life will be very poor,”

Melanie at 300 lbs.

said the doctor as he walked out of the room leaving me with a “good luck with that” feeling. At the young age of 19 years old and weighing in at 300 pounds, I was desperate for direction.

Well then. What now? I had attempted every fad diet known to man and owned every workout tape that promised buns of steel and 6-pack abs. Apparently that wasn’t working. So, a friend approached me and we decided to be workout buddies. Someone to hold me accountable and make going to the gym fun. We had aspirations of playing racquetball, attending classes, and doing cardio… every night after work.

The first week went great. The next week we skipped a few nights because of other obligations. When I would already start questioning my motivation, as the day would start to wear me down, all it took was for my accountability partner to call and say that she wasn’t feeling good or that she had to take her daughter to soccer practice, PERFECT! I could go home and crawl onto the couch. On the way home I’d stop for a hamburger and fries because...

“I’d start fresh tomorrow”.

By the third week I’d stopped bringing my workout clothes and decided to make a fresh start when the new year hit, a new years resolution would suddenly make it easier to go to the gym after work. Problem was, it was October. Which gave me a few good months to go back to old habits so I’d be ready to “hit it hard” in January.

November. Another trip to the hospital. And now the doctor is shaking his head at me as he tells me I’m diabetic. I went home defeated and that’s when someone suggested I try Weight Watchers. I went, not knowing what else to do. I went to every meeting after that for a long period of time, because I felt accountable to them. I felt that no matter what my BS excuse was for not being able to go, they would still be there. And my absence would be noticed.

That’s when it hit me. I compare it to someone starting a program like AA. They aren’t going to set you up with a mentor, someone to hold you accountable, who is on Step 1 as well. To make me accountable I needed to find someone a little farther along in the journey. Someone who already established that pattern of behavior and wouldn’t let my excuses detour them. And in that respect, I felt like my

“But a unicorn landed on my car and aliens abducted me”

excuse (AKA I just want to go home and lay on the couch) wasn’t acceptable. That’s when I decided to hire a trainer. Which helped me keep to a schedule. I didn’t miss a session. Though it did take a few tries to find someone I meshed with, just having that someone who would hold me accountable.

Melanie finishing her triathlon!

Fast forward ten years. New goal was a triathlon. I attempted to train on my own multiple times, without successfully getting to that race day. I was frustrated because being a trainer at that point, I felt like I should be able to accomplish any fitness related goal. Last year I decided to try again. But THIS TIME... I joined a team. The training was tough at times, but having a coach and a workout buddies I was accountable to, got me across the finish line. I realized that I’m never beyond finding someone or something to help me reach my goals. Whether it’s losing 170 pounds or completing a triathlon, accountability is a huge game changer!

What’s YOUR accountability plan for the health & wellness goals you want to achieve?

This blog brought to you by our resident fitness goddess and trainer! Spreading the fun in fitness one squat, plank, yummy recipe, and healthy tip at a time!

Thank you for reading my blog and if you find that this article has served you or if you know someone who is on their own fitness journey that might also be supported by this blog please share.

- Mel

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Tasty Tuesday: Cinnamon Blueberry Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

5/27/2014

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Best. Breakfast. EVER! These bad boys saved my sanity when I was trying really hard to cut down on my sugar & really limit calorie intake to hit my weight loss goals. This is in large part due to the fact that I discovered the miracle that is Joseph’s Maple Syrup, a low calorie replacement for real maple syrup. It’s rich & thick & utterly amazing.It makes me lick the plate every time!

But even a year plus after I’ve lost the weight… these guys are still one of my favorite Sunday morning treats!

As with many of my recipes, there are numerous variations. This version of the recipe is one I used AFTER my initial “no sugar” 21-day detox, as it uses one instant oatmeal packet as part of the recipe (which can add the most delicious flavors!). If you want a cleaner version of this, just replace the oatmeal packet with ¼ cup plain oats & add stevia + cinnamon to taste.

Ingredients:

1 Cinnamon Spice instant oatmeal packet (mix up the flavors for variety… so many good ones out there like peaches & cream, pumpkin, & banana nut!!)

½ scoop vanilla protein powder

1-2 tbsp. egg whites (just enough to make a batter-y consistency)

a dash of extra cinnamon

¼ cup fresh blueberries

2-3 tbsp. Joseph’s Maple Syrup

Heat up a griddle or pan while you mix the batter. In a measuring cup, mix the oats, protein powder, cinnamon, & egg whites. Once they are all nicely mixed into a batter-like consistency, stir in the blueberries. Pour the mixture onto a medium hot griddle or pan & cook approximately 2 minutes on each side. Once done, flip out of the pan, onto a plate, top with Joseph’s amazing maple syrup (or the syrup of your choice) & enjoy!!

NOTE: We are not responsible for any desire you may feel to lick the plate. Resistance is futile. Just give in and DO IT!!! We swear it makes for a glee-filled breakfast experience!!

This post brought to you by Leslie Stein & her smiley face spatula. Serving up goodness in bite-sized increments!

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Mommy Monday: Half-Crazy Part Two

5/26/2014

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Happiness On A Plate

Though the Army did its best to whip me into shape, my broken thyroid, emotional eating, and mommy job very quickly erased that hard earned body. So after a conversation with my college roomy, I decided this was the year of the half marathon. I didn’t care if I CRAWLED over the line, my goal was just to finish. I have a thing for happy faces (yes husband takes the plate off if he has to *gasp* drive the trash mobile for any reason) and in the past few years I’ve developed a thing for pigs with wings. So as I searched for a race that would motivate me to run farther than any sane person should, I found a clear winner: The Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was almost like a direct sign was telling me to do this race. I knew it would be an entertaining run. In January I began my couch to half marathon training plan. In February, my college roomy's hubby flew me out to Colorado as a surprise Valentines gift to her (what a guy), and then he forced me to participate in a “Freeze Your Buns Off” 5K in their thin air (grrr).

That’s when I got a little worried about my upcoming May race. You see, I ABHOR sweating while I’m cold. As a Texan I’d never experienced that sensation before the Army made me. It’s just NOT RIGHT. This race taught me I better get my act together. You see, I’ve been transplanted to the frozen Tundra of Michigan and this year we had snow on the ground from October-April, so either I was going to have to fall in love with my treadmill (never gonna happen) or learn to run outside.

In preparation for the frozen-buns torture (race), my college roomy took me shopping and helped me find some amazing cold weather training gear. She also introduced me to running with tunes in my ears. You young folk may laugh at this, but seriously I remember carrying a DISC MAN as I ran. These newfangled technologies make running a breeze. The Army told me what to wear and that the only music I’d “hear” was cadences, that I had to yell back as I ran; neither were comfortable nor fun. So with my new found clothes and this thing called a “playlist” I eagerly attacked my training plan - for a month. And then I got worn out balancing work/mom duties/all this running and I cut a couple days off of the plan. This is what I ended up with: intervals on Mondays, medium runs on Wednesdays, and long runs on Saturdays. I’m just being real with you. The real world gets in the way of “mom-time.”

Dedicated & Determined

My body slowly adapted to the training regimen, but my mind took a little longer. If you’re a runner you may understand that statement. In my 20s I did 12 mile road marches and jumped out of perfectly good airplanes and helicopters, but almost two decades later, the thought of running 12 miles was overwhelming.

Two Saturdays before the race I hosted an insane slumber party for my oldest daughter's 12th birthday and then Sunday one week before the actual race I only had to run 9 miles. No big deal I told myself, after all the week prior I’d made the 12 miles in record time. It didn’t go exactly as planned. I had a complete and utter melt down. I was wearing my newer shoes and my feet hurt. The BEST advice I received in training for this race was from Leslie Stein. She said, “the first two miles of every run suck.” I embraced that quote. At the beginning of every run I’d hear her saying those words to me and I’d ignore my body... For some reason I couldn’t shake the pain that day. It was so bad I called my husband at the 1.5 mile mark (don’t even get me started on how awesome it is to have one device that sings to you, records where you’re running, allows you to take photos, and send SOS signals when needed).

Me: I need you to bring me my white running shoes.

Hubby: What?

Me: I NEED you to get my white shoes and bring them to me at the park NOW.

Hubby: Are you kidding me?

Me: I’m CRYING AND HATING LIFE AND NEED YOU TO FIX IT RIGHT THIS SECOND OR I WILL HAVE A FREAKOUT FIT IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN.

Hubby: OK. I’ll be there in 5 minutes.

I sat on the ground and stretched (in my socks). Hero arrived 10 minutes later, handed me my shoes, took one look at the sobbing mess I’d become and told me to get in the car, I could run tomorrow.

As we drove home, the old demons began to haunt me:

“You’re a failure”

“You’ll never be able to do the race next week”

“It’s all because you ate crap at the birthday party, why aren’t you more disciplined”

(and on and on….)

Then I YELLED: “STOP THE CAR!!! My husband was wondering if I’d gone all the way to Crazyville, and I explained to him "I can’t quit". I know I won’t run tomorrow and if I don’t do this now, I will have no confidence come race day. So I finished my run. It took almost twice as long as I’d allowed. I walked more than I planned to. But. I. Didn’t. Quit.

The week before my race, my mind finally accepted what I was attempting to do = run like a pig with wings. And that my friends, makes me only HALF crazy.

(to be continued next week)

This post brought to you by MH, mega-momma by day and blogging mammarrazzi by night!

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Friday Fitspiration: Meet My Trainer, My Friend, My Inspiration

5/23/2014

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Melanie... active, fun, and AWESOME to be around!

Everyone needs a Melanie. That person who loves you just as you are (and as crazy as I am that can be a rare thing) but also loves you too much to put up with your BS stories and excuses about why you're destined to stay that way. I found my Melanie by chance. Thank heavens for blind dumb luck. I had no idea what kind of gem I'd stumbled upon... well, maybe a little...but it would take 9+ years to figure out just how important she would be in my life.

It was June 2004, I had just gotten out of the army, and I had no clue how civilians kept in shape. I'd always had push-ups, sit-ups, & a 2-mile run to tell me if I was in or out of shape. But what now that I was leaving the military lifestyle. How would I know if I was up to snuff in the game of life?

Melanie at her highest weight... almost 295 pounds.

Enter Melanie. Or actually, enter me...into the Las Vegas Athletic Club where she was head trainer.

I sat down with her for a "getting to know you meeting" and the first thing she showed me was a picture. Of her. At her highest weight ever. I couldn't believe it. Here was this tiny little 130-some pound girl in front of me not trying in the least to hide her heavy past. I was blown away. I'd never encountered such bravery & honesty in my life. Not to mention she owned up to the fact that even though she'd lost the weight...she still loved Taco Bell as much as she ever did...she had just learned to manage the cravings better. Well...most of the time.

"WHAT?!" I thought. "This girl gets me!!"

I didn't need to know anything else...I hired her on the spot. We worked together for a few months that year before I moved away. Mostly I just used workouts to up my Ben & Jerry's intake without gaining weight. I wasn't trying to be a super model. Wasn't working out just a tool so I could eat more of what I loved (ice cream, chocolate, red wine, & anything covered in cheese)?! I vaguely remember her saying something about nutrition...but it basically fell on deaf ears. Green smoothies & protein bars were for gym rats. I was a normal person.

Dress like a superhero to make your workouts fun!

Fast forward to July 2012. I'd moved back to Vegas & was talking to my friend Shana who had hired a trainer. AND...she was acutually following her nutrition advice. She said, "If I'm paying her to help me get fit...why wouldn't I listen to her nutrition advice as part of that?"

Whoa. That actually made sense. I had basically thrown away this really valuable tool I had access too. Uh...why?! I needed a do over.

So I called Melanie (who I'd stayed friends with thanks to the miracle of Facebook!) and we started working together again. Only this time...I took all her nutrition advice.

It was hard for the first 6 weeks. REALLY hard. But I did it. And eventually, I started seeing results. And the more results I saw...the more I wanted to keep doing it.

I felt better than I ever had and found that eating healthy was a challenge...but it was a FUN challenge. In fact, the food tracking app I was using (My Fitness Pal) made it almost like a game. How much could I eat within my daily calorie allotment and still lose weight?! It was awesome!

Mel was waiting for me at the finish line at my first 70.3!

And then one day I came to her and sort of half whispered a dream of mine...to some day run an Ironman. Did she think I could start with a half Ironman...maybe...since I'm not all that fit and all...and someday possibly, maybe do a full one? She shocked the hell out of me when she said yes.

WHAT?! I didn't believe in me...but she did. And after 9 years of watching her be an amazing girl who lived what she taught, I suddenly knew she was right. That "YES" was all it took for me to believe in me too. So we trained. And trained. And trained. And in May 2013 I completed my first 70.3 Half Ironman race...with Mel cheering me on at the finish line.

I sincerely hope everyone can find a Melanie. It may or may not be a personal trainer...but it is DEFINITELY someone who pushes you beyond your limits, makes you see what you are capable of, and on those rare days when the world really is too much, will split a dessert with you so you don't ingest a boatload of calories from depression eating all by yourself.

And if you're lucky enough to have a Melanie like mine...she'll kick your ass like nobody's business in the gym the next day...because she loves you that much. Curious how to find a personal trainer to help you on your journey? Here's some advice from Mel & me on how to approach that first meeting to make sure you're picking a good one!

What's YOUR motivation?

Who are YOUR "Melanies"...the people who bring out the best in you?
What can you do to trust yourself more ('cause that makes it a whole lot easier to trust someone else)?
What dream are you ready to share with someone you know will encourage you to GO FOR IT?!

This post brought to you by Leslie Stein & her smiley face spatula. Serving up goodness in bite-sized increments!

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Take Me Out to the Ball Game: Relationship Strike Outs and Home Runs!

5/22/2014

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I often take people by surprise in conversation when they ask me about my past relationships and I tell them that I have dated, been divorced twice, and married three times. All of a sudden I start getting the looks like I am approaching Hue Heffner status. I usually get responses like “WOW” or “were you twelve when you married your first husband?” I wear it quite proudly, often cracking a humorous joke that I have statistically significant research data or with my current husband I always tell him “that out of all my husbands he is my favorite one.” All kidding aside I can say with absolute certainty that as I have lived and learned through all those experiences they have served as building blocks helping me to create better versions of myself. I have replaced the word regret with enlightenment in my vocabulary.

You’re probably wondering what baseball has to do with dating, commitment, falling in love, marriage, divorce, hours spent on E-Harmony, or dreaded blind dates? Well a lot actually as I am sitting here trying to figure out a way to visually explain my own journey the link between the two seemed obvious. In baseball there are three bases, each one symbolic of getting closer to the main goal of scoring a run. There are different positions in baseball like pitcher, catcher, and outfielder. You can make big homeruns or major strikeouts. Sometimes you get pegged with a ball going 100 mph per hour “OUCH!” Other times you slide into home and you have a welt of honor down your whole leg. To me all of the relationships I have been in have contained strikeouts, homeruns, and oh boy have I been pegged with a few fastballs.

It was an easy progression for me marrying my first boyfriend at the ripe old age of eighteen. Where I lived there were more cows than people so the pickings were scarce. WOW! Yeah, a country girl married up and ready to have a house with a white picket fence. As an individual I had no idea who I was yet and so I did what a lot of people do in these situations, I became someone else that was not me. I got to become the perfect ideal person for my first husband eventually ending up in a strikeout, because lets be honest pretending to be someone else is exhausting. Eventually, you look in your bathroom mirror and you don’t even recognize the person staring back at you.

I walked myself through the bases on my second marriage going the safe route and watching out for the 100 mph fastballs that hurt like hell! Unfortunately, the safe route isn’t always the right route. You know the route where you settle, where you know that no matter what you are not going to get hurt, and even if it fails you can still recover quite quickly. I would always know if I was taking the “safe route,” because I would say things like “he’s a really good friend,” or “yeah, but he is really funny.” It was always quite amusing to me when my family would scratch their heads at some of the guys I would date and my mom would say something like “really… are you kidding me?”

So after major strikeouts, walking the bases, and getting pegged a few times I decided it was time to take a break from the game. My game was off, I wasn’t catching well, and I hadn’t really hit any balls out of the park. I left the game for nine months to reflect on myself, what I wanted, who I was, what was working, and what wasn’t working. It was initially easier for me to say that my teammates were dropping the ball. However, it wasn’t the route I chose to take and it was damn hard to take responsibility for my own part in how I was playing the game.

My husband and I five years ago!

Nine months of taking responsibility and participating in what I call my “monk sabbatical” came to a screeching halt the moment I met my third husband while sitting on a poker table in Las Vegas. All of a sudden I was in the game again with absolutely no game plan. It was the game of my life, playing from my heart, making no excuses, setting no unreachable standards, throwing all the rules out the window, and leaning into love. I “knocked this one out of the park” and after only 72 hours of face to face with a man I only just met, WE GOT MARRIED VEGAS STYLE! Now your probably thinking that this is an out-take from “Hangover Part Crazy,” but after almost five years of marriage I can truly say that I am so happy I came out to play a little baseball.

I don’t know about you, but for a long time I thought I was cursed, meant to be single for the rest of my life, and seriously considered becoming the “cat lady.” This was only a tale I told myself when things seemed perilous, impossible, and lonely. I think as humans we all feel this way sometimes and that we also all yearn for human connection with someone who is “our person.” Your person, the one who gets you, the one that has a read on you without speaking a word, and the one that doesn’t make you feel like you’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole is actually out there somewhere. The person that you have a connection with that seems as natural as the process of waking up and going to sleep is truly in the universe waiting for you. The secret is tuning into your own game and taking every opportunity to “knock it out of the park.”

This blog brought to you by Tricia Sarahs, Super Geek and Chief Optimism Officer!

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Tasty Tuesday: Sweet Potato Meal Magic

5/20/2014

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Some organizations have a mascot. At Lead Like a Girl, we have a MEALscot. A meal we eat every time we get together. Sometimes for multiple days in a row. It’s THAT good.

It’s also really easy to make components of it ahead of time during weekly meal prep so all you have to do is assemble & reheat when you’re hungry. I LOVE meals like that!!

I first saw this recipe on The Biggest Loser and decided I could make my own version by adding & adjusting to the original recipe. I have yet to make it for anyone that doesn’t (A) love it & (B) ask for the recipe. Gotta love a meal that satisfies every time!!

Ingredients:

· 1 pkg. Extra Lean Jennie-O Lean Turkey (you can use any meat you like, but this is the leanest, best option I have found)

· 1 whole onion (I usually use a yellow onion... but pick what ya like)

· 2 whole bell peppers (I like red ones, but any color will work)

· 1 pkg. sliced mushrooms

· Southwest seasoning (I buy the store brank at Fresh & Easy, but any meat/veggie seasoning you like will work…even a fajita or taco seasoning packet!)

· 1 medium sweet potato

· ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

· ¼ cup salsa (I like green salsa, but any kind works)

· 6-9 grape tomatoes

· 1 green onion

· ¼ avocado

In a skillet or frying pan, sauté the onion, peppers, & mushrooms using as little cooking spray or oil as you can get away with. I tend to use a tiny bit of olive oil cooking spray just to make sure the veggies won’t stick… it doesn’t take much. Season with your spice of choice as you cook. Once the veggies start to look about half cooked (3-5 minutes) add in the ground turkey & additional seasoning for the meat. Continue cooking until the turkey is cooked all the way through.

While the meat & veggie mix is cooking, prepare your sweet potato. You can bake it in an oven or if you are pressed for time like I usually am, you can microwave it. They even have some that come wrapped in plastic so they steam themselves in the microwave. Easy peasy.

In a container that makes for easy pouring (like a measuring cup) mix the Greek yogurt & salsa. Set aside.

When the potato is done, top it with ¾ cup of the turkey + veggie mix. Pour the Greek yogurt + salsa over the top. Garnish with sliced green onion, halved grape tomatoes, & diced avocado (the coolness + texture of these paired with the warm potato and veggie/meat mixture is AWESOME! Thank you mindful eating class for having me take note of such things!!).

Serve, enjoy, & try not to get caught licking the plate! Or do. It’s good clean fun!

NOTE: You will end up with lots of extra turkey + veggie mixture. Pop that stuff in a tuperware & pair ¾ cup servings with additional veggies and a healthy carb (like brown rice or quinoa) as needed for fast meals throughout the week!

This post brought to you by Leslie Stein & her smiley face spatula. Serving up goodness in bite-sized increments!

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Mommy Monday: Half-Crazy Part One

5/18/2014

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I’m only Half Crazy (though my husband may beg to differ). He was the first to realize that I become depressed if I don’t accomplish something each day. He first noticed this when I left my job as a financial planner to be a stay at home mom of our 4 year old and 3 month old daughters.

I didn’t know it at the time, but a non-functioning thyroid was adding to the depressive mix. With knowledge comes power! So now I make a point to accomplish at least ONE THING every day. On really crazy days, that may mean organizing a junk drawer or washing one load of laundry (over time my standards have switched from crazy unrealistic over expectations-to powering through my parenting reality). Some days it’s a victory to have clean dishes in the dishwasher & milk in the fridge. Am I right?

Even with my new take on my mid-life motherhood/groundhog days, I still have a bucket list. I’m doing my best to check off one item at a time. My most recent accomplishment was attempted as a 7th wedding anniversary run (a long time ago). The week of the race, one kid gave me pink eye and the other gave me the flu, so Hubby ran by himself. Accomplishment number one this year is that I made it to the start line. I ran/walked/photographed a half marathon. And not just ANY race- THE FLYING PIG half marathon in Cincinnati. It was PURE AWESOMENESS!!!

Over the next few weeks I’ll share my training story and more about the actual event. But enough about me, what about you? Is there anything you secretly want to do before you turn 30/40/50/100?

Why not write it on paper, post it on the fridge and start working towards your goal TODAY!

As I told myself, if pigs can fly, then I can certainly run 13.1 miles!

This post brought to you by MH, mega-momma by day and blogging mammarrazzi by night!

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Leslie Riley
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MH
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Leslie RileyAKA SUPERSOL

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Leslie Riley
AKA SUPERSOL

MH
AKA MAMMARAZZI