Preparation is necessary

As promised yesterday, here is a little about some meal prepping that I did.

 

This has become one of my "go to" meals lately-

 

very simple and tastes great.

 

I have to give Marissa over at Let's Move It Momma's credit for this one! She has lots of great meal ideas that I have been trying! She also has a challenge going for the month of October- more on that in a minute. 

I start by browning the Jennie-O Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey with a little bit of onion.

 

 

While I am doing this I pop the veggies in the microwave to steam.

 

I really like it with this veggie mix but I have also done it with a broccoli, cauliflower, carrot blend as well.

 

Once both are done- stir together.

 

 

I divide this between five containers that I can then grab when I am in need of a quick meal.

 

I leave a couple in the refrigerator and put the rest in the freezer.

 



 

When I am in need of a quick meal or when I am packing supper to take to work I grab one of these containers, add in a serving of brown rice (prepped in advance- I will explain that next), add a little parmesan cheese and pop it into the microwave for a minute or so and there you go-  a quick and yummy meal!

 

Now for my brown rice prep-

 

I make a good size batch of brown rice, following the directions on the box.

 

When done, I portion it into a muffin tin that has been sprayed with TJ's Coconut Oil.

 

Each portion is about 1/4 cup.

 

Then the tray goes in the freezer.

 

 

Once frozen, I "pop" out each portion and put into a container or freezer bag to store in the freezer until needed for a future meal.

 

I have been anxious to make the following recipe and since it is finally fall I decided that it was finally time.

 

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins 

 

It is very simple:

 

1 box of Devil's Food cake mix

1 can pumpkin

1/3 cup applesauce

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

 

Mix all ingredients together. Batter will be very thick.

 

Spoon into cupcake liners sprayed with TJ's Coconut Oil spray.

 

Bake according to the directions on the cake mix. I do mine at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

 

My batch made 18.

 

My whole family loves these for a treat.

 

My boys beg me to make them.

 

I, however, can't have anything like this in the house!

 

I left one for each of my boys and took the rest to work to share with my co-workers.

 

When I went to the break room to get myself a muffin someone asked me what was in them.

 

They said that they had asked who had made them and the response they were given was, "Heather made them so they must be "healthy".

 

I have to say that I am feeling pretty proud about that!

 

It tells me that people are noticing my changes and recognize that I am making different lifestyle choices.

 

Am I perfect? No! Far from it!

 

I still indulge in treats when they are brought to work but I am working on that because they are always around and I need to be strong and limit that.

 

I am also trying to bring better alternatives to share.

 

 

Earlier I mentioned the challenge Marissa is hosting at Let's Move it Momma's.

 

I have been following her blog for a couple of years now and I adore her.

 

She is someone that is always inspiring me and I am excited to participate in her four week challenge.

 

 

Last night I did some thinking about Challenge 6- Think about and write down

 

It was really eye opening and I would like to share my thoughts with you.

 

What's held you back from reaching goals in the past?

 



This is a great question that I have never really thought about! I think I have held myself back! Either I haven't seen changes happening fast enough and I give up and think why bother or I start to see success and I get comfortable and relax too much. I self-sabotage and I don't know why- I almost feel like I am scared of succeeding!

I can't picture myself succeeding because I never let myself get that far. I never "let" myself see it. I am always adjusting my expectations and as soon as I am making progress I set the bar higher- never allowing myself to reach the original goal and celebrate it before moving on.

As I am writing this, I am also realizing that I have had so many successes in my life but they don't feel "big enough" to me to consider them successes. They are all of the small things that have happened over several years that have gotten me to where I am now! All of these small things add up and I need to realize that. I really have come a long way. I need to get out of my own way and stop being so hard on myself and start to recognize successes as successes and take time to celebrate them!

 

Why do you want this?

 

For me! For my kids! For my husband! For my friends and family!

 

I want this for so many reasons! I want to be healthy so that I can be around to see my boys grow into men and be who they are destined to be. I want to be around as they have their own families. I want to be a good example for my kids and to teach them how to live a healthy lifestyle. I want to inspire my friends and family to choose a healthy lifestyle. I want to show them it is possible. I want to be the best me that I can me. I want to be the wife my husband deserves. I want to prove to myself that I can!

 

How will you conquer these goals?

 

I will take it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. I will start by making small promises to myself and keeping them. I will add to my promises and challenge myself as new habits are formed.

 

I will seek support from others when I catch myself taking steps back.

 

I will celebrate my successes

 

I will not get in my own way! I will allow myself to conquer these goals! I will do this!

 

What inspires and pushes you?

 

My boys

 

My family

 

My friends

 

Seeing others success and knowing that I can do what they did

 

Seeing changes happening- in my strength, in my endurance, in my body

 

Hearing positive comments from family and friends

 

Inspiring others



 

I would really encourage you to think about and write down your answers too! Be true to yourself! It is hard but I also think this is a huge thing to do for yourself. This is part of preparing yourself for what is to come! I learned a lot about myself by allowing myself to be honest and just reflect on the questions!

 

I would love to hear your answers to the above questions! Please share!