My metabolism... Food for thought

It's a topic that lots of us are probably thinking about since its January.... Weight, healthy eating choices, feeling better. I'm pretty sure that I make the resolution almost every year to get healthy and yet here I am again. 

I must admit. I love food... especially sweets. And I really adore chocolate. It's a pretty serious affair that's been going on for like 30+ years. I like to blame my dad because he has the same sweet tooth! 

I've tried it all. I successfully lost and maintained with Weight Watchers for close to 4 years. Then I had lil man and between working and him I wasn't making the best eating choices but it kind of still worked because we were on the go. Then I got pregnant with lil lady and bed rest really racked on the pounds. But I dropped them and more crazy fast thanks to her dairy intolerance. Because pretty much every processed food has dairy in it (especially all the sweets and chocolate!) It's amazing the dedication you have when your food choices impact your child. This was probably my thinnest and healthiest I'd been in years. But then life happened and I fell off the wagon and my body stopped bouncing back like it used to. One day of splurging (or even thinking about splurging) and I saw the scale jump. 

Enter a good friend who shared a similar experience and her success with the Fast Metabolism Diet. It's a 28 day plan that helps reset your metabolism. I did some research and it sounded doable. So here I am! My library actually had a copy do I downloaded it to my Kindle app and it's there whenever I need it.

It's a 3 phased approach. So 2 days of grains, vegetables, and fruit on Phase 1. 2 days of lean protein and veggies on Phase 2. Followed by 3 days of fats, protein, veggies, and fruit. There are lots more details and specifics so I recommend getting the book if you want to try this. I'm on day 4 which is pretty rough but I know that tomorrow is going to be lots of yummy food so I'm pushing thru! I've already starting seeing changes and that's super motivating too!

Check out this yummy stuffed pepper dinner I made last night!!! I made it the night before too - but I added in quinoa, sweet potatoes, and fire roasted tomatoes. Mmmmmm...

2 cups baby spinach diced

1/2 red onion diced

10 mushrooms cooked and diced

4 peppers cored

1/2 lb ground chicken breast cooked

Cilantro, garlic, tamari to season

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine everything except peppers in a bowl until well mixed.

2. Stuff peppers with mixture. Place in a covered - oven safe dish. 

3. Bake on 350 for 40 minutes. 

And enjoy!!!! I made 4 so I would have 2 for dinner last night and 2 for tonight.

I had a little of the mixture left... And talk about about tasty! I added it to my egg white omelette this morning!!!

Pom pom power!!!

I'm sure most of you out there have probably already seen these brilliant and easy DIY but I'm a little late to the Pom Pom party!

We had 2 birthday parties this past weekend and as we were wrapping up gifts (yes lil Fi was a great helper!) - I spotted some yellow yarn that was the perfect color to match to the paper. I initially was planning to just tie it up and do a standard bow. When suddenly it hit me... How cute would it be to top the gift with a fuzzy, yellow Pom Pom??

Since I'm a risk taker, I just tried wrapping the yarn around a piece of cardboard, pulled the yarn off the cardboard, knotted a piece of yarn in the middle, then cut all the loops. And it worked!!! 

Here is a tutorial I just found too with more details! http://www.danamadeit.com/2010/12/pom-poms-a-very-simple-tutorial.html

I mean how cute did this turn out???

Now I'm pondering another Pom Pom DIY!!! 

Friday Fashion: Lovin the Fringe!

Happy Friday!!! This is one of my favorite quotes of all time! Fashion is so much like your passion - it is so primally personal that no one wears even the exact same pieces of clothing the same way. And that's what makes it so special!

Something that I've been adoring lately is fringe. It started with a scarf, was love at first sight with a pair of boots, and I'm 100% in with the handbags and necklaces. Not sure what I'm talking about or need a little reassurance? Check out this great article on Effortless Style all about styling with fringe.

Dying over these outfits!!!! And loving how the boots are going across seasons....

 weheartit.com

And for the last few weeks - I've been practically dreaming about these boots.... actually I'm trying to decide between the 2 layer, 3 layer, or the over the knee. And the color has me stumped too. I'm loving the dusty brown but after seeing K Kardash rocking the black ones - I'm having second thoughts! But I'm going for it! You'll just have to wait and see what I pick :)

Side note - if you've never owned a pair of Minnetonka's you are missing out. I bought a pair probably 7 years ago and they are still going strong! Granted I don't live up north but they do get ALOT of wear from December thru March {our temp is 34 right now!}

And because I'm just amazed by this amazing cause and I was already talking about shoes anyway - there is a super sweet family who is asking for shoe donations to help fund their adoption. If you have any here I'm gathering info to share!goog

And just like that I'm back! Hello 2015!

Man - it's amazing how a little break can turn into a big break. But just like rising a horse you never forget how to ride and I'm ecstatic to be back in the saddle again!

It's certainly been a busy year since I last wrote! The kids have grown, my relationships have grown, my side biz has grown, and my DIY list has grown, and I've grown! One of the things that I've learned though is I do actually miss having this blog as an outlet. I've still been active on social media and I love that but this is different. This is all me in a totally judgement free place. So you'll be seeing lots more of me right here over the next 350+ days!

Since it is a new year after all - it's time for me to start thinking about goals, what I want to accomplish this year and what I need to learn to put on the back burner (that is a hard one for me!) For some reason - twice in the last few days I have seen or heard this idea of having a core word for 2015. So I'm taking that as a sign that God and the universe is really curious what my focus will be for this year.

 the amazing Lara Casey - if you need some help with goals check her out!

Looking back on 2014 - one of the big learnings I had is that it is okay to say NO and that it is essential to my sanity to practice this principle ALOT. I have by no means perfected the art but it is a work in progress. Even harder than the actual process of saying no is the feelings that come after it for me. Guilt mainly - because I hate to think that someone was counting on me and I let them down. But there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week and I need to do what is right for me and my family.

So the words started coming: intentional, balance, boundary, brave, unsettle, change, happy, believe, focus, engage, content, create, inspire, joy, clarity, appreciate, patience, move, purpose, present, stretch, dream, thrive, commit, health, action, passion, trust, dedicate.

No surprise that I'm still working and thinking. My perfectionist mind knows that the perfect word is out there and I can't settle until I've found it and then the fun begins!

XO - Nikki

Special Delivery... Courtesy of my fave design duo!

Is it any surprise that I almost did cartwheels after finding the new Serena & Lily catalog in my mailbox today? I am crazy in love with EVERY thing they do.

Bedrooms? LOVE
Playrooms? LOVE
Nursery? LOVE
Outdoor Spaces? LOVE

I haven't yet had time to fully digest this issue yet and already I found something to work on for Fiona's big girl room.

Seriously how sweet and easy and inexpensive is this??? Varying sizes of embroidery hoops with mix n match fabric!

Stay tuned.... I am all over this!

Post Labor Day Blues?

I saw this amazing post on a friend and business partner's blog and just had to share.... it rings so true to me as I spent today with my littles, organizing a Mommy & Me Arts and Crafts Co-op at our church, still trying to master my Master bedroom, a quick trip to Target and the gym, and doing a little bit of 'work' in the 30 minutes that the kids actually napped today. And now as I sit here in the silence (it is 7:40 and the kids have been asleep for 30+ minutes and hubby is still at work) I realize just how lucky I am. I did not wake up today and dread another week of work - I can finally say that I am right where I need to be and loving every minute of it :)

xo - from this blog writin, craft lovin, fabric obsessin, young lookin, shopaholic, biz ownin, wifey and mommy of 2 :)

Falling for Fall - Pumpkin Spice Latte at home!!!

I must be the last person on the planet to never have tried the Starbucks Pumpkin SPice Latte that all of my friends are so very excited about this time of year.... So after much thought I decided yesterday that I was going to try one! Only problem? The close Starbucks is about 20 minutes away and I had a little one ready for a nap. What to do but DIY one! A quick google search lead me to this super easy recipe here. Don't worry though - of course I made some changes to it!

And here is my version:

1 cup Milk
1 cup Almond Milk
3 tbsp Canned Pumpkin
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
1 cup coffee
Whipped Cream

In a saucepan, whisk together milk, pumpkin, and sugar on medium heat. Stir until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spices. Whisk really well for about 1 minute. Pour into a large mug. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon.

I drank one yummy cup and popped the remaining 2 cups into the frig and warmed one up today and it was just as good!

And I used my leftover pumpkin to make these amazing pumpkin bars that are a fall staple around my house! I <3 PUMPKIN and long 3 day weekends!!!!