No BS meal prep

There's a few things I've learned about meal prepping...1. If I don't do it immediately upon returning from the grocery store then it won't be done. Ridiculous, I know. And totally wasteful. 2. Effective meal prep starts with a solid plan. I have to be real with myself about what I feel like eating, and what I've been craving. A fridge full of prepped food does you no good if you're not going to actually eat it! 3. Portion out everything and prepare all components neccesary to complete the meal before hand. This last one may not apply to everyone, but I have been guilty of not eating prepped food simply bc it wasn't measured out. Yup, I'm that lazy. The thing about meal prep is that it's not always the first food you want to eat. For instance, my family's left over pizza lives right next to my healthy prepped meals in the fridge. When I'm exhausted and stressed, guess what, that pizza serenades me!! It whispers sweet nothings into my ears as I am questioning what to eat. If I don't have a meal totally ready to go, chances are the pizza could win out. Id like to say my will power is strong enough to overcome setbacks but guess what, it's not. At least at this point in my life it's certainly not. I am under a lot of pressure and food is one of my only vices. So if I want to effectively prep for my show then I don't BS myself. I just prep my meals and take as many naps as I can squeeze in. 

I used a variety of cooking methods to make the most of my time; dehydrator, oven, crockpot, and my george foreman grill.

This is my entire intake for the next 3 days....

Breakfast: jazzythings blueberry French toast & turkey bacon 

Snack: dried apples

Lunch: kick in' chickin' seasoned chicken tenders, sweet potato fries, green beans, and Bolthouse blue cheese yogurt dressing.

Dinner: jazzythings meatballs & spaghetti squash, and spinach, pear, blue cheese(I've really been craving blue cheese, dunno why?), sugared walnuts, & fat free balsamic vinagraitte

Snack: simple truth popcorn seasoned with white cheddar Kernal seasonings

...not pictured is my beloved Diet Pepsi❤️

4 yr old birthday magic

I get so much joy from planning parties for Pen. She looks forward to her birthday all year long, so there's kind of lot of pressure! This year we did a Frozen theme. Penny was emphatic about having Anna attend. Hiring from this SLC princess company is worth every single penny. They do an unbelievable job bringing their character to life. Really, the adults are always just as entertained as the kids. It's going to be hard when we have to invite friends and not just cousins, because we have such a massive family! We always invite our birth families to the kid's birthday parties as well, so the invite list can get a little bit out of hand. It's just so special to have our babies surrounded with so much love. I am so grateful that we have the privilege of having open adoptions. To be able to share this special day with the women who brought them into this world, is indescribable. I kept looking from Penny to Autumn, thinking about this day 4 years ago. It's so comforting to see that Autumn has no doubt that this is where Penny should be. I want to be everything that our birth mom's wished for their babies. I'm so far from perfect, but my gosh, I worship these kids. I never forget the sacrifice that was made, to make me a mother. It is this sacrifice that drives me to cherish them that much more. So grateful for my beautiful 4 yr old princess.

Self-love

I made a few diet missteps this weekend, and I'm fighting a lot of self-critism. I have to take my own advice right now! It is so true that guilting ourselves never gets us closer to our goals. Guilting just makes us feel like our goals are impossible to reach and that we're not good enough to keep striving for these aspirations. I would never berate another human being the way I do myself sometimes. I have been challenging myself to be more compassionate with myself. It's the only way I am going to keep progressing and it's the only hope I have of reaching some of my current, semi-terrifying, dreams!...on another note, my family celebrated my little girls 4th birthday this weekend. It was magical, exhausting, but magical. Anna made an appearance, and she was no wig wearing cheap theater actress. She was essentially Anna brought to life! The adults were just as entertained by her over-the-top performance. I'll post some adorable pics tomorrow:)

Keeping up with the Mormon crafters

I actually really hate crafting, and I'm Mormon so I mean no offense by that. I just see it as a waste of time because I don't enjoy it. Perhaps I don't enjoy it because I'm not good at it. Or maybe it's because I live in UT and it is damn near a status symbol, how well you can craft. Third reason could also be the fact that Gabe is so much more creative and capable when it comes to anything design related, that I've thrown in the towel. I never really cared about the towel so it's not a big loss. Anyways, I'm a big hypocrite in talking smack about crafting with Valentines like this...

It's worth being a hypocrite to make the holiday special for Pen though. Let's be totally honest, I didn't even craft this. Gabe made it. I just bought the materials and taped it. Hahaha. 

Grand Adventure

We signed our lease for St George!!! The Crepery will be open for business in April! We have been working on securing the right location for many months. This process has been an arduous one, but I truly believe that the delays were inspired. The location that we just signed on had only recently become available, and it was meant to be ours. The current manager of our restaurant up here will be partnering with us in St George. He recently graduated from USU, and he's so ready to get going. We are so thrilled he's apart of our team. I'm kind of like a proud mama getting him going down there. We have just a FEW more things going on at the same time...

This is the To-Do I organize for Gabe. On a regular basis he would not allow me to be quite so involved in his daily agenda. Since we have impending deadlines and 4 artisans to coordinate with to manufacture his furniture by March 14th he has enlisted my help. All of his pieces are at different stages of completion. Every artisan contributes to each piece, so we have to keep a very close eye on each stage. This close eye is exactly where I come in!! The clock is ticking to Gabes MFA exhibit, and I can guaran-damn-tee every thing will be done on time! These artisans are no match for my hangry ass. 

I've got my own to-do as well. I'm continuously setting multi-tasking PR's. I have to stay positive and look at everything that's going on as a fun adventure. The alternative is curling up in the fetal position and eating myself into a coma...so yeah there really is no alternative. We're so blessed to have so many oppurtunities, so I will try to humbly  and optimistically attack these endeavors:)

Hubby

I've got to give a shout-out to my adorable hubby. I am overwhelmingly blessed to have him as my own. He is truly a good man. I could go on about him for an obnoxiously long post, but it's enough to recognize that he is reason for all that is good in my life. It's crazy to think about when you make the decision to share your life with someone, you have no idea who that person is going to grow to be. We are constantly growing as individuals, either together or apart. It takes a great amount of commitment from both partners, to continue progressing together on the same path. I'm so grateful that Gabe has made that commitment to me. We are incredibly different people. We do share common interests but we certainly have very unique passions, and personalities. I believe it is these differences that allow us to work so well as a team. We balance and ground one another. He's the see to my saw, the cheese to my macaroni(oh man I wish I could eat some Mac & cheese right now!!), and my best friend. When you get comfortable in your relationship it's easy to take one another for granted. We are guilty of that at times. Overall though, we make our relationship and friendship a priority. We strive to cherish each day as a family. The greatest gift we can give our children is our example, and I feel honored that our kids have a mom and dad that love and respect one another. Life can be really, incredibly, uncomfortably hard, but I know that there are always blessings to count. I'm counting those blessing today. Proud to be this man's Mrs...that little dude is pretty freaking awesome as well. 

February Playlist

@brookie_be_fit's February playlist to help you murder it in the gym!! I really hope you enjoy the old school hip hop. If you don't, then you have zero respect for good music. Gabe fits into this zero respect category. He doesn't get that this kind of music literally has the power to make you lift heavier(& he doesn't care). The hard beats get your adrenenal pumping, your temper flaring(surprisingly effective at helping you hit PR's), and if you get the right mix going you might find yourself shaking your ass in between sets. It's always a win, win. Well unless your kid listens and picks up a habit for foul language. But really, it's worth it for those PR's, right? 

Secrets to Success

https://www.thedietdoc.com/blog/blog/2015/01/12/the-secrets-to-success 

Please check out this entire article! I have these -9 Traits of Successful People- as the background of my phone right now...

 

We obviously want to identify ourselves with these attributes. They are essential to achieving success. A few traits that I really need to focus on(other than all of them!) is having a sense of curiosity and desire to learn, as well as, behavioral flexibility. Again, I need to work on all of these, but I think these 2 areas need some special attention. Please read this awesome article by Kori Propst! It's so helpful. 

Progress not perfection

Yesterday as I was taking my progress pictures and tracking where I was at this point in my last prep, I celebrated that at 9 weeks out from my next show, I am, where I was 3 weeks out from my last show. I was so happy to see that with my additional muscle, my body is transforming quicker! Hard work pays! Then today, after a work-out cut short from a business call, and a waffle fry or 4 from my kids chick fil a kids meal later, I opened Instagram. As I scrolled through my feed one of my fitness icons had posted a few shots from their last professional fitness shoot. Self doubt and loathing washed over me. I felt insignificant, unworthy, and totally overwhelmed. After a half hour of toying around with the idea of finishing off those waffle fries, I decided to go back to where my compition journey began. I scrolled through the pictures of myself 2 years ago and It brought me right back to just how insecure I was feeling on a daily basis. I knew that at that point in my life that I could barely dream of the day that I had the body I do now. There are days that all of us feel so much self doubt, even those women whom we aspire to be like. The reality is, we are all works in progress. Some of us reach our goals quicker than others, but that plays no relevance in our journey. This is a lifestyle I will continue beyond competing. I plan on building muscle on muscle on muscle for years to come!! The beauty of this sport is that our bodies continue to get better with age! We gain more muscle, and that muscle matures, and our physiques look better and better. There is a lot to look forward to when you live this lifestyle day in and day out. Some days we need to take time to revisit where we started, to celebrate how far we've come, and to excitedly look forward to what the future holds. 

The Young

Gabe and I decided a little while back to host Sunday dinner for our college student employees. It has been so refreshing to have their energy in our home every week. There is something so intoxicating about the youth. They are so full of life and excitement. I find such immense joy being around these young adults. They look at the world with such hope. They have big dreams and nothing is holding them back. I love the outlook of the young, that truly anything is possible. The world is a big exciting place, full of oppurtunity and adventure. Every week our employees inspire me to continue being excited about what the future holds, and to be proud of how far we've come. I'm going to strive to always keep a sense of wonderment. I am truly grateful for the wisdom and confidence that comes with life's experiences. With each passing year, I'm more comfortable in my skin. I believe aging gracefully means to always be young at heart, but to embrace the wisdom we've gained...and perhaps a little help from Botox. Let's be honest aging is always better with Botox.(my hubby doesn't agree, he believes in aging naturally, but he also has the most incredible genes so it's super easy for him). Hahahah...I actually haven't started down that road, but the day will come and I anticipate when that day arrives that I will only be that much more comfortable with myself because I have that much more life experience behind me. 

Business Card

This just spoke to me. It's really true. It makes me want to be more conscientious of my actions. I love that I find so much inspiration from social media. The internet is so awesome. I'm really glad it exists.

Chill day

This morning I wasn't able to get to the gym before the kiddos woke up, so I would have had to go tonight. Which I hate with the passion of a thousand burning suns!!!!!!! The night crowd at the gym is supremely obnoxious and it's so congested. I also really hate taking that time from my family if I don't have to. Pen wasn't feeling kids klub, and I didn't have the fight in me so we just chilled at home. In keeping grounded during prep, I've learned that it's critical to not beat myself up for having days that are less than perfect. Those days are going to happen. When you've got a family, prep is simply never your #1 priority. That's not to say that you can't make it a priority in your life. You HAVE to in order to make it on stage. It will simply never be a priority that resides above my family's well-being.  So today I rest, and 6:30am tomorrow I am right back at it! 

Life's storms

As life has become increasingly hectic I've found myself wanting to turn to food for comfort. Which is what I've always done when I get really stressed out. I eat. I take my family down with me during these stressful times, because we eat out a ton, and our cabinets are full of garbage. (I mean that literally as well, when I'm stressed the house also goes to hell.) Anyways, I'm having a really tough time being on prep and not being able to turn to my vices. I'm so grateful to be confronted with this challenge though! I mean that seriously. Emotional eating has been a huge issue for me. In the past, if I had a few stressful months in a row(new baby, new business, family issues) I could easily throw on 15 pounds in 2 months. I kid you not. Emotional eating is still very much a reality in my life, but I plan on changing that. I relistened to Kori Propst's, Emotional Eating pod cast and it is so helpful. Bottomed line, life is humbling. Sometimes I actually feel like I have a few things figured out, and then the storms of life hit and I realize just how weak I am. Yes, I am stronger than I was last year. No doubt about that. But man oh man do I still have a hell of a long way to go!!!! Never let anyone fool you, that bc they've reached a certain level of fitness or they've conquered their self-control demons, that they somehow have life figured out. Life will continue to humble us all, and most painfully when we're prideful. It's my goal to stay grounded and to keep my priorities straight. I just want to live my life in a way that I can look back with pride when it's all said and done. 

St George Expansion

We're in the process of expanding The Crepery to St George. Our loan is finalized but we are still deciding between 2 different locations. We drove down today to see the places again(12.5 drive for 2 hrs in town). That's what we get for doing business on opposite sides of the state! I really hope the spot next to 'The Egg and I' will work out. We shall see. Gabe and I swore we'd never open another restaurant after the hassle we went through in Logan, but here we are a few years later doing it all over again! You never where life is going to take you, and unless you keep an open mind you'll miss out on some incredible opportunities. This process has taken much longer than we had hoped for, but that is the case with much of life! Gabe and I are 9 weeks to his exhibit, 10 weeks to my competition, and we're only a fews weeks out from starting our build-out for this restaurant. It's a lot to have on our plate but I feel totally at peace that we're doing what we're supposed to. We've learned to trust our intuition, even when we're unsure of how it'll all come together. It's an exciting time of life! Now for some Qudoba and back to our babies!...

Few of my favorite things

Today came with one hell of a delivery from Amazon! 3 of my favorite things: 1. NLA Chocolate Eclair protein-absolutely, no doubt about it, all time favorite protein 2. Tiger Blood ISO-animos. Mix it with ice, and you have one delightful slushy. 3. Only the best game ever! They're not lying when they say it's for horrible people. But gosh damn it, it's for horribly HILARIOUS people! Without question I get the tweener giggles every time I play. You know those kind of uncontrollable fits of laughter you'd get during sleep-overs with a few of your 13 yr old best buddies, and one of you invariably squeaks out a noisy little fart. It's all over then. The giggles just keep on coming, and an hour later you forget what you're even laughing about but you just keep on going. That's Cards Against Humanity, every.single.time. Buy these things, thank me later.

WEAVE!!!!

Who's got a weave??? I've got a weave! My New York students would be so proud of me(I was a guidance counselor at an over-aged, under credited high school in South Brooklyn right when I graduated college.) I was always in awe at all the amazing weaves my students sported! And now I've got my own!! I'm in love with having such luscious locks. The extreme ombré will take a little getting used to, I may have to dye my own locks darker to tone it down. I'm a pretty low maintence girl, so it was kind of hard to decide if I wanted to take on the work of extensions but I knew I'd love them. As I get older, I definitely embrace upping the beauty routine. You do what you got to, to keep it fresh! Maybe it's not just getting older, perhaps it's the longer I live in Utah. I'm originally from Denver. Colorado as a whole is a much more natural state. Utah women are more done up in general. They pay much more attention to hair and make-up. Anyways, whatever got me to being a weave-wearer, I'm happy! 

I'm hungry!!

My macros were recently lowered, SIGNIFICANTLY. I have forgotten how sacred each morsel of food becomes during the latter stage of prep. These carb master yogurts have awesome macros-9 g protein, 4 g carbs, 2 g fat. They are sort of an IIFYM prep diet,  power food. Yum, yum, yum. Thank you Kroger!

Supp Addicts Anonymous

There needs to be help for Supplement Addicts. We'd call it Supp Addicts Anonymous. We'd meet once a month and shamefully admit how much money we spent. We would discuss how we hadn't even tried some of them, we simply couldn't resist the promised results of bulging biceps and slim waists. We'd admit that sometimes we hide our supp purchases from our partners. Group members of SAA would understand and emphathize with the problems of no longer having enough room to store all our supps, and how we gradually had to take over the majority of kitchen storage and sometimes even monopolize entire closets...you know what, now that I think about it, we actually could make this addiction a positive community building experience. What we REALLY need is to have quarterly supp swaps!!! Oh my gosh I'm on to something here. We could trade out the proteins, pre-workouts, flavored BCAA's, or thermogenics that we're sick of or didn't do the trick for us. I know plenty of people that love the flavors that I detest and vise versa. Perhaps I am behind and such groups already exist. If so, please tell me about them!! Ah blogging can be so cathartic. A few minutes ago I thought I had a real problem, and now I realize it's only an oppurtunity to meet more like minded meatheads! Now to find or establish such group...

Top Fit Foodie IG Accounts

I want to share with you my top IG accounts for fit recipes. These ladies are fairly insta-famous so it's likely you're already following at least 1 of them. I've grown to love these women, they have saved me from many food ruts!!! Whenever I'm feeling at a loss for appetizing fit meals, rest assured I will find something that excites my taste buds on one of these accounts...

Megan is a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen! She brings attention to ingredients that I typically have available but would never think to pair. She puts together really filling meals and her love of food just oozes from her posts. I appreciate that her ingredients are budget friendly, and that she's super humble. I just love her posts.

Oh Jazzy! Most of you are probably already following this lady but just in case. She's truly one of kind, and is obviously doing something right with how she's blown up on IG. She is so darn passionate about reinventing recipes to fit a clean and fit lifestyle. She lists lots of fabulous recipes on IG but I also highly recommend her Crockpot ebook. Jasmine has introduced me to many of my favorite products and staple recipes. She's a must follow!

Kenzie is pretty adorable. She's a super ambitious college student. Her recipes tend be especially time efficient, which is oh so practical! Her recipes are simple and crowd pleasing. 

Danielle does a beautiful job with low carb concoctions! She has offered me some prep diet essentials. It's refreshing that I can always fit her recipes into my macros. She's kind of a magician when it comes to transforming recipes. Her food definitely packs a powerful punch! If you want a lot of bang for your macro buck, she's your woman. 

...with a little research you can satisfy any craving, on any macro plan. The farther I've come in this lifestyle, the more I've learned that it is absolutely maintainable. Utilize social media. Be on the constant lookout for fun new recipes. Always keep it interesting, and you'll be able to stick with your goals. Yah for Instagram!

Mom life

Today was exhausting. The kids are fighting a cold, so they couldn't get enough of my attention. Gabe had a really long day at the university. He felt bad for our babies when he got home so he made frozen cupcakes with them. They loved it. Mama not so much. Cupcakes usually aren't that tempting, but this mix is ridiculous. I made the selfless decision and gave half of them to our old neighbors. They don't want them, and I knew that, but I knew they'd want some snuggles from the kiddos. The kids ability to wreak havoc in the home was on pointe today as is evidenced by these pics. All I wanted to do tonight was eat the remainder of the cupcakes and curl up in bed comatosed. But gosh damn it my judgement got the better of me! I gave myself a pep talk, wrapped the cupcakes up, got them out of the way, and got to cleaning...

Being a mom, cleaning the house is obviously nothing heroic(although wouldn't it be awesome if it was??!) It was simply a small feat for me, to stay in control of my emotions, rather than eating them. I have a tremendous amount of respect for moms who live the prep life, it's seriously not easy. But man is it satisfying to put in a good days work, to know you gave it your all. Sometimes our ALL means not bingeing on your kids cupcakes, and cleaning your shi* storm of a house. That was my all today, hopefully tomorrow I'll have more gas in the tank.