Mindset Makeover - Calories

I Beg To DIFFER!!!!

Food is pretty darn amazing, and I think it gets a bad rap sometimes. To live a healthy life we must first and foremost change our outlook on life. If you dwell on all the things in your life that are not perfect you would be so depressed all the time! But if we switch our minds to focus on the positive things in our life our potential for success is endless! Think of food in the same way. 

Calories are not the enemy. They are our energy source. Without them we couldn't do any of the things we love to do in life! Don't be a Calorie Nazi and restrict your body from getting as much nourishment as it needs! 

I'm not saying you should just eat whatever with no regard to it's effect on your body, but at the same time restricting yourself will only make sticking to a healthy lifestyle harder. Think of switching old favorites for NEW healthier versions of your favorites. It's little changes that will make a huge impact on your fitness goals. 

I love TACOS! 

(UGH and Corn Chips, have I mentioned I love Corn Chips before? lol) 

I haven't cut tacos out of my weekly menu by any means, but now I only use lean ground turkey instead of beef. 

I love PopTarts!

T.M.I. WARNING

PopTarts are my PMS Elixir, and a must have. 

Period (literally haha....ok sorry, I think I'm funny) end of story.

Rather than not having pop tarts and the whole tri-state area feeling the aftermath of my unsatisfied craving, I now buy these guys from Trader Joe's. 

Ya know, still not "great" for me, but less empty calories, and no artificial chemical filled ingredients. It's a win win for all involved!

Try this yummy switch!

Next time your craving french fries.... Have them! Just make them yourself rather than stopping by McD's. 

Being healthy doesn't mean starving yourself, or cutting out all of the food you love! It means eating good food that will give you the energy and the strength to power through your day and conquer any and every obstacle that is put in your path!

Your body is your temple- housing your inner Goddess 

(Thank you Fifty Shades of Grey!)

Feed it with Respect!

    You are a Beautiful, Unstoppable, Force to be Reckoned with!

ROAR!!!!,

Cassi 

Love Changes Everything

So today my roommates and I were talking about songs we HATE, and  all three of us could agree that we hate the Andrew Lloyd Weber song "Love Changes Everything" from the musical Aspects of Love. In case you don't know it here is a snippet of the lyrics to give you an idea: 

(You have to read it in a very breathy over OVER dramatic voice...and British accent)

Love,
Love changes everything:
Hands and faces,
Earth and sky,
Love,
Love changes everything:
How you live and
How you die

^^ A poetic gem ladies and gentleman.^^

Now, as corny as those lyrics are, there is some truth to that. Love does change everything. I don't mean love as in being in a relationship, but self love. When you take a step back from everything that surrounds us on a daily basis telling us what we should be or look like, and look at who you are. WOW! I'm blown away just thinking about it.

You are: 

A Student working your way through college, 

Mother working hard to be both and amazing woman and amazing mommy,

Friend in crisis,

Role Model,

Boss, 

Worker Bee,

Musician, 

Scientist, 

Thinker,

Dreamer,

Companion, 

Lover, 

Fighter,

................,

and not to mention Beautiful!

You are more precious than diamonds and gold! Don't ever forget that or belittle the things you do in life. You are making a difference. That is why you deserve to do something for you. Not because someone told you, not because society says you need to, but because you are a strong and ferocious woman who is only getting stronger by the day! 

Make exercise your "Me Time". Think of it as your "Booty Call". haha Give your self 30 minutes of loving where nothing else matters but you and your body. I try and get my "Booty Call" in before I start my day. 

Here's what you do; 

Wake up. 

Go outside and walk/run/skip, jog, dance, hula, MOVE 15 mins in one direction. 

Then turn around and come back. 

*BAM* 

Morning Booty Call. 

You will be refreshed and ready to take on what ever the world wants to throw at you. 

Plus you just jump started your metabolism for the day. 

...and should the world throw you a curve ball and a half, and you don't have time to go to the gym or do a full workout, at least you already worked your booty right outta the gate!

Give the Morning Booty Call a shot, if you hate it make it a Sunset Booty Call just get out there and do it!

Reward your body for being so amazing and beautiful by treating it to some morning loving in the form of an A. M. stroll around your neighborhood. Show it off! Kiss and tell if you will! Walk tall and confidant knowing that you are Lovely. As soon as you recognize how beautiful you are others won't be able to ignore it!

Now, get out and let your light shine bright for all to see!!!

Getting blinded by your radiance, 

Cassi 

Summer Grilling Ideas

YAY FOR SUMMER!

I just love summer, despite the fact that my hair turns into a frizzy nest. And what says summer more than a good ol' fashion cook out?!? So what's a girl to do when greasy hamburgers are getting passed out left and right? Well, duh- eat them every once in a while, but it's nice to have an alternative to the belt busting burger. 

This Memorial day I made black bean burgers, and boy where they yummy! And at only about 115 calories per patty you are cutting back considerably over a beef patty. Not to mention the double whammy of less fat and more fiber - BAM - take that backyard cook out!

Here's what ya need:

1 Can of Black Beans (Drained)

1/4 Cup Flaxseed Mill

1/2 Onion (minced)

2 tsp Black Pepper

2 tsp Chili Powder

2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Cyan Pepper (Optional if you want Spicy Burgers!) 

• Mash the black beans and mix in the rest of the ingredients. (If it's too dry add water 1 tsp at a time) You can also mix everything together all at once in a food processor. 
• Form the mixture into patties, and set aside. 
• Grill patties for 3-4 minutes on each side. 
• * If you find that your patties are too crumbly, or just don't hold up like you'd hoped you can add 1 Egg to make life easier. 

Your Black Bean Patties are Gluten Free, and Vegan (if you leave out the egg), not to mention Delicious and good for your tummy. 

Eat open faced on a bed of lettuce topped with some avocado slices, or just go for broke and spring for the Burger Buns. 

Since I cook for just me I always end up with leftovers and have to make two or three meals out of everything I cook. The first time I had my black bean patties just like a good ol' hamburger should be, on Toasted Buns with carbs and gluten (haha), topped with Lettuce, Spinach, Cilantro and Avocado.

My second meal with the black bean patties was a spin on Taco Salad. I crumbled the patties into a bowl of lettuce, with Avocado, Salsa, and topped it with the Baked Tostitos (also gluten free). I'm not gonna lie it was even better then burger!!! 

*Disclaimer on the Baked Tostitos

. 

I LOVE CORN CHIPS. 

I could eat them by themselves all day long...I love corn!!!!

Ok, that said; I know corn chips are not the absolute best thing for me, so I decided to try the baked ones from Lay's. If you eat them with something like dips or salsa, or in say.... a black bean burger taco salad maybe ;-) you can't really tell the difference. They taste the same. By themselves straight outta the bag....not so much. I would give them a "no bueno" for stand alone snaking. 

Then again, I do consider myself a corn chip aficionado. 

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of Black Bean Burgers...or Taco Salad. 

You are Beautiful and Loved more than you could ever imagine! 

Now get grilling!

Love and Corn Chips,

Cassi 

My Story/I am Beautiful

great·ness/ˈgrātnis/ The state, condition, or quality of being great; as, greatness of size, greatness of mind, power, etc.

We are all in process, never a finished product, constantly "under construction". Personally, I know that I don't want to live a life that is just ok. I want to live a Great Life! For me that involves learning all I can, and sharing all I know to help others live their version of a Great Life. I've recently embarked on a journey towards a healthier lifestyle. It has not been easy and has had many ups and downs, but boy has it been worth it. When I started this journey I was 23 years old and weighed 200lbs.

Hitting 200lbs was my turn around point. I knew that if i continued on the path I was on, making changes would only be harder to do in the future. So I decided to do something...anything! I wanted to loose weight, and at that point that was my only goal. I was depressed every time I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt that I was ugly and the only thing that would ever make me beautiful or worthy of love was to be "Skinny". 

One day, a friend of mine, approached me and asked me if I would be interested in training with the American Cancer Society to run the ING New York City Marathon. (HA!) I laughed at him. How was my 200 lb booty gonna run 26.2 miles?!? Long story short; I DID IT! I trained for 8 months, and finished the NYC Marathon on November 6, 2011.

 

I also lost 25 lbs. in the process. 

Here's where it gets real. I was so psyched about my huge accomplishment and all the weight that I lost that I wanted to do even more!!!! So I continued working out, going to the gym, running, weights the whole nine - religiously! But, it wasn't fast enough for me, I wanted to loose more weight right then and there. So I started counting calories. Then counting calories turned into restricting calories. I became so obsessed with burning more calories then I ate in a day (I mean that's how you loose weight right?) that I was living off of 500 - 900 calories a day. And on those 900 calorie days I felt like a fat lard for eating as much as I had. It was never enough. No matter how hard I ran, or how little I ate, unless I thought I was beautiful I would always see myself as fat. 

(Listen to this song, and tell me if you can relate. I know I've felt like this, and am moved to tears every time I hear this song just thinking of all of the beautiful women who can't see how gorgeous they are.)

So here is my vow/pact to you. I promise to never deprive my body of nutrients for the sake of weight loss. I promise to keep living a healthy life, keep running marathons, and keep making this world a more beautiful place just by being in it!  

I want the same thing for you. In this blog, I want to write about workouts and healthy recipes, not so we can get skinny, but so we can be fit, and healthy. If living a healthier life style is a goal you have let's do it together! You can make changes that will give you more energy to get out there and share your beautiful light with the world. 

......And if no one has told you yet today, You Are BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Cyber Hugs,

Cassi