A lot of my personal friends and family have been following my weight loss and dieting progress on Facebook. And, I'm proud and humbled to say that I am motivating a lot of people to start working out, being healthy and happy! :) I love it! And that is why I do it. It motivates ME to motivate YOU. Ultimately, my goal is to do anything I can to make people live happier lives. It's a pay-it-forward thing totally.
So to get right to it (because Survivor is coming on and I do NOT miss that) here is how/what I have been feeding my family for the past 16 weeks or so.
First things first, every single Sunday I sit down and come up with 7 dinners for the upcoming week. From Monday-Sunday. I then put together the grocery list for that week and Sunday evening involves going to buy all of the groceries for the upcoming week. This is awesome because it allows me to have complete control over EXACTLY what we are eating, and what money I am spending! I always know what's for dinner, no food gets wasted around here (and therefore money isn't wasted either) AND if we don't have a bunch of junk sitting around here, then it's not here to eat!
To give you an idea, here is my list of dinners for this week:
Monday - Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup. I make this homemade and a huge bowl only has around 350 calories. It's so good you would never believe it is that low in calories. I'll email the recipe if anyone wants it. This also makes enough that we have it for lunch the next day.
1 large bowl = ~350 calories
Tuesday - Turkey Ham and Green Beans. I buy a half turkey ham, stick it in the crockpot all day and by dinner it's so soft you can break it up with a fork. VERY low calories. The green beans are from a can, low sodium ones, then I fry them up in some extra virgin olive oil - very healthy for you! I have this with 35 calorie bread and my calorie free/fat free Parkay spray butter (everyone thinks this must taste nasty, you're SO WRONG, it's AMAZING tastes just like butter).
2 medium slices ham, green beans, 2 slices buttered bread = ~450 calories
Wednesday - Stir Fry. Now we go out to eat once a week for dinner. We chose tonight! We went to BD's Mongolian BBQ. It's a stir-fry place and it's AMAAAAZING and so low in fat/cals. I had a huge bowl of mahi-mahi (the best fish you could ever eat), chicken, black beans, onions, green and red peppers, cilantro, mushrooms, tomato, all grilled in black bean asian sauce. Top with a little bit of cheese and a side salad. My entire meal was about 450 calories (and too much money). But this stir-fry can be totally made at home and I make it ALL the time in extra virgin olive oil.
BD's stir fry bowl = ~450 calories
Thursday - Smothered Chicken & Salad. I either grill out or stove grill (in extra virgin olive oil) chicken breasts. I am big of herbs and seasoning, so I usually grill mine in cilantro or basil. I also grill (in the same pan with the chicken) red onions, mushrooms and green peppers. Once it's all done, put the chicken on the plate, top it with the grilled veggies, then on top of all that I add some pinches of fat free mozzarella, fat free cheddar (shredded cheeses) then top THAT off with turkey bacon bits! You can buy turkey bacon pieces not in the salad dressings isle. They are AMAZING! That's why it's smothered chicken - you literally smother it with all kinds of good stuff. Serve with a side salad.
large smothered chicken breast and side salad = ~450 calories
Friday - Chili! This is Braylon's favorite. My chili is so easy. I fry 1lb ground turkey with red onions in some extra virgin olive oil, add in a can of tomato juice, chili beans, kidney beans, chili seasoning, red pepper, basil and DONE. You can have a HUGE bowl and the calories/fat is SO low.
1 huge bowl chili = ~350 calories
Saturday - We have left-over Chili!
Sunday - Grilled Flat Iron Steak and Mushrooms. I buy these flat iron steaks from Kroger. They're about 10 bucks for a big one and we all 3 split it (and it's PLENTY). I put it right on the grill, flavored with worcestershire sauce and montreal steak seasoning. KEep the lid shut when grilling - it drips more fat out of your meats and makes the MUCH more tender. I also wrap whole mushrooms up in tenfoil, pour on a little bit of my Parkey spray butter, wrap the tenfoil all up and stick it right on the grill. It steams them and flavors them in the butter. OMG AMAZING. We die over these. I serve this with a side salad and sometimes I will slice me a tomato, salt and pepper it and eat that too.
4 oz. portion steak, mushrooms and salad = ~420 calories
For our breakfasts we always have either cereal, cereal bars, or sometimes I will make scrambled eggs and toast so I buy those things as needed every week.
For our lunches we have either lunch meat sandwishes or lean cuisines. Bray has lunchables a lot too. I also buy veggie burgers in the frozen foods section and I LOVE those with some guacaomle on them and a slice of cheese and tomato - YUM. A lot of times we have dinner left-overs for our lunches too.
We snack too: JAmes and Bray eat a lot of nuts and peanut butter. I eat a lot of fruits as snacks. I honestly do not snack a whole lot though, only when I'm really having cravings.
DRINK A TON OF WATER PEOPLE. Most of the time that we have hunger pains, it's actually just thirst! Water flushes fat too and is great for our skin. You can actually work out LONGER if you're well hydrated.
Ok, I'm well into missing Survivor, so I'm signing off for now. More to come. I did not proof read this so I'm sure there are typos everywhere.
Stay true to yourselves! YOU CAN BE HAPPY! :)
Teshia
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Inspired by Visions in Acrylic
I figured it was time to post about art, and what inspires me, since I am, well, an artist, and well, this is my blog! So let me just get right into it...
A lot of people don't realize how much they can be inspired by art. If you're not an "art person," which I hear so often, then you've not been looking in the right places. EVERYONE can enjoy and get inspired by art. In order for me to prove that to you, let's first talk about, "What IS art?"
Art is like Kung Fu. It lives in everything we do, everything we see, everything we experience. Art is beauty, it is passion, it is emotion. Art can also be pain, despair, and loneliness. Art is everything and anything that we need and want it to be. It's right there in front of you, waiting to inspire you, waiting to fulfill you, you just have to reach your hand out and touch it.
What exactly do I mean by all of that rambling bologna? Well, have you ever visited the ocean and just been entirely encaptivated by it's beauty? To the point of almost or full speechlessness? Have you ever driven by a glamorious home and property that made you stop and say, "Wow, I wish I lived there!" and you could not stop staring out your window? Better yet, have you ever held a newborn child for the first time, gazed into the child's eyes and realized what love really is? I'm sure this list goes on and on for most of you, and I could go on and on. These things are art. These types of feelings, emotions and experiences are exactly what I am talking about.
Most people reading this were probably expecting me to answer the question "What IS art" with answers such as: painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, pottery, or even scrapbooking and things like that. Yes, these things ARE all art. But what MAKES art important to us is how it makes us feel and how it changes us. Isn't it? Or else, what would be the point in creating it?
I'd like to share with you my FAVORITE artist of all time, Josephine Wall. She is a fantasy artist, and I LOVE fantasy art. Her visions are an escape into another world, another dimension, and everything in her "worlds" are more beautiful than anything we see in our world. When I stare at these paintings, I get lost in them. That feeling, that getting "lost" in something, is so euphoric. It's pure love. It makes you happy, excited, relaxed...physically it releases endorphins, and in some cases, adrenaline (which are things that make our bodies feel good and put us in a happy mood)! I encourage everyone to find this type of passion in SOMETHING. Even if not in "art," then in life. I find myself visiting Jo's website often when I'm feeling depressed or just BLAH, and I always feel better within just a few gazes into her pieces.
Josephine's paintings are primarily acrylic, and in my opinion, there is just nothing on canvas, anywhere, that is more beautiful than what she creates. Her talent is purely a God given gift. You may have seen some of her artwork on puzzles, mugs, plates, t-shirts, etc. But I'm going to share with you my absolute favorite pieces of hers here:
Moon Goddess
This is my favorite one. I can't even critique it. The contrast in the colors are amazing. It's sparkly, and I love sparkly and shiny things. I LOVE astronomy and the moon, and so of course I am biased to this one a bit. But look at the detail in her veil. I love how Jo has created stars and little galaxies in it. You think, "Of course the Moon Goddess looks like this!"
I love her composition here. Your eye completely circles that gorgeous moon. Also, look at the beauty on the Goddess's face. Doesn't she look a little bit like Amy Adams? I love Amy Adams!
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/moon_god.html
Bubble Flower
I would prefer this one be titled "Creation Fairy" or something similar. That's what this symbolizes to me. This sure makes the "Big Bang" theory look a lot more glamorous, yes?
Within each bubble she is blowing, there is an entire world in there. Just breath-taking, this one.
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/bubble_flower.html
Nature's Embrace
Speechless. Inspiring. Emotional. Eternal. Bliss.
These are the things I experience when I look at this piece. And that's really what art should do for you. It should make you experience emotions and feelings. If it doesn't, you're looking at the wrong things!
Who doesn't love a kiss with a romantic embrace? Jo takes that concept, that experience and just turns it into this masterpiece of what you might feel the first time you kiss someone, or the first time you realize you're in love.
The flowers for her, the ivy for him, the sunset, the yellows, the way they are holding one another...so gorgeous...
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/natures_embrace.html
So, these are just a few of my favorite works of art. I get inspired by a lot of things, but these are my drug of choice!
I encourage ALL OF YOU to find this in your life. Whatever it is that inspores you, makes you feel euphoria, I bet it's right there in front of you. Reach out and find it! Life is hard, and a lot of times it seriously sucks! But these things that make us happy will always be here. Still think you're not an art person? Email me at info@corporateavedesign.com and I will CHALLENGE YOU that there isn't something in YOUR LIFE right now, that is ART, that will inspire you :)
A lot of people don't realize how much they can be inspired by art. If you're not an "art person," which I hear so often, then you've not been looking in the right places. EVERYONE can enjoy and get inspired by art. In order for me to prove that to you, let's first talk about, "What IS art?"
Art is like Kung Fu. It lives in everything we do, everything we see, everything we experience. Art is beauty, it is passion, it is emotion. Art can also be pain, despair, and loneliness. Art is everything and anything that we need and want it to be. It's right there in front of you, waiting to inspire you, waiting to fulfill you, you just have to reach your hand out and touch it.
What exactly do I mean by all of that rambling bologna? Well, have you ever visited the ocean and just been entirely encaptivated by it's beauty? To the point of almost or full speechlessness? Have you ever driven by a glamorious home and property that made you stop and say, "Wow, I wish I lived there!" and you could not stop staring out your window? Better yet, have you ever held a newborn child for the first time, gazed into the child's eyes and realized what love really is? I'm sure this list goes on and on for most of you, and I could go on and on. These things are art. These types of feelings, emotions and experiences are exactly what I am talking about.
Most people reading this were probably expecting me to answer the question "What IS art" with answers such as: painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, pottery, or even scrapbooking and things like that. Yes, these things ARE all art. But what MAKES art important to us is how it makes us feel and how it changes us. Isn't it? Or else, what would be the point in creating it?
I'd like to share with you my FAVORITE artist of all time, Josephine Wall. She is a fantasy artist, and I LOVE fantasy art. Her visions are an escape into another world, another dimension, and everything in her "worlds" are more beautiful than anything we see in our world. When I stare at these paintings, I get lost in them. That feeling, that getting "lost" in something, is so euphoric. It's pure love. It makes you happy, excited, relaxed...physically it releases endorphins, and in some cases, adrenaline (which are things that make our bodies feel good and put us in a happy mood)! I encourage everyone to find this type of passion in SOMETHING. Even if not in "art," then in life. I find myself visiting Jo's website often when I'm feeling depressed or just BLAH, and I always feel better within just a few gazes into her pieces.
Josephine's paintings are primarily acrylic, and in my opinion, there is just nothing on canvas, anywhere, that is more beautiful than what she creates. Her talent is purely a God given gift. You may have seen some of her artwork on puzzles, mugs, plates, t-shirts, etc. But I'm going to share with you my absolute favorite pieces of hers here:
This is my favorite one. I can't even critique it. The contrast in the colors are amazing. It's sparkly, and I love sparkly and shiny things. I LOVE astronomy and the moon, and so of course I am biased to this one a bit. But look at the detail in her veil. I love how Jo has created stars and little galaxies in it. You think, "Of course the Moon Goddess looks like this!"
I love her composition here. Your eye completely circles that gorgeous moon. Also, look at the beauty on the Goddess's face. Doesn't she look a little bit like Amy Adams? I love Amy Adams!
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/moon_god.html
I would prefer this one be titled "Creation Fairy" or something similar. That's what this symbolizes to me. This sure makes the "Big Bang" theory look a lot more glamorous, yes?
Within each bubble she is blowing, there is an entire world in there. Just breath-taking, this one.
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/bubble_flower.html
Speechless. Inspiring. Emotional. Eternal. Bliss.
These are the things I experience when I look at this piece. And that's really what art should do for you. It should make you experience emotions and feelings. If it doesn't, you're looking at the wrong things!
Who doesn't love a kiss with a romantic embrace? Jo takes that concept, that experience and just turns it into this masterpiece of what you might feel the first time you kiss someone, or the first time you realize you're in love.
The flowers for her, the ivy for him, the sunset, the yellows, the way they are holding one another...so gorgeous...
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/natures_embrace.html
So, these are just a few of my favorite works of art. I get inspired by a lot of things, but these are my drug of choice!
I encourage ALL OF YOU to find this in your life. Whatever it is that inspores you, makes you feel euphoria, I bet it's right there in front of you. Reach out and find it! Life is hard, and a lot of times it seriously sucks! But these things that make us happy will always be here. Still think you're not an art person? Email me at info@corporateavedesign.com and I will CHALLENGE YOU that there isn't something in YOUR LIFE right now, that is ART, that will inspire you :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)