so..like..where do I even start with being a healthy??

The other day on my Instagram Stories  I posted about my struggle with losing weight and asked for some advice! Healthy snack ideas, things to drink instead of pop, workouts, meal plants that have worked for people etc.  Sometimes (all the time) this stuff seems so overwhelming to me and I just can't even handle knowing where to start so I don't start haha- who can relate? I received SO many amazing and helpful answers I wanted to share them here! The things that I loved about these comments is that there are SO many good and DIFFERENT options!  Some I never even thought of! And a lot of them are NOT super overwhelming and seem like a  great place to start so I can turn this into a lifestyle and not just a quick fix!

But first here's some words I need to say so people don't overthink stuff  and because it's what people say before posts like this maybe? IDK. Most of these comments were NOT written form professional health humans just awesome regular people like you & me trying to help a sister out! SOO consult your medical dr before starting new program blah blah blah, not all of this is 1000% fact and science so don't do anything cray cray,  everyone is different and needs different things so do what works best for you boo, if you don't agree with some of these comments thats okay just keep scrolling and don't be mean.


Instagram accounts or programs that were recommended!

+Clean Simple Eats  Her account got recommended to me 10+ times! One of the girls that recommended it said she lost 10 pounds from following her  cookbook! Woot Woot!

+ I Heart Macros 

+ Fitness Carli 

+Beach Body On Demand! "I have a hard time with sticking to any specific meal plan so I've just accumulated a ton of healthy or clean recipes and make them. I meal prep, or try to every Sunday. Everything I make is simple because I have literally no time and that's when I fail is because I don't have time to be healthy and just eat out instead. I try to stay really low carb and not buy anything I could cheat with.

+Weight watchers

+Whole 30! Go week by week rather than focus on the whole month!

+Plant based diet! earthyandy.com

+Use the Katy Hearn Fitness Macro Calculator . When my main goal is losing weight I follow macros everyday with a cheat day once a week! And the Lose It App

Workout Tips

+Lift weights! Heavy weights less reps!

+"I like to set goals so that I feel like I don't plateau with workouts! Maybe train for something! That will give you motivation to do cardio and keep adding more miles each day. Or set goals to get faster on the treadmill. Or lift a bit more weight. When I make exercise goals and I accomplish them I feel so confident, no matter what I look like!"

+Start with yoga then ease into working out if you are just barely starting out!

+Weight training with light cardio Bodybuilding.com has great workout plans!

 Meals/Eating Advice

+Meal plan & meal prep!! If you prep and have a healthy lunch ready to take with you, you're more likely to eat that instead of buying something unhealthy or grabbing something frozen to heat up! Almonds, fruit, baby carrots, cut peppers for snack! Prepped so it's easy to go to the fridge and grab a bag!

+"I noticed I would binge when I would try to cut foods out or try to restrict calories. Eating regularly, getting enough protein, and eating a good breakfast+lunch have been game changers"

+"Smaller portions and eating until I'm full not when my plate is empty. Also, use smaller plates"

+"Cut sugar and carbs down! it forces you to eat more greens/veggies. I've world out my whole life and what has really helped me see results is watching what I eat a little more than normal"

+"I will never be the person who never eats carbs ya know? I wanted to do something realistic for ME and never eating fries or ice cream just isn't going to work" GIRL AFTER MY OWN HEART!
-Drink 4 bottles of 32 oz of water a day! Take 10 sips overtime you go to drink your water to help you get more water intake
-Meal ideas: breakfast 2 hard boiled eggs OR yogurt with granola (oiko triple zero yogurt & granola that's not loaded with sugar! Lunch: Tuna with a TINY bit of mayo and lots of pickles on a pita bread OR chicken, rice, and veggies. Snacks: cheese sticks, sugar free applesauce, quaker rice cakes, baby carrots. Dinner: protein and a veggie. If craving a treat just a BITE of something sweet, not the whole thing

+Snacks: string cheese, broccli steamed and dipped in teriyaki sauce, cottage cheese, nature valley bars, fruit cups, applesauce packets.

+Greek yogurt or high protein oatmeal fro breakfast, hard boiled eggs or hummus & veggies for snacks, lunch and dinner meals that are high in protein and low in carbs.

+Snacks with protein so it's filling and more satsifying. Drink tea with meals and snacks, it keeps me fuller and warm meals make me feel more satisfies

Mindfulness

+Eat what you love! Be mindful of what you put into your body and try to eat as organic and sugar free as you can! It has to be a life style. Not looking at it as "what to eat and what not to eat" but eating when you feel like it and not eating when you don't

+"Intuitive Eating. There are no off limit foods, but you train your mind and body to listen to what it wants. It's whole point ins't weight loss, but it has helped me feel so much better about my body! I would recommend that Intuitive Eating Podcast and the book called Intuitive Eating."

+"I try to stay positive! Like every healthy food and every time I workout is closer and closer to being the weight I want to be!"

+Energy work with muscle testing to remove "blocks" that cause the "fail"

To Help With That Sweet Tooth
+Clean energy bites  +Protein bars   +Protein Shakes     +Banana  with Almond milk smoothies

+Freeze bananas and blend them with milk to make banana ice cream! Add chocolate protein powder!

+"Eat fruit! Replace any type of chips or cookies with fruit! They have less calories and boost your metabolism!"

+ "I tried not eating sugar for a week. It was really hard. So I decided not to cut it out completely. I would buy a fun treat and hide it from myself. IF I was craving it I would let myself have one. Then I would go eat something healthy. "

+Instead of buying a gallon of ice cream, buy a tiny one! 

+HALO TOP

+Smoothies!
1 Cup of Mango
1Banana
Handful of spinach
Chia Seeds
Flax seed
Cut complex
Orange juice to fill halfway! thanks @cjtaylorhair

1 banana
1/4 C frozen berries
1/2 C mixed fruit
1-1.5 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Light handful of spinach
1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk thanks @madsfavthings

Instead of pop!

+Water water water! +La Croix drinks   +Mio   +Crystal Light    +Bubly   +Sparkling water    +Zevia

+"Put fruit in your water! lemon water is too healthy and decreases your appetite as you drink it throughout the day! You can put strawberries in it too to make it taste better!"

Supplements 
+Plexus

+ WMNutrition  Their advantraslim that helps curb cravings and keeps you energized and boosts your metabolism! And their Sleep it Off which helps you burn fat while you sleep and helps you have more restful sleep!

This week  I will post about what I am PERSONALLY  adding into my day to day life from these awesome tips!  Thanks so much to everyone who contributed! You guys rock!!  Wishing everyone a happy healthy life that includes the occasionally chocolate chip cookie haha. 

xoxo
Bailey

My Soup Brings All The Boys To The Yard

HEY!! I am going to be re-vamping a few things around here! I am so so grateful for all of you who have followed along with my Healing Journey but I have decided that is not JUST what I want this blog to be about!! I want it to be about SO many other aspects of my life as well! I will continue to share and write about my panic disorder, but I'm excited to show you the other sides of my life as well!

So here it goes--
I LOVE FALL. Literally everything about it makes my basic
white girl side come out full force. Haha, but really. I love pumpkins, sweaters, leaves, rain, jackets, layers, fall makeup, hot chocolate, and SOUP. I could eat soup every single day in the fall and winter- probably not lying about that.
SO I want to share with you my 3 FAVE soups I've made so far! Literally feel like a domestic princess because i've been trying so many new recipes (even if half of them have the word EASY in them! Not to mention they all take like 30 minutes or less. #winning
I will share the original recipes and then put in parentheses what I did different!

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

• 5 slices Bacon
• 12 oz. Ground Beef (80/20)
• 2 tbsp. Butter
• 3 cups Beef Broth (I used chicken broth instead)
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 2 tsp. Yellow Mustard
• 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper (I did 1 tsp of this and did not do "red pepper")
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Red Pepper
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
• 2 1/2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 3 medium Dill Pickle, diced
• 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used 8 oz Velveeta cheese instead)
• 3 oz. Cream Cheese ( I did not put this in)
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Start by cooking your bacon.  Once the bacon is done, remove it from the frying pan and start to cook the hamburger meat in the bacon grease left in the pan.  (You can skip this step and add real bacon bits if you want a faster process)                                                     In a separate pan, add the butter and all the spices.  You will want to allow these spices to cook together for about 45 seconds. It will smell amazing!                                                Now, add the broth, tomato paste, cheese, mustard and cream cheese to the spices mixture.  I let this cook on the stove top for about 5 minutes or so.  Just enough for the cream cheese to be melted completely in the sauce.                                                       Lastly, you will add your pickles  and meats and heavy cream to the sauce.  It will be a nice and brown creamy texture.

Click HERE for the original instructions!!

Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup Copycat

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup diced onions (yellow or white)
• 1 cup shredded carrots (I just cut up baby carrots)
• 2 1/2-3 cups broccoli florets, chopped small (I put mine in my food processor)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk (I use skim/fat free)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (or more as desired)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 
  
• 1. In a large pot over medium high heat, melt butter. Add in onions, carrots and broccoli. Cook to soften about 5 minutes (may be more or less depending on the size vegetables you cut).
• 2. Slowly add in broth, milk, and cream. Sprinkle with flour and add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue stirring and heating over medium heat until thickened. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
• 
  

Click HERE for the original instructions!!

20 Minute Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup diced white onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup flour
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce
• 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• optional toppings: tortilla chips/strips, diced/sliced avocado, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, and/or pico de gallo

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. (To save time, peel and dice the onion for the minute or so that the oil heats.)
2. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until cooked and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
3. Whisk in the flour and cook for an additional minute.
4. Pour in half of the chicken stock, and stir until completely combined and no lumps remain.
5. Add in the rest of the chicken stock, and stir quickly to combine.
6. Add in the chicken, enchilada sauce, black beans, tomatoes, salt and cumin, and stir until combined. Continue stirring occasionally until simmering.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the soup does not burn to the bottom of the pan.
8. Slowly stir in the cheese until combined. Season with salt, to taste.
9. Serve your soup warm with toppings of choice. Enjoy!

Click HERE for the original instructions!!