Sense

Have you ever felt like something really good was about to happen?  Thats how I am and actually have been feeling for quite sometime now.  Touching on my post from last night, it is sometimes very hard to wait for it, but you must, you must stay diligent, vigilant and keep on going, keep pushing till you get to what you've been pushing for.   You see the very thing that the enemy wants you to do is stop, get discouraged and move on, deciding for yourself that what you were working towards was nothing more than a whimsical thought.  But you must not believe him!  You must keep on keeping on.

You may have been working so long towards that dream, your head has been down so long that once you decide to look up you can barely recognize the world around you.  It is so important to work towards the things that are in your hearts, your giftings, your callings, but you must remember to stay balanced while your on that journey.

If you don't take care of yourself on the road to becoming yourself then you will wined up feeling so run down and exhausted when you actually achieve your goals that you won't be able to enjoy it like you should.  It will take so long for you to get back into your "original state", the state of mind your suppose to be in, the state your body is suppose to be in, the state your spirit and soul is suppose to be in, that you could miss out on some opportunities that God had intended for you.

I was at a meeting tonight and the man speaking stood strong in his beliefs and took joy in helping people and it dawned on me while I was sitting there listening,  "God can heal us, but it doesn't mean he will, sometimes he wants us to figure something out on our own, He has given us the tools to heal ourselves, to heal our bodies, our minds, our total well-being, sometimes we just have to have enough sense to do it.

I know we all are capable of changing the areas in our lives that we want to change, the question is are we willing to do it.  I know I am, and I like to believe I grow one step closer each and everyday.  I hope you all have a wonderful time changing.  I bid you all a farewell and goodnight till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Roast Beef Salad,

Mixed Greens
Roast Beef, sliced
Goat cheese, crumbled
Dried Cherries,
Pecans
Greek Vinaigrette

Mix all ingredients and enjoy : D

Virtues...

Have you ever wanted something to happen so bad that waiting for it felt like you were going to die or possibly experience a small hernia?  I absolutely hate waiting for things, for people, for days to pass, I was probably the most impatient person that ever existed, until I decided to try and change.  key word: TRY.  I did try and have been trying and it is trying me.  You see I am the type of person that will get so excited about something and so gung-ho that I cannot possibly fathom having to wait for it to happen and if I do indeed have to wait (which happens to be 99.9% of the time) then I lose all motivation and ambition and decide I don't want to wait and if I have to then it means it was never going to happen in the first place...Uhhh WRONG!  

That may sound like one of the most ignorant thoughts in the world and you may be saying "C'mon, haven't you heard that all good things are worth waiting for", and in return I would say to you "I'm sure they are but I'm not willing to find out".  I have since made a change and I am trying this whole "waiting" thing, I guess its not so bad if you like being in agony every waking moment, but no biggie :D 

I will just have to cope and really believe that "patience is a virtue", I just have to remind myself that the longer I wait the more joyful and excited and blessed I will feel when what I'm waiting for actually happens.  There are so many ways we can practice being patient and sooo many ways we show our impatience.  At the end of the day I would like to be one of those people that stood out, while I'm waiting in line somewhere and its apparent that everyone else around me is glaring at the sales clerk, I will be the one who smiles at her and asks her how her day is going.  You just never know what being kind and patient can do for somebody and also you never know when God is testing you, which by the way is all the time, I would rather learn how to deal with this now then regret not doing it when I'm older.  

My wish is that we all would strive to be more patient, more kind, more compassionate and more loving with each other, as that famous country song goes, "I'm in a hurry to get things done, oh I rush and rush until life's no fun, all I really gotta do is live and die, but I'm in a hurry and don't know why."  Lets not mimic these lyrics.  Bidding you all a farewell and goodnight till tomorrow of course!

Warm Regards,

Candace

Mock Chicken Pot Pie

Filling:

3 TBSP of butter

2 cups cooked chicken, diced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

3 stalks of celery, diced

7 green onions diced

8-9 green olives, chopped

dash of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, chicken seasoning

1 TBSP of flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

Crust:

1/2 cup of almond flour (or almonds ground in a food processor)

2 eggs

dash of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder

1/4 cup of butter

For filling saute celery and onions with butter until soft then add cream, chicken, mushrooms, stock, flour and seasonings bring to a boil then pour in a glass pan

For crust mix all ingredients then spoon on top of filling and bake on 400 degrees for 30 minutes, Enjoy :D

 

Waiting....

"Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.  She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them....Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. (Hos. 2:6-7&14)

This verse has spoken to me, It speaks of how much the Lord is willing to wait for us, to allure us, to get us alone, away from all the distractions and busyness of life, away from all the things that are taking up our time but shouldn't be and all the while he just waits, waits for us to become the people we were meant to be, the very purpose we are walking this earth, and the very things we need to fulfill that only we can.

This verse is true for life as well, it seems we take many detours along the way and all along we were meant to be doing something else with our time.  Do you ever feel like your not really fulfilling what you were suppose to be?  Like all the desires of your heart, all the dreams and miss-accomplished destinies are just lost.  What in the world are we doing here, why have we let ourselves become so comfortable, when did we stop being the person we were meant to be and started being the person we never wanted to be.  It is a sad thing that probably 75-90% of people do.

We are just wondering around and all the while destiny is trying to block our paths that it knows we shouldn't take or build a wall to prevent us from going down a road that wasn't meant for us, but sometimes we are so stubborn or are lacking in what we are suppose to be doing that we grab our broom and our ax and plow right through that blocked off path and that built wall, we end up spending more time and working harder trying to become something we only think we want.  If we would just stand still for one moment and reevaluate our entire being, I think we would find the right direction, but unfortunately a lot of people are too busy doing the wrong things for their lives, that they forget to do the right things for their lives.

How about we don't become those 75-90% of people and we change that statistic to a lot less.  Your life starts with you and only YOU can finish it.  So lets pick up the slack and start thinking about the things that make you happy, that bring you joy, that make others happy, that help people, find out where your passions lie and then LIE THERE WITH THEM!  I can do this, we can do this, so lets do this!  I will bid you all a farewell and goodnight till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Subless Sub Salad

Mixed Greens
Your Favorite Deli Meats and Cheeses chopped (use the kind with no added fillers and no sugar)
Hot Peppers chopped
Ranch dressing or Mayo
Oil and Vinegar
Oregano

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and Enjoy : D

Complete Wellness..

Complete Wellness....hmmm now that's a concept, one that most of us deem as unattainable, and rightfully so, I mean c'mon we live in America!  We are known to foreigners as fast-tracking, over-processed, junk food conasours that wouldn't know how to cook a genuinely nutritious, chemical free, hormone free, wholesome meal if it smacked us in the face!  And I mean can you blame them for thinking that way?...Nope, absolutely not, you know why...because it is the sick truth that we must rid ourselves of and our bad habits and our nasty way of doing the same old thing.

I recently joined a whole sale all-natural, chemical free, hormone free and basically anything bad for you or your body free club.  And can I just say that I love it, I mean who told us that those harsh chemicals that kill 99.9% of bacteria had to slowly be killing us too?  Or that those meal replacement bars and protein shakes had to taste nasty and be unsatisfying?  Well I will tell you what, you all can keep purchasing those high retail priced toxic waste that is going to end up putting you in a small urn faster than you would have, but I am choosing to switch over and live healthier and freer and non-cancer forming as I possibly can.

I mean why do they even put some of these products out on the market in the first place?!  All of those harsh things we let our body just ingest and be around are probably causing a lot of our health problems or making us fatter.  If you want to lose that unwanted pregnancy weight or just that non-pregnancy weight :D then you should consider making a change in the way you eat the products you purchase and while we're at it we might as well make a whole lifestyle change (which by the way is the reason I started this blog in the first place).  To change your results you have to change the way you've been getting them, hmm sounds easy and simple enough to me, but you would be surprised on how many people can't or haven't done this.

Achieving wellness means you have to be WELL in the first place, and being well means you will definitely need to change the things that are making you not so well.  I have made a stand and decided that if I'm changing the way I eat I might as well be eating natural protein bars instead of chemical filled ones, or those morning protein shakes I like to make, I can change that too, or how about those harsh chemicals I just took in while disinfecting the salmonella off my counter.  There is no reason why we can't ALL be WELL and achieve TOTAL WELLNESS.

There is nothing better than feeling your best and to do that you need to actually FEEL your best, so lets all do it!  Let's strive to make a change, let's make our grandchildren proud and still be around and kicking when they enter this world, not lying on our death beds because we spent the last 60 years sticking to the same old bad habits and routines that were only hurting us in the long run.  WE CAN DO IT, so lets!  If your interested in doing the same send me any e-mail and I will give you some advice on how I'm achieving it! I hope you all have a wonderful night and I bid you farewell till tomorrow! (ccherieh05@yahoo.com)

Warm Regards,
Candace

Scrumptious Cucumber Bites

1/3 cup of Goat Cheese
Dash of Garlic Powder, Sea Salt, Pepper and Dill
1 Cucumber sliced
1 Whole Wheat Pita or Tortilla cut into squares (if your doing lower carbs omit this)

Crispify the tortilla or pita in the oven (cut before hand) then mix goat cheese and spices in a bowl and microwave for 15 seconds to get more spreadable, put a cucumber slice on a tortilla/pita chip and spread goat cheese mixture on top, Enjoy : D

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

You know those old Clint Eastwood movies where they are in a stare down at opposite sides of the dessert or corral and this can go on for quite some time, the movie writers make a killing off of you watching at least 10 minutes of two men staring at each other and all the camera does is shoot back and forth between the two mens facial expressions and them acting like they are reaching for their guns.  So after watching intently at these scenes you wonder, "okay who's gonna die here, it can't be Clint, he's the good guy, but still you watch and for 10 minutes you are watching the simplest scene the movie producers and directors could have ever shot, but your still watching...why?....I'll tell you why, because you want to see what happens, even though it may seem perfectly predictable, but then out of no where and when you least expect it...BAM, Clint shoots the mediator, the middle guy, the guy calling the fight and there it is, that moment, the one you didn't expect, thats why you were watching it, for the chance that something unexpected might in fact happen.

I said all that to say this, I think sometimes in our lives, we are a lot like those old Clint Eastwood scenes.  We wait around, and wait around, and wait around till we wonder why are we still waiting around, wether it be at that dead end job when you know what you are really meant to do just to afraid to take the risk, or wether your just waiting around for your butt to get up off that couch and drive it self to the gym, or maybe your waiting for God to move or for the sky to fall or for anything else to happen just as long as it's something so you can finally feel like your actually living instead of just passing by.

The truth is sometimes the Lord calls you to be still and let him do the fighting, but other times, and this I have found out is most of the time, you need to take the gun out of the holster and shoot the mediator, the middle man, you know that voice that tells you to just stay where your at, that the things that you want and wish to achieve will just somehow magically come to you.  Right, if that were the case then why are there all these broken people walking around this earth, with failed possibilities and missed opportunities.... you know why......it's because they listened to that voice, and then just kept listening.  It's like they are in a slumber and haven't woken up yet, all the things they meant to accomplish are still waiting for them because they are only things that they were suppose to accomplish, but instead all those dreams, the goals, they just sit there, somewhere between could have, should have, would have.... but didn't.

Let's not let this happen to us!  There is still time to get it right, to fix it, to become and do those things.  You just have to do it, so lets, and lets promise that we will never give up no matter what the cost.  I hope you are all on the road to achieving all your dreams and more!  I bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,

Exceptional Turkey Salad

Left over Thanksgiving Turkey cubed
1/2-3/4 cup of Mayo
2 Stalks of Celery diced
3-5 Green Onion Stems diced
dash of Salt, Pepper, Celery Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder and 1/2 tsp. of sugar sub. (splenda, stevia, etc.)

Mix all ingredients and chill in fridge for a few hours to marinate, then eat as is or put on top of whole wheat bread, crackers or pita, Enjoy :D

I made it!

Okay so one Thanksgiving dinner down one more to go!  Today at the Thanksgiving brunch, I walked through the doors and there are pastries and stuffings and a galore of different kinds of potatoes and waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream, it was almost too much to take, but as soon as I sat down got some coffee in me and then by 2 relatives asked if I had been loosing weight because I was looking thin, I decided this whole thing was totally worth it!

When you get to the point where people start noticing your progress it makes you want to keep going and not stop till you reach your goal.  It is so nice to be fitting into the clothes that I couldn't 25 days ago, and this Thanksgiving I think I am truly thankful that I have the ability to do something like this, change the way I do something so that I can inspire myself and others by accomplishing something that I never thought I would.  I know, I know, your thinking well how hard can it be to just discipline yourself to eat the things and only the things that will help you lose weight, but until you've done it my friend, well let me just say it can be harder than you think.  Oh yes it may be all jolly and motivational within the first 7-12 days, but let me ask you something, what the heck do you do when you absolutely cannot fathom having another bite of something "good for me" that even grandmas fruit cake is starting to look appetizing.

The point I am trying to make is, what do you do when you reach that moment when you forgot why your doing this in the first place, then you start to talk yourself into stopping because I mean c'mon it's not like your obese or anything, or 20 extra pounds never hurt anybody it's just extra padding for the organs.  So what do you do when you are at your lowest, when you don't have an ounce of motivation or determination left, when your snapping at everyone around you because all you want is a cookie and nobody gets hurt! : D  Yes, yes you may think it's no big thing to discipline yourself to eat right, but it's a whole other story when you have to do it for a long period of time and then some.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and you realize all the things you have to be thankful for, like bread :D  Have a great night and I bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Sugar free Pumpkin Pie

4 oz. of Cream Cheese softened
1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
3 Eggs
15 oz. can of Pumpkin
1/2 cup of Brown Sugar substitute (I use the splenda brand or you can use a sugar sub. and molasses)
1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 cup Pecans ground
1 stick of butter

mix cream cheese and pumpkin, add brown sugar sub., eggs and heavy whipping cream and pumpkin pie spice, blend on high till smooth. For crust, mix pecans and melted butter and pat into the bottom of a pie pan for the crust pour pumpkin filling into pan and bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes, enjoy ;D

Thankful

Oh Thanks giving is upon us!  I have just spent the last 3 hours baking pies and stuffing and tomorrow I will be baking sweet potatoes and broccoli salad all of which I cannot have, ohh wait I forgot I can have the broccoli salad, yep so tomorrow I will be going to a brunch at a very fancy Inn with my Dad's side and then on Friday after a LONG 10 hour shift I will be sharing a Thanksgiving meal with my Husband's side, all of which I will be consuming turkey and you've guessed it broccoli salad, Yay!!! : D

It's okay because like I've said before, Christmas is really my thing not Thanksgiving, so tomorrow I will just have to remember that decadent hot cocoa I will be having over Christmas with my mothers infamous brown sugar ham!

Even though Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday I do think it symbolizes a great tradition, the same tradition we hopefully all take time out tomorrow and truly thank the Lord for every great thing he has given us, our friends our family, shelter, food, warm clothing, a chance each and everyday to let people know just how much they mean to us.  You see why is it we have to designate a day such as Thanksgiving to celebrate the blessings in our lives, to tell the people around us that we are thankful for them, we should be doing this everyday, but as we all know life gets in the way, selfishness takes over and inevitably the things we set out to do get replaced with the same old way we always have done things.

How about this year we make a promise to have a heart of Thanksgiving, when we are talking with a friend say a little prayer of thanks, when you are surrounded by all the family members you love and some take some extra "special" love, why don't you tell them how much they mean to you.  When your home and it's just another "night as usual" say thanks, because you've got to remember that somewhere not so far away there is someone else praying for the very thing you take for granted.  If you are faithful with the "small" things then you will be trusted with more, but how about this, how about we  stop thinking about all the things we don't have and all the things we wish we had, and start thinking about all the things we DO have.

I hope you all have a very Thankful Thanksgiving and truly remember how much you do have to be thankful for.  Enjoy some pumpkin pie for me unless your eating healthy then don't  ; D I bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Broccoli Salad

1 cup of Mayo
2 shrubs of Broccoli chopped
6 strips of Bacon chopped
3/4 cup shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds

Mix all ingredients and chill in fridge for a few hours to marinate flavors, Enjoy : D

Only The Good

This time of year always reminds me of simpler times, I like to nestle up by the warm fire and watch all my favorite Christmas movies and listen to all my favorite Christmas music, like Bing Crosby in Holiday Inn or Harry Connick Jr. or good old Franky Baby.  Yes, yes those must have been much simpler times, nothing like this crazy schedule most of us have succumb to nowadays, no of course not back then they knew how to enjoy life, how to relax and when to work but when to play and really enjoy friends and family.

Isn't it funny how we remember those people, Bing oh what a great voice and great actor who starred in some of the classics and thats how people remember him, they chose to leave out that he supposedly had a temper and liked to knock around his wife and drink too much.  Or what about Frank, now I'm pretty sure if I was around back then or he was around now we would have be somewhat of an item, oh how romantic his songs and his voice, well his voice that put him on the map, there is none like it and if there are they are constantly reminded who they sound like, good old franky baby.  Now do you suppose people remember him as supposedly being heavily involved in the mob and maybe whacking a few guys in his day?  Nope, because people have a funny way of forgetting the bad things in such a historical persons life, they choose to only see the person as they want to, only the good stories.

Seeing only the good in people is something I strive to do on a continuous basis, because if you decide to see the negative instead then you become negative yourself and that helps no one.  We have all wandered down a wrong path here or there in our lives, made wrongs decisions, some big, some small, but we must always remember that we are all HUMAN, we make mistakes we have negative characteristics and things we all want to improve.  Don't expect people to see the good in you if you can't see the good in someone else, I mean have you ever heard you reap what you sow, I'm sure you have its from a very popular book, but there is nothing truer, if your always seeing the bad in someone then expect them to see it in you as well.

I hope that this Holiday season you all hold each other tight and remember why you fell in love with that spouse in the first place not the annoying way they chew their food or how they never pick up their socks, remember the first time you had a blast with that brother or sister how much fun you use to have, not that they've grown to be someone you don't really like or their views are sooo wacky.  No instead this year lets remember only the good things.  Well until tomorrow I bid you all a farewell and good night!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Turkey Chili Cheese Hot Dogs

Package of Cheese filled Turkey Hot Dogs
Ground Beef/Chicken or Turkey
Chili seasonings (none with salt or sugar added, I like to make my own)
Kidney Beans Dark and Light (If doing low carbs omit the beans)
Chili Beans (If doing low carb omit the beans)
Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns (If doing low carb omit the buns)
Red Onions diced
Dill Pickles diced
Low Carb/Low Sugar Ketchup
Mustard

Cook Beef in a pan on medium and add seasonings and beans till cooked, heat hot dogs, top hot dogs with chili then top with onions, pickles, ketchup and mustard, Enjoy : D

Note to SELF...

Isn't funny how the mind plays tricks on you, how you think you did one thing but instead did another or how you think you said one thing but instead you said another.  You could have sworn up and down that you were right and to you you are right, but to someone else that was there you are sooooo not.  I wonder how we do that, or why our minds can't remember where we placed our keys before we find them locked in the car stuck in the ignition or when your looking all over creation for your sunglasses until you look one last place, THE MIRROR, and find them sitting on top of your scatter-brained head.

It seems the older we get the more frequent these things occur, "Are you sure I said that? I mean it doesn't sound like something I would have said, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered saying that"....When in actuality you can't even remember the last time you had one second to yourself.  And maybe that is the problem, most of us live our lives chugging our morning coffee and rushing out the door to punch the clock for 8 hours or for some of us more, picking up that extra thing at the store we forgot to grab this weekend, rushing home, only to spend the next 30-60 minutes making dinner and while its cooking jump in the shower to rinse the day off and there for those 5-7 minutes while your all alone you can be yourself, you can have a thought that isn't someone else's you can pray you can think about your dreams about your desires about all the things you swore you would do when you were all grown up.  You can still do all those things, you just have to STOP for one second for one minute and start to regain some ground, some ME time.

In order to do this, to really accomplish remembering who you once thought you were, you need to be dedicated to doing this, to making time EVERY single day to be alone, to be by yourself and I don't mean be by yourself and think about all the things you have to do tonight or tomorrow or this millennium, no, no, NO! this will not do! You need to completely blank your mind out and think about YOU, just you and who you really are.  Only when you discover who you really are is when you can truly give yourself to someone else, to help others, to be of any real difference to this world.  You see there are A LOT of half people walking around in this world who haven't taken the time to make themselves whole.

I hope that you all will take the time to make yourselves the whole person you were always meant to be. If you do this now you won't have to spend the next 20 years wondering why your life didn't work out as you thought it would, why none of your dreams came to a reality, nope you won't even have to think about it.  I bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Taco Bake

Crust:
3 Eggs
1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
4 ounces of Cream Cheese
Taco Seasoning
8 ounces Shredded Cheese

Blend eggs and cream cheese until smooth, add heavy whipping cream and taco seasoning, in a pan distribute cheese on bottom then pour egg mixture over that and bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes
let stand for 5 minutes before adding the other layer or meat

Taco Meat:
Ground Beef
Taco Seasoning
Onions chopped
8 ounces of Shredded Cheese

Cook beef, taco seasoning and onions in a large skillet, pour over the cooked crust and the back at 400 degrees till golden brown and enjoy : D

Possibilities...

Did you ever have a book of possibilities?  Ya know the book filled with all the things you wish you could do and always meant to do before life got in the way and ruined it.  What if you took that book and made it a true, turned it into a book of realities, all the things you thought you could be and desired to be....you really could be, all you have to do is start.

So now that I have started this adventure I wonder what I will do next after I have accomplished this goal, I mean there are so many possibilities that are my aspirations.  I am ready for a change and ready to look back on my life and smile at the things I have achieved and the people that helped me get there, its not about winning its about finishing.

Lets all make sure that we are doing everything we possibly can to live lives that speak to people, that move not only others but ourselves, by getting through that trial you never thought you would, but you did and now look at you, stronger than you've ever been.  I hope you all have a goodnight and I bid you farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Chicken Caesar Salad

Grilled Chicken Breast sliced
Caesar Dressing
Parmesan Cheese grated
Purple Onion diced
Red Tomato diced

Mix all ingredients and enjoy : D

Half way

Half way there!  So I officially have 20 more days to go and that means I am one day closer to my Christmas meal and also one day closer to fitting into my skinny jeans.  I am down approximately 15 pounds and counting and wouldn't you have guessed it I am getting more clothes, not new clothes just ones I haven't worn in a while but they feel just as good as new ones.

When you reach the middle ground on a goal it is very important to not falter in the last leg of the journey.  It is so easy once you start feeling better about yourself to reward what you've already accomplished and slack off.  So reward yourself, but my advice don't go reward yourself with the very thing that you've worked so hard to gain control of.  Don't go out and get all your favorite little evils that you once desired, big macs, fries, triple chocolate brownie fudge, doritos, just to name a few..No you've changed your habits now you need to change the way you reward yourselves, try getting a facial, taking a relaxing bath, taking the time to watch your favorite movie with the people you love : D

I mean c'mon people why in the heck would you spend all this time gaining control of your bad habits only to ruin it with the very thing you were trying to avoid....doesn't make too much sense does it? But I can guarantee that 95% of people out there have done this and do this, why do you think diets never work, because you can't really be on a "diet" but a lifestyle change.

Thats right folks its all on you, you must change your lifestyle and then continue to work on it everyday because don't think for one minute that those demons that once haunted you and consumed your thoughts won't try to come back and whisper in your ear, because they will and you must be prepared and stand your ground.  I hope that you all will continue to do what you need to do to stay strong and continue to push forward even when you do accomplish your goal.  I will bid you all a farewell and happy weekend till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,

Eggs and Goat Cheese

2 Eggs
Garlic Powder, Pepper, Sea Salt
Goat Cheese
Salsa

Cook eggs, season, crumble goat cheese on eggs and salsa, enjoy : D

Something....

There are times when God called you to help people and then there are times when you need to help yourself.  Sometimes you can give so much of yourself to a person or a cause that you began to lose the reason why you started in the first place, so then instead of helping someone or something you end up getting so overwhelmed that you are of no use to that person or cause anyway.

It is very important that you do something, that you help others, that you find a way each and everyday to do something important, to do something meaningful, because what if that was the last impression you left, wouldn't you want it to leave a mark.

Everything has been going well, it is like second nature turning down sugary sweets and carb-filled dinners.  Who would have thought that giving up the foods I once pined for would no longer be a big deal. I mean seriously when you think how short life is and how many other things and people we should be having an impact on food seems sooo not important anymore.  It is only a tool that we use to fuel our bodies so we can live the lives we were always meant to.

I hope you all go out and live the lives you dreamed of so that you can make room for the new ones.
 I bid you all a farewell and good night till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Pulled Pork Salad

Romaine Lettuce
Chopped Bacon
Pulled Pork (with no bbq sauce, too much sugar)
Sliced Cucumbers
Ranch Dressing

mix ingredients and enjoy : D

Decisions, decisions....

Sometimes its just hard to determine the things your suppose to do in this life.  I believe the Lord will lead me to the places I am to be even if I take the round about way of getting there, but when your at a cross roads and the person in the car behind you won't stop honking there horn in their impatience for you to decide which way your going to turn already, and you thought that you made your decision but then you start to second guess your self and wonder maybe I didn't, only to come to the conclusion that you really don't know which way to turn....That right there, in that very moment of panic, double mindedness, not knowing which way to go that you start to sweat and your stomach and heart are wrenching so much that you have no idea how in the heck your going to make this decision much less come up with a conclusion....that moment, that very moment, I fall to my knees and ask the Lord for his decision because his is always better than mine anyway.

If you are at that very cross roads in your life and have no clue which way to turn may I suggest as I have before, try looking UP.  I can't tell you which way to go, or that you will make the right choice but I can tell you that I know who will and I know that if you humble yourself and ask for the answer you will find it and oh when you do, when you do, what a great peace you will feel what a great weight that will be lifted off your shoulder that you'll swear you weigh less ; D   The truth is there are about a million different important and meaningful decisions you will have to make in your life, the only thing you have to decide is how do you want to come to a conclusion.....the horrible way or the wonderful weight lifting, yolk is easy burden is light kind of way...you decide.

I really hope that you all come to some sort of conclusion after reading this and I hope that it is the right one.  Everything that you do in this life will echo the decisions you have made wether for the good or the bad, I'm choosing the good, what say you?  As always I will bid you a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Le Cordon Blu

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast pounded thin
Ham deli slices (make sure its not honey ham, you want the fewest amount of sugar)
Swiss Cheese sliced

Pound chicken thinly, place a slice of ham and a slice of swiss cheese and then roll up and and secure with a tooth pick then bake at 350 degrees till they look done, approximately 20 minutes, Enjoy : D

Definition

What defines you?  Is it your memories, your circumstances, the people you surround yourself with, the clothes you wear, how much money you make???  Answering that question can be a scary thing if you have to search for the answer.  The truth of the matter is we are all at fault of letting something other than what really matters define who we think we are, now we have to decide what we are going to let take its place.

To some of you this may not be a big deal, so what if your current circumstances make you who you are for now, because as long as your on top than thats alright with you, but what happens when you hit rock bottom, what happens when you lose that fabulous career or when all your friends really aren't your friends or when that ripped bod you once had turns into a tub of goo that you swear you saw in that tub of butter in your fridge.

Yes, yes what a sad day that will be but fortunately it won't take you long before you realize you lost the things you hide behind and now its just you, nothing but the person you were before you started this whole hide and seek game. And that person will get you to the place you always dreamed of or you could slump back into the same old routine and the walls you hide behind and always envy what could have been and the people who seem to have found it.

Lesson for the day:  Define yourself with the person you are and the things you aspire to be.  Me personally I find my identity in my God because he created me exactly in his image and the more I get to know him the more I get to know myself.  I wish you all good luck with your search to the true you!

I will bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Taco Burgers

Ground Beef
Burger Seasonings
Cheese of your choosing sliced
Lettuce
Taco Sauce
Green Onion diced

Mix beef with seasonings, cook burgers top with cheese, lettuce, taco sauce and green onions, Enjoy : D

One, Two, Three

I think I have officially met the total amount of protein consumed by one human being limit.  When you are trying to eat lower carbs it is so amazing how many things have carbs in them, I must have eaten a few dozen chickens and at least 8 cartons of eggs since this thing began : D

I am pretty sure I will not be wanting meat for a little while after my 40 days is up.  I can not believe I am almost to the half way mark!  And that cauliflower pizza isn't too shabby re-heated, wow it really is amazing how much your taste buds change after omitting certain things from your diet.

Ohhh the holidays are upon us and I am staying strong for Thanksgiving because it unfortunately falls within my 40 days, but Christmas doesn't and I like the Christmas food better anyways, sipping hot cocoa by the fire, the infamous brown sugar ham my mom makes and pecan pie.  Granted I will not be eating like that all the time but for Christmas I think it's necessary.

So what have we learned from tonight's post.....Number one: consuming too much protein can be detrimental to any future meat eating expeditions.....Number two: Cauliflower is good for you and as it turns out very versatile......Number three: Christmas is better than Thanksgiving anyways :D, (just kidding for all you Thanksgiving lovers, but seriously it is).  I will be bidding you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Cheese Crackers

Shredded Cheese of your choosing
low carb low sugar pizza sauce for dipping

put tablespoon sized piles of shredded cheese evenly spaced out on a greased pan, broil till crispy then cool and dip in pizza sauce, enjoy : D

Cauliflower

What a long day!  Working then finding out you have a very sick husband doesn't not make for a easy day.  As soon as I got home I tend to my poor hubby and then immediately start disinfecting the whole house with Lysol.  I am just now sitting down to enjoy my dinner at nine o'clock, and I have tried out something new and don't know what to think of it.

You know when your craving something it just won't leave you alone till you have it?! Well I was craving pizza and there is no way I can have that so I improvised and searched the web for healthy low carb pizza alternatives, yeah healthy pizza, its like saying that chocolate is a food group.  I finally came across a recipe that seemed plausible, how good it tasted, I had no clue.  I ended up making the crust out of egg, cheese and wait for it...wait for it...CAULIFLOWER!  I know, it does not sound too appetizing, but I decided to give it a shot.

After baking my little pizza creation I dove right in because by this time I was just about ravenous!  I hurriedly took the first bite and thought to myself, "well thats different" and thats just about all I can say, it is very different, but if you want something bad enough you will find a way, even if it comes in the form of cauliflower.

If you really want something you will find a way to get it, wether it be that dream you've always wanted to accomplish or a snickers bar you will find a way.  Now if we could only take the things that we want but should not necessarily have and change them to things that we need, then we just might be on to something.  I hope that we can all make the things that we want become the things that will help mold us into positive, accomplished, wise people, so that we can fully become the person we always were suppose to be.  Well I have to go finish my cauliflower pizza wish me luck! I bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

"Healthy" Pizza in every sense of the word

1 bag of steamed Cauliflower
dash of Garlic Powder
dash of Oregano
dash of salt
dash of Parsley
1 Egg
2 cups of shredded Cheese
1/4-1/2 a cup of low carb, low sugar pizza sauce

Mix cauliflower, spices, egg and 1 cup of cheese, spread out mixture on an oiled pan and put in oven for 15 minutes at 450 degrees, pull from oven and spread sauce and cheese over crust and broil for a few minutes until cheese is melted.

UP

Do you ever feel like your pushing up against a brick wall?  Its like okay I've tried to go left, I've tried to go right, I've tried going down now it looks like the only way is UP.  Up what a wonderful word, you may have tried something a million times and not succeeded but at least you know the sky is the limit.  There is always a way out, if all the doors seemed to be closed, slammed in your face and dead-bolted then you just need to throw a brick at a window and crawl out.

Sometimes the odds feel like they are against you and you have absolutely no idea what you are going to do or how you can even fathom picking your dirty face back up off the ground, just remember that there is always a way out.  You know the saying "when going gets tough the tough get going"  well, get going already!  You just have to know that there is nothing that will change if you give up, so don't, keep on going and bust through that wall.

Whatever your challenges in life may be you can get through it.  Though they may be hard, though they may require you to step outside yourself and become someone you thought you could never be, it will all be so worth it in the end.  Just remember that every time you get discouraged and want to stay and stare at the brick wall counting the number of lines in between each brick, remember how worth it it will be when you finally look UP.

I bid you all a good night and a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Salted Chocolate Milk

2 TBSP. of Coco Powder (Hersheys)
2 TBSP. of Sugar or Sugar alternative
1 cup Water or Milk
tsp of Vanilla
Cool Whip
Sea Salt

mix hot milk with coca powder, sugar and vanilla, top with cool whip and sprinkle with sea salt, Enjoy :D

Wisdom

Everything seems to be going well, but I can say that I feel like I am running to the grocery store 5 times a week!  Who would have thought that once you are spending your money on the grocery store and less on eating out how use to planning meals you have to be.  Once you get down the different meals you like you just need to plan ahead.  I feel like that is something you must do with this whole thing, you must plan ahead.  I know I know it sounds like something your mom told you, but isn't it ironic how you tend to listen to your mother when your older and not when you were a kid.

Ahhh yes the advice of the wise, there is nothing quite like it.  It is wisdom that caused you to forgive that person even when your heart didn't want you to, it was wisdom that told you not to purchase those extra items you really didn't need and it is that same wisdom that tells you you should follow your dreams, make your goals, become that person you thought you could be.

Knowledge goes hand in hand with wisdom and is almost as important.  It is good to be knowledgeable in all the things you wish to accomplish and even in the things that you don't.  Knowledge can take you farther then you would have gotten without it.

If you are knowledgeable about what you are doing and the goals you want to attain and then take wisdom from others that have gone down the same road before you, you will be ahead of the game.  It is so important to listen to the advice from others and remember nothing is new under the sun, everything has been done before and if you look hard enough and are knowledgeable in what your doing you can find someone who has done it before and learn from them.

I wish you all great luck in starting and completing the desires you set out to finish, but I do not think luck has anything to do with it, it can be done through what we just discussed, wisdom and knowledge.  These two things might be the most important and useful things you could ever seek, so make sure that you do.  Well I must bid you all farewell again till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Chicken Salad

1 grilled Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast cubed
2 TBSP. of Mayo
1 Stock of Celery chopped
2-3 Pickles chopped
Green Onions chopped
dash of salt, peeper, garlic powder and dill

mix all ingredients together then chill and enjoy : D

Dreams...

Some days just feel like you've accomplished more than others.  Like today for example it was my second day baking a birthday cake, this one is for my father, and i didn't need to have a taste, yay!  Granted I have no idea if it will taste good but at least my will-power is strong!

Do you ever feel like you're alone in your thinking?  Like today I was standing in the grocery store getting the ingredients needed for the cake I wont be eating and I was contemplating on how I could maneuver my way around this women who apparently didn't care that I was trying to get around her!  I was thinking okay she knows I am here and she is just standing there taking her sweet time and by the time I figured out how to push past her I instantly realized that any normal person might have just waited the extra 5 seconds.

It takes a lot to change the way you think but if you did you might just be happier.  Because you see its your thoughts that get in your way, its your thoughts that cause you from not fulfilling those dreams you have.  Its those same thoughts that can take you and make you into that person you've always dreamed of, you just have to think happy thoughts : D

I hope you all realize that the possibilities really are endless if you get your mind right.  Lets make our dreams come true just like we thought we would do when we were little kids before reality sank in.  The only problem is we were right when we were kids, reality is what lied to us, reality is what told us that those things we always wanted to be weren't possible, but they are! So stop believing those lies and start believing the person you really want to be.  I bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Banana Cream Protein Shake

1 scoop of Whey Protein Powder (I use vanilla, but chocolate would suffice)
6-8 ounces of Water (or Milk)
1 teaspoon of sugar-free Banana Cream pudding powder
Ice

Blend and pour, enjoy : D

Tweaking...

Every now and then you reach a point where the goal you set out to make needs to be tweaked just a bit to make it more attainable or more worth while.  Today I have reached that point, yes I know I know its only been 11 days what could there possibly be to be tweaked you may ask?  Well while I am on a roll I might as well go the extra mile instead of the extra block.  Why not do absolutely everything you possibly can to maximize the time you alloted to this goal in the first place.  So starting now I will be tweaking everything I am doing with this whole eating low carbs no sugar thing.  I will just be making minor adjustments that I know will maximize my time and not to mention make me drop a couple extra pounds when this is all said and done.

Oh yes t-w-e-a-k-i-n-g it may sound like small little changes here or there, but those are the hardest ones to make.  They are the little things that you may be doing that you say "well I'm giving up all this other stuff so I'm entitled", and hey your the one making the rules because it's your goal, but may I remind you the better and more efficient you do it the first time the happier you'll be that you don't have to do it a second time.  Now I am not saying that once my 40 days is up that I will be going back to the "old ways", no that would be such a waste!  And realistically that is the problem with "dieting" it is something you choose to do for a certain amount of time only to fall back to the old routine after your time is up.  I will be eating healthy with the occasional treat even after my 40 days and when I say occasional I mean like once or twice a month.

Diet:    a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed b : habitual nourishment.  WOW so it really isn't that four letter word that all women hate to say in a sentence "I'm on a DIET".  Then why do we hate this word so much, why is it thought of as a negative thing?  Well i'll tell you why, because the first person to ever sit down and decide that she was going to go on a "diet" was obviously not doing it right and then she told her friends how horrible it was and how she couldn't wait until she fit into her girdle so she could go back to eating whatever she wanted and then her friends told their friends and so on and so forth.  Until "diet" became the unmentionable word that actually meant just to eat or to habitually nourish yourself.  Man what a waste of a perfectly fine word.  


Well I hope you all are tweaking your goals so you get all that you possibly can out of them and I hope that you no longer fear the word that we've all been taught to hate.  I will bid you all farewell till tomorrow!


Warm Regards,
Candace


Turkey Burgers


1 pound ground Turkey
Any Spices you desire
Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese
Dill Pickles
Mustard


Mix ground turkey and spices together and then form into patties, cook on grill or stove top, once they are cooked place cheese on top for a couple minutes until melted, add your own sides and enjoy : D

LOVE

But I LOVE food, I can't give up the things I LOVE, that would just be too restrictive!  Oh love, such a silly game we play, I mean do you hear yourself, you can actually see your eyes glazing over at the thought of those white chocolate mochas and classic coffee cake.  Do you ever notice that people claim to love many things, food, clothing, furniture, houses, restaurants, hair products, BLAH, BLAH, blah, blah, blah!  C'mon people why do you "love" these things, do they sustain you, do they shelter you, do they make you feel safe and secure, do they make you who you are? NO!  Because I bet if each one of you stripped away your nice houses, your fancy designer clothes, you got on sale by the way, your fav saturday night restaurant rituals, your no frizz hair mousse and of course your decadent food items you just had to have, you would find YOU, just you, and a very naked you by the by : D but none the less YOU, all that other stuff that you had to have, that you just couldn't live with out, that complete you, that you LOVE those aren't really you.

And so how much easier it is to give up these things that only really may be destroying you.  For some of you it may be food, it may be always having to have the newest and best clothing, or maybe you just have been trying to control your life so much to "appear" perfect to the outside world.  Whatever your vise may be you will soon see that once you strip all those things away they were never that important to begin with. In fact they are the very things that people noticed about you, they noticed the front you were putting up, that perfect life you are trying to portray, that addiction to fine foods and pastries, that need to compulsively shop.  To you and only you these things are your dirty little secrets, but to everyone else they can see what your trying to hide behind.

Ahhh yes they are the ugly truths that we must face while we're going down this road, not every pit stop is going to be a main attraction, but at least you get to pee.  What I'm trying to say is when your making changes about yourself, it isn't always pretty or comfortable but once you face those inner demons that have been whispering in your ear all these years trying to stop you from being the person you were made to be, once you do that, they will retreat they will start taking steps back and soon they will be non-existent because they never were a part of you in the first place.  I encourage all of you to face those things that have been holding you back and when you do don't stop, don't slow down, keep on going till your free, you'll be so happy when you do.  Well it is that time again to bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Stuffed No Shells Shells

1 pound Ground Chicken
generous amounts of Italian Seasonings
fresh Spinach
chopped Green Olives
1 container Cottage Cheese
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
2 cups low carb and low sugar Tomato Sauce

cook chicken, spinach, green olives and italian seasonings together in a pan, once cooked put in a glass pan and mix with cottage cheese, pour tomato sauce over mixture and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, bake on 400 for 15 minutes or until melted and Enjoy : D

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

No seriously not one bite!  Yes I made a very tasty looking red velvet cake and though I know it looked gorgeous I have absolutely no idea how it tasted.  There is nothing more gratifying than saying your going to do something and then actually doing it.  It is an amazing feeling that only makes me want to continue this journey for the next 31 days now.

It really is astonishing how if you start to get the wheels in motion on a goal that after awhile of doing it it seems so natural, so second-nature, like you were suppose to be doing this all along.  And you were, that is exactly it, because you are stepping into the person that you were meant to be, your taking that first step somewhere over the rainbow till you reach the blue birds, they are there, you just have to take that first step, then the second until your step turns into a run because your so anxious to get there, because you know once you do, well once you do it will be the most liberating, amazingly wonderful thing you won't be able to describe it when you do in fact get there.

Isn't is funny how we watch all these movies, romantic comedies, dramas, etc, etc, and we some how feel that if that were just us, just for one moment then our world would seem somehow in place, somehow complete.  And in all honesty if we were characters in a movie that would be true, but we're not, and this isn't a movie, it's life, it's filled with real challenges, real decisions, real disappointments and it doesn't always have a happy ending.  BUT if you can reach deep down inside yourself, now hold on this is where I get real philosophical, if you reach deep down and look real hard and be REAL with yourself you will find what is lacking and from there, from the point of looking in the mirror and finally realizing you aren't the nicest person or your way too negative or it really isn't your jeans that make you look fat it's you, from there you have a choice you can change it or you can continue on always knowing that your that person you begin to hate.

Listen, there isn't enough ways I can explain to you how important it is to lay your emotions and pride aside and just be honest with yourself.  There isn't enough ways I can say once you do you'll be much happier with yourself, you'll be able to look people in the eye again, you'll be able to stand with your head held high knowing that you've done everything you possibly can to be a better you and there is nothing better than that my friends.  Well it is time again to bid you all a farewell till tomorrow of course!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Crab Salad

1 can of Crab Meat
3 TBSP of Mayo
1 Stock of Celery
2 Dill Pickles chopped
Dash of Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder

Mix all ingredients and eat plain or put on top of a salad and Enjoy : D

Aahhhhhh

Aahhhh... I finally feel like I have mastered my weight loss plan.  Some people say that I may be "too restrictive", but I say I am teaching myself how to eat and in doing that I have to discipline myself.  I am taking things out of my diet that have gotten me to this point in the first place.  I am sure you have heard people say "just eat in moderation", well let me tell you something, if I could eat in moderation I wouldn't be doing this in the first place!  And I don't exactly agree with that statement "in moderation", I could have 1/2 a pack of Starburst, 1/2 a donut, 1/2 a cheeseburger and small frie for my daily meal choices and even though that would be in moderation it sure as heck wouldn't be healthy.

The truth is I am tired of poisoning my body with harsh chemicals described as "food".  A hundred years ago our ancestors would have thought we all had lost our minds with all the CRAP we are putting in our bodies.  I mean no wonder the average american dies around 65-70, WOW just when you retire and can actually enjoy life your DEAD!  Oh yes some may say I am being "too restrictive" but I say I am being smart, I am being healthy, I am going to live longer than you.  Why?  Because I didn't allow my mind to have free-rein, I didn't allow myself to have a cookie or piece of cake every time I wanted it, because thats just it, I WANTED it , I don't NEED it.  When you finally train yourself to recognize the difference between wanting something and actually needing it, your whole mind-set will begin to change.

I am finally getting use to telling  myself no!  Because in all reality I don't need anything that I am craving.  Now that I have been changing so have my taste buds, I no longer want the things that I use to. It is so amazing how you hate change at first but once you establish it it becomes something you desire.  I am so much more in-tune with what my body actually needs vs. what I want.


I am feeling so great that I actually won't have a problem making my husband a red velvet cake for his birthday tomorrow.  I don't even need a taste.  Why?..because it's not worth it, its not worth the self disappointment that will immediately follow and it sure as heck isn't worth destroying all the progress I have made.  You see once you get to this point, the point of no return, you won't want to do anything else but finish.  Stay strong my fellow succeeders and soon you will be able to live up to that name, SUCCEEDER, remember that every time you want to give up, and then DON'T.  Your already succeeders, now you just have to show yourself you are. Well I am off to bake!  I would say wish me luck, but I won't need it! I bid you all farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,

Mexican Casserole (SO GOOD!)

1 pound Lean Ground beef
2 TBSP Salsa (I use Pace)
Generous shakes of Mrs. Dash (I use the chipotle kind)
1 medium container of Sour Cream
5 Chives chopped
Green Olives chopped
1 package of Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
Chopped Ice Berg Lettuce

Cook ground beef in a pan on medium add salsa and Mrs. Dash, cook till meat is browned then transfer meat into a baking glass pan or any deep pan would work, spread most of sour cream over meat and then spread, sprinkle package of cheese over meat and sour cream layers and then put in oven on 375 for 20 minutes, once done you dish out on your plate and add the toppings you desire, I put lettuce, chives, green olives and some taco sauce, Enjoy : D

One week down five more to go...

So it officially has been one full week of my little adventure and today it has not been feeling any easier.  I have been craving only bad things and have constantly had to remind myself today why I am doing this.  I know that week two will be a lot easier and hopefully any cravings will be completely gone next week.

Tonight's post will be short and sweet!  I attempted to make sugar free, low carb chocolate mousse that is now chilling in the fridge.  I am not sure that it will turn out, hopefully it does because I have had a chocolate craving that will not stop!

I just want to let you all know I am staying strong because I WILL finish this!  I want to be the best me that I can possibly be and that means taking care of myself physically.  If any of you are on this journey with me I encourage you all to stick with it, even if you have a momentary lapse, stay strong!  The sooner you take care of this then the sooner you can step into becoming that person you've always wanted to be and stop being the person you constantly fight with.  Thats all for tonight friends! I bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Decadent Hot Cocoa

1 cup of Water
2 tsp. of Half and Half
1 tsp. of Vanilla
1 TBS. of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Dollop of Cool Whip

Heat Water over stove, when water is hot add cocoa mix together, at the end add vanilla, por into a cup and add Half and Half and a dollop of whipped cream, Enjoy : D

Choices

Man oh man the nausea and breakouts are finally subsiding from the complete rig-a-morel I've put my body through the past 6 days.  I must of screwed my body over pretty good in the past if its taking this kind of hit on me.  But it's finally getting better, the hunger pains are gone, I can be in a room full of pastries and not think about them the entire time, now its only part of the time : D  In all honesty I didn't even think I would have made it this far but I under-estimated myself.

Isn't it amazing how the human body works, you literally control everything you allow yourself to do in one simple thought, one decision tells you if you are going to drag your lazy self to the gym or if your going to have that extra piece of cake. It's just one thought followed by one action that determines the outcome of your whole existence.  Just think if you would have spent the last few years making all the right decisions that you are wishing you would have made today how different things would be, how ahead of the game you would be.  Yes, yes the mind is a very powerful thing.

I have spent the last 6 days making the right decisions, the harder decisions, the decisions that you know you should do but instead you pick the easy way out and make the compulsive decision instead of really taking the time to think about the consequences down the road.  Like if you eat the donut now you'll be buying bigger jeans next year or if you ignore your health now you'll spending most of your money on medications later.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to the decisions choose to make.  There is a reason why your mother always told you "you can do anything you put your mind to."  Now why would she say that, because its exactly true, the only reason you are where you are today is because you chose, in one way or another, you chose to be there, you molded yourself into the person you became.  And while some of you may be perfectly content with that person I know there are others of you that are not.  To those that are not, I encourage you to look deep down inside yourself and really think what it is you can do to better yourself, what can you do to become the person you were meant to be, the person God intended you to be, think about...think about it....are you thinking???...Good, now CHOOSE.  

The person you want to be is only one choice away, it's that simple, thats all you have to do, have one thought and make up your mind in the right direction, take the road less traveled, step into your destiny.  I hope you all make the decisions you want to make in becoming a better you.  I will bid you all a farewell till tomorrow!

Warm Regards,
Candace

Buffalo Celery Sticks

3 Boneless Chicken Breasts frozen
1 cup of Buffalo Sauce
1/4 cup of Water
Celery Sticks

combine chicken, buffalo sauce and water in the crock pot on high for 2 hours, once done pull apart chicken and put onto celery sticks, you may use blue cheese if desired, enjoy : D

Parties

Can I just say that it is incredibly hard to be at a party with lots of wonderful treats and have nothing!  I mean why don't we serve low carb, sugar free snacks for all to enjoy.  I'll tell you why, because nobody likes that crap!  There is a reason they call it a "sugar high" because it makes you feel so good.  But you have to keep in mind that that "high" only lasts for so long and then you crash and wind up wishing you would have eaten something low carb and sugar free items in the first place.

Needless to say I will definitely be skipping any dinners out and parties in the next 35 days.  Thanksgiving is going to be hard enough there's no need to drag out the torture any more than I have to.  So on that note I will tell you to avoid anything that will tempt you to get off track.  But I will say that I did very well and stuck to my sugar free water : D

Life is so short and if I have to spend one more minute of it feeling like I'm not the best I can actually be, that I didn't succeed, that I spent yet another year feeling like I wasted time, well lets just say I will NOT be doing that this year.  I will be ringing in the New Year already having completed my resolution.

In all reality 40 days is not that long and I will not die, in-fact when completed I will be jumping up and down with joy not only that its over but that I can breath, that I can relax, that I can walk in a room and feel like I'm captivating instead of hiding behind my insecurities.

Not much else to say tonight besides, stay strong if you any of you out there are trying to change any area of your life, just know its only for a short time and once you have accomplished it you won't be able to describe the freedom you feel!  Lets do this, lets get it done and lets move on.  I bid you all farewell till tomorrow.

Warm Regards,
Candace

Buffalo Wings

1 cup Buffalo Sauce ( I get the kind with zero carbs)
15 Chicken Wings

Put in the oven for recommended time then put wings in a bowl and mix with buffalo sauce, serve with blue cheese dressing if desired and enjoy : D

STOP THE MADNESS

I'm sure we have all heard that saying "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."  It all sounds so perfectly simple and so easy to avoid, but I guarantee 99% of people live through this saying day in and day out.  Its so easy to get stuck in a routine and then just stay there.  I mean who would have ever thought that if we would just change the way we do things and the way we thought about things and the way we ate things, that we might just have a shot at stepping into who we were placed on this earth to be.  

So lets STOP THE MADNESS ALREADY! This whole thing of living each day only to the minimum potential is so depressing, its like watching the Titanic and thinking that there will be a different ending other than "I'll never let go Jack", well let me tell you something, its time to let go already!  

I was so naive to think that once I got past the first three days of this journey that everything would just kind of fall into place, boy was I wrong!  Let me just tell you that the first three days of my little "wanting to change" I have been miserable with nausea and my face broke out in so many different ways I am not even sure the coroner could have been able to identify me.  So I thought that day four would be a breeze and it turns out it is the day from Hell disguised as a breeze!  I mean I was craving every food you could possibly ever imagine and I was so much hungrier that I thought I might eat my own arm, but I didn't!  I stayed strong! I told my "friend" no thanks, I don't need your taunting for the day, now go away.

And I made it, I made it all the way home from work and it turns out I didn't die! I'm still alive! Yes!  Because you see the truth is (the truth that doesn't get spoken about very often) is that you can do this, you can change, you can make a real decision other then you Venti Caramel Macchito.  ITS TRUE!!!  So hop on this band-wagon and do something different today, do something your going to remember for a while, change the way you think, change the way you eat, change anything and just watch what can happen!  I hope that you do, and if you do feel free to shoot me a comment so we can read about it and encourage each other!  I'm off for now, my sugar free water is getting cold! : D  I bid you all farewell until tomorrow!

Warm Regards,

Candace

4 teaspoons of sugar free French Vanilla Coffee powder (from the grocery store, you can find by the coffee and tea products)

1 cup of Water

2 Tablespoons of Half and Half 

1 dollop of Cool Whip

Pour over ice and stir and top with cool whip, or prepare hot if desired and enjoy : )

Imaginary "Friend"

So you know when you were a little kid and you had that kookie imaginary friend?  This friend seemed nice and playful and always complimentary as a child, but as you grew older it became that most annoying ache on your backside.  I say "friend" quote on quote, because it is no friend at all, it is the "friend" that whispers in your ear "Just one bite won't hurt anything", or the "friend" that reminds you the sun isn't up yet so you shouldn't be going to the gym when you could be getting your much needed beauty sleep.  It is the constant reminder that they always make jeans in a larger size and they cost the same as if you were to buy the size you were really suppose to be in (I mean come on thats cost effective, more fabric for your buck!)

I am reminding all of you of this "friend" because it resides with each one of us every day, in every descision that we make, the "friend" never leaves our side.  This is not the good kind of "friend" that you want however, it is the self-savatoshing one that will chip away at your insecurties and failors day after day and though this "friend" may seem to make you feel better at the time he will only make you feel worse in the long run.

I said all that to say this, WE MUST FIGHT!  You can not let this "friend" win!  You must be the overcomer here, otherwise you will spend the rest of your life taking the worst advice you could have ever gotten and you don't even realize it until your 50 years old sitting on the couch shoving your face full of bon bons and watching re-runs of The Facts of Life.  Oh it may sound exciting, but trust me it's not!

Can I just tell you that I had a visit from this beloved "friend" today when I was waking up before 6:00am to go to the gym.  He was telling me that I didn't get enough sleep last night and I should stay in bed, I thought about it and then I chose...I chose to get my lazyness out of bed and head to the gym.  I take this little "friend" one day at a time and today I told him to take his advice and shove it!  One thing I will never forget is the Dean of my school telling us at orientation that "A year is going to pass ethier way, so what are you going to do with it." 

My little endeavour is not quite a year but 40 days will go by with or without me accomplishing something. So lets accomplish something, it just might change my life you never know.  I bid you all farewell until tomorrow.

Warm Regards,
Candace

Southwest Chicken

3 Frozen Chicken Breasts
1 Jar of Salsa (I like pace)
1 Green Bell Pepper sliced
1/2 cup of Water

Put all ingredients in a crock pot on low for 3-5 hours and Enjoy ; )

It's only the beginning...

Okay, so let me start off by saying that I have officially decided to cut the shenanigans and DO SOMETHING! I have been struggling with many a things these past couple years, like never finishing what I start, not losing those last stubborn pounds I've been talking about since I don't know when, starting a career I'm really happy with, finding that balance that we all feel like is so out of reach, etc., etc., etc. There are probably about a million other things I could add to that list, but for now lets just talk about the one I have decided to devote the next 40 days to.  


I am finally going to get in the best shape of my life, I have about 35 pounds I want to lose, not to mention a whole wardrobe that has been going to waste for the past 3 years now and growing!  I am going to be blogging for the next 40 days about the day-to-day struggles of this road I am choosing to take.  I am doing it to mostly keep my self accountable and if I am lucky there might actually be someone reading this that might find comfort in going on this little journey with me.  


After all this wasted time of being idle enough is enough!  I can not and absolutely will not be that women that goes to another party or girls-night-out and feel like I am the fat one; so uncomfortable I can barely breath and I wined  up spending most of the night tugging at my clothes and pulling on my hair as if that is going to make me feel better.  And to top it all off I feel so horrible and think "I am definitely going to start eating right tomorrow" only to find myself shoving 1/2 dozen oreos down my throat!  


I have cheated and started this journey a little early and I am right now on my day two.  I have chosen to go the low-carb route since eating too many carbs and too much sugar seems to be my problem.  Once I have reached my goal I will then slowly add back in whole grains and other healthy foods I am currently not consuming.  The plus side is I love to cook and I am very creative in the kitchen, the down side is I love to cook! I seem to find my mind running wild with decadent full carb and full sugary recipes that would be divine!  But for 40 days I can desist, because I know my reward will be much better than a triple fudge brownie. 


I want to thank you (whoever you may be) that you are taking the time to go on this journey with me!  I challenge anyone who is up for it to take on this task together!  I will be adding recipes that are permitted for your pleasure.  Oh and yes I did notice that I will be committed to this 40 day retreat over Thanksgiving, the blessed holiday with an assortment of baked goods almost too hard to resist, but I MUST AND I WILL!  I bid all you fellow bloggers farewell till tomorrow!


Warm Regards,
Candace


Perfectly Pot Roast Roast:


1 Pot Roast
3 large bay leaves (fresh or dried)
generous shakes of 2 different Mrs. Dash seasonings (whatever you prefer)
generous shakes of Sea Salt
generous shakes of Black Pepper
generous shake of Garlic/Onion Powder
3 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped
1 Green/Orange Bell Pepper sliced
1 cup of water or broth (broth is more flavorful)


Combine all ingredients in a crock pot, cover and turn on High for 5-8 hours depending on the size of the pot roast.