Wedding planning

I'm knee deep in wedding planning at this point. I have not gone full bridezilla yet, but we've got time for that. So far, we've booked our venue and I bought my dress - yes, I bought my dress over a year before the wedding. Two big things that could be super stressful, but were made very easy, luckily!

The dress

I bought my dress at David's Bridal. I had not heard the best things about the bridal shop, but decided to try it out because...budget, hello! 

I had perused online and added dresses to my "favorites". I had no idea what exactly I liked and disliked or even really what I was looking for. I just knew I wanted something romantic, strapless, and NOT white.

I walked in to the store with no expectations, because I had never tried on a wedding dress before. I mean this is my first engagement and marriage after all, ha! My stylist was really sweet and was there for everything that I needed. She helped me look at dresses and complete the wishlist I had started online and really gave me great pointers about what might look good on my body. I told her what I was looking for, which was very vague, but she was able to pull dresses that I had no idea that I would love. The first dress I tried on was the dress that I ended up choosing. I didn't know it would be that easy. I tried on a total of 8 dresses and I loved about three of them but I absolutely loved the first dress that I tried on. It was nothing I had imagined. First of all, it's very close to white - ivory. I know for many people that's a huge color difference, but to me, it looks just about the same. I wanted a more blush or champagne tone. Next, the bodice is "nude". It reminds me of something Pnina Tornai would design - just not so "designer". 

I ended up doing the whole "yes to the dress" thing with the tears and the "oohs" and "aahs" from the sidelines. It felt surreal, like the whole engagement. But it was such an amazing day and I was on a high all day from finding the dress. 

So now that I bought my dress, I cannot gain weight. Which I will not let happen, but ya know, life? I have 8 months to whip my booty in to shape before I start my dress alterations, which is a long time - now just to stick to something. I've got my workouts down thanks to my friend's mama-friendly boot camp Fit Mama Workouts right here in Omaha & virtual runs from Flex it Pink. The thing I struggle with (always have!) is my food. Food has historically been my foe, but thanks to some nutrition planning with an old friend (Max Muscle Metro) I do have a great place to start. Here goes to making better choices over the next 8 months (and beyond really!) and looking hot on my wedding day!

XO

C*

Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day!

Breakfast has ALWAYS been my hardest meal of the day. In fact, for the longest time, I just skipped it. Everyone tells you, "Breakfast is the most important of the day!" or, "Skipping breakfast will lead you to overeat all day!" and those are both true. Eating breakfast gives you energy for the rest of the day and can lead to a better control over maintaining your weight (or losing or gaining!). You also get better concentration and focus during the day and more strength and endurance for your workout! Those are some amazing benefits that a healthy breakfast can give you! The biggest reason I try to eat breakfast every day now, is that it helps me be less hungry throughout the day. If I get my good breakfast in, I'm full for longer, instead of wanting to graze all day before my next meal.

Read more about benefits of breakfast here!

So, I decided to start trying smoothies. They are quick and easy and a great breakfast for on the go. I'll admit, they are not my fav. Not because of the taste, both of the smoothies I've made so far are super good. Like very yum. But I'm a huge texture gal, and there's definitely some texture in there, especially if you have a shitty blender like I do.

The smoothie I made this morning had: 1 cup of kale, 1 cup of spinach, 1/2 of a banana, 1/2 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of mangoes, 3 oz. of vanilla greek yogurt, 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, and 1/2 scoop of protein powder. It comes out to about 400 calories in this smoothie packed with veggies, fruits, and protein!

I find all of the smoothie recipes on pinterest! Check it out and tell me how you like to smoothie! :)

XO,
C*

Today: food!!

I've found this whole weight-loss, healthier eating journey to be VERY hard. I looove me some hot cheetos and Wild Cherry Pepsi is my weakness. Actually, margaritas are my weakness. Whatever, I have a lot of weaknesses. None of these items are on my "to-eat" list lately, which is great. I don't remember the last time I had hot cheetos!

The biggest struggle I have is breakfast. As long as I can remember, breakfast has been more of a brunch on the weekends for me. I've always been "too busy" in the morning to make breakfast. Lately, I've decided that's one of my biggest goals, get something in the morning. And I've done pretty well, I haven't gotten breakfast in every day, but the majority, I do!

A lot of day it's eggs and toast or cereal or oatmeal or a breakfast bar, pretty bland and boring, but it's something right? Well today has been by far my fav! I had seen a picture on pinterest of toast with smashed avacado and a sunny side up egg on it. Looked yummy! I don't actually keep eggs on hand (I use Egg Beaters all natural egg whites for my scrambled eggs in the morning) so I couldn't do it exactly like the picture, but I did come up with something super tasty!

I scrambled my egg whites, put a small amount of Hormel Real Bacon Bits in the mix, and added a little bit of Kraft Mexican Four-Cheese to top it off. I toasted a piece of bread and spread on spicy guacamole mix by Wholly Guacamole (you could definitely just mash up a half or more of an avocado and add salt & pepper). Then, I added the scrambled eggs to the top and seriously, yum! Super filling, what a great way to start my morning!

This great breakfast was a solid 242 calories, awesome! :) I'm definitely fueled for the rest of the day!


What's your favorite breakfast? Share here!

XO,
C*