Why I Share My Transformations

I  love to share my before/after shots 

because no matter what that person will always be a part of who I was!

I hear people that are afraid to show before pictures. It's like they pretend "before" never existed. Or they say things like "cow" "pig" "disgusting" "embarassing"etc...

Don't be ashamed of who you were!

Unless you were a total shut in like it or not people saw you that way anyway...

It just strikes me as incredibly sad that people would put thereself down that way. 

The world is ready to put you down enough as it is, so why be so hard on yourself?

 I will never hate the person I used to be, 

because she is the woman that had the courage to look in the mirror and say "No more"

she had the courage to start and when the going got tough she had the courage to soldier on...

I still have a long way to go on my journey, but thanks to the "before" version of me who had the guts to take that first step, I have lost 100 pounds.

I am not ashamed of who I was. 

I am ashamed I let it go that far.

When I look at those pictures of the old me, it brings tears to my eyes. Tears of love and gratitude! I wish I could go back in time and give myself a hug and say "Thank you for having the courage and strength to get started. Thank you for not giving up even though it was super hard. Thank you for stealing your life back!" 

Also you never know who is struggling in silence and you could inspire them.

Be proud of who you are but also be proud of who you were!

Share your befores just as proudly as you share your afters!!!

Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. 
We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. 

We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.

Check this guy out! http://zachspuckler.com/vegan-hawaiian-portobello-burgers/

Okay – so this week I’m going to toot my own horn a little bit, my food pictures turned out AWESOME!  I’m FINALLY figuring out how to use my new camera!  I got the Cannon T3, which was a very entry level model, but it ended up taking some really gorgeous pictures!  I was actually really impressed with myself and how out they turned out!

I practiced taking a couple shots of food in my kitchen to see how they would turn out and they came out okay – but blurry once I put them on my computer so next time I’m going to be working on taking more pictures WHILE I cook, I think sharing the process with you guys could be really fun and exciting! But enough about me and my pictures, let’s jump into the FOOD!

A couple things I want to note before I jump right into the recipe is that for these burgers you will want to grill the mushroom caps and the pineapple.  I used a grill pan, but if you do that make sure your kitchen is WELL VENTILATED or you open a window, it can get REALLY smokey.  If you don’t have a grill pan, this is always a great addition to a barbecue and outdoor grill, just make the onions on the stovetop and keep them in foil on the grill to stay warm.

Now that you have this weeks backstory, let’s jump into the recipe!

Vegan Hawaiian Portobello Burgers

(Makes 2 Burgers)

Ingredients:

• 2 Portobello Caps
• 2-3 Cooking Onions or 1 Large Vadallia Onion, chopped or cut into rings
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce + Extra for Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup,
• 4 Pineapple Rings, Fresh or Canned
• Salt & Pepper Tasted
• Whole Wheat Buns
• Lettuce

Directions:

1. With a small spoon, remove the ribs from the mushroom caps, then wash the caps under cool running water and pat dry.
2. Spray a pan with cooking spray, I like the natural coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s!  Place the onions and garlic in the pan and sauté the onions start to become translucent. As you cook then onions throughout the recipe the volume of the onions will decrease, so don’t be afraid to use a lot of onion to start!
3. Add the soy sauce and the maple syrup to the onions, mixing well and allowing the soy sauce and maple syrup to reduce down to a sauce that is thicker!
4. Once you add the maple syrup and the soy sauce to the pan, sprinkle the portobello caps with some soy sauce, the some salt and pepper.
5. Place the PortobelloPortobello caps on the grill and grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side!
6. For the last 3-4 minutes, place the pineapple rings on the grill to warm them up and caramelize slightly.
7. Remove everything from the heat, the onions, mushrooms, and pineapples.
8. Assemble the burgers on the buns with lettuce and serve immediately!  The mushrooms can get cold in just a few muinutes.  If the timing doesn’t match up and the mushrooms finish early, be sure to wrap them in foil to help them hold the heat!
9. After your burgers are assembled, serve and enjoy!

Tips:

• Don’t skip the lettuce, portobellos burgers are JUICY!  So they will make the bread soggy if you don’t create a barrier with some lettuce!
• I LOVE onions, feel free to double up the onions, garlic, soy sauce, and maple syrup to REALLY load up the burger with onions!
• Play with the ratio of soy sauce and maple syrup to make it more salty or savory!
• Feel free to marinade the mushroom before you cook it, the onion and pineapple provide enough flavor that you don’t have too!  But if you want to, do equal parts low-sodium soy sauce, pineapple juice, and water!

And for your viewing pleasure, here is one more picture of the final product!

100 POUNDS!!!

I look at this and think "Is this some kinda crazy dream?"

 

 

I have 20 pounds left till I am officially at goal and half my size!!!!!!!!!

 

5 day blend/juice fast!!

I have been at a stand still for a little while

so I have decided to do a 5 day blend/juice fast

 to kinda clear out my system and jump start some weight loss...

Fingers crossed this works!

 

My husband said he is going to do it with me.

I think it will do him some good too...

He has Crohns Disease so he could use a good

cleansing!

 

I have been looking up some good

recipes so we can keep a variety of

juices going this week :)

 

Wish me luck

I Ran Anyway...

So I got ready and started driving down the road...

I got 1.6 miles out ( I know this because I run it last resort)

and my car started smoking angrily...

Oh No!

 

 

So I pull over and lift the hood...

Antifreeze is spewing out of a hole in a hose...

So I grumbled and drive back home...

 

Well you remember how I mentioned that last resort...

Yep I had to use it today... Soooo I pulled in my driveway and

didn't even tell Jeremy about the busted car I just ran!

3.2 miles in 90 degrees... It felt amazing!!

Happy Daddys Day

That is me and my daddy...

 

He has been through so very, very much in the past couple of years

He has been in and out of the hospital and he takes kidney dialysis 6 days a week.

He has fell and passed out from vegal responses.

He has a broken hip and leg.

He has had blood clots and been septic. He has had sooooo very many blood transfusions.

But when me, Jeremy or the boys walk through the door no matter what he smiles :)  

 

It doesn't matter what he is doing, how he is feel or the state of the nation...

He smiles...

 

He could be in the middle of dialysis, in the hospital or sick as a dog...

He smiles....

 

His mood could be rotten, my mood could be rotten or my kids could be being rotten...

He smiles...

 

Thank you Daddy for all of your smiles...

Splat!

I face planted on my run tonight...

as long as I have been running I have never fell the first time I do I face plant...

fml...

I have stumbled a little,

 I have ate bugs,

I have got spider webs on my face,

and I have ended up with sweat in my eyes but I have never fell...

Oh well I guess it's an occupational hazard...

 

No Harm, No Foul