Citrus Blend Lemonade

A new lemonade!!! It tastes awesome like the other lemonades. Simple, quick, easy, and tasty. We are up to 3 different tasting drinks you can replace soda with...winner! 

Ingredients: 

2 lemons

1 lime

1 orange 

1 cup sugar

Water

Directions: 

Blend each one (I did the orange alone and the other 3 together) in water. Strain through into a bowl. Dump into pitcher and add sugar. Fill to top of line, stir, and serve! 

Key West Chicken Kabobs

I found a pin that looked yummy and boy is it a hit. I just have to share!

I have made it a couple times and the family loves it. I like grilling sweet potatoes, veggies, and making salad with it as well. So nice and healthy. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp olive or coconut oil

Juice from one lime

1 tsp minced garlic

2 chicken breasts

Directions:

1. Cut into chunks.

2. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and as long as a day.

3. Put on skewers and cook low on the grill and turn a few times. Don't cook too high or it'll burn.

For sweet potatoes...

I cut a large one, peeled it, cooked in coconut oil in a pan till soft and just barely crisping. Let cool, put on skewers, and grill with chicken. Add peppers, tomatoes, and onion in between potatoes if you want. Season with garlic salt and pepper. 

Strawberry Freezer Jam (low sugar)

Something I started doing after I married Kyle was get in on making strawberry jam with my in-laws. I'm not sure how long my MIL has been doing it but it is by far better tasting than any store bought stuff.

With all the kids it's not as easy to get together for a day and make tons of jars for a few families. So I bought some strawberries and made a batch at home today. It doesn't take long and I don't have to buy jam...ever :) 

I made a lower sugar kind this time though. The original (checkout Lindsay's blog post for recipe) has more sugar than actual strawberries so I want to reverse that. Ha. Here's the recipe! 

You need: 

Strawberries (I bought a flat overflowing for $22 at a place just over the Michigan line on Cass. I am freezing what I don't use for another purpose that I'm thinking another post on)

Sure.Jell PINK BOX for low sugar (bought at Martins with a coupon)

Bag of sugar

Water

1 batch:

1 cup water

1 box pink Sure.Jell 

3 cups sugar

4 cups crushed strawberries

(Makes approximately 7 eight-ounce jars...cost for me was $5.00. Way cheaper to make yourself!)

1. Cut off tops of strawberries and wash. You need 4 cups of crushed strawberries for one batch so it's a full bowl. 

2. Mash strawberries with potato masher. Chunks are fine. 

3. Put 3 cups of sugar in a sauce pan of decent size, packet of sure.jell, and 1 cup of water. Stir over heat till boiling. 

4. Once it starts boiling, time for a minute and keeps stirring. 

5. Turn off heat when timer goes off and add 4 cups crushed strawberries. Stir for another minute. 

6. Add to your clean jars. Wipe any spillage off jar and top.

7. Let sit on the counter for 24 hours and then put in freezer for up to you year. Take out and put in fridge to de-thaw. Enjoy! 

3 Tips to Toned Arms

Who doesn't want toned arms? Women in particular tend to get that lower "flab" when they lift their arm. Well here are 3 tips to tighten and tone the arms...

                

 

#1 Go Heavy

Lifting light weights will give enough definition to the arms. The important thing to remember is LESS REPS brings more definition. Why? Because when you lift heavier you tear those muscle fibers and they have to rebuild, creating more muscle and speeding the metabolism. Your body needs to be unaccustomed to the load you are bearing for change to occur.  It's called the overload principle. So shoot for 6-12 reps instead of 15-25 reps. 

#2 Work all the muscles

If you want a defined arm then you need to work more than just your biceps and triceps. Your arm is made up of many different muscles, which people don't always realize. You have biceps, triceps, anterior deltoid, medial deltoid, and posterior deltoid. 

This is great news because that means there are more than 2 exercises to do! So lateral raises, posterior deltoid fly, push-ups, frontal presses, bicep curls, and tricep push-ups are just a few things you can do to work those muscle groups. 

Lateral raise

working anterior deltoid (my hubby put extra light on me while taking these pics so his efforts took away shadowing on my arms, which took away some of the look of definition...just sayin)

#3 Change up your Routine

I preach this over and over but I can't stress it enough! Don't do the exact same routine everyday or every other day. Do not do the same 3 month dvd program over and over and over in a row. You can do it many times over years but don't do it 3 times a year. Take a break and find a new one then go back to it. If you start an arm routine and do the same exercises, same weight, same reps, same routine of exercises then your body will not change after a few weeks. Your body adapts so quickly. It keeps up better than you think. So when you start a new program you will see success, but if you think you can continue doing it over and over and get more results without changing anything then you will get discouraged when you plateau. 

SO....start a routine and after a month change it. If you are using 8 pound weights, up to 10 pounds. Look up variations of exercises so you aren't doing the exact same ones over and over. Target one or 2 muscle groups and work them to exhaustion, as opposed to working every muscle group in every workout. For example, do different exercises that only target the 3 heads of your deltoids (ant, lat, post) without working the biceps or triceps. 

I hope this helps in your fitness journey and if you have questions, ask!

Woman of Inspiration- Lindsay

I am so very excited to share about this woman, my heart is close to this post. She is my sister (in-law) and I have had the pleasure of seeing this transformation step-by-step. I have prayed for her to have victory in this area for a while. Lindsay is definitely a story that has taught me a lot, and in more than one way. I have seen her at her thinnest (marriage) and through 3 pregnancies.  I have seen her try to lose weight on her own strength and I have seen her just not care about any of it. We have had many talks throughout the last few years and I have tried to help her on my own strength at times, only to fail because her heart wasn't there. But it is amazing when you let go and let God work in the lives of others because the Holy Spirit can have His way, which results in more than just a physical transformation.  Here is her story!

My journey began at the end of last October. Through a significant trial, God was doing a lot of molding in my life. After dealing with some other sins and struggles, He came to the sin of overeating that I have lost the battle with my entire life. So one day, shortly after October 15 (the day my husband truly repented!), I started counting calories using MyFitnessPal. I also added lifting heavy weights (using CheLEAN Extreme videos) to my workout schedule.
For awhile it was easy! And I was enjoying keeping track of everything I put in my mouth. I wanted to choose carrots over tortilla chips, and I went to bed each night thanking God for another day of victory.
Just like a honeymoon, the high had to end. Now it is a daily struggle, but by the grace of God, I still have victory most of the time!
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
I’ve attempted to lose weight many times in the past. Why was this time actually successful? Because it wasn’t about losing weight. It wasn’t even about being healthy. It was and continues to be about glorifying God with my body (1 Corinthians 6:20). I fail a lot and often get distracted by the fact that I finally get to wear basically whatever I want (woot!) and have the metabolism of a teenager (thank you, ChaLEAN!) but God is faithful to remind me that it is only by His grace that I am where I am.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 

Before (during 3rd pregnancy April 2012):

Before (October 2012):

Weight - 175 

I avoided the camera as best I could so finding before pictures has been hard. And, I honestly just didn’t know for sure if this time would be different until I was down almost 20lbs! So I didn’t take “before” pictures or stats.
Here’s the stats and a picture from when I finally believed I was really going to reach my goal! 

Before (January 2013): 

Weight - 159 Chest - 40.5 in 

Belly button - 39 in 
Left arm - 11 3/4 in 
Left thigh - 21 in
Left calf - 14 1/4 in

Current (June 2013): 

Weight - 137.8
Chest - 36.5 in
Belly button - 35 1/4 in Left arm - 10.5 in
Left thigh - 20.5 in Left calf - 13.5 in 

I am about 1.5 pounds away from being my wedding day weight! That is the ultimate goal for now. We plan to try for baby #4 toward the end of this year so my goal will change to gaining only the healthy amount of weight (20-30lbs) followed by getting back down to the mid-130s and ultimately flattening my pregnancy-abused belly! 

When I think about getting pregnant again, I get nervous! I’ve always planned on keeping the weight under control during pregnancy, and I’ve so far failed. But this time I’ll be doing it the way God wants me to so I will be completely relying on the daily strength from the Holy Spirit Himself. Steph will keep you up to date :) And you can keep up by following my blog also (DandLJacobs). Prayers are always appreciated! 

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine... (Ephesians 3:20) ...Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). 

Postpartum- 7 Months

Hannah is 7 1/2 months and she is such a happy girl! I am so busy taking care of my 2 girls that I haven't posted much lately. Plus I am keeping up with my garden, playing with friends and cousins, and keeping up with my husband's growing business!! But you all have a wealth of recipes on this blog to keep you busy for a little while, right? ;)

I thought I'd give an update on my postpartum progress. Not too much has changed because I'm still breastfeeding and don't want to lose my milk supply. Plus I have tendonitis still in my arms that has been flaring up (although through prayer God has been healing it the last couple days!). 

God helped reveal something to me while going shopping with 2 of my sisters and MIL on Saturday. I feel like God has been nudging me about it but brought it to light more on that day. My one sister, Lindsay, who looks amazing and has lost a bunch of weight (blog post soon!), was talking about honoring God with her body and the sin of being selfish with eating and exercising or lack of. It just brought me back (again) to honoring God with my body even if I'm not the size yet that I should be/have been. I'm not far but sometimes I feel that way and I have been a little in the dumps about it. I feel like I'm holding back with things because I have to eat enough to stay the same weight so my milk is enough for Hannah and that brings on selfishness. Plus lifting heavy weights hasn't been an option with my tendonitis. So I have been thinking, "I might as well eat this because I have to keep my calories up" only to regret afterwards when my stomach hurts! 

So the other day God brought me back to Him with arms wide open telling me to trust Him and honor Him with everything I do, whether or not I'm the size I want to be or look the way I want when trying on clothes for a shopping trip :) 

Current weight: 129

I am constantly reminded to give over my selfish desires and offer up my actions when it comes to my eating habits. God wants to teach me and mold me in every phase of life so I need to be open to that and trust in Him. I am SO blessed as a mom and daughter in Christ. I am also very grateful that I am still able to breastfeed with Hannah being close to 8 months and will continue to till at least a year. It is so worth it!

Woman of Inspiration- Kelsey

I have another wonderful woman to highlight about weight loss, Kelsey Bullock. I met Kelsey about a month after I got married because I started working for a chiropractor and she was there, pregnant with her first child. Props to this woman because she got pregnant shortly after getting married and now has 3 cute kids, and has a "rockin" body now as a mom! Ever since I started working with her I have looked up to her (seriously, Kels). She is a great woman of faith and wonderful role model as a mom for me :)

After having 3 kids, Kelsey wasn't at the high school weight she used to be and decided to make a change. Let's read her story...

What things did you do to lose the weight?
Six months after our 3^rd (and last baby), I started working out probably 4 times a week and watched what I ate more.  That is how I lost the first 6 pounds, and I was OK with that.  I signed up for a 10k in the fall and stopped tracking calories and just logged my miles as my exercise.  By fall, I had put those 6 pounds back on and I was MAD at myself!!  And PS. How can you run a 10k and gain weight?  Oh, it’s by eating ALL those calories and throwing caution to the wind.  J  So this past Thanksgiving, I decided that if I was ever going to feel like myself again, I was going to have to be committed and actually put the work in.  I started with INSANITY.  That got me in the habit of working out 6 days a week. I went through the first 6 weeks and then thought, “I don’t really like this.”  It was working in the fact that I was losing weight, but it wasn’t working because I completely DREADED doing my workout every day.  Then, Lindsay Brin with Moms Into Fitness came out with a new workout series called Pretty Fierce: Lean Out that is targeted at losing the last 5-10 pounds. It wasn’t that my weight was bad, but my figure was discouraging me.  My mommy pouch and belly was still there and if I was ever going to try to lose it, this was my chance.  So, my sweet hubby let me get the DVDs and I’m SO GLAD!!!  I think it’s the perfect mix of cardio and weight training.  I also got serious about the quality of food I was eating….not just counting calories.  I realized that I’m a carbo freak (plain bread for snacks, hello!) and tend to give in to sweets.  Did you know that those items actually pack a lot of calories?!   I dropped another 6 pounds after those 60 days, and have kept around that weight for the last 3 months.  
   
What helps you keep the weight off?

Being in the habit of working out is the main one.  Now that I’ve built that time into my schedule, I feel like I’m missing something if I skip a workout!  Right now I’m doing 5 days of workouts, one day of yoga/pilates, and 1 day of complete rest.  I also know what types of foods to eat and PORTIONS.  One day a week I kind of eat whatever I want, and my body seems to adjust….but more than one day off and my pants feel tight.  J

Do you recommend any exercises specifically or tips for other women/moms specifically? 

I think finding a program or type of exercise you love is key!  I realized that I love the challenge of weights, and without it I feel uninterested.  Find what you love to do and go for it.  I’m also pretty sure adding weights boosted my metabolism (right Steph?) [right!] and definitely toned my body in a way that just cardio won’t.  Another thing that really helped me to be successful this time around was doing my workouts at the same time everyday.  For me, it’s during naptime.  I never quite know how long all 3 will sleep, so I got everything ready, put the kids down for a nap/rest time and went to working out RIGHT AWAY.  Don’t check facebook or email before you workout.  It doesn’t work.  Another thing that I think is really important is to have goals.  Initially, my goal was just to get back into my post baby #2 size again.  Then I went for my post baby #1 size and then to my high school/college weight.  Now that I’m here, I feel motivated to get in the best shape of my life.  Not just for the number on the scale (that might not change much) but because I want to live life to the fullest!  I think God designed us that way, to live fully for Him in every aspect of our being…not just spiritually, but also relationally, emotionally, intellectually, and physically!  This fall I’m signed up for a half marathon, and 2014 is the year of the full marathon.  It’s a life goal that I’ve always wanted to accomplish, and now is the time!  After that I’ll probably just sit on the couch for a full year and eat cookies, because I miss them.  Just kidding.  After that, I’m not sure what I’ll want to do, but I will have a goal because that keeps me aiming for something and planning ahead.    

Starting Weight:  132.8 (size 8)
Current Weight:  117ish (size 2-4)
Starting Waist:  32.5 inches
Current Waist:  28 inches
Starting Hips: 39 inches
Current Hips:  35.5 inches

You're looking great Kelsey!!