21 Day Sugar Detox + Apple Streusel Egg Muffins

Okay guys, I wasn't sure if I was going to share this one here or not because I'll admit that every once in a while I like to jump on some crazy "cleanse" or "detox" band wagon and try to lose some weight and feel like I'm getting all of the yuckiness out of my body...Unfortunately it doesn't usually work and I never really feel any different. But this time I have sort of a different goal in mind so I figured I'd give myself some accountability for sticking with this thing. I just started Day 1 of the 21 Day Sugar Detox.

Yes it is called the a sugar "detox" and yes I would love to lose a little poundage in the process, but after I read up on it I realized its probably something I should be doing anyways! It basically has you avoid all processed foods and sugar like the plague (including sugary carbs - and man do I love my carbs!) and it is Paleo based. If you've never heard of a Paleo diet, it's a school of thought that pretty much says if it didn't exist 3,000 years ago you shouldn't eat it. I don't necessarily agree with all of the Paleo diet and I am by no means an expert on nutrition, but I do like the idea of getting back to whole, natural foods! So that's why I'm doing the 21DSD. I'm hoping to curb my sugar cravings a bit and learn new ways to cook veggies and meat using natural ingredients and not a seasoning packet that has a bazillion ingredients that I can't even pronounce... you know? I know after the 21 Days I'll be looking forward to having some Papa Johns pizza, so I'm not trying to change my entire lifestyle forever through this, I'm just hoping to tip the scale on the side of "we eat natural foods 80% of the time and other foods 20% of the time" instead of the other way around.

So how did I do today? Well, let me tell you I had an 11.5 hour work day today so I was pretty hungry and wanted to munch on some chips or cookies when I got home! But I stayed strong. (its not a good sign if you give up on the first day!) As soon as I got home I pulled out a recipe for apple muffins and got those in the oven right away - I had one for a snack with some whole milk and plan on using them as my breakfast muffins for the rest of the week.

Here is the link: Apple Streusel Egg Muffins They actually turned out way better than I thought, though they mostly tasted like egg ; ) I love my yummy, fattening carbs and pastries so I was afraid I would hate them since it wasn't made with what I know as "real" flour and sugar but I enjoyed my snack!

I'll try and keep you updated on new recipes I'm trying and if they turned out good or completely retched. I have a few planned that I'm a little scared to try! And my husband isn't exactly oozing with enthusiasm over this change in diet for the next 3 weeks, so I may need to have a few back up plans for him. I'm married to a man who doesn't like and barely eats about 98% of all fruits and veggies out there... so maybe this will help encourage a love - no like, love is too strong of a word just yet - for fruits and veggies???

Whatever the case....here's to 21 days of eating healthier!

Ikea Trip

Last weekend I told you how I was in Philly and then heading to Ikea on the way home in my short New Years post... Yea. So..... Ikea = awesome. I had never ever been there before so I was excited about going. My mom and sister Erin are both in love with Ikea, both having been twice last year, so they couldn't wait to show me!

If you don't know what Ikea is, take a look at their website. They're a European super store that sells just about everything you could possibly need for your home. Literally everything you need. From kitchen appliances and countertops to furniture for your bedrooms/living rooms/dining rooms, all the way down to small kitchen gadgets, dishes, pillows, outside plants and napkins. I kid you not. There is everything there.

A shopping DAY is needed at this store and it is quite the experience. I think we spent 4 or 5 hours in there.You start out on their top floor going through what they call the "showroom". Basically they have all of these little mini rooms set up (kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms) with their furniture in it so you can see what everything looks like and how you could potentially use their items. Here's my mom and sisters and cousin Olivia discussing furniture options:

 I saw these pretty kitchen carts/islands that I really loved too but didn't end up buying:

After you walk through this area you come to their cafe - they know you're going to be there for a while and you might be overwhelmed and in need of coming up with a plan before you head down to their "market place" (or maybe that was just me feeling overwhelmed?) so they are kind to offer a place to sit and fill your belly.

My Mom and sister Mallory posing in their twinsy GAP hoodies while we were eating lunch.

After the cafe you go down stairs to their "market place" where you get a cart or a giant bag and can start picking up the things you saw upstairs in the show room and then tons more stuff they didn't show you! I saw a new dish set that I loved and some furniture like a side table for our recliner but I decided to hold off on the major purchases and look at those things with Mark before buying them. (Plus it gives me an excuse to go back up there with him!)

A the end of the market place before you go in to their warehouse, they have live plants, like these little bamboo shoots that my Mother-in-law asked me to pick up for her. I told you they have everything!

The last place you walk through is their "warehouse" where they give you flat bed carts to pick up any furniture that you wanted to buy (they're all in boxes). My mom ended up buying a dresser and my sister a small end table for her bedroom.

In the end I just bought a bunch of small organizational things for our house and curtains for our foyer window. Here are some of my favorites:

A scarf hanger $7.99...

A retractable magnified mirror for the bathroom $4.99...

Drawer organizer $7.99...

Pretty planters $2.99 for the small ones and I think $6.99 for the big one. I want to use the small ones to plan some fresh herbs to use in my kitchen! And maybe create a center piece for the table with the big one. The napkin holder was also from there - $3.99. :)

I know it doesn't seem like much but I did get other things too! I got some cheap plastic food containers for the kitchen, I got some mixing/serving bowls, a small basket to put my dish soaps and sponges in, placemats for our dining room table and a table runner, a container for all of my plastic grocery bags and a towel rack for my bathroom. Again - mostly small organizational stuff, but they were really well priced I thought!

We had sucha good time, my grandma loved it too! I'm definitely going to be more prepared next time and take Mark back up! Maybe we'll come home with some bigger items. : )

2014 and all that it will bring...

..... All that it will bring remains a mystery! Last year we had so many plans and we travelled and saw so many new things. Looking back I'm amazed that all of this happened in one year and I am so grateful for all of the opportunities we had to see the world, update our house, check things off of our "bucket list" and see God's grace evident in our lives. Here is a short summary of what happened to us un 2014!

New Places Travelled To - Philly, Massachusetts (2x!), Maine, Canada, England, France and Ireland! 

New Accomplishments - Ran a Tough Mudder, Completed my first Triathlon, Completed my 2nd Full Marathon! Mark got a big promotion at work. 

New Scary Moments - Mark was furloughed from work for 2 weeks. My first time undergoing surgery for the removal of an ovary. 

New Milestones Celebrated - 1 year anniversary and mark and I both turned 25!

New House Updates - New fence, planted trees in the back yard, new bricks for our front flower bed, new washing machine, new kitchen appliances, new storm door for the front door, and a new mailbox. :)

New Things Tried - my first raised vegetable garden, hosting Thanksgiving dinner for my family, raising our very own puppy.

Seriously, I can't believe all of that happened last year! 

And this year? 

We don't have any real plans. 

Oh I'm sure we will travel a little (just not too far from home), try new things, and I mean - we always have grand ideas for house updates (we're just never sure what will happen first or when)! But even without big plans we are always full of hopes and dreams for our future!

We are hoping as always to grow closer to God in this New Year as we seek Him as a couple and as individuals. We are hoping to stay open to whatever He has planned for our future. We are hoping to stay healthy and fit. We hope to continue to have steady jobs throughout the year. We hope to see our little family grow. : )

I enjoyed last year and all of our plans and realized dreams, but I am looking forward to this year as well. It will be a year of just seeing what happens and going along with it. It sounds kind of nice. : )

So here is to 2014 and all that it will bring!

Happy New Year!

Technically I'm 5 days late wishing everyone a Happy 2014, but better late than never!

I've kicked 2014 off with some busy weekend travel up north to Philly for my cousin-in-laws baby shower. My mom, grandma and sisters are along for the ride and we are making the most of our trip by hitting Ikea on the way back - which is tomorrow/today (its 12:55am!). We gained a cousin on our way home too!

Since we've jumped right into business in this new year I haven't had much time to sit and think about  the new goals I want to aspire to in 2014. I plan to get right on that once we get home and get a little more substantial post up here for me to refer back to over the year, but for right now I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!