Giveaways Galore and Recipes!

First, I must say that I am loving all of the giveaways lately! I am entering every Blog Hop giveaway that I can find!  Teachers love free stuff!  I was lucky enough to actually win a giveaway I entered  last week from Kelly at An Apple for the Teacher! I won her Fifth Grade Daily Spiral Math Review, and I can't wait to use it!

Second, you MUST enter a giveaway that I am helping to sponsor for one of 2 $75 TpT Gift cards!  Go HERE to enter! Even though I can't enter it, I can still dream about all the goodies I could buy with $75, right?!

Third, I want to share two of my most favorite Keto recipes I've tried lately.  This "Fat Head Pizza Crust" is amazing! I was missing pizza so badly when I went low-carb, and this truly hit the spot!  The recipe is very easy and I added on all of the cheese and pepperonis that I wanted!

Another one of my favorite Keto recipes (that is a snack, not really a recipe), is Cheese Chips! I took my daughter to see a movie the other day, and instead of binging on popcorn I snacked on these guys!  You simply cut each slice of ultra thin cheese into 4 pieces. Put on parchment paper for 35 minutes on 250 degrees!

On another note, today was my first day back at school to decorate and get my room and curriculum ready for the new year! I got lots done, but I have much more to accomplish this week before teachers report on Monday! I'm so excited for the new year!  I will post pics of my room soon!

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Friday Favorites!

Today I am linking up with Momfessionals for Friday Favorites! This is my first time linking up with them so I'm super excited!

Favorite Book:  The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel is one of the greatest books I've ever read.  It perfectly weaves together a story of love, history, and secrets!  I was completely intrigued by the storyline as well as the historical side to the story.  I definitely recommend it!

Favorite Recipe:  As I've begun my journey into getting fit and eating healthier, I've tried out multiple new recipes that I would've never tried before.  One of my favorites was Baked Cauliflower Nuggets! I was truly impressed with them.  They were healthy and delicious and I will definitely make them again!

Favorite Vacation:  Because I had a baby in April, we decided to not take an actual family vacation this summer.  But we have been very blessed in that we have gotten to go to our family cabin, FOREST VIEW CABIN, at Lake Tenkiller here in Oklahoma multiple times! It is beautiful and incredibly relaxing.  We are heading there one last time this weekend and I can't wait!  Like us on Facebook!

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great Friday!
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Big-Boned, Thick, Curvy, Plus-Sized ME

The Beginning Of My Keto Journey...

I've struggled my entire life with my weight.

Let's just say that I am one of those big-boned women you've heard about.  I am thick, curvy and plus-sized, and I am not ashamed of those facts.  But I am also one of those women who never lost the baby weight after having my first child four years ago.  And for that, I am ashamed. Especially since I just had my second child three months ago, and I am heavier than I have ever been.

In the past I tried to count my calories and I failed. I tried Weight Watchers and had a little success, but ultimately I failed at that too. I've joined gyms and I've watched those automatic monthly payments come out of my bank account month after month, while I never stepped foot back into the gym after the first few workouts.

That is not me anymore. This time I will succeed.

I will succeed because I have made a lifestyle change.  I joined a Crossfit gym, and it is the PERFECT fit for me.  The people there are friendly, encouraging, and want the same thing I do. Crossfit is an high-intensity, core strength and conditioning workout program.  Not only did I start doing Crossfit, but I've changed the way I eat.  When I joined the gym I met with the owner for a consultation and he told me about the Ketogenic Diet.  It took me a while to understand it, but for the sake of simplicity, when you follow a Ketogenic Diet you force your body to burn fats instead of carbohydrates.   And to do that, you've got to eat a high amount of fat, so you can burn fat.  Sounded ass-backwards to me in the beginning, but after reading some books, doing some research, and joining lots of Facebook groups and Pinterest boards, I decided to try it.

As far as eating goes, you must eat a diet of high fat, moderate protein, and low carbs.  And that is HARD for me. I am a potato loving, biscuit eating broad.  This has been the hardest thing I've ever done, but I love it.  I am truly enjoying the challenge! I like finding new recipes and trying them out. I like surprising my husband with new, healthy dinners that we've never had before.

So far, I've lost 8 lbs. in 2 months.  I know, that's not very much.  But my biggest victory is that I feel good. I feel better than I've ever felt! I have energy, I am stronger, and I am more confident than I've ever been.  I am doing things I never thought I would be able to do, and I'm enjoying (almost) every minute of it!

I will share recipes that I've tried- recipes that have worked, and recipes that have been a huge #foodfail.  I want to document my journey so I can look back and see where I've come from, because this time, I WILL SUCCEED!

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