About Me

My photo
Hi there! I'm a mom of 3 boys and happily married to my husband for the past 13 yrs! I work full time and try and take care of everything home related as well- basically I'm tired and loving life! I love to try new things- especially cooking! I love the outdoors, music, old movies, church, and my family!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Remember to "Give Thanks"

I'm a "resident mom" for Skinnymom.com and the creator Brooke Griffin has a challenge for everyone- "30 Days of Thanks."
Everyday starting Sunday, November 1st post on Instagram what you are thankful for. So let the flood gates of  Thanks open and help fill Instagram with thankful hearts and see what joy we can bring to ourselves and others. For more info about hashtags and tags go to http://www.skinnymom.com/november-challenge-30-days-of-thanks/
You can follow me on Instagram @aliher78640 to see what I'm thankful for. Leave a comment with your Instagram, I would love to see what my readers are giving thanks for this season!



Tuesday, October 27, 2015

New recipe- Sweet potato Salmon Cakes

Clean eating this week and getting in the groove of being more healthy!!! with that I had to get some new recipes to try, because healthy or not I LOVE new recipes. I'm a foodie, I can't help it. So I found a recipe on Pinterest (what did we ever do without it?) and I played with it and this is what I turned it into:

Sweet Potato salmon cakes:
makes about 6 cakes

1 med sweet potato (I “baked” mine in the microwave in wax paper to cut down on the time)
10 oz Fresh Salmon (cook in some olive oil and season with pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.)
Egg-1
½ Lemon
Flour-1 tbsp plus extra for dusting
Parsley-just eye ball it (it’s not a lot)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste
Olive oil (whatever oil you use)
For the sauce (optional)
Greek yogurt, plain- 1/2 cup
Chives, chopped
Garlic, pressed- ½  clove
Lemon juice-  (I just squeezed some in)

Instructions
In a large mixing bowl combine mashed potatoes and salmon (while making sure no skin or bones end up in there- after I got done cooking mine I “chopped” the salmon up tossed it back into the pan to make sure it was fully cooked)  and break an egg into it.
Add the lemon zest to the mixture, juice the lemon and pour it in as well along with chopped parsley and flour. Mix everything well, add seasonings to taste.
Scoop the mixture with an ice cream scoop to get even-sized cakes and roll them in the flour on your flour dusted board or plate, flatten them slightly to form a patty. Fry salmon cakes in hot oil until golden and crunchy on the outside.
For the sauce mix yogurt, lemon juice, chopped chives and minced garlic in a small bowl.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes before serving for the flavors to blend.

Here is the original recipe if you would like to try it as well (must give credit- without this recipe I wouldn't have come up with my own!)

 



Monday, October 26, 2015

Starting over- AGAIN!

So I've gone on healthy living kicks through out the years and have done great and then what happens- LIFE! Life get's in the way, or at least that is the excuse I make. I don't live a super unhealthy life style... I grew up eating healthy and my mom made pretty much all our meals from scratch. I took a lot of that with me and applied it to my family. Do we eat sweets - yes! Do we drink soda- every once in awhile but it's not a staple in my fridge. Could I be better? YES!! but isn't that the point?! Can't we all strive to do or be better in almost every aspect of our lives? So, in supporting my best friend who also just happened to end up marring my bro-in-law (which is awesome to have a best friend as a sister-in-law) start her new healthy living journey... my eating habits are clean this week and my working out is back in full force. I might be dead and really wanting a piece of cake by Friday but that's okay because I'm becoming better. So, "Thanks Laura! for getting my booty back in gear after life hit the fan!"

All I want for myself is to be HAPPY! I find that when I work out and eat right I feel better about myself and that my friends is contagious. It's true, laughter is contagious and so is happiness (see link below, not now...when you're done reading.) When you smile at someone do they not smile back? Most of the time that's true,but you get what I'm saying. Find that smile in the mirror and go after it. Find out what makes the facial muscles work and do that every day. It's not going to be just one thing... variety is the spice of life and it's always changing. I'm not saying go start a clean diet and wear yoga pants all day long and work out like crazy (unless that's what makes you smile, then by all means- yoga pants on) but find your smile and keep it going. Your family,friends, neighbors, and yourself will thank you!


"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201206/there-s-magic-in-your-smile
                                           

Friday, October 23, 2015

Unwaivering faith- Do I have it?

I'm going deep today... maybe it's the rain we're getting here in Texas, but the following story is close to home- literally.

As most people know Central Texas had devastating floods this year over the Memorial Day weekend. Jonathan McCombs was among the many who suffered loss but how he's handling it is a testimony of God and faith. I have never had to experience loss on a large level and I am grateful to God that I haven't but I know the day will come where I will have to deal with losing someone that I believe I can't live without. I can only hope and pray that I have the courage and faith to handle it with as much love and dignity as this man. After reading the article (which you will need tissues) it made me realize how much most of us take for granted and how each day needs to be lived in happiness. To focus on even the smallest and simplest joys in every moment we have and not just with the ones we love but to give service and reach out to others. I have been trying to do this more in my life even before reading the article but now it just resonates even more. Here's to a new day everyday and trying to find joy one day at a time. 

Monday, October 5, 2015

How are your buns?

So it's rest day on my Better Booty Challenge and I'm starting to feel a little burn, anyone else? While I rested my buns from the challenge exercises I opted to start my week off right at the gym to get back in my groove. Tomorrow I'll be back working my buns and I'll check back in a week or so. It's not to late to join the challenge!
#BetterBootyChallenge #skinnymom