Making Healthy Living Easier- Salad In a Jar

When starting a journey of healthy living the first complaint is always that its inconvenient.  Well at least that WAS my complaint, but I have decided to finds ways to make living a healthier life more convient for me and my family to make it easier for us to maintaing this lifestyle. All it takes is a little bit of creative thinking and planning.  While putting salad into a Mason jar is not a new idea (check out Pinterest) it is definitely new to me and my family.

So I went on an adventure to my local grocery store and bought quart sized Mason jars. A pack of 12 was less than $10 dollars, I am a very frugal person and even I think that's a great deal.  After purchasing the jars  I set down to craft a plan and after a few minutes online I came across this one site in particular named TheKitchn.com that made it super easy to understand the proper way to layer your salad. So I enlisted the hubby and we commenced to chopping and layering. 

First thing in is your choice of dressing we used a Vinaigrette. Next pile in your "hardy" vegetables  they will act as a barrier between  your dressing and  any other ingredients you don't want to get soggy in our case our hardy vegetables were cucumbers, carrots and cabbage.  Now you pile in the "fun stuff" tomatoes, chickpeas, onions, almonds, cranberries or strawberries, eggs  and low fat cheese made up this section for us. And last but not least comes the Mixed Springs and Spinach you want to save this for last to keep it as far away from the dressing as possible to avoid having a soggy salad. Seal with the lid and you have a meal thats ready to go and stays fresh in the refrigerator for 4-6 days.

In the end we prepared six ready to go salads to be used as our lunch for the remainder of the week. If you layer your salad loose enough you could simply shake it up to mix all the ingredients together and eat it right out the jar.As you can see ours is pretty tightly packed so we will use a separate bowl to pour the contents in to enjoy our flavorful masterpiece. 

Once the boys saw what we prepared they were disappointed to find out that these colorful meals did not belong to them. Note to self buy pint size jars  for the kiddies on the next run to the grocery store!

What are some of your tips for making healthy living easier?

hCG1234 Drops Update and Giveaway!

As you may have read in my initial post about the 90 Day Challenge with Creative Bioscience, I have been using their product hCG 1234 in an effort to lose weight and things have been going pretty well. At my last update I had lost 22.4 lbs, since than I lost an additional 5lbs and have been working hard to maintain the lose while I go through phase three of the process. During phase three you stop taking the drops and slowly introduce some foods back into your diet (excluding breads and sweets). The reason for this phase is so your body doesn't become accustomed to the drops thus hindering your weight loss progress. The diet protocol states that you should take at least a three week break from the drops.

So that's where I am at the end of phase three holding on tightly to my 27 lb weight loss and ready to gear up again for round two. In round two I am challenging myself to out do myself. :) My goal is simply to do even better than I did the last round even if that is just 1 lb more than I lost last time I will be happy. I do believe going in the second time around I am wiser and now know what to do and what not to do, the obvious being not to cheat it's so not worth it.  I am looking forward to sharing my progress with you.

Speaking of you I would love to have you join me on this weight loss  journey and share your success story here on Your Unexpected Beauty! Three lucky readers will win a 30 day supply of  hCG 1234 to join me on my second round of drops!

Enter to win a 30 day supply by filling out the Rafflecopter below. Good luck! Giveaway runs from March 27th at 12:01am to April 11th  at 11:59PM EST.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  I received a 90-day supply of the product in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are 100% mine and not influenced in any way.

Weight Loss Update- hCG 1234

As a Reminder I have been doing the Creative Bioscience 90 Day Challenge.     I elected to try their hCG 1234 drops.  This program is broken down into phases. Phase One gorge on fatty foods for  two days while starting the drops. It sounds a lot more fun than it is. If done right by the end of the first day you are completely over it. You need to store up on fatty foods to prepare yourself for Phase Two were you eat little to no fat and from 500-1200 calories depending on the program that's best for you. I am on a 500 calorie diet. Phase Two can last for 3-6 weeks depending on the amount of weight you need to lose. I have a significant amount to lose so I am creeping upon my fifth week in a six week phase. 

 WHAT I LOVE:
The fact that my meals are a no brainer at home because there is a specific list of foods you can eat.

I enjoyed stepping on the scale everyday and consistently seeing progress for the first two weeks.

I love the ease of taking drops vs. pills.

WHAT I DISLIKE:

At week three my menstrual came on and weight loss stalled for a week and 4 days.

The disappointment of standing on the scale and NOT seeing progress for over a week.

The cheat days (3) I gave my self because of discouragement, pressure and a holiday.


So I have kept you waiting long enough as of the writing of this post 4 weeks and 2 days into the program I have lost 4.5 inches from my waist and *drum roll please* 22.4 pounds!

Overall I am happy with my experience so far and realize after some research that the set back is common for women and it is not something I wil beat my self up for in the future. Also, the cheat days really aren't worth it, while you are taking the hCG 1234 drops if you take fats and sugars into your body you will gain a substantial amount of weight. Which leads us to Phase 3 were you slowly reintroduce foods back into your diet, while the hCG slowly leaves your system. I'll let you know how it goes!

If you are a blogger and interested in joining me on this challenge apply here: Creative Bioscience 90 Day Challenge.

Disclosure:  I received a 90-day supply of the product in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are 100% mine and not influenced in any way.

Meal Planning Made Easy- eMeals

As a stay at home mom/wife I am constantly looking for ways to stretch our families budget. I also pride myself in making sure my family has a home cooked meal at least six days out of the week.The grocery store is always a huge challenge when trying to stay in my budget and it literally takes me hours to prepare a grocery list. Well eMeals has really simplified the process and I love it!

Want to know how it works?

To start getting eMeals, just choose a meal plan based on your eating style, your family size and even your favorite grocery store. They have a variety of styles to choose from ranging Classic, Natural & Organic, Gluten Free Meals. I am positive that they have a menu that will work from you. I went with the Low Carb option for my family as it most resembled the way my family was already eating.

Weekly you will receive an email of a comprehensive list of seven family-friendly meals, including side dishes. Included in your email will be a detailed grocery list organized by sections and showing that weeks current prices.

Than all you do is print the list and head to the store. It's that easy. 

Most people need help with planning dinner, but eMeals also gives you the option of adding Breakfast and Lunch to your plan. 

So relax and let some one else plan your meals and find these weeks deals and enjoy the time and extra   cash that is sure to flow your way.

For an opportunity to win a Free eMeals Subscription for a Year & Free Visa Gift Card click here. 

In addition you can simply sign on to eMeals and Your Unexpected Beauty readers can use the code newyear to save 15% off your subscription anytime (regularly $58 for 12 months of dinner meals)!

If you are a blogger and want to join the Blogger Network sign up here. Let them now Your Unexpected Beauty sent you (it gives me an extra entry into a giveaway).

Disclosure: I received a one year dinner subscription to eMeals. And have included affiliant links in this post because I love the product. All opinions are 100% my own.

I Am a Runner

There are two thoughts/idea/visions that have been mainstays in my mind that most people looking at me (including myself) may think are far fetched. The first thought being that I will be a millionaire somehow someway someday, but this is not the idea that I focus on. Because life taught me a lesson several years ago that money truly cannot buy you happiness, therefore I made a conscious decision to make the quality of my life and my families life a priority over any monetary gain I may encounter. So for now I have decided to breathe life into my vision of becoming a runner and will focus on the millions a little later. *wink*

There is something inside me that keeps telling me that I should run, in my dreams I run and in my daydreams I picture myself as one of those people who just HAVE to run. I have become addicted to the idea of running. So just a few days ago I was having a conversation with myself and I said, "self if you are convinced you are a runner than surely you can convince your body of this." From that point I found a Four- Week Beginning Training Program to Run 1 Mile, that I am determined to complete. If I can get my body to agree with what my mind has already confirmed than I truly am on my way to being a runner. 

If I were to sit here and allow doubt to creep into my thoughts It would say you are obese you can't run, you need to lose weight first, you don't have time to run and on and on and on. But I got a few words of wisdom for Mr. Doubt, being obese is just giving me more motivation to run and I have proven already on my first training day that I can run maybe not fast or long yet but I can run. And not having time every one has that excuse, those who knows and love me know that I LOVE my sleep, but I am rising early in the morning even before the sun rises to make my mind's reality of me being a runner my bodies as well. 

The funniest thing is that my belief and or desire to be a runner has nothing to do with my desire to lose weight. What I want most is the experience that avid runners describe of it being freeing, a way to clear their had, therapeutic and the sense of accomplishment for every new goal achieved. 

I realize this is just the beginning of my journey as a runner, but I am excited and look forward to sharing more with you. So what thought our idea have you have allowed Mr. Doubt to suppress in your mind for fear of you being unable to realize it? What's inside you just itching to get out? 

Dark Chocolate My Not So Guilty Pleasure

I was around 11 years old when my aunt told me that "One day my pallet would expand." Now when she made this statement she was referring to okra and I still haven't acquired a taste for that, but certain foods have made their way into my repertoire. I can contribute the addition of caviar, sushi, most seafood and numerous other foods to the hubbies persistence and his mature pallet.

Here recently I have made an effort to maintain a healthier diet. Just like anyone else I have cravings, chocolate in particular, and do often succumb to my sweet tooth. Many times after sending the hubby on a late night sweets run he has returned with my favorite milk chocolate bar and a candy bar of the dark chocolate variety for himself. I always turned my nose up to his choice, but since I have been making an effort to make better food choices I decided to give dark chocolate  a try. And I am hooked! After finishing my first dark chocolate bar, since I was an adolescent, and actually enjoying it (can you say mature palette) I decided to look up its benefits.

FIT DAY shares 6 Health Benefits to Eating Dark Chocolate. Three of which really resonated with me. The first is it being good for your heart by lowering your blood pressure and helping with circulation. Secondly dark chocolate helps control blood sugar levels protecting the consumer against type 2 diabetes. Also it's full of antioxidants and can help reduce your chances of getting cancer and slow the process of aging. I was sold. Like with anything enjoy it in moderation. The recommendation according to WebMD is to eat it 1.6oz of dark chocolate daily. I can live with that!!!

So the next time you have a desire for chocolate try dark chocolate it may taste better than you remember!

She's Seeing Green

For nearly two months the color GREEN has been a constant in my daily life. I have been drinking green tea two to three times a day and I love it! I could go through a laundry list of the health benefits of drinking green tea, but I just want to share with you what it has done for me and what drew me to it.

When I was looking into making small life changes the suggestion to stop drinking soda was always at the top of the list, well I didn't and don't drink soda, so I decided to look for a drink that I could add to my routine and green tea stood out to me. Along with the immediate results that I have experienced, it also boast long term benefits of reducing your chances of getting cancer due to the antioxidants in it and it's said to boost your metabolism therefore promoting weight loss.

Since I have been drinking green tea I have become more regular, which is always a plus. I also have more energy and it is evident in the fact that I have been working out daily, but have been able to skip my usual mid day nap yet am still able to stay up with my night owl husband. I have shed a few pounds, but I can't contribute that specifically to green tea because I have made several healthy changes in recent weeks. 

As I stated I drink tea two to three times a day typically after every major meal. I prefer to drink it with a 1/2 a tablespoon of honey and warm. I drink it warm for two reasons if you drink warm fluid you are able to feel satiety or full for a longer period of time and also the sooner you drink green tea after brewing the greater the health benefits. The oxidation process reduces the potency of the antioxidants in the tea so the simplest way to remedy that is to drink it promptly. You could add an ice cube or two to it immediately after brewing to enjoy it cool while still retaining it's maximum benefits.


If you are a green tea drinkers please share what brand you drink and how you like yours prepared! 

Weight Loss Challenge- Going Brown

On my quest to lose weight I find myself goggling phrases like " How to get rid of tummy fat?"and "What food contributes to stomach fat?". Well one of the most consistent result, aside from avoiding fast food, is to minimize the amount of simple carbohydrates in your diet.Several years ago when my hubby and I began cohabitating I started eating only whole wheat bread at home because that was his preference. Than a few years later we decided to make the transition from white rice to brown/whole wheat rice. Well now the time has come and we have transitioned to whole wheat pasta and whole wheat flour. The grocery list has also lost weight ten pounds to be exact, we are no longer purchasing a ten pound bag of potatoes monthly.

It has only been a few weeks since we have made the complete transformation to "brown", but we haven't missed potatoes or the white counterparts of the other "browns". We have discovered that whole wheat products are just as filling if not more than simple carbohydrate and also offer a more complex flavor and texture (no pun intended). I can honestly say you will gain more health and flavor wise by switching from white to brown!!!

With these changes I not only hope to lose weight overall, but am hoping to lose weight in my midsection specifically  for both aesthetics and health reasons. It is said that those who carry their weight in their midsection like myself are more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure and a recent study shows is also more likely to have  sudden cardiac death. I am grateful that I do not have either condition and would like to decrease my odds of having them and most certainly I do not want to have my heart give out on me suddenly. So for me these change are MUST.

If you are looking to make a positive change in your diet try going brown!

DID YOU KNOW... Celery

Celery has negative calories—it takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.

Weight Loss Challenge- Blue Plate Special

As a reminder I am in a weight loss challenge with my friend and fellow blogger Mushy Mamma to see who can lose the largest percentage weight within 90 days. You know the saying "it's the little things that counts", well I decided to use that as my motto towards a healthier lifestyle and to win this challenge! Here is one little change that can potentially make a BIG difference.


Of course we all know and have heard that eating off a smaller plate in general will help control your portion size. The recommended size is a 9 inch plate instead of the now standard dinner size of 11-12 inches. But, have you heard that eating off a blue plate can aide in losing weight. I did a little research and found some info on ColorMatters.com that upheld this theory. Apparently blue is the least appetizing color and thus acts as an appetite suppressant. The main reason being that it is rare to find a food in nature that is the color blue. Probably like you, when I read that I tried to think of some blue food, but only came up with blueberries (which tend to look violet in my opinion). They even suggest putting a blue light in your refrigerator and even more extreme dying your food blue. Now I don't know if I would be willing to do the latter, but I can certainly buy a new plate.  

So for the past week I have been eating all of my meals off smaller blue plates instead of my over-sized white place settings. My portion size has definitely decreased and I haven't had a desire to go back for seconds. Maybe there is something to this Blue Plate Special!!!

Weight Loss Challenge- Water Water & More WATER

I was visiting with a friend and fellow blogger Mushy Mamma and the all to familiar topic of weight loss came up. Throughout the course of the conversation we decided to enter into a weight loss competition. At this point we have both weighed in and at the end of 90 days whomever loses the largest percentage of weight wins an awesome prize furnished by the loser. It's on!!!

With that said I have been doing some research to maximize my weight loss efforts. I came across a very helpful list of 100 weight loss tips from none other than Dr. Oz. Tip #9 Don't confuse thirst with hunger. Drink a glass of water when you feel hungry to see if that's what you're really craving. I decided to implement  this tip right away particularly after viewing a video post from my fellow competitor entitled Meet My New Drinking Buddy. Drinking MORE water is a simple thing that anyone can do despite of there physical ability. 


I would love for you to join me on this journey as I share tips and my experiences along the way.


Let me go cause Mr. H20 is calling me.  

WISE Choices- The Sit Down

So last week I was thinking about all the major accomplishments in my life and the people who helped me get there. The "help" came in so many different forms from emotional support, encouragement and financial assistance. So as I pondered all of this and struggled with my current challenge that I must overcome it hit me I can't do it alone and I have to lean on my support system. So I turned to my husband who has become, and rightly so, my primary support system and let him know that I needed his help in order to lose weight and overall lead a healthier life. Before I could get my complete thought out, he let me know that he was all in and promptly put a plan in motion for our family to live a more active and healthier lifestyle.


Asking for support when I needed it was my WISEST choice of the week. 

Why “Your Unexpected Beauty?”

There are pivotal times in my life that determined how I percieved myself. When my sister and I were pointed out as the “dark ones” in my family, during a time where all I was exposed to was that light skin is beautiful. When I was flipping through a bible at church and saw that one of my cousins had written (in the bible) to one of my sister  “What are ya’ll feeding Yolanda?” and my sister responded “EVERYTHING.” This made me feel like whenever anyone looked at me all they saw was a little fat girl and where disgusted by me. Then there was the time when one of my closest cousins told me as we spoke on the phone “Your voice doesn’t sound like your fat” WTH. Which although meant as a compliment was very insulting on many levels. I guess when she was talking to me in person she was so distracted by my fat that she couldn’t hear my voice. Got to love family they are the ­­foundation for everything that makes you you. And then here comes the world who never pointed me in my face and said you’re not beautiful, but instead backed into it “wow you’re so pretty for a big girl,” “wow I can’t believe you wear your arms out I could never do that” funny how many of my compliments starts with a “WOW” or some other over the top word to disguise their surprise that I can pull myself together despite my skin color, despite my hair straight or natural, despite my weight and the list goes on and on. So in spite of all this, I have learned to love and embrace the beauty of me and my life.   Here I am Your Unexpected Beauty!!!