What Am I All About?

Well let's see...I'm all about being the best mom I can be even if some days I have to yell "give that back to your sister!" or "stop hitting! This is ridiculous you guys!" you get the picture. I'm also pretty into physical fitness and what it takes to be in the best shape I can to live the best life I possibly can. How do I do that while taking care of two kids, a husband and two dogs and with a thyroid disorder, you ask? Well let me tell you...

I have tried so many things to lose weight since my diagnosis of Hypothyroidism back in 2012. I tried the military diet...and failed after two days of eating plain tuna on toast for lunch. I tried good old fashioned calorie counting and working out hours and hours a day. And you guys...I tried the HCG diet. For those unfamiliar with this diet, you consume up to 500 calories a day. You also take drops under your tongue(or another way is injections) to help burn fat and make up for the food you didn't eat.

I lost 55lbs doing this diet, but there's a reason I don't recommend it to ANYONE. I felt very weak doing this diet, despite how happy I was with the weight loss I felt miserable. The recovery from coming off the diet and drops was 6 weeks of still barely eating normal food even though I had the calorie increase. So, rapid weight loss (think 30-35lbs in a month) but feeling gross afterward.

Then when my medicine was finally adjusted to a correct dosage I started getting results from a completely clean eating diet and exercising 1-2 hours a day. But the thing was I had so much time to workout...nowadays I do not have that luxury.

SO to where I am now..I know you're hearing it everywhere. But if you're like me and genetically need something that will REALLY work, listen up. KETO. That's what has helped me lose weight since I had my second baby in March 2017. I had talked to so many people that had had great success doing the ketogenic diet I decided it was time for me to give it a try. And y'all...it has helped me so much. I don't feel weak eating keto some of the recipes are SO good, I don't even care that I'm not eating carbs. And if we're going to be honest, I JUST started working out again and I lost 30lbs just doing the diet alone...

So if you're like me and have a slow metabolism(thanks thyroid), I'd say give it a try! I'm not a health or fitness professional. So of course if you need to consult with your physician and see if it's a good step for you. But, it has been great for me and my confidence. So I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite recipes we had last week. I don't write these myself but find them places all over the internet. But for you my friends I'll share my pictures and the recipes below. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! Come back SOON for more posts!!! 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Ingredients:

• 6 cups shredded cooked shredded chicken (from about 2 lb chicken, I used the instant pot for 17mins)
• 3-4 slices of ham , cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup butter , melted
• 6 oz cream cheese , softened
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1-2 oz lemon juice 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6-8 slices swiss cheese(depends on how much you like)

1) Preheat the oven to 350. Put the chicken in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Layer the pieces of ham on top.
2) In a blender combine the melted butter, softened cream cheese, mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until a thick sauce forms. Spread this sauce over the chicken and ham in the baking dish.
3)Lay the slices of swiss cheese on top of the sauce. Bake for 30-40 minutes until hot.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Ingredients:

• 5 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup no-sugar-added marinara sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
• 1 ounce pork rinds, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried basil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan
2. Spread the chicken in the greased dish and pour the tomato sauce over it. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Top with the Parmesan and then the mozzarella. Lightly sprinkle the rushed pork rinds and basil over the top.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.