Prayers Please

Please keep Mark and his family in your prayers. His dad passed away suddenly on Sunday night. We're trying so hard to understand how something like this could happen to such an amazing man and an incredible family. It's really difficult right now, especially for Mark who won't be with his family until tomorrow. I've felt so helpless not being able to do much for him at the moment. All I want to do is wrap my arms around him and help him forget the world for even a second, but all I've been able to do is call him to make sure he's doing ok. I'll be driving down to be with him tomorrow night and I'm hoping I will be able to be of some comfort. The funeral is on Friday, so please keep us in your thoughts as we struggle through this. Thanks.

Mmmmm

Part of the challenge with losing weight is lunch. Who knew it was such an issue? I find that if I don't have a lunch ready to go everyday, I'm more tempted to swing by Jimmy John's over my lunch break or snack on everything in sight. When I first started this new weight loss journey, I knew I had to tackle my lunch issues head on. First I invested in a lunch crock pot. Check it out! Seriously, this thing has been a life saver! All I have to do is prepare my lunches in advance (usually over the weekend). Then the night before, I stick one serving in the crock and place it in the fridge. In the morning, I take it with me to work and plug it in and by lunch time, it's warmed up and ready to go! No waiting in line to use the microwave! Also, it seals really tightly, so your coworkers don't even have to smell your food cooking all morning. Trust me, they'll thank you!

Over the past few weeks, I've been making healthy soup to take with me to work. And they've all been delicious, but I have to admit I really enjoy chewing and the soup just isn't cutting it for me anymore. I found myself so sick of soup this week that I ended up eating a Healthy Choice meal for several days. While better for me than McDonald's, I can't call Healthy Choice...well, a healthy choice. Anyways, I needed a new plan for this next week's lunches. I asked my weight loss partner for some ideas and she suggested enchiladas. Now, I looooove enchiladas, but all that cheese and tortillas just aren't going to make me lose weight. However, once she said enchiladas I knew that's exactly what I wanted. I figured there had to be a way to make it healthier, so I did my research, found a recipe that sounded good and tweaked it to make it healthier. So, without further ado, I present:

Melli's Healthy Enchilada Bake

You will need:

2 cups Brown Rice-cooked (I used instant rice because I'm impatient)

1 15oz can Black Beans-drained and rinsed

1 cup Shredded Chicken Breast

1 10.5 oz can Green Enchilada Sauce

1 10.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles

1/2 cup Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt

1 tsp Cumin

1 slice Pepperjack Cheese (They are from the deli and are 80 calories a slice)

First, cook your rice. While you are doing that, open your can of black beans and drain and rinse them. Set aside. For the chicken, I used a boneless skinless chicken breast and put it in a skillet with about 1/2 cup of water. While it was cooking, I used a fork to shred it. I also seasoned it as it was cooking, but that part is totally optional. I like a little spice, so I added chili powder, ground red pepper, garlic powder and cilantro. When you have you chicken ready, place it in a medium bowl and add your enchilada sauced, tomatoes, cumin and greek yogurt. Mix it all together. Here is where I ripped the slice of pepperjack into baby pieces and mixed it in, but you could also bake first then add shredded cheese on top for the last few minutes of baking. Now get a baking pan ready (I used an 8x8, but any size would work!). Place your rice on the bottom of the pan. Next, add the black beans on top of the rice. Finally, evenly spread the chicken mixture on top. Place pan in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is melty.

This dish makes 6 servings. Each serving is around 250 calories, 6 grams of fat, 13 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. I can't wait to eat it for my lunches next week! I already took a bite and it was DELICIOUS! Plus, it'll warm me up and keep me satisfied throughout my afternoon! 

Also, I only used half my container of greek yogurt, and I would hate to waste it, so I made refrigerator oats for my breakfast tomorrow and thought I would share that recipe too! I've made this a few times but never with greek yogurt, so I'm excited about it!

Overnight Refrigerator Oats

1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats

1/2 cup Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt

1/4 cup Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 1/2 tsp Chia Seeds

1/2 cup fruit of choice (I used strawberries and blueberries)

1 packet Stevia

Pinch of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and place in container with lid. Cover and let sit in the fridge overnight. The oats and chia seeds will absorb the moisture and "cook" and be ready to eat in the morning. The fun thing about refrigerator oats is that you can get creative and personalize them for yourself. I love it with chia seeds (crazy healthy super food), but those can be omitted. Just reduce the amount of milk you use, since chia seeds absorb a lot of moisture. Also, you can use any kind of milk you want. I use almond milk because it's freaking delicious! You can also omit the greek yogurt and increase the amount of milk used or even use flavored greek yogurt and skip the stevia. And you can use any kind of fruit you want! I usually use apples, strawberries or blueberries, but I've heard of tons of different variations, such as bananas, mango or even cherries. If you're not sure where to start, just do a google search for refrigerator oats. There are tons of recipes and it's be fun to make it your own! Enjoy!

In a very nutshell...

Writer's block is bad news when you want to keep up with a blog. So, here's what you need to know about my life:

1. I've been sick since Christmas. I finally caved and when to the doctor last week. She put me on a nasal spray, mucinex and amoxicillan. I started feeling much better after a few days until...

2. I got sick again. This time with some funky stomach bug. Basically, I'm constantly shivering and I feel like I'm going to vomit, but I haven't. I wish I would because I honestly think it'd make me feel better!

3. The weight loss is happening slowly but surely, in spite of life throwing me curve balls disguised as illness. I'm down 7 pounds in 4 weeks, which isn't too shabby. I'd still like to lose at least another 10!

4. Mark and I split the cost of a plane ticket for me to go see him in April for our 1 year anniversary of being engaged! I can't wait!

5. Wedding plans are coming along! Mark's mom is figuring out the rehearsal dinner and I'm working on rentals for the reception.

6. Cooking and baking healthy recipes has become my weekend tradition. Unfortunately, two of my recipes turned out to be pretty huge fails this week :( I've created a new board on Pinterest to keep track of pins that rocked and pins that bombed. Check it out when you get the chance!

Ok, I know you really didn't need to know about any of this at all, but I'm posting anyways to keep this thing current. Thanks for reading if you actually made it this far down. You rock.

P.S. The title of this blog is in honor of one of my favorite professors in college who always said awesome things like that. Dr. Cheah <3

Men plan, God laughs.

Over two months ago, I quit my job. And I've never been happier. Let me back up...

In college, I majored in Public Relations and I LOVED it. I was excited to go to my classes, excited for my internship, even excited to write papers. I was ready to graduate, get accepted into a grad program,  work as a TA while getting another internship, work a few years in the PR field, then when I started having kids, I would quit and begin my own PR firm where I'd work from home. It was a fool-proof plan, right?! Well, I got accepted into the grad program I wanted. Unfortunately, state funding cut the amount of TA positions available and I just barely made the cut. There was no way I could take out more student loans to pay for additional education. So I threw my dreams of grad school out the window and started looking for jobs. Easy, right?

Turns out, jobs aren't that easy to come by. After graduating and being jobless for a few weeks, the unemployment started driving me crazy. I had to do SOMETHING. ANYTHING. So I accepted a job at a day care center in town. It would only be temporary while I searched for a PR job. I'd be there two months, TOPS. Right?

Wrong again, as always. After a while, I gave up on the job search. I wasn't necessarily happy with my current job, but I was making a little money and the kids were (usually) kinda cute. Fast forward a year and I started looking for jobs again. I finally got an interview at a huge corporate company, and they offered me a job! Again, it wasn't the most ideal job, but it paid more! I accepted and I was so excited to start. Life was going to be sooooo much better. Right?

Seriously. I need to learn that I'm almost always wrong when it comes to these things! I was MISERABLE. And I'm not talking the usual, "I don't like my job". I'm talking, tears flowing, feel-like-I'm-going-to-vomit, MISERABLE. Poor Mark. He listened patiently to my tears everyday before I went in to work. He encouraged me and was so supportive and I'm so grateful for him. When I started thinking more about it, I realized I missed the day care. WHAT?!? I missed it? Yes. I missed the kids running to me and hugging me in the morning. I missed them waving goodbye when they left at night. I missed the slobbery kisses, the giant smiles, and the adorable giggles. I missed be able to talk to my coworkers and feeling like they actually cared about my life. I missed normal hours, weekends, and the ability to breathe during my work day. 

And so I quit.

And I'm back at the day care. Yes, sometimes the kids drive me crazy. Sometimes, when they have snot running past their chins, I cringe. But then I think about how unhappy I was before and how happy I am now. Sure, I'm not making as much money as I was, but I'm going to be ok. I'll be here for 5 more months and then I'll move away and start a new search for a job. I'm not sure what I'll find, but I think I've learned to let go and let things happen that are meant to happen. And I think that will make me happy. 

Shedding for the Wedding

I've always struggled with my weight. From the time I was in 4th grade, I've been horribly aware of how much I weigh. It's awful to be ten years old and feel gross and ugly because of what you weigh. I wasn't even overweight, but I heard my doctor tell my mom that I was getting heavy and, in that moment, my life changed. When I tried cheerleading in junior high, my coach told me I was the third smallest girl on the squad, but there were only 2 flyer positions, so I was out of luck. I'm not sure why I wanted to be a flyer so badly, considering I'm scared of heights, but for some reason, this devastated me. I started skipping breakfast, throwing out my lunches and only picking at my dinner. It got to the point that my dad had to bribe me with new clothes to get me to eat again.

In high school, I always felt fat and awkward. Looking back, I realize I was actually pretty skinny for the first few years. Senior year was a year that was unfortunately filled with drama and unnecessary stress, which lead me to eat, eat, eat. By the end of my senior year, I had gained nearly 10 pounds. It only got worse in college. For my first semester I didn't have many friends and I felt lonely and depressed. My idea of a good Friday night was sitting alone in my room with pizza and breadsticks. Even when I eventually made friends, the bad habits remained. Halfway through my sophomore year, I calculated my BMI and it told me I was borderline obese.

OBESE?!?! How could I be obese? Obese people are huge, I was still tiny, right? Wrong. I took a good hard look at myself and I didn't like what I saw. Over Christmas break in 2008, I came across a box of old pictures from high school. You know, when I thought I was really fat? I wasn't! I was skinny! I had a body that I would kill for at that time. I hated myself for hating myself when I was younger. And I knew I HAD to make a change. I started a diet four days before Christmas. I was determined.

I started reading articles about weight loss and healthy foods and realized how little I knew about eating well. I remember once telling my mom about how I should be losing weight because I eat ramen noodles all the time! I was so dumb in denial. I began incorporating more fruits and veggies in my diet and eating lean protein and whole grains. I started to see pounds drop off the scale and it was so incredibly motivating. I started going to the gym 4-5 times a week and it wasn't long before I could run an entire mile without stopping, which I probably hadn't ever been able to do before in my life. By the time the school year ended, I had dropped 30 pounds! By the end of the summer, I dropped another 10, making my total weight loss 40 pounds and putting me at a healthy weight.

I'll admit that I've slipped up from time to time. After I turned 21, I saw the scale rise by a few pounds and it's pretty much stayed there ever since. All in all, I'm still proud of myself. Making a change like that took a lot of dedication and determination and it wasn't always easy. I remember crying on my birthday because I couldn't think of anywhere I could go out to eat and celebrate. My friends would go to Denny's and eat cheesy fries and giant burgers, and I'd order a side salad with honey mustard and then felt guilty about eating honey mustard. In the end, it was worth it. I'm still not overly happy with the way I look, but I feel much better about myself than I used to!

Now my wedding is less than 6 months away. I have a dress that I love that was designed for someone skinnier than me and I plan on looking amazing in it. I let myself gain some weight and get out of shape the past few months, but all that is about to change. Healthy Melissa has returned and she's back with a vengeance. The goal is to lose 15 pounds over the next few months, putting me at my lowest weight since 2005. I'm going to work hard, make adjustments to my life, and stick with it. Please encourage me as much as you can. I know it won't be easy, but I also know that I can and I WILL do it. Check back soon for details on my weight loss plan, yummy (healthy) recipes and more!

With this ring...

This weekend I was struck with some rare wedding motivation. I say rare, because usually when I start thinking of the wedding plans, I tend to panic and strive to think of anything but the wedding. I decided to take advantage of this motivation and get things done. The end result is that I was able to cross one thing off my list. It's not much, but it's better than nothing!

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about what Will, my nephew and ring bearer, should use as his ring-bearing "pillow". For some reason, I think it's weird to see a boy carrying a fluffy pillow covered in lace and ribbons, so I looked for something else. After a google image search, I managed to find a great DIY tutorial for an amazing box to hold the rings. Thanks to the girls at The Knotty Bride for this one! Here's the link to the post: http://theknottybride.com/32740

First, I purchased a wooden box from Hobby Lobby. This awesome box was only $2.99! Next I went to Home Depot and bought wood stain (I used Minwax Wood Finish English Chestnut). Once the box was stained, it looked awesome! I was so excited.

After I stained the box, I propped it open and let it dry overnight. The next day, I prepared to write on the box. I was a little scared of just going for it with the paint pen. The blog recommended using a pencil first and then going over it with the pen, but the pencil barely showed up when I tried, so I got the brilliant idea to use chalk! It wiped right off and I was able to try different options before settling on Mr. and Mrs. (I tried 'His' and 'Hers', but for some reason I could not make 'Hers' fit!)

Unfortunately, my paint pen ran out before I was able to write anything on the top of the box and I'm having a hard time deciding what I want it to say! I've posted 3 options below, so let me know what you think!

The First Step

Whenever I start to write the first post of a blog, I feel a massive wall go up in my brain and suddenly I have the writing skills of a first grader. I'm starting to think that if I can just write a first post (regardless of how awful it is), the following posts will be easier. So here goes. Please bear with me.

Mark and I are getting married in less than six months, which is starting to blow my mind. I cannot wait to begin my life with this man. I've been so blessed to find someone who loves me unconditionally, puts up with all my crazy ideas and quirks, and never seems to run out of patience with me. He's funny, he's a hard worker, and (many many years in the future) he's going to be an amazing dad. An amazing dad who tells ridiculously corny jokes, which (let's face it) is probably in every dad's job description.

While I'm ecstatic to marry Mark and begin our life together, it also means a huge move for me. A fourteen hour drive from everything I know and love. It's scary and exciting all at the same time. I know Mark will be a great support system for me as I adjust, but I'm moving to a place with no family, no friends and no Meijer.  (Seriously, how can I survive without Meijer?!?!) Ok, mainly I'm just concerned about the whole no family/friends thing. I've heard military wives can get kinda catty and that concerns me. I'm sure I'm bound to make friends eventually, but then knowing my luck, we'll move to another base and I'll have to start all over. Again. I guess that's something I'll have to just tackle when the time comes.

With the wedding only 168 days away, the plans are really starting to come together. I'm ready to work out the tiny details of our big day. I've decided that I love the small details. Big details tend to make me panic (caterer, DJ, flowers, etc.), but I can't wait to design our candy buffet and create chalkboard signs for each type of cupcake, and create our favor boxes. Those things excite me! But I don't want to touch table linens with a 50 foot pole. Can't someone else worry about that for me? I made a list last night of all the things I still need to take care of and it's slightly overwhelming. I can't wait for this wedding to get here so I don't have to worry about it anymore!

Another aspect of our upcoming wedding is my quest to lose some weight and get in shape. I'm really going to try this time! Four years ago I lost 40 pounds, so I know it's doable. I'll admit that at my current weight, I've gained 10 of those pounds back, but 5 of them are from my holiday splurging, so it should be fairly easy to lose...right? Here's hoping. I just don't want to look back at my wedding photos and feel regretful of the way I look. I have the power to look amazing on my wedding day and I'm determined to make that happen. Please stick with me and encourage me on my journey!

Ok, first post: done. Hopefully it wasn't the worst thing ever written. I at least used mostly correct spelling and grammar, so that's a plus. Let's see if I can stick with it!