Say it to Me Now

Hope everyone had a great weekend! : )

I thoroughly enjoyed my 4 day weekend although I didn’t get nearly as much done as I wanted to. It seems like the more free time I actually have the more I just get lazy :s ha. I think I work better the busier I am!

Saturday: I started the morning by going to my MIL’s to take care of her kitty while she was out of town. Then I stopped by Kohls, Pet Smart, and went to work for a few hours. That evening Erik and I ordered Carside to go from Applebee's (we had a gift card). I ordered the Chicken and Portobello Sandwich.

[Picture from their website … I forgot to take a picture]

I ate it sans marinara sauce with plain, steamed broccoli. For free … it wasn’t bad.

And then just for the heck of it … I painted a teapot, ha. It was rather random because I never paint or draw anything. Erik’s been quite the painter lately and he told me I should paint something so I did ; ) It was something fun to do while I was relaxing and watching a movie.

Tomorrow night (Monday) we’re going to a Swell Season concert … woo hoo!! So I don’t be “around” in the blog world all day.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Glen Hansard songs thus far …

Does anyone have all their Christmas shopping done yet? (I haven’t even started! :s)

 

 

-Lesley

 

Cha-cha-cha-chia!

Happy Weekend!

When I was little, my parents always used to joke about how they were going to get me a Chia Pet for Christmas. Because let’s just be honest here … Chia Pet commercials are pretty much the equivalent to Snuggie commercials. Cha-cha-cha-chia! (If my parents ever do decide I need a Chia Pet, it must be Chia Mr. T because I love him).

Little did I know, I’d be eating Chia seeds when I grew up!  Ha.  Here is my mini tutorial of this new super food that is the chia seed.

What is chia?

Chia is the richest and only unprocessed whole foods source of pure Omega-3. Chia is native to Central America and is a member of the mint family.

Facts about chia

- Chia was first used as a food as early as 3500 BC by the Aztecs. The seeds were eaten to improve endurance and were calling "running food" because of their staying power.

- Chia is high in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, fiber, calcium, protein, magnesium and potassium. Unlike flax, it does not have to be ground.

- Chia seeds are about 20% protein.

- Chia seeds are very high in antioxidants and have a shelf live of about 5 years.

- When soaked in water for 30 seconds, chia seeds form a gel-like substance that slows down the rate at which digestive enzymes turns carbohydrates into sugar which will not spike your insulin.

How to use

- Chia seeds can be added to many foods such as cereal, soup, salad, yogurt, smoothies and baked goods. You can also grind chia seeds to make a flour or even sprout them.

Thus far, I’ve use chia seeds on toast …

In oats and cereal … 

On baked chicken … And in water with some juice from a lemon & a little stevia sweetener … when put in liquid, chia seeds become slightly gel-like.

I’ve found that chia seeds are basically tasteless and I really can’t even tell that I’m eating them except for that they’re high fiber and make things slightly more filling.

So basically … you can use chia seeds in just about anything! : )

For more information on chia seeds and recipes ideas, click here.

What’s your favorite way to eat chia seeds?

 

-Lesley

A wonderful day off

I love long weekends. (Sorry to those of you that had to work the day after Thanksgiving!)

I stayed up late last night watching movies (thanks, Nexflix streaming Blu-Ray player), slept in this morning, jumped on the elliptical for 40 minutes upon waking up and then ate some oatmeal.

The oatmeal combo this morning:

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/2 banana
• almond milk
• Stevia
• 1 T peanut butter
• 1/2 scoop cookies and cream protein powder
• chia seeds

*note: Stir in the protein powder and chia seeds last after oatmeal is cooked.

Along with breakfast I had hot tea and the newest Clean Eating magazine.

I’ve spent the day blogging, writing some Examiner articles (check out my newest one, Remembering to stay thankful), watching some TV, talking to my mom on the phone, etc. I’m loving it! ; )

And to leave you … here’s some pictures of my dogs being themselves. Adrian sticking her head in between Erik’s legs begging for attention and food …

… and Rocky sticking her head out from underneath the table begging for a toy to chase.

Up next will be a post about chia seeds! I’ve been using them a lot lately and have had several questions about them so stay tuned ; )

Happy Friday!  What are your weekend plans?

 

 

-Lesley

 

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! : )

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful time with family, friends and good food!

Erik and I slept in this morning (and it was nice!) as sleeping in doesn’t happen very often around here. After getting ready we went to see Erik’s dad. He currently lives in an assisted living community so we had a Thanksgiving dinner with him there. (I said we weren’t going to have a traditional meal but turns out … we did ; )

For the rest of the day, we plan to watch movies and do just about nothing together …. ahhh, doesn’t that sound nice? : )  I have so much to be thankful for!!!

Groceries

Here’s some pictures from our last trip to Whole Foods that I haven’t shared yet …  

Tazo tea: Wild Sweet Orange and Cucumber White with Glowing & Flowing Allegro tea. (I love tea!)

Erik looking intently upon some food.

Chia seeds! A newfound food (or should I say seed) that I’m really loving.

Justin’s almond butter … my first time trying it.

And a new-to-me Ezekiel product … small sprouted corn tortillas.

Have a great rest of your Thanksgiving holiday, blog friends!! : )

 

-Lesley

 

Aloe Vera Juice, Tempt Coupon

** my new RSS feed address is: http://www.lesleyliftinglife.com/feeds/posts/default
be sure to update your feed readers!

Two more days until Thanksgiving!

Truth be told, Erik and I won’t be doing much for Thanksgiving this year. Due to work issues, we’re unable to make it to Nebraska (Go Huskers!!) to see my parents. My mother-in-law and her husband are out of town, and my father-in-law is still staying in a living community due to cancer. Besides going to see him there probably won’t be much of a traditional Thanksgiving meal this year. I could go all out and cook for just us  but I don’t think I will (and I’m okay with that : )

Erik does, however, want me to make a “healthified” sweet potato pie so I will be doing that. Does anyone have a recipe suggestion for sweet potato pie? I’ve never made it, but am excited to see how it will turn out.

Thanks

Thank you all for the positive comments about our business venture!! I knew you would all be just as excited about a healthy vending machine as we were ; ) I will definitely be giving you all the inside scoop as we start out!

Snack Time

Here was my morning snack: Toasted cinnamon raison sprouted bread with Justin’s almond butter, banana slices, and chia seeds. I never get tired for this combination!

New Food Review: Aloe Juice

I love trying new, healthy foods and drinks!

While we were at Whole Foods this past weekend we picked up some ALO Awaken juice. It’s ingredients are: spring water, aloe vera pulp, aloe vera juice, wheatgrass concentrate, cane sugar, citric acid, calcium lactate

You can even see small green “floaties” when you look into it. Right away, I had serious doubts whether or not this would taste good and I didn’t know about the texture. But of course we got it anyway. I’ll try (almost) anything once.

Surprisingly, it was actually really good. The “floaties” were more sweet than anything and the texture of them wasn’t a problem at all because there wasn’t an overpowering amount.  Very refreshing. Erik’s already bought a different flavor to try.

Why do we get these products that sound so “gross”? Because they’re good for us (not to mention it’s just plain fun!!) Some claimed health benefits of aloe juice:

• Aids in healthy digestion.
• Contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E, Folic Acid and Niacin.
• Minerals in aloe include: calcium, sodium, iron, potassium, chromium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc.
• Contains anti inflammatory properties
• Naturally detoxifies the body and cleanses the colon.

The recommended amount is 2-4 ounces twice daily. (I don’t know that I’ll be drinking that much but now you know ; ) Have you ever tried any type of aloe vera juice?

Coupon

After seeing my mini review of their help milk ice cream, Tempt e-mailed me sharing a coupon for $.75 of any of the products. Check it out!! : )

It’s Biggest Loser Time for Erik and I … have a great night, everyone!

 

-Lesley

 

Getting down to business

 Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Thanks for all the encouragement regarding my new look thus far! My comments were unfortunately inoperable last night :( but they’re back now. Thanks to Erica and Tasha for letting me know! So for those of you who might have tried to leave a comment and couldn’t … thanks : )

Before I get to our new small business news, I can’t forget to talk about two wonderful foods I got this weekend … POM pomegranates and chia seeds.

My morning snack: Toasted Ezekiel bread with natural peanut butter, pomegranates, and chia seeds – perfect combination!

This was my first pom of the season and it did not disappoint. This was also my first experience with chia seeds so I’m excited to try them in different ways with different things.

And now to the exciting stuff. Erik and I are now the proud owners of …

Originally Organic Vending, LLC

While the ball is already rolling, starting sometime around January we will be serving the Kansas City Metro and Buchanan County, Missouri area with natural, healthy vending machines. They will include both food & drink, debit card swipe abilities and will predominately be housed in schools.

We are working with a healthy vending company called Yo! Naturals. They look similar to this: Those of you who live somewhere other than in the Midwest have probably seen Yo! Natural machines in your area as they’re becoming quite popular by the coasts.

Erik and I are beyond excited because we feel as though it’s a step in the direction we want to go with life, in promoting and helping others live a healthy lifestyle.

You will definitely be hearing and seeing more about Originally Organic Vending! : )

(A wonderful perk is that these delicious and healthy snacks and drinks will be stored in my house ; ) and you better believe I WILL be snitching from our stash!)

Do you have any healthy vending machines near you?

 

-Lesley

 

Welcome to Lesley Lifting Life!

Hey everyone! : )

Welcome to my new blog!! This has been in the works for awhile and I’m so excited to be able to finally share it with you all.  When I started Lesley Living Life I had no idea how much I would enjoy blogging and what it would turn into. I realized "Lesley Living Life” just wasn’t “me” so I started thinking about what else to call it and my husband suggested “Lesley Lifting Life”.  Right away, I knew that was it : ) For an explanation visit my new Welcome page.  And I’d like to thank Melanie for the blog makeover, she’s been great to work with!

I may have a few kinks to be worked out yet, but I just couldn’t wait any longer to launch Lesley Lifting Life! Regularly scheduled posting will commence soon in which I will reveal our business venture I mentioned to you all the other day.

But for now, so picture teasers:

I’ve got some wonderful things planed for Lesley Lifting Life and am so excited to share my new blog! : )

Stay tuned …

 

-Lesley

 

Staying active in the office

Happy Weekend!!!

After working a lot of overtime the past few weeks I’ve been thinking about how much I actually sit in a day.

Being stuck in a cubicle all day long, every day, here are some things I do to try to move as much as possible during the work week.

• always take the stairs. when i come to work, i take the stairs to my floor, when i take breaks, i use the stairs and when i leave, i take the stairs. it all adds up!

(these are the  very stairs I use each and every day ; )

• walk or stand during break. i use my morning break to get personal things done like phone calls and writing “to dos” but for my afternoon break i walk around with one of my coworkers.
• drink plenty of water. i aim for at least 52 ounces while at work but most of the time drink more. when you’re not dehydrated you’ll have more energy and will want to move around more. (plus, you will probably be getting up to use to bathroom frequently which equals more walking ; )

What other tips do you have on how to stay active with an office job?

 

The Weekend Plans

Tonight I plan on relaxing, blogging and flipping through my new Real Simple that just came in the mail today.

And for the rest of the weekend, my known plans are …

• make bagels
• hang out in Kansas City
• do some shopping for Samaritan’s Purse shoeboxes
• put together a diet/fitness plan for my co-worker and friend (with some professional advice from my PT husband ; )

Have a fabulous weekend!

 

-Lesley

Exciting day!

Today was an exciting day!

It’s official. Erik and I are now small business owners. I’d love to share it all now but to make things more exciting, I’ll let you guys in on all the details with the launching of my new blog (which should be soon) … until then here’s a hint: it has to do with healthy food and drink. Right up our alley … I’m excited!!! Any guesses?

My iron pumping muscle group of the night was biceps. (aka, tonight I did bis).

*please try to excuse how bad these pictures are … i lift in the dungeon that is my basement and it’s dark and gloomy down there … bad for picture taking

I did a workout from Oxygen Magazine. It’s a four week “Your Stunning Arms Workout”. This is my third week doing it and I really have been noticing definite results. I love Oxygen!

1. Incline bench dumbbell curl; 3 sets of 6-8; rest 45 seconds --- benefits: stimulates muscle strength and growth

2. Wide-grip EZ-bar curl; 2 sets of 8-10; rest 45 seconds --- benefits: stimulates muscle growth

3. Seated dumbbell curl; 3 sets of 12-15; rest 30 seconds --- benefits: improves oxygen and nutrient delivery and training endurance.

A fairly quick workout with great results!

I can’t wait to share what our small business is all about and reveal my new blog to you guys!!! : ) 

Have a great Friday! Any weekend plans?

 

-Lesley

A few groceries

Apparently I’m not the only one who has eggs & oats : ) It’s a great way to add protein to your morning, making you feel full longer!

Tonight after work I stopped by the  grocery store to pick up a few random things we were out of. On the list … peanut butter. (I’m not entirely sure what I would do without peanut butter for a day).

On my random list of items:

• peanut butter
• Ezekiel cereal
• frozen berries
• agave nectar ketchup
• Amy’s frozen pizza (for Erik)
• organic mac n cheese (also for Erik … he likes his mac n cheese lately)
• a couple Trio bars (I like to snack on these at work when I get hungry – and I love that they’re only 99 cents!)
• Stevia in the Raw

For some reason, cashew cookie Larabars were on sale for $1 so I got a couple of those also.

I’m getting so excited to reveal to you all the new blog!!!! (Will hopefully be soon). But until then …. have a great evening : )

 

-Lesley

Letting the cat out of the bag

This morning I was happy when I remembered I had an empty jar of peanut butter sitting in my cupboard. I love the combination of oats, bananas and peanut butter especially on a cold morning.

I mixed 1 egg & 2 egg whites (cooked) in my oats. At first eggs and oats might sound a little odd (I thought it did) but I actually really like it. Am I weird or does anyone else do that?

I topped it all with some hemp seeds.

Upon getting to work, I drank my delicious hot tea and filled up my water jug. 

(I once accidentally microwaved my thermos mug that clearly has metal on it, hence the deformed looking “miGo” label).

And here’s a random snack that Erik ate last night … he said, “this would be a good picture” and he was right so I took one to share with you all : ) 

• cottage cheese
• raisons
• almonds
• small handful of oats
• frozen berries

I’ve been busy all night working on some blogs chances so sorry for not being around! 

Speaking of blog changes … time to let the cat out of the bag … I’m going to have a brand new blog soon … layout and name! I’m very excited for the makeover and I can’t wait to reveal to you all what Lesley Living Life will be changing to! : )

Stick around to find out soon …

 

-Lesley

Wet day at work

Happy wet day, everyone!

I looked out the window this morning at work to seeing giant snow flakes falling. It was beautiful but it made we wish  I was at home bundled up with a book.

It continued to snow for the next several hours. By the time I went to lunch it was done and the snow wasn’t sticking much because it was so heavy and wet. Here’s the pond outside of work post snow.

When I got back to work from lunch, my cube friend and I were craving something warm! I haven’t had coffee in over a year but I knew it’s what I wanted.  So, being my only coffee choice I got some $.85 plain black coffee out of a coffee/tea/cappuccino/soup vending machine in the cafeteria.

I knew it would be gross work coffee but it was good gross work coffee! ; )

Here’s my cube friend demonstrating how good our vending machine drinks were. (Jenn is my fitness/foodie friend at work … thankfully she’s the person who sits in the cube across from me because she doesn’t think it’s weird when I take pictures of my food at my desk, haha).

We had a fun Monday at work and probably annoyed our co-workers by all the uncontrollable laughing we did.

On break, our mission was picture taking …me of the snow and Jenn of a random Twilight poster she saw on a random stranger’s cube.  We got a bunch of weird looks (thanks, Jenn; ) but she got her picture of Edward so that’s all that matters, haha.

A little later I snacked on a Trio bar. I’m seriously loving these delicious and only 99 cent bars!!

Finally upon leaving work at 5 (is it really dark at 5 now?? Ugh!) the snow was almost all melted and it was raining, leaving even more wetness!

The forecast is more snow and more rain and more cold.  I used to hate cold weather but I’ve decided to embrace and fully experience each season so I’m planning to love every minute of it : )

Now I’m about to go lift (chest night), eat dinner, and relax until I get to do it all over again. 

How was your Monday??

 

-Lesley

 

Groceries, Shopping, Changes

Ahh, the weekend is over already! It went by too fast and I didn’t do nearly as much as I wanted. Plus, weekends are never as good when Erik has to work.

Oh well … here’s some highlights of my weekend in bulleted form :)  (I like lists).

• Got some groceries. I discovered that my Hyvee health foods section has our almond milk in 1/2 gallon containers now (rather than 1 quart) … score! We go through almond milk like its our job.

• While getting groceries, I checked out the NuVal cards around the food that our Hyvee has recently added to the store. I’m not yet sure how it all works but I’ve been talking to Tina about a future NuVal post. I think it’s a great system for those that don’t really know how to read labels.
• I did some bargain shopping. I love to hit up all the clearance racks! I actually went to Target twice this weekend :s haha. But I got some really good deals … including this huge purse. I love it!!

I tried to take a mirror picture of myself in the mirror with my new purse but it was too dark. Whoops.

• Went to church.

• Got some boots. I’ve really been in need of some brown boots and I’ve had a heck of a time finding any I like! I’m a pointed or square toed kinda girl most of the time and all the boots out these days seem to be rounded.  Though I don’t absolutely love them, I decided on these.

• Played with my dogs. Here’s Adrian and Bubba getting along.

• Helped my husband with a business plan he’s putting together. I’m hoping to be able to share what that’s all about soon because we’re excited about it!
• Did some blog work. Expect to see changes soon! ; )

What did you do this weekend?

 

-Lesley