Inspire Me: Guest post

Hellooooo...Sorry I've been so MIA lately....so much has been going on in my life the last few weeks...it's been a crazy roller coaster. 

ALL GOOD THINGS, I promise...and I promise to blog about them soon.

This week for the link-up of

with Raven and Kristen

I am posting a great post from one of my newly favorite bloggers, Danielle...she blogs over at Butler, Party of 2. Where she talks about living a healthy lifestyle, her faith and about her life with her hubby. They are such a cute couple.

See....ADORABLE.

I asked Danielle to do a guest post because I love that she makes living a healthy lifestyle a priority. Which is exactly what I, myself, have been striving to accomplish. She incorporates clean eating and working out.  Also, she loves Advocare products just as much as I do...and she is my go to gal for all Advocare questions. So...y'all go and check her out, she has great motivational posts, lots of work out ideas and food ideas and if you want to learn more about Advocare she has that too.

Now, speaking of clean eating...this is something I have been trying to do since I started the Inspire me link-up..however, like I said..I've had a crazy roller coaster couple of weeks...so the clean eating and working out has sort of fallen by the wayside...but I will get back with it soon enough. So, no updates on my progress this week.

Without further adieu...I give you Danielle...

Healthy eating is a lifestyle, and it may not happen overnight. Baby steps are awesome, and you CAN do this!!! 

Disclaimer: Every family is different….this is just what works for us! I’m not claiming to be a nutritionist…I have just read a lot of clean eating books and done a lot of research, so this is a mini-compilation of what I’ve learned and what works for me.

SHOPPING TIPS:

Shop the perimeter!!! I only go down the center aisles for a few things (natural peanut butter, Olive oil, spices/ground pepper), and I typically only have to stock up on these things every few trips.

Learn to read labels. You want as few ingredients as possible, and hopefully you can recognize the majority of the ingredients. The first few ingredients make up the majority of the product, so if high fructose corn syrup or sugar is one of the first few ingredients, for example, try to stay away.

Avoid packages and boxes. I try to buy as many whole, real foods as possible. Obviously that’s not always possible. My chicken/fish, peanut butter, eggs, etc. are all in “packages,” but not like pop-tarts, chips, cookies, etc. Frozen entrees are the worst! Well, along with the junk foods, of course. Even deli meat is highly processed and has a lot of sodium.

When buying bread, pasta, or wraps, I ALWAYS buy Ezekial. Most “whole wheat” breads are made with enriched flour, are bleached, etc. Ezekial products are all natural and have no preservatives. I keep them in the freezer and put them in the refrigerator when I’m ready to eat them. (They last about 2 weeks in the frig- a week or less in the pantry because they don’t have preservatives.) I’m not sure if it’s an acquired taste, but Big Jon is now on board. And seriously, for one of life’s greatest indulgences, try some Naturally More almond butter on a slice of Ezekial Whole Grain Sprouted bread. Oh.my.delish!

Watch out for “healthy” foods. If something is fat-free, sugar free, or lowfat, that means they have used some other chemical to replace whatever they left out. Food companies are very sneaky and have a lot of leeway when it comes to how they market their products, so be cautious, and be a smart shopper. Even things we assume are healthy, like juice and soup, aren’t really that healthy. Don’t be fooled by food marketing slogans.

Eat the rainbow. Try to incorporate a variety of fruits/veggies…the more, the merrier.

I know organic is expensive, so if possible, focus on trying to buy organic with the “dirty dozen.”  Other than that, I think you’re good with the regular stuff.

Here is my typical grocery list.

This is not exactly what you have to buy, but these are the foods we like and what works for us. Obviously I don’t have to buy all of these things all the time, but these are the main foods we have in our house:

Spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, mushrooms, string beans, asparagus, apples, oranges, berries (usually frozen), sweet potatoes, brown rice, unsalted brown rice cakes, ground milled flaxseed, steel cut oats, local honey, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds (all raw, unsalted), low sodium black beans & kidney beans, chickpeas, salsa, hummus, Lara Bars (check out the ingredient lists! awesome!), Ezekial bread and tortillas, Naturally More peanut butter and almond butter, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, olive oil (get a mister!), minced garlic, tilapia, salmon, hormone free & antibiotic free chicken breasts, canned tuna in water, plain Greek yogurt, chocolate milk (for Big Jon), 5 dozen eggs, green tea

And a list from good ole Dr. Oz…..

And one more food list I like:

{I know it’s hard to see, so here is the link to the PDF version!!}

Other Great Links:

Clean Eating Foods List

Calorie Counts

24 Day Challenge Food List

Clean Eating Food List

A few of my older posts with some really good info:

A Typical Day in My Diet

Eating Healthy on a Budget

My Typical Grocery List 

What Do I Eat?

**If you’re not already, USE THIS!!  

My Fitness Pal

A few other tips:

• Try preparing food different ways to find how you like it. Jonathan loves when I practically burn the asparagus and make is super crispy. Hey, it’s better than mashed potatoes or mac-n-cheese, so I’ll make it if he likes it!
• I put salsa on EVERYTHING. It’s an excellent choice as a condiment because it’s packed with veggies and is low in calories, yet adds an AWESOME kick (especially to protein).
• Get an olive oil mister so you don’t overuse olive oil.
• Use the stovetop rather than the microwave.
• Try to eat as many veggies as possible. Fruits are great too, but have a lot of sugar. If you overeat fruit and don’t burn it off, it turns to glucose and is stored as fat. A banana, for example, has around 100+ calories. That doesn’t mean do'n’t eat fruit, just be aware of the sugar content. Veggies are more filling and super low in calories.
• I cook ALL of my protein in olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, cracked black pepper, and Italian seasoning. It just works.
• Have a good prep day! Boil eggs, cut up veggies, grill fish/chicken, separate foods into portion sizes, etc.
• Drink 16 oz. of water (add lemon) FIRST thing when you wake up. Eat breakfast within 30 min of waking to jump start your metabolism. You’ve been sleeping for the last 8 hours, so you’re dehydrated and your body needs food to start burning fat and get your brain going.
• Eat every few hours, small meals, to avoid spikes in blood sugar. Your goal is to keep your blood sugar as stable as possible throughout the day. I love to snack on raw nuts if I’m hungry or between meals. I also love boiled egg whites, and DUH, peanut butter.

I know I’m super weird, but I LOVE going to the grocery store! I seriously wish I could start a business and do people’s grocery shopping for them, buying them healthy foods. I just LOVE health/nutrition, and I know since there is SO MUCH info, people feel totally overwhelmed. Hopefully this post gave you a good starting place and wasn’t too all over the place.

Happy Shopping!!!!

See...I told you she is super awesome and has some GREAT tips when it comes to incorporating clean eating while grocery shopping. Be sure to check out her blog for more tips.

Have a great day loves!

Guest blogger Jodie@Ramblings of a fabulous brunette

Today we have one of my favorite fellow Okie bloggers....Miss Jodie, I absolutely love this girl. She has the biggest heart, she was one of my very first followers in fact, we started our blogs about the same time...and since then we have become great friends. 

Love this girl and y'all will too....here she is...the fabulous brunette herself...

Since Lyndse is in Costa Rica enjoying the sun, she asked me to guest post!! What an honor!! She is a true treasure to have as a friend!!

I love You Tube for so many reasons! One of the reasons, music videos!! Did any of y'all use to watch TRL with Carson Daly? I remember I would race home and watch it. I would tape my favorite videos on my VCR so I could watch them later. Let me you introduce you to my all-time favorite music videos!!

Faith Hill ft. Tim McGraw- Like We Never Loved at all 

There is such chemistry between them! They are amazing together, especially in their music.

If they ever get divorced, I'll give up on love. J/K!!!

My question, which did she pick?? 

Reba- Somebody

I love how Reba is the match maker in the video, when she is around and gives you that look you will find your soul mate.
And for all us single girls, you never know that guy could be right around the corner waiting for you to drop eggs on him.

Rihanna ft. Justin Timberlake- Rehab

This has to be my favorite music video of Justin. He is so darn sexy in this video! It would have been better if he just took of his shirt!! I actually have this on my iPhone and play it sometimes. (Yes, you can laugh)

Kesha- Blow

Hello, unicorns!! I love how crazy it is, and James Van Der Beek. 

98 Degrees- I do (Cherish you)

This song will be at my wedding! I love the ending of this video, makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it.


I would love to know what your favorite music video of it!

Guest blogging, Tiffany @Figuring out the plot

I've talked about today's guest blogger a time or two or five hundred...but that's just because Miss Football is one of my in real life bffs and she is super awesome. She is the reason I started this whole blogging thing in the first place...anyway, y'all will love her. In fact, after you read this post you will know so much about football...if you hadn't already. She is the reason why I know that there really isn't a yellow line on the field.

Take it away, Tiff.

Hey y'all! I'm Tiffany from Figuring Out The Plot, better known on this blog as Miss Football. I'm super excited to guest blog for Lyndse today! She's one of my real life bffs, and we are currently laying on a beach somewhere in Costa Rica drinking out of glasses with little umbrellas. Be jealous.

 Anyway, when Lyndse asked me to guest blog, I decided to do something that goes right along with my Miss Football blog name......College Football 101. That's right ladies, today I'm going to give y'all a few pointers about the game in case you're not a huge fan. Not only am I an Oklahoma State alum who bleeds orange, I'm also college football obsessed. So, here we go. Don't worry, I won't make it too complicated. Just good enough to where you can impress people at a tailgate or watching from home on Saturday afternoon.

OSU Homecoming 2011

Offense, Defense and Special Teams. This is one probably everyone knows, but there are basically three parts to a team. Offense (when your team has the ball and is trying to score), Defense (when your team does not have the ball and wants to stop them from scoring) and Special Teams (when either team is kicking off or punting the ball). It's important to know which is on the field for your team so that you can use the discussion points below.

Positions. So there are 11 players on the field for each team on any given play. Here are the key positions for you to know in my book.

For offense:

1. Quarterback (Most everyone knows this. He is the guy who gets the ball on 99% of the plays and either throws it to a receiver or hands off to a running back. Think Tom Brady, Tim Tebow, Brandon Weeden ladies.).

Me with OSU's new starting QB, Wes Lundt

2. Running back (This is the guy who lines up usually behind the quarterback--alled in the back field--and is handed the ball to run it up the field. Think Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Adrian Peterson.).

3. Wide Receiver (this is the usually tall, fast guy who lines up on the ends of the line and runs downfield to catch the ball. We're talking Justin Blackmon, Dez Bryant, Randy Moss.).

For Defense:

1. Linebackers (This is my favorite position in football. These are the guys--usually three of them--that line up just behind the line on defense. They are big, strong and fast. This would be like Brian Urlacher or Shawn Lewis).

2. Safeties (These are the really fast, usually smaller guys who play against your receivers when they run downfield. They quite often are the guys that get the interceptions in a game.)

3. Defensive Line (These are the big ol' huge guys who line up against the offensive line for every snap. Check out the size of one of OSU's below.)

Yes, it's a wig. :)

First downs. If you are going to understand anything about football, this should probably be it. See, every team has four downs to move the ball 10 yards. Once the ball moves 10 yards, then you get four more downs. So, let's say that it's first and ten from the twenty (this means that it is first down with ten yards to go and the ball is on the 20 yard line) and the team gets five yards. The next time, it is second down and five (meaning five yards to go) from the 25. This means that first downs are always a good thing! Most schools have some sort of cheer or hand motion or something when their team gets a first down. At OSU, the announcer says, "Gain good for a Cowboy first down and ten!" and we all wave our arms and point in the direction of the end zone.

Sacks and interceptions. These are the two most exciting defensive terms. A sack is where the defense tackles the quarterback in the backfield befor he gets rid of the ball. The crowd will go nuts when this happens. An interception will get the crowd going even more nuts---because that means that the other team's quarterback threw the ball, but your team caught it. And just like that, you go from defense to offense.

The Heisman. Every year, the Heisman trophy is awarded to the best college football player in the nation. It is a trophy that is pretty recognizable, here is me doing the Heisman pose.

Anyway, last year, it went to Robert Griffin, III, the quarterback from Baylor. Right decision if you ask me. A bit of trivia--only one guy has ever won the Heisman twice, Archie Griffin from Ohio State. The first sophomore to win the Heisman was Tim Tebow who played at Florida. Oklahoma State's only Heisman was back in 1988 when Barry Sanders won the award.

Cheering. There are a few things that you can always yell at a game and fit right in. If your team is on offense: "Let's move the ball" or "Let's move the chains (means get a first down)" or "Take care of the ball" or "Smart passes." If your team is on defense: "Get tough, defense" or "Let's get a stop" or "Break his legs" (not that I advocate for violence, but it is football here).

Announcers. Two important things to know here. First off, Jesse Palmer--halftime anchor on ESPN--smokin' hot. Girls, trust me, you don't want to miss halftime. Second, everyone hates Kirk Herbstreit on College Game Day. Unless you are from Ohio State. But it's a safe bet anywhere else in the country that you can say, "I hate that damn Kirk Herbstreit" and everyone else will nod in agreement.

Must-see Experiences.  I thought I'd share my top three football experiences with you guys today.  (1) Rushing the field.  (2)  Watching your team win a BCS bowl in OT.  (3)  Game day at Notre Dame.  If you ever get a chance to do any of these three...do it.  You won't regret it!

On the field after the Bedlam victory!

Hopefully this will be a good start and you can be ready for football season in the fall.  Hope you all have a great week!  Oh, and Go Pokes!

Guest blogger Sami @Sami's Shenanigans

Hey dolls....today I have sweet sweet Sami guest blogging. Y'all will love her. She is a fellow graduate of the best college ever, Oklahoma State University...GO POKES!! She is adorable, her dog Lilly is adorable and her blog is adorable.

Without further adieu, I give you miss Sami.

Hello fellow lovers of Lyndse ;)

That's pretty catchy right?

I am so happy Lyndse asked my guest post for her..

I mean she could have asked me to go on her fabulous Vaca with her, but I guess I understand!

Allow me to introduce myself..

I'm Sami and I blog over at Sami's Shenanigans.

I'm obsessed with my sweet Lily girl,

sparkly things,

and Gavin DeGraw.

When I discovered Lyndse's blog.. she had me at Oklahoma State.

Unfortunately we attended the greatest university in the country at different times,

which is too bad because I'm sure we would have been fast friends!

Last week Lyndse posted an adorable post about things that make me happy,

and today I'm going to share my list with you.

Things that make Sami happy:

- Cuddles with Lily

- Freshly baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

- Blogging

- Skinny Iced Caramel Macciatos

- Live music

- Trying something on and it fitting like a glove

- Getting packages in the mail

- Movies with Reese Witherspoon in them

- Happy Hour with my girlfriends

- Cowboy Football

- Orange and Black :)

- Fashion Magazines

- Clean sheets

- Rollercoasters

- My Mom

- Writing about Fashion

- Cooking new recipes and having them taste good

- Vampire Diaries

- Going to the Movie Theater

- Laying out by the pool

- Blue Moon with an Orange wedge

I could go on and on but I'll leave you with just a few!

What makes you guys happy?
Feel free to stop by my blog and leave me a comment letting me know :)

I hope Lyndse is having a blast soaking it up in the sun..
I couldn't be more jealous!
Thanks so much for having me girl :)

I'm rambling somewhere else today

Hello there! It's FRIDAY...my favorite day of the week.

Today you can find me over at my dear sweet friend Miss Jodie's blog...she just celebrated her one year blogging anniversary just like me. So, if you will go on over there and tell her hi...you will love her. She is the sweetest lady...oh and she is a fellow Okie as well....gotta loves us Oklahoma girls.

Ramblings of a Fabulous Brunette

In other news...tonight I am going to go see one of my favorite bands, Randy Rogers Band...they play Texas country or Red Dirt music.

Love them, there songs always remind of college...and you all know I like to re-live my college days.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!