Hey Y’all!! I am revising my blog and changing a few things. If it seems like road hazard signs or under construction signs are everywhere….well they are…for now! Stay tuned for some new and exciting changes!!
Thank you for being patient!!
xoxo
❤ KJ
::Change::
Change…it happens whether we love it or hate it! Life keeps moving forward in happiness, sadness, grief, love, fear, and so on. Sometimes change can be scary but most of the time change can bring such joy and happiness, time for new beginnings.
A lot has changed in the last year from sad to happy to everything in between. I am finally getting a chance to write it down and revamp some things in my life, such as my blog!! 🙂
I am excited to share the changes with you all and go on this journey of life together!
Stay tuned!! 🙂
Xoxo
– KJ
Psoriasis
::Psoriasis::
Psoriasis…a dreaded word if you have it…any form of it….
I had my son Parker, in May 2011. Shortly after having him, I started to get these red spots. I had them on my hands and a few on my legs. I didn’t think it was anything to serious. I started to then get more and more over the next 2 years and finally went to see a dermatologist, where I was “diagnosed” with psoriasis. This made sense because having birth can be a trigger.
SO what does this mean? What do I have to do to make it go away???
As some of you know, psoriasis is where the skin cells in people with psoriasis grow at an abnormally fast rate, which causes the buildup of psoriasis lesions. Psoriasis is considered an autoimmune system.
I have what is called plaque psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is the most common form of the disease and appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells. These patches or plaques most often show up on the scalp, knees, elbows and lower back. They are often itchy and painful, and they can crack and bleed.
My dermatologist at the time said that while we are trying to have another baby, I cannot take things like Humira or methotrexate until after we are done having children. She then gave me corticosteriod shots. These worked very well and almost completely cleared my skin for about 2 months.
We recently moved so I had to find a new dermatologist. This dermatologist said they would never give me corticosteriod shots because they are so dangerous. Little did I know, since I had been getting them for almost 2 years.
At first I was frustrated. I was all sorts of mad and going through all these different emotions. The new dermatologist recommended I do lightbox therapy which sounded great but I could drive 2 hours round trip 3-4 times a week. I was doing some research one night and came across this guys blog. He was going the all natural route. While we are trying to get pregnant for baby #2, I was intrigued because this is the route I now have to take and don’t mind as long as I get results…I know we all want them immediately!
I learned that results won’t happen over night. There is NO cure for psoriasis. I have to live with the fact that while we are trying for another precious gift, I have to itch and burn and be miserable…which I will GLADLY do for another beautiful baby.
I still had hope though, I knew there had to be SOMETHING that worked a little. I came across this blog Psoriasis Diary. He has a lot of great information and is solely documenting to help others. He has a lot of helpful information, videos, and more.
So this is what I have found:
-Continue to eat better and lose weight
-Start to go gluten free
-Drink 2-4 liters of alkaline water daily
I am hoping these changes will help me clear some of my many spots. I hope this helps others find their journey to clearer skin!
I will document my journey every so often. If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to ask!! 🙂
Parmesan Baked Chicken Nuggets
–Parmesan Baked Chicken Nuggets–
We occasionally get Parker a happy meal from McDonalds but I cringe every time because I know just how bad fast food is for everyone, especially children.
I have been wanting to come up with a healthy alternative for a while now and came across this recipe for Parmesan Baked Chicken Nuggets. All the ingredients are healthy besides the minimal flower that is used and bread crumbs (which I used less than what they called for).
Serves 4 – Prep Time 20 minutes – Bake time 12-14 minutes
This is what you need:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1 pound)
1 1/4 cup panko (bread crumbs)
1/3 grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
My Alternates:
I used 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts and I used all the ingredients
I only used about 3/4 cup panko
I used EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) instead of vegetable oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the chicken into 1.5-2 inches pieces. Set on a dish.
Spread panko in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 3 minutes in the middle rack, until light brown. Transfer the panko to a shallow dish and mix in Parmesan and coarse salt. Drizzle the oil and mix well. Set out the flour and the eggs in separate dishes. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Place a wire rack ON the baking sheet, lightly coat with cooking spray.
In small batches, coat the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess, dip in egg, and lastly coat well with panko. Transfer to the rack. Bake the chicken until desire tenderness, about 12-14 minutes, turning halfway through.
This recipe was VERY kid friendly and approved by both my husband and son!
I had some chicken left over that I couldn’t put any panko on so I just ended up pan cooking them and saving them for lunch the next day. I used the 21 Day Fix All Purpose Seasoning on them and they were delicious!
And…drum roll plllleeeasseee….
These were so good and a definite make again! You can add any sides you like, we just had green beans! Try them out and let me know what you think!! 🙂
**Recipe courtesy of rasamalaysia.com**
Flourless Almond Cookies
**Flourless Almond Cookies**
If you have tried almond butter….and loved it….you will surely LOVE these cookies!
The best part about these cookies is they are easy and not that bad for you!!
Here is what you will need:
– 1 cup sugar
– 1 cup almond butter
-1 egg, lightly beaten
I know some of you are like woah now…sugar? That’s definitely not healthy! Bingo! You are absolutely right! I went ahead and substituted the sugar for something else. You can use stevia,truvia, honey, real maple syrup, maple syrup granules and more! I also used organic almond butter.
Here is a great a blog on how to substitute sugar… Replace White Sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugar substitute, almond butter, and egg in a large bowl with electric mixer until well combined.
2. Shape dough into 24 balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten lightly with fork.
3. Bake 10 minutes or until set. Transfer to wire rack, cool completely. (Makes about 2 dozen cookies)
For 21 Day Fix – I would count 1 cookie as 1 yellow 🙂
Black Bean Breakfast Bowl
::Black Bean Breakfast Bowl::
Who doesn’t love a breakfast bowl?!? These are a simple and easy way to eat breakfast especially when you don’t have a lot of time!
This meal is also 21 Day Fix approved!!!
Prep time – 10 mins
Cook time – 5 mins
This is what you’ll need:
2 Tsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
4 eggs, beaten
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Avocado peeled and sliced
1/4 cup salsa
Salt and Pepper to taste
Side Notes:
You can buy any organic ingredients, even canned. For black beans you can also buy dried just make sure to soak them ahead of time. I cut the avocado all up, only use 1/4 for this dish, and saved the rest for later. This calls for salsa but you can also use plain tomatoes. You can add any veggies you want to this like onion. You can add extra herbs like cilantro (which are free on 21 Day Fix) This makes more than one serving so make sure to use your containers according to your daily amount and make sure to count them.
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Cook and stir eggs until eggs are set, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Place black beans in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on High in the microwave until warm, about 1 minute.
- Divide warmed black beans between two bowls.
- Top each bowl with scrambled eggs, avocado, and salsa. Season with salt and black pepper.
Voila! You have breakfast! This was so yummy! Both my husband and son love this dish! It is a definite make again!!
Container Breakdown:
EVOO – 2 tsp
4 eggs – 2 Red (You can use just 1 red if you want)
Black Beans – Yellow (Make sure to count them and subtract from daily amount, if you use more than one)
1/4 Avocado – 1 Blue
1/4 Cup Salsa – 1 Purple
OR
Tomatoes – 1 Green
I used 1 Red, 1 yellow, 1 Blue, and 2 Green ( I added onion to mine).
Enjoy!
**Recipe Courtesy of allrecipes.com**
Beachbody On Demand!
Eek!! I’m so excited! The day has finally come!! Beachbody On Demand!! Yes, just like all your tv shows but instead it’s your favorite celebrity trainers!!!
How many people love at home workouts?? **Raises hand** there are so many benefits to at home workouts like actually knowing what the heck to do. I would go into gyms and wander aimlessly not knowing which machine to do or choose and feel intimidated by weights! Not anymore!
One of my favorite things about Beachbody is there are always new programs coming out. Thank goodness! I get bored quickly! 😉 Insert On Demand…for Beachbody workout programs! It’s so nice to have some new exciting programs at my fingertips! I can choose whichever program I want from these categories:
✔Cardio
✔Weights
✔Dance
✔Under 30 mins
✔Slim and trim
Technology makes getting healthy and living a better lifestyle so much easier! In this case, I’m glad I get to take advantage of it!! I can literally use my phone, tablet, or laptop without having to take all the DVDs with me when I go somewhere!!
This got me thinking…
So what if I:
*Lose power – still able to workout
*Travel – Don’t have to take the dvds with me
*Have family visit – Can use my phone, tablet, or computer in a quiet place or wherever you want
*Lose a dvd (while you wait for your replacement from Beachbody) – still able to workout
*Want to workout somewhere besides your living room? – Can take your phone, tablet, or computer to the park, a friend’s house, or wherever you want to go!
The possibilities are endless! And hey who doesn’t like options!! 😉
This is so fun choosing which one to do first! It’s like Christmas in March, there are so many gifts to choose from, and they are ALL yours!
So now…which one do I choose?? 🙂
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
==Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap==
I love homemade laundry soap! Everyone is always asking me for my liquid laundry soap recipe which is awesome because it is seriously the <<BEST>> laundry soap! I thought it would be best to make a blog post and make it easier to share with everyone!! 🙂
::This is what you will need::
*Super washing soda
*Borax
*Baking Soda
*Bar of Fels-Naptha, Ivory, Purex – whichever you prefer(Found in laundry soap isle) – I personally use Fels-Naptha
Directions:
*Using a cheese grater, food processor, or just a knife, grate the bar of soap until completely grated. One 5.5 ounce bar will make about one cup of flakes.
*Add the grated soap into a large saucepan with 4 cups of water. Sir continually over medium heat until soap is dissolved/melted completely.
*In a large, resealable container (I use a plastic Tidy Cats container, see below), combine melted soap flakes, 1 Cup of baking soda, 1 Cup washing soda, 1/2 Cup borax, and two (2) gallons of HOT water. ((Washing soda is not good for your skin so you should wear gloves or have a long stirring utensil so it does not splash on your skin.))
*Stir detergent mixture together until everything is dissolved. Let it sit overnight.
**Recommended use is 2 tbsp** I use about 1/4 cup. It is all up to the individual and your personal washing machine. Good for HE washers as well.
Resealable container:
–Few Tips–
I wanted to give you a few tips that worked for me when making the laundry soap.
1. When stirring everything together, I have found this method works the best. Put the hot water in the container first and then add the melted soap. Stir these together. Then slowly add the powder mixture a little at a time. Add a little bit, stir, add a little more, stir, and continue to do this until completely gone.
2. I stirred the soap a couple times after making it. It helped keep it liquid. The times I just let it set it got thick like a jello consistency and it was harder to stir and become liquid again. Just keep stirring every couple hours. I also used an old broomstick or an old window blinds stick. Sometimes regular utensils are not long enough.
Final Product:::
The picture came out blurry so I found another picture online to show you the consistency (see below). It’s chunky of sorts but still liquid.
Also, don’t worry if you drop a few little drops here and there and they harden to be white and flaky. It will come right up with a wet towel or rag 🙂
You can make over 2 gallons for not even half the price. It is less than $5 a batch. The ingredients you buy will make several batches. You will just need to get another bar of soap each time you make it.
Here are the ingredients that you can buy online or in a store. I bought all the ingredients at Wal-Mart except for the baking soda. We got a big bag, like listed below, at Sam’s Club for $3-4.
Borax
Washing Soda
Fels-Naptha
Baking Soda
Enjoy this awesome homemade laundry soap! Once you make this, you will NOT go back to store bought!
21 Day Fix Event/Challenge Group!
:::21 Day Fix Event:::
One of my big goals this year was to help people who struggle with health and fitness. I don’t want anyone to feel alone in this battle or afraid. There is always support and motivation along with positivity, you just have you look in the right place! 🙂
After doing some research to find out what their biggest struggle is with getting healthy, losing weight, and changing their lifestyle, they said nutrition. They said it was hard for them to go into a grocery store, find what is good for them and that will taste good. ((Amen to that!)) It can be hard and it can be challenging but you just have to be given the right tools!
When I first started out I didn’t know what eating clean was, how at home workouts worked, Shakeology? Sounds fancy but no clue what it was! Thankfully my coach helped me and that’s how I lost over 30 pounds!
Every month I host a new challenge group! This group helps others by support and motivation and only positive thoughts. We share our downfalls <<yes those do happen and its ok>> and our strengths too! It is all about working as a team and doing your very best! As Tony Horton says, “Do your best, forget the rest!”
February 9th I am starting a nutrition group where we will be focusing solely on nutrition but workouts will be encouraged. Join my Facebook event:
In this event I share different information about the 21 Day Fix, how it works, and why it is so effective. We talk about those //Cute\\ little containers and how they work! There is a ton of information that helps you better understand what the program is and once you have all the information you can decide if you think it is a good program for you! 🙂
Check out and we will be happy for you to join!
Spinach and Onion Scramble
Spinach and Onion Scramble
I really love this recipe because it is so simple. A lot of times we don’t eat breakfast because we are in such a hurry and something that is really delicious is going to require 9,000 ingredients. Maybe not that many but you get what I mean 😉
What you will need:
1 large egg
4 large egg whites
1 pinch of sea salt of pink Himalayan sea salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped onion
Directions:
1. Combine egg, egg whites, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl; whisk to blend. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat
3. Add spinach and onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 or 3 minutes.
4. Add egg mixture; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 or 3 minutes, or until eggs are cooked through.
You now have a quick and healthy breakfast! Breakfast is so important so try this easy recipe for a quick breakfast! 🙂
21 Day Fix, Insanity Max: 30, & Portion Fix:
1 red/protein
1 green/veggie
1 tsp/oil & nut butter
**Recipe courtesy of Insanity Max: 30**
KJ Taggett 