My first 5K.

Happy hump day! Anyone ready for this weather to be over already?? 

I had a first this past weekend: I signed up to compete in my first 5K. I went into this thinking that I might run some and walk the rest of the way since I really have not trained myself to run the whole thing. I have never been a runner and never thought I would ever enjoy it. I have been walking for a while now and I knew my body needed to move to the next level. I have always avoided running but decided to give it a try to up my cardio. I used the Couch to 5K program to get myself introduced to it at first and now just push myself on my own.

And I love it!! It really is challenging for me since I have a lot of weight to carry but is a way to relax and have "me" time.

The 5K went great and I felt more motivation running with others. I ran almost half way before I had to walk for a bit and was shocked! I finished 39:41 and came in at 19 out of 40. I know the pros out there are probably thinking that's terrible. But that is awesome for me and my body is making progress in this fitness journey. I was so proud of myself for getting so far and stepping out of my comfort zone.

I will definitely be finding more races to sign up for. Of course just 5Ks for now, I know I am nowhere close to anything more but I might think about that in the future. So if you know of any coming up in the Athens area let me know. 

"It doesn't get easier, you just get better"

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Skinny Jean Food

Happy Monday!


This beautiful weather is encouraging me to stay outside the rest of the afternoon. I love spring weather. I wish it would stay like this year round.


My weigh in was this past Friday for the Biggest Loser competition that I have organized for work. I am not competing but I try to do the best I can to encourage my co-workers. I definitely did not do so good this past week but I cannot give up so I have got to jump back into full swing with my diet and exercise. But the girls I work with are doing FABULOUS! So proud. We have 3 more weeks to go and the winners are getting some good prizes!


So, Saturday I had to try some new recipes to get my nutrition back on track. Hopefully I will be doing this every week and share with y'all what I experimented with. I love to cook, I just am short on time most days so meal prepping is a must.


First, I made Cauliflower Pizza and it really surprised me. My first thought was that it was going to be a flop but I do really like it and have leftovers for lunch this week. I know I will be making this again soon! I have mentioned before that I love SkinnyMom but I will say it again...I love SkinnyMom!! They have tons of recipes and fitness ideas to keep you going. This is where I got this recipe from so go here if you want to try it too.


It is so important that you have parchment paper to make this or it will definitely stick to the pan! There is cheese in the crust as well so it does cause the edges to burn so do not be alarmed. I made this exactly by the recipe. It made A LOT of sauce so I will not use as much next time but if you like lots of sauce, go for it. It is also really salty-tasting so I may try reducing the salt next time too and hopefully lower the sodium a good bit. Feel free to add whichever toppings you love. I am not much of a veggie person so I did not add any extras but get creative! I cut mine to make 6 slices. This is a very filling meal and pairing it with a salad would be perfect. Only 9.5 carbs per slice! I have got to try more things with cauliflower soon.


Cauliflower Pizza:
Calories-132
Fat-2.2
Sodium-623.7
Carbs-9.5
Fiber-1.7
Sugar-3.4
Protein-18.3


Pizza Hut Medium Thin Pepperoni:
Calories-210
Fat-9
Sodium-640
Carbs-21
Fiber-1
Sugar-4
Protein-8


Not too shabby!

Next, I made a sweet snack to help with the surroundings of candy all weekend. I almost think that Easter is worse than Halloween. The Reese's Eggs are the devil...


I found a recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Bars on Pinterest. My first thought was these bars my grandma makes. So freakin' good. So I wanted to try these and compare. There is only three ingredients which is awesome. 1 cup peanut butter (I use simply JIF), 1 cup honey, and 3 cups oats.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars:
Calories-154
Fat-7.4
Sodium-29.6
Carbs-21.6
Fiber-1.4
Sugar-16.5
Protein-3.7


Grandma's Peanut Butter Bars:
Calories-174
Fat-10
Sodium-77.8
Carbs-19.1
Fiber-1.2
Sugar-10.6
Protein-3.5


Not a huge difference but I love this recipe. I also like the fat that I am getting healthy fats instead of the alternative. Definitely not something I can eat all of the time but a good treat when other temptations arise. I also compared it to a peanut butter cookie from Subway and Subway had way more calories and fat. I used an 8x8 pan and cut them into 18 bars. I also would love to take these to a family dinner or something. They are super easy! The hardest part is waiting for them while they sit in the fridge. Definitely a keeper in the recipe book!

(I cut these squares again to make a smaller portion because they are really sweet!)

Cannot wait to try some other new recipes next week! Any suggestions??