Facebook Timeout {2 month break}

I think often in life (especially in this tech age) we get wrapped up the things that aren't that important. Caring about what others think of us daily, what they are doing every minute, and how that impacts one's life.

I decided it was time for a break from my personal Facebook account. So I gave myself a personal Facebook Timeout!  I had thought about it before but couldn't figure out a way to keep my Clean Freak page still going and not have access to the personal side. Little did I know it was super easy and I just needed to use a secondary email address. So the journey began.

Boy, it was hard week ONE! I felt the need to tell everyone the smallest of things and I couldn't!!! It seemed quite strange to tell people the silliest of things once you had time to think about saying them.  

After week one it quickly changed and I didn't miss it much at all. There are so many things I didn't miss.  Politics. Complaining. Comparing. Bragging.  Stalking. The list could go on and on. People ASSUMED you knew everything about their life if it was posted. They assumed you were putting in the HOURS of following it takes a week to keep up. 

I had a new sense of privacy and, quite frankly, I enjoyed it. If someone wanted to know how I was, they had to ask.  If I wanted to know how they were, I had to do the same.  Effort. Before Facebook and social media came along it took effort to remain friends with people. And I can assure you that we all didn't have upwards of 500+ friends we had to keep tabs on at all times.

Moving forward I will not be putting the Facebook app on my iPhone. That will limit my wasted time starring down at my phone when I could be doing something else....like actually having a conversation with someone. 

I have reevaluated what I will be using Facebook for in the future. Don't get me wrong there are many things Facebook is great for, like rallying people for a great cause, asking questions, and selling things. Just to be honest, at about the 6 week mark I logged back in my personal Facebook to post on a church's message board about helping out a mother in need with four children. Other than that I stayed off and didn't even care to check it, which I found very surprising.

Do you feel you are addicted to Facebook? Checking it too much throughout the day? Maybe it's Twitter for you that you feel you can't live without. It may be time for a Tech Timeout. 

I am here to tell you that life does go on when you don't check it on every little detail of Dick and Jane. Taking a break has been great and I think I'll do it once a year to keep in check.  Think of all the time you could use to READ LABELS if you took a break from so much technology. HA!

Moving forward I am not going to keep up with everyone on Facebook. It was insane to think I could in the first place. 

Ian's {Fish Sticks Family Pack}

My son is rather picky when it comes to fish (or anything for that matter). With that being said, I decided to just "go with it" a while back and serve fish nuggets or fish sticks from time to time to help him be ok with consuming "FISH".  I hope this helps him realize fish is not the evil thing some people make it out to be.

He LOVED these fish sticks. We ALL loved these fish sticks. I think it brought back memories of childhood. AND the best part is there is NO gluten, milk, eggs, nuts, or soy in the product.  These are super allergy friendly. They are not greasy. They cook crispy and there is really no fishy taste at all. SCORE!

Attention (clueless in the kitchen) dads! 
This is something you can bake for your kids when mom is out of town and feel good about it. Heat up some frozen sweet corn, serve some all natural apples sauce and fresh cut fruit and you look like a {clean freak} HERO! Same thing goes for (clueless in the kitchen) ladies too!

I was a little set off by the price (but nothing real is cheap!). Even with being on sale they were over $7, but I am glad I decided to try them. I will be buying these from now on instead of the previous greasy Trader Joe's ones.  These are also cooked in GMO-free canola oil. I rarely purchase anything with canola oil, but let's face it, you can't find certain foods without it.

Give them a try.  I purchased them at Kroger in the Natural Section.

{clean} Chicken Rice Soup

I love soup. I wish my family loved it as much as me, but that won't stop me from making it over and over. Maybe one day they will all come around.

This soup is based on the one I made called Not Yo Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup {Soup}. I love this soup because I usually always have the ingredients on hand, which is how this recipe was born out of convenience. 

 Please forgive me for the poor image, my good Nikon camera is down. I must get it fixed!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 celery stalks
• 3 medium carrots (peeled)
• half sweet onion (more if you wish)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 - 1 cup kale ( I used frozen, chopped)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups Organic low sodium chicken stock
• 1 tsp Parsley
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Thyme
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 cup dry brown rice (cooked, not sure measurement after it was cooked)
• 1/2 breast of organic chicken (cooked, this was leftovers)

Directions:

1) Rough chop celery, carrots, onions, kale, and garlic. Then add that to pan with EVOO.

2) Saute for a few minutes over medium heat (I am terrible at watching the time). 

3) Then add 2 cups water, parsley, oregano, thyme, pepper, and salt and simmer (covered) until veggies are very tender.

4) Pour hot mixture into Vitamix (or similar high speed blender) and add cooked chicken and chop (speeds 1-3) veggies in the soup mixture and chicken for a few seconds to a minute until it's the consistency you want.

5) Pour soup back into pan and add chicken stock and rice. Simmer on stove until ready to serve.

NOTE: You really can do this in a few different ways and get the same result so do what works best for you. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Enjoy! 

No Regrets {the clean life}

I often thank God that I was led to Clean Eating. It has changed much more than just my appearance. It has changed my outlook on life. It has changed my purpose.

 I used to always live with regrets. Regrets I wasn't full of energy and was growing older. Regrets I was overweight and not my best me for my family. Regrets I ate this. Regrets I ate that. Regrets I wasn't taking care of my health.

I am not about to tell you this all came about 3 months after I started my clean eating journey. Or even a year after. BUT, I will tell you that as I type this 3 years later, I realize I have NO regrets in life regarding food.

If I eat out, I eat what I want. I don't worry about calories or fat (However, I often choose dairy-free and meat-free when out).  Do I eat out often? No.  But I never find regret in it. Unless, I am laid up in terrible pain from consuming dairy and chemicals. Then I have regrets because of the pain.

 I have found a true balance in life. Between the good and the....evil.  My mind used to be constantly filled with what should or shouldn't I eat. I was a confused lost soul.

I no longer care to eat crappy candy ever again or binge on a bag of Doritos. I have no desire to ever touch Diet Coke again. So much of what I thought I couldn't live without turned out to be what was holding me back from seeing the bigger picture. The importance of good health. The freedom to live life without limits.

I have been freed. Freed from the crap food that was holding me down. I can't stress enough how your life can change when you give your health your all. If something bothers you, go to the doctor. If you are due for your baseline tests, go! We aren't guaranteed tomorrow, but that doesn't mean we can't fight to earn tomorrow.

If you truly want to be transformed begin eating clean. Go all in. Read labels like it's your part time job. Care about every single thing that goes into your body. Become aware. 

I can't change you. I can only inspire you. 

Trust me, friends. Giving up all the fake foods is more than just giving up the fake foods. There is a bigger picture and purpose. 

TRUST the process.