Some Thoughts...

Hey everyone! How's life treatin' ya?

Things are pretty nice over here..  Just trying to enjoy summer and prepare for nursing school to star this fall... (Good Lord is that process expensive!)..

Not too much share with the health thing.. Thankfully, I am doing well and just trying to get by... It's a day to day struggle for me. A battle between my love of food and my need to be healthy. I have found myself focusing lately more on eating "clean" and trying to get healthy rather than just trying to "get skinny". I have finally realized the value in whole, organic, unprocessed foods. It's terrifying what companies add in to processed food today. Right now, the general rule of thumb is if I can read the label and KNOW what's in it, I buy it. If not, I don't. I won't claim to be perfect or even try. This is a learning process for me and I am a continually evolving project.

I wanted to share this picture with everyone. I saw it online and it sent shivers down my spine to the point where I started to cry.

  Childhood obesity (and preventing it) is a huge passion of mine right now. If we can start children early on and teach them not just HOW to eat healthfully, but WHY, maybe we can save even one child from struggling with adulthood obesity. I think back to being a child and my parents having me on diets from age 7 or 8. They always tried telling me WHAT to do, but I never remember any real consistency or reasons given to me other than "you'll be so much prettier if you were only thin". Ugh.. BIGGEST pet peeve comment. I WILL throat punch the next person I hear that from. Please, I beg of you... Teach your children WHY early on! Don't be afraid to show them what struggles they COULD face when they get older. Teach them to enjoy healthy snacks in moderation.

Also, reserve things like Xbox and Playstation as rewards! Do not use them just as babysitters. Children these days are sedentary for 7+ hours a day in school. The last thing they need is an entire evening of mindless gaming that offers no real value. I actually read a blog the other day where the blogger had gotten a phone call from her son's school to tell her that he got "in trouble" and was made to sit in time out for all of recess because he "ran on the playground". Apparently, running on the playground is against school policy because kids could get hurt... Who the hell cares??? Kids are SUPPOSED to get hurt! Kids scrape knees, break arms, and get bruised up... They still survive. A child that ends up with Type 2 Diabetes by age 12 may not survive though.

Ok, I am going to step down from my soapbox now... The moral of my rant? Teach them young. Children are SO smart and absorb SO much. Get their brains and bodies moving and prepare them for a healthy, happy future!

Stacie's "Kind-a" Bars

So I have many reasons to smile these days...

First, I am finally cleared of my "dental drama"!!! EEEEEEE!!!! I couldn't have been a happier girl walking out of the (amazing) third oral surgeons office! Dr. Ban, you are wonderful and I am so grateful to not be in ANY pain anymore!

Along with my mouth pain being done, the semester from hell has ended as well. I did well in my Math and Microbiology classes. I haven't heard back from my English professor yet. I have a feeling I did well, as I have done well all semester (and my final research paper kicked ass... Who am I kidding??).. I may post a link to it someday, as it is a research paper completely devoted to weight loss surgery. I loved writing it!

I am also back to my old routine. Running and meal prepping! It's great to be back and "alive" again. I struggled SO much over the past 3 months and have a whole new understanding and appreciation for those that suffer chronic pain of any kind.. It is truly debilitating and, despite how I used to feel, you can't "just ignore it". I apologize for my former lack of sympathy and concern. I also appreciate everyone who has been so kind and caring while I was having trouble. The kind words, emails, texts, and calls meant so much. xoxo!

On to the title of this post!

This morning, I was battling some cramping and went on the hunt for some Midol in the gift shop of the hospital I am currently working in. That place is a death trap for my wallet! EVERY. TIME.
While in there, I was hungry and in my current efforts to "eat clean', I picked up one of the Kind Bars I have been seeing everywhere. Only SEVEN ingredients in the bar and I can pronounce all of them! Wahoooo!!!

This one was Almond and Coconut. 100% delicious! -- PS-- Please excuse the pic! I had to sneak it at my desk because I had a meeting going on all around me and didn't want to look too dumb snapping pics of my food while at work! ;) After one bite, I swore I was going to try and recreate these bad boys at my house (hopefully cheaper than the price of a box).

Mission accomplished!!!

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you...

                                                            Stacie's "Kind-a" Bars!
I know, I know.. Original name...

                 Engineer approved! (Nice chunk taken out before I could even let them harden. lol)

Seriously though, these babies are the BOMB! Taste JUST like Almond Joy bars, but MUCH healthier and they won't put you're sugar levels on a roller coaster ride.

Want the recipe??? I know you do! I would if I didn't come up with it! ;)

Stacie's "Kind-a" Bars
2 Cups Dry Oats
1/3 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Flaked Coconut
1 Cup Slivered Almonds
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Almond Butter

Mix all ingredients up. Press in to sprayed pan. Cut in to bars.

STATS:
I measured my stats for 8 bars cut out of each pan. In hindsight, I wish I would have used puffed brown rice instead of all the oats (a suggestion from The Engineer). Not quite as "low cal" as I had hoped for, but still healthy.

Serving size: 1 Bar
Servings Per Recipe: 16
Calories: 177
Protein: 3.5

About the same as a normal "Kind" Bar.. Same size and about 15 cals less.

Have a good evening everyone! Hope you enjoy!