How I Meal Plan and Organize My Week

Today is the first day of the bikini series with Tone It Up!  Go beach babes, you got this!! I will be joining you soon :) This week I actually didn't plan or prep anything because I am camping in West Virginia with thirty 4th graders and all of our meals are being provided at the campsite.  I am just going to enjoy the experience and still try to be as healthy as possible with what I have.  

I wanted to share a little of how I typically prep for success for my upcoming week.  It's kind of funny because I used to not be a planner at all.  Then I went to grad school and it all changed.  I had to be super organized - working 2 jobs, taking graduate classes, keeping up with homework, internships, and social obligations - not to mention planning meals for all this running around and trying to fit in workouts. 

Since I am on a budget I started meal planning as well as planning out all my events all together.  I wanted to know what I was doing for the upcoming week so I could plan meals around it or have healthy options to bring with me.  Eating out was never really an option because of the added cost that brings.  

Now I am not in grad school but still living a pretty hectic life I have found peace of mind in being a little prepared for what is coming.  So every week I get out my computer, colored pens, my Passion Planner, and a notepad for lists and get to work.  I check a few things.  1. My school calendar 2. My personal calendar 3. Offline [a fun app that posts events in Charlotte] 4. Tone It Up's weekly schedule for workout 5. My tone it up Nutrition plan.  

First, I put everything into my planner according to the time I want to accomplish things.  I even make sure to write down journal time in there because there is power in writing your goals down and I need that time set aside for prayer and self care! Then I add in workouts from tone it up or classes like bootcamp or yoga that I typically go to with friends during the week.  Lastly I plan out my meals.  I plan out what I am going to eat for every single meal each day of the week.  I try to make it as simple as possible and tone it up has taught me how to reuse ingredients for multiple recipes so nothing goes to waste!  This also helps you be creative with your meals multiple times throughout the week instead of just getting things to make one meal like I used to do [My old roomie / current bestie would be so proud] After the meals are planned I make my grocery list and head out to Trader Joes.  Sometimes I will even prep for the week especially if there is something like muffins I want to eat multiple days but not always.  I pack my lunch for work every night so while I am at it I prep for all my meals for the day ahead. 

I find that I am calmer and more likely to reach my goals when I set aside this time every weekend.  Meal planning and organizing my life with my calendar I feel has made me a bit more successful from week to week.  Of course things always come up but I am not ever far from my planner to check and make adjustments.  Or if I happen to go out to eat I consciously make a healthy choice and then just shifts some meals around. There are so many ways to prepare for the week ahead but I find the most important thing is to think about what you truly want to accomplish.  At the end of the day or the week what will you be proud of yourself for when you look back and plan to do those things!

How do you set yourself up for a successful week?

2016 | A Year In Review

2016 was so full for me.  My life still in a lot of transition throughout this year.  There were some big unknowns about how my life would unfold, but reflecting back on this year, I realized that the unknowns didn't stop me from being brave, trying new things, and having some really great adventures.

Some of my favorite memories from this year are:

1. Starting this blog.  Getting back into photography and sharing my heart has been so fulfilling and I can't wait to see where it takes me for 2017.  My hope is that this will be a place where hearts can be shared and authentic community can be built.

2. Really moving back to Charlotte.  I have always had one foot in this city.  And for the first 6 months of 2016 I was living in two cities at the same time [literally, I had 2 separate rents!] the end of July I finally planted some roots and made the move to be here in the city I love and will always call home.

3. I left Boone.  Not without one last hike to Rough Ridge. Boone has been so good to me.  I lived there for 6 total years of my life.  The second time I lived there was a healing experience for me.  I learned so much about myself spending time in those majestic mountains.  My soul will be forever grateful for the slow pace of life and the many mountains I climbed.

4.  I took Mike on a birthday trip to Asheville in June.  We had a wonderful time wandering the city, finding fun breweries to try, and meeting up with some friends who live there.

5. In November, I ran my second half marathon in Savannah.  You can read all about that trip here.

6. Mike and I celebrated 1 year of dating at the High Country Beer Fest.

7. One of my goals for my last summer in Boone was to do all the things I have always wanted to do but never seemed to get around to it.  So one day we rented Kayaks on Price Lake and soaked up the water, sunshine, and exercise.

8. A little lesson I have learned this year is to be more present in the moment.  I have spent many quiet moments reflecting, journaling, reading my bible and time in prayer.  These are my favorite moments and they make the biggest impact.

9. Renaissance Festival.  There is one every fall in Charlotte and it's so much fun.  A day full of flower crowns, medieval costumes, shows, jousting, good beer, turkey legs, and song.

10. I started working as an elementary school counselor. I worked for my internship at a school in Charlotte and was asked back for this school year.  I am so grateful for my job and the lessons it teaches me every day.  Our theme for this school year is Racing with Excellence so we kicked off the 2016/17 school year at the speedway in Concord!

11.  My Uncle got married! They have been dating for 20 years.  It was so much fun to gather with family in Georgia and celebrate love while dancing the night away!

12. I graduated with my Masters degree in May! Such a huge accomplishment.  So many things fell into place for my dreams to come true with this one.  The whole experience will always be cherished as such a blessing.

13. Technically this was the end of 2015, but I didn't have this blog yet, so I am sharing now.  Last Christmas was spent in Peru with my sister.  We got to go to Machu Picchu. Oh, what a breathtaking, awe inspiring, wonder of the world that was. Being in those Andes mountains was something I will never forget.

14. I took a trip to Raleigh to meet Mikes family and to see where he grew up. It was such a fun little trip to explore another part of the state and get to know him a little bit more.

15. I tried Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga for the first time.  A friend and I went to a class on Watauga Lake - which quickly became my favorite summer spot. The class was so challenging, yet serene and lovely all at the same time.  I highly recommend it and will definitely jump if I get another opportunity.

16. Dad and I tried our hand at gardening in the spring.  We built a raised bed in my parents yard.  The garden was filled with veggies that fed us all summer long.  I never knew there were so many ways to eat eggplants but when your garden is fruitful you get creative quick!

What are some of your favorite 2016 memories?

The Importance of Self Care

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I never used to be one to write things down.  My mom would say that I was messy growing up.  But I like to think I have always been organized.  Being raised by a super organized mom I am turning into her more and more each day.  My whole life now is a constant to do list and you can rarely find me without my planner.  I feel like if I don't write it down, it won't happen at all. [Please tell me I am not alone in this!] 

With the year winding down I always become really reflective.  I look back on my previous year and think about things I want to accomplish for the next.  I will share my new years goals soon, as well, but today I just wanted share the most important lesson I have learned/ am still learning every single day: self care.

I know self care is a term that is being heard more frequently now but I have a confession.  A few years ago when I started my counseling graduate program they really really preached self care [and for good reason] but to me those two words put together in that way baffled me.  No one ever before told me to practice self care - let alone took the time to define it.  I heard the gist of it; eat healthy, take breaks, do things that make you happy, etc. But never the words self care.

Because my grad program was so wonderful - I truly learned the meaning in those 2 valuable life changing years. My professors not only preached it but showed they genuinely cared, when we had an issue they would first ask what are we doing to take care of ourselves before trying to delve into the other problem. Learning about those two simple words not only changed who I am, they pushed me, they challenged me, and they taught me to be who I am now. 

Flash forward a few years now I am a practicing school counselor and the words self care, self care, self care come out of my mouth many times a day to myself and others around me. 

So for the remainder of this year self care is something that I am truly trying practice.  I can't take care of others or do my job effectively without it.  Self care can be simple routine things, doesn't have to be big extravagant and throw your whole day around.  I have a lot of various self care practices that fulfill me.  These are the few that I hold pretty sacred and my days are thrown off if I miss them.

I start my morning reading the readings for the day and journaling about it before I leave for work.  I plan my meals out so that I eat the food that fuels my body in a healthy way and over time I have learned what my body likes and doesn't like.  I pay attention to my body and what it needs. The first thing I do when I get home from work is change into work out clothes and do a workout as well as go on a long walk with my dog.

I am always searching for more self care practices to implement.  What are some of the things you do to practice self care?