News and Reviews
- Today is the first day of the “Changing Unhealthy Thoughts” Challenge hosted by Julie over on the If You Have an Egg Facebook Group. Hop in any time, it’s not a competition with anyone but yourself!
- I have been selected to participate in a trial with Bioma Health. I will be sharing more as I get going but this morning I took my first two capsules. The reason I applied is my continued search to get my gut back and energy back in its pre-2020 condition. I’ve been told that this will ensure the good guys will win in the battle of millions of good versus bad bacteria in my gut! Results to follow 🙂
Last week was Chat #370 “Stuck In A Food Rut? This Will Help.”
When I was growing up we had the same meals for the same dinners on the same days…every week. I honestly couldn’t tell if my mom was excited or upset when our dad would come home on a random day and throw that schedule into a tizzy.
Sometimes knowing what you’re going to eat can be calming, soothing even. But if you find yourself getting bored with the same old same old it might be time to get out of that rut.
Pro tips for getting out of a rut:
Spice it up a bit
If you find yourself bored with the flavor of say salmon or chicken but you really do like them, try switching up your spices or grab some fresh herbs. I tend to get stuck on lemon pepper or asian spices on chicken, but I forget how nice fresh rosemary is on any poultry or pork!
There is a first time for everything
A couple of weeks ago my friend Kelsey introduced me to Custard Squash and I will never not eat that again. My newest find is watermelon radishes and I just planted another round of those beauties!
What new food can you try this week?
Prep Switch Up
A great way to change it up is just to change up your preparation of the food. I love watermelon, I mean looooove. I’ve eaten it plain, with balsamic vinegar, with other melon, with chicken salad. But one of the women in our Tuesday night group said she has started cubing some while she’s prepping a watermelon and freezing it. Freezing watermelon? I’ve never heard of such!
But hold on, then when she’s looking for something frozen and sweet she takes out a few cubes and crushes it up like a Watermelon Granita but for zero points. Um, prep switch up magic if you ask me!
Your homework was #PrepSwitchUpMagic. Hopefully you thought of a food that you love but are bored with. And then hopefully you thought of a way you could some prep switch up magic on!
- Sherry due to prices of fresh produce I am taking one of my family’s favorite entree rotisserie chicken and switching up preparation with recipes of low fat chicken salad and so far we like it!
- Ann due to prices of fresh produce I am taking one of my family’s favorite entree rotisserie chicken and switching up preparation with recipes of low fat chicken salad and so far we like it!
- Vickie I got back to nothing being forbidden. Everything in moderation. Prep switch up magic is to absolutely have all the food tools etc on hand but most all have the right mindset. I am worth it. Hard work prep pays off
Bravo, you did it!
This Week’s Topic: “How To Actually Achieve Your Goals!”
I woke up this morning and decided to do a half marathon this coming weekend!
Who are we kidding? If you’ve known me more than even a few weeks you know that if I’m running then you better run too because something is wrong. But what’s even worse is setting a goal that big, with no prep, on that kind of ridiculous deadline.
Pro tips for actually achieving those lofty goals:
Take It Down a Notch
So maybe the end goal really is a half marathon (mind you it’s NOT for me haha but just play along). That’s pretty lofty for someone who doesn’t run, at all.
So take it down a notch to a more achievable goal based on your skill level, endurance level, time allocations, etc. Perhaps a 5K walk is more in order for this first goal.
Check Your Watch
The second step to getting this goal to a manageable level is time management. Consider your schedule, the goal, “life”
- Is this a good time to set a big goal with other things in your schedule?
- How much time a day do you have available to spend on it?
- Is the ultimate goal time dependent?
Try Clipping Up
This is going to seem TOTALLY random but it’s really not…Alyssa’s teachers have a system for reaching their end goal by clipping up. Everyone starts the day on the same clip and as you achieve smaller goals like being kind to someone, following instructions, participating, etc you get to clip up. The ultimate goal is ending your day on purple which means you had an amazing day! It seems so simple but think about it, you can’t just jump from 8:15am to “amazing day on purple” without some clipping up right?
This Week’s Homework: #ClipUp
Your homework for this week is #ClipUp. Hopefully you thought of a lofty goal that could use with a little clipping up! Now DO YOUR HOMEWORK because I promise there is someone who needs the idea you have already rattling around in your head. Whatever it is let us know, I promise your decision to participate this week will help you AND someone else! Then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!
Don’t forget to do your homework #ClipUp and tag me when you share on social media!
- Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on Instagram
- Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on our Facebook Page
- Tag @Kelly Green Milligan in our Facebook Group
- Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on WW Connect
Extra Credit: Quick Pickle Watermelon Rinds!
My goal 2 years ago was to master fermenting. My mom Nana would have wanted me to, but she had passed away at that point, so that wasn’t gonna happen.
That was a lofty goal! I was gonna be a master fermenter and was going to be great at it immediately. I immediately failed it instead, and didn’t even make it to fermenting at all last year.
This year, I took it down a few notches and I quick pickled a few things, while also learning more about fermenting. That was a much more manageable goal, and it had me excited to actually try pickling a few things! I worked through a few clip ups to finally make it to a point where I felt confident to make my own pickles. You all know I made pickles for Alyssa a week back, and she loved them! All four of the jars were delicious, so I think I can clip up again!! So now we can clip up to pickling maybe some things you wouldn’t normally think of… like watermelon rinds!
I have seen these all over the internet. I’ve watched people make them, I’ve watched people eat them… and now I want to try them too! This was something I’ve been wanting to do for the past 2 years, but I was trying to rush into being a master pickler/fermenter and never made it to this point. But, I think I’m finally ready to clip up and try it!
One thing I learned quickly is that you do have to remove the green part of the rind! You are a-ok to eat the watermelon “fruit” and leave a little bit of the white part as well.
I will be typing out a full recipe post, but I’ll give you the highlights of what I did to prep these watermelon rinds!
Thanks to the Stars that were given during our live chats on Facebook, I was able to invest in ingredients! I got cinnamon sticks, crystalized ginger, and star anise!
My ingredients were watermelon rinds, apple cider vinegar, star anise, water, crystalized ginger, Truvia Sweet Complete with Monkfruit, salt, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and a few peppercorns!
Here in a few weeks, I’ll be able to report back if these pickled watermelon rinds are delicious. Fingers crossed, they will be soooo yummy!
Would you try pickling watermelon rinds? Let me know in the comments below!
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