Weight Loss Challenge

Hello my little lovelies!

So this week went a heck of a lot better than last week. I managed to lose a pound and a half. This is very encouraging seeing as I had almost started give up on actually losing some weight. But seeing this small sign of progress gives me hope. And again it's due to healthier eating and drinking lots of water. Being more active helps too seeing as I run around after three year olds five days out of the week and I have a dog that is full of energy so she keeps me on my toes.

I've also been trying to up my step count this week since we have a step challenge going on at work and I am trying to win. I average about 4,000-5,000 steps a day, but I am trying to average around 7,000 a day so I can get close to 50,000 steps a week. I also like staying more active now, I don't feel like a complete and total bum. I am going to start going back to the gym and lift again so that when I start shedding more weight I can look somewhat toned. I might also start using Sweet Sweat, which is supposed to make you sweat and it works best when you have a waist wrap so that it traps in heat.

I am also going to start practicing Meatless Mondays so that I start incorporating more vegetables into my diet and also helps to eat healthier too. I'm also going to start incorporating soups into my diet as well since it's starting to get cold and most soups are healthy as long as they're not filled with cheese, heavy cream and other stuff like that.

So for this week's recipe I decided to go with one of my favorite side dishes. This side dish has been a crowd favorite with everyone that I have served it to and it's also completely vegan and gluten free so anyone can enjoy it. Also it's just two ingredients so this probably the most simple side dish you can make.

Roasted Carrots!

* Now for this recipe you will need to adjust the amount based on the people you are serving and you also have to remember carrots shrink when they get roasted in the oven, so always use more carrots than what you think you'll need. With the coconut oil a little goes a long way, especially when it's melted. The coconut oil compliments the natural sweetness in the carrots and it is just delicious. Now you can also do this with sweet potatoes too since they are naturally sweet, you just have to adjust the cook times for the sweet potatoes.

For this recipe you will need:

• Carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
• Coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a bowl combine the carrot sticks and coconut oil and make sure each piece of carrot is covered.
3. One a greased baking sheet (grease with coconut oil), place the carrots in a single layer on the sheet.
4. Place in oven and cook for about 25-30 minutes until they are beautifully roasted.
5. Enjoy as a side dish or eat alone!

* Now if you're more of a savory type of person instead of doing just coconut oil what I like to do is olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic powder and parsley. Same cook time and oven temperature. If you're up for a little spice, add some cayenne pepper or some red pepper flakes.