Peyton Kathleen

I have bee wanting one of these veggie slicers for so long. I was a Bed Bath & Beyond this weekend and finally found one. It was less expensive than anything I have seen online so buying it felt like a deal! Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Cutter I saw some recipes on Pinterest and was inspired by a lot of them. This time I just used what I had in the fridge: Brat Hans chicken sausage 2 zucchini 3 squash Sun dried tomatoes Bacon fat Salt and pepper After making the zucchini and squash "zoodles" I put 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in a pan over medium high heat and sauteed them. I cut up the chicken sausage, added sun dried tomatoes, salt and pepper. I ate this with a big garden salad, it was so satisfying! I saw a bunch of recipes for avocado pesto to go with it, next time I will definitely be giving that a try! 

This weekend was so busy but so filling! Allison graduated from Texas A&M this weekend, so Friday afternoon I headed to College Station. It is an easy hour and a half drive from Houston to CS, so I made it in time to have dinner with Allison, Rob, and my grandparents. After dinner we went to Allison's house and helped her pack up and get ready to move.  We watched hours worth of 30 Rock while we packed and decided it is the funniest show that has ever aired on TV. They also showed me Dubsmash (I'm so behind on what's cool) and I died laughing. These two crack me up like no one else. Saturday morning Allison and I got up at 5:45. We showered and got ready. When she put on her graduation robe and cap, I started crying! I still can't believe she is a graduate!  Rob and I dropped her off around 8:00, got seats with our parents, grandparents and the rest of the O'Gorman siblings. The ceremony was incredible, we whooped and cheered when Allison w...

Every Sunday I dedicate between 2 to 3 hours of time to planning/buying/and prepping my food for the upcoming week. Having healthy food ready is the best way for me to have a successful week of eating. Here are a few things I purchased and prepped for this week: $100 goes far when it's the right kind of food! Meat: pork chops, bacon, chicken thighs, ground pork, turkey, chicken sausage Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, celery, lettuce, brussel sprouts, yams Fruit: strawberries, green apples, avocado   Eating the rainbow!   Green Apple Pork Sausage- this picture doesn't do them justice! They are incredibly flavorful and delicious. Bacon, spinach, peppers (sauteed) Squash and zucchini (sauteed) Drumsticks with salt and pepper Lunch Monday-Friday I hear people talk about how they "can't cook". I have to laugh because I honestly am pretty bad at it too. I burn things, mess them up, leave a key ingredient...

The month of May marks the 5 year anniversary of when I decided to change my life. I can't believe I was 20 years old five years ago; it seems so much more recent than that! If you have read My Story on my profile, you will know that I began my healthy journey after my sophomore year of college (2010). I remember being 35+ pounds overweight, packing up the last of my things in my sorority room, looking in the full-length mirror and saying, "I will never look like this again." And five years later, I have kept that promise.  That summer I counted calories, cut out carbs, dairy, soda and alcohol. I worked out relentlessly seven days a week. I lost 20 pounds in about three months . My junior year I maintained my weight and lost some by working out at my college rec center, eating decently well, and doing the occasional "crash diet". That year I lost an additional 15 pounds. My senior year was pretty stressful; I lost a group of friends over a fight, was g...

Something I often find myself craving is granola! Before I started the paleo lifestyle, I was a granola lover. Nature Valley Bars, Special K cereal...oh man that sounds so good right now! However, cutting out grains and gluten has had a huge impact on my weight, bloating, and overall intestinal health. To keep these cravings at bay, I tried Diane Sanfilippo's "Grain Free Banola" recipe from her 21 Day Sugar Detox book.  The first time I made it, I botched it up horribly by over-chopping the nuts. I basically made it into a nut butter!  This time, I bought nuts that were already halved and made the "banola" super chunky . Pecan, walnuts, almond slivers, macadamia nuts I portioned it into seven smaller  containers  (one per day, control yourself Peyton!)  because I seriously could eat half of this in one sitting!  If you haven't already, buy 21 Day Sugar Detox, even if it is just for the recipes. It is my go-to book in the kitc...

As mentioned before, I went home to Keller, TX this weekend! I am a very family focused person; you would be hard pressed to find a group of siblings as close as me and mine. Not to mention my mom and I have the most unreal mother-daughter bond! I got in around 8:00 Friday, my mom had made paleo meatloaf and a huge salad with these paleo compliant dressings. I have to make my way to Whole Foods this week to pick some up! So clean, so delicious. The entire time I was there we ate 100% clean, paleo, natural foods. I love having lean, mean, healthy parents!  Around ten I told my mom I was exhausted because I hadn't slept well Thursday night. I told her "I think I stayed up because I was so excited to come see you." She laughed and said she barely slept that night either for the same reason! Needless to say, we were both passed out pretty soon after. Saturday we got up and went for a run around 7:40. Keller has a gorgeous trail that we adore running/walking on...

One of my goals in April was to not drink any alcohol. This decision was made after some self reflection and reading about how drinking, even in moderation, can affect healthy living. I have not had so much as a sip of alcohol in 8 weeks! I was doing my 21 DSD in March then continued living life on that meal plan all of April. Here is the important thing to note: I did not seclude myself from friends, functions or events just because I wasn't drinking.  In fact, I went to more happy hours, trivia nights and birthday celebrations in those eight weeks than I have this entire year. I went to Midtown on weekends, family gatherings and a wedding!  I have learned a lot about myself these eight weeks, and it is all positive!  I started working out on Saturdays and Sundays, exceeding my workout goal from 5x a week to 6! I have lost EIGHT pounds! I weigh less now than I did when I was 15. I have more energy every day of the week than I ever have before. No one really c...