Thankful Thursday

There has been too much "bad stuff" on the news and in the media these days. I get to the point where I won't pause at a news link in my Facebook feed, or click on an article on a website. I used to browse articles on Yahoo and visit my local newspaper and news station sites, but I avoid it now. It's gotten so depressing. So many random, unnecessary acts of violence, so many children getting hurt or dying, senseless accidents and policemen/women or firefighters losing their lives doing their jobs. I want to live in a hole and keep my kids in a bubble. I know a big part of it is also my job. I work with low income assistance and it's hard to hear the stories or deal with the people who are upset that they aren't making ends meet while someone else is screaming at me that I'm not doing enough for them, but they won't even meet us half way. Yeah... sometimes I really want to turn in my adult card and just play, someplace remote and beautiful, with my kids and husband. Ahhh... I wish!

Since I'm at work, dealing with angry clients and the news isn't slowing down on their overload of sad and disturbing stories, I decided to go to my happy place inside. So, today is Thankful Thursday! I have so much to be thankful for and I know that everything I love and cherish could disappear in a breath and leave me wishing I had appreciated it more.

I'm blessed to have a wonderful husband, family, friends... a beautiful, safe home, a good job with benefits and awesome co-workers, a healthy body (mostly) that gets me from point A to point B without failing me, a sharp mind, safe vehicles, food on our table... HEALTHY food on our table. So many cannot afford to make the decision to buy healthy because it's easier, cheaper, faster to feed a large family with less healthy options because you get more for your money.

I'm thankful for the ability to give my children good memories, fun experiences and the chance to try new things. Our latest... Karate!! Everyone has had their trial class now (last one was today) and everyone loves it, so we have four kids in karate. I'm beyond thankful that we can provide this opportunity for our kids.

Emmy Lou's Intro Class

Abbycakes's Intro Class

Jack Jack's Intro Class

Kenzie Bug's Intro Class

Some days it is really hard to get down on myself. To feel overly stressed and feel like I'm failing as a person, as a wife, as a mother... It's not true. It's just hard to lose focus of what you have and to take it all for granted. I'm very lucky to have found such an amazing man for my husband this time around. I'm very blessed to have four smart, happy, loving children (no matter how batty they make us sometimes). Yeah... I have it pretty darn good!

Another part of Thankful Thursday is that I'm thankful for my health and the chance to change my habits and IMPROVE my health. It wasn't too late to make changes. It seldom is too late to make changes. For many of us, it takes a major scare to make changes. Sure, I've had them and I've been shocked into taking action. I've also done it out of desperation. Really, it doesn't matter why I BEGAN, but that I keep going and don't give up. It's been a very busy and stressful couple of weeks. When I would usually want to binge or gorge on comfort foods, I've found other ways to deal. It doesn't mean it's any less easy, but this is life.

So... I want to share a couple of my new "comfort food" options for those looking to eat healthy, but who are afraid that they couldn't survive the busy time of year, or the stress in their life without setting themselves up for failure. A couple of them I shared in yesterday's post - or at least my liquid go-tos. Here are a couple snacks...

APPLE NACHOS - Okay, I'm going to give you this non-THM friendly version of this recipe and tell you how I alter it. So, I use natural peanut butter (the ingredients are literally just peanuts), sugar free chocolate chips or chopped up skinny chocolate (I used MAYBE a tablespoon or two of chips) and a half an apple. I will also sprinkle a couple of pecans on top too. This is an S snack as long as you keep it only 1/2 an apple.

SKINNY CHOCOLATE - I'll be honest and say that most will not like this recipe the first time they make it and if you aren't eliminating real sugar, your tastebuds may never find this overly sweet. For us, it's a savior as we can have yummy, melt in your mouth chocolate when we need that fix. Actually, since it's also a fat bomb, we can have a couple of pieces a day! This is usually how we end our day, we grab a piece for each of us before bed. This link is my favorite recipe so far, but there are alternate options and many people play with it until they get it to fit their tastes.

I've already shared Cowboy Cookies and Fudgy No Bake Cookies in a previous post, but here are the links again so you don't have to go digging for them! Remember that all of these desserts I've posted today are S (Satisfying) snacks/desserts - they are higher in fat and low in carbs.

For those who like salty over sweet, I'll say that we love the organic Blue Corn Chips with some salsa for a snack or E side. These are a treat, not an every day indulgence and for those trying to be purists (no quick foods or pre-made foods), this isn't on your list. We are a bit more flexible, so this was one way to enjoy my mom's homemade salsa this year that she made with ingredients out of their gardens. Mmmmm!!

The weekend is near... the scale was being nice this morning and I, of course, have a to-do list a mile long for the short weekend, but I'm looking forward to it none-the-less. No kids, just The Hubby and I on Friday evening and all day Sunday, while Saturday I get to work on going through old boxes of stuff to clear out the garage. Fall cleaning is so much better than spring cleaning!!!