Week 32: A Peek Into This Past Week (+ what I’m eating, reading, and watching!)

I spent last weekend in Orlando, Florida on a Client Getaway with my business coach, Alli Worthington, and her other clients, who have become dear friends as we’ve learned, laughed, and grown together! 

We went to Volcano Bay the first day (where I was so proud of myself for doing the trapdoor water slide twice — you had to walk up 200 steps to get to it!!) and then Discovery Cove the second day.

When I share about friendship and relationships online, I always hear from people who say things like, “I wish I had community like that but I don’t know how to build it. I’m so lonely but I’m scared of trying to reach out and make friends…”

Want to know what changed everything for me when it came to building community and real, deep friendships?

It might really surprise you…

I stopped expecting people to meet needs that only Jesus could truly satisfy.

I so desperately wanted to be seen, loved, and chosen by others that I would chase after them and try to earn & win their approval. And then I’d be disappointed & let down & hurt when they didn’t love me in the way I longed to be loved.

The more I began to understand how much I was loved by God, the less I chased after love from others in an unhealthy way.

Also, I stopped expecting more of people than they were capable of giving and started appreciating them for who they already are.

I wanted so badly to find one or two besties. But in my quest for this, I put undue expectations on people. It’s like I set them up on a pedestal and heaped all sorts of expectations of who they were supposed to be. Then, when they didn’t live up to that, I’d be sad and discouraged.

I learned to appreciate people for who they already are, instead of trying to expect them to be someone they are not.

Most of the time, no one single person will be able to be all the things you are looking for in a friend. But they can provide certain aspects of friendship or encouragement or a blessing in your life — and I want to see that and be so grateful for that!

So many of you have asked me what I’m eating now that I’m trying to cut sugar and processed foods out of my diet (In case you missed it, I shared last week about why I’m making this change and how the first few days went!). Over on Instagram I shared a sample day of meals. This day was a travel day, flying from Nashville to Orlando — including a delayed flight! — but I hope it’ll inspire you that it IS possible, whether you’re home or away, and even when unexpected things happen! 

(By the way, I cannot believe how much I am enjoying eating this way! I have totally surprised myself in that it hasn’t been hard at all and I am enjoying the food I am eating! Plus, I am feeling SOO good!)

Note: a few of you asked for my definition of “processed foods” so here’s what it means for me: I decided I’m okay with a few each day so long as I can pronounce all the ingredients and know what they are, but I am mostly eating whole/homemade foods. 

When I do eat processed foods, I’m trying to eat minimally processed and highly nutritious meals that make me feel good, rather than highly processed ones. But, I’m also giving myself flexibility and aiming for progress, not perfection. 

I get to make the rules and so I decided to go with minimal processed as my goal instead of no processed! Don’t forget you get to set your own rules and do what works best for you too! ❤️

For breakfast, I had an Orgain shake, chocolate protein waffles, Greek nonfat yogurt, berries and honey, and iced tea (sweetened with local honey!). 

I used to often skip breakfast or eat a really light breakfast, but now that I’ve completely changed the way I approach food and eating, my body craves a big breakfast full of protein! If I don’t eat by 9 am, my body will be hollering at me about how hungry it is!

These waffles are homemade and don’t have added sugar, and the protein shake is one of the processed foods I’m allowing for myself since I usually drink one most lunchtimes and they have pretty clean ingredients and no sugar!

After breakfast, it was time to head to the airport! 

I usually try to bring most of my food when I fly. But I do usually buy water because I’m not a fan of using water fountains or dispensers if I can avoid them. I almost always have one electrolyte packet in my water each day because it keeps away ocular migraines for me.

String cheese and mandarins are some of my fave airplane snacks to bring!

I wasn’t planning to buy any food at the airport, but my flight ended up getting cancelled and I had to wait a few extra hours to get on another flight, so with the long delay, I decided to grab a green protein smoothie because I wanted to get in some veggies and protein. It had bananas, peanut butter, spinach, protein powder, and almond milk in it. And it was delicious!!

I made peanut butter and honey sandwiches to bring on the trip so ate one of those plus 2 mandarins on the flight. The bread is 9-grain bread from a local bakery. I am going to get back to grinding my own wheat and bread baking once school starts in two weeks. I can’t wait! Because I am all about eating carbs now that I’m a runner and training for a half marathon!

You might be wondering how I decide what to eat each day… I aim for 120 grams of protein a day, 30+ grams of fiber, and at least 215 grams of carbs.

I took screenshots of a bunch of recipes I found online and then asked ChatGPT to turn them into a menu plan + grocery list for this week. Chat made me a full PDF in just a few minutes and formatted all the recipes + gave me a grocery list and prep tips!

If you are anti-AI (and listen, I have a lot of beef and concerns with a lot of things with AI), I think there are helpful ways to use it — like for menu planning and grocery list making!!

As I eat each day, I track with MyFitnessPal now that I’m able to do so in a healthy way and it’s about nourishing my body well, not starving my body for a number on the scale.

Once I arrived in Orlando and met up with my group, Alli ordered Chipotle and we built our bowls. I was low on my fat macros for the day so loaded up on guacamole!

My after-dinner snack was walnuts and Hu chocolate (I discovered it has coconut sugar in it and they set some out so I absolutely ate it!). It was fantastic!!

And then I was still hungry when I got to my room and hadn’t hit my carb goal for the day so I had a homemade whole wheat banana blueberry muffin I had brought.

I hit 35 grams of fiber + over 130 grams of protein! Yay! And I ate delicious, nourishing food while traveling and while spending hardly any time thinking about it!

If you’re wanting to make a similar change or just learn how to fuel your body well, I highly, highly recommend meeting with a Nourish dietician. It’s been SO freeing and truly life-changing for me, and it’s totally FREE with most insurance! Read my full review here!

In order to meet my protein goals, I try to eat meals like these easy protein meals, and usually drink 1 Orgain shake a day. They are delicious plus have high quality ingredients, are only 160 calories, and have 30 grams of protein!

And right now, Orgain is currently offering my audience an additional 20% off my very favorite 30G Protein Shakes. Plus, there is an Amazon Subscribe & Save deal, so right now they’re only around $17.57 for a 12-pack, instead of the usual $29.94! Of course I bought it this week! 

Click here for all the details and to score this deal!

Feeling like your budget could use a fresh start?

I’m so excited to share my brand-new FREE 5-Day Budget Makeover email course! Inspired by my upcoming book, The 7 Habits of Financially Healthy Women, this short email series will help you reset your budget, reduce money stress, and build a simple plan that actually works for your real life.

Each day, you’ll receive one practical lesson and one small action step that you can complete in just a few minutes.

As a fun bonus, everyone who joins will also be entered to win a $500 Amazon gift card (no purchase necessary)! I’d love for you to join us!

Click here to sign up before the challenge begins! 

Whether you’re trying to overhaul your diet, deepen friendships, revamp your finances, or anything else you dream of doing, it all begins with one tiny change. 

What I’m Reading…

This week, I finished Rooted in Wonder. If you are looking for some encouragement to get your kids in nature and help inspire a deeper relationship with Jesus, I think you’ll like this book!

I’m also reading: Reimagining Church as Family, Capable (SOO good!), and I just started Take My Hand (which I’ve heard is really good).

What I’m Watching…

Jesse and I just started watching The Mole and are enjoying it so far. If you like reality shows that keep you guessing and Who Done It sort of mysteries, I think you might enjoy it.

I also watched Shipwrecked – a documentary on a ship that crashed into rocks and sank. It had to potential to be really interesting, but I thought the storytelling was lacking and it didn’t hold my attention as much as I expected it to.

What I’m Listening to…

I just started listening to Glad You’re Here: Two Unlikely Friends Breaking Bread and Breaking Fences.

In Case You Missed It — Links from Recent Weeks: 

• How to Start a Savings Plan that Works — As you know, I’m passionate about helping you save money in practical, everyday ways. But there’s another important piece of the puzzle that sometimes gets overlooked: having a plan for the money you save. When you intentionally direct those savings toward specific goals, that’s when your savings will start to actually give you breathing room and peace of mind. This post will help you get started! 
  
• Save Money Eating Out: 10 Family Meal Hacks at Popular Restaurants — Eating out doesn’t have to wreck your grocery budget! Discover 10 budget-friendly restaurants and simple ordering hacks that can help your family save money eating out. From sharing meals and family bundles to rewards programs and weekly specials, these practical tips make restaurant meals much more affordable.
  
• The Best Apps to Make Money Reselling Your Stuff — Between clothes your kids outgrow in six months, home decor you no longer use, impulse purchases, and random items sitting in closets, there’s often money hiding in plain sight. This post highlights some of the best apps to make money reselling, plus details for selling successfully on these sites.
  
• 40 Frugal and Filling Lunchbox Ideas — It’s almost time to start packing school lunches again! (Or maybe you already are?!) If you want some frugal, filling, and kid-friendly lunch ideas, be sure to check out this post.