Healthy Happy Teacher Weekly Linky

Welcome to a new Linky installment!  Between my Saturday Sprinkles Linky and now this Happy Healthy Teacher Linky, the weekends are going to be bustling on this blog and I love it!  Something to look forward to all week!

Now let's get real.  Every day I struggle with healthy choices and my weight.   I have tried diets, calorie counting, setting resolutions, my fitness pal, and more.  I realized in 2013 that in the moment I will think, 'I am fat and out of shape and my clothes never fit right.'  In actuality, when I look back at pictures of myself I think, wow she is beautiful and glowing.  I am way too hard on myself.  This inner voice of critique and negativity started in high school when I wished I could be as thin as my naturally- thin friend.  I remember I tried the Atkins diet my sophomore year and made myself sick.  If only I had told myself how perfect I truly was and appreciated my body back then.  Beating myself up over the years has only caused me to gain more weight and my self-esteem has suffered.  For once, I want to approach healthy habits with a more relaxed, in-the-now, and lasting approach.  What little choices can I make throughout the week to keep me on the health path?  No guilt, over-obsessiveness, rigidity, or giving up because I am not doing it just right.  Teaching adds another layer of complexity to the healthy habits topic.  Food is my stress-reliever when my job gets overwhelming and out of control.  Snacking and comfort food become standard when I am navigating parent emails, IEPs, testing, and classroom management.  I will reason with myself-- 'you had a hard week just enjoy tv and of course you deserve a bowl of ice-cream.'  Well, a hard week turns into every day and soon the clothes sizes just keep increasing.

I would love for you to join me as we navigate healthy together.  I am desperate for cheerleaders and I would love to cheer you on!   Teachers need to support one another.  Snap pictures throughout the week of healthy choices you are making.   Then link up on Sundays and share your successes, thoughts, and struggles.  There is no right or wrong to this Linky.  A Happy Healthy Teacher post can be food-, soul-, spiritual-, or fitness-related. Ideas… the possibilities are endless.

Let's jump into my week:

For Christmas, Mr. Winemaker gave me a copy of Haylie Duff's Real Girls Kitchen.  A simple, easy-to-follow, and a not-too-many-ingredients cookbook.  A perfect book because I am timid in the kitchen.  Haylie's focus is healthy food that is easy to make and beautifully delicious.  This past week I would lay in the sunshine with my kitty and enjoy planning recipes to make from her book.  For each recipe Haylie shares a back story and this little snip-it makes you feel like you are her closest girlfriend and she is sharing a recipe just for you.

Below is a collage of healthy food I snuck in this week.  The top left picture is a recipe from Haylie's book.  This crustini makes for a beautiful lunch or appetizer.  I forget how delightfully delicious  radishes are!

The other three pictures are perfect representations of my cravings recently.  I could eat kale and arugala each day, every day!  The tough kale texture holds up to a lemon and caper dressing.  Kale is satisfying and filling.  I am not reaching for store-bought salad dressings as much.  Instead I opt for balsamic, olive oil, garlic salt, and lemon juice.  I find the dressings I whip up taste even better then the store-bought variety.

Arugala is another staple in my healthy eating.  The peppery flavor of arugala paired with sweet tomatoes and buttery avocados makes for a great tiny lunch salad.  When I am at home at break I often reach for easy warm-up lunches.  I was proud of myself this week for taking the time to make a small arugala salad.  And lastly, roasted vegetables are a weekly occurrence in our house.  Especially carrots that explode with a bright, sweet, nutty flavor.  Cut them up, drizzle with olive oil, bake and devour the flavors.  Roasted veggies are my new comfort food.

I love my Target jumprope.  Just 10 minutes and my heart is pounding and sweat is dripping.   I will make up every excuse not to exercise and I HATE exercising by myself.  I can easily pull out the jump rope, anytime of day, and jump to my hearts content int he comfort of our living room.  Throw on my favorite tv show and I am set.  Jumping is actually really fun!

Let's face it, I am a cat.  There is nothing more soul uplifting then snoozing in the sunshine.  California is experiencing higher temps at the moment and I am making the most of them.  I love my lounger in the back yard.  With closed eyes and deep breaths, I soak in every bit of that great Vitamin D.

A quick healthy grocery store haul!




Feel free to use the Linky graphic above and link up any time this week!  Also, consider linking up to Saturday Sprinkles! I would love to see the small healthy habits you are incorporating into your busy teacher schedule.  Nothing fancy, and nothing has to be just perfect.  Just share!