Guess who's back.....with a weekly meal plan!

hi!  it's been a long time.  the holidays sure were fun!  christmas shopping and party planning while party attending leaves little time for anything else.  we definitely indulged over the holidays and i'm excited to get back on track and lose those holidays pounds! tomorrow is "officially" the day that i start to get back to where i want to be.  we have a trip to vegas in may, which makes it way easier to stick to the plan.  we are going to celebrate our good friends birthday, so we are all helping each other stay motivated.  it's fitting, since the first time i got into shape was for a trip to vegas in may and i had my sweet sissy-in-law to help keep me on track.  this time mark and i will work hard to keep each other on track and accountable.  there will be one big difference between this time and last though.  i'm not using pure barre to get there.  i will most likely attend here and there but i am going to mainly focus on cardio (we want to do a half in april) and i am going to use pilates to create the long lean muscles that i want.

i feel like i have been such a pure barre junkie that i need to give an explanation for my switch up! so here it is.  getting to a pure barre class that is 55 minutes long, takes up about 2 1/2 hours of my life.  i have to arrange care for my kiddos, drop them off, get to barre, pick them up and by the time i get back, it's time for lunch and naps.  the guilt that came along with missing out on time with them and having to rely on other people to watch my kiddos, was just making me stressed!  i'm a naturally stressed-out/high-anxiety type of person, so i need to look for things that don't contribute to my natural inability to chill the f out.

the gym that is literally two minutes from house did a huge remodel and started offering tons of classes and the most important thing is that they have a kids club!  so my 2 1/2 hours for a 55 minute class now takes 1 hour and 15 minutes TOPS.  i also felt a little burned out on the barre.  i am slightly crazy and need new challenges or i get bored.  that's why i am married to the worlds most fun/crazy/interesting guy. it's never boring and he keeps me on my toes. the gym offered up two free personal pilates sessions and after the first one i knew this was for me.  i'm excited to show you guys how it stacks up to barre and will be taking before and after pics to track my progress.

i will always be a pure barre junkie at heart and know i will get back there when i can and definitely once my little cuties start their school adventures, which i'm in no hurry for.

diet-wise we are pretty much eliminating carbs, reducing dairy, reducing alcohol (cry, cry) and going lean meat, lots of veggies and good fats.  it's a little paleo but i refuse to jump on that bandwagon.  i still love cheese too much!

there ya have it.  and here is my weekly meal plan.  be sure to try out my hubs chili, it's the best ever!

david lieberman's almond and herb baked halibut

crock pot chicken tacos

zoodles and meatballs

beef and broccoli stir-fry

mark's awesome chili