Meet Jennifer

Hello everyone!  First of all, let me just start by saying thank you so much for visiting my blog!  Most of my posts will be about clean, healthy eating.  After a pretty big wake up call, I started trying to lose weight about three years ago, but I didn't get really into clean eating until recently.  I plan to stick to it and make it a lifestyle change.  So I'm sure you're wondering what expertise I have that gives me the right to have a healthy food blog?

Well...nothing.

I am a twenty four year old girl living in Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Mount Union.  I have no nutrition/health background at this point in time, and I don't claim to.  For me, this is a fun hobby!  I love to cook and try new things, especially if they are good for me.

In college, I gained the freshman fifty.  I guess that will happen when you order a medium Papa John's pizza and eat it all by yourself, then proceed to walk across the street and get a pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream and a bag of Kettle Cooked Salt & Vinegar chips.  It's no surprise in hindsight why I gained so much weight.

I'm not going to lie; it was not easy to lose the 40 pounds that I have so far, but it was totally worth it.  I'm not saying I perfectly follow a clean diet.  On the contrary, I do still enjoy a Double Whopper with cheese every now and then, but at the end of the day, I'd rather have abs than a muffin top.

I have had a few set backs on my journey, especially lately.  As a recent college graduate, I am searching for my first "real" job.  I hope to soon find a job in writing or editing for ads, books, magazines, or corporations; however, I am not having much luck so far.  It is a very stressful process, and my biggest problem is I eat my feelings.  I, Jennifer, am a stress eater!  The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?  :) However, I have learned that if I don't keep unhealthy things around, I won't eat them.  So I keep healthy munchies around and choose those over chocolate and/or french fries when I stress.  I also try to work out a lot; however, I had another set back when I got a sharp pain in my right knee in the last month or so while running on the treadmill.  Apparently I have tendinitis from years of being a competitive cheerleader; therefore, I am in physical therapy to strengthen it.  I hope to be up and running again soon.

***UPDATE 7/8/13: I have been cleared from physical therapy.  There are still some things I can't do, like lunges, because it hurts my knee.  However, I am back in the gym and working to continuously strengthen it.

On August 11, 2013, I am signed up to run in the Warrior Dash obstacle race at Clay's Park, and I hope to be able to complete every obstacle and finish the race in under 40 minutes.  Therefore, for the next three months, I will be fueling my body and training to reach that goal.  Also with this race, I have volunteered as a St. Jude's Warrior in order to help raise money for the Children's Research Hospital.  If you would like to donate in my name, you can go to this link: Donate to St. Jude's

***UPDATE 8/12/13: I have officially completed Warrior Dash!  I did not meet my goal of finishing in under 40 minutes, but I completed it and could not be more proud of myself.  I have already decided to race again next year!  You can read more about my race in my posts: Day 35 and WARRIOR DASH! and Day 36.

I don't necessarily have a goal weight I want to reach as I have learned that the scale is not my friend, but I do hope to lean out, lose some more fat, and build muscle.  I want to see some abs!

Please feel free to move about the cabin, explore and experiment with my recipes!  Leave me some comments and advice if you so choose, just please keep it positive!

Thanks for visiting!!

Jen