Meal Packing and being that kid at the dinner table....

Hello friends!


I hope that everyone enjoyed their St. Patricks day festivities however you choose to celebrate!!  Again I'm a huge fan of fun holidays (mainly because they come pre-packaged to have a themed party!) so I made breakfast for some of our friends.  Green pancakes with chocolate chips, scotch eggs, and potato bacon onion hash topped with fried eggs (The group consumed the breakfast before I got pictures of it!)  But here are the pictures of the cupcakes I made:

Rainbow with buttercream icing
and rainbow sprinkles

Guinness cupcakes with thin
mint cookie base and Baileys icing

We went out for our St. Patricks day to have some drinks and enjoy wearing green and I knew it was going to be a long day so I was that kid who packed her lunch.  The main thing is I don't want people to assume I'm cheap.  I mean don't get me wrong I like getting a good deal or saving a buck but the only reason I'm only drinking water at the table and brought my food with me is because I have a goal and I'm not going to get closer to it by making excuses for myself as to why I should eat or drink the wrong things.  I was worried I wouldn't be able to bring my bag in the restaurant if it had all my food so I was prepared to have to "excuse" myself from the table and go to the car to enjoy my meals if necessary.  Desperate times my friends, desperate times.  I had enjoyed my 3rd meal of the day already by the time we made it to the bar/restaurant so I just brought meal #4 with me (greek yogurt, blueberries and chia seeds).  And after a while I started getting hungry, so I got my meal out and started being that weird person at the table.  I'll just describe the setting for you a little.  I was with my husband and his work friends and I knew only one other person besides my husband at this table.  So I did get the strange looks and someone did ask me why I brought my lunch.  No I'm not cheap, no I don't have any food allergies, no I'm not a snob and yes if I could I would have the fish and chips on the menu with a nice cold Red Ale but I can't.  So I told him I was in training for a fitness competition that I'm doing and I'm on a strict planned out diet with no eating out so I had to bring my meals with me.  I still got some strange looks but for the most part I didn't care.  I had already made it past the awkward point and I was hungry.  And when I'm hungry and wait to long to eat I can have the attitude of The Hulk.  It was best for everyone involved that I eat :)

Here's the thing I'm learning through all of this.  If your goal really does mean that much to you then you will make the sacrifices or changes in order to achieve it.  You won't make excuses for other people to accept you because you are scared to stand out, be different or be yourself.  You'll make changes and choices and your friends and family although they might not understand it, they should love and support you through it.  I'm starting to get that shine back to me where I feel confident in doing what I want to do and what I want to accomplish in life, I'm starting to believe it and each day I'm choosing to live it.  I don't want to be the girl in the crowd anymore because I'm scared to stand alone or be different.  Because the truth is I am different and I like it.  Here's to you being you and the best version of you.  And when you fall short one day don't stress about it, no one is perfect.  Just start tomorrow working on it again.  Pretty soon you'll just start building a life and the main person who gets to benefit from that will be the best version of you!

****steps off soap box, almost trips....recovers nicely and smiles :) ****

Hopes for wonderful days for each of you!

Cheers!

Ash

p to the s:  I have a new meal plan starting on Sunday and I get MORE food!  Thank goodness because I've been one hungry girl lately!!!  I'll post the run down of that later and I'll update on my upcoming cheat meal plans!!!  Finally a dinner out!! yay!