All About Us!

Cara

I'm not very good at remembering things. Chances are I've forgotten someone's name 5 minutes after we've been introduced. You're lucky if I wish you happy belated birthday. If you think I'll ever memorize your phone number, you're funny. I can barely remember my own.


There is one date, though, that refuses to escape me: January 19, 2013. It was a Saturday afternoon. I brushed the salt and vinegar chip dust off my shirt and stepped on the scale, finally ready to face the inevitable -- it wasn't pretty.

The physical evidence of habits I tried so hard to justify or ignore glowed back up at me. That number was the reality check I had so consciously avoided. I didn't cry, but I wanted to. I didn't crawl into bed and never leave my room again, which I also wanted to do. I probably wanted to go drown my sorrows in Crunchwrap Supremes, too. Thankfully, I didn't do any of those things.

Instead, I went to the gym. I stayed on the elliptical for an hour even though I felt like dying after the first 10 minutes. And then, unlike the 1,000 other times I told myself that I'd start to be healthier, I went back the next day. And the next. And the next.

I set a goal that I would lose 45 pounds by my cousins wedding in September. I was going to be a bridesmaid and the thought of seeing myself immortalized in those pictures in my current state was just not an option. All on my own, through diet and exercise, I had lost 50 pounds by the wedding. Later that month, I ran a 20k. In October, I completed my first half marathon in under 2 hours. I hope to run a full marathon this year. Who knew so much change was possible in such a short time?

I don't believe that sharing numbers, pre or post-weightloss, is beneficial to anyone -- everyone's body is different. But I can say that a year later, I'm happy with the way mine is turning out. The scale has gone down, but more importantly, the way I look at food and exercise has done a complete 180.

I've always liked cooking; baking especially. This was literally a recipe for disaster. Now food is like a puzzle -- How can I make a "skinny" version of things I love to eat that taste just as good? Honestly, sometimes they turn out better and I can feel good that I'm not slowly wrecking myself from the inside out...Win, win!

Although I still love a good Crunchwrap supreme everyone once in a while. I'm only human.

Kristen

I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty active person. I played softball my entire life, including in college. It was always pretty easy to lose weight during softball season. Once I graduated from college I stopped having a “reason” to be active, and the needle on the scale slowly started to creep up.

For the last several years, I made every excuse in the book not to eat healthy or work out. If you asked around, chances are you wouldn’t be able to find someone who despised the gym more than I did. In July 2013, I decided I was fed up with the way I looked and something needed to change. Seven months later, I have lost 35 pounds and feel much better about myself!

It definitely wasn’t an easy journey. I absolutely love Chinese food, sushi, buffalo wings, and every chocolate or peanut butter dessert imaginable.  It was torture not being able to eat these things in the beginning, tracking every piece of food I put in my mouth, and the worst of all: working out. I started out simple: walking the dog, short runs on the canal, rollerblading, and occasionally going to the gym. The more active I became, the better I felt about myself. Now, I can’t imagine ever going back to the way I was.

I found a love for any outdoor activity (especially rollerblading) and the gym (I know, I’m shocked too). Cara and I decided to start this blog simply because we love food. We’re constantly trying to recreate our favorite foods in a healthy way. We hope you love our recipes as much as we love to make (and eat) them!