Posts by Bethany Wilkes
How much water?
How much water should we really be drinking? Some people say 8 8 oz glasses, others say half your body weight in water. There is not one true answer because so much of this depends on activity level, diet, climate, health, temperature, and if you are pregnant. But however much water you are drinking, you should probably drink more. Our bodies need it.
The human body is made up of 60-75% water.
What does water do for our body?
- digestion
- release toxins
- transport nutrients
- protein production
- enzyme function
- brain: cognitive function and memory
- heart: maintain cardiac output, heart rate and blood pressure
What else counts?
- Decaf tea
- Vitamin waters, etc.
- Certain fruits and vegetables
What dehydrates?
- exercise
- caffeinated drinks/sodas
- Alcohol
- Coffee
- Salty foods
- Certain medicines
- stress
- breastfeeding
Favorite Products Amazon’s top sellers
- Hydroflask
- Nalgene
- Thermoflask
- Camelback
- Klean Kanteen
And reminder, get your kids to drink water too!
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Read MoreSpiritually Fit
What does it mean to be healthy? What kinds of things do you do to be healthy? We pour so much time and effort into healthy living, healthy eating, healthy habits, and healthy thinking. It takes intentional effort. It takes planned out thought. It takes discipline. It takes saying yes to certain things and no to others. In the moment you may be what you think might be sacrificing, but you are trying to make certain choices, change, and change your lifestyle because of the lasting benefit.
Some people call it dieting, others call it healthy living. But it is all the same thing. It all comes down to changing your actions to change the effect. What should really be focusing on is creating a healthy lifestyle. Because then it isn’t just a fad, the newest trend, or a temporary phase. A changed lifestyle lasts. When you first start a diet you usually cut things out or add things in. Have less dessert throughout the week, make healthier choices at meals, and control your portions. The more established those habits become, the more routine it becomes. It becomes second nature to make healthy choices. It becomes a part of who you are. Usually over time you prefer the good things rather than the instant pleasure of the not so healthy things. Your appetite changes. Your cravings change. And you change.
Often times faith and a spiritual life is seen as something that is regimented and monitored. You have to “do” all these things to feel close to God. There is a continual push to read your Bible, pray, and be surrounded by good people. And we say it is because you feel closer to the Lord through these things, you feel centered on the truth of God, you experience …
Read MoreLiving Healthy
Do you find yourself trying to eat healthy and trying to cook for a family at the same time? Does your husband need more food? Are your kids picky? Well here are some healthy alternatives to go with some traditional meals. You can cook the traditional for the family and make yourself some extra veggies/salad/etc. on the side.
- Spaghetti/Pasta/Italian
- Spaghetti Squash or Zoodles (Zuchinni Noodles)
- Meat: Chicken Sausage or Ground Turkey Meatballs
- Chicken Cacciatore in Crockpot
- Eggplant or Zucchini Lasagna
- Use tomato sauce rather than cream sauce
- BBQ
- BBQ Chicken sandwiches for the family, BBQ chicken salad for yourself
- Cut the cornbread and heavy sides and do salad on the side
- BBQ chicken in crockpot
- Lettuce wrap the meat
- Use flat bread buns
- Mexican
- Lettuce Wrap Tacos
- Cook fajitas with lots of veggies
- Light on sour cream, cheese
- Asian
- Cook a big stir fry vegetable dish
- Cook teriyaki chicken in the crock pot
- Do lettuce wraps for yourself rice for the family
- Quinoa is always a great healthy alternative
- Use stir fried meats rather than fried
- Pizza
- Crust made out of cauliflower, zucchini, whole wheat
- Eat a big salad with your pizza to cut down on slices
- Do build your own pizzas and let family members put their own toppings of their choosing
- Use thin pizza crust
- Soups
- Make soups heavy broth soups instead of creamy
- Let people add their own sour cream, cheese, toppings, etc.
- Blend cooked vegetables to make broth thicker
- Salads
- Let people dress their own salads, Use vinaigrettes for yourself
- Use nuts/fruit instead of croutons/sesame sticks/chips
- Breakfast
- Use partial egg whites with eggs
- Add vegetables to eggs
- Oatmeal with cinnamon instead of sugar
- Muffin cups with separate toppings
- Healthy whole grain cereals
- Yogurt and light granola
- Eat fruit with protein
- Whole grain toast
And just …
Read MoreNew dessert the healthy and easy way
Since starting to breastfeed 7 months ago, I have been starving! And I have been trying to fuel my body with healthy food for my baby and for myself. Where I once enjoyed my generous portion of ice cream (let’s be honest, I still have a little bit most nights), but I have found another healthy treat that satisfies! The IsaLean Chocolate Peanut Crunch Bar is the perfect mix of crunchy soft sweet and delectable. It almost tastes like a Reeses mixed with a Crunch bar. Yes it’s still a protein bar so it is a little bit different, but when trying to be healthy, these balanced less sugary snacks are the way to go! I carry one with me at all times in my diaper bag or purse.
- Tastes Great
- Healthy balanced fat, protein, and carbohydrate
- Convenient
- Low Glycemic
- Good for everyone, kids included
- 18 grams of protein
For more information on other great nutrition products visit this website. For Bethany’s story click here.
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Living Grounded and Living Abundantly: meet Bethany
My husband and I both have big families and lots of nieces and nephews so we were so excited to finally join the life of being parents in July of 2016. My husband teaches and coaches baseball at a local high school. Pre becoming a mom I attended Azusa Pacific University where I majored in Youth Ministry and got a Masters in Organizational Leadership. After college, I coached and worked in ministry for years in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Young Life, and coordinated a Church Leadership program.I scream for ice cream!
I have a new favorite. Have you heard of this stuff?? It is AMAZING. 
Why is it so good? It tastes good still like ice cream and is so much more healthy for you! It may not be as healthy on the wallet, but we all deserve a splurge once in a while right? It has more protein, less sugar, less fat, and only added natural sugars. And did I already say it tastes AMAZING?
INGREDIENTS:
Milk and cream, eggs, erythritol, milk protein concentrate, brownie dough (flour [wheat], sugar, butter, cocoa [processed with alkali], soybean oil, white rice flour, vanilla extract, organic soy lecithin, salt), organic cane sugar, prebiotic fiber, high fat cocoa, vegetable glycerin, sea salt, natural flavors, organic carob gum, organic guar gum, organic stevia.
“so where’s the sugar?
In short, we use organic stevia. Stevia is a plant native to Paraguay that’s been used to sweeten foods and beverages for more than 200 years. And, because it’s so tasty, we use it as a sugar replacement. We also use Erythritol, which though it has a rather scientific-sounding name, is actually another all-natural sweetener found in fruits like pears and grapes. Though it’s technically a sugar alcohol, it’s unlike the others because erythritol doesn’t affect blood glucose or cause bloating.” -halo top website
Flavors
- vanilla bean
- chocolate
- mint chip
- cookies and cream
- cookie dough
- birthday cake
- pistachio
- red velvet
- oatmeal cookie
- peanut butter cup
- smores
- lemon cake
- sea salt caramel
- chocolate almond crunch
- strawberry
- black cherry
- chocolate mocha chip
Social
Instagram: @halotopcreamery
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaloTop/
GO TRY SOME!
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To Red Card or Not to Red Card
To Red Card or not to Red Card, that is the question??…. But it shouldn’t even be a question! I held off for so long, but wow am I so grateful that I finally bit the bullet and signed up. I know, I know every time you go through the Target line they ask you if you want a Red Card… It may get old, but they really are only trying to help your quality of life. How many of you shop at Target weekly, or maybe even daily some weeks? How many of you have trouble keeping track of all your receipts? How many of you like free shipping? And how many of you like discounts and added benefits? If you raised your hand or said me to any of those questions, I think it may be time you take advantage of the Target Red Card. You may be thinking, “really, one more card”, but did you know it doesn’t have to even be a credit card? You get a debit card that is linked to your bank account with no credit charges or fees. So what are the actual benefits?
- 5% off all purchases
- Keeps track of all purchases
- Longer time to return items
- Free shipping on all online purchases
- You make the target workers so happy when you get to say you already have one
- Special Pharmacy rewards
5%… really?? That’s 5% on all food, gifts, baby items, clothes, sales, clearance items…. It’s a great savings on top of great deals already!
How can you say no??
So next time that friendly person in the red shirt asks you, say yes! It has definitely improved my life, helped my budget, and rewarded my spending habits.
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Celebrate YOU!
Celebrate yourself! Love yourself! Be excited with who you are! In a month where so much focus is on loving others, I wanted to take some time to remind you to love yourself too. Now don’t take this to the extreme and think I am telling you to be self consumed, take it to help you discover who you are. But you will be so much better to others if you first love the person God created you to be. You will be such a better wife if you are confident in who you are. You will be a better mom if you aren’t comparing yourself to all the other moms. You will be your best self if you love who you are.
Rachel said it pretty well the other day on her social media post
❤Loving yourself is a necessary, DAILY process.
❤Loving yourself means taking care of YOU so you can show up and put your best foot forward.
❤Loving yourself means putting your oxygen mask on first BEFORE helping others.
❤Love your body. Fuel it right. Feed it right. Move it in a way that bring you JOY.
So as she is reminding us all to love ourselves and take care of yourselves, I want to take it the next step to actually celebrate yourself. Think about your favorite three qualities that you enjoy about yourself. Think about your strengths. Live proud of those because that is who God created you to be.
Do you feel beautiful? Are you living fearfully and wonderfully made? You are beautiful. You are unique. YOU are YOU and that is the most exciting part. Celebrate who you are. You are created with love, purpose, and wonder. You are God’s masterpiece. Psalm 139:14 “I
Love Begins and Ends with…
Does your love have a beginning and an end? Does it depend on the mood, the circumstance, the outcome, or any other influential factors? Is your love tapped out at the end of the day? If so, is it renewed each morning? Or are you running on empty?
One of my focuses this year is to be filled up to overflow. And one of the main things I want to be filled up with is love. Love that isn’t conditional, that doesn’t depend on anything external, just the love that is in me. And I want that to overflow. I recently heard a quote that said you only love as much as you are willing to be inconvenienced. And too often I live my life not wanting to be inconvenienced. I have a schedule, an agenda, the next place to be. So am I willing to go out of my way to love? Too often that answer is no. Sometimes the need will even smack me in the face, and I am still not willing. My heart is only open to my schedule, my life, and my narrow focus. But that is no way to love.
True unconditional love has no beginning and no end. There is no empty, there is no void, there is no but. Real love fills to overflowing. It doesn’t end when there’s a hardship. It doesn’t run out after a long day. It doesn’t alter when circumstances change. The famous love passage says that love never changes. Love keeps no record of wrong. Love is patient. Am I this kind of loving person? Or do I love when it is easy. I want my eyes to be open to see things differently. I want my heart to be open and real. I want my love …
Read MoreCelebrate the Wins!
We are a few weeks into the new year… how are you doing? Are you focusing on the things you weren’t able to keep up? Or are you able to keep going one day at a time with your focus straight ahead? Regardless of where you were yesterday, today is a new day. Don’t let a few setbacks get you down. Don’t focus on the things you haven’t done. Celebrate your wins. Focus on the steps you have taken. Give yourself a breath of fresh air and take one step. But you have to give yourself that freedom to see the good things. Celebrating your wins keep you motivated and positive towards the bigger goals. Yes there may be setbacks, but don’t let the negative take over. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn” How are you going to live your life?
Some benefits of celebrating wins:
- Acknowledge steps in the right direction
- Builds energy and motivation
- Inspires
- Positive outlook
- Gives you a mental break from routine
- Creates a winning culture
- Helps you love yourself for the good
So keep going. Look at how far you have gotten today, not how far you still have to go. Love yourself for where you are today and look forward to continuing to work towards your goals.
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