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Two Meatballs: My Katie Nah-nah, K-Ted, K-Tizzle, K. Tiddy, Auntie Katie, Katie Bug, Seafoam Friend…

July 16, 2014health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 4 comments

How do I love she…let me count the ways!!! (did you see what I did there!?) You’ve met my sister Kelly and my cousin Kristina so this is a little segment I like to call the final K! But really she was the original K. Who am I speaking of you ponder…my super duper best fucking friend of life Katie!!!!!! We have literally been friends ALLLLLL of our lives and we got to grow up right next door to each other for 15 glorious years!

This is our first photo together….look how sweet!!! We had the luxury of growing up and being completely entrenched in each others families and lives.

The Beards, Tedrow’s, Reedy’s as well as other neighborhood families were always best buddies so it only made sense for us to follow suit.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say it…best childhood ever. All the kids would play in the cul-de-sac, riding bikes, playing in our awesome tree house and running other kids over with the power wheels jeep!!! But from the very start Katie and I really hit it off. We probably had at least one sleepover a week for our entire formative years. We played real estate agents, climbed on the shed roof, created routines for the jungle gym in her back yard, climbed the mud pitt, played in the creek, spent hours trying to build the damn set to Mousetrap #sofrustrating, we played store, Barbies, makeup, dress up, I married her and our other neighbor Jonathon, we got trapped in my dad’s shed together, our not so secret secret notebook, singing West Side Story and Celine Dion My Heart Will Go On while playing the piano, countless family vacations, neighborhood Christmas parties, hours of chores trying to bribe our way to the pool…

Are you in love with us yet!?! We even survived a deadly tornado that ripped apart our homes and neighborhood, together. We both have battle wounds and probably emotional scars too. This is a pic of the neighbor kids from Mine Valley on the 25th anniversary! #allgrownup

We went through awkward middle school and high school together. We were totally inseparable! Are you getting that feeling!?!

We went to concerts together, one million movies, we played a driving game where I would be driving but she would steer all the way home #neitheroneofuscandrive, we played scattegories, lost our minds to cabin fever when we got snowed in, we would abandon one of our cars for days just so we wouldn’t have to be seperated…we even worked at two different places together!

You can just tell that we were star employees am I right ladies!? At Ace we probably spent more time flirting with the cute boys then ringing people up or eating all of the candy there! Then once Ace shut down we moved onto the dry cleaning business. One Christmas it was dead at Hilker’s Dry Cleaners and we had a three legged race, played hockey with candy and brooms, sled down the hill in a broken chair, made a cups game where you had to throw candy in at increasing distances (think Bozo the Clown games), we gave each other makeovers, we put a broken sign on the drive thru door if it was raining and we would literally lock up shop so we could walk around Harris Teeter for snacks #irresponsible #howdidwestayemployed!? #fatfriends

We also did our fair share of partying. We were always seeking out something fun to do!!! We stole all of the beer out of the fridge one vacation while everyone else was on a boat tour, polished them off, got lost on the way to the pool and made an epic pretzel trail to find our way home#hanselandgretel #katieyourmomcalledshesaidslowdown #sorryjeanne…

We went to each other’s graduations, we were in weddings together, threw amazing showers, celebrated birthdays, saw Beyonce, Justin and got on stage with Britney (‘s back up singers) and just couldn’t get enough of each other…like ever!

We even lived together for two glorious years…we were known for our themed house parties #collegenight #vegasparty #whitetrashparty #premixxedginandjuice…

We partied some more…#wallflowers #jk

We traveled…

We’ve celebrated sooooo many holidays together #FoJ …

Ran into some celebs #nobiggie

Went through a long phase of serious faced high fives…

Got thug…

Started a band #freemustacherides #giantvagiantes

Talked some shit…

Danced our asses off #angrybeaver

But mostly we jackassed around, were always there for each other, snuggled #comeandlayontopofme and LAUGHED our asses off…

And this weekend I’m flying up to NYC to celebrate Katie’s 30th birthday and our 30th anniversary of best friends of the world!!! I’m going to take this whole no drinking thing to a birthday celebration!!! I think I’m going to nail it. Plus we have so many healthy, active things planes…a walk around Central Park and The Highline and a raw juice bar date. Oh how things change!!! She is the most positive, fun loving greatest human ever in the existence of woman kind. KATIE!!!! I just love you soooo much. No one makes me laugh like you and the inside jokes abound. You are the best friend a girl could ask for. Here’s to the next adventure. Happy birthday sweet friend. You are a one of a kind sea foam friend and I love you so much. I hope everyone is lucky enough to have found a Katie in their life. #howdidwegetsolucky

I leave you with one final image…the funniest photo of all time. We were just told a hilarious story about a naked drunk guy accidently stumbling into the wrong room and snuggling up with our friend Daniel. Every time I look at this photo I get hysterical!

#minevalleykids #potofnoodles #cheetahfriday #cleophatracominatcha #blacksneakers #dealbreaka #creatorsofkitchenkareokee #overtheshouldershottoss #midushis #yolo #hmmmmustbenice #iloveyousomuchkatie #newdriver #newintown #dearsoandso…byeeeeee #pigjointer #manbearpig #mokebreaks #i’mawalrus #yourwisdomteeth #cantwaittoseeyou #whenthatcockroachflewintoyourhairontheboardwalk #Amoco #31flavors #danceandsnap #wheniturnedyourhairpurple #ridinginthetruckbedonthewayhomefromIncubus #moofster

Two Meatballs: oohh hey Darlaaa!!

July 15, 2014health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit Leave a comment

Hello hello!! Half way through the month!! And just trucking threw it. I’m still trying to get use to the idea that the rest of my life is going to busy as heeeeeelllll! Being busy really helps keep your mind off of food. So that’s good. So I guess that’s what most other people been doing…….having a mother tucking life!!! Who knew?!!! Well just when I couldn’t get any busier I got a call from a best friend….. DARLA!!! I love this girl!! She is always a good time. Full of positive energy and rediculous conversation!!! We have always had the most easy going relationship. Judgment free and full of indulgence. This seems to be a theme for my past life!!!! Woof. So here is a picture of us with her sister Alicia, probably about five years ago just drinking as usual.

This was definitely one of my thinner days! Rare!!! Anyway Darla and I met at 19 and 20. We were servers at the Macaroni Grill and had the best time being young and stupid. She is one of those friends that knows my weight lost past. And her support during my recent journey to health has been incredible!!!! So what did we do when she got in town, we ate!!! Shit sometimes doesn’t change! But now we are just so much more aware. And we were determined to find paleo friendly meals. So we decided to go to Sitti. Amaaaaazing. Love this place. Usually I would stuff my sweet face with the most amazing pita and hummus that comes to the table immediately. I did get a little weird and picked up the pita just to get the longest and deepest sniff ever. Ehhhhhh wasn’t that great. Yay. So we both had a glass of wine and cheered to our reunion!

Soo what did we order?!?

Lamb chops, a fav!! And it came with veggies. Ummm it was perfection!

So Darlaaa and I just talked the night away it the most romantic booth ever!!!

And then we had to stop by the Macaroni grill and stalk out some old friends and that’s where I found this hanging next to me.

MEATBALLS!!!!!!!!!!! Loved this evening. And I love my Darla! Can’t wait to see her soon. I am reminded constantly of the amazing support in my life. Thank you for coming in town and always having the most positive outlook and easy friendship to offer. Love you darlaaaa!!!!!!!

And then it was right back to mommy duty! Play date with Max and Ryan to end our weekend! So fun. Thanks for having us Kara Johnson. We had a nice therapy session as well! Love you guys!!!!!! Feeling crazy productive, oh yeah let’s lose some weight!!!!

Two Meatballs: A Date with Mo!!!

July 14, 2014health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 2 comments

This week began my first official week with Fridays off!!! I woke up early, met my dad at the gym and #killtit. Then as I was leaving and heading to the grocery store to start out a really productive day of cooking and cleaning my house top to bottom, my car sort of drove me to my sisters house. The night before this conversation took place with my little nephew bunnies…

We must have needed some time together so my car had great instincts! I showed up at Wyatt’s swim team practice and was met with the biggest run and jump hug from Chasey. He likes to bury his head into you and pat you while hugging…its the living sweetest and Wyatt gave me an adorable little side wave and told me to be quiet #soooogrown #dontmessaroundinswimpractice. After practice was over I got a soaking wet hug from him as well. They asked me to come home with them and both asked to ride in my car…little kids wanting to be with you and lighting up when they see you is maybe the greatest feeling on the planet! They are both so affectionate (I don’t know if it is because I have always set up the expectation that being with Aunt Mo means endless hugs, kisses, hand holding , sitting in the nook, cuddling, run and jumps, pinky promises or knee squeezies but I’ll take it!). My day was quickly derailed (intentionally!? who likes cleaning am I right ladies!?) when these two cuties asked if they could go grocery shopping and clean house with me. I thought about it for zero seconds and responded…um yeah! I mean look how helpful!

Then we headed home and needed a snack and a break from all that taxing shopping!

Then some light cardio…

And then on to a little game called…can we drag a mattress from another room into your room and pile it with pillows and launch ourselves off of your bed onto said mattress…preferably with Ke$ha bumpin in the background!?

And this went on until someone inevitably got hurt #irresponisblefunauntfail

Chase missed the mattress and stubbed his toe so what better way to cheer him up than selfies!? Wyatt quickly joined…

Which quickly turned into Wyatt Candy Crushing it…

Until he discovered that the iPad had a camera…

And literally took a thousand pictures of him and Chase!!! This wore them out…time to hydrate!

Then off to Raleighwood to see the Muppets…

The movie was hilarious and no one suspected a thing with our contraband chocolate covered sunflower seeds that we snuck in! Then it was back to hang out with Nana (my mom) and Gigi (grandma Apple) for some ghost stories and playtime and snuggling #snugglingismyfavorite #haveyounoticedthatnocookingorcleaninghashappened!

Then Chase wanted some alone snuggle time!

Then wrestling and kissy monsters!!!

I got nothing accomplished that I had planned but had one of the funnest afternoons of my liiiiiiiife! I know a day will come when it will be super lame to hang out with Aunt Mo but I won’t go down without a fight. I love these boys so much and am thankful for every little squeeze and date we get to share.

Two Meatballs: Ask a Meatball!

July 11, 2014Big Changes, Cardio, Fitness, Fitness, Motivation, Plus Size, Health, Beauty, Humor, Friends, Goals, Health, health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,, Life change, motivationchallenging workouokts, q&a, question and answer, TABATA'stwomeatballsgetfit View all 4 comments

Sooooo, lately we’ve been getting a lot of questions through Instagram (TWOMEATBALLSGETFIT),

Twitter (@meatballsgetfit),

Facebook (Two Meatballs Get Fit)

and the blog (www.twomeatballsgetfit.com)!

And we hear you and want to answer you back!!!

Q: How often do you weigh yourselves…really just once a month!?!

A: Hell no! This is such a measure of progress…but not the only measure! We both weigh ourselves every morning. This helps keep both of us on track, but if you are someone who gets easily discouraged maybe just try once a week!

Q: What is a typical daily meal plan for you guys!?

A: This is Sara. I eat either a spinach smoothie (2 handfuls of spinach, 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk, 1 banana, 4 strawberries, one spoonful of almond butter and a handful of blueberries and two ice cubes) or bacon/sausage with two eggs and fruit or a carnitas scramble for breakfast. Lunch is usually one of the many recipes that we have made on the blog (right now it’s Asian slaw and pork burgers) and then dinner is usually the same foundation as lunch maybe with a twist. So I would probably take a lettuce wrap and have an actual burger with the slaw on top and some baked sweet potato fries or some form of a spiraled squash or zucchini “pasta” with veggies and a protein!

This is Jenny. For breakfast I’m a scavenger. I pick and graze on food from the night before. I don’t feel locked into “breakfast” food so usually last nights chicken and veggies or fruit and eggs. There isn’t a consistent go to thing for me for breakfast. Lunch is usually a chicken breast with an avocado and tomatoes or a salad with a ton of veggies or a Whole Foods find. Dinner I make something like Chicken Apple Sausage and Colorful Peppers or I wing it and make a zucchini chicken pie!

Annnnnd soooooo much water for both of us!!!! Allllll day long!!!!

Q: What are your go to grab and go snacks!?

A: Um, pistachios (Sara says with shame) … If eaten in a portion control situation pistachios actually make for an awesome snack!

We love almonds, Coconut Macaroon Uber Larabars or Paleo Simplified Bars,

smoothies, smoothies, smoothies, and more smoothies but watch out for added sugar (ask for unsweetened) and make sure there are fruits AND veggies in there)!!!

carrot chips and guacamole,

an apple with almond butter,

fresh pressed juice,

this amazing thing where you take a half of a banana, cut it open like a boat, spread almond butter on it and put a crispy piece of bacon in there…its so good!

And all the yummy things we brought on our movie date…frozen grapes, seaweed snacks, white cheddar puffs (NOTPALEO), sparkling waters and dark chocolate covered almonds!

Any combo of fruit and a nut butter work as well and are super filling!!!

Q: What other physical benefits are you noticing from getting healthier besides the number on the scale going down!? I get frustrated when I don’t see the weight coming off quickly, so I’m trying to remember that there are other GREAT reasons to keep working out and eating well.

A: We both have sooooooo much more energy now which translates into wanting to be more active. It’s the whole body in motion stays in motion theory. We are both choosing more active ways to live beyond just going to the gym. Also when you work that hard it makes you want to eat really well…it’s more motivating to stay on track. WE both sleep better and less restlessly. I personally haven’t been sick since we started this adventure and I was sick allllll the damn time before. My mind feels sharper, I feel more focused and I didn’t know that it was even possible that either one of us could feel better about ourselves than we already did OR be more confident….but we both do. We feel incredible and unstoppable. We both feel a glow, our skin and hair look better bc we’ve nixed most processed foods and the water intake I’m sure is helping that front. Our digestive systems are functioning better and we both just feel so strong…and chock full of integrity. We also get SUUUUUPER frustrated when the scale doesn’t reflect how we feel!!! You are not alone Karen! But it is a great idea to find other ways to feel and acknowledge the changes. Sometimes you just have to say do I look and feel different today and if that answer is yes…eff the scale that day.

We would love to answer any other questions that you guys have, so keep em coming!!! Also we just love to hear from you in general, so if there are any posts you wish we would do, or classes you think we should take or recipes that we need to try please send them our way. Also we love to hear your story…it’s so motivating to us!!!! Ok onto the best hour of the week…WORKOUTS WITH SANDRA! Here is our obligatory car selfie…

This is Jenny leaving…hahaha jk we stuck it out!

We really wanted to do something nice for Sandra since she is such an amazing human!!! So we made an R+Co goody bag with Atlantis shampoo and conditioner, Park Ave blow out balm, Chiffon mousse and Death Valley texturizing spray.

And she loooooved it!!!!

We love you Sandra!!! Then we got our asses handed to us but with an amazing soundtrack bumping in the background…there was Britney, there was Justin, there was Christina, there was Nelly Furtado…we were in heaven!!!! Here is a little jackassing before the asses were handed…

If we only knew what was coming we wouldn’t have messed around!!!! Today was all about TABATA’s but today they were 45 seconds on 15 seconds off!

We started off on the step with tip taps…a quick cardio up down for 45 seconds!

Then we did jumping jacks for 45 seconds…which is terrible!

Then work out amnesia kicked in and I’m not sure of the order of anything anymore so here goes a peeky poo!

Then squats for 45 seconds…

Then lateral side walks or something…

Then more step ups left leg lead first for 45 then right leg lead!

And over and outs on the step!

And mountain climbers…

Then push ups…

Then 4 back to back arm exercises with 10 lb weights!

Then we ran in place and did high knees (hineys!!!)

Then speed skater type things…

Then agility jumps…

Then push ups…

Triceps…

Rows…

And biceps…

Then squats…

Pistol squats…

Then sumo squats…

Then step ups with 10 lb weight…

Then alternating one leg standing crunches things…

Theeeeennnnn we had a section of shared experiences…

Planking high fives…

Sit up high fives…

A weird butt squat thing that I did not understand…maybe next time San!

Pass the medicine ball…

Standing pass the medicine ball…

Sit up and pass the medicine ball…fuck that medicine ball…

And then planking…for a minute and a half…

Then death…

jk we survived another intense workout sesh…

And lived to tell the tale!

We love you Sandra!!!! have a great weekend you guyyyyyyyys!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxox

Two Meatballs: Fancy Meeting You Here?!?

July 10, 2014health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 2 comments

For the first time EVERRRRRRR Jenny and I were at Fitness Connection together…AT THE SAME TIME!!! We have such different lives and schedules that we only workout together with Sandra!!! How sad!!! Buuuuuuut not today!

I was there working out with my dad, good ol’ JB from DC who is a raging beast in the gym.

It was shoulders and legs day! And Jenny had come early to warm up before trying a Body Pump class! What a happy little coincidence. So we both did a little cardio on our favorite machines!

PS…I got my mile down to 12:10 from 17 minutes!!! Wahooooo!!!

Then we did some abs…

s…

And then shoulders with squats in between sets!

Then some legs!!!

Then we worked on balance and stretching!

Then it was time for Jenny’s class…

And I finished off my day with TABATA’s with JB and some rowing!

We have both been so diligent about going to the gym and working out! We are both feeling great and we also love getting to spend time together. Soooooo we also decided to have a dinner date! And we went to Bolt!!! It was soooo good and Jenny wanted to give it a go. I noticed several things as we drove downtown and found no parking on the street outside of Bolt. In the past this would have really irritated me…bc I was lazy and really out of shape. We ended up parking in a deck a few blocks over…

And enjoyed a lovely little stroll to the restaurant. We sat outside in this little slice of heaven (who are we!?)…

The weather was amazing! Cheers to date night!

And we both found something we wanted to eat right away on this yummy scrummy menu!

Jenny got the Ahi Tuna…

And I got the NY Strip with Brussel Sprouts!

Clearly…we loved it!!!

Then we entertained ourselves!!!

Until the cops arrested a drug dealer in front of us and provided all the entertainment we would need!!!

If you haven’t gone to Bolt yet you really should! We both felt amazing after we left!!! And totally enjoyed the stroll back to the car. We love you guys!!!

Two Meatballs: Maaaaad Grillz Skillz

July 9, 2014health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 6 comments

Hiiiiiiiii!!!! It’s that time again…the grill is on, the ingredients have been purchased, the meatballs are together and it’s TIME TO COOK! Who knew cooking was sooooo fun…and really yummy. I ordered a new cookbook that I am totes obsessed with…it’s called The Paleo Kitchen!

I want to devour LITERALLY everything in this book and we are so excited to work our way through it. So what’s on the menu tonight you say…you always ask the right questions!? Tonight we are making…. dumb faces…

Questionable decisions?!

Nooooo…we are making Asian Slaw Cabbage Burgers…..yuuuummmmmm!!!! This is going to give us a great opportunity to use the grill again and to eat what we love…ASIAN FOOD! Soooo…here is the recipe!

First we made the pork patties! it’s 1 1/3 pounds ground pork with garlic powder and sea salt!

You will notice that we are both in gym clothes…#commitment #lazysunday #woof

Then we turned the grill on, which is still terrifying. #pleasedontexplode

And on they went!!!

We set the timer…5-6 minutes per side!

What to do while we wait!?!

Look up ideas for future weigh ins?!

Totem pole it?!

Nooooo…it’s time to make the slaw!!! #multitaskinfordays

This smelled amazing…freshly grated ginger equals heaven.

This was so easy and quick to make…now time to flip the burgers!!!

Those firey flare ups are sooooo scary!!!

Buuuuut are they done!?! You know my food safety concerns! #canyougetsalmonellafrompork!?!

Only one way to find out!? But I accidentally stabbed myself with the food thermometer…

And they ended up being perfect!!! Lookey here what we made…

Another fun and healthy night of planning ahead and being together!!! We love you guys!

Two Meatballs: May I get those balls to go?!?!

July 8, 2014health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 3 comments

Hellllloooo! It’s Jenny. And I had the best little Fourth of July weekend everrrr. But damn we were busy!! It all started Friday morning when I went to the gym in SHORTS!!!!!!!!!!

I never wear shorts! I feel like they have always been the enemy. It was definitely never in my comfort zone. But I wanted to do it and I had no other clean clothes! Done and done. #constantwedgie #chubrub #neverfeltbetter
And my sweet, sweaty meatball husband came home from the gym ( so excited for his journey!!!!!!) and we went downtown to Marbles! The best children’s museum in probably the whole world.

The cutest couple! I love that my family is staying so active. In the past I would have been completely satisfied with eating summer snacks all day drink beer by the pool and trying to do as little as possible. We are on the GOOOOO! Sometimes it as all a dream, and I have moments of clarity that this is the rest of my life. Staying busy and making it all work. And somehow being more grateful along the way! wtf I was so lazy 4 months ago!!! But it’s working. Can’t go back now?!?! ( hello Grand Canyon !!!!!)

Then later that afternoon we headed out to Knightdale for some festivities. And London bounced her way into the longest sleep of her life.
On Saturday we were all over Pullen Park! Cardio!!!!!! Right?!?!? These are the things I think about now!!

Naptime !!!!!!! Love that, then woke up and went to the pool.

We ended the weekend with a super amazing nutritious dinner. I made honey chicken, corn or the cob and zucchini fritters!!!

And she loved them! High fiving all my mom friends!!!!! It is a total victory when kids get a veggie down without the drama. And then we finished the evening with strawberries and coconut milk whipped cream……..Aaaaaaaaamaazing!

Everyone was happy! Ahhhhhhhhhhh a first! This weekend was a complete success. Love love love my family!!! Busy week ahead here we go 🙂 xoxoxo

Two Meatballs: Bolt to Bolt

July 7, 2014Big Changes, Cardio, Family, Fitness, Fitness, Motivation, Plus Size, Health, Beauty, Humor, Friends, Goals, Health, health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,, Life change, motivationtwomeatballsgetfit View all 6 comments

What an amazing holiday weekend with family!!!! I hope y’all enjoyed yours as well!!! Work was crazy busy for Jenny and I this week bc the owners of the salon so graciously decided to close Friday and Saturday in honor of America’s birthday!!!! We love them sooooooo much! We both love being busy bc then you just appreciate the time off that you have sooo much more…and who doesn’t love a holiday. I have to say 4h of July is def one of my fav holidays…fireworks, family, bbq’s, swimming, watermelon (which I don’t even like but it just feels right), sparklers, lightening bugs, and this unexpected lovely weather that we had! As you know Jenny and I have really recommitted to tightening up…we got a little fast and loose with our new lifestyles so I celebrated this weekend by going to the gym 4…count em …4 days in a ROWWWWWWW! I think that is a personal best for me since I started on this journey!

#holygymselfiebatman

This makes me feel amazing! I feel so strong when I leave the gym and every time I move something that I worked out and it hurts it just hurts sooo good! Also and you guys are never even going to believe this but I love working out with my family!!! Thursday was our meatball workout/ass whooping with Sandra but Friday, Saturday and even Sunday I worked out with my parents…and this sweet angel even popped in on Sunday!

#sweatfog #heatwave #fogginupthecamera #lovemysis

And then some terrible car “usies” (the plural of selfies…thanks Sandra) from our day of sisters that followed…#sisterlifewife

Also this weekend I reigned in my out of control eating! On Friday we all met at my sister’s pool after the gym for an awesome FOJ (get it?!) celebration. There was a greasy watermelon contest and a big splash contest and a name that tune contest #ilovegames and lots and lots of swimming and watching my little nephew Chase make up swim moves…like the dolphin (it looks exactly like what you think it looks like!) Then we walked back to my sisters house for an awesome paleo exclusive cookout!!! Having everyone on the same page is so amazing. Happiness and support are a choice and it makes me so thankful that my entire family is on the same page. I mean look at alllll that yumminess on one plate!

We had marinated steak and pineapple kabobs on the grill, grilled zuchini, carmelized squash and onions (which I swear is a macaroni and cheese replacement) sweet potato chips with guac, a jicama, cucumber, lime stack and corn on the cob! yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Then Wyatt and I watched one of my all time fav movies as a kid…Addams Family Values! Ugh I wanted to be Wednesday Addams soooo bad when I was a wee lass…what a badass!!! #sooomuchfun

Then Saturday the Original Beards (OB’s…shout out and stole this from Nikki!) went out to dinner downtown. My family can def get stuck in a rut. We Ale House and Raleigh Times it up and last time we were all out, Kelly said we have to go somewhere new next time! I LOVE NEW!!! So I did some research and asked my downtown guru…Michael Knight for a good recommendation and he said you should try Bolt www.boltbistro.com . So I looked up the menu and saw lots of paleo options right off the bat and made a reservation tout suite! It was such a nice night that we sat outside which is unheard of in July for the comfort craving Beards!

I can’t say enough good things about this place!!! The atmosphere is totes adorbs…

they had an outdoor walk up bar #genius…

the menu was great…

there was a little cutie patootie playing and singing #ambience

the wait staff clearly all got along and loved each other, they were openly singing with the performer and giving each other a hard time…

and our waiter Adam was ahhhhh-mazing!

And he was adorable and so personable. We talk a lot in my family and between the meatballs (and I even mentioned it above…it’s on my mind all the time) about happiness being a choice. The manager Tim and everyone at Bolt literally embodied this sentiment…but especially Adam. He was charming and had great recommendations and the gift of easy yet engaging small talk but above everything else he was emanating positivity. Not to mention he is a Wolfpack alum…what’s not to like. He clearly loves what he does and we are all about that. He recommended the scallop dish and that’s what I got bc they are my favvvvvv and this particular dish came with a cauliflower puree…how progressive and paleo! Tim came by and told us how everything was local and organic…yay!!! Everyone was super attentive!

It was sooooo good! Everything that everyone ordered was amazing. The whole night had a glow around it…I don’t know if it was bc downtown was decorated for the 4th…

Or the great people that I was hanging out with and the awesome and hilarious conversations that we had (where would you live if money weren’t an issue)…

Or if it was the games that we played (can you find the meatball!?)…

Or if it was our awesome waiter Adam…

Or all of the above…but the night felt full of its own special energy. There are so many opportunities in life to get mad, sad, disappointed, angry, jilted and depressed. And they are probably totally justified and legitimate…buuuuuuut there are so many more reasons to be upbeat, happy, positive, buzzy, shiny and grateful. Why not choose appreciating for the wonderful night you were handed?! Life is what you make it and I am so thankful to be surrounded by people who want to make it a better, more joyful place to be. Bolt felt like such a great fit on so many levels. So to Bolt, thank you for having us…what a great night!!! We will be back and you should go too…ps, ask for Adam and order whatever he recommends. You won’t be disappointed!!!

Enough gushing…This is a perfect example of something that could very easily be a bummer for someone…I am on another journey of a year of sobriety. Being around drinkers could really bum me the fuck out but it doesn’t…like at allllll! It makes me so happy that everyone can make their own choices and that y’all can enjoy a cocktail and I don’t have to feel the need to partake or feel badly or left out about the decision I made! Temptation is a bitch and I’m so glad that this has been a pain free and healthy choice for me! Another choice…bc that is all that life is…a series of choices and you have the ability to take control of your behavior! Are you poisoning the well or are you emitting good vibes!?!? I love you all and I’m sending all of this glow your way! #pollyanna

Sidebar…this is a little segment I like to call…sometimes you don’t always achieve your goal! Here for instance…I chose to hate this first picture and request that we keep taking it until I found one that I liked. Apparently this top was standing room only!!! So to my family, thank you for putting up with me!!!! Love y’all the most! #OGB

And second sidebar, in a year when I’ve hit the reset on my drinking button…I want to do this…you drink beer and pedal your way through downtown….what a fun way to exercise and enjoy a beer with no guilt!

Have an amazing weeeeeeeekkkkkk!!!!

Two Meatballs: Fireworks, F@%$ Ups and a Fat Crushing Workout!!!

July 4, 2014Big Changes, Cardio, Fitness, Fitness, Motivation, Plus Size, Health, Beauty, Humor, Friends, Goals, Health, health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,, Life change, motivation4th of july, abs, america, arms, back, best friends getting healthy, best friends losing weight together, biceps, cardio, cheating on your diet, chest, confidence, curves, endorphins, fitness, fleet feet, getting healthy, hard work pays off, healthy, HIIT, innovative fitness training, Jenny Smith, meatball nation, merica, motivation, new lifestyle, no fat shaming, obese, overweight, patriotism, plus size, positive body image, quads, salon, Sandra Axman, Sara Beard, sexy, supportive team, sweat, Tabata, taking care of yourself, trainer, training, triceps, Two Meatballs Get Fit, uplifting, weigh in, weight loss, workouttwomeatballsgetfit View all 10 comments

First off….HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!! #merica We hope your weekend is full of sparklers, fireworks, bodies of water, cookouts, family and friends.

#kelseyisthecutestever #butsooooisdustin #salonpatriotism#mericanails #leeisthebest

This weigh in felt epic! We hit 20,000 views on Facebook for Two Meatballs: Grin and Bare it!!!

Holy shit!!! We feel great, we are getting a million compliments and together we’ve lost almost 100 pounds!!!

So what have we done…gotten cocky and started getting a little slack! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I did better on vacation than I have this week…who does that?!! Jenny and I made a pact on Tuesday morning to give up our personal vices for one week. She said goodbye to dark chocolate and I said adios to pistachios (NOOOOOOOOO)!!!

Thank you Nikki and Jack for the immersion therapy! #canyoutelljackiseatingpistachioandnikkiiseatingdarkchocolate #masicsm

So we started this month with great intentions. Then we posted the weigh in and the praise and compliments came pouring in (thank y’all so much) and that little voice in the back of our heads (not blue cross blue shield) said….YOU’VE ARRIVED!. Surely we must be done right?! We look great, we feel great…time to eat! We went to Ale House Wednesday night to celebrate..again with great intentions…what’s more Paleo than WINGS!? But then I ordered onion straws and we both ate our weight in bleu cheese. Woooooooof… We felt so awful when we left…I felt stuffy and like I had a cold and we both felt hungover and can you say BLOATED. What a way to celebrate right!? Lesson learned. BUUUUUUT then I met up with some girlfriends last night that I hadn’t seen in a million years and we went to Coquette. Love you Robyn and Ellen!!!

Let me say…Coquette had some really great options…there was a pan seared duck breast and even my fav…scallops! But do you know what I ordered!?!?!? STEAK FRITES! For those of you like my sister that struggle with French (#haricotvertshahahahahahahaha) its steak and FRIES! Like French fries you guyssss…white potato, fried shoestring French fries. And I know French so this wasn’t like oh whooopsies…I didn’t know what frites were! But they were delish and it happened. So then I woke up the next morning before our work out with our super best buddy Sandra Axman (www.innovativefitnesstraining.com caaaaaaaaaallllllll her!) and adorably hopped on my scale as if I were going to see a loss and you are never going to even believe this shit y’all….I GAINED 3 POUNDS. Duhhhhhhhhhhh Sara! Anyways I got dressed and went downstairs and sweet Jenny picked me up! And she was in a mood…a mood that much reflected how I was feeling. Neither one of us felt like exercising, we were both being bitchy and super irritated…it’s the craziest thing when you stray from what works how quickly your mind goes to fuck it mode. Sooooo we had a little counseling sesh on the drive to the gym. We both have been too slack…eating too much, eating out, not eating the right things, not getting enough sleep, being slack with water and for me skipping my normal workouts. She said I’m going to use all this anger in our workout today…#genius! A workout was just what the doctor ordered. How can you be mad when you are so physically exhausted and so proud of what you just accomplished!? And by the by…Sandra you are the greatest human…thank you for forcing us out of our funk and always being so encouraging, positive and energetic. You are a ray of sunshine that both of us desperately needed this morning and your commitment to our journey and end result is something that we are so grateful for!!!!!!! We love you to the moon and back. On to the workout…these first few pics we were still deep into bitch mode.

But we half heartedly tried to get over it!

But we really just wanted to go back to sleeeeep!

We went inside and the tom foolery began…lets be honest nothing makes us feel better than acting like children!

Then Sandra asked the question that we have heard 1,000 times this week…”have you guys been measuring?” Nooooooo we are idiots! Why didn’t we measure …that would be an awesome way to track progress! So we started today! We also got our BMI and some other important number using a Gameboy like hand held device

Aaaaand now on to the workout for real! This was both of our favorite workout ever!!! It was HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and we did Tabata which involves doing a particular exercise at high intensity for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. It’s repeated 8 times for a total time of 4 minutes! (Explanation courtesy of Sandra) First we did the dumbest cardio ever(this is Sara speaking…I hated this damn band)…it involved a small thick band that went around our ankles and then you stepped up and over a step aerobic step (#howmanytimescanyousaystepinonesentence) and we did a Tabata here.

Take a closer look at why I hated these…my poor fat ankles…my cankles/calves got eaten by rubber!

Then there were two stations both with two different exercises each. The back station you were kneeling on a BOSU ball doing reverse chest press (pull down) And at the chest station you did a chest press on a bench and we did these for 8 rounds…

Then we did the second exercise at our stations. At the back station you switched to standing trx rows and at the chest station you switched to chest fly’s!

Then we got onto our mats and did Tabata ab work…with two different exercises working two different areas. First was upper abs with crunches for 8 rounds then lower abs with leg crunches (laying flat and bringing your bent legs to your chest and then extending them back out) for 8 rounds. (There were no pics of this so we recreated this at work! #yourwelcome #mybackissoooohairynow)

Then we did a cardio thing back on the step with one leg stationary with the other leg being brought up with the knee bent and tapping the ground and bringing it back up again for 8 rounds…holy burn batman.

Then we switched stations and whoever did back went to chest and vicey versey!

Did you breath a sigh of relief and think that we were done..me too but WRONG! haha

Next was two different stations one for biceps and the other for triceps.

At the bicep station we did bicep curls while sitting on an exercise ball to engage our core! At the tricep station we had a stretchy thingy with two handles attached to an elliptical machine for stability and we had to do tricep extensions (Huge shout out to Michael for helping me figure out workout jargon…he is not responsible for the dumb shit I make up but for the correct terminology!)

Then before we switched stations we did a cardio/quad blaster back on the aerobic step. You start with your right foot fixed to one spot on the step and then do speed skaters for 8 rounds. After each round you alternate the leg that is stationary.

Then we switched bicep and tricep stations…

Annnnnd that was all she wrote! This workout felt ahhhh-mazing! Then we had to jackass around again!

And do a little homage to sweet dead Fat back Friday!

We just can’t keep our clothes on now! But look how much smaller!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

And finally Sandra (yelling this) WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH! To everyone reading this…if you are struggling to find the motivation to work out of just don’t know what you are supposed to do, this woman will educate and inspire you and help you get to your goal 1 squat at a time! Look at the difference she has made in our lives!?!?

She is LITERALLY the living best!

Enjoy your holiday weekend!!! XOXOXOXOOXOXOXOOXO!

Two Meatballs: A Nautical Beardventure!!!

July 3, 2014health, fitness, beauty, motivation, plus size, make up, hair, hairstylist, oribe, bumble and bumble, MAC Cosmetics, comedy, Paleo, besties, best friends, meatballs, exercise, life change, lifestyles,twomeatballsgetfit View all 4 comments

You guyyyyyys! I’m still on a total high from the weigh in. Man, integrity feels great! Anwhoozle…my vacation was famzing times infinity. I can’t remember if I’ve told y’all but I LOVE MY FAMILY SO MUCH…jk I know I say this obsessively like errrrreyday! But I’m hoping the following picture montage will help you better understand the awesomeness that happens when the Apples and Beards collide at the greatest place on earth…the BEACCCCCH! My Aunt Carole and Uncle Kelly from Colorado flew out and my Aunt Deb and Uncle Steve joined me, mom, dad, Kelly and my little angel babies Wyatt and Chase for a week of snuggles, hugs, swimming, being active, baking in the sun, trying new restaurants, living in the water and so much more. Before the picture show I just want to thank each and every member of this group for so joyfully agreeing to my one hundred thousand cheesy photo requests…your enthusiasm, willingness and support mean the world to me and I love y’all sooooooo much!!!!! Ok enough gushing… First off the company was amazeballs!

The view was #gorg…

The dinners were delish and nutrish…

The weather was unbelievable…

Except for this scary day..

And the adventures never ended…

Look at these Crabby Patties…this is a family tradition for sure!!!

Obvi we went to the Aquarium bc where else would one go at the beach!?! Buuuuut this year they had a dinosaur exhibit as well!!! Minds were blown!

We even took time to recreate a classic! Chase was a newborn in the first part of this collage!

Then Wyatt and I did a Hurricane Simulator…you like getting beaten in the face with your own hair?! Then you will love this!

Then we went looking for haunted houses in Historic Beaufort…the kids are OBSESSED with ghost stories right now…I sooo remember that!

This is a montage of scary things we found in historic homes…the first one is a photo of the professional mourners! ick! The second are two dress forms in an attic we weren’t allowed in and they looked like headless ghosts, the third there is a ghostly image of a little boy forever burned into the wall…eeek! The last image is from an attic where 10 children lived and paranormal investigators said there was LOTS of activity up here!!!!

Then it was off to the super old graveyard down the street…this is another family tradition. Our Grandma Apple would always take us to the ancient cemeteries in eastern NC and we would try to find the oldest one then go to the library to see if we could get some backstory! #welovehistory #northcarolinaisthebestforhsitory #we’recreepywe’respookywe’realltogetherkooky #iaintafraidahnoghost #thegirlintherumbarrell

Then we got to do a little exploring around an old town square type area…

There was an apothecary, court house and even a jail!!!

#myfamilyissuperonbaord #thanksagain

As you can imagine this got very buggy in fuggin hot in late June and the kids were quickly over it! Kelly and I were obsessed though (shocker) so we went back to take the house tour!!! Everyone should do this! We met this amazing lady named Molly. She was dressed in old world garb and had grown up with her grandmother being a docent in Historic Beaufort and she followed her footsteps. Talk about an inside scoop!!! We loved Molly…she indulged all of our one million questions and gave us the dirt on the creepy jail! Thanks Molllllyyyyy! Xoxo

This is Ye Old Jail…the jailors and their family LIVED in the jail with the prisoners!!! #wooof

Then we went to the big fancy yellow plantation house!!! It had a kids bedroom I would kill for!

And a not sooo fancy place…what a difference money makes, especially back then…

We also spent countless hours playing on the beach and in the pool…

And hanging out with my super best buddies!!!

To my family…I love you to the moon and as much as all the water in the ocean and clouds in the sky!!!! Can’t wait for next year!!! #bestvacayever #lesbianlifepartners #aqueerium #angelinajolie #thatsnotathing #youbitme #jeezumpete #whydidyoubiteme #ouchouchouch #loveyouguyssooooooomuch