We're Engaged!

Ryan and I got engaged a few weeks ago in Wimberley, Texas!

He had been acting funny for a while,
and I had my suspicions, but he totally caught me off guard anyways.

We went to a waterfall on the property we were at,
and after we came back to the cabin,
he said "Let's go back and take a Christmas card picture."

I should have known then, because what guy thinks of that??
So we go back, and he asks a couple staying nearby to take the photo.
Very sneakily, he told the lady to video it since he was going to propose!
So he had her take our picture, then he turned to me and started!
The rest was kind of a blur as I was so excited that this was happening!
I love him with all my heart and I'm so thrilled for this journey we are on.

While we're working on wedding plans, I am going to stay more up to date here,
with all of our real life wedding planning and all that is involved!

TRADER JOES! MY FIRST HAUL!

I've been to Trader Joes, better known as TJs, before,

but I haven't ever had time to truly shop and search... 

until today!

I bought so much goodness and I'm so excited to start trying it all!

My sweet friend once gave me "Everything But the Bagel" seasoning

and I've been hooked on that for a while.

I've also seen he "Chile Lime" seasoning on other people's Instas 

and today they had samples on PINEAPPLE!!! 

It was super delicious and I picked one up right there.

I've also been told about the 21 Seasoning Salute, 

and who doesn't need a good Seasoning Salt

with NO MSG!!!

My Insta peeps have also been posting the Cauliflower Pizza Crust, Gnocchi, 

and Stir Fry for some time now, so I got those.

To go with my pizza crust, I bought the Trader Giotto's Pizza Sauce,

Volpi Gourmet Pepperonis, and Almond Mozzarella Shreds (cheese alternative)

I also got a vegetable fried rice to go with my Kung Pao Chicken.

I'm OBSESSED with Mac & Cheese and I've been recommended

to get the Guilt Free, so I did, as well as Hatch Chile and Pepperoni Pizza! YUM!

Other things I'm trying are the Soyaki for when I make chicken, 

the Chicken Piccata,

and Chile Lime Chicken Burgers!

My weekly meal plan this:

I have a HomeChef box coming in on Wednesday
and will add some of those recipes on here then also!

I LOVE COOKING! // Crispy Orange Chicken - HomeChef!

As I've been teaching the last year and a half, 

one thing has continued to keep my attention...

...and that is cooking.

I've found most of my recipes on Pinterest, 

meanwhile some come from my mom, friends, and other family members.
A lot have also come from meal delivery boxes like
HelloFresh and HomeChef!

I will be posting and sharing some of these recipes

for you to try also! 

Some of them have been adapted to my taste

so they may not be the exact same,

but I will always give credit where credit is due!

Today's recipe comes from HomeChef!
If you want to try it out for $30 off a shipment, click HERE!
This week I received
Crispy Orange Chicken, Garlic Bread Shrimp, and Creamy Tomato Skillet Lasagna!
The boxes come with EVERYTHING you need except for
olive oil, salt, pepper, pots & pans, etc.... basically, no grocery trips! 😜
The recipe card is included with all of the instructions and nutrition information.
I do edit some of the recipes and put a little bit less of the not-so-healthy ingredients
to make them less Weight Watchers points.
Each meal is made to serve two, but I try to stretch it to three...
but sometimes it's way too delicious and I eat too much!

I decided to start with the Crispy Orange Chicken first.
So the recipe card starts with preheating the oven, of course.
Then rinsing/drying produce.

Boil a small pot with rice and 1 cup of water,
reduce heat and cover until soft.

Cut broccoli into bite size pieces,
toss in olive oil, s+p, and roast until tender.

Slice chicken breasts into pieces, heat canola oil in skillet,
and combine tempura mix with water, s+p.
Add chicken pieces to tempura batter and coat evenly.

Add chicken to hot oil and cook about 2 minutes per side until done.

Combine spicy orange sauce with Sriracha.
Add cooked chicken to the sauce and coat evenly.

Add chicken, broccoli, and rice to your plate and enjoy.

This recipe is 17 SP per serving as is, I edited it to be 9 SP.



This post is in no way affiliated with HomeChef.
I pay for all boxes on my own.
If you would like your own HomeChef delivery,
click here.

Getting Healthy and Dropping the Pounds!

During the holidays, I mentioned to Ryan

that I was going to start Weight Watchers

at the beginning of the new year.

I know, typical... Starting a "diet" as a resolution.

Well, he decided to join me and also start 

a life change. 

We started on January 2nd (we used the 1st as a recovery)
when I weighed in right at 180 pounds!
Previously, my highest weight has been 195
but I did lose some of it over the past couple of years.

Weighing in at the end of January,
 I have lost a total of 9 pounds in just 30 days!

I have definitely been up and down and have not

followed the program to a T, but I am working on it!

Everyday is progress, and everyday I get better

at tracking my meals and planning ahead.

For the month of February, my goal is to lose 

around 15 pounds. 

Since I know I didn't try very hard this month,

I feel like I can accomplish this goal if I stick to my plans!

I am going to meal prep hard and stick to the plan every day!

My weekends are some of the hardest 

 because we go out to eat a lot and I splurge,

so I am going to weigh in Friday morning and Monday morning

to stay accountable. 

Even though I am going to give myself a break and

not be upset if there isn't a loss, my goal is to not have a gain on the weekends!

To start, I ordered HelloFresh for next week and two weeks after that. 

I am also going to be doing a 60 hour Keto Reboot with PruvIt

starting on February 11th!

Attached is the meal plan I am going to follow for next week.

My goal is to add photos, recipes, and updates 

to hold myself accountable! 

On Weight Watchers, I get 23 points a day and 35 weeklies in case I go over.

I try to stick to a range of 13-28 points daily as that is my "Healthy Zone."

On the days following where I don't have enough points, 

I will add in a treat at the end of the day. :)

Next Chapter

As they say, there are many chapters in life, and 

when one chapter ends, another begins.

This month I will be moving back to the

great state of Texas!

I will not be pursuing optometry any longer,

and to be honest, I don't really know 

what I'm going to be doing, 

but that's ok, after all, I'm only 22.

I have my Bachelor's degree so I will 

be applying for different types of jobs

and keeping myself open for opportunities

and we will see where the Lord takes me! 

I am so excited for this new chapter of my life!

I think mainly because it's uncharted, 

and that is so different for me.

I had been so sure of what my future had in store for me

for so long, as I finished High School,

went straight to college 

and earned my Bachelor of Arts degree, 

and then went straight to grad school.

I don't know what lies ahead,

but what I do know, 

is that whatever it may be, it is good, 

because it is all part of God's plan.

This is my new chapter,

an uncharted voyage.

Which, if you think about it,

that's all life here on this Earth really is, right?

student + dying = studying

Hey y'all! 

I know I haven't posted an update this entire semester,

My bad!

Second year of optometry school has been absolutely crazy!

This is definitely the hardest semester

of school I have ever had in my life.

I don't think I was mentally prepared for it,

but it's going by so fast and we are only

a few weeks away from final exams!

So I am just asking for all of the prayers

that I can get, as well as for my classmates!

We need strength, focus and motivation!

I seriously cannot wait to move on from this semester.

Thankfully,

we get a week off for Thanksgiving

and I will be coming home to Texas

and I can't wait!

Mainly for the food,

and seeing my friends and fam is a bonus =P

I seriously cannot wait to eat at Matamoros, though.

Heaven on Earth, I tell ya!

"Never eat Mexican food 

east of the Mississippi

or north of Dallas." 

Y'all, this is serious.

It's just not the same anywhere else!

Anyways..

School is hard.

Haven't been to the beach in months.

But I have my pup Pippa here with me this year

and that has helped me not be quite so homesick.

So send your prayers and good vibes!

I'll be back soon!

<3 Jayna

Who am I to Judge?

<I actually wrote this back in April for the blog due to things I saw going on, but was honestly too scared to post it – as this is not something I normally do. But given current events, I think now is a good time.>

There has been something weighing on my heart for quite a while now.. I see it at home, at church, at school, in the news, in the real world, …. I see it everywhere. And it hurts me. It weighs on my heart and soul. And I am also to blame. As you read this, don’t think I’m pointing fingers and being holier than thou, because if I am pointing fingers, they are at myself. I am just at a point where I feel that someone needs to stand up and say something. I have had my eyes wide open for a few months, observing this happening in many different situations, I have also witnessed my own self doing it, to others out right, or in my own mind.  (As I write this, you is me, this is as much about the way I act, think, treat others, as it is about what I have observed.)

Do you know what it is? Can you guess?

Judgment. We are judging everyone we meet, or even worse, people who we have never met, but just heard rumors about through people in our lives or people in the news! We have never met someone, yet we think that we are holier than them, or we think “Oh, he’s famous, but he’s such a sinner!” Well guess what? ….so am I! We ALL are. I know, that sucks. But we are not perfect!

Because of our judgment comes a myriad of other sins. Judging others all the time, thinking that we are better Christians than someone else, causes us to forget something very important – when we show this judgment to others, when they notice how we act, telling others they will go to hell (a “Christian” group on my undergrad campus would actually tell people this if others were doing things they disagreed with!), pointing out the wrongs in others, this makes others see just how ungodly we truly are.

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Oh, how this quote pains me. It rips and pulls at my heart from every direction. I hope you already know this. I hope you know that we are not Christlike… But what I am hoping that you “get” through this, is that you truly realize how many people feel this way! Heck, I feel this way, even though I am one of these people who is so incrediblly unChristlike!

"The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." Brennan Manning

Our ungodliness, our not being Christlike, makes Christianity look bad, it makes Christians look bad, it makes everything we stand for null. Do you honestly believe that treating others differently because they are a different religion, color, sexual orientation, etc. than you, that you are showing God’s love? Do you honestly believe that treating others differently will bring them to Christ? Do you honestly believe that telling someone, or saying it in a round about way, or saying it in a way where you don’t think they will realize you are talking about them, will help them? That it will make them feel better about themselves? NO! And if you don’t show God’s love, if you don’t try to bring them to Christ, if you don’t make them feel better or help them, then what is your ends to this means? It is time that we make a change! Stop thinking you are better because you have Christ, or because you study the Bible more, or if you are not a Christian – stop thinking that putting Christianity down will help anyone! Quit judging others for their sins, or wrongdoings when you are also committing sins, even if they are different sins. That’s the thing, a sin is a sin. Sins hurt you. Sins hurt other people.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Now I am not saying that all sins are equal, but I’m not saying that they are not either. That is not what my point is. My point is just because someone has a sin that you believe is something terribly awful, you must remember that you also have sins! And guess what….

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28

This is also another means to my end. We are forgiven by Christ’s blood. We know that. But another verse –  which I have heard my whole life and I’m sure other Christians have as well – that I have always known but have not lived it out, is

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15

!!!! <- That’s all I have for that… But seriously, =come on people. This comes back to our judgment! How is it that you can judge someone for their way of life, when that means sacrificing your own forgiveness, and putting yourself right where they will be at the end of this thing called life. Because one lives a life that you think is not going to get them through the pearly gates, if you do not forgive them and love on them and tell them that Christ loves them through everything, then what is your reason for even giving them a second thought? Judging others will not help you or anyone else one single ounce. There is no point in judging others because it will only hurt you.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

We are here to love. If we want to live Christ-filled lives, Christ-led lives, Christ-like lives, we’ve got some major changes to make! It is time for us to love others!!! No matter what their lifestyle is, no matter what their walk with God looks like (because guess what? We don’t know what their relationship with God is!! Only that person and God knows their true relationship),  no matter what we think about a person, it is time for us to forgive them, love them, treat them well, treat them how Christ would. Can you do that? I can’t at all times, I know I will stumble, I know I will, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try as much as I possibly can, reminding myself often to love as best as I can. Let’s go back to What Would Jesus Do? Shaming others and judging them is not what Jesus would do.

When these thoughts enter your mind – thoughts of judging someone or disagreeing with someone’s actions or lifestyle – pray for them instead. Pray that they will find Christ, and pray that they will see Christ through your actions.