Candy Bar Wedding Ideas

So wedding plans are coming along... We have a little over 5 months until the big day! Plus- I am directing a musical and still teaching full time! I am very busy- and strongly irritated when people around me complain about being busy. they have no idea what busy is!

I am currently working on a candy bar for my wedding. So here are a few of my ideas:

Since I am getting married in September I LOVE this fall-colored candy bar.

I see lots of Reeses pieces, Candy Corn, pumpkins, a gold- wrapped chocolates. Beautiful!!! Maybe a chocolate fountain with strawberries could also play well into this color scheme!

I also Love pink, so here are a few pink ideas:

Again, we have the gold wrapped chocolate but the pastel pinks, corals and purple candies are fun and lovely. I love the addition of the pink ribbon and flowers decorating the martini-shaped containers. very simple and easy!

I am drooling over this green-themed candy bar. What do you think?

The silver Hershey Kisses mixed with green malt balls and mint candy are so adorable!! I also love the white photo frames with the names of the candy printed in white-on-green. Similar frames can be found at Michael's crafts, usually on sale. The glass containers are very simple in shape- but very large. They might cost a lot of money to fill up! I would look for green candy around St. Patricks day and Easter. This makes a lovely spring table display!!!

I am IN LOVE with this blue candy bar- very cute and makes me think of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Blue and white M & M's, White Jordan Almonds and those cute swizzle lolipops- so simple and cute! I think some blue taffy would be a nice addition. I also like the way it matches the wedding cake- because not everyone likes cake!

This one is very colorful and would look lovely at a birthday party or event- but I am not sure I would like it for my wedding. It almost looks kind of childish and circus-y. I do love the way this display looks, however I think I would use it for a birthday party- or even engagement party- before I would use it in my wedding.

Movie Snacks for Dieters!!

I am currently on a Low-carb diet and my fiancee and I LOVE going to the movies- at least once a week when there are a bunch of good movies out. So I have to stock my purse with an arsenal of low-card treats.
They are as follows:






Blue Diamond Roasted, Salted Almonds... 2 net carbs for about 28 nuts :)  Also has different flavors- I get mine at Walgreens...


Baby Bel Cheese (Less than 1 carb per serving).


Atkins Endulge bars- The Peanut cluster one is my favorite because they taste like a Payday:


String Cheese- any flavor- most only have 1 carb per stick :)


And if I do not buy a diet drink at the movies I bring my own- (I actually bring my own everywhere)


Did you know Pork Rinds have no carbs? Well, if you miss that chippy snack feeling then try some pork rinds- you can also crumble them and crust your baked chicken with them and you won't miss the bread crumbs!




I found some snack sausage at Target the other day that had less that one carb per serving- and the bags were only $3.99! I got the turkey sausage but they also had pork and beef.
 Here is what they look like- but not hte same brand as the ones at Target:

Wedding Plans!!

Yikes! We have been engaged almost a month now and I feel like I haven't done much to prepare for the wedding.. We haven't set a concrete date yet, either. But one thing we have done is.. stress about money. or at least I have. I am thinking of some ideas I can do to earn extra wedding money- I want a really pretty dress and our reception will be a $65 per person affair.. so I might be selling some stuff on Etsy soon :)

I am lucky that I have my amazing aunt Billie who does beautiful flowers and is helping me with the wedding. Jason and I are very appreciative for her.

Here are some photos I like for this upcoming nuptial... TBA hahahhaha


Here is where we want to get married: Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri










Pretty, Right?!?!
Yes, pretty pricey- but worth it...







Takes my breath away...

 Here is what we want to do for wedding weekend festivities:

Mini Golf...

Dixie Stampede...









Some boat fun.. On the Pontoon!
Hahhaa



 I am really excited for a nice bridal Luncheon with my favorite ladies and a fun day of getting prettified...
Manis, pedis, etc...






 

Super Greens!!!

My friend Kelsey made me try "Green Super Foods" a dietary supplement (actually low in carbs) that is made up of green fruits and veggies and is packed full of nutrition. Sadly, our foods are very lacking in nutrients these days and we needs the boost.
I love that this is not a pill, I take enough pill-like supplements and even though the texture is not pleasant in water (similar to wheat grass shots), this is an excellent way to get some healthy stuff.

My friends, who are not on Atkins, take it with Orange Juice and find it quite pleasant. I have to take it with water and don't really enjoy it. But I am not a 5-year old and can handle the brief 20 seconds of unpleasantness for the sake of my body.
You can get the stuff at Whole Foods or here on Amazon, or here:
http://amazinggrass.com/category/16/Green-SuperFood.html

Shredding with Jillian!

So I picked up the 30 Day Shred with Jillian Micheals at Target last week for under $10.
I highly recommend it to anyone who is short on time and wanting to get fit. I have always loved Jillian on the Biggest Loser!
The video has three levels, each session is a mere 20 minutes and you will feel this workout the next day. All the moves are easy and not complicated, such as jumping jacks, push-ups and crunches. The workouts are simple and effective- working arms and legs at the same time.
Each session has a 3-2-1 breakdown: 3 minutes of strength training, 2 of cardio and 1 minute of abs. you end up doing the 3-2-1 pattern three times, each with different exercises. Jillian coaches you every step of the way, and even though she gets a little cheesy at times, she is encouraging and explains everything clearly. She even offers a lower-impact alternatives for beginners.

I was suggested this video by one of my dear friends, who uses it 4 times a week because she has three kids and can't get to the gym. She is in excellent shape. :)

Some easy options for low carb eating

Starting week two on this journey- I have discovered some good ideas to curb my appetite and improve my health!

Snacking-
Make a big batch of chicken salad-
2 large cans of canned chicken, draned
2 Tblsp of Mayo (I prefer the kind with Olive Oil)
1 long stalk of celery , chopped
Add some walnuts and spices such as Cavenders for taste
*Also  consider 1/2 a packet of ranch salad dressing mix

Eat alone or over spinach

Breakfast-
Crustless Quiche- make like normal quiche with cheese, eggs, cream, etc.. (I like spinach and turkey bacon!) but bake a little longer than normal. You can eat on one of these by yourself for breakfast for about a week!

Frozen grilled chicken fajita pieces are cheap and easy!

ALSO- Atkins Endluge bars- Cheapest and best selection at Wal-mart.

Here is a site that talks about cinnamon on weight loss:
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/how-a-scoop-of-cinnamon-a-day-can-help-you-lose-weight.html

Cinnamon is an easy way of making a little change to get you started on the path to health! I put it in my morning coffee and add it to recipes for an extra boost.

If you have any questions about the Atkins Diet , check this out!!

http://www.atkins.com/Program/Overview/How-and-Why-Atkins-Work.aspx

I have this page bookmarked on my Google Nexus tablet (which is amazing) and refer to it often, especially the foods I can eat during Induction, which is the phase I am in now.  This phase lasts two weeks, and I can only eat 20 net carbs a day.
What are net carbs? (This is something I had to ask too)
The total grams of carbs, minus the grams of dietary fiber
Ex: If Total Carbs are 20 grams, but the food has 10 grams of dietary fiber, the net carbs equals.. TADDAAAA 10 . That would be half of my daily intake, so I steer away from foods that high in carbs. Also- some veggies are higher in carbs than you would think- so right now I cannot even eat carrots or peas *Sad Face*
So I eat a lot of chicken, broccoli, eggs, cheese and spinach
I am getting creative with these foods.
I also love Ceasar Salads (THANK GOD FOR SALAD DRESSING) minus the croutons.

Alright- I think this posting is long enough. Plus, it is cold and my hands are having trouble typing :)

Day seven of my Atkins adventure and I am feeling good. NYE was a little hard, and I cheated a little bit with some popcorn. Next time I will bring my own snacks instead of just my own drinks. The things I have
Learned include that I am a snacker, and crave sweets when I a, stressed and bored. This is the primary reason for my weight loss over the past few years deals with my ready snacks and more time at my desk.
What has helped me this past week:
Canned chicken- it is easy and you can make anything out of it.
Low carb tortillas
Carb tracker app on computer
Birdseye frozen veggies


I feel food, but hopefully the scale will show my successes soon. I have only lost a couple of pounds so far. ;-(