ANOTHER JOURNAL ENTRY | Katie Huntley

Try a new hobby Make goals and intentions for yourself Think nice thoughts about yourself on a daily basis Treat yourself to a spa day Take a new class Bake a treat for yourself Go on a drive alone Relax Take yourself out to lunch or dinner Write a daily journal and look back at your thoughts at the end of the year Ride a bike Go on a scenic walk Write yourself notes to remind yourself how important you are Volunteer Complete a random act of kindness Workout Get lost in a book store Sing out loud Finish a project Take a hot bubble bath Meditate Clean out your closet Buy yourself flowers Watch the sun rise and set Make a gratitude list Go to a movie by yourself Pray for someone else

I don’t pretend to be money savvy, or even someone who is good with budgeting. In fact, I downright suck at handling money. From the time I was little, my mom described my impulsiveness as having “money burning a hole in my pocket”. It was different when I was single: I didn’t have to answer to anyone, and a part of me kind of misses that. But in the grander scheme of things, I need that accountability. I need someone yelling, “Why the hell did you pay $40 for a dress ?!” or “Why do you need 50 pairs of shoes?!” Okay, maybe the dress price is an exaggeration, but you get my husband’s point… It also doesn’t help when a spender marries a spender. At some point, somebody has gotta cave in and become a saver. That person in my marriage is my husband. And he’s amazing at it. It has also caused some….um…. not so pleasant moments in our household.  ** A page in my planner ** So, why am I writing this all out? Because I know I am not alone in this. I know there are ...

I have never been one to fancy myself a chef; in fact, usually whenever the smoke detector has gone off it simply means I am in the kitchen again. After a while, it just stopped going off. As if to say, “oh, she’s at it again. No danger here!” I’m sure it had nothing to do with needing new batteries…  On keto, however, home cooked meals are essential. And even before keto, I had started getting into the habit of making at least two of our meals at home each week. It isn’t only healthier, but more budget friendly. It’s become fun for me, to try and put together a healthy meal that is always balancing what my body needs on keto, which is a lot of fats. One of my favorite recipes that I’ve discovered is a goat cheese, walnut and thyme stuffed pork chop. Pork chops tend to be on the lean side, so the cheese and walnuts add the needed fat. Bon Appetit! 3 oz. goat cheese ½ c. chopped walnuts 1 T. chopped fresh thyme 4 center-cut pork chops, butterflied Sea salt and freshl...

I know we have all heard that tired, overused cliché “New Year, New Me”, but do we ever truly mean it? Is it something that we say because we feel the need to verbalize that this year is going to be different than last when deep down we know that, more than likely, we will just fall back into the same old routines?  I started this year out with the “New Year, New Me” attitude: but with that attitude, I have also changed my lifestyle. It doesn’t mean anything until one takes action—you know that other cliché “actions speak louder than words”. Well, I am about that life this year.  What is this change, you might ask? I have set a weight loss goal – and have fully embraced the ketogenic lifestyle. There are days, like yesterday, where I fully embraced a slice of pizza – but I won’t allow a moment of weakness to totally derail me back to my old life of carby fatness. I have witnessed several people who talked about it for a while, and then went back to how they were, and I vow...