As you know, it is summer and I am in Kansas City with my hubs! I could not be more thrilled to be with him! Although, being back in the place I grew up has many downsides. One thing I always struggle with when coming back is my weight and being consistent with my workout. I'm pretty sure it's an excuse, but I always get thrown off track.


Being back in Kansas City actually brings more temptation than one would think. Of course in Dallas you have restaurant after restaurant after restaurant, but it's easy to avoid them... just simply don't go!
Luckily in Kansas City there aren't as many restaurants as in Texas, but my struggle doesn't come from restaurants but it comes from those around me. Family dinners or get togethers are never the healthiest.

Growing up, my family was never big on " healthy eating"... you ate and you got FULL. Fruit was usually in a pie form and veggies were either covered in cheese or fried. As I got older it was clear that we did not watch what we ate. Thankfully I was very active growing up.. track, cheerleading and volleyball just to name a few of my after school activities... but doing all that I still was unhealthy.

Now that I am an adult and I know better, I do better. Perfect, no.. but better. I think there is something about hometowns that trigger our subconscious to revert back into the person we "were" for a day, a week or longer. But this time, things are different, yes I have given into temptation more than once and missed a few days working out but it could be worse.

This evening at dinner I had a thought!

Since my mom and I pretty much put all of the meals together since we are staying with her while we visit, why not put my own healthy spin on meals that were cooked! Since it is summer that means a lot of barbecuing, so instead of eating my chicken smothered in that KC goodness I will just opt to leave my portion dry!

Now sides, no barbecue is complete without some delicious sides. Sooo since I am putting a lighter spin on our meals I thought creating the side dishes would allow me to really make better choices for everyone! So, working with what they had on hand already I opted for a simple side salad,  green beans and Birdseye steam-able side of wild rice, broccoli and carrots. And since it was a barbecue and we were feeding a lot of people, we had to add in potatoes for the guys! So I made my famous roasted baby reds (not pictured)!

Eating healthy does take strength and will power, but when you are the only one doing it, it can be even harder. So next time you are visiting with family or friends to eat give a helping hand in the kitchen! You will be surprised at what you can do to "adjust" a few things when preparing them!