camping kickoff

is officially started in our book.

the kickoff always seems to be our first camping trip.

this weekend we packed up the jeep & went on an adventure.

our destination for the long weekend was

cowans gap,

near chambersburg, pa.

 

our 2+ hour drive was absolutely beautiful.

pa totally has perks in the beauty department.

 

my pilot wasnt bad to look at either ;)

 

we made it by early evening & started to unpack all of our gear.

 

our 2 person REI tent is super easy to set up + its extra cozy!

 

we quickly realized we had the best campsite in the whole park.

the rest of our camping crew was joining us the next day.

(a much needed night away for mr. mack & i)

dinner was of course: mountain pies! PIZZZAAA!

 

adam made a pact of only cooking on the fire all weekend.

(campfire food always has the best taste..i was on board!)

 

banana kodiak pancakes were the best saturday morning breakfast.

sunday breakfast: dippy eggs, sweet potato hash, & bacon!

sunday we spent the majority of the afternoon by the lake.

the weather was absolutely perfect & so was the company, too!

 

mr. mack picked me this little bunch of flowers from his hike.

these sweet little things make my heart smile. <3

we ventured out into town Saturday morning to pick up some goods &

stumbled upon this sweet open air farmers market!

 

how perfect!

 

 

friday night was about 30* in the tent.. BRRR..

 

 

 

 

adam & brooks up early on sunday morning

 

cheers with our hot campfire tea :)

soggy egg carton = take home eggs in a mason jar instead

man, time away with this guy is always the best.

good for my heart for sure.

 

we can't wait to visit this spot again!

 

whole 20

hello there!

so if you have been following our whole30 journey, 

you know that we just passed the half way mark.

amazing right?!

well I'm going to break it down & be honest with you...

the bad news:

i slipped up on day 20 & had something that wasn't whole30 compliant.

i went to a wedding on a non-prepared empty stomach &

may or may not have had some champagne & cheese, if I'm being 100% honest...
I am owning that.

the good news:

i made it twenty days!

i realize its not the full 30, but I'm proud that I made it that long.

I'm not going to lie, I am disappointed to not make it through the round

..but regardless, I became aware of so much about myself.
it also really showed me how much i enjoy cooking; fresh foods!

20 days without processed foods, sugars, dairy, gluten...it really paid off for me.

I lost 10 pounds and 5% body fat. I'm pretty proud of that. :)

My new goals are:

*to push myself in my workouts 
*continue to eat healthy & whole

(I'm glad I had this mini jump start towards a better lifestyle.)

*to realize I'm beautiful & strong in my own skin

I want to say to my friends & whole30 pals,

thanks for all your kind words & encouragement.

It was really so fun to do this with you.

Best of luck as you finish your rounds. <3

halfway mark: #whole30

Hey guys!

I can't believe how fast the first half of our whole30 went!

The first week was huge for many reasons.

I'll be honest..lots of tough moments came, 

but thankfully they were shut down by willpower.

Learning how to say no thanks was a struggle.

But overcoming that was a huge victory &
making the phrase that come easier.

A highlight of the week was...

being re-posted by the @whole30 gang themselves!

with this picture:

576 likes= freaking out! :)

I mean why not make everything look
super pretty before you eat it, right?

I'm not alone here...

What else I've learned this week:

being prepared is crucial.
make or break, really.

Through week two, I've had much more energy..
fueling fun outdoor workouts with mr. mack!

I've also been experimenting more with foods,
making new combos, and loving how fresh everything tastes!

**first time I made cauliflower rice= SO amazing!!**

Also, made my own lemon + blueberry lärabars! Yummy!!!

one of my favorite parts:
i'm sleeping great + waking up on my own..
without the pesky alarm clock/snooze routine

my will power has truly been one of the biggest surprises!
thank goodness it finally showed up. ;)

To all the other folks doing the whole30 currently,
hope you are doing great on your plan too! <3 

ready for a change #whole30

HELLO

on this beautiful monday!

Exciting new things are starting today..

Adam & I are embarking on the

program:

"Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system."

a way to re-start & re-charge our lifestyle.

we desire to eat clean & honor God by treating our bodies right.

I'll tell you a little behind why I chose to do this:

As for me, I've struggled with my weight/body issues

for as long as I can remember.

Never feeling like I was inadequate.

Growing up, I rarely made good food choices.

(granted i loved fruits, but processed foods were the norm)

I ate pretty unhealthy, but one thing going for me..

I was extremely active, playing sports basically year round.

Even looking back to when I was in the best shape of my life,

I still had something I hated about myself.

As I'm sure like most girls,

constantly comparing my body to others around me.

I can tell you one thing, its emotionally exhausting.

I'm tired of not "living up" to these ridiculous ideas

of what women should look like.

Not everyone is the same, and that is OKAY!

For me, it's time to feel comfortable in my own skin,

and be proud of the woman God created me to be.

Because there is so much more to me than a number on the scale.

I recently read this in an article on she has worth:

If you’re basing your confidence and your value on your looks, you are missing out on true joy.

Christ died for our sins so that we can become new creatures, fully focused on praising God and serving others. Not only will you miss out on opportunities to bless other people because you are so focused on your own insecurities, but you will also miss out on living a life filled with absolute security. As Christians, we don’t need to worry about being popular or skinny. These things are not what life is about. Satan likes to distract us and encourage us to tear ourselves apart, but Christ wants to free you from starving yourself and crying yourself to sleep because you don’t look like that girl on the magazine cover.

Skinny won’t solve your problems. Makeup won’t solve your problems. And being popular and accepted won’t solve your problems. Jesus is the only one who can cut through our insecurities, changing our pain into radiant beauty.

How true!

What I'm most excited about through this journey

is learning new things about myself.

I'm really looking forward to doing this with Adam too.

A re-boost for not only our physical health,

but our spiritual & mental health too is much needed.

If you want to follow along on our whole30 journey=

INSTAGRAM: @themackskitchen

Thanks for taking the time to read a little piece of my heart.

I appreciate you.

To those of you who are also doing the whole30,

it's super exciting to be doing this together! 

Good luck! <3

foodstruck york: april 2014

man, oh man!

#foodstruckyork was a really good time,

& it kicked off our first event of 2014! hooray!

i wanted to share with you some photos from our spot!

 

if you are unfamiliar with this event;

it's basically an evening filled with friends- new & old,

a variety of crazy GOOD food, rad vendors, and tons of fun

in york city, PA.

{a food truck block party}

 

We were able to be one of those lucky vendors selling our goods!

We had the chance to meet lots of new folks & put faces to names!

...an all around great time for us at mack made! :)

packing up the trunk, with a little help from my friend...

  

can you feel the EXCITEMENT?

 

all set up & manly manned.

 

  

this man right here...he IS the cats meow! ;)

 

just want to give a shout out to him,

for putting up with my show shenanigans.

he is nothing but supportive & helpful..

i'd honestly be lost without him.

love you, jam!

 

To our friends & family-THANK YOU!

Thanks for visiting us, for chatting,

and for always showing your love to us!

We are SO grateful for each & every one of you. <3

 

If we met you for the first time at foodstruckyork,

we'd love to hear from you!

drop us a line so we can connect! :)

 

looking forward to more event to come this year..

maple + blueberry refrigerator oatmeal

Happy tuesday, friends!
 

I wanted to share with you this recipe for

 [adapted from TheYummyLife]

I am totally a breakfast person & need it to start my day off right!

A friend of mine recommended this to me,

as she knows my LOVE for anything in mason jars!

I'm not a huge oatmeal fan, but this 'cold oatmeal' is SO delicious!

(and my favorite: EASY PEASY!)

It's also called 'summer porridge' which sounds even cuter! ;)

I'm trying to eat gluten free as much as possible,

so in this recipe I used GF rolled oats instead.

 

 

[INGREDIENTS] 

• 1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats // I used gluten free*
• 1/3 cup skim milk // I used raw milk*
• 1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt (If you use reg. yogurt add less milk)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 cup blueberries

        *changes I made

 

Directions

1. In a half pint (1 cup) jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup.

2. Put lid on jar and shake until well combined.

3. Remove lid, add blueberries and stir until mixed throughout.

4. Return lid to jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

5. Eat chilled & enjoy!

in a half pint (1 cup) jar, add 1/4 cup oats

 

add 1/3 cup milk 

 

add 1/4 cup greek yogurt

 

add 1 1/2 teaspoons of dry chia seeds

*fun fact: chia seeds

• have more Omega 3 fatty acids than flax seed (important for heart health)
• are the richest non-marine whole food source of Omega-3 (better than salmon)
• absorb 10 times their weight in water and transform into a gel-like substance--great for athletes for maintaining hydration and helps with weight loss by making you feel full longer
• are as high in protein as quinoa
• are loaded with calcium, potassium, Vitamin B, and anti-oxidants
• help balance blood sugar via the gelling action of the seed and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber that slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars
• have a neutral taste so they will take on the other flavors in a recipe
• can be eaten whole (unlike flax seed); they don't have to be ground before adding them to food in order to digest them and benefit from their nutrients
• have a two year shelf life, stored at room temperature (flax seeds quickly become rancid and lose their nutritional value)

 

 

add 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup

 

 

SHAKE WELL!

 

 

add blueberries & stir

Place lid back on overnight &

dig in the following morning! :)

 

finished product: <3

 

find more recipes HERE

 

Let me know if you make it;

I'd love to hear your thoughts!