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Aug 31, 2012

Cross Fit Mamas


Jenny+Powers..jpg

I came across this site on..what else..Pinterest!  I think I am going to give it a whirl!  Last year I made a promise to myself that I would no longer do ANYTHING in a workout that I didn't enjoy!  I actually love to workout, but I hate mindless cardio.  I miss running outside like crazy, but my knee just won't cooperate.  I have heard a million people say they love CrossFit, so I am going to give it a try.  I may not have all of the equipment, but I am going to do my best to keep up!  Who wants to join me!?!?!  I think it would be fun to keep up with each other on this!  Comment if you are in!

Click HERE for details!


Also, check out my new RECIPES tab at the top of the page.  I have compiled a list of all the recipes I have posted on this site! 

Enjoy!

Aug 30, 2012

Product Review


So yesterday went really well.  I am happy to report that the food tastes SO much better than I was expecting! My favorite from yesterday was the Creamy Alfredo!  I did try the Chocolate Chip Pudding, and while the flavor was good, it was kind of lumpy, so I think next time I will blend it up in the Ninja! This morning I had a shake and a Cinnamon Pastry Tart.  I was expecting a more flaky consistency, but instead, it basically tasted like the Oatmeal Cookie.  I toasted it for a few minutes and it was pretty good.  In my shake I did Hot Cocoa mix, 1/2 cup Almond Milk, 1 cup water, 6 cubes of ice, 2 C baby spinach, and 2 tbs. sugar free Kahlua syrup.  I skipped the frozen banana so I could have fruit with my morning snack.

I was a bit hungry yesterday, but because my shipment didn't come till afternoon, I wasn't on plan during the morning.  Today, I already feel great and full!  I just feel so encouraged with the taste and the variety of the food!  

Had some help blogging this morning!  Isn't my little assistant so stinking cute!



Aug 29, 2012

Today is the Day of Reckoning




Reckoning (NOUN)
(rk-nng)
* The avenging or punishing for past mistakes or misdeads

It is no coincidence that this horrible picture of me was taken yesterday and today my order of meal replacements showed up.  I have known for a while now that eventually, I would return to this kind of plan. 


If you have been a reader of my blog, or you have known me personally in the last 2 years you would know that I lost 50 pounds between a miscarriage and getting pregnant with my daughter about 18 months ago.  I used a program called Medifast.  I actually really didn't mind the program, and for a short time was a health coach with the company.  I tried multiple times to get back on the program since the birth of my daughter and for some reason just couldn't get there.  I think because I used their products for so long, the taste began to kind of freak me out, and they got rid of one of the only products I actually looked forward to eating, and I just felt like I needed to find something new.  I found Wonderslim online and ordered a few samples.  I was blown away at how much better they tasted.  They do have a higher calorie content than Medifast meal replacements and the plan allows you to eat one fruit serving per day, one fat free dairy serving per day, plus one starch serving per day.  I am a big believer in meal replacements for myself at least.  Because the actual food and counting numbers is such an issue with me, I found that taking the food and its caloric damage on my body out of the equation for a while helped to clear my head and take the pressure off of eating the exact amount of calories each day that the app on my phone tells me to.  I think that getting pregnant so soon after getting to my goal weight and not taking some time to really solidify my new way of eating is what caused me to leave those good habits behind and spiral back into the self abusing behavior I currently find myself in. 

Soooo, here it is, my shipment of Wonderslim.  I will still be posting recipes just as I did when I was on Medifast.  I am excited to get started and start seeing results!



{ This is me after I finished a 90 day Medifast program }


Aug 25, 2012

Pull The Trigger




     What is it about stressful situations that puts me into an instant downward spiral?  Today I was at Target shopping, and the place was a zoo.  It was hot, there were a million people, the checkout stands were a nightmare, my 5 year old was cranky, I forgot my Target debit card so I didn't even save the %5 I was counting on, the guy at the food court screwed up our order, and my son spilled Icee all over the place. Before we even got out of the store, I ingested a cheese pizza, half of my sons fries, and a Diet Coke (which I gave up a month ago).  Then. as I sat there feeding the demon inside, two moms sat across from me with babies about the same age as my baby, but they had flat stomachs, and perfect bodies.  Cue the self hatred. So then I felt entitled. I felt like I deserved, nay, NEEDED to cheat.  I felt like the only way to calm my nerves was to eat something sinful all the while telling myself in my brain how disgusting I am.  

I have always chalked up my stress response of eating to the fact that it is the only vice I have.  I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I don't take sleeping pills, or any pills for that matter, I don't cheat on my husband...but I do have a very, very unhealthy relationship with food( oh, and I kind of have a potty mouth...oops!).  So when the stress comes, the only way i have learned to cope is by stuffing myself.  In all of the years I have dieted and studied weight loss, I have never been able to master the cycle of addiction.  I know without a doubt that is why I have never conquered my weight long term.  I  have an emotional trigger like stress then instantly I crave food, I go through the ritual, I use it to soothe me, then I hate myself, which then leads to a trigger and we are right back on the roller coaster.  

I was watching the Today show a few mornings ago and they had a male guest who spoke about binge eating.  He said in his past he had always focused on controlling the food.  If only I can control the food, I will get a handle on this.  He went on to say that until we learn to control our emotions, we will get nowhere in the battle with our weight.  I am not even sure where to begin with that.  I read THIS websites information about emotional triggers which suggests that emotional triggers stem from an earlier trauma.  In the last few years I have really searched myself trying to figure out what if any trauma brought me to this place with food.  I can't think of any one event, but there are a lot of little things that I think contributed.  My mother battled with food her whole adult life.  I  remember her portioning my food differently than other kids.  I remember once at a birthday party she cut me a much smaller piece of cake than the other kids got.  I cried of course not understanding.  She took me aside and told me i had to be more careful about how much cake I ate than the other kids.  I remember being called fat by some boys at school.  I remember struggling to find clothes that fit me even at a young age.  I got put on Phen-Fen at 14. I had a very thin, popular, beautiful sister who I looked up to, but never looked like.  I felt like I was always compared to her, and we couldn't have been more different...at the time anyways!  But as adults, her and I have come to realize we both struggled with food.  If there was some sort of trauma, I either don't remember it, or my mind has chosen to forget it for me.  

There are times when the thought comes to me that I in fact have an addiction and therefore in order to overcome it, I must treat is as an addiction.  Just as a recovering alcoholic must learn to cope with life without using alcohol, so must I learn to cope with life without using food.  If there is anyone reading this who relates, or has a trick they use, or has learned to overcome, or hasn't learned to overcome and wants to learn, please, share.  I  have no idea who reads this, like I have said in the past, I do this for myself.  But I also hope, someone, somewhere can read about my struggles and feel less alone.


Aug 24, 2012

Asain Lettuce Cups


These were a HUGE hit at our house the other night.  They were easy to make, and even my hubbs loved them! I served them with a side of steamed sugar snap peas tossed with the tiniest bit of butter and salt. It was a fantastic meal!

Filling
1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2/3 cup thinly sliced green onion (about 4)
1 8oz can Water Chestnuts

Sauce
3 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp lower sodium Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp roasted red chili paste (I used hot chili sauce cause I had it on hand)
1/8 tsp salt

12 Boston Lettuce Leaves (I used Butter Lettuce)

Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the turkey, garlic and ginger to the pan.  Cook for about 6 minutes or until turkey is browned.  Add the water chesnuts and onions and mix well.
Whisk together the sauce ingredients and toss to coat with the turkey mixture.  Add about 1/4 cup turkey to each lettuce cup. 

Serving size 2 lettuce cups with 1/4 C mixture in each. (I actually used less mixture in each and had 3 or 4 cups instead of just 2)

Total Calories: 205

Enjoy!

Aug 22, 2012

One Ingredient Guilt Free Ice Cream

{photo courtesy of www.thekitchn.com}

Can you tell it has been crazy hot here??  I am all about creamy yummy cold deliciousness!  Did you know you can make amazing tasting ice cream with just ONE ingredient??  Frozen bananas!  Check out THIS blog for all kinds of fun ways to jazz up this little dish of gold!  The best part is that you are only indulging in 105 calories!  Even if you add some nutella, or peanut butter, the calorie count on this dessert is still crazy low!  I like to add a bit of cocoa and some PB2 to mine! My husband and my son go crazy for this stuff.  I even let my son have it for breakfast once....he thought I was the coolest mom on the planet! 

Enjoy!

Aug 21, 2012

Almond Milk Ice Cream

May it be said now that I am a Pinterest JUNKIE!  I love it, and I actually use it a lot.  I cook from Pinterest at least once a week, if not more.  One of my family's favorite Pinterest finds would be baggie ice cream.  My husband loves ice cream and this way, he can have it whenever he wants and the bonus is, there isn't a bunch of garbage packed into it!  We have tried it with half and half, whole milk and almond milk.  Of course the half and half makes the best ice cream, but for a sweet treat that is low in fat and calories, the almond milk did the job!  Here is what I did

1 C Almond Milk (Unsweetened)
1/2 C Coarse Salt
3 Truvia Packets
Vanilla Extract (I use a few drops)
2Tbsp Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
Ice
Big Ziplock Bag
Small Ziplock Bag


In your small bag, mix your "milk", truvia, extracts and syrup.

Fill your large bag about 3/4 of the way with ice.Cover with salt.

Place your small bag of "mix" into the bigger bag and give it a good shake for about 5 minutes.  I actually cover mine with a towel so my hands don't freeze!

You could add all kinds of other flavors or fruit!! Enjoy!

Total Calories 55





Aug 18, 2012

Mashed Loveliness!






In my mission to enjoy vegetables, I came across THIS great blog, I Breath...I'm Hungry.  It is full of all kinds of great recipes.  She came up with a great way to enjoy mashed cauliflower.  Cauliflower is one of the few veggies I actually like...but NOT cooked.  I have tried mashed cauliflower in the past and literally gagged so hard I almost lost the rest of my dinner.  I thought I would give it a try because she seemed to address a lot of the issues I have with the cooked version of this veggie, and I have to say they are amazing!!  I did make a few changes just to make it a bit more calorie conscious.  My son and my husband LOVE this side dish, and I think you will too!

Mashed Cheesy Cauliflower

1/2 Head cauliflower (3 cups once it is all chopped up)
1tbs heavy cream (I use 1/4 c greek yogurt)
1/2 tbs butter ( I skipped the butter)
2 ounces sharp cheese (the sharper the better)
salt and pepper to taste (I use Johnn'y Seasoning Salt)

Wash and cut the cauliflower into small pieces. I have found that the more of the stem you remove, the creamier your texture will be.  The stems tend to make it more grainy.

Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and coat with the cream and butter.  Microwave uncovered for 5 minutes.  Stir to coat and microwave for another 4 minutes.  You want your cauliflower to be tender but not soggy.  If you over steam, your dish will end up soupy.

Place all remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor and whip until smooth.  

If you make it the way I do with greek yogurt and no butter, you are looking at about 101 calories per serving.  This makes about 3 servings. If you take a smaller portion and serve 5 people, you are looking at 61 calores.  

Aug 17, 2012

My Morning Routine

I am a big BIG fan of hiding healthy food in other foods that maybe don't taste so healthy!  I stumbled upon this morning shake about 6 months ago and have been drinking it every morning since.  A few weeks ago, I was reading a friends blog, healthconfessions.com and I saw a link to a product called PB2.  This is a powdered peanut butter that you can either ad to shakes, or reconstitute with water.  I ordered the original and the chocolate variety! It is wonderful and only 45 calories per 2 tbs!!  I swear in the 6 months that I have been doing this, my nails are stronger and they grow faster, my skin looks better, and my hair is shinier!  Check out THIS site to read more on the amazing benefits of eating spinach!  You might be blown away!

The Big Green Giant

1.5 cups Almond milk (unsweetened original) 53 calories
1 banana (sliced and FROZEN) 105 calories
2 TBS PB2 45 calories
 Fill the rest of your blender with baby spinach 20 calories
1 tbs Torani Sugar Free vanilla syrup

Blend Blend Blend!  I don't like any chunks of spinach left at all, so I obliterate my shakes!

TOTAL CALORIES
223

TIPS:

I buy 2 bunches of bananas at the store every week.  Once bunch I use to feed the kids and the other one I let sit out until it just starts turning brown.  Once it is just a bit over ripe, I slice each banana into 8 segments.  I then put them all into a gallon sized baggie and freeze them.  Trust me, you want your bananas frozen, and you don't want to try to slice them up after they are frozen!

In my experience, baby spinach tasted better...or I guess didn't taste at all!  I tried buying a large bag of regular spinach because I go through it so fast, but the spinach taste and texture was much more dominant in the shake and I really didn't like that!  So, stick with the baby variety!

ENJOY!

Aug 16, 2012

I'm About to Blow Your Mind...Seriously!


For anyone who knows me personally, you know I HATE most vegetables.  I am famous for my skills when it comes to picking veggies out of my food.  This has been a battle with me since I was very small.  I spent many, many nights asleep next to my plate at the dinner table because I refused to eat my veggies!
 Over the last few months I have embarked on a journey to discover new ways to fall in love with the dreaded vegetable.  I can not take too much credit for this recipe, I found it on Pinterest! But, I have added my spin to it, and seriously...I crave and I mean drool over...drum-roll please...BRUSSEL SPROUTS!  I know what you are thinking.  Brussel sprouts are like the most hated vegetable of all time.  But, with this recipe, you too will come to love...nay CRAVE these yummy little beauties!

This recipe is not super precise.  Depending on the size of your sprout, you may need more.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
cut stems off of 6-8 large sprouts
quarter the sprouts lengthwise
toss sprout quarters and leaves that fell off during cutting process on a cookie sheet
spray with Crisco Butter Spray (this is important, I have tried other sprays and the Crisco butter spray tastes the best)
sprinkle with seasoning salt, I use Johnny's (be careful, the sprouts will shrink up during cooking therefore concentrating the seasoning, you don't want your sprouts too salty!)

Toss on the cookie sheet and place in the oven
every 5 minutes use a spatula to re-toss the sprouts and leaves
once the leaves are crisp and brown and each side of the sprouts is browned you are done!

I like mine pretty brown.  The outer leaves that get really brown and crispy are the BEST part!  
 Enjoy!!

Aug 14, 2012

I'm a Rough and Tough...Nothin's Gonna Knock This Girl Down

I do this really, for myself.  I don't know who is reading this.  I don't know if it has ever helped anyone.  I have no idea if people think I am nuts.  But I do know this...I miss doing it.  I have let my life get me down.  I have given up lately.  Resigned to the sadness of loosing so much.  I  was on a walk tonight and realized just how much of myself I have lost.  There is so much missing from my life right now, and not because we moved away from everyone and everthing, and not because I have gained all of my weight back, but because I have let it go.  I used every excuse in the book to justify flushing myself down the drain.  Yes, depression can be so binding and some days I have felt like no matter what, I was never going to be myself again, never be fully happy again.  I have wondered if my lot in life is to always feel like I am half of the person I know I have the potential to be. See, I have tasted it.  I know my potential.  I have seen the light...briefly...very briefly.  And just when I thought I had it all figured out, the rug was pulled out from under me.  I lost my footing and began the downward spiral that has been the last 2 years of my life.  Today, as I had others in my life struggle with real problems, I realized something.  I have the power.  It is in me.  I can overcome.  And not just overcome and survive but I can thrive.  I can become that woman who, in my mind has been sitting on a really high shelf unreachable...unattainable.   I love this song becuase it really speaks to me.  I am a rough and tough!  I have been through things most people will never ever go through...and I have been through a lot of those kinds of things.  I have punched through walls, fallen flat on my face, lost it all, and somehow, I am still here.  I may have lost my fight for a while.  I kind of got tired of fighting.  I let the battle beat me...really, really beat me.  But, nothin's gonna knock this girl down...for long! I know it sounds corny to be so inspired by a pop song, but when you are out sweating and really working your muscles and this comes piping through your earbuds, you can't help but feel a bit lighter, a bit stronger, a bit more...I dunno...bad ass??!?!?!  Am I right?  So anyway, here I am, once again spilling my guts on the world wide web.  Things are going to get better.  I just know it!