Staying on track...

has been very difficult!  I have plenty of scapegoats, Thanksgiving, Christmas, holiday baking, pregnancy cravings, BUT what it comes down to is my own will power, or lack there of.  It's honesty time, I have gained 9 lbs already.  I should only gain 20 total over my pregnancy, and most of that should come in the second half.... so 9 in 16 weeks, is not good.

At my appointment today my Doctor told me to be a little stricter on my diet, that I should only be up about 5 pounds at the most right now, so 9 is a little high.  That was all I needed to hear.  I went straight to the grocery store, and set my self up to succeed.  I bought fruits and veggies, brown rice, beans, whole wheat noodles, chicken, eggs, Kashi peanut butter bars, triscuts, raisins, cottage cheese, string cheese.... I think that's about it.  All stuff that is healthy and easy.  No more excuses!!  For Breakfast I had an Apple and 2 slices of cheese, and an Americano with cream.  I had some whole grain crackers for a snack, and a Kashi bar, and for lunch I'll have a salad - spring mix, tomato, mushrooms, turkey, and dressing.  I have Ham and bean soup cooking in the crock pot for dinner.... here is the recipe (this fills my 6 quart crock pot, adjust accordingly):

Ham and Bean Soup

4 Cups Ham, cooked and diced
7 cups white beans
16 oz baby carrots, diced
4 potatoes (medium), diced
2 tbl diced garlic
2 tbl minced onion
4 cups Broth (see below)

Add everything to the crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours (or until potatoes and carrots are done to your liking)

To make the broth simmer a ham bone (with some meat still on it) in a large pot with 4 cups natural organic chicken stock and 3-4 cups water (enough to cover the bone).  I also added a little garlic and onion, and fresh ground pepper.  This made more broth than I needed for this recipe, freeze the extra!

According to my "Lose It" app, this comes out ot about 195 calories per cup.

We are down one kid for the next couple of days, so I will probably freeze half of this since it's an awful lot for only three people!

I had some left over potatoes after cutting up what I needed for the soup, so I have them baking in the oven.  I am going to use them to make "loaded" potato skins for New Years Eve.  I scoop out some of the potato, and fill them with shredded chicken, salsa and cheese, then bake them.  They are sooo much healthier than your normal Loaded Potato skin, but still very yummy, the kids love them!

Tomorrow night I am making Turkey Chilaquiles.  I saw the recipe in Red Book, and I have tons of left over turkey from Christmas dinner (also where all the ham came from for the soup!).  So I will be sure to post the recipe for that once I make it!

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

The past two weeks I have been tired, mentally, and physically!  So dinners have been less than fabulous.  But I finally have a little energy back, and school is done, so I am trying to get back into the swing of things around here.  Last night I made Crunchy Black Bean Tacos for dinner, tonight I am making Cream Cheese and Black Bean Chicken.  Both are were recipes I originally found on Pinterest, and just tweeked a little bit.

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos
adapted from Endlesssimmer.com

Ingredients:
2 C. black beans, cooked

1 C. pinto beans, cooked

½ C. onion, minced
1 tsp. cumin
4 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
2 cups cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
All natural corn tortillas

Directions:
1) In a skillet, add beans along with onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt, and simmer for a few minutes, then lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.

2) In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.

3) Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

4) Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.

5) As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.

6) Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.

7) When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn't fall out.

8) Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.

Viola, there you have it!  Easy and delicious!  Not to mention, healthy and REAL. Everyone gobbled them up around here, I served them with Salsa and fresh corn.  I personally only had the tacos, and they were very filling.

I will do my best to get another blog up tomorrow with tonight's dinner recipe and review.

Haven't talked exercise in awhile.... but I swear I am still doing it!  The first 8 weeks or so were HARD, I was just so tired, and out of breath all the time!  But I did what I could, as often as I could.  These past two weeks have been better energy wise, but now some things hurt, the lower area of my abdomen hurts when there is any "bouncing" (running jumping, etc) so I have to be careful about that, and I still tend to get out of breath quickly.  So I just try to monitor my heart rate and do as much as I can.  I have started to do more "Instructing" instead of modeling in my classes, and I finally told them all why so that has been a relief.  There are certain exercises I avoid all together because of research and things I have read.  It's advised to avoid walking lunges, so I don't do those, and any thing that has you lay flat on your back, such as crunches, weight bench exercises, etc.  Other than that there's not a lot I CAN'T do, I just have to modify it to my new level.... which has been hard to swallow.  LoL

Happy Hump day!  It's not too late to make this a good week and make some changes!  Try a new recipe, or a new work out, and feel good about yourself!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin!

I had a little extra time this morning, so I decided to get some baking done that I planned to do later today.  So here it is 6:30 am, and I have 3 loaves of Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread that are just about ready to come out of the oven done, as well as a batch of Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes made for breakfast!  I'd say that's a productive morning!

Both recipes came from my favorite source, 100 Days of Real Food.

I'll start with the pancakes.  Her recipe is actually for Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes, but I wanted pumpkin so I subbed the 2 ripe bananas with 1 cup of pumpkin puree.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Adapted from Williams Sonoma Breakfast Cookbook/100 Days of Real Food

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour (I use King Arthur’s organic white whole-wheat flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted + butter for frying
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the honey, eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Whisk together thoroughly, but do not overmix.
3. Gently fold the pumpkin into the batter with a spatula.
4. Heat a griddle or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Swirl enough butter around the pan until it is well coated. Add pancake batter using a soup ladle.
5. When the pancakes have begun brown on the bottom, flip them over to cook the other side.
6. Serve and enjoy!

The only thing I was disappointed with, was that they weren't very pumpkin-y at all.  They really tasted just like regular pancakes, but they were still very good regular pancakes :)

Now, the Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread.  I LOVE this stuff, so do the kids.  It's delicious.  When I am making it to keep I usually double the recipe and make one loaf, and 12 muffins, and freeze the muffins.  This time I am giving it away, so I doubled the batch and made 3 loaves. 

Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Adapted from 100 Days of Real Food

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour)
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup oil 
• ½ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (from the flour down to the salt).
3. Make a well (hole) in the center and throw in the eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla. Stir together thoroughly with a fork, but do not overmix.
4. Fold in the pumpkin puree.
5. Generously grease a large loaf pan or put muffin liners in a muffin pan and then pour in the batter.
6. For a loaf bake for approximately 30 – 40 minutes and for muffins bake for approximately 18 – 22 minutes. Check for doneness by making sure a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

And there you have it!  Now, I have to tell you, I was skeptical, whole wheat, no sugar?  Hmmm.  But both recipes are delicious!  You can't even tell they are "healthy".  My kids gobble them up, and think it's some sort of treat, I love it!  So just TRY it, you'll be pleasantly surprised! Oh, and 1 hour, start to finish, I had the bread made and in the oven, pancakes made and plated, bread out of the oven, who doesn't have time for one hour?

Later today I am making Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn, stay tuned!

Bacon, Cheddar, Chicken, and Rice Bake

Yesterday I made "Bacon, Cheddar, Chicken, and Rice Bake" for dinner.  I found the original recipe on Pinterest (here) and made a few little adjustments.

Bacon, Cheddar, Chicken and Rice Bake

Adapted from All Recipes

4 tablespoons butter 

1 medium onion , chopped (about 1 cup)

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons whole wheat flour

3 ½ cups chicken stock

3 ½ cups milk

1 ½ cups uncooked brown long-grain rice

3 cups cooked chicken , cubed 

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded

1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat and cook onions until translucent. Add garlic, salt, and pepper. Add flour and mix well. Cook until starting to color. Stir milk and stock into flour mixture.Turn heat to medium high and add one cup cheese and continue to whisk as mixture comes to a simmer.  Add rice and lower heat to medium low. Cook until the rice absorbs most of the liquid and is tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add chicken and bacon to the rice and sauce mixture. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 inch casserole. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar on top of the casserole. Place in oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbling.

The original recipe called for regular flour, regular rice,and season salt.  I subbed the flour for whole wheat flour (King Arthur's) and I used brown long grain rice.... I omitted the season salt all together.   The other change I made was the time for the rice..... I was long past 20 minutes and still had hard rice.  I estimate it was about 45 minutes before it was tender.  Next time I might use minute rice!  

Sorry for the crappy photo, I was in a rush to get to class and wanted a picture before it got devoured by hungry animals.  Haha.

Anyhow, it was good!  The kids and husband all enjoyed it, and I will make it again!

Tomorrow I am making more Whole Wheat pumpkin bread and Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn (all REAL food treats for gift baskets!)!  Stay tuned for recipes and pictures!  

I ran! And made pot roast....

So before I even knew I was pregnant I noticed I was having a hard time running. I would be out of breath after a quarter mile, and couldn't fathom finishing my normal 3 mile routine.  So for the past 6 or so weeks, I really haven't ran much at all.. Other than one minute sprints in Intervals class.(which leave me huffing and puffing).. This morning, after a rather rough night of battling cold congestion and sore throat, I oddly felt brave and energized... My congestion had broke, I was able to breathe, and the dog was begging to get out, so we went. After a quick warm up walk I decided to give it a shot, and I started to jog..... and I kept going... and going!  I stopped about halfway through my 3 miles and walked for 2 minutes, and then got right back to the jog.  Granted, this is a much slower pace than my normal jog would be, as I have to keep my heart rate under 140, but, it was better than nothing! And let me tell you, it was awesome, I felt like myself again, for the first time in weeks!  I can't wait to do it again!  I hope it's a sign that I am moving out of the "So tired all I want to do is sleep phase" of this journey!

In other news, last night for dinner we had Pot Roast.  I have avoided it lately because my favorite recipe uses a packet of ranch mix, a packet of Italian dressing mix, and a package of gravy mix.... all processed, fake, and full of additives which I am trying to avoid.... So after much searching I found the Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast Recipe.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/

I have to say, it is a perfect replacement to my old recipe.  It was delicious.  I did all the beginning steps as she outlines, however after searing the meat and deglazing the pan, I moved everything to the crock pot and cooked it on low for about 6-7 hours.  Yum!  

Speaking of "keeping it real" Thanksgiving is just around the corner... I have to admit, it's going to be a cheat day around here.  I think I am going to stick to regular old classics, maybe I'll tackle holiday recipes next year.

Panting is my new breathing...

Just walking across the room lately has me out of breath!  apparently shortness of breath is common, but it's nothing I had ever heard of before, so it threw me for a loop.  I first noticed last week when I was trying to do my morning run, halfway through my first lap I was gasping for air, not at all normal for me.  Since then it has progressed, and now just pushing a cart through the store has me winded!  It has made exercising hard, but I am trying my best not to get discouraged and give up.  I just take it easy in my class, and I do a lot more walking than I used to on my "runs" (if I can still call them that!).  The only thing that is hard is the classes I instruct, I haven't let the cat out of the bag yet, so I have to try my best to keep my intensity up so they don't think something is up.  Last week I did use my knee as an excuse, I might need to stick with that for a whole longer until this "exhausted" phase passes!

On a different not, I have eaten everything in site for the past week and a half, and that stops today!  I told myself last week that when I got back from Tahoe, that was it!  So I am back on the wagon.  I am veering away from my no carb eating plan, and I am going to follow a whole food plan, much like what I feed the kids.  No refined flours and sugars, whole foods, all natural.  I decided I would also track my calories to be sure I am staying withing a healthy range.  According to http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm I should have about 2300 a day during my first trimester.  That seemed really high, so I also checked http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/calculate-calories-needed-during-pregnancy-1600.html and it also said about 2300.  However, most sites also say 300 more calories a day than what you were eating, and I was eating 1300-1500.  So I am going to aim for about 2000 calories a day.  Keep in mind, that amount takes into consideration the amount of exercise I do, and I will be verifying it with my Doctor at my appointment next week.

Today for breakfast I had protien shake (a double one actually) 235 calories.  For a mid morning snack a sprouted wheat Bagel from Trader Joes (yum!!) with a laughing cow cheese spread, 285 calories. For lunch I had a can (2 servings) of all natural tomato garden soup and a slice of whole wheat bread, 310 calories.  So far I am at 820 calories for the day.  I will have another snack this afternoon before I teach my class, and then dinner when I get home.

Speaking of dinner, tonight is breakfast.  I am making crustless quiche.  Eggs, sausage, cheese, broccoli, and olives.  Yum!

A little change of pace

10/14/12

So last Wednesday while I was in intervals class, I kept catching my profile in the gym mirror, and thinking "why does my midsection look so puffy?!" The scale hadn't moved, I hadn't gained or lost anything significant in the week, but I felt completely bloated and gross.  I checked my calendar, and realized I was probably PMSing.  My cycle is never right on the nose, so according to what is "regular" for me, I could start in the next day, or next week. For some reason though I just had this nagging feeling.  I had been taking clomid, which had made my cycle exactly 30 day the previous month, and as of Wednesday I was on day 35.  Back story.... Clomid helps to stimulate ovulation.  I did 7 rounds of it a few years ago with no luck.  My OB told me from the get go that I needed to lose the weight to up my chances, but I wanted a solution NOW so we tried anyway.  Surprise, it didn't work.  So now, I've lost the weight and gone back, and she was ecstatic.  She said 99% of the time when they tell a patient to lose the weight and then try, they never see them again.  So she was happy to start me on another round of Clomid. The first month was the normal let down.  So that brings us back to now, month two, day 35.  So like I said, I feel a little uneasy ignoring it just because it was so exact on the dot last month.  I figure what the heck, and I take a test.  2 lines,  2 dark lines, 2 fastly appearing dark for sure lines.  Panic.  Rip open another test.....Well look at that, same result!  At this point I'm crying, shaking, and still in disbelief.  After calming down some I decide I want a good test, one of those digital ones, a good brand, that maybe these cheap store brand ones are lying to me.  So I run to the store and get the Clear Blue Easy Digital Test, all they have is a 5 pack, I don't even care, I buy it.  The results are in :

At this point I was a ball of emotions, nervous, scared, thrilled, excited, blessed, you name it.  It's something that I have wanted for so long, so so long.  Something I have wanted for so long that I began to think it would never happen, it just wasn't in God's plan for me.  So to be staring at these three sticks and seeing a whole different future than I imagine was just overwhelming.  I put them all in a gift box and gave them to Ari when he got home.  He opened them and just at in silence for what seemed like eternity.  When he finally did speak it was "Are you serious?  REALLY??"  He was very excited, and already wants 3 more.  I did the math and figured I was just about 5 weeks along.  Very very early.  So the next morning I went to the lab at the clinic and took their test.  the next few hours of waiting were agonizing.  I kept thinking my tests were wrong or something, yes all 3 of them.  Thankfully they were not, and the clinic confirmed my pregnancy, and set me up with my first appointments.

In the meant time, I keep thinking about all the signs I missed.  Normally I am so in tune, waiting and analyzing every feeling or syptom that MIGHT be pregnancy, how did I miss these?  I was tired, so TIRED, sleeping through alarms, nodding off in the afternoons, having trouble making it through my normal work outs, just wiped out.  Hungry, I was so hungy!  I was waking up between 3 and 4 am because my stomach was growling like I hadn't eaten in days.  And then of course the bloating, and the pressure I was feeling in place of normal PMS cramps.  Once I put it all together it was pretty obvious, I don't know how I missed it all.  All of that has continued, but add frequent need to pee.  I have to make it a point to get my homework done early in the day, otherwise I am too tired to concentrate and get anything accomplished.  I tried to sleep in this morning, but woke up at 5:00 am feeling like my stomach was eating itself, not to mention I had to pee, so there was no going back to sleep.  Other than that though I feel ok, no sickness yet, knock on wood.

Bread, take two.

I tried it again on Monday.  Success!  It came out great, and tastes great, too!  And, so long as you have yeast, it's pretty fool proof.  Throw it in, and walk away!  I'm excited to continue making this, so long $5 loafs of natural wheat bread!

I got the recipe here, another one from 100 Days of real food.  She hasn't let me down yet!  

Speaking of her blog, I also made pumpkin bread.  Whole wheat pumpkin bread.  It's AWESOME!!  It tastes just like regular pumpkin bread with the refined flours and sugars.  I tripled the recipe... I told you I have pumpkin coming out my ears!  It made two loafs, and 12 muffins.  Here is the link to the recipe.  Enjoy!!

That's all I've got for now, happy hump day!  The weekend is just around the corner!

Weekly Prep

On Sundays I try and make some stuff in bulk that I can freeze and use through out the week.  Yesterday I made waffles, egg mcmuffins, shredded chicken, and bread (attempted...).

Lets start with the Waffles.  I got the recipe from 100 Days of Real Food, ( recipe, here). I double the amounts, and instead of oil, I added pumpkin (because as I will share later, I have LOTS of pumpkin).  Doubled, it makes 10 waffles, I quarter them, and stick them in the freezer.  The kids love them, they hate when our freezer stash runs out, they have them for breakfast, and use them to make sandwiches for lunch.  I have even been know to snag one here and there and spread a little natural PB on it and enjoy.

Next we made Egg McMuffins.  I use a muffin tin to bake the eggs, then I add a slice of ham, a slice of cheese, and one of the baked eggs to a whole wheat english muffin, bag it, and stick it in the freezer.  Another super easy, and yummy, breakfast on the go.

I stuck 6 completely frozen chicken breast in the crockpot yesterday morning, added some garlic, minced onion, diced green chilis and a little salsa, and let it cook on low allllll day.  I shredded the chicken, and will use it to make Chicken tacos tonight, and probably chicken taco salad later this week.

Lastly, I attempted to make Whole Wheat Honey Bread.  I was so excited to find a recipe for the bread machine!  Unfortunately, I thought it was a quick bread, I didn't realize it needed yeast, and I didn't have it!  I stupidly hoped baking powder and baking soda would suffice, I was WRONG.  It was like a boulder, hard as can be!  Total Fail.  So I will be buying some yeast today, and trying again!

Now, about the pumpkin.... Andrew brought home a HUGE pumpkin, at least 25-30 lbs, from school.  He won it in a raffle.

So I chopped it up and cooked it. And cooked it.... and Cooked it!  Holy Pumpkin!

Each bag has 4 cups, the small container has 4 cups, and the large container has 10 cups!  Hence the pumpkin waffles.  And this week I will be baking pumpkin bread, and muffins!  Recipes to come :)

Quick Lunch/ Dinner Update

I have been really bad about remembering to take pictures of lunches, but I do have a few, so I thought I would share them...

All beef hotdog on a whole wheat bun, half an apple, snap peas and cherry tomatoes, and yes... the famous Bishop's pumpkin cake.  So bad, but so good.

Whole wheat pumpkin waffle sandwich (with peanut butter), homemade blueberry applesauce, 3 sausage links, and quaker granola fruit bar.

In the thermos is organic refried beans, and carne asada.  In the ziplock container is a whole wheat tortilla, guacamole, shredded cheese, and strawberries.

The above picture is today's lunch,  Last night I made carne asada for dinner,,, recipe for the marinade here: Carne Asada

The night before I made a crustless quiche...

Quiche:

10 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup almond milk

3/4 cup shredded cheese

1-2 cups ground sausage

1-2 cups chopped broccoli

1/2 slice olives

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 350

Grease  9x13 pan

mix eggs, milk and cheese, pour into pan.

Add sausage and broccoli (I put broccoli on one half because I have a non broccoli eater)

Top with olives, and bake for 45 minutes, or until egg is set.

Tonight I think I will make this sausage stir fry...

I think that's everything I had on my list to share!  Have a good rest of your week!

Catching Up

I didn't think I would ever get this blog posted!  I swear I have been working on it for over a week.  Life has just been busy!  Between school, midterms, work, tutu orders (shameless plug: www.facebook.com/itsybitsbowtique) and the kids, I just haven't had a free second it feels like!  So anyway, those are my excuses, and here is my blog :)

A few nights ago we tried a new recipe, Kate's request for the monthly menu:

Cajun Chicken Stuffed with Pepper Jack Cheese & Spinach

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 6 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 1 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained (you can also use fresh cooked spinach)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese, soft
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning 
• 2 tbsp ground flax seed
•  salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Lots of toothpicks 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Flatten the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack cheese, spinach, cream cheese, salt and pepper.

Combine the Cajun seasoning and ground flax seed together in a small bowl. 

Spoon about 1/4 c of the spinach mixture onto each chicken breast. Roll each chicken breast tightly and fasten the seams with several toothpicks. 

Brush each chicken breast with the olive oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning mixture evenly over all. Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top of chicken (optional).

Place the chicken seam-side down onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup).  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

It was ok, the kids liked it, the husband ate it, I could take it or leave it.

Here is something I am much more excited about!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EHTBXS/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

These thermoses are awesome!  I heat the food at 7:00 am, I put it in the thermos, and set the thermos in a bowl of HOT water.  the kids put them in their lunch bags around 7:45 and off they go.  Guess what?!  At lunch time, according to both kids the food is still just as hot as if it had just been heated up.  Score!  Not to mention they are user friendly (easy to open, close, clean, and no spills)!  So I would definitely recommend looking into one if you send lunches off in the morning.


Speaking of lunches, I have been slacking on my pictures, sorry!  I will try harder next week.  Here are two that I remembered to take...

So my goal for months has been to be at my goal weight by the time we went to Tahoe (next week) to celebrate mine, Kelly's, and Katie's 30th birthdays.  We all turn 30 within a few months of each other this year, so we planned this trip to celebrate together.  At the end of Biggest loser I was 9 lbs away from my goal weight, and I have gone up and down between that and 13 lbs since.  Yesterday morning I weighed in back at my biggest loser weight, that was a nice surprise.... But I doubt I will lose 9 lbs by next Thursday.  But, that's ok.  I set a goal, I tried, and I will just keep trying.  However, I must say, my muscle definition in my arms has increased a lot in the passed month or so, so I attribute some of my weight fluctuation to muscle gain :)

And with that, I am off.... time to get back to home work.  Yay.  Posts my be a little scarce the next few weeks, bare with me, I'm in a transition of sorts, and will have plenty of posts for you once I get situated!

Happy Friday!  Make some fun fit plans for your family this weekend and stay active!

Random thoughts

Lots of random thoughts today, so I am just going to throw them all out there!  Enjoy ;)

Let's start with Milk.  I recently learned, partly from my nutrition class, that Milk is a no no for a low carb no sugar diet.  I knew it had sugar, I just didn't realize how much, and me, the queen of label readers, never really paid attention!  Anyway, when I finally did, I was shocked.  1 cup of 1% milk contains 13 carbs, all from Sugar.  Yikes.  Here I was, mixing it with my LOW CARB protein powder, using it with my 100% shredded wheat with no sugar, etc.... and all the while, sabotaging myself!  So, I decided to try some alternatives.  My first substitute was almond milk.  I hate almonds, so even though I had heard so much about it, I had never cared to try it for fear that it would taste like them!  Well, it doesn't.  I used it with my shredded wheat, and I used it with my protein shakes (actually half water half almond milk) and it was great.  Just be sure to get the unsweetened version.  So, now that I was feeling brave, I figured I would try coconut milk as well.  I also hate coconut, so I was a little apprehensive   I didn't like this as much.  It was a little thicker, and I wasn't impressed when I used it with the shredded wheat, It was fine in a protein shake though (again, half water half coconut milk.  I also used it in a few recipes that called for milk.  So there you have it, my thoughts on milk alternatives. For less calories, less fat, less sugar, and more calcium, I am sticking with Almond milk.

Next on my mind is target fat burning.  I hear this all the time, and get asked about it a LOT in class.  "What exercise can I do to get rid of the fat around ____________(insert body part here).  Unfortunately, the answer is nothing.  You can NOT control where your body decides to burn the fat from.  You can do 100 crunches a day, and your body could use that to burn fat from your thighs.  

"The fat contained in fat cells exists in triglycerides, Muscle cells cannot directly use triglycerides as fuel. The fat must be broken down into glycerol and free fatty acids, which then enter the bloodstream. So the fat broken down to be used as fuel during prolonged exercise can come from anywhere in your body, not just the part that is being worked the most.  You are more likely to shed your love handles by taking up a running program than by doing crunches and sit-ups every day, simply because cardiovascular exercise is a much more efficient calorie-burner. High-intensity interval training (alternating between brief periods of high-intensity and low-intensity exercise) can be particularly effective, due to the phenomenon of after-burn – that is, an increase in resting metabolic rate that occurs for up to 24 hours post-exercise. Weight training can also help to achieve optimal results. It is important to maintain your muscle mass because you will not achieve a toned look if you lose lean tissue along with fat. Finally, good nutrition is essential. After all, even if you burn 500 calories by exercising, you will not end up losing any fat if you also consume 500 more calories than usual."

http://www.yalescientific.org/2011/04/targeted-fat-loss-myth-or-reality/

Third, I have race results!  Carrie and I did did the "Run your Gourd Off" yesterday at Bishops Pumpkin farm.  We did a 5k around the farm, through pumpkin fields, walnut orchards, and corn fields.  It wasn't very forgiving terrain!  Lots of unvevn ground, tractor tire groves, sandy dirt, hills, rocks, etc! But even, with those conditions we ran the whole thing.  I finished with a time of 33:11, and came in 7th in my age division!  Woo hoo!  

And lastly, meals.  Yesterday I made home made chili for dinner.  Tonight I am grilling steaks with Broccoli and salad.  

Chili

1 lb ground sausage

1 lb ground turkey or beef

1/4 cup minced onion

2 tbls garlic

2 tbls olive oil

3 cups Pinto beans (cooked)

3 cups Kidney beans (cooked)

4 cups pureed tomato

Chili powder to taste

Cayenne to taste

Directions

In large pan, heat oil. onion. and garlic.

Add meats, and brown.

Drain, and pour into crock pot.  Add beans, tomato puree, and spices.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6+ hours.

Todays lunch was left over chili, triscuts, apple slices and pb.

Guess what?!  It's Monday!  It's a new week, AND a new month, a fresh start!!  Take advantage of it!  Make a change today that will better your tomorrow!

Homemade Blueberry Applesauce

I think I mentioned before that Kate will only eat berry flavored applesauce, not plain.  Well it is virtually impossible to find berry flavored applesauce with no added sugars.  So I decided to make my own.  My wonderful friend Lidia gave me 10+ pounds of awesome apples, I bought myself a corer/slicer and I went to work!

I made two batches, because my crock pot would only hold half at a time.  I looked at a bunch or recipes online, all very similar, so I just kind of winged it...

Blueberry Applesauce

4 lbs apples, peeled and cored

1 heeping cup blueberries

1/4 cup butter, sliced

1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup water
splash of lemon juice

add to slow cooker. cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours. stir about every hour or so. before cooling, drain water and place apples in blender and pulse until desired consistency. 

It turned out great.  I portioned it into bags, and stored them in the freezer.  

In other cooking news, I have been following my menu!  Last Thursday we had Chili relleno casserole.  I have posted a link the recipe before, but that was to the original recipe, to which I have made some changes, so I am going to post MY recipe here.

Low Carb Chili Rellenos Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef/turkey, browned and seasoned

11-14 ounces green chili peppers

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 eggs, beaten

5 ounces cream

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1 8 ounce can enchilada sauce

3/4 cup sliced olives

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray  9x13 baking dish

2. Slice chilies in half.  Line the bottom of the baking dish using half your chilies.

3. Spread half of each cheese over the chilies, top with browned ground meat, and cover with remaining chilies.

4. In a bowl, mix together eggs, cream, and flour.  Pour over the casserole.

5. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.  Return to oven for additional 15 minutes.

Monday was Jalapeno Popper Chicken (click here for post with that recipe), yesterday was left overs, and tonight is personal meatloafs with Mashed fauxtatoes!

Here are this weeks lunches so far: 

Apple slices with natural peanut butter, broccoli, triscuts and cheese, and yogurt

Ham, cheese and olives, pickles, triscuts, and my homemade applesauce!

My workout schedule got all changed up starting this week.  I switch from teaching Tuesday and Thursday, to Monday and Wednesday.  So Monday I went and ran in the morning, then went to Intervals like normal.  Then I went and taught my senior fit class, then taught my intervals class, THEN stayed for the new boot camp class.  Yesterday wasn't bad, but this morning I could barely move, and it being Wednesday I get to do it all over again!  I deserve it though, I ate HORRIBLY this weekend, and I have some calorie burning to do. 

 On that note, I am off to intervals.  Happy hump day.  Make some time to get off your butt and go sweat today! If you are local, come to my class and I'll make sure you accomplish that!  :)

Non Scale Victories

These victories are important.  Very important.  They are the things that keep you going when you are so frustrated at the scale, that you just want to give up, you don't know what else you can do, and are on the verge of losing it.  They help get you through those weeks where you feel like it's a waste of time, and it's not working.  I love these "victories" and I hope that you guys appreciate them when you notice them on yourselves as well.

Since I finished the last Biggest Loser Competition I was in, I have been yoyoing up and down 5 lbs. I finished the comp at 164, I've been up to 169, and as of this morning I was 165.  I'll be honest, I have had a few week moments of frustration and confusion.  I think about the HOURS and HOURS a week I put into exercising, and making healthy choices, and I just get pissed that I don't see it on the scale.  Luckily, I have seen it other places, and that has helped keep me sane, and focused.  

In these passed couple weeks I have noticed more definition in my upper arms, and by back.  Just the other day I caught a glimpse of my  trapezius , and had to take a second look.  My husband walked in and asked if I was "checking myself out", lol!  Not exactly.... just investigating a new muscle! My wedding rings are loose again, kind of bitter sweet.  I hate having to go without them for a week to have them sized!  I did another closet clean out, all my XL clothes are gone, and I had to revamp my workout gear to Medium pants... Medium!!!  I officially graduated to a size 12 regular pants a few weeks ago.... and even bought, and have worn, a pair of size 10 jeans.  I have to say that is a first for me.  Never even as a teenager have I had a pair of size 10 jeans.  I still am a size 12, I just got lucky with these... but it was meant to be I think... In high school I always wanted a pair of Lucky Brand jeans, but they only went to size 14, and I was a 16.  While we were on vacation the other weekend, we were in Ross, and they had a pair of Lucky jeans, size 12.  I tried them on, and loved them.  I almost bought them, and my husband says "$36 for jeans at Ross, that will be too big in a few months?  Are you sure you should bother?"  and He was right, it was silly. So I put them back.  After I explained the reason though (and how much these jeans are originally, over $100!), he said I needed to get them.  When we got home, I checked our local Ross, I had seen them in there in the past, but I was out of luck.  Nothing in a 12. For some reason though, I kept looking down the line, and there was a pair in a 10.  I stood there holding them for awhile, putting them back, picking them up, arguing with myself.... I finally gave up and tried them on.  THEY FIT!!!  You better believe I bought those bad boys.  My point of this ramble is, that moment right there was ten time better than any 6 pounds on a scale.  So, please keep this in mind on those days, or weeks, when you feel like you aren't making a difference.  Because you are, you just have to look in places other than the scale!

Month of dinners!

I did it!  I made a dinner menu for a month, and did a months worth of grocery shopping.  It wasn't as easy as I hoped, but it also wasn't tooooo terrible.  I think the hardest part was coming up with enough meal ideas, without repeating too often. That, and making sure I bought enough of stuff.  But that I will probably have to learn as I go.  We'll see what I run short of this month, and then I will know for next month.  

I tried everything I could think of to get my calendar from Microsoft word, saved as a picture to upload here, and this is the best I could do, which isn't very good, because you can barely see anything!  I have dinner listed on every day, and the days when we will be away for dinner or out of town, have that listed. I put "leftovers" on most Tuesday's because that is a hectic night around here.  I work, and have a class after, and Andrew has Scouts, so it'll be less stressful on me not to have to prepare a dinner from scratch.  Anyhow, if anyone wants a copy that they can read, let me know!

Last night was Chicken Taco Salad.  I defrosted 5 chicken breasts, sprinkled them with Cayenne, Cummin, Onion powder, and minced garlic, put them in a pyrex dish, poured a little green enchilada sauce in it, covered it, and baked them for an hour at 350.  Perfect.  Still moist and juicy, and shredded with ease.  I made 5 because later this week we are having chicken tacos, so I can use the rest for that.

I decided to get fancy, and make taco bowls.  I used whole wheat tortillas , put a little olive oil on them, and placed them into little mini cake pans that I have.  I baked them for about 7 or so minutes at 425.

Once they were done I loaded them up with Chopped lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, olives, shredded chicken, and topped with cheese. Viola!

I completely forgot (again) to take a picture of yesterday's lunch.  But I do have Monday's, and today's.  

Pumpkin Whole Wheat Waffles* with cream cheese and cinnamon spread, mandarin oranges, trailmix, baybel cheese, and sugar free rice pudding.

Whole wheat tortilla wrap with scrambled egg, ham, and cheese, cottage cheese and strawberries, and TJ Veggie chips.

Not pictured is yesterdays PB banana in whole wheat wrap, snap peas, Annie's Cinnamon Graham Bunnies, and string cheese.

I am forcing fall around here, 90 degrees outside or not.  So along with putting out all my fall scents and some fall decor, I also made Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Bread.  Here is the link to the original recipe

http://www.fitsugar.com/Oatmeal-Pumpkin-Spice-Bread-Recipe-22071355

Here is the recipe with my changes :

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Bread

Adapted from Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bread recipe [1]

Ingredients

1 can of organic puréed pumpkin
4 eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup water
2 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup ground flax seed

1 cup organic rolled oats (save 1 teaspoon for sprinkling on top)
1 1/2 cups splenda
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly apply cooking spray to two loaf pans.
3. Place the pumpkin, eggs, oil, applesauce, and water in a large mixing bowl. Blend it together using a hand mixer until creamy.
4. Mix the flour, flax seed, oats,splenda, baking soda, and spices in a smaller mixing bowl.
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and using a spoon, mix thoroughly until smooth. Pour half the batter into each greased pan. Sprinkle the tops with rolled oats.
6. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out dry. Allow to cool in the pans before removing.
Makes two loaves, 16 servings

I warmed up a few slices this morning and spread some cream cheese on top, it was a hit.

Ok, I think that about does it!  Happy Humpday!  Get your workout on, it's not too late to make this THE week it happens!


* Pumpkin Whole-Wheat Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 ¾ cups milk
• ¼ cup oil 
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s organic whole-wheat flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat your waffle iron. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, honey, cinnamon, and baking soda until well combined.  Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk together just until the large lumps disappear.
When the waffle iron is hot, dab it with a little butter and then ladle some batter onto the center of the iron. Follow the instructions that came with your waffle maker to know how long it should be cooked (mine takes about 3 – 4 minutes each).