Weekend Report #1

With the holidays coming on and my seemingly increasing busy weekends, I've noticed a trend of me missing Saturday's blog. So from here on out until I say otherwise (It's good to be boss) I'm going to just do a two day blog on Sundays. We'll see how that goes and then maybe I'll quit feeling guilty for completely spacing Saturday's blog because I was so busy.

I tried out a few new recipes:

Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread

I had an baking epiphany. I'd been trying to swirl melted chocolate within banana bread batter forever trying to get this effect. As I was stirring the melted chocolate this time, I happened to look at my banana bread batter and though what if I just mixed the chocolate in and make chocolate banana bread -- it'd be easier. Then it hit me. Why didn't I mix the chocolate into half the batter and then plop the two different batters into my mini loaves pan and then swirl it. It turned out BEAUTIFUL! And it's super delicious too. So I'm all sorts of proud of myself. I'm such a simple creature -- it really is the little things.

Pumpkin Pizza

3ft also wanted to get in on the recipe inventing action so he decided he wanted to invent a recipe for Pumpkin Pizza. He came up with the toppings -- which were chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and whipped cream and it was my job to figure out the pumpkin "sauce" and the crust. This was our first attempt. It was really good. Of course when I cut into it I thought, "How pretty would it look if I had drizzled melted chocolate over the marshmallows instead of having chip clumps?" Well, the next one I make I'm going to do drizzled chocolate and check it out. 3ft did the toppings himself this time which explains the chip clumps. The marshmallows were pretty forgiving of the clumping because they melted and oozed over the pumpkin "sauce". He ran around the rest of the night calling himself a genius and telling the husband and I how lucky we were to have such an awesome kid. Yes, we're so proud of his modest demeanor.

As you know, I'm a huge cooking show whore. I can't get enough of Food Network. Well I was watching Rachel Rae the other night while doing Wii Step and she made Lasagna Bowls. They looked super good. She made it with a Bechamel Sauce, which is a base white sauce that french cuisine uses a lot, and she added Parmesan to it. She mixed it in with a short pasta, I used Rotini, and then she made a hearty meat sauce that she spooned into the center of the pasta and while you eat it you mix the meaty sauce into the white sauced noodles and it tastes like lasagna without all the lasagna effort. Well I thought, how awesome would that be? I bet the Bechamel sauce would be healthier than all the melted cheese in an actual lasagna and if it tasted as good a total win!

So last night I made my version of Lasagna bowls. I used almond milk for the cream, I simmered it with onion, a big clove of garlic, some nutmeg, and a bay leaf. Then after it set and I strained it I did the Roue (I think that's how that's spelled) which is melted butter and flour cooked for a minute and then you slowly add in the cream. It totally thickened with the almond milk then I threw in a half cup of grated Parmesan. I mixed it with whole wheat Rotini. Then I made my favorite hearty meat sauce with half ground turkey and half lean hamburger and spooned it into the center. It was a total win!!! The boys totally loved it. The cheesy Bechamel sauce would also go great on Fettuccine as an Alfredo sauce. And with the almond milk and using only a little butter and little flour it's so much better for you and it tastes decadent. Sorry, I don't have a picture to torture you with. We were hungry and I forgot.

I'm also happy to report that I lost another pound this week. It might be only a pound but I'll take it because think I gained some muscle -- my jeans are a little looser and my shirts are too.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking, rocking out on Rock Band 3, 350 crunches, and 80 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 145

Only Water - Day 139

Total Pounds Lost - 53.9

Wake Me Up...

Before you go-go.

Third day in a row of Just Dance 2. Still loving it. I shook it to the Beetle Juice song -- you know the one at the end that Winona Ryder dances to because she like got an A on a test or something? Yeah that one and then you probably figured out I Go-go'd with Wham! I love the eclectic mix of music on it.

I also busted out my push ups and crunches and since the weather was nice the Grumpybutt and I went for a walk before we walked over to pick up 3ft. It's funny, other than the bane of my existence (the push ups) and the crunches, I don't really feel like I'm working out. I know I am because I'm losing weight, and working up a sweat, but I'm mostly just having fun. When the weather turns I'm hoping to get back into the gym to battle it out with "The Walker" and "Sweaty Guy on the Bike" but right now I'm just enjoying goofing around.

I surprised 3ft last night with hamburgers and french fries for dinner. Well he had a cheeseburger. I perfected my patty. I used 1/4lb ground turkey and a 1/4lb lean beef. I added some Worcestershire Sauce, ketchup, sauteed onions and chopped garlic, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and some grill seasoning. I made four patties and then stuck them on parchment paper and stuck them in the freezer (I do all my dinner prep work during Grumpybutt's afternoon nap so I can just quickly throw dinner together at dinnertime). The patties had a lot of moisture and they were thin so I figured freezing them would help them keep their shape while they started cooking. It totally worked out perfectly. 3ft inhaled his cheeseburger like it was ambrosia. And was super excited about the homemade french fries.

The fries were super easy because I got a Chef's Envy for an early Christmas present. It's basically a mandolin (which I really really wanted). So it cut those fries up in no time and they were all the same size and perfect. I was so proud of them. But the camera's battery was dead so I couldn't take any pictures and 3ft was circling like a vulture so I couldn't wait for them to charge. Next time.

I also made another batch of cranberry chocolate granola bars yesterday. I cut way back on the chocolate and made a more caramel type sauce to mix into the oats and it turned out super delicious. I sprinkled a little kosher salt on the top so it's a sweet and salty type of deal and it was all I could do not to eat the whole pan. We'll see how it is the second day because I'm looking forward to horking down a bar for snack today.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute power walk, 30 minutes of Just Dance 2, 350 crunches, and 80 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 143

Only Water - Day 137

Total Pounds Lost - 52.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Ham sandwich, carrots w/ hummus, and sweet pickles. Split a sugar free pudding with the Grumpybutt and 3ft.
Mid-Afternoon Snack - homemade cranberry chocolate granola bar
Dinner -Hamburger and homemade french fries.

Jump Jump

I forgot to mention it but I made homemade granola bars on Monday with cranberries and chocolate chips. They were good but too chocolatey. *gasp* I know!! I've never said too chocolatey in my life but they were. I sent them to work with my husband in individually wrapped bars in festive saran wrap. He sent out an e-mail calling them the Too Chocolatey Granola bars and they were all gone before lunch. One of his coworkers told him to tell me they were fabulous but my husband agreed with me they had too much chocolate. So I'm going to make some more today and I'm going to cut the chocolate WAY back. Hopefully they turn out better.

I also made Orange Chipotle Glazed pork last night (forgot to take a picture). I took a small 10 oz jar of orange marmalade Simply Fruit, two chipotle peppers diced up, and a teaspoon of adobe sauce (it's what the chipotles are canned in) and after searing some pork chops I dumped the sauce on and cooked it until it glazed up. Oh wow, was it spicy. Good, but spicy. I was glad I made Cream Corn Quinoa to go with it. The mild creamy taste of the quinoa really cut through the spice, thank goodness.Next time I make it, I'm going to only use one chipotle pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of adobe sauce and see what happens. The husband is taking it to work today for lunch. He loves spicy so we'll see what he thinks of it. Needless to say, 3ft had chicken nugget dinosaurs and quinoa for dinner. If it was too spicy for me it was way too spicy for him.

I did Just Dance 2 again last night. I "jumped jumped" with Criss Cross. Remember those guys who wore their pants backwards in the early 90's? Mac Daddy make you wanna jump jump. It was pretty awesome. I hated them and that song then and now I just laughed my butt off as I danced to it. That followed by Proud Mary by Ike and Tina. What a combination, right? I love vintage music. The game is seriously so fun. I know I dance like a spasmodic epileptic chicken with white girl rhythm but I'm having too much fun to care.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute power walk, 30 minutes of Just Dance 2, 350 crunches, and 80 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 142

Only Water - Day 136

Total Pounds Lost - 52.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Raisin Bran Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Ham sandwich, carrots w/ hummus, and cucumbers w/ fat free Italian dressing and split a sugar free pudding with the Grumpybutt
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich
Dinner -Orange Chipotle Glazed Pork and Cream Corn Quinoa

Dancing Queen.

The stars finally aligned and 3ft and I played Just Dance 2 yesterday for all of 9 minutes. Then he decided he was done, turned off his Wii mote, which turned off the entire game. He has a bit of his father in him and is a little competitive and the game keeps score giving a "crown" to the one with the higher score. I was rocking it so he didn't want to play cuz he wasn't getting the crown. Lame, right? Oh well, he likes Dance Dance Revolution better because he gets to flail around on the dance pad where Just Dance using the Wii mote and you just dance holding it.

It wasn't a complete waste of time because it reminded me how much fun it really is so after the kids went to bed last night I got it back out and danced for 1/2 hour on it and set up a workout counter on it to keep track of what I'm doing weekly. So I shall be dancing again tonight.

I tried out a recipe for Orange Chicken yesterday. It was pretty good. It needed more sauce though, so the next time I make it (if there is a next time) I'll double the sauce. I think most of the problem was I was expecting it to be like Panda Express Orange Chicken and it soooo wasn't. So I was disappointed from the get go, you know? However 3ft inhaled it and said it was his "favorite" chicken ever. He says that a lot so I don't get too giddy. I'm just happy when the little brat eats it with a smile.

Orange Chicken


I did make an awesome garlic chicken brown rice though. Which for me, really saved the chicken. I used boil in bag rice and cooked it in equal parts chicken stock and water then when it was done cooking I drained it, then added garlic salt and pepper and mixed it up. It sounds really simple but it really really made a difference in the flavor. Even 3ft, who doesn't really like rice much, ate all of his.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute power walk, 39 minutes of Just Dance 2, 350 crunches, and 80 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 141

Only Water - Day 135

Total Pounds Lost - 52.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Raisin Bran Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Tuscan Chicken w/ beans
Mid-Afternoon Snack - homemade cranberry chocolate granola bar and cucumbers dipped in Italian dressing
Dinner -Orange chicken, garlic chicken brown rice, and broccoli

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...

By and far the best beans I've ever eaten came out of the recipe I made for dinner last night.

Tuscan Chicken


The chicken was good, but the Italian style beans made this dish a total winner and it will be in my culinary line up from now on. It's basically cannellini beans, petite diced tomatoes, fresh rosemary, fresh spinach, bacon, onion, and fresh garlic with some salt and pepper. To. Die. For. And once you get all the prep done (which involved massacring a whole chicken with my dull knives) it's really easy to throw together. The hardest part was cutting up the bird and really, if I weren't so cheap, I'd have just bought one already cut up!

I got the base of the recipe from the October Issue of Cooking Light and then jazzed it up from there and made it more my family friendly. It was a huge success and both the husband and 3ft inhaled their food. And just so there is no confusion, you read it right, it has BACON! I love bacon. Mmmmm *drooling*. Oh, sorry. Got lost there for a second in bacony goodness.

I love trying new foods and new recipes. It helps me avoid food boredom. And that is something I've learned can be very detrimental to a healthy lifestyle. To be honest it wasn't only getting pregnant with the Grumpybutt that helped me gain nearly half the weight I lost he was the excuse I used to eat the foods I was missing in mass quantities. I've found with all the new things I'm trying, I'm not bored and not craving empty calories and junk food which, let me tell you, makes it easier to control the portions when I do eat something less than stellar for me. Plus I'd never have known how delicious quinoa is or cannellini beans.

I've upped my push ups and crunches again. I'm now up to 80 push ups (40 twice a day) and 350 crunches (175 twice a day). And then I've been throwing in the "plank" (which I hate more than push ups) and some scissor kicks and whatnot for my lower abdomen (which I hate more than the "plank"). The things I do to maintain my healthy lifestyle.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute power walk, 350 crunches, and 80 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 140

Only Water - Day 134

Total Pounds Lost - 52.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Raisin Bran Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Roast beef sandwich and grapes
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich
Dinner -Tuscan Chicken

Birthday Party Survival

3ft was invited to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. The whole family was invited which was super cool I thought. That is, until we got there. I remember Chuck E. Cheese's as being awesome. This place had to have been violating fire code occupancy levels. It was jammed back from corner to small corner with screaming kids -- mine included. They had so many birthday tables jammed in that you couldn't walk in between them when people were sitting in the chairs. It was crazy. I wouldn't want to work there.

Well, I survived the pizza party. I splurged a little, I mean it was a party. But I didn't get out of control. They had a veggie tray, a bunch of different kind of pizzas, mini sandwiches, french fries, and then, of course, birthday cake and ice cream. I had two small slices of vegetarian pizza (Mr. Grumpybutt chewed on the crusts), a mini sandwich (like three bites), some celery off the veggie tray, and I shared a small slice of cake and ice cream with the husband and Mr. Grumpybutt so I really ended up only have a couple bites.

When dinner time rolled around I wasn't very hungry so I just had some tea and mini toast.

Sure, I probably went over my usual calorie counts yesterday (not that I really count calories anymore. If the scale starts climbing again I will, but as long as I'm maintaining a steady weight loss and feel good, I'm just going to wing it) but I'm not worried about it. I don't feel guilty. It was a party. I had fun. I talked with other grown ups, snacked on terrible food, savored delicious chocolate cake with custard and fresh strawberry filling, and played with my kids. I felt normal and the birthday boy's mom told me how great I looked. So you know, the day was a win!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - Took the day off.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 139

Only Water - Day 133

Total Pounds Lost - 52.9

Meals:
Breakfast - eggs, banana slices, and 2 small slices of cinnamon swirl toast
Morning Snack - cucumbers with Italian dressing and carrots with hummus.
Lunch - Chuck E. Cheese's Birthday Party
Mid-Afternoon Snack - (late lunch)
Dinner -Tea and 2 small slices of cinnamon swirl toast

Chocolate and Jeans.

I totally forgot to blog yesterday. So this is going to be a two day blog.

On Friday, I tried out a new recipe for Triple Chocolate Brownies. Let me just tell you they could be death by chocolate and they're so rich and chocolatey, you really only want to eat one. But you savor every chocolatey delicious bite while you have it. You'd never know they were "healthier". I fed them to a friend who came over for a play date and she had no idea. She just kept raving how delicious they were.

Yesterday, I tried out a new recipe for chocolate dipped coconut macaroons. OMG! They're so delicious. They actually aren't that bad for you either. I've been on a huge baking kick because the holidays are coming up and I give a lot of "baked good" gifts (I have a big extended family that I can't afford presents for). So we buy for the kids and then exchange yummy goodies with the adults. So since I'm doing the healthy lifestyle thing I'm changing up my old recipes for healthier versions and then testing out to see how they compare. You wouldn't know the triple chocolate brownies were "healthier" and the same could be said for the macaroons.

Naturally I have to taste the new recipes. So, instead of my normal snack yesterday I had a macaroon and then one dipped in chocolate to see which is better. I couldn't decide but I'm proud to say that I didn't keep eating them until the answer presented itself. I was able to stop at just 2. And that never gets old to brag about -- it's still so new and awesome that I have control when it comes to stuff like that

I 'm so excited to say that I've moved out of the Women's Plus Sized section and into regular sized clothes! Nunan, the girl that tortured me all through 8th grade and beyond (although she'd try to tell you I tortured her -- don't listen, she's a liar and a cheat), sent me the most awesome card on the planet. Not only did she hand make it (which is awesome she's so creative) but included in it was a shopping spree at Target. I started trying on pants and decided to grab a size 18 off the regular rack instead of a plus sized woman's 18 (they're different, the regular one is cut smaller) and it totally FIT!!! The sweater and jeans I got were out of the regular section!!!! I'll try to get a picture later today of me wearing them. I couldn't be more excited!! *bouncing*

I'm also excited to report that I've lost another 2.7 lbs last week and that makes the grand total 52.9! I'm hoping to drop another 15lbs before Christmas which is basically 2 months away. I don't think it's unattainable but if I don't make it to a total of 75lbs lost by then, I'm not going to cry about it. I'm enjoying the journey as much as I'm enjoying the rewards.

I was so busy yesterday, I didn't eat as healthy as I would've liked. We ended up at Costco around dinner time and the family was hungry so we ate there. I had a hot dog. But with living, things like that happen, and I enjoyed that hot dog without guilt because I'm NOT dieting! And I'd say that saying right there is one of the biggest reasons for my success. "I'm NOT dieting!"

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 300 crunches, and 70 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 138

Only Water - Day 132

Total Pounds Lost - 52.9

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Raisin Bran Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - chocolate dipped coconut macaroons (had to taste test a new recipe)
Lunch - McDonald's Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad
Mid-Afternoon Snack - none
Dinner - Coscto Hot Dog

Orange Zest and Pumpkin.

I've been baking.

I perfected my cranberry scones recipe. They turned out so delicious. I added some orange zest because on one of my cooking shows they said that orange zest really brings out the flavor of cranberries. So, I threw some in and voila, it was absolutely the best cranberry scone I ever ate. See how my cooking show addiction has paid off. I also had some pumpkin in the fridge leftover from the pumpkin pie muffins that I didn't want to go bad so I threw together a quick off the cuff pumpkin scones recipe. They actually turned out really good.

I have two scone lovers in my life: my friend Nunan (who I owe scones too because her mailperson ate her birthday present *grr face* since she never got her original batch) and my friend Gini Koch, author of the Alien Series, and since Alien Tango (the second book in the series) is releasing soon (December 7th, btw -- buy her book it's GREAT!) I thought I'd send them both some cranberry and pumpkin scones. I certainly don't want them living at my house and trying their siren's call on me. I love the baking, I think, more than I love the eating. Weird, right?

I've also got all the ingredients for Honey Cinnamon Swirled Cinnamon Bread which the Bajaffe (Amy Mullis) won in the giveaway so I shall be baking bread today to ship off to the lucky winner tomorrow. The Zebra (Angie Mansfield), the other winner, is waiting until she can torment some children with baked goods before placing her order. I knew I loved that girl!

This new trend of Mr. Grumpybutt not taking his naps has got to stop. He's only 9 months old for crying out loud and he still needs them. Not to mention I NEED them so I can get my workouts in at a decent hour. It doesn't really affect my push ups (mores the pity) and crunches but I think I'm going to have to start to get creative on the Wii stuff. I guess it'll be a HUGE workout to hold his 20+ pounds while I do the Wii Fit Free Step (my back is already groaning in protest). I don't know, I'm going to have to figure something out. Anyone got any ideas? Other than working out after the kids go to bed which, I guess, if another solution doesn't present itself is going to have to be my go to plan.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 300 crunches, and 70 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 136

Only Water - Day 131

Total Pounds Lost - 50.2

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Raisin Bran Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - scallops and cream corn quinoa
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter sandwich and cranberry scone
Dinner - scrambled eggs, hash browns, and a pumpkin scone

Winners and Chutney!

I made homemade Cranberry Chutney yesterday. And wow, did it turn out so good. I dolloped some on a garlic seared pork medallion and served it with some Parmesan pasta, and steamed broccoli. Even 3ft and the husband liked the chutney and neither of them are huge cranberry fans. I'm so proud.



I still didn't get to Just Dance 2 yesterday. Had a crazy stressful day, starting with Mr. Grumpybutt not taking his morning nap and then gracing me with only an hour nap in the afternoon. Both naps are NORMALLY 1 1/2 to 2 hours long. So I didn't get a lot of no children down time. 3ft just wanted to watch cartoons and I had a ton of stuff to get done in a short amount of time. So I made sure I got my walking, crunches, push ups, and the new crunches I'm doing with leg lifts incorporated done. By the time dinner, baths, homework, reading, and both the kids were in bed I was too frazzled, drained, tired, and didn't want to do anything but veg on my couch. So that's just what I did. Just Dance 2 might have been neglected but my couch appreciated the love.

So for those of you tuned into the giveaway, today is the day and the lucky winners of the 50 Pounds Lost Giveaway are: Amy Mullis and Angie Mansfield! So ladies let me know what you want baked and shipped to you from the Baked Deliciousness List.

Baked Deliciousness List

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (or mini loaves)
Cranberry Scones
Snowy Brownies
Double Chocolate Brownies (new recipe)
Cinnamon Honey Swirled Cinnamon Bread (w/ or w/out cranberries)
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies (better than a snickerdoodle)
Cookie S'mores
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (if you want to wait until my bananas are ripe)

Thank you all for celebrating my 50-pound-loss with me. And don't worry, giveaways are fun and I'll have another one at 75lbs lost or 200 days -- whichever one comes first. (Who am I kidding? We'll have a giveaway for both!)

Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic chopped
1 scallion chopped
2 tbs yellow onion
1 cup Craisins
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tbs dijon mustard
1/4 cup toasted pecans chopped
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Directions
saute garlic, scallions, and onions in olive oil until tender in a medium saucepan

toast pecans in a dry non stick pan until browned and you can smell them. then chop them up.

throw pecans and all the rest of the ingredients in the saucepan, bring to a boil, and then turn down heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.

Serve warm or cold. It's good either way. Makes quite a bit, I filled a couple small canning jars with it to save for Thanksgiving. I figured it'd go super well with turkey!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 300 crunches, 60 new fangled crunches, and 70 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 135

Only Water - Day 130

Total Pounds Lost - 50.2

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Raisin Bran Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - scallops and cream corn quinoa
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
Dinner - pork medallion w/ homemade cranberry chutney, parmesan pasta, and broccoli

Foiled Again.

3ft is a brat. I can call him this because I'm his mother. Some would say he comes by it honestly and I'd agree if you meant he got it from his dad. Anyway, I digress, back to why he's a brat. We got Lego Harry Potter in the mail from Blockbuster.com. And as you can very well imagine he'd rather play that then flail around to music he doesn't even know with his mom. It's sacrilege I tell you.

So I ended up doing Wii Free Step again yesterday. It's alright, really, because then I get to feed my foodie addiction by watching cooking shows. I watched Tyler's Ultimate and his Ultimate Orecchiette and he made some Panna Cotta that I definitely want to try. Then I moved on to Rachel Rae and watched her do a Kaiser Roll Calzone that I'm all over healthifying (yeah, it's a word. I just made it up) with a pan roasted garlic dressing that looked pretty amazing for salads.

It's so funny now that I watch the quality of calories and fat I put into my body and not just eat what's handy whether it's delicious or not, I've totally become obsessed with food and cooking and inventing recipes. I've always liked to cook but not to this extent before. My Christmas list has a few books (cooking books) and the rest is cooking gadgets.

Garlic Seared Scallops and Cream Corn Quinoa


So this was dinner last night. For those of you who don't know what Quinoa is, it's a small whole grain that is packed full of nutrients. You can use it like rice. OMG. It was so delicious. It's definitely a keeper and paired with the scallops (which I love) it was an amazing dinner. I got the idea for the Quinoa from a Clean Eating Magazine and then I changed it up to fit my tastes a little better and made it my own.

Ingredients for Cream Corn Quinoa
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tbs chopped green onion
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed under cold running water
1 cup chicken broth
2 cobs of corn, kernels removed (about 1 cup), hold onto one naked cob
1/2 cup chopped baby spinach leaves
garlic salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs nonfat sour cream

Directions
Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil, garlic, celery, and green onion and saute until garlic is golden and celery is soft.

Add quinoa and cook until quinoa is dry and toasted.

Add chicken broth and naked corncob. Bring to a boil and cover. Then reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until quinoa is soft and the center of the grains are translucent. (most if not all the liquid should be absorbed into the grain)

Turn off burner, remove corncob and add corn, chopped spinach, some garlic salt and pepper, and the nonfat sour cream. Stir it all up and be ready for heaven. It's so delicious.

Makes 4, 1/2 cup servings
Calories 146.8
Total Fat 3.6g
Carbs 24.9g
Fiber 2.9g
Protein 5.1g

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 30 minutes Free Step on the Wii, 300 crunches, and 70 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 134

Only Water - Day 129

Total Pounds Lost - 50.2

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Raisin Bran Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Ham Sandwich, dill pickle, cucumbers and fat free Italian dressing
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
Dinner - Garlic Seared Scallops and Cream Corn Quinoa
Dessert - Pumpkin Pie Muffin with Cream Cheese Marshmallow frosting

Change of Plan.

So, we didn't do Just Dance 2 yesterday. Apparently 3ft thought Scooby Doo and the Curse of the Lake Monster was way more important than dancing. *gasp* It's scandalous I know. So we're going to try and do it today.

However, I did bust out Wii Fit last night and do 30 minutes of Free Step while watching a couple episodes of Giada at Home (a cooking show -- I'm addicted). I made cream cheese marshmallow frosting last night for the pumpkin pie muffins and of course I had to taste the frosting and lick the spoon. Then naturally I had to eat a muffin with the frosting on it to make sure they tasted good together, right? Right. So, I made the wise choice to throw in a little 8pm workout to make up for the muffin and frosting consumption. I also am proud to say that while I wanted to eat a lot of muffins with frosting (they really were off the hook), I only ate the one. Go me.

The frosting is super easy: 1 8oz package of cream cheese (room temp), 8oz of marshmallow creme, 1/2 tsp of vanilla, 1 tbs Brummel and Brown yogurt spread. Whip it all together and there you go. It's creamy but runny so it works really well to pipe into muffins or cupcakes and then use a little to cover the top. You don't need a lot on the top when its in the center as well.

I've upped my crunches and push ups again. I'm now doing 150 crunches and 35 push ups twice a day. Have I mentioned how much I hate push ups? But did you notice how fat my arms are? That is why I keep doing them even though I completely loathe them. The things we do in the name of health. I'm also going to implement another crunch exercise that I found in my Clean Eating Magazine. It not only has you "crunch" but it has you include your legs and lifting them, trying to touch your toes and whatnot while you're crunching. I really want to tighten my tummy and hopefully negate a lot of excess skin. I figure I'm going to end up with some. You don't go from 350lbs (which was my highest original weight), having your skin stretched to it's absolute limit, to 150lbs and not have some skin issues -- but I'm hoping to minimalize them.

The giveaway is still going. Make sure if you want to be included you let me know. I'm going to make the Husband draw two names out of a hat on Wednesday night. Don't miss out on a chance to win the delicious baked goods!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minutes Free Step on the Wii, 300 crunches, and 70 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 133

Only Water - Day 128

Total Pounds Lost - 50.2

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - (early lunch)
Lunch - McDonalds Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/out mayo and apple dippers
Mid-Afternoon Snack - (was busy and forgot it)
Dinner - Cider Glazed Pork w/ fettuccine alfredo and broccoli
Dessert - Pumpkin Pie Muffin with Cream Cheese Marshmallow frosting

Baking and Dancing

Or more like spasmodic dancing. I sort of just flop and flail around. I have zero rhythm.

I got Just Dance 2 for the Wii. My sister, Brandy, had mentioned playing it with her daughter and how much fun they'd had. I figured 3ft isn't that much younger than the Princess so it'd be a good game for us too. Well 3ft hasn't played it yet but I did. OMG, it is sooo much fun. My husband was mortified to see that Wham was in the play list. Even more so when I made him dance to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" with me.

We'd just turned it on to check it out and ended up playing it for an hour. I'm going to get 3ft to play it with me today after school when the Grumpybutt is taking his second nap. It's going to be AWESOME! Because unlike DDR (which we only have one dance pad for -- the other one is the Xbox 360 one that I make look like it's hooked into the PS2) it's a two player game and we have two Wii motes. So he'll actually be able to flail right along beside me and actually have it count (he has no rhythm either). He'll be stoked.

Yesterday, I baked Pumpkin Pie Muffins. They turned out so delicious. Today I'm going to make some cream cheese marshmallow filling to pipe inside of them. I think that'll make them EPIC instead of just delicious and at 164 calories a muffin how can you go wrong?

Pumpkin Pie Muffins


Other than that it was a pretty uneventful day yesterday. Well, other than LOSING FIFTY POUNDS!! (Yeah, I'm still stoked.) And the giveaway is still going until Wednesday, so get your comments in on the "I DID IT" blog or on it's post on facebook, or what the heck, just let me know you want to be included and it'll be so!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 250 crunches and 60 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 132

Only Water - Day 127

Total Pounds Lost - 50.2

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - (early lunch)
Lunch - Ham Sandwich, carrots and hummus, and a sweet pickle
Mid-Afternoon Snack - Pumpkin Pie Muffin and tea
Dinner - Broiled barbecue chicken (homemade sauce), garlic rice, green beans

I DID IT!

I've lost 50 lbs. FIFTY! FIVE ZERO!

OH YEAH!

I'm officially lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Mr. Grumpybutt. I officially fit into all my prepregnancy clothes (although some are a little snug still), even my skinniest "skinny" jeans. I'm officially on cloud 9!

So, as promised here is a before and a couple after pictures the hubs took of me this morning.

Disneyland before 50lbs weight loss

size 28 shorts -- super tight around the middle; size 4x shirt

This morning after 50lbs.

size 18 pants -- a little give in the middle; size 2x shirt -- fits loosely



These pictures really make me notice the difference. Not only in my midsection which is seriously pronounced but also in my face. Gone is my double chin. I also have a collar bone. Who'd have thought?

I still have a ways to go. I'd like to lose at least another 50 to 60 lbs. I basically want to get into a size 12. My ultimate goal, aside from being healthy and in shape, is to be able to walk into ANY store (not children's -- smarty pants) but any adult clothing store and be able to buy anything right off the rack. No more "fat girl" specialty stores for me. No more ugly clothes because designers don't think overweight women want to wear cute clothes. No more baggy ill fitting clothes trying to disguise my rolls.

Can I get an AMEN?

Celebrate a huge moment with me with a delicious baked good toast! In honor of my milestone I'm doing another giveaway! 2 lucky people will win delicious baked goods of their choice from the list. I'll ship anywhere. Comment here or on facebook if you want to be entered.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Pumpkin Pie Muffins (or mini loaves)
Cranberry Scones
Banana Chocolate Muffins (or mini loaves)
Snowy Brownies
Lemon Angel Food Mini Cakes
Honey Cinnamon Swirled Cinnamon Bread (w/ Cranberries)

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 30 minutes of Just Dance 2 (Wii dancing game), 250 crunches, and 60 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 131

Only Water - Day 126

Total Pounds Lost - 50.2

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - (early lunch)
Lunch - McDonalds Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/out mayo and some Apple Dippers
Mid-Afternoon Snack - (wasn't hungry)
Dinner - Spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad
Dessert - Lemon Tart -- sadly it looked better in the picture than it tasted.

Ten Months -- TEN!

I've had Wii Fit since Christmas. I begged my husband for it and he got it for me. He didn't really want to. He thought it was like telling me I'm fat (well, duh, I am) and he didn't want me thinking he thought that of me. I kept telling him to get over it. I ASKED for it because I desperately wanted it. Anyway, I digress.

So, I've had it for 10 months.

I just recently checked out what "Free Step" was and am totally in love with it. I can watch tv (cooking shows I've got DVR'd) while I step onto and off of the wii balance board. It's great. I can mindlessly follow the rhythm coming out of the wii mote speaker while I watch my favorite shows. Where has this been all my life? Oh yeah, right in front of my face for the LAST TEN MONTHS! I feel like such a dork (which is a feeling I experience a lot -- just saying).

To be fair, I didn't really start busting a move on my Wii Fit until May when I'd finally had enough of everything and decided it was time to get fit once and for all (not to mention having to recover from the have a baby lose a gall bladder plan). So I guess five months instead. But still. That's an awful long time to have something so cool and not know it.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 30 minutes of Wii Step, 250 crunches, and 60 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 130

Only Water - Day 125

Total Pounds Lost - 48

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Ham Sandwich, carrots & hummus, a sweet pickle, and a sugar free chocolate pudding
Mid-Afternoon Snack - cranberry scone and tea w/ vanilla creamer
Dinner - broiled chicken, broiled zucchini, and garlic rice

Willpower for the Win!

I have to brag for a second about my willpower yesterday. One of our neighbors gave the boys push up ice cream pops. 3ft inhaled his and Mr. Grumpybutt pretty much just played with his and got it all over us. But the whole time he was sort of eating it and getting it everywhere, although I was tempted to "help" him eat it, I didn't take a single lick.

You see, I'd already had my sweets for the day and didn't feel like I needed more. Plus, I really wasn't hungry. It's empowering to eat only when I'm hungry and not just because it's there. Moments like that one make me realize I have changed my lifestyle and believe that I can keep doing this forever. It's a fabulous feeling. I'm still reveling in it.

I also realize how much more energy I have. Sure, by the time I get the kids in bed and relax for the night, I'm exhausted. But during the day, I'm up and down and all around. Doing laundry, cleaning the house multiple times because my children insist on messing it up, I'm doing dishes, sweeping, and finding the time to rough house with my kids. It's funny because when the Husband gets home from work we catch up on our days and he always says how much more busy mine is.

I'd gotten chicken out for dinner, but because we ended up playing outside for so long (yes, I couldn't get enough of the adult interaction with the neighborhood moms), I ended up making breakfast for dinner instead of something fabulous with poultry. It worked out. 3ft really likes breakfast foods and my mom had made homemade fig jam so I totally had a bit on my english muffin. I was in jam heaven.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 250 crunches, and 60 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 129

Only Water - Day 124

Total Pounds Lost - 48

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Tuna Risotto, collard greens, and mushrooms
Mid-Afternoon Snack - cinnamon sugar cookie, cranberry scone, tea w/ vanilla creamer, 5 chocolate covered almonds
Dinner - scrambled eggs and a whole grain english muffin with homemade fig jam.

Makes a Difference.

I made Sloppy Joe's and Sweet Potato Fries last night. I only made enough "Halloween Fries" for 3ft and I (husband doesn't like them). When I served up the plates and we sat down to dinner, 3ft informed me that he "doesn't actually like Halloween Fries." Really? He ate two helpings of them last time I made them but okay, whatever. So I tell him he can eat 4 because he wasn't honest (that'll teach him) and I took the rest of them.

Instead of putting them back on the counter where the other food was I just put them on my plate. Then I preceded to eat all of them. All, but two, because I realized what I was doing. It was a little late as I'd almost eaten them all, but instead of finishing them I stopped. I wasn't hungry. The old Lisa would've ate them anyway, they were on the plate, but the new Lisa stopped. Sure there were only 2 left but it's still progress.

It makes a HUGE difference serving from the counter or serving "family style". If it's on the counter I eat my serving, enjoy it, sip on my water, visit with the boys, and am fully satisfied. If it's at the table I hork down my portion and then help myself to more because, hey, it's there. Next time 3ft doesn't like something I will take the extra time to put it back on the counter instead of putting it off to the side on my plate (which was what I did with the fries) and then find myself absently eating it.

The sandwich was ingenious, if I do say so myself. Normally when you think of sloppy joes you think: messy, fatty, meaty, and not necessarily healthy. Well, I did 1/4lb extra lean ground beef and 1/4lb extra lean ground turkey. But the sauce was where my genius comes in. The sauce instead of a standard ketchup, tomato paste, mustard, vinegar, brown sugar sauce (which unless you buy manwich is pretty much how you make a sloppy joe), I made it with a tomato vegetable puree with lots of hidden veggies. I took roma tomatoes, celery, carrots, zucchini, garlic, and onions along with a bunch of seasonings like oregano, salt, pepper, and basil (almost like a marinara sauce but not quite) and then I cooked it down for about 1 1/2 hours and then I pureed it.

I threw that on the meat, added a little ketchup, dijon mustard, and about a tablespoon of brown sugar and cooked it down. The boys didn't know how good it was for them and it was sloppy like any good joe should be.

Sloppy Joe's w/ Sweet Potato Fries


--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 30 minutes on the Wii, 250 crunches, and 60 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 128

Only Water - Day 123

Total Pounds Lost - 48

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Ham sandwich, pickle, carrots and hummus
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 banana, cranberry scones, and hot tea w/ vanilla creamer
Dinner - Sloppy Joe's with sweet potato fries

Clean Eating

My sister, Crystal, gave me a subscription to Clean Eating Magazine. It's really awesome. So I tried a recipe from it yesterday:

Tuna Risotto with Collard Greens and Mushrooms.

I used homemade chicken stock to cook the risotto in and it turned out really delicious. 3ft even liked it. He tried some collard greens but asked to have broccoli instead. He totally ate the risotto and the mushrooms though. So that was cool.

The husband won't touch it with a 100-foot pole. He dislikes fish. A lot. So I have a couple more meals of it but that's okay because it was good.

I'm trying to incorporate a fish/seafood dish once a week. For one, to mix up the menu so I don't get bored with the food and two, fish is good for you and 3ft and I like it. So, lucky for me, the husband works late two nights a week so I make it the nights when he's not home so I don't have to listen to him complain about the fish smell or watch his yuck faces while we eat it.

I also want to start doing one vegetarian dish a week as well. This poses a small problem as 3ft and Husband are very particular about what vegetables they'll eat. But I like the idea of having it and since I do ALL the cooking -- they HAVE to like it or eat Easy Mac n Cheese.

3ft's allergies and asthma were acting up yesterday so we didn't do DDR (dance dance revolution). Instead, we just practiced tying his shoes and hung out. I'm hoping he feels better today.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 250 crunches, and 60 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 127

Only Water - Day 122

Total Pounds Lost - 48

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - Cranberry Almond Scone and hot tea w/ sugar free vanilla creamer
Lunch - Ham sandwich, pickle, carrots and hummus
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich and a couple chocolate covered almonds
Dinner - Tuna Risotto w/ collard greens and mushrooms

I've Got Moves.

Or something.

Sunday evening, a song came on the radio that is on my PS2 Dance Dance Revolution game. 3ft heard it and it reminded him of the dancing game so he asked if we could do "dancing" after school on Monday. I told him that'd be awesome but we had to wait until Mr. Grumpybutt took his nap.

I like playing DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) so it'd be fun. I also figured he'd forget.

He didn't.

When I walked into the living room from having put down the baby, the dance pads were already pulled out and unfolded and 3ft was standing there holding the game. So we put on some sweats and took off our shirts (I was wearing a sports bra already and he likes to dance topless) and set up the game.

I have zero coordination and 3ft has even less. So it doesn't help my cause to try and focus on getting all the steps when I'm laughing at the awesome dance moves 3ft is busting out next to me. But, it was fun and I like it when 3ft exercises with me. It takes my mind off of what I'm doing and it's good for his asthma. Plus I think he likes the mommy time without his brother competing for attention. And 3ft's already asked if we can do it again today. So we'll see.

Have I mentioned how much I hate push ups? I hate them. But I added the 5 to make 30 twice a day. I'm going to be buff. Anyone wanna arm wrestle? I also added the 25 crunches so now its 125 twice a day. Both are necessary evils (the push ups especially) to losing the inches.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 35 minutes of Dance Dance Revolution, 250 crunches, and 60 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 126

Only Water - Day 121

Total Pounds Lost - 48

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - Cranberry Almond Scone and hot tea w/ sugar free vanilla creamer
Lunch - Ham sandwich, pickle, carrots and hummus
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich, handful of popcorn, and a couple chocolate covered almonds
Dinner - Roasted Chicken with homemade barbecue glaze and baked veggies: celery, potatoes, carrots, and onions

Cooking Day.

I baked a chicken yesterday. It's like the third Sunday in a row I've done this. This time it was because 3ft asked for it. He super loves eating chicken off the bone. I think it's a kid thing. I remember liking to. Now, I'd rather have a boneless skinless breast. I guess I must be old. Anyways, back to the chicken. When it was done I realized it was Sunday and Costco closes at 6. It was 5:30. I don't have a car during the week and needed some things, so we ditched the yummy roasted chicken and hurried to Costco.

We made it just in time but then 3ft was starving. So we got Costco hot dogs and pizza instead of eating the chicken I slaved over. It wasn't too big a deal, the chicken would save no problem and since it was getting late so we opted to eat the Costco food. 3ft ate half my hot dog and almost all the huge slice of pizza -- minus the few bites me and the hubs took and the dough Mr. Grumpybutt munched on. The best part about all of it: I didn't feel guilty. I chose to share my hot dog with 3ft because he was staring longingly at it and besides I didn't need a whole one anyways. I got full off my half and a couple bites of cheese pizza.

I also made some marinara sauce from scratch with real tomatoes (as opposed to fake? no...) with raw tomatoes I guess would be the better way to say it. I don't think I used enough tomatoes with all the other veggies I put in there because the sauce turned out really thick and orange instead of red. But the flavor was pretty delicious and as I kept the seasonings simple I can use it for a myriad of dishes. I'm planning on making a sloppy joe ratatouille later on this week with it.

So I spent most of my day yesterday cooking (and laundry). So, of course, I was in heaven (not because of the laundry -- I hate laundry). I also did my crunches, push ups, and the dreaded plank. I'm adding 5 more push ups and 25 more crunches today which will up my push ups to 60 a day and my crunches to 250. So we'll see how that goes. The crunches aren't too bad but I still hate the push ups!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 200 crunches, and 50 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 125

Only Water - Day 120

Total Pounds Lost - 48

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Ham sandwich, pickle, carrots and hummus
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich and a couple cinnamon sugar cookies
Dinner - 1/2 of a Costco hot dog and a couple bites of cheese pizza

Rockin' It!

So, to the whole flying solo deal...

I'm totally rocking it! I lost 4.1 lbs this last week which makes the grand total of lost pounds 48. Isn't that awesome? I think I might hit 50 next week. Which means I think we should do another giveaway. What do you think?

Other highlights:

1. I fit into a couple of pairs of pants that I wore before I got pregnant with Mr. Grumpybutt including a pair of my "skinny" jeans. Naturally, I'm stoked about this!
2. I have to retire a pair of pants that pretty much fall off of me. It's sort of a shame because they're super comfy but they really hang on me and bunch around my waist because I have their drawstring cinched all the way. They're a size 26 and I am down to a size 18. So you can imagine how big they are.
3. I'm up to 100 crunches and 25 push ups twice a day. I really think the crunches played a huge part into getting into my "skinny" jeans. I'm adding more of both on tomorrow.
4. I went to my favorite Mexican food restaurant yesterday and didn't overdo it. Sure, I wasn't hungry for a snack at my normal time, but I wouldn't say I ate massive amounts of food at lunch. I also survived a barbecue at my brother-in-laws. His better half is an awesome griller -- the food was delicious -- and I stuck to portions and enjoyed what I had.
5. I baked all week -- from cake, to scones, to cinnamon sugar cookies. And while I partook in all that I made I was able to control my portions and not have a free for all horking session and eat it all.

The best part of all. I don't feel deprived. I don't feel like I'm "dieting" (which is good because I'm NOT!). I honestly feel I could eat like this for the rest of my life -- I'm eating more delicious food now than I did when I just crammed whatever in my mouth. I've found that quality beats out quantity anytime and if I'm going to put calories in my mouth they're going to be delicious ones not just what's on hand. And in keeping this mindset not only will I hit all my goals, I'll never have to worry about gaining the weight back!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 200 crunches, and 50 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 124

Only Water - Day 119

Total Pounds Lost - 48

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - chicken taco, beans, rice, salad, and salsa
Mid-Afternoon Snack -(still full from lunch)
Dinner - barbecue teriyaki chicken, grilled vegetables, and salad (super delicious)

Double Win! Woo-freaking-Hoo!

I made an awesome sauce last night to glaze chicken in. It turned out so good and I wasn't the only one who thought so. My husband got his plate and put a large dollop of barbecue sauce on next to his chicken for dipping. Then he didn't eat the barbecue sauce. Well, okay, he did but not on the chicken. When I gave him crap about being wasteful he ate it by the forkful all by itself AFTER the rest of his food was gone. Gross but it was a huge compliment.

The sauce was a hodge podge of (approximate values -- I just started throwing things together) 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup honey, 2 TBS apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, TSP Dijon mustard, garlic salt, and pepper. I then broiled the chicken and glazed it with the sauce until it just charred a bit on the edges. It was absolutely delicious and worth the broiler pan being a pain in the butt to clean -- took me forever to scrub it all off.



I'm also super excited to report: I FIT INTO A PAIR OF MY "SKINNY JEANS"! For grins and giggles I tried them on. The last time I tried to put them on I could barely get them over my hips and there was no way on bob's green earth that they were going to zip up. I'm wearing them today. I didn't have to shimmy. I didn't have to lay on the bed to get the zipper up. I didn't even have to suck in my tummy. THEY FIT!!! I think the hundreds of crunches I've been doing have totally rocked it to get me into these pants. I couldn't be happier.

Tomorrow is weigh and measure day. I'm expecting good news.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 200 crunches, and 50 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 123

Only Water - Day 118

Total Pounds Lost - 43.9

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Fish Sandwich, carrot sticks, and a sweet pickle
Mid-Afternoon Snack -1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich and a cinnamon sugar cookie
Dinner - Glazed chicken, mashed potatoes (w/ almond milk), and corn

Mmm Apples.

I've been on an apple kick lately.

Mmmm apples. *droolz*

Oh! Sorry..

So I thought I would try something a little different with the apple I had left from making the Apple Upside Down Cake. Apple salsa. Weird, right? But it's so delicious. It was perfect to spice up some leftover steak I had.

I cut the steak into strips and covered them in a little lemon, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. I sauteed it really fast in a little olive oil to heat it up. Then slapped it on some corn tortillas, topped it with apple salsa, and devoured it.

So good.

For the apple salsa I just threw in one apple, 1/4 cup red onion, 2 TBS jalapeno, 1 TBS chopped garlic, 1 TSP lemon juice, 1 TSP lime juice, some garlic salt and pepper to taste, and 1 TSP basil.

It was a really fun salsa and it worked really well with the steak.



--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 200 crunches, and 50 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 122

Only Water - Day 117

Total Pounds Lost - 43.9

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Fish Sandwich, carrot sticks, and a sweet pickle
Mid-Afternoon Snack -banana and cranberry almond scone
Dinner - Carne Asada tacos w/ apple salsa and a slice of apple upside down cake

Cake, Caramel, and Apples -- Yum!

I made cake. I made caramel. I made them all from scratch with no mixes whatsoever. I'm totally excited and it turned out so pretty.

I made an Apple Upside Down Cake yesterday. A light version. I made it with Almond milk and Brummel and Brown Spread w/ Yogurt instead of milk and butter. It turned out delicious and my boys had no idea how much healthier it was than a normal cake filled with oil, lots of eggs, and tons of sugar.



I got the recipe idea from a Cooking Light Magazine and then did some tweaks to make it a little more healthier and lighter. It was a lot of work but a lot of fun too. Making the homemade caramel sauce for the apples was the most fun. It was crazy easy. 1/4 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar. Stir it until the sugar is all the way dissolved and then let it boil without touching it until it turns a golden color.

This morning I said a fond farewell to half the cake and sent it with my husband to his work. It might be lighter but I don't need a WHOLE cake at my house begging me to eat it. We all had some last night and I saved a couple slices but then sent the rest of the cake away. It's really great to be able to do the baking I love, have the control to only eat a portion at a time (instead of the whole batch) and then have the strength to send the bulk of it away to be eaten by others. Just another example of how I've grown with healthy living and that it's really working for me.

I was a cooking fiend because I also made Cider Glazed Chicken and a Garlic Buttered Brown Rice. The rice turned out really good. I used a boil-in-bag brown rice and instead of boiling it per the directions in water I boiled it in homemade chicken stock. Then when it was done I browned some Brummel and Brown Spread with some chopped garlic and diced onions and then mixed it all together. My husband who doesn't like brown rice actually liked it!! That's a major win right there. For the Cider Glaze I just took some fresh apple cider (the kind you have to refrigerate no concentrate here) a little Dijon mustard and cooked it down then coated chicken breasts in it.

Yummy.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 30 minute walk, 200 crunches, 50 push ups, and 20 minutes of Wii Step.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 121

Only Water - Day 116

Total Pounds Lost - 43.9

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Classic Grilled McChicken Sandwich w/out mayo
Mid-Afternoon Snack -tasted the homemade caramel and a few apple slices
Dinner - Cider Glazed Chicken, Garlic Browned Butter Rice, and green beans.

Parent Win!

I'm so proud of myself.

Last night I made my version of fish 'n chips. I did Panko (Japanese breading) on some Alaskan Cod with a little garlic, salt, and pepper then seared it in a little olive oil. Then I sliced up a sweet potato into "fries" and coated them with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil and then broiled them on a baking sheet in the oven. Add to that some steamed broccoli and you've got yourself a DELICIOUS meal!

I told 3ft we were having crunchy fish and fries. He took one look at the fries and then looked at me like I was crazy.

"French Fries are yellow!"

A bolt of inspiration hit me (I swear my hair sizzled). "Those aren't french fries they're Halloween fries. They're orange because it's October."

"Oh. my. gosh. That's so cool." And he gobbled them all up and had a second helping.

Now you know, if I would've called them sweet potato fries, he'd have turned up his nose and not wanted them. The same kid who eats Nutella with marshmallows and pepperoni wouldn't have even tried them. Instead, by calling them something special he was all over them. He ate all his fish, fries, and broccoli. I was so proud.

However, Mr. Grumpybutt did NOT care that I called them Halloween fries. He doesn't like sweet potato at all. I thought they were delicious.

I thought the whole dinner was awesome and I have a couple cod fillets left over to have fish sandwiches which I also super love. I made some homemade cocktail sauce to have with the fish -- I don't like tartar sauce at all. I was glad I'd left the food on the counter and made my plate there and then took it to the table because I'd have eaten more, it was so good, if it had been right there in front of me.

Another recipe for the cookbook!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 45 minute power walk, 200 crunches, and 50 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 120

Only Water - Day 115

Total Pounds Lost - 43.9

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Ham Sandwich, sweet pickle, and carrots with hummus
Mid-Afternoon Snack -1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich, 1/3 Peanut Butter and Banana Muffin w/ Peanut Butter Glaze and some apple chips
Dinner - Breaded Cod, Sweet Potato Fries, and Broccoli

Flying Solo

Yesterday was pretty uneventful, unless you call having NO WATER all day long exciting. They shut off the water to my building around 9 am yesterday and I didn't get it back until about 5. Luckily, since I drink a lot of water I had a couple of jugs in the fridge to tide us over until we got our water back on. But, boy was it annoying!

I've upped my crunches and push ups. I'm not doing 100 crunches twice and 25 push ups twice a day. So I'm pretty proud of that. I'm hoping it's making a big impact on my waist (measuring for the month is coming up pretty soon) and doing something for my arms.

I made Peanut Butter and Banana muffins w/ peanut butter glaze. They turned out really good. 3ft loves them and my husband took a bunch to work today. So we'll see if others like them too. I wish I lived closer to any friends and family so I could pawn off some of these baked goods too.

I'm trying something new to see if I'm ready for it. I don't want to log calories and fat for the rest of my life. So I'm going to go it on my own without Sparkpeople.com tracking my intake and see if I'm ready to go it on my own. I've been living the healthy lifestyle now for almost 5 months so time to see if I can fly solo. If not, no big deal, I just start tracking again.

The only thing I use Sparkpeople for is keeping track of the calories I eat like a "food diary". They have a really great site with a lot of inspiration, forums, exercises, custom diets, and a huge food database to record your food intakes. When you're just starting out I definitely recommend them to start tracking what you're doing to help you get in the healthy lifestyle habits you want to achieve.

I think I've made my healthy living habitual so now let's see how I do without the "food diary". So I'm not counting calories anymore other than on labels or to figure out whats in my recipes so I can still stick to portion control. Because I feel that's the cornerstone of healthy living.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 45 minute power walk, 200 crunches, and 50 push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 119

Only Water - Day 114

Total Pounds Lost - 43.9

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Ham Sandwich, sweet pickle, and carrots with hummus
Mid-Afternoon Snack -Peanut Butter and Banana Muffin w/ Peanut Butter Glaze and some apple chips
Dinner - last of the Lasagna and a salad

Turkeys and Jelly Bellys

I had an AWESOME day yesterday. I got to hang out with my writer buddy, Turkey Girl, and her gaggle of Turkeys. We met at the Jelly Belly Factory, had lunch, toured the factory, and got our children to eat gross flavored jelly beans!

Now, the old Lisa, surrounded by delicious candy and food would have eaten my (then) weight in sugar and goodies. But the new healthier Lisa, while having some candy and ice cream, didn't go overboard! I had a salad for lunch because I knew I was going to have some jelly beans. We had lunch at the Jelly Belly Cafe. I got an Oriental Chicken Salad that was to die for. It was super delicious. I only ate half the dressing and all the salad. It was great!!

On the tour of the Jelly Belly factory we got to sample some new flavors. I had them. They also had a tasting bar with pretty much every flavor bean the have. The old Lisa would have had several of each. The new Lisa picked a couple flavors to try and that was it. We got a packet of Jelly Belly's for touring. The husband and I split some and didn't even finish the bag.

Then 3ft wanted some ice cream. He chose Cotton Candy. Then Mr. Grumpybutt, the husband, and I split a kid's cone of Cookie Dough. I didn't even eat a third of it, I don't think. The old Lisa wouldn't have shared a cone. She would've wanted one all to herself. And when 3ft didn't finish his kid's cone, the old Lisa would've eaten that too. The new Lisa just threw the unfinished ice cream and cone away.

I'm amazed at how far I've come since mid May. How much weight I've lost. How I approach nutrition and portion control. How I can be turned loose in a Jelly Bean Factory and not eat everything in sight. I'm really proud of myself and how well I've been doing.

The most important thing: I felt NORMAL! I felt like a normal person hanging out with her friends, having a great time, and sure sampling the goodies. I didn't feel guilty. I didn't feel like I was cheating on anything. I balanced out the little splurges with my other meals.

I might've had a few more calories yesterday than usual as I had a little bit of candy and a few licks of ice cream. But the difference is: I didn't go crazy. I didn't say, "Screw it" the day is a failure and I might as well "enjoy" it and eat everything in sight. I really am enjoying a healthy LIFEstyle not a diet and that feels REALLY good!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - a bunch of walking and carrying Mr. Grumpybutt around (we forgot his stroller)

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 118

Only Water - Day 113

Total Pounds Lost - 43.9

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Oriental Chicken Salad w/ half dressing
Mid-Afternoon Snack -a few jelly belly beans, and a little ice cream
Dinner - Ham sandwich, carrots and hummus, and apple chips

Crazy Busy.

I was so crazy busy yesterday, I was a bad egg again and didn't blog.

3ft had his school Walk-a-Thon yesterday to raise money for his school. We walked the full two hours. He's such a trooper. After each lap the kids did, they got silly bands (the latest craze -- here anyway) and if they walked the whole two hours they got 10 free tickets to the Carnival afterward. Well he didn't really need the tickets, we got him a band that was unlimited tickets, but he wanted to talk the whole time anyway. We also jogged a lot of the way. I was totally proud of myself that I could keep up with him. Every time he ran so did I. Just another reason I'm stoked to be healthier and in better shape!

Then we played a ton of games at the Carnival and he had to do the cupcake walk to try and win some cupcakes which he did. I took Mr. Grumpybutt and we spent the tickets 3ft earned during the walking to up his chances. And the minute we did that, 3ft won! Hooray. And no, he didn't pick out the ones I made. I was trumped by cupcakes that had plastic spider, bat, and skull rings stuck in the top of them. Deliciousness knocked aside for dollar store plastic. *sigh* It doesn't matter, though, really. He's the one eating them. Not me. And had he brought mine home, I might've had to.

On Friday, I made a really great lasagna. Basically take your favorite lasagna sauce and use 1/2 lean ground beef and half lean ground turkey and that cuts down the fat of the sauce without losing the "meat" flavor. And for the noodles, use Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles. For the cheese, I recommend low fat or no fat ricotta cheese and 2% Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese (both those cheese choices have less fat and calories than the part-skim options). The lasagna came out tasting just as good as a full fat one and with only 205 calories and 7 grams of fat, you can totally enjoy it guilt free.

Last night I roasted another chicken w/ gold potatoes, carrots, and onions. It turned out even more delicious than the last one. I threw the carcass and the leftovers (there weren't a lot we had my inlaws over for dinner) into a big pot of water with more spices and cooked it down for like 5 hours to make my own chicken stock. I can't wait to cook with it. I imagine homemade chicken stock has to taste better than store bought any day, right?

And now on to the week's weight loss. I lost 2.2 lbs!! Which puts me at almost 44 lbs. Look out 50, here I come!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 2 Hours of walking in a Walk-a-thon.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 117

Only Water - Day 112

Total Pounds Lost - 43.9

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - (missed -- was walking)
Lunch - Lasagna, salad, garlic bread
Mid-Afternoon Snack -carrots and french baguette dipped in hummus
Dinner - Roasted Chicken, potatoes, carrots, and onions.

Total Day Calories - 1186

Cupcakes for the Win.

I had to bake yesterday. No, really. I did.

I volunteered to make cupcakes for 3ft's school carnival for a cupcake walk, then promptly forgot all about it. So, imagine my surprise, when I got an e-mail from the PTA saying the cupcake containers were available and can you bring them to school on Friday.

*gasp*

So I looked through my pantry and found all the ingredients to make carrot cupcakes. From scratch. With real carrots.

It was an adventure. I have a Magic Bullet, which I love as a blender, but as a food processor with carrots, not so fabulous. So I had to get creative to grate the carrots fine with the Bullet, but I persevered. Go me. Little Cinnamon, well a LOT, actually (I love Cinnamon), a little nutmeg, some ginger (basically pumpkin spices -- they're both orange, why not?) some flour: white and wheat, baking powder, a little sugar, a can of crushed pineapple for flavor and so it's only a "little" sugar and voila cake batter.

Next up was the frosting. I thought I could blend my cream cheese with a lot of powdered sugar to make sweet frosting and add on 600 calories

OR

I could blend up my cream cheese block with marshmallow creme.

Oh. My. Gawd. It is so fantastic. I piped that frosting inside the cupcakes as well as a little on the top. They looked beautiful. The batter made a lot which was awesome. Then I read on the paperwork for the cupcakes that 3ft got home that cupcakes can't require refrigeration.

It figures. So now I have to make a different kind. So I gathered up all the neighborhood kids that 3ft was outside playing with and asked them if they wanted to be cupcake eating guinea pigs? They all agreed and toddled off to ask their parents if that was cool.

Those boys INHALED the cupcakes. Then I sent 7 to work with the husband. Which he said he might not even share them because they're so good and he doesn't even really like carrot cake especially because of the cream cheese frosting. Then of course I'm having the in-laws over for dinner tomorrow night so I saved some for dessert.



The best thing about this little beaut is that it's only 150 calories w/ 3 grams of fat. Which is INSANE for a cupcake that has filling and frosting! Just saying. Husband couldn't believe they were "light" and low fat!

Now I'm off to bake more. Good thing I like it. I'm going to make chocolate cupcakes, filled with nutella, and topped with milk chocolate frosting. I'm not even remotely making these healthy. I want those kids at the cupcake walk to practically kill each other over getting them!!

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - 40 push ups, 160 crunches, and 60 minute power walk.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 115

Only Water - Day 110

Total Pounds Lost - 41.7

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Cajun Chicken Sandwich, carrots, and a pickle spear
Mid-Afternoon Snack -1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich and a creme filled carrot cupcake
Dinner - Garlic Steak w/ Sauteed Mushrooms, brussel sprouts, and garlic pasta.

Total Day Calories - 1084