Thanksgiving Insanity

I'm on a roll.

This morning I did over 3000 steps on Wii Fit Free Step while watching Rachel Rae impress and amaze me with Shnitzle. (I have no idea if that's spelled right) and I also had no idea what it was. She made a beef broth and mushroom soup over egg omelet crepe noodle thingies. She called them something but I don't remember what. While the shnitzel doesn't seem to be anything but breaded and fried meat with anchovies on top (shudders over the anchovies) the soup looked pretty amazing. I also went for a walk with Grumpybutt (taking advantage of the nice weather while we have it) and then took 3ft to the park for a playdate. Not too mention all the trips lugging things up and down my stairs -- so all and all a busy day activity wise.

I did breakfast for dinner tonight for 3ft. Once a week I make him whatever breakfast food he wants for dinner. He opted for Cinnamon Vanilla Pancakes. Now before anyone gets all excited about how fancy that sounds -- it's not. It's Krusteaux's Pancake Mix with a little water, cinnamon, and vanilla mixed in before cooking it. Super easy but super delicious. He smothered those bad boys in syrup and went to town. I didn't even look longingly at his plate (I love pancakes) because I had my Asian Chicken Salad again for dinner. I've got one more serving of it after tonight which will be for dinner tomorrow then I'll have to move on to something else.

I've been watching shows on Food Network about Thanksgiving -- something I really shouldn't do because now I'm adding a Brussel Sprout dish that looked absolutely divine to my list of things I'm cooking on Thanksgiving as well as being reminded about the pumpkin roll I make that I'm going to serve as an appetizer along with marbled banana chocolate bread, finger sandwiches, fancy olives, fancy pickles, layer dip, veggie tray w/ ranch, and chips.

I have mentioned I'm going to be eating all freaking day, right? I can't wait! I figure I can't undo the months of progress I've made in one day. Besides, all my dishes are healthier versions so while I'm saying right now I know I'm going to eat WAY TOO MANY CALORIES (look at my "I don't care" face) it could be worse! So since I've clearly gone insane over this Thanksgiving and can't seem to make enough food to graze on all day, what are your go to Thanksgiving dishes that I can't live without?

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 162

Total Pounds Lost - 56.3

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, dill pickle, and Chicken and Stars Soup
Mid-Afternoon Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich
Dinner - Asian Chicken salad with toasted almonds on Napa cabbage.

Baked Goods and Cinderella

I felt better today, but not completely back to normal so I took it easy again.

Well, kind of.

I mopped my kitchen floor, the bathroom floor, wrestled with children, baked...twice, and did 3 loads of laundry. No wonder I'm so tired. I was a busy girl.

I had bananas that were practically dead and begging to be put out of their misery on my counter, so this morning I made Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread. It turned out so delicious. The best bananas for baking are the ones that are practically disintegrated they're so ripe (which would be the state of the bananas I used today). So I made 4 mini loaves (I love mini loaves, they're so cute and you can trick your mind that you're having a lot by having multiple slices for the same calories as one full sized loaf slice). I had to take a picture because I love the way the marbled looks and I'm still all proud of the epiphany about how to do it that I had.

I'm also working on a Gingerbread Sleigh Project. I made gingerbread dough after the kids went to bed and did a single sleigh cutout to see how well it'll put together before I do an assembly line sort of thing. So I made a ka-ton (it's a word, I just made it up) of gingerbread dough, rolled out some and shoved the rest in the fridge for another night. I already designed and cut out the sleigh pieces (I geeked out on that yesterday). I set my shapes on the dough, got a sharp knife, and cut them out. In retrospect, I'm going to bake the dough about halfway next time and cut it out then. The cookies had some expansion, which I didn't even think about (I did mention I was tired) so I can negate that from the final shape by cutting it out after it's expanded but not fully cooked yet.

As you can see, I got distracted and let the cookies get a little more "done" than I had wanted. My husband keeps telling me he'll eat them (he's weird and likes his cookies a little on the burnt side anyway). Normally I'd fret, but this was just an experiment which makes me extra glad I did it as such, because I'd already do things different in the baking process. I'm assured the dough is delicious and tastes like gingerbread (I haven't had any since I don't eat after 8pm). So tomorrow I'll make the "glue" and frost that bad boy together and see how it turns out.

Naturally, my mixer went nuts and spewed dough all over my freshly mopped floor. I didn't have a clean floor for even a freaking hour so after I got all the dishes washed (I cannot stand having dirty dishes in my sink) I got on my hands and knees with a washrag and cleaned my floor again. I felt like Cinderella. Except I already have my "prince". Do you suppose she ever mopped the floors after she "lived happily ever after"?

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 156

Total Pounds Lost - 54.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - (early lunch)
Lunch - Chicken Salad w/ ranch
Mid-Afternoon Snack - Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread
Dinner - Mc Donalds Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/out mayo

Cake Invention and Castle Defense

What are these you ask? These are Mini Cinnamon Coffee Cakes and another creation of yours truly. It's a cinnamon infused cupcake with a brown sugar, cinnamon, and oat crumble topping. I filled the cupcake wrappers too full so the crumble isn't solid like I'd wanted it. Next time I'll only fill them half as much and that way it'll "look" more like a coffee cake than just taste like one.

I haven't tasted one yet, but I'm assured they're fabulous by the husband. I made them last night after the boys went to bed and it was too late to eat one. But you can bet your bahooka that I'm going to have one today for a snack. Is it 10 am yet. Cuz that's snack time! Wahooo. I actually made them for my friend, Riana's, birthday. It's on Sunday and she's coming over with her munchkins for a playdate today so since I'm going to be out of town on her birthday she's getting her baked goods today. I gave her a chance to put in an order and she said, "Whatever. Surprise me."

So, that naturally means that I threw caution to the wind, saw the cinnamon oil extract in the cupboard which started calling me. I thought a cinnamon cake would be delicious and then it sort of morphed into the mini coffee cakes. They're a little higher in calories than I usually do, but I blame that entirely on my over filling the cupcake wrappers. I'd have gotten 2 dozen cupcakes if I hadn't been so heavy with the scooper and then they'd have been around 100 calories per cake instead of the 200 these are. Oh well. I'm still having one.

Took the boys to the playground yesterday and met up with Riana and her boys. While her baby girl slept in her stroller she played with the Grumpybutt and I chased around 3 active boys (one of which was 3ft). I got up on the playground structure and defended my castle from the boys' onslaught. I owned them, guarded my castle, and I got a lot of running around in. It was fun and naturally the kids thought it was hilarious and an awesome game to play. I still love, Love, LOVE, that I have the energy to do that with the kids, especially my own. 3ft absolutely adores when I play tag, chase, and rough house with him and I love having the energy and the flexibility to do so. When it comes down to it, I'm doing it for him, the Grumpybutt, and the husband so I can be around a LONG time to torment and torture...er.. I mean love and nurture them.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking, chasing three active boys around a playground, 400 crunches, and 90 push ups

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 150

Total Pounds Lost - 53.9

Meals:
Breakfast - FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade almond milk
Morning Snack - 1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich
Lunch - Tuna Sandwich, pickle spear, and organic yellow corn tortilla chips
Mid-Afternoon Snack - apple chips and a triple chocolate brownie
Dinner - Spaghetti and eggs (it's a family tradition thing)

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

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.

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.

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

How Do I Love Thee?

I love vegetables. Well, I'm not particularly fond of beets even though I think they're pretty, but as to the rest I pretty much like them all. This is not the case with 3ft or Husband. 3ft pretty much only likes broccoli so far. He'll eat corn, mushrooms, green beans and choke down carrots if he has too but his go to veggie is broccoli (I don't really count potatoes as a veggie, I tend to place them in the pasta category because they're mostly starch). The husband on the other hand will only eat mushrooms, corn, green beans, and carrots if they're a part of roasted something.

It's annoying.

Well, every once in awhile I'll put a new vegetable in front of 3ft and see what he thinks. Last night it was brussel sprouts. I gave him 5. He ate one, said he liked it, and pretty much kept eating them. I happened to glance at his face while he was chewing the last one.

"Why do you have yuck face?" I asked.

3ft shrugged and looked sad.

"If you don't like them, it's okay. I just want you to try them. If you tell me you like them I'll make them for you again and then you have to eat them again. Do you really like them?"

He swallowed. "I'm so sorry, Mommy, I don't really like them."

"That's okay, I'm just glad you tried them. Next time I'll make you a different vegetable when I make brussel sprouts again."

"Like broccoli?"

And there we have it. He still loves broccoli above all other veggies. Someday, perhaps, he'll like something else too.

So along with the brussel sprounts, I made garlic rubbed steak with sauteed mushrooms and a garlic and herb pasta. It turned out pretty delicious and other than the brussel sprout drama, 3ft cleaned his plate -- and so did I!



I'm totally happy to announce that both winners got their delicious baked goods from my 100 day healthy living giveaway. Janna says of her Chocolate Swirled Banana Muffins, "They are delicious! They have so much flavor." And Susan says of her Honey Cinnamon Swirled Cinnamon Bread, "Holy crap that stuff's good - like crack." I did mini loaves of the bread and I couldn't cut them open to picture them, but Susan, being an awesome girl, took one when she cut them open.



--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise -45 minute power walk, 20 minutes of Wii Fit Strength Training and Yoga, and 20 minutes of jogging around the apartment.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 114

Only Water - Day 109

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 1/2 chocolate swirled banana muffin.
Dinner - Garlic Steak w/ Sauteed Mushrooms, brussel sprouts, and garlic pasta.

Total Day Calories - 1084

2 Day Catch Up!

I was crazy busy yesterday. I totally spaced blogging completely. Bad, Lisa. Bad.

So to catch up:

On Saturday, I roasted a whole chicken!! I'm so proud of myself. It turned out so beautiful and was so moist and delicious. I stuffed the cavity with a whole bulb of garlic and one whole lemon. Then I did many wrong things to the bird when I separated the skin from the breast and slathered the flesh with rosemary, thyme, basil, and garlic infused olive oil. Then I slathered the skin with the same mixture (my husband loves the skin -- I don't eat it... blech!). I cut up some potatoes, onions, and added baby carrots around the bird, then I popped it in the oven for an hour.
Oven Roasted Rosemary Garlic Chicken and Vegetables


It was a huge hit with the family. 3ft loves to eat meat off the bone and my husband hates to and will only eat white meat but loves the skin. So I was able to slice the breast off w/ skin for the hubs and give my son a chicken leg and everyone was happy!! 3ft even ate all his veggies too. I was so proud. It made enough for us all to have another exact serving as is for dinner and enough left over to make barbecue pulled chicken sandwiches for lunch. I love meals that stretch like that and are versatile!

On Sunday, I made Cinnamon Sugar Cookies. A sugar cookie with a little cinnamon mixed in the dough, then rolled in cinnamon and raw sugar, then baked. I made them for my sister's boyfriend's birthday. He said they tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch in milk and he meant that in the most awesome way possible. In other words he LOVED them. Well 3ft wouldn't let me give them all to Daniel, so I kept a few home. And with those we created --

Cinnamon Sugar Cookie S'mores


They are super delicious and take my 84 calorie for 2 cookies and become 128 calories for a sandwich. I used Nutella (I have mentioned how much I love Nutella, right? So much so, it should be illegal) and Marshmallow Creme (which is ambrosia, really) to turn it into a S'more. It's the best thing since sliced bread.

I also went to Red Lobster yesterday for lunch. I was so proud of myself. Instead of getting the all-you-can-eat shrimp (which I could've done some MAJOR damage too), I got Wood Grilled Shrimp, Scallops, and Chicken w/ Rice Pilaf and Broccoli. I only ate 1/2 the entree. I only had ONE cheese biscuit thingy (which I absolutely LOVE), and then a salad w/ their light balsamic vinaigrette. I totally stayed within my calorie range for the day and felt super good about it!

And on to what some of you may have been waiting for. How much weight did I lose last week? I'm sad to report that while the scale only dropped a pound (one pound is better than no pounds), my clothes are much looser and I was able to put on my shorts without unbuttoning and unzipping them. Which was a first for this particular pair.

I'm also stoked to announce: I AM PRE PREGNANCY WEIGHT!!! WAHOOOO!! Now some of the clothes I wore before I got pregnant I can't breathe in when I put them on (thank you very much Mr. Grumpybutt for giving me more work to tone up my gut) but I lost the 42 lbs I gained with my pregnancy!!! I'm totally bouncing on Cloud 9.

Okay I think I caught you up on my weekend. I'm so sorry I spaced blogging yesterday. I'll see you tomorrow.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise -Day Off

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 111

Only Water - Day 106

Total Pounds Lost - 41.7

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - (didn't have)
Lunch - Red Lobster 1/2 entree of Wood Grilled Scallops, Shrimp, and Chicken w/ rice pilaf and broccoli. I had most of one cheese biscuit and a salad with balsamic vinaigrette w/out croutons.
Mid-Afternoon Snack -(didn't need)
Dinner - Grilled Chicken Salad w/out cheese and croutons w/ balsamic vinaigrette

Total Day Calories - 1159 (approximately)

Sweat and Noms

(My blog title is cracking me up, but I digress...)

Yesterday, I decided it was time to kick my exercise up a notch.

When I got home from dropping 3ft off at school and after I got the Grumpybutt down for his nap, I dusted off the Wii Fit and did 20 minutes of strength training and yoga (Who ever invented the plank needs to boiled in a vat of acid -- just saying) and then I jogged around my apartment for 20 minutes while I watched cooking shows. After Mr. Grumpybutt woke up from his nap, we went for our 45 minute power walk before picking up 3ft from school.

It felt great.

Then in the afternoon I baked chocolate swirled banana muffins (for the lovely Janna Q) and stuck them in the freezer. Of course 3ft and I had to split one to make sure we wouldn't be poisoning the lovely Janna Q. Which means I'll be baking another batch today because Oh. My. God. were they DELICIOUS!! and I have to replace the one in Janna's dozen and then have some for 3ft and I to munch on.



And for those of you keeping score at home (or wondering) I've been making my own almond milk once a week since I started making it. I've yet to mix other flavors in. I like it plain. One of these days I'm going to get around to blending in a banana and seeing how delicious that is but who knows when that'll be. I've also been pimping out the benefits and the recipe for it since I've started drinking it. I love the almond milk. I especially love cooking and baking with it. It cuts out so much fat and calories and doesn't change the integrity of the dish I put it in. Go, Almond Milk!

I'm totally proud of myself. The old Lisa would've had a fail day like Sunday and said, "Screw it!" and had a few more fail days -- or a months worth of fails riding the shame roller coaster before sucking it up and getting back on track. The new Lisa didn't do that. I didn't berate myself. I didn't ride the shame spiral. I just dusted off my pants and got back to work. Which is the major difference between dieting and healthy living. Splurges happen. If you diet, you hate yourself when you slip but when you live healthily you know it happens and you just shrug the slip off and keep on working toward your goals.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise -45 minute power walk, 20 minutes strength training and yoga, and jogged around my apartment for 20 minutes.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 105

Only Water - Day 100

Total Pounds Lost - 40.7

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Cracked Pepper Turkey Sandwich, carrot sticks, and a pickle spear
Mid-Afternoon Snack -1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich, and 1/2 a chocolate swirled banana muffin
Dinner - Milanese Chicken and Oriental Noodle Salad

Total Day Calories - 1088

Surviving Barbecues.

I went to a family barbecue yesterday and I've gotten pretty good at surviving them with my nutritional goals intact. Here's my secret:

Bring a dish that you know you can eat. Barbecues are all about potato salad (hello mayonnaise), chips and dip (hello fat), and some sort of delicious dessert (hello high calories), along with the meat. You can easily consume your nutritional allotment for the day in ONE barbecue meal! If you bring a dish that you controlled the health factor of, if there's nothing else you can eat you at least have that AND how can someone be mad at you for bringing a contribution for everyone to enjoy?

So with Grandma's delicious potato salad in mind, I threw together an Oriental Noodle Salad to take a long with us to the family get together (that way I could have a side dish with my hamburger and not consume copious amounts of potato salad -- which I LOVE.)



It was a big hit. I know I certainly enjoyed having a healthy serving of it along with a small bite of potato salad and keeping within my goals than gorging on potato deliciousness and gaining back the 2lbs I lost this week. I also brought my own hamburger bun (yes, an Orowheat Thin) because I knew the buns would be ginormous and not only do I not like a lot of bread with my burger it's a lot of unnecessary calories as well.

I've always been an overachiever and since it was a birthday barbecue I knew there would be a dessert involved. So I baked some Snowy Brownies to take as well. That way while everyone else was enjoying a high calorie high fat slice of pie I could munch on my brownie and still feel a part of the party but keeping it on a healthier level.

The brownies were a huge hit too. I didn't get to bring any home because they were all gobbled up.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking, crunches and push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 103

Only Water - Day 98

Total Pounds Lost - 40.7

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - (didn't need)
Lunch - Cracked Pepper Turkey Sandwich, carrot sticks, and a pickle spear
Mid-Afternoon Snack -Fiber One Granola Bar
Dinner - Hamburger, Oriental Noodle Salad, Snowy Brownie

Total Day Calories - 1161

The Results Are In!

I don't know how people who do giveaways all the time do it. This was SUPER HARD! I didn't expect so many people to enter my Baked Deliciousness Giveaway. I figured only two would enter and that would make my job A LOT easier. How do you only pick two?

Well...

I didn't!

I made my husband.

It was too much pressure. I couldn't handle it. So, I made him draw the two slips of folded paper out of the hat. I also let him know I was going to tell all of you that he was the one who picked -- so he'd be blamed and not me. So, now you know. It's his fault if you weren't picked. Not mine.

*drum roll* Now what you've all tuned in for.

The Winners of the Baked Deliciousness Giveaway are:

Janna Qualman and Susan Hartman!

So, you lucky ladies, you need to let me know what you want from the list (see below) and where I'm shipping it to.

The List
Banana Almond Bread
Chocolate Swirled Banana Muffins
Snowy Brownies
Cranberry Scones
Honey Cinnamon Swirled Cinnamon Bread
Sugar Cookie S'mores

And don't fret -- as hard as this giveaway was it's going to be totally fun to bake the goodies and ship them out. I'm coming up on 50lbs lost. I think that calls for a giveaway, don't you?

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking, crunches and push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 102

Only Water - Day 97

Total Pounds Lost - 38.3

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - FiberOne Granola Bar
Lunch - Leftover Fried Fish on a sandwich (super yummy)
Mid-Afternoon Snack -1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich and sugar free chocolate pudding
Dinner - Fried Milanese Chicken, french fries, and broccoli

Total Day Calories - 1108

In the Dust!

The Husband stayed home yesterday because we had a myriad of doctor's appointments and errands to run. Well, he walked with me to take 3ft to school but more importantly walked with me to pick him up. I leave a half hour early and walk a mile or better out of the way at a really fast pace to get to 3ft's school. My husband, who weighs a buck thirty (130lbs) soaking wet and after all-you-can-eat pasta at Olive Garden, couldn't keep up with me.

I reveled in it. I savored it. I didn't have the heart to tell him I walk fast when he's not trailing behind me. It was a moment.

And as to celebrating -- Oh yeah, baby. I celebrated. I savored a small slice of no sugar added apple pie last night after dinner. I intentionally got a half sandwich w/ a salad so I could guilt-free eat every last bite of pie. I didn't. I left the crust. It wasn't that great (just the crust the filling was awesome) plus I was full.

I wouldn't say I had an eating win yesterday, though. I missed my morning snack, I missed my afternoon snack due to being crazy busy, and I while I didn't go over my calorie count for the day my calories weren't balanced very well. Between the onion rings and pie I had more fat calories than usual. But hey. I still stayed within my healthy living goals and lunch was only 350 calories and dinner without the pie was about the same.

I'm living. I enjoyed the pie. And now I'm back to my routine eating today.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - walking, crunches and push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 101

Only Water - Day 96

Total Pounds Lost - 38.3

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - (didn't need)
Lunch - Burger King Whopper Jr. w/ orowheat thin instead of bun and no mayo and a value size onion ring
Mid-Afternoon Snack -(missed due to being busy)
Dinner - Shari's Lunch Trio -- 1/2 BLT sandwich, salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and a slice of no sugar added apple pie

Total Day Calories - 1195

Let's Celebrate!!!

DAY 100!!!!! *shakes my money maker*

I've done 100 days in a row of HEALTHY LIVING!!! *dances some more*

LET'S CELEBRATE!!!!

In commemoration of this huge milestone I'm going to do a giveaway! Two lucky winners will receive one delicious baked good choice from this list of my own healthy creations:
Banana Almond Bread
Banana Chocolate Muffins
Snowy Brownies
Cranberry Scones
Honey Cinnamon Swirl Cinnamon Bread
Sugar Cookie S'mores

And it's easy to enter! All you have to do is comment on this blog, my sparkpeople blog, or on this linked blog post at facebook.com. Easy, right? I mean how else will I know you want to enter? All of these items will survive shipping and anyone can enter -- I'll ship anywhere. I'll take comments until tomorrow night, do a random drawing and announce the winners on Saturday's blog.

I'm in the mood to celebrate!!! It's not about the weight (which trust me I love dropping) it's about the living healthy because as long as I keep that up the weight will lose itself.

--Previous Day Tracking --

Exercise - crunches and push ups.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 100!!! WAHOOOO!!!!

Only Water - Day 95

Total Pounds Lost - 38.3

Meals:
Breakfast - bowl of FiberOne Honey Clusters w/ homemade Almond Milk
Morning Snack - (didn't need)
Lunch - Hawaiian and Veggie Homemade Pizzas
Mid-Afternoon Snack -1/2 peanut butter and banana sandwich and some popcorn
Dinner - Fried Fish Strips, french fries, and broccoli (274 calories)

Total Day Calories - 1098