Who's the Voss?!?!: June 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 26 - Daytime, Casual

I'm going to have two outfits today, one is a nice casual daytime outfit, the other is a nicer, evening outfit. I'm dressing up tonight to go to Music Theatre of Wichita, but I didn't want to be fancy all day. Plus, I've been dieing to try out this cardigan! :)

Top- Black Racerback Layering Tank Top, Gordmans
I got this one and a gray one to wear under stuff, just like I'm doing today. Just a basic tank top, but oh so comfy!

Layering- Black and White Knee Length Cardigan, Forever 21
I got this when Rhythm and I went shopping the other day. I was shocked to find something I liked at that store. I was also shocked and pleasantly surprised to find it was only $13! Woohoo! This is also going to be suuuuuper cute in the fall when sweaters are more in season. ;)

Bottoms- Rolled Denim Shorts, The Loft
Same old, same old. If you don't have a pair of shorts like this you should get one (or two). :)

Shoes- Black Decorative Sandals, Target
Same old again. I tried this outfit on with my Gray Flats, but didn't like them with this outfit as much as I liked the sandals.

A couple new things to add to my total. :) My total number is getting a little high, but I think there are a couple things I might weed through after I'm done with the first month of my capsule wardrobe experiment. :) Pretty close to having everything accounted for!

My capsule wardrobe consists of:
Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress
Neutral Color Block Dress

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top
Gray t-shirt
Beige Leopard Print tank top
Green cap sleeve blouse
Black "Cold Shoulder" sweater

Layering -
Chambray shirt
Gray Racerback tank top
Black Racerback tank top
Black and White Knee Length Cardigan

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants
Blue shorts

Accessories -
Black belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter Dress)
Black sunglasses
Brown belt

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Royals T-Shirt
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
Gray K-State Willie the Wildcat T-Shirt
Black K-State Proud T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers
Gray cut off kstate sweat pants

41 Capsule Items, 8 Non-Capsule Items

Cheerios and Bananas

I don't eat cereal for breakfast often. I find that it doesn't fill me up and keep me full like some of my other breakfast recipes. But when I cut up a Banana to go on Avery and Connor's Cheerios this morning, it just looked delicious! It packs in the calories, and in my opinion, fairly empty ones, but it sure hit the spot this morning! I doubled the recommended serving size because I know cereal leaves me wanting. I also put the Honey Nut Cheerios in my bowl, but gave the kids regular ones. :P I figured breakfast cost me about 400 calories today. It was sweet and totally worth it!

Honey Nut Cheerios, 2 cups - 220 cal
Skim Milk, 1 cup - 80 cal
Banana, medium/large - 105-120 cal
Total: 405-420 cal

This is basically what calorie counting looks like. Measuring, not just dumping your food into a bowl, and keeping track of each thing you eat, no matter how small. I don't really calorie count anymore, but I occasionally calculate a meal to make sure I'm eating an appropriate serving size. To lose weight I need about 1,200 calories/day. To maintain my weight I need 1,400-1,600/day. It's just good for me to know where I'm at in the day and with my totals. I also noticed the passed few days that I have been snacking too much. This does not help my weight loss. This is why I ate a higher calorie breakfast, in an effort to keep my hunger at bay. We'll see how to goes. Hope you all had a delicious healthy breakfast as well! Have a great Thursday, Friends!

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 25

I was a bum again today and didn't get dressed until Michael got home and I needed to go get my car from the shop. I threw on an easy outfit and ran out the door. On later examination, I wasn't as crazy about the outfit. It was a baggy shirt with my boyfriend jeans, but in order to keep them up I had to wear a belt, which made the shirt billow out more. This didn't look particularly flattering. So I probably won't wear this particular combination again, but the pieces are just fine separately. :)

Top- Beige Leopard Print tank top, Charming Charlie's
Accessories- Brown belt, New York and Company
Bottoms- Boyfriend jeans, New York and Company
Shoes- Black Decorative Sandals, Target

All pieces are things you've seen before, all totals are the same. :)

Avocado Toast

I've raved about these recipes on facebook plenty of times, but I don't think they've made it to the blog yet. When Michael and I started dieting we agreed to try recipes we might not try otherwise. We agreed to leave all the ingredients in, and not omit or change anything because we would never know if we liked a recipe if we changed it from the get-go. We also agreed to try ingredients that we didn't care for or were unsure of, in an effort to find recipes that featured healthy ingredients, but that were also delicious! :) One of the many things we came to love (that we have no clue we even liked beforehand) was avocado! Who knew such a delicious, creamy, flavorful, healthy fat source was in store for us! We love putting avocado on top of things like Mexican food, in sandwiches and chicken salads, and on toast for breakfast. These two recipes are some of my favorite breakfast recipes I have! I make them often. They are actually two separate recipes, but I like them so much, instead of making two slices of either one, I usually make one slice of each. :) If you like avocado, or aren't sure and want to give it a try, I highly recommend you try these two wonderful recipes! Enjoy!

Tomato Avocado Melt

Poached Egg on Avocado Toast

With the Poached Egg recipe I usually make a fried egg, and I don't serve it with a side of tomatoes. They are both delicious! Yum! Try them out!

The Importance of Drinking Water

Goodbye Morning, Friends! I hope you're all well this Wednesday morning! For those of you keeping an eye on the food and recipes part of my blog, my apologies for no new recipes yesterday, I'll catch up on that today with a couple different new recipes! But before I get to the food, let me take a moment to talk about water. I wanted to write this blog yesterday, but didn't get around to it. I suppose it's a good thing I didn't because MyFitnessPal sent me an email just this morning containing an article about water and weight loss. I haven't read it yet, I wanted to share my own (non-scientific) thoughts first. I will share the link with you, so you can read the article as well. :) OK, onto my thoughts and journey with water...

For as long as I can remember I have not been a water drinker. I love chocolate milk, soda, coffee, and wine, but water has never been high on my beverage list. That being said, when we ate out when I was a kid, everyone ordered water, me included. My drink generally never had to be refilled. To this day, water is still not high on my drink list. I'd drink coffee all day every day if I wasn't concerned about my teeth looking like I did as much and caffeine headaches wouldn't plague me on the days I got busy and forgot to drink so much. For my kids I get the Mio water flavoring which we call "juice" so they drink plenty of water, but I don't care for the flavoring much either.

Drinking the (previously) recommended 8 (8oz) glasses of water/day has always been a struggle for me. Sometimes it seems like months go by that I don't drink an actual glass of water. But drinking water is critical to weight loss. I've mentioned this in one of my other weight loss posts, but I absolutely believe that if you want to lose weight well, you need to be drinking water too.

One article I read while Michael and I were dieting said to take your body weight in pounds and divide it in half, that's how much water you should drink in a day. When I read the article I was around 160 lbs, which means 80 ounces of water per day. Lucky for me, that is exactly 5 - 16 oz glasses! Made it really easy to keep track of how much I was drinking. A few days ago I recalculated. I was at 136 lbs, so I would need 68 ounces per day, just a little over 4 glasses. Some days I get more than that, most of the time I aim for 5 and call it good.

Any time I drink all the water I'm supposed to, I'm pleasantly surprised at my weight the next day. On days when I feel like I've eaten too much, and I know my weight is going to be up, I maintain my weight. On days when I eat well and I drink all my water, I lose weight. On days when I've plateau'd, I begin going down again. I really cannot rave enough about the success I've had when drinking copious amounts of water. So I strongly encourage you to give it a try as well if you're struggling with weight loss. Try to eat well, but equally as importantly, drink water! Lots of it! Now, this isn't a free pass. You can't pig out and drink water and expect to maintain or lose, but when combined with a balanced diet, or even a day with a few extra snacks, you won't destroy a week's worth of work. :)

Stay thirsty my friends!

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 24

What up, Party People?! Ready for another outfit?? Today I decided to dress up a bit. I had some errands to run, but nothing that required me to be dressed up. I had a dress in my closet that I hadn't had an opportunity to wear yet and wanted to. That's all the motivation behind this outfit. :P I also like getting dressed and looking nice, making a decent effort. Especially when I'm not going to be home all day collecting dog hair. ;) I had one person today ask if I was going to a job interview and another ask if I was going to church. I guess this bodes well for the outfit. :) Alright, then, onto it!

Dress - Neutral Color Block Dress, Charming Charlie's
I tell you what, it feels like half my wardrobe is from Charming Charlie's! You should go shopping there next time you're in Legends in Kansas City if you need some new cute clothes for a great price (or purses, scarves, or jewelry)! I didn't really need work-type clothes, but I really like this dress. I don't think I'd interview in it since I have an actual suit, but it's definitely work appropriate!

Accessories- Brown belt (stolen from my Easter dress), Gordmans
I wouldn't have added the belt to this outfit, but it felt a little loose in the middle and it was puckering a little weird. I thought it looked nicer with the belt. And since the dress had a beige color in it, I felt safe adding a brown belt.

Shoes - Black Pumps, Target
I love the click that pumps make on hard floors, don't you?!? My feet may hurt at the end of a day in heels, but I love the look and the powerful feel they give me. :) That being said, they are soooo not for a teacher. (Sorry, Kim) That's just torture. Stick to your flats! :P

My capsule wardrobe consists of:
Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress
Neutral Color Block Dress

Layering -
Chambray shirt
Gray Racerback tank top

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants
Blue shorts

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

39 Capsule Items, 8 Non-Capsule Items

Monday, June 27, 2016

Brownie Batter Overnight Oats

Well, this weekend was kind of bad food-wise. Good, but bad. :\ We ate out a couple times, way more than we usually do, had a terrific dinner at a wedding, full of calories, and today I snacked so much it negated the healthy meals I made. *sigh* Oh well. Tomorrow is another, and hopefully a better, day. Anyways, here's a delicious recipe Michael and I tried this weekend and loved! Hope you'll like it too. I haven't had a ton of success with overnight oats, but this recipe was great! Hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did.

4 stars from us! Chocolate Covered Katie apparently knows what she's talking about. ;)

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 23

Ok, I need to be honest right now... I didn't put on regular clothes today until a half hour before we left for Brian and Alli's house for our Mary Kay facials. :P So while I may look decent (or not) in the pics, I was only REALLY dressed for 5 hours today. :P For the first part of my day I rocked a plain old K-State t-shirt and cut off K-State sweat pants. It was glorious. ;) For the "public" past of my day, I looked like this...

Top- Royals t-shirt, Gordmans (doesn't count towards capsule numbers)
I got this for our family pictures last fall. :) Can't wait to see how great we all look for pictures this year! We were already looking good for pictures last year, but we've come even farther since then!

Bottoms- Boyfriend jeans, New York and Company

Accessories- Black belt, New York and Company

Shoes- Gray Flats, Gordmans

My capsule wardrobe consists of:
Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top
Gray t-shirt
Beige Leopard Print tank top
Green cap sleeve blouse
Black "Cold Shoulder" sweater

Layering -
Chambray shirt
Gray Racerback tank top

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants
Blue shorts

Accessories -
Black belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter Dress)
Black sunglasses
Brown belt

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Royals T-Shirt
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
Gray K-State Willie the Wildcat T-Shirt
Black K-State Proud T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

Gray cut off kstate sweat pants

38 Capsule Items, 8 Non-Capsule Items

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 22

Hello again. With the exception of today's outfit, this should catch me up on the wardrobe capsule posts. Phew! Who knew this was going to be so much work?! I really want to finish a whole month with my capsule wardrobe, though, so I can see, after a month, what I didn't wear, and should, therefore, consider removing from my closet. :) It's also going to be good seeing exactly how many different outfits I managed over 30 days. So, without further ado, here's what I wore yesterday...

Top- Black "Cold Shoulder" Sweater, Charming Charlie's
I got this sweater last Christmas from Mama and Daddy. I picked it out when Sis, Mama, and I went on our semi-annual KC shopping trip. I love the shoulder details and the bit of glitter in the top.

Bottoms - Skinny Jeans, New York and Company

Shoes- I'm not actually wearing shoes in the picture, but I wore my black decorative flats with this outfit

My capsule wardrobe consists of:
Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Black "Cold shoulder" sweater

Layering -
Chambray shirt
Gray Racerback tank top

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants
Blue shorts

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
Gray K-State Willie the Wildcat T-Shirt
Black K-State Proud T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

38 Capsule Items, 6 Non-Capsule Items

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 21 - Evening outfit

Good morning! So Saturday I wore two different outfits because we had a wedding to go to in the evening and I needed to be a bit more dressed up. The outfit that I wore to the wedding, though, is an exact outfit I've already worn once. So instead of taking the formal pictures to go with this post, I'll just include a few from the wedding. :) I'll tell you one thing though, seeing myself in those pictures, from all angles as Michael took pictures of the kids and me, it does more to convince me that you can see the weight loss in more than just the number on my jeans. I looked healthy, and that is a great accomplishment.

Ok, onto my outfit... Once again, you've seen this more before! :)
Dress- Green high-low dress
Accessories- Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Shoes- Nude Wedges

And that's it! Pretty easy. :) Made it easy to dance all night. There was a photo booth that the kids had a blast with at the wedding as well! I'll have to get you some pictures of that! So much fun! Congratulations Tanisha and Jacob!

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 21 - Daytime Outfit, Casual

Spent so much time Friday catching up on my posts, and here it is Sunday and I'm behind again. *sigh* Oh well, better luck later. I actually wore two outfits yesterday, but I'm only going to post about one (briefly) because it's late, and so I'm not as far behind tomorrow. We went to the Farmer's Market, Old Town Warren Fountain, and a little grocery shopping yesterday morning.

Here's what I wore:
Top- Gray T-Shirt, Gordmans
Layering- Chambray Shirt, Banana Republic
Shorts- Cuffed Denim Shorts, The Loft
Shoes- Black Decorative Sandals

These are all things I've worn before as part of other outfits, so there's nothing to update on my item totals. :) Hope you all had a blessed Sunday!

Friday, June 24, 2016

Rice Cake Tuna Melt

For lunch a couple days I had a Rice Cake Tuna Melt. Michael had it the next day for leftovers. I thought the recipe was great and gave it 2 stars. Michael thought the rice cake was a little soggy, and gave the recipe 1 star. I think he'd like it more if he had it fresh. I hope we'll have it again. :) I still have plenty of Rice Cakes, so maybe next week. I think you should try this recipe! Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread Pizza

Two days ago for dinner we had Whole Wheat Pita Bread Pizza. It was delicious! Michael asked, "This is diet food?" This time we followed the recipe, but I think next time we'll all pick our own toppings. We had a meal like this in Colorado at Alex and Alia's house, it was delicious too! I love customizable meals! Yum! Enjoy!

4 stars from us! The kids didn't want to eat the peppers, but otherwise they enjoyed it too.

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 20

Finally! Caught up! Here's today's outfit!

Top - Teal Elbow Length Blouse, The Limited
You've seen this before. ;)

Bottoms - Cuffed Denim Shorts, The Loft
You've seen these before too. Love 'em! And they were on sale! #score

Shoes - Gray Braided Sandals, Target
Cute, neutral color, too big. Gotta go buy some that fit better, but these do in the meantime.

My capsule wardrobe consists of:
Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Layering -
Chambray shirt
Gray Racerback tank top

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants
Blue shorts

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

37 Capsule Items, 6 Non-Capsule Items

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 19

Yesterday was one of those comfortable days that I didn't really want to take a picture of what I wore. :P Which leads me to believe that I need to get rid of several t-shirts from my drawer as well as exchanging the boyfriend jeans for the right size after all (still debating this with myself). The point of the capsule wardrobe is that everything fits just right and that I looks and feel great in everything. There's not supposed to be slouchy baggy boring clothes. Everything is supposed to be effortless and beautiful. T-shirts and jeans a size too big do not fit that criteria. That being said, they are what I wore. I'll keep the boyfriend jeans style, but get them in the right size, and I'll whittle down the t-shirt selection (but not get rid of all of them). I didn't even bother wearing a belt with the jeans to keep them up. :P Unacceptable ;)

Top - Black K-State Proud T-Shirt, Varney's
I should probably keep one K-State shirt in each color. ;) For games and what not. :P

Bottoms - Boyfriend Jeans, New York and Company
Need the right size, but still love these jeans!

Shoes - Black Decorative Sandals, Target
These are fine, still need to get to Gordmans to shop for new ones. And, totally off topic, but I just remembered my Under Armour are still MIA... I wonder where those ran off to! I need to track them down. I bet the kids are behind their disappearance...

Everything is basically the same on the total list, just add one more t-shirt to the do not count pile. :P

37 Capsule Items, 6 Non-Capsule Items

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 18

I'm behind! Sorry! Trying to catch up and the good food and good clothes! But before I get started, how about a roll call? Comment if you're keeping up with me on a regular or semi-regular basis. :) You don't have to say who you are if you don't want to, just mention that you're here. ;) (I see you, Neuman!)

Ok, onto the clothes!

Top - Gray layering tank top, Gordmans
So the plan was to use this tank top to layer with other things, not to wear it by itself, but I didn't know what to wear with these shorts, so this is what I came up with. Not my favorite outfit, but it works. Any ideas on tops to go with these shorts? I guess I should ask Sis, the shorts are from her. :P

Bottoms - Blue shorts, The Loft
My sister got too skinny for all her clothes, so I get her hand-me-downs! This is awesome because she buys nice expensive clothes! Still can't believe I'm squeezing my large behind in size 4 shorts! These shorts are so cute, I just don't know what to pair them with. Maybe the gray t-shirt next time....

Shoes - Gray Braided Sandals, Target
I need to hit Gordmans again (with my gift cards) and check out their shoes selection again. They seemed to have a lot, but when I was there I was with Rhythm, who wasn't shopping for shoes, and didn't want to take up too much of her time.

My capsule wardrobe consists of:
Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Layering -
Chambray shirt
Gray Racerback tank top

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants
Blue shorts

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers
Gray K-State Willie the Wildcat T-Shirt

37 Capsule Items, 5 Non-Capsule Items

Spinach and Caramelized Onion Frittata with Sweet Potato Crust

Oh my goodness, Friends, do I have a delicious recipe for you! First, let me apologize for being a little absent the passed couple days. I'm still getting back into the swing of posting every day (sometimes several times a day). I'll try to do some catching up this evening. :)

OK, onto the good stuff! We had a delicious dinner tonight! A Spinach and Caramelized Onion Frittata with Sweet Potato Crust! It was amazing! There was a hint of sweetness in both the crust and in the caramelized onion. Overall it was savory and scrumptious and I can't wait to have it again! It might become a weekly staple! It was that good! And it was made entirely out of stuff we usually have on hand! #winning So click the link and try it yourself!

Michael and I give this recipe 4 stars! Avery didn't feel like eating dinner tonight, but Connor ate as much as Michael and I did! So it's a wonder in his book as week!

One final thought, it you haven't discovered frittatas yet, let me go ahead and suggest you try them! If your family essays a lot of eggs (like mine does) and you're wondering how to sneak a few more veggies into their lives, frittatas are the perfect solution! When I have veggies that need used up in a hurry, I make a Frittata! Healthy and Easy! What more do you need in a recipe?! This one had a crust on it, but usually I don't have a crust, just lots of eggs and veggies, cheese and spices! You can even add meat if you feel so inclined! They are very customizable! Try one this week!

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Peanut Butter Banana Wrap

Breakfast this morning was easy peasy! I've made something similar to this before, but this time I had an actual recipe to go with it. This is a winning recipe for several reasons...
1. It was easy! Took just a few minutes to put it all together.
2. It was tasty! Always important in Michael's and my book when speaking of healthy food.
3. The kids loved it! Any time I can make the same recipe for the kids as I do for Michael and I and have less work, is a good time.

For these reasons, specifically the tasty one, Michael and I give this recipe 4 stars! :) Instead of the tortillas that the recipe suggested, I was Flatbread wraps from Aldi's. They are only 90 calories each! They were also the perfect size to wrap the bananas! That's about it. If you need a quick and easy breakfast for a morning on the go, I recommend this recipe! Enjoy!

Margherita Panini

First off, sorry there are no pictures with this blog. We were eating the sandwiches as soon as they came off the Panini press. Also, they just look like flattened sandwiches, not much to see.

I'm also going to start with our rating of this recipe instead of explaining it all and ending with the rating. That's because we didn't give this recipe 4 stars. Michael and I each gave this recipe 1 star, for a total of 2 stars. Which means I'm throwing out the recipe. Here's why we thought it wasn't good enough...

It was flavorless. There just wasn't enough to the sandwich. We like grilled cheese sandwiches (which is basically what this was), but this one just wasn't great. I made it on the Panini press, which squished the sandwich bread down (Texas toast may have been a better bread). The cheese squeezed put the edges, leaving not much inside the sandwich. The tomatoes were plenty hot, burning your mouth if you got too much. Overall, it was just ok.

However, there was an upside. Upon realizing that the sandwiches were bland, I experimented a little with the remaining ones (Michael and I split a couple of sandwiches). The recipe we ended up liking the best looked like this:
Mix 1 tsp olive oil with 3/4 tsp balsamic vinegar, a dash of salt, a little garlic powder (sorry, didn't measure these), and a shake of Italian Seasoning. Brush this mixture on the outside of 2 slices of bread. Place a slice of mozzarella in between the bread slices. Grill on a Panini press until lightly toasted.

This one was the best for us, but took a lot of work to make the recipe up to standard for us. Which is, once again, why we only rated it 2 stars. Since our review is a little critical, I'm not going to include the link. But you're welcome to try our version if you're still interested. Sorry this one didn't work out. You can't win them all. ;) Better luck next time!

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 17

So it's taken me a while to wrap my mind around this weight loss. When I look in the mirror, I don't look much different, in my mind's eye, than I did 40 lbs ago. I've told Michael and Sis that I think it's a conspiracy. Size 10 is still a size 10, but now all the stores are calling it a "size 4". Same goes for a size small. I've always worn mediums or larges. So when I grab a small off the rack, I never expect it to fit. Last night Sis and I went shopping for a Little Black Dress for me. I tried on 4's, 6's, smalls, and mediums. And, to my surprise the 6's and mediums were too big. Weird. This cant-wrap-my-head-around-it feeling was what I was feeling yesterday when I put on this K-State shirt. I have got a few size small t-shirts in my life when I'm feeling optimistic about myself, but on the whole, it's always been medium. This K-State shirt, like virtually all of my others, is a medium and, as you'll see in the pictures, plenty big. I think I'm going to need to sift through my t-shirt drawer (not included in the wardrobe capsule) at the end of this first month of my capsule blogging and take several of them out. Because they just don't fit anymore. Anyway... Onto yesterday's outfit...

Top - K-State Willie the Wildcat t-shirt, Varney's (not included in capsule wardrobe)
T-shirts like this are not included in the capsule wardrobe. They are your basic free college shirt (although I did pay for this one), it's not something that goes with the other pieces in the collections, and it's too big. Didn't realize until I put it on just how big it was. To recap, when I was at my highest weight I was wearing Michael's size large shirts in order to get something somewhat baggy that didn't make me feel as big. Like I said, hard to wrap my mind around...

Bottoms - Cuffed Denim Shorts, The Loft
Once again, go-to summer favorite. I probably need to think about getting one more pair of shorts to divide the summer load. Target had some cute cut-off styled ones, or maybe Gordmans, since I have gift cards...

Shoes - Gray Braided Sandals, Target
Love these, but I seriously need shoes that fit. Once again, maybe Gordmans, they have cute ones for a really great price. :)

Nothing new to add to the capsule from this outfit, but the t-shirt will go in the non-capsule items (although possibly not for long, if I take it out and put it in the basement with the other clothes that don't fit).

Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

35 Capsule Items, 5 Non-Capsule Items

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Breakfast Pizzert

Ladies and Gentlemen, do I have a breakfast for you! Another gem from Chocolate Covered Katie, the Breakfast Pizzert! This meal was like eating dessert for breakfast. And since my hubby loves fruit pizza, this was a perfect single serving way to get that fix without a ton of calories.

I know we talked last week about how baked goods were better with oil than with applesauce. So when I was presented with the choice again today I was really conflicted on which to choose. Ultimately, I went with the applesauce and, to my surprise, it turned out great! Win! :D I was also given options of Stevia, sugar, or powdered sugar. I am happy to report that with the exception of 1 tbsp powdered sugar, all the sugar I used in this recipe was low calorie Stevia! Winning again! Yesterday on our smoothie bowls the serving size was 1-2 servings. As usual, I opted for more food, which ended up being a lot, possibly too much. Today I was faced with the same situation, but today I made a better choice and split the recipe between Michael and me. It was more than enough! And since I split it and baked it in two containers, we eat got to customize our toppings (which ended up being virtually the same anyway).

It only took me one bite to decide that this was a 2 star recipe in my book. Michael didn't take much longer. ;) He asked, "Jen, why are we having cake for breakfast?" Because seriously, Friends, it's just like cake or a cookie! Delicious! Michael gave it 2 stars as well. That gives us a total of 4 stars! And, in my opinion, the best recipe of the four we've tried so far in the last couple of days!

Just to be clear, I did use Katie's Cream Cheese Frosting recipe as well. I was leary, as I have not had good luck with tofu in the past. However, this was wonderful! I made it exactly the way the recipe suggested, with the exception of the additional milk at the end. I thought the frosting was thinking enough and didn't need milk.

There won't be a lunch post today, because we're having more of the Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps for lunch. However, stay tuned after dinner time when I'll be posting about tonight's dinner, Margherita Panini! Looks tasty!

Monday, June 20, 2016

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 16

Well, we had nothing to do and no where to go today, so you would have thought I would have worn sweats all day, but I'll have you know, I was up and dressed before 7 today (which is saying something in this SAHM's world). Of course, I didn't want to take a picture earlier in the day because I didn't take a shower this morning. By the evening when I was taking my pictures, I did have a shower, but I let my hair air dry. I had already had dinner and managed to spill something on my top. And finally, I thought I had taken both my close up and full body pic, only to discover that one of the pictures didn't save and now, even though I'm already in my pajamas, my OCD requires that I get dressed again to take that last picture. Ugh. So, I'll keep the rest of the post brief...

My capsule wardrobe
Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans***
White Capri pants

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals***
Black Pumps

Other Items (not counted towards capsule wardrobe totals) -
Racerback 4th of July Tank Top
Luke's Diner T-Shirt
K-State Yoga Pants
Black and White Boot Slippers

35 Capsule Items, 4 Non-Capsule Items

***Indicates items worn today***

More pictures tomorrow. I'm going to bed.

**Edit: Photos added. Please don't pay attention to my hair. Like I said, I let it air dry.**

Monday Dinner - Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Parmesean Sweet Potato Fries, and Green Beans

Dinner time! Probably my favorite time of day next to nap time! ;) So I have this thing about dinner, especially when we have company over, that we need at least 3 items on our plates for dinner. Not sure where I got this, but it always seems that my plate is too empty or unbalanced without at least 3 foods on the plate. Anyone else feel this way too? Maybe I'm the only crazy one... Anyway, tonight I planned these Homemade Chicken Nuggets for dinner, but I couldn't have just that on our plates. Partly because it's not enough calories, partly because it would look like a three-year-old's plate, and partly because I need at least 3 things on my plate. So I added Sweet Potato Fries and Green Beans. Both of these recipes are loosely based on other recipes (see links below), but I change them to make them my own. I LOVE my sweet potato fry recipe! However, I don't usually measure anything. But, just for you guys, I measured things today so I could pass on a decent recipe. :) Here's the components in a little more detail...

*Note - I started with fries, then chicken, the ended with green beans. I didn't realize how long fresh green beans take to cook. I should have started them first, because they finished waaaaay after the rest of our dinner. Oops! Lesson learned!

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
This is your basic homemade chicken nugget recipe. When I make Chicken Parmesean it's a very similar recipe. These were good, not amazing, but good. They certainly fill that need for Chicken nuggets when you get the craving. And they are healthy so you can even add your favorite dipping sauce (in moderation *boo, hiss*). This was the only actual recipe for this meal that Michael and I were really rating. I give it 2 stars. Michael gives it 2 stars. Another winning, 4 star recipe in our household! Like I said, good, not amazing, basic chicken nuggets. We'll definitely make them again, but I'll probably play around a little more with seasoning in the breading and see if I can't make them a little more flavorful. :)

Parmesean Baked Sweet Potato Fries
I love this recipe! When I make my own sweet potato fries I use it as a reference (mostly for the cooking temp and time anymore). I do alter it based on the amount of sweet potatoes I have on hand and because I like more or less of some different flavors. I encourage you to use their recipe or my own as a jumping off point, and that you make your own blend of spices that your family will love! If you're interested, my recipe is slightly different from the link above.

Here's my recipe:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut 1.5-2 lbs (or more) sweet potatoes into sticks (I aim for 1cm x 1 cm in size, if you cut them too small they tend to burn)
Put sweet potatoes in a gallon-sized zip lock bag, add the following ingredients to the bag:
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
Close bag and shake potatoes and seasoning until potatoes are well coated.
Spread potatoes in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet (I usually have to use two cookie sheets because I like to make a lot of fries).
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
Flip fries over and return to oven for 10 minutes.
When fries are done baking top with shredded parmesean and parsley.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!

These are always my favorite part of any meal. We aren't rating this recipe, but if we did, it would be a 4-star recipe! They are wonderful! Try them! You won't be disappointed!

Green Beans
So here's what I learned today... Fresh green beans take a lot longer to cook than canned green beans. :P I started my green beans last, thinking, silly me, that they wouldn't take long, much like the canned green beans I usually use (in fact, if you click the above link, you'll discover that it's a website about how to serve canned green beans and dress them up a little). I based it on the same recipe I usually use. I cooked a bit of bacon and onion, then added the beans and some water and let them steam for a (long) while. Eventually they softened and in the end, they were quite good, but it took a while getting there and the rest of the food was gone before they were done. Oops! (Can you tell I'm still learning, yet?) Oh well, they ended up good! And now I know for next time! ;)

So that was our dinner tonight! Hope you'll try one or two of the recipes and enjoy them as well! Be sure to check back in and let me know what you think of them when you do! Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow!