Capsule Wardrobe: Day 4

Hey guys!  I'm really excited to tell you about the pieces of my wardrobe today!  I must admit that I think this is my favorite outfit from the passed 4 days, and, ironically, it features a piece I was most skeptical to purchase.  :)  Let's get started!

Top: White Spaghetti Strap, Forever 21
This top is another Sis hand-me-down.  I love the white crocheted bottom, especially next to all the denim in this outfit.  I think it looks super cute!  I plan on layering this top with other shirts as well because of the cute detailing at the bottom

Layering: Chambray shirt, Banana Republic
This is it!  This was the shirt I was most skeptical to buy!  I didn't even know it was called a Chambray shirt until Saturday when I explained to Mama and Sis what I was looking for.  I had it written on my list as "denim long-sleeved button down".  I wasn't sure I really wanted this shirt because it looked a little too western to me.  It also reminded me of the 90's when there was way more denim than there needed to be.  However, I love this top!  I'm sure you'll see more of it soon!  It's quite versatile!

Bottoms: Legging Jeans, New York and Company
These are my new skinny jeans.  However, they aren't called skinny jeans.  New York and Company call these pants leggings (but they're jeans).  They have a skinny jeans cut, but it's looser than these and they didn't have my size.  I figured these were even better.  They fit perfectly and make me think, again, that I need to take the size 6 boyfriend jeans back...  Boo!

Shoes: Cognac Quilted Boots, Amazon.com
I got these boots from Michael for Christmas.  I love them!  They are probably my favorite pair of shoes that I own!  However, you're more of a winter/fall shoe.  They went with this outfit, so I'm rocking them, but I'd like a camel colored ankle boot with a heel.  I did some looking on amazon, but couldn't find much I loved.  I'll have to keep an eye out when the fall styles hit the stores for some new ankle boots!  :)

Accessories: Thin brown belt, Kohls
This belt actually came from a dress that I put in the garage sale pile because it's not the greatest fit.  However, I like the belt, so I kept it.  :)  I think it ties the outfit together well.  (Literally!  ;)  It's my husband's fault I say nerdy things like that.)  I love how the belt and the shoes have the same Brown and are accented with gold.  Some jewelry would be good with this outfit, but we discussed this before, I'm too cheap to spend good money on bad jewelry.  ;)

Here's the capsule so far:

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top

Layering -
Chambray shirt

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans

Accessories -
Brown belt
Thin brown belt

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

For those of you keeping score, we're up to 17 items.  :)  Not too much longer and you'll begin to see more pieces being re-used!  Hope you're enjoying this "building" of the capsule wardrobe!  I know I am!  See you again tomorrow!

My Breakfast: Veggie Omelette and Toast

Hey guys!  I'm going to write a few more blogs about the different foods Michael and I have grown to love.  I figured a good way to start that was to show you just what I'm eating!  So here goes!

First off, I love coffee!  I have allowed myself to get back into drinking it, but not before my water.  Every day, before I allow myself a cup of coffee, I drink 3- 16 oz glasses of water.  If you remember from yesterday's blog, I aim for 5 glasses total in a day.  The only bad part is, I don't like water.  :\  I prefer soda or coffee or something with some flavor.  But I force myself to drink the water because it's good for me.  *sigh*  I prefer to front load the day with water (which gets your metabolism going) and then drink the last 2 glasses more casually throughout the day.  I also have a hydration app that reminds me to drink water.  It comes out to 16 oz ever 3 hours for me.  Not too bad.  So far today, I have 3.5 glasses under my belt!  :D  I pee like a racehorse.  :P  I haven't even put a pot of coffee on yet!  But I'll have to soon, because Rhythm will want some when she gets up.  :)

OK, onto the food!  Let me just start by saying that I love veggies!  I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate them into my meals.  Sometimes I'll have a meal entirely of sautéed veggies, because they're so yummy!  For breakfast today I made myself an omelette and I think I packed in more veggies than ever before!  This thing is huge!  In fact, I had to take a break halfway through eating it to write this blog because I'm halfway done and full!  Veggies are great at filling you up and keeping you fuller longer.  I loaded so many in today because I felt like yesterday I was doing a lot of snacking and this morning I was already starting it again.  I knew I needed my stomach full so the goldfish crackers wouldn't be so tempting.  ;)

I go back and forth, sometimes I make an omelette with 2 eggs, other times just 1.  Today I felt like I was going to need 2.  Obviously, my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  ;)  I made toast too (Aldi's, Fit and Active, 45 cal/slice, Multigrain), because I like to take the last few bites of my omelette and put them in the bread for a sort of sandwich.  :)  Yum!  OK, here are the ingredients and steps to my omelette.

1 drizzle Olive Oil
1/3 Bell Pepper (any color, I had orange), diced
1/4 Onion (any color, I had white), diced
1/2 Zucchini, diced
3 tbsp Rotel (or chopped tomatoes, I had an open can of Rotel in the fridge already)
2 eggs
Splash of milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
Shredded cheese
1 slice bread

Drizzle olive oil in skillet over medium heat and sautee pepper, onion, and zucchini until soft.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and set aside.
Scramble eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together.  Grease skillet with cooking spray and pour egg mixture into skillet.  Roll pan around to spread egg mixture until the mixture sets. 
Add veggies over egg.  Spoon on Rotel.  Top with shredded cheese (I didn't measure how much I used, a small pinch, probably 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup).
Fold omelette in half and let sit on skillet until cheese is melted.
Transfer to plate and add buttered toast.
Enjoy!

Nothing fancy about it.  It's just stuff I had on hand.  But boy was it filling!  Hope you'll all learn to love veggies as much as I do!  I'll look for and post recipes soon that hide the veggies a little better.  My kiddos wouldn't eat this omelette like it is.  They'd eat some of it, but skeptically.  ;)  I'll just keep trying.  Love you all!  Stay tuned for my daily capsule wardrobe post coming soon!  Happy Wednesday!

Getting Healthy!

Hey Party People!

First things first, thank you all for your support, kind words, love, and congratulations!  It's been overwhelming and heart-warming to see such a response!  Thank you so much!

OK, on to other business...  How did we do it?!??!  70 lbs between two people in one year!  That's a lot of work!  And it was!  I wish I could say it was something easy as taking a pill or buying a "system", but I'm too cheap for that.  We did it with plain, old-fashioned, real food.  It probably would have gone faster and easier if we'd added exercise to the program, but we're lazy and exhausted from dealing with work and babies.  #RealLifeParents  So here are the steps I took...

I started by doing research and a lot of reading.  I subscribe to the MyFitnessPal newsletter, which bombards my email with articles about health and fitness.  One of the articles I was reading talked about the ideal percentage of calories that come from fat, carbs, and protein.  It said you need 50% of your calories from carbs, 30% from fat, and 20% from protein.  If you'd like to check out the article (or any other great article from MyFitnessPal) you can check it out here!

In order to determine the number of calories Michael and I needed each day I checked three different websites, entered our heights, weights, and physical activity levels, and averaged my results.  Obviously, I did that all a long time ago, but if you're interested in doing it too you can check out the following sites:
Weight Loss Calculator
Authority Nutrition
Calorie Calculator
These are not the only sites, they were just the top three when I googled calorie calculators.  Once again, I looked at 3 sites and averaged the results.  It's important to know what calorie levels are healthy.  Some websites might suggest unrealistic numbers to lose weight at a certain pace.  Under no circumstances (unless advised by a doctor) should a woman ever consume under 1,000 calories or a man under 1,500 calories.  Please do your research and stay healthy.  Weight loss will not happen overnight and starving yourself with have far more negative effects than quick weight loss.  Not to mention, things like skipping meals will cause "starvation mode" and you could actually gain weight.  *rant over*

So, after much research, I was ready to build a meal plan.  Again, I didn't use some "program", I just looked for recipes that I thought we might like.  I used Pinterest and searched for healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes.  The searches often took me to websites like:
MyFitnessPal
Skinny Mom
Chocolate Covered Katie
Cooking Light
PopSugar
There are a lot of other great sites with terrific recipes out there.  I encourage you to do some research and find some other favorite sites.  When I came across a recipe I liked, I printed it out.  We started on June 1st, 2015.  I printed approximately 30 different breakfasts, 30 different lunches, and 30 different dinner recipes.  It was A LOT of time, energy, and dishes.

Once I had about 90 recipes (actually a few less if a recipe served more than 4 servings), I did the math.  I started with breakfast and plugged in different recipes for each day of the week for 4 weeks.  Another MyFitnessPal article suggested making sure you spend 25-30% of your daily calories on breakfast, so I started there.  I tried to make every day a little different.  Monday-Pancakes, Tuesday-Eggs, Wednesday-Oatmeal...  When I had all the breakfast meals plugged in for the month, it was time to start some math.  I checked how many calories I had so far each day from carbs, protein, and fat.  Then, I balanced those numbers to our needs filling in with Lunch and Dinner recipes.  It was probably a little more complicated than it needed to be, but I was excited and I like math.  ;)

Michael and I agreed to try recipes that might be a little outside of our comfort zones.  We also agreed to rate each recipe with 0, 1, or 2 stars (for a total of 0-4 stars).  The rating system helped us only to keep our favorite recipes.  If either of us gave a recipe 0 stars, it went in the trash (after we ate the meal, no wasting food).  If either of us gave a recipe 2 stars, we kept it.  We never had one person give 2 stars and one person give 0.  If we both gave it an "ok" 1 star, we trashed the recipe.  Eating healthy is hard enough, we wanted the food to taste good too.

So for a whole month we ate new recipes.  We liked some and hated others.  We bought and ate things we'd never tried before.  I made sure not to change any of the recipes the first time we ate them.  I figured we'd never know if we liked a recipe or not if we took out the stuff we were scared of.  Over the course of the next month and year we discovered several foods we liked that we didn't know we liked.  We discovered avocado, cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, mushrooms, grilled fish, almond milk, blueberries, pomegranate, and Greek yogurt (for cooking purposes).  We also discovered a few things that weren't for us, but at least we tried.  I continued to make 3 new meals every day for two or three months.  It was exhausting.  But it worked!  We had a bunch of weight come off in those first few months. 

Over the next several months I used the recipes we loved and we kept losing weight.  There were ups and downs along the way.  I tended to eat bad food when we went out to eat.  I craved the greasy, fatty stuff.  I usually regretted eating it not long after.  But overall, the weight kept coming off.  The holidays were more difficult.  We pretty much maintained our weight from December to February.  Then, in March, we got back on the bandwagon and focused, buckled down, and made the push for the last bit of weight loss to achieve each of our goals.  Again, ups and downs, new recipes here and there, but mostly sticking to the ones from the first several months.  I got better at eating out and making good, healthy choices too.  :)  That's pretty much it!  Our weight loss journey in a (lengthy) nutshell.

A few things to add...  In the first few months we cut all alcohol and caffeine from our diets.  It was rough at first with the caffeine headaches, but with the right amounts of water, we survived.  Slowly, those things got added back in.  However, when I hit a plateau, I'd cut them out again and focus on lots of water.  I know you've humored me through several article suggestions, so here's one more!  It suggests half to all your weight in pounds as the number of ounces of water to drink.  When I read this article I was close to 160 lbs.  I divided that in half to get 80.  I tried to drink 80 ounces (5- 16 oz glasses) each day.  When I achieved that, my weight typically went down and I got out of the plateau.  It always baffled me, but it always worked.  I suggest you try it if you want to change just one thing to begin with and don't want to commit to the whole meal plan.

Ok, for real this time, that's it.  We didn't exercise, we just watched our calories.  We watched closely at first and then relaxed more later on.  If you have any questions, I'd love to answer them.  This may not be the method for everyone, but it worked for us.  Emphasis on the word US!  If Michael hadn't been doing this with me, I'd never have succeeded.  It's too hard to eat well when the person sitting next to you is eating the junk you wish you could.  I wish you all luck with your health goals.  I'll write a couple more blogs on the next few days focused on veggies, getting the kids to eat healthy, and some of our favorite recipes.  I hope you'll check back in soon!

Thanks again for all the love and support!

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 3

I'm getting caught up!  Good thing too!  People have been asking about what all Michael and I did to lose the weight, so I'll have another blog to write soon.  But first, another day, another outfit!

I actually spent a good chunk of my day in pajamas today, vegging and cleaning the house.  However, I'm trying to make a better effort to not be such a slob, so I managed to get my lazy butt dressed eventually.  ;)  Here's what it consisted of...

Top: Blue t-shirt, Arizona Brand
Not sure where this one is from because it's another hand-me-down from Sis, probably Penny's or Sears.  This top is a little more casual than some of the other tops I got from her.  This one is a cotton knit t-shirt instead of a silky blouse style shirt.  It is also close in color to the 3/4 sleeve blouse from yesterday.  Still looking for a fun patterned skirt to wear with these tops.  Keep your eyes peeled for me.  I'm also looking for a cardigan to layer with these tops.  I already have some layering looks in black, gray, and navy, so I think I'd like a traditional cardigan in a color to give the whole outfit a bit more pop.  :)  Suggestions?

Bottoms: Boyfriend Jeans, New York and Company
Trying the boyfriend jeans again, styling them a bit differently this time.  I love the feel of these jeans, they are sooo comfortable!  However, they are still feeling too big.  I didn't wear a belt with them today and they hang off of me.  :(  Sis would probably scold me for them being saggy.  So my choices remain, wear a belt or exchange them (remember, I bought them in Kansas City...).  Decisions, decisions...

Shoes: Gray Flats, Gordmans
I've had these shoes for several years.  My flats don't usually last very long because I buy cheap ones and wear them out from frequent use.  I'd like to buy a nice pair of flats eventually, one more thing to add to the list.  I'm thinking a color blocked blush, black, and white pair.  For now, these will work. 

Are you keeping track?  Here's what's in the capsule so far...

Tops: Black t-shirt, Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse, Gray tank top, blue t-shirt
Bottoms: Boyfriend Jeans, White shorts, Cuffed denim shorts
Shoes: Black Chucks, Nude Wedges, Gray Braided Sandals, Gray Flats
Accessories: Black Belt

12 items so far!  Stay tuned for more!

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 2 - Evening Outfit (Casual)

Last night we went to Dayton's first T-Ball game.  If you read my previous blog about the outfit I wore during the day, you'll understand why I needed to change before going to the game.  White shorts are about the last thing I want to wear to a baseball game.  :P  Fortunately, I had lots of new clothes to choose from!

Top: Gray Leopard Print Racerback, Charming Charlie
If you haven't been to Charming Charlie yet, you seriously need to find one and check them out!  They have lots of clothes, purses, and accessories.  It is one of Mama's, Sis', and my favorite stores when we do our Kansas City shopping trips.  They have great prices and super cute stuff!  I love this particular tank top because it's a racerback and you can see Sis' and my tattoos!  It's also super flowing and casual.  I like it so much I got it in two different colors.  ;)

Bottoms: Cuffed Denim Shorts, The Loft
Another situation of trying on 6's and finding them too big.  Fortunately, the girl in the dressing room went to the back and managed to find a pair in size 4.  Still can't believe they fit.  It was only a month ago that I bought a pair of shorts like these from Target in a size 8.  These ones fit much better.  And, of course, denim goes with everything!

Shoes: Gray Braided Sandals, Target
I got these a couple years ago.  It was before I settled on my shoe size as an 8.5.  They are a 9.  They are too big.  But, for now, they'll do.  I'll have to save up some more money and hopefully get some new ones soon.  :)  Anyone wear a size 9 and need some new sandals?

That's it.  Day 2, Outfit #2.  2/3 new items in this look.

Just to recap, here's the pieces we have so far...

Tops: Black t-shirt, Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse, Gray tank top
Bottoms: Boyfriend jeans, White shorts, Cuffed denim shorts
Shoes: Black Chucks, Nude Wedges, Gray Braided Sandals
Accessories: Black Belt

I'm up to 10 items in my capsule!  Stay tuned for more!  :)  Comment if you feel so inclined!

Capsule Wardrobe: Day 2 - Daytime Outfit

Good Evening, Friends and Family!
I'm behind already!  Who saw that coming?  ;)  :P  I wore two different outfits yesterday.  I'll explain why in my post about the second outfit.  The first outfit was a casual day outfit.  It included white shorts, which I have to be careful with, what with toddlers and all.  I love them and hope I can keep them looking bright and beautiful for a long time!  Any suggestions?

Top: Teal 3/4 Sleeve Blouse, The Limited
This top is another hand-me-down from Sis.  Score!  I already have several tops in this color, it made my capsule wardrobe color scheme really easy to decide.  :)  You'll notice in the upcoming outfits similar colors.  I'm also looking for a casual patterned skirt that has this color in it.  If you see something, let me know!

Bottoms: White Shorts, Banana Republic
I was shocked to find myself actually liking these shorts!  White is not a good idea for a mom with toddlers.  However, things went really well during the day.  I remembered to wear my apron to keep them nice as well.  It's hard to see, but they also have a sort of crocheted zigzag pattern on them.  They are super cute!  I tried on the 6's at the store first, they felt a little loose, so I tried the 4's and sure enough, they fit better!  :D  I love them!

Shoes: Nude Wedges, Off Broadway Shoes
I got these wedges last year before Michael and I went to Mexico.  One fewer thing to have to worry about buying.  I love the glitz of them.  Also, they're nude in color, so they'll match a lot of different outfits!  They helped dress this outfit up a little.  Some jewelry would help too, but after working in a jewelry store, I can't convince myself to spend good money of cheap jewelry, lol.  :P

That's it!  Second outfit of the capsule, 3 pieces, only 1 new piece purchased!  #winning  Stay tuned for my Day 2, #2 outfit!

Capsule Wardrobe : Day 1

Good morning, Friends and Family!
If you didn't see my previous post today, go check it out!  It has the whole story on Michael's and my weight loss.  :)  For this series (however briefly it ends up lasting) I'm going to show my daily outfits and discuss my capsule wardrobe that I'm putting together.  We'll see if I convince even myself that this capsule idea can work.  ;)  I'm definitely giving it a shot!

So a little background on what a capsule wardrobe is... (Google or Pinterest Search for more info)  A capsule wardrobe is a closet of 30-40 items.  You look and feel great in each piece.  You don't keep anything that you might not wear because it only looks good on a certain type of day.  Every piece is your favorite for one reason or another.  You keep a lot of neutral colors with a few pops of color.  The idea is that all of your pieces will go together.  You mix and match the way you pair tops with pants, shorts, and skirts or even shirts or sweaters over dresses.

So I did a lot of research about the type of wardrobe that I wanted and what pieces I wanted in it.  Then, I went to my closet and started cleaning things out.  I got rid of a bunch, but had a few things I could keep.  Plus, at our last garage sale, Sis was getting rid of several nice tops (from places like The Limited and The Loft), so I snagged them and had my blouses pretty well taken care of from the start.

I'll post pictures of my daily outfits and the items from the capsule wardrobe that make up the outfit.  I'll post where I got stuff as well (to the best of my ability).  And on occasion, I'll mention an item that I may be removing from my wardrobe and will explain why.

Yesterday, Sunday, was my first day with a closet full of new clothes!  It was also church.  However, it was Casual Sunday (most weeks are casual for me anyway) because we were having a church picnic afterwards.  Here's what I wore!

Top: Black button t-shirt, Old Navy
I already had this piece in my wardrobe.  However, I didn't wear it much because it was too tight.  It fits now.  I'm keeping this top in my wardrobe for now, but may end up taking it out when I get a casual black tank top.

Pants: Boyfriend jeans, New York and Company
These jeans were one of my new purchases.  They are a casual loose fit jean that is typically worn rolled up.  Some pictures I've seen of boyfriend jeans are more distressed, but I couldn't buy jeans with holes already in them.  :P  These are 6's, not 4's because the store didn't have the 4's.  I'm still considering taking them back to get the smaller size.  I'm going to give them another couple tries before I make my final decision.

Shoes: Black Chuck Taylor All Stars, Converse
These shoes are practically vintage, lol!  I've had these high tops since probably 2003.  :P  I haven't worn them in ages, but I thought they fit well with the boyfriend jeans.  (Especially considering they are basically the only pair of shoes that Michael wears, in low tops, of course)

Accessories : Black Belt, New York and Company
This was another new purchase.  I didn't have any functional belts before our shopping trip.  So I put a brown and black belt on my list.  This will also come in handy because I have a pair of shorts that are a size 8 (they do t look too terribly big on me), with a belt, on the weight of my phone in my pocket won't pull my shorts off my hips.  ;)

That's all I got!  Pretty basic outfit.  A couple new things, a couple old things.  But all pieces that can be worn with other stuff!  Love it all!  I'm feeling really happy and positive today!  Hope you like the look!  Comment if you feel so inclined!  I'll try to get today's outfit up on the blog today too!  Wish me luck!  :D  Happy Monday!

My One Year Journey to a Healthier Me!

For those that don't know, Michael and I have been working on losing weight over the passed year.  Between getting married, cooking and eating out often, and having two babies, our bodies were not what they were when we met.  I set quantitative and qualitative goals for myself as we embarked on our journey to change our lifestyle and live healthier.  Well, I'm happy to report that I have met almost all of my goals!  I feel so much better about myself, the size I am, and the types of food I'm eating!  We have truly made lifestyle changes, not just gone on an extended diet.  Anyway, when we set our goals, I decided I wanted to a new wardrobe when I achieved them.  I had set a goal to be down 3 sizes, so my clothes weren't going to fit when I got there.  I've seen "capsule wardrobes" on pinterest before.  The idea is that you have 30-40 items in your closet and you mix and match to create outfits.  You look and feel great in each individual piece, and your closet isn't cluttered with clothes you don't, and won't, wear.  So I took a LOT out of my closet.  Put several things in a garage sale pile, packed a few into boxes to keep for sentimental reasons, put some in the closet in the basement (out of sight, but not convinced a capsule wardrobe would work  so I didn't want to get rid of EVERYTHING), and threw a few worn out items away.  Then, yesterday, Mama, Sis, Rhythm, and I went to Kansas City to go shopping.  (I was also saving money the passed year, because I figured this new wardrobe would cost a pretty penny.  I asked for money and gift cards for Christmas and my birthday, I won a little money in Fantasy Football and March Madness, and I saved a little from our garage sale.  Eventually I had the amount I was looking for and the goals achieved!)  We left Wichita at 8:30am and didn't get back home until midnight!  We spent ALL DAY shopping!  I got many of the items on my capsule wardrobe check list.  I have a few left to get, but I didn't spend all of my money, so I can still get a few more of the pieces left on my list!  It has been a year of hard work emotionally, physically, and financially to make this happen, but I'm soooo excited that it's finally happened!  What a truly exciting time!

For those who are interested, here is just how much has changed...

Before
Weight: 173.6 lbs
Jean size: 13
Top size: Large/XL
Dress size: Large/XL
Bra size: 38B

Goals
Weight: 130 lbs
Jean size: 7/8
Top size: M/L
Dress size: M/L
Bra size: 36B

After
Weight: 135.2 lbs (I'm happy with my look, so this may be where I stay)
Jean size: 4
Top size: S/M/6
Dress size: S/M/6
Bra size: 32C (Apparently I've been way off on my bra size for ages)

Some of the goals I surpassed, some I didn't quite meet.  But what's important is that I'm happy with how I look, I feel great, I'm healthy (well within the normal BMI range for my height of 5'6"), and I did it all in a good, healthy, careful way.  As of right now Michael and I have lost about 70 lbs together.  We are setting a healthy example for our kiddos on the importance of veggies, healthy foods and meals, and portion control.  Eventually, maybe, we'll also stress the importance of exercise.  :P  But I'm kind of lazy, so maybe not. 
I am excited to get into my new clothes and try to mix and match a lot of outfits together.  Right now I have almost 50 items in my closet.  However, I think I'll be winding that down even further soon.  I may or may not try to take and most a daily picture in all my different outfits.  :)

Thanks for all those who have cheered me (us) on!  It is great to have achieved my goals!  I was shocked yesterday when I kept having to go back and get size 4 pants and shorts because the 6's were too big.  Same with needing small shirts instead of mediums or larges that I usually grab.  It is going to take a while to get my mind wrapped around this, but I think it's a great problem to have!  I am excited and proud and wanted to share this exciting news with you!  So there you have it!  :)

Potty Wars...

When I hear the lid slam down on the toilet, I know it's already too late. Even so, I run into the bathroom to find my son covered in water. My sweet boy loves playing in the water, toilet water is no exception. My beautiful 3 year old daughter has been potty trained for some time now, but doesn't understand the importance of flushing the toilet every time yet. Yes. It was as bad as you think. Time to start focusing on the importance of flushing the toilet every time. And keeping the bathroom door shut when you leave. Ah the joys of parenthood! How's your day going?

Passing along an article

I read this article today, and it completely summed up my views on gun control.  Maybe I'm to much of a pacifist for today's crime ridden world, but I truly believe that as a Christian, my job is not to tote a gun for my protection or anyone else's.  I won't rant, the article says much more eloquently how I feel on the subject.  Give it a read of you feel so inclined.  :)

http://www.ctrlzgrowingup.com/so-about-those-steeples-church-talk/lets-talk-about-guns-5-things-to-keep-in-mind/

Life By Amazon

I was reading an article today that talked about how this girl's Amazon orders told the story of her life better than she cared to tell.  How when you make everything look good on facebook, Amazon really knows how things are.  The girl went through her order history and told the story of her years on Amazon.  I thought that sounded interesting and enlightening, so I'm going to check out my own history and see what it says about me.  :)

2005
Age: 18
Orders: 4
In 2005 I graduated high school and moved to Manhattan to start college.  As a poor college student, books were expensive and someone suggested to me that Amazon had them for cheaper than the bookstore.  (Anything had to be cheaper than the bookstore, right?!)  So, my relationship with Amazon began...
Kinesiology
For one semester I studied Kinesiology, exercise science.  Didn't take me long to decide it wasn't for me.  Back in 2005 there were no Kindles or any sort of EReaders.  You couldn't rent books.  I always bought from the lowest priced vendors, not always from Amazon.  So although my 4 orders were all placed on the same day, they were all through different people and, therefore, I'm sure I paid shipping out the wazoo, but the books were cheaper.  :\  You can rent this book now for half of what I paid for it 10 years ago.

2006
Age: 19
Orders: 12
By the time 2006 rolled around I was onto Secondary Education, with an emphasis in Math.  After my freshman year, my childhood/high school/college best friend, Cara, and I moved into our own apartment.  I got a job at K-State and for the first time I was really learning how to manage my own money (though not very effectively).  In 2006 I also realized that Amazon was a good place to buy gifts and that I could even have them shipped to my friends and family.
High Risk: Children Without a Conscience
Looking for a read to scare you away from all children, try this one on for size!  Yikes!  I think reading this book is what made me interested in the minds of sociopaths, serial killers, killers, addicts, and gang members, it made me curious about the way their minds work and what makes them tick.  Probably a morbid fascination for a 19 year old girl.  :\
The 88
Placed a gift order for this CD on April 4th.  Definitely a birthday gift for Cara.
The Notebook
A Time to Dance
As a girl who'd had a grand total of 3 boyfriends in my life, all in the course of about 17 months, and who had been single for the passed 4 months (and 17.5 years before that 17 month stint) I was excited to be in college and to find someone new.  Someone I hadn't known all my life.  Someone who would complement me, who I could have a long and lasting relationship with.  You know, the kind from a Nicholas Sparks book.  ;)  I ordered these books at the beginning of my sophomore year of college.  Maybe this would be the year.  Yes, one year into my college experience I was looking for my MRS.  :P
**Note: For anyone who doesn't know, when I talk about getting my MRS, that's what we said about the girls who only went to college to get married.  They weren't interesting in actually getting a Bachelor's (BA or BS), they wanted their MRS (Mrs.).  ;)
Western Civilizations
Cost me over $50 (would have been more at the bookstore) and now you can rent it for FREE on Amazon!!  EReaders have to be saving college students a BUNDLE in book costs!!
Chris Tomlin
Blue Like Jazz
Instant Karma
More focus on God and being a good person in general.  Less focus on boys.  Let them come to me, right?  I remember something the beautiful and wonderful Lacey Mackey said when she was leading our Bible Study group, "Run as fast as you can towards God.  Then, while you're running, look around, and see who's running just as fast as you are."  :)  I would go to my second DCC (Denver Christmas Conference) a couple months after this purchase.
Project Runway, Season 2
Phil was practically a roommate at this point.  He was always over watching TV with us.  He loved Project Runway as much as I did!  This was his Christmas gift.  :P

2007
Age: 20
Orders: 16
At DCC I met Michael.  We met on January 5th and were dating by the 18th.  I guess Lacey had given me some pretty good dating advice.  Michael almost didn't pursue me, since it seemed I was dating Phil (like I said, we were close, he basically lived with Cara and me), but when I made a comment about how I wasn't interested in dating right now, Michael knew I wasn't dating Phil and made his move.  :P  At the end of my sophomore year I switched majors again from Secondary Education to Elementary Education.
How to Get a Date Worth Keeping
I was surprised to see this on my history since Michael and I had been dating for 4 months at this point and had already decided we were going to marry each other.  Then I realized I had it shipped to Cara.  Makes sense.  I was in the first great relationship of my life, one that had the potential to last a lifetime.  She had a front row seat to the show as we dated and fell more and more in love, all the while, was single and frustrated to not have the same happiness.
Cultural Anthropology
Spent $100 on this puppy.  On Amazon now for $12.  Wonder how much the book store was charging?!  This was an amazing class that I would recommend to everyone!  Loved it!
Art for Elem Teachers
Sideways Stories
Where the Wild Things Are
Elementary Education classes started.  Since Elementary teachers teach everything, I was no longer getting all math books, but Art and Reading books as well.  I was actually pleasantly surprised to be learning about all the subjects instead of just math.  I still have all 3 of these books/sets.  :)

2008
Age: 21
Orders: 6
In 2008 I went to my third (and final) DCC.  I decided to go on a summer project and applied to go to Yaounde, Cameroon, Africa for 6 weeks over the summer.  Michael proposed shortly after I got back from project, and he got back from the Philippines where he'd spent 4 weeks of his summer while I was away.  We began planning our wedding and life as a married couple.  I think the reason there is less ordered here on Amazon this year is because, as we were planning the wedding, I used a bunch of different sites to get the best deals on things like invitations, save the dates, decor, etc.  My Vista Print Life and My Personalization Mall Life might have to be sequels to this blog.  ;)  My time at K-State didn't officially end at the end of 2008, but my time in it's classrooms did.
Wow Christmas: Green
Wow Christmas: Red
My excitement for Christmas season begins early.  I purchased these on September 10th.
Quilting
Being engaged now, I needed to buy something from my future in-laws for Christmas.  Back in 2008 Glenn and Linda were talking about building a log cabin, so I bought Linda this Forest Decor quilting book for Christmas.  Now, 7 years later, their house is being built and we'll celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in their new home this fall and winter!
Marvin Gaye
This was a joke for Sis.  She and Adam also got engaged in 2008.  We came across a wedding registry back in the day on Amazon.  All it had on it was this CD and a set of knives.  It was the oddest wedding registry.  So I got her this when she got engaged.  I received a copy from her at one of my bridal showers as well.  ;)
Third Day
The first sign of Michael in my Amazon Life.  I bought him this CD for Christmas.

2009
Age: 22
Orders: 6
I started 2009 with Student Teaching.  I was working in a 2nd grade class in Manhattan.  Michael and I had the wedding planning done shortly after the year began and then just had to wait until May for the actual wedding.  We went to Florida for our Honeymoon and I had a job interview as soon as we got back.  In August I began my teaching 4th grade in Junction City while Michael finished school.  Sis and Adam got married that summer as well and in the Fall bought their first house.  I was extremely jealous that they were moving on with their adult lives while I was stuck in an apartment in a college town with dumpster dive furniture.  :\  Not my proudest moments.  Thankfully, I have a wonderful man who loves me more than he should, and he put up with my envious nature and loved me none-the-less.  I got pretty lucky with him.  Not so many orders again this year because we were college students, then a newlywed couple living on one income.  We've basically always been broke.  :P
First Days of School
First Year Teacher's Survival Guide
Young and excited I entered my first year of teaching.  But before the school year even officially started I had a parent attacking me.  Should have been my first clue...
Soccernomics
Talent is Overrated
Twilight Princess
Phil Wickham
Being married meant not just buying for my family at Christmas time, but for Michael's family too.  Nick always has a great list of books that he wants to read.  Michael and I had also got our Wii during this time, so I ordered him a Zelda game (and a CD) as a part of his Christmas present.  Our orders in 2009 were limited to a couple books at the beginning of the school year, and Christmas gifts.  Absolutely nothing else.  Seriously, we were broke as a joke.  By this time in my life I'd figured out the managing money thing.

2010
Age: 23
Orders: 2
Michael and I began 2010 by getting our first puppy, Allie.  She was a Beagle and the sweetest thing you'd ever met.  However, before the school year came to a close, Allie died of unknown causes (although I worry that the woman we bought her from was running a puppymill, and therefore, our puppy was not healthy).  People asked if we had a autopsy done, but we were barely making ends meet and it wouldn't change the outcome.  Michael buried her in the trees, passed the field across from our apartment overlooking a small river.  We were heartbroken.  After a couple months we couldn't take the quiet any more, because every little sound reminded us of the sweet girl we'd lost.  We went back to Kansas City and got Harlee when she was 9 weeks old.  This time I checked the place out, met the man at his house, saw Harlee's parents, and made sure all my ducks were in a row.  I couldn't go through that grief again.  I end my first year of teaching.  We celebrated one year of marriage.  That summer my car crapped out on me and it was going to cost close to $1000 to fix.  It was already 13 years old at this point, and Michael and I had a big decision to make, start putting money into repairs (I'd spent virtually nothing on the car up until this point) or call it a wash and get a new one.  On our way to Tugfest that year we stopped in Chilicothe, Missouri to look at a 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid.  We were back a few short weeks later to pick it up!  :D  I still love (and own) that car to this day!  Michael begins his final year at K-State and I begin my second year as a 4th grade teacher.  Nick and Maggie got engaged and began planning their wedding.
Halo 3
Settlers of Catan
Apparently we got more broke than we already were.  :P  The only thing we ordered all year were these Christmas gifts, and a CD I got for Michael.  I'm not sure if this Settlers game was for us or Sis and Adam.  I'm sure the game was for Nathan.  He played a lot of video games back then

2011
Age: 24
Orders: 4
In 2011 Michael graduated from K-State!  Nick and Maggie got married that summer.  We moved to Wichita hoping he could find a job.  Unfortunately, neither of us could.  That didn't stop us from getting Harlee a playmate though!  Shortly after we moved to Wichita and into an apartment that (actually) allowed pets, Gabby joined our family.  :)  I ended up working at Belden Jewelers, a jewelry store in the mall.  When the school year started I also began working as a Para in Augusta.  All the while, Michael continued to look for Engineering work, to no avail.  After much humbling, Michael looked for drafting work.  When, still, nothing appeared, he was truly humbled and took a job at Toys R Us to help us make ends meet.  I didn't like how Butler County Special Education treated their Para's, so I left to become a substitute teacher.  This worked out perfectly for Sis, who was pregnant, and due with a baby boy at the end of March.  She had it all worked out that I would be her long-term sub.  ;)  Finally, in November, Michael got a drafting job.  Not Engineering, but a step in the right direction.  2 weeks later he was offered an Engineering job at a different company.  I was ecstatic!  He finally had a real Engineering job, which meant I was off my birth control!  :P
Oh the Places You'll Go
Part of my gift to Michael for his graduation.
Pirate Rubber Duckies
Decor for Sis' baby shower.
Sake Set
Christmas present for Adam.  I bought Christmas gifts for several people on Amazon this year.

2012
Age: 25
Orders: 3
Shortly after the new year began, Michael and I found out we were pregnant!  4 days later we put an offer in on a house.  March came and went with no new nephew.  Finally, on April 3rd, Dayton arrived!  His arrival meant it was time for me to sub for Sis.  On our 3 year anniversary Michael lost his job.  4 hours later he had a new one, Praise the Lord!  We found out we were having a baby girl and began preparing for her arrival.  On October 5th Avery was born!  Madison was born on November 29th!  It was an amazing year!
Charlie's Soap
In our preparation for Avery I decided to use cloth diapers.  I bought this cloth diaper safe soap.  It cost me just over $100 (now it's up to $135!) and it lasted me 2.5 years!  I washed EVERYTHING in that soap!
The rest of my purchases that year were Christmas gifts except...
Tea Tree Oil
Grapefruit Seed Extract
and
BacOut
When Avery started getting diaper rash so bad her bottom was bleeding, I had to do something.  I figured out she had a yeast rash and these items were all recommended to help rid the diapers of yeast.  They did the trick!  And while Avery was still prone to rashes, these significantly reduced the incidence.

2013
Age: 26
Orders: 10
I had a miscarriage during the summer of 2013.  It was devastating.  When my doctor released me to try again, we quickly got pregnant again.  However, I was not excited the way I had been.  Scared I would have another miscarriage we waited until 18 weeks to tell people.  I've never prayed so much in all my life as I did in those first weeks of my pregnancy, hoping my baby would be ok.  Finally, at Thanksgiving, we shared our news with our friends and family.  By Christmas we had found out and were telling people that we were expecting a baby boy.
Mother's Milk Tea
Fenugreek
I was desperate to keep my milk supply going in an effort to nurse Avery until she was a year old.  The Fenugreek was the only thing that helped, and I made it the full year.
Diaper Sprayer
Solid food means solid poops.  Gotta spray those cloth diapers off before you throw them in the wash.
Kids Quilt Book
Another book for Linda.  This time, a book to make a quilt for Avery's first birthday.  We decorated her room in owls and wanted a blanket to match.  I looked all over online and found a pattern I liked.  I bought the book it was in and all the fabric and Linda put it all together.  :)
Tinkerbell
Avery was Tinkerbell for her second Halloween!

2014
Age: 27
Orders: 5
Connor was born!  I quit working all together and became a stay-at-home-mom.  Money went back to being tight.
Tucks
Pumping Bra
Ice Packs
Determined to be prepared for Connor's birth, I stocked up on the supplies I wished I'd had more of after Avery was born.  With the exception of the bra, I didn't use any of them.  :\  Every pregnancy's different.  Every birth too, apparently.  :P

2015
Age: 28
Orders: 3 (so far)
We have a niece on the way!
Silk (feeling) Sheets
Lingerie
I planned a fun Valentine's Day that was better in thought than in execution.  :P  The sheets felt great, but a few nights sleeping in them made us realize they weren't extremely practical.  The blankets slipped and slid all over the bed.  Most nights they ended up on the floor.  I also learned that cheap lingerie is cheap for a reason.  The straps to this nightgown weren't even sewed down!  I literally had to tie a knot in the straps to keep it on.  Oye!  I even got the sheets and lingerie to match!  Oh well, you live, you learn.  ;)  Next time I'll stick to Victoria's Secret.  Pricey, but it LASTS!

So there you have it!  My Amazon Life!  A small view into my head, thought process, struggles, and joys over the years as told by my Amazon purchases.  :P  Stay tuned, I was serious about possibly doing ones on my Vista Print and Personalization Mall lives as well.  ;)  Thanks for reading!

Here's what's going on in our lives...

Good morning, World!  I haven't been on here in a bit, just to blog.  I was talking to an old friend on facebook last night who said she liked the recipes I was posting!  It was so good to hear that someone was even reading the blog, lol!  I know people read more when I was pregnant with the kids.  Truth be told, that was the reason I started this blog in the first place was so that I could "journal" during my pregnancies and while the kids were growing.  It's shown quite the progression as Michael and I have made our way through the years and our marriage.  :)

Here's a little of what's been going on in our lives lately:
SAHM - As (almost all of) you know, I am a Stay at Home Mom!  It has been 14 months since I worked at Belden's.  I (almost always) love staying home with my kiddos and my nephew.  Potty training has been a special challenge to my patience.  :\  Fortunately, I think (most) of that is behind us now.  Dayton seems to be completely potty trained, it's been ages since he's had an accident for me, and Avery is well on her way, nearly having it mastered.  Of course, not working means I am in the house, literally ALL THE TIME!  And for those of you who don't know, I'm not really an introvert.  I need to be out, to get out of the house, to see people, to entertain.  So I've been making an effort to get out of the house to maintain my sanity.

Baseball - The Wichita Wingnuts are our local minor league baseball team.  We've enjoyed several games already this season.  On Mondays they have "Dollar Night" where you can get in to the game for a dollar, and select concessions (hot dogs, small popcorns, small sodas, ice cream cones, and ice cream sandwiches) are also a dollar.  This makes for a pretty affordable family night.  On Thursdays they have dollar beers as well as dollar wings.  This last Thursday we went and Avery got to run the bases after the game!  She had so much fun!

Zoo - Michael and I renewed our family membership to the zoo this year.  We'd managed to get the whole family in under the "Member Plus" membership for the last 4 years (we had our membership long before the kids were around).  The member plus means there is one named person on the membership (me) and I could get in one guest (usually Michael), kids 2 and under are free, so we haven't had to pay for our kiddos yet.  However, since Avery turns 3 in a few months, we would have to start paying for her.  So we upgraded to the family plus membership.  We can get in 4 kids, our two, and Sis and Adam's two, since I babysit them and will be taking them with us.  Michael and I both have our own membership cards, and we can get in one additional guest.  So when we have people visit, we can get in at least one other person in for free.  We love the zoo!  We haven't gone as much since the weather got hot, but anytime there's a nice day, we like to try to get out there.  We get our money's worth out of that membership!

There's a lot more that we've been up to lately, but I need to attend to the kiddos now, and if I don't publish this now, I'll forget and another half finished blog won't get posted.  :P  Maybe more later (or eventually).  Love you all!  Have a great Monday!

Dieting Update

So much for keeping up with this!  Guess you didn't expect anything less.  Life is busy with 3 kiddos to watch, plus a house to clean and cooking diet food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day!  The bad news is, as you can tell, I haven't blogged about how things are going and some of the delicious recipes we've discovered.  The good news is, we've stuck with our diets and are making tremendous progress!  :D  So, without further adeau...
*****drumroll please*****
I am down 14.6 lbs in (almost) 6 weeks, and
Michael is down 15.8 lbs!
Yyyyyyyaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!!!!  :D  I'm so proud of us for sticking with this and making big strides towards our weight goals!  We are very encouraged as we keep seeing the pounds melting away on the scale.  I've noticed qualitative differences in my body since I started this diet with Michael.  And today, for the first time in years, I was able to fit into the dress that I wore when Michael and I left our reception and headed off to our honeymoon!  :)  We both still have a long ways to go.  I think Michael would like to lose 19-24 more pounds.  As for me, I'd like to lose another 24-29 pounds.  It won't be any easy task, but at 6 weeks in, we have good habits in place, and we're eager to stick with our diet and goals for the sake of our continued progress.  When we've finished all the recipes (we skipped some due to church dinners, lunches out, leftovers, and holidays) I'll get lists posted here with the links to our favorites.  :)  Have a great Thursday!

Day 4 - Wednesday

Good Morning, Again!  Sorry for the brief post yesterday.  After I got done making dinner and we all ate, Michael took the kids with him to church for Winds of Worship.  While they were gone I cleaned up dinner and got lunch for today all prepared and packed Michael's lunch box.  I thought I was done for the day when I realized breakfast could be made ahead of time, then thrown in the oven in the morning.  I know how much I hate getting up early, so I did Future Jen a favor and stayed in the kitchen.  We got the kids to bed and Michael helped me.  It was nice not having to prep this morning.  Thanks, Past Jen!  ;)  I tried to post pictures last night, but they never posted.  I'll try again today.

Breakfast - Goat Cheese and Asparagus Breakfast Tart
Oh my goodness!  4 thumbs up!  Michael said this could be his favorite dish since we began dieting!  High praise from my favorite picky eater!  The kids aren't awake yet, so no idea how they'll like it, but Michael and I were crazy for it!  Asparagus, Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onion, and Cherry Tomatoes, all lightly salted and baked!  Yum!  The first bite I took had mostly puff pastry, my first thought was, this is going to be dry and taste like it's missing something.  But when you take a bite and get a bit of everything, all the flavors come together and it's delicious!  I highly recommend you try this recipe! 

**Note**
I started this blog Wednesday, just never got it finished.  Lunch and Dinner will not be as elaborate since I've done plenty of blogging tonight instead of playing with my family, but at least you'll have the recipe if you want them.  :)

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
Yuck.  You know what's really not good?  Unseasoned, poached chicken.  Yuck.  Michael gave this a generous one thumb up.  I couldn't even do that.  I can't find the recipe, but that's probably to your benefit.  :\

Easiest Baked Fish
This is almost the same recipe as one we make on the grill.  Good recipe!  Three thumbs up.  Served with rice and leftover veggies from before we started dieting.

Week 1- Thursday

I'm behind!  Sorry!  Trying to catch up!  These will be brief!

Whole Grain Crepes
Eww.  I don't know if there's a difference between whole grain flour and whole grain pastry flour, but I used regular whole grain flour when the recipe called for pastry flour.  Thick, not good flavor, not a crepe, Eww.  I'll post the link in case you're feeling ambitious and have some pastry flour laying around that you need to get rid of.  But we weren't fans.  One thumb up, Michael's too kind.

Pesto Egg Salad
Yum!  Much better!  This was leftovers from earlier in the week.  Good recipe.  3 thumbs up.  Kids weren't impressed though.

Philly Cheese Steak Wrap
Yum!  I needed to cut the steak into smaller strips.  Otherwise very good.  Kids didn't eat much.  3 thumbs up.

Week 1- Friday

Ugh!  Just typed an entire blog, then switched screens on the tablet to get the recipe links and lost it all.  :(  This might be a little shorter than the last one, lots to catch up on.  I'll start with today and backtrack the days I missed.

Huevos Rancheros Tacos
Great Breakfast!  Connor ate most of his food, Avery ate her egg yolk.  :P  Four thumbs up!

Turkey, Corn, and Sun-Dried Tomato Wrap
Excellent Lunch!  The kids ate out for lunch today, so they didn't try this recipe yet.  Michael and I really enjoyed it though!  Four thumbs up!

**Note**  Michael and I both found ourselves hungry today.  This has been the first time since we started dieting.  I'll have to check the nutrition facts on these two recipes and see what we're missing.  Next month I won't put them on the same day.  Snacking isn't bad, in fact, is a good habit to keep your metabolism going while you're dieting, but being hungry will lead to over snacking which can be disastrous to a diet.  So I'll need to make some changes.  Making an effort to make dieting easy, delicious, and filling.  :)  Fortunately, dinner filled us up!

Balsamic Chicken Salad
Yum!  Another great recipe!  Two thumbs up from me, one from Michael.  The kids were not interested, as has been their habit with salads.  Oh well!  Peanut Butter sandwiches are fine with me.  :P

Overall, 11/12 for the day!  Yum!  Check out these delicious recipes!!

Pictures

Pesto Egg Salad on Whole Wheat Bread
-No Mayo!  Super healthy!  Yay!  :)
-Yesterday's Lunch

Baby Kale Sesame Chicken Salad
-Delicious!
-Lots of food per serving, great for dieting when you feel like you're starving yourself
-Dinner last night

Spinach, Artichoke, Egg Casserole
-Meh, we weren't crazy about the artichoke, you might like this if you like artichoke.
-Breakfast Monday

Steak Tacos with Lime Mayo
-Yum!  Tasted like authentic Mexican with lime and corn tortillas!
-Roasted mini peppers!  Colorful!
-A few alterations might help our family like it even more.
-Dinner Monday

Apple, Banana, Oatmeal Muffins
-Yum!  A great tasting healthy snack with things you probably already have in your home!  Bonus!  :)

Day 3

It's getting late, 10 PM, I am so old...  So short and sweet....

Breakfast - Leftover Egg Casserole
Better after the eggs baked a little longer and had time to set up more.

Lunch - Pesto Egg Salad
3 thumbs up.  Good recipe.  Maybe a little less bread next time (we put it on slices of whole wheat).  Kids weren't offered this for lunch because my mom had a Sonic shop, so the kids ate Sonic.  Little turds.

Dinner - Baby Kale Sesame Chicken Salad
Awesome!  4 thumbs up!  Even from my picky, non Asian eating husband!  High praise!  :)  Kids picked at it, but weren't impressed.

I cook soooooo much.  :P

Diet Day 2

Day two has begun!  (And, by the time I post this, will probably have ended.)  We are officially in diet mode!  So far I'm feeling very motivated!  I'm taking my calories using the MyFitnessPal app.  In order to keep myself from snacking throughout the day, I'm working more on the house, watching less TV during down time, especially while the kids are sleeping, and working on other little projects.  :)  Hopefully this will keep my snacking to a minimum.  However, when I am ready for a snack, I have some healthy choices available!!

Snack - Cauliflower Pizza Bites
I made these yesterday so we would have them to snack on throughout the week.  They are DELICIOUS!!  Michael and I each have the recipe two thumbs up!  They were a little crumbly, so there is room for improvement, but the recipe is awesome!!  Next week we're going to try a different recipe in the same style and see if we like it better.  :)  Michael and I made these after the kids went to bed.  We sampled them, but the kids haven't tried them yet.  We might save these for ourselves this week and give the kids some when we figure out how to keep them together a little better.  ;)

Snack - Raw Chocolate Energy Bites
I know I've said to people that I'm following the recipe to the T, and for our meals this month, I am.  The snacks, however, I'm trying to use ingredients we already have and not have to buy a whole lot extra.  I altered this recipe a little.  I used 1/2 cup sunflower seed kernals, and 1/2 cup pistachios for the nuts.  I also only used 4 dates, because somewhere between looking up the recipe and going to Whole Foods (the greatest store ever, but that's a post for a different day) I got it in my head that I needed exactly 4 dates.  :P  Oh well!  These turned out really yummy!!  I think they'll be great when I'm craving something sweet!  :)  Michael and I gave these 4 thumbs up too!  Yay for delicious snacks!!

Breakfast - Spinach and Artichoke Egg Casserole
Today's breakfast was just OK.  I think the biggest problem I had with it was that it wasn't quite set when I pulled it out and Michael and I agree breakfast together before he left.  I put it back in the oven, which was still hot, but no longer on, with the remaining 4 servings, which seemed to set the rest of the eggs great!  Michael gave this recipe 1 thumb up, he said it was OK, but want sure about the spinach and artichoke combo.  I gave this recipe 0 thumbs up.  I know, right!?!?  The picky eater gave it more thumbs up!!  So here's why I gave it a 0...  I bought whole artichokes instead of a jar of artichoke hearts - mistake #1.  Breaking down an article is a HUGE pain!  I will not make that mistake again.  I didn't leave it in the oven an extra 5 minutes to make sure the eggs were completely set - mistake #2.  While it tasted fine and was cooked through, it was just a little under where I prefer my eggs to be.  The edges where the eggs were more browned and crispy were better.  Finally, I thought to myself, do I want to eat this again?  My answer: not really.  The artichokes weren't really my thing.  But hey, you never know until you try.  :)  Avery want a fan of this one either.  Although she did easy a few bites in order to get her juice.  (I wanted her to at least try it before she decided she didn't like it.  My great little eater, version 1.0, did!)  Redeeming qualities for this recipe: I originally gave it 1 thumb up, because it didn't taste bad, just want my favorite.  Connor loved it!  Ate his whole piece!  If you like spinach and artichoke (especially artichoke), you might like this recipe, but it wasn't my cup of tea.  :\

Lunch - Shrimp Caesar Salad
This recipe gets 3 thumbs up total.  One from Michael, two from me.  I'm a bigger shrimp eater than Michael is.  I also handle salad a little better.  Connor ate most of his salad, except a few bigger pieces of lettuce.  Avery only ate the shrimp.  ;)  She is sooo my daughter.  :P  I can't find the link again for this recipe, so here are the instructions:
-Thaw 12 oz ready to eat shrimp by running under cool water
-Combine 12 cups romaine lettuce, 4 chopped tomatoes, and 4 tbsp chopped onion in a large bowl.  (I used about 1/2 of a red onion sliced really thin on my mandolin)
-Top with 4 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
-Add shrimp to salad
-Finish with 8 tbsp lite Caesar dressing
Makes 4 servings

Dinner - Steak Tacos with Lime Mayo
This recipe gets 3 thumbs up too!  Michael and I were both on the 1-2 line, so we decided to split it.  ;)  There were a couple things that we'd like to improve upon on this recipe.  I thought the lime was a little overpowering (although it tasted INCREDIBLY authentic, took me right back to eating tacos off the street in Mexico City!) and Michael thought the steak should have been cut up more (my fault, not the recipes) and he wasn't sure about the corn tortillas (again, this truly took me back to Mexico, yum!).  Avery wasn't nuts about this recipe.  She ended up eating a banana for dinner (I did offer her more, but that was all she wanted, and she did eat a snack later).  Connor wasn't as crazy about the peppers, but he did eat some of them, most of his meat, and all of his tortilla (he and Avery eat had 1/2 a serving, one taco).  Overall, it was a success and we'll happily have it again!  :)

Snack - Apple and Banana Oat Muffins
I made another snack today (remember those other two were yesterday).  We eat a lot of muffins in this house because they are basically baking casseroles, just throw in whatever you have on hand and it'll be great.  :P  I had a recipe for these, but, with the exception of the apple, I had everything in the house already!  I used whole wheat flour because I have no clue what 60% wheat flour is.  :P  These were also a hit!  Avery, Michael, and Connor all ate one after dinner (getting crumbs all over my freshly swept and mopped kitchen floor, no less).  ;)  This is just one of MANY muffin recipes I can recommend and intend to try as we diet.  :)  If you like muffins, you should keep an eye out!  There will be many more to come!

Diet Day 1(ish)

I just realized it's been MONTHS since I blogged!  Sorry about that!  As always, life is busy with 3 kiddos during the week, 2 kiddos during the weekend, baby birthday, anniversary trip, and other summer travel plans.  I might update on all that later. 

For now, here's a brief description of what's going on...  Michael and I have decided to diet.  I'm making 3 homemade meals/day.  These are more than just peanut butter or turkey sandwiches or a bowl of cereal.  I have new recipes for (nearly) every meal for 5 weeks straight.  I have carefully calculated the number of calories in each meal, day, and snack, as well as the appropriate number of calories for Michael and I to safely lose weight (~2lbs/wk).  We have set some goals for ourselves and have some substantial rewards for when we meet our goals and significant progress.

Each day I am putting LOTS of work towards these meals.  So, of course, I'm taking pictures!  Michael and I are also rating each meal with 0, 1 or 2 thumbs up.  Anything that gets 2 thumbs up from either of us is a keeper!  We'll incorporate those recipes into our regular menu.  Anything that gets 0 stars from either of us is automatically out.  It's hard enough to diet, much less eating food you hate.  Those recipes will be thrown out and replaced with something new.  Any recipe that receives 1 thumb up from each of us is given another month to grow on us, changes can be made to improve upon the recipe if need be.  If we try the recipe for 3 months and it only gets 2 thumbs up each time, we'll throw it out and look for something new.  Get the idea?  I'll explain more later.

Day 1(ish)
We were supposed to start our diet today (May 31st) because I planned the weeks Sunday-Saturday and I didn't want to start dieting before vacation.  However, we had a wedding yesterday, and spent the night in Kansas City, so we weren't going to be home for breakfast or lunch today, but we were yesterday.  So I made Day 1 breakfast and lunch yesterday (Saturday) and Day 1 dinner tonight (Sunday).

Breakfast - Broccoli and Sun Dried Tomato Quiche
4 thumbs up!  Awesome!  The kids gobbled it up too!  Connor ate more than anyone!

Lunch - Turkey, Apple, Chutney Sandwich
3 thumbs up!  I was a little critical because breakfast was AMAZING and lunch was just good.  ;)  The kids liked this one except for the spinach.

Dinner - Smoky Pork Stir Fry
2 thumbs up.  Meh.  I thought the pork tasted really good.  Michael doesn't really care for Asian food, so giving it one thumb up was generous.  The kids weren't crazy about this meal.  Avery ate her pork, but no veggies, Connor didn't eat any of it.  The lack of a response from the kids made Michael and I each put a thumb down.  Ya can't win them all.  :\

So overall, not too bad of a day!  9/12  In case you're worried about our kids, they are not on a diet.  They are given an opportunity to eat each meal, and a serving is made of each meal specifically for the kids.  But if they don't like it and want something else, they can have other things to eat.  I forsee this especially being an issue for salads.  They'll also have ample opportunities for snacks.  :)  Here's to a new, healthier diet!

I have turned the titles of each meal into links to the recipes.  Ifit looks good or sounds good to you and you're interested in the recipe, you'll have them right here!  :)  I HIGHLY recommend the quiche!  :D