August Health Goals - Day 5 Check-In

Here's how today went...

Weight: 136.2 (Down 0.2 lbs)
Not much, but still going down.  If I believe what my articles, magazines, and blogs tell me, muscle weighs more than fat, so this weight loss may slow a little as my body converts some of my flab into muscle.  We shall see.  I honestly don't care if the weight comes off slow as long as it keeps coming off.  So hopefully it will.  However, as long as I look and feel good, the number on the scale does not matter at all.  ;)
Water:  5 glasses (80 oz)
Activity:  Walked around Botanica with my mom and the kids for an hour in the heat and did a light 60 minute workout in the WiiFit
Healthy Breakfast:  Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
So I read an article that said to start your daily metabolism off right, you should eat breakfast within an hour of waking up.  I usually try to do that, but this morning Avery and I had dentist appointments, so I waited until after 10 to eat breakfast (I get up at 7).  Not ideal, but I ate my healthy food, so I'm still calling it good.
Lunch: Zucchini Pork Chop Skillet
Tomorrow Michael agreed to eat this for lunch too, so it's almost gone.  Good to the last bite, though!  And it's been awesome not having to assemble lunch all week!  Ate lunch late too.  My mom and I took the kids to Botanica, so I didn't eat lunch until we got home and got the kids down for naps between 2 and 230.  Let me tell you, my stomach was rumbling!
Dinner: Naked Chicken Tenders w/ Asian Zing Sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings
If you haven't read my other blog from today yet, about eating healthy while eating out, go check it out.  If you've got the will power to stock with the healthy choices, you can eat out and not undo all your hard work.

Today was a good, healthy day.  I'm proud of myself!  Tomorrow Michael and I are going to Jeremy and Jordi's Wedding (two of his co-workers).  I'm glad to have had such a good food, water, and activity day the day before.  I know I'll be feeling thin and fit tomorrow as I rock my new Little Black Dress to the wedding and reception!  Thanks, Beth, at Aspen Boutique for letting me know about the great sale you were having, and for picking out clothes, jackets, and shoes and having them ready for me to try on when I walked in the store!  That's service!  Stay tuned for pictures of the new dress!  :D

Had this typed out last night, but hit save instead of publish!  Oops!

August Health Goals - Day 4 Check-In

Hey Guys, sorry I didn't get this written and posted last night.  I went to sleep instead.  But since I don't have a breakfast recipe to post this morning (leftover muffins), I figured I'd take some time now to explain how yesterday went.

Weight: 136.4 (Down 1.2 lbs, I told you, things fluctuate.  You just have to keep persevering no matter what number the scale shows one day to the next.)
Water:  5 glasses (80 oz) - Target achieved again!
Activity: 1 hour on the WiiFit (30 minutes of training, 30 minutes of steps while I watched TV.)
My calves and abs are killing me today.  Guess that reflects well on my activity yesterday.  :\  As a girl who generally does no physical activity I am unaccustomed to this ache.  I suppose if I keep this up I'll get used to it by the end of the month...
Healthy Breakfast: Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins and Coffee
No, the coffee isn't THAT healthy, especially once I add the creamer and sugar, but it tasted good with my muffins!
Lunch: Zucchini Pork Chop Skillet
I love all the leftovers of this!  Soooo yummy!  The onions are especially good!
Dinner: Steak Kabobs and Rice
I love the marinade on the steak!  Will definitely have to scour my freezer for more leftover steak hiding in there!  I always have peppers and onions on hand and usually (until yesterday, grr!) have rice on hand, so it's easy to whip this meal up in no time.

I also had 1/2 a glass of wine because my mom came by (after the moth fiasco) and took the kids out for dinner and ice cream and the house was quiet and relaxing for over an hour.  It was glorious.  I love my children, but a little peace and quiet is nice too.

And that's it, that was my day.  I think it was a pretty good day, overall (health-goal wise).  Stay tuned for my next post, I don't have any new recipes today, but I am going to talk about making smart choices when eating out, and how not to let a friend's invitation to go out for her birthday spoil your hard work.  :)  Happy Thursday, Friends!  Have a rockin' day!

Steak Kabobs

Tonight's dinner was easy, thank goodness, because we had other issues going on in our house.  Apparently the Great Value Brown Rice in our cabinet had moth eggs or larva or something in it, which turned into moths infesting our pantry.  We threw out half our food, which was extremely frustrating.  But I won't gross you out any further, here's how dinner went...

We had steak Kabobs because I found a steak in the freezer.  I knew it wouldn't be enough food for both of us, so I had to figure out a way to split a bit of steak between us.  I ended up doing what I usually do, adding more veggies.  But first, I marinated the steak.  I only had 8 oz of meat, so I decreased the marinade to 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  I marinated that between 30 and 45 minutes.  Then I threaded the meat with green pepper and red onion on skewers.  Michael grilled them and, fortunately, I had some minute rice in the pantry that was still good, that we had for a side.  It was all really good, which was good, because otherwise the evening was pretty frustrating.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day, right?  Hoping it goes a little better.  Otherwise, today was not too bad of a day.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

Good morning, Friends!  I hope you all slept well!  I baked breakfast this morning, and let me just tell you, it had me aching for summer to be over and for fall to be here!  With the smell of oatmeal and cinnamon filling my kitchen this morning, I couldn't help but put myself a big cup of coffee to try to trick my brain into believing fall is around the corner.  ;)  I didn't even drink my water before getting to the coffee.  Lol, shame on me!

This mornings breakfast is based off of this Blueberry Muffin recipe.  However, I changed a couple things.  With these changes, each muffin ended up costing less than 100 calories!  That means I get extra muffins!  Yum!

So here are the things I changed...  Instead of honey, I used 1/4 cup of sugar free maple syrup.  Instead of coconut sugar I used 2 tbsp of Stevia.  Not big changes, but they saved me a few calories in the end.  My muffins would have probably just been a little over 100 calories each without the changes, so they are still super healthy!  I've done enough healthy baking to know what I can and cannot substitute.  If you don't have those items, feel free to use what's available in your own kitchen.  I'm a big proponent of using what you have before going out and buying new products.  The exception to this rule is when you're converting your pantry, fridge, and kitchen into a healthier cooking environment, then I encourage you to slowly add some healthier alternatives and slowly add them into your recipes to see how you like the healthy alternatives.  You may find you'll never miss maple syrup after trying the sugar free.  You may find your baked goods tasting just as sweet with little to no calories in Stevia instead of regular sugar.  You might realize almond milk tastes better than skim for less than half the calories (but it does cost more, so I still use skim for my kids' sippy cups and the almond for me, my recipes, and my baked goods).  You might realize that Greek Yogurt is rather versatile and you can use it in place of mayo, sour cream, to add moisture to your baked goods, and protein to everything.  ;)  It's possible you could learn all sorts of things.  I sure did!

Michael hasn't tried this recipe yet, so I don't have a score from him, but I give this recipe 2 thumbs up!  I love that I can eat a couple (even 3 if I feel so included) of muffins in one sitting.  I love eating things with oatmeal because they leave me feeling very full.  Just like Chai seeds.  Maybe next week we'll focus on oatmeal and Chai seeds and healthy breakfasts that keep you super full for hours on end.  Anyone have requests of recipes or ingredients you'd like to see me try?  I'm game for just about anything!

Anyway, that's about all I've got.  One more sidenote before I go, my muffins in the pictures might look a little funny, with bright red and some dark spots...  That's because my kiddos wanted to add sprinkles.  I love them and (sometimes) enjoy when they want to help me cook, so I let it happen.  ;)  Have a great day, Friends!

**Edit**

I found this link about how to best store muffins in case, like me, you aren't eating all 12 at once.  ;)

http://www.savvyeat.com/the-best-way-to-store-muffins/

August Health Goals - Day 3 Check-In

Good evening, Friends.  Here's how today went...
Weight: 137.6 (up 0.6 from yesterday, which is a bummer, because I was good yesterday)  :/  Oh well, the scale fluctuates.  I just have to persevere no matter what it says!
Water: 5.5 glasses (90 oz) Another great water day!
Healthy breakfast: Same Veggie Egg Casserole that I had yesterday (almost gone)
Lunch: Zucchini Pork Chop Skillet Leftovers (so yummy!)
Dinner: Grilled Chicken and Twice Baked Veggie Potatoes
Activity: 30 minute step aerobics while watching TV during nap time (definitely beats the laying in bed and possibly eating chips that I would have done otherwise)

Now that all looks well and good, and I'm happy with the healthy choices I made today.  However, I also had a glass of wine, part of Connor's smores, and a couple roasted marshmellows.  Nothing that I think will break the bank, but I have to be careful when I choose unhealthy choices, they tend to multiply on each other.  Fortunately, tonight, I think I handled myself well.

I smell glorious from the fire, but don't really want that smell in my bed, so it's off to the shower I go...

But before I do, I just want to say that I hope you voted today!  (Should have reminded you yesterday, but hey, what can I do about that at now?)  Love you all!  Night!

Veggie Twice Baked Potatoes

Hey Friends!  Another new recipe for you!  I had potatoes from my grandparents this week, but I wanted to find a way to make them a little healthier.  So I found a veggie-stuffed twice baked potato recipe!  I don't know about you guys, but any time I make twice baked potatoes, I end up with more stuffing than will fit back inside my potatoes.  That was definitely the case again today.  But I don't like letting anything go to waste, so I slices some green bell peppers and "stuffed" them with the remaining mixture.  Also, twice baked potatoes are supposed to have cheese in them, even if they are the healthier, veggie version.  The recipe didn't call for cheese, so I added it in.  And let me tell you, it was a good choice!  ;)  I hope you enjoy this healthier spin on a classic favorite, Twice Baked Veggie Stuffed Potatoes!

To go with our potatoes tonight Michael and Connor grilled some chicken for us.  We got this Honey Garlic Rub at Sam's and it is THE BEST!  We love it on chicken and pork!  It is just sensational!  Yum!  So if you have a Sam's membership, you should go check that out too!

Just take a look at my plate tonight!  Yum!  4 thumbs up from Michael and me!  A dinner worth repeating!

Sweet Potato, Turkey Bacon Egg Bake

Good morning, Friends!  I don't have a picture of this recipe because we've already eaten all of it.  But I figured since I was eating leftover Veggie Casserole for breakfast, I'd post the recipe for the other casserole we had last week, Sweet Potato, Turkey Bacon, Goat Cheese Egg Bake.  This was another great recipe, as it's already gone.  ;)  I didn't have goat cheese on hand, but I did have some Feta that needed used up, so I substituted it.  I actually love using turkey bacon instead of regular because it's not nearly as greasy, it's a lot healthier, and it's cheaper!  Yay!  Egg casseroles always tend to be pretty cheap.  Even at $2 per dozen, which I haven't paid in quite some time, eggs are an affordable ingredient.  (**Sidenote: Eggs are currently $1.09 at Aldi's.  I bought 2 dozen yesterday.)  ;)  Michael likes his bacon crunchy, so I needed to cook it longer than I did to make this an excellent recipe in his book, but I thought it was good.  It will be even better next time I try it and I use the actual goat cheese.  :)  Overall, it was a great recipe!  We finished it long before the veggie one.  :P  Sorry I don't have a picture, click the link and you can see pictures from the original post.  Enjoy!  Happy Tuesday!

August Health Goals - Day 2 Check-In

Short check-in.
Today's weight: 137 lbs (down 1.4 lbs, told you I was up from cookie cake, chips, and pop Saturday)
Glasses of water: 6+, 100 oz total
Wooohooo!  Above and beyond!  Was only aiming for 69 oz!
Activity: 40 minutes of walking (While I was reading the new Harry Potter book - My hubby LOVES me!) and 20 minutes on the WiiFit
Healthy Breakfast: Veggie Loaded Casserole
Lunch: Zucchini and Onion Pork Chops
Dinner: Sweet Potato, Okra, and Chickpea Gumbo

So today was a big win!  Yay!  And I got most of the kitchen cleaned up!  Woot!  Bedtime!  Goodnight!

Sweet Potato, Okra, Chickpea Gumbo

***Edit***

Sorry!  Forgot the link!  http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/09/sweet-potato-okra-and-chickpea-gumbo.html

Dearest Friends, it is my pleasure to share this delicious Sweet Potato, Okra, Chickpea Gumbo recipe with you today!  Michael and I were both overwhelmingly pleasantly surprised by how good this recipe turned out!  I look forward to making it again (probably in the winter months when soup is a bit more appropriate).  ;)

So I found this recipe on Pinterest (where I find all my recipes) by searching for "Healthy Okra Recipe".  My grandparents gave me a pound of okra out of their garden.  The only way I've ever eaten okra is fried, and I know that's not healthy, so I was looking for a different way to cook this fresh, free veggie.  ;)  I'm not sure I've ever had Gumbo before, but I knew I had sweet potatoes in the fridge and I thought I had a can of chickpeas in the pantry (from my phase when I was making my own hummus), so I thought I'd look at the recipe.  As I looked through the list of ingredients I was thrilled to find I had everything I needed for the recipe but the celery (because eww, celery is gross and I avoid it when I can).  So I put the recipe on my meal plan for the week!  Don't you just love it when things work out?

We didn't make it to the store yesterday because we were busy with church and the kids taking naps a lot of the day, so Michael picked up the celery for me on his way home.  I (for the most part) try not to alter new recipes too much so I can taste what they're supposed to taste like before I decide if I like them or not.  That means no omitting the celery.  I ignored this rule to use up the yellow bell pepper in my fridge instead of buying another one since the recipe called for green.  I'm also cheap, so if we have something that will work, I use it first.

The recipe starts by having you saute onions, but it doesn't call for oil.  I looked over the recipe several times, but nope, no oil.  It did suggest putting a pinch of baking soda with the onions to quicken the process.  I thought that was weird, but I tried it and my onions turned yellow quickly and released a lot of liquid and cooked quickly, though not burning, it was crazy!  Like I said before, I used a yellow bell pepper instead of green.  I thought it worked just fine.  I used my grandparents' canned tomatoes for the tomatoes in the recipe.  I didn't drain them because I like my soup runny and I knew this one was going to be plenty chunky.  I didn't have vegetable broth, but the recipe says you can use water.  I was afraid the water was going to leave the gumbo bland, so I added two chicken bullion cubes.  Did I mention this gumbo is vegetarian?  I bet it would be wonderful with shrimp and sausage too!  The recipe says you can use smoked paprika or regular, I used regular because it called for a decent amount and smoked paprika has a powerful flavor.  I didn't want it overwhelming the dish.  However, next time I may give it a try.  We have both hickory and mesquite liquid smoke.  Since the recipe didn't specify, I chose mesquite.

This recipe was seriously good, friends!  I was skeptical with the okra and chickpeas.  I knew the sweet potatoes would be great!  But the flavors really mixed and deepened in the hour that it was cooking.  Don't skip the Bay Leaves, I think they added a lot to the flavor!  Yum!  So good!  Looking forward to the leftovers!  Even the kids liked it (once we convinced them to try it)!  Michael and I give this recipe 4 thumbs up!  Give it a try, now or in the fall, you will not be disappointed!  And if you are, Michael and I will eat your leftovers.  ;)

Loaded Veggie Breakfast Casserole

Good Morning, Friends!  I couldn't remember last week if I posted the recipe for this breakfast casserole or not.  It made a lot of food, so Michael and I are still eating it this week.  So I thought I'd share it!  I love the sweet potatoes in this recipe!  They give it a slightly sweet taste.  The only thing I would change from the original recipe would be that I would bake the sweet potato "hashbrowns" in the bottom of the dish a bit before I added all the other ingredients.  This is a great recipe because it's customizable to whatever veggies you have on hand.  I went ahead and bought the veggies to make it exactly as the recipe said, but next time I'll just use what I need to use up.  :)  As I said before, this makes a lot of food.  I used a 9x13 pan and cut it into 8 slices.  But since the kids weren't going anywhere near it (and we had another breakfast casserole a few days before with plenty of leftovers) we are still eating it, even though I made it a week ago.  We try not to let any food go bad in our house and not to waste our money.  I'm not super crazy about leftovers and have had a lot lately, so I think it'll be a little while before I bring this one back into the rotation.  But, don't get me wrong, I did like the recipe.  Especially the fact that it's so full of veggies!  Yum!  If you don't want to mess with breakfast this week, try throwing this casserole together and live on the leftovers for the rest of the week!  You'll be set!  Plus, you could also cut it into 12 slices instead of 8.  Making the pieces smaller will give you more calories for a little something different like some fruit, a piece of toast, or some yogurt, whatever tickles your fancy.  Have a great week, my friends!  And remember to drink plenty of water!

August Health Goals - Day 1 Check In

Ok, so I know it's not actually August yet, but I'm going to do 5 weeks working really hard on those 3 goals I talked about in my previous post and today makes Day 1.  So here is my check in to discuss how the day went. 

I got all of my water in for the day!  Wooohooo!  Turns out we have 20 oz glasses as well as 16 oz glasses.  So in drinking my 4 - 20 oz glasses, I got 80 oz in!  Even more that my 69 I was aiming for!  Wooooohoooo!

I did my physical activity for the day!  I went out in the garden and pulled weeds for about an hour until something buzzed near me and I freaked out.  :P  I got all the weeds out of my strawberries.  I got most of the weeds out of my asparagus trench as well.  Maybe tomorrow I'll be brave and try again.  I thought about going out and running today, but then I realized I had plenty to do around the house and yard.  :)  So I got work done in the garden.

And, finally, I ate 2 of 3 healthy meals today.  I don't get to count breakfast because I didn't eat breakfast.  And that isn't a healthy choice.  However, I didn't make my goals until after breakfast, so I didn't make a big effort to try to make sure I ate breakfast.  I will do better tomorrow.  :)  Fortunately, I ate well the other two meals.  Only one serving, instead of two, of my zucchini pork chops for lunch, and a hotdog without chips for dinner.  Overall, I'm going to call today a win.  I may not get to such detailed daily check ins all month, but I'll try to do it periodically for the accountability. 

Love you guys!  Good luck this month!

Zucchini Pork Chop Skillet

Oh my goodness, Friends!  It is my great pleasure to share with you today, one of my FAVORITE recipes!  Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it, *wink*), my hubby isn't as crazy about this one, so I end up eating it all myself.  Darn!  (<---Dripping with sarcasm!)  I love the flavor the pork lends to these veggies.  I often try to recreate this dish, even when I don't have pork chops on hand, but nothing can quite compare to the wonderful flavor and filling nature of this original recipe.  This recipe comes from Taste of Homes.  I first had it when my Grandma made it for a family dinner many years ago.  Recently I entered the nutritional data into MyFitnessPal and was pleased to find that it's actually pretty healthy too!  Which is AWESOME to hear, because I love it an it is extremely flavorful!  It's also super cheap to make!  Double win!  I only needed to grab zucchini and pork chops from the store, the rest I had on hand.  Those two items cost me around $8.  It makes 6 servings, so even when you figure in the cost of all the other ingredients it's still probably less than $2 per serving!  I love that!  Try out this tasty recipe soon!  You won't be disappointed!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/skillet-pork-chops-with-zucchini

Truth: I intended to eat two servings in one sitting today.  However, as I created my chart to keep track of my goals for the month and thought about the people who might read this, not wanting to be a do as I say and not as I do-er, I decided to heed my own advice, pay mind to the portion size of my meal, and only ate half of what I put on my plate.  This was a tough choice, but I want to succeed with you guys and set a good example for you and my family.  Also, as I worked while I ate, I noticed I felt full anyways.  Sure, I still wanted to finish the plate and get to that miserable state of full, but I refrained from doing so.  My next big challenge today will be making healthy choices at Rock River Rapids.  I also need to get in some good physical activity today (chasing the kids around RRR doesn't really count).  I wish you all luck in your own goals as I pursue mine and think of you all holding me accountable.  :)

Thank You!

Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your love and support!  I have had several people asking about my blog and wanting to follow it based on my food and recipe choices.  You all have been so kind and I am overwhelmed and blessed that you would want to follow any example I lead, I am a flawed woman.  So, again, thank you!  I love you all!  Since a few people have expressed interest in my blog and particularly in the food and recipes, I am going to try to do better about posting regularly and sharing meals and recipes with you all.  I am also going to attempt to make some healthier choices, July wasn't the best food month, because you all have inspired me with your own desires to be healthy!  Thanks for the challenge, Guys! 

Here are a few goals I'd like to accomplish in the next month, I encourage you to come up with 1-3 attainable goals for this month as well.  Let's do this together, encourage each other, be successful, and not sweat the slip-up moments.  :)
1.  Drink enough water.
This morning I weighed 138 lbs (which is up because I went to a birthday party yesterday and drank soda, ate chips, and ate cookie cake).  Half of 138 is 69.
***Sidenote: Common Core Plug - I that out in my head without using long division.  I broke 138 into smaller parts which were easier to divide in half.  This is a strategy teachers are teaching kids using Common Core.  It is awesome!  I didn't learn via Common Core, but this is the way my brain works, and it makes sense!  Here are my steps...
138= 100+30+8
100÷2=50
30÷2=15
8÷2=4
50+15+4=69
It's just different, folks.  And just because it's different, does not make it wrong.  Common Core is a good thing.  I encourage you to get behind it and ask a teacher to explain more to you about this cool system.  :)
***Stepping down from my soapbox now...
I have 16 oz glasses in my home.  69 oz is 4 glasses + 5 oz per day.  I'm going to round that to 4.5.  I want to drink 4.5 (16oz) glasses of water EVERY DAY during the month of August!  What about you?  Want to join me on my water challenge??  Should I post about it on facebook too?  What do you guys think?

2.  Be more active!
This one is more difficult to measure, and I don't want to set myself up for failure because I know myself, so I'm going to start with this easier goal of being more active.  I would say I more or less fall into the sedentary lifestyle category.  I would like to change this.  I'm going to aim for going out and doing something active every day, but overall will consider my goal accomplished if I'm being active more often than not.  Maybe September I'll make this goal a bit more quantitative.  ;)

3.  Stick to healthy meals.
Ok, Friends, this is going to be the most challenging goal for me this month.  I tend to be a cheater.  I have cheat weekends and cheat days and cheat meals and cheat snacks and all of that tends to add up.  When Michael and I first started changing our diet over a year ago I stuck with our meal plan fiercely.  I want to do that again during the month of August.  Please wish me luck, because this one takes TREMENDOUS will power that is sometimes hard for me to muster.

That's enough for one month!  Lots of big goals and plans!  You don't have to set three goals (or any for that matter) but I encourage you to find one thing to find one thing you'd like to focus on and really work hard on it this month.  You guys feel free to hold me accountable on these things as well!  Let's make August a healthy and happy month together!

Love you all!  Thanks again for your love and support!  Have a blessed Sunday!

2nd Amendment

Dear Friends, I have just got to say something...  I don't want to write this on Facebook because I don't want to start a fight with someone and I fear many of my friends and relatives on the other side of the aisle wouldn't read my words and consider the validity of my point.  I think it would devolve into the mud slinging that has consumed this election and will, I fear, continue until November. 

A woman I used to go to church with, a woman I love as if she were my mother, shared something on facebook this morning.  I removed it from my feed because I didn't want the negativity and I didn't want to get pulled into the drama, which I knew could have easily happened if I made even one simple comment.  The post talked about the Supreme Court and how up to 5 spots could become available in the next 4-8 years.  It went on to say that Hillary could skew the Supreme Court 7-2.  The article also said that Hillary has already said she'll use the Supreme Court to go after the 2nd Amendment.

For those of you who don't know, I am a Democrat.  *Cue the exit music as 75% of my readers stop reading here*  If you're friends with me on Facebook you may not be terribly surprised by that statement, though I have tried to keep out of politics there so show love and respect to my conservative friends and family, and because I don't want to get into a shouting match with the people I love.  Fortunately for me, my family hasn't disowned me yet.  Although I've had several give me more than their fair share of their opinions.  I caucused for Bernie Sanders and I am not ashamed in the slightest to admit that.  I don't like Hillary as well, but I will vote for her.  There, I said it!  Get out the tar and feathers!  (I live in Kansas.  This is NOT a popular opinion to have.)

Last night as I was watching the DNC, I listened to Hillary give a speech.  The reporters at the end said it was just mediocre and that there wasn't anything truly original or quote worthy.  However, I disagree.  I thought there was a quote that stood out, and it was about the 2nd Amendment.  However, I also disagree with Hillary on the statement she made.  She said, "I don't want to take your guns away.  I just want to make sure you aren't killed by someone who shouldn't have guns in the first place."  Well, Hillary, I tend to think more left of you on this issue, because I think you SHOULD take all the guns away!

I know there are many people who say that good guys with guns keep bad guys with guns from doing bad things, but I just don't believe that.  I know that people hunt, and frankly, as crunchy and granola as it sounds, I would be fine getting rid of that too (and would love to see the look on the NRA's faces if it ever happened).  But, to be fair I know that won't happen, and it's not fair to those sportsmen (I wonder if they consider what's fair and right for the rest of the country?), so I will concede to a ban on Assault Rifles (since I'm proposing legislation and all).

The day that the shooting at Sandy Hook happened, I sobbed as I watched TV and folded laundry.  It was one of those, you'll always remember where you were kind of moments for me.  I hugged and squeezed Avery who was just an infant at the time.  I cried and hurt for the families of those sweet children, mowed down in their classrooms.  It was a horrible day.  My heart was heavy.  Then, later, I found out, Congress did nothing to restrict access to guns or change what guns were legal to obtain.  It feels like such a travesty.

I love you all.  I care about your opinions.  I posted this here because I wanted to share my opinions and be respectful to others who don't want to hear them.  My opinions don't amount to much, but I intend to vote for the person who holds similar opinions to mine.  Hillary wants to reform gun laws and I support that.  My own brother-in-law has assault rifles, but I still support banning them.  You can have fun and use your guns recreationally without having access to the kinds of guns that can mow people down in a classroom, a movie theater, a shopping mall, or a nightclub.  That is simply unacceptable. 

So there it is.  My two cents.  The Democrats aren't trying to take your guns.  I am.  And I agree with Hillary when she said, "I just want to make sure you aren't killed by someone who shouldn't have guns in the first place."

New Clothes and Shoes

Flashback to last month when I was doing my daily capsule wardrobe.  I got a new pair of sparkly gold sandals today.  I also (finally) got a little black dress.  The shoes were only $9 at Wal-Mart!  The dress was only $36 at Aspen Boutique.  :)  I took a few pictures!  Enjoy!

DietBet

Hey Friends!  If you read my post a couple weeks ago, you'll remember I was unhappy with the unhealthy snacking habit I had gotten into.  When we came back from vacation in Arkansas I was over 140.  Rats.  So much for making healthy choices on vacation.  Oh well, that's what vacation is about, right?!  But when we got back it was time to do the work again.  To give myself some extra motivation, I downloaded an app I used to have on my phone, DietBet.  The way the app works is you join a pool (you can pick a pool with a high or low bet, I usually stick with crowded ones about $30, but more on that later), weigh yourself (with pictures), and the app figures up a 4% weight loss goal for 4 weeks.  Everyone does 4% of their body weight, so not everyone is losing the same amount.  Then, at the end, whoever made their goals (with pictures) splits the pot of whoever didn't make their goals.  The website also takes 25% of the total pot.  However, if you make your goals, you'll never lose money.  You will always get at least your entry bet back.

I have done one dietbet before.  I wanted extra motivation ($$$) and to be more invested in making the right choices.  There were a bunch of people in my group and the total pool was somewhere around $70,000!  Crazy right?!?  Seems like an easy way to win a lot of money!  But in the end, I won my $30 back plus about $13 (and change) extra.  :P  Not much, but more than I had before.  So if you want to motivate yourself to stay invested in some weight loss, this app is kind of a fun way to do it.

I also found out that they have a new app called StepBet.  I downloaded the app, but haven't made a bet yet.  This app works a little differently.  It gets permission to check in with your daily steps on your device, I use S-Health, but it also works with Fitbit and one other device.  It takes that information and gives you a daily goal of steps.  4 days you stick to that goal, then there are 2 stretch days and 1 free day.  It's a 6 week game and the first week is practice, no one gets eliminated.  The next 5 weeks you have to hit those daily and weekly goals or you lose your chance to split the big prize.  I think I want to try this app when Fall gets here and the weather is perfect for taking lots of walks and hitting the zoo.  I'm also interested in seeing the effects on my weight and overall health if I maintained good activity levels like this.  So stay tuned this fall, I may try it out and let you all know how it goes.  :)

So that's what I've got for today.  I have 2 weeks left in my DietBet, but I've already hit my goal (thank you vacation water weight).  Hopefully I can get the rest of the way down into my goal range (130-135) and stay there by the end of the bet.  I'll also let you know at the end how much I end up winning, the pools is almost $110,000!  :O

Smash Potatoes

Ok, Guys!  I haven't got a chance to try these beauties yet because they are still in the oven, but they smell UH-MAY-ZING!  So I thought I'd blog about them a bit, then let you know how they turned out at the end.

I am all about using the stuff I have, thus the previous Spring Roll recipe.  Money is too tight for us to waste food.  So when I get stuff for free, especially produce and things that are healthy, I do my best to capitalize on it.  My grandparents brought me these "new potatoes" or "baby potatoes" as I would call them.  They are half dollar to dime sized potatoes.  Seriously small!  The first time I made them, I boiled them, skin on, wish fresh green beans, then stirred in butter, salt, and pepper.  Wow!  They were delicious!  I loved the green beans the most, but Michael was crazy about the potatoes.  So I had more in the fridge that I needed to use.  I had pulled out and marinated chicken for dinner tonight and was trying to come up with a side to go with it.  That's when I remembered seeing these Smash Potatoes on pinterest.  I consulted a couple recipes for cooking times and temps, but the rest of the recipe is mine.  Like I said, haven't tried it yet, but it smells AWESOME!

Smash Potatoes
Clean potatoes, leave skin on.  I used baby potatoes, but some recipes used regular ones, the quantity is your choice.  I used between 2 and 3 dozen since mine were so small.
Boil potatoes until fork tender.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Spray baking sheet.
Transfer boiled potatoes to baking sheet, use fork (or potato masher for larger potatoes) to smash.
Drizzle potatoes with olive oil.
Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, rosemary, and Parmesean cheese.
Bake 20 minutes.

They are delicious, guys!  Crispy and soft at the same time!  And the rosemary is delicious!  Try this recipe!  You won't be disappointed!

I wrote out this post a few days ago and failed to post it.  Lame.  Sorry!  Here it is now!

Homemade Spring Rolls

Hello again, Friends!  Necessity is the mother of invention, right?  Well, when we got home from Arkansas it seemed like we had absolutely no food in our house.  I was too worn out to hit the grocery store (and can't during the day due to 4 kids and 3 spots in my car), do I had to get creative.  That's when I came across the Spring Roll wrappers in the freezer.  My mom gave them to me ages ago.  It's probably best I didn't look for a best buy date on the wrapper.  Freezer items last forever, right?  ;)  I had several produce items that needed used up, so I consulted a few recipes and got the gist of how to make spring rolls and jumped into my first attempt!  I didn't really use a recipe as a base for this one.  Just flew by the seat of my pants, but it worked!  It's also super customizable!  Just throw whatever leftover meat and veggies you have in your fridge in together and spoon them into the spring roll wrappers!  Easy peasy!  Below is my "recipe" (if you can call it that) to guide you.

Homemade Spring Rolls
Pull package of spring roll wrappers out of freezer and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, put a damp cloth over them when thawed while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 (if you want to bake them, I baked half and fried half, both were amazing).
In a large skillet or Wok drizzle a generous amount of sesame oil to saute meat and veggies.
Cut veggies into small strip or matchsticks.
I sautéed (1 can) carrots, (1) red onion, (2) zucchini, (1) green pepper, (1) shallot, a handful of edamame (I had some in the freezer leftover from a different recipe), (1 tbsp) minced garlic, and a few good shakes of soy sauce.  Stir frequently to keep things from burning in the sesame oil.
When veggies are soft and liquid is absorbed remove the veggies from the pan and put on an inclined baking sheet (to drain any remaining liquid).
Make a paste with water and flour to seal spring rolls.
To roll spring rolls, lay spring roll paper like a kite, put about 1-2 tbsp veggie mixture onto the sheet, tale the bottom corner and roll the paper up under the veggies, roll the mixture halfway up the sheet before folding in the left and right sides, continue rolling upwards, before you finish, brush a bit of the paste on the wrapper, then roll to seal.
I baked mine at 350 for 10 minutes, flipped them, then baked 10 more minutes.
The ones I fried, I fried them for about 5-10 seconds per side.
Serve with your choice of sauces! 
Enjoy!

Not sure how clear all those directions were, ask questions if it was too confusing.  The fried ones had a better crunch, but tasted more like grease.  I think I liked the baked ones better.  Healthier too!

Tuna Salad on an Apple

Hey Friends!  It's been a bit!  I had a friend asking about my blog today to look for recipes.  I was so touched to be referred to!  Then I realized I've been kind of slacking on the blogging front, so I decided I'd try to get a few more recipes posted!

I had this Tuna Salad on an Apple this week.  I really loved it!  Normally I use bread or crackers with my tuna salad, but the apple was really great, and a good way to get a bit more fruit in my diet, because I never lack on the bread.  ;)  I changed the recipe from this website just a bit because I always love relish in my tuna salad.  I really loved the addition of the craisens in this recipe.  When I first started making different tuna and chicken salads I thought adding nuts and fruit was weird, but turns out it's soooo good!  Who knew?!?  Below I'll list my recipe, but follow the link for the original if you'd like to see what I adapted mine from.  :)  Enjoy!

Tuna Salad on an Apple
1-5oz can of tuna in water
1 tbsp mayo (or plain Greek yogurt for a healthier twist)
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp sweet relish (or dill relish, I had sweet on hand already)
2 tbsp craisens (cranberry raisens)
1 apple (I used Galas because they were on sale at Aldi's this week)

Mix mayo, vinegar, salt and pepper together.  Add all other salad ingredients.  Slice apple.  Spoon salad onto apple slices and enjoy!

This is one serving all to yourself!  Yum!

The highs and lows of A Healthy Lifestyle Change

Good morning, Friends.  Long time, no blog.  Sorry about that.  Busy life and what not.  I might blog about what all we've been doing, but I might not.  No promises.  ;)

I wanted to sit down and write a little blog today to share a little honesty.  It was great getting such a response to the initial weight loss posts, but if you look back over our blog the year before, I didn't post much.  That's because this weight loss and lifestyle change thing is hard and, frankly, I didn't want to be held accountable (no matter how small my reader pool may be).  :P  But I figure that's not the way to be, and I don't want to backside back up 40 lbs, because then nothing has truly changed, so here goes...  I struggle with snacks.  There.  I said it.  I think I have been struggling with snacks since our Harry Potter Marathon about a month ago.  Michael and I had been working hard to finish our goals, and I even went out and bought my new clothes (that I wasn't suppose to get until my goal was reached, shame on me) and things were going well.  Then we enjoyed lots of taboo junk food at our Harry Potter Marathon...  Let me just say that I took that day and ran with it.  Even though I felt pretty miserable in the end, and have had a couple other junk days that left me feeling ill, I still reach for snacks.  And when I begin snacking, I simply do not have the willpower to stop.  Sometimes it's a handful of chips that were just too yummy, they turn into a bag, sometimes it's goldfish crackers that I get for the kids, then I end up eating more of them than the kids do, sometimes it's Chinese food (that's technically bought for the kids) and I'm just going to have a bite, but end up making myself a full plate (plus my "healthy" meal), and sometimes it's thinking, just a bite or two of cheesecake, then I eat the whole slice.  I just can't help myself, Friends.  Even more than I cringe at telling you that, is that I must tell you, now, the effects of my snacking.  This morning I was up to 138.8 lbs.  :(  Now, please don't get me wrong, this is not a bad number.  It's still a healthy weight for my height (but so is 130 or 135).  I simply like being a little lower, about 5 lbs or so.  I feel thinner, healthier, and, frankly, more attractive.  (I'm singing 'You're so Vain' to myself, it's ok, you can do it too.)  I haven't been making healthy choices, candy, cheesecake, chips, sugar cereals, etc, and I don't like that.  Yesterday I did fine until we went to dinner at church, cue the candy and cheesecake.  So today I am making the commitment to change and do better!  This might be a bit of a challenge considering we're leaving for Arkansas the day after tomorrow, but I'm determined to make healthy choices!  To start this effort off on the right foot I am doing what I suggested to all of you not that long ago, drinking water!  It's 10am now and I already have 80 ounces drank!  I'm going to enjoy lots of veggies today as well.  Thanks for being my accountability.  Wish me luck.  Hopefully these 5-8.8 lbs come off easily.  Stay tuned next week when Michael and I will be trying lots of new recipes again to revive our motivation.  :)  Love you all!  Happy Tuesday!