Ninja Skills

Today I feel like a ninja!  I did a fun arm workout this morning using my Xbox 360 Kinect!  At the advice from a friend I downloaded Fruit Ninja for the Xbox.  Talk about a fun way to get your work out in.  30 minutes flew by! It was great!  After my workout I figured it was time to use my newest toy. :)  My Ninja (blender).  Love, love, love it!  The choices of drinks is endless!  (Did I mention that this comes with a dough paddle and you can create all kinds of doughs in it too?!)  We will be getting a ton of use out of this thing.  So after my workout this morning I decided to give this baby a try.  I mixed 1 c. frozen mixed fruit (I used a bag that has peaches, mango, pineapple & strawberries in it), 1 banana & 1 cup of almond milk.  Delish!  That made enough for a tall glass for myself and a smaller glass for little man when he gets home from school.  I think tomorrow I will get brave and incorporate some fresh spinach in it.  Kind of scares me a little but, but how bad can it be really?  (I will let you know!)  For breakfast this morning was my delicious smoothie accompanied by my egg muffin and a cup of coffee.

Eating right.... I got this!
~Kari

Pizza & Beer

Who would think that you can have pizza and beer when you are trying to lose weight?!  That's the one thing about WW that I just LOVE.  You can eat absolutely anything that you want, you just have to eat it in moderation (or veggies and fruit all day long...lol).  Spur of the moment yesterday hubby tells me that "Wreck it Ralph" is playing at bear tooth theatre. (For those of you not in Alaska, Bears Tooth is an old movie theater that they cleaned up and turned it into a theater that sells food and has tables in front of the seats in the theater. Very rough basic description because a full description could be an entire blog post by itself...needless to say the place is AWESOME!)  Little man has been wanting to see "Wreck it Ralph", so that's what we did for dinner.  It was a movie with pizza and beer (little man did NOT have beer, just to make that clear).  The movie was so cute!  I recommend it to anyone who has not seen it yet.  So today I will work out a little bit harder than I normally do, but the thing I really love, is I only used 8 points more than I normally would have for my day.  (Considering I had a Gyro pizza and 2 glasses of beer, I am happy with that.)  Lesson learned, you can lose weight and still have a normal life and eat the foods you enjoy.  You just have to exercise more and be accountable for your food. :)

Here's to pizza & beer!
~Kari

Shopping!

I don't know about you, but I have a closet FULL of clothes that I can not fit in right now.  Not because I've lost too much weight, but because I've gained too much weight.  Once a month I am going to try to put on some of my old clothes.  I don't want to wait too long so then they will be too big (here's to wishful thinking, huh).  It will be like going shopping in my own closet....  What could be better?!  And I have some cute stuff in that closet that I am itching to wear.  Not to mention that I can't wait for the time to come when I do go clothes shopping that I get to shop in the "regular size" section instead of the "big girls" section.  I don't think I've ever been smaller than a size 14.  Like I said before, this is going to be the year that I do this!  It is going to take hard work and determination but I want to be at goal by this time next year.  I know it can be done!  Who knows what the future will hold for me after that....but being a Leader at a Weight Watcher Meeting would be AWESOME!  (provided I don't panic and can't speak!)

Let's go shopping in our closets!
~Kari

Egg Muffin Recipe

In need of a quick and easy go to breakfast?  I make these and keep them in my freezer to add to my husband's lunch box in the morning.  It saves me time and energy that is needed to make my coffee. :)  The beauty is you can adjust these to your taste and make them different every time so you aren't eating the same thing over and over again.  (My husband is really big on NOT eating the same thing over and over.)  This week I divided mine into 2 different flavors.  (Don't judge my pans, these are my savory cooking pans not my sweet cooking pans.  Yes I do have a set for each.)

Bon Appetit!
~Kari

Egg Muffins
Makes 12 : 2 points plus each
3 c. egg beaters
6 slices canadian bacon, chopped
1 tsp. chopped green onion
1 c. chopped fresh spinach
3 oz. shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
3 oz. fat free feta, crumbled
Garlic powder, to taste
Cayenne powder, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Parsley, to taste

In a bowl mix 1/2 of the egg beaters with the cheddar cheese and 1/2 of the other ingredients (except the spices).  In a separate bowl mix the other 1/2 of the egg beaters with the feta and the remaining 1/2 of the left ingredients (except the spices).  As for the spices, I used the garlic, salt and pepper and parsley in the 1/2 with the feta.  Then used the Cayenne with the salt and pepper in the 1/2 with the cheddar, but you can feel free to change them up any way that you like or add other spices.  I toast up an english muffin and serve it on that.  Have fun with it and enjoy!

Egg Muffins going into the oven:

 Yummy fresh out of the oven Egg Muffins:

Bad Habits

Bad habits are hard to break and that's why I am thankful that when we started WW again that we cleared all the crap out of our fridge and pantry.  I find that I still revert to old ways and go looking in the pantry when I'm not really hungry.  At the same time you have to assess what you are hungry for.  Sometimes you aren't looking in the pantry/fridge because you're bored, it can be because your body is craving something.  The key is to figure out what it is your body is craving.  Me, I'm a carb/sweet junkie.  So last night as I was wandering around my pantry I decided it was best to make something that is WW friendly to help my craving (yes it was chocolate!).  I made some Decadent Chocolate Brownies.  I am telling you, there is no way that you would think that they are WW.  So when you find yourself wandering around your kitchen stop and ask yourself "Am I hungry? or am I just craving something?".  It's ok to crave something and to indulge.  You just have to learn to indulge with limits.  I know we wouldn't be on this journey if we knew how to indulge with limits....LOL  but part of going down this road is learning to control ourselves and to set limits and follow them.  We have to retrain our brains and there are going to be ups and there are going to be downs the first thing you have to do is tell yourself that it's ok to have a down and to make mistakes.  Once you forgive yourself it makes moving forward easier.  If you don't think you will be able to control yourself with a trigger food around then don't have it in your house.  After I made my brownies, I package them up into individual baggies and put them in the freezer.  If they are frozen then I can't just grab one and eat it, it has to thaw and I really have to think about it and really have to want it.  If I want it bad enough to take the time to let it thaw, then it must be worth the points.  It also helps to find a low point/calorie alternative to what you would normally eat, they can still taste good with lower calories and different ingredients just do some experimenting.  But with that experimenting be sure to throw it away or have someone (I use hubby office) to give all the extra to (but be sure to count your points/calories for what you sample, every bite counts!).  Know your limits and your trigger foods.

Here's to kicking bad habits to the curb!
~Kari

Damn Scale

Do you own a "damn scale"?  I do!  I am horrible about weighing myself all the time.  I know it's not good to do because it stresses you out.  However, today was my "light bulb" moment.  For the last week I have been watching my scale non stop.  Been on that darn thing at least once a day, if not twice.  And it would go up and then it would go down and then back up again.  Very frustrating to say the least.  Stressful beyond belief because here I feel like I am making sure I stay on track and don't eat too many points and not to mention trying to eat every single point this week.  And with a scale that is doing the wave, it send me on a roller coaster emotionally!  So, of course before I leave to go to my weekly meeting this afternoon I get on that "damn scale" again for like the 4th time today, even contemplated not going to the meeting.  And wouldn't you know it, it's UP!  Really?!  So by this time I say forget it and get ready and go to the meeting because I have decided I am NOT going to let myself give up this easily just because my scale at home is on crack.  So I am nervous and dreading that scale, I hope on it.  DOWN 1 POUND!  Thank you Jesus, I will take that!!!  Was I hoping for more, yes of course I was.  But am I happy with 1 pound, you bet I am!  A loss is a loss in my book.  And even if I had a gain this week, I would keep on trekkin' because I am in this for the looonnnnggggg haul.

So my "light bulb" moment today, stay off the "damn scale", and come weigh in day whatever the scale at the WW meeting says is what it is.  Otherwise one of these days I just might be able to talk myself out of going to the meeting, and really who is that going to benefit in the long run?  Sure won't be me!  So my advice to all of you, don't weigh yourself but once a week whether it's at home or at a meeting.  Just don't do it to yourself.  The stress and anxiety of it all is not worth it.

Here's to those wonderful "light bulb" moments!
~Kari

Saying No to Temptation

Temptation is a pain most of the time, but learning how to say no will help you in the long run.  Temptation was knocking at my door yesterday.  We went to my parents' house yesterday so that my hubby could help them with a few things. As soon as we left our house I had this overwhelming urge to go buy a cup of coffee.  Which I ignored and the urge was subdued (score for me).  About an hour after we get over there my wonderful Dad is trying to come up with ideas to feed everyone (my sister, brother in law and 2 nieces were there too), not that anyone asked him to he just felt he needed to feed us.  He pipes up that he'll order some pizza.  **Red Flag Warning**  I immediately tell him that no, we don't need pizza, we just ate lunch and we'll be fine (score for me).  As the afternoon progresses he's still talking about pizza, so my sister and I ran to the store and came home with turkey burgers (score for me).  Everyone was happy with the turkey burgers, not only did it save calories and points it saved him a good chunk of change too.  Let me tell you, ordering pizzas in Alaska is NOT cheap!  It was a huge win win for everyone.  I was proud of myself as well, because that pizza sounded good, but I knew with my weigh in on Monday that if I had pizza today it would only do me in, and I have a fun competition going with one of my best friends and right now she's kicking my bootie.  Of course I hope to change that come Monday afternoon. :)  By the time I got home I had managed to still have a good amount of points left over for the day, however it was 10:30 at night and I wasn't about to eat then.  Which unfortunately blew my goal of trying to eat every single point every day.  The good thing, I wasn't starving so I didn't feel like I was suffering.  

Score: 

Kari~3

Temptation~0

Yay me!!!

Take control over that little voice that's sitting on your shoulder, you CAN do it!

~Kari

Dessert? Yes Please!

It's a myth that you can not have dessert and lose weight!  In the last few days we've had Chocolate Souffles, home made Chocolate Greek Frozen Yogurt & Key Lime Bars.  All of which have been waist friendly.  Many times you can make these desserts and nobody will even know that they you are watching your weight or trying to lose weight.  Last night we had guests for dinner (one of whom is doing WW as well) so needless to say our dinner was very WW friendly.  We had Sweet & Sour Pork, Fried Rice & Vegetable Egg Rolls, and yes we had dessert; Key Lime Bars.  Our entire dinner with dessert was only 16 points+!  Love it!  Recipes can be altered to still taste out of this world and be healthier for you then the full fat version.  Many times you can't even tell. Spice up your weight loss journey and plan a "themed night" and don't forget your dessert!  Just because you are trying to lose weight doesn't mean you have to miss out on the things you want/crave.  If you don't indulge yourself now and then, you will struggle more with your weight loss because you will begin to feel deprived.

Enjoy dessert!

~Kari

Key Lime Bars
3 Tbsp butter, softened
3 Tbsp fat free cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 large uncooked egg yolk
3/4 c. flour
2 Tbsp flour
1 large egg
1/4 c. fat free egg beaters
1/3 c. lime juice

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.  For crust: beat butter, cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg yolk and gradually add 3/4 cup of flour.  Spread into baking dish using your hands.  Bake until crust is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  For filling: beat egg and egg beaters.  Add remaining 1 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour, beat on low speed until blended.  Add lime juice; beat on low speed until blended.  Pour onto warm crust and bake 15 minutes more.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into 16 pieces.

ENJOY!!

Potato Chips... Yay or Nay?

Many people I know, LOVE potato chips (really who can resist that crunch?).  I have found a wonderful alternative for my family; Garden Veggie Straws (or Chips).  These things are AMAZING!  They have that wonderful crunch and the taste is DELISH!  The Zesty Ranch Veggie Straws taste like Ranch Potato Chips. One thing that I love is that I can say the name of every ingredient.  I am not tongue tied trying to spit the words out.  I have recently found that Costco is now carrying boxes of the individual packages so that it's easy to grab and go when you are in a rush or when you might be tempted to eat the entire large bag (I would never do that...lol).  Today it was my afternoon snack to help satisfy my craving for something crunchy.

Give them a try, you'll be surprised how much you love them!

~Kari

Big Mac?

Is it possible to have a Big Mac while doing Weight Watchers?  I am here to tell you it is!  This recipe has been tested and approved with big thumbs up!  My 6 year old was hooked on a Big Mac the first time he took a bite of Daddy's.  So when we would go to McDonalds it became habit to get him a cheeseburger, plain add Big Mac sauce.  That should give you and idea of how much he liked the taste.  When I came across this recipe (with a few minor alterations) I knew it was going to be a hit, and it was.  Little man devoured his dinner, broccoli included!

Big Mac Casserole
8 Servings, 7 points plus

1# ground turkey
2 dill pickles chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 can reduced fat crescent rolls
10 slices reduced fat american cheese
lettuce
Fat free Thousand Island Dressing (about 8-10 tablespoons)

Brown turkey, when almost done add onions.  Just before turning off burner add pickles, let cook for about a minute.  Spread the mixture in the bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish.  Layer cheese on top and cover with unrolled crescent roll dough.  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (just long enough for dough to brown nicely).  Cut into 8 servings, plate and add 1 tablespoon of dressing on top of each serving then top with lettuce.

Enjoy!

Exercising and Inspiration

This morning as my little man was getting ready for school we were talking about the day and basically what's in store for the day.  He was so excited when he realized that today was Thursday and that he has gym today at school.  Not only does he have it today, but he said he gets to have gym 3 days in a row, Wednesday thru Friday.  And the best part about it, in his words it's AWESOME!  Now in my mind as soon as he said 3 days in a row I was thinking, oh you poor thing, that sucks!  LOL!  I am so happy that those words didn't make it out of my mouth.  I would hate to put those kinds of thoughts into his mind about something he's excited about.  Which only makes me wish that I had that same enthusiasm about exercising that he does.  He is going to be more of an inspiration that I had realized when I started this journey.  It's amazing the sacrifices that we make for our kids.  Sometimes I don't believe that they are truly sacrifices though just more of letting go of a selfish want, not even a need.  Eating junk is a want, not a need.  My need is to be here for my family and raise my kids.  Our other 3 are all independent adults (they still need me, even though they think they don't) and our littlest is 6 and I want to be here to raise him to be a strong, confident adult.  We have changed our diet and the next stop is to up the exercise and learn to enjoy it and become as enthusiastic about it as my little man is.  I would like to be able to go outside in the winter time and be able to get around and play with him like he would like.  Let's face it hubby and I have decided we have at least 11 years here in Alaska and I would like to enjoy those 11 years with my family playing outside and having fun.

So here's to moving and losing!

~Kari

Staying Motivated

What keeps me motivated?  Seeing those numbers on the scale go down each week.  I know, that's a big fat DUH.  :)  It really is about finding that "thing" to help you stay on track.  For me, yes it's the scale going down but let's be realistic there are going to be weeks that there might be only a small loss or no loss at all.  So there has to be more than just that to keep me motivated.  This blog has been a huge motivator for me!  Not to mention the recipes, I love to cook and the fact that I can share what I've found with others who are trying to lose weight too has been a huge bonus.  Trying new recipes is one of the things I enjoy the most!

In the beginning of your journey there are a few important things that you can do that will help you maintain your focus: be sure to take some "Before" pictures along with progress pictures once a month and every time you take pictures be sure to take your measurements.  Keep in mind that just because the scale doesn't show a loss doesn't mean that you haven't lost.  Your body is changing and sometimes it's those inches that matter more than the pounds on the scale.

Always remember that just because you fall of the wagon doesn't mean you can't pick yourself back up and get right back on that wagon!  Don't let one extravagance unravel everything you've worked so hard to accomplish!  Enjoy life and just get back on track!

Keep moving!
~Kari

Tools for Success

Wouldn't it be nice if the weight you gained overnight would disappear overnight?!  It's so darn frustrating.  But as we all know that's just not how it works, much to my dismay.  So keep that in mind and do not get discouraged all you need is a plan and a bit of determination.

My plan of attack:
Each week, typically it's been Saturday morning I sit down and plan my menu for the next week (week starting on Monday).  I plan what I will have for breakfast and dinner, lunch is generally left overs from dinner, a salad or soup.  I have gone so far as to write what we will have each day, not just a generalized list for the week.  From those recipes I create my grocery list for the week, and by putting this all together on Saturday I have time to get my shopping done Sunday or even Monday for the entire week.  Even with this plan and my menu created life happens and there are days that I can't follow this menu for one reason or another (perfect example is this last week that I was pretty much out of commission with my shoulder).  Anything I didn't make this week, I try to carry over to the following week

Another saving grace this past week for me was the fact that I spent a little bit of time last week making egg muffins.  I had breakfast for hubby and little man for the entire week already done and cooked, just had to pull them out of the freezer, heat them up and put them on an english muffin!  This next week I will be working on making some breakfast burritos and enchiladas to keep in the freezer for quick and easy meals.

Take a few minutes and think about your daily routine.  Think of what you can do to help your day start off easier and help keep you on track for your journey!

This is the Year!!

Out of Commission

This past week has been a trial for me (I don't make a good patient).  That darn elliptical had done me in on the 2nd time out!  I have been nursing a hurt shoulder.  It was hurting so bad that Tuesday hubby stayed home from work to make sure I was ok.  The pain was so bad I couldn't even put on my own deodorant!  How crazy is that?!  Since I don't have a Dr. here locally yet we ended up in the ER (wasn't sure that Urgent Care was going to be able to help, and they have YET to return our phone call).  I didn't want to end up paying 2 places for the same evaluation.  So off to the ER we went.  I was amazed at how quickly that got us in.  I had anticipated being there until little man got out of school.  We got there about 10 am and were on our way home by noon!  Amazing!  The Dr. there diagnosed me with a Strained Rotator Cuff and a referral to an Orthopedic Dr.  Whom I will be going to see next week to be sure that is what it is and that there is no tear in there anywhere.  I have managed to eat right during the week, but with the pain meds and nursing my arm my weigh loss is not looking too good for this week.  Not to mention the fact that my body is retaining fluids to try to heal itself.  My fingers are a bit swollen (good thing I took my wedding ring off in the beginning).  So needless to say my recipes and posts have been nonexistent.  So here is to being back in commission, so to speak.  Today is the best I've felt all week, but I am still struggling.  I could get deodorant on, but couldn't get hair into ponytail.  But I will take the small victory of little man not needing to help me put my deodorant on! As I am sure hubby will be happy if he can actually get to work on time next week and not an hour late (he's been dropping little man off at school for me).  All in all, life is good.  Hubby is ROCKING the weight loss, I am very proud of him!  (I hate that men lose so much so quickly!)  Thanks for being such a great husband!  I am very lucky to have you!!

So let this be a lesson to you all.....  Start your exercise regimen slowly when you are just starting out from being a couch potato to an athlete, it can be deadly!

Recipe Trial and Error

I am on my 2nd batch of Sweet Potato Chips.  Who would have thought it would be this difficult?  I love Sweet Potato Chips and when we lived in the Washington we would buy them from Trader Joes.  Now living in Alaska, there is no Trader Joes so my goal is to make them myself.  Eventually I will make them right.  I don't want to fry them, I want them baked.  It's been a delicious trial and error process.  I enjoy being able to make things like this for my family.  Not only do they taste delicious, but I know what's in them.  Sometimes it's not just about making the choice to eat something that is healthy, it's about making the choice to eat something that isn't processed!  My inlaws got us an ice cream maker for Christmas.  I love this idea!  We are normal humans and we enjoy ice cream but I enjoy it even more now because we can make our own and I know exactly what is in it and it's not processed crap.  Perfect example, last night little man and I made a Dark Chocolate Sorbet.  It was so chocolate-y and delicious!  And all that was in it was water, sugar, vanilla and cocoa powder.  You will notice I make many things for my family from scratch, because I like knowing what's in it.  My sister makes me laugh because when she comes over she is always asking if I made something and when I say yes, she says "of course you did".  LOL

Now to find some more ice cream/sorbet recipes. :)

Choices.... Making them count for you.

I am loving my elliptical!  I know I originally had planned on working out 3 days in a row, but I skipped one day.  However because I had skipped that day I increased my goal time from 13 minutes to 15 minutes!  And I rocked it!!!  I was so happy to make that accomplishment!  It truly is about baby steps!  I am reminded every minute that it's also about choices.

One of the best choices I've made for my family is planning our meals.  Every week I plan our meals and make my grocery list.  It helps us (hubby and I) stay on track and not eat out.  Not to toot my own horn but I have cut back on buying coffee as well.  I love coffee and coffee shops.  It's not only the coffee, but it's something about buying a cup of coffee while I'm out and about.... My goal for coffee is now once a week after I go to my Weight Watcher meeting.  However, I will only do that if I have a loss that week.  It is my treat to myself.  I know one of the first things you learn is don't reward yourself with food, but coffee is one of my vices and if I can cut back to once a week and make it a skinny latte vs. the fatty sweet coffee then I think I am doing darn good!  My sister and I are supposed to go get coffee this week, this is where I will have to be strong and get tea instead.  I know I can do it. :)  It's about choices and staying on track.  This will be the year I am successful!

This weekend my hubby and I (along with little man) did our grocery shopping for the week.  Before starting Weight Watchers when we would go out shopping we would stop somewhere and get lunch.  Yes, we still stopped and got lunch.  We went to Subway for lunch instead of the usual fast food or fattening place.  We had a our plan set before we even stepped foot into Subway, we made sure we were prepared, and it felt GREAT to be in control!

What choice have you made this last week that's helped you be successful?  Take control and make good choices and you'll feel great!

~Kari

Where have the manners gone?

Last night we had the pleasure of attending our son's Father Frost program at his school.  He is an Russian Immersion program and it has been incredible so far.  The program was about the Russian New Year and how children celebrate the event.  Father Frost and the Snow Maiden were in attendance, easily 100 children were there as well and for each of those children were parents too. (Most of them had both parents there.)  As you can see there a lot of people crammed into the small elementary school cafeteria.  The event it self was a little bit unorganized, but I think that they were surprised by the turnout that they received.  Most of the program was in Russian (go figure, it's a Russian Immersion program), which apparently makes about 90% of the parents forget any and all manners that they might have had!  The entire row behind where we were sitting was talking through most of the show.  Parents were getting up and walking around and standing in front of the parents who were still seated. At the end of the event students were invited to form a line and they could receive a gift.  Now keep in mind how many kiddos were there, this was a long line.  As we stood in that line with our son we witnessed one mother have her daughter step out of line and go to the front of the line because "it was time to go".  Really?!  We all wanted to go home, so what makes her more important than the rest of us?  (perhaps there were circumstances that I am unaware of, but really....  she has just taught her daughter that it's ok to step out of line and cut to the front because nobody else matters). I was so frustrated by the parents that were in attendance last night, not to mention embarrassed to know that I am in the same category as they are because we are parents.  I think that over the weekend I am going to sit down and write an email to the Principal (whom I didn't see in attendance) and express to her first how much I enjoyed the program and how much we enjoy the Russian Immersion.  But I plan to also express to her my complete distaste in the behavior of the parents.  I am hoping that she will put it (or at least address it) in the monthly school newsletter.  A large majority of the families are upper middle class.  I guess it just goes to show that the "snootier" you get doesn't mean you necessarily have better manners.  In fact I think it's just the opposite.  Just watching most of the parents' demeanor, they had that "I'm better than you" attitude.  It makes me sad to see that my son will grow up with so many kids being raised in this kind of environment.  In the end I know it will make him a better person because I vow to teach him good manners (at all times) and respect for others.  Perhaps the schools should start having a manners class as part of the curriculum.

So all you parents out there please keep in mind that you truly are leading by example and your children see how you behave and they model after you.  Don't be "one of those parents".

Exercise Success!

When you are lazy living the "dream" life and eating whatever shall cross your path you forget how wonderful fresh homemade food tastes, not to mention the exhilaration after you've spent time (any amount of time) working out.  I have just spent the last 13 minutes (yes 13) on my brand new elliptical and it feels damn good!  Mind you I was miserable while I was on it and I thought for sure I was going to keel over with a heart attack during the process, but now 15 minutes later and I feel great!  For the next few days I plan to spend 13 minutes on it again.  Then I will take a break for a day to give my body a rest.  When we lived in Spokane I loved to do Zumba, now mind you I have zero rhythm and looked hilarious but I got a work out and it was fun!  Perhaps I will download the Zumba for my Xbox, after all that is why we got the Kinect (so we can stay active).

Being successful is very important to me and this will be the year that it happens!  I believe that this Blog is going to help make that happen, knowing that I am accountable to all of you. So find that "thing" that works for you, whether it's a gym, a piece of exercise equipment at home, a game on your gaming system or a DVD and get out there and move!  Know that I am right there with you.  13 minutes at a time!

~Happy Moving!

Creamy Eggs Recipe

2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 tbsp chopped scallions
1/2 diced roma tomato
1 oz. fat free cream cheese, cut into small pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine eggs and egg whites, add chopped scallions and salt and pepper.  Spray pan with cooking spray.  When eggs are almost done add tomato and cream cheese, cook about a minute to incorporate them into the eggs.

Enjoy!

Dinner: BBQ Meatloaf

Tonight for dinner I made BBQ Meatloaf with Sweet Potato Home Fries.  Another hit!  I find that as I travel down the Weight Watcher road I am reminded of the great foods that you create when you are doing WW.  There is no greater feeling then creating a wonderful meal for your family and when your husband walks through the door the first thing out of his mouth is "something smells great in here".  Not to mention watching your 6 year old get excited about eating mandarins and asking for another one.

I enjoy making my meatloaf in a muffin tin.  It makes portions a perfect size, not to mention consistent.

BBQ Meatloaf
6 servings

1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 c. bbq sauce, divided
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. bread crumbs
2 egg whites
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine meat, 1/4 c. bbq sauce, onion, bread crumbs, egg whites, salt & pepper; stir well.  Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and divide meat mixture into the cups.  After evenly dividing the mixture spread remaining bbq sauce on the top of each individual meatloaf "muffin".  Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

Breakfast: Eggs Florentine

I have seen Eggs Florentine advertised many times, but I have never tried it, until this morning.  I bought a huge container of fresh spinach from Costco so now you know I am searching for recipes to make so that this container doesn't go bad.  So I was daring today and I made myself some Eggs Florentine.  And let me tell you it was YUMMY!  If you have not tried it, you need to!

Eggs Florentine
1 serving

2 egg whites
1/2 c. spinach
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper (this wasn't in the original recipe, I added it)
1 Tbsp. sliced green onion (this wasn't in the original recipe either, but I added it too)
1 tsp. sliced cheddar
1/2 whole wheat english muffin

Spray pan with cooking spray add spinach, cook for a few minutes when it starts to wilt add the other vegetables. While that is cooking add some salt and pepper to egg whites.  Once the spinach is completely wilted add egg whites and cook thoroughly, sprinkle with cheese and melt.  Place on top of english muffin and enjoy!

Bon Appetite!

**Disclaimer: don't mind the picture rotation, this picture just would NOT cooperate with me! **

Baby Steps

Patience is not one of my strong suits!  Anyone who knows me, knows this.  I am not good at waiting for things especially weight loss! I want it to all magically disappear.  But this is where I have to be realistic about it all and know that it isn't just going to disappear overnight.  It is all about the baby steps and setting small goals.  Yesterday was a very time consuming, but productive day.  I was able to get the package of pork loins from Costco put into separate vacuum seal bags (something I usually forget to do and end up having 2 pork loins to cook at once), made some homemade soup (which was excellent), packaged fresh veggies into individual packages (which makes it easier to pack hubbies lunches in the morning), chopped a bunch of mini peppers for salad toppings (which was more time consuming than I had originally thought it would be), I made some eggs for hubby's breakfasts in the morning (great Pinterest idea that I incorporated "me" into), not to mention the household chores of laundry and dishes (which really are no fun to talk about, LOL).  Even if it doesn't "look" like it was a lot, it was a huge accomplishment because they are all things that will help me with  my weight loss goal.  So this is a small baby step, but I am headed in the right direction!

 We bought an elliptical the other day and it's been sitting in the garage in the box since because there was no way I was going to be able to help hubby get it up the stairs!  That baby is HEAVY!!  Brother in law was able to come by last night to help get it up the stairs and hubby started putting it together.  He will finish that project tonight sometime (or perhaps I shall work on it during the day). I am so excited to start incorporating that into my daily routines!!  This is another baby step in the right direction!

Baby steps are fairly easy to accomplish and they make you feel great in the end!  (Not to mention because they are small goals you get to accomplish many of them, so you feel that the reward is even greater!)

Make baby steps your goal today and see how rewarded you feel!  It works for those of us that aren't that patient, too!

This is the year!

This will be the year that I am successful with my weight loss journey!  There will be no more excuses!  I am one of "those" people who have started Weight Watchers many times, and as I see the success happening, I quit being so diligent about my journaling and then I begin to slack on what I eat and before you know it I am right back where I began.  NOT this time!  I am determined that this will be my successful year!  I need to be healthy for my kids and my weight right now is VERY unhealthy!  I am blessed to have a supportive husband who will be making this journey with me.  Not to mention that one of my girlfriends and I have a little side competition going on.  We will see who loses more by Valentine's Day.  Now mind you this competition started a month ago, and since it has started she's lost weight where I have gained weight.  So it's not looking so good for me right now.  But I do have a month and a half to catch up and pass her!  :)  That is the short term goal.

Last night was a bit of a challenge.  My daughter's 20th birthday was the other day and so it's been a tradition since they were little that they get to pick the restaurant we go to for dinner.  Well she had to work on her birthday so we went last night.  Thank goodness she picked Applebee's!  They have Weight Watcher friendly meals!  So I devised a plan and looked up their nutritional info and had my meal picked out before we even got there.  I am proud to say that I stuck to my plan and did not even look at the menu!  We usually drink water when we go out to dinner because let's face it, the price of a soda at a restaurant in insane!  So by the time I came home I still had enough points left over for the day that I was able to have 2 glasses of wine!  I know those are empty calories, but it was good and I was darn proud of myself!

Today is Day 2 and I know it's going to be great!

As I began my weight loss journey and thinking of my blog I have decided to change the focus a little bit, along with the title.  I will still be focusing on life and family, but there will be more focus on weight loss then I had originally thought. :)  Are we ready to do this?!