Meal Planning

Dinner the other night was a hit!  It's amazing how something so simple can be such a huge hit!  We had taco salad last night, a very basic taco salad.  Little man had 2 bowls!  He didn't eat the tortilla, but I won't complain!  Hubby & I love those taco salad bowl pans!  I used them to bake up the entire package of tortillas that I had so that today for lunch it will be a quick and easy throw together.

I find that I am more successful when I have a plan.  All the way down to my workout plan.  Each week I sit down and make a menu for the week and base my grocery list on that menu.  It's the best thing I could have possibly done for my family.  I even assign each meal to a day so that there is no question what we will be eating.  In return it's easier to not go out to eat.  Do you create a meal plan?  Do you find that you struggle to create a meal plan?  

Another thing I have found is that I have more fun trying to lose weight and exercising when I have a buddy or something on the line.  My friend Cheri and I have a small competition to see who can lose the biggest percentage of weight.  Our deadline was originally Valentine's Day, but now it's sometime in the fall. :)  It really doesn't matter what the end date is (until we get closer to our goal weights) because what does matter is that we are there for each other and pushing and motivating each other.  My friend Shannon had challenged me to doing 10 minutes every day on the elliptical (I've kinda fallen off track).  It's a great motivator to have someone pushing you to do it and knowing that they are doing it too!  Do you have a "workout buddy"?

Beautiful Day

It feels like Spring might actually be here finally!  I have had the windows open to let in some fresh air.  I think about 1/2 our driveway is finally clear of snow and ice!  We went outside to let hubby walk around the cul de sac a little bit while little man got to ride his scooter.  It was good for them both to get out in the fresh air.  I can feel Spring itching at me, I was able to get my chairs onto the back deck and put a couple on the front porch as well.  I am thinking of putting one on the balcony outside my bedroom.  It would be so nice to sit out there and drink a cup of coffee in the mornings, but then again it will be in the shade....  Will have to think this one through a bit.  I am also excited to get some flowers planted and hung (our place has many brackets hanging up outside already for planters).

Hubby is doing better today.  He was up moving around more today so that's a good thing.  Every day gets a little bit easier.  We've been up every 4 hours at night, getting him meds and moving around and using the bathroom, etc.  I will be happy for him to feel normal again.  It's been awhile and it's amazing to see him moving around now without the pain he was experiencing before (of course right now he's just got the pain from surgery).

Tonight for dinner is Taco Salad!  My sister was sweet enough to get us those taco bowl pans that you use a tortilla to create your own taco salad bowl.  I love them!  You can have your crunchy taco bowl without the added grease that you get when they are fried.  You simply bake these and surprisingly enough when you bake them it adds a sweet flavor to them as well.  I know it sounds crazy, but it's true!  :)

(picture courtesy of ebay.com)

Speaking of those.... Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner.  Do you have big plans?  Do you usually have a big feast?  Keep in mind if you go out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant that you are better off eating soft tacos because as I stated above the hard shells are fried.  Better yet, go for the fajitas and skip using a tortilla entirely, I love to eat the meat and veggies by them self with a little bit of salsa.  Along with skipping the tortilla, skip on the sour cream as well!  Why drown out the wonderful flavors with sour cream?!  And when you ask for the rice and beans, be sure to skip the refried beans, get pinto or black beans, refried beans are loaded with fat!  Man I'm making myself hungry!  Are you hungry too?!  

Surgery/Recovery and Best Friends

Hubby had his surgery on Thursday and it went well!  I am happy to say that he is feeling much better and the only pain he is experiencing right now is the pain from the surgery.  So far the issues he was having prior to surgery are gone!  Praise God!!  The next few days will be hard but he is doing GREAT!  He was able to make it up the stairs when we came home without any problems.  Today he went up and down the stairs so that is a terrific sign!  They didn't have to cut any of the muscle they just moved them aside.  The nerves that have been pinched all this time are going to take a little time to heal, they have been pretty ticked off for a while.  This was his first surgery and hopefully his last.  Many times I have been the one who was going in for surgery and he was in the waiting room.  This time little man & I got to wait.  He did so well hanging out in the waiting room for 10 hours.  We came prepared though, DVD player, DS, Kindle, iPad, and they had a toy area!  :)

Our good friend Anita, who is like a second mom, was texting and checking in on him all day long.  I could feel the love and concern and it felt wonderful!  (She is hurt and couldn't physically be there with me, but she was there in spirit for sure!)  We can't wait until Lars is healed and we can go use her hot tub!  :)  She is sweet enough to offer the use of it!
Even though the surgery was a day surgery and I knew that it was going to end well, it was reassuring to have one of my best friends (Shannon) there (the other bff (Cheri) lives in Arizona and was texting me before I was even up to go to the hospital).  It's amazing how best friends are connected.  They know when you need them the most, even when you don't know it.  Shannon is as stubborn as me and even though I was telling her all morning that she didn't need to come and that she should worry about her appointments that she had, she made the time to meet us at the hospital and then she came back after her appointments and got her kiddos to school. After we got home she was also stubborn and brought us goodies and a beautiful cactus.

The love and concern that we have felt during this has been great.
If tomorrow is as beautiful as today I think I might have him sit out on the deck for a little while to get some fresh air.  Being cooped up in the house has been the hardest on little man.  He was sick Thursday night so we kept him home on Saturday and I haven't dared to leave Lars home alone because if he moves wrong or falls he will be stuck until I got back home.  So today little man did go outside and play in the yard for a little bit.  Other than that, it's all going great!  We have food from friends and it's delicious! Definitely blessed!

Being less wasteful

Yesterday we spent the day getting hubby ready for surgery Thursday.  It literally took all morning and afternoon.  But surprisingly enough the hospital was very efficient with it.  There were lots of steps and things to be done, but as soon as you were done with one thing they were whisking you on to the next thing.  I was very thankful for that!  Thursday will be a long day.  I will be taking little man with me to the hospital so that I don't have to stress about who's going to get him from school or will I be done in time to get him.  Good thing the hospital has wifi!  We can bring the laptop and watch a movie and he can also work on his IXL (online learning).  Not to mention lots of coffee!  :)  This is where I will be Thursday.  Good thing that coffee stand is right around the corner.

I was reading a blog post about ways to be less wasteful.  I got a few good ideas and some ideas I already do.  Do you use disposable grocery bags or reusable grocery bags?  I have reusable ones, but I do find myself forgetting them sometimes.  Then I feel horrible about it!  I bought my bags at IKEA & Trader Joes and I LOVE them!  The bags I got from IKEA are so darn strong and big!  I use them for everything!  When we go on road trips & even when we go camping.  I recently read a blog post about reusable produce bags.  Now those I have yet to try!  Let alone find them.  I have never seen any, but you know I'll be looking!  The blog also mentioned about using cloth napkins.  I've had some that I've used for "nice dinners" but never thought about using them every day. Why, I have no idea!  It's a great idea!  Less wasteful and save a few bucks, what could be better?!  The article said that bought some...but I have so much fabric I think I might try making some of my own.  I will have to do a little research to figure out what kind of fabric would be best for them.  Any ideas?

I have been doing a lot of cooking lately.  Yesterday I made up some Shepard's Pie, made with moose meat.  (I didn't get a chance to get a picture of it.)  Moose meat has a "gamier" taste but it's delicious.  Have you ever had moose meat?  My family is full of hunters and there is lots of moose meat eaten.

Girls day!

Today was girls day with one of my best friends. We spent our morning shopping. It has been forever since I've gone shopping with a friend. Although I found many pieces of clothing that I liked, I decided not to purchase anything today. My goal is to get into smaller clothes and I currently have several pairs of jeans and capris in my closet just waiting for me to be able to fit into them. I did find the cutest hat for my little man. He loves hats (almost as much as my 17 year old). He seems to be drawn towards fedoras lately. While I was at Burlington I was able to find the "Agent P" hat that he had seen before. It's the cutest hat!



It's amazing how much kids grow! We were visiting with my parents yesterday and my dad was just amazed at how tall my 17 year old is. He thought they were about the same height... LOL. He didn't believe me so he said they needed to stand back to back... Talk about some serious denial! My dad thought my son was standing on a stuffed animal. My 17 year old is 6'3". I think he's the tallest person in our family! He towers over his short mama (I am a whopping 5'). He plans to try out for college basketball this year.



Tomorrow we meet with the Dr. to go over the do's and don'ts for hubby's surgery then off to the hospital to do all the pre-op paperwork. We are now just a few days away and I am praying there will be instant relief for him!

I know that a few weeks ago I was complaining about feeling like I am not doing enough. I think it was the next day or two that things in our lives got chaotic. That was God telling me to be grateful and giving me a gentle reminder that I am where he wants me to be. If I didn't have the time that I do, then I wouldn't be able to do the things for my family that I need to be doing. I have been able to be sure that with everything going on that my family has meals and they aren't eating a quick burger or a bag of chips or whatever their stressed out go to food is. I wouldn't have the time to help a family friend who is in need of our help. There are just so many things that God has put upon me in the last couple of weeks, all of which I welcome. It's amazing how perfect God's timing is, but in the same breath I feel I shouldn't be amazed because its God and he knows the plan and its just completely perfect! (I am not sure that came out the way I wanted, but it's an amazing thing regardless!)

Life gets crazy!

The last 2 weeks have been insane!  It seems life has bit me in the butt again!  I need to just be sure to juggle things correctly so that I have time for my blogging!  It seriously keeps me accountable.  We've had some family members that are sick over the last couple weeks.  Hubby's back just seems to be getting worse.  We finally talked to the Dr. again and convinced them to bump the surgery up a week, so he will be going in on Thursday to get this done.  I know he can't wait to be done.  It's so hard to see him in pain all the time.  (Only plus side is I don't have to share my bottle of wine with him...he can't have any with the pain pills..lol)  Thank you to those of you who sent me messages to check up on me!

Next weekend is my first scheduled run.  I am nervous because I have not been training for it at all!  So it will probably be a run/walk combo!  Both of my sisters will be doing it as well.  My sister created our team name...  "Twisted Sisters" LOL!  Love it!!  I am thinking of trying to get some t-shirts made up for it!  I think it would be great to have a memento from my very first official run (even if I walk most of it!).

Today was another visit to Acai Alaska.  My 17 year old son hadn't been there and neither had my brother in law, so we had to take the "newbies" for a visit!  They enjoyed their Acai Bowls, and heck it was a great reason for me to go and get a "fix" (along with my sister and my hubby, because they are hooked too!).

Whooaaa is me.... & Greek Salad!

I am driving myself crazy!  I really have to focus more on my praying to the Lord to help me every day.  I like to be busy and since we've moved my life has become almost stagnant.  The weather lately isn't helping any at all.  It's done nothing but snow.  I  know that I have to get my mind set right and I am just struggling.  What do you do to help you get through a winter that just won't seem to go away?  When we lived in Spokane I was a SAHM (stay at home mom), ran my own business, President of my MOMS Club, Event Coordinator for a local non-profit, Meal Co-ordinator for our Church and not to mention being a wife and just every day life with field trips and PTSA meetings & volunteering in my son's class. That was a typical day for me...finding the time to get all of that done along with housework, cooking, dogs, etc.  Now...  I don't do any of those things.  I feel like I've gone from 1,000/hour to stop.  There were days that were stressful but I love it.  I know I can't expect to be as busy as I was there, after all it did take me time to get there, but something would be good.
I have started my own event planning business here (just starting it) but I am finding the normal networking that I am used to just isn't the same here.  So what worked in Spokane isn't working here.
I looked for another MOMS Club here and there is one that is just being started, but the lady isn't so good at responding. So I started my own Moms Group, which has picked up in conversation today so that's a plus.
We are still in the process of finding a church that we feel is "home".  I signed up to be on the PTA here, but have yet to hear back.
Perhaps you can start to see/feel my frustrations.  I have my family here and that's great, but it doesn't keep me busy.
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Ok enough of my whining!
Hubby's surgery is scheduled for May 1st.  I pray that when all is said and done he feels like a new man.  I know it's been hard on him (not only physically) but mentally as well.  He can't really do anything physical at all.  He lucked out not having to shovel this year.  LOL!
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There is a restaurant here in Anchorage, Guidos and this is their Greek Salad.  Now if you live here in Anchorage and have never had one of these salads, then you truly do NOT know what you are missing out on!  (Their pizza is pretty darn good too!)  The in house made dressing is what (in my opinion) totally makes this salad!  Stop by and try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Foods and allergies related?

I have had many conversations with several friends regarding opinions about foods, preservatives and allergies being related.  I don't know about you but the amount of people who are now allergic to things seems to have sky rocketed over the years!  10 years ago you didn't hear about people being Gluten Free.  Now it's seems to be the latest "fad".  And please do not read that wrong, it is not meant to be disrespectful to anyone who is Gluten Free.  I do believe that the allergies exist, but why all of a sudden are they existing?  Is it because technology has improved?  Possibly.  Is it because we are filling our bodies with TONS of processed crap?  Probably!  It could be a combination of both, but lets face it; did our Grandparents have to worry about the amount of processed foods they were eating?  I don't know about yours, but I know that my Grandmother canned her own food, made her own jellies and eating out was something that was done once in a blue moon.  Now a days it seems like there's a restaurant or fast food joint on every corner.  People wonder why or how obesity can be so dominant in our society.  I read an article on Facebook about "scary food additives".  It made me start thinking about the foods that we have been eating.  It's scary to think about what we put into our bodies.  Needless to say we will be eating more organic foods and I will be reading labels closer than I was before.  Not only will I be looking at the calories and fat but I will be looking at all the ingredients as well.  If there are more than 5 ingredients and words that I can't pronounce then I won't be buying it, let alone eating it.
Below are a few articles that you might find interesting about the different artificial additives that you can find in your foods.  It's hard to determine what articles are accurate, but after reading a few of them quite a bit of the information is the same from article to article.  I am just your average person who has done a little bit of research.

I have many opinions about the foods that are considered "ok" by our FDA....  but for now I will keep those opinions to myself.  I do think that we need to educate ourselves and not just accept what we are told or made to believe.
(Remember I am not a Dr. or a nurse and that all of this is my opinion.)

Do research and think for yourself!  Here's to reading labels!

http://fooddemocracy.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/the-dirty-dozen-12-foodsfood-additives-to-avoid-and-why/

 http://www.livestrong.com/article/370945-health-effects-of-yellow-5-food-coloring/

http://www.cspinet.org/olestra/11cons.html

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Winter is still lingering....  Here's pictures from today!  Hopefully it's sunny where ever you are, and think of me! :)
The first picture is when the snow started this morning, the 2nd picture is 4 hours later and the 3rd picture is while we were out and about.  Hard to believe that most of the roads were totally clear yesterday!  (Mother Nature is playing cruel cruel jokes!)

Salsa Anyone?

I had about 15 jalapenos that needed to be used or they were getting tossed!  So yesterday I spent some time chopping and dicing veggies & fruit.  I made some fresh Mango Salsa & Pico de Gallo.  I did not use a recipe in making either of these, it was just a throw it in and call it good (I have used a recipe for Pico de Gallo before ~ so I did have an idea).  I must say that the Mango Salsa is KILLER!  My Pico was ok, not earth shattering but not horrible.  I think I added too much cilantro to mine, I added the tomatoes last so I didn't realize that I didn't have enough of them until it was all said and done.  I don't think they were the best tomatoes either, they were firm and felt great on the outside but one you cut into them they weren't very juicy.  Ahhhh well, guess we can't win them all.  Here are the recipes; after you make them feel free to play with it a little and expand!  I would love to hear what changes you made, good or bad.

Mango Salsa
2 mangos, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
4 jalapenos, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (fresh, not dried)
2 tbsp lime juice

Chop ingredients toss together in a bowl and splash on lime juice.  Enjoy!
*Note, I do not recommend using the Tostitos Thin & Crispy tortillas (they do taste delicious) but they break every time you scoop!

Pico de Gallo (with less cilantro than I used and more tomato) :)
8 roma tomatoes diced
1/2 red onion, diced
6 jalapenos, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (fresh, not dried)
2-4 tbsp lime juice (or more to taste)
course sea salt

Chop ingredients and toss together in a bowl splash on lime juice and grate fresh course sea salt (1/2 tsp roughly more or less to your taste).  Enjoy!

Tonight we are headed to and Aces Hockey game.  They are in the Kelly Cup Playoffs and my little man is a huge hockey fan!  It will be a fun night for sure! And tomorrow is 50% off Acai Bowls at our newest found craving spot! (Acai Alaska) so you know where you can find me at some point tomorrow!

Spring?

As I look out my sliding glass doors I see an abyss of white.  However, when you look out of our bedroom window at the street below you can actually see pavement!  What a promising sight that is!!  I am ready for winter to be over!  I am not a winter, snow, ice, or cold person, I like the heat and sun!  Yes I do realize I live in the wrong state for the weather that I prefer, but I can't seem to get my family to move out of this frozen *&%$.  So until my youngest graduates from high school this is where we are.  Which is going to mean LOTS of vacations for mommy!  :)  I must say the snow is melting rather nicely though.  Hopefully it continues and there are no more snow showers in the future.  (Here's to hoping.)

A couple of years ago I came across Rocco Dispirito's cookbooks at Costco.  I LOVE his cookbooks!  It's amazing the fat and calories he cuts from regular recipes with simple modifications.  The other night I made the Jambalaya and it was DELISH!  For those of you who have not seen his cookbooks, I suggest you find one!

Jambalaya
4 servings

1 medium onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper (I used yellow, didn't have green)
1 c. low fat, low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
3/4 c long grain brown rice
salt
4 oz. andouille sausage, sliced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
12 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat.  When the pot is hot, spray it with cooking spray and add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper.  Saute the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they are almost tender, about 4 minutes.  Then add the chicken broth, smoked paprika, and rice.  Season to taste with salt.  Cover and bring the mixture to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 25 minutes.  Stir in the sausage and tomatoes.  Cover, and continue to simmer until the rice is tender, about 30 minutes.  Season the shrimp with salt, and stir it into the rice mixture.  Cover, and continue to cook until the shrimp is cooked through and the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat, and let the jambalaya rest for 5 minutes.  Then fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Fat before: 34g
Fat after: 10.1g
Calories before: 636
Calories after: 340

*Recipe courtesy of "Now eat This" by Rocco Dispirito

Enjoy the recipe!  We all did (with the exception of removing the shrimp from Little Man's bowl...but that just meant more for me, right?) :)

Back to Reality

The month of March was just plain CRAZY!  Every time I turned around I got distracted my life in general.  So many things have happened in the last few weeks.  The biggest thing: Hubby is going to have to go in for surgery.  He has a ruptured disc and they have to remove the ruptured part of the disc.  We have been going to Dr. appointment after Dr. appointment.  The first Dr. had us coming in for different appointments with different nurses before we even got to meet with the Dr. himself.  Needless to say we weren't thrilled, and will be even less thrilled when we get the outrageous bills from his office.  We won't be using that Dr. or that office for the surgery or anything else.  Morale of that story: Always go with your gut feeling about a Dr. It's your body and you don't have to use them just because you were referred to them.  Get a 2nd opinion when it comes to surgeries (especially if you have a bad feeling).  We got a 2nd opinion and it was 1 meeting with a nurse, an assistant a Dr. all in one meeting, IMAGINE THAT!  And we really like them.  Now we wait for them to call us with the surgery date.  Hopefully it will be here in the next week or so, hubby has been miserable for the last 8 months.  I will keep you posted!

Exciting news for me: I have ordered P90X.  I have heard so many good things about the workout!  Hopefully I will be able to keep up and it won't kill me!!!  (Say a prayer for me.)  I will be starting the workout in the next couple days.  I have to get my body back on track!  (my mind as well for that matter).  It's amazing how easily we get distracted by life.

My little man has just started T-ball at school.  He will be starting Little League in May and then soccer.  Busy schedule here we come!  I have to get into a routine before things get crazy!

Not to mention I have started up an Event Planning business.  I love planning parties!  I did event planning in Spokane when we were there and it was a blast.  I recently planned and executed my Mom's birthday party.  It was a hit and turned out well.  She was surprised and it just made me want to do it more!

Ok folks, sorry for the absence in posts but I am back and focused!  Today was a re-cap of events.  Tomorrow I will have a yummy recipe for you all!

~Kari