A BIG Thank You!

This past Sunday was the March of Dimes March for Babies.  I was part of an AMAZING team, Team MoYo.  We had a total of 24 registered walkers but our team is made up of mommies in our playgroup.  That group has 60 some members and I would be willing to bet that each and every member has done something to help contribute.  We raised a total of $7214.00.  The Husband and I together raised $330.00.  My personal goal was $150.  We more than doubled it.  Thank you so much to every single one of you who helped me meet and exceed my goal.  We blew away last year's numbers as MoYo raised about $3000 last year.  I am so very proud to have walked with this amazing group of ladies for this wonderful cause. 

Go team MoYo!

Our family did the walk together.  K-Girl made it about half to 3/4 of a lap before she was tired and ended up in the stroller.  That evicted E-Man and sent him to the carrier on my back.  It was a WARM day...ok it was HOT.  E-Man ended up crashing for at least half of the walk.  I think K-Girl's legs are a little too long for the stroller anymore.  haha 

The Sisterhood Weekly Weigh-In #1

So it's been a week since I started shredding with the sisterhood. It's been a hard week, but I must say that there is a huge sense of accomplishment for me. When I started out last week I thought I would die each time I struggled through the workout. I could not hang in there with the push ups. The first cardio circuit of jumping jacks and jump rope made me hurt so bad. And the last strength circuit of the side lunges with the raises...well they still make me want to cry.

I was barely keeping up with the girl doing the modified versions of the exercises with 3 lb weights at the beginning of the week. This week I am able to do push ups for the entire time, keep up with the other chick doing the complete exercises, and I have raised all the weights to 5 lbs save for that side lunges & raises. I feel a difference. It definitely still hurts, but I'm able to keep up and that gives me a definite sense of satisfaction.

My starting measurements can be found HERE. This week I'm...

• weight - 158.0 (+0.4)


• bust - 35 1/2 (- 1/2")
  


• waist - 37 (- 1")
  


• hips - 39 1/2" (- 1")
  


• bmi - 24.7 (Normal weight = 18.5-24.9) (no change)
  

I'm a little annoyed with the weight as I actually gained a partial pound, but the fact that I have actually lost 2 1/2 inches in a week is amazing. And they say muscle weighs more than fat, so I'll take it. I just hope maybe next week the weight will go down just a bit. We all know that number makes it just feel better.

I have completed day 8 of shredding. I have 2 more days to go and then I will move on to Level 2 for the next 10 days at least. I'm hoping I can move to Level 3 at day 21, but we'll see if I can when we get there. Because if I am being quite honest, moving to Level 2 is a bit terrifying. I don't like it when she hurts me. ;)

I have not been eating so great, but I have been working on my portion control. Last night we went to the pizza buffet and I was proud of myself. I wanted to get another plate of pizza, but I was full so I stopped. It's a little step, but I think it matters. I need to work a little harder on that front.

Until next week...

Tofu Tuesday #7

Brought to you by...
Kaci@Ellyphant & Kelli@Gohn Crazy

Tofu Tuesday is the place to share all of your vegetarian secrets. If you have a great recipe to share, a product to rave or rant about, or anything that has made being a vegetarian easier for you please share it. (And vegans, please jump in too!!) Feel free to grab the little button over there to the right. After you post come back here and link up down there with Mr. Linky. Make sure to link to your Tofu Tuesday post and not to your main blog address. I'm looking forward to reading all your posts!

Credit for this recipe goes to my friend Devon. We trade meals every week between our two families and this is what she made this past week. Unfortunately I don't have a picture. I'm sorry. When I make this next time I'll have to try to remember to get a picture to share. But I mean it's an enchilada. You'll get the idea.

You can find this recipe posted HERE, but here's the copy and paste...

Mom's Chicken Enchiladas

From Eating for Life, Page 114
65 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

4 portions chicken breast (about 1 lb) - She used Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets for one pan of them and regular chicken in the other. I obviously ate the chik'n and my husband had some of each and said he's actually preferring the fake stuff these days. (Yay hubby!) 4 green onions, sliced 2T fresh cilantro chopped 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional) 3 cans (10 oz. each) green enchilada sauce 8 corn tortillas 1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded 2 cups lettuce, shredded 1/2 cup salsa 1/2 cup light sour cream 1 tomato, diced 1 can (2 oz) ripe olives, sliced (in the name of making all parties happy she left out the lettuce, tomato, and olives fwiw)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Place chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over hight heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Shred chicken by pulling apart with 2 forks; set aside.
3. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add green onion, cilantro and jalapeno; saute for 2 mintues. Add shredded chicken and 1 can of enchilada sauce. Cook stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
4. Pour the 2 remaining cans of enchilada sauce in a medium bowl and microwave until warm, about 2 minutes. Dip each tortilla in the heated sauce and fill with about 1/8 of the chicken mixture. Roll up and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.
5. Pour remaining heated sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until enchiladas are heated trhough and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
6. Divide lettuce onto four plates and place a portion of enchiladas on top. Top with a spoonful of salsa, a dollop of sour cream, tomatoes and olives. Serve and enjoy.

Number of Servings: 4

Delicious! Just the perfect amount of heat. My kids aren't a fan of spice so I think when I make this for The Husband and I, I will make them cheese quesadillas instead. She served them with a side of corn bread which was a PERFECT compliment. Yum.

The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans

I don't know exactly where, but I ran across a link to The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans a few weeks ago and I decided that I needed to participate.  I'm a little late, but better late than never, right?!  They are all doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video together for the challenge.  I ordered my video, it arrived, and now it's time I get myself into this. 

Since weigh-in day with the sisterhood is on Wednesdays I thought Tuesday sounded like a good day to start.  Yesterday was my first day.  It was intense.  It started off all innocent enough, but by the end I was panting and praying for the end to come quickly.  The awesome thing though is that it's only about 20 minutes so I mean really you can survive through 20 minutes.  I felt like complete jello after I was done and my hands were shaking so much that typing was not an easy task.  But I started and I'm heading towards a smaller me. 

I got before pictures today (because visual progress reminders are nice), but they weren't that good.  Not the easiest of tasks when you're on your own.  And the outfit has too much room in it, but it will do for now.

And my official starting measurements come in at...

• weight - 157.6


• bust - 36


• waist - 38


• hips - 40.5


• bmi - 24.7 (Normal weight = 18.5-24.9)

Not a great set of numbers, granted not terrible either though for me.  I'm happy to be starting out less than 160 as I did last time.  But still too close to be too happy about it either.  I'm starting with the shred and I'm easing into healthier eating.  I'm starting small with just watching my snacking and sweets.  As I get into routine with the exercising then I will focus even more at what I'm eating.  I've gone the weight watchers route before and I just don't want to have to count points.  I can.  But I don't want to.  I want to eat better without keeping track of every piece of everything going into my mouth.  If I don't do well on my own I always have that to fall back on. 

My goal is to be weighing in between 140 - 145 which would make my bmi 21.9 - 22.7 and I think that's a very healthy and comfortable place for my body to be at.  So anyway, here's to week one.  I'll see you next Wednesday with a progress report.  May my shoulders, back, and chest hurt less by then.  

Tofu Tuesday #6

Brought to you by...
Kaci@Ellyphant & Kelli@Gohn Crazy

Tofu Tuesday is the place to share all of your vegetarian secrets. If you have a great recipe to share, a product to rave or rant about, or anything that has made being a vegetarian easier for you please share it. (And vegans, please jump in too!!) Feel free to grab the little button over there to the right. After you post come back here and link up down there with Mr. Linky. Make sure to link to your Tofu Tuesday post and not to your main blog address. I'm looking forward to reading all your posts!

Pasta Fagiole
serves 4



2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
4 c chicken broth - obviously isn't vegetarian so I decided to used Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth instead
1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes, with Italian seasoning
1 (19 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 T chopped fresh basil
6 oz tubetti or ditalini pasta
2 T freshly grated Parmesan

Heat 1 T oil in 3-qt saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sir in broth and tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil, braking up tomatoes with a fork.

Add beans, pasta, 2 T basil, and Parmesan and boil, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente. (Check pasta box for suggested time). Let stand 5 minutes, before serving. (Pasta will continue to absorb liquid. ) Stir in remaining tablespoon basil and pepper to taste.

Drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil and serve immediately.

A friend of mine shared this recipe with me along with the black bean burgers that I have previously shared. Her suggestion to me was that I make sure to use fresh Parmesan cheese and two cloves of garlic rather than one. I'm not a big garlic fan, but I followed her recommendations and it was delicious. I even got a "num num" from E-Man. I'll definitely be making this again. I also think that this would taste really good with some fresh vegetables in it. I'm definitely going to try some zucchini in it as I think it would complement it perfectly. She also told me I could use vegetable broth instead of chicken, but I wanted to get the taste closest to the actual recipe as possible for the first try. The no-chicken broth that I used was great. No complaints at all. I do think it would be just fine using vegetable broth as well. It's one of those recipes you can definitely play with to make different variations.

Enjoy!

Call me a hypocrite too

image from StepenieMeyer.com

Yeah I finally gave in and I'm no longer poking fun at all of you. 

I guess I'm not only judgmental, but I'm also a hypocrite too.  Geeez.  But you still like me right?

A friend of mine has the series and had been on me a while for the fact that I was resisting reading them.  You see, I'm not a fan of things when they get this huge cult-like following - Harry Potter for one.  Although I will NOT be reading Harry Potter any time soon.  Twilight just had too much buzz and that put me off.  Seriously how could it be that good. 

Insert foot in mouth. 

Alright I get it.  I understand. 

After my friend gave me the first book I still was resisting reading it.  It wasn't until she casually told another friend that after I was done with it that she could borrow it that I thought well shoot now I have to read the darn thing.  So I did.  I had read maybe a chapter previous to her saying it and I was unimpressed.  Well after I picked it up I got to about chapter three and was hooked.  HOOKED.  I finished it in about 4 days and was back to trade her for the second book, New Moon.  I just finished that in three day's time and I'm onto Eclipse now.  I'm already halfway through it after only starting it last night after finishing New Moon.  GEEZ.  It's going by too quickly now though  I'm sad that I'm over halfway completed with the series. 

No other book has ever made me cry that I can think of at least.  I know that no other book has done it to me by chapter three.  I'm hopeless.  I'm not going to breech the movie until I've finished all of the books though.  I don't want it to play on how I am portraying the characters in my mind.  That and I have heard that the movie is a let-down compared to the books as most movies based on books are.  We'll see. 

I just wanted to just issue a formal apology for secretly laughing at you all.  There.  A clearer conscience.  I'm going back to reading now. 

Tofu Tuesday #5

Brought to you by...
Kaci@Ellyphant & Kelli@Gohn Crazy

Tofu Tuesday is the place to share all of your vegetarian secrets. If you have a great recipe to share, a product to rave or rant about, or anything that has made being a vegetarian easier for you please share it. (And vegans, please jump in too!!) Feel free to grab the little button over there to the right. After you post come back here and link up down there with Mr. Linky. Make sure to link to your Tofu Tuesday post and not to your main blog address. I'm looking forward to reading all your posts!

This week I'm sharing with you a recipe for DIY Fettucine Alfredo. You can follow the link to the original recipe on The Veggie Table. I made this last week and I must say - I'm so happy with it.

Recipe: Alfredo Sauce

A rich and creamy Italian sauce, usually served over fettucine. It's also delectable in spinach lasagna and with ravioli.

Yield	about 1½ c
Time	15 minutes
Tools	saucepan whisk
Ingredients	2 T butter 2 c heavy (whipping) cream ¼ c parmesan cheese, grated 1 t nutmeg salt
Directions	Melt the butter over medium-high heat, add the cream, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium. Add cheese, nutmeg, and a dash of salt and boil, whisking frequently, until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste. If you don't notice a hint of sweetness, add another dash of nutmeg. Pour over cooked pasta, sprinkle with pepper and parsley, and serve hot.
Notes	If you're making fettucine Alfredo, this is enough sauce for about 8 oz (½ a pound) of pasta. The key to excellent Alfredo sauce is in the ingredients. Because this recipe is so simple, you need to use the very best cream and freshly-grated, high-quality parmesan cheese. If you're worried about calories, you can use ½ and ½ or milk along with a T or two of flour instead of the cream, but the taste and consistency of the sauce will suffer for it. Variation: add peas and/or mushrooms.

It's delicious. The only thing I have to say about the recipe is that salt and pepper was a must. It brought out all the flavor. I would add more cheese next time. Yummy though!

National Geographic

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

For suburbia we sure have a lot of wildlife around here.  These are my favorite neighbors right now (especially since they don't drive Hummers).

These are red-tailed hawks (I think).  They have nested in one of our big trees in the back yard.  It's neat to have them around.  There's a larger one and a smaller one - I'm guessing the male and female.  They are typically somewhere close.  The one day one of them was actually sitting on our swing set right out back. 

Other than our hawk friends we currently have a huge groundhog living under our back-side neighbor's pool, but he stays to himself so isn't a big deal.  Roomies with the groundhog is a racoon, at least I guess that's where they both live.  Racoon is a pain in the butt as our dog, Molly, just wants to go out and play...or possibly eat it.  ;)  It was down on our porch the other night.  Luckily he seems to run away or stay at a safe distance as soon as we are around.  Add to that our plentiful squirrels and bunnies and it's like Wild America in our back yard. 

Sneak Peek

Did I mention that we're redecorating the 4th bedroom?  It's currently a catch-all, but it's intention is a craft room.  It's the first room that we are on our second redo.  We're working hard at putting the room together, clearing out the clutter, and making it pretty and useful too.  It's not finished, but hopefully will be in the next week or two.  But here's a sneak peek in the mean time...

Are you curious?  Make sure to check back to see the full reveal, or maybe another glimpse after a bit more work. 

Also while you wait, I'd love to hear what you would most like to have in your ideal craft room.  I sew, crochet, and scrapbook so if you have any ideas geared towards those even better. 

Tofu Tuesday #4

Brought to you by...
Kaci@Ellyphant & Kelli@Gohn Crazy

Tofu Tuesday is the place to share all of your vegetarian secrets. If you have a great recipe to share, a product to rave or rant about, or anything that has made being a vegetarian easier for you please share it. (And vegans, please jump in too!!) Feel free to grab the little button over there to the right. After you post come back here and link up down there with Mr. Linky. Make sure to link to your Tofu Tuesday post and not to your main blog address. I'm looking forward to reading all your posts!

This is a special week for me. Monday the 6th is my one month anniversary. I have eaten vegetarian for one month. Yay! I am so excited because quite honestly I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do this, and I'm seeing that it is not that hard. There's a lot of great alternatives to make the switch quite easy for even picky people.

So this week I'm sharing a recipe with you again. A friend of mine sent me this recipe and we tried it tonight. It's pretty yummy.

Black Bean Burgers
-adapted from Cooking Light

Burgers:
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 large egg

Place beans in a bowl; partially mash leaving some beans whole for texture. Stir in remaining ingredients (breadcrumbs through egg). Divide into six equal portions, shaping each into a patty.
Can be cooked on the grill (use a grill rack), George Forman grill, or on the stove top.

Relish:
2/3 c finely chopped peeled cucumber
1/2 c finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 c finely chopped sweet onion
1 T lime juice
1 T honey
1 tsp fresh dill (or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried)
pinch of salt, dash of ground red pepper

The original recipe recommends eating this with a little mayo and the relish on whole wheat buns. The Husband ate it as recommended and he said it was really good. I ate it with the relish but I'm not a mayo fan so I skipped that. The relish got to be a little much for super picky me, but I enjoyed the burger. The kids, eh not so much, but by this time you should be getting that they don't eat much anyway so no surprise there. I'd make them again. One thing that I noticed is that typically my husband and I can eat two hamburgers, but we both struggled to eat one of these. They are very filling.

I hope you enjoy them!

Guilt by association

Doesn't it just figure that right after I get done talking about these, this happens?! 

I'm looking out the front window and notice this yellow Hummer coming up the road.  I say something to The Husband about, doesn't it just figure it's a yellow one (they're my favorite after all).  It then turns down our street and into the neighbor's driveway.  I just had to take the picture.  I'll try not to judge my neighbors based on their friends.  ;)

What were they thinking?!

Last night we went grocery shopping. 

As we were leaving there was a taxi waiting.  In the back was a man holding a small child about a year or so old.  Next to him sat another small child maybe 3 at the most.  The woman was loading groceries into the trunk.  She closed the trunk, got in on the other side in the back, and the taxi left.  There were no car seats to be seen.  I kept waiting for her to get them out of the trunk or something.  But she didn't.

I was floored. 

FLOORED!

It is one thing to see someone taking children in their own car without a car seat.  It's bad enough then and it makes me so mad.  But to see this in a taxi?!  Shouldn't the driver be responsible enough not to allow children in the cab without car seats?! 

I cannot get over it.  I ranted as I was strapping E-Man into his car seat.  And then I wished I would have looked closer at the taxi to see what company they worked for so that I could call and complain or something...anything.  

I admit, I'm judgemental

This post has rolled around in my mind for a LONG time, but for one reason or another I never actually create it.  Maybe it's because by posting this I am admitting something negative.  I can be a bit judgmental.  Now really, who isn't sometimes?!  But there, it's out.  I admit.  One of the biggest things I judge is what car you drive.  Now I'm not a snob.  9 out of 10 cars don't bother me.  Alright maybe 7 out of 10.  ;) 

The highest offender on my list? 

*drum roll please*

image credit: Hummer Guy

You were surprised weren't you?  ;) 

I HATE Hummers.  I immediately pass judgment on their drivers too.  Seriously, what statement are you making other than I'm better than you or look at me, ME, ME, ME. 

At the top of my hatred of all Hummers are the yellow ones.  They are just obnoxious and scream for attention more than any of the others, in my humble opinion. 

I have also passed one Hummer around here which is one of the H2 beasts with a roof rack.  A ROOF RACK!?!  Yesterday I passed that one again.  It looks so funny.  Roof racks on normal cars take up a large portion of the roof.  On this beast it took less than half the roof.  But seriously, if there is one thing that these monstrosities should have it's storage.  Who needs a roof rack on a Hummer H2?!  I tried getting a picture but again we were at a stop light on opposite sides and I couldn't manage it without crossing the line of being unsafe. 

I think in total I passed 5 of these yesterday and one on the way home from dropping K-Girl at preschool this morning.  Why so many people choose to drive these is beyond me.  How so many people can afford to fill them with gas to be driving them is also beyond me.  I'm not asking that you trade your H2 in for a Prius, but come on are you serious?  Oh and just because you drive an H3 doesn't mean I think much more of you. 

Next on my list is...

image credit: rawautos.com

Muscle cars.  Now this one must come with a stipulation.  I don't think less of you just for driving a muscle car UNLESS you drive it like a teenage boy that just got their license and wants to impress his buddies.  If you do this I will roll my eyes and typically mutter an insult under my breath.  Sorry but my hearing is more important than your stupid flashy car and when you cut me off I fantasize about rear-ending your stupid car (if my children weren't in the backseat). 

I believe it was last year or the year before we were at Rita's and this idiot in a muscle car of some sort drives by and it was so loud it HURT.  It terrified my daughter.  Why is this necessary?  I am pretty sure that more people wonder what you are compensating for rather than, wow that guy is cool. 

image credit: gtplanet.net

And what is worse than muscle cars is a wanna be muscle car.  If you do a car up nicely and tastefully I am all for it, but there are way too many cars out there that it seems like they take off the muffler, put a huge wing on the back and want to race.  I absolutely hate these cars.  9 out of 10 times I believe that the car straight out of the dealership would look MUCH better than what work you had done to it.  And if you make it loud, you better do it right.  And please people, stop doing these injustices to Volkswagens.  It's just not right. 

image credit: Thoroughbred Diesel

This picture should speak for itself, but WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?  Number one, if you have a big honkin' truck you should NEED a big honkin' truck.  You should have something to haul or tow or something that requires it.  Next, pollution is not cool no matter how much better it makes you feel about yourself. 

Other than that I swear whatever you drive is most likely fine by me.  Just whatever you drive, don't be stupid.  Use your turn signals when you plan on turning your car.  They aren't there just to add another little gadget to look perty.