Friday, January 31, 2014

Why I love Young Living Essential Oils

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Where has the time gone? AKA my poor neglected blog.

Januaray? REALLY that was my last blog post? Geez I didn't know I fell off the wagon that long ago.

OK back to now. SHRINKVIVOR! Yes I needed a kick in the butt to get moving again. Weighed in today at 167.8 I am ashamed at the weight I have gained back, but when I see how long it has been since I blogged about it then it starts to make sense. So time to get back in action.

My plan.
1. Gym everyday (except Tuesdays) after work with a co-worker. Keeps me accountable and she pushed me to do an extra 5 min on the elliptical today it can only get better if we work as a team.

2. Take lunch to eat before going to the gym. I can eat when my kids have lunch, that way I am fueled up and ready to go.

3. WATER goes with me everyday to work.

4. Skip the snacks after 8. It is probably my biggest downfall. But I know that once I get a better routine I can miss that snack much easier that I am doing now.

My goal for this Shrinkvivor that ends in November is to lose at least 15 lbs. That seems like a hefty goal but I know it can be done and I need to get below were I was when I feel off the wagon.

Heave HOE!!!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Easy WINNER Dinner or Lunch

I have been letting the girls plan our menu for dinner this week and for tonight they wrote down chicken and raw carrots. To me that didn't sound so appetizing so I had to find a way to make it work. Then I remembered a recipe that is in one of our kids cookbooks "Finger Lickin' Chicken Salad" and I figured I hoped I could just add the carrots to the mix and it would be ok. Well I am so stinking happy they LOVED IT! Even Little G (doesn't that sound gangster) ate it all. R is taking it as leftovers in her lunch tomorrow and S said she would like me to make it for their lunches sometimes. (WE are always trying to come up w/ something different for lunch boxes).

I bought some beets today and usually I cut off the tops and pitch them because I either keep them in the fridge too long or I just don't know what to do w/ them. So tonight I decided I should try cooking them and found this recipe Beet Greens. These were perfect for me, a little sweet and a little spice (although I think I got a bit carried away w/ the spice on accident). I won't be throwing away beet greens anymore and I may just have to try collards this way. At first I wasn't too excited about the bacon grease but it was just one tablespoon and it really does add flavor (oh and I had some I saved from our last bacon meal). And knowing that the rest of dinner wasn't going to be heavy in fat I decided it was ok.

Finger Lickin' Chicken Salad (remember this recipe is for one serving adjust accordingly)
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup diced roasted skinless chicken ( i just baked some boneless skinless breast)
1/2 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces (we also added carrots)
1/4 cup drained mandarin orange segments
1/4 cup red seedless grapes
2 tablespoons fat-free, sugar-free lemon yogurt
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

PREPARATION:

1. Toss together chicken, celery, oranges and grapes in plastic container; cover.
2. For dipping sauce, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, soy sauce and pumpkin pie spice in small bowl. Place in small plastic container; cover.
3. Pack chicken mixture and dipping sauce in insulated bag with ice pack. To serve, dip chicken mixture into dipping sauce.


Beet Greens

Ingredients

* 1 pound beet greens
* 1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (or a tablespoon of bacon fat)
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 1 large garlic clove, minced
* 3/4 cup of water
* 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/6 cup of cider vinegar

Method

1 Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

2 In a large skillet or 3-qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat (or heat 1 Tbsp of bacon fat). Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil.

3 Add the beet greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar. (For kale or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.)

Monday, January 3, 2011

Monday Jan 3, A NEW YEAR Same goals

Well almost the same goals, the only difference is my plan of attack. Last year I proudly lost 14 lbs and started moving toward my goal weight of 130 or better. I know I can get back there with dedication and hard work. I was pretty dedicated last year but I know I could have done better. So that is the plan for this year. To do it I am going to work harder than I have yet. I am going to keep pushing myself w/ every challenge I can. So first thing I did was sign up for a 28 day boot camp challenge on Sparkpeople. It sounded like a good challenge and the prize at the end is a chance for a $300 amazon gc, who couldn't use that. lol My gym is also starting some challenges this month so might as well do those too. I would love to get in on a Biggest loser challenge they have going on but I don't have 300 bucks to sign up for that (you do get a polar heart rate monitor and some personal trainer time and nutrition counseling but I just don't have the $$ for it) I will do the other challenge and push myself to a better me.

I am very frustrated w/ myself because I let myself slip this week and I am mad at myself that I did. You see I can push away sweets (well some) I can say no to soda and lots of other stuff but sit some chips or crackers w/ dip or spreads and I just can't stop. I really love that kind of stuff, you know cheese balls and spinach or artichoke dip. I made myself miserable eating that stuff new years eve and new years day. I felt terrible. And I gained 5 lbs from Christmas to now. *hangs head in shame* BUT!!! I know that I can lose those 5 lbs and more. I WILL LOSE Those 5 lbs and MORE!!

I really want to apply for M Mom this month but my future as a stay at home mom may be short lived and w/o knowing what will be happening so I hate to apply. I really want to apply again this year so hopefully the spring campaign will work out better for me, besides I will need a new challenge by then anyway. :)

I hope you all are setting goals to help you continue in forward motion.

Thank you to Game Stop for sponsoring this weeks Blogging carnival. The question of the week is;
What are ways you can work out without having to leave the house?


Ways I workout w/o leaving the house include: Using my Wii to do workouts on EASports Moreworkouts or playing Just Dance with my kids, Doing workout videos like Leslie Sansone Walk at Home, or finding videos on YouTube or Sparkpeople.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Monday Dec 20-- Year in Review

First off I want to say thank you to all of my M sistas for their constant support and encouragement. I know I would not be where I am today in my weight loss journey w/o your support.

Last year about this time I decided it was time for a change. I had reached an all time high with my weight and I was so miserable. I was unhappy with where my life was and with how I felt. I knew I had to get serious about getting healthy. So I started making changes and trying to get more serious about getting healthy. I weighed in at 172 at my very highest. January, February, March all went by and I was doing little things trying to make a change but I wasn't seeing much change. I was getting more active than I had in the past but I wasn't trying like I needed to. Then in April I finally started looking into this mv thing I kept hearing about from Lori and Lisa (I love those 2). And I was watching them both working so hard to get healthy. I knew that I had to give it a shot.

So in May I posted my first mv Monday post and joined the sistahood! I can't believe the changes I have made since then. I have lost 14 lbs and several inches (I can't find my original measurements from last Jan at the moment). I got a gym membership and I actually use it, lol, we are incorporating more clean eating into our diet and cutting out most processed foods. Last week I weighed in at 158, I would have weighed in today but I forgot first thing this morning and by the time I remembered I had just eaten breakfast-maybe I will think to update this tomorrow morning.

I have done so many new things this year like getting a Wii and a new bicycle (I hadn't owned one in probably 20 years).

So thank you all for your love and support!

I also want to thank our sponsor this week and thank all the other mv sponsors like Chef's requested, Earth Footwear, EA Sports Active.

Congrats to everyone who has been kicking tail and getting fit! You all inspire me to keep going. I hope you all have a very Blessed Christmas and that this Holiday season brings you lots of Love and Joy. I will probably be off the radar for a couple weeks w/ the holidays but I will be back in action at the beginning of the year!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Monday Dec 6th

AHHHH Less than 20 days til Christmas. That always stresses me out a bit. I am pretty close to being done w/ my shopping but I haven't even started wrapping yet. And I always worry that I have missed an important gift for one of the girls or got more for one than another, no matter how hard I try to keep track of it all. It always works out fine but I stress about it anyway.

Stress during the holiday season is so common. I am excited to hear from our guest tonight and learn more about yoga. I have never quite gotten the hang of it all but I can totally see the benefits and how it could be good for my whole family. Life has been pretty stressful for us all this year and I think finding an activity like yoga that we can all do might be just what we need. And since it is so cold outside right now, finding something we can do inside is also a plus. Thank you Christine Ristuccia for being our guest on MvTV tonight. She has created Learn With Yoga and some ABC of Yoga cards that even the kids can do and enjoy. Yoga is supposed to be a great for your body and your mind.

Congrats again to Shelley and Rachel for finishing up their time as Mv Mom's you both really kicked some tail and I was so impressed by your before and after pics that I am considering another go at it. We will see, not committing fully but I know I need to decide quickly if I am going to do it.

Congrats also to Megan (@mnmspecial) for being chosen as our Sista of the Week.

Thank you to Earth footwear for your constant love and support for mv.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Monday Nov 29

Why can't I seem to stay well these days. Last Sunday I had a stomach virus and on Thursday I started getting a cold/upper respiratory junk. My head is still somewhat congested but mostly my throat is dry and hacky. I am sick of being sick. Welcome to fall in Missouri. :(

I started out the week feeling hopeful that there was lots of gym time in my future (the kids were with their dad over the holiday weekend). I did get in some gym time, but with the cold I didn't get there as much as I had hoped. I hate working out when I am stuffy headed and got a runny nose, I spend more time holding a tissue to my nose than working out. Plus it is just uncomfortable to breathe.

I had hoped that some of the weight loss I saw last week would stick but unfortunately it did not. I am at 160 which is down one pound from where I was before I got sick.

So once again I am whining about being sick and frustrated.

On a good note I won a chance to talk w/ Mr Pete Cohen sometime in the future. I am not sure how that is supposed to work but it was for getting my cardio minutes in.

I know all this crumminess is temporary and I am going to keep chugging along. I am drinking my hot tea w/ lemon and honey to kick this sore throat and I hope to be back to normal in a couple days (what is normal anyway).

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.