Mamavation Monday Aug 2

Woot! Am I really posting a day early, YES I AM!! ;D

Congrats to Rachel Steffan @RachelSteffen for being chosen as Sista of the Week. Rachel is phenomenal support and I have loved getting to know her. She is a true Sista!!

Well since Aunt Flo left town this week my numbers are back and looking better. I am down 1.5 lbs (that is a total of 9 lbs since starting Mamavation and .5 lbs since the start of the Move it Lose it challenge). I am glad to get past the lb I gain the past 2 weeks and be back moving in the right direction again. I am at 162 and I am super excited to be inching closer to the 150's.



I need to get back to my goals sooooo..........

1 MORE WATER!! I have been slacking again, too easy for me to get out of the habit since it isn't my favorite thing to drink. I am trying. Work toward 60-80 a day.

2 Try to get in 5 cardio days and 3 strength training days. And figure out why my stability ball isn't holding air, (hope it is the valve not a real leak).

3 Get a menu plan in action again this week. Food has been good but is better when I menu plan.


This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by Gruve Solution. I have had my eye on one of these handy gadgets for a while now but they are a bit out of my price range at the moment, one day I will get one. Maybe I will get lucky and win one this week. :D A girl can dream right!

I hope everyone has a good week. My head is plugged and my throat hurts but I am getting water ready to do a neti rinse, hope that helps. :-/

Julie :)

Mamavation Monday

Last week, ahhhh, I am just glad it is in the past. It wasn't a bad week just busy w/ VBS. I didn't get my workouts in because I was just plain exhausted, those kids can sure wear a girl out. I definitely know that I am not meant to have a bunch of kids. lol But it was fun and I am glad I was there to be w/ the little ones so their moms and dads could help the other VBSers. :D

I could have a million excuses for this week but I am not gonna bore you with the why and hows. I gained 1/2 a pound. I am not worried about it because I know that it is temporary and I know I ate well. I planned for not working out this week and made sure I was making good food choices since I knew getting to the gym was going to be tough. This week will be back in full workout mode so I am confident that 1/2 pound will be gone again soon.


Speaking of working out, I am SUPER excited about our special guest this week and blogging carnival is sponsor, Katy Bowman, and her Aligned and Well series. I have been very interested in body mechanics since college when a friend was double majoring in Nutrition (same as me) and Kineseology. If I hadn't been 2 semesters away from graduation and already had one kiddo I might have considered doing the double major too. She and I talked a lot about her major and I was (and still am) fascinated by the subject. I have been checking out Katy Bowman's website this weekend and I am very interested in what I see. I can't wait to check it out more. I am hoping to learn more about how to improve my running technique and learn how to help my over-pronated step and knee problems as well.

I also want to give a big shout out to Rita, for being Sista of the Week. The poor girl struggled after having her car stolen. I hope this honor brightened her week and put a smile on her face. Keep up the good work and keep your chin up sweetie!

I hope everyone is ready for a great week. I am!! If it starts out crappy remember that you are the only person who can change it, so make it a good week. :D

For My Lisa Zucchini recipes. :D

My Dear Friend Lisa has been dubbed the Vegetable Contessa over at Mamavation and as a salute to her new title I offer these tasty recipes. They sound really yummy to me but I must admit I haven't tried them yet. I wish I had kept the links but this time I didn't. I hope you enjoy. If you try them let me know how you like them and I will update the post when we make them.

Zucchini and Corn Salad
Recipe by: Susan Voisin
The fresh herbs really give the salad its pizzazz, so try to find some if you don’t grow your own.
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia (about 1/2 cup finely chopped)
1 pound zucchini (about 2 cups chopped)
1/2 medium red or green bell pepper (about 1/2 cup chopped), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1-2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1-2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
If the corn is frozen, put it into a colander and rinse thoroughly with cool water to begin defrosting. Drain well, and place the corn into a 2-quart or larger bowl. Add the other vegetables and the basil and oregano and mix well.
In a measuring cup or jar, combine the garlic, water, seasoned rice vinegar, and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir to coat well. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour or up to 2 days. The zucchini will release moisture as the salad marinates. Lift out salad with a slotted spoon to serve.

Zucchini Rice Bowl
Makes 1 very large bowl or 2 smaller bowls
Ingredients
• 1/2 T. canola oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/3 cup shelled edamame, cooked
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1/2 T. low sodium soy sauce (or tamari / Bragg’s liquid amino acids)
• sea salt, ground pepper
Prep
Saute the onion and zucchini in the canola oil on medium-high heat until they are soft and bit brown. Turn the heat to low and add the peas, edamame, brown rice, and soy sauce. Stir the mixture together until everything is evenly distributed, sprinkle with salt/pepper to taste and serve.

Mamavation Monday July 19

Don't mind me if I keep this brief this week. I am wiped and today is only day one of VBS, 9 kiddos under 4 and 2 grown ups, not good odds. lol

Last week was a bad eating week for me, I don't really know why except I had a lot of residual stress from the week prior. Made bad choices and regretted them when I was making them but could stop myself most of the time. Except for the time when I was going to eat a big piece of leftover birthday cake but instead ate a couple bites and threw the rest out. I am proud of that moment.

Measurements this week:
waist 38 (down 1/2 an inch from last week)
hip 44
bust 38 (down an inch from last week
r arm 12.5
l arm 13
r thigh 26
l thigh 26.25

don't pay attention to the loss on here. Last week after I weighed in my power went out before it saved. So I am actually back up .5 lbs. Which honestly I expected it to be more. So not complaining.




Thank you to Chaquita for sponsoring this week Blogging Carnival. I personally am not a banana fan (its a texture thing) but my girls LOVE them and I like to bake with them. But Chaquita isn't just bananas you know, they have lots of great products.

Congrats to LORI!! @gutimom for being Sista of the Week. I have "known" Lori for a few years now thanks to world wide web and I think she is just plain awesome. I am glad others do too. Love you Lori!!

Really Rockin' Now- Mamavation Monday

I feel like I am in a fog after this weekend so if I forget to post something important please remind me. lol

Why do I feel like I am in a fog, well mostly because my 5 yo DD spent most of the weekend scaring the crap out of me. She started complaining of a tummy ache Sat morning and by sat evening was running a slight fever and she was doubled over in pain. Saturday was also the day we had planned her birthday party, so during her party she spent most of the time on the couch watching everyone else, sat at the table long enough for us to sing happy birthday and pulled a few strings on her pinata. Every time quickly heading back to her spot on the couch. So after the quick party we headed to the ER. After several test and a recheck on Sunday the decided it was NOT appedicitis, must have been bad gas or constipation which she does have trouble with from time to time. (Sorry TMI there) So I am worn out from all the time at the hospital but VERY thankful it wasn't anything worse.

So back to me. I had another pretty good week. The weekend was a bust and I didn't get to eat that great but the picture tells the story.
I am down another pound. Sorry for the bad photography I told you I am tired and didn't feel like retaking it until I got a good one. I am down 8.5 lbs now.

Measurements on July 8 (sorry these aren't from today next week they will be done Sun or Mon)
Height 5'1"
Chest/bust 39
Waist 38.5" (measured in Jan at 41)
Hips 44
Thighs R 26" L 26.5"
Calves R 15.5" L 15.5"
Biceps R 13 L 12.5"


Sorry no front shot, I took it and apparently somewhere between my camera and my computer it got lost, and the one time I tell the camera to delete photos after transfer. next week.

My goals for this week.

More water. I have been slacking again. Kim and Lisa I need you two to stay on me this week. WEll any of you, but I know Kim and Lisa will give me lots of crap.

Keep up the gym schedule. I am getting in at least 2 times a week and doing cardio at home most other days. This week I had 5 days of cardio so I want to keep that pace.

And just keep watching what I am eating. This week wasn't terrible but wasn't great either. I mean Sat did include a birthday and I made the coolest watermelon shaped cake. Of course I ate a piece (small) and Sun my mom bought a pie that sounded too good to resist (Apple/Strawberry/Raspberry) so I had a very small slice. Because of our ER trip Sat I ate a very late but light dinner at 10 pm. I don't normally but I was really hungry after not eating since around 3 that after noon.

But hey I LOST ANOTHER POUND. So I am not complaining.

I can't wait to tweet with you all this evening and find out who will be our next Mamavation Mom. Our Twitter party is bound to be fab!! I am ready for it. Congrats again to the 5 finalist, I can't wait to see who wins it.

Congrats also to Shannon Hamilton (@Trulove821) for being picked as this week Sista of the week. I have enjoyed getting to know you recently and look forward to getting to know you more.

Thanks everyone for always having such kind and encouraging words. I really appreciate it. Last week was a tough one for me w/ my kids visiting their dad and some of you really stepped up and gave some virtual hugs when I had tough days. Thanks! I love you all for it.

Julie

Mamavation Monday

It has been a great week. My 5k was awesome even if I came in last with 3 other ladies. I finished in less than an hour and that was my goal. I can only get better from here.

And I am proud to announce that I am down another pound this week. That brings me to 7 lbs down since joining Mamavation. Here is the proof. I know it isn't my toes but I always weigh in on the Wii and I want to stay consistant with that. If that isn't ok then I guess that is just tough cookies.

My goals this week are to just keep it up. I am doing good w/ my water and eating well. I can do better and I hope I do. I plan to get to the gym several times a week and keep moving forward. Oh and I am considering (but not sure) signing up for an 8k Pink Run that is planned for Oct 30. I will keep you posted on what I decided on that.

Congrats to @MMScarlett our Sista of the week!! I have enjoyed getting to know Scarlett and encouraging her to quit smoking and living healthier. She has fought hard to do it and I am proud of her for her efforts. You totally deserve it.

This week's blogging carnival is sponsored by @BSkinz. BSkinz is a fitness line for women full of patterned and colorful compression wear. The winner of this week's blogging carnival will get a bottom and sports bra of their choosing.

Thanks to everyone who supported me in my effort to be one of the next Mamavation Moms. I know I don't have a big name blog and press like many of the others so I knew my chances were slim. But I hope you all can already tell that this was just a spring board for me to push me harder in the direction I need to go. I have learned over the years that I am the only person who is gonna truly be there for me when the going gets tough. This campaign reminded me of that and I am one of those types that like to prove myself stronger than most give me credit for. My stubborn streak is a mile wide. You will see me get my goals even if no one knows my name or really gives a whoot that I do. Support or not I will succeed.

Mamavation Monday

Well last week was a lot of hard work and in more ways than one. First I had my first week as a new member of my local gym. I had an assessment to see where I am fitness/health wise and that went pretty well. I am about where I expected to be, strong arms, weak core, and OK cardio. Everything can use improvement of course. ;) Then the next day a trainer set me up on a personal program to help me meet my goals, she gave me a series of workouts to do and told me to get in at least 30 min of cardio.

The kids also had their last day of summer school on Tues. which means for the rest of the summer I will have at least 5 kiddos here everyday. So we spent one morning at the park riding scooters and bikes (I walk/ran laps) and one afternoon playing in the sprinkler. And Friday we wrapped up the week with a trip to the NEW local water park (just my 3 not all 5, I am crazy not insane). It was a great week playing and enjoying the kids.

Keeping track of my nutrition was a little trickier than I had hoped, but I didn't give up. If I miss a day I just pick up the next day and keep going. Menu planning was helpful but I have a hard time sticking to it, my days change before I know it and that often means I either forget to pull stuff out of the freezer or I don't have enough time to fix what I planned. I try to just change days of the week when I can or eat leftovers from a previous night to help stay on track the best I can. I also decided not to meal plan on the weekends, they are always our busiest days and I always have some kind of leftover to use up so I try to do that on the weekend. I can still serve healthy meals that way (because hopefully I cooked healthy earlier in the week) but I don't have to worry about planning it so much.

I didn't do so well on the water front this week, seems like if I do good on one thing I slack somewhere else and that was water this week. On a good note, no headaches so I did ok, and I only had one can of soda for the whole week so I wasn't drinking lots of bad stuff, just not enough water. not too shabby.

Earlier this week on Twitter @bookieboo said " I want to see what u are doing to change ur lifestyle NOW in ur #Mamavation Monday posts." I think I covered that pretty well in last weeks post , and started living it this week. And I am proud to say that the changes I have made have resulted in a 1.5 lb loss this week. I have been holding steady but am not down to 165 even. I am proud that I was able to lose even after a weekend that included a lunch at a not so healthy Italian restaurant and a birthday party for my 3yo niece. That is enough motivation for me to keep sticking to it and getting better in the areas where improvements can be made (everywhere).

In case you missed it, here is my application post to be the next Mamavation mom, please remember to tweet for me whenever you can. "Hey @bookieboo! I want (@jamnsfld76) to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support! http://bit.ly/zqUxa" Thank you all for your support!

Catch you all tonight for our Mamavation TV night and tweet with you later this week. Make it a great week!! <3

Kick it into high gear- Mamavation Monday

Another week of no loss, and I am not gonna take it anymore. I refuse to have another week of getting by. So here is my plan.

1) I sucked it up and joined a gym. They were running a special w/ a really low enrollment fee so I did it. Now to pray I can afford to pay it for a year, we will get to that bridge when we get there.

2)I made a meal plan. I have everything I need to carry it out.

3) I am going to keep a journal of everything that goes in my mouth.

4) I am going to drown myself with water. I am going to set a timer to drink water every hour and plan to drink at least 8 oz at a time when I do.

I thought I had a good week, but when once again the scale wasn't my friend I knew it was time for a new attack mode. I had already planned a menu for the week but I knew I needed to journal to keep myself honest. And well I battle water so much and find if I am not a home I don't follow through so I will give myself a gentle reminder w/ a timer on my cell. I went in Friday and signed up for the gym membership because I know that if I am spending my money for it I am going to use it, and it will be easier to make my gym appointments because I have to leave the house to go do it, and I will have to make plans for the kids to go some where so I will need to schedule it like an appointment. Plus they do offer childcare if I need it, at 2 bucks per child (I have 3) I hope not to need to use that too often but it is there if I do.

I am also excited that I registered for my first 5K. It is on July 4th, which is a Sunday so that means I need to finish before church because I am scheduled in the nursery that day. That should give me some extra motivation. I don't plan to run much of it but I felt like I needed to push myself to do something new, so even if I walk all of it, I will complete it and I will be proud that I did.

So why all this effort. Well I am planning to apply to be one of the next Mamavation Moms but I figure if I am not picked I need to have a plan and why wait until then, I may as well get my plan in action now. I will be posting (hopefully later today or tomorrow) my application, so be on the lookout. I will need all your support.

I am truly excited for tonight's mamavation tv. Shay from the Biggest Loser will be with us to share tips and advice. I have become a big fan of hers so I can't wait to "meet" her on Mamavation. This week our blogging carnival is sponsored by Subway which is pretty fitting since Subway has continued to challenge Shay in her weight loss journey. And my family and I love Subway when we want to "eat out," I love it because I can feed my family something healthy for less and my kids love it because they get to pick what they put on their sandwich. Its a win win!

Congrats to our Sista of the Week @Rachel_L. I can not express how excited I am for her. She was one of our last Mamavation Moms and she has really blossomed. You are such an inspiration.

I feel good! nana-nana-nana- na

So Good!

Ok enough of my silly attempts at singing. But really I had a GREAT week. It wasn't a perfect week, but I am very pleased with it anyway. I am out of my funk and back into my positive attitude mode. I was exhausted yesterday from the heat so I took a day to relax, but other wise I worked out every day last week. 7 days in a row, that is the first time I have EVER done that. I am happy I did too.

I did pretty good with my eating, but I will admit that I am not keeping track, just mentally trying to make good choices and really determine my hunger gauge. I haven't listened to it in a long time so it is hard to get back into the right groove with my body. Saturday I struggled a little because we had a family reunion and lots of good potluck food, but I think I made good choices just too much, lol. I am drinking more water and seeing how my body craves and needs it. I really feel it on the days I don't get enough. I will get a migraine at bedtime if I haven't had much water, so that is good motivation to drink up. I still struggle with water but I am seeing how it helps me eat less and avoid the headaches so I push through and drink as if it is an exercise I need to do. I am really excited that Flatout Bread is sponsering our blog carnival this week. I have heard several of the Mamavation Mom's talk about it but I haven't seen it in my area yet. I am going to start looking harder. I have been checking out their products on the website and I can definitely see these fitting into my family meals.

I am so excited I am going to sign up to walk/run (mostly walk since I have really started training) a 5k on the 4th of July. After hearing @bookieboo and @Mizfitonline talk about their plans to run a marathon I thought, "I don't know about the running part, but I am up for walking." And I figure walking is better than sitting and it is all about baby steps. This is my first babystep toward running a 5 k. I hope to jog in spurts but because of the anticipated heat and my lack of training I will walk most of the event. I am absolutely ok with that since I have NEVER done anything like this. I hope some of you are considering working toward a similar goal. I think it is great to put yourself out there and try something out of your comfort zone, you might be surprised to find you do great.

So officially how did my week go. well I gained a pound. But I am not too worried about it, surprised is more like it. I can see the changes in my body, my stomach is getting flatter and I feel stronger, so what the scale says right now doesn't bother me. I said a few weeks ago I wasn't going to weigh in and this is precisely why.

I am excited for tonights Mamavation TV. To congratulate CJ for being Sista of the Week and to hear Matthew Taub. We will miss Leah but I am sure she has put us in good hands for the night, she definitely deserves a break. Congrats to Kia on the birth of her sweet baby boy too, he looks like a sweetie. I look forward to "seeing" everyone there.

Southwest Tuna Salad

Sounds like a great potluck, summer get together meal.

2-6 oz can of Tuna, drained and chunked (I prefer the light not albacore for less mercury)
10 oz lettuce washed and torn (grab a bag of your fav blend)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pk (10 oz) frozen corn kernals, thawed
8 oz low fat ranch dressing (I am thinking this can be cut back to 4-6 oz)
1 jar (16 oz) salsa (or get the fresh from the produce section)
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (find low fat or cut back to maybe 1 c)

In a large bowl (a trifle bowl will make a pretty presentation) layer half the lettuce, tuna, beans, corn and ranch dressing, repeat layers. Top with salsa sprinkle w/ cheese. Cover and chill 1-2 hours before serving. (recipe says serves 6)

Veggie Chicken Enchiladas

So I have a bunch of zucchini coming in from my mom's great garden. I was searching for a recipe to try that I could kind of hide it in for my kids. they aren't big on trying new stuff, but usually love it once they do. Like this recipe. They love enchiladas and burritos so I thought they would be willing to give this a go and they loved it. This recipe came from a www.eat5aday.com cookbook I picked up sometime when I lived in CA.

1 large onion, chopped
1 med bell pepper chopped ( I used an orange one)
1 large zucchini, chopped (I julienne cut mine)
1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 c red enchilada sauce
1 8 oz can of no salt tomato sauce
8 corn tortillas
2/3 c shredded lowfat Monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375.
Spray nonstick skillet w/ cooking spray. Add onion and cook 5 min over Med heat. Add pepper and zucchini and cook 5 more min. Stir in chicken, set aside. in a small bowl combine enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Soften tortillas in the microwave or on a warm skillet. Dip tortillas in sauce then place 2 tablespoons of mixture on one side. Roll up and place in 9x13 baking pan. Repeat w/ all tortillas. Pour remaining sauce over rolls. cover loosely w/ foil and back 20-25 min. remove cover and sprinkle w/ cheese, bake 5 more min to melt cheese.

Nutritional info Cal 305, Carb 43, Protein 21g, Total Fat 7 g, Dietary fiber 7 g.

A couple changes I made where. 1) I didn't have red enchilada sauce so I used green and cut out the tomato sauce too. 2) I used flour tortillas because that is what we buy, not a fan of corn ones.

Let me know if you try it and like it. I am sure this could easily be sans meat all together just cook more veggies. Great stuff.

Mamavation Monday Week 4

Are you sure it is Monday already? Where has the week gone? If that is any indication of how my week went, it sure didn't go the way I had hoped. I was super busy, it was the last week of school after all. Why on earth did I expect it to be an easy week. And then to top it all off my oldest daughter fell off a playground while we were on a little day trip to St. Louis and ended up taking a trip to the ER via ambulance. That was not a good day or a good way to start summer vacation.

I am super frustrated with myself this week. I woke up this morning mad at myself. I cant seem to finish anything. That is how I feel at least. I start lots of stuff, sewing projects, scrap books, books to read, weight loss journeys, etc etc but how many do I actually finish? I feel like such a quitter. Not that I want to quit, I don't, but I just don't keep up what I start. I want to keep going I just don't think I know how. Blah I feel like a mental case.

So today I haven't even weighed in, maybe I will later and post an update, I don't know. Just kind of mad at myself right now. BUT and that is a big one. I am NOT giving up. This week WILL be a better week. I know I said that last week too, but I really want it to be better.

I have really enjoyed getting to know Rachel and Kim the last few weeks while they were the Mamavation Moms. I am excited to see their journey continue. And Thank You to Subway for hosting our Mamavation Carnival this week. We love Subway around here. I love that I can feed my kids healthy quick and fresh food for a decent price. And they love that they can pick and chose the veggies and topping they like. Its a Win Win all around.

I have to say I am REALLY excited about Tuesdays Biggest Loser Finale. I LOVE that show!!! And knowing I will get to watch it with all my mamavation momma friends makes it even better. Just know that I am giving up a Miche purse party for you all. lol I really hope america gives Daris another chance. I think we all know what it is like to make a mistake. He has done such a great job up til now and I think it is good that he showed his weakness, now others can better help support him during his hard times. But I love Koli-bear too, and he definitely deserves to be in the final 3 too, so I am very torn. They all deserve to be there, they have all worked really hard. Can't wait to see who wins and how hot Ashley gets, she is a beautiful girl and I just really love her.

So my goals for this week, I am keeping it simple.

3 days of exercise, something. Anything

and 3-4 glasses of water a day.

That shouldn't be too much to ask of myself. Lets hope.

Mamavation Monday Week 3 for me!!

Ok I really don't know why I put the exclamation point in the title because it hasn't been an exclamation point kind of week, but I am a positive thinker so I am still excited about my Mamavation Monday post.

First lets back track a min. I want to post a couple of before pics. Well almost before I have lost a little but I toke these pics this week and want to post them as my reminder when I get skinny. :D




So where it went wrong this week. I was in a blah mood and just not feeling like exercise much. I did go on a hike with my sister on Saturday but otherwise I didn't do much.

What I did right or pretty good at least. I did keep up with my water (for the most part) I didn't keep track too well this weekend but I was drinking some so I think I did alright. Every week I am trying to up my goal for water instead of saying I am going to start out w/ 6-8 glasses a day I started with 2-3. I am just not a water drinker. So this week my goal is to get 4-5 glasses a day or about 50 oz a day. Eventually I would like to get to about 85 oz a day (1/2 of my starting weight which was 170 lbs). I also did pretty reasonable with watching what I ate. I do think I need to keep a journal of what I eat, but right now that seems too time consuming and I am trying to focus my extra energy on getting my water and getting exercise in.

I will also say that I did see the water helping again this week. I don't feel the urge to snack as much through the day as before. I still eat 4-5 small meals (try to keep them between 200 and 300 cal each)but I am not munching on crackers or other stuff in between as much. I just keep reminding my self this is a life change process so all these baby steps will count toward a much bigger picture.

While I am cutting back on snacks I am really pushing my kids to do the same, we are a house full of snackers. Right now it isn't an issue for my girls their weights are perfectly fine and they are very active, but I was skinny as a kid too so I figure if I help set a healthy example now hopefully they won't fall into the same traps that I have as an adult.

The results for this week are I didn't gain but I didn't lose. I guess that is ok considering I really wasn't very active. But I am not giving up. This week will be better. :)

So my goals for this week.

Get my exercise in. 3-4 day a week. PERIOD!! Nothing will stop me.

Drink 4-5 glasses or around 50 oz of water each day. Baby steps.

Encourage my sister to get started too. We are trying to get in a routine of walking a few times a week. So hopefully we can really start kicking that into gear.

Want to more about what these Mamavation Monday posts are about check out Mamavation. I am excited that Mamavation is starting an OpenSky shop. Who doesn't love to shop and right now it is planned for the proceeds to go to charity or someone in need. I can't wait to hear more about the plans.

Have a great week everyone, I can't wait to report back next week with a much better week.

Some new recipes

I love to cook new things. and since I am working on trimming my waistline I have been especially interested in healthier options. Here are a couple of hits from the past week.

Crock Pot Southwestern Chicken

1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (11-ounce) can Mexicorn, drained

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (16-ounce) jar chunky salsa (divided use)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, rinsed and dried

Flour tortillas

Shredded cheddar cheese

Combine the cans of corn, beans and half the salsa in slow-cooker. Top with the chicken. Pour remaining sauce over.

Cover and cook first hour on High, then either 3 more hours on High or 6 on Low until meat juices run clear. Serve with warm tortillas; top with cheese.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.
For those of you who don't know me, I can't just follow the recipe as it is. Sooo... I cooked up my own dried black beans to add instead of using canned and instead of canned corn and mexi-corn I used frozen w/ some added bell peppers and onions. And because it was what I had I used bean and corn salsa.

This was very good, kind of reminds me of the inside of a southwestern eggroll. The first night I served it with cornbread instead of tortillas, then I shredded up the leftover chicken to make burritos later in the week. It was a hit with mom and kids alike.

Another new favorite I have been making for me (my kids won't touch shrimp) is from the Biggest Loser cookbook. I love this for a light quick lunch.

Old Bay Shrimp Lettuce Wraps (or sometimes I just put them on top of a bowl of lettuce for a salad)
for one serving I use

1 1/2 teaspoon low-fat mayo
1 1/2 teaspoon fat-free plain yogurt (or ff sour cream, or even garlic hummus when I was out of both of those)
1/2 teaspoon or so fresh lime or lemon juice
1/8-1/4 teaspoon of Old Bay low sodium Seasoning
4 oz of peeled and devined cooked shrimp (all I could find where the ones w/ tail on, so I just have to remove the tails first)(thaw by rinsing in cool water for a couple min)
3-4 pieces of leaf lettuce (bibb lettuce is recommended I use romaine)

Prepare shrimp by rinsing in cool water until thawed (if frozen)and remove any shell or tail parts.

Combine the mayo, yogurt, juice and seasoning in a bowl. Then toss the shrimp in the sauce. Divide between the lettuce leaves to make a lettuce wrap. Or make a large salad of lettuce (no dressing) and top with shrimp let the mayo sauce be the lettuce dressing.

Very filling. I tried it once on a tortilla and it was too much food for me, much better just on lettuce.

One serving is 182 cal, 14 g protein, 3 g carb, 1 g fat.

MY Wii Loves Mii --Mamavation Monday

And I love my Wii. I have never been a video game person, but when I heard about the Wii a few years ago I though, that is one system I think I could play. I wanted one and wanted one, but the hubs didn't think it was "cool" enough for him, so we never got one. Well then I ditched the hubs (well he ditched me, but that's a whole other story). So one of the first things on my list was to get a Wii for me and for my girls. They had played it with friends and my niece so I knew that even the little ones could have fun with it. And boy have we. Quickly after getting it I knew I wanted the balance board, so I got it with the Wii Fit Plus game. I love that it tracks my progress and the activities are designed to make me more fit. The other day it gave me a tip that I could track activities I do outside of the Wii and I got really excited, but I couldn't figure out how to access this Activity Log. Well if you don't know either here are the directions Straight from the Wii Fit Plus Instruction Manual.

Tracking Training Outside of Wii Fit Plus
In Graph under Fit Credits, you can also
record and track any activity done outside
of Wii Fit Plus. Select Activity Log, and enter
the intensity and time spent exercising.
In the Waist and Steps graphs, you can
enter your waist size and the number
of steps you’ve taken in a day. Choose
Record and enter the value.
* You can enter values in the Activity Log, Waist,
and Steps graphs for babies and pets
as well.

I am so glad to find this info, and look forward to tracking all my activities not just what I do on the Wii.

So how did I do this week. Well I got in 4 days of exercise, and I met my personal goal for drinking at least 2 glasses of water a day every day except yesterday (and surprise I woke up this am with a headache so lesson learned). And I am down.... (drum roll please) 1.5 lbs this week. That puts me at 166 and 4 lbs total lost (starting weight of 170). I am very pleased with my progress. I know that small losses equal lifelong changes. Of course I would be ecstatic to see a big loss but I am happy just to be moving in the right direction. :) YAY ME!!

ETA: Holy Freaking WOW!! I am excited, I found some old body measurements that I took in January, I have lost 2 inches from my waist and 1 from each thigh. I am freaking stoked!! *happy Dance*

So my goals for this week.

1) Eat at least 2 fruit and 3 veggie servings a day. I love fruits and veggies, I just don't tend to grab them when I am looking for something to munch on. So I want to do that more.

2) Continue to get at least 4 days of work out in. I did it last week I can do it again this week I am sure. And I am going to challenge myself to get in at least one day of a harder routine.

3)Continue to drink 2-3 glasses of water a day. I am realizing how quickly my body is adapting to this change and needing that water. This is a habit I need to form. There are lots of enhanced water products out there, AquaHydrate is one of them. What it offers that others don't is a way to improve focus, sports performance and ability to recover after intense workouts. This is because AquaHydrate is specially formulated with a unique combination of ionic minerals and an alkaline pH in an ultra-pure water.

I hope you all have a great week, and do your best to get a little healthy this week, too. :)

Not so Wordless Wednesday

I never understood those "wordless Wednesday" post they are rarely wordless. lol

So today I am frustrated at myself and my lack of motivation. It seems that the more I try to motivate myself the more of a slacker I become. I am happy to report that my slacking has NOT resulted in a gain of weight so far, but I am not losing either. And I haven't lost enough yet to be at a plateau, I just suck at being consistent. My problems I like food, I don't like water or exercise. There I said it. What does that get me? NOTHING I know. lol The warmer it gets outside the less I want to do. But before my excuse was it was too cold. So go figure right. I need to start a food journal, like a real one, I have tried writing things down in a note book but that just isn't that handy.

I keep thinking I should suck it up and try to get a gym membership, but I really can't afford one, and certainly can't afford to have one I don't use. I wish there was a simple answer, but there isn't. I have several workout videos some of which I enjoy doing, others that challenge me more than I can handle most of the time. Both are good, in there own ways, but I find myself avoiding the challenging ones and sticking with the not so challenging ones. I guess some exercise is better than none.

And then there is that mean ole Wii (and Wii Fit Plus). I will say it finally has my age in the 30's which is good considering I think the first day it said I was like 74 or something. Finally yesterday it tells me I am not getting on there often enough, but it isn't my only form of exercise, it also tells me I can log my other exercises in an Activity log, problem is I don't know how to find said activity log. So that was rather pointless. I am using it as my official scale since I don't really like my bathroom scale (maybe because it is one my ex insisted we buy and I think it is a piece of crap).

So if anyone is out there and bothers reading any of this tell me 2 things. What do you use as a food journal and how can I find the Activity Log on the Wii Fit Plus?

Thanks for letting me vent my frustrations. :)

My First Mamavation Monday

So what is that exactly? I don't know exactly yet, I will be honest. What I do know is that Mamavation seems to be a great network of women that are supporting each other in their fitness and weigh loss efforts. I need that kind of support and motivation so I have been trying to keep up with them (an effort I am failing miserably at right now) on twitter. But what I do manage catch I can tell these ladies are on a mission to support each other, and that is awesome.

So what is my status. Well, I am on a mission to lose 40 lbs. I can't believe that number actually, where did it all come from. Can I still blame it on my kids, the youngest is 3 1/2 years old? I blame them. Just kidding I did gain most of it during my pregnancies, but I have packed on some of it after as well. But now I am working on ME!

To date I have lost about 3 lbs. I have really been focusing on my eating habits and being more aware of what I am eating. Before I was a snacker, I still am honestly, but now I try to write down what I am eating or at least think about how much I have had already during the day and trying to stay close to a certain amount each day. It is tough but not as tough as I thought it would be. I still occasionally have a doughnut or a McDonald's Frappe, but when I do I know that it means I have to really stick to my plan the rest of the day. And I am losing weight, slow and steady. I am also fitting in more exercise. Not as much as I would like but more than I ever used to do, so that is something. And I like it too, and can tell when I need to do more. Like today, my legs hurt, A LOT, I need to break out a walk at home video or do some yoga stretches.

Some of the mamavation moms have been talking about Earth shoes, those sound really cool. Wish I had some. So here is my shameless plug hoping for a chance to win some. (I am not too proud to beg) They do sound pretty amazing though, and hey you can't win if you don't enter, right. :D

So my goals for this week.

1) Get in at least 4 days of exercise. More would be great and I need to push past 3 days a week, I can do that easily but trying to get in 4 or more days seems to be hard for me. That is my goal.

2) DRINK WATER. I won't say more water because I will be honest, I almost NEVER drink any water at all. My poor kidneys are gonna give up on me one day because of the torture I put them through. I should know I have a BS in Nutrition for goodness sake. I just don't like the plain ole stuff, I have to spruce it up. But my goal this week is to drink at least 2 glasses of water a day. that will be huge for me to accomplish. seriously it is that bad.

3) And this goal will seem silly to some of you, but I hope to figure out this whole twitter thing once and for all. Maybe my brain is just too slow or I am just too impatient but I don't really understand what is going on with all the @--- and #--- stuff. I am trying but I just... well I don't. haha

Hope everyone is ready for a great week. I am!