Loving spending time with my family

Today I am back on track after eating 1700 calories on Thursday and an unknown amount on Friday.  It is so important to write everything down to be held accountable.  I am determined to win the battle of the bulge once and for all. 

OK so today my daughter spent 4 hours at the hair salon.  I spent 2 of them with her.  The thing that kills me is I should have and could have gone to the gym which is attached to the salon.  Instead I chose to do nothing.  I do start exercising tomorrow as it is so critical to this weight loss.  Tonight we watched Monster's University as a family.  While the movie wasn't great, the company was fabulous.  I noticed my baby boy is starting to slim down as well which is so important and the reason I am making this lifestyle change.  While I may have only lost a few pounds today, I had someone I haven' seen for a while tell me I looked thinner.  Also, I am starting to feel like my clothes fit me better. 

I am going to start Dr. Oz's 3 Day cleansing most likely Monday as I need to purchase all the items I need.  I will be hungry and grumpy I'm sure but at least it will kick this weight loss in gear.  1200 calories is working slowly but I would love to see some numbers drop.  My first goal is 17 lbs.  Once I reach that goal, I will take it 5 pounds at a time.

Thanks to all of you who continue to walk this journey with me.


Today''s Menu

Breakfast

Cereal-230 Calories

Special K Cereal
Low-Fat Milk

Snack-240 Calories

Banana
Baked chips

Lunch-460 Calories

Footlong Veggie Sub

Dinner-500 Calories

Popcorn
Lean Cuisine Meal
Fiber 1 Bar
1/2 cup of Lentil Soup
Tea

1430 Calories

As I now see, I ate way too many calories again.  I need to really plan ahead of time or this is what happens.  Good News is most of these calories came from good foods and not candy or sugar snacks.

Taking each day as it comes

I do not have many followers on my blog and may not get many followers.  However, I am simply starting this blog as a way to help me be accountable for the choices I make daily.  I am trying to find ways to be healthy and happy.  I want to be an inspiration for someone out there who thinks they can't do it.  I was a stay at home mom for years until I decided to take control of my life.  I went back to school when my 2nd child was 1 and have since received an Associates of Arts degree, a Bachelor of Science degree, and a Master of Education degree.  I am currently working on getting certified as an ESOL teacher.  I am a musician at heart and will begin working on my music certification next.  In the meantime the music of my life is my children and my husband.  They make me smile and let me know I can do anything.  Some day I will have my PhD and will be where I'm meant to be at the end of this journey.  I may finally write a book and life off the Oregon Coast.  A girl cannot stop dreaming or the dreams will never be attained.  I can do anything as long as I know I am loved.  If you are reading this blog just know you too are loved.

Recipe of the Day-I'm going to try these for sure.

Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers

 http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/greek_orzo_stuffed_peppers.html

We steam brightly colored bell peppers in the microwave to save time and then stuff them with orzo, spinach and feta. This basic recipe will work with almost any filling—try substituting different types of cheese, herbs or beans. Serve with whole-wheat pita bread and cucumber salad.

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Makes: 4 servings
Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 yellow, orange and/or red bell peppers
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat orzo
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), chopped
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

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Preparation

1. Halve peppers lengthwise through the stems, leaving the stems attached. Remove the seeds and white membrane. Place the peppers cut-side down in a large microwave-safe dish. Add 1/2 inch water, cover and microwave on High until the peppers are just softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool slightly, drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
3. Mash chickpeas into a chunky paste with a fork, leaving some whole.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and oregano and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the orzo, chickpeas, 1/2 cup feta, tomatoes, vinegar and salt; cook until heated though, about 1 minute. Divide the filling among the pepper halves and sprinkle each pepper with some of the remaining 1/4 cup feta.

Nutrition

Per serving: 344 calories; 11 g fat ( 5 g sat , 4 g mono ); 25 mg cholesterol; 48 g carbohydrates; 14 g protein; 11 g fiber; 656 mg sodium; 689 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (340% daily value), Vitamin A (130% dv), Folate (48% dv), Magnesium & Potassium (20% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 2 1/2
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 high-fat meat, 1 fat

Todays words of Encouragement if you're struggling on this weight loss journey...

Don't Quit

When you've eaten too much and you can't write it down,
And you feel like the biggest failure in town.
When you want to give up just because you gave in,
and forget all about being healthy and thin.
So What! You went over your points a bit,
It's your next move that counts...So don't you quit!
It's a moment of truth, it's an attitude change.
It's learning the skills to get back in your range.
It's telling yourself, "You've done great up till now.
You can take on this challenge and beat it somehow."
It's part of your journey toward reaching your goal.
You're still gonna make it, just stay in control.
To stumble and fall is not a disgrace,
If you summon the will to get back in the race.
But, often the struggle's, when loosing their grip,
Just throw in the towel and continue to slip.
And learn too late when the damage is done,
that the race wasn't over...they still could have won.
Lifestyle change can be awkward and slow,
but facing each challenge will help you grow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
the silver tint in a cloud of doubt.
When you're pushing to the brink, just refuse to submit,
If you bite it, you write it....But don't you quit!
- Author Unknown

Today's Menu

OK so today my meals are kind of all over the place but still healthy and yummy
Breakfast-Cereal with Milk-230 Calories

Special K Fruit and Yogurt Cereal
1 Cup of Low Fat Milk

Lunch Nan Bread with cheese and veggies-290 Calories

Nan Bread
Fresh Mozarella
Peppers
Mushrooms
Special K bag of chip crackers.

Snack-100 Calories
2 Tbs of Peanut butter

Dinner-360 Calories

1 cup of cataloup
1 spoon of pasta/veggies
2/3 cup of veggie mix
Organic Bean/Rice burrito

Dessert-Special K Bar 90 Calories

Chocolate Brownie Special K Bar

1070 Calories

January 8th

I did not post yesterday as I was exhausted.  I did make it through the day though and managed to stay on track with my diet.  I'm really guessing on the calories for dinner last night based on how many calories each of the items has.  I might be off a little here or there.  I am still heading in the right direction and am pretty sure I still stayed under 1200 calories.

Menu for 1-7-14


Breakfast-Special K Sandwich-160 Calories
Special K Veggie Egg Sandwich

Snack-Peanut Butter & Apple-230 Calories
Peanut Buttter
Granny Smith Apple

Lunch-250 Calories

Dinner-Pot Roast Sides- 400 Calories

Carrots and red potatoes from pot roast
Rice
Biscuit w/butter

Dessert-Special K  Bar-90 Calories

Lemon Bar

Total Calories-1110

Vegetarian Cold Weather Recipe

Mushroom Egg Drop Soup

http://kirantarun.com/food/2013/04/05/mushroom-egg-drop-soup/

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, sliced into matchsticks
• 1 small star anise
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 qt organic low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 large organic eggs
• 2 stalks of scallions, sliced

Directions:

1. Heat a large saucepan on medium. Wait for the pan to heat before adding olive oil.
2. Throw in minced shallot, sliced ginger and star anise. Fry until shallots are translucent, about 1 minute.
3. Add sliced mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Drizzle in vegetable broth, sprinkle some five spice powder, salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Stir to combine and simmer for at least 5 more minutes.
5. In the meantime, crack 2 eggs in a small bowl and beat to combine.
6. Once the broth begins to simmer, make swirls with a laddle and carefully drizzle in beaten eggs. Work fast but safely.
7. Remove broth from heat but keep stirring. Sprinkle on some scallions and laddle soups into bowls to enjoy!

Cold Weather carnivorous Recipe of the Day!

As you know I am a vegetarian but I need to feed my carnivores meat on occasion or they will become restless.  I will be making this for our cold weather tomorrow with some biscuits and Mashed potatoes.  Yummy!

Perfect Pot Roast (Slow-Cooker)

Ingredients

1. 2 lbs beef roast
2. 4  new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3. 1 1/2 cups baby carrots
4. 1 large onion, quartered and pulled apart
5. 1 1/2 cups beef broth
6. 1 (1 1/2 ounce) envelopes dry vegetable soup mix ( I use Knorr)

Directions

1. Place roast into crockpot and surround with vegetables.
2. Combine beef broth and vegetable soup mix, then add to crockpot.
3. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours.

January 6, 2014

I stayed up very late last night until the wee hours of the morning getting work done for school.  I was so very exhausted at work today and really needed a nap when I came home.  I took a 2 hour nap in time to have dinner with my family.  Now it's back to work again.  We are preparing for icy temps tonight so tonight I am staying in my PJ's and bundling myself in my warm blanket.  Brrr

Today's Menu

Breakfast- Sandwich with a Banana-285 Calories

Banana
Special K Flat bread Sandwich
Cup of Tea

Snack-Yogurt-180

Blueberry Yoplait yogurt

Lunch-Lentil Soup w/chips-250 Calories

Vegetable Lentil Soup
Special K Cracker Chips
Cup of Tea

Dinner-Market Salad-370 Calories

Dessert-Peanut Butter-100 Calories

Total Calories-1185

I could have so many calories if I had not eaten such a fattening dressing.  Luckily I still stayed within my calories and tomorrow I will continue to make better choices.

I hope your day was as wonderful as mine.

I made it

Today was my first day of really counting calories.  Since it's too cold to get exercise and because I'm currently lazy, I wanted to at least get less than 1200 calories in my body.  I actually stayed under 1200 calories today.  However, I need to continue to work in that protein intake.  I know each day will come with a new challenge but I am determined to make changes for the good in my life.  Not only did I eat better today but I also managed to keep the kids out of the kitchen snacking.  I even got little man to ride the indoor bike.  I know I too could have ridden it but baby steps for me.  Plus I was busy "working" all day.

Thanks for stopping by.  Keep coming back for more updates, recipes, and just to say hello. 

Just a few pictures to show weight has always been a struggle for me but I have not given up.  Also a picture of the first day I started the most important job I'll ever have.  January 14, 2000.  Mommy of a beautiful baby girl.

January 5th

OK so 5 days in the year and I'm finally getting this eating in order.  So far so good on my menu and on staying away from the junk food.  The real challenge will be when I get back to the office tomorrow and the lunch room is full of good chocolate.  I know the key is to keep healthy snacks available at all times.  Amazing how wonderful peanut butter tastes when you're looking for something sweet to eat.   I'm going to attempt to make my own peanut butter once I finish what I have using the following recipe.

Smooth Low-Fat Peanut Butter

Step 1

Mix the peanuts and canola oil together in your food processor.

Step 2

Blend ingredients together in your food processor until the mixture is very smooth.

Step 3

Remove peanut butter from food processor and it's ready for you to eat. Transfer any extra to your resealable container for later.

Tips

• Your peanut butter should last for about two weeks. Store it in a sealed container in your refrigerator, away from light, heat and humidity so that it stays as fresh as possible.

Things You'll Need

• 1½ cup unsalted roasted peanuts
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• Food processor
• Bowl
• Spoon
• Resealable storage container

Bon Appetit and let me know what you think if you try this recipe.

January 4th Entry

OK so tomorrow I am ready to get started with this weight loss plan.   I have my starting weight written down but I'm not quite ready to share it yet.  When I have lost a few pound and feel like I'm in the right direction I will start to post my numbers. 

Menu for January 5th


Breakfast- Potatoes and Toast- 320 Calories

Potatoes

Whole Wheat toast

Coffee

Lunch- Sandwich and chips - 280 calories

1/2 naan bred
2 tablespoons hummus
1 small pepper
4 slices of pickles
1 bag of Special K cracker chips

Snack- Apple and PB - 150 calories

1 apple
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Dinner-Organic Burrito w/Carrots-280 Calories

Organic Bean and Rice Burrito

2 oz of organic carrots

Dessert- 90 Calories

Fiber one lemon Bar

Calories-1120 Calories

Let's see how it goes.

Vegan Recipe of the Day

This is one I'm definitely going to try during these cold nights.

 

Hot and Sour Soup

from The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester

Kathy’s note: It’s hard to find vegan soups at Chinese takeouts in most areas. This is the perfect cold and flu season soup. It clears those sinuses right up! You can adjust the amount of spice until it’s just right for you.

Ingredients

• 1 10 ounce (280g) package sliced mushrooms
• 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced
• 1 8-ounce (225g) can bamboo shoots, drained and jullienned
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15 ounce (420g) package firm or silken tofu, cubed
• 2 tablespoons (16g) grated fresh ginger, divided
• 4 cups (940ml) water
• 2 tablespoons (16g) vegan chicken-flavored bouillon
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) soy sauce (or tamari, for gluten-free)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus extra for drizzling (Susan’s note: I didn’t need the extra)
• 1 teaspoon chili paste
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups (225g) fresh or frozen peas

Instructions

1. The Night Before: Store the cut-up mushrooms, bamboo shoots, garlic, and tofu in an airtight container in the fridge. Store the prepared ginger in another airtight container in the fridge.
2. In the Morning: Combine the mushrooms, bamboo, shoots, garlic, tofu, 1 tablespoon (8g) of the ginger, water, bouillon, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, and vinegar in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
3. A few minutes before serving, add the peas and the remaining 1 tablespoon (8g) ginger and stir to combine. Taste the broth and add more vinegar or chili if needed. Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil on top of each serving. If you like it milder and your friends like it hot, serve the chili paste on the side.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s) | Cooking time: 6 to 8 hour(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 208 calories, 62 calories from fat, 7.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1088.4mg sodium, 546.3mg potassium, 21.6g carbohydrates, 5.4g fiber, 6g sugar, 19.2g protein, 6.1 points. (Nutrition courtesy of FatFree Vegan Kitchen–any mistakes are mine. Sodium and fat content will vary depending on the brand of bouillon and type of tofu used.–SV)

Time to go home.

It's Isla's Turn!

Tick Neck Park

Sledding

Today I started the day off by taking a class.  It turns out I signed up for the wrong class so I headed home to spend time with the kids.  We picked up Isla and had a good time playing with dinosaurs and then sledding.  As you can see the snow is quickly fading but the smiles are plenty.  As you can see Arcelia opted out of this fun and instead sat in the car doing what teenagers do.    The day ended with too cold fingers and a bump on the head but overall great fun. I will blog more later but I wanted to take the time to share some photos of our fund day. 

Vegan Recipe of the Day

Here is a recipe to try for a meatless night.  As most of you know I am vegetarian.  This does not have calories on it but you can determine calories with the ingredients. 


Enjoy!

Vegan Mexican Black Bean & Corn Tacos

Serves 2-4 (depending how ravenous you are!)
Ingredients:
19 oz. can no sodium black beans or pinto beans (or 2 1/3 cups cooked fresh)
12 oz. can no sodium/no sugar corn or 1.5 cups frozen or fresh cut
4 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
3/4 tbsp maple syrup, maple sugar or honey – I don’t use agave (*optional to add flavor to the unsalted beans)
1.5 tsp roasted cumin (or regular, but roasted is much more flavorful)
1/4-1/2 tsp Herbamare or salt (or to taste)
Pinch of fresh ground pepper
1/4-1/2 lime juiced (or to taste)
8-12 corn tortillas (depends how full you load your tacos)
Salsa of choice (I always look for the lowest sodium on the shelves, you’d be surprised how much sodium is in salsa)
 You can also make homemade salsa for less salt
Directions:
1. Heat a pot over medium heat. Drain the corn (if applicable), add some black bean juice to the pot and the garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the black beans, corn and seasonings (leave the lime juice until the end) and heat for 5-7 minutes to let the flavors meld together.
3. Meanwhile heat your corn tortillas over medium heat in a crepe pan, griddle or frying pan just until warm and place in a tortilla warmer, tinfoil or tea towel to insulate. Alternatively you can heat them over a gas flame until slightly charred or microwave just at the end all together for 30 seconds. (Any longer and it won’t be good…)
4. Add the lime juice to the beans and corn and taste test. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5. Assemble tacos, starting with a layer of black beans and corn, some salsa and then top with your marinated Costa Rican Cabbage Salad. Sometimes I like to add some fresh guacamole for variety as well.
6. Enjoy!

Make it spicy: add some chipotle chili powder, cayenne or a sliced jalapeno to the black bean and corns. Use your discretion.

Snow Day!

Today is a snow day.  Yeah!  I know it doesn't look like much.  However, we will take what we can get here in Maryland as it seems to be less and less each year.  Waking up to this on a Friday morning is absolutely lovely.  I have 2 IEP's to be written today so I am thankful for the extra time to write them.  I am thankful my little man will get to play in the snow as he is my snow baby.  He was so excited when he went to bed last night at the thought of building a snow man this morning.  These are the things that make me smile.  Being a mom makes me happy and grateful.  Little man is getting ready as I type this to venture out into the snow with his daddy.  We are all home today which warms my spirit.  I am always running to find things to make me happy.  Then when we are all together, I realize I have all I need right here at home.

I woke up this morning with a positive attitude and a great spirit.  Today I will make great choices even when they are hard to make.  I will eat well.  I will exercise.  I will smile even when I feel like frowning.  Today I will be great!

Quote of the day:

Believe you can and you are halfway there.

Theodore Roosevelt

Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html#ZfccCkyAZeL2YxLH.99

A peak inside my beautiful world

Day 1 Report

OK so today was not so good.  I should have gone to the grocery store before I decided to eat better.  The day started out OK with cheerios and milk.  Then I had a salad with rice for lunch with my water.  It's all a blank after that.  I will start fresh tomorrow now that I have made it to the grocery store.  Plus today is a snow day so we should be allowed to eat what we want when it snows  right?  Ok so I am not a good role model for losing weight but I will try again tomorrow.

Quote and inspiring words of the day.

Wide Awake!

Today is day 1 of make life changes and here I am at 12:38 AM wide awake and unable to sleep.  I had great intentions of getting a good nights rest to start work refreshed tomorrow.  I am a special education teacher which can sometimes be demanding and draining.  However, I do enjoy going to work every day.  I just have to find a way to balance the demands of work with the demands at home.  I need to remember to always put family first no matter what the cost is.  It is my family who inspires me daily and it is for them I wake up and live each day.  I must make sure I am always available to them when they look for me.  I have decided to Facebook less, Journal more, and spend more time reading and writing with my children.  We have become a family with too many gadgets and too much time apart that we are losing sight of one another.  The time I have left to spend with my children as children is becoming less and less.  I have a little over 4 years before I send baby girl off to college and maybe less time than that when she starts dating and driving a car.  I hope I will survive without them there some day.  I hope I will know my purpose in life when all I have is time on my hands.

Today's plan of action is to stay away from sugar and to drink lots of water.  I also plan to go on an after dinner walk with the family if the weather permits.  If it is too cold we will find an activity to help us get moving together.  I will log in later to share my recipe of the day and to report how day 1 went.  For now I leave you with a few words of encouragement.

Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is! - Anne Frank

Purpose of this blog

I have started this blog on January 1, 2014 so I can start being accountable for the things I say I am going to do.  I want to create a blog that will be honest and raw in how each day goes.  I want to share recipes that are easy and healthy so other moms can join in on my weight loss journey.  I have a husband and son who like myself are overweight and unhealthy.  I want to spend each day of the next year getting each of us healthy while helping my daughter to remain healthy.  I want to create a log of the exercise we do each day as well as periodic weigh-ins.  I do not think of this as a diet but as a new way of life.  Part of my journey comes with also rebuilding relationships with old friends and family members.  Life is precious and full of many surprises.  I want my eyes to be wide open as each of those surprises comes my way.  I want to spend this year scrap booking, cooking, and laughing with the people that mean the most to me.  I need to remember that having a dirty house is not the end of the world.  I need to have my door open even if I think it's too dirty to invite friends over.  Those that really love me will not judge me.  I need to surround myself with those people who love me and understand how much I love them.  If you are reading this blog, I hope you will take the time to be part of this wonderful journey I am embarking upon.  Life is short and should be filled with only wonderful memories.  I welcome you to make some memories with me in this next upcoming year.