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!