I’m still here!

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great time over the holidays!  I did!

What?!  Don’t Batman and Superman come to your house for Christmas?!

me and my new nephew 🙂

family shot…my sisters and I with our kids and our dad

and of course…Santa!

I’ve been swamped!!  So busy with kids and my job and just…life.  Just when I think things can’t get any crazier, they do!  I think I’ll have a big announcement coming up, so stay tuned 😉

I struggled big-time in the danger zone between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Too many cookies, too much fudge-makin’.  Just a taste here and there really adds up fast and I about had a heart attack when I stepped on the scale after it was all over!!  Sheesh!  I am trying not to be so hard on myself for not fitting in my workout every morning but I can always have improvements in my eating and I am going to be tougher on myself as far as what I put into my mouth!  That, I have absolute control over.  Being crunched for time is NEVER an excuse for me to pig out.  Time to break out the food diary again. 

In other news, my little princess turned TWO!!  Crazy how time flies!

Anyway, just popping in and I hope to get back to posting more regularly and reading all my favs!!  Off to add them to email subscriptions now!

Fitting it all in

A conversation I had with my co-worker today really made me think.  I was talking about some of the meals and foods I eat regularly and she just looked a little astonished and asked, “When do you have the time?”

How do you find the time to make your health a priority?

We are such busy people.  We get up early in the morning, some of us have kids to get ready for school or daycare, we go to work all day, we get home tired from work, we have a measly two or three hours of family time before everyone hits the sack.  Repeat.

For some people, this list is describes their whole day, with no exceptions.  Others might have classes or lessons for them or their kids to go to in the evenings or meetings to attend or second jobs.  We can all argue about who has the busiest, most jam-packed schedules, but no matter what, people will make the time for what is important to them.

I haven’t watched a tv show in its entirety from my couch in ages.  Yet, a lot of “busy” people somehow make time for this. 

There are a lot of simple things you can do with the time you do have and still make healthy choices.

• I don’t have time to go through the drive-thru at McDonalds or Starbucks every morning.  (not to mention….I work hard for my money and I don’t like to throw it away every day) I do, however, have time to take 30 seconds and fill up my coffeemaker with water and coffee, and an0ther 30 seconds after I’m dressed to pour myself a cup and doctor it up with cocoa, stevia, and coconut milk. 

 

• Breakfasts do not have to be complicated or time-consuming!  Oatmeal can be cooked on the stovetop in under 10 minutes.  Eggs can be cooked in under 5.  Toast- 2 minutes tops. If you need something that can be taken on-the-go, try making a smoothie!!  I made a delicious and nutritious green smoothie this morning in under 2 minutes and it went straight from the blender to my cup and into my car! 

 

• Running late every morning?  Prep everything the night before!  I like to pack the next day’s lunch before I go to bed.  I also like to bake bread and muffins on the weekends for quick breakfasts during the week!  If you didn’t already know, baked goods freeze very well and all you have to do is take it out of the freezer and thaw for about 30 min at room temp or pop it in the microwave!

 

• Be prepared.  Take the time to plan out your meals the day before.  Having a plan can save you time in the future.

 

• Forget your lunch?  Sleep in and didn’t have time to pack it?  You are NOT limited to fast-food.  Try stopping at the grocery store!  Get a piece of fruit, nuts, a sandwich or wrap, a salad–bottom line, you get more nutrition bang for your buck.  Anything is better than that Big Mac and fries! 

 

• Make more food!!  Leftovers are quick and easy–always make enough for leftovers 🙂

Any quick tips you can add to this list?

 

Speaking of leftovers, I like to make a big tray of roasted veggies 2-3 times per week. 

Look at all those gorgeous veggies 🙂

I always have some leftover to eat as a side

or with eggs for breakfast

Tonight I felt just FAMISHED after work.  I was craving pizza like mad!  So I decided to make one when I got home.  I made my own crust and sauce.

For the crust:

1 cup warm water (not hot!)

1 package yeast

1 tbsp honey or agave

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

seasonings of choice (I like Italian herb)

2 tbsp olive oil

Put yeast and honey in bowl with warm water and let yeast activate for 5 minutes.  Add flours and spices, if desired, and oil.  Knead for 5 min.  Then make a dough ball and rub in 1 tbsp olive oil, coating the whole ball.  Let rise for 30 min. 

While the crust is getting ready to rise, you can start on your sauce.  I heat up 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat in a medium skillet and then add one clove of finely chopped garlic.  I let this roast while I open a can of tomato sauce and a small can of tomato paste and dump them in, followed by more Italian herb seasoning. 

You can also prep any toppings…tonight I was dealing with a cranky 2-year-old so I did not chop up any veggies.  Use whatever you like.  I usually add zucchini and whatever else I have on hand.  Today I cheated–roasted red peppers from a jar.

Then after 30 min, knead the dough again briefly and spread onto a cookie sheet lightly greased with olive oil. 

I cook the crust by itself for 5 minutes before I take it out to put the sauce and toppings on.  Once it is completely assembled, bake at 350* for 20 minutes. 

And you know what?  I wasn’t standing in the kitchen that whole time.  While I was waiting for my dough to rise I was hanging out with the kiddos.  Just because the start-to-finish time may have been over an hour, it doesn’t mean it was an hour spent in the kitchen 😉

And the best part??  LEFTOVERS!  I can bring a couple slices with some salad for my lunch tomorrow and Pete can have a quick dinner before he goes to bed (he works seconds and isn’t home with us in the evenings). 

ETA- Since we never see each other, sometimes we find creative ways to communicate.  I found this on my camera when I was uploading today’s photos

Isn’t he sweet?  What kinds of little things does your significant other do for you?

Now I need to get some dishes done and laundry put away so I can get my workout in and still go to bed by 10 🙂 

Until tomorrow!

My weight-loss journey

The last time I was happy with my body, I was 16, taking diet pills, eating virtually nothing, and doing a lot of exercising.  I remember one morning weighing in at 139.  My lowest all-time weight, and all I saw at the time was a fat girl who still needed to lose another 10 lbs.  I’d just lost a bunch of weight but it wasn’t the first time I had done so.  I have yo-yo’d around for most of my life. 

My weight has always been a touchy subject with me.  A constant source of embarrassment and shame and something I’ve always let make me feel like I was an inferior human being.  I cannot remember a time when I could just put some clothes on without first looking at myself from all angles in the mirror, including sitting down, to see if I looked fat or not.  Some outfits were for standing only or for only underneath a big coat to hide the muffin-top while sitting down.  I’ve spent countless hours crying and feeling sorry for myself and even resentful towards my sisters, who are all naturally thin.  I have missed out on a lot of social activities because of my negative self image.  I never go to pools or beaches (not that there are any of those in central Illinois!) and until this past summer, I would rarely go to any kind of summer event because I would get too hot in my jeans and oversized shirt.  I refused to wear shorts or tank tops because I was just so uncomfortable and disgusted with myself.  I would stay in instead of go out because I didn’t like how I looked in any of my clothes.  I’ve felt too uncomfortable to make friends because I’ve been so nervous that no one would like me because I didn’t really even like myself.  I’ve had a very lonely last couple of years.  I haven’t really even felt comfortable talking about it til now.  A year ago, there’s no way I would have posted any of the pictures I’m about to post.  Some are extremely embarrassing and hard for me to look at and others just make me want to go back in time, knowing what I know now.  I’m finally at the point where I can share with the world where I’ve been and how I’ve gotten to where I am now.  I feel like I am ready to share my story, both because it is cathartic for me and for anyone who is curious or who may have had a similar experience.

I didn’t start off as a chubby kid. 

and I really can’t pinpoint what really went wrong or what happened since I do not remember those early years very clearly, but I think it all started with my love of books.  I loved reading and I’d spend all my free time curled up with a new book.  Of course, I also got in the habit of eating while I was reading.  It wasn’t uncommon for me to come home from school and eat a whole bag of microwave popcorn or two or three different processed, fatty snacks.  I wasn’t getting any physical activity anymore and I was definitely taking in more calories than I was putting out.  So the weight gaining began.  When I got to 7th grade, we moved to a new town and I left a pretty big, diverse school in Normal, Illinois for a very tiny one where everyone had known each other since kindergarten and some since they were in diapers.  I was the new girl and right away, I was the outcast.  At least that is how the other kids made me feel.  I wasn’t pretty and thin like everybody else.  I was chunky.  I remember one girl in particular who had at first be-friended me, then turned around and made fun of how fat I was.  I was devastated.  I remember coming home crying frequently in the first year of middle school.  It’s hard enough for a girl to get through those years without the added stress of being the new fat girl.  I started hanging out with a different crowd after that.  I wanted so bad to be friends with all the popular, pretty girls but I found a new best friend who never treated me like a second-rate person because of my weight.  I couldn’t have gotten through middle school without her.  The only problem was, the people we surrounded ourselves with were not the ones I wanted to be associated with.  I still, to this day, have never smoked a whole cigarette (I think I tried it twice and both were one-puffers) or tried pot even once.  It’s just not my thing, and not anything I care to be around while others are doing it.

Then it was time for high school.  I started off freshman year still being a chunky girl. (p.s.- remember those zig-zag headbands?!  sooooo 1999.  lol)

I still felt so socially awkward and very uncomfortable in my own skin.  I was very shy.  Some people mistook this for being stuck-up or bitchy.  They still do.  Then I started a crash diet.  I lost 20 lbs by not eating and exercising religiously to my mom’s The Firm tape and I remember very well one of my teachers telling me that she noticed I had lost weight and how good I looked after I lost it.  I started feeling a little self-confidence for the first time in a long time.  I ditched my middle school bff for one of the girls I never thought I had a shot at being friends with.  To this day, I still feel awful for the way I treated my former friend.  She was nothing but great to me and I turned my back on her to help my social standing.  If you are reading this, I’m sorry.  I have a lot of regrets from high school and this one is a big one.

I felt like I needed to make a positive change in my life and become more active so I joined the track team freshman year.  I was NOT a runner.  When I first joined, I could barely make it four blocks before I had to stop running.  But through my coach’s persistance, I was molded into a mid-distance runner.  My races were the 400m, 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and the 1600m and 3200m relays.  By the end of the year I was running the 2-mile races at meets.  I never finished as a medler, but I could finish, which was a major accomplishment in terms of my personal fitness.

By the start of my sophomore year, I had maintained my weight-loss and even continued running throughout the summer.  I joined the volleyball team which had practices starting in the summer.  My coach, who was also the track coach, decided it was time our school started a cross-country team.  So the cross-country team was formed, and I was a founding member 🙂

Between volleyball practice every day after school with an hour of extra cross-country practice immediately following, and cr0ss-country meets on the weekends, I lost a little more weight and was still able to maintain my previous weight-loss.  This is a time where I wish I could go back in time, knowing what I know now.  I was still pretty soft and I still had my trouble areas, despite being only 16 and extremely active.  We’d stop at McDonalds on the way home from an away game or meet and I’d have the large-sized double cheeseburger meal with a Dr. Pepper, followed by a chocolate sundae.  I never realized how important nutrition is.  I wasn’t really focused on my running, either.  I had my priorities.

 

That’s me on my 16th birthday with my drivers’ license.  I was also working a day or two per week as a waitress at a local restaurant so I could fund my two loves of clothes and hair changes.  I had an image to keep up now with my new friends and my parents weren’t going to buy me $80 jeans or $100 Doc Marten shoes.  But I was so convinced I HAD to have them all so I did what I thought I had to do: work.  I also had it in my head that I needed to be a blonde.  (my hair is naturally light brown) I spent a small fortune on highlights and hair cuts during my high school years.  Looking back, I never really looked very good as a blonde.  Or with really short hair.

 

 The rest of high school is really a blur.  My schedule was so jam-packed with things to do.  Besides cross-country and track and working 20 hours a week, I was a member of AFS ( I only joined because it meant going to Six Flags for a day), Spanish National Honor Society, National Honor Society, Curriculum Council, Student Council, and I was a class officer.  And I was also active in my church’s youth group.  I had a full social calendar and I went out every weekend and I went to every prom and Homecoming dance and activity.  I was a busy girl. 

And just when I thought I couldn’t get any busier, senior year came.

I had a pretty tight group of three other friends throughout high school.  And by friends, I mean we would all be nice to each other’s face and then talk major shit about whoever wasn’t in the room.  And of course we were all probably naive enough to think that we were all the exception, that the others didn’t do it to us, but of course we all did.  I was finally confident enough with myself and my appearance to want to start dating.  I never really dated anyone seriously in my earlier years of high school.  Not only did I not have the time, but there was also a serious lack of selection at my school.  My class had 66 students in it when I graduated so you can just imagine the slim-pickin’s.  I was convinced that I would have to wait til college to find someone.  A couple of girls in my inner circle were dating pretty seriously and we slowly started drifting apart.  We didn’t have time to hang out all the time anymore and then there was always the competition of all of us wanting to be top-dog.  At least for sure with me and my best friend.  I feel so stupid for the way I behaved in high school both towards the people who were supposed to be my friends and everyone else.  I didn’t give most people the time of day if they weren’t approved by my friends.  If there could be one thing I could tell high-schoolers, it would be that life is so much bigger than anything at your school.  Nothing that I thought was so important really matters.  Now it does not matter how my hair looked a certain day or who my friends were or what I wore.  I wish I could go back with the self-confidence and self-worth I have now.  I’m sure it would be an entirely different experience.

But I digress.  My friends were all getting boyfriends and I was really feeling that void from my life.  The second semester of senior year, I had signed up for a blow-off class:  Foods.  It was 8th hour at the end of the day and it was a nice break from all the college prep classes I was taking.  I ended up sitting by my friend Lindsey and her boyfriend’s best friend, Pete.  It was Lindsey’s idea for Pete and I to double date with her and her boyfriend. 

That one date lead to another, and we’ve been inseperable ever since.

I had been contemplating going away to college in Des Moines, Iowa, but my budding relationship with Pete made me want to stay nearby.  Because I had good grades, I got an academic scholarship to my local (and by local I mean 45 min away) community college.  I lived at home and commuted to school and I worked part-time at a local pharmacy.  Enter the Freshman 15.  Or 30. My new life was very busy and very inactive.  I was a year ahead of Pete in school so he was still in high school and I’d see him the nights and weekends when he wasn’t working.  I went to the Homecoming dance with him looking quite different than I had during my senior year.

Then Pete graduated, and we moved in together.

It was 2004.  I think we both can refer to 2004-2005 as THE FAT YEARS.

We were young, we were stupid, we were busy, we ate large quantities of frozen pizzas, ramen noodles, mac and cheese, and McDonalds.  And it showed.

I hit my all-time highest weight of around 210 lbs.  Again, I wish I could go back in time and do some things different.  I was busy, but I didn’t have kids and I still found the time to watch movies and tv.  I had time but I had nothing but excuses.  I had no idea how to eat healthy.  I thought “healthy” meant anything low-carb, low-cal, low-fat, and in packaging that told me it was so.  Or if it was in a salad, it was okay.  I ate a ton of Caesar salads during this time.  Also lots of homemade Hidden Valley ranch packets, along with lots of cheese, meats, and croutons.  My toppings always outnumbered my actual lettuce, which was always the bastard of all lettuces; iceberg.

Pete proposed to me in early 2005 and we decided to get married later that year.  I wanted to look good in my wedding dress so I started following Weight-Watchers and doing a lot of walking.  I lost about 25 lbs, which was good, but not nearly enough to look as good as I wanted.

at the rehearsal

Then, three short weeks after we got married, Pete left for Basic Training.  He lost 60 lbs during that time.  I, however, did not.  A small gym had opened up in my town and I had started going there but it was short-lived.  I found out I was pregnant in January 2006 and my workouts bascially stopped.  I was also very excited to experience the preggo rite of passage–EATING FOR TWO!  I ate anything and everything and I thought I was doing okay because I did not gain much weight initially.  Unfortunately, it all caught right up with me and I ended my pregnancy right at 230 lbs.

Becoming a mom really changed my whole outlook on life.  My world was suddenly much bigger than just me and my actions.  I was responsible for this little person, to mold and teach him and instill values in him.  I didn’t want him to remember me as a fat and unhappy mom.  I didn’t want to raise him in an unhealthy environment.  I didn’t want him to grow up struggling with his weight.  So I started to eat less junk and I started walking for 1-2 hours a day.  I lost 30 lbs.

Then Pete came home from his 15-month deployment.

We became pregnant with baby #2 shortly after.  And once again, I ballooned up to 230 lbs.

After my daughter came, I knew for sure I was never going to be that big again.  Ever.  I had a nasty soda habit that I was able to kick after a few months and I first learned about how to eat whole, real, un-processed foods from the Abs Diet for Women by David Zinczenko.  It was also the first time I ever realized the importance of strength-training.  Up til that point, I had been strictly a cardio-only girl.  I didn’t want to bulk up.  I didn’ t know that lifting even light weights with high reps could rev up my metabolism and speed up my weight loss while also making me better at my cardio.  I hadn’t done any running since high school but I decided to take it up again (much to the shock of my former coach!) after I had my daughter because it was something I could do without a gym and at a very low cost.  I bought a pair of running shoes and a double jogging stroller and never looked back.  I started Clean Eating at least 75% of my meals and my body started transforming. 

I’m not perfect and I am still not where I want to be.  But I can be happy now with who I am both physically and as a person.  I don’t see my weight-loss journey as something that has an expiration date or a certain dress size attached to it.  I’m more than a stupid number on the scale.  I want to push the limits of what I can do physically.  I want to see just how toned and sculpted I can get my body to be.  I want to eat foods based on how they make me feel and the nutrition they provide me versus what is convenient or traditional.  This blog is going to be about my journey to get there and stay there.

Running Naked

 

Today I decided to go running naked.

Geeze, pervs, I am referring to technologically-naked.  No heart rate monitor, no music, not even the timer on my watch.  Just me, Clark, and the open road.   It was nice to not be focused on the numbers for once and to just concentrate on my running and not thinking about a zillion other things or getting frustrated with my Pandora cutting in and out.  And as you can tell, I am seriously lacking in cold-weather running gear.  I’m wearing Pete’s old Army stuff and while it did keep me pretty warm, he is also a good 5 inches taller than me and weighs a good 50 lbs more than me.  So not the most flattering stuff, lol.  Oh well, just another couple hundred dollars added to the list of fitness gear on my wish-list.  In time.

Tangy’s exercise tip of the day:  If you need to kick up your workout about 10 notches, then run with a very energetic, athletic, excitable dog who weighs at least 2/3 of your body weight.  I promise, you’ll get a good workout!!  Clark and I headed out into the country for a 3 mile run.  I had planned on making this a tempo run but it ended up being some speed training.  First mile couldn’t have been more than 7.5 minutes, even after 3 stops to go potty, not that I was timing myself or anything.  (Bonus:  if you are lucky enough to live near the country, no dog-poo pickup required!)  I think my body was in shock after no workouts and being fed Thanksgiving foods and even–gasp–McDonalds (in my defense, it was free…but never again), I was having to do a little walking after that.  Then the next 2 miles consisted of sprint-walk intervals with Clark pulling me during the walking portions.  I used to be the faster one with more endurance.  No longer.

After our run, I was hungry and ready for one of my new favorite quick meals:  Almond butter and banana slices on toasted Ezekial bread.

Mmmm Mmmmm.  I think I’ll have another green smoothie for dinner tonight to help flush out the rest of the bad stuff, if any of it is left in there 😉

What is your favorite post-workout meal?

The Return of the Smoothies

I’ve been a bad, bad girl this week!!  No workouts!!  OMG!  The two hours in the car for my commute Monday through Wednesday were a bit of a shock to my system after months of staying at home all day.  But now I’m down to a shorter commute so I promise, I’ll be good 🙂

I bought a ton of spinach the last time I went to the grocery store and as of this morning, I had yet to use any of it!  It was time for a smoothie, stat!  I have given up dairy and, consequently, whey protein.  I have been doing a lot of vegan meals lately so I figured, hey, what the heck, I’ll get some vegan protein.  I found this baby at Kroger.

I added three huge handfuls of spinach since I felt like my body has been going through veggie withdrawal

Followed by this (I had originally thought it was just regular ole coconut milk, but it is diluted.  No good for my coffee, but excellent for smoothies!)

and my favorite fruit blend, with extra mango 😉

The verdict: Mixed feelings.  The protein was not the smooth-tasting yumminess that whey is.  It was gritty and kind of gave my smoothie a dirt taste.  After about half the glass, I think I was starting to become accustomed to the taste but it is definitely not something I’d give to the hubby or anyone else trying a green smoothie for the first time.  I think next time, I’ll be getting a different protein.   what kind of protein do you use?

I’m about to go wake up Pete (it IS noon, afterall!) so I can get in a good run before he has to leave for work.  I need to get rid of some of the garbage in my system today and my dog could really use the workout, also.  Tomorrow I will resume p90x.  I swear I have started and stopped it 394857 times.  Life just keeps getting in the way!!  And I never know if I need to start it over with week one or re-do the previous week or just start where I left off!! GRR!!  In a perfect world, I’d never have a reason to stop but I don’t see life slowing down any time soon!  No excuses though, this girl has worked TOO hard to get to this point.  More about that later :O)

No Thanks.

Did any of you go Black Friday shopping??

I did not.  I thought about joining my aunts, but

A) It was my first whole day at my home office of my new job and I knew it would be full of training and I do not function well on zero sleep either professionally or personally–I don’t want to be the ditzy girl or the bitchy one right off the bat

B) There is nothing I need or want bad enough to deal with going out in below freezing weather and frenzied mobs of people bumping into me  (even though I stupidly bought a paper yesterday just to drool over all the ads…)

and

C) I didn’t want to rush them.  I had to be at work by 9, in a totally opposite direction of where they were going shopping so we would have had to be home by 8 and that’s no fun for anyone. 

So this girl stayed home and slept in til 6.  Did you hit the sales today?  Find any good deals?

I did end up hitting up Walmart before work, around 8am, and it was a ghost town in there!!  About 20 registers with no lines!  Score!  I didn’t go for any big-ticket items, just a couple sweaters because my cold-weather business wardrobe is seriously non-existent!  Gotta build it up slowly and these sweaters look seriously cute. 

Today was a totally awesome day at work.  I think I spent a good chunk of my day buying wrapping paper and wrapping presents for a display we have in the lobby.  Love my new job!  Now I’m looking forward to Pete getting home and us having a little alone time tonight–now that we are on opposite schedules, we never see each other and I am long overdue for a good back rub.  Nice low-key night and hopefully a movie.  If you have kids you can appreciate how nice it is to not only pick the movie, but also to watch it without interruptions.  If you don’t, then get your fill of movie-watchin’ while you can.  Movies at home are never the same again! 

Have a good weekend 🙂

Thank You!

First of all, I’d like to say a big “thank you” to anyone who stops by here.  I’m probably not the best writer and lord knows I am not the best photographer 😉  All the comments I get mean so much!  Muah!  Kisses!

And while I’m all ooey-gooey I’ll go ahead and name off the obligatory list of what I am thankful for this year:

• My wonderful husband.  Who always puts up with me and my Tangy-ness and treats me way better than I deserve most of the time.  I’m glad I get to have him around for the holidays this year since he’s missed three years of being home during this time.  Finally, no more Iraq!
• My two demons precious children.  They are really at challenging ages right now and the sibling dynamic always has me on my toes but I’m so thankful to have two beautiful, healthy children who are able to run around and trash my house everyday and who are creative enough to color pictures on my walls.  They make me want to be a better person and I want to give them the opportunity to experience anything in life they want.
• My extended family.  Everyone has really helped us out in the past couple months in so many ways and I am very grateful to have such awesome people in my life!
• To have a job.  I’ve only had it for 3 days now but it is 3 days til forever.  After months and months of searching and feeling so discouraged and hopeless–I swear every application I turned in must have had a huge “DO NOT HIRE” red flag turn up somewhere…but I’m so glad to be where I’m at now and I really do think things have worked out for the best in their own roundabout way.
• I’m so thankful for my health.  It is something we all take for granted, to be healthy, and I know some are not so fortunate. 

Now, to prepare for tomorrow…

I’m really nervous now about any event involving people and food.  In fact, the last two times I had big events, I ended up getting really sick.  Losing-my-dinner and going straight to bed to fight off my migraine–kind of sick.  I thought it was just the liquor until Monday (my first day of work) when the same thing happened to me–big day I had been anticipating for a while, made it through most of day, then BOOM!  Killer nausea, bad headache, 3 trips to the bathroom, unable to keep a single thing down.  So I am hoping for a better experience tomorrow.  Do you have any techniques to calm your nerves and de-stress before a highly anticipated event?

I might wear my skinny jeans tomorrow just to keep everything in perspective.  Not actual skinny jeans, but just my smallest pair that I can just barely get away with squeezing into.  Plus I think they could use a good stretching-out so I can wear them to casual Friday!!  I think they are the lone pair nice enough for work.  Shamefull…I need to go jeans-shopping again but aacccckkkkk does anyone find that to be a pleasant experience?!  I usually end up near-tears feeling fat and deformed when pair after pair does not work for me.  I at least have it narrowed down to mid-rise, long length, boot-cut, slim fit through the hip and thigh.  Now the challenge:  to see if a pair like that actually exists.  What are your favorite kind of jeans?

My Not-So-Lazy Sunday

Hey everyone!  Hope you all had a great weekend!

I had a busy day yesterday!!  I didn’t even get my workout in!  Maybe a double is in store for tonight!

Since today is my first day of work, I’ve been busy getting things ready for the week.  Kind of like nesting, lol. Since I will be leaving in the morning before Pete and the kids wake up for breakfast, I decided to do some baking so they don’t all starve if they get sick of cereal 🙂

Banana bread

I also made a pumpkin loaf as well as apple-cinnamon-raisin!  Special shout-out to Angela @  http://ohsheglows.com (I am having the WORST time trying to link externally since WordPress did their little “upgrade”) for the tip to soak raisins before baking!  They got nice and plump!

While I was waiting for my stuff to bake and in between endless dishes I started to rearrange the fridge and prep some of my produce for the week.  I had a pinto bean disaster last week where I let all the water boil out and my beans were burning to the bottom of the pan—ooops.  I should have just thrown them away instead of guiltily forcing them down twice.  I tried to give them to Clark…

Note his “WTF, mom” stare.

Feeling not only bad for trying to pass off my failure to Clark, but also for actually forcing them down twice, I remembered seeing a recipe for homemade doggie oaties from the lovely miss HEAB.  I had a bunch of leftover diced apples and a half a can of pumpkin, so I altered her recipe slightly.

1 cup pumpkin

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup diced apples

1/2 cup applesauce

2 cups oats

Combine ingredients and spoon by dallops onto cookie sheet.  Bake @ 325* 10 minutes.

Ole Clark was much, much, happier with this. I even made him a big bone-shaped treat.

Well off to get ready for work.  Have a fabulous Monday!

p.s. Look what finally came!!  I won this in a contest in the Running Moms group way back this summer.  I had pretty much given up on it.

Speaking of Veganism…

I decided early this morning that I need to get serious about giving up dairy.  I know it upsets my stomach, yet I’ve still been reaching for the pizza (in some form) at least four nights a week.  Sheesh.  I am 99% positive I will feel much better when I give it up so here goes nothing!!  Time to see if a die-hard cheese lover from dairyland central can do this.

I ate not one, but two, vegan meals today.  (lunch involved a hamburger but it was not a cheeseburger!) Breakfast was oatmeal with coconut milk for creaminess, my favorite Smucker’s all-natural peanut butter, and a chocolate swirl made from cocoa powder and agave.  I could (and often, do) eat this every day for breakfast.  yummmm.

And dinner…well, dinner was just amazing. 

Organic lettuce from the Aqua Ranch with Annie’s Goddess dressing, cashews, baby carrots with pesto hummus, seseme wheat crackers that got crushed over the lettuce, and my new fav…apple chips!

Okay…I just wanted an excuse to eat a whole bag of these and not feel too guilty.  hehe.

These are quite possibly the food equivalent of crack.  I picked them up this afternoon at Hyvee.  Along with many other healthy goodies.

I was suddenly ravenous after getting home and unloading the groceries but of course I felt like I had nothing to eat.  My fridge was stuffed, my pantry stocked, yet I was pre-heating the oven in defeat, about to cook a frozen pizza I had picked up for Pete to eat.  Then I wanted to kick myself for lacking the willpower to make it even just one day.  So I tried to fill my plate with as many things as possible that also required no effort and no dishes. 

I’m so glad I did.  I know I won’t hate myself in two hours or later tonight when I’m doing plyo.  This is totally something I can take with me to work, either as a meal or as things to snack on throughout the day.  Sometimes the simplest of things can really make a great combination! 

What is your favorite simple meal? 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend 🙂

Friday Night Randomness

Let me first just say….I am not digging the “upgrades” from wordpress.  I cannot make any external links and it is really ticking me off.  I was going to update a few of my pages and I get nothing but error messages…sigh.  Is anyone else having any problems? 

It’s the day before grocery shopping so it’s one of those nights where I just have to find something creative and put it together and call it dinner.  Unfortunately, I’m clean out of creativity today.  I have a bag of quinoa that I really want to use but I’ve never even tried the stuff before and I’m not quite sure how to cook it or what to add to it!  How do you like your quinoa?  Is it one of those things that tastes good both sweet and savory?

Of course, a bowl full of grains does not sound in the least appetizing.  I just returned from a potty break with ‘ole Clark and was exposed to the mouth-watering aroma of grilled steaks coming from one of the neighboring houses.  Oh, so cruel to do to a girl the day before grocery day!!  So now the only thing that is on my mind is a big hunk of juicy steak. 

I currently have no meat in my house.  Or butter.  I feel so vegan 😛