Hello Again!

I know I haven't written a post since August and I'm feeling pretty bad about it.  I've been having trouble making the time to write, but my weight loss clinic counselor urged me to try harder.  So here I am...cheerfully.

The last couple of months brought quite a bit of turmoil in my life.  My husband was out of town (except for some weekends) for most of the summer and it was pretty hard on all of us.  My son got very sick at the beginning of September and was in the hospital for a few days.  We were out of town for 3 weeks towards the end of September and I proceeded to gain 9 pounds.  During the 3 weeks away, I got some bad news from my employer, which led to some highly emotional eating.  They had to cut my pay and my benefits in order to keep me on.  So now I'm an independent contractor (some people have told me that being my own boss may be a blessing, but I haven't been able to see it as that yet, hopefully soon).  

Things have calmed down quite a bit and I've finally come to terms with my job situation and am looking forward to taking on new graphic design clients and seeing where things go. Anybody wanna hire me?  :)

I've been able to lose 5 of the 9 pounds I gained while I was away from home and I'm feeling great about that.  I'm trying to get back into regular exercise by waking up early and jumping on the treadmill.  The early mornings are the only time that I can actually seem to get my workouts done.  When I get more acclimated to my routine, I'll add strength training to that. I was having trouble with my foot and my knees, but things seem to be getting better, at least for now.

I saw my doctor yesterday for some wrist pain (from picking up my 30lb little boy) and talked to her about taking Metformin for my PCOS to level out my blood sugar and possibly assist in weight loss, which is painfully slow, even when I've been giving it 100%.  She agreed that it might be helpful so I took my first dose last night.  So far no big side effects, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that it stays that way.

My counselor and I also talked about the fact that I KNOW exactly what I need to do to lose weight but something inside my crazy brain is crippling my efforts.  I've mentioned this before.  In other words, my biggest problem is in my head.  The trick will be to work on my mental endurance...making better food and exercise choices and making the little "food devil" that sits on my shoulder go away for good.  I'm pretty sure a lot of you know what I'm talking about. Losing weight is as much an emotional journey as a physical one.  I need to continue to take steps to make my lifestyle healthier while keeping it enjoyable.

So there you have it.  I've been going through a rough patch, but I'm getting things under control.  I'm certainly not quitting...that's not even an option!  I'm just trying to keep my life in balance - trying to do my best at my work, at being a wife and mother and learning to make healthier choices while I'm at it :)  Maybe some day people will look at me and say "how does she do it?"...haha, I can dream can't I?

If you have any comments, advice or just want to say hi, I'd love to hear from you.

Glad to be back!

Taco Cupcakes

I love interesting food.  And this is one of the most interesting foods I've come across.  Not to mention deeelicious.  I made these for my Bunco group and they were a huge hit.  The variation possibilities are endless.  I made them as the recipe states, but you can add olives, green chiles, different vegetables...whatever your little heart desires.  And they're low-calorie! What could be better?

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Emily Bites.  I can't wait to try more of her healthy comfort food recipes.

Topped with light sour cream and homemade guacamole, this is comfort food at it's best!

Taco Cupcakes

Recipe by Emily Bites

Serves 8, 1 cupcake per serving

Ingredients:
1 ½ t chili oil (I used olive oil because I wanted to keep it mild)
½ lb 95% lean ground beef
1 T taco seasoning
¾ c canned black beans, drained and rinsed
16 wonton wrappers
5 T + 1 t salsa con queso (I used Tostitos because it was on sale)
1 c chunky salsa
1 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375. Spray 8 muffin tin cups with cooking spray.  Next, heat your oil in a large pan over medium high heat.  Add your ground beef and taco seasoning and brown, breaking up the beef into little crumbles. (I use my Pampered Chef Mix N Chop for that...makes it so easy!)  Now it's time to add the black beans and cook the mixture for a few minutes until warmed through.

Now the fun begins :) Press a wonton wrapper into each of the prepared cups.  Put about a teaspoon of queso into the bottom of each cup and spread across the bottom.  Next, take half the meat mixture and divide it up among the 8 cups. Now divide half of the salsa mixture between the 8 cups.  Then take 1/2 of the cheese and sprinkle a little into each cup.

For the second layer, press a wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering of the queso, meat mixture, salsa and cheese.

Starting the 2nd layer

Just before baking

Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes...the wrappers will be golden brown and the filling will be a little bubbly. They come out of the tin easier if you let them cool for about 5 minutes. I know, I know! It was hard for me to wait too :)

Ole! The finished product!  I was cooking for a crowd so I doubled the recipe.

Nutritional Information:  Per Serving (from Mastercook): 184 Calories; 8g Fat (39.8% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 23mg Cholesterol; 512mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

5 WWP+

Note:  My nutritional information varies from that on the Emily Bites.  I'm thinking it's due to varying ingredient brands.  I use Mastercook software to calculate my nutritional values.  I recommend doublechecking nutritional values with whatever ingredient brands you're using.

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A New Week

Hi friends,

It's Monday again and my family and I had a great weekend!  My husband came home from his business trip late Friday night and we spent Saturday together having fun.  I made soyrizo and eggs for breakfast (if you've never tried soyrizo, I highly recommend it!) and then we went to a Farmer's Market.  I had a Groupon for 10lbs of organic peaches for $10 so I redeemed it there...they look beautiful.  I can't wait to try them when they ripen :)  We then spent the afternoon playing games with my son at John's Incredible Pizza.  I did pretty well there at the buffet.  I had a big salad with lots of vegetables and just a little dressing and 4 small slices of pizza that added up to 2 regular sized slices.  So all-in-all it was a great day.

10 pounds of farm-fresh peaches...I can't wait for them to ripen!  I see some peach freezer jam in my future.  

So now it's Monday and my husband is away again, so it's just my son and I this week.  I woke up semi-early this morning and the first I did was to make my meal plan for the day.  I've printed it out and I'm going to post it on the fridge for easy reference.  I AM going to stick to this plan today.  I've got a pack of gum ready and waiting for those moments of weakness.  I also plan on doing 45 minutes on the treadmill tonight before bed.  I'm hoping I still have the energy to get it done.

RECIPES
I am thankful that my little boy is finally well and I had time to get back in the kitchen last week.  I made a couple of great recipes...Taco Cupcakes from Emily Bites and Chicken Piccata from Skinnytaste (two of my favorite recipe blogs)...I'll be posting the reviews and recipes later this week.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Southwest Omelet Cups

Sometimes I'm looking for something different than just an egg over-medium and toast.  This recipe fit the bill perfectly.  It's also full of vegetables, which is a plus in my book, especially since I don't normally eat vegetables at breakfast.  And, it's easy!

Southwest Omelet Cups

Adapted from Perry's Plate

Makes 12 omelet cups

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup 1% milk
1/3 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup chopped spinach
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a regular sized muffin tin (the kind with 12 cups) with cooking spray. Set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, salsa and cream and then add the rest of the ingredients.  Pour into muffin cups.  Bake for 20 minutes or until set.

Nutritional Information per Omelet Cup:  81 Calories; 5g Fat (59.3% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 77mg Cholesterol; 215mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat

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Sometimes Life Gets Stressful

I am not at a good place with my diet and exercise.  I’m at a feeling-sorry-for-myself kinda place.  My son has been sick more than he has been well for the past 2 months (including 2 ER visits and a 2-day hospital stay for febrile seizures), my husband has been working away more than he has been home, my foot hurts, my knees hurt, my boss wants me to change over to an independent contractor, I haven’t written on my blog for over 2 weeks.  All these things have been weighing on my heart and on my mind.  The 6 or 8 (I lost count) cheesecake cupcakes I ate throughout the day today made me feel better….for about 5 minutes…and now I feel terrible.  I KNOW that I have no excuse for eating unhealthy and being a couch potato, but all this stuff going on is just getting me down.  I need to do something to get out of my funk. 

So, step 1 is to make a plan.  Before writing this post, I started making a food journal for tomorrow, filling it up with nutritious food.  I need and want to get back to my “glory days” when I was eating what I was supposed to every day and exercising regularly and feeling really good about myself.  I lost 20 pounds in that month and a half (back in November/December 2011).  I’ve spent all of 2012 fooling around – losing 5 pounds, gaining 6, losing 1, gaining 1.  I’ve managed to maintain my initial loss, but I’m certainly going nowhere fast.  So it’s time to really try again…and try hard. 

Step 2 is to follow that plan.  That's where I always seem to fail.

There's a good chance that you're rolling your eyes and shaking your head at me.  I don’t blame you.   I’ve written a couple of posts just like this one before.  Believe me when I say I know that I’m a diet-flake and I do know what I need to do to be successful, I just don’t do what I’m supposed to for whatever reason.  All I can do is make a promise to myself – and to you – that I will try really hard to do better.  And I’m going to round up all the people in my life that love me and ask them to give me their full-on support in my journey to a healthier me because I need it – for my baby boy, my future child, my husband and for my own longevity and quality of life.  I need all the help and encouragement I can get.

Thank you for reading…I really do want to show myself and all of you that I CAN do this.  So here I go…again.   My goal is for progress, not perfection.  (Thank you Sarah Beth for sharing that concept with me a few months ago). 

Update and Journal for Monday 8/06

Hi everyone....

I know last week I promised to post and give you a recipe.  That was before my 21-month-old son ended up in the hospital.  He had 3 seizures brought on by fever spikes due to an ear infection. It was an extremely scary time.  But, the good news is that he's much much better now - back to his normal rambunctious self and we thank God for that.

So, needless to say, my head wasn't in the game last week and hasn't been for several weeks.  My son has been sick on and off for the past 4 weeks or so and I've pretty much spent all of my time and energy focusing on him and work and meanwhile letting myself get back to some of my old habits which include not exercising.  I haven't weighed myself for a couple of weeks either.  My next weigh in is Friday morning.

After reflecting back on last week's frightening events, I've reminded myself once again that if I'm going to take excellent care of my family, I need to take excellent care of myself too.  What good will I be if I continue to be unhealthy?  The answer to that question is NO GOOD.

So I'm not going to spend alot of time beating myself up for not doing what I'm supposed to do, because I can't undo it.  All I can do is start fresh and go from there.  I've decided to make the following goals:

• Lose 10 pounds
• Stay within calories each day from now until Sunday
• Exercise at least 4 days this week

I plan on taking my son out for a walk later in the new jogging stroller we bought yesterday and hopefully I'll have time to do some strength training after he goes to bed tonight.

Wish me luck (I'm really going to need it - prayers too if you can!) and I hope to make you all (and myself) proud!

Here's my journal for today:

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012
BREAKFAST
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Egg, fresh, 1 large	70	5	0	6
Sara Lee Delightful Whole Wheat Bread (2 slices per serv), 0.5 serving	45	1	7	3
Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Original Cheese (Serving = 1 wedge), 1 serving	35	2	1	2
	150	7	8	11
LUNCH
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Sara Lee Delightful Whole Wheat Bread (2 slices per serv), 1 serving	90	1	14	6
Best Foods Regular Mayonnaise, 0.33 tbsp	30	3	0	0
Kirkland Foster Farms Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, 1 slice, 1 serving	50	1	0	10
	170	5	14	16
DINNER
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Lettuce, red leaf (salad), 1 cup shredded	4	0	1	0
DD Oven Baked Almond Chicken, 1 serving	236	14	12	29
Balsamic spray dressing, 1 serving	15	0	0	0
Mushrooms, fresh, 0.25 cup, pieces or slices	4	0	1	1
Red Ripe Tomatoes, 0.5 cup cherry tomatoes	16	0	3	1
	275	14	17	31
SNACK
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Protein Bar, BariWise Peanut Butter & Jelly, 1 serving	170	6	16	12
	170	6	16	12
SNACK 2
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Lowfat Vanilla Ice Cream, 0.5 cup (4 fl oz)	92	3	15	3
Jam, Raspberry Fruit Spread, (Bionaturae Organic) , 1 tbsp	30	0	8	0
Chips, Food Should Taste Good multigrain - 28g/10 chips, 1 serving	140	7	18	3
	262	10	41	6
SNACK 3
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Chobani 0% Strawberry Greek Yogurt (6 oz), 1 serving	140	0	20	14
	140	0	20	14
SNACK 4
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Jam, kroger reduced sugar strawberry preserves, 1 tbsp	25	0	6	0
Sara Lee Delightful Whole Wheat, 2 slices, 1 serving	90	1	14	6
PB2, 2 tbsp	45	2	5	5
	160	3	25	11
	1,326	45	141	100
	1300 - 1500	37 - 79	100 - 142	72 - 150

Monday Update

Hi friends...just wanted to check in.  It's a new week and almost the start of a new month.  Mentally, that means a fresh start for me.  And I need a fresh start.

We went camping at the beach with some friends this past weekend and had a great time.  We (my husband, son and I) needed the quality time together.  I didn't get alot of exercise (besides chasing my son) around because my foot was bothering me, but I got some.

My foot and my knees are feeling better.  Time to get out and get some exercise again!  I'm looking forward to that.  My eating has been on and off, as usual.  I can't seem to get it together completely.  I'm sure you're probably tired of reading that from me.  I know I need to take it one day and one meal at a time...with small goals and baby steps.  So for this week, I'm going to focus on tracking my food the rest of this week.

 Hope you had a wonderful weekend...see you back here tomorrow, hopefully with good news about my day and maybe even a new recipe :)

Take care!