This past week has not been one of my finest. To say I overate is an understatement; I completely went unhinged and just binged my way through food. Last night I managed to finish off a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. I lamented on myfitnesspal and one of my friends responded with some good encouragement and positive thinking. It was just what I needed! This morning I woke up early (well, it was actually the time that I should be waking up everyday for work but, that's another post in itself) and got out of bed (HUGE accomplishment) and used the elliptical for 15 minutes. It doesn't sound like much but it's a BIG WIN for me. I am NOT, repeat not, a morning person. The idea of waking up early to exercise makes me want to vomit. Nausea aside, I actually did it!
I also convinced my husband to make oatmeal smoothies for me to take to work in the morning. He made me 6 pineapple-coconut smoothies - they're not too bad, I had one on my way to work this morning. Honestly, I am amazed at how full they keep me. I drank the smoothie around 9am and didn't feel hungry until about 1:30p. I brought a white chicken enchilada to work for lunch - leftover from last night. They are amazing! I got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman. Her recipes are sooooo good. I'm not a big fan of chicken but even I liked them. More surprisingly my white bread husband liked them and said the recipe was a keeper.
I believe I'm on track for today...tomorrow is another hill to climb. And, there's an all beef hot dog calling my name (lunch tomorrow?) but...I...must...resist.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Power Outage
This past weekend, beginning on Friday, we were without power. There was a big storm in the area along with some small tornadoes that went through the county. My husband, a lover of storms, took this picture of, what he believes, is a sub-station or transformer being hit by lightening:
You can see the electric blue light in the foreground...it was kind of freaky. Personally, I am a big scaredy-cat when it comes to storms. I have been terrified of them since I was little and I've never grown out of it. I blame it on the Wizard of Oz.
We spent the entire evening on our front porch (my husband was out there so I knew he would protect me from the big, bad storm) as well as the next two evenings. It was so f-ing hot and humid, I didn't realize how much I depend on electricity. We salvaged some of our food but still had to get rid of a decent amount. We also had to sleep on the living room couch because our upstairs bedroom was unbearable without air conditioning or fans. Finally, on day two of our adventure we borrowed a generator from my father-in-law. One hour after we hooked it up the electricity was back on. All of our neighbors, including us, we outside yelling to each other "It's back on, it's back on".
Despite the uncomfortable weekend we managed to go pick blueberries at a local blueberry farm. I got 2 gallons! They are soooo tasty. I wanted to can some but I think I'm going to just freeze the excess. I've been eating on them all week and I'm not sure it would be worth it to can the 1 gallon that is left.
I'm still working on my diet/fitness plan. I haven't lost any more weight but I am maintaining the loss of 4 pounds. I'm trying to get back on track to work off a few more. Spinach salad and blueberries for lunch today.
You can see the electric blue light in the foreground...it was kind of freaky. Personally, I am a big scaredy-cat when it comes to storms. I have been terrified of them since I was little and I've never grown out of it. I blame it on the Wizard of Oz.
We spent the entire evening on our front porch (my husband was out there so I knew he would protect me from the big, bad storm) as well as the next two evenings. It was so f-ing hot and humid, I didn't realize how much I depend on electricity. We salvaged some of our food but still had to get rid of a decent amount. We also had to sleep on the living room couch because our upstairs bedroom was unbearable without air conditioning or fans. Finally, on day two of our adventure we borrowed a generator from my father-in-law. One hour after we hooked it up the electricity was back on. All of our neighbors, including us, we outside yelling to each other "It's back on, it's back on".
Despite the uncomfortable weekend we managed to go pick blueberries at a local blueberry farm. I got 2 gallons! They are soooo tasty. I wanted to can some but I think I'm going to just freeze the excess. I've been eating on them all week and I'm not sure it would be worth it to can the 1 gallon that is left.
I'm still working on my diet/fitness plan. I haven't lost any more weight but I am maintaining the loss of 4 pounds. I'm trying to get back on track to work off a few more. Spinach salad and blueberries for lunch today.
Monday, June 25, 2012
I Needed the Weekend
After the exhausting work week I really needed my weekend break. I had special plans for this weekend to go and visit one of my long-time friends in the eastern part of the state. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the drive through the mountains was gorgeous. I love living in West Virginia and cutting through Maryland on my drive was equally breathtaking.
I started with pretty leisurely morning and got on the road (with my bottle of wine in tow) around 2pm. The drive takes about 2 hours or so; my idea (of course not planned in advance) was to download a book onto my iPhone and listen to it in the car to pass the time. Unfortunately, as is my MO, this did not go according to the (belatedly developed) plan. My phone didn't have enough (insert technical gobblty gook) to download the book without being hooked up to the computer or connected to WiFi. I suppose I could have driven the 2 miles back to the house (I stopped at the gas station in town) to hook up to WiFi but I'm lazy and I was already 2 hours behind my self-imposed schedule. Instead I just fed burned CDs into my car and tried to "surprise" myself with tunes.
We at at my friend's in-law's home...and I had the BEST fried chicken, EVER! It was so good it could convert a vegetarian. I also had corn on the cob, watermelon, cantalope and a snickers ice cream bar - I had chosen Saturday to be my "cheat" day. After dinner we went back to the house, put the kids in the bath and to bed and sat on the front porch for hours, drinking wine and talking. It was such a nice trip and much needed. I left the next morning around 11am and headed back home. The trip home seemed short because I spent the majority of it gossiping with another friend (using hands free mobile) unitl I was about 30 minutes away. If I haven't mentioned it, I LOVE my hands free feature.
Back at the residence I discovered that James installed solar lights going down our front steps. This is exciting because our house is on a hill and there are a number of steps, all of which are pitch black in the evening. He replaced the handrail with something more visible and the addition of the lights makes for safer travel. Isabel left Sunday evening for a camping trip, so James and I are on our own for the week! I'm thinking of picking blueberries on Friday or Saturday. I better get some canning recipes ready!
I started with pretty leisurely morning and got on the road (with my bottle of wine in tow) around 2pm. The drive takes about 2 hours or so; my idea (of course not planned in advance) was to download a book onto my iPhone and listen to it in the car to pass the time. Unfortunately, as is my MO, this did not go according to the (belatedly developed) plan. My phone didn't have enough (insert technical gobblty gook) to download the book without being hooked up to the computer or connected to WiFi. I suppose I could have driven the 2 miles back to the house (I stopped at the gas station in town) to hook up to WiFi but I'm lazy and I was already 2 hours behind my self-imposed schedule. Instead I just fed burned CDs into my car and tried to "surprise" myself with tunes.
We at at my friend's in-law's home...and I had the BEST fried chicken, EVER! It was so good it could convert a vegetarian. I also had corn on the cob, watermelon, cantalope and a snickers ice cream bar - I had chosen Saturday to be my "cheat" day. After dinner we went back to the house, put the kids in the bath and to bed and sat on the front porch for hours, drinking wine and talking. It was such a nice trip and much needed. I left the next morning around 11am and headed back home. The trip home seemed short because I spent the majority of it gossiping with another friend (using hands free mobile) unitl I was about 30 minutes away. If I haven't mentioned it, I LOVE my hands free feature.
Back at the residence I discovered that James installed solar lights going down our front steps. This is exciting because our house is on a hill and there are a number of steps, all of which are pitch black in the evening. He replaced the handrail with something more visible and the addition of the lights makes for safer travel. Isabel left Sunday evening for a camping trip, so James and I are on our own for the week! I'm thinking of picking blueberries on Friday or Saturday. I better get some canning recipes ready!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Holy Guacamole (and chips)
Yesterday was a really stressful day at work. I had so much to do all at once and I felt like I was struggling to keep my head above water. I'm looking forward to the weekend and some relaxation!
I picked up my CSA box yesterday and now have a TON of garlic scapes with which to make pesto. I also got a quart of basil and am excited about that - I love basil. After picking up my CSA I met my dad for dinner. I arrived a few minutes early so I went ahead in and got a table. I told the waiter right off that I was waiting for someone who was joining me...they sat me in the back of the restaurant anyways. While I was waiting the waiter kept coming over and asking if I was ready to order yet. It was kinda rude because I already told him I didn't want to order until my "date" arrived. Long story short, I kept getting funny looks from the rude waiter and felt really uncomfortable, while my dad was already at the restaurant, just seated in a different area. So we both waited on each other for 15 minutes before we figured out we were both already there. Whatever. It was a nice dinner despite the annoying wait staff.
I just have to announce that I am REALLY proud of myself. I knew we were meeting for Mexican food and I purposefully thought out my meal AND STUCK WITH IT!! How many chips did I eat?? Nada! None! That basket of chips stayed on the table for 60 minutes without my grubby little fingers touching a single one. At one point I eyed them thinking "I could just eat one" at which point my strong self kicked in and degraded my weaker will power with a "One? Really? Liar". Also, I got vegetarian fajitas and only used 2 of the 3 fajita tortillas. I avoided the sour cream, cheese and beans - I used about 2 Tbsp. of guacamole. I did reward myself with a light beer, but hey, it's 110 calories and I had a craptastic day. I kept up the momentum and didn't eat anything after dinner, before bed. I had another bottle of water and that's it. I also packed my lunch for today - spincah salad with chicken, cottage cheese and planned out my snack. I have a meeting at Panera Bread (and I LOVE their bagels) so the plan is to get a whole grain bagel, toasted, and eat only 1/2 of it with some peanut butter. I'll save the other 1/2 for the next day - or give it to Isabel for breakfast.
I'm am feeling really good about my decisions. It feels different somehow...I just hope I keep this momentum up and don't lose interest. The last 2 days I have managed to come in under my calorie allotment - I allot 1600 calories and have only used about 1300-1400 of them. I'm thinking that I'll go for a walk tonight with a friend and catch up on some gossip.
I picked up my CSA box yesterday and now have a TON of garlic scapes with which to make pesto. I also got a quart of basil and am excited about that - I love basil. After picking up my CSA I met my dad for dinner. I arrived a few minutes early so I went ahead in and got a table. I told the waiter right off that I was waiting for someone who was joining me...they sat me in the back of the restaurant anyways. While I was waiting the waiter kept coming over and asking if I was ready to order yet. It was kinda rude because I already told him I didn't want to order until my "date" arrived. Long story short, I kept getting funny looks from the rude waiter and felt really uncomfortable, while my dad was already at the restaurant, just seated in a different area. So we both waited on each other for 15 minutes before we figured out we were both already there. Whatever. It was a nice dinner despite the annoying wait staff.
I just have to announce that I am REALLY proud of myself. I knew we were meeting for Mexican food and I purposefully thought out my meal AND STUCK WITH IT!! How many chips did I eat?? Nada! None! That basket of chips stayed on the table for 60 minutes without my grubby little fingers touching a single one. At one point I eyed them thinking "I could just eat one" at which point my strong self kicked in and degraded my weaker will power with a "One? Really? Liar". Also, I got vegetarian fajitas and only used 2 of the 3 fajita tortillas. I avoided the sour cream, cheese and beans - I used about 2 Tbsp. of guacamole. I did reward myself with a light beer, but hey, it's 110 calories and I had a craptastic day. I kept up the momentum and didn't eat anything after dinner, before bed. I had another bottle of water and that's it. I also packed my lunch for today - spincah salad with chicken, cottage cheese and planned out my snack. I have a meeting at Panera Bread (and I LOVE their bagels) so the plan is to get a whole grain bagel, toasted, and eat only 1/2 of it with some peanut butter. I'll save the other 1/2 for the next day - or give it to Isabel for breakfast.
I'm am feeling really good about my decisions. It feels different somehow...I just hope I keep this momentum up and don't lose interest. The last 2 days I have managed to come in under my calorie allotment - I allot 1600 calories and have only used about 1300-1400 of them. I'm thinking that I'll go for a walk tonight with a friend and catch up on some gossip.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Kettlebells, smoothies and a siamese
I had a completely relaxing and uneventful weekend. I finished a couple of books and started another. While reading the blog Runs for Cookies (which I love), I picked up on a new exercise, The Swing. I had never heard of it so I decided to do some research. Well, basically, it's a technique that uses a kettlebell. I've used a kettlebell in pilates and it royally kicked my ass, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book, The Swing, is written by a woman who lost over 100 lbs while in her 40s by changing her eating habits and using the kettlebell. She mentions incorporating walking into her daily routine but credits her success, and awesome muscle tone, to the kettlebell swing. I've been wanting to get a kettlebell anyway so I thought I'd give her technique a try. So on my Walmart run to get...stuff...I picked up a 10 pounder. I've haven't started the exercise yet but I'll get there.
She made good sense in the book. One of the statements she made that really struck me was "If you can lose 1 pound you can lose 100". Makes perfect sense. She also mentioned making a plan - scheduling workouts, planning meals, etc. Of course that is not the first time I've heard that but it stuck with me for some reason, this time. In an effort to "make a plan" I spent Sunday evening from 10p-11p making oatmeal smoothies for the rest of the week, packing my lunch for Monday and prepping dinner for Monday (turkey loin, beets, kale and rice). I found the recipe for the Oatmeal Smoothies on the Yummy Life blog. There are some great flavors on there and they're really easy to make. One word of caution: if you make them for the whole week mix them in 2 batches, not one. I tried to make 5 smoothies in one blender and there was leakage. I made the cherry vanilla smoothies for this week and I'm thinking about the coconut pineapple ones for next week. The apple cinnamon smoothies are good too. I've also done peanut butter, cocoa powder and banana that was pretty good.
The only noteable thing this weekend was that one of our kitties (we thought) was sick so we made an appointment this morning with the vet. No, not sick, just an irritated throat from throwing up the food she had because it wasn't the brand she usually gets. I swear. That cat is spoiled. $100 and an antibiotic to protect her precious little throat and she gets to eat canned cat food for a few days...and of course we threw away all of the other food and bought her the special stuff. It was the siamese cat, in case you wondered.
I have a ceremony to attend to this afternoon and I have to give the welcome, blah, blah, blah speech. I get so nervous it's a wonder anything comes out of my mouth. Wish me luck!
She made good sense in the book. One of the statements she made that really struck me was "If you can lose 1 pound you can lose 100". Makes perfect sense. She also mentioned making a plan - scheduling workouts, planning meals, etc. Of course that is not the first time I've heard that but it stuck with me for some reason, this time. In an effort to "make a plan" I spent Sunday evening from 10p-11p making oatmeal smoothies for the rest of the week, packing my lunch for Monday and prepping dinner for Monday (turkey loin, beets, kale and rice). I found the recipe for the Oatmeal Smoothies on the Yummy Life blog. There are some great flavors on there and they're really easy to make. One word of caution: if you make them for the whole week mix them in 2 batches, not one. I tried to make 5 smoothies in one blender and there was leakage. I made the cherry vanilla smoothies for this week and I'm thinking about the coconut pineapple ones for next week. The apple cinnamon smoothies are good too. I've also done peanut butter, cocoa powder and banana that was pretty good.
The only noteable thing this weekend was that one of our kitties (we thought) was sick so we made an appointment this morning with the vet. No, not sick, just an irritated throat from throwing up the food she had because it wasn't the brand she usually gets. I swear. That cat is spoiled. $100 and an antibiotic to protect her precious little throat and she gets to eat canned cat food for a few days...and of course we threw away all of the other food and bought her the special stuff. It was the siamese cat, in case you wondered.
I have a ceremony to attend to this afternoon and I have to give the welcome, blah, blah, blah speech. I get so nervous it's a wonder anything comes out of my mouth. Wish me luck!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Canning and Tanning
I was able to accomplish one of my goals for yesterday: planning dinner. It was actually very good, especially considering my lack of pre-planning. I got my second week of veggies from the CSA I belong to and it had garlic scapes, spinach, kale, radishes, green onions and turnips. I also had some broccoli that my husband cut from our garden. So, for the wee one and I, I made pasta with sauteed broccoli, green onion, garlic scapes, garlic cloves and cannellini beans with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. I will definately be making that again! Due to my husband's aversion to anything green he just had pasta with marinara sauce.
After dinner I got everything set up for canning. My husband was a dear and got my big stock pot full of water and heating before I got home. It takes FOREVER to get that much water boiling! I sterilized the jars (we don't have a dishwasher so I have to do it old-fashioned) and the caps and heated up the strawberry jam to boiling. My husband always helps me with canning (because he's the best husband ever) and does the "dangerous" job of taking the sterile jars out of water and then putting the full jars back in to seal. I managed to get 8 jelly jars of jam.
Before I started canning I looked at my CSA produce and realized I had requested way more radishes than I could eat so I decided to try my hand at pickling them. So, I sliced them thin, made a batch of pickling brine and went ahead and canned the pickled radishes too. They need to sit and soak for about a week or two before I dig in but we'll see how they turn out. I'm thinking of making my dad a homemade basket for Father's Day and put jam, pickled radishes, some fresh lettuce and homemade bread in it. I don't like canning unless I can get at least a full batch done so I was glad that I planned the radish pickles beforehand so the 4 jars I was able to fill would get sealed.
Here is a picture of my canning adventure:
This morning I got my first spray tan. It was...interesting. You go into a little booth, take your clothes off (obviously) and a woman uses a spray gun to "paint" the bronzer on. I made sure to exfoliate the evening before and then moisturize the drier spots (i.e. elbows, feet, knees). I didn't get completely undressed - I kep my skull and crossbones undies on - I'd show you a picture but that's even TMI for me! The color is pretty dark and it looks splotchy in a few places but the lady said that it will even out after I take a shower and wash the external bronzer off. It is supposed to be tan under the bronzer so we'll see. I can't wash for 10 hours and my skin still feels a little sticky. I'm anxious to see how long the color lasts. Supposedly, it will last about 1 week; I'm hoping for a little more time than that.
I have a pretty full day today and am excited to plan my upcoming weekend!
After dinner I got everything set up for canning. My husband was a dear and got my big stock pot full of water and heating before I got home. It takes FOREVER to get that much water boiling! I sterilized the jars (we don't have a dishwasher so I have to do it old-fashioned) and the caps and heated up the strawberry jam to boiling. My husband always helps me with canning (because he's the best husband ever) and does the "dangerous" job of taking the sterile jars out of water and then putting the full jars back in to seal. I managed to get 8 jelly jars of jam.
Before I started canning I looked at my CSA produce and realized I had requested way more radishes than I could eat so I decided to try my hand at pickling them. So, I sliced them thin, made a batch of pickling brine and went ahead and canned the pickled radishes too. They need to sit and soak for about a week or two before I dig in but we'll see how they turn out. I'm thinking of making my dad a homemade basket for Father's Day and put jam, pickled radishes, some fresh lettuce and homemade bread in it. I don't like canning unless I can get at least a full batch done so I was glad that I planned the radish pickles beforehand so the 4 jars I was able to fill would get sealed.
Here is a picture of my canning adventure:
 |
| Strawberry jam on the left, pickled radishes on the right |
This morning I got my first spray tan. It was...interesting. You go into a little booth, take your clothes off (obviously) and a woman uses a spray gun to "paint" the bronzer on. I made sure to exfoliate the evening before and then moisturize the drier spots (i.e. elbows, feet, knees). I didn't get completely undressed - I kep my skull and crossbones undies on - I'd show you a picture but that's even TMI for me! The color is pretty dark and it looks splotchy in a few places but the lady said that it will even out after I take a shower and wash the external bronzer off. It is supposed to be tan under the bronzer so we'll see. I can't wash for 10 hours and my skin still feels a little sticky. I'm anxious to see how long the color lasts. Supposedly, it will last about 1 week; I'm hoping for a little more time than that.
I have a pretty full day today and am excited to plan my upcoming weekend!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Back to the Grind
After 4 days in our nation's capital I'm back to the real world of work, parenting, wifeing (I have an English degree so I can make up words if I want) and trying (key word here) to be healthy.
The conference was enlightening and energizing. In case you are wondering, the conference was for National CASA. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates - it's a volunteer driven organization that advocates for abused and neglected children who are in the court system. It is incredibly rewarding, emotional and frustrating. I love the volunteers who do this work - I was once one. There are CASA programs all over the nation and this conference brings them all together each year. All of the programs operate under the same mission but each is unique in operation, policy and organization. So many good ideas come from this yearly conference.
While I was there I went to the Holocaust Museum. I don't really know what to say. There is a reverence, a gravity that inhabits the building; everyone is so silent and grave. You can go through the entire 4-5 hour exhibit without realizing that you haven't spoken a word the entire time. The evidence of human depravity is overwhelming; how anyone was able to survive the torture, mental and physical, is a testament to their strength - in themselves and in their faith. Photographs were not allowed so I don't have anything to show. It is something that I think everyone should experience. PS- if you do go be aware that the tickets are free but you need to reserve them in advance. You can do this on their website ($1/ticket fee to reserve) or talk to your hotel. Our concierge scored tickets for us - free. If don't do either you have to wait outside the museum and hope they have tickets left to hand out. Go with the reservation...oh, and you need to reserve them about 2-3 weeks before you go - they "sell" out fast!
Other than the museum we really didn't have time/opportunity to do anything else besides the conference. Surprisingly, I didn't stuff myself or even eat too terribly. However, I did get my drink on! The first night I had a Hibiscus Honeysuckly martini. It was interesting. I got an aftertaste of Robitussin but after drinking the first one that went away (I think the buzz had something to do with that). The food there was just OK. I was disappointed. I had hoped the food would be really something.
Now, it's back to the grindstone, so to speak. I have a lot of work to get done since I've been gone a few days and my boss is on vacation for two weeks on top of that. I've got tons of filing to do, fundraiser to help plan, two ceremonies to get together, cases to assign...oh the list goes on!
Today's goal: 20-30 minutes of exercise and a home cooked meal!
The conference was enlightening and energizing. In case you are wondering, the conference was for National CASA. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates - it's a volunteer driven organization that advocates for abused and neglected children who are in the court system. It is incredibly rewarding, emotional and frustrating. I love the volunteers who do this work - I was once one. There are CASA programs all over the nation and this conference brings them all together each year. All of the programs operate under the same mission but each is unique in operation, policy and organization. So many good ideas come from this yearly conference.
While I was there I went to the Holocaust Museum. I don't really know what to say. There is a reverence, a gravity that inhabits the building; everyone is so silent and grave. You can go through the entire 4-5 hour exhibit without realizing that you haven't spoken a word the entire time. The evidence of human depravity is overwhelming; how anyone was able to survive the torture, mental and physical, is a testament to their strength - in themselves and in their faith. Photographs were not allowed so I don't have anything to show. It is something that I think everyone should experience. PS- if you do go be aware that the tickets are free but you need to reserve them in advance. You can do this on their website ($1/ticket fee to reserve) or talk to your hotel. Our concierge scored tickets for us - free. If don't do either you have to wait outside the museum and hope they have tickets left to hand out. Go with the reservation...oh, and you need to reserve them about 2-3 weeks before you go - they "sell" out fast!
Other than the museum we really didn't have time/opportunity to do anything else besides the conference. Surprisingly, I didn't stuff myself or even eat too terribly. However, I did get my drink on! The first night I had a Hibiscus Honeysuckly martini. It was interesting. I got an aftertaste of Robitussin but after drinking the first one that went away (I think the buzz had something to do with that). The food there was just OK. I was disappointed. I had hoped the food would be really something.
Now, it's back to the grindstone, so to speak. I have a lot of work to get done since I've been gone a few days and my boss is on vacation for two weeks on top of that. I've got tons of filing to do, fundraiser to help plan, two ceremonies to get together, cases to assign...oh the list goes on!
Today's goal: 20-30 minutes of exercise and a home cooked meal!
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