Train Up a Child

Train up a child in the way he should go,
for when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

K is 6 months old today.  I can't believe it!  It seems like just yesterday I was holding her in the hospital trying to breastfeed.  Our first week home I was an emotional mess because she wasn't getting enough breast milk.  (I know that a lot of moms think that their babies aren't getting enough to eat, but my baby really wasn't.)  I switched to pumping and all was well...then I stopped producing enough.  So I started supplementing with formula.  Then I really stopped producing and after trying all of my options we decided to exclusively switch to formula.

Now we are starting solids.  We decided to start with vegetables since I have heard that starting with vegetables instead of fruit keeps them from rejecting veggies later in life.  Maybe it's true, maybe it's not...but it can't hurt.  We started with sweet potatoes and today we added peas.  So far so good.

The reason I am telling you this, is because it shows how much effort has gone into making sure my baby is eating properly.  I think all moms (and dads) start that way.  Somewhere, though, during the course of childhood that seems to change.  Be it for convenience or because kids can be picky eaters but fruits and veggies turn into mac & cheese and chicken nuggets.

K is the 14th grandbaby on Russell's side.  As I've attended lots of Sunday dinners and parties I've watched two meals being made.  One for the adults and one for the kids.  I don't like that.  I think doing that keeps kids from trying new things and puts a lot of pressure on the cook.  I know that some kids are picky eaters but I think a lot of times the picky eating comes from the parents.  I don't know how many times I've heard someone say "Oh, you won't like that" to a toddler.  That drives me crazy.  My brother's little girl tries everything you give her.  Her favorite foods are tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, and sushi.  Yes, sushi.  No one ever told her it was "yucky".  I hope my little girl is as good an eater as she is.  

I can't tell you how many blogs I've read that blame their childhood for their poor eating habits.  My goal is to continue to make good healthy meals for my family.  Now, my daughter will get The Blue Box, Happy Meals, and hot dogs.  Just not every day.  She'll also get ice cream and soda pop.  Just not every day.  I believe in a good balance.

It is my hope that K learns to love healthy foods.  It is my hope that I can teach her healthy eating habits that she can take with her for the rest of her life.  It is my hope that she never has to feel like the fat girl.

 

K's first bite of solid food

Fat Husband

I'm pretty sure none of my 'in real life' friends read this.  (Except for Sam) So, if you are my friend and know my husband, please keep this to yourself.


I'm trying to lose weight.  Obviously.  I'm eating better.  I'm working out.  I want to feel better.  I want to look better.  I'm trying really hard.

So here's a frustration.

I have a fat husband.  He is 5'6" and weighs just over 260 pounds. 

And he doesn't seem to care. 

I've tried talking to him multiple times, signing him up for Weight Watchers (That was a waste of $50, he didn't even log on once.) I've told him how worried I am about him.  Family members have told him how worried they are about him.  I've asked him to work out with me.

He insists that he is healthy...just fat...but then I watch him struggle with knee pain, sleep apnea, and trying to go up and down stairs.

His grandfather died at age 35 from a heart attack.  And that scares me.  I've told him this.  Again, he insists that he is fine.

I'm not physically attracted to him anymore.  The tons of skin tags on his neck gross me out.  He makes fun of his weight by rubbing his stomach in public while making yummy noises and then eating way too much food and that embarrasses me.  He wears stupid t-shirts that are too small and that embarrasses me too. 

This makes me feel like a bad, bad wife.  I know that love is unconditional, but is attraction? 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my husband.  He is an amazing man.  He is the most thoughtful person in the world, he is a great dad.  He works hard so that I can stay home with K. 

I feel like it is unfair to feel unatracted to him when I look at myself and wonder how he can find me attractive.  I feel like he doesn't care about his health and, in turn, doesn't care about K and me.

I try to do my part.  I try to keep healthy foods in the house and make good dinners, but that doesn't stop him from going out to lunch everyday, eating way too much, or drinking too much soda.

I'm not his mother...he is his own person and can make his own choices...I just hate the choices he is making and I hate the way I feel about that.

I've asked him to lose weight for Hawaii and he said he was trying, but I don't think he gets it.  He has no idea how many calories he is eating and he won't even try to track them.

I don't want a fat husband, but it's not like I am going to leave him because he weighs too much.

So....now what do I do?  What would you do?  I'm at a loss.

Vegetarian Recipe - Carrot Souffle

I promised I would post this recipe if it was good.  At first, right after I popped it in the oven, I thought, 'This is way too time consuming for a side dish.'  And then I tried my first bite.  It was better than good.  It was light and fluffy.  It had a yummy carrot flavor without being too carroty.  (I don't like cooked carrots.)

Carrot Souffle

 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• Salt for salting cooking water
• 1 cup whole milk (Low fat milk works, too.)
• 1 cup Saltine cracker crumbs
• 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup minced onion
• 1 Tbsp room temperature butter
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground mustard
• 3 large eggs

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

2 Place carrots in a saucepan and cover with an inch of water. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Strain the carrots and purée in a food processor or with an immersion blender.

3 Place carrot purée in a large bowl. Slowly add in the milk, a little at a time, whisking after each addition so that the mixture stays smooth, not lumpy. Mix in the saltine cracker crumbs, the grated cheese, onion, butter, Kosher salt, cayenne, and black pepper.

4 In a separate bowl, whip up the eggs until frothy. Then whisk them into the carrot purée mixture.

5 Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until puffed up a bit and lightly golden.

This makes 6-8 servings.  There are approx. 170-230 calories per serving.  I served this along side some grilled pork chops.  Yum!

On an unrelated note, I ran 3.1 miles last night in 34 minutes!  Woo-hoo!

Recipe by: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/carrot_souffle/  (I stole their picture too.  I took one, but it didn't turn out so well.)

Title Goes Here

So it's Tuesday.  It's a running day.  A three mile running day, actually.  The last two Tuesdays I was unable to run, so I'm glad that I got passed that jinx.  I'm excited to run 3 miles but I'm always nervous before a run.  I worry that I won't be able to finish or that I will have to stop and walk.  I haven't yet though, so I really don't know why I get so worried.  So yeah, I'm worried, but confident at the same time?  Hahaha.

Now that fall is here I thought I would post a yummy fall recipe...but I don't have one. Yet.  I'm going to try to make a carrot soufflé tonight and if it turns out as yummy as it looks I will post the recipe tomorrow.

FMM-Fall Favorites

Wow!  I usually blog in the morning but my dear, sweet, brother called me at 7 am (Yes, it's early for me...baby girl keeps me up all night.) and asked me to babysit his 2 year old daughter because her babysitter (my mom) was really sick.  She's darling, but she's a handful...and she's been getting a little rough with K lately....Last night at dinner she bit her finger, bonked her on the head with a toy, and stepped on her hand....so I have to really pay attention.  But she's gone now so here goes.


If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Fall Favorites

1. What is your favorite thing about this time of year?  I love that it is cool enough to go on hikes in the middle of the day...and I love watching the leaves change.

2. What do you hope to do again before Summer is officially over? I feel like I should go on at least one hike this year.  I haven't been at all.

3. When did you last go on a hay ride?  I don't know...a looooooooooong time. 

4. What is your favorite pumpkin dish?  While I love all things pumpkin, my favorite is actually a casserole that you bake in a pumpkin.  <3 p="p">
5. Do you decorate your home for fall?  I have a ton of Halloween decorations that I put out every year...then I tone it down quite a bit for Thanksgiving.

6. Do you have any hobbies that are seasonally specific? If so, what are they?  I just taught myself to crochet and I am making a blanket for winter.

7. Apple cider or hot chocolate?  I love both, but I think real hot apple cider might just win.

8. Are you a fan of football? If so, who is your team?  Not a fan of NFL but I love me some College football.  The University of Utah all the way.  Go Utes!

9. Share a fond Fall memory.  Probably raking leaves just to jump in the pile!

10. It’s not Fall until…I can leave my windows open all day. 

More on the Subject of Running

I feel kinda like dancing! And it would totally look like this. :)

 

 

 

 

I did it.

I even think I might have come in at my goal of 2.75 miles in 30 minutes, but silly me, I didn't look to see what my time was until after I finished my cool down.  I actually felt pretty good.  :)

I thought I would list some of the things that help me with my runs.

The Shoes:

NIKE ZOOM STRUCTURE TRIAX+ 15

Love them!  They help correct my over-pronation.  If you haven't been fitted properly for running shoes, I HIGHLY recommend it.

How I Track my Runs:

Nike + with and iPod Nano

I have a couple of programs on my Droid that let me track runs, but I hate carrying my phone with me.  So this works great!  I love that the Nano is so small and clips any where.  I usually just hold it in my hand so I can check music, times, distance, etc.

 

 

How I Stay Hydrated:

 

I use this for my little shorty runs

 

(Mine's way cuter though, and has a pocket for keys and chapstick.)

and this for the longer ones.

I'm a mouth breather, so I definitely need water when I run. 

 

 



Here's my Play List:
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) -Kelly Clarkson  (Warm up)
Any Way You Want It / Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'-(Glee Cast Version) Yes, Glee, don't judge me.
My Life Would Suck Without You -Kelly Clarkson This is actually my "Power Song" but I have found that I haven't needed to use it lately
I Will Wait -Mumford & Sons This is a little bit slower than I like to run to, but I love the song enough that it works.
What I Like About You -Lillix
The Art of Losing -American Hi-Fi
Hungry Like The Wolf / Rio (Glee Cast Version) This one is also a little slow, but all I have to do is picture the video, cause you know, hot boys.  ;)  Watch it and see what I'm talking about.  Yes that is Neil from White Collar singing and dancing. 
Break Me Out-The Rescues
Ours -The Bravery
You Wear Flowers- Peter Breinholt This guy is local, but he is great!  Just ignore the poor Mormons trying to dance.  (Also as you can see, those rumors that Mormons don't dance just isn't true.  We try, anyway :D)

When I run, I need a strong beat.  I also tend to run on the beat so faster songs are better.  I am getting better at not doing that though.  Music is a must when I run!  Maybe when running isn't such a chore, I won't need to rely on it as much.  It just gives me something else to concentrate on and helps pass time.  

So not pictured are the 2 bras I wear...a normal underwire and a sports bra over that...a bandanna to keep my short hair from falling into my face, and polyester socks.  Don't run in cotton socks, you'll get blisters!

 

What are some of your must-haves when you run?  What are your favorite songs to run to?

Me as a Runner

Pre-race pic...2010.  I'm on the left.

It's a slow day.  I have my run planned tonight...(Nothing is going to stop me this time!)...I will be running 2.75 miles without walking.  My goal time is 30 minutes.  I think this time I am going to have someone drop me off 3 miles away and I will just run home.

It's been a little hard for me to have to start over with running.  A little humbling, too.  I've done the 5k thing.  I've even run three 10ks.  My goal is a half marathon.  It has been for a while.  I even signed up for one 3 years ago, but stopped training because of really really bad shin splints.  Could I have worked through those?  Maybe.  But I didn't.  I waited almost a year and started running again, but I think I pushed too hard, too fast and got shin splints again.  I might have tried to do something about them this time, but we started our infertility treatments and I was determined to not jinx it by working out.  Not that working out would make me not get pregnant....or stay pregnant....but I didn't want to blame myself for anything if I didn't get pregnant...or stay pregnant.  It's a decision I am glad I made...but coming back was hard.

That said, I've been really happy with the way my running training has been going.  I have only missed 3 out of 21 runs.  Once for poor scheduling, once on the day I donated blood, and once for being sicker than I have been in a long long time.  One thing that I am really happy about is that I have been able to do all the runs as I was told to do them.  They started out pretty easy...Running only 60 seconds at a time...but then they started to get longer.  At times I wondered if I was actually going to be able to run for 5 minutes no walking, let alone 20 minutes without walking, but I did.  When my body started to whine, my mind took over and told my body to shut it.  I've been working really hard at stretching, warming up, cooling down, and running with what I hope is proper form so I haven't had shin splints or ITBS.

I feel strong.  I feel empowered.  I feel that I might actually meet my running goals this time.  I might not look skinnier, or even feel skinnier, but I feel stronger.  And that's a start.

**Blargh**

So yesterday sucked.  I woke up at 2 in the morning to give baby girl a binky check and was hit with a huge wave a nausea.  So after a night of too many bathroom trips I asked my husband to stay home from work, which he did, thank goodness!  I stayed in bed all day, had a glass of ginger ale and a total of 4 saltines.  Tuesday's daily goal: Eat a healthy breakfast?  Yeah right.  I was also supposed to go running yesterday but of course that wasn't happening either.  I think my body has something against Tuesday's.  Ah well.

Today is a new day!  I feel so so so much better.  I'm going to start with a healthy breakfast and then spend the day with my baby girl.  I missed her so much yesterday.

I've kind of designated Tuesdays as "Post a Recipe" day.  I missed that yesterday, so here it is today.

    Tofu Stir-fry over Quinoa

1/2 cup prepared Quinoa (Or rice...or neither.)

1/2 package Extra-firm tofu, drained - cut into 1 inch cubes

Corn Starch

Sesame seeds

Your favorite vegetables

I used...

Broccoli (Crowns and Stems)

Onions

Green Peppers

Red Peppers

Diced Mushrooms

2 Tbs Olive Oil

Kikoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze Sauce (Or a homemade sauce like this or this)

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Lightly coat the tofu cubes with the cornstarch and sesame seeds. Place on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.  (I used my toaster oven)

Dice and slice your vegetables.  and saute over medium heat until tender.  If using broccoli, reduce heat and cover.  You just want to steam it a little bit.

Add baked tofu and as much sauce as you need.  Toss until everything is covered and serve over quinoa.  Or rice...or just eat it plain.  

This was so good!  The Kikoman Baste and Glaze is thick enough that it clings to all the vegetables really well and you don't need to use that much, and baking the tofu makes it slightly crispy on the outside.  

It was so yummy! I can't wait to make it again.

(Soon, I will actually manage to get a picture of the food before I eat it.)

Daily Goal: Monday

Today's goal was to clean the house.  Downstairs is almost done, I just wanted to write this before I was too tired to do it.

Tuesday's Goal: Eat a good breakfast.
Which I really have been doing, except for today.  Today I had watermelon and I felt like I was STARVING all day.  I still feel hungry, actually.  I made "Smoothie kits" tonight and stuck them in the freezer so they will be ready to go when I want one.  I might make oatmeal though.  I really like how that seems to carry me through the day.  Sunday I made apple cinnamon oatmeal with unsweetened almond milk and it was pretty amazing.

FMM- Blog Stuff/Weekly &Daily Goals

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Blog Stuff

1. Have you ever met anyone through your blog that led to an in-person friendship/relationship? Nope, though it was my BFF that got me starting in weight-loss blogging.  I met a bunch of people through her.
2. Most bloggers have a specific niche. What would you discuss if it didn’t seem inappropriate on your blog? I don't really know.  I try not to talk about my religion too much, because I know that not everybody has the same beliefs and that it can make people feel very uncomfortable.  I'll mention it from time to time, but I try not to go into specifics...I figure if readers have questions, they will ask me.
3. If you could meet three bloggers, who would they be? I think it would be Jia from Untypically Jia (We don't ever talk, and she has no idea who I am, but I know we would be friends).  And the girls from Our Best Bites.  Same reason.  Unfortunately, I have just started blogging again and lost many of my previous contacts and have yet to really get to know any of the new people I follow.  Soon though!  I love reading your blogs. 
4. If you had to choose between Facebook or Twitter which one would you choose?  Facebook. 
5. Do you vlog (video blog?) Nope!  I usually blog in my underwear (Great visual, right?) So vlogging might not be the best idea.  Though maybe I will post one so you can all see how stinkin' cute my baby girl is.
6. How many blogs do you read on an average day? I have a growing blog roll (Let me know if you want me to add you.) that I read everyday.  I also will click on other people's blog rolls to find people that way.  I am a stay at home mom, so I need lots and lots to read.
7. What is the coolest thing that you’ve seen online recently? My sister-in-law who went through infertility with me just announced on her blog that she was pregnant through IVF.  It makes me so happy that she gets to be pregnant!!
8. If you gave your blog a new name what would it be? When I started blogging I was Vegan Ana, but changed it when I stopped doing VBD to Just Ana because I didn't want to mislead anyone.  If I changed it again, I think I would just confuse people.
9. Have you ever attended a blog conference like Fitbloggin? If not, would you? I haven't.  It sounds really fun, but I would have to feel a lot closer to the Fitbloggin community than I do right now.  At this moment, I kinda feel like the new girl asking the popular girls if she can sit at their lunch table.
10. In the past I have asked why you blog. Now I want to know why you read blogs? What do you take from it?  I read blogs for motivation.  It shows that people can do hard things!!

Now it’s your turn to fill out this week’s questions! Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments!

Weekly Goals:

Here are last weeks goals-
1. Drink more water. 4 bottles a day. I'm really bad at remembering to drink my water. Mostly.  There are a couple of days that I forgot and then I woke up dehydrated and with a headache the next day.
2. Stick to the Vegan Before Dinner plan. (I'm starting it tomorrow.) Yes!  I love the things I ate, and I felt good about every bite.  It was the jump start I needed and I lost 4 pounds!  171, baby!
3. Find and use a new ab workout every night. Um, no.  Someone recommended Jillian Micheal's workouts though, so I am going to look into that.
4. Do all 3 runs on the days I am scheduled to do them. (TTS) I did not end up running on Tuesday because I almost passed out after donating blood.  I figured it might not be the best idea to try and run that night after I got lightheaded after walking up the stairs in my house.  Instead of stressing about it thought, I just skipped that workout and did the Thursday and Saturday runs as scheduled.
5. Hold a plank for 1 minute. Yes.  And it was HARD!

Weekly Goals 9/17-9/23
1.  Drink 4 bottles of water a day. (Yes, it's a repeat.)
2. Cross train on Monday and Friday.
3. Keep the house clean all week.  (Making yummy breakfast and lunch everyday means a messy kitchen!)
And of course...4. Do all 3 runs on the days I am scheduled to do them.

Daily Goal: Monday
Saturday's goal had 2 parts.  Part 1 was to get up at 8 to go for my run. Part 2 was to run the full 22 minutes.  I did both.  I got up a little after 8...(I was really really tired after a sleepless night.) and got ready for my run.  Then I drove to Midway and picked up my Bountiful Basket. (What's a Bountiful Basket, you ask?  It's a fruit and vegetable co-op.  It is $15 for a laundry basket FULL of fruits and vegetables.  You should check it out to see if there is one in your city.)  After that I decided to run the pathway that goes along the road from Heber into Midway.  It was beautiful!!!  I will definitely be doing this again and I will try to take pictures along the way.


Today's Goal:  Clean the house!  Oh yeah!

Happy Monday, Everyone!!

Daily Goal: Friday

Today's goal was to get out of the house by 10:30.  Done.  I left just after 10.  It was a good day, but I am exhausted!  2 kids (I had my 2 year old niece is a lot of work.  I chopped my hair off too.  Yay.  It was getting so shaggy.

Saturday's Goal:  This goal has 2 parts.  Part 1 is to get up at 8 to go for my run.  Part 2 is to run the full 22 minutes.  I think I'll be able to do it.  Last night when I was running I realized that I wasn't miserable, and I was thinking about things besides running.  It was a great feeling.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Daily Goal: Thursday

Today's goal was to control the amount of tortilla chips I ate when I went out to lunch.  Check!  It wasn't that hard actually, considering that I couldn't eat my favorite salsa, the cilantro cream.  I had a lovely spring mix salad with passion fruit vinaigrette.  It's one of my favorite things to eat anyway, so getting without shrimp or chicken to make it vegan wasn't much of a stretch.

Friday's Goal: It's silly, but my goal is to get out of the house on time tomorrow.  K is having some pictures taken in Salt Lake tomorrow and I always seem to run about 5-15 minutes behind when I take the baby girl anywhere.  I would like to leave the house at 10:30.  

~TGIF~

Sammich

Have you ever eaten something for lunch that was so so yummy that you couldn't wait to eat it again, so you make it for breakfast the next day?  I just did.

Have you seen this in your local grocery store?  I picked it up on a whim and I am so glad I did.  Yum-o!  It's a little tangy and slightly spicy and oh so good.

So here's the sandwich I had to make for breakfast:

Whole Wheat Flatbread

Sauteed Red Peppers and Onions in Olive Oil

Sauteed Portobello Mushroom Slices

Avocado

Alfalfa Sprouts

and

Chimichurri Spread

So so good!  I thought I was buying pita pockets and when I got home I realized they were flatbread.  200 calories, but kinda worth it.  Next time I'll get pitas though and save the calories.

Daily Goal: Wednesday

Tuesday's goal was to donate blood.  Which I did, thank you very much!  I almost passed out after it was over and had to lie down on the gym floor with my feet up, but I was able to drive myself home.  We think I just got up too fast.  In all it was a good experience and I'm glad I did it.  I'm sure I will do it again.

Today's goal was to not stop for a treat on the way home from Bell rehearsal.  It was with great pride in myself that I drove right passed McDonald's and Crown Burger.  :)  I ate a banana and drank a bottle of water.  Good thing too because my dinner was way more calories than I thought. It's also a good thing that ringing hand bells for 2 hours burns almost 300 calories.

Thursday's Goal: I'm going out to lunch with my Grandma tomorrow to the best Mexican restaurant ever, so my goal is not to eat too many tortilla chips.  (They have an amazing salsa bar!)

Pictures and a Recipe!

I started VBD yesterday and it was a success food-wise!  (Excepting the cookies I ate post-blood donation, but I'll get to that.)

Breakfast was Oatmeal made with vanilla almond milk-topped with fresh strawberries and bananas.  I've never cooked oatmeal that wasn't instant, so this was fun and delicious!

Lunch was a Romain salad with pico de gallo, homemade corn and black bean salsa, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, lots of cilantro, and a spicy Boca Chik'n patty. So yummy, but the pico and the patty were a little too spicy for me.  (I'm a wuss when it comes to spicy.)  It was still really good though, and the avocado did a good job of calming the heat.

Dinner was grilled pork tenderloin with a brown sugar spice rub,  mango salsa, baked zucchini, and corn on the cob.  I've never had tenderloin grilled before, but it was so good.  :)

My snacks were an apple, half a banana (Emergency banana, my mouth was on fire after chomping down on an extra spicy bite of my salad.) and frozen grapes.  Usually I am more of a snacker, I just wasn't home much yesterday.

Here's the Recipe (Ok, not a recipe so much, more like instructions.) for the baked zucchini.
My bestie, Sam at Believe In Yourself, makes these amazing breadsticks.  She made them for us on Saturday night and I got to watch.  The topping is the best part...so I pretty much just used the topping on my zucchini.  Usually I will just use some salt and Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:
1 zucchini
1 Yellow squash (keep these small, don't use the big honkin' ones from your garden.)
1 Tbs Melted Butter or Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Salad Supreme seasoning
1/2 tsp. Lawry's Garlic Salt
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese (The canned stuff.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  (I use a toaster oven and it works great.)
Thinly slice the zucchini and squash.  Place in a casserole dish or small glass cake pan and toss with the melted butter or olive oil.  You only need enough to lightly coat all the pieces.
Top with the seasonings.
Bake for 10-20 minutes - You want the zucchini to be just tender and the topping to be lightly browned.

So, the measurements are total guesstimates.  I just sprinkle the seasoning on until it looks good.  Add as much parm as you want.  Right now, this is my favorite way to eat zucchini and squash.

What is your go-to easy vegetable recipe?

Daily Goal: Tuesday

Monday's goal was to hit the fitness center for cardio and weights.  I finished cardio at 9:55 pm and the gym closed at 10, so I was out of time. 

I realized that I never wrote down today's goal which is...

Tuesday's Goal: Donate Blood

It sounds a little silly that would be a daily goal, but I have signed up to donate blood 3 times in the past and chickened out every time!  My fear of needles is not gone, but after 2 years of infertility treatments, I don't dread it like I used to.  Also, now that I know I have O- blood (Something blood banks need desperately) I feel like it is my responsibility to help.  The significance of today, 9/11, makes me feel even more compelled to donate. 

I went to the store last night and stocked up on my VBD stuff.  I have lots and lots of yummy things that I am ready to eat.  I will post pics tomorrow.  And a recipe!  :)

Wednesday's Goal: Drive home from rehearsal without stopping for a fatty fatty "snack".

I have Bell rehearsal every Wednesday night in the city.  (About an hour from where I live)  We rehearse until 9:30 pm.  I usually leave to head home at about 9:45.  Because it's an hour drive home, (and I'm hungry because I haven't eaten since 6, I usually stop at the Golden Arches for a Diet Coke to get me through the drive home.  I tend to get something else to munch on -Burger and fries-.  I'm not going to do that this week.  I'm going to make sure I have an appropriate driving snack waiting for me in the car.

Friend Making Monday

 

Since I have revisited this whole weight loss blogging thing, I have found that many of my fellow bloggers and friends no longer blog. So much motivation comes from knowing that people are reading about and following my journey. I found this great way to link up with some new active bloggers. If it works, welcome! Leave me a note...and I'll follow you back! I hope to hear from you lots and lots.

If you are one of my readers that isn't from http://alltheweigh.com/ head on over and link up!

 

 

Have You Ever?

1. Jumped out of an airplane?  It is on my bucket list.  Now that I have a baby, it seems slightly irresponsible.
2. Lived alone? Yes.
3. Met a celebrity? Yes.  A couple...I worked at a hotel in Park City, UT.
4. Said something to someone that you immediately regret saying? Of course.
5. Had a manicure/pedicure? I love pedicures! 
6. Gotten a hickey?  It's been a while.
7. Owned a pet that was not a dog or a cat?  Yes.  Frogs, hamsters, a snake, and a horse. Oh, and fish.
8. Been outside of your home country?  I've been to Ireland.  And Mexico.  Tijuana counts, right?
9. Kissed your best friend? Yep. I married him, too.
10. Eaten food that fell on the floor?  Sure.  Brush off the dust and it's fine.  :)
11. Met someone online? Sorta kinda.  We never actually met in person.
12. Been on TV? Yes.
13. Had braces?  Yes. 5th grade through 7th.
14. Gone skinny dipping?  Yes.  With the girls.  In her private hot tub.
15. Been to the opera? Yes.
16. Been caught making out by a policeman?  Haha, yes.  In high school.  At the park.  After it was closed.
17. Sung in public? Yes.  A couple of solos in high school and recently I have sung the National Anthem at our horse shows.
18. Handed out candy on Halloween? Yes.  We usually set up the fire pit in the front yard.  People love it!
19. Been snowed in? I've experienced a few snow days, but it was never bad enough that you couldn't leave the house. 
20. Fallen in front of other people? All the time.  I'm a total klutz.
21. Cheated on a test? I would try by writing stuff on my hand, but then I was too scared to look cause I knew I would get caught.
22. Regretted saying “I love you” to someone? Nope.
23. Finished a meal in a restaurant and realized that you didn’t have your wallet? No.
24. Shot a gun? Yes.  My dad is a cop.
25. Heard a song that was written for (or about) you? Yes. A guy I was dating once upon a time wrote a beautiful song on the piano for me.

Thanks for reading!

Weekly Goals 9/9 -9/15

Here is last week's list.

1 ~ Do all three runs on the days I am scheduled to do them. TTS.
2 ~ Work up to a minute doing a plank. I could barely hold one for 10 seconds!   I'm not quite up to a minute yet, but I can hold one for over 30 seconds. 
3 ~ Do the ab workout on Pinterest every night. Try to work up to getting through the whole thing.  - I wasn't able to continue this workout.  I think I have a cyst in my wrist and it really starts to hurt after doing the push ups. 
4 ~ Lay off the sweet treats. One a day. -I did this...mostly...there were a couple of days that I had 2, but it was a 30 calorie Popsicle in the afternoon and another one for dessert.

Here's my new weekly goal list:

1. Drink more water.  4 bottles a day.  I'm really bad at remembering to drink my water. 
2. Stick to the Vegan Before Dinner plan. (I'm starting it tomorrow.)
3. Find and use a new ab workout every night.
4. Do all 3 runs on the days I am scheduled to do them.  (TTS)
5. Hold a plank for 1 minute.

Do you have any goals you wish to meet this week?

Sunday: Daily Goal + Frustrations

Today's goal was to go for a walk with my family.  We drove up to a beautiful spot called Cascade Springs and did that (shortish) hike.  It was absolutely beautiful.  I'll post pictures tomorrow.  I was a little sore from my run yesterday, but it was a good sore.

Monday's goal: Cardio and weights (again)

So I weighed myself today.  Still 175.  Still 2 pounds heavier than when I started.  I am frustrated.  I'm working out, I'm staying under 1300 calories...Ugh!  It's not just that I'm not losing weight (The scale doesn't mean everything, after all) it's that I don't seem to be losing fat.  My pants still fit the same.  They seem to be getting tighter.  A spare tire is there that wasn't there before.  The only thing that is changing in a good way is that running is getting easier.  (If that wasn't changing I would be about ready to throw in the towel and be fat for the rest of my life.  Sigh)

Something needs to change.  I will be starting the Vegan Before Dinner (VBD) again this week.  I'd start tomorrow, but then I wouldn't be able to eat anything.  I need to do some shopping first.

Here's for a better week with numbers in the right direction.

Daily Goal - Saturday

Saturday's goal was to run for 20 minutes without stopping.  I did it!!  Man-oh-man, it felt good too!  My bff Sam (From Believe in Yourself) called to see if we wanted to hang out tonight.  I said sure, but I told her that I had to go run tonight.  She and her husband ended up bringing their running stuff up to go with me.  She and my hubby went for a walk with the baby while her hubby and I ran.  For 20 minutes.  Without stopping. *GRIN*  I am also happy that I did the whole run without any pain.  (Other than the burning in my thighs, of course.)  I am so worried about shin splints.  They always seem to creep up on me and stop my from meeting my running goals.  So far so good.

Sundays Goal:  Go on a nice easy walk with the family.

Daily Goal: Friday

Today's goal was to workout and weight train.  Check!

Since I started working out again I haven't been cross training.  I've only been been doing the c25k workouts 3 times a week.  Which was ok, it was a good way to start.  Now that I'm 6 weeks into the program and running longer distances, I need to work on building endurance and muscle tone.   The extra calorie burn can't hurt, either.  It looks like I will be working out almost everyday now.

Saturday's Goal: Tomorrow is my "long run".  It's a 20 minute run, no walking.  My goal is to do it.  Wish me luck!

  

Feel Good Friday

Shannon over at Waits and Measure(ment)s challenged her readers to post a Feel Good Friday story and I love the idea!  (Go read her story.  It looks like she had an amazing day!

My day felt very Saturdayish because the hubs took a vacation day from work.  The plan was to head to Price for my Horseback Riding Club's State competition but we decided to save the money and just have an easy weekend at home.  I'm glad we stayed, too!  I really do have the best husband.  He woke up with K and let me sleep in (awesome!) he cleaned the kitchen, (awesomer!) and he let me take a 2 hour uninterrupted and very needed nap. (awesomest!)

I ate kinda crappy foods, but stayed within my calories.  Feel kinda bla though.  (Have you tried the Cantina Bowl at Taco Bell?  Yum!)

Today I feel good about the fact that I exercised today...I went to the fitness center and road the sit (Recumbent?) bike for a half hour, then did some weight training on my arms.  (Daily Goal, check!)  Cross training is a good thing.  A really really good thing.  I kinda forgot how good.

On a poopy note...I weighed myself yesterday and it said I gained 2 lbs.  In 3 days.  How can that be possible?!  I am going to weigh myself again on Sunday and hope it was a fluke.  A crazy, crazy, fluke.  I don't have a scale at my house.  It works better for me.

Ah well...I hope everyone had a wonderful day.  Have a great weekend!

  

Going back to the Old Ways

*Updated*

Today I went back to the beginning of my blog and re-read all my posts and comments.  I'm thinking about revisiting the Vegan Before Dinnertime eating plan.  The pictures of my food looked so yummy and I felt so good while I did it.  If I haven't lost any weight by Monday I think I'll start up again. 

I have a list of weekly goals, but waaaayyy back then I had a Daily Goal.  My daily goals weren't always weight loss related.  I think I am going to start doing those again too.  They were a great motivator.

Today's Goal:  Stay with in my Calories on My Fitness Pal.  (My name is ana_cana.  You may follow me if you like.)  I went way over yesterday.  :S Check!  The day is not quite over, and I will probably have some ice cream tonight, but I have 200 calories left and I haven't run yet.  :)

Do you ever go back and read your old blog posts?  Do they motivate you?

Friday's Goal:  Cross train.  Weights and cardio.

Aloha Oe

We are going to Hawaii in March.  Just in time for our 11 year anniversary.  We'll be back the day before K's 1st birthday.  That's 7 months away. 

 

 

I want to look like this in a swimming suit...

Instead of this....

...cause this is sure how I feel right now. 

 

Now I know that I will not be rocking the 2-piece in 7 months.  But I at least hope to feel more comfortable with my body in a swimming suit.

 

Aloha!

 

Friend Making Monday...Tuesday

Since I have revisited this whole weight loss blogging thing, I have found that many of my fellow bloggers and friends no longer blog.  So much motivation comes from knowing that people are reading about and following my journey.  I found this great way to link up with some new active bloggers.  If it works, welcome!  Leave me a note...and I'll follow you back!  I hope to hear from you lots and lots.

If you are one of my readers that isn't from http://alltheweigh.com/ head on over and link up!

 

 

 Tech Questions

1. PC or Mac?  I love my iPod...like really love it.  I have a touch and a nano, but my computers are PCs. 
2. When did you get your first computer? My family got our first computer when I was a freshman in High School...about 1996?  It was such a big deal!!
3. Do you use cable, DSL or something else?  Cable Internet.  My hubby gets the business line from Comcast for work.  It's so fast!
4. When choosing a laptop, do you think it’s more important to choose the fastest one, or the lightest one?  I'm not really a laptop kind-of person.  The laptop we have is more like a really expensive internet browser.  I think though, if I were to buy my own it would be for speed.
5. What kind of cell phone do you own? Do you like it? I have a Droid Incredible 2 and I love it.
6. How do you carry your laptop when you travel? I don't really need a laptop to travel anymore...I just take my phone.
7. How many e-mails do you send on an average day? People still email?  Just kidding.  Maybe one or two.  It really depends on the day.  Most of my emails are replies.
8. Do you ever blog using your iPad or similar tablet? Nope.  Cause I don't have one.
9. What do you use more often – a desktop or a laptop? It's equal.  I use the desktop for blogging, working, and games.  The laptop is more for surfing the net when I am bored.
10. As a blogger, are there other gadgets that you need to get the job done? If so, what are they?  My camera.  Pictures are good.  I should really start posting some.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions on your blog! Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments! Happy Monday, friends!

A Plateau...Already?

I just weighed myself for the first time in 2 weeks.  It's what I thought.  I haven't lost a single pound.  How frustrating!!  Oh well.  At least the scale didn't go up.

Weekly Goals

I woke up this morning feeling skinnier.  Maybe not looking it yet, but I was mostly proud of my week last week.  I missed a run, but, I didn't let that stop me.

I tried a couple of ab workouts yesterday.  I woke up with sore back muscles...what?!...I think my abs must have shifted to my back while I was pregnant and that's why my tummy is so squishy.

Weekly Goals:

1 ~ Do all three runs on the days I am scheduled to do them.  TTS. 
2 ~ Work up to a minute doing a plank.  I could barely hold one for 10 seconds!
3 ~ Do the ab workout on pinterest every night.  Try to work up to getting through the whole thing.
4 ~ Lay off the sweet treats.  One a day.

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Enjoy your week!

9 months to put it on...

...9 months to take it off.  At least I have to keep telling myself that.  I knew that pregnancy was going to change my body...I just didn't know how much.  I have fat in horrifying places.  Places that will probably be the last to slim down.  I feel lumpy.  Blah....

.......anyway.... I got a run in!  I was all set to run outside in the cool evening air when lightning started striking all around me.  I decided it would be better to not get caught in a huge storm at night and went to the fitness center instead.  Have I told you that I hate hate hate the treadmill?  ;)  The run seemed tougher than usual, but I did it.  That's a good feeling, yes?

I tried a couple of amazing recipes this week.  The best one was this Chocolate Chipotle Chili from Our Best Bites.  Oh my goodness, it was amazing.  It was so easy to make too.

Then I made this Spicy Honey Chicken Salad.  (Our Best Bites) Best chicken EVER!
Then we made Chili Lime Flank Steak with Elote (Corn on the cob ala Nacho Libre but way better) and Black Beans....*drool*
And just for fun I made this because my friend and fellow bell-ringer Paige gave me 2 Monster zucchinis. 
So, if you can't already tell, it was an Our Best Bites week.  I love to cook.  I love controlling what goes in my food. 

I've decided I'm signing up for this 6k.  It's in October so I should be ready to run the WHOLE thing.  That's my goal.  I've done a few 5ks and 3 10ks, but I've never run the whole thing.

In all it's been a good week.  I started using My Fitness Pal and I love love love it.  I've been able to keep track of things really well.  I haven't weighed myself yet though.  I'm a little nervous.  It will be discouraging to see the same number (Or higher).  I'm kind of expecting that because I feel like I am rebuilding the muscle that I lost while preggo.  But, I'm not going to stop.  Yes, my goal is to lose weight, but my main goal right now is to run a half marathon in April.  Losing weight will just be a lovely side-effect.