Week 1 ... DONE

So blessed to see the spectacular Smoky Mountain sunrises every day

Wow.  5 days down, only 360 more to go!  It's almost disheartening to think of how truly difficult this week has been, but as most of us knows, it takes a minimum of 30 days to build a habit.  So if I can just get through 25 more days, I should be golden, right??

5 days, 5 different Insanity workouts.  I have worked every single muscle in my body.  Wednesday was the WORST, yesterday I was less sore, but my body felt like an unyielding block of wood, and today was hard b/c I NEED a nice, cushiony mat for my knees.  Regardless, I did do my best!

Went out to eat tonight.  Had mashed sweet potatoes and salad with NO dressing on it, just on the fork.  One roll.  Before I touched one single bite, I cut my chicken in half, and scraped half my sweet potatoes into a takeout box.  I'm currently about 30 minutes post meal, and I don't feel full at ALL.

Thursday's "Lower Body Focus" just about killed me!

I don't feel even the SLIGHTEST bit "smaller", but I do feel like I'm trying.  Guess we'll see what Wednesday's pics look like!  I'll combine yesterday and today's sweaty selfies into one post.  They're not the most flattering pics, but I think they capture the essence I'm looking for :)  Weekly meal plan and grocery shopping tomorrow!

REALLY need a nice thick yoga mat!

Under Control

When you literally can't stand to look at yourself in the mirror FULLY CLOTHED, you know it's time to take control.  It was 5 years ago today almost to the day that I began this blog, chronicling my journey to lose nearly 50 lbs.  I've put every lb and probably then some back on.  This whole having a baby after 35 thing has kicked my a$$.  When I have a free second, literally ALL I want to do is sleep.  Sunday, I took a 3 hour nap.  Makes it EXTREMELY hard to get up and work out.  And working out for me is key.  No, I'm not going to try and out-exercise a bad diet, but I can NOT rely solely on eating alone to lose weight.  I LIKE to eat.  I will NOT low carb/no sugar myself into losing that 50 lbs again.  I didn't do that 5 years ago, and I won't do it this time.  But here's the thing; I HAVE to do something.  I make myself sick to my stomach to look at me.  So TODAY, I started what I did 5 years ago.

I logged all my food into myfitnesspal.com.  Very enlightening!  What I ate yesterday, it theorized I'd gain 5 lbs in 5 weeks.  Wow.  I was almost 1100 calories over my "goal".  What I ate TODAY it said I'd lose 12 lbs in 5 weeks.  Hey, I'll take that!  I also "doubled up" a bit.  I did T-25 this morning; about 1/2 modified and 1/2 not.  When I put the baby to bed, I did Couch to 5k, week one ... again.  My legs felt like lead, but it was a nice, sweaty workout.  My neighborhood is exactly 2 1/4 miles around, so that works out to have a little bit left over to walk once the workout is over.  I can't bring myself to take pics again of the whole sports bra/shorts getup again.  Maybe 6 months in.  For now, I have a cute nightie that I'd like to wear with confidence that looks HORRIBLE on me right now that I'll take the monthly pics with.

I have to quantify my earlier statement about what I won't do with what I WILL do.  I WILL get back to calorie counting and being conscious of portion size.  I've become desensitized to the correct serving size, and have been eating WAY too big of a serving.  Basically, when I go to bed, I feel full.  Today, I've felt somewhat empty all day, which isn't necessarily good for me.  If I'm hungry, that's when I'm more likely to make bad choices and snack on something junky.  I did well and drank my 48 oz bottle of water, and I have 16 more to go before bed; if and when I feel hungry, I will grab the bottle and drink away.  I will do as before, and make lower calorie substitutions, or remove a piece of bread, or do SOMETHING to cut the calorie content of what I'm eating.  But I hate to have a "list" of foods I can or can't eat, and right now my finances won't allow expensive foods low in carbs/sugars, so I have to make do with the 'normal' stuff.  I don't want to take a pill, or wrap up in a majikal wrap that will melt all the fat away.  I don't want to drink a secret shake that will slim me up in no time flat.  I just have to get back to making good, sensible choices that are the proper serving sizes, and STOP eating "dessert" after every meal.  I also have to decide to GET UP and exercise.  Stop hitting the snooze button 6 times, and drag my lazy rumpus out of bed!  Without further ado, here's the yucky pics :(

"Home" for Christmas

When we moved to California, that was "home".  I refused to refer to Georgia as "home", because we didn't live there any more.  We spent 3 years with just the 3 of us celebrating Christmas as a small little family.  This year, we have our little guy celebrating his first, and our extended family is finally together after 3 long years.  My in-laws would argue that we're finally back "home" since we're here in the south; I know it does feel good!  Excited to be off work for a few days and to be able to spend time just relaxing.

Sadly, I am spending my first day off getting surgery!  I have had a mass on the bottom of my right foot for about 5 or 6 years now, and it has been finally bothering me this year.  I decided to bite the bullet and just get it looked at and of COURSE the doctor told me the only thing to do w/ it is to remove it.  I knew that was going to be the case all along which is why I never bothered to have it looked at years ago.  SO!  If you're the praying type, I'd appreciate a few prayers for me in the morning!  I've had 2 C-sections, but I've never been put under general anesthesia, and to be honest, I'm a little bit nervous about it.  I will be non weight bearing for 3 weeks; can't even have a walking boot.  Should be an
interesting challenge w/ an 8 month old baby.



Also sadly, I have not managed to lose a single pound.  In fact, I think I've probably gained a few pounds.  I decided to say SCREW IT for the rest of 2016, and join the rest of the world with starting "fresh" in 2017.  I will be starting by not being able to exercise at all, but my inability to work out does not have any effect on what I eat.  I've struggled to get back to making my weekly meal plan/shopping list, and we've ended up eating WAY too much fast food.  Pretty much the same boat I was in 4 years ago when I changed my lifestyle the first time.  It's frustrating to have fallen back into old habits, but I changed them once and I CAN change them again.  I've always in a way "looked down" on alcohol and drug addicts, thinking WHY can't they just say "no"?  Can't they SEE how they're destroying their family and their own lives??  Well, how is food any different?  I am finding that I virtually can't say "no" to the siren's call of sugar and fat.  Again and again I make excuses and justify bad choices, and I realize I'm no different than the people I look down on.

ANYWAY!  Life is good, we are so, so blessed.  I'm thankful for my darling almost NINE MONTH old that is now beginning to crawl and get into things, and my fabulous teenager that is finally applying himself and getting all A's and B's in high school.  He's loving being in ROTC and is really shining in the drill team aspect of it.  I love watching him do it, it's HARD!  The rifle is 9 pounds and about 3 feet tall.  Love my job and my "work wives", we have an awesome team.

I have a 'thing' in the works; possibly going to try and make some YouTube videos pertaining to club foot.  God has really put it on my heart that he wants me to reach out in that way somehow, and I think the videos may reach more people than the blog posts.  I will have a little time on my hands, what with sitting around on my rear w/ my foot propped up for a few days ;)

Going to pick a 5k to enter.  The Hot Chocolate 5K is going to be in Nashville in February; It's going to be the middle of January before I can get off my crutches, so I'm not sure how realistic it's going to be to shoot for a run then.  I may try to do the Smoky Mountain one in the mountains, but I'm not sure when that one is.  Oh well, it's all about goals!  I'll figure it out :)  God bless y'all, hope everyone has a beautiful Christmas holiday!!!

More of the usual randomness

T-8 days until Mav arrives!  That's assuming he stays put.  I feel sometimes like there is just No. More. Room.  Short girl problems, right?  I feel so fortunate to have had a good, smooth pregnancy.  I'm at the stage where I'm uncomfortable most of the time, my back/hips hurt daily and the heartburn is going to drive me to drink, but that's all the 'normal' pregnancy stuff.  Kody is so excited, every day he reminds me, "One more day closer, Mom!".  So blessed.

The menu has been good!  I've had quite a few yummy new recipes that add a bit of diversity to the daily eats.  My co-workers keep saying how lucky my boys are that I come home from work and cook for them.  Well; it's for me too!  Fast food is EXPENSIVE and bad for you; I've tried to cut it out as much as possible.  So no, it's not "lucky", it's self preservation, lol!  If you're looking for some food ideas, look no further:
Slow cooker ranch pork chops  These were a hit!  Made it last night, and the gravy is divine over mashed potatoes.

Chicken bacon pasta  This was great too!  I browned my chicken w/ some Lawry's season salt.  Not at ALL like my alfredo pasta, more like spaghetti carbonara.  I liked this better than carbonara b/c making things w/ raw eggs makes me nervous!  The bacon just sealed the deal for the boys.

Slow cooker balsamic glazed pork roast  VERY good!  The boys loved it, big hit and VERY easy.

Copy cat O'Charley's potato soup  Ok, yes, it was good.  NO, it does not taste like O'Charley's soup.  I feel better about eating this than the bagged variety w/ all the fake ingredients and dehydrated potatoes.  It was NOT a "quickie" recipe, I'm glad I made it on a Sunday when I had plenty of time to put it all together.  For anyone that may have a slightly larger family, this recipe makes a TON of soup!

One pot chili mac  Um, YUM!  Takes a standard batch of chili and nearly doubles the amount yielded b/c of the pasta.  Also, it heated up VERY well for lunch the next day.

So, just a few little gems to help you get through the week!  The slow cooker recipes are so quick.  Even the chili mac and the chicken pasta was quick.  Just the soup took a long time to make.

My mom and dad are coming to visit starting on Easter!  It's been almost 3 years since I've laid eyes on them, so very excited!  Then my sister will be here in about 3 weeks, SO excited!  I haven't seen her in almost 3 years too, I can't wait.  It's crazy that it's taken a baby to bring everyone out, but hey, whatever works!  Assuming Mav is still safely tucked away in my womb next Wed, we plan to drive Mom and Dad out to The Avenue of the Giants.  PICTURES of Redwoods just don't even help you understand the magnitude and the magnificence of these trees.  EVERYONE should experience them, it's a spiritual experience.

Not much more to talk about I suppose.  Just working on  packing as much non essential stuff as we can and storing it out of the way so we don't feel cramped and cluttered once Mav and People arrive.  I think we're as ready as any couple CAN be for a new addition.  I don't think you're ever really fully prepared, but you do your best.  Excited for what's to come, thanks for following along with my journey!

Weekly menu

So I found myself just trying to kill time, waiting for a Super Bowl that I actually plan to WATCH for the first time, so I decided to go ahead and post last week's menu!  Tried 2 new recipes that turned out GREAT, and I have another new one that's in the crock pot as we speak.

I already have next/this week's menu planned and bought for b/c I don't get my usual Wednesday off this week.  My fridge and freezer are STUFFED!    I have 2  more new recipes planned, will report back how they turn out!

"Grilled Chicken"; this recipe is amazing.  It is SOOOO easy and it is super yummy and tasty.  This is one of my 'old standby' recipes.
Grilled chicken

Shrimp Scampi; I've made scampi before w/ the oh so easy Campbell's skillet sauces, but this was seriously just as easy.  AND it tasted better.  The recipe calls for fettuccini, but we prefer angel hair.  Oh!  And I don't like wilted green leaves, so I left out the green stuff too ;)
Shrimp scampi

Lasagna; simple, home cooked, and GOOD.  I have made lasagna rolls, but never just normal, straight up lasagna.  I left out a few of the spicier spices b/c the hubs doesn't care for anything that's too spicy.  Still turned out yummy and perfect.
Lasagna

Veggie soup w/ hamburger.  I admit it.  I didn't actually follow the recipe.  So maybe this link is good, or not.  But I DID put the burger meat in it; I used ground turkey and seasoned it w/ a little garlic salt.  For my veggie soup, I simply start w/ half a pot of water, throw in each veggie in order of cook time, simmering about 3 minutes before I add the next one, then throwing in a can of tomato sauce and chicken/veggie boullion cubes.  But here's the link to the actual veggie soup; let me know if y'all like it!
Burger veggie soup

Slow cooker salisbury steak.  This was good.  My problem was that I undercooked it a little.  My crock pot tends to cook on the fast side, so I cut out about an hour and a half/2 hours worth of cook time.  I was also thinking the ground sirloin would cook faster than say, a roast.  Well, I was wrong.  The flavor was AMAZING, and I did read the comments and use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken soup.  I also served it w/ mashed potatoes and it was really yummy.  Next time I'll just make sure I cook it longer!
Salisbury Steak

Honey Parmesan Pork Roast; this is what's in the crock pot right now, so not sure how it's going to turn out.  Super easy, that's for sure!  I decreased the amt slightly of basil and oregano b/c I find those spices cook up a little potent for my taste.  It's beginning to smell good, so hopefully I can report that it tastes good, too!
Pork Roast

Hope this helps anyone out there w/ their meal planning ideas!  And go Broncos!!

FOOD!

I know we all get a little stagnant and stale with our food routine; I have a facebook friend that shares her meal plan for the week and it can be REALLY helpful!  I'm not quite organized enough to actually PLAN the sides, but I find that once I've made a plan and a shopping list, the accompanying dishes aren't as difficult to figure out.

I REALLY wish my boys would branch out and be a little more vegetable ambitious.  I'm NOT willing to make different meals for us, so even though I try to be as healthy as possible, my menu is not exactly always "skinny", "organic", "vegan", or "low" anything.

Heck, it's a huge accomplishment to have graduated from fast food 5 nights a week to cooking 4 nights a week with 3 of those being processed/box meals to actually COOKING real food 6 nights a week.  And we don't do leftovers for DINNER.  I save leftovers and that feeds me lunch occasionally, but we don't do them for another dinner night.

So, without further ado, I am going to attempt to do a weekly blog post with my week's meal plan for those that may be struggling to figure out what they can cook.  If I can, I'll post the link; the majority of my recipes come from Pinterest.  The following is this past weeks's food.

*Broiled fish ( I normally use Target's Swai fillets, but my Sac one has been OUT for over a month :(  Used Cod this time, and didn't care for the flavor of the fish.  This recipe is one of my favorites, though, and I thought the parmesan cheese was a nice touch at the end.
Broiled fish  LOVE this recipe, I sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the fish.  This time, I added a little sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese for the last 2 minutes of broiling time.  That was the ONLY thing that made the cod edible.

*No boil chicken alfredo.  LOVE this recipe!  It also works beautifully with shrimp; I just buy a bag of the large precooked from Target and skip the part where I cook them in a pan.
One pan chicken alfredo

*Brats. No recipe needed here.  I buy the low fat cheese ones, slap them on the George Foreman for 6 minutes, and slap them on a whole wheat weenie bun!
Johnsonville brats

*Pancakes.  Made these last night.  SO good!  Subbed a 1/2 tsp of Allspice instead of a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and the flavor was SO yummy.  We don't do maple syrup in our house, I actually love plain old sugar free syrup.  Saved time making them after work by mixing up my dry ingredients ahead of time.
Vanilla cinnamon buttermilk pancakes

*Pork sandwiches with home made BBQ sauce.  This turned out really well, I was surprised at myself!  First time trying out this recipe and it was a winner.
BBQ pork sandwiches

*Broccoli Beef.  My favorite!  LOVE this recipe, I would eat it 3 nights a week if I could.  WAY better than Panda Express and so, so easy.
Broccoli Beef

Hope this is helpful!  I have SO many recipes on Pinterest pinned that I haven't gotten around to trying yet ... I will post as I finally DO try them :)  Oh, and GO BRONCOS!!!