My Fitness Journey...

November 2010 (206 pounds of BLAH)

 This was me during a book signing in November of 2010. NO, I was not pregnant. I had my final child 8 months prior. EKKK. I did not let these pictures take a real toll on me until around February. I am not sure what happened - but here is what I can recall. One of my best friends, Samantha had just had her beautiful baby girl (my Goddaughter) Astrid Lashay, and she also struggled with weight her whole life, and we just kind of leaned on each other for support. We did not follow the same plan, but it didn't matter because:
1) We worked together, and that always helps!
2) We both incredibly love food.
3) And we go to the beach together, and had a mutual goal to look AMAZING! :-)

November 2010 (206 pounds of BLAH)

Living on a budget, cooking for a husband (who doesn't need to drop any pounds) and 3 kids who do not need to live off of rice cakes and granola (LOL) - I looked into cleanses, Weight Watchers, Low Cal, Low Carb, Low Flavor, etc... Nothing seemed to work for my life or wallet, except for the concept of Weight Watchers. I was able to find everything I needed to participate in the concept, as long as I had the will power. I downloaded a comparable app for my phone, got a book to track what I consumed daily, and began to make a plan to work out. NETFLIX is an amazing alternative if you cannot afford a gym. Since it was POST NEW YEARS RESOLUTION February, I was able to find a mat and weights in the clearance department at Target. These along with the never ending workouts provided by Netflix, and will power - I was ready to go. (Fighting, kicking and SCREAMING though...)

This is the lady, and the book that helped this process like NO other!

Another HUGE helper in my ongoing process is Hungry Girl. I own the books, subscribe to the newsletter and follow on Facebook. She makes incredibly NORMAL meals for normal people trying to drop some weight. In fact, this lady and I did a Superbowl Feast a la Hungry Girl. If you struggle with weight loss, or just coming up with new meal ideas - try this lady out for size. Hungry Girl that is, Samantha is taken. :-)



So the journey began. I counted points, made better life choices, worked out 3 times a week, and magic began to happen. All of the sudden, I was seeing 190...180...170, and 160!!! 46 pounds later, and during the process, here is what I looked like.

She has been my rock in this process, her and I have and are still doing SO great!

This is me, just months after that terrible picture was taken!

July 2011

June 2011

My 27th Birthday - 160 pounds!!!




I post this blog, as a reminder to stay on track! I still have my partner in crime, Samantha. Support is more via text since we no longer work together, but we are still there for each other and still making progress! Keep up for more fitness related posts. We are going to be looking all kinds of SEXY for Valentine's Day. Mark my word! Til next time!

The Beginning of my Garden...again...

This was the start of my WONDERFUL apartment garden.

The start of anything is a plan. So, this is my start. I was the proud Momma of an indoor garden when we were in the apartment last year. While my love should have been enough to have a harvest on wonderfulness, my heart was breaking during the close of my store (Borders) and the garden died. Not to mention, some jerks who found it humorous to pull out all my lettuce. JERKS. But, I now have a yard, and a BEAUTIFUL window seal looking out to the backyard that will allow me to prep, then transplant. I figured, if I blogged about this plan - I would feel obligated to follow through, Give my green thumb a shot.

What to grow? I am going to grow all the herbs I can imagine...

This was my old window garden... RIP

• Sage
• Thyme
• Cilantro
• Rosemary
• Basil
• Oregano
• Chives
• Parsley
• Mint

I am planning to have these in Mason jars in my kitchen. As for the outside...The possibilities are endless! I know the kids want to grow carrots to feed the horses that are next door at the pond. The others I am planning are:

my 1st attempt at lettuce

Outdoor window garden

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Peppers

Squash

Radishes

Strawberries

Green beans

Onions

                                                     Spinach

and Potatoes... I have read that these are very easy to grow, just require some love. We are gonna try these in a container setting first. I am so excited to start this. This is one of the main reasons I was so excited to move into this house. I don't have a day off for 8 more days, but I have the first weekend in February off, and I will have everything ready to garden ALL weekend. My oldest, Malakai loved to helped me garden in the apartment. Maybe, we will plant some pretty flowers so Alannah will get involved. Kal'El will just enjoy playing in some dirt. LOL... Until next time - pray for me to have some green thumbs!

Barbieyaki Tatoes (#4)

OK, so I am cheesy when it comes to naming stuff. (Obviously) But, I am a POTATO fanatic! And my kids, not so much. They love mashed potatoes, and I can add stuff that way, but that gets a little boring. So, these came about due to about 50%accident and 50%laziness. I made a pork roast in the Crockpot last night, and for day 2 of the roast, I had to work late - and I know that my kids would love if I made them Barbieyaki Tatoes.

Ingredients are as follows:

• As many delicious potatoes as you will need for your meal.
• Teriyaki Sauce
• BBQ Sauce
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Butter
• Water
• Salt/Pepper

Turn the CP on high, toss in the potatoes. Add your salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to your liking. I used 7 potatoes, so the next part will be to that portion size. Add 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce and 1/2 cup of Teriyaki sauce. Place 3 tablespoons of butter on the top, in various spots. Put the lid on, and let cook for about 4-5 hours. Feel free to read a book, take a walk, go to work! Gosh, I LOVE my Crockpot! This thing allows for awesome meals and MORE free time. I need like 4 more Crockpots. One of those wide ones, so I can make "CUP"cakes. YUM!!!I might get remarried, just so I can register for all kinds of Crockpots... My husband, might not like that idea. :-)

Anyhow, this is ALL that was left when I got home this evening. They do have a little kick to them, due to the red pepper flakes, but I LOVE IT! And I am introducing spices to them, so they are more tolerant. The Barbieyaki combination is a interesting one, and one this family truly enjoys.

What kind of flavor combinations do you enjoy, that you might not see on everyone's day to day menu?

Til next time... 

Tamales :-D (#Tres)

Hola! After a Thanksgiving, Christmas and a Cinco de Mayo of bailing on making tamales - an 8th grader's Spanish project can get me to do it. :-D So after an early day at work, I rushed home to relax with the kids and hubby for a little bit before heading to my My MIL's to get to the daunting task of tamale making. (I now see why my grandmother NEVER did this alone.) While waiting for these sample size tamales to steam, I began to wonder...

CAN YOU STEAM YOUR TAMALES TO PERFECTION IN YOUR HANDY DANDY CROCKPOT?

The answer is YES you can! YAY! Now I make my meat in a regular stove top pan, because I was not thinking of making tamales in the crockpot. But, your preparation of the meat can (and should be done) in your CP. Toss skinless boneless chicken breasts into your CP, add garlic and onion to the pot, and cover chicken with water. Cook until fall apart tender. Shred the chicken. This whole time you are going to be want to be soaking your dried corn husks in warm water for easier handling. (About an hour or two)

Next you are going to want to de-seed and de-vain your Chile pods. (Another time saver is to buy the canned ones of your liking. They taste just as yummy!) Rinse them off, and toss them into you blender blend until smooth. Strain for any missed seeds. Add a cup, or so, to your shredded chicken. And there is your filling.

Onto the dough. YUM. The kind I used this time was instant, only add water. It is really your preference. My grandmother uses lard, baking soda, etc. Follow the instructions accordingly, and ta-da, you have the dough. I will add some red chili sauce to give the dough some extra flavor. Again, individual preference.

Next, you are gonna take a corn husk, and spread the dough in the center about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Then in the center of your dough, add the filling. You are going to roll the husk up like a burrito, and then tuck the edges under. Now, you are going to want to place them in your CP seam down.

You are going to want to layer them until your CP is full, or you are done making them. I fit about 16 larger size tamales in my CP. Place the lid on, set your CP on high, and steam away for 4-6 hours. Check every now and then, to see if they are done. Depending on your CP, the cooking times will vary. **My CP took about 3 hours til they reached perfection... and below is the result, this was my "tester" tamale of the pot, the one that I checked for completion. Kids enjoyed, as did the hubby. And it sure did help the homesickness some!

 

White Rice a la Crockpot (#2)

Why hello again. Let me just begin today's adventure by saying, I LOVE WHITE RICE! It is definitely a staple in the poor man's recipe book. I remember eating fried hot dogs and white rice! (My kids LOVE it with a little BBQ sauce) Now when cooking for a family of 5, white rice can be a hassle. :-)

But have no fear, your Crockpot is here! I was very iffy about rice in a Crockpot. Rice cooking that long concerned me. Rice flavored paste is what came to mind when I decided to try this. :-/

So, on to the recipe. It calls for the same ratio we are all used to - 2 cups of water to every 1 cup of rice.

Step 1} Rub your Crockpot with butter lightly.
Step 2} Pour your rice in.
Step 3} Add water and a pinch of salt.
Step 4} Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours depending on your Crockpot.

***I cooked 2 cups of rice with 4 cups of water. It took about 2 hours and 45 minutes. And VOILA! It was rice just like at my favorite Chinese buffets!

We had some leftover chicken, and so I threw it in the wok to warm it up. Added bell peppers and some Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce, and called it a day. I had purchased some fortune cookies from Walmart, and that was on the side and the kids LOVED it. (As did us adults.) I will say this is being added to my list of handy "GO-TO" Crockpot recipes, with a side of WOK work. :-D

Lasagna in the Crockpot! (#1)

My family is a pasta loving family. I on the other hand am very "plain Jane" with my pasta. I could be happy with al dente noodles with a little bit of butter and Parmesan cheese. :-) I will admit, I have a food phobia. I do not like my food to touch, and am very weird about mixtures. So, this year I have decided to venture out of my comfort zone. And since I am currently OBSESSED with my Crockpot, everything needs to be prepared in it. And did I mention, we are doing this adventure in a frugal manner. :-)

On to the Lasagna ala Crockpot.

1} I started with Oven-Ready lasagna noodles (Great Value brand - $1) Traditional Ragu Sauce (2 cans - $2) Ricotta cheese, sour cream and Mozzarella cheese (1 each - $6) and finally 1lb of ground beef ($3) - so other than LOVE, this meal cost - $12 and looks to feed the 5 of us at least TWICE. For those who don't have a calculator handy, that is $1.20 a serving. :-) Pretty good to me.

2} Combine the sour cream, Ricotta cheese and 1/2 bag of Mozzarella in a bowl, and place in fridge.
3} Brown the ground beef, drain the excess grease, add the 2 cans of Traditional Ragu and heat. Add the spices of your liking. MY advice is to prepare this like you would prepare your spaghetti sauce. I add the traditional Italian seasonings, and my oldest son, Malakai can't let me forget my  "secret ingredient" - sugar! Just a little. He loves it!
4} Start by adding a layer of the meat sauce to cover the bottom of your Crockpot. Then add the noodles. We like to break them into squares making them easier to place. Then the cheese mixture. Followed by meat, and noodle. Repeat this until pot is full, or until your liking. There are 5 of us, so we had a FULL pot. :-)
5} Cook on low 4 to 6 hours (depending on your Crockpot) To check if done, just see if the final layer of noodle is soft.
6} When soft place a generous layer of Mozzarella cheese and cover for about 10 minutes to melt.
Now, I was very surprised that my first attempt in the Crockpot was a success. And yes, you may be reading this and think - this is SIMPLE. Well, with a family of 5, a full time job, and all the ups and downs of life itself - Simple is kind of what this Mom strives for. And so, below is the photo. Kids couldn't wait, so please excuse the pieces gone! My goal in this blog is to plan 30 different meals that the WHOLE family with love. Wish me luck, this is #1 "Lasagna a la Crockpot"

Ta-Da!!!