Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Wordless Wednesday:: A Little Early

 
My amazing Oma is having surgery tomorrow so I doubt I'll make it to the computer (or remember) to post this.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

20 By Xmas:: Week One

Today is weigh in day and I was afraid to step on the scale.

It was a crazy busy week.  
Monday we were off to Kitchener for an appointment, meaning eating out for lunch and dinner.  I tried to make healthy choices but it's soooo hard when there is so much good stuff on those menus.  
Tuesday I went out to Oshweken with a friend and had a taco salad for lunch.  I can only pretend it was healthy.  Thick pita, with a chili like mixture topped with very fresh lettuce, tomato and green pepper with sour cream on top... So good, so not good for me.
Wednesday we were supposed to go to Tucker's Marketplace for a friend's birthday dinner.  When we got there, the power went out and didn't come back on.  So we went to Chinese buffet instead.  I made healthy choices when it came to dinner but those desserts were calling, no screaming, my name.
Thursday I was out and about but I did make healthy choices and cooked a healthy dinner at home.  Same with Friday.
Saturday... Bug's first birthday... Pizza, cake, chips.  Enough said.

This week I didn't snack in between meals or late at night and I completely cut out pop.
I hopped on that scale and got a very pleasant surprise::
8.5 pounds gone!!

My journey is off to a good start.  I'm afraid of next week.  I have been watching Biggest Loser for years and it is the dreaded week two where everyone plateaus.  I need to make time to go on the treadmill.  If I can do that, week two won't stop me!  Wish me luck and stay tuned to see how much I can lose!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Sentimental Saturday:: One Whole Year

I can't believe it was a year ago that this picture was taken.  The last picture of the little bug in the belly...
And here she is today::

 My Little Lady

Monday, November 21, 2011

20 Pounds By Christmas

That is my goal
20 pounds to lose by Christmas

It seems like a lot at first, but broken down it is only 4 pounds a week.  This week looks a little daunting to me though, when will I find the time to work out?  And Tucker's Marketplace buffet dinner on Wednesday for a friend's birthday... And Bug's first birthday party on Saturday.  Cake is a huge weakness of mine.

On the other hand, I go back to work next Monday *ugh* and that will be a good workout for me.  Receiving shipments, putting clothes out, just being on my feet for 4 hours.  It will be a shock to the system I'm sure and I guarantee that I will be tired that first night.  It will also stop my snacking because I will just be too busy for it.

I am kind of excited to use this fabulous scale that I got as a wedding present for the weight loss aspect.  It has a cool feature that you can program yourself in.  How much you want to lose and it remembers what you weighed in at last time, then tells you how much you have lost and how much you have to go until you hit your goal.  I used it when I was pregnant to ensure I was gaining properly (I lost too much in the first trimester).

Wish me luck and stay tuned for my progress!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Winter Veggie Soup Recipe

As mentioned in my Bland is Blah! post I made a Winter Vegetable Soup for a swap with some friends.  I had some leftovers and shared with my family and some friends who couldn't make it to the swap.  Well I guess I did good because I have had several requests for the recipe.  I made 6 litres, which is quite a bit so here is my scaled back recipe which should do about 6 servings (or 4 large soup bowls like we have in our house).

Winter Vegetable Soup

1/4 cup butter
2 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup red lentils*
1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
4 cups vegetable broth

 1) Melt the butter in a large stock pot over med-high heat.  Add your chopped veggies and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients into the pot with the veggie mixture.  Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat the medium-low and simmer until the veggies are soft, 30-40 minutes.
3) Puree in the blender or baby bullet!  Work in batches, don't fill the blender more than half full and hold the lid down with a tea towel as it will get quite hot.  Pour into a clean pot or bowl as you go.
4) Pour all of your pureed soup into the stock pot.  Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool... or eat it right away!

*you can use fresh or canned lentils, it is still the same measurement however if you use canned make sure to drain and rinse them well!*


Other Suggestions:
  • you can add water in your final simmer if you find it too think
  • you can skip the puree and make stew!  tastes great over potatoes or noodles
  • try topping your soup with plain yoghurt or feta cheese

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Sentimental Saturday: The First Photo

This is the first picture ever taken of us... by me.  It's hard to believe that this was 5 years ago!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Bland is Blah!

I recently read a friend's blog post, Make Milk, Not War.  In it she writes about both of her daughters having no interest in eating.  Her four year old is still "insanely picky".  I was wondering if this is what I was in for.

We started with rice cereal as most people do.  Yuck, I wouldn't eat it so why am I feeding it to the Bug.  And I certainly did not enjoy cleaning it up after.  So we moved on to jarred baby food and she enjoyed them at first, eating it all up but as she got older she wasn't having it. I couldn't even get her to open her mouth.  Then we found a local company called Healthy Beginnings (HB).  They make all organic baby food and freeze it in convenient little cubes.  The have plenty of different options for different stages of eating, from 6 months all the way to toddler meals.  We tried a few fruits, veggies and combinations but she didn't seem to really enjoy eating.

On Thursday I made soup for a Soup Swap, which is a great idea (see below for a quick how-to).  I made a Winter Vegetable soup from scratch with all organic ingredients and decided to puree some for Bug.  There was quite a bit of spice in it (cumin, chili powder, etc) but what the heck, it's worth a shot.  If she eats it, great.  If not, I'll eat it.  Well, did I get a bite? No way!  She loved it!  I have never seen her enjoy something so thoroughly.  So the next morning I heated up some Pear & Brown Rice from HB, added some raspberry rice cereal, some cinnamon and nutmeg and tried it out, again: love.  For lunch she had more soup and for dinner she had Mango, Apple & Carrot from HB.  The next morning, Banana & Tofu mixed with banana rice cereal and cinnamon.  (See below for our mealtime photos)

Bland is blah!  My kid likes flavor!!  We are on an adventure in eating, who knows where it will take us... Stay tuned!








How To Host a Soup Swap
Get 6 friends (or more) to make 6 litres of soup, divide it into 6 containers and freeze
Label the soup with the ingredients, your name, the date it was made and frozen
Get together and share!  If you have more than 6 people, draw numbers and take turns choosing your soups.

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Goodbye Trendy Fashionista

I wish I would have taken a "before" picture.

Our closet was atrocious.  I have been holding onto my pre-pregnancy image thinking I would be right back into those clothes and that style.  Not so, I am finally ready to let go of the old me and embrace my new body and lifestyle head-on.


This rack used to sit in front of my closet.  It was full.  In the middle was a hanging organizer from Ikea, this held DH's track pants, jeans and whatever else landed on it.  The left of that was my clothes that I wear frequently and the right was all of his clothes, minus his business attire which he hasn't been needing lately.  Now, all that is on the rack is some clothes to go into storage and some stuff to sell.  All of those hangers on the top bar had clothes on them, gives you an idea of how much I was actually hanging on to (plus a tote bin full).  In behind the rack was the actual closet, filled (and I mean stuffed full) of clothes we don't wear.  I had a lot of clothes before I got pregnant.  I worked in retail for 5 years, in fairly upscale stores for 2 years and my clothes reflected that.  But now none of it fits.  A top here or there but not much.  I do have a goal to lose the baby weight, but these clothes just don't reflect my lifestyle anymore.

I want to be a hip, somewhat fashionable mom, not a trendy fashionista.


Now I have a laundry basket overflowing with clothes to sell.  I wish I could afford to just donate them somewhere but we just aren't in a situation to do that right now.  Hello Kijiji!  Crossing my fingers that I can sell it all and buy myself some new jeans and stop wearing maternity jeans... Yes, a year later I still wear them... But if you have seen me out, did you notice?  They are cute and comfortable and they make me feel good.  That's all that matters.

And here is the final product:


Two hours of work.
Organized closet.
No more rack taking up space.
Happy husband.
Happy me.

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Sentimental Saturday: Missing Nana

This picture of DH, myself and my nana was taken last summer on our trip to BC.  Thankfully we were able to spend a few days on the Island with my family and DH could meet and spend some time with this wonderful women.  I didn't get to spend as much time with her growing up, but the memories I have will stay with me forever. 

I will remember you forever.
Rest In Peace Nana
Marilynne Elizabeth Whynott
April 24, 1934- January 26, 2011