Cooking Aweigh the Pounds

January Recap

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Weeks 1 & 2 of January: I burned myself out with overtraining.

Week 3 of January: I spent "detoxing" from exercise. I missed my daily workouts, but needed to listen to my body. My husband also had to go out of town again on business during this week and my daughter missed him very much. It was heartbreaking whenever she would miss him so much she cried. Made me want to cry too. I still wasn't sleeping very well and felt like a walking zombie for most of the time. Needless to say, lots of emotional eating this week.

Week 4 of January & Week 1 of February: I decided to take a short blog break. I felt so brain dead most of time and didn't feel that I could put together a coherent post even if it was just about food. I knew it wouldn't be for too long, because I'd miss you all too much, but I needed to step away for a bit.

Current: What a difference a couple of weeks makes. Especially when it includes rest! My sleep still isn't the best, but on most nights I'm able to sleep through the night. (Plus on the weekend, my dear hubby lets me sleep in as long as I want!) I'm still figuring out a workout pattern that works for both my mind and my body. I'm currently resting 3 days a week and will see how that goes. I need to keep reminding myself that I must let my muscles rest in order for them to grow.

Despite everything, I lost a solid 3 pounds this month. I had blips last summer when I dropped down to the weight that I am now, but it didn't last long. This time, I waited to make sure that the new weight held steady on the scale before I would accept it as my new weight. I've also been able to have the scale out and available and not be a slave to the number. Even without the scale, I've noticed that my stomach is noticeably flatter, I'm starting to see muscle definition in my arms that weren't as visible before, and I've become much stronger at the gym. I'm still following Intermittent Fasting on most days. On the days that I don't workout, I just eat whenever I am hungry in the morning. I've also been allowing myself a splurge meal once a week. For one meal, I don't give a crap about calories, fat, carbs, sugar, or food guilt. I just let myself enjoy the meal that I've earned. :)

I'd say that this is the first time that I feel confident that I will be wearing a bikini in public this summer. It may not be by my April birthday, but even if it takes me until the very last day of summer, I will do it!

Sriracha Agave Chicken Wings and Arrogant Bastard Onion Rings

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Apparently yesterday was something called "Superbowl Sunday." (hahaha) Neither my husband nor I are sports fans so it was it was just a regular Sunday to us. :) However, we still used it as an excuse to put together a drool worthy feast for such a grand event! We had some wings in the freezer so I made 3 different types of wings (Thai Sweet Chili, Sriracha Agave, and Classic Buffalo Wings) and since the fryer was out anyways, we decided to make some Arrogant Bastard Onion Rings too.

We were planning on oven frying the wings, but it takes around 35-45 minutes per batch and I was only able to fit 1/3 of the wings on the pan at a time. So we rediscovered the deep fryer (that we'd forgotten that we owned) and started looking for sauce recipes. I already had a bottle of Thai Sweet Chili sauce that my husband brought back for me from Singapore. The classic buffalo sauce was just the recipe that was on the back of the Frank's Original Hot Sauce bottle. I had a Sriracha wing recipe bookmarked for a long time and thought this would be a great time to try it out. The wings were delicious and was even better when I add some sweetness to counter the spice.

I normally would not use such a good and expensive beer to cook with, but Arrogant Bastard is one of my husband's favorite beers. When I told him about using it to make onion rings, he lit up like a kid in a candy store. :) These onion rings turned out amazing! Probably the best onion rings we've ever had! The batter is tempura style so it's very light, crisp, and airy.

Sriracha Agave Chicken Wings
Adapted from White On Rice Couple
Makes enough sauce for 2 lbs of wings

2 tbs vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Sriracha hot sauce
1 tbs vinegar
1 tsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs agave nectar

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Stir until they are golden brown, but not burned. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir and simmer for another 3 minutes. Toss with wings and enjoy!

Arrogant Bastard Onion Rings
Adapted from Serious Eats
Makes a lot of batter for a lot of onions!

4 large yellow onions
Vegetable oil
16 oz cold Arrogant Bastard Ale
1 tsp Cajun spice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground chili pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup (4 oz) flour (I used about 2 cups total.)
1 tsp baking powder

Add oil to deep fryer and preheat to 360°F.

Remove the papery skin and thin outer membrane of each onion. Slice into thick rings. Soak in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes.

While the onions are soaking, prepare the batter. Pour the beer into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the Cajun seasoning, salt, chili pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the beer mixture. Adjust the flour as needed to get a batter that will stick to the onions. I had to add about another cup of flour to get something that looked like very thin pancake batter. Put aside.

Take out the onions and separate into individual rings. Lay them out onto a kitchen towel to dry.

Dunk rings into batter and add to fryer. Don't overcrowd the fryer or else they will stick together and/or lower the oil temperature too much and the onion rings get soggy. We were only able to fry about 4-5 onion rings at a time. Cook each batch for about 4-5 minutes or until a golden brown. Remove rings onto a paper towel lined baking sheet and lightly season with salt. Enjoy immediately or keep warm in a 200°F oven.

Jenn's Notes:

I thought the Sriracha wings tasted better when they were at room temperature or even cold.
My husband (who can usually tolerate more heat than I can) felt the wings had a slow heat that caught you after you finished the wing. The amount of Sriracha may need to be cut in half if feeding people who can't tolerate spicy foods.

Taking A Bloggie Break

2012-01-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

Just an FYI, I'm taking a break from blogging. Nothing's going on. Literally, nothing's going on and that's the reason for not blogging. :) I don't plan on disappearing and will continue to read and comment on your blogs.

*Hugs*

#seattlesnowfail

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

We don't get a whole lot of snow in the Seattle area. Most of the time, our weather people set us up for great disappointment by forecasting (what we joke around here as) Snowmageddon. It's mostly how much they hype the (possible) upcoming snowfall and the reactions of everyone in the city. We are the type of place that...

1) Cancels school with just the mere threat of snow. Though there were only traces of snow on the ground yesterday, both my daughter's preschool and my son's high school were cancelled early in the day.

2) Offices get shut down early with the sign of the first snowfall. If my husband had been home (he's currently traveling for work), he probably would have worked from home. No one at the office would have given it a second thought because they'd be working from home as well.

3) Have drivers who react like this in the snow:

So needless to say, I've been home all day today without any want (and thankfully no need) to leave the house. We're just not prepared for any type of snowfall and I'm safest at home in front of the fire. :)

Our driveway

The back patio

The last snow measurement a few hours ago

And to confirm, I'm ready to move to San Diego anytime now. I don't need no stinkin' snow! :)

Under-Recovering

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Since the first of the year, I've been working out very hard and very often. In just two weeks, I've already notice changes in my body. However, I haven't felt my best lately. I notice that it takes me much longer to fall asleep at night and my sleep is full of tossing and turning. (I thought maybe it had something to do with my night time workouts.) My appetite has also been non-existent lately. Most days, I have to force myself to eat the minimum amount of calories. (I thought this might be because my stomach was shrinking and needed less food.) And my body? It hurts all the freaking time. There has not been a day where I've not felt pain in my body somewhere. (I assumed that's what it felt like to be active.)

This weekend, I read Alfonso's very timely post, Top 10: Signs You're Over-Training. I saw myself in many items on the list. I'm finally admitting to overtraining.

I remembered that Sable posted Four Things You Didn't Know About Overtraining a few weeks ago. I re-read it and I was definitely suffering from #2. My mood has been erratic, but I never thought that the increase in workouts could have been the cause of it. However, I think it has everything to do with overtraining.

I'm an all or nothing person. With food. With people. With opinions. And now, with working out. I've been working out daily because daily routine works for me. Daily workouts = No excuses = No guilt. I argued with myself that my workouts were short so it's no big deal to workout daily without a rest day. Besides, I wanted to workout! I wasn't mentally burnt out! I was starting to get bummed out about cutting back on my workouts then I read something on Wikipedia made perfect sense, "Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity." I am exceeding my recovery capacity. Under-recovering. Simple as that.

I'm going to stop working out in the evenings, will make sure I eat enough and have planned for a weekly rest day. Hopefully this is enough to get me back on track and I will no longer be such a horror to live with. :)

My Experiment With Intermittent Fasting

2012-01-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

Intermittent fasting has become very popular (Eat, Stop, Eat and Martin Berkhan's Leangains method are the two that I can think of off the top of my head.) I did a little bit of research on it and decided to try it out for about a month last year.

My preferred IF method was outlined by Martin Berkhan at Leangains. His style made the most sense for me and my lifestyle. I stopped eating between 7:PM - 8:PM with my next meal being a late lunch around 12:PM-1:PM the next day. So my fast was between 16-18 hours.

So why did I try intermittent fasting? Studies show that it can help increase fat loss and metabolism while preserving muscle mass without having to eat 6 small meals a day. It wasn't a huge sacrifice for me to try it so I thought I'd experiment.

(Disclaimer: I'm in no way advising anyone to try this. I am only recapping my own experience.)

- With one of the plans outlined on Martin Berkhan's site, I'd would basically skip breakfast. I have always found breakfast to be a nuisance anyways. I will always sacrifice breakfast for more sleep. And the last thing I want to do in the morning is cook. Plus, most of time, I'm not even hungry in the mornings or I still feel "full" from the night before. (Even when I don't overeat.) On my daughter's preschool days, there's barely enough time to make her lunch, get her dressed, find a sharing item, prepare her breakfast, urge her to eat her breakfast let alone get my own food ready. It's just easier to go without.

- By the end of the first week on intermittent fasting, I got the chance to notice differences between emotional and physical hungry. Physical hunger came as stomach growling and was much easier to deal with than the emotional kind. With physical hunger, I could eat to make it go away. There was never enough food to feed emotional hunger.

- I had high expectations of unbearable hunger pangs, headaches, dizziness, shakiness and grumpiness. These were all feelings that I had in the past when I skipped meals, but I didn't experience any of these feelings during my experiment. Could it be the difference in quality of foods that I eat now as opposed to back then?

- I was also expecting to gorge like it was my last meal when it was time to eat, but that never happened. When I got home from my morning of errands or workouts, I'd just put together my regular sized meal, consumed it and was satisfied.

- Food became less and less important to me. The longer my experiment went, the more inconvenient food/eating became. In the past, I'd always be thinking of what my next meal was going to be (even as I was eating a meal.) Don't get me wrong, I still love food, but somewhere along the way it stopped being on the forefront of my mind. Food became fuel.

I stopped following IF because I couldn't fight my mental block that I needed to eat breakfast in order to have enough energy for a workout. (Note: This was my own mistake as Martin Berkhan does promote fasted workouts, but recommends ingesting BCAA (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) prior to working out.) I've since picked up some BCAA powder and have returned to IF as of today. I'm looking forward to gaining any edge on fat loss, but should I miss eating breakfast, I'm not afraid to return to eating a traditional breakfast. At this point in my life, I could take it or leave it.

Mujaddara (Brown Rice, Lentils and Carmelized Onions)

2012-01-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

On one of my trips to Trader Joe's, I picked up a package of steamed lentils. I had no clue what I was going to do with them, but I wanted to add more lentils into my life so I got them. I've had it in soups, but never on their own. And when they are in soups, they are cooked to mush. The lentils in the package looked and felt like firm little beans.

Anyways, they sat in a drawer in my fridge getting shoved back further and further until I eventually forgot about them. I found them while I was doing a fridge clean out and they weren't expired yet. Bonus! I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do with them. I wanted to somehow combine them with caramelized onions and brown rice. I Googled this combination and found that Mujaddara was exactly what I was looking for.

I altered the recipe a little bit to my tastes and to keep it simple. It's so delicious! It makes a wonderful side dish, but can easily be plumped up with extra veggies and protein to become a main dish. My husband compliments it every single time I make it. This would be a great way to use any leftover brown (or regular) rice.

Mujaddara
Makes 6 servings

2 Medium Yellow or Sweet Onions, sliced
1 pkg Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils
2 cups cooked Brown Rice
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or cooking fat of your choice)
3 tbs Balsamic Vinegar, or to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the brown rice if it isn't already cooked. Set aside for later.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. (Using a large pan will allow more onions to contact with the heat.) Add extra virgin olive oil. When the oil shimmers and is lightly smoking, add the onions. Spread the onions out evenly and let it cook. Reduce the heat if the onions are burning or browning too quickly. Stir the onions every so often. I usually have my burner to medium low by now. The entire cooking process can take 30-45 minutes. You want the onions to be very soft and very brown. I spend my 45 minutes cleaning the kitchen or washing dishes or "cooking" from the living room couch. :)

When the onions are done caramelizing, break open the package of lentils and add to the pan. Use a spatula to break up the large brick of lentils. Add the balsamic vinegar. Stir it completely into the lentil onion mixture. Then stir in the cooked brown rice. (Turn off the heat if the brown rice is already cooked. Keep the heat on and cook until the rice is warmed through if it is cold.)

Here are a few extra pictures. Must have been feeling extra feisty that day. :)

What the package of lentils look like. I found it in the refrigerated produce section.

The stats.

The package

Freakishly block-like even though I removed the plastic wrapper.

It looks like I'm smooshing it to smitherines, but I'm just gently breaking apart the brick. :)

Jenn's Notes:

Each serving is about 200 calories.
Leftovers freeze well for future quick meals.
To make this even quicker, caramelize a huge batch of onions and freeze it. Then just defrost when you as needed.
Trader Joe's also has frozen brown rice that would make this super duper quick.

The Pioneer Woman's Cheeseburger Salad

2012-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of The Pioneer Woman's cooking site. Unfortunately, most of her recipes are pretty high calorie and full of butter so it's not often that I actually make her recipes. I was super excited to see her recently posted recipe of cheeseburger salad. I love cheeseburgers! I love salads! I'm so going to make this! However, I had to lighten up the recipe a little bit. Her salad (though lovely and light in appearance) is around 700 calories a serving and contains a stick of butter. My lightened up version is around 300 calories.

This salad was so good! Hearty enough to be satisfying and taste cheeseburger-y. Yet light enough to feel healthy and be able to workout afterwards. I was kind of worried that it would not be enough for my husband who 1) has a healthy appetite and 2) had ridden his bike on the day I had made this. He did eat a double portion of it, but he assured me that it was quite filling and tasty.

Cheeseburger Salad
Adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks
Makes 4 servings

1 lb 93% Lean Ground Beef
1/4 cup Ketchup
1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard
1 tbs Spicy Brown Mustard
1 tbs + 1 tsp Barbecue Sauce
2 Everything Bagel Thins
2 heads Romaine Or Green-Leaf Lettuce, Torn
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup Light Thousand Island Dressing (1/4 cup = 1tbs of dressing per serving, 1/2 cup = 2 tbs of dressing per serving)
2 oz 2% Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
4 whole Roma Tomatoes, cut into wedges
Sliced Dill or Bread and Butter Pickles

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef until it's cooked. Add the ketchup, both mustards and barbecue sauce. Stir until combined. Remove meat from the heat.

Cut bagel thin into crouton sized pieces. Lightly spray with extra virgin olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Bake in oven at 350° for about 5-10 minutes. (Watch these closely as mine got too crispy around the 10 minute mark, but weren't toasted enough at 5 minutes.) Set aside to cool.

To assemble each salad: Place lettuce onto a large plate or bowl. Dress with Thousand Island dressing. (I like lightly dressed salads so I only used 1 tbs, but my husband prefers 2 tbs.) Top with 1/4 of the beef mixture, 1/2 oz of grated Cheddar, 1 tomato, 1/4 of the bagel thin "croutons", and a healthy scoop of pickles.

Jenn's Notes:

My husband had the idea of using blue cheese next time instead of cheddar. That got me to thinking about all the burger combos out there. Avocado and salsa. Caramelized onions. Sautéed Mushrooms. Yum!

When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

My personal trainer shared this over Facebook the other day and I immediately fell in love with it. We are usually our worst enemies and our own worst critics. A reminder to be kinder and gentler to yourself. Make 2012 YOUR year!

30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself
Marc and Angel Hack Life

Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. Read The Road Less Traveled.
Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. Read Stumbling on Happiness.
Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action. You cannot change what you refuse to confront. Making progress involves risk. Period! You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough. But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past. You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation. So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right.
Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done. Read Getting Things Done.
Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary.
Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile CAN change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus.
Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

2011 In Review and 2012 Goals

2011-12-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

It really is true that time goes by faster the older you get. My 4 year old mentions just about everyday that she can't wait to be a grown up. I, on the other hand, am still wondering where 2011 went. It did happen right??? I still vividly remember writing my 2010 In Review post. I was so excited and nervous in anticipation for my first 1/2 Marathon!

2011 really was my year. My goals at the beginning of the year were:

Complete a 1/2 Marathon in April.
Complete second triathlon in July.
Find and maintain my personal healthy weight/size.
No longer diet/develop a healthy relationship with food.

I definitely completed the first two goals. I am managing well with the last two. I don't feel that I'm dieting, but I do count calories in order to monitor myself. I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to happen in 2012. My husband wants to run a 1/2 marathon in preparation for his Half Ironman so I may run it with him. (The 1/2 marathon, NOT the Half Ironman!) I will probably do another triathlon. But what I really really really want for 2012 is to wear a bikini in public. I've had this goal in the back of my mind for the past couple of years and have never felt comfortable enough with my body to expose that much of it. Sure, it's fine when covered in clothing and I have worn a bikini in the privacy of my own home or in another country, but the thought of being scrutinized by people I may know sends me into an anxiety attack.

So how do I make this happen?

After the New Year, there will be 14 weeks until my 35th birthday. So for those 14 weeks, I plan on giving it my all in the exercise and eating department. I will need to eat out less on the weekends. I will need to workout more. There will be times when I crave cheeseburgers, french fries, ice cream, pizza and chicken wings. There will be times when I will be angry and frustrated with my goal. There will be times when I'll want to say "F*ck it! I don't want this!" There may be even times when I give into my cravings.

But I do want this. And no matter how many times I fall down, I plan to get up, brush myself off and dive straight towards my plan again.

I will not use the scale as a measurement of my success. I will take before and after photos to see changes in my body. I might take measurements if I think about it at the time. I plan to respect my body and accept that I've given my all. I will not be disappointed that it does not look like a Photoshopped body. I will be pushing myself hard enough to get me outside of my comfort zone, but will not deprive myself so much that it creates negative thoughts and energy. I'd rather carry extra weight and be happy than push myself to a skinny depression.

I know that I have plenty of time to lose weight, but I'd like to wrap up this weight loss thing and focus on maintenance. If I end up maintaining in the next 3 months then I will take that as yet another sign that I'm meant to be where I'm at and will maintain. Ain't no shame in that! :) (I will then need to re-evaluate my goal of wearing a bikini in public, but I'll deal with that if the time comes.)

2011 was an awesome year and I'm super excited for 2012. Happy New Year, everyone! May it be a fantastic year for you as well!

Christmas Goodies: Beer Pretzels and Pretzel Turtles

2011-12-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

Each year for Christmas, I like to make a small goodie gift bag as a treat for friends, family and acquaintances. Last year, I made Salted Butter Caramels. The year before that, I made Peppermint Marshmallows and Homemade Hot Cocoa. This year, I made Beer Pretzels and Pretzel Turtles. It was the Sweet and Salty Pretzel Pack!

I've been meaning to make the Beer Pretzels since Biz mentioned them last year. However, I wasn't sure about giving out something called crack pretzels so I renamed them. My husband liked to enjoy them with his beer so hence the name. :)

The other treat I made was Pretzel Turtles. I love caramel and pecans so this was a big winner for me. It was quite a challenge not to pop every other one into my mouth.

The recipes are ridiculously simple. For the Beer Pretzels:

Mix together:

3 lb Pretzels
1 bottle Orville Redenbacher Butter Oil
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
3 tbs Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder

Toss every couple of hours for 3 days and eat. This makes a ton and gives you super duper garlic breath, but we love it! :)

For the Pretzel Turtles:

Pretzels (Mini or Square)
Rolo Candies (or Dove Caramel)
Pecan Halves

Preheat oven ton 300° F. Lay out desired amount of pretzels on a baking sheet. Top with rolo (unwrapped of course). Top with 1/2 a pecan. Place in the oven for 4 minutes. When the time is up, immediately press down on the pecan to smoosh the rolo. Let cool. (Don't forget to "test" a few while warm though!)

These were delicious, but VERY time consuming. I had to unwrap all the rolos, lay out the pretzels, top the pretzels with rolos, top the rolos with pecans. And then they are so quick to eat!

I'm glad that Christmas is finally over. The holidays are great, but I miss my routine. :) Yep, I'm a creature of habit and I love it! Hope all of your holidays were merry and stress free!

Virtual Christmas Card

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Since it's too weird (and probably a touch creepy) to request all of your addresses to add to my Christmas card list, here is a virtual version. Know that if I could send you a card, I would. :)

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Baked Coconut Shrimp

2011-12-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

When my husband and I used to frequent Red Lobster, his favorite dish on the menu was the Coconut Shrimp. I don't remember the last time we were there and thus the last time my husband had coconut shrimp so I decided to make some for him. A healthier version of course!

He scarfed it up and said that it was much better than Red Lobster's since this wasn't as greasy and you get a lot more than the puny 6 or 8 pieces that they give you at the restaurant. And even though I wasn't a fan of the Red Losbster version, I have to admit that these were terrific! Nice and crispy and a delicious blend of sweet and savory.

Baked Coconut Shrimp
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
Makes 4 servings

1 lb large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Salt
Old Bay Seasoning
2 cups flaked Sweetened Coconut
Panko Breadcrumbs
3 Egg Whites, beaten until foamy

Preheat an oven to 425°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Optional: Butterfly the shrimp. Dry shrimp with paper towels. Mix cornstarch, salt, and Old Bay Seasoning in a shallow bowl; pour coconut flakes in a separate shallow bowl. Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white, and roll it in the coconut and panko, making sure to coat the shrimp well. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Bake the shrimp until the coconut is browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Flip the shrimp halfway through.

Serve with Sweet Chili Sauce or a mixture of Spicy Mustard and Marmalade.

Gina's Pollo in Potacchio

2011-12-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

I have been such a lazy cook lately! I'm either making tons of food at a time so that there's leftovers to last a few days or I'm cooking the same foods over and over again. I don't mind it, but sometimes I feel kind of bad for my family. To their credit, they've never complain. Of course, they know better not to! :D

One of the dishes I've been making is Gina's Pollo in Potacchio. It is soooo good and comforting on these cold days. You can have it with rice, noodles, bread or carb-free with a side of vegetables. I must have made this about 5 times since she's posted the recipe and I love every single time. Last time I made it, I boiled a pot of rigatoni during the last 15 minutes of cooking and tossed it all together at the end. Sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and dinner was done!

I cut out the browning of the chicken because 1) I've been a lazy cook remember? and 2) personally I prefer the texture of the thighs when it hasn't been browned then braised. I'm sure I've cut out some layer of flavor by doing that, but I don't miss it.

Pollo in Potacchio
Adapted from SkinnyTaste
Makes 5 servings

10 bone-in skinless Chicken Thighs
1 large Fresh Rosemary Sprig
1 Onion, chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 Celery Stalk, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
28 oz can Tomato Puree
1/4 cup Vodka
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
Salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Spray a large heavy pot with extra virgin olive oil. Heat on medium-high. Sauté garlic and onions until golden, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add celery and carrots and saute on medium-low for about 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add the vodka and chicken broth, scraping any caramelized bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.

Add tomatoes and chicken thighs. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the rosemary sprig to the sauce, partially cover and cook slowly on low heat for another 25 - 30 minutes.

Goal Bodies

2011-12-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Just in case some of you are still looking to the models on fashion magazines as your goal body...

This was Shape Magazine's September cover. Kelly Bensimon (some real housewife or another) looks like a healthy, happy and fit individual who belongs on the cover of a health magazine, right?

Well, except for the fact that she really looks like this:

Other than that she's much too thin (in my opinion) she looks nothing like her severely Photoshopped magazine cover.

Here are many examples of already beautiful women who have been Photoshopped beyond recognition.

Do you love the Victoria Secret Angels? Do you find them inspirational? They are very beautiful indeed.

Stunning, right?

Well, according to this article, it's not as simple as they make it all look.

She [Adriana Lima] sees a nutritionist, who has measured her body's muscle mass, fat ratio and levels of water retention. He prescribes protein shakes, vitamins and supplements to keep Lima's energy levels up during this training period. Lima drinks a gallon of water a day. For nine days before the show, she will drink only protein shakes - "no solids". The concoctions include powdered egg. Two days before the show, she will abstain from the daily gallon of water, and "just drink normally". Then, 12 hours before the show, she will stop drinking entirely.

"No liquids at all so you dry out, sometimes you can lose up to eight pounds just from that," she says.

Please stop killing yourself in vain efforts to become a Photoshopped body. Or anyone else's body for that matter. Respect your body composition, your body type, your strengths and your weaknesses. I will never be tall, leggy or lithe. It took a long time, but I finally and truly appreciate my petite stature, muscular legs and curvy hourglass figure. They are the attributes that make me who I am. I own them and I love them. My envy of any other woman's body only only produced negative energy. Forget about what you feel your body should look like and focus on what it can look like.

(Note: I'm not purposely picking on Kelly Bensimon. It was just very easy to find pictures of her pre and post Photoshopped body.)

Quick Update

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I would like to report back that I did do my workout as planned on Monday. I must have been working extra hard because sweat drips were running off of me during my final plank. Instead of a chalk outline in my garage, there was a sweat outline. :) I felt awesome afterwards! I got in a strength workout on Wednesday and will do one today as well.

I am missing my husband terribly and am managing as well as I can with my emotional eating. Working out helps. I've enjoyed some extra goodies here and there, but I am making up for it by pushing myself extra hard at the gym. I refuse to feel any food guilt for this past week. Guilt creates anxiety. Anxiety causes stress. And stress sends me straight to the nearest grocery store ice cream isle and that helps no one (except the Ben & Jerry stockholders.)

I may still have some emotional eating issues, but at least they are not my demons anymore. I'm proud of myself for using exercise as an outlet this time. Never ever in my life have I substituted working out for eating. It's a start. :)

I'm looking forward not only to having my best friend back in the same timezone again, but also to sleeping through the night again. When I'm alone, I wake up at every single noise. Whether it's my son getting up or a car door closing or a house creak. It's maddening! I took for granted how safe I felt with my husband at home. And as adorable as my Pug is, he's no good for protecting the house. :) Just for picking up every single crumb left by my daughter.

The floors around her area are the cleanest in the house. :)

Have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend!

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down."

2011-12-05T06:00:00.002-08:00

My husband left yesterday afternoon for a week long business trip to London and Dusseldorf. After he got into the taxi, I spent the next hour and a half walking aimlessly between the fridge and pantry noshing on anything and everything that wasn't nailed down. Good thing I don't keep unhealthy foods around the house, but too much food is still too much food. I knew what I was doing the whole time, but was powerless to stop myself. My husband doesn't travel very often, but it is my pattern to use food in an effort to squelch the anxiety over his absence.

When I sat down at my computer, I got a message from my husband (who was still at the airport) with his itinerary. At the end of the message, he reminded me to keep busy and not to stress over anything...including my emotional eating. (Does this guy know me or what?) So I pulled myself together and stopped eating. I told myself that I was full and got myself a big glass of water to sip.

I've been in such a positive place for so long that I've nearly forgotten that I'm an emotional eater. Definitely not as much as I used to be, but it is still there. I was surprised at how quickly it overwhelmed me, but I was proud of how quickly I was able to turn it around as well.

I'm grateful that today's a new day and plan to do a super sweaty workout. Maybe two, just for fun! :)

Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life. - Richard Bach

2011-12-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys,
and keys to fit our locks.
When we feel safe enough to open the locks,
our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are;
we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be.
Each unveils the best part of the other.
No matter what else goes wrong around us,
with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise.
Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings,
our sense of direction.
When we’re two balloons,
and together our direction is up,
we have found the right person.
-Richard Bach

I love my husband...

...for all the times he calls me cute for doing things I consider stupid (like making banana power bars because I don't read directions.)

...for all the times I point out how pretty another woman is and he responds with, "She's OK, but you're prettier" or "She's too skinny. You can see her ribs"

...for all the times he tells me that my stomach is flat, because he knows that it is my least favorite body part.

...for never failing to tell me how cute my butt looks when he's walking behind me.

...for always having his "Jenn Goggles" on. (The magical lenses that make me forever gorgeous in his eyes.)

...for being my constant companion and patiently lending his ear no matter how many times I vent to him about how tired I am of losing weight.

...for always having a different point of view to help put my crazy anxious mind into perspective and at ease.

...for spoiling me rotten on a daily basis.

...because despite our differences we've grown together throughout our marriage.

...for single-handedly planning a special evening to celebrate our 12 years of marriage.

Tomorrow night, we are heading out to dinner then to see Annie Get Your Gun. My husband and I love plays and musicals so this will be a big treat for us. And since my husband's company is not doing a Christmas party this year, this was a fun excuse to shop for a new dress. :)

I'll probably curl my hair and redo my nails, but this is the gist of the outfit. :)

Happy 12th Anniversary* to My Best Friend!!!

This was taken at the famous Kerry Park in Seattle. Whenever you see a photo of the Seattle skyline, most likely it was taken from Kerry Park. We were married right across the street at Parsons Garden. (Fun Jenn Fact: My friend's family first took me to Parsons Garden when I was 16 years old. I immediately fell in love with it and declared that I would one day get married there. Seven years later, I did!)

(*I've mentioned an anniversary back in August. That was what we call our "ceremonaversary," the date that we had our wedding ceremony and said our vows in front of friends and family. Today is our actual wedding anniversary. The day that we went to the courthouse to sign papers in front of a judge. We married in front of a judge first then had the ceremony 8 months later. For tax purposes, of course! ;-))

Turkey Week Round Up

2011-11-28T06:00:00.003-08:00

My husband's group at work was moved to a new building and the big wigs decided to extend the long Thanksgiving weekend into a full week! Lucky us! And as we figured, it all went by much too fast.

We had such a fun week off though! Nothing super exciting, but lots of relaxation and family time. As I mentioned before, we went to a family member's house for Thanksgiving this year. She is my husband's cousin and is a lovely person, lovely host, and an incredible cook! I brought over my "famous" Macaroni and Cheese and we all had a great time reconnecting with other family members we don't normally get to see throughout the year.

My husband took down the Thanksgiving decorations.

Then he spent two days putting up the Christmas decorations. Yes, the electric company sends us a thank you gift basket every single year. ;-P

I decorated the inside and put up the tree. ;-)

I got a chance to paint my nails. Which rarely happens with a 4 1/2 year old around.

I fell in love with Starbucks' White Chocolate Mochas. This is monumental because I'm not a fan of white chocolate (and I DO NOT consider it chocolate!). I ordered a regular mocha, but was accidentally given a white chocolate version. I still don't consider it chocolate, but as a coffee drink it tastes like it has sweetened condensed milk (which is the way Vietnamese coffee is served.) Delish!

I went to see Breaking Dawn with a friend. Team Edward all the way! :)

We did NOT partake in our normal Black Friday activities this year. For the past 8 years, my husband and stepson have gotten up at the crack of dawn to participate in Black Friday, but this year most of the retailers offered the same deals online so my husband did his shopping from the comfort of our couch. He was a bit bummed, but he's happy that he got a lot of great deals without risk of being pepper sprayed, robbed or trampled.

I got to sleep in! My husband normally gets up at 5:30 AM on work days so sleeping in for him was 7:00 AM. Guess who got to sleep in until 9:00 and sometimes 10:00 AM??? :) I will definitely miss it!

(Photo courtesy of Google Images)
With all the cheap turkey deals around, we ended up with two in the freezer. One of them got brined, put on a dry rubbed, then deep fried. There are a lot of delicious turkey leftovers for the week's meals or the freezer. I haven't decided yet. :)

Sadly, my husband is back to the grind today and my daughter and I are back to our regular schedule. All's well that ends well... Have a great Monday!

Tradition Schmadition

2011-11-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Traditionally...

...I gain weight during the holidays.

This year...

...I still love food, but I'm not a slave to it. (<---shamelessly stolen from my friend's Facebook update. Thanks, Ming!)

***

Traditionally...

...I spend all day cooking so much food that we have leftovers for a week.

This year...

...we're going to a family member's house where all I have to do is wear my stretchy pants and enjoy myself for the evening.

***

Traditionally...

...the thought never occurred to me to workout on Thanksgiving.

This year...

...I earn my Thanksgiving meal! :)

***

Traditionally...

...I felt so much guilt on Thanksgiving that I could barely enjoy the food or the company.

This year...

...guilt has no place at the table!

***

Wishing you and your family a joyous Thanksgiving! (And if you're not celebrating Thanksgiving, have a joyous Thursday!)

Best Ever Bread Pudding

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

My husband loves bread pudding. If it's on the menu at a restaurant then chances are high that he will order it. Unfortunately for him, it's not a very popular dessert around these parts so it's a treat that is far and few in between. To this day, his most favorite bread pudding has been from a Whole Foods in London. It came in a large plastic tub and was sticky and gooey and I was not a fan. He mentioned yesterday that he was craving bread pudding, but was trying to be strong. Then the latest episode of America's Test Kitchen was Desserts With An English Accent featuring...you guessed it...bread pudding! We took it as a sign and immediately went to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients. We were not disappointed! This is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G bread pudding. I am no fan of bread pudding, but I couldn't stop myself from scarfing a jumbo slice! Waist friendly this is not, but I'll make sure to do some extra squats tomorrow to compensate!

America's Test Kitchen Classic Bread Pudding
Serves 8-10

14 oz Challah Bread, cut into 3/4" cubes (about 10 cups)
2 tbs Brown Sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 tbs Granulated Sugar
3/4 tsp Salt
4 tsp Vanilla Extract
9 Egg Yolks
2 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
2 1/2 cups Milk
2 tbs Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Spread bread cubes in a single layer on rimmed baking sheets (use 2 if necessary.) Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Stir the bread cubes about halfway through. Cool for about 15 minutes and set aside 2 cups in a small bowl.

Whisk together the sugar, vanilla, salt and egg yolks in a large bowl. Add the cream and milk and stir until combined. Add the 8 cups of bread cubes and toss to coat. Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 baking dish and let stand for about 30 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the custard.

Add the 2 cups of reserved bread cubes over the top of the bread mixture and gently press down into the custard. Brush the melted butter over the unsoaked bread pieces. Mix together 2 tbs brown sugar and 1 tbs granulated sugar and sprinkle over the top. Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the middle rack for about 45-50 minutes (or until the center of the pudding reads 170 degrees.) Cool the pudding on a wire rack for about 45 minutes. Serve with Bourbon Brown Sugar Sauce.

Bourbon Brown Sugar Sauce

1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
7 tbs Heavy Cream
2 1/2 tbs Butter
1 1/2 tbs Bourbon (or Rum)

Whisk together brown sugar and heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until combined. Continue to cook until mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Whisk in butter and bring mixture back to a boil, about another minute. Remove pan from heat and whisk in bourbon. Serve warm.

Store leftovers in the fridge. Reheat individual slices uncovered in a 450 degree oven for about 6-8 minutes.

The Jeans

2011-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you all (again) for the positive feedback in my last post. I am constantly humbled by the continued support I get from this community. I was a bit hesitant to post at all since my weight is "unconventional" for my height and I know of a few blogs where their starting weight is my current weight. However this weight feels right and is maintainable and I won't apologize for being fit and happy! :) Should I ever have the pleasure to meet any of you in person, prepare for giant hugs! Until then, virtual hugs for everyone! :)

Biz pointed out that last post lacked a picture, so here you go!

First, I wanted to show you a pair of jeans that I've kept from my larger days. At nearly 200 lbs, I practically lived in my husband's flannel PJ bottoms and stretchy XL workout pants. I was ecstatic when I finally came across a pair of jeans that fit me. I remember these being a bit snug on me, but they fit my curves and didn't gap in the back so I bought them. They were Levi's size 16s.

Anyone up for a potato sack race???

Now I practically live in these!

Goal Weight

2011-11-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

Three months ago, my husband found me on the couch on the verge of tears. I was so stressed out and frustrated with being in active weight loss mode for the past 3 years. I was tired of tracking everything I ate. I was tired of feeling guilty when I didn't work out. I was tired of feeling guilty when I ate food that was "bad." I was tired of constantly comparing myself to skinny women. I was tired of not already reaching my goal weight.

My husband and I had a long talk and he asked me what was wrong with turning my current weight into my goal weight? He admitted to me that it had been very hard for him to watch me stress out about these last 20 lbs (that he doesn't feel I need to lose), but has been biting his tongue because it was so important to me. This was the first time I ever gave much thought about making 150 lbs my goal weight.

Maintaining 150 lbs is very easy for me. Before our San Diego vacation, I was 150 lbs. After San Diego, I was 150. I'm 150 when I track my food. I'm 150 when I don't track my food. You get the picture. For the past year, I've stayed within this range without much effort. It seems that 150 lbs is my "happy weight."

So my husband made a deal with me. For the rest of the year, I would maintain my weight and then I could re-evaluate how I feel at the new year. That would give me 4 months to be stress free and enjoy where I'm at. One of the first things my husband suggested that I do to accept my current weight was to buy new jeans. Not just any jeans. True Religions. I've always said that as soon as I get to goal, I would treat myself to some premium jeans. Well, per our deal, I'm now at my goal weight.

I made as many excuses as I could come up with. What if I lose more weight? They're too expensive! I don't really want them. Let's wait until the New Year. (The thought What if I gain weight? was NOT an option nor did it ever cross through my mind!) My husband calmly quashed my feeble excuses with, "Let's deal with it when the time comes and don't we have an anniversary coming up?" Drat, he's good!

So my dear husband drove me up to the outlet mall and I picked out my goal weight jeans. I have to admit that my heart sank a little bit when the lady rang up the purchase, but the immediate feeling after that was relief.

It took about a couple of months before I was able to get out of diet mode. (I'm not sure I'm completely there, but I'm definitely most of the way.) I do realize that no matter what the BMI chart says, I feel good and that is important. Luckily for me, Biz's Holiday Challenge started up right around the same time and I challenged myself not to weigh in for the remainder of the year. Not knowing my weight has been very healing for me. I have my moments where I feel down about myself (usually during that time of the month,) but most of the time I'm walking taller, I'm working out harder and I'm not so obsessed with losing these last few pounds.

I'm really enjoying where I am mentally right now. At this point, I don't see any benefit to stepping on the scale for any reason. I have more weight to lose, but it's not about the weight anymore. It's about the layer of fat that I'm working on trading up for muscle. It's about my goal of being able to do an unassisted pullup. It's about being confident in my own skin. A scale cannot tell me when those goals are reached.

If you don't get uncomfortable, nothing is going to change. - Jillian Michaels

2011-11-10T06:00:00.001-08:00

I've been working out at the same gym for a couple of years now. In this time, I've gotten to know a few regulars. One of them is a lady who comes in twice a week. When she is not gossiping with other gym goers, she is staring off into space and not giving much effort to her muscles or her workout. (I've even seen her do 1 rep of an exercise!) She's asked her personal trainer a couple of times (that I know of) for advice on how to get rid of excess belly fat. He gives her some tips about her diet and suggests that she do cardio with more intensity. She tells him that she already does a lot of cardio. And after her workout, she climbs onto the elliptical and makes a phone call. You can hear her laughing and having a great time during her "cardio" workout. Not once is she out of breath. A few months later, she complains about her belly fat again and asks her trainer how to get rid of it. This time he makes specific suggestions for intense cardio like a stair climb, hill sprints or at least walking on a treadmill on incline. She has excuses as to why it won't work for her then climbs onto the elliptical as usual and makes her usual phone call.

This is where Jillian's quote popped into my head. If you don't get uncomfortable, nothing is going to change. People don't like getting out of their comfort zone (me included,) but without doing that, nothing is going to change. If you do the same thing over and over again, you will get the same results. I did that for years. I'd try the latest restrictive fad diet then only to end up in carb coma surrounded by boxes of cookies and candy bar wrappers. My exercise efforts would consist of me purchasing a VHS (remember those???), watching it once then putting it aside to collect dust. I have piles and piles of workout VHS and DVDs. Most are still new in the wrapper. I spent years in my comfort zone and gained 63 lbs.

I made the conscious decision to step outside of my comfort zone 3 years ago. It was around the time someone asked me when my next child was due (I was not pregnant,) after I hit dangerously close to 200 lbs (198,) and after I discovered that I was always the sweatiest person in any room (even though I was just sitting still.) It was so important for me to have my daughter learn healthy eating habits. Who better to teach her than her mother?

So I had to get uncomfortable. Uncomfortable for me meant:

Telling my husband that I was on a mission to lose weight. Again.

Attending a Weight Watcher's meeting and walking into a room full of people who didn't know who I was, but knew why I was there.

Going to my first Jazzercise/group exercise class.

Posting unflattering pictures of my overweight self on the internet.

Trying and re-trying healthy foods.

Stop eating in secret.

Stop turning to ice cream for emotional comfort.

Going to my first Bikram Hot Yoga class where I needed to dress skimpy. (It's hot in there!)

Quitting Weight Watchers to count calories.

Going for my first long bike ride.

Going for my first run.

Going for my first open water swim.

Running my first 5K.

Learning to accept compliments.

Training for and completing my first triathlon.

Training for and running my first half marathon.

Doing my first stair climb. (25 stories)

Training for and completing my second triathlon.

Continuing to workout even when I'd much rather do anything else!

Despite my long list of changes in the past few years, it still takes a lot for me to try something new. I usually have a long internal battle with myself, but in the end I want to change so I take the risk.

Update: The gym goer I mentioned from above traded the elliptical for the treadmill and air punching today. Yay for her! :)

Mistaken Identity and Feeling Better

2011-11-07T06:00:00.001-08:00

Thank you everyone for the well wishes! My husband and I still feel a bit run down and it seems that this cough is setting up house in our lungs, but we are generally feeling better. It's that time of year plus my daughter goes to preschool which is a germfest in itself. All we can do is wash our hands, take our vitamins and hope for the best! May you all stay healthy too!

***

Recently, my husband and I made a quick stop off at the grocery store to pick up a couple of miscellaneous items. I ran in while he stayed in the car with my daughter. (Because my daughter was sick. Plus a quick stop with a 4 1/2 year old is an impossibility anyways.) When I returned to the car, my husband let me know that while I was gone an Asian lady was looking through the pumpkins at the front of the store and my daughter had asked him if it was mommy.

As soon as I heard that, a memory flashed into my mind. It was several years ago when my son was about 10 years old. There was an Asian lady who lived at the end of our block. My son came in from riding his bike and told me that he'd mistaken the neighbor lady for me from behind. At the time, I was really stunned and a bit hurt! That lady was kind of big and I wasn't as big as she, was I?

I don't have a comparison picture of the lady down the street. :)

Flash back to the present, my husband and I had a good laugh over the current mistaken identity and then he mentioned that the lady who was looking at the pumpkins was a skinny Vietnamese lady. I have to admit that my first reaction was a squeal of joy. Yippee!!! My daughter thinks I'm skinny!!! I then relayed the story that had flashed through my head to my husband. He immediately reassured me that the lady down the street had gained at least 50 lbs since my story and I was never that big. Though he was sweet to try to comfort me, there is no denying how big I got. I love my husband and the fact that he is forever wearing what I call "Jenn Goggles." With these magical lenses on, I am always beautiful in his eyes. I'm incredibly fortunate to have him and his constant support in my life. :)

Sick and Rice Cooker Red Beans and Rice

2011-11-03T06:00:00.002-07:00

It's been a rough week! My daughter was sick all last week. Lots of puking, coughing and sniffling. She doesn't get sick very often, but when she does she tends to have a 3 day turn around. By the 4th day of her being sick, we knew we had to take her to the doctor. She was prescribed some antibiotics and is now on the mend with only a small cough remaining. However, we're not fully in the clear. Apparently my husband and I get to be sick now. We both have nasal drainage, runny noses and coughs. It's the kind of sick that is enough to make us feel run down and look forward to going to bed early, but we are otherwise functional. We're using our neti pots twice daily, drinking lots of fluids and popping vitamin c like candy. (OK, not really, but we are making sure to take our vitamins.) We hope to flush out all viruses from our bodies and household soon!!!

Even when I'm sick, I still try to make my family a homecooked meal. Or at least a semi-homecooked meal. And that's where Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice comes to the rescue. I first heard of this meal from Biz at My Bizzy Kitchen. I've made Red Beans and Rice before and it was such a huge chore! I've soaked beans, I've made broth from ham hocks and I've wait hours for it to cook. I wouldn't mind much if the meal was phenomenal, but all that work for an 'eh' meal makes me want to cry. I thought perhaps I just didn't like Red Beans and Rice. I'd never bothered to try Zatarain's before since I thought it couldn't be better than homemade, right? Well, it was on sale at my grocery store one day and I picked it up on a whim. It is sooooo good! This meal is now a staple at our house. I always pick up boxes of it when it's on sale. I love that it's a quick and easy meal that I can get onto the table when I'm under the weather or just don't feel like cooking. Bonus that it all cooks in the rice cooker!

Rice Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Makes 4 servings

1 box Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice
1/4 cup uncooked rice (I use Jasmine rice.)
1 package Polish Sausage, diced or sliced
1 can Beans, Kidney or Black (do not rinse)
3 1/2 cups water
2 tbs Butter
Dash of Cajun Seasoning
Tabasco Sauce, optional

Literally dump everything into the rice cooker, put on the lid and press the on button. Dinner will be done in 45 mins!

Serve with a healthy dose of Tabasco.

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today, I...

...transformed my daughter from a beautiful 4 1/2 year old to a Butterfly Queen.

She's not just a butterfly, but the queen of all butterflies! :)

...attended my daughter's Halloween program at her preschool.

The pirate on the far right may or may not be picking his nose. Gotta love preschool! :)

...took my daughter trick or treating at my husband's work.

I love this picture!

...walked my daughter around the neighborhood.

After every house, she'd run to me to let me know what she got. :)

...was so proud of my husband's Halloween decorations.

It's hard to see, but there's also a fog machine set up.

...had some delicious goodness that I really really wanted. (And really really enjoyed.)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Random Facts About Yours Truly

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel I don't share very much personal information about myself. Not that I'm trying to hide anything, but I don't feel that I'm all that interesting. So I've been keeping a list of things about myself and thought it would be fun to share.

I eat my grapes like Emma from Glee. And just in case you're not a Glee fan, Emma is an OCD guidance counselor who polishes every grape before she eats them. I wash them. I buff them. Then I get grossed out about how dirty my napkin is after a bowl of grapes.

I'm addicted to Lubriderm Daily Moisture Lotion. I have a bottle next to my side of the couch, a bottle on my nightstand, a bottle in the car and I have to have a 4 oz bottle in my carry-on when I travel. All of the bottles (aside from the 4 oz bottle) are Costco size. Maybe addicted was an understatement?

I may get kicked out of the blogging community over this comment, but I'm not a big fan of Trader Joe's. There, I said it. They're fabulous for meat, dairy, fresh fruits and veggies, but their Trader Joe's branded products are mostly a miss for me. I so want to like them though!

It seems that most of the show I like either get cancelled or are on the chopping block. (The Mole, Outsourced, Dark Angel, My Name Is Earl.) Sometimes I'm afraid to like a show for fear it may get cancelled! Movies that I don't like end up being Oscar winners. (Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Crash, The English Patient, Titanic.) Guess I have no clue what the masses want. :)

Thirteen years ago, my husband and I began a tawdry office love affair. OK, it wasn't that tawdry, but we are still very much in love. :) We are private people so it was easy to keep a secret. Only a couple very close friends knew about us. After I stopped working there, a lot of people were very surprised to find out about our relationship. (Our office was full of 20-somethings who were very open and dramatic about their office relationships.) It's funny because we've since reconnected with some old coworkers through Facebook and have found that our relationship was the only one to survive that office. Who says office romances never work? Not us!

Even though I've never smoked anything a day in my life, I used to smoke a lot of cigarettes in my dreams when I was younger. The dreams faded away when I left for college, but I've always found it weird.

Before my daughter was born, I started and ran an online tea shop called Ambrosia Teas. I specialized in loose leaf teas and flowering teas. I was moderately successful, but not very motivated after my daughter was born. I'd love to start another company when my daughter starts school full-time or maybe get a part-time job as a cake decorator.

I own onion goggles. And I wear them. I'm sexy and I know it . I work out. Oh, how I pray you guys know this song and don't just think I'm an egotistical dork! And please pardon the wild hair. I really did just work out! :)

I really appreciate when I get tagged for blog awards, but get a touch nervous when they involve listing out stuff about myself. It took me a long time to stockpile info for this post!

The Halloween Party and Thank You

2011-10-24T06:00:00.001-07:00

Thank you all so much for your comments on my last post. My husband always wonders why I blog and I wish I could get him to understand how wonderful it feels to be part of such an amazingly positive community. I truly do love and appreciate the friendships and connections that I've made through this blog. Thank you so much for being a part of my life! :)

***

This year, instead of a Christmas party, my husband's company decided on a Halloween party. I don't normally dress up for Halloween so I was less than excited about the idea. I did think it was a good chance for me to get out of my comfort zone so I started looking at costume ideas.

I've dressed up for Halloween a couple of times in the past.

Once, I was Cleopatra. (Thank you Google images!)

While my husband was the shagadelic Austin Powers. (Rescued again by Google images.)

Then there was the year our family did a group costume. The Knight, the Princess and the scary Dragon!

Since then, we've left all the fun to the kids.

For the company party, I thought about being Cleopatra again since I have the dark hair and dark eyes working for me. But all the costumes that I tried on were much too long. Then just for fun, I thought about being Snooki from Jersey Shore. (Disclaimer: I don't watch the show, but know of the characters.)

I do have the height (dis)advantage, but I didn't think I could get my hair that high, expose that much chest or be that...well...you know. Plus, I didn't want to have to try to explain my costume to my daughter or a room full of software geeks. (And what if no one thought that I came in costume???) So after 4 trips to various costume shops, I settled on...

Hans and Gretchen aka Bavarian Guy and German Beer Girl!

I loved that my daughter thought we were Jack and Jill. Without the beer prop, we could have been that or Hansel and Gretel.

Speaking of my beer prop...

It was also a purse!

It was easily the best part of my costume and I got compliments on it all night long. :) It got heavier and heavier as the night went on. I was carrying both our cell phones, keys, our ID's, my husband's company badge and my husband's wallet. Plus the loot that we obtained throughout the night.

There was a sweets station that I kinda went nuts at. I was like a kid in a candy shop!

What does it say about me that winning this was the highlight of my evening??? :D

There's even a questionnaire on the back to determine whether or not this action figure is your future. :)

We had a fabulous night and it was awesome to get away with my husband for the evening. Funny story. We decided to go to dinner prior to the party in full costume and my husband got 3 thumbs up and a high five! LOL Hans is making another appearance come Halloween, but I think I'm retiring Gretchen for the year. She takes a lot more work to put together! :)

The Itty Bitty Ring and White Striped Shirt

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

When I first got married, my dad's best friend gave me a gold ring to wish me infinite happiness with my new husband (it's an Asian thing.) It was a wonderfully thoughtful gesture seeing as I've never met him a day in my life.

The ring came in a cute itty bitty box.

And inside was a cute itty bitty ring.

I mean, just look at the little thing!

When I first saw the ring I thought to myself, "Maybe it's a ring for my pinkie toe?" The ring barely fit past the first knuckle on my pinkie. Unfortunately, it was not wearable.

So I put the ring away. I look at it from time to time and planned on giving it to my daughter one day when she was old enough. Last night I was putting away my earrings when I thought I'd try the ring on just for kicks. Since I've lost all this weight, I've had my wedding ring sized 3 times. Maybe this itty bitty pinkie toe sized ring will finally fit my pinkie! Well, it not only fit my pinkie, but it fit my ring finger.

With a bit of room to spare.

Holy cow! When did that happen? So out of curiosity, I compared it to my wedding ring.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but the ring that I used to think was so teeny tiny and would only fit a pinkie toe is actually slightly larger than my wedding ring! This fact still blows my mind. Especially since I have been meaning to take my ring in to be sized again.

***

I realize that I haven't posted a progress photo in a long time so here you go.

I'm in white AND in stripes. And I don't have one bad thing to say about this picture. All you harsh self critics know how huge of an NSV this is!

Holiday Challenge Update

2011-10-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

Week 3
Exercise - The good: I got in 4/4 workouts! The bad: My hips and IT band are really bothering me. The repetitive movements of stair climbing and running are catching up with me. I've been stretching and rolling out every chance I get, but I'm thinking it may be time to see a physical therapist.
Calories - I counted calories 4/7 days. My husband took Friday off so my weekend indulges started a bit earlier this week.
Scale - I haven't hopped onto the scale since my weigh in two weeks ago. (Where I stepped onto the scale with my eyes closed.) I see the scale every morning and walk by it a few times a day. I'm very curious about how much I weigh, but in the end I always ask myself, "What does it matter?" And then I realize that it doesn't right now.

Week 4
Exercise - I got in 3/4 workouts this week. I put off my stair workouts this week hoping to give my IT band and hips a break.
Calories - I counted calories 5/7 days.
Scale - Um, you know all the stuff I just typed out above about the scale not mattering? Well, apparently it did this week. I stepped on again with my eyes closed again and asked my husband to look at my weight. I didn't want to know the exact number, but I did ask if my weight had increased or decreased from 2 weeks ago. He let me know that I lost weight. Then he asked if I wanted to know exactly how much I'd lost and I told him that I didn't. I feel like my husband has become my very own Quantum Scale. Except I get to keep my $59 + $10 s&h. :) I know this is a super cheater method, but I like to think that I'm testing out different things to see what I'm comfortable with. Stepping on the scale daily did not work for me, but I kept doing it anyways. This challenge pushed me to try something new. So far, stepping on the scale every 2 weeks seems to be enough. Not knowing my starting weight is good and knowing that I'm on the right track with what my diet and exercise is also encouraging. I'm looking forward to getting a number after this challenge is over!

I'm Back!

2011-10-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

Sony overnighted us a new hard drive and my techie husband made my laptop useable again! I'm looking forward to catching up with all of you! And reading your blogs on a screen larger than 3.5 inches! :)

Laptop Is Hosed

2011-10-09T19:03:00.001-07:00

Hard to comment from my iPhone, but I'm reading your posts still! Just figured out how to blog from phone today. Techie, I am not! :) I'll be back to commenting when Sony decides to send my baby back to me. :)

Chicken, Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Our family loves enchiladas. So simple and tasty and versatile. What's not to like? It's my husband's go to dish when we're at a Mexican restaurant. However, since both my husband and I have been watching our waistlines, restaurant enchiladas had to go.

This recipe reminds me a lot of the Lean Cuisine Chicken Enchilada Suizas that I used to love and my husband thought it tasted more like Pollo Alla Crema. My teenage son just thought it was delicious. Either way, both my husband and I definitely agreed with our son. :)

Chicken, Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
Adapted from Campbell's Kitchen
Makes 8 huge servings

1 can Condensed Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
8 - 12 oz Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
1 cup Salsa
2 tsp Chili Powder
One 16 oz can Nonfat Refried Beans
4 oz Corn (Fresh or Frozen, thawed)
1 lb cooked Chicken Breast, chopped or shredded (Supermarket Rotisserie chicken would be handy here.)
6 - 8 oz shredded Mexican Cheese
One 10 oz can Enchilada Sauce (Spiked with Tabasco sauce if desired.)
8 Burrito Size Tortillas (I used La Tortilla Factory Smart/Delicious Traditional 100 Calorie Tortillas.)
Cilantro, chopped (Optional)
Scallions, chopped (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the first 7 ingredients in a bowl. (The mixture will look very unappetizing at this point. Try not to be too disgusted!)

Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. (I used around 3/4 cup of the mixture per tortilla.) Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side down in a 9 X 13 baking dish.

Top with enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 min. or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Garnish with cilantro, scallions and Tabasco to taste.

Jenn's Notes:

Around 370 calories per serving.

Holiday Challenge Update and Best Compliment Ever!

2011-09-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

This is the second week of Biz's Holiday Challenge and here are my updates.

Week 1
I worked out officially 3 times and got in a day of walking at the fair for my unofficial 4th workout. I had allowed myself a cheat day while at the fair, but didn't pig out. I had 2 scones, split an elephant ear with my daughter and indulged in an 3/4 of an earthquake burger (aka burger the size of my head!) And I stayed away from the scale!

Week 2.
I worked out 3 times this week. (1 short of my goal.) I think I did well staying within my maintenance calories, but am not 100% sure. We went out to dinner with some friends yesterday to a restaurant without nutritional information, then I had a small 2% mocha and I had a fair scone right before bed. If I did go over, it wasn't by too much.

Confession time: I kinda sorta maybe just a little bit found a loophole with my scale challenge. I did technically stepped onto the scale, but closed my eyes and asked my husband to look at the number. Then I asked him to keep it to himself unless it was higher than 155. He laughed at me and told me that I was fine.

The experience was actually very pleasant because 1) I have been feeling very lean and fit lately and the scale didn't take that away from me, 2) I know that (at the very least) my current eating and exercise is not causing a weight gain. The unpleasant part? I have a confirmed addiction to stepping on the scale. These next few months are going to be rough ones! :(

While at dinner last night, I got the best compliment ever! One of our friends who hadn't seen me in a few months and let me know that if he wasn't gay and had a boyfriend, he would totally date me. In the middle of dinner he let me know again that he couldn't get over how amazing I looked. Then when I went to the restroom, he asked my husband, "What did she do???" He sure made this girl blush and feel good about herself! :)

Hope you are all having a great Sunday!

48 Pounds Later

2011-09-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

At 198 lbs....candid photos of me looked like this:

At 150 lbs....candid photos of me look like this:

At 198 lbs....I wore knee length spandex shorts underneath skirts because my thighs rubbed together and chafed when I walked.
At 150 lbs....My thighs still touch, but no more chafing for me!

At 198 lbs....I sweated like crazy!
At 150 lbs....I still sweat like crazy! Some things will never change. :)

At 198 lbs....I wore stretched out bathing suits because it was too stressful and bothersome to shop for a new swimsuit.
At 150 lbs....I own 3 bikinis! And I wear them too!

At 198 lbs....I went through 2 stationary bikes, 3 treadmills, a weight bench and was a member of 3 different gyms.
At 150 lbs....I own no exercise equipment, but work out more than I ever did before!

At 198 lbs....I special ordered extra wide calf boots from specialty online boot stores.
At 150 lbs....I still have very large calves for my feet size, but am finally able to buy boots off the shelf.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Flautas

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm not big on the whole nom nom nom thing, but this recipe is seriously NOM NOM NOM worthy!!! :)

Our whole family loves anything where the words buffalo and chicken are paired together. Buffalo Chicken Pizza? Yum! Buffalo Chicken Wrap? Yes, please! Buffalo Chicken Wings? You better watch out for the flying wing bones! Biz's Buffalo Chicken Chili? A family favorite! Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese? Genius! So when I read about Buffalo Chicken Dip from Sandy's Kitchen I knew that we'd love it. However, I took it one step further and made it into flautas!

My husband loved this so much that he made sure to put some away for his lunch tomorrow before our ~~human garbage disposal~~ teenage son inhaled it.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Flautas
Adapted from Sandy's Kitchen
Makes 4 large flautas

1 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cooked and finely diced
2 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce or Frank's Hot Wings Sauce
1/4 cup Light Ranch Dressing or Blue Cheese Dressing
2 tbs Light Cream Cheese (about 1 oz)
(Optional) 1 oz Blue Cheese, crumbled
4 Burrito Size Flour Tortillas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with extra virgin olive oil.

Mix the first 5 ingredients together.

(Optional: Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 35-45 seconds to make the tortillas more pliable.)

Lay down a tortilla. Place 1/4 of the chicken mixture horizontally across the bottom middle of the tortilla. (Try to keep the filling about 1" away from the open sides as the filling will melt during cooking.) Roll the flauta as tightly as possible. Secure with a toothpick or lay with the seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 15-20 mins or until the tortillas are browned to your liking.

Alternatively, you could warm the filling in a small baking dish for 10 minutes in the oven to serve as a dip with pita chips, carrots or celery sticks.

Jenn's Notes:

Feel free to use any size tortillas or corn tortillas.
Canned chicken or pre cooked rotisserie chicken makes this a super fast weeknight dinner.

My Bizzy Kitchen's Holiday Challenge 2011

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

The lovely Biz over at My Bizzy Kitchen is hosting a Holiday Challenge to help motivate her readers get to our healthy goals by 2012. Like I told Biz, I never ever ever do challenges because I have a huge challenge phobia. The couple of times that I've tried, I tend to give myself highly unrealistic goals for my lifestyle. This time I'm going to do it right and keep it simple. I'm going to focus on behavioral changes as opposed to a number on the scale with the hopes that focusing on one will positively affect the other.

My goals are:

1) EXERCISE AT LEAST 4 TIMES A WEEK: Walks, strength training, yoga, running, swimming...doesn't matter as long as I'm moving.

2) EAT AT MAINTENANCE CALORIES: With 4 cheat days (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.) P.S. I added another cheat day...Puyallup Fair day with my daughter today!

3) I feel there should be another goal of some sort, but I'm at a loss for what. I already drink lots of water. I'm not willing to cut out sugars from my life (again.) I don't drink sodas. I eat tons of fresh fruits and vegetables. I don't eat fast food. I'll keep thinking on this. DON'T STEP ON THE SCALE FOR THE DURATION OF THE CHALLENGE: This is going to be the most difficult for me as I am a daily weigher. However, that is the reason why it's going to be one of my challenges.

The only thing stopping me from reaching my goals is me!

I'm Not Normal! :)

2011-08-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

For the past six weeks, I've been commenting to my husband that I can't wait to get back to normal. And he always responds to me with, "What's normal?"

This summer has been so busy for us. With my husband training for both the Seattle to Portland bike ride AND his first Olympic triathlon, then our week in San Diego, then my turn to train for a triathlon. Now that it's all over, it's time to return back to normal, right?

I remember several years ago one of my friends from Germany came to visit me. She's a very fit individual who ran, climbed rocks and was into yoga. We were running some errands at a strip mall. We went into one store at one end of the mall and needed to go to another store that was at the other end of the mall. So I, of course, headed back to my car so that I could drive to the other side rather than walk. At that time, it my was easier and better to drive, park, shop, return to car, drive, look for another parking spot and shop...all within the same parking lot. (By the way, my friend thought I was absurd and ended up walking to the store herself.) At the time, that was normal.

Last week I went to the gym and did my regular 25 story building (or climbed a building as my trainer puts it) then did my normal strength training workout. Then I drove home, parked the car, got onto my bike and rode off to pick up my daughter from her day camp in her bike trailer. I didn't think anything of this. I just did it. To me, this is now normal.

I got a physical at my doctor's office earlier this week and my doctor was so pleased with my blood work results, my weight loss and how confident and healthy I am today. She commented excitedly that she hadn't seen me in a year (I used to go in every couple of months or so for some sort of ailment. Plantar warts. Sinus infections. Aches. Pains.) A few years ago, my blood work would report elevated liver enzymes and some other numbers that were borderline. Now my blood work is picture perfect. Even my vitamin D deficiency (the cost of living in a sunless state) is gone without taking any supplements. I healed my body with diet and exercise!

So sometimes my life is busier than I like and more overwhelming than I prefer, but I won't be returning to "normal" anytime in the foreseeable future. And that's just mighty fine by me! :)

My 2011 Triathlon Experience

2011-08-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I got to participate in my second triathlon. Here are the details:

Here's my race recap from last year if you haven't already read it.

I shaved off about 21 mins from my time last year. 9 min improvement on the swim. 6 min improvement on the bike. 6 min improvement on the run. However, I spent an additional 6 mins in transition this year so the clock time is about 15 mins difference.

Event: Seattle Danskin Triathlon
Date: August 14, 2011
Location: Genesee Park
Time: 6:45 AM Start Time
Temperature: Mid 60's
Calories Burned: ? (Forgot to start my HRM until after the swim!)
Clock Time: 02:17:43

6:30 AM and setting up my transition area.

Wetsuit on and ready to boogie!

The yellow swim wave (and the best of course!) begins!

As you may remember, I only learned to swim a few years ago. I learned to propel myself forward, backward and float. The most important thing I learned was not to panic in the water and that the water will hold my body weight. After completing last year's triathlon, I took another swim course and am that much more comfortable in the water. I can breath from time to time, but am still learning to fine tune my strokes, figure out the mechanics of breathing, find a breathing rhythm, and figure out how not to tire myself out with all my kicking.

This year's experience in the water was so different from last year's. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't nervous, but this time was a different nervous. I knew what to expect and when we got to the water, I immediately identified a swim angel and asked her to swim with me. For the length of course, I mostly kicked while on my back and turned around to crawl stroke from time to time. Swim Angel Bex was just as amazing as Swim Angel Helen from last year. (I still do believe that these ladies are angels from heaven.) She was there chatting with me the entire time. She let me know when the turn buoys were coming. She warned me of when waves of women would come or when a backstroker was headed our way. She'd introduce me to the kayakers as we passed them and they would cheer me on. It was so nice to have someone to talk with to get my mind off of what I was doing and make the event fly by.

Hugging my ~~swim~~ angel, Bex.

Feeling awesome and ready to rock the 12 mile bike ride!

The bike ride was so windy this year! But even that couldn't knock the permanent smile off my face. I loved flying on my cruiser while everyone else were on their "real" bikes. And I loved honking my obnoxious horn to put a smile on other people's faces too. Maybe next year I'll ride my big girl bike, but my cruiser will always have a special place in my heart.

Done! Now let's kill that run!

I read a quote the other day that described my run perfectly. "Run until you are fatigued. Walk until you feel guilty."

Sprinting to the finish!

Ready to do it again!

San Diego Recap

2011-08-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Super long post ahead! Read at your own risk! :)

***

"I didn't come here to save money or lose weight." - Unknown

I read this quote on a beer glass during our stay in San Diego and thought that it summed up our vacation perfectly.

Isn't it funny how a vacation that was only a little over week ago can feel like it was months ago? My husband and I had such an amazing time! We both commented to each other that it was the first time we've been on a vacation that we weren't ready to return home again. Normally by the 3-4 day mark, we get homesick for our house and kids, but this time we just wished that we lived there permanently. If you can't tell, we are very ready to move, but it makes no sense to move within the last 2 years of our son's high school career. However, the countdown has begun and we'll be ready in 2 years!

San Diego, Day 1

Thanks to my husband and all his hoarding of airline mileage, we were able to stay at the lovely Hotel del Coronado using airline mileage!

View from the beach.

Night view of the front.

View from the garden.

This is the famed 123 year old hotel that has appeared in movies and is frequented by celebrities. All I cared was that it was right on the beach! And that there was a Marine training facility nearby. And that said Marines ran on the beach without shirts! ;-)

We arrived around dinnertime so we headed to one of the destinations on my list, Hamilton's Tavern. Our first impression of the place was that it was dark, loud and dingy. After we I loosened up a bit, it was actually really fun. I could have stayed there all night if they hadn't run out of tater tots.

I was afraid of busting out the camera for fear of looking like a pretentious tourist, but had to take a quick picture of all the taps on the ceiling.

Afterwards, we wanted something sweet so we made a stop to Extraordinary Desserts. They're not kidding, their desserts are truly extraordinary.

Yes, those are gold flecks on this dessert!

This 6" cake cost $42.50!

Let me admit upfront right now that this was not the last time we visited this place! Even though my husband's first words were, "Is that price per item???" he ended up getting 2 desserts. Let me tell you, for my ~~cheap~~ frugal husband, that in itself is extraordinary! :)

San Diego, Day 2

We started off our morning at a delightful little diner called Mama Kat's. It's no wonder that they hold the title for San Diego's Best Breakfast. Not only is their food delicious, but their service is impeccable as well.

The decor is traditional country.

The counter was packed with regulars.

Our server even had a light southern drawl that was so fitting.

I ordered the Don Juan.

Which does look like a heart attack on a plate, but was so worth it! It was an Eggs Benedict with country gravy on top instead of Hollandaise sauce. It was so good! You could tell that everything was fresh and made in house. Something that you can't guarantee you're always getting when you eat out.

I liberally doused my dish with their preferred hot sauce. It reminded me a lot of Cholula sauce.

After breakfast, we drove to Escondido to visit the Stone Brewery Co. for a complimentary brewery tour. They are the makers of one of my husband's favorite beers, The Arrogant Bastard. We made sure to arrive early as the tours fill up fast. We arrived as soon as they opened at 11:00 and got into the 12:00 tour. By the time our tour started, the 2:00 was full and they were filling up the 4:00 time slot. I'm glad we got there as early as we did! To kill some time, we went over to the bar and tried a couple of their beers. Then we discovered their beautiful garden out back! It was like a park in the middle of the brewery!

We found a beautiful spot that seemed to be reserved just for us.

Far away shot in an attempt to show how beautiful our surroundings were.

We were almost a little bummed when it was time for our tour to start!

This is our tour guide going through all the components of beer. She was very knowledgeable and entertaining. It was really cool to be able to walk through a working brewery. We've been through tours before where we just stayed in one room and the tour guide mispronounced beer words. We were much impressed!

My husband assured me that there is no beer that Stone makes that I'd like.

This is me being stubborn and thinking that the beer can't be that bad.

Um, it is that bad...at least for me.

My lucky husband got to drink all of my samples. And I got to drive us back to the hotel. :)

After our tour, we returned to our hotel to spend some time on the beach.

This is where we forgot to apply sunscreen and made the transformation from Washingtonians to lobsters.

San Diego, Day 3

Our third day began with the alarm clock going off at 8:00 AM. No, we're not freaks who set alarms on vacation. We think my husband's hand hit the on switch when he moved the clock. So since we were up, we decided to head out for an "early" breakfast.

We hit up a little place called The Mission.

Granola Banana Pancakes with Double Smoked Bacon

The mixture of bananas and granola was genius! Easily the best pancakes I've ever had!

Also, what makes double smoked bacon so darn good??? I'd never heard of it before. And where has it been all of my life???

After breakfast, it was time for SNORKELING in La Jolla!!!

Snorkeling was so fun, but it sure wasn't at first! I only learned to swim about 3 years ago (and just learned strokes in the past year) so the rough salty ocean water was quite distressing at first. Fortunately for me, I was with my understanding and supportive husband who pretty much carried me for the first 10 minutes until I felt comfortable on my own. There was another woman in the group who bailed after the first 5 minutes and another few couples who didn't want to leave the area around the beach so I was pretty proud of my own comfort level. I was having so much fun out there that I was the last person out of the water! Unfortunately, the water was rather cloudy that day so there wasn't much to see under the water, but we still had a blast!

We were famished afterwards so we headed to Phils BBQ from Man VS Food. We opted for (what we thought) was a tasting plate.

1/2 rack Baby Back Ribs with sauce on the side. We chose the potato salad and the baked beans as our sides.

Onions rings the size of our heads! And they are dipped in the same batter as fish sticks. The perfect onion rings!

This is the El Toro. We were not expecting for the filling on this sandwich to be enough for 3 sandwiches!

The BBQ sauce was so good here and I would have liked a bottle to take home, but since it's a liquid good ol' TSA would confiscate it. :'(

To end the night, we made an In-N-Out run. I did my homework about the not-so-secret secret menu and ordered appropriately.

I ordered an extra toasted mustard grilled cheeseburger with whole grilled onions and sport peppers on the side. My husband opted for an easy Animal Style Double Double.

Somehow we paid for and got fries. I had heard from many many reviews that the fries are a disappointment. They were. They are strangely tasteless for being fresh cut fries.

Everything else did not disappoint! I vowed from my first bite of In-N-Out that I would always mustard grill my burgers from now on! Oh, and where on earth do they get their peppers from??? Holy crikey, they were spicy! The In-N-Out location were were at was quite the happening place too. We were there at 10:30 PM on a Tuesday night and there was a line wrapping around the place, the drive thru line was so full that they sent out an employee to help take orders, and there were kids all over the place (I'm old so when I say kids I mean driving teens. :))

San Diego, Day 4

On our last day of our vacation, we were reminded that the Hotel del Coronado was haunted. At 4:AM, our speaker phone turned on. The phone was on my side of the bed and it took me a minute to figure out how to turn it off. (Yes, I see the irony of a 119 year old ghost knowing today's technology better than I do. In my defense, it was 4:AM!!! :-P) It took me forever to fall asleep again because I was creeping myself out with ghost thoughts.

We spent our final morning at Cafe 222.

I ordered the 5-Grain Waffle. Another granola + carb concoction. Too bad this is a caloric nightmare. It was so good!

Yes, I always eat my waffles cut perfectly on the line. I think it tastes better that way. ;-)

We decided that our last activity in San Diego was going to be a bike ride along the beach.

So as you can see, we had the most fantastic time we could possibly have during our vacation. We didn't expect to love San Diego as much as we did and can definitely see ourselves there in a couple of years!

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and happy August!!!

New Haircut/Color and Update

2011-07-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

To say that our summer has been busy would be an understatement. These past couple of weeks in particular have been quite eventful. Two weeks ago, my husband rode his bike from Seattle to Portland in ONE DAY (that's 203 miles just in case you're wondering.) He achieved his goal of doing it just under 12 hours. I drove down to meet him and we spent the night in Portland before driving back to Seattle. Last weekend, he completed his very first Olympic length triathlon. Again, he achieved his goal of completing it in under 3 hours. I am so proud of my husband for all that he has worked for. Just last year, he was not even able to run 2 miles and now he is able to run 6 miles after swimming AND biking! He is amazing!

We planned a trip to San Diego immediately after his triathlon to celebrate. We just returned from one of the best vacations we had in a long time! We loved it so much that we are seriously considering moving there in a couple of years after our son graduates high school. I will recap our trip very soon as it will be a very long post.

Anyways, I have missed all of your blogs! I haven't really had a chance to read much and will be spending some time next week to catch up. My daughter will be in an all day camp and I may have a lot of time on my hands.

Prior to Portland, I got a much needed haircut and color.

Before

During

After

We got a lot of sun in San Diego so this picture of me is already pretty dated. I'll show you the new brown me with the raccoon sunglasses tan soon! :D

Chipotle Apricot Glazed Lingcod

2011-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

How's this for irony? My seafood hating son went out fishing with his grandpa and came back with tons and tons of fish that he won't eat. Oh well, more for the rest of us! :)

To be fair, he doesn't hate all seafood. Just shrimp, clams, lobster, mussels, squid, oysters, crab... I'm pretty sure we wouldn't even be able to get him near geoduck. He'll eat fish as long as it's breaded, deep fried and drenched in tartar sauce. And even then it's kind of a stretch.

Me? I like to taste the fish. I love sashimi or lightly seasoned then baked or grilled fish. And I love "fishy" fish like salmon and tuna. I'm mystified by people who love fish that doesn't taste like fish.

I don't cook much with white fish so I was really excited to come across this recipe for Chipotle Apricot Glazed Cod. Though it was good, I was a bit disappointed at the lack of a pronounced chipotle flavor. I will make this again, but will definitely add more chipotle pepper next time. I also found that it took twice as long to cook my filets. Make sure to cook until your fish flakes easily. I served the fish with a light Cranberry Apple Salad with Tahini dressing. It was a tasty and easy summer meal.

Chipotle Apricot Glazed Lingcod
From Chef a la Porte
Serves 2

6 oz Apricot Jam (I'll use half next time as this made too much sauce.)
1/4 of a single Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce, finely chopped (I'll use at least 1/2 a pepper next time)
1 tsp Soy Sauce (or more to taste)
2 - 6 oz pieces of Lingcod or other White Fish

Preheat broiler.

In a small bowl, mix together the jam, chipotle pepper and soy sauce. Rub the mixture onto the fish. Broil for 4-8 minutes or until fish flakes easily and the glaze is brown and bubbling. Allow fish to cool slightly then enjoy!

4th of July Weekend Recap

2011-07-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to have my husband home for the past 5 days. It wasn't an intentional 5 day vacation, but it happened to work out as such. Funny that it flew by just as fast as if it were a regular 2 day weekend.

With 5 days under our belt, we got a ton of stuff done. And when I say we, I mean my husband. :)

We re-stained the lower part of our deck and the railings.

We bought and set up a new gazebo. The directions said it sets up in minutes! 120 minutes later, we had lovely shaded area to escape to.

We listened to the neighbor's dog bark for nearly 3 hours. I guess you can call 911 about this, but what can they really do if the owners aren't home? It sure was a long 3 hours...

We ate a strawberry that reminded me of Cyrano de Bergerac.

We set up my husband's grandfather's lamps. They are decorated pots overturned and made into lamps. I love them and remind me of Swede whenever I see them. (He passed away in 2005.)

My daughter played with sparklers for the first time. There were so many to chose from at the stand, but I insisted upon the old fashioned ones that I played with when I was a kid. If they didn't kill me, they won't kill her.

Sparklers will always remind me of when we were young and my brother threw a lit sparkler into a dried bush in front of our rental house. Let's just say we were lucky for nearby hoses and good neighbors.

This was my daughter's first impression of sparklers. Well, that was after she was willing to come withing 5 feet of them. She's a very cautious girl.

This is her all warmed up to them and putting a spell on everything and everyone. Agadazabra! Agadazam! (Her pronunciation of Abracadabra! Alakazam!)

We took silly self portraits of ourselves.

We made food for the hummingbirds and watched as they zipped by for drinks.

We enjoyed a fire in the fire pit and roasted mini marshmallows (we were all out of the jumbo ones.)

Tonight, we're heading down to the local park for an official fireworks show. I usually am content to stay at home on the 4th, but my daughter really wanted to go this year. So what's a mom to do. :)

I wish every weekend were 5 days long. :) Happy 4th of July to all of you in the US!!!

Cranberry Apple Salad with Tahini Dressing & Summer Unplug

2011-07-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

It is so easy to be away from the computer in the summer. I love being outside, eating sticky drippy popsicles, splashing around in the water and catching bugs with my daughter. It's hard to even remember that I have a computer! This is a great thing and I'm not complaining. I guess it's just my way of explaining why I haven't been reading all of your wonderful blogs. It's definitely not you cuz it's all me!

Here's a salad that I whipped together to go with dinner the other night. I was lucky enough to get free organic greens at the church that my daughter attended Vacation Bible School at last week. I was told that the lady attended to her garden 8 hours a day! It was very easy to believe as the lettuces were beautifully blemish free and there were very few bug eaten leaves. I had a huge tin of tahini from the one time that I made homemade hummus so I'm very excited that I finally have a use for it! I will definitely be having this dressing often this summer.

Cranberry Apple Salad with Tahini Dressing
Makes 1 salad

Mixed Lettuce Greens
Apple, chopped
Sweetened Dried Cranberries
Tahini Dressing (recipe below)

Tahini Dressing
Makes about 5 - 1 tbs servings

2 tbs Tahini
2 tbs Water
1 tbs Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp Agave Nectar
Sesame Seeds (optional)

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.

A Walk Through Our Garden

2011-06-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, my daughter came down with an awful cold. She was well enough to attend her sports camp in the morning, but it all went downhill after that. It was rough to see a happy, energetic, laughing, healthy little girl deteriorate to lethargic, puking, wheezing, feverish, sniffling, coughing so quickly. However, thanks to her fantastic immune system, she always recovers just as quickly. Then, of course, I got her cold and am finally getting over it. I'm still congested, but at least I want to be vertical again! :)

Now that I'm well again I thought it would be fun to take a virtual walk through our garden.

This is our fig tree. We planted it a few years ago and it's finally starting to bear fruit. There were 2 or 3 last year and looks like there's a lot more this year. I can't wait to harvest them!

This is one of our apple trees. We have a Asian Pear tree and a mixed apple tree (one of those grafted trees so each branch is a different variety.) We usually get tiny, but tasty pears off of the Asian Pear tree.

This is our Rainier Cherry tree. Every year, I see tons of cherries on them and can hardly wait to harvest them. Then when it comes time to pick them, they're all eaten by the birds. :(

You can kinda see that they've already started on the reddish one back there.

This is our kiwi berry plant. It grows up a trellis on the back fence. This is the 2nd or 3rd year for it so there are many blossoms on it. Dare I hope that we'll actually get fruit off of it this year?

Here's one of our blueberry bushes. My husband and daughter love blueberries and it looks like there will be plenty to pick from!

Here's one of our strawberry plants. Lots of green strawberries.

And even a few berries about ready to be picked.

On closer inspection, something beat us to it. Bummer.

Here are some carrots that desperately need thinning.

I was shocked to see one of the pea plants already had 2 full sized pea pods on it! Too few for a stir-fry so I gave them to my daughter. She loves fresh peas.

The other 2 plants didn't do very well.

Here's our potatoes.

We're huge believers of the garbage can method of growing potatoes. It hardly takes up any room and we get plenty of potatoes every year.

(I was too lazy to stick my head out the front door to take a picture of our tree so here is a lovely image courtesy of Google Images. I promise you that our tree looks just like it!) We also have a flowering plum tree out front that came with our house. We always thought it was just an ornamental tree, but a few years ago our neighbor noticed some fruits on it that looked like small plums. I dared her to try it and not only did I not have to call Poison Control, but they apparently tasted really good! We brought our ladder and harvested a whole basket of plums.

We also have some watermelon vines and corn stalks and some squash plants that I didn't get around to photographing. If the birds and bugs don't get to everything first and if the sun ever comes out to help everything grow, I will update at the end of summer with our bounty.

Why I Don't Bake (aka Baking Fail)

2011-06-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

What do you do when your bananas look like this?

Well, I bought them specifically for banana bread so that's what I made.

Kinda gross, but perfect for baking!

Reason #1 why I don't bake? I don't double check to make sure that I have enough ingredients. After putting all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, I forgot that I didn't have any eggs. So I looked up banana bread recipes without eggs and their substitution? Shortening or oil. No thanks! Luckily I had a bag of chia seeds that I got a long time ago and made chia gel egg replacers.

Not very promising at this point, but all the seeds swelled up after 15 minutes.

Reason #2 why I don't bake. I don't follow directions very well. I gather ingredients as I go. So I started out with flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. I used the amount for the salt for the baking soda (recipe called for 3/4 tsp baking soda, but I only added 1/2 tsp.) And I forgot about the salt. And I added the sugar in with the dry ingredients instead of creamed it together with the butter. :( I did catch it and threw in the salt and extra baking soda. I didn't bother to separate the sugar to cream with the butter.

Reason #3 why I don't bake. The kitchen looks like this afterwards.

Reason #4 why I don't bake. My results are usually less than stellar.

Very dense and flat. Each slice was like a powerbar!

Surprisingly, they turned out quite tasty. They just look funny. :) I guess baking is more forgiving than I thought.

Baking is definitely not my first love so I'm not heartbroken that I suck at it. I'll just stick to box mixes or will leave baking to my husband from now on. :)

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!!!

The Secret << A Life Changing Journey>>

2011-06-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Secret is a fantastic post written by Tara @ A Life Changing Journey. It's the honest and true way to lost weight permanently. If you need the secret, here it is:

Happy Father's Day to My Favorite Husband!!!

2011-06-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

My husband loves to be spoiled with food and I love to spoil him with food so we make a perfect match!

His day started out with:

Challah French Toast

Accompanied by the "good" bacon from the butcher.

I made a huge batch of shrimp for him to munch on throughout the day. I used Biz's tried and true shrimp cocktail recipe and it turned out awesome!

I did ask him to man the ribs for four hours on the grill. I didn't want to burn it to a crisp! However, thanks to the new infrared grill there are no flair-ups!

Beautiful crust and amazing flavor! We both felt they were restaurant quality.

And no special BBQ dinner is complete around here without Grandma's Baked Beans.

Not pictured are refrigerator biscuits and we forgot all about cooking the corn on the cob. I always cook enough for an army so there are enough leftovers for an encore dinner tomorrow!

My husband and I agreed that there are no calories on Father's Day (or Mother's Day,) but it's back to the workout grind this week! We'll be hitting it hard, but it was worth it! :)

Happy Father's Day to the best father my little girl could possibly have! We're all very lucky to have you in our lives! :)

Friday Fun in the Sunshine!

2011-06-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Seattle area was FINALLY blessed with some solid sunshine today. We've gotten partly cloudy days here and there, but I actually had to apply sunblock today!

Don't be like my husband who forgot sunscreen yesterday.

This is what happens after a 4 hour bike ride in the sun with Washington skin. He is now a cautionary tale.

The morning started out with a workout with my personal trainer.

Then it was time to pick up my daughter from sports camp. She had a blast and will be returning next week.

I got cleaned up was finally ready to enjoy some sunshine.

High ponytails make me feel young. :)

Me and my daughter with our matching Keens. I have super tiny feet so I save $20 by shopping from the REI kid's shoe department.

We drove to the local park with waterfront so that my husband could practice open water swimming for his triathlon.

Here he is all ready to go! Only four more weeks until his triathlon and he's been training like a madman! He did great, but open water swimming was harder than he had anticipated. We've got the wetsuit all weekend and he plans to practice rain or shine!

For Father's day, I've planned a menu of French Toast and bacon from the butcher counter for breakfast. Then slow grilled ribs (with dry rub and sauce made from scratch), bacon baked beans and grilled corn on the cob for dinner. I may make some banana bread for dessert. However, my husband is already accusing me of "plumping him up." :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

10 Miles

2011-06-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

First of all, THANK YOU EVERYONE for your wonderfully supportive comments about my swimsuit post. I am working very hard everyday to be kinder to myself. I'm very glad I posted that picture and have no regrets!

Just came back from a 10 mile bike ride on a local paved trail. I meant to do more, but had enough of the wind in my face and the pain in my butt around mile 5 so I turned around.

No offense to any bicyclers out there, but I personally think that cycling gear has the most unflattering outfits out there.

My neighbor repeatedly attempts to rock the cycling bib. Let's just say he's not built like these fellas at all.

Don't forget the matching aerodynamic helmet.

I just wear a workout top and some padded cycling pants. I may not average 20 mph on my bike, but I'm OK with that. :)

My HRM says I burned 518 calories, but it certainly didn't feel that way. (P.S. I started the HRM late so it doesn't show the full 10 miles.)

When I got home, I changed into something comfy.

Then my dog promptly threw up three times while waiting for me.

He doesn't look sorry in this picture, but he was and I forgave him. Poor guy must have gotten into something that upset his tummy. That's what Spot Shot is for.

I'm glad to have my exercise out of the way so I get to have a guilt-free afternoon! Go get in your walk, jog, run, cycling, Tae Bo, Jillian, Zumba, Jazzercise, yoga, Biggest Loser, whatever-the-heck-workout-you-want on!

Swimsuit Sunday Submission

2011-06-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

Stacia over at Midlife Swimmer started a Swimsuit Sunday series where readers can (courageously) send in pictures of themselves in swimsuits. When I first saw that, I thought to myself that I would be up to doing something like that. Then I took pictures. And viewed them on my computer. And the critical little voices started up. I ignored them long enough to crop the pictures, upload them into a composed email to Stacia. Her email address was in the to: line, the subject was filled in and all I had to do was press send. Then the heart palpitations began. I couldn't do it. I deleted the email.

Two weeks later, the whole incident kept sitting in the back of my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I donned my swimsuit again, took more pictures and viewed them again on my computer. The critical voices were still there, but less so. I was able to look at myself fully and completely and had very little negative things to say about the pictures. Again, I drafted up an email to Stacia, filled out the subject line, uploaded the pictures and....pressed send.

Picture of me around my highest recorded weight of 198.

This is a picture of me 51 lbs later at 147.

Thank you, Stacia.

Victoria, BC Recap (The Breakfast Edition) - Cup of Joe Cafe & The Blue Fox

2011-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Another installment of our Victoria, BC trip. You can read the other recaps here and here.

We don't normally go out for breakfast so it was a big vacation treat for ourselves. We instantly fell in love with a breakfast spot in Victoria called Cup of Joe Cafe. They boast that they have the "Best Benny's in B.C." and though we didn't try every eggs benedict in the city, we are in complete agreement!

It's a fun little place with customer contributions on the walls.

My favorite saying on the walls.

Coffee art.

Eclectic knick knacks and more customer doodles.

We started with coffee.

My husband ordered The Popeye - Spinach, sauteed mushrooms, chipotle mayo, topped off with pesto hollandaise.

I ordered The Mornin' Hash - Bacon, sausage, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, pan fries and cheddar cheese blended together with three eggs with a side of multi-grain toast.

Oh. My. God. I'd have a benny every day if it tasted that good. Oh, and of course if I didn't have the knowledge that it would double my current tush size!

Another breakfast joint that got rave reviews was The Blue Fox Cafe. They don't have a website, but apparently they don't need one. When we got there at around 8:30 AM on a Tuesday, we took the last table and another couple had to wait for another opening. After that, there was a steady line of people waiting for tables.

Customer napkin art on the table.

I guess this would be THE Blue Fox?

My husband got a three egg omelet. Which came with Apple Toast, homemade Orange Peach Jam and a side of potatoes.

I ordered the Eggs In Hell Benny - Spicy Chorizo, avocado, grilled tomato, chipotle aioli on top of a chewy, toasted bagel and covered in Hollandaise with a side of potatoes.

Yum! Yum! Yum! Everything should be slathered in Hollandaise sauce! :D

Note: I'll be recapping the other restaurants that we went to at a later date as to not make this post too long.

My Body Image

2011-06-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already read the fabulous blog post about body image over at *Bitch Cakes* page, you should. Right now. I'll wait.

http://www.sherylyvette.com/2011/06/body-image-and-reality-check.html

Isn't she amazing? She has the most insight on weight loss I've ever seen. She lives her words every single day and encourages everyone else to better themselves as well. So many of her blog posts speak to me, but this one in particular hit me hard. I've struggled with body image for as long as I can remember. My parents used to assure me that when I was 18, I would be able to get plastic surgery to correct all of my "flaws." A doctor would be able to "fix" my wide nose and give me a bridge. They also insisted that I should get breast implants as well. (I think I was around 13 or 14 when my mom told me this!) Whenever my cousins and I were together, we were all lined up back to back to see who was the tallest. Ending with the parent of the tallest child beaming with pride the remainder of the visit. When I was around 10 years old, we were at a family friend's house where I was wearing a skirt. One of the ladies commented that I had very nice legs. I hesitantly looked at my mom for any sign of approval, but didn't get any. In the car ride home, I brought up the compliment that I was given and my mom dismissed it because the lady was "just being nice." When I was 16, I made a comment that I wished my calves weren't so muscular. My dad laughed and told me it wasn't muscle, it was fat. (I was maybe 5' and just above 100 lbs at the time.) I've got a million of these stories. Obviously at an early age I was already taught that I was too short, too fat, and too plain looking. Not good enough and never will be good enough without medical intervention. Because of my parent's choice to project their ideals of beauty on me, I spent most of my life wildly insecure about myself. Not only hating my weight and physical parts of myself that I couldn't change, but insecure about my grades, job performance, ability to be a friend. If my own parents thought that I wasn't good enough then how was I going to be able to measure up in the real world?

In 1999, I was lucky enough to meet a fabulous man who made me feel like I was the most gorgeous woman on the planet. In his eyes, I was the pinnacle of beauty. It took him a L.O.N.G. time to drill it into my head that he wasn't "just saying that because he loved me" (My parents would always tell me that he overlooked my weight because he loved me too much) and even longer than that for me to believe that I was relatively attractive. Well, I'd like to report that 13 years later, this wonderfully patient man still only has eyes for me and that I truly think I'm hot stuff! :)

My self-esteem has improved that much more in the past 2 years that I've lost weight and have become more active. Sadly, I’ve had to cut my parents out of my life in order to make a lot of progress. At times (usually that time of the month) I still struggled with the mental image of my youth and what I feel I should and could look like. With my family's genes, my body will never look the way it did pre-pregnancy. Yes, Heidi Klum can walk around 6 weeks post child birth in a string bikini, but I am not Heidi Klum and will never be Heidi Klum. I've come to terms with the fact that certain parts of my body will always be less than my ideal. Perhaps things will firm up with diet and exercise, but I can never have my perfect dream body from my mind. I find that the more I take care of myself, the more positive things I see in the mirror. Sometimes it feels like a never ending internal battle, but it’s well worth it. I refuse to be responsible for my daughter's lack of self-esteem. She will never believe for one millisecond that I ever think she's not good enough. I think I'm succeeding so far. Whenever I tell her how beautiful or cute she is, she responds with, "I know." :)

Sautéed Spaetzle with Cabbage, Bacon, and Leek

2011-06-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we visited a new (to us) restaurant called Nettletown. They are self described as having "a unique Northwest menu of eclectic comfort food with influences from our local Pacific coast geography." What intrigued me the most about the restaurant was the blending of the chef's Swiss and Chinese heritage. Quite a culinary combination that is!

Everything on the menu looked amazing, but I was able to narrow it down to the Nettletown Knoepfli with bacon topped with a poached egg. I'd been wanting to try spaetzle, but it's rather cumbersome to make without the handy dandy maker. I was also debating about the Lemongrass Elk Meatball sandwich so I made my husband order that. :) We were there with friends and everyone's food was scrumptious. But I have to say that the knoepfli was my favorite. And as with every dish that I try, I thought about how I was going to replicate it at home!

My first task was to locate a spaetzle maker. As luck would have it, after calling a few Bed Bath & Beyonds (and having to spell it multiple times), one of the stores had it in stock! Check! Then I had to find a spaetzle recipe. I decided on the recipe from Smitten Kitchen because of the extra eggs in the recipe. I wanted tender eggy spaetzles! Check! Then everything else was from memory.

Sauteed Spaetzle with Cabbage, Bacon, and Leek
Serves 2-3

4 - 6 slices Center Cut Bacon
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (optional)
2-3 cups Red Cabbage, large dice
1 Leek, thinly sliced (use light green and white parts only)
2 servings of Spaetzle, recipe below
Maggi Seasoning or Bragg Liquid Aminos, to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
2-6 Eggs

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon to desired doneness. Let drain on paper towel. Chop into small pieces and set aside for later. Save 2 tsp of bacon drippings or completely discard the bacon drippings and add extra virgin olive oil to pan. Sauté cabbage to desired doneness. (I like mine carmelized at the edges.) Add the leek and sauté until wilted (about 2 mins.) Add the spaetzle and continue to cook until the spaetzle is lightly browned. Mix in the bacon. Season to taste with Maggi Seasoning and pepper. Top each serving with 1-2 fried eggs.

Simplest Homemade Spaetzle
From Smitten Kitchen
Makes 6 servings

2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
7 large eggs
1/4 cup (59 ml) milk

Combine the flour, eggs and milk in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight.

Prepare an ice bath.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. (This will work best if you have a spaetzle maker. Otherwise, google how to make spaetzle without a spaetzle maker for youtube videos using a colander.) When the water comes to a boil, place the spaetzle maker over the pot and fill the hopper with the batter and slide back and forth. Little drops of dough will fall into the water. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes then use a slotted spoon to fish out the spaetzle and put it into the ice bath. Repeat until all the batter is used.

Use immediately, refrigerate or freeze for later use. Feel free to use anywhere pasta is used. Spaetzle Macaroni and Cheese. Spaetzle Alfredo. Spaetzle and Meatballs. Sky's the limit!

Randomness

2011-06-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like blogging even though nothing is really going on. So I shall! :)

*WARNING* Gruesome bruise picture ahead. View at your own risk!
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The current status of my leg from my Memorial Day weekend falls. It looks more like I was run over by a car than just toppled over on my bike.

Since the weather was suppose to be nice and I planned on wearing shorts, I tried to divert the attention away from the hideous bruise to my fingernails instead.

It's the new crackle overcoat from Sally Hansen. I really like it!

I brushed my dog this morning and the aftermath looked as if I sheared him instead.

This picture is to prove that he still has hair on him. And yes, his tongue does always hang out. It gets longer as he gets tired.

And a gratuitous picture of myself. I don't feel that I take enough progress photos so maybe these will serve as such.

Have a great weekend everyone! I'm heading out to enjoy the sunshine! Hope you have some wherever you are! :)

Memorial Weekend Roundup (AKA The Weekend of Firsts)

2011-05-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Even though this goes without saying, I'm still going to say it. I sure do love long weekends! :) Lots of time with the family and lots of relaxing. Can't beat that!

This weekend turned out to be a lot of firsts for me.

I discovered that I really dig smoothies. In the past smoothies reminded me too much of Slimfast. Sometimes for the taste, but mostly for it's lacking ability to satiate my hunger. I know that my body performs better with protein in the morning so I thought I'd try it again, but with lots of protein. This was so good and filling!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Serves 1

1 tbs Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
2 tbs Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
1 tbs Almond Butter
3/4 cup - 1 cup Milk (Nonfat or Unsweetened Almond Milk)
150 gm Frozen Banana
1 scoop Protein Powder (optional for more filling power)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend. Consume immediately.

It tastes even better when served in my Costa Rica glass.

The frozen bananas give it a creamy texture so it's like having a chocolate milkshake!

I also did my first Jillian DVD. I went with Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism because I feel that I need more cardio in my life. (I haven't run in over a month!)

Sorry Jillian, I did have to phone in a few minutes of your workout!

Overall, I think it was a great DVD. Challenging and it definitely gets your heart pumping! Next time I will wear my HRM to see how many calories I burn.

I also tried out clipless pedals for the first time so that I can bike like a "real" cyclist. My husband told me that I would fall.

I did.

Twice.

My daughter nursed my wounds herself with the best band aids from her collection.

War wounds include a tender finger, scraped palm, scraped calf, scraped thigh and knee. Oh and my ego's kinda bruised too! My first time down was a complete shock and surprise. However, I knew when and why I was going down the second time (my final words were "Oops, wrong foot" as I was toppling over.) My husband was a saint to hold back any laughter when he saw me tumble, but he did later admit that it was pretty comical.

I live to fight another day with these.

To celebrate Memorial Day, we purchased our first infrared grill.

Isn't it a beauty?

We're looking forward to less flair ups and even heating!

Dinner tonight is steaks, corn on the cob and refrigerator biscuits. Something nice and easy to finish out the weekend.

Hope you all had a relaxing weekend as well and may this shorter week go by quickly!

Sugar Busters Challenge: Week 5 of 5

2011-05-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your wonderful comments about my last post. This weight loss thing has brought me to tears more than I care to admit. I love where I am and how I look, but sometimes I feel as though my mind hasn't caught up with my body. At times when I look in the mirror, I don't see any difference from when I was 198 lbs. I was raised by overly critical parents so I know exactly where this comes from. With my husband's constant love and support, I pray to someday be able to see myself as I truly am and I wish to NEVER EVER EVER inadvertently pass these feelings of criticism and negativity to my daughter. She is perfect in my eyes and I never want her to think otherwise! :)

With my sugar busters challenge, I've decided to end it early. Not because I'm dying for a Kit Kat or plan to dive into a vat of hot fudge, but because I've actually learned something during the past 5 weeks. I learned that I don't need something sweet after every single meal. I also learned that I can easily substitute tea for my heavily sugared coffees. I will continue with my low sugar habits and staying away from desserts because those are good habits to keep on, but I will not draw that hard line in the sand anymore. It's mentally more freeing for me know that I could have sugar if I wanted, but I truly don't want it.

My husband and I are planning our first bike ride together this Sunday. I don't remember the last time I was on a bike so this should be fun! Though anytime I'm with my husband is fun. (Yeah, we're one of those couples!) I'm looking forward to it!

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

Note To Self...

2011-05-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I focus too much on weight loss and end up with tunnel vision. All I can concentrate on is the number on the scale. I ignore that my stomach is flatter, that my ring is lose or that my pants fit better. If the number on the scale doesn't go down every week then I feel like a failure. This is to remind myself that:

I've lost 50 lbs.

I've completed a triathlon.

I've run 13.1 miles.

I can climb 25 flights of stairs in 5:31 after a workout with my personal trainer.

I no longer fear white,

or color,

or chunky knits,

or skinny jeans,

or heels.

So take that fickle scale and arbitrary BMI chart! You may consider me overweight, but that's OK. I still think I'm a superstar! :)

Sugar Busters Challenge: Week 4 of 11

2011-05-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

I’m pretty much at my target weight. But the thing is, I haven’t quite reached my target height. - Manny Delgado. I so <3 Modern Family!

With the end being so near, I was debating on whether or not to even post, but I suppose it couldn't hurt! (We can only pray that it was another mathematical error!) Not much to report here. Kinda a downer week for me. I've been experiencing some mysterious cramps along with some, er, issues. So I've started taking fiber supplements to ease things along. (Sorry for the TMI!) There's also been a huge decrease in energy for me this week. On Tuesday, I had to drag myself to go workout with my personal trainer. And every night this week has been a very early bedtime. I sleep all night, don't feel rested in the morning and then start the cycle of cramps, "issues," napping, and am physically exhausted around 8:00. I'm hoping that it's just a stomach bug that is passing through my system, but if it doesn't ease up next week I suppose I'll have to make a visit to the doctor.

Sugar cravings are still high. Being such a stressful week, I know where all of the cravings are coming from. Chocolate and ice cream has been my stress relievers for so long. When I'm down, they make me feel great. I had a particularly tough time today. I woke up knowing that I was going to make a batch of pancakes just so that I could pour a whole bottle of maple syrup on them. Of course I didn't, but I was very very very close to doing it! What stopped me was knowing how much I would regret it. It would only make me happy temporarily then I'd have to deal with my own mental aftermath. Not worth a stack of pancakes! (Or any other junk food for that matter.)

I hope you all have a great weekend! (If there is even a weekend to enjoy!) :-D

Sugar Busters Challenge: Week 3 of 11

2011-05-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

This was a rough week for me mentally. TOM is here and to quote TJ, "TOM is an ass!" I've felt a nonstop hunger all week. No matter how much protein or fats I ate. Or how much water I drank. Or how much fruits and vegetables I consumed. I couldn't be satisfied. Added with extreme lethargy, extra b*tchiness, water retention and bloat, this week totally sucked mentally. I felt fat and ugly and ready to throw in the weight loss towel. I know I am none of those things, but TOM really had a solid hold on me. I'm back to being my normal self again today. (To the relief of my family!) My tummy actually kinda hurts from too much dinner though I'm well within my calorie allotment. Yay for being satiated! :)

On a lighter note, I was outside with my neighbors and their 9 year old let me know that I looked "10x better than I did last year." Her mother was horrified, but I thought it was hilarious! I absolutely agree with her! Apparently, they had recently gone through some old pictures of the neighborhood from a couple years ago and ran across a picture of me. The little girl stopped her mom to ask her who it was. When her mom told her that it was "Jenn Jenn," she was shocked. Even I am a little taken aback when I see old photos of myself.

On a sugary note (or a non-sugary note), I did not cave to any of my temptations. There were plenty of times where I wanted to just give in and get all the sugary treats that I wanted. Or at least the no sugar versions, but I stayed strong. I am a little disappointed that my cravings seem to be stronger at week 3 then it was at week 1. Maybe it was because of TOM? We'll see next week.

Have a super weekend! No solid plans over here, but I may do some bikini shopping just to keep my motivation high. :)

Jenn's Kinda Huevos Rancheros

2011-05-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a delicious breakfast that I've been enjoying every single morning for months! Not only have I not tired of it, but I still look forward to it each day! With 31 grams of protein and just under 300 calories, it keeps me full for most of the morning. Sometimes even past that. I love the sweetness that the teriyaki meatballs give to this dish, but feel free to substitute any other breakfast sausage or beans, onions, and peppers. It's all delicious!

Jenn's Kinda Huevos Rancheros
Serves 1

3 Egg Whites
3 Aidell's Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatballs (I used to use Amylu Kickin' Cranberry Chicken Meatballs with Jalapeno Peppers, but Costco stopped carrying them. *sniffle*)
1 small Corn Tortilla (The pictures show 2 tortillas, but I've downgraded to one to save calories.)
1 slice Fat Free American Cheese
1/4 cup Chevy's Fresh Salsa
Tabasco

Spray a medium frying pan with extra virgin olive oil spray and heat over medium heat. Slice the meatballs and lightly sauté until browned.

In the meantime, wet a paper towel and wrap the corn tortilla. Place the paper towel wrapped tortilla in the microwave and warm for 25-30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and discard the paper towel. Add the sautéed meatballs. Place the slice of cheese on the top of the meatballs. The residual heat will help to melt the cheese.

Add the egg whites to the pan and cook until it is set. Place on top of the cheese.

Pour the salsa into a small microwave safe bowl and warm in the microwave for 25-30 seconds. Pour over the egg whites. Add a liberal dash of Tabasco. Devour!

Sugar Busters Challenge: Week 2 of 11

2011-05-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

You know that saying "Eat to live, not live to eat"? I feel as if removing desserts and extra sugars from my life has taken away my will to eat as it were. Not that I'm never hungry or that I don't eat delicious food anymore, but I can finally understand why skinny people sometimes forget to eat. (I'm definitely not there yet!) Food is still tasty, but I used to count down the days until the weekends so that I can splurge. My weight loss charts was a lot of gaining and regaining the same 5 lbs over and over again. In these past two weeks, I've reached my lowest ever recorded adult weight. I'm finally eating to live! It's mind blowing how addicted to sugar I am. My goal after all of this is done is to find a healthy relationship with sugar. Maybe I will need to live low sugar all of my life? I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! We're expecting more gloom and rain around here. :(

Chevy's Fresh Salsa

2011-05-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Do you have a Chevys Fresh Mex restaurant in your area? If you do, then you'll understand my love for this salsa. If not, then now you get to recreate a reasonable facsimile at home!

When my husband and I first met, we lived right down the road from a Chevys Fresh Mex restaurant. It easily became our go to lunch spot. I love Tex Mex and they had delicious fresh ingredients and huge portions! (I was very concerned with large portions back then. LOL) They also garnish all of their dishes with Sweet Corn Tomatillo which my husband hated so guess who got two servings? :) Oh, and they even had one of those machines that makes fresh tortillas right in front of you called the El Machino.

What we always looked forward to when we got there were their chips and salsa. The server would go to a drawer that held fresh warm tortilla chips and bring over a dish of salsa. Their salsa was unlike any other that we'd experienced. It was completely blended without any chunks and a touch smokey. It was so good that we'd normally need a couple more refills! Well, we've since moved away and there is only one remaining Chevy's in the whole state. I've craved their salsa and have tried making my own salsas off and on over the years and none of them have compared. I finally Lougled (Hot Tub Time Machine anyone?) Chevys Fresh Mex Salsa and hit the jackpot!

Chevy's Fresh Salsa
Adapted from Top Secret Recipes

6 medium Tomatoes
4 - 6 Jalapenos
1/4 Yellow Onion
2 - 4 cloves Garlic
2 tbs Fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 tbs White Vinegar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Liquid Mesquite Smoke

Preheat oven broiler or grill to high. Place tomatoes and jalapenos under the broiler or onto the grill. Heat until the skin is mostly black and peels away. Remove from the heat.

At this point, you can remove the skin, but I like the bits of char so I leave the skin on. Remove the stems from the jalepenos and place all the veggies into a food processor or blender. (Or process in batches.) Add the remaining ingredients and puree to your desired texture.

This makes about 2 1/2 pints and is 4 calories per tablespoon.

Jenn's Notes:

I always make each batch separately. I tried doubling it once and it was awful. I don't know if my math was off or what, but I won't do that again.

Victoria, BC Recap (The Brewpub Edition) - The Moon Under Water & Swans Brewpub

2011-05-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Another installment of our Victoria, BC trip. You can read the first recap here.

Our first restaurant choice in Victoria was The Moon Under Water Pub & Brewery. It's an English style pub where the beer alcohol content is lower and service is at at the bar (instead of full table service.)

I couldn't help but think what a great tattoo this would make! (Not for me, but for someone who really really loves this pub!)

My husband chose the Beef, Beer and Mushroom Pie — Tender morsels of beef slow cooked with vegetables, Best Bitter, and mushrooms. Topped with puff pastry and a side of fries.

I decided on the Bengali Coconut Curry — Seasonal vegetables stir fried with Bengal spices, served with a popadum and prawns.

The beef pie and fries were amazing, but the curry was only so-so. I felt it lacked spice (as in spices, not hot sauce.) They were very generous with the portion though!

And of course my husband had to try their beers.

Their bottles are the prettiest I've ever seen!

Not sure if this is a regular occurrence, but the brew master happened to be brewing while we were there.

We also ordered dessert.

My husband got the Raspberry Cheesecake.

And I got the Pecan Pie. I do love great presentation!

Best pecan pie ever! I was apprehensive at first, but that sauce leaking from the pie was amazing!

The Moon Under Water is a great place to go to meet with friends to chat. There aren't any loud TV's to compete with pleasant conversation. Have a beer or two (they are low alcohol after all!) and stay awhile.

Another place we stopped to try was Swans Brewpub. We weren't terribly hungry, but felt "snacky" during one of our walks.

We split a bowl of Swans Seafood Chowder - "Ocean Wise" medley of seafood, vegetables and cream.

And an order of the Brewpub Wings. 1/2 Dry Pepper and 1/2 Classic Hot Buffalo.

My handsome husband patiently waiting for me to pose the plates and snap my pictures. Thanks, honey!

I was sorry that we were only able to get a small tasting of what this restaurant had to offer. What we did order was so good! The chowder was full of delicious chunks of fish and clams. The wings were flavorful and not too greasy. It's times like this where I wish I had a larger stomach so I could try more food.

One thing we discovered was that alcohol cannot be purchased at grocery stores or mini-marts as you can in Washington state. We're so used to walking into a store for a six pack so we walked around the grocery store in Victoria for awhile before asking someone where we could buy liquor. There are either government run or private owned liquor stores where you can make your liquor purchases. Or there are small liquor stores next to brewpubs where you can purchase the brewpub's beers. It was fun to hunt down all the different beers in Victoria! :)

Note: I'll be recapping the other restaurants that we went to at a later date as to not make this post too long.

Singapore Loot!

2011-05-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

Last week, my husband got to go to Singapore on business. Ever since I read Sophia's recaps of her trip last year to Southeast Asia, I developed a mini crush on Singapore. All of a sudden, this small obscure island country became one of the top five countries for me to visit one day. All because of the food! So I sent my husband off armed with a long list of foods to bring back and restaurants to try and he came back bearing an overweight suitcase of goodies for us!

Pineapple Tarts from Begawan Solo. (Disclaimer: The missing cookies are from where my family tried them. I'm still staying strong with my no sugar challenge!)

Cornflake Cookies and Hazelnut Huckleberry Cookies.

Royce' Chocolate Covered Potato Chips.

Prima Taste Packets in: Singapore Curry, Laksa, Singapore Satay, Bak Kut Teh, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Singapore Chili Crab. Just add protein.

More Prima Taste packs for Curry Seafood and Laksa Fried Rice.

Pork Floss. Not pictured are other meat floss in: Crispy Pork, Chicken, Fish, Frostee (Which is a cross between crispy and regular pork floss.)

Chinese Sausage

Maggi brand Sweet Chili Sauce.

Royce' Chocolates.

Milo bar: Milo chocolate brownie, smooth caramel and crunchy Milo balls smothered in milk chocolate.

Kaya (Coconut Jam) for Kaya Toast

Singapore Sling mixes. Just add pineapple juice.

A new iPhone cover for me.

The rest was picked up at the Tokyo Airport where he had a couple hours to spare.

Different Pocky flavors.

Japanese Whiskey.

A game for my daughter because it looked so cute.

But we can't quite figure out how to play. We gather that you use chopsticks to stack up little guys on a wobbly platform, but that is the extent of our knowledge.

Various flavored KitKats. My guesses for the flavors are: Dark Chocolate, Green Tea, Squash, Wasabi, Green Tea, Chunky, Dark, and mini bites.

Tokyo Banana pastries.

Most of this loot has already been safely packed away for us to devour come July. I'm so excited to try them all! My husband made sure to take pictures of everything that he ate while he was there so that I could live vicariously through him (he's so sweet!) and every picture further confirmed my crush for Singapore. I cannot wait for my turn to go there someday!

Oh, and OH MY GOD!!! Osama Bin Laden is dead!!!

Sugar Busters Challenge: Week 1 of 11

2011-04-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today marks exactly one week on my Sugar Busters Challenge. Other than the one horribly taunting dream of chocolate covered pretzel sticks, I'm having a relatively easy time not having any sugar. Of course I think about chocolate all the time. I do glance a little too long at the candy at the checkout line. And I keep recounting how many days I have left on this darn challenge, but other than that...easy peasy! ;-)

Though I'm thinking about chocolate, candies and ice cream a lot, it's not an overwhelming craving like I used to have. When I used to deny myself sweets, I'd get so angry at myself and others around me because I couldn't have it. Then I'd stuff myself with everything else around me to try to rid myself of the craving. This time around, I will have a fleeting thought about the chocolate, sigh and then go on about my merry way. It's a nice feeling, but nothing to get excited over as it is only week one. I am proud of myself for surviving my daughter's Easter basket and my husband being out of town on business. Between delicious chocolates and being out of routine, that may be one reason why my mind strayed to chocolates to much this week.

Have a great weekend everyone! I hope that it is sunny wherever you're at! :)

Victoria, BC Recap (Our Home Away From Home) - Abigail's Hotel

2011-04-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Last week, my husband and I got to spend three relaxing days in gorgeous Victoria, BC for a mini post half marathon vacation. We visited there 12 years ago when we first started dating, but don't remember very much about it. We recall staying at the Empress Hotel where we called the front desk for a can opener, but don't remember what the can opener was used for. For breakfast, we went to IHOP (we weren't terribly adventurous back then) where I got mad at my husband (then boyfriend) over pepper and quickly forgave him when he offered me his toast (um, what???) Between the two of us, these are the only details we can remember. It was like our very own personal Hangover, but without the drugs and booze. Seriously, what was that can opener for and did I really love toast so much???

This past trip was much more memorable. Mostly because we are now so comfortable with each other and are best friends. Plus, I took a ton of pictures to force us to remember! :D

Instead of staying at the very popular (and expensive) Empress Hotel, I read fantastic reviews about a little boutique bed and breakfast called Abigail's Hotel.

I think that's our room up there!

The reviews couldn't have been more spot on! We were treated like royalty the second we pulled into the parking lot. Two gals immediately greeted us at the door. They confirmed who we were, gave us a free upgrade (two levels from the standard room that we originally booked) and gave us a small tour of the hotel. In addition to complimentary breakfasts, they had teas, coffees, afternoon appetizers, DVD's, books, and games. However, the clincher for me was that they had Werther's Originals at the front desk. That is my most favorite hard candy! I know, I'm a hard sell. :)

Free upgrade to a named room! :D

Handwritten welcome note!

The free upgrade got us an in-room fireplace.

And a jacuzzi tub.

It even had a bidet!

Which I'm too chicken to use.

I turned one on when we were in Costa Rica, but it shot up like a fountain and freaked me out. I'm not used to water spraying out of a toilet looking object!

How NOT to use a bidet! :D

Lovely four poster bed.

In front of the hotel was an orca whale statue named Abigail painted especially for the hotel as part of the Orcas In The City project.

The project benefits Easter Seal Operation. We only saw six of the 51 statues that they have around the city. If we had better wifi connection at the hotel (and thus would have been able to look up the locations of every statue), I probably would have made it a goal to get a picture with all of them!

Though we were staying at a bed & breakfast, I really wanted to try some of the breakfast places that Victoria had to offer. We did manage to enjoy one breakfast at Abigail's.

We had a choice between the Orange Peach Muffin or Cheddar Chive Scone. I chose the muffin which was perfect!

The Baked Apples with Yogurt and House Granola was not so perfect. Too skimpy with the granola and yogurt.

My husband chose the sweet option of Stuffed French Toast with a side of ham.

I chose to go with savory.

The hotel was a great home away from home for us to return as we pleased to relax and enjoy local liquor.

Merri Berri Cider - A refreshing blend of apple cider and the unfermented juices of a blend of BC berries and fruits.

And make use of the fireplace.

It was a phenomenal hotel and we will definitely stay there again when we return.

Note: I'll be recapping the other restaurants that we went to at a later date as to not make this post too long.

Sugar Busters Challenge Update

2011-04-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago, I had a dream about devouring a gourmet chocolate covered pretzel stick.

I don't usually remember my dreams, but I remembered every bite, smell and taste from this particular one. The weird thing is that I'm not sure I've ever had a chocolate covered pretzel stick a day in my life.

I told my husband about my dream in the morning and he sheepishly confessed that he had a similar dream in which he had a couple of beers on the same night.

That was only day 3 of 78. Why are we doing this again? :)

My First Half Marathon!

2011-04-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

To the little girls who were handing out water with your mommies and daddies, you totally made my day!

To the half marathon walker who shorted herself 3 miles. You only hurt yourself.

To the half marathoner in the lead shouting and demanding Powerade at the water stop (Powerade! I need Powerade now!,) if it takes being a jerk and forgetting common decency/manners to be a winner then count me out right now. My time could have been cut short if I didn't stop to help encourage a few ladies around mile 13, but being a decent human being is worth the extra time. Even if it means I don't qualify for future races.

To the blind man who was strapped to his sighted wife who ran the full marathon, you are amazing and inspirational!

To all the great volunteers who manned the water stations and kept cars off the road, thank you for your time and encouragement.

And of course, thank you to my very best friend for being there every few miles with loving words, a kiss and a smile. You are the wind beneath my running shoes! :D

I can hardly believe that it's only been a week since I ran my half marathon! It seems like it was ages ago. (It even felt like that the day after the race.) I had a great time, but definitely felt my weaknesses. My calves and thighs (and so many other muscles I didn't know I had!) cramped up on me between mile 8 and 9. I had to do a lot of walking and pulling over to stretch a lot after that. Oddly enough, my foot never bothered me even though it was the one thing I was the most worried about.

I felt a great sense of accomplishment after the race (including bursting into tears of exhaustion at the finish line), but it almost felt anti-climactic. Though I knew that I wouldn't feel the same as I felt after my triathlon, I guess I was hoping for a similar feeling. Prior to my triathlon, I'd never in a million years thought that I would ever follow through with such a feat. I was nervous prior to this race, but felt strangely "normal" afterwards.

My personal trainer started a stair challenge a couple of weeks ago. The building that we work out in is 25 stories. The rules are no use of handrails and you must complete it in 5 minutes to qualify. I've never thought much of stairs except that they are hard and even though I can run long distances, a couple flights of stairs have me breathing heavy. I couldn't get the challenge out of my mind, but had to put it aside because of my race. However, after my regular workout last Friday, I made the quick decision to do the challenge. I got the stopwatch and headed up. The first 8 flights were fine. Then I started slowing down. I contemplated resting around flight 15, but kept going. My leg muscles were screaming at me at flight 20, but I kept going. Finally, I was at flight 25! I did it! Then instead of walking to my car to drive to my lunch date with my husband, I walked the few blocks to the restaurant. (After walking 25 flights back down!) If there were anymore stairs in my way, I would have done them. I felt like I could do anything! That was when I realized what I got from my half marathon. No, it didn't feel as life changing as my triathlon, but it made me realize that I'm an athlete.

Yes, I ran 13.1 miles for a Facebook picture, a medal and a sweatshirt! :D

His and Her Self Challenges

2011-04-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

I will be the first person to tell you that I don't do challenges. The rebellious princess brat inside of me that hates rules, regulations and answering to someone other than myself won't allow it. I've begun challenges before and have always self sabotaged for one reason or another. However, this time I am challenging myself. I have a severe weakness for desserts. Particularly restaurant desserts and coffee ice cream. Give me a restaurant atmosphere and a server innocently asking me if I have "Any room for dessert?" and I'm toast! Two cheesecakes to go please!

This self challenge is inspired by my husband's own resolve to stay off beer 78 days before his first triathlon.

To put it lightly, my husband loves beer. We make weekly runs to the beer section at Whole Foods so that he can pick up his favorite microbrews. Whenever we're out at a restaurant, his first question is "What's on tap?" He even brews his own beer! If beer were a woman, I'd have some serious competition! :) So when he declared that he was staying off of beer to help lose weight and get into his best shape possible prior to his triathlon, I just laughed it off and figured that he'd cave the first weekend out! However, it's been months since he first stated this and he still has not wavered. Even though he hasn't begun abstaining from beer, I'm still highly impressed. So now, I'm declaring my own goal to stay off of my vice. No desserts for 78 days.

No restaurant desserts. No Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. No Cold Stone Creamery Coffee Lover's Only. No last minute candy bars in the checkout line. No Tootsie Pops after dinner. No more heavily sugared coffees. No added sugar unless I can help it. No sugar substitutes either. When I have sugar free items (such as Coke Zero), I have sugar cravings just as if I'd had eaten real sugar. For me, the more sugar I allow myself, the more I crave it. I know myself and one small sweet treat doesn't satisfy me. I'm an all or nothing girl.

The 78 days will begin on April 22, the Friday after my Half Marathon. My husband and I are taking a mini vacation in Victoria, BC immediately after my race and that will be our first full day back home. Between my past issues with challenges and my sweet teeth, I'm quite nervous. However, I'm very excited that I'm doing this with my husband. Every time I feel deprived or that I can't do this anymore, I will imagine him feeling the same way about his beloved beer. Misery loves company, right? :)

Bundle of Nerves

2011-04-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

My 1/2 marathon is in 3 days. I'm excited, but my post title says it all. For the past few weeks, I've been edgy, eat-y (can't say hungry because I know that I'm eating my emotions) and beating myself up emotionally. I feel that I haven't trained enough, am not ready and this is a lot harder than I had initially thought it was going to be. I also injured my foot on my last long run on Saturday. Teamed up with TOM and I had a mini breakdown last Monday. My poor husband has been a trooper to live and listen with my crazy, but that is why I love and adore him so much! :)

Don't you all worry about me though! I pulled myself together and went to a doctor. He wasn't worried much about my foot and assured me that it was not a stress fracture or torn ligament. Lots of ice, lots of massaging/stretching and wait until Saturday. Then I took it one step further and called a physical therapist. They got me in yesterday and did all types of magic to it. He first set me up on a treadmill to record my walk and run. After that, he sat with me and went over my form. Where I needed correction to make myself more efficient. Though there is not much I can change prior to the race, I will be returning so that he can train me further. Then he took me to another room and ran a weird wand over the area (similar to an ultrasound wand), then scraped my leg with a strange metal tool.

Sort of looked like this, but metal.

Then he strapped 4 electrodes to my leg, packed 2 bags of ice on it and let it do it's thing for about 20 mins.

It was a weird feeling not to have any control over my leg. It would just twitch every few seconds or so all on it's own. Then he taped me up and sent me on my way home. Told me to come back as much as I could so the he could get me to my goal of running this Saturday. I loved it! I've got 2 more appointments this week and am icing and staying off my foot until then. I'm just happy to have hope again!

This physical therapy was so much better than I've experienced before. Instead of working you to get you back to normal, they work to get you back to active. I can get back to normal on my own with a little time. These people want you to accelerate the process to get you to normal and then push you to get to elite. It was so inspiring to see all the technology that they offered in order to get you there. For instance, when he put me on the treadmill to watch my gait, it wasn't as simple as recording my walk and re-watching it. The program he used analyzed every portion of my steps and spit out percentages. He was also able to stop my gait in millisecond time to see exactly where my foot hit the ground. They also have a room just for this machine.

Zero Gravity Treadmill.

This treadmill can take up to 20% off of your current body weight to allow you to run with less impact on your joints. This is perfect tool for people who are starting to run, injury recovery, and just to play with! I've got another 20 lbs to lose and what an inspiring experience it would be to be able to feel what it would be like to run at my goal weight!

Anyways, I've gushed enough about my physical therapist. Probably another side effect of my nerves! :) I will continue to carbo load, hydrate, stay off my foot, ice it like mad and pray for Saturday. I've made peace with the fact that I will not be running all of it as I had planned. I've also made peace that I may not complete it as well, but that is only the worst case scenario. If I can walk then I will finish it! :)

Rau Muống Xào (Stir-fried Water Spinach)

2011-04-04T19:02:00.001-07:00

My most favorite vegetable in the entire world is Water Spinach. Growing up in a Vietnamese household, I only knew it as Rau Muống. In Asian grocery stores (where it is readily available), it may also be called Ong Choy (the Cantonese name for it.) Though I love it so much, I rarely buy any due to it's tedious preparation. (Think snapping off ends of green beans or shucking peas.) Whenever I buy a bag, I'm immediately taken back to my mother's kitchen. I remember her plucking the spinach into two large bowls. One for the usable spinach and one for the ends and pieces. I remember the smells of frying garlic wafting throughout the entire house. I remember the sounds of the sizzle of the wet spinach hitting the hot wok. Those are all the same sights and sounds that my daughter experienced tonight when I made this dish. Perhaps someday, the mere mention of a dish will flash her back to her mommy's kitchen.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Water Spinach, here's a quick run down of the basics.

(I neglected to take a "before" photo, so this image is courtesy of phovietnam.com) This is a typical bundle of Water Spinach.

Each stem will have several long leaves on it.

To prepare the stem for stir-fries, snap in between the leaf nodes. About every inch or so.

The stems are hollow and easy to snap with your fingers. Discard the tough end pieces.

You will be rewarded with a huge pile of tender stems for your trouble.

Though, just like spinach, it will all shrivel down to a tiny bowl. The texture of the leaves are the same, but the stems remain, for lack of a better term, "al dente." It's not quite crunchy, but there is still resistance like lettuce.

Rau Muống Xào (Stir-fried Water Spinach)

1 large bunch Water Spinach, separated into 1" pieces
1 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Sesame Oil (optional)
4-6 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 tsp Fish Sauce, or to taste

Rinse the spinach in a colander. Allow the leaves to drain, but some water on the leaves is fine.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oils. When hot, add the garlic. Stir-fry for a few seconds or until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the spinach (the pan should sizzle from the residual water on the leaves.) Using tongs (or chopsticks if you so incline), stir/turn/flip the spinach until all the leaves are evenly wilted. Stir in the fish sauce and pull off the heat. Serve with hot Jasmine rice.

Food Blogger In Training

2011-03-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

I made a simple taco salad for my dinner tonight. As I normally do, I carefully plated it to make it photo worthy. By now, my daughter is very used to this, but still loves to watch me. She's very sweet and complimentary. (Mommy, that yooks wonderful! It's beautiful, Mommy! I yuv it!) Today in particular, I guess she wanted to do more than just watch, because as I was taking pictures of my food, I turned over to see her present me with this:

She had made a creation of crackers, cheese and turkey. Carefully plated it just like Mommy and asked for it to be photographed.

Then she asked for our dishes to be photographed together.

I'm so proud of my little future food blogger! :)

8 1/2 Miles

2011-03-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

My Saturday run was postponed to Sunday because the weather was suppose to be better. Instead, I got this:

I think that's the sun up there!

It worked out well for me because I get hot when I run. Though the other runners were still bundled up in coats, hats, gloves and long pants, I was seriously contemplating how far I could strip before I'd get arrested.

Ready to go!

8.5 miles later. Phew!

No matter how many runs I do. No matter how much I love running. No matter how wonderful I feel after the fact. I always have to mentally push myself out the door. It is never easy and I suspect that it never will be. At least it is finally starting to become a habit. I drop my daughter off at school and I run. The word 'weekend' is now synonymous with run.

Clean Eating Magazine Reader Recipe Tester

2011-03-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Who has two thumbs and is a recipe tester for Clean Eating magazine? This girl! :D

About a week ago, I submitted myself to become a recipe tester. I got an email a few days ago asking for a headshot and then finally an email with recipes to test. Woo hoo!

The recipes that they sent me aren't recipes that I would normally make, so this is a great opportunity for me to try things that are outside of my comfort zone. Unfortunately, I won't be able to share the exact recipe as they are property of Clean Eating magazine, but I can leave hints! ;-)

Running Update - 4 Weeks to Race Day

2011-03-18T07:40:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe, but my 1/2 marathon will be here in 4 short weeks. (Actually, it's only 3 weeks since there is 1 taper/rest week.) My mental state right now is I need more time! My longest run to date has been 7.5 miles. You're probably thinking to yourself, didn't you just run 10 miles? Well, I thought I did. According to my Nike Plus, I had run 10 miles, but in actuality it was around 7.5 miles. While 7.5 miles is a great distance, I was quite disappointed since I was expecting 10 miles. With my new GPS HRM, I will never have that kind of disappointment again. I can run in circles if I wanted to!

In the end, I know that I will finish my 1/2 marathon, but I want more than that. I want to run it without stopping. Will I have time to train for that goal in 3 weeks? I won't know unless I try.

Here I am before my run yesterday. It was such a gorgeous day!

A hot, sweaty mess after 7.5 miles.

`
I'm ultra slow, but as us slowpokes say "if it weren't for me, you'd have no one to pass." :)

Looking forward to another long run tomorrow. Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day and the winner of the CSN giveaway is.....

2011-03-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

Lucy! Congrats Lucy and thanks to everyone else for playing!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! (Our family dinner is being delayed until tomorrow. Pictures to come at a later date.)

Have a great Thursday!