Mandarin Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
3 TBSP frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 TBSP lower-sodium soy sauce
1 TBSPfreshly minced garlic
1 TBSP hot sesame oil
1 tsp chili garlic sauce or chili paste
3/4 cup canned unsweetened mandarin oranges in juice
6 (4-ounce) trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast

In a large zip lock bag or container, mix  juice, soy, garlic, oil and chili sauce.  Gently stir in the oranges and their juice.  Add the chicken.

Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or over night, rotating once or twice.

Preheat the oven to 400degrees. Transfer chicken to glass baking or casserole dish.  Pour remaining marinade on top.  Cover dish with foil and bake 25-30 mins, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Makes 6 servings
183 Calories per serving


Served great over rice!

Raspberry Swirl Dessert

I subscribe to the 'Healthy Cooking'  edition of Taste Of Home...so when I first saw this recipe, it sounded so yummy for summer dessert!  I was excited. It was way more labor intensive than I had planned...I remember thinking...this would have to be amazing for me to ever want to make it again!! Well, I have made it 4 times now! Needless to say its worth the effort! It is a lovely dessert that you make ahead and freeze for guests...
If any of you are brave enough to try, I'd love some feedback!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 5 teaspoons sugar
• 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (I use the low fat version)
• FILLING:
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1-1/2 cups reduced-fat whipped topping
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, butter and sugar. Press into an 11-in. x 7-in. dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, for filling, in a small heavy saucepan, combine the egg yolks, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Set aside.
• In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and remaining water and sugar. With a portable mixer, beat on low speed until mixture reaches 160°. Transfer to a small bowl; beat on high until soft peaks form.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in egg yolk mixture. Fold in whipped topping, then egg white mixture. Drain raspberries, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. In a small bowl, crush half of berries with 1 tablespoon juice. Set remaining berries and juice aside.
• Spread a third of cream cheese mixture over crust; spoon half of crushed berry mixture over the top. Repeat layers. Cut through with a knife to swirl raspberries.
• Top with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with reserved berries and drizzle with remaining juice. Cover and freeze for 5 hours or until firm. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

Nutritional Facts1 piece equals 217 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 71 mg cholesterol, 164 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1-1/2 fat.

healthy chocolate shake

Best Chocolate Shake

The only sweeteners in this are bananas and dates.

3 cups unsweetened almond milk
4 - 6 frozen bananas (Important – they must be frozen or it won’t be a “shake”)
2-3 medjool dates with pits out (we like 2)
1-2 Tblsp of unsweetened cocoa (we like closer to 1)

2- 3 Tblsp of natural peanut butter (optional)

Blend it all in your blender

** You can use regular milk if you want. We use Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk. You can find it at health food stores and some grocery stores.

** Whenever your bananas start to get too brown, break them in to pieces and freeze them in ziploc bags. I always have a ton of frozen bananas in my freezer. If you don't have a powerful blender, let the bananas defrost a little so you don't kill your motor.

**Start out with the smaller amounts of cocoa and dates and taste it, if you want more, add them.

**These are seriously so delicious. They taste like a shake you can get from a malt shop. So good.

cowboy caviar

This is one of my kids all times favorites. It is really a dip or side dish but my kids ask for it for dinner all the time.

Cowboy Caviar

1 (15 oz ) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
2 large tomatoes, chopped (or 4 roma tomatoes)
1 large avocado, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


Dressing:
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
3-4 Tbsp lime juice
3/4 - 1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Mix dressing in separate small bowl and then mix into other ingredients

 

* if you are like me then chips are your nemesis. so i have started baking my own tortilla chips using corn tortillas. i bake mine up just plain with no oil or salt but you can also do it this way. Either way they are still healthier than store bought chips!

Fruit parfait

This is an easy recipe 

Vanilla yogurt and your favorite fruit.  I slice strawberries and mix them in with the yogurt.  My daughters love it as a dessert.  Perfect for busy times.  

I have saved on my grocery bill thanks to being in this challenge.  I heard to only shop the outside isles at the grocery store and it's mostly true!  I have stayed away from most processed foods that are all found on those inside aisles at the store.  And what I've heard in the past that it costs more to eat healthy is false.  For a family of three I'm talking myself & 2 teenage daughters I have cut my food spending to about $60 a week and that is all fresh fruits, veggies and meat, milk, eggs & bread.  I'm losing pounds, inches and feeling good.

My "A-HA" Moment in Chalk

So you know how people talk about having that "A-Ha" moment that motivates them to lose weight.  Well I had mine drawn in chalk for me this week.  I was playing with the boys and we decided to trace their bodies on the driveway.  We did Caden...

Then Ethan...

Then they really wanted to do Momma...I thought it would be fun.  When I got up when they were finished I couldn't stop laughing....I've never looked better!

The first thing my husband said after he saw it was, "you don't really look like that."  Man, if nothing else at the end of this 10 week challenge I'd like to look a little sexier in chalk.

Now That's Good Chicken

So here are a few chicken recipes that I LOVE!
I think I may have found this first one on one of Katie's cooking blogs?

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

photo from www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

Ingredients

• 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato dressing, divided
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 

Instructions

1. Place a large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; heat grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, place chicken in resealable plastic bag. Add 1/4 cup dressing and seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate 10 minutes (I marinate it all day if I remember in time). Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and dressing.
2. Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill for about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil.
3. Turn the chicken over and place cooked-side up, on foil on the grill. Top with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill 8 minutes or until chicken is done.
4. *Sometimes we add a splash of balsalmic vinegar to give it a bit more zip

So here is another one that is not necessarily "low calorie" but it is so good.  My sister-in-law made a low calorie version by taking the meat mixture adding black beans, corn and cilantro and stuffing it in bell peppers and then baking it that way without the creamy enchilada sauce.  I'm excited to try the stuffed pepper way next!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
8-10 flour tortillas, (I use the soft taco tortillas because they fit perfectly in the pan)

1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded

2 cups green enchilada sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the honey (their tip: spray your measuring spoon with cooking spray before measuring out the honey), lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder together and toss with the shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (or toss together in a Ziploc bag and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours).

Spray a 9X13 pan and a 9X9 pan with cooking spray. Pour enough enchilada sauce on the bottom of each baking pan to create a thin layer on the bottom. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and a generous amount of shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.
Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover chicken marinade (you might not need to use all of the enchilada sauce depending on how saucy you like yours). Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and top with reserved cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top. I served mine with sour cream, pico de gallo, cilantro lime rice and black beans.

Doc McStuffins no bake muffins!

Man, I use to love lounging around watching the Barefoot Contessa and Giada de laurentiis on the food network.  Now my idea of watching a cooking show is shouting, "hey rewind that" when the That's Fresh For Kids cooking show comes on the Disney Channel.   So without further ado... Doc McStuffins no bake muffins.  Please tell me I am not the only one singing 'Time for your check up'...  

2 out of 3 kids loved them!  I prefer my muffins cooked but overall not bad and pretty healthy.      

Get out of town.

Ice Cream with ONE ingredient....

BANANAS!!! Its not to good to be true, trust me. 

I was skeptical at first too but it taste Exactly like ice cream. (Even if you hate banana)

 If you freeze a banana until solid, then whiz it up in a blender or food processor, it gets creamy and delicious!  I was surprised at this bit of kitchen wizardry; I assumed that a blended banana would be flaky or icy. But no — it makes creamy, rich ice cream. So what i usually do is slice some old bananas and put them in the freezer over night and the next morning toss them in the blender! If you hate banana then go ahead and add more fruit and experiment with flavor, but I'm not kidding guys this is a super awesome substitute for ice cream... say no to making banana bread and make banana ice cream for your family!!

Two Recipes

I have two of my favorite recipes that I want to share. First is a yummy one for summer. I made it on the one nice day we have had so far here in Seattle. 

Grilled Marinated Chicken with Mom’s Barley Corn Salad

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup medium barley
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1-1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 4 slices cooked thick or center cut bacon, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• salt & pepper

For the Tomato Vinaigrette:

• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon red onion
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Cook barley with a pinch of salt according to package directions. Drain when barley is tender to make sure all excess water is removed. Place into a large bowl to cool slightly.
2. Make the Tomato Vinaigrette: Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a food processor or blender, then process until smooth. Place 6 Tablespoons of the vinaigrette into a plastic bag and set the remaining aside. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt & pepper, then add it to the bag with the vinaigrette and marinate in the refrigerator while you make the Barley Corn Salad.
3. Stir corn, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and bacon into the cooled barley. Add enough of the reserved tomato vinaigrette to coat and stir well. Gently fold in avocado then season with salt & pepper to taste. Place into the refrigerator.
4. Heat a grill to high and grill chicken for 4-5 minutes a side, or until cooked through. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes off the grill, then divide salads onto plates and top with grilled chicken.

Chicken Coconut Curry
I love love soups. This is a quick and easy flavorful soup.

• 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size cubes 
• 6 teaspoons curry powder, divided 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided 2 tablespoons coconut oil or canola oil, divided 
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped 
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 
• 1 14-ounce can "lite" coconut milk '
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth 
• 4 cups 1-inch chunks Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 medium) 
• 1 cup sliced carrots 
• 1/2 cup chopped celery 
• 3/4 cup frozen peas 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon curry powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring once or twice, until mostly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pot and add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is starting to soften, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 5 teaspoons curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add coconut milk, broth, potatoes, carrots, celery and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and carrots are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Return the chicken to the pot and add peas. Increase heat to high and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro and brown sugar.
346 calories Per serving

Honey vanilla granola

I have been concerned lately about the sugar cereal I feed my kids.  It makes things easy in the morning and I don't feel like arguing with my kids in the morning so it's an easy out.  But I know they deserved a better breakfast than that.  When I am feeling super domestic and have time I like to make granola.  I know exactly what is going into it, they actually like it, and it's way better for them.  So tomorrow I am going to make several batches and not buy sugar cereal on my weekly shopping trip so their choice will be granola or granola!  If you eat one portion it's a good hearty breakfast for you too!  Or eat with some greek yogurt, yum.

Honey/vanilla granola
Mix together:
7 cups oats or 6 grain mix
2 cups Rice Krispies
Add:
3 cups of nuts, seeds, dried fruit.  Blend in a blender so they are in small bits.  I like almonds and raisins.  Do not blend raisins alone in a blender, it will be a mess!  Mix with the nuts.
Add 1 tsp vanilla powder and 1tsp cinammon if desired.

Melt together 1 1/2 cups of honey and 1/2 c melted butter or oil (olive, veg, or canola).  Add two beaten egg whites.

Pour honey mixture over dry mixture and stir well.  Spread onto greased cookie sheet (or two) and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Stir and bake additional 10-15 minutes until brown on top.  Remove and let cool slightly, not all the way or it'll get stuck in a big clump.  Store in an ice cream bucket or oats bucket.

Cottage Cheese Snack

1/2 cup ff cottage cheese (70 calories)
1/4 cup garbanzo beans (71 calories)
1/8 cup or less of pickled jalapeno slices (12 calories)

153 Calories for a protein packed snack!  I have to say, its delicious.  The pickled jalapeno slices make it flavorful with only a touch of spiciness.

Back at it!!

Hello Ladies -

So I fell off the wagon for awhile there.  I completely lost all motivation to lose weight or exercise.  I'm not sure why, but I just became so lazy and unmotivated.

Is there anyone else out there that become easily distracted and falls back into old habits?  I sometimes get so frustrated with myself because I can't seem to stick with a healthy meal plan or exercise.  Oh well, one I just have to remind myself that it is one day at a time and everyday is a new day!  Today I choose to be healthy and happy, after-all I deserve it!!

I have to say that having a sister in this competition has made all the difference!  Thanks, Christina for all the salads this week!  I think maybe that has helped my mindset with getting back into the game!  I love you! and I am so grateful that the Lord put us together as sisters so we can be forever friends!

Week 3 Standings and Week 2 Prize Winner

Current Standings:

1.  Emma:  297

2.  Katie:  288.5

3.  Amy:  286

3.  Artesia:  286

4.  Danielle:  276

5.  Caralee:  271

6.  Megan:  270

7.  Christina:  267

8.  Stephanie:  264.5

10.  Liz:  203

Congrats to EMMA and KATIE for earning all your points this week!  You girls rock!

I will update the points for Heather and Laci when I get their reports.  And just a little FYI Alicia decided not to continue with the competition, so we are down to 12...we will miss you Alicia!

Week 2 Prize Winner:

This week we had 7 ladies get all exercise points to be eligible for the prize!

Watch the video to find out who won!

Congrats winner!  Let me know your address and I will get the prize in the mail to you!

Don't forget to post a healthy recipe on the blog to be eligible for next week's prize!

Spinach tip and a favorite recipe

I would love to share one of my favorite recipes with you.  I haven't been able to make it since my baby has been born because of the parmesean cheese, but it is SO delicious!  I miss it!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/04/garlic-chicken-pasta-with-spinach.html
 

Ingredients

• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this doesn’t add spiciness – just the right amount of flavor)
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound penne pasta (I like to use whole wheat penne)
• 1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
• 6 tablespoons juice from 2 lemons
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
3. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm (al dente). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

 SPINACH for smoothies

I read on pinterest a cool tip on saving spinach for smoothies.  When I buy spinach at Costco I never go through it all before it goes bad (maybe I just need to eat it more).  Someone had a great idea and shared it!  If you puree your spinach in a little bit of water in the blender, then put it into ice cube trays and freeze it, you can just throw several of the spinach cubes into your smoothie mixture.  Here is a post about it if you are interested.
http://rowdystroudy.blogspot.com/2012/08/good-things-and-green-smoothie-tip.html

Well here we go..!

Into week four! One of the very first post was a picture of a girl running and it said something like It takes 4 weeks for you to notice and 8 weeks for friends and family and 12 for the rest of the world, so going into week four im excited to see if i notice a change. AND its my favorite challenge thus far... i love planning and attempting to make yummy healthy meals ha.

 Im heading into my last week of school and then graduation.. with graduation parties...with cake... and calories. So see how this goes! Anyways I hope everyone has a really good week 4! 

 

 

Listen To Your BODY!!

Monday I started feeling really weak, achy...knew something was brewing. Tuesday I decided it would not have the best of me, so my stubborn self went to the gym, and did an hour (albeit a very slow hour)...Tuesday night, I was just about sleeping by the time I got home. For the past 2 days, I have literally slept my life away. Some days, I just don't see it coming. Maybe because May is Lupus awareness month, and my body wanted to make sure I was aware??  If my fever breaks, today I am going to attempt to go to work at least for a few hours.
Health can sure can put a kink in your plans though.  Hope you all are having a great week.  I will be sleeping and trying to muster up some much needed motivation for the upcoming week.  
On a good note...getting the 7 hours of sleep isn't really a problem right now :/
 

Another one bites the dust.

And not in a good way. :(
So far this challenge has not been easy. We have been traveling and I have not been making healthy choices. :(
Instead of losing, I have been slowly creaping back up. I just want to cry, but it's my fault, so please no sympathy!
I WILL do better this week!!!!!!!

Soccer...

Well, if I could play soccer every night of the week, I would be doing way better in this challenge.  I am on a city league team that plays once a week.  Its so much fun and a great workout.  I love it!  The other days, however, are not going so well.  I like to run outside, but would love to run without kiddos.  That rarely gets to happen.  This week it has been too cold or windy or rainy to take the kids so I have not done a lot of running.  I get bored on the treadmill and with dvds.  So I really need to figure out what to do to get myself going again.

Thanks for the post on green smoothies!  I like them a lot, but sometimes forget about them.  My son and husband like them too.  Do you ever have any kind of protein in them?  Or if you have one for breakfast, for instance, would you pair it with an egg or something on the side?

Awesome job for resisting sweets (I forgot to look at who posted that, but great job!)  I, too, would love tips on resisting sweets or figuring out how to have a decent portion size.  I have had a couple of bad nights this week with sweets.

I think the group challenge next week will be good.  I usually follow a meal plan for dinners, but not for breakfast or lunch.  So its been good to start thinking about it.  I'll be able to make sure I put some great items on my grocery list.  I really like omelets for breakfast, and since starting this challenge, have learned egg whites are so low in calories but high in protein, so it makes a great option for breakfast. 

Great job to everyone doing so well!  I hope I can gain back some motivation this week. 

Green Smoothies

Green smoothies are awesome because they contain lots of fresh, raw leafy greens, which are some of the most nutritious foods on earth. Green smoothies are also easy to make and most people like them once they have given them a shot. The only special tool you need is a blender. Now I have a Blendtec blender, which is like a $400 blender. It seems really ridiculous to spend that much on a blender. But the good news is you do not need an expensive blender to make these. I made these for a long time on my $40 blender from Target and they were great.


Okay here are the steps to making green smoothies:


1. Fill blender with 2-3 cups water. ( I like mine thin so I put in a little more than 3 cups)
2. Put in several handfuls of greens - really pack them in (When first starting with kids put in less)
3. Blend the greens and water for about 1 min,
4, Add 2 ripe bananas ( not overly ripe like for banana bread but not green)
5. Blend again
6. Add whatever fruit you like ( I usually do frozen fruit because it is convenient and we like these smoothies cold)
7. Blend again and drink up! - (I stick my husband's portion covered in the fridge and he drinks it when he gets home. He usually just stirs it up before he drinks it)

** You don't have to blend up everything separately but I think it comes out with a much smoother consistency when you do.

**The easiest green to start with I think is spinach - it's easy to find and if you have a Sam's Club or Costco membership you can get big tubs of organic spinach for cheap. Spinach has a really mild taste that is mostly masked by the fruit. Other mild greens are:

collards

chard

kale

beet greens

dandelion greens

parsley

It's great to mix and change up your greens but for now just start with spinach till you get the hang of it.

** The choices for fruit are almost endless. I have used apples, pears, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, oranges, mangoes, pineapple, etc... Lately I have been using a frozen tropical mix from Walmart.

 

** It is also good to add some sort of healthy fats to help in the absorption of the nutrients. I rotate between hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds. You can also add avocado for an extra smooth smoothie.

** There are lots of other things you can add to smoothies but don't make them too complicated at first.

** I would love to get you feedback on these. So if you try them, let me know!!

Sweets anyone?

This week has been filled with sweets. Everyday this week there has been some occasion that has involved desserts. Its been a good test of my will power. I choose to have a dessert once and stuck to the serving size. It was a good reminder that I can have treats once in a while just in moderation.

What things do you guys do to help curb your sweet tooth?

Running

As much as I try to switch up my exercise routine so I don't get bored, I find that I still feel the best after a good long run.  I like to sweat, I like to breathe hard, and I like to do it somewhere else other than my living room.  I have tried several of those workouts seen on pinterest with the numbers of certain moves repeated and you are supposed to be done in ten minutes or something.  They do make my legs and abs sore the next day but I still like a good long, hard run.  I have a 13 year old son who was on the track and cross country teams so he likes to run.  Of course he barely weighs 100 pounds and is as tall as me so he can about double my time.  I really enjoy when he runs with me and waits for his old, slow mom.  We don't talk about much (mostly because I can hardly breathe let alone talk) but just having company makes it all better.  The sunshine helps too.  Here is to more good long runs....

Famous Idaho Potato Marathon

   

To support employee health and team building {and potatoes}, Simplot picked up the tab on race registration for the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon.  Or in my case the Famous Idaho Potato 10K.  This is my first race post baby.  I was pretty proud of myself for running the whole thing.  I am even a minor celebrity making the news as I crossed the finish line.   

Week 2 Results and Prize Winner!

Current Standings:

1.  Emma:  198

2.  Amy:  197

3.  Katie:  189.5

4.  Danielle:  189

4.  Artesia:  189

5.  Megan:  187

6.  Heather:  177

7.  Caralee:  174

8.  Christina:  172

9.  Stephanie:  166.5

10.  Liz:  161

11.  Laci:  95

12.  Alicia  (send me your points and I can update the standings)

And just a quick shout-out to Amy and Emma who got a perfect 99 last week...our California girls rock!

Subway Prize Winner:

So 9 of you completed the group challenge and are eligible for the Subway gift card. 

Here are the 9 names that were entered into the drawing:

Watch this video to see who won:

Exciting stuff!  Get all your exercise points to be in next week's drawing!

Food for Thought...
Week 3...
I can't lie, I expected more than a pound this week...I worked hard!! But, I will take it!  When I feel discouraged about my weeks loss or lack of, I think of it in terms of butter... (I'm simple minded, what can I say) :) So this week I did not just lose a pound...but the equivalent of four cubes of butter I don't have to carry around anymore. 

MyFitnessPal

Please add me as a friend on MyFitnessPal my user name is christinamoses10 I have the free app on my phone and find it a great tool it is especially helpful to have to be accountable to my friends on there.  I just started using it again this week.  I've been using the lose it app but it doesn't have the friend option.  Now I'm using them both and comparing them.  I'm looking forward to week #3 and hopefully some weight and inch loss :) have a great week every one!

I Need Some Wind

I felt a lot like this boat this past week!  I felt like the wind was knocked out of my sails!  

Since my pregnancy with my second son I have had an umbilical hernia, with this last pregnancy it got quite large.  It is so ugly, unsightly even.  When I was pregnant my 4 year old asked me if that was the baby's nose.  I've known for awhile that I need to have it surgically repaired.  Well this week I had an appointment with the surgeon to talk about that and to talk about another abdominal mass I discovered.  Talk about a stressful couple of weeks...if you have an unknown mass don't google it!!!  I was pretty sure I had cancer.  I wasn't sleeping at night worrying about who was going to take care of my children when I was gone...my mind was going crazy!  This, along with company in town, eating out more, and not getting enough exercise was a perfect storm for an apathetic me.  It was no surprise that I had gained weight this morning!
I did find out my mass is actually a second hernia, an incisional one where my scar tissue in the muscle from all of my c-sections has ripped.  So although I was relieved and grateful it wasn't anything worse, I'm still bummed that I'm facing a pretty big surgery (now with 2 incisions) in my near future to get everything fixed.  I'm most likely going to be having surgery the last week of our competition.
At first I was thinking of just dropping out, continuing to moderate but not participate.   But I felt a little "wind" blowing me out of the dirt...namely Megan who signed up with me to take Zumba, water aerobics, and a boot camp class in June.  Starting today I am back in and really trying to feel that motivated feeling that will keep me going.
Hope none of you are feeling like you are stuck in the dirt this week!

Calories, duh duh duh

So I did not even attempt to do the first weeks challenge of counting calories. I mean am I the only one who hates counting calories?? It is really silly but I just hate the idea of having to enter in my recipes and calculate calories. It seems like a lot of work. But I know it is an important thing to have an idea of how many calories we are consuming.

So I had an interesting experience with this last week. I was at chick-fil-a with my kids. Isn't that where you guys eat when you are trying to lose weight??? Anyhow, I noticed that they now list the calories of all their menu items. They even had this pamphlet that showed some possible meals and the total calories. Here is where it got interesting for me. 1 meal was a grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and an ice tea. That meal was 390 calories. Another meal was a yogurt with granola and berries and a coffee. That meal was 330 calories! I mean you would get so much less food and feel so much less satisfied with almost the same amount of calories. And before seeing that I would have never guess that the yogurt contained so many calories. I am sure it is because of the sugar content in bot the yogurt and the granola.

Anyhow, all that is to say that I am really trying to get a better understanding of the things I eat and be aware of some of the hidden calories that I am eating.

Just trying some new things...

SO this week i decided to spice things up a little hah well not really, i just wanted to focus on toning my body so i discovered this little guy. He's not the nicest but maybe we can be friends in the end when i have lean legs....possibly
.  
Ive been pretty diligent in doing these steps and before you judge the pyramid let me tell you how it went for me. When i first saw it i thought it was waaaayyy too hard, like no way i could even do half of it but I made my self a promise that no matter how long it took i would at least give it a shot. So I did, no telling on how long it took me haha but i did it and it gets easier every day. I promise! so just give it a try one day! you wont regret iT!!! I hope you all have a super fit week!

This has been a tough week for me.  I had some not so fun dental work done, and pretty much ate applesauce for a couple days...It was hard to stay motivated, and in control.  I saw a sign this week that said " YOU CAN FEEL SORE TODAY, OR SORRY TOMORROW" That's really a great reminder with the exercise choices that we make!

I'm not thinking I have lost a bunch this week, but hopefully tomorrow will be surprising!
I hope you ladies have had a terrific week 2!! Hang in there! WE CAN DO THIS!

Checking in

Hello Ladies!

I hope you have all had a successful week so far!

I have been so busy this week with baseball and rugby for my younger boys and haven't had a chance to get on here.  I love reading all of your posts and think it is so funny how as women we think alike and how I can relate to so many of the thoughts that you all have. :)

I have struggled this week with being able to feed my family dinner before 7pm and one night 8pm... YIKES!  We are so busy with sports that we only have one day off from practice or games and that is Sunday.  I am in need of quick BUT healthy meal ideas.  Fast Food is going to be the death of me!!!!!

If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Asian Wraps

This are my most FAVORITE healthy meal!!!  So tasty and filling!  Hope some of you venture out and try these!

Ingredients:
3/4 lb lean ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken)
4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp srirachi sauce
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
3 oz mushrooms, diced
butter lettuce leaves, washed & dried

Directions:
In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground meat (I used turkey), stirring often and reducing the heat to medium when thoroughly browned. Add diced onions; bell peppers. Stir frequently until softened. Add the garlic, soy sauce, srirachi sauce, ginger, and white pepper. Stir occassionally adding mushrooms. Cook a few more minutes until mushrooms are softened. Remove from heat. Serve hot in lettuce leaves

So while the meat was browning, I mixed the ingredients that go in after the onions and peppers in a bowl, which made things easier. Also, I left out the mushrooms, and used black pepper instead of white.

Have a great week!

For All the Mothers, especially the new ones...

Let me begin by saying "Happy Mother's Day" to all of you ladies.  

I was fortunate to have an amazing mothers day weekend filled with lots of laughing, talking, visiting, and just a little bit of indulging.  I think week 1 was a total success and I feel motivated for week 2.  The only real issue I encountered {besides realizing 6 days of working out is HARD} was I noticed my milk production definitely decreased.  I tend to nurse exclusively in the evenings and on weekends but express while I am at work.  I made sure to get enough calories, just healthy ones.  What can I say, baby likes brownies.  Any tips are greatly appreciated.  Here are some pictures of our weekend and oh yeah holy bucket list I rode in a hot air balloon ride!!!  

Sophie and I have been looking forward to this for quite awhile.  

The beautiful dress my girls and husband picked out.  

 

                                              My beautiful mom!                                    All four kiddos squished in at FlatBread.                                   

Better late than never, right?

• Hi Ladies!  It's nice to meet everyone. :)  I never really know how to start these things so here goes nothing.  I'm Laci Wilson.  I am the youngest of 5 with 4 older brothers.  Yes, 4 older brothers. I was a bit of Tom boy growing up, but  now I am one of the most girly girls (ask Alicia).  I love to wear high heals and dresses pretty much all the time.  Oh and I love to iron, sometimes I iron my socks.   I just turned 28 and am still looking for Mr. Right.  If you know of any handsome single guys, send them my way (and Alicia's way too). 

I grew up in La Verkin, UT.  It's a small town in southern Utah by St. George and Zion National Park.  I moved to Salt Lake about 8 years ago for school and work.  I graduated in accounting about 6 years ago and have been working in the field since.  It's great except for the month of April. 

I have been gone a lot this week so I am pretty sure I came in dead last.   There is always room for improvement, right  I have loved reading all of your posts.  I am excited to get to know all of you over the next several weeks.

Well...

Hi Ladies!
As you can see, I am dead last in this slim down!  Sorry about that!  I've decided that I'm usually pretty good about eating better and less, as well as exercising more when I'm doing a program like this.  What I'm not good at is logging and keeping up with challenges.  But, either way, it's helping me and I'm ok if I don't "win."  I'm winning in my own race :-)  I've always been great at drinking lots of water, and am now just trying to cut out the occasional diet coke.  I've been doing long hikes lately and being outside as much as I can - the vitamin D is sure good for us!  Last week I was sick and on the couch for quite a bit of time, but things are looking up this week.  Good job to everyone else!!  Keep up the awesome work. 

Water

 

 I use my fitness pal to track my food, but the first few days it was hard for me to remember to track my water. So I came up with this little trick and its worked great for me. I'm using a dry erases marker and making tally marks for every 8oz I drink. This is my kitchen window right above my sink. So I see it every time I go to fill up my water bottle.

Feels good to have one week down! Week two going well so far. My youngest son and Husband have birthdays this week. I avoided all the sweets with one just one more to go!