Day one

Today was good. I ate well. Mom and I took the kids to McDonalds and didn't eat any of it. I was amazed at myself. :) my run on the treadmill went better then I thought I would go. I am so tired. Dinner was good. I will post the recipe up after this. I only ate a couple Hersey kisses. I made it! 

Starting over

So here I am, 6 weeks after Oliver was born and 40 lbs over weight. Here's to starting over, here's to becoming the woman I want to be, here's the discovering how great life is and here's to gaining self control.

Now since I am only 6 weeks post baby and I am nursing, this will be my first stage.

First stage - nov 9 - jan 3

Goals: 1. To lose 10lbs and be at 160lbs

           2. Be able to run 3 miles without stopping

First stage diet: 

Breakfast - 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 tbs chia seeds, 1 tsp honey, banana

Snack - apple, yogurt

Lunch - 3 eggs, green onion, bell pepper, spinach, and mushrooms 

Snack -  string cheese, carrots with hummus

Dinner - what I make with lots of veggies 

Snack - 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1cup skim milk, 1tsp honey, 1 tbs chocolate chips 

Lots of vegetables, lots of protein, little sugar. 

1800 - 2000 calories a day 

First stage workouts: 

6 days a week running/ walking 30 mins on treadmill to build up endurance 

3 days a week strength training 30 mins 

I write this down so I am accountable for my goals and that I have no excuses not to do this. I want to change the way I live life not just how I look. I think the key here is patience. 

BBQ Chicken Foil Packet

One of my favorite things to do is throw chicken and a bunch of veggies in foil, wrap it up and cook! So easy! 

 

BBQ chicken foil packets

Ingredients 

- chicken breast

- bell peppers ( any color)

- red onion

- red potatoes

- zuchini

- mushrooms

- pineapple

- BBQ sauce

Spray tin foil sheet

Place chicken breast, top with veggies and some BBQ sauce. Wrap tightly and place in 400 degree oven or on grill for 20-30 minutes. Serve with brown rice! I love this meal! 

My favorite salad!

I wanted to post the recipe for my favorite salad so that I do not forget it! 

BBQ chicken salad

Ingredients 

- cooked chicken breasts, shredded.

- romaine lettuce

- spinach lettuce

- tomatoes

- avacado

- black beans 

- corn

- cilantro

- green onions

- cooked quinoa

- BBQ sauce

- ranch dressing

Basically I add together all ingredients but chicken and sauces in a large bowl. I mix the shredded chicken with the BBQ sauce and mix that into the greens. After I serve it on the plate then I add a little dressing to the top. I love this salad and I could eat it all day long, or every night for dinner.

Feeding my family.....

This past few months I have gone though a major change with the way that I feed my family. It is like a light bulb went off in my head and I understand why it is important to feed my family better then I had been. 

I am stricter with what food I bring into my house, the snacks I feed my kids and the dinners that I make. My kids are snackers! Just like their dad, they love to eat snacks. I have cut all snacks but fruits and veggies. No crackers or cookies. It took a while for them to get used to it, but if it is not in the house they can't eat it. So here is a daily meal plan for me and the kids.....

Breakfast - oatmeal with skim milk and a little brown sugar. A cup of orange juice and banana. I make them eat it all so that they won't be hungry after 2 minutes which cereal does every time. 

Morning snack - applesauce or apple, almonds or granola. That is it until lunch time. I am very strict on this. 

Lunch - sandwich with fruit and veggie and milk.  Right now I take the kids to a free lunch at the park and this is what they give them and this is what we eat at home.

Afternoon snack - popcorn, veggies and cheese stick. This one is hard, for me too. My Will power is always wayning around this time and I want to eat and eat. So being strict here is a lot of work and i hear a lot of whining from my kids.

Dinner - meat and veggies and a carb. That is it. Somedays it is a salad with chicken and bread, another night it might be grilled fish and veggies with brown rice. Nothing fancy, just simple and healthy. Dinner time is usually a fight but I make them eat all their food, all of it! Even my 2 year old eats all his veggies, I do have to help him though but knowing that they ate all their food makes me feel better about my day. 

Treat - this is usually a little cup of cold cereal that I let them have before bed. Nothing big or filling. I am trying the get my kids to understand that snacks are not to fill you up and after a meal you should never feel too full just satisfied. 

Now I do allow my family 2 treats a week. Friday is family pizza night and I make homemade pizza and either cinnamon bites or Carmel popcorn. 

Saturday is hamburger night with ice cream. I want them to look forward to things and family time. I don't want to reward them with food but I also don't want to deprive them so allowing them to eat unhealthy foods a couple nights a week helps them see that watching what they eat is important. 

I am not perfect, I feel I am getting better with understanding foods but I also get cravings for those unhealthy foods that I let control my life. Like pastas and lots of cheese!!!!!

Chicken tortilla soup

Yesterday was cinco de mayo and it was chilly and cloudy so I thought it was only fitting to make a Mexican flavored soup! This soup was so good! I adapted the recipe from pioneer woman's chicken tortilla soup. 

Ingredients 

-2 chicken breasts 

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-11/2 teaspoons cumin

-1 teaspoon chili powder

-1 teaspoon garlic powder

-1/2 teaspoon salt 

- 1 cup carrots chopped

- 1 onion chopped

- 1 bell pepper chopped

- 3 cloves garlic 

- 1 can Rotel

- 2 cups chicken/vegtable broth

- 3 tablespoons tomato paste 

- 1 can black beans 

- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn

- 1/2 cup refried beans 

- 1 lime

- chopped cilantro

- Colby jack cheese

- tortilla chips or strips

- sour cream

- avocados

- red onion 

Preheat oven to 375. Drizzle olive oil on chicken. In a bowl mix cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt. Sprinkle a little on chicken and set the rest aside. Put chicken on pan and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until done. Shred cooked chicken and set aside. 

Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in soup pan and heat to medium high. Put in carrots, onion, peppers, and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add rest of spice mixture to veggies and shredded chicken. Add rotel, chicken broth, tomato paste and black beans. Bring to boil, the lower heat to simmer and cook 45 minutes. Add refried beans and corn. Cook 30 minutes more. Take off hear and add lime juice and some chopped cilantro. Wait 15 or so minutes before serving. Garnish with what ever you like. ;) 

This soup was awesome and even my kids ate it! That is always a winner in my book! 

Pregnancy work out schedule

I get so motivated to exercise and work my body that sometimes I forget that I am pregnant and there are limits that I have. So I have come up with a work out schedule that fits my body and fitness level at this time. If I am going to stick to a workout schedule when I am done being pregnant then I can stick to one now. I want to prove to myself that I can work hard and I am not a quitter.

Monday - Walk 2 hours 

                30 mins full body work out

Tuesday - Walk 2 hours 

                 30 mins full body workout 

Wednesday - Walk 2 hours 

                      30 full body workout

Thursday - Walk 2 hours 

                  30 mins full body workout

Friday - Walk 2 hours 

             30 mins full body workout 

Saturday - rest

Sunday - rest 

I will post exactly what my leg and arm workouts are when I figure them out and which ones I like. I don't want to be depressed durning this pregnant because I can't do anything and I feel fat. I want to feel empowered and healthy and happy. So here is to a healthy pregnancy. 

15 weeks

I am 15 weeks and feeling better every day. Thank goodness. This week has been hard with Jacob breaking his collar bone and me eating many things that I shouldn't be eating. 

It is a new month and I can start over! 

Bring on May! 

Pregnancy Diet

I never put myself on a diet with my other pregnancies.... I just kind of ate what I wanted when I wanted. I tried to eat healthy but I wasn't really committed. That is probably why I always gained 60+ pounds. This pregnancy I am committed and I want to prove to myself that I can have a enjoyable, healthy pregnancy and I don't have to gain as much weight.

So here is my Pregnancy menu Plan....

Breakfast - Oatmeal with skim milk and berries.  A protein shake and my vitamins.

Snacks - Apple, protein bar, almonds

Lunch - Egg Burrito with lots of veggies.

Snack - 1 string cheese, carrots and hummus

Dinner -  What i make with lots of veggies.

Snack - 100 calorie kettle corn.

Now I am not strict. I try to stay on the diet but I do add things in so my calorie intake is 1800 - 2000 a day. I feel like I am eating plenty and healthy. I am not trying to starve myself just make better choices so losing this weight after won't be as hard.

This past week...

Last week was depressing and oh so very long! It was only nice on Monday last week and rainy or cold the rest of the week. I was feeling cooped up in the house and going crazy!!! I only walked 2 times last week and that is unacceptable.

So the first thing I did this morning was pack up my stroller and kids and lots of blankets and jackets and we headed to the greenbelt. It was COLD!!!! and windy! but my kids were troopers and we made it the 5 miles. I feel so much better and the weather is only going to get better the rest of the week!!! YAY! I am so excited to get my walking in this week!

Applesauce Muffins

I am not much of a baker but once in a while I want a yummy fattening muffin.
This is not a recipe for that, but it still is yummy and filling.

I got the Recipe here. 

What You Will Need:

1 cup oats (not instant)

1 cup skim milk

½ cup unsweetened applesauce 

2 egg whites

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with muffin liners.

Combine oats, milk, applesauce and egg whites in a medium bowl and mix well.

In a separate larger bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon.

Fold in the oat mixture, but do not over mix because the muffins will turn out tough.  Add in walnuts.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups (this recipe makes 12), and bake in the oven for twenty minutes.

My kids really enjoyed them and I ate about 5!

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

So after 8 1/2 years of marriage, I just learned that my husband loves beans and rice. Go figure. So I am trying to find recipes that my family enjoys that are beans and rice. My oldest doesn't really like beans so he will probably just have to get over that.

Beans and rice are Healthy and Cheap!

Here is a recipe that I tried yesterday and everyone liked (well except Jacob, but he did eat it!)

I got the recipe here.

Cuban Black Beans and Coconut Rice

Ingredients  

1 c. sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup rice

3 1/2-4 cups vegetable or chicken broth, divided

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 Tbsp. butter, divided (or olive oil, for vegan version)

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

2 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (skip if desired)

1 lime

3 green onions, sliced

approximately 3/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro (I usually use 1 whole bunch)

sour cream (optional)

easy mango salsa

Cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread out coconut on baking sheet and bake until toasted, 5-10 minutes.
2. Bring 2 1/2 cups of the broth, salt, pepper, and 2 Tbsp. butter to a boil in large saucepan. Stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook about 20 minutes until water is absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions and carrots 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Stir in black beans, spices, and 1 cup of broth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. If bean mixture begins to look too dry, add a little more broth.
4. Roll the lime around on the counter, pressing down with your palm as you roll to loosen the juices. Remove rice from heat. Cut lime in half, then squeeze in juice from both halves. Stir in toasted coconut and cilantro.
5. To serve, spoon rice onto plate. Top with beans, and then garnish with sour cream, cheese and salsa.

Preparation time: 25 minute(s)

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

exercising while pregnant

When I am pregnant I gain a lot a weight. Mainly because I quit exercising. So when I got pregnant with this baby, I made a goal, promise or commitment to myself that I will exercise this entire pregnancy. Now I know my limits and what I can do so walking is what I have chosen to work on. For this summer until the end of my pregnancy, I will be walking 2 hours 5 times a week..I am hoping and praying because of this I will.......

                    1. Not gain as much weight.

                    2. Feel better about myself and my body.

                    3. Recover faster from giving birth

                    4. Get my body back faster.

                    5. Just be happier!

why this blog?

I am starting this blog about my journey to find myself and in turn be a better mother.
Growing up I hated exercise of any kind. I would only move my body if I had to.... with that said I wasn't always at the weight that I wanted to be at. I would run or workout here and there but nothing constant and nothing that I would commit to. After I got married and started having babies, I began to understand how important exercise was to my sanity and my health. It wasn't until after I had my third when I made it a priority in my life.

Now that I am pregnant with my fourth, exercise is something that I have to make time for, something I have to put ahead of other things. I have to put it ahead of having an amazingly decorated house, or a perfectly clean house. I have to put it ahead of cute clothes and having my hair done everyday. I put it ahead of crafting and baking. I just can't do it all and I have made exercise to be near the top of my list.

So this blog is just my thoughts on my journey, recipes, goals and ideas. Mostly a journal.