Category Archives: Uncategorized

Palmolive

So I went to the hardware store the other day in Rosetown.  I needed a part for our sink that got broken in repair mode… ironic I know.  So found the piece for the bathroom sink, and carry on to the pay counter.  There in the sale bins was dishsoap.  I needed dishsoap!  In fact if I could buy it here, I wouldn’t have to go to the grocery store!  So I picked it up and proceeded to counter.  The nice gal rang in my stuff, and then told me that the dishsoap was final sale.  I kind of blinked, looked at her, said ok.  Meanwhile laughing inside thinking crazy rude things to say.  Like really?!  In case I get it home and um, it has gone bad?  I actually did pick it up sort of chuckling and said, “Is there an expiry date?” And I had another great thing to say but I forget.  Stage fright, it’s been too long.

J

Argh

Do you ever wake in the morning, vowing to eat awesomely great, and exercise and feel good?  And then you don’t?  That has been happening way to often and I’m in a slump.  I have been exercising, 5-6 times a week, and I do feel muscle definition in my quads and strength in my shoulders and arms… BUT I eat crappy.  I think I’m doing ok, but then I end up eating way too much, even if it is a pretty good choice.  Hands up if you are with me, and double hands up if you have a solution to end this madness!  (help)

 

Other than that, life is good!  I love my hubster and my kiddos, and my house and my yard… s’all good!

xo J

Spring Has Sprung!

We have had rain here steady for a week!  When the sun shines you can hear things growing!  We are so very thankful for the moisture. 

Hey, I had a Groupon and met with a Personal Trainer on monday.  It was good!  She gave me a plan to follow 6 days a week, and so far I’m doing it!  It feels great. 

I’m also still picking through my spring cleaning and that feels good too.

What are your tips for spring cleaning? 

Organizing… Ugh

I really long to have an organized house (well and life for that matter).  How do I do it?  I have a friend that is VERY organized, I’m going to ask her to blog about it.  This week has been a write off b/c of bus driving, but next week… it begins.  I even checked out totes today, and am thinking whatever doesn’t go out the door to the large pit to burn, or to town to the Thrift Store, or to cousins, nieces or nephews… shall be organized in a clear labeled tote.  What do you think of that?  So I want to clean out the house and get things to the storage shed.  THAT is another point of dis-organization.  IT needs to be cleaned out first.  I think if the weather is lovely I shall start with that… well maybe not, I think I need hubbies help on that one as there are rather large items that need to be shuffled.  OK, I think I shall start on my porch (I need to buy some storage) and then my kitchen.  One cupboard and drawer at a time.

And just to make this post taste good, here is my mom’s rice crispy cake recipe.  Don’t ever do it any other way from now on.

1/2c margarine, 4 cups mini marshmallow, microwave 1 minute and stir.  Microwave 1 minute and stir.  Then add 6 cups of rice crispies.  Press into a pan.  Voila!  That’s it!  Don’t skimp on the margarine.

Cheers!

J

HAPPY 2012!

Hi there!  I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years.  We did!  I’m happy to be home, and started my first day back home with exercise!  Well not that we didn’t exercise on holidays, we did ski every other day, that has to count for something!  I weighed in this morning too, afraid after all the chinese food and fast food and pizza… and it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected!  Maybe even lower than when we left 3 weeks ago!  So the sun is shining, I have new coffee, I talked to my mom for 30 min, AND I exercised.  A good day.  I’m happy to see my kids happy and home, not so happy with the mess.  I’m happy to see my horses happy and healthy and sunning.  (Is that a word?  Does that make any sense?  Don’t care)  I look forward to checking in with my awesome brother who is the other part of the awesome duo that makes up this blog.  And looking forward to routine.  Girls have a ski race this weekend, both Sat and Sun races, then I drive bus all next week.  So it will be routine, but not quite normal.  That’s ok.  I’m happy and looking forward to a great weight loss year full of organization!!!

Keep your tips up (as my brother says)

J-Bird

Random thoughts and recipes…

Carrot Satay Soup

3c chicken stock

3c sliced carrot

1c chopped onion

1/2c celery

2tbsp br sugar

2 minced garlic cloves

2tsp finely grated ginger root

1/2tsp salt

1/8tsp cayenne pepper

1/4c cream cheese

3tbsp smooth peanut butter

1tbsp soy sauce

sesame seeds for garnish – toasted.

Combine first 9 in slow cooker (I did mine in a pot)

Cook, covered on low 5-6 hrs or high for 2.5-3hrs

Add remaining 3 ingred. Carefully process with hand blender or in blender.

Garnish.  Makes about 6 cups.  1 cup = 164 cal, 8.2g fat, 3g fibre.

 

Roasted Yam Cream Soup

Cardamom Cream – Combine 1/2c sour cream and 1/2tsp ground cardamom and chill.

 

Soup – 1lb unpeeled yam cut into 1/2″ slices

1/2lb carrots, cut into 1/2″ clices

4 unpeeled garlic cloves

1tbsp olive oil

Spread on ungreased baking sheet and toss until coated.  Bake at 425º for 20min.  Cool, transfer to cutting board and discard yam and garlic peels.  Chop and set aside

1tsp olive oil

1c chopped leek (white only)

1tsp finely grated ginger root

(cook 5 min)

Add 5c chicken or veg stock

1/4tsp salt

1/8tsp pepper

Add veggies to this bring to boil, reduce and simmer 10min and process with hand blender.  Add cream and heat.  Spoon Cardamom cream on individual servings.

Serves 6, and each serving had 215 cal, 8.7g fat, 4g fibre.

MY FAVORITE SOUPS RIGHT NOW!

These are from Jean Pare’s Company’s Coming Soup cookbook.

 

Low Fat Bran Muffins

This is out of the 2nd Breast Cancer cookbook.

 

Low Fat Bran Muffins

2c whole wheat flour

3c white flour

3c bran

3c bran flakes (crushed) – I didn’t have bran flakes, just raisin bran, and I didn’t crush them

2c raisins (optional)

1 1/2c brown sugar or 1c splenda and 1/2c brown sugar

6-7 tsp baking soda

2tsp baking powder

1tsp salt

1/2c flax seed (I did some ground and some whole)

1/3c wheat germ (I only had oat bran…)

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1/4c molasses

1c applesauce (or 1/2c olive oil)

1 liter buttermilk (or 1liter sour milk or plain yogurt)

1 large can crushed pineapple with juice (I didn’t have any, but had a banana that needed to be used up.

 

Mix all dry ingreds.  Add wet ingreds in order given.  Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 350º for 15min.  Makes about 48 muffins.

 

Game on complete

Well, over all I lost 5 pounds.  I kinda started slipping the last week and felt relieved to be done and have a break.  That being said, I need to watch it, and try to continue the good habits I was creating, like drinking lots of water, reading my Bible every day, cleaning up my room every day, and exercise 20 min a day…  My team lost… because of me, my partner did great.  And we didn’t lose by much, it was a fun way to lose weight.  So now we will get together for supper sometime, and we buy the winning team supper.

 

Hubby and I are heading out on a holiday Nov 27 for a week.  We will ski in Colorado, and sightsee, so I would really like to continue dropping some of these pounds.  Ideally 15 would be nice but I would settle on 10.  I love my new rowing machine, I can burn up to 1,000 calories in 25 min!  I try to rotate between that, the treadmill, running outside, cardio and core workouts, and strength training.  I also love the Jillian Michael’s 30 day shred… hmm, I have about 30 days, maybe I should try that…

 

Here’s to another healthy month of weight loss!

(Adam, are you there?  Is this thing on?)

Jen