I Really Am Back

Everytime I think my adorable little Dylan is better something else happens. She ended up with a horrible cough and then hives covering her little body. She has not been healthy one day in the last month and it has been tough on my sanity and ability to do what I want, but she is my baby and she definitely comes before other things.

I lost 1 1/2 pounds since yesterday and am feeling great again. I really do love how much better I feel when I drink TAIslim and will not forget this matter again. Like Boyd says it only takes a couple of minutes but when your mind is focused on sick kids you don't think straight.

My mom has lost another 3 1/2 pounds and my bff Haylee is looking amazing. She is a rockstar. She is my inspiration. She looks better than well... I have ever seen her. WOW, Hay, you are amazing.

Today is a rainy cold day, and I am going to figure out a fun exercise routine to make the house a little more lively. I am also going to go to my parents to get my running in. I have been slacking with that but I do truely want to run the half marathon with Haylee so I need to get my bum in gear.

Yesterday I rollerbladed for the first time in .... lets not say since it will really age me ;) I still don't know how to stop (I grew up in the rollerskating era where the stoppers are on the toes not on the back of one foot) so I would try and hit a grassy spot whenever I came to a hill. Let's just say my accomplishment of the day was that I did not fall. It actually was a lot of fun so next time I am going to go to a flat track that I can just go around in circles. It is a great workout and it goes a lot faster than walking as far as distance goes and I would imagine it burns about the same number of calories.

Well, I am off to wash laundry, get a workout in, and start getting ready for the move. Hope everyone has a great day.... Keep smiling it makes people wonder.

Sunny Sunday

Good Morning. It is such an amazing day and I am so excited to get a start on the new week. It has been so crazy here and I know I need to get on here more often, but I just don't seem to have enough time in the day these days.

For those of you that don't know we are moving next month and I forget how much work is involved in this every time. This is it.... I do not want to move again and the new house is perfect so we shouldn't have to again. I can't wait to get cooking in my new kitchen. It is huge, the cooks dream kitchen. I am ready to throw some amazing dinner parties.

Well, I am on track to start losing weight again now that I have taken a break from exercising and eatting well... not by choice but with Dylan being sick for so long it just throw my good habits that I had begun to build go down the drain. I do still feel amazing and have been off of my meds for a month without it affecting me in the negative. This is great because I didn't want to feel like I depended on something like that to be a good mom.

My bff Haylee is reaching her goals quickly since she started taking TAIslim and I am ready to catch up to her. She looks amazing and is just a little away from her goal. I am ready to look amazing and be just shy of my goals so here it goes. I am taking a pledge and writing it down for all to see that starting today I am back to making the best habits possible. Once we move I will just have to walk up and down my stairs several times a day and I will get a good workout ;) I will also have to start mowing our half acre and that will help with making good changes also. Crazy to think that we will have such a huge yard after having nothing for so long. I guess there are advantages to moving up on the hills in Bountiful. We will also be super close to Mueller Park and my girls love to hike so we will be doing hiking trips once to twice a week.

Until the move, however, I will start taking advantages of the area around me. I will start walking the dog daily with the girls, I will start eatting healthy, I will start drinking my water. Watch out here I come I can't wait to update you on my weight loss next week.

Have a great day and see you soon.

It's Been A While and I Apologize....

Well, things have been super crazy with Dylan not getting better. She is still not doing so well, but I am ready to start putting on recipes again and updating on a daily basis.

Things are going well. My mom has lost 5 pounds on TAIslim and is feeling a lot better as well.

I am excited today Boyd and I get to go on our first date in .... well, let's just say I don't remember the last time we went on a date. We go on family dates regularly but not just the two of us together. It is amazing to find time to devote to one another.

Well, I will put a recipe this morning and for an added bonus I will add one tonight after my date. It is time to start having some fun with getting my day off of my chest.

Chinese Five-spice Steak with Rice Noodles

· 4 ounces uncooked wide rice stick noodles (banh pho)
· 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
· 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
· 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
· 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch strips
· 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
· 2 tablespoons minced green onions
· 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
· 2 medium tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
· 2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
· 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Preparation
Cook noodles according to package directions.
While noodles cook, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and steak in a large bowl. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced green onions and garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add beef mixture; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato wedges, green onion pieces, and chopped basil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Getting Through the Misery of Sick Kids... and Sick Mom

Well, yesterday Emma and I came down with a milder version of what Dylan had. We were sick all last night but this morning both of us feel close to normal. Boyd will be home tonight so atleast I will have him around to help out with our dear little Dylan who is still not doing well at all.

So tonight I have decided to make another one of Kalani's recipes because it is super easy and that is what I can handle right now. I don't like cheese enchilada and loved these.

Kalani's Awesome Cheese Enchiladas

Corn Tortillas
Quesadilla Cheese (Shredded)
Targets Green Enchilada Sauce

Put the cheese in the center of the tortillas, cover with enchilada sauce. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

And there you have it it doesn't get much simplier than that and they are great. The cheese and sauce are what make this taste so good.

Well, back to disinfecting everything in this house. I am determined to bleach away the germs on the toys that can be put in water and wash every stuffed animal, item of bedding and anything else that this little princess of mine might have spread her germs to. I will get focused again on more exciting endeavors but for now this is the life of the underpaid mother.

Have a great one and enjoy the enchiladas.

Monday Morning, Let the Week Begin

Well, I am back. Dylan has lost 4 1/2 pounds since Friday. Not good when you start at 32 pounds. Now if it was me, I would be jumping for joy at this minute. Unfortunately, I have put myself on hold for the last few days. I haven't been taking my TAIslim, which I haven't figured out why I would do that as I woke up sleepy and then took it and have energy again. I also ate really badly and didn't work out so prior to drinking TAIslim this morning I felt bluh, but now my energy is back and I am not going to let three bad days hold me back. Today is a new and improved day.

I am so sorry I promised some recipes and haven't gotten them down. I will be much better this week. Boyd is in Anaheim at manager training so I will figure out simple things that you can make for one.

Crockpot Enchiladas

3 tablespoons diced green chiles, divided
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11-ounce) can corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 (8 1/2 ounce) package corn muffin mix
2 tablespoons chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh cilantro

1. Place 2 tablespoons green chiles and next 6 ingredients (through enchilada sauce) in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; stir well. Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting 4 hours.
2. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon green chiles, egg substitute, muffin mix, and roasted bell peppers in a bowl. Spoon batter evenly over bean mixture in slow cooker. Cover and cook 1 hour or until corn bread is done.
3. Sprinkle cheese over corn bread. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Top each serving with sour cream; sprinkle with cilantro.

Make sure on this meal that you don't keep the food in the crockpot longer than the four hours or not much longer. I overcooked it and it still tasted fine it was just really dry.

A Long Weekend

Sorry, I have been slacking. My cute little Dylan has been super sick the last few days so I have not been able to do anything. I still have to go in and take care of her now but I wanted to let you all know that I will get on tomorrow and update you on my progress and put some new recipes on here. Have a great Sunday.

It's Sunny and Friday....

Well, hopefully the sun will stay out because I really do enjoy the sunshine much more than the grey smog we have had most days as of late. It is raining but now that it is spring I definitely prefer rain to snow. Now let the temps get higher as my weight gets lower. I am down another 1/2 pound today. So 5 pounds in 6 days, let's just do the weight loss dance. (ok, dance complete.)

Yesterday I didn't get a recipe on here because I was enjoying having Boyd home for a change. It was great. I got my workout in early and made a healthy crockpot meal (Crockpot Enchiladas) which I will add with the soup recipe tonight. They were really good and a serving was only 345 cals and it took beans instead of meat so it was a great alternative protein. It is fun trying to find new healthy meals that I can try. I am the queen of trying new things. I guess it comes with loving to cook.

Today is day five of my first week of 1/2 marathon training and it is a mile again. Crazy to think that I am excited about this mile because on Wednesday the first mile was an absolute breeze. Whodathunk? After the training I can tell you that I will start running daily because I can see how it could become addictive, ecspecially if you do it outside in the sunshine.

Have a great day. I am going to go run outside before Boyd goes to work so I feel amazing for the rest of my day.

Well, I Did the Two Miles Yesterday and Am Still Alive...

Yesterday I made the full two miles without stopping. You might say that that is a piece of cake. To you maybe but to me it is a huge triumph. Two weeks ago my idea of a workout was well... what's a workout? So running two miles four days after I started working out again was huge. Infact even in the best shape of my life I don't know if I was ever able to run two miles. I am not a runner by any means of the imagination. In fact I have always loathed running. It was my enemy, my knees hit each other and my asthma all of a sudden appears. Strangely though I haven't struggled with either of these issues this time. It is amazing that I can just do it. Now the test is Saturday when I run the 5K. I know I won't stop running so I will make it. Though it will just be interesting to see how long that takes me. If it takes 2 hours it takes 2 hours ( I know I can do it much faster because I can walk 5 in an hour).

I didn't come down in weight today but I didn't gain any either. We had a girls get together yesterday and like always Kalani had such an amazing spread so even though I wasn't hungry I graised more than I seem to do these days. That's what happens when the meal, the appetizers, and the side dishes are Mexican, my all time favorite food. I love all kinds but I could eat Mexican food everyday if I had to. I love the stuff!

I thought it was cute yesterday I was talking to my girls and I asked them if I was more fun to be around these days. All three of them agreed that I was. They like that I dance silly dances whenever I hear music, that I pick them up and spin them around the house, and then cute little Aspen says, "You wake up early." Okay, so this doesn't seem fun, but the fact of the matter was that I was talking to my dad about how my mom needs to try TAIslim because it would be really good for her; and I was telling him all the benefits and I said how I wake up early these days. It probably wasn't the only time I have stated this in the last week but Aspen has picked it up. I haven't had to drag myself out of the bed at 8 just to get the girls out of the house for school. I now wake up at 7 feeling completely refreshed and ready to start the day. I have then felt completely awake and on top of things all day long. I do however, fall fast asleep the second my head hits the pillow and sleep straight through the night. I hadn't realized how great this was until this morning. I haven't slept through the night in years. I have a problem with waking up around 2 and staying awake two-three hours and then finally falling back to sleep. That probably has something to do with why I could not wake up at 8.

Well, I am going to stop rambling away and get going on my exercise. Tonight I will be making Brocolli Cheese Soup with the leftover mashed potatoes from Tuesday. I love a great soup on a cold day.

Have a great day, because I know I will.

Chicken/Turkey Pot Pie

1/2 c onions
1/2 c celery
1/2 c carrots
1/2 c potatoes
1/4 c margarine, melted
1/4 c flour
1 c chicken broth
1/2 c evaporated milk
2 c chicken or turkey
1/2 c frozen peas, thawed
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 pie crust

Saute onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes in butter in a lartge skillet over md heat until tender. Add flour and stir until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring occassionally. Add chicken broth and evaporated milk. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in meat, peas, salt and pepper.

Bring crust to room temperature. You can use two crusts but I am making this Marie Callender style with just a crust on the top. Put the ingredients in a pie pan and top with the crust. Make sure to put slits on the top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Then bake covered with foil for 30 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

This recipe works well as a freezer meal. Just double it for two meals with the work of only one. I put the mixture into gallon freezer bags and then just defrost them the day before. It works really well. This is a favorite in our house and when it is frozen it makes a super quick meal. I believe there is a lower fat evaporated milk and I bet that is what I have in my pantry but I am being too lazy to run and check.

Hope everyone enjoys this meal as much as I do.

Day Two of My Training

Crazy to think that I of all people are excited to get up early and get my run in..... Unfortunately, this stupid weather is driving me crazy. I had hoped that it would be a little warmer today so that I could just go outside before Boyd left for work and run, however, the streets are yet again covered in snow. I like the snow in the mountains, but could live without it in the valleys. I am a warmer weather sunshine kind of girl but I guess we need the moisture so I better not complain.

Today is a two mile run and I actually know that I will be able to make it. It feels so good. Yesterday I was working out my abs and was thinking of my nice 6 pack from the ol' days of Hawaii and decided that even if they are not quite that great again (I have had three/four kiddos) that I would be extremely happy anyway. I am down another 1/2 pound so my goal gets closer and closer everyday. It is amazing to think how much easier everything will be once I reach even the smaller goals.

You know even better than being able to do things that I haven't been able to do and starting to lose the much needed weight is my new found joy in playing silly new games with the girls. I have always loved playing with them but couldn't muster up the energy to play their new favorite "Monster" or tag. Our house has many round about areas (you know those areas that drive us mom's crazy when the kids are running around with loud toys and you hear the wheels on the tile.) Well, anyway we have three major circling areas in our great room so the girls now wake up wanting me to growl like a monster and chase after them to turn them into little monsters that get attacked by the tickle monster. I am sure you can't see the theme here and why they call is Monster;)? It is great having the energy to do this because I know that my kids will remember me as the fun, energetic mom rather than the "Just a second" mom (they still get this one if I am in the middle of an exercise routine but not like the old days). I really like this one much better.

Well, I guess I have spent more time working on this than I should if I wanted to leave while Boyd was still here so I will get off now and do aerobics and then go running tonight at the community center after he gets home from work.

Tonight's dinner will be Turkey/Chicken Pot Pie and let's just say it is fab-u-lous. This is one of my recipes and tonight I am going to try a slimmed down version to see if it is as good. Generally, when I take the calories down it doesn't seem to take away from the taste so we will see and then I will post.