5 Ways I Have Struggled with Weight

Just days before delivering Buggy a month early

I have been reading a lot of blogs that focus on weight loss lately.  I am amazed at how open and honest these women are.  I mean, they give NUMBERS!  Actual numbers of their REAL weight and what they have lost and gained.

I don't know if I could do that!

These women have inspired me.

At the moment, I am pretty much where I want to be weight-wise. That doesn't mean I don't have issues with weight.  I'll break down each issue over the next few weeks. Hopefully, the insight I have gained while reading other blogs (check out my list of great reads in the right sidebar) will help someone else who is struggling with weight issues.

Here are my struggles!  For reference, I am 4'11' and my goal weight/healthy weight is 110 lbs.

1. Overweight.  In high school, I became quite overweight - I gained about 40 pounds in just a few months after a thyroid medicine change. It took a few years to get healthy again.
2. Underweight.  At one point in college, my weight dropped to just over 80 lbs. I wasn't anorexic.  I was just working so much that I couldn't keep weight on.
3. Hormonal birth control weight.  Eight years on the pill.  'Nuff said.
4. Baby weight.  My highest weight was just over 160 pounds. It was hard to lose the first time around.
5. Food Aversion.  This can of worms is open right now.  It is a vicious cycle. The less I eat, the less I want to eat. I'll dive into this mess in the future. Basically, some breastfeeding issues I have had with both cause me to feel nauseous while nursing.  It is slowly getting better.

So, I bring this subject to this blog for a few reasons.  I am striving to be healthy.  I am striving to have a biblical view of beauty.  I know that by writing about my issues in light of scripture, I'll be more likely to follow through.  Lastly, I hope to help at least one person!

Have you struggled with weight?  Self-image?

Day of Favorite Things

He LOVES sleeping with his pumpkins!

It's been a hard few weeks.  The hubs has been working very late nights and weekends.  I've been rockin' the "single mom" thing as best I can (my hat is off to those of you who do this on a daily basis).

I'm tired.

Exhausted.

I've missed posting as much as normal.  I've missed reading a lot of your blogs.  I've missed the planning and anticipating and working in forums.

Thankfully, today has been a day full of favorite things.

• Beautiful fall sky - crisp blue with some darker clouds that highlight the gorgeous remaining color
• Caramel hot cocoa - I couldn't find anything I wanted for breakfast so I had a gourmet caramel hot cocoa!
• Playing with the boys - Buggy insisted on napping with his three pumpkins.  He was so cute about it and so careful to carry all three upstairs one at a time that I gave in and let him sleep with them.  He cried when he woke up and thought he had to leave the pumpkins in his crib.  I don't know what we'll do when it comes time to cook them!
• Computer time - I was able to create a "favicon" (the little picture on the browser tab - look up and check it out - I'll do a tutorial one of these days) plus was able to spend some time on Wordpress creating my brother's website.
• Cincinnati Chili - talk about a fantastic fall treat. Yummy Cincy chili over spaghetti with cheese and oyster crackers.
• Visit - a spur of the moment visit from my cousin who lives about 7 hours away. Last time I saw him was a year ago for my dad's surprise 60th birthday party. He popped in for dinner tonight!
• The HUBS! - The Hubs came home at normal time today!  Granted, he sequestered himself in his office to teach a saxophone lesson, but he was IN the HOUSE!  He has tomorrow off too!
• Chat with a friend - while waiting at the dr office this morning (for a yearly not-favorite checkup), I saw a friend who I hadn't chatted with in forever.  It was great to catch up!
• Wine - I am enjoying a nice glass of wine to help decompress after such a busy run of things.

And the weekend holds more favorite things.  My parents are coming to visit. We will go to the Hub's university's football game with the boys in costume (and I won't be the only one chasing Buggy). I'll get to play with my still somewhat new camera at the game - fall colors on the top of a mountain!  Church Saturday night - I get to serve in the nursery with the little ones.  Sunday is a day to sleep in and have some family time and sing happy birthday to my mom!  Then, of course, trick or treating with the boys.  In our neighborhood, the adults all congregate on the sidewalks and just chat.  A few older kids walk from house to house.  It's a great time to get to know the neighbors and have adult conversation.

What are some of your favorite things? Let me know in the comments!



These are all Finer Things!  Head over to Amy's Finer Things to see more!  These things certainly are Simple Pleasures. Go on over to Dayle's place to see other simple pleasures.

I Shall Call This Meal..... Dessert-Fast

Just had to share my yummy breakfast with you!  It's too yummy to just be called "Breakfast" so I have dubbed it "Dessert-Fast!"

French toast on whole wheat bread smothered in nutella and powdered sugar!  This ought to wake me up!

What's YOUR favorite breakfast treat?

Simple Pleasures: Chilly Day

Today I had an amazing MORE than just a simple pleasure - BOTH boys were asleep at the same time for 30 minutes! I don't know if that has ever happened besides at night.

So, how did I use my time on this chilly fall day?

I cooked!

Buggy helped me with the banana bread before he went down for a nap.  The rest I did as they both slept. How therapeutic cooking is - especially the smell of cooking fall foods!

Just a few minutes left until it is done! Get the recipe on the "For Tummies" tab above.

Nothing says fall pampering like raspberry hot cocoa

Found a GREAT sale on whole chickens. I bought two. I probably shouldn't try to cook both at the same time again - they don't quite fit! We will have dinner for 2 weeks with this!

A new favorite of mine - sweet potato fries! Yum!  This is my lunch.

Got a pound of "Cook now or freeze" ground beef for a DOLLAR! It is simmering away in a pot becoming Cincinnati Chili. The smell will drive me crazy all day!

Join Dayle over at A Collection of This and That for more Simple Pleasures!

Guest Post: Sweet Jeanette

 

Hey there!   I'm Jeanette from Sweet Jeanette and I'm so tickled to be guest posting for Audra today!  I'd love to chat with you about freezer cooking.
This might be "old news" to you, a refresher, or a new slant. However you receive it, I hope there is something you can use or add to. 

There are many types of "freezer cooking" methods. There's the OAMC (Once a Month Cooking); TAMC (Twice a Month Cooking); Mini Sessions, preparing meals by categories...The methods and lists are as vast and varied as individual's tastes.

Whatever "style" you adopt, the most important rule is organize your recipes!

You can have a card-file system or notebook file system. I use the notebook pages because I can have each recipe printed on an individual page, put in a page protector and place in a three ring binder. You can see my post about organizing my recipes into notebooks by clicking here:  Organizing My Recipes from Magazines, etc.

Before cooking day, study each recipe to decide on the order in which you'll prepare them. It may sound like overkill, but it really helps the process run more smoothly. Once you've decided, put the pages in order in which you will prepare them. The page protectors are great because I almost always spash! All I have to do is wipe these clean.

Menu - You might like to fly by the seat of your pants, but you really need to do a menu. You don't really want a month of all Mexican, or Italian food do you? There are all sorts of sites with good forms to print out for menus and I've used a lot, but in a pinch, I like the old, take a sheet of notebook paper, fold it in half, fold it again, and again. Unfold and you've got 8 blocks. Yeah, I know there aren't "usually" 8 days in the week, contrary to what the Beetles said! (I'm showing my age aren't I). Just fill in the 7 blocks with a day's menu.  Super simple, right? 

Try only a few new recipes each month. (That way if it flops, it was only one meal!) Your menu should be mostly ones your family already likes.

If you're not sure a family favorite will freeze well, when you prepare the dish, take out a portion and freeze it. "Test" it in a week or two to see if it passes the test. If so, great! You've got another freezer-food to add to your list. And, well, if it doesn't, you haven't wasted time and money.

And I can't stress this enough... Label your foods!  In a month or so, you won't be able to tell the difference between chicken broth and squeezed lemons (for lemonade) by just looking at that freezer bag.  Trust my experience, here!   (giggle)

I like to buy steaks and chicken when they're on sale.  My husband is the designated "griller" in the family and he's a steak kinda guy.  I don't make my marinade for the beef, but I buy a marinade called "allegro".  I really like the flavor of this.  So, what I do, is when our local grocer has steaks buy one get two free (I love those deals!) I buy what they will allow, bring them home and place in a zippered type freezer bag, pour the marinade into the bags and freeze.   When we're ready for grilling, I take them out to thaw in the frige and while they're thawing, they're marinating! 

Ok, I can't leave chicken out, can I? Here's a couple of great freeze-in-the-bag-with-chicken marinades.  If you will notice one recipe I used as a marinade is from the recipe that everybody was making a while back...You know, the Apricot Chicken recipe? Well did you know it makes a great marinade for grilling chicken?? It does!

Honey Chicken Marinade
3 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP honey
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp garlic

Something's Different Here Grilled Chicken Marinade
1/2 bottle Catalina dressing
1/2 packet of dry onion soup mix
3 TBSP olive oil
12 oz jar of apricot preserves - heated in the microwave until runny.

Alright, if I haven't bored you to tears yet, I want to leave you with one more recipe. Would that be ok?

I've had this for probably 15 years or so, and I've made them into little (portion controlled) muffins, with a crust, without and called it a casserole, you name it.  But it was originally called Crustless Quiche.  It's great to fix ahead and have for holiday breakfasts or brunch.
You're going to need...

16 ounce container cottage cheese

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk (you'll notice I used evaporated milk, you can use regular "jug" milk but this makes it richer)

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (I used mild but you could use sharp too)

cooked and crumbled bacon (equal 10 slices) I cheated, see pic?!

1/4 cup chopped onions

Process cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth.  (I use a blender)

transfer to a large bowl

In a medium bowl beat eggs.

Add milk, flour, baking powder and salt to eggs and mix until smooth.

Add egg mixture to cottage cheese and mix.

Stir in shredded cheese, bacon and onions.

Now here's where you choose... Do you want to bake and freeze, or just freeze?

If you want to bake 'em now and freeze, then pour into muffin tins (mini or regular - doesn't matter)
bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Cool and freeze in freezer bags.

I chose to pour the mixture into freezer bags to bake later. When I'm ready to bake 'em, I'll just thaw in frige and follow the above instructions.
Well there you have it.  It's not so bad is it?  I hope you were able to read something that either helped, inspired or taught you something.  At least we had some "quality girl-time"  right?   Thanks so much Audra for asking me to guest host today!  I've had a blast with you all!  
Be Sweet!

Thank you SOOOO much, Jeanette, for this fantastic guest post! I can't wait to try those recipes! These are some great tips - I'm just getting my feet wet with the batch cooking - I certainly am not organized enough for OAMC!

Gone Too Far? Deep-Fried Beer

You walk through the vendors on a steamy summer afternoon at the local fair.  You pass up many tempting treats.  Funnel cakes, ice cream, deep fried Oreos, deep fried beer.  

BEER?!?!

Deep. Fried.

Wow.

Have they gone too far?  Weren't the Oreos far enough?

A Texas chef actually found a way to deep fry BEER.  I kid you not.

Fried Beer-violi? What do you think? 

Recipe - Stealthy Healthy Chicken Parmesan

My husband does not like healthy food.  The last time he had a leaf of lettuce was in 1999 right after we got engaged.

Eleven
Years
Ago

He eats: bananas, canned peaches, applesauce, potatoes, and corn.  Oh- and some veggies in Chinese stir fry/Japanese hibachi, and occasionally in soups and stews.

That's it.

So, I am always looking for ways to help him eat more healthy food.  In stealth.  I have ninja skills, you know.

Enter the Stealthy Healthy Chicken Parmesan. The healthy is stealthy - they'll never know what hit 'em!

I have a favorite healthy additive - Flax meal.  I sneak this stuff in any chance I get.  Banana bread, brownies, cookies.... whatever I can.  It works great here too!

Now, I don't measure when I cook, so you may like a little more or a little less of the ingredients in yours. 

Stealthy Healthy Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients:

• 4 thawed boneless chicken breasts (or equivalent chicken tenders)
• 1 box spaghetti or angel hair pasta (use whole wheat for more flavor and nutrition)
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup mozzerella cheese  (low fat if you choose)
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup flax meal
• salt (I prefer Kosher salt)
• Italian seasoning
• 2-3 Tbs oil
• optional - 1 small jar baby food carrots

Preheat oven to 350.   Boil water for pasta and follow box directions to cook (I make my pasta while chicken bakes).

In one bowl, wisk egg and milk with a pinch of salt.  In another bowl, mix bread crumbs, flax meal, 1tsp salt, 1tsp Italian seasoning, and 2-3 Tbs Parmesan cheese.

Take each chicken breast and dredge once in the egg mixture, once in crumb mixture then back in egg mixture and finish with crumb mixture. This double dipping will help breading stay on chicken.

Heat oil in skillet and cook chicken 3-4 minutes on each side until a nice crispy breading is formed.  Transfer chicken to a baking dish.  Sprinkle with mozzerella cheese.  Pour spaghetti sauce over the top (if you are using the carrots, mix with the spaghetti sauce before pouring).  Sprinkle with remaining mozzerella cheese.  Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until chicken is done.

Serve on top of pasta with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Yummy!  You will never taste the flax meal or the carrots.  Low fat cheese tastes just as delicious as regular cheese.  The breading is so flavorful that you won't miss the fried-in-lots-of-oil taste,

Now HUSH!  Don't tell my hubby that this meal is healthy!!!

This post is linked up at Finer Things Friday since yummy and healthy food is certainly a Finer Thing!

Cooking in the Dishwasher?

Imagine this scene:  you and your family are invited over to a friend's house for dinner.  You all sit down at the table and anxiously await a scrumptious meal.  Your host goes to the kitchen to get the main course out of the.... DISHWASHER?  What in the world? 

Yes, my friends, apparently it is possible to cook lasagna in the dishwasher.

I have not tried this but saw it on a great blog I discovered through the 31 Days to a Better Blog challenge.  Zeemaid from In the Mommy Trenches posted this link to cooking lasagna in your dishwasher.  While you do dishes.  With soap.

Are you brave enough to try it?  I don't know if I am - at least not with soap the first time!  Let me know if you do try it!

Menu Planning Monday - Week of 10/12/09

We are attempting to eat just out of the pantry this week.  I am buyimg milk, bread, potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, and buns today.  Normally, pantry meals wouldn't be a big deal since we do have a nice stockpile going, but add in all-day queasiness from pregnancy and things get a little tricky.  My menu for the week will be just a basic framework.

Breakfasts: 
Hubby eats toast or cold cereal.  I eat anything salty I can get my hands on (for example - chili, cheese and crackers, soup).  Baby eats cheerios and yogurt with fruit.

Lunch:
Hubby takes a sandwich and applesauce to work.  I eat leftovers.  Baby shares with me and has some extra veggies and fruit.

Dinner:
Monday - Meatball hogies with a side of pasta
Tuesday - Chicken Drumsticks in the crockpot with taters on the side.
Wednesday - Enchiladas
Thursday - Stromboli (recipe below)
Friday - Roast Pork Chops with homemade oven fries
Saturday - Leftovers ("Dinner:  the Best Of")
Sunday - Ramen Noodles with egg (egg drop soup) and veggies

Stromboli
Preheat oven (and pizza stone if using one) to 400 degrees
Ingredients:
pizza dough (refrigerated, box mix, or homemade)
shredded Italian cheeses
favorite Italian meats
cut up veggies
pasta sauce for dipping

Make pizza dough
Roll dough out to size. I prefer smaller individual strombolis so they can be personalized.
Layer cheese, meats, and vegetables
Carefully roll stromoli into a log
Place on baking sheet or stone
Bake for 18 - 25 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

Serve with warmed pasta sauce.

Gardening Help

Ok, blog readers.  I need some help.  I don't know much about gardening and I know even less about container gardening.  In the spring, I would love to start a garden.  We have a small city lot, so I would not use our yard, but would use containers on my deck.

What can I put in my containers?  My desires would be:

• strawberries
• potatoes
• grape tomatoes
• watermelons
• pumpkins
• peas
• beans

Just looking for any insight!  Thanks!

Good Links - Flu Shots, Recipes, Our God

I ran across some fantastic posts recently and wanted to share!  I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.  I just want to say that as for the vaccine debate, we decided to do pretty much all the shots, just not as scheduled.  We used the The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child (Sears Parenting Library) as a guide and worked with our doctor and nurse and health insurance to split up and delay shots while still getting them covered by insurance.  I am still undecided on the flu shots. I like to get the non-medical community/government side out there so parents can make informed decisions.

• The Gift of a Meal
• Savory Pot Roast Recipe (can you say comfort food?!?!)
• Coupons you'll need for deals next week
• Bleach or Vinegar to Kill Germs?
• God Loves Me
• Very Important Vaccine Question
• Vaccine Info for New Parents
• Flu Vaccine Exposed
• The Greater the Sinner, the Greater the Glory
• 
  

Menu Planning Monday - Week of 9/28/09

What a fun weekend!  Hubby and I went back to our college Alma Mater.  There was a memorial concert for the man who made the music department what it is today.  I got to play in the alumni wind ensemble on French horn and Hubs got to play lead alto sax in the alumni jazz band.  Both groups were fantastic.  It was great to get "Pierre" out of his case again - the last time I played was April and before that, the time is measured in years!  It was great fun to play, to hang out with old friends, to meet other alumni (6 DECADES were represented!), to see professors, and to introduce Baby to everyone!

With that said, we are exhausted.  We left Friday evening within minutes of Hubby coming home from work.  We stayed an hour away from the school at my parents house so they could help watch Baby - we drove back and forth each day.  The concert itself started at 2pm and ended at 5pm.  We finally got home at 8:15pm.

I am planning some easy meals this week for my own sanity and recovery.  Next week will be busy too with BABY'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!  On to the plan....

Monday:  BBQ Chicken Quesadillas (scroll down on my past post for recipe - I simply add a little bbq sauce rather than mexican seasonings - yum!)
Tuesday: (possible childcare at church)  Chef Boyardee night
Wednesday: Meat Pie (recipe on my past post)
Thursday: Chicken and Dumplings (recipe on this blog with pictures!  SUPER YUMMY!)
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Meatball subs
Sunday: Chicken Alfredo

Link up on Orgjunkie.com with your own menu plan!  By planning menus, I have been able to trim our grocery budget considerably!

Ultimate Fall Recipe Swap!

Join in this fun bloggy fall festival!  Today we are sharing our favorite fall-themed recipes!  Click on over to Life As Mom to see some great recipes and be entered to win a fantastic giveaway!

One of my all-time favorite fall foods is chili.  Hubby does not like beans in chili, so alas, I eat regular chili alone.  Years ago, though, we were introduced to a wonderful BEAN-FREE chili!  Cincinnati Chili (or Skyline Chili) has a unique flavor - a hint of cinnamon and is served in an unusual way - over spaghetti!

In the past, I have always used a package mix, however, I am embarking on an adventure to make this chili from scratch.  I found a great recipe that was featured in Southern Living magazine, so it HAS to be yummy, right?  I tweaked this recipe just a bit to suit our situation and our tastes.

Original recipe can be found on MyRecipes.  A thank you goes out to BusyMom for pointing out some omissions in her comment!  I have altered the recipe further to reflect these changes!  Remember - I have yet to make this myself without a package mix!

Because the meat in this chili is not browned and drained, use very lean ground beef.

Yield

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2  pounds  ground round
• 2  cups  water 1 Quart water
  
• 2  (6-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
  
• 1  clove garlic, minced
• 2  large bay leaves
• 3  tablespoons  chili powder (I use a little less)
  
• 1  tablespoon  ground cumin
• 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
  
• 2  teaspoons  ground allspice
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  teaspoon  white wine vinegar (cider vinegar works as well)
  
• 1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• Hot cooked spaghetti
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Oyster Crackers
  

Preparation

Combine ground round and water in a 4-quart stock pot; stir with a fork until thoroughly blended. Stir in tomato paste and next 12 ingredients.
Cover with lid.  Heat to boiling.  Either reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2-3 hours or transfer to crock pot and cook 6 hours.  (If you have more time, you can cook from the start in the crock pot - plan on at least 8 hours to simmer.)  Chili is done when it resembles really meaty marinara sauce.

It is best to cool chili and keep in refrigerator overnight so the fat can be lifted off.

Remove and discard bay leaves, stirring well. Serve chili over hot spaghetti, and top with cheese and oyster crackers.  Add diced onion and kidney beans if you wish.

Crock Pot Wednesday: Pork Chops Creation

For some reason, this silly crock pot makes me feel nearly invincible in the kitchen.  I rarely have fear with creating dishes.  Once I learned that potatoes cooked well in this marvelous appliance, I was inspired. 

Today, I am cooking a recipe I made up.  I don't know if it will be tasty or not.  I don't know if it will be a success or a failure.  You are welcome to try it, just don't expect too much!

I added this recipe in my menu plan on Monday.  I am undecided at this point if I will use chicken or pork - we just had pork a couple days ago. 

Without further ado:

Sesame Ginger Pork Chops and Seasoned Potatoes

Using a divided crock, I will make pork chops in a sesame ginger glaze with seasoned roasted potatoes.

In one side of crock, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil in bottom.  Place pork chops in crock.  Pork chops can be raw or can be seared on each side.  I plan to sear mine first.  Add about a 1/4 cup water and a 1/4 cup Lowry's Sesame Ginger marinade.  Cook on Low for 4-6 hours until pork is done.

In other side of crock, place cleaned and cubed potatoes.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Season to taste.  I had a lightbulb moment concerning the 'taters.  Place clean/cubed potatoes in a ziploc bag.  Drizzle in extra virgin olive oil.  Sprinkle in seasonings.  I plan to use seasoned salt and some dry mustard and probably just experiment with the different spices I have on my rack.  Shake the bag like mad.  Pour into other side of the crock.  Cook as directed above.

To serve, place pork chop and potatoes on plate.  Add a side of salad.  Drizzle just a little marinade over the pork chops.

I hope this recipe works!  I will let you know!


Come on over to Dining With Debbie for a Crockpot Carnival!

Crock Pot Wednesday - Chicken and Dumplings

 

Crock Pot Wednesday

I am trying a new meme today.  I posted a Works for Me Wednesday on my other blog and want to post this new one here!  The theme of the meme is crock pot cooking.  I went on a crock pot adventure today and would like to share!

I started with a basic recipe but changed it QUITE a bit.  First, I cleaned and prepped a whole chicken and placed in the crock pot.  I poured 6 cups of water over the chicken then added some bullion and random spices (powdered mustard, poultry seasoning, onion powder, celery seed, salt, and pepper).  I put the crock pot on high and let it cook for 4 hours.

Once the bird was done, I put it on a cutting board and strained the stock into a large pot.  I removed the skin and pulled/shredded the meat.  I added about a cup of egg noodles to the liquid, added another cup - cup and a half of water, a tablespoon of butter, about a cup of peas, some salt, and some pepper.  Once the liquid was boiling, I added the chicken and let it simmer while I prepped the other steps.

I mixed 1/2 cup cold water and 1/2 cup flour and mixed that into the soup as a thickening agent.  I used Bisquick to make the dumplings and added them as the Bisquick directions suggested.  When it was all done, it was YUMMY!!!