Getting Healthy, Happy, Fit and Fabulous

 

After a conversation with a dear friend, my workout buddy, my partner in crime last night I thought it might be a good idea to refresh myself on the good health guidelines per Weight Watchers (WW). All my life I was fortunate to never have a weight issue. Somewhere around 2003 I started gaining. I had never really followed any weight loss plan other then to not eat. That always worked. This time it didn't. I went to my doctor fearing something was wrong. He informs me that because I wasn't eating my body was holding onto the fat when I did eat. WHAT????? My first grandbaby was born in 2003 and all it took was a picture of me and him and off to WW I went. I was very successful on the program and lost 32lbs. I worked for the company for a while and fully believe in the program because it's real. When I pick up a few pounds I just revert back to WW habits and I'm back to where I need to be. Well until recently.....more on that later.

 

The food pyramid suggest veggies in abundance and 2/3 servings of fruit per day. I had to learn this one. I wasn't a big veggie eater unless they were smothered in bacon fat :0/ My love for veggies has grown a lot. I play with new recipes and am willing to try things outside of my comfort zone. I realized that I LOVE eggplant, okra, zucchini, butternut squash, asparagus, broccoli and mushrooms. I'm still not big on fruit. Bananas, grapes, pineapple and blueberry is about my limit.

 

 

Whole grain foods use to be a problem too but my taste buds adjusted. I love whole wheat bread over white. And I use a mixture of brown/wild rice whenever I have rice, except with gumbo!

 

 

DAIRY!!!!! A huge struggle for me. I don't drink milk! I developed a dislike for it several years ago and I don't know why. I will eat cheese on the occasional sandwich but that's not often. I occasionally eat yogurt or an egg but nothing on a daily basis. I know I need to for my bones

 

 

 

This is one thing I do not have a problem with. I eat so many veggies that I get plenty of oil. Despite what a lot of people think, canola oil is actually the healthiest oil to cook with. I use EVOO, sesame or coconut (I'm new to this). The coconut oil is so versatile. My friend Theresa blogged about it. You can read all the good uses she listed here.

 

 

At least 2 servings of protein is recommended per day. I'm pretty sure I get that everyday. I have a protein at breakfast and dinner and if I have a hard workout I'll have a protein bar.

 

 

At least 6-8 glasses of water everyday.....I'm finally getting this

 

 

 And of course who can forget that we need to exercise. I'm think I'm finally getting into this thanks to my daughter :0)

Fall Fever

There's something about fall in the air. The slight chill in the air. The leaves changing color and falling to the ground that makes me ever so happy. College football is in full swing. Boots, scarfs and tights are being dug out of their hiding places. Windows being raised. Pools are being covered and.....

The smell of pumpkin in any way you can imagine. Today I've got a pot of pumpkin butter simmering on the stove and pumpkin cheesecakes in the oven. It smells heavenly in here. Two different football games on two different TV's. I'd say this girl is pretty content.

 

Pumpkin is naturally low in calories, fat, sugar and carbs. It's extremely versatile and yummy. In particular the pumpkin butter that I made is great for pancakes, biscuits, toast, fruit, and goes along nicely with the pumpkin cheesecakes I made. Both are points friendly and very tasty. You can find both recipes here.  Happy baking and healthy eating!

BRUTAL....that's all I got

I survived my workout yesterday.....and I will tell you it was BRUTAL! Our warm up consisted  of jogging 3 laps around the gym....yah! Great way to start (NOT)  Next we moved on to some big ole ropes. Looked like ropes for a big boat?

 

This looks easy enough. I got this. Squat, raise and make a wave with the ropes. Sets of 8......30 sec. rest 10. About halfway I was begging for it to be over. Next we moved to some other ropes that we pushups and pullups on.....not easy!!! Then we move to the treadmill......

 

Yeah you thought this was the easy part......NO! We had to make the treadmill go as fast as we could, but couldn't turn the machine on. Another words it was by sheer will power! Set of 8....30 and 10

 

 

Next was the spin cycle. Easiest of it all. Of course Bryan and Danica stood and pedaled. I did not.

 

Next we are on to lifting a huge weight that is attached to a barbell. Squat lift and return. Set of 8....30/10. Are you getting the picture? Then a smaller weight and leg lunges. I'm dying at this point but pushing through this. We move to a medicine ball, a barbell and some other machine that we pull our whole body up with. Here is where I get confirmation that my upper body is way weaker then my lower body. But I'm gonna fix that.

 

 

Then onto the really fun stuff!!!!

 

Yes as you prolly imagined we pushed and pulled this. Then a did squats with a kettlebell and more pushups :0/  And then squats with hand weights. Just when I thought we were done the mats come out. Ahhhh no workout is complete without a few planks. And anybody that knows me knows I love to plank!!!! On each side and front. Leg lifts, scissors, situps, crunches. Ouchhhhh!!

 

But guess what guys? I made it through. I really enjoyed it, although a few times I thought I would barf. This morning I'm a little sore. Nothing like I expected. I'm really proud of myself for reaching this goal. I plan to rest today and hit it again Sat. Have a great weekend

 

 

Fit or Faint......

                                                                    

Well folks I've been arguing with myself all week and I've finally won! I'm hitting the gym today :0/ I've been walking/jogging for about 3 weeks and I'm extremely bored with that. And thanks to the pre-menopausal state I find myself in, clearly its going to take more then walking to get this body back to pre baby body......what? My baby is 22!!!! Ok anyway I'm going to Exerfit this afternoon with my daughter Danica and our buddy Bryan. I know I can't outdo Danica because she has been at this for awhile now. Maybe I can outdo Bryan....lol. She has warned me that its hard and bring a towel, bring water, its hot. Um oh geeze.....shall we pray that I don't die? I'll be sure to update you on how it goes, if I'm able to move a finger..........

I'm Gonna Tell You.....Flatout!!!!

It's been a crazy couple days. I'm a planner by nature so I always plan to be organized. Sometimes despite my best efforts I fall short. So when I'm super short on time I love Flatout wraps and pizza
crust.

There are many different varieties and few calories/points then regular bread. I find mine at Winn Dixie. Check out the different flavors here.

On Monday I wasn't feeling well and spent  stocked my fridge and pantry well for 2 weeks. By the time I was done shopping, home, groceries unloaded and put away it was 5:30 uggggg. It was just me and Kandy so I made pizza. I crisp up the flatout in the oven for about 10 mins on each side. Spread about 1/4 c of marinara sauce on each flatout......

 

I sauté some mushrooms and red onions in a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Once they are tender I place them on top marinara.

 

There is nothing better then a rotisserie.....nothing!!! I love them. So many different things you can stir up really quick after a long day at work

 

I chop about 1/4 and sprinkle over onions and mushrooms. I top with 1/4 c of LF mozzarella and a few crumbles of feta (I mean't to add spinach and forgot)

 

I baked till the cheese was just starting to melt. These things were AMAZING!!! I'm trying to find a new word to replace AWESOME. My husband claims I overuse it. If I calculated correctly, these were 10 points per a whole flatout. I know that seems high but considering I had 16 pts left for the day it was perfect for me. ENJOY!

Monday's Recipe~Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

I've never been a fan of tomato soup, tomato basil soup etc. I don't even really like pasta dishes with a red sauce, except I love homemade spaghetti....weird I know. But a few weeks back my daughter sent me this recipe and said how awesome it was. Since I am trying to loose a few pounds, and I'm always watching my diet and it was so points friendly I decided to try it. Boy am I glad I did. It is amazing!!!

 

The recipe comes from a blog that I follow, skinnytaste.com and it is my all time favorite. She includes the yummy pictures, very accurate directions, nutrition information, old and new WW points. You can find the recipe here. Enjoy and healthy eating!!

6 Myths About Greek Yogurt

 

 

I have fallen in love with Greek yogurt, as I know a lot of people have. It's so versatile and super high in protein and that makes for a great snack after workouts.  

 

 

 

 

But I ran across this article yesterday, 6 Myths about Greek Yogurt, while searching the web for something entirely unrelated. I found it very interesting. It talks about the different ways Greek yogurt is made and the ingredients that may or may not be added. Thus the importance, not only with this, but will all our foods, to become a label reader. Read the article Here and became more aware of what you're putting in your body. Happy Monday!!

Changing It Up

I've been absent from the blogging world since February, writing, not reading! My life got cRaZy and typically my response is to drop off the radar. But I'm back and hopefully I'll be sticking around.  Lot's of changes happened since I last wrote. Bought a new car!!! A 2014 Kia Sorrento. It's an amazing ride. Let me say it took me a longgggg time to make up my mind and there were several tears shed before we finally signed the papers. I had driven my old car for 10 years. Lifting huge cakes out of the trunk was terrible and I no longer felt safe on long road trips. So out with the old (My Kandy is driving it) and in with the new!!!!

 

 

I changed jobs. It was unexpected and a difficult transition for me but in the end I believe it was for the best and more importantly God's will. So now I'm Nanny to these TWO:

 

 

 

And trust me, I know what you're thinking, asking, wondering!!! Have you lost your mind? Are you Cra Cra? You're keeping twins? TWO babies???? Meet Anna Kate and Parker. My 6 month old twinkies. Sweet sweet babies. They may be twins but they sure have different personalities. Anna Kate is lil Ms Drama Queen. Parker is laid back without a care in the world. Well, except for teething. Can you imagine? Teething x's 2. I've known their sweet parents for several years They are wonderful parents to these babies and big brother Carter. I spend two days a week with them back to back. It's been very easy to get attached. We are already planning birthday parties for Thing 1 and Thing 2

 

 

I had to have a minor surgery. Didn't really tell to many people about it. In the end all was well and I was up and around within a few days. About 2 months after my surgery that I found out my gynecologist whom I had seen basically since I moved to this part of Louisiana had had a sudden stroke and went into retirement effect immediately. So at 48 years old I'm searching for a new one, and frantic about it. Do I want young, old, man, woman?????? I checked with all my friends and who they saw. One name came up twice and when I checked with a Dr friend, the name came up again and once I read her bio which contained LSU....I thought I had found my replacement. I didn't want my first visit with her to be uh.....with my feet in the air and since I was having other issues I made an appt. I loved her!!!!! Amazing woman. She spent 45 mins with me while I cried about stuff at home, about my old gynecologist(with the stroke) and the sypmtoms I was having. Yes dear friends.....pre-menopause is what she told me. Uggggg I wanted to scream. Although I was already thinking this I had hoped she would say something else. After that little bit I news I decided I needed another vacation. The one to Tenn in July simply wouldn't do...

 

 

 

And so off we went to Destin for Labor Day weekend. It was wonderful. No kids. Just me and the hubs. He stayed in the condo watching football and I stayed on the beach under an umbrella reading "Happy Happy Happy" I learned more from that book then I think I've ever learned from a book. It was on that weekend that I began to rethink some things and one of those things was this blog and what I wanted to do with it.

 

 

 

I've never minded aging. I just don't wanna look it.....lol. Don't we all. Ok really I love being a grandmother. Those babies bring life to our house, But I want to grow old gracefully and hang onto life with all I have. I can't really control how I visible age (I could but that cost money) But I can control the physical part. I know what it means to put healthy stuff in. Exercise the body and mind. I'm stunned at the obesity rate in this country. It's no wonder healthcare is out the roof. People don't seem to care anymore. Trust me I've dealt with it in my own home. So I don't want this blog to be about the pain and suffering I've been through, although I may bring it up from time to time. I want to share healthy recipes and exercise tips and of course my cakes. Anything worthwhile takes perseverance. Being healthy is worth the effort. I have kids, grandkids and I want to enjoy life with them. Staying healthy allows me to do that.

 

Speaking on grandkids.....we found out recently that we will have another. A little girl to join our clan in February. Hopefully she'll have some red hair. Much to her mother's dismay. Along with that good news, my baby girl, Kandace was accepted into nursing school at The Baton Rouge General School of Nursing which is where her sister graduated from nearly 6 years ago. I couldn't be happier.

 

 

My lil nurse to be and mommy to be

Kandace and B