Watch My Weight Wednesday! Meet Tim!

Welcome to Watch My Weight Wednesdays!  I am very pleased to introduce today's guest blogger Tim from Everyday Living.  I was so happy to hear he wanted to share his story with us!  Thanks Tim!


I would like to thank Angie for asking me to be a contributor to your site. I consider it a great honor to be allowed to come here and share my story as to how and why I began my weight loss journey. Thinking back to almost three years ago (music starts to play and swirling clouds begin to form)...

I have to admit that for the past several years, I have not given my weight a great deal of thought. I felt that if my clothes fit, than I was doing okay. The only problem was my wardrobe consisted of sweatpants and sweatshirts; not very conducive to gauging how much weight you are carrying. So, I continued fostering my aversion to exercise, all the while eating a pint or more of ice cream each night and devouring whole pizzas in a single sitting (imagine Garfield shoveling down the lasagna and you can get a good idea of what it looked like). This continued for several years until one day, as I walked in front of a glass door, I noticed my reflection and was horrified with what I saw.

I could not believe what I was seeing reflected back at me. It was a stranger; it couldn't be me. I actually remember looking around to see who else was there, but no one was...I was appalled by what I saw. So, right then and there, I decided I HAD to lose weight. When I got home, I went on the Internet and started looking for exercise equipment. I wanted to get something that was not too expensive, but would also last more than 6 weeks before breaking down. After several days of searching, I discovered the Total Gym and ordered it.

A few weeks went by and on the day my Total Gym was to arrive, I had my yearly checkup. Along with the usual tests and because of my enormous size, the doctor also wanted to test for diabetes. The next day he called and told me that, "you are on the cusp of type II diabetes" (yes, those were his exact words). Although I had already decided to lose the weight and my gym had already arrived, this just sealed the deal. So, on 6 August 2007, I began my journey...

• Beginning weight on 6 August 2007: 296 pounds (as confirmed by my doctor)
• Beginning hip measurement:48 inches
• Beginning waist measurement: 56 inches
• Weight on 27 July 2008: 232 lbs.
• Hip measurement: 39 inches
• Waist measurement: 44 inches
• Weight on 20 June 2010: 204 lbs.
• Hip Measurement: 38 inches
• Waist measurement: 41 ½ inches
• Total weight loss: 92 lbs. of fat

Now, I bet your wondering why I said…”of fat.” Well, the reason being is that I have gained, using a conservative number, roughly 25 pounds of muscle. This is something that you might want to take into consideration when you mount the Dreaded Scale of Doom, because as you exercise, you will not only be burning fat, but gaining muscle. Just try and remember that as you begin your journey, you are NOT alone. There are thousands of us out there fighting the same battle and together, we can win.



A little about me: I'm Tim, more commonly known as Tahtimbo, and I'm the author of Everyday Living, which you can visit by clicking the handsome cat seen below. In addition to chronicling my weight loss journey, I also write on a number of different topics, a few of which are: building a retaining wall, frugal living tips, recipes, blogging tips, and my weekly Friday Fotos. As you can see, I find it difficult to concentrate on just one topic...look, a squirrel! Please feel free to drop by sometime and visit.


Posted by...

Tim

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a blog hop!  Post your recipes, tips, and your weight loss stories!  It can be a new post or an older one that you would like to share.

What are your goals this week? Let me know in the comment section!

Add your old or new post below with Linky! Can't wait to see all the helpful tips/recipes/stories you have!
Please link directly to your post and not your blog URL. Please link back here so that everyone can join in the fun.

Carrots!

Your little ones hungry for a snack?  Offer them a peeled carrot.  These two had fun pretending to be rabbits and snowmen.  I remember when my son was small like these two.  He would sneak carrots from the fridge to snack on.  I always pretended not to see him do it. 

Beautiful Blogger Award!

The beautiful Blogger Award for me?!  Thank you so much to Summer at Summer, Boys and as much scrapbooking as possible...  for giving this award to me!!  Summer truly has a beautiful blog Go on over and say hello to her and tell her Angie sent you! 

Now the rules.
I need to pass this award on to 7 other Blogs to be able to fully except this award!!

Michelle at Green Earth Bazaar

Katie at The Stylish Dieter

Lucy at lucille in the sky

Holly at Southern Seven

Priscilla at Blue Eyed American Girl
Marsha at Taste and See God's Goodness

Julie at The going to be new me.... 

Now I have to tell you 7 things you may not know about me!  But you already know all this....so

Instead I am going to tell you 7 things off the top of my head that I find beautiful!

1. A babies smile.
2. A sunset across a lake.
3. A colorful kite, soaring in the sky.
4. These 4 kids!
5. Rainbows.
6. Flower gardens.
7. Rain showers on hot summer day.

Meatless Meatballs!

 This week I participated at Just Another Meatless Monday at Hey What For Dinner Mom?  This week Laura posted a great recipe that I just had to try right away!


Vegetarian Barbecue Bites (Meatless Meatballs)

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 cup of crushed corn flakes
• 3/4 cup chopped walnut
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups shredded cheese  (I used old cheddar)
• 2 TBSP oil
• Barbecue sauce to cover or for dipping**recipe**great recipe for barbecue sauce without hfcs in it!  (I used bottled sauce that I had on hand, click recipe to see Laura's!)

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil, let stand for 30 minutes
2. If making barbecue sauce you can assemble it now and let it simmer on low
3. Then over medium high heat heat 1 TBSP oil in a frying pan
4. Make 18 patties or meatballs out of the cheese and walnut mixture
5. Cook 9 at a time until they are browned on both sides
6. Put them in a 9x13 baking dish
7. Cook remaining patties the same way
8. Pour barbecue sauce over the top
9. Cover with foil bake 15-20 minutes

Now I did follow Laura's directions completely.  They really did taste like real meatballs with walnuts in them.  Next time I am going to try not to fry them at all as I did find they were to greasy for me.  I will let you know next time I make them, if baking work or not...if you try it, let me know too!
As for the family, the kids absolutely loved them!!!!  So It will be a part of our meals, more considered as "treat", and for entertaining!

Also sharing with Fight Back Friday! 
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Recipe Swap is hosted by The Grocery Cart Challenge
I'm Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom 
Sharing at Vegetarian Fridays Check them out for more vegetarian/vegan recipes!
Food Friday at Trends and Tips

Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home
 Notes From The Cookie Jar's  Food Revolution Friday

Hi all I am participating in the  Food & Health Blog Hop!   It is hosted by Lisa's Gluten-Free Advice and Healthy Living!

I would like to welcome you to Angie's Healthy Living Blog!  I am Angie!  And this is a blog of my journey on the road to Healthy Living.  Please scroll down to find posts with healthy recipes, and weight loss tips!

Have a great day!

Welcome back to Watch My Weight Wednesdays!

Today I am so delighted to introduce my first guest blogger, Kate from Mommy Monologues.  Welcome Kate I am so happy you could come and share with us today!  If you haven't had the opportunity to visit Kate at her blog   Mommy Monologues, I suggest you all run on over and check it out. I promise you, you'll be glad that you did!

Finding Ways to Enjoy Running

Hi All! I'm Kate & you can usually find me over at Mommy Monologues. I'd like to give a big thank you to Angie for letting me write over here today! I love her blog, she's so inspirational, & her menus pretty much rock! So I'm super excited!

I started sports at the age of 11 which eventually led me to collegiate sports (basketball & cross country) but I never really liked my weight, but I didn't hate myself either. I just knew that I could be healthier. My dad was diagnosed with diabetes, I transferred to a new university, quit sports, & because of all these events happening around the same time it made me want to discover a healthier frame of mind. With that healthier frame of mind & fear of being diabetic, I lost 25 lbs via an overhaul in my eating habits & exercise routine (aka my lack of exercise routine.)

A few years passed, I got married, gained a little bit of weight back, was unhappy about it, found out I was pregnant, and that obviously changed everything. Since I've had the baby (who is now 12 months) I have been an on & off again runner. I seriously have a love/hate relationship with running! I have mostly relied on healthy eating & breastfeeding (burns 500 calories a day woot woot!) to keep me at my "dream" size. And now that breastfeeding is no longer happening I'm having to get back into a work out routine. And y'all that is hard & no fun!

Last night while I was running I got so frustrated. In my mind, I consider myself the ultimate athlete. My body, make that lungs, however would totally disagree with you. I know I'm out of shape and I know my body isn't in it's prime condition.

So, there I was pounding the pavement and after 15 minutes I just stopped. Sat down like a big toddler & wouldn't budge. I was throwing a serious temper tantrum. And then I started talking to myself, "If you aren't going to be positive about this then there is no point in doing it. If aren't going to be nice to yourself while you run then you should just stop now."

And that's when I came up with this list of how to make my daily jogs more enjoyable:

1. Have a set route in mind. Last night I went out to run with no clear map in my head of where to go. So all my mental energy went to focusing on trying to figure out what direction I wanted to run instead of focusing on the actual run itself. Running is just as much mental as it is physical! And it's usually your mental state that will beat you every time!

2. Play games with yourself. Tell yourself that your going to run to the next light pole 50 yards (or even 10 yards) ahead. And when you get to that point you will slow down or take a break. And then start the game again. Or sometimes I have motivational sayings that match up with the beat of when my feet hit the ground. It sounds weird, but seriously I have made it through 13 miles of running saying the same phrase over & over & over in my head.

3. Don't always focus on your watch. When I look to see how long I've been running & I realize that it's been 3 minutes & it feels like 30, that's when I flip my watch to where I can't see it anymore. This always helps me focus on my strides instead of focusing on being miserable.

4. Don't start out overly ambitious. Like I said, I'm getting back into running after an extended amount of time off (that's nice for saying a year away from running.) So whenever I'm trying to get back into the swing of things I start out very, very moderately. For example, if I'm in bad, bad shape I'll start out running 1 minute, walking 2. And I will rotate that cycle for 30 minutes. This way I can build up to running a full 30-45 minutes over a period of time. Check out Five Weeks to Your First 5k-- even if you aren't wanting to run in races, this will help you to become a runner!

5. Don't push yourself. If you're at a breaking point for the day, take it easy. Do whatever you need to in order to get some sort of work out in for the day. But don't push your body or your mind because you won't look forward to your workout the next day if you've pushed too hard. Sometimes you need to be easy on yourself.
Today for example, I mentally could not handle an actual run. So I walked & I felt great afterwards! Tomorrow, I'll try to run because I didn't push myself so hard. I'm actually looking forward to making myself go harder (and yes, I have my route already picked out! :) Exercising is supposed to be fun, it is definitely hard, but it can be a blast at the same time!

So get out there, pound the pavement, & enjoy yourself!
And Good Luck!

Written by Kate
Mommy Monologues
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How are you all doing this week? 
I am doing well!  I have been reading up on metabolisms and metabolic typing.  I can't wait to tell you all what I have been learning!   This week I am sticking to my normal goals, with the addition of squeezing in a half hour of wii fit in the afternoon.  I also got this cute tracker!  20 lbs to go!  Hopefully this well remind me and motivate me to keep at it!  
Would love to see what you all have been up to!   Linky is open!!!





Please link directly to your post and not your blog URL. Link back here so that everyone can join in the fun.  And don't forget after linking check back and visit some great blogs!  That why we are doing this!  To help each other succeed!  We can do this!

Stylish Blogger Award!

Julie from The going to be a new me... awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award!  Ohhh!  I am not sure how stylish I am?  I kind of think my blog is plain?  I have tried adding new backgrounds and such, but I always delete them.  So maybe plain is in style now???  HA!

Thank you so much Julie!  Julie's blog is about her journey as a busy mom getting healthier too!  Go give her a visit and tell her Angie sent you!

The criteria in accepting this, is to list 5 random things about yourself and pass this award onto 5 other bloggers!

So here is my 5 Random Things

1. I love to go outside and watch the rain on my covered front porch.  Not sure why but I enjoy it.

2. I love surprising my kids with adventures!  I always keep going to fun places a secret till the very last minute.  Just so I can surprise them.

3. I drive a purple convertible.  A VW Cabriolet!  My 3rd purple car.

4. I love making new bloggy friends and receiving fun awards!  Thank you!

5. Oh one more!?  I have eaten green eggs and ham(bacon)....no it not healthy.  My dad makes them for the kids when we visit.  My dad loves Dr Suess!



The 5 blogs I am giving this award to are ...

1. Ally at Sweet and Savory
A great foodie blogger with oh so yummy recipes!!!!

2. Leslie at Goodbye, House! HELLO, HOME!
You really need to go visit Leslie and see her new  Foyer, Music Room, and Dining Room  Now that deserves a stylish award!!!

3. Lish at A Beautiful Mess.

A real stylish mom with a very lovely blog!

4. Nicole at Going Green in 2010 
Making a green choice everyday! Go see what she has changed so far!

5. Rhonda at motivation momadrama
This is for Jackson now he is one stylin guy!  Go check out his moms blog, to find some motivation to help live a healthy life style!

Well that is my 5!  I am so glad it was only 5!  7,12, is just to much award makers!

Hope you all, are having a lovely Tuesday!

Masoor Dal

What is masoor dal?  It is a very yummy, quick, and easy red lentil curry dish!
I was looking for a red lentil dish that I could make for my family with the ingredient's I already had on hand.  I didn't have much so it was tough to find until I saw this recipe here!  It just looked so easy I had to give it a try!  This is what I came up with! 

Masoor Dal

• 2 cups red lentils
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• red pepper flakes

I just threw all ingredients into a pot and cooked  until lentils were done.
Serve with some Naan and ENJOY!

Sharing with
Just Another Meatless Monday is hosted by Hey Whats For Dinner Mom?
My Meatless Monday is hosted by My Sweet and Savoury 

Strawberry Banana Coconut Milkshake (with an optional kick!)

Mmmmm...These are so yummy!  Another summer drink for you to try this season.  A cool "healthy" treat of strawberries, banana, and coconut with a touch of Baileys is the perfect companion to hot summer evenings, don't you think?!  This cool shake is way better than anything you could pick up at a fast-food/coffee shop window!!   It tastes a bit like a banana split.  You really need to give this recipe a try!   You will not be disappointed!

Strawberry Banana Coconut Milkshake (with an optional kick!)

• Strawberries, washed and hulled.
• Banana, frozen if you have one, fresh if you don't.
• Coconut milk about a cup  (if using canned-half a can coconut milk w/half can water)
• 4 oz Baileys (optional, also can substitute with rum) 

Blend all ingredients and enjoy!
Also can be made ahead of time and put in freezer(but not to long as you don't want it to be totally frozen) whirl in the blender again for a colder treat!

Sharing with Ultimate Recipe Swap!

Watch My Weight Wednesday!

Today I am posting some tips I found here.  

Mushrooms
When ground beef was swapped out for mushrooms in lasagna, sloppy joes, and chili, adults consumed 400 fewer calories per day, according to a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study. Researchers estimate that if you sub mushrooms for ground meat in one meal every week, you can lose five pounds in a year.

Water
Put five rubber bands around your wrist every morning. That's how many 16-ounce bottles of water you should drink during the day to rev up your metabolism, helping to burn more calories. At least, that's what German researchers found when they got 14 participants to drink about 500 ml of water. The volunteers' metabolic rate – or how quickly they burned calories – jumped a third within 10 minutes of drinking the water and remained high for another 30 or 40 minutes. The researchers estimated that, over a year, increasing your water consumption by 1.5 litres a day would burn an extra 17,400 calories, or about 2.25 kg (5 lb) worth. Since much of the increased metabolic rate is due to the body's efforts to heat the liquid, make sure the water you're drinking is icy cold.

Housework
Wash something thoroughly once a week -- a floor, a couple of windows, the shower stall, bathroom tile, or your car. A 150-pound person who dons rubber gloves and exerts some elbow grease will burn about four calories for every minute spent cleaning, says Blake. Scrub for 30 minutes and you could work off approximately 120 calories, the same number in a half-cup of vanilla frozen yogurt. And your surroundings will sparkle!

 Condiments
Weed out calories you've been overlooking: spreads, dressings, sauces, condiments, drinks, and snacks. These calories count, whether or not you've been counting them, and could make the difference between weight gain and loss.

Hope you all are having a great week!  
Linky is open if you want to share!

Garlic Cheese Popovers

Yesterday was a bit of a rainy day for us.  The kids wanted a snack and something to do.  So I looked through my bookmarks to see what I could find, to have fun making with the kids!  Tiffanee at One Crazy Cookie made these a while back, and when I saw them I just knew I would have to try them out!  I have never eaten a popover before and Tiffanee described them to be like yorkshire pudding...which I do like!  So I gave it a whirl!

Garlic Cheese Popovers

• 2 Eggs
• 1 cups Milk
• 1 Tbls Olive oil
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp garlic 
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin.
Throw all ingredients (reserve 1/2cup cheese) in a bowl.  Mix till well blended!
Divide batter between the muffin cups (makes 12) and sprinkle tops with remaining cheese.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until firm. Immediately after removing from the oven, prick each popover to let the steam escape, they will deflate a bit.  Let cool a bit before removing from muffin tin and serve warm.  Enjoy!


What did the family think?  They loved em!  This was such an easy recipe to make with few ingredients!  I did change it a little bit, but I am thinking you can add anything you like into these!  Fresh bell peppers, jalapeno's, onion, potato, and so much more!  Another fun new item for the recipe box!

Just Another Meatless Monday is hosted by Hey Whats For Dinner Mom?
Mad Skills Monday at Support Blog For Moms of Boys

Homemaker Mondays is hosted by 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven. 
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative

Getting To Know ME!

Happy Sunday Everyone!  I hope you are all having a nice weekend!  Here is a little bit more about me!  Enjoy!

1. If you could have one of Superman's, powers which one would you want? Superhuman strength..Flight..Superhuman speed..X-Ray vision..etc

Flight!  Always wanted to fly!  Used to run around a field as a child and leap through the air pretending I could fly!  It was so much fun.... :)

2. The best thing I ever won is....?

Oh!  That is easy!  I won earings from RJ @ A Life Designed, By RJ

3. Have you ever skyped with a bloggy friend?

No...maybe someday. 

4. What is your favorite Summer month?

I never thought about this I love summer I like both July and August!

5. Pool, Lake, or Ocean?

No Hot tub choice?  I love water, all of the above! 

6. One of my favorite Summer memories is.....?

Camping with Jason and Kaitie when she was a baby  :)

7. What's your favorite secret bargain?

Freecycle!  Can't get any more better than that!  Andrew Birthday present!  Mind you this is something he has been wanting since last year!  He loves it so much he does the neighbors lawn too!  It was used for one season and looked brand new, getting it for free and making Andrew happy!  Priceless!

8. Do you plan on or have you been watching the World Cup?

No. Don't have cable, not really into sports. 

POMtastic!

I know you all have been waiting to read this recipe!  So here it is!

• 1/2 a Small jug of POM Wonderful
• 4 oz vodka
• 1 1/2 oz Lime Cordial
• Ice enough to fill the blender!

Blend ingredients adding a little ice at a time.
Enjoy your icy drink on hot evening!

POM Wonderful Fun With Recipes!

I was so excited when Kristen from POM Wonderful contacted me to ask if I would like to experiment with POM Wonderful juice!  Pomegranates are so good for you!   And I always wanted try this juice!

So with the POM Wonderful juice I made...

Yummy salad dressing!

A wonderful "healthier" Cheesecake!

Quinoa Berry and Walnut breakfast

And last but definitely not least A yummy icy drink!  We named it Pomtastic!

Recipe will be up soon!

 

It was so much fun creating recipes to use with POM Wonderful Juice!  To learn more about POM Wonderful go check out http://www.pomwonderful.com/. 

I Guess I am the "IT" girl today!

There is somewhat of a tag game going around today!  And I was tagged twice!  In two different games!  I am afraid if I don't make this post soon I will be tagged some more!  HAHAHA but that is ok, I love to play!  I wonder if the people I tag will play too?  Hmmm we will soon see!

I was tagged by Lisa at Fine Sweet Life.  With this one I have to state 12 likes, 1 love and 8 hates.

Pammy Pam over at i forgot what i was doing also tagged me in Ten Things That Make Me Happy.

Likes/Things that make me happy!

1. A day at the beach with my family (Don't go often enough)
2. dark chocolate (Mmmmmm!)
3. a really good read (Looking for some good summer reads!  Suggestions?)
4. flowers (When picked fresh out of the garden and left around the house to surprise me!)
5. spending time with good friends (you know who you are)
6. Coffee (switched to substitute, but still treat myself on occasion)
7. Date night (which is not as regular as it used to be)
8. Garage/Thrift shopping (Finding the great find!)
9. Cooking A new dinner (And the kids actually like it!)
10. Baking fresh bread (Which I do not do every week,bad for my waist line!)
11. Playing with the kids (just being silly)
12. Watching a really good movie!  (love the movies!)

Loves:
My family!  The whole lot of them including our best friends!

Hates:
Why only one love, and eight hates?
I am going to pass on this one.

Okay, now I get to tag three people for the first one - 10 likes, 1 love, 8 hates.

1. Heather at Out Of The Box Into The Kitchen   
2. Kate at Mommy Monologues 
3. Sarah at Sugar Bananas! 

Now for ten bloggers for Ten Things That Make Me Happy!

1. Laura at Hey What's For Dinner Mom?
2. Lis at An American Girl in Bristol
3. Jo at Jo's Health Corner  
4. Kelly at Blue Frogs Legs 
5. Kathleen at Getting Healthy with Bubba and Bellie
6. Debbi  at Debbi Does Dinner... Healthy & Low Calorie
7. Priscilla at Heart Sparrow
8. Amy at a Foodie Fairytale
9. RJ at A Life Designed by RJ
10. Sarah at Dream In Domestic

 Tag you guys are it now!

Watch My Weight Wednesday!

It is that time again!  The one day I need to reflect on my past week, and take note of my weight loss goals and achievements!  And this week I am a bit up.  I am doing such a lousy job on my weight loss journey.  Up and down, then up again.  It was so easy the first time!  Why is it so hard this time? Well no matter...It is a new week, and with new goals...or I should say old goals that I just need to keep.

#1  Drink more water!  Need to flush the system.  I am going to keep a check list on the fridge to help monitor how much I drink.

#2  Go to the gym, I have been slacking...Need to get up and just go!  I know I will feel so much better for it!

#3  Measure my food portions.  This is a must for carbs...I think they are the culprits of my weight gain!  I am just a little bit addicted to fresh bread.

#4  Find time to sit and read the books I borrowed from the library.  They are about metabolisms and metabolic typing.  I think I have been fearing them as I am sure they will tell me to stay away from bread...but how will I know if I don't read them.

Check out this thread on Blog Frog!  I need to be more like Carrie!

By the way I have a community on Blog Frog come visit me to chat!

How are you all doing this week?

Meal Plan Monday

This weeks meal plan!

Monday -  Thai Peanut Noodles
Leftovers from Saturday.

Tuesday -Chipotle Cheesesteak Subs 
Using leftover roast beef from Sunday.

Wednesday - Black Bean Burgers!
Check out this yummy recipe!                                         



Thursday - Roast chicken

Friday - Garden Salad with chicken
Using leftover chicken from night before.

Saturday - Picnic Dinner 

Sunday -Beef Stir Fry

Check out www.orgjunkie.com,and Mindful Menus for more menu plans!

We Are Flexitarians!    Flexitarianism is a semi-vegetarian diet focusing on vegetarian food with occasional meat consumption. A self-described flexitarian seeks to decrease meat consumption without eliminating it entirely from his or her diet. There are no guidelines for how much or how little meat one must eat before being classified a flexitarian.

Black Bean Burgers! Yummy!

 Black Bean Burgers

I have been wanting to make black bean burgers for awhile now.  Today was the day!  I found a youtube video recipe that I really liked!  These are baked, not fried in oil!  I made them up as the video describes and added some more ingredients(left a few out too).  I thought the burgers were a bit on the wet side before I baked them, so I wasn't sure they would work out.  When they were done I was worried!  I took a bite out of one of the crumbly ones and I was worried that my family would not like it.  But I worried for naught!  After dressing the burgers up, Kaitie was asking for seconds, and Andrew was asking why I don't make them more often!  So this recipe is such a keeper!!!  I love when my kids like what I make!  Oh and you must make the chipotle mayo too!  Mmm Mmm!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups black beans cooked 
• 2 slices dry whole wheat bread crumbled into tiny pieces 
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 large stalk celery
• 2 mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 egg (optional)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika

Directions:

1. Mash your beans in a bowl. Keep them a bit chinky.
2. Use your food processor and  process all ingredients and add them to your beans.
3. Mix egg and spices, add to bean mix.
4. Mix well by hand.
5. Form flat patties and bake in a preheated 350 oven for 10 min, flip carefully and bake for another 10 mins.  I made 5 very large patties.
6. Serve with your fave burger toppings.  ENJOY!

Chipotle Mayo  

• 3/4 Cup mayo
• 1tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 Lime squeezed
• 1-3 tsp chipotle sauce (or you can mince 1 chipotle pepper)
• A little garlic powder to taste

Combine all ingredients add more or less to your own liking.

Watch this video to see how easy it is!  My recipe is tad bit different.

Submitting this recipe to Burger Club Free-For-All 

Veggie Stir Fry!

Vegetable Almond Stir Fry

A yummy vegetable stir fry!  A side dish to complement any main dish or a yummy lunch! 

• 1 tbls soy sauce
• 1/2 tbls honey
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced   
• 1 tbls fresh ginger, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• chopped broccoli 
• A few stalk of celery sliced
• carrot, cut thinly
• A whole lot of bean sprouts (you can use what ever veggies you have of course) 
• A handful of almonds

Directions
Whisk together soy sauce, honey, mustard and red pepper flakes.
In a wok, saute all ingredients, stirring 5-7 minutes. Add sauce.
Enjoy! 
Also sharing with Fight Back Friday! 
Friday Food is hosted by Mom Trends
Friday Foodie is hosted by Designs by Gollum
Recipe Swap is hosted by The Grocery Cart Challenge
Finer Things Friday is hosted by Amy's Finer Things
I'm Lovin It Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom
Sharing at Vegetarian Fridays Check them out for more vegetarian/vegan recipes!

Watch My Weight Wednesdays!

This is just the linky I will put my post up later today.

Look what I woke up too!

There is something wrong with the wii!  My husband and I did not lose that much weight over night!

Healthier Cheesecake!

Blueberry/POM Cheesecake

My hubby loves cheesecake!  For his birthday I made him this!  I liked it...but he described it as a cheesecake with no sugar....but that didn't stop him from eating it!  I think next time I make this, I will add dried fruit(soaked for a few hours) to the crust instead of the applesauce.  And maybe a bit more stevia to the cheesecake to make it sweeter for my hubby!

Ingredients:

Crust:
3 tablespoons apple sauce
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 Tbls honey
1/2 teaspoon stevia

Filling:
3 packages cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup pom wonderful blueberry juice
1/4 tsp stevia
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipping cream

Topping:
1/4 cup pom juice
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preparation:
Grease a 9-13 dish.
Grind nuts and oats in food processor. Add the rest of the crust ingredients. Pulse until a dough forms, then press into the bottom of the dish. refrigerate.

Beat cream cheese for a minute until creamy, and add pomegranate juice a spoonful at a time, vanilla, stevia, and beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to stiff peaks.  Fold heavy cream into cream cheese mixture, until most streaks are gone.  Spread over crust with a spatula, and smooth the top.
Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

For topping, in a saucepan over medium heat mix the pom juice, blueberries.  Combine the water and cornstarch and add to saucepan.  Sauce will thicken as it cools.
When ready to serve pour sauce over individual slices of cake.

ENJOY!