Awards for me! And for you!

I am so thrilled!  When I started this blog a little over 6 months ago, I had no clue what was in store for me!  Today I have 300 GFC followers, and followers who read from FB, and internet searches, I am really blown away!  I am so happy to have stumbled upon this amazing community.  I have "met" so many truly amazing people.  I also have won many awards.  I have really fallen behind in accepting them.  I feel it is so important to accept these awards as if it wasn't for all of you who read and comment on my blog it wouldn't be the blog it is today!

I have to break some award rules....sorry.  I am going to award two bloggers for each award I received.

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A Blog With Substance Award

The first award I would like to share with you is from Kelly at Blue Frog Legs. She has a truly amazing blog!  Please go read a recent post of hers Comfortable with the skin you are in.  And take a look around I am sure you will love it!  
Rules:
1. Sum up Your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience in 5 words: 
Love. Adore. Treasure. Family. Friends. Earth.  Ok that is 6 But I couldn't cut a word out.

2. Give this award to 10 other amazing blogs.   I am choosing
Laura at hey what's for dinner mom? , and Mandy at Peace and Craziness

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Next 2 Awards are from Amy at A Foodie Fairytale.
stop by Amy's blog. She's raising money for March of Dimes by creating a cookbook with recipes from food bloggers. All proceeds benefit the March of Dimes.

The Sweet Blog Award

Rules:

1. Give this award to 10 sweet bloggers.
2. Make a post about the award including the picture and mention the person who gave it to you.
3. Put the award on your blog.
4. Let your nominated 10 know you’ve awarded them by leaving a comment.
I am choosing  Ally at Sweet & Savory, and Michelle at All home Cooking. All Year Long.

Sunshine Award

Rules:
1. Post the logo on blog.
2. Pass the award on to 12 fellow bloggers.
3. Link the nominees
4. Let nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person you received this award from.
I am choosing Rhonda at MotivationMamaDrama, and Julie at The going to be new me....

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Sweet Blog Award!

Another Sweet Blog Award from Holly at Living in a (Mostly) Happy SAHM World .  You must check out all her very yummy recipes!  She is also a really good meal planner too.  I need to take some tips from her!

Rules:

1. Give this award to 10 sweet bloggers.

2. Make a post about the award including the picture and mention the person who gave it to you.

3. Put the award on your blog.

4. Let your nominated 10 know you’ve awarded them by leaving a comment.

I am going to choose Scattered Mom at Notes From the Cookie Jar, and Kitty at Trying to Fit in a Big World -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunshine Award 

Trish at Dream house for Trish  gave me the Sunshine Award!  Same rules as above.I love Trish's style when it comes to decorating your house!  She has many fun ideas that she share with her readers!

Also she has a new and exciting blog called A Dream Body for Trish

I am choosing Kelly at Blue Frog Legs. and, Cameron at Ingenue Mom

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The Versatile Blogger Award

Cameron at Ingenue Mom gave me the Versatile Blogger Award! Thank you so much!  Check out her post Top 10 Pregnancy Tips...31DBBB
Rules:
1. Share 7 things about yourself.
2. Pass the award to 5 bloggers.

I'm passing The Versatile Blogger award to:
Holly at Living in a (Mostly) Happy SAHM World, and Amy at  A Foodie Fairytale

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The Sunshine Award

 My last award of the day is from Michelle at All home Cooking. All Year Long.  Thankyou so much Michelle!  Can you guess what her blog is about?  She has so many tasty recipes, please go give her a visit if you don't already follow her! “The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world.”  What a pretty quote!

Rules:
1. Post the award on your blog.
2. Pass the award on to 12 fellow bloggers.
3. Link the nominees.
4. Let nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person you received this award from.
I am going to choose Trish's new blog  A Dream Body for Trish , and Priscilla at Blue Eyed American Girl

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Wow that was hard!  Note to self  - Never get behind on awards again!  Also for those who do want to know more about me...(Cause I didn't write 7 thing about me)I would like to invite you to see my second blog.  It more of a mommy blog.  I love mommy blogs and wanted to join in the fun.  I call it my little side dish of Happiness!  Sunshine and Lollipops!  (no we don't eat lollipops, I just really like the song).  Thanks for reading this very long post and I wish you all a very happy weekend!

Bee Funny!

Yesterday I was quite busy and my 10 year old son asked if he could have some watermelon.  I kept putting him off with "just in a minute", "soon", and "maybe later" 's.  He really, really  wanted some and asked me if he could just cut himself a piece.  So I said ok.  

*On a side note.  Andrew's been helping me in the kitchen since he was a toddler and knows how to use sharp knives safely.  So I do trust him in the kitchen.  

When I went to go check on him...I noticed half the watermelon gone.  But no Andrew was to be seen!  I took a look outside and this is what I saw!

I guess he really wanted watermelon!  Nice thick juicy slices!  Cut like a boy would like them :)  He did share, but I bet he would of ate the whole platterfull if I didn't find him!

I Love you Andrew!  xoxoxoxo

Fluoride

I knew fluoride was not healthy for you.  This short video will tell you everything you need to know about it.  I was pretty shocked to learn about where it comes from.  I also posted the source links at the end.  Will this change how you look at water and other beverages?



Silicofluoride Filtration options:
Gravity type (make sure to get the pf-2 fluoride filter)
http://www.morethanalive.com/Berkey_W...
Reverse Osmosis
http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/Merc...

Original Article with references
http://www.fluoridealert.org/phosphat...

Watch My Weight Wednesday! Meet Ally!

Welcome to Watch My Weight Wednesday! 
Today I would like to introduce Ally from Sweet and Savory!  I absolutely love Ally's Blog!  She makes the most yummiest food and takes such lovely pictures of her recipes!  Today Ally has offered to share a few very yummy looking recipes!  Thank you Ally!

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Hello to all of Angie's followers!

My name is Ally, and I also write a little known food blog entitled, Sweet & Savory (www.sweetandsavoryfood.com).  As with Angie, it is a place I chronicle some of my daily eats, but mainly you see the recipes and dishes I make for my family on a daily basis.  I developed my blog late last year as a way to do something other than "being a stay at home mom".  I feel it is important to always have a hobby you enjoy doing, and since I love to bake and cook - a food blog it is!

Food has always been very important to me.  Once I got married, and now even more with our son, I feel it is important to feed them quality meals that are healthy, but don't get me wrong - a little indulgent too!

Now, I must say, I love going out to eat and visiting new restaurants, but with a one person income that just isn't feasible, nor always healthy, so we leave that to maybe once a month, and the rest is out of our own kitchen.

I am a strong believer in family meals, sitting down together, dishes made from scratch (or close to), farmer's markets, buying local, and pretty much all the other food revolutions you hear about today.  I do get asked often if I buy all organic, and the answer is no.  I buy it when I can afford it or when I feel it is a necessity - mainly for fruits, vegetables and some meats.  I always say, do what you can and don't feel guilty about it!

Below I have listed two of my simple go-to recipes.  These both go over well at our house, so I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Flourless Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 t. baking soda
3/4 c. brown or white sugar
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together and form into balls.  On a greased cookie sheet bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees.  Do not overbake, they are best chewy!

 

Roasted Garlic Asparagus

1 bundle fresh asparagus
2 T. olive oil
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 t. pepper

Wash and prep asparagus.  Drizzle with olive oil, toss and spread on baking sheet.  Sprinkle with pepper and garlic, toss again.  Roast at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.



I hope you all have enjoyed getting to know "just a little" about me and my foodie loves.  If you'd like to read more about my life - my son, the husband, the crazy concoctions I sometimes come up with, all thrown together with a side of humor, stop on by!

www.sweetandsavoryfood.com

Ally

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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.

Would you like to be a guest blogger?  Send me an email!

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.

My latest update is the first link up!  Come see how I am doing!

Zucchini Pizza

So I saw this awesome recipe on a great blog I follow (SnoWhites, Finding Joy in my Kitchen) and absolutely loved it!  I just couldn't wait to try it!  This is habit of mine.  And is one of the reasons why I am so terrible at meal planning.
I was just given a huge zucchini that morning from a neighbor of mine and thought it would be perfect for this recipe.  As I was jumping in to this recipe I realized that I didn't have all the necessary ingredients.  So I started substituting.  Unfortunately my substitutions were not the best.  My crust was sogy it just didn't set right so in the end I basically made a zucchini casserole.  While it was edible it was not in any way good enough to share my altered recipe.  Lets just say I wouldn't make it again.  See pic.  Big fail in the appetizing look category!   
But I still plan to make SnoWhites recipe, that I am sharing with you today.  When I have all the correct ingredients that is!.
Please hop over to Finding Joy in my Kitchen  to see her beautiful how to pics and finished product pic!  This recipe is all SnoWhites not altered in any way by me.

Zucchini "Pizza" - Adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventure

"Crust"

• 4 C shredded zucchini
• 2 C cooked brown rice
• 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs

Filling

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 1/2 C spaghetti sauce
• 1 tsp. oregano*
• 1/2 tsp.salt*                                                                                              My Zucchini Casserole, doesn't look to appetizing.

Topping

• 1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

*You may not need to add these spices if your spaghetti sauce already has them!

1. Shred the cheese and zucchini.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the cooked rice, shredded zucchini, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
3. Add in the eggs and mix well.
4. Press into a 9x13 glass baking dish.
5. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes until the crust is lightly browned.
6. Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey; drain.
7. Stir in the tomato sauce.
8. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until warmed through.
9. Then, spread the spaghetti sauce mixture over the crust.
10. Top with shredded cheese.
11. Continue baking at 400 for 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and brown.
12. Enjoy! 

Weightloss Update!

I know it has been awhile since I posted about my personal journey with my weightloss.  I was maintaining my current weight but not losing any.  I was very frustrated with myself and couldn't get past it.  Until last week when I finally took the time to figure out what I really wanted.
This week I was able to kick myself into high gear and start getting things done!  First step I made, was to figure out why I wasn't losing weight.  Not hard I knew the reasons, but writing them down and having them stare in your face is eye opening.  Second step was to figure out why I actually wanted to lose weight.  What is my motivation for losing?  And then then hard part, how?  What is my plan of attack?
So here are some of the things I figured out.
 

Reasons for why I am not losing.

• Procrastination - I will start on Monday, I will start when I finish this great book(I have read so much books about metabolism!)
• Giving up - I eat healthy, I exercise, why should I try harder?
• Loving my bread - I do have a love affair with bread!  Homemade bread, tortilla's, foccacia, pita, and all those yummy multigrain breads!
• Motivation/Stress - I just haven't had much energy or want, to put a plan together.  I have been under a lot of stress(of my own making).  To read my latest stress click here.

So what has changed to start the scale going downwards?

Reasons why I kicked myself into gear to start losing

• My health - I have noticed I don't have as much energy as I used to.  I want that energy back!
• My Wardrobe - I noticed I have nothing to wear.  I don't want to shop for larger clothes!         A tip for everyone losing weight -  Get those larger sizes out of the closet when you shrink out of them!  You never want to fit back into them, so get rid of them!
• Photo's taken of me! - Especially full body photo's!  See most recent photo above.  Not a very flattering angle or facial expression.  But hey that is me.  I want to change it back to me 20lbs ago!
  
• My Family - I found I didn't feel comfortable doing some very fun stuff with my family including swimming.  I want to like myself in a swim suit and not feel so self conscious of my appearance, so I can participate in fun things with my family. 
• My Wednesday Followers - I felt I was letting you guys down.  You are following me and I wasn't updating any progress.  I really need your support and I don't want to lose anyone!

We all don't lose weight equally.  There is no diet or weightloss program that will work the same for everybody.  So you need to find out what you personally need to do to change your lifestyle to start losing weight.  It is hard.  I read a ton of books and health blogs to see what would work for me.  I am not an expert I just know what works for me.
Since I do live a healthy lifestyle, I have already given up some unhealthy choices, including fastfood, boxed foods, canned goods, salt, and added sugar, including pop and chips(and you know something - I don't even miss them anymore!).

Things I have changed this week to start losing weight - My plan of attack
Cut back on bread - I love bread but have cut back to 2 servings a day.  Which includes other starches like pasta, rice, and potatoes.
Water - I have made sure I drank all my allotted water for the day, and also added some lemon or lime juice to it.  I read that adding an ounce of lemon juice to each of your 8 daily glasses of water helps with weightloss in many ways.  So I thought I would give it a try!
Antioxidants- I have added more foods rich in antioxidants into my daily meal plan.  Cherries, blue berries, lemon, spinach, peppers, just to name a few. Very yummy!
Working out - This I haven't changed, I try to go to the gym 3 mornings a week as well as getting more activity into my day.
Food Journal - Ahhh!  I hate keeping a food journal!  But I do know that it helps keep me on track and it does work for me!  Just check out my wii pics!

It has been 5 days and I have lost 1.5 lbs!  Now to keep up the good work.  Standing on my wii fit helps keep me accountable!  Watching that line graph going down also really motivates me to keep going!

Watch My Weight Wednesday! Meet Lynda!

Welcome back to another Watch My Weight Wednesday!  Today's Guest Poster is Lynda author of Taking Less Space.

 Please visit her blog!  She describes her blog as her "quest to be more fit, healthy, strong, and less fat".   

A sometimes sarcastic, and honest story of her adventures during this life journey.  

When Angie at Angie's Healthy Living Blog asked me to be a guest blogger, one of the first things I did (after thanking her for the opportunity), was to ask her if she wanted me to write about a specific topic. She said, “I would just love if you could write a bit about yourself and where you are at.”

Where I’m At   

I began Weight Watchers around March of 2010. Though I am hesitant to say how much I weighed when I joined, I will say this: I have to lose a small person. I have a very long way to go. And it is very slow going.

I’ve only lost 12 pounds. It’s taken me a lot of hard work and time in the gym to lose those 12 pounds. I know I’m better off than I was before. I’m eating tons of vegetables and fruit, I’ve embraced whole grains, and I try to incorporate some form of movement at least 4-5 days a week. I have more energy, my attitude has improved, and I feel healthier. I am starting to fit into some of my clothes (or at least look a little better in them.)

I’ve been a success at Weight Watchers before. It took me a year to lose 50 pounds when I was about 30 years old, and I kept it off for a year. I don’t remember it being nearly as difficult or as challenging as it is now.

So what’s different? I’m older, in my 40s. I’m going out to eat more often, and I probably drink more than a 2-point glass of wine.  Sometimes I give myself  too many excuses not to exercise: it’s too hot, I’m tired, I’m hungry, I’m too busy, blah, blah, blah.

I also have that difficult time in the month where there is not enough food in the world to satisfy me.

I have a husband who is very fit, who loves to go out to eat and drink good wine. He never gains any weight. On the weekends, I slack off. I don’t always track, I don’t count points. That’s bad.

I realize that these are all excuses. Really bad excuses. I know that if I really want to lose weight, if I really want to see a difference on the scale, I’ve got to get serious. I’ve got to track consistently. I’ve got to count my points. I’ve got to stop sticking my head in the sand every weekend and pretend it won’t matter on weigh-in day. I’ve got to treat my weekends like any other day and track and move my body.

I can’t pretend that the weekends are a free ride. I don’t have a “free pass” on the weekends--I still need to exercise. If I am serious, if I am truly committed to this weight loss, to Healthy Living, I need to something physical, even on a Saturday or Sunday.

I’ve got to stop making it easy on myself. I’ve got to commit myself completely to Healthy Living.

And to get me started, I leave you with one of my favorite fruit smoothies, the Wicked Tasty smoothie. Cheers!

Wicked Tasty Smoothie

• ½ cup Soy milk
• 1 ripe banana, frozen if possible
• Handful of blueberries
• Splash vanilla extract
• Splash Agave Nectar
• Ice

Add all ingredients to blender. Makes a wicked tasty smoothie.

Written by Lynda author of Taking Less Space

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.

Would you like to be a guest blogger?  Send me an email!

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.

Today I am guest posting here!

Come on over to check it out!

Pomi + Gnocchi = YUM!

As a "green" mom I try to find products that are natural and BPA free!

We all know that many of our canned foods leach BPA chemicals.   

Eliminating canned foods takes some work.  But, here is the good news!  There are readily available alternatives to most canned foods like fruit, vegetables and beans.  You can buy fresh, frozen, or jared.  When it comes to tomato's this is my method of "canned" tomatoes.  But being a busy mom sometimes you  don't have time to wait for tomatoes to thaw.  So I was very pleased to find another alternative to canned tomatoes!


Pomi

Pomi is All Natural.
No Fat added.
No Sodium Added.
100% from Fresh Italian Tomatoes.
Packaged in a  BPA free box!
They are chopped, and strained, perfect for all your fave recipes of sauces, soups, pasta and any recipe calling canned tomatoes!
Now how great is all that!

Pomi is available at select Whole Foods Markets, Stop & Shops, Shop Rite, Publix markets, and Hannaford stores. I would call ahead of time to make sure they carry or even ask them to carry it! They are also available in smaller natural, organic or Italian specialty stores.

And now a yummy recipe!  This recipe is from a very good friend of mine!  This meal was shared with 8 people with leftovers...would be perfect for freezer cooking, and great for a potluck dish!


Ingredients

• 3  packages of gnocchi (fresh or frozen) cook as directed (one batch at a time!)
• 1 box of Pomi
• 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan or cheese of choice (even cheddar works, as long as it is tangy and hard)
• 1 cup finely chopped greens (chard/spinach/parsley)
• 1/4 pound of bacon (or proscuitto), diced
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup sweet pepper/celery/carrot, finely chopped

Bring water for gnocchi to a boil. Cook gnocchi as directed.
Meanwhile - fry bacon, until fat is released, drain and set aside. 
Fry onions and vegetables until softened and set aside. 
Add Pomi to pan bring to a simmer.  Whisk in cheese until dissolved completely.  Stir bacon, onion and vegetables back into sauce.  Cover and simmer 2 minutes.
Once the gnocchi is cooked (they should still be firm), drain and stir into sauce.
Garnish with parmesan and parsley.
 Enjoy!


I received a product for the purpose of this review but no other type of compensation was received.  This had no bearing on my completely honest review above.  The opinions and experiences I've shared with this product are my own

Best Sandwich Recipe!

I love radishes!  I am pretty sure I didn't when I was younger?  But I love them now!  The other day I was making a sandwich and I ran out of lettuce!  But I did however have some leftover salad from the night before.  So I used salad instead...I do this all the time, but this time the salad had radishes in it!  This was the best tasting sandwich ever!!!!!!  The radishes and avocado go so well together!  The chipotle sauce is a family favorite!  Of course I didn't get a pic of the sandwich...cause common who takes a pic of an everyday sandwich?  So here is the recipe with a pic of a similar sandwich...Enjoy!  I sure did!

Ingredients

• Leftover roast chicken(roast beef work great too!), sliced thin
• Leftover salad (with radishes!, carrot, lettuce, green onion)
• Cheese (Marble is what I had)
• Chipotle sauce (recipe below)
• Avocado, I like huge chunks on my sandwiches....but you can spread it out.
• Bread/Bun

Toast the bun with cheese, then assemble sandwich.  So Yummy!




Chipotle Sauce

• 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.

Share with Food Trip Friday.

Watch My Weight Wednesday! Meet Kitty!

Welcome back to Watch My Weight Wednesday!  This week I am so excited to introduce you to Kitty author from Trying to Fit in a Big World.  Today she is going to share her weight loss story with us!   Welcome Kitty!

Hello everyone :)

Angie has asked me to guest blog today.  It took me a while to think of where to start.  So I guess from the beginning is a good place.

I was a skinny kid, very active, in swim class twice a week, sometimes when my mom could afford it, synchronized swimming was added to the week as well.  I was at the height of most swimmers dreams, I was able to kick butt during the relay races -all the kids older then me (I was always the youngest in my classes by at least 5 years).  My synchronized swimming teacher begging me to join the Guelph team.  It was awesome!  Then....the dreaded day of puberty hit...I couldn't swim with my period!  So I quit everything!  :O!!

No...of course I didn't start packing on the weight right away...took a few years after that, but I know in my heart that's when it all started.  I also thought it was normal to eat a full big bag of chips, 1-2 a week, and when I was upset, my mom would take me out to DQ for a treat to make all my problems disappear.  Of course when your younger, you think the treat really does make life's problems disappear, but now that I am older, I know it was the fact I was with my mom doing the girly chat thing.

But after 5 years, it had become an awful habit, also out of convenience I landed my first 'real' job...at McDonald's!  What convenience, if i was having a bad day, or I forgot to pack something, or i was out with my friends, no problem, they offered discounts to their employees!  I was eating it 3-4 times a week.  After working there for 3 years, adding 50lbs to my figure, I left for a coffee shop.

Initially, I did lose 10 lbs, what an amazing feeling, 10 lbs.  Then somehow over the course of the 4 years I gained that 10, plus another 30!!  Oh noes!!  One day, I was having a really bad day with my self esteem, almost crying at work, I looked up and out the window after I placed some donuts on the shelve and saw a weight loss clinic.  I was like you know what, this is it, this weight is gone!  And I called them right away.  Of course they booked me in for right when I was done work.

I got all signed up, ready to go.  The program sounded easy enough, follow the food portions (which are the same as the food guide if you look closely), and take a few herbals to help me conquer my cravings.

After 4 weeks, I noticed the results, down 2 sizes!!  But due to financial reasons, I had to leave.  Of course I put it all back on over the next year and a half.  By then my financial situation had changed for the better, so I got by butt back into that center and worked really hard for 6 months.  I lost 60lbs!!  I still wasn't at my ideal weight, but I was fine with where I ended up, I didn't want to lose more, I could fit into clothes at my favourite stores, Le Chateau, the French Connection, American Eagle, etc.  I even wore a bikini for the first time since I quit swimming! 

When I heard that clinic was hiring, I was in there every 2 weeks, dropping of a resume, and pestering the ladies that worked there to give me a chance to join the team and share my story.

Finally after almost 3 months, they hired me on.  I was on top of the world still!  I tried to lose a little more so the clients in my new work place could see that I care about my body, and that someone is on their side.  I wanted to stay relatible. Nope, backfired, I slowly started to gain weight...very slowly... .5 lbs a week on average.  By the end of my first year, I had gained back 20 lbs despite biking every day for 2 hours and walking everywhere.  I had a lot of pressure of coworkers to lose some more -don't get me wrong they did it out of love, and it did become something I had to do for someone else, which made it so much harder.

I lasted there for another year, when I decided, working in a weight loss clinic wasn't for me.  I left for school!  Yay!  But, since moving, and going to school, I packed on the rest of the weight I lost...fast!  But keep in mind, I was on the bus for 2 hours every day, sat in class for 5 hours, and sat for another 6-8 hours every afternoon studying.

Yes, I moved back home for school, and yes my mom doesn't cook the healthiest (everything consists of canned soup or cheese or butter), but I didn't start eating less either.  And with my lack of activity, I should have.

Now that I am done school, I am working 30 hours a week (on my feet) and have incorporated exercising 3 times a week.  I am picking up more fruits and vegetables and I'm started to see some changes, my waist on my pants have gotten more lose, and my shirt I'm wearing today is fitting more lose, also my 'pouch' is slowly disappearing (only appears when I sit now!).  I also managed to get my hands on a copy of the PX90 videos, will get some bands over the next few weeks and start tackling those and challenging my body!

My eating still hasn't changed, but my activity levels have.  Also my happiness has changed, I'm not stressed out over exams flying at me every 2 weeks.  So yes, some may think my journey is a failure, I disagree, its anything but.  I have learned so much about health, fitness, and how to take care of my body.  Every journey is different, we all have things to bring to the table for health, and don't let someone knock you down!

I am proud to be a 'loser' again!

Posted By Kitty author of   Trying to Fit in a Big World

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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.

Holiday Fun!

Welcome to 2sdays! Hosted by Bree Bee's, Texas Monkey, Belly Charms and Ten Talents.



For the holiday we went "cottaging"! 

We went fishing, 

rowing, canoeing, 

 Playing in the sand on the beach,

a day trip to see screaming heads,

and campfires!

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

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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
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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!