Winter Complacency

Do you find yourself getting complacent with yourself and your life in the winter months? Well, I surely do as I haven't lost any weight in weeks... WEEKS! I am maintaining my 87 pound loss which is fantastic but the fact remains that I have about 20 more pounds that I want to lose and I need to get back on track.

The snow didn't help, the Y was closed for four (very long) days, I wanted to munch, munch, munch, The Husband and I enjoyed some extra bottles of wine during the storm, I'm already wearing a size 10, I like the way I look and feel, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I know these things are all "reasons" for no loss but let's face facts and call them what they really are...

EXCUSES!

I've come so far, and I am not about to stop now. I want to reach that goal of losing 100 pounds and then some. When I lose 100, I will be 152 pounds which is an excellent, healthy weight for a woman my height (5'8") but... going just a few pounds lower will put me in the "140 category" which I think is where I really want to be, I'll reevaluate when I get to that 152 but I do believe I'll want to go a bit smaller.

I know that the thing that works better than anything for me is also the thing I dislike the most... faithfully journaling my foods. I've taken our group's journal this week and next week I will be journaling for my boss/weight loss guru who also wants to take off a couple pounds herself. We are going to be "journal buddies" and switch journals each week. I know this is the refocus I need to get that last 20-ish pounds off and gone forever! I can do this, I know it will happen, the last few pounds is always the most difficult.

I am getting ready to go to the grocery store and buy some salmon for dinner. YUCK! I really don't like salmon but it's lent, The Husband won't eat meat on Fridays and it can't hurt me to try another new thing. I might even find that I kind of like it. I'll let you know what I do with it if it turns out remotely appealing. ha ha! After the grocery, I will be heading to the Y to try my next challenge of running six miles in a row without stopping. I did six miles last week but had to stop a couple times for very-mini walk breaks and I need to challenge myself to complete the whole thing without stopping. I'll get there... I know I can do it! I am goal oriented and will reach my goal! No more complacency for me! It's time to kick it all up a notch!

Lastly, I did sign up for the Broad St. Run which is a 10-mile run in Philadelphia on May 2nd... it's safe for me to say this on my blog because there are 30,000 participants... if I do have a stalker, good luck finding me among the other 29,999 registered runners! ;)

Have a great Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend.

Risotto... Make it for the one you LOVE!

Hello Everyone! Happy belated Valentine's Day! I had a wonderful day with my guys yesterday, The Son gave me a beautiful potted red tulip plant and The Husband gave me a book on "SuperFoods." We had a low-key day as far as gifts are concerned but Valentine's Day isn't about gifts, is it? I should add that it was the 17th anniversary of my engagement to The Husband... can you believe he kept me that long? Through thick and through thin... literally!

I have been INTO making risotto lately, I think it's because of the cold weather and snow we've been experiencing as well as the fact that risotto is delicious! DELICIOUS! Now, as a nutritionist, I will admit that risotto isn't the most healthy thing you can eat but there are plenty of ways to work it into your diet (diet meaning the food you eat, not a plan you can't live with) and the fact that if you make it at home, with out a pre-packaged mix, it's all natural, not processed and it tastes so fresh! It also takes a bit of time to make so that helps me limit it to once per week, therefore, we're not eating too much of it.

I really enjoy the process of making risotto, it's soothing, stirring in cup after cup of broth as the smells of garlic or shallots or mushrooms waft up and as your hearty, delicious dish thickens and gets tastier by the minute. I always tell The Husband that it's a dish you make for the one you love because it takes time and dedication to do it right... just like marriage!

I've been scoping my favorite recipe Internet sites for various risotto recipes and of course, the best ones I find are on Cooking Light and Eating Well, two of my favorites. I had a guest photographer yesterday who took pictures of me as I cooked, The guest photographer is also known as The Son and I think he did a pretty good job!

Here is a cooking tip for you and yes, I am totally and completely serious... I wear swim goggles when I cut onions, or in this case shallots. I know it helps that I am a swim instructor so of course I have goggles but you can buy a cheap pair at any Wal-Mart or Target as soon as summer gets here if you don't already have some. My eyes are sensitive and I cannot stand the way they feel when the fumes burn them. I know I look ridiculous but honestly, it's the only thing that works...

Plus, it makes The Son laugh...

I also like making risotto because usually it calls for a half a cup of wine or so and that means that I can have a little glass of wine while I'm cooking, it makes the stirring and stirring and stirring just a bit more entertaining.

So, I am not going to post the recipes here that I've tried, I'll supply you with a link and my opinion and you can give it a try yourself if you want to make them.

The first one I tried was from Cooking Light and was Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Marscarpone cheese . This one was by far, my favorite. I cut a little bit of the fat by using half the olive oil and replacing it with non-stick spray which is something I do with just about every recipe I ever make. At times, I don't even use the olive oil but in this case, I want a bit of that EVOO flavor. I made this recipe twice and the second time my grocery store was out of dried porcini mushrooms, I used oyster mushrooms and the were not as flavorful but still quite good, if you don't like a really strong mushroom flavor, they would be a good option for you. I preferred the porcinis as did The Husband.

Last night, I made Eating Well's Winter Squash Risotto, the nice thing about this one was that by adding the Butternut squash, you lower the calories per 1 cup serving. The Husband had requested this one and it too was very yummy. My tip for this one is, if you can, buy the squash already peeled and seeded. Doing that saved me loads of time, this recipe calls for optional saffron which I was unfortunately unable to find at my grocery store. It was good without the saffron but I think it would have been even better with. I added a few fresh enoki mushrooms along with the fresh shitakes that this recipe called for just because I think they're cute and yummy. Here's the risotto in the pot...


And, on the plate with some roasted asparagus and a petite filet... a yummy, hearty, healthy meal for just a bit more than 500 calories!


And see... he loves me!


And... so does he! I'm a lucky girl!


Thanks to The Son for taking most of these pictures, please don't mind the few dark spots on some of them, that's where his finger was over a portion of the flash, he tries so hard, I don't have the heart to correct him.

Have a great President's Day, we're meeting friends at the Y which I'm really looking forward to. They're calling for more snow tonight and I'm hoping it's just a dusting and won't affect whether or not The Son has school tomorrow the child needs to go back... Bye for now!

Writer's Workshop: A List of Do's and Don'ts

I haven't blogged in a few days because I've been busy and preoccupied with snow so today, when I realized it was Thursday, I hopped on over to Mama's Losin' It to see if there was a writing prompt that I could use to participate in her always fun Writer's Workshop. I've elected to do the Do's and Don'ts list and with help from The Husband and The Son, we've composed...

The Do's and Don'ts of how to Survive Two Major Snowstorms
Within a Week of Each Other!

Do...
Plan on spending lots of time indoors watching some favorite TV shows and playing Wii with your family.
Don't...
Expect anything you have planned to tape on your DVR to actually be the scheduled program, it will inevitably be "LATE BREAKING COVERAGE OF THE NOR'EASTER OF 2010" for hours on end.

Do...
take photographs of the storm in progress.
Don't...
call them "snowtographs."

Do...
let your dog out to play and frolic in the wintry wonderland as the snow accumulates.
Don't...
step in the "presents" he leaves WAY too close to your front step when you open the door.

Do...
make sure you have plenty of bread, milk and eggs in case you need lots and lots of french toast during the storm.
Don't...
forget you also need to make sure you have plenty of toilet paper.

Do...
Spend lots of time working on the computer and by working I mean facebooking and playing hidden object games.
Don't...
prevent The Husband from using the computer for two minutes to check if he actually has to go to work.

Do...
Take the time to make homemade whole wheat bread and delicious homemade Wheat Thins.
Don't...
eat them all in one day.

Do...
Pay $30 to have someone shovel and plow your driveway and front walk.
Don't...
hesitate to tell everyone you did it yourself "for exercise."

Do...
Enjoy being able to have snow days off from work and school and the gym...
Don't...
forget to spend the time with your family, playing in the snow, laughing and making great memories.

Happy Snow day to everyone who's having one! Stay warm! Have fun! Stay Healthy!

I'm alive...

just really busy! I'll try to blog later today. Lately my life has been...

snow,
cooking,
work,
working out,
child care,
husband care,
dog snuggling,
laundry,
snow,
snow,
snow, and guess what's on the agenda starting this evening?

SNOW!

I'll try to blog more later! Have a great day friends!

Bummer...

I hate to have to write this but someone already won the Ironman Triathlon competition at our Y. Last year, it took the winner 2.5 weeks and I heard she was there more than once a day. This year, it took 3 days? Seriously? I worked SO hard for three days and still only managed to do the 2.4 miles of swimming, 8.5 miles of running and 32 miles of biking. There is no way I could have physically finished in three days, even if I did have the time. I'm a little bitter because I really hate to lose but also because I didn't know all of the rules going into it, apparently, you were able to bike or run at home and in my opinion, that's not fair. I'm sure that the girl (at least it was a girl ;) ) who won was honest because you'd have to be a really crappy person if you weren't. I'm happy for her, I'm just bummed for me. I look forward to finding out if she did any of it at home. I know I'd feel a lot worse if it was a man. LOL!

The only positive side to someone else winning is that now, I don't have to be so stressed out because I was seriously stressed out about it. I am starting a new group for my weight manaegment classes this afternoon at a local shoe store/comapny (yay! Shoes!) and I have another group this evening that started a couple weeks ago. I was going to work out in between which would mean that I would have to get ready for work and shower twice today and now I won't have to do that. Honestly, it's a relief. I have some fun things brewing for this weekend that I cannot tell you about until after they happen and I can now concentrate on those things. They are forecasting LOTS of snow for us this weekend so I might get to have Saturday off and if someone hadn't won the competition, I'd be in the gym all day trying to win myself, so now, I don't have to worry about that, again, a relief.

I imagine I'll try to complete the competition but at this point, I'm not going to stress about it, I can get back to my regular weight lifting and cardio routines instead of just these triathlon activities. I'll get over it. Someday.

Well, I must go fix myself up and find an outfit that looks cute with my boots manufactured by the shoe company at which I'll be running a group. I will have to make sure they know my size, you know, just in case they need any testers or anything. You never know, it could happen...

Happy Thursday everyone!

A Snowy Wednesday and Recipe Resolution

Hello there everyone! I've been working on the triathlon competition at our Y and trying to get some other things done in my life, you know, cleaning, work, all those kinds of things. We woke up this morning to find a couple inches of snow on the ground. Our school district has a two-hour delay but since The Son is afternoon kindergarten, it doesn't affect us. Yay! I will be heading to the Y after I put The Son on the bus and hoping to complete at least 5 miles of running and 10 or more of the biking in this challenge. I finished the swimming portion yesterday morning but unfortunately, so did some of the other participants. Winning is going to be a challenge and I don't think it will happen but I can just keep plugging along. If the competition is still going on on Sunday, I think I can get a lot done that day. I am the tortoise, not the hare...

I have been trying new recipes, especially after my high-blood pressure episode, but I have slacked on blogging about them. If you remember correctly, my new year's resolution was to try two new recipes a month and blog about them. The trying has happened and then some. I never take pictures of my cooking because frankly, it's not that interesting or helpful but I will continue to let you know when I try something delicious that you might want to try for yourself. For example... Lemon-walnut chicken! I found this recipe in Fitness magazine (my favorite) and made it last night, it was extremely delicious and very, very simple. I served it with brown rice and broccoli and The Husband and I both loved it. I'll be eating the left over piece for lunch today. YUM! Give it a try, I think most kids would love it too. It didn't taste like walnuts at all but more like butter and there's not a stitch of butter in it! I imagine that the same recipe would work nicely with pork chops too for variety. It's definitely going into my rotation.

Well, I'd better get busy and pack up for our day, I feel like I have to pack for a vacation when I go to the Y on Wednesdays because I have to bring swimsuits, towels, changes of clothing, and lunch and snacks, it's tedious. Ugh.

Have a great day everyone! Stay healthy!

What did I get myself into?

It's been a couple days since I blogged, I've been going about my normal business, working, working out, taking care of my family, etc. Nothing all that exciting. I did manage to lose five pounds this past week. Before you think that sounds too great, remember, I gained 3.8 the week before because of my blood pressure issues so really, I lost 1.2 pounds giving me a grand total of 87.6! All in all, that's pretty good and I'm thrilled!

I signed up for a fun event at our Y, at least I think it will be a fun event. It's an ironman triathlon competition. It costs $5 to enter and then we have as long as we need to complete all the events in an ironman triathlon. That means 26.2 miles of running, 2.4 miles of swimming and 112 miles of biking. The first person finished wins the entire pot of money. I think it's up to about $200 right now and I want to win! I am mostly worried about the 150+ laps of swimming. Obviously, being a swimming instructor I know how to swim but... I am not a fast swimmer, we are allowed to swim any stroke, I'll probably concentrate on breast stroke with a bit of side stroke thrown in when I get tired. The run doesn't concern me since I run about that much in a week anyway. Others have told me that 112 miles on the bike is really hard but I am planning on going to the Y next Sunday and spending the entire day on the bike. We're allowed to do the recumbent bike so I think that will help me out. Hopefully, no one finishes before that time. The person who won last year finished in 2.5 weeks. I think I can beat that considering I don't have a full time job and on occasion, I have been known to be very competitive. ;) It should be fun, CityMomma/CountryMomma is very goal oriented.

Tomorrow, when The Son is in school, I'll be working on the swimming to see how much of that I can get done. I'll probably head back to the Y for a bit in the evening to get some biking done, at that point I'll know if I stand a ghost of a chance at winning this thing. My race training is taking a back burner until this competition is complete but I'll still be running of course and the cross-training with the swimming and biking can only help me.

Have a great Monday everyone and I might add a very Happy Birthday to my beautiful Sister! Hope you're having a great birthday Cathy!