Pretzels

I spent the evening last night with my babies and my brother and his 2 kids, We had such a great time! My niece and my eldest daughter love to help in the kitchen even if its pouring water from one bowl to another. While on Pinterest yesterday I came across a recipe for "Hot Buttered Fluffy Pretzels"  I'm sorry, but, all of those words sounded amazing and I needed to be a part of them!

I read through the recipe and Joanne, over at Fifteen Spatulas, had this post which also included a great demo! Now, I have made pretzels in culinary school and at home a couple of times but let me tell ya...amazing!!! They had a great texture and they were beyond easy to make not to mention so delicious!!

You can find the recipe here

The girls loved to roll out the dough and shape the pretzels. This recipe is so beyond easy and there is so many different variations that you could do with it. I am dying to get back to play around and add some jalapenos and cheese to some of the next batch. I also didn't have real butter so I used margarine. Real butter would send these babies over the top!



 

Happy Sunday to you!

Mahalo!

Hawaii Marathon Recap!

Well, last week at this time I was in my hotel room in Waikiki contemplating the days events and that tomorrow I would be doing something most people will never do. I decided to share some more of my journey and let you know what goes on in my head when I'm running a race.

Ready to head out top is old navy skirt is a dress from Ross that I cut :-)

Sooooo can't believe I am here to do this!

I've learned what works for me with each race that I do and I love my Merrell's and a loose fitting shirt is best so I'm not messing with it during my race.

 

It was 4:30. I love how excited I am @4:30, can you say crazy runners?!

Amazing fireworks to start the race @5am

26,000 people ready to all accomplish the same thing has the most powerful rush. Its hard to explain unless you have done it.

Mele Kalikimaka!! Festive downtown for Christmas

Top of Diamond head. The elite runners were on the other side of the street this was about 2 hours into it and their mile 24. my 8ish,haha!

 

Gorgeous scenery was why I chose this race. I cant say I would do it again since I have done it. who knows, I have learned to never say never!

Mile 15 or so getting tired

These folks were on the other side of the street and at mile 18 when I was starting to have my whiny pity party of one, I looked over and just welled up! I cry a lot during races,ha! Not because of pain just because being such a young runner its still so overwhelming for me!

Mile 26.... .2 left....feels...like....FOOOOOOR-FREAKIN-EVER!!!

I had to walk to the finisher area to get my medal. I have never been so uncomfortable, happy, proud, humbled, grateful, etc.. I can't describe how amazing it feels to have done this.

 

 

I think back about my first 5k and really the feeling is about the same. Running is something that has changed me. I heard Oprah quote someone once and she mentioned that "Running is a great metaphor for life. You get back exactly what you put into it!" I COULD NOT agree with that statement more,at all! Was there times I wanted to say(PG VERSION) "Forget this stuff!!" haha! Of course and how many time is my life have I really wanted to just say screw it I don't want to do something or found a way to make it easier. But you know when you accomplish something in life it feels so much better when you know that you gave it everything you had! I could have easily cheated and skipped to the other side of the course and still "finished" but I would have always known I didn't really finish.

 

I am so grateful for the chance to have run this race and I'm thankful for people who inspire me daily to continue my journey. I'm a runner and no one can take that away from me!

 

Mahalo!

Saturday Night Dinner Recipes

Yesterday while I was perusing the yahoo feed I came across a link for different uses for "Creative Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin" much to my delight I saw the recipe for "Black Bean and Pumpkin Burgers." Now, this is a meatless option and a great way to use canned pumpkin. I love pumpkin and I love even more that on the Weight Watchers program its a power food and its also FREE for 1 whole cup! This site doesn't really give any exact measurements so I just sorta played around with it and it worked pretty well. I served these on sandwich thins with a variation of an  "Creamy Avocado Cole Slaw"which I found here was AMMMMAZING!!!

Black Bean and Pumpkin Burgers
Makes 8  1/2 c. portion Patties

2Points Plus Value

Prep time: 40 min

Cook time: 20 min

Serves: 8

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Ingredients 1 cup(s) canned black beans 1 large egg(s) 2 Tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs 1/2 cup(s) uncooked old fashioned oats 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp garlic salt 1/2 cup(s) uncooked onion(s), chopped 1 cup(s) canned pumpkin, mashed 1/2 cup(s) cilantro, chopped Instructions mix together ing. form 1/2 c shaped patties on foil lined baking sheet. Bake 400 deg 20 mins turning once. Avocado slaw, I added my adaptations on the side of each ing.in BOLD  if I varied from original recipe. this came out to be 3pp per 1/2c Creamy Avocado Cole Slaw Add some avocado goodness to your cole slaw for a creamier alternative. Recipe by Family Spice Ingredients: 1 avocado  (2 small creamy hass avo's) 1/2 cup cilantro, fresh, packed        (I used 1 whole cup) 2 TBS cider vinegar (I used white and a little seasoned rice wine) 2 TBS lime juice (I didn't have lime,lol) 2 TBS coarse ground mustard (I fogot this) 1 tsp honey  1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I only used a 1/4 cup) 1/2 head of cabbage, green, shredded 1 green onion, chopped Sweet Peppers, chopped Instructions: Purée in a blender: 1 avocado 1/2 cup cilantro, fresh , packed 2 TBS cider vinegar 2 TBS lime juice 2 TBS coarse ground mustard 1 tsp honey 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground Slowly pour into the blender and blend until dressing starts to whip and emulsify: 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil In a large bowl pour dressing and combine with: 1/2 head of cabbage, green , shredded Allow salad to sit 5-10 minutes prior to serving. Garnish salad with: 1 green onion , chopped Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 0 min Difficulty: Easy Servings:             8 So pretty close with a couple of changes to this great recipe. The bottom line when cooking...Play around and Be Creative with what you have on hand!

keep on truckin!

Holy bananas! A little of a let down the weeks after my week of birthday extravaganzas! I'm so very blessed and love spending time with my family and friends. Did I workout? sorta. did I eat right? sorta. The thing is life happens non stop and you will always have things that come up and you will always have days that you miss a workout. My go to motivation phrase lately has been "if you half way do something, you will see half way results". This has been on my mind all week and thankful that it has. I have a constant battle with my love of premium jeans and my love of food! I cannot indulge beyond a couple tastes if I would like to continue to rock my amazing jeans (if you have been thin your whole life, you really have no idea what it feels like, and I love that I earned that and that I have that feeling forever that no one can ever take away!) I find this whole JEANS thing very funny because I have waited a long time to wear the clothes I wear now and to be the size I am now. I love that and I love it more because its a gauge for me to know where I am at without relying on the numbers on the scale.

I started this journey for different reasons then the number on the scale. I wanted to be fit and be able to pass the agility test for the police academy. I really didn't care what my weight was. So, now that I can wear super cute clothes I like knowing that when I put some jeans on they can show me how I am doing. I have some Arden B, skinny bootcut which still shock me that my booty fits in them and I know if I have been goofing off not working out and eating cupcakes,lol! Those babies are not going up my thighs! I also know that my Joes, Hudsons and Miss Me's will give a little bit more but if I can get those up...I'm in trouble. Hahah!

I think that when I check in to the gym or log my runs,etc.. I find I am way more accountable to myself not only to my little following of friends that are on their own journeys! Since I started going to Crossfit its been so much fun to just push myself further than cardio and I do sorta love that I run there and that I can actually run home after Andy my coach at CFW took pics today during my WOD and I love that I was pumping and not once was I thinking "omg I hope my arm fat isn't sticking out! or I hope the angle is okay!" again, if you have been thin your whole life this is something else that you probably haven't thought of or  maybe you have and in that case Im sorry that you have dealt with insecurities in different ways. We did a crazy combo WOD of pass-thrus and burpees and kettle bells and just a lot! It was fun though! I love that its like having my own personal trainer and that I have the competition of a group and also the encouragement! here are some pics from today!

Push press...followed by burpees, 7 rounds, bugggh!

rowing 250m, followed by KB rack, 3 rounds

 

 

Just a great day, great workout and super excited to keep getting stronger! Because fitness and strength are just way better in the long run! I was also greeted with a delightful little update to sort of document my progress. As I reached 29 this month my drivers license and its photo came to an end. I kinda love that I got my new DL wth my new weight that is really only 10 pounds away from the weight I am now,lol! But just the difference in that and how I feel and look better than I did being younger in the older pic. There's a Tim McGraw song called "My next thirty years" and it reminds me that I can only improve and get better and I feel pretty good right now!

MAHALO!! :-)

 



 

My "Running" thoughts

 

en·dur·ance

1. the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc. 2. the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina: 3. lasting quality; duration 4. something endured, as a hardship; trial.

 

While I was I was running yesterday I experienced one of those goosebumpy sorta realizations. First off may I start with my husband has been home (yay!!!) in the mornings this last week and have been able to run alone(yay!!)without pushing the stroller. I thought "hey, maybe I will head to the gym!" sooo not fun in so many ways!! I realized even more so why I hate running on the treadmill, I HATE IT! The whole concept and the benefits of running, to me, are meant to be on pavement. The worst part of the treadmill is running and thinking the whole time  asking "am I done yet? how far have I gone now?I feel like I'm done? I need to stop?" literally the WHOLE TIME! Plus, I dropped my phone...again,lol! Back to the pavement yesterday and was so happy to return.

Me getting ready to hit the road!

I woke up around 8am to head out and actually got up and got going I knew I had to before it heated up.  My goal was 7 miles yesterday and I needed to be back in time to go weigh in at WW before lunch time. I started out slow and easy and right away I was lost. Not lost like I didn't know where I was but my mind was lost and I begin to forget I was even running. My mind went here and there and I really do think running is beyond therapeutic for me. My husband is leaving this week for Virginia for over 2 months...boo! But, I love a challenge..hooah! (#armywife) With him being gone this actually does allow for an amazing chance to run alone and really rev up my marathon training. I am looking forward to adding my mileage and getting stronger. My mind also shot back and forth to the fact that I got to weigh in later on and see exactly how I am doing. I couldn't wait I was really disciplined all week because I know I want this so bad.

 

As I ran the miles I also started thinking how much my weight loss journey is just like a long training run. I came home and wrote out qualities of each and how they really mirror each other.

looks just about the same to me!

I was at about mile 6ish when this came to me and how I have been running this journey and how much I have accomplished, why its important to me, why I am so glad I chose to start, the list seriously went on and on. I got to a home stretch right before our house and I knew I wanted to just kill it. I thought of why I started loosing weight and running other than becoming a cop I wont lie and tell you that getting to wear cut offs and short skirts with my cowboy boots was not my main motivation, haha. But, I knew that my driving force was I wanted to be healthy and strong and thats really why I started these now huge aspects of my life. Realizing this and running my heart out on that last stretch I totally broke down and lost it, there on the curb, laughing and cryin and suuuuper hot and just soaked it all in. I had finished my run and it felt awesome.

10am rolled around and it was time for my weigh in Greens and I did mama/baby girl date so as she says "I can get scaled" lol, this makes me laugh and some stuff I just don't like to correct her,haha. I had a huge loss and hit a major goal. I felt almost as good as my earlier run knowing that I was moving forward, making progress and that I was almost to the finish line.

I was playing around on etools(ww online tool) and figuring out my new goal and how much I had left to loose. I found it completely amazing what the number was.

marathon distance and final weight loss goal





 

As my marathon training goes on and my weight loss goal is almost achieved I know a couple things right away. Its going to be HARD. It is going to take time, perseverance, endurance, patience, rest, hard work, planning, optimism, adjustments, vision, support, encouragement, inspiration alllllll of these things and more. I have never gone that far of a distance but then again I have never been at that weight either. :-)

 

Mahalo!



 

Change

Last night we went to the Hollywood Bowl and saw "The Producers" which,if you like Mel Brooks, was hysterical! Husband and I went I bought new clothes, we took yummy goodies and had an awesome night! I finally broke through a huge plateau in my weight loss this week and after bouncing back and forth for 3 weeks. I have lost 86 pounds now...still trips me out. I was wearing the smallest pair of Hudson black skinny jeans that I ever thought I would ever wear. I looked and felt amazing it was one of those outfits that just made me so aware of my body and how much it has changed. I hate spending money on expensive clothes midway through my journey but I know how important it is to see and feel my success to know how great my progress has been. I plan on going down one last size at least so I try to buy limited new size clothes as I go.

So, for the Bowl if your not familiar it's a large outdoor amphitheater. The best part about seeing a show there is you can bring your own food and drink including wine. I packed cucumber slices with mango salsa,fresh guacamole and carrot sticks, almond cranberry bites and a gigantic container of fresh strawberries. We had an amazing bottle of Cabernet and I was in heaven feasting on these treats. The best part was it seemed completely unplanned it was just stuff I picked up there was no like. "ugh I HAVE to pack healthy stuff!" (here is where the change part starts) I was eating stuff that tasted good to me and I was enjoying every minute of it. I never felt deprived or that I was missing out on something. Husband turned to me at intermission and said "this is a lot
different than the last time we were here!" at first thoughts came through my head I was about 8 weeks pregnant the last time we were there and I weighed about 60lbs more than I did last night. He also mentioned the change in our menu. It was fried chicken and a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Haha, not that you can't have that stuff. But, I realized even more how much I have changed. The rest of my strawberries were just as sweet as the success that I felt sitting in my overpriced jeans.

Progress will not happen unless you make changes. Of course this is not easy and it will be difficult at first but before you know it things will have changed and it will be just a part of you!

Mahalo

Friday Recipe Recap

This week I made some yummy light meals and thought I would share some for inspiration. My culinary background allows me to play with food and flavors maybe more freely than I should. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't and that's fine by me! I have come up with some interesting ideas and mostly love all of them. I was on pinterest earlier in the week and got some inspiration for some meatless dishes as well as my typical "lc"(low carb,low calorie) ideas!

My first inspiration was playing with fruit in sweet and savory dishes. I made a grilled peach portabello burger. I really have been playing with flavors and really just saying would I put this on a meat burger? Sure,let's try on a meatless option! I grilled a portobello cap in george foremen grill. I then grilled sliced peaches and topped my "burger" with them. The combination of the 2 were awesome!

My next creation was a skinny eggplant Parmesan with Caprese chicken (mozzarella,tomato and basil). I made the eggplant by whisking some eggwhites and Dredging eggplant slices in egg then whole wheat flour. I pan fried in Pam and seriously I could eat this all day!! I sprinkled with parmesan and popped in toaster over while I grilled a butterflied chicken breast then topped with sliced tomato,basil and mozzarella again browning in oven to melt cheese! I served with salad and made a yummy lunch.

Yesterday I also tried some zucchini fritters! These are great snacks or side item. These consist of shredded 2 zucchini,1 egg white,3 tbsp of whole wheat flour. I pan fried with Pam and made little Fritters and I let brown on each side about 5 mins.

Hope you have a great weekend! Play with some flavors and happy cooking, and eating,haha!

Mahalo!

Never Say Never

Oh sweet, sweet Jesus! Yup, I have been kind of keeping a secret and no... I'm not pregnant nor have any intention to ever become pregnant again,haha! Okay, so, my secret is I am running a marathon! Like a fuuuuuuuulllll marathon, what!?! I KNOW!

So, when I look back at the moment I crossed the finish line of my first half marathon and how I fully recollect standing in the lobby of my hotel saying "I have NO intention,none, zilch to ever run a full marathon!" hahaha! I ran my first half in Long Beach and I did not properly train, I mean, I trained but I didn't as well as I should have, and I got worked! I finished and it was magical but it could have been way better. The next race I did was the Orange County half and I trained and did beyond amazing, I loved every minute of it! So, after doing that one I have a couple blogger friends who were all gung-ho to do a full and dreams of Boston are thrown around as if we are already qualified and then begins the contemplating "hmmm, I may actually consider this."

A couple of weeks ago I decided that if I was going to ACTUALLY do this I was gonna DO it. So, I already knew which one I wanted to run and of course its Hawaii related,haha! I also wanted to run for a cause other than myself. I looked into some fundraising programs and came across the Team 2 End Aids LA and knew this was a program I could not only compete in but also raise money and awareness for a great cause!

I have already started training and have joked with other members of the team as to weather which will prove to be more challenging raising $3200.00 or running 26.2 miles! Haha, I had one friend tell me she will pay me $3200.00 to never have to run 1 mile let alone 26.2 :-)

I am so very looking forward to first of all contributing and being apart of something bigger than myself. Second, challenging myself to doing something that even last year I never imagined I would be doing and of course going to Hawaii to do that!

I hope that you can join me in my efforts and help me to be able to accomplish some great things for a great organization and in return I promise to run 26.2 miles so that you don't have to! If you would like to donate any amount would be GREATLY appreciated. You can do that on my fundraising page, HERE!!!

Mahalo!

Post workout treats

Today's run was gorgeous!!!! The girls and I ran 5 miles and it was seriously delightful! Before we left I whipped up a batch of no bake protein bites!

These things are all over pinterest and there is so many different kinds. I made some last week and used a yummy recipe with pure clover honey,oats,nut butters and protein powder. Today I did a little variation with what I had on hand.

I used

3/4 quick oats
2 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp better n peanut butter
1/2 scoop protein powder
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp mini chocolate chips
2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 ripe banana,mashed

Mix together, fridge for 30 mins, roll into balls. This yielded about 20 bites. 1ww ppv per bite.

Last night I also assembled some yummy fruit pops with straight fresh chopped fruit and watermelon juice! Sooo good!

I used

4 strawberries cut in half
6 raspberries
1 peach chopped small
Chopped water melon mashed to juice

Next time I will add mint leaves would b so good!

These are so fast and so delish! Whip up some yummy treats and stop eating so much processed stuff!

Mahalo!

Accidental Vegetarian

I have been playing around a lot more with vegetarian dishes and really have always loved meatless dishes. Most recently I made some veggie burgers and they turned out to be delicious!!!

Sweet Potato Fajita Burgers

1 small sweet potato, cut into chunks (steamed microwave 2 minutes and rough mash)

1/2 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

pinch of cayenne

a pinch salt

1/2 cup black beans (rough mash)

1 ear of fresh roasted over fire corn off cob

4 tablespoons rolled oats blended into flour-halfway in blender leave some oats to provide texture

• Combine ingredients and form patties I grilled on grill pan 8 Min's on each side over medium heat.
• Served on Pita with grilled peppers and avocado

Play around with fresh veggies in season and create some yummy goodness!!!

Mahalo!

New Creations

This weekend I was so wanting eggplant! I stayed with my parents Saturday night and decided to make dinner there and take advantage of being creative in the kitchen. I really wanted to use eggplant as mentioned so I had seen a great recipe for an eggplant involtini which is sorta like a canoli shell made of the eggplant instead of pasta. The recipe I found was here... http://www.alexandracooks.com/2011/09/29/eggplant-involtini/

So, I made a couple of changes to lighten these up. Instead of full fat ricotta I used fat free and I omitted the cream and just used a canned tomato sauce. To bulk these up I also chopped a cup of mushrooms and lightly grilled them. I also added chopped parsley because I used parsley with my fish that I served with. It's important when you are cooking to stick with your herbs throughout the dishes to keep your theme and tastes the same otherwise they can clash and it may not be a great combo. Then I finished with light mozzarella cheese!

This morning I was wanting waffles (always) so I was looking through my recipes and came across a yummy Greek yogurt oatmeal waffle here...

http://edibleliving.blogspot.com/2012/03/motherhood-mondays-and-pancakes-parties.html?m=1

Of course I altered here is my version...

{Pancakes or Waffles}
1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon pure clover honey
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 heaping teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup Greek yogurt
1cup dairy beverage I used coconut milk
1/2 cup egg substitute which =2 eggs
1 scoop protein powder

Whisk together flour, oats,baking powder, baking soda/bicarbonate of soda,salt and protein powder in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, dairy,honey and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and whisk in the wet ingredients until well incorporated. The batter should be thick if needed thin with dairy beverage.

Heat waffle iron or griddle for pancakes and cook like normal.

I stacked my waffles with fruit and even used a 1/2 tablespoon of nutella between the layers equals Ahhhhmazing!!

Enjoy and Mahalo!

Spread the Love :-)

Ahhhh, what a delightful day! I am very sore but the good kinda sore that make you go "I work out!" lol! I did a double work out today and I must say I love that my 3 mile runs are now a warm up for my actual workout(insert huge smile!). I am at the 10 pound plateau(uuugggggghhhhh!!!) Every 10 pounds I loose, I plateau!! This can be very frustrating but also okay because I know in another week or so I will start loosing again. This has gone on EVERY 10 pounds,grrr! But, that's okay because this next week I have exciting plans and am really going to focus on just being strong, maintaining my healthy lifestyle and not on the number that's on the scale that will just be a byproduct of my hard work and dedication annnnnd always remember this.......

I will be completely honest and say that every night I cannot wait to run, like, seriously cannot wait! Then there is the wake up and I'm in bed with my babies and its so comfy and cozy and I will tell you at the moment most days = absolutely no desire to do any physical activity AT ALL! After I get babas change the baby and get re cuddled(that's prob the main problem, exiting the bed and then re entering the said "cozy bed") I smooch and love on my little dumplings for a bit and check the Facebook feed. This is the moment where my excuses and my procrastination seem to suddenly fade away.

I have 4 or 5 or maybe more,haha, that I follow all day long  regularly. I love that I can pull strength from their amazing efforts and determination to attain their goals EVERYDAY! These women have become so much a part of my life, my journey and my overall well being. Hanna over at BouffeeBambini has been so amazing in maintaining her dreams of running even through multiple obstacles. She has been so amazingly inspiring everyday and just want to tell her thank you so much for being such a strong and courageous woman and for helping me along the way in my journey.
I am so blessed that God put them in my path and that I am able to power up and find strength to keep moving forward.

Another positive person in my life is my husband. He and I do a lot together and I am so grateful for our marriage and our friendship. One of the things we get to do is carpool to work and I love this time to just sit and reflect on our lives together and we are able to talk about dreams and goals and make plans together. My husband is an amazing man and I am so very thankful that the Lord put him in my path also. He has done so much for me and our family but also for this free country that he continues to serve in the US Army. He is so very supportive of everything that I do and encourages me daily.

Hot soldier husband ;-)

Last but certainly not least..Other than my husband my mom is so very amazing and always has been at telling me I could do/be anything that I want. She continues to nurture my creativity and adventurous nature and always has my back in everything that I do. She watches our dumplings when we cant and is so beyond generous with her time and love for us and our little babies!

Nana with me and brothers babies :-)

I'm just thankful today for so much and just want to remind you that if you surround yourself with positive people and only let the ones in that will lift you up and be in your life you will accomplish your goals no matter what they are. Draw strength from those when your weak and lift others up when you are strong!

Mahalo

How many layers?

Welcome to July! I am so excited this week for so much fun festivities to celebrate our Independence day! We are having our first BBQ today and I made a yummy layered dip. Typically there are 7 layers but this one I think I ended up wih 9! The point is use fresh yummy ingrediants and just be creative!

I used shredded lettuce,teardrop tomatoes,hummus mixed with some taco seasoning, black beans, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo,olives,fat free sour cream and light mexican blend cheese!!! YUM!!!

I will serve this with fresh veggie sticks and Pop Chips , my favorite low cal chips!

Mahalo!

Chocolate (Protein) Fix

So, around the Pinterest pins I have been seeing these yummy Greek yogurt chocolate muffins. This weeks current obsession has been higher protein foods. Greek yogurt has always been a fave of mine but I keep trying to find yummy ways to sneak in more protein into my regular repertoire of deliciousness.

This is the muffin that I have been eyeing the last couple days. The recipe I used I also found on this site http://healthyisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com/post/6583755120/lessthan300kcal-triple-chocolate-chunk-muffin

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 c oats
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use white chocolate or peanut butter chips!)

I cut this recipe in half because Lord knows I don't need all of those muffins laying around my kitchen. I also omitted the chocolate chips and replaced with 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut. I also didn't have applesauce so I used Gerber baby food pears. In my skinny baking I have found any fruit puree works just the same and doesn't really alter the flavor too much. 

My version of the yummy Greek yogurt muffin is more like a cupcake because lets face it who doesn't love cupcakes?! I also made it a little less in calories by not using the chocolate chips. I also put 3 banana slices a dollop of canned redi-whip and topped with a little toasted unsweetened coconut! YUM!  In the recipe builder on WW these came out to about 1pp per muffin (recipe yields 24 muffins I halved it so I had 12 standard size muffins).

Mahalo!

 

 

Looking back to go forward!

Oh my,my! I have come a long way and this week has been sorta up and down emotionally. I find myself sooooo excited and still needing motivation to keep going!!! I received my latest award at WW another 25lb washer fro my key chain last Friday at my meeting. This may not seem like anything but to me this is so very much. The only thing that means more is that 5k charm because that's really when my life changed.

The 5k charm on my key chain is what I earned for running my first 5k,ever! I love that cheap little metal charm because of what it represents to me and how it set my pace (haha, pace!) for my weight loss journey. I love that I made a choice to sign up first of all for my 5k and then that I trained for it and then that I ran it. Those small steps were HUGE and mimic exactly what I have chosen to do with my life. I made a choice to lose my weight, I took the steps to make it happen and when I reach my goal weight It will be like receiving my charm for finishing what I planned. I need one more of those little washers on my key chain and I cannot wait for the day that I get it.

Breaking up my goal has really made all the difference for me if in July last year when I started all this I was like "I am going to lose 100 lbs!" would it have been attainable, sure. Would it have been overwhelming,scary and probably too intimidating to accomplish? most likely! I started with non-scale goals and running that 5k was key to me earning that key chain first of all and all of the following bells and whistles that accompanied it.  You earn the key chain when you lose 10% of your body weight. That sounds like okay, whatever 10% but the benefits to your health alone have been proven to be tremendous, that's why WW celebrates that.

So even though I have lost over 75lbs, officially with WW its 53.8 (and yes that .8 is everything;-P)
I have had 2 major plateaus in loosing one at around 40 and one at around 60ish that lasted a good 2 LONG....FRUSTRATING months. I know after loosing so much your body really just needs a break to adjust to the new weight and also I wasn't changing up my workouts because I was training for my races so it wasn't like I was feeling like"what am I doing wrong?!" But, It can still be frustrating and the one thing I have found is to really look back at those numbers and remember that I got past them and I am now at the new number. Its very helpful to look back for me and know I can do this and I will continue to do this.

I saw a little craft on Pinterest and I knew I had to make it. It required 2 containers and some little marbles or river rocks.

this is pretty much the easiest thing ever but this made a very visual reminder of where I was and whats next.

On one jar I wrote "Pounds Gone" and the other I wrote #untili'm@goal I love using hash tags and this is a # I plan on using for the next hopefully only couple more months. I need to get rid of 31 more little glass marbles and move them over and this will be officially 107 pounds gone and that will be a great day but this journey has been so much more than those silly little marbles. To see a visual for me other than my body, Is very helpful. I am still at the point where my mind has not caught up to my body and I look in the mirror and don't always see the changes. I don't mean this in a negative way either but when you have lived with being a certain size for a long time there are times when I still think I wear "that" size and every time I buy something and  I don't try it on I end up having to take it back for a smaller size, I know tragic!haha!

Never underestimate progress no matter how slow you are moving forward, YOU ARE STILL MOVING! This is one of the biggest things I need to remember!

Mahalo!

Oatmeal..in my smoothie!?

So, there has been so many different recipes posted on Pinterest lately using oatmeal inside of a smoothie. Of course I was intrigued so this morning I finally got around to it. I like to usually have something with protein after working out (especially a 2 hr workout that I did this morning, go me and my booty! :-) ) so I like to use Greek yogurt in my smoothies or I use a protein shake. The protein shake I used this morning was a Muscle Man protein shake and one of those bottles I use will make 2 smoothies. A full one is way too many calories for me so using half and half the other day works great! So here's the deal on the oatmeal I blended mine in the magic bullet mixer to make a powder and then added it in to ensure an even consistency.

Oatmeal,Protein berry-banana Smoothie

1/2 frozen banana cut up (I like to have at least one fruit that's frozen so that way you don't need ice and makes a better texture)
1 cup your choice protein shake or 1 cup Greek yogurt
mix berries
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup raspberries
2 Tbsp quick oats, blended to powder

blend and enjoy- 4 ww pp (3,1 c protein shake and 1 for oatmeal)

Mahalo!





Dina :-)

Pizza Party

I looooove pizza of all kinds and the kind I love most are healthy and filling! This last week and today I came up with some great variations on 2 of my most favorite pizzas. I like to think of myself as very semi-homemade. I enjoy cooking, baking and love it even more now that it is not my job. I love to use fresh ingredients but I also love fast and simple cooking. My time is precious and I do not need to prove anything to my family by "slaving away" in the kitchen all day/night to give myself and them way yummy, healthy food.

The first one I made was Caramelized Pear,Onion and Gorgonzola Pizza this is a take on the CPK version which seems like it could be healthy because its topped with a salad but guess again. I used a store bought pre baked crust(thin, to cut bake on carbs) and then added my own ingredients as I wanted. I also baked this in the oven and it tool from start to finish 30 minutes!

I started with these ingredients

Caramelized Pear,Onion and Gorgonzola Pizza

• Boboli thin crust
• 2-Pears- Cored,sliced thin
• 1/4 cup Gorgonzola
• 1/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella
• 1 Onion-sliced thin
• 2 Tbsp Candied Pecans
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Caramelize, pears and onions over med flame, in olive oil till golden brown, this breaks down the sugar in the pears and onions and brings out that sweet flavor.

On crust sprinkle mozzarella evenly and then arrange pears and onions. Sprinkle candied pecans(yum!) over the top of that and then crumble Gorgonzola over the top of all of it.

Bake 450 degrees for 15 mins. While baking assemble vinaigrette and prepare salad topping!

Vinaigrette

3 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

pepper

mix together and toss with a bag of mixed greens.

This yummy pizza comes out to about 5 ww pp per serving, yields 9 servings.

Skinny BBQ Chicken Pizza

Now, for this one I used a handy,dandy pizza oven that I picked up on a trip to Kohl's. My girl friend Rachel over at Divalicious Dishes and I were virtual shopping together (she lives in MI and I'm in CA,we work with what we've got,haha!) and I asked her if I should get a cake pop maker or this Bella Pizza Maker Well, thankfully I agreed that although great to make cake pops super fast the pizza maker was way more practical and we use it ALL the time and so nice not to heat the house up on warm days.

 

So, for this one I used a pre made refrigerated crust and then added my ingredients. As you can see from my picture I have a thing for Fresh and Easy neighborhood markets,haha! I totally realized that everything I had to use was from there including stuff I had already in my pantry or fridge.

1 whole wheat pizza dough @room temperature

1/2 cup,cooked chicken breasts

1/2 cup white onions

1/2 cup tomatoes

2 tbsp bbq sauce

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

basil, cilantro,green onions for garnish

1 tsp butter on maker or pan if using oven to cook, 450 deg 8-11 mins.

Spread pizza dough onto surface. Spread bbq sauce down. Spread chicken,tomatoes and onion all over and top with shredded cheese. bake 8-11 mins and when it comes out top with herbs and green onion.

I also was craving some cole slaw so to lighten up store bought cole slaw I used a bag of shredded cabbage to a 1/2 cup of pre made cole slaw mixed together and served.

This pizza comes out to 4 ww pp per serving and yields 8 servings,enjoy!

Mahalo!