Final totals, etc.!

Hi ladies,

I'm so, so sorry to be doing this so late! It has been one busy week with family in town and craziness involved with that and baby's schedule being off and lots of stuff going on at home.

SOoooooooooooooo, our winner is:

KADYB!! Good job, mamacita! Kadyb ended up with 396 points.

Jen, I think you were missing one of the weeks. But you came in second at 283. --> with the 71 from the week missed, your total is 354. :)

And Kimbooly, your total was 169.

Kaje is getting ready to get married in a couple weeks, and EF has been super busy as well, so if y'all want to update me with totals, I'll get you your prizes as well.

So Jen and Kimbooly, I need your shipping addresses to get you your prizes. Please email me with that info, and your favorite colors.

Mom, we should just go fabric shopping for yours. haha.

kadyb week5 summary

Wow, here we are at the end of our challenge!

My week was difficult, since I was trying to wrap things up at work in preparation for taking 10 weeks off, and at the same time, I was trying to prepare our family for my taking 10 weeks off... We got some great veggies from our farm share bag, and we enjoyed those for a few days.

So here are my results:
Tuesday - 13 pts
Wednesday - 13 pts
Thursday - 13 pts
Friday - 13 pts
Saturday - 0 pts
Sunday - 1 pt
Monday - 2 pts

Saturday we started out on our big adventure, and as I've realized before, it is really hard to be wheat-free or to find very many veggies when you're on the road. I was supposed to put some veggies in the ice chest, but I forgot them. So I was a failure on Saturday, unless the pickles in the tartar sauce count as a veggie. :)

Extra points: 15 for the challenge

Total for the week: 70

Hope you all have a great summer - keep up the good work!

jen bryner

ack! it's over :( well, the last week's points were 80 (woohoo!) should there be 4 or 5?? i feel like i missed a week. that would bite. on a high note, i was able to get out and run finally today! i'm so excited about that. no pain from shin splints yet. i only did a mile because i didn't want to push it. hopefully i can get back to it for the 5K in august!

Final day ladies!

I know it's been tough, but I know we've all made better choices overall than we had previously. And that's what's important, right?

I need your updated points today, please. If y'all want, I'd be willing to start another one in August. July will be too hectic for me ... as has much of June with sick family, but August should be a tad smoother.

Hugs and loves!

Esther

Kimbooly Week 5 (already??) Update

It was a tough week, but my affirmation is, "Slow and steady wins the race." It really is. I actually have a second one, which is, "Healthiness done imperfectly still blesses my body," so I don't get discouraged about the downslides.

This has been a GREAT challenge, and I'm going to continue it.

Tues--2 pts
Wed--13 pts
Thurs--2 pts
Friday--13 pts
Saturday--13 pts
Sunday--1 pt
Monday--2 pts

I think I've posted 3 times this week, but maybe not? I've said the affirmations to myself as well.

Final Week Challenge

This week is all about positive affirmation. Maybe we should've done this in the beginning, but I think it will be beneficial.

One of the things I struggle with in life, especially in my ward in Land of the Barbies, is feeling good about myself. Self-esteem issues abound. But y'know, I know I'm a good person. Not to be stuck up or anything, but I do know that I'm pretty. And I know that my inside matters more than my outside, but I'd like my outside to be healthy.

I want you to write a positive, uplifting sentence about yourself and say it to yourself every day. It doesn't have to be long. It doesn't have to be complicated. Heck, you can take a page from Stuart Smalley and say, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me!"

Or not.

Try and keep it phrased in a positive way. Like, "I am smart and beautiful and strong." Or, "I am improving my health and well-being." NOT, "I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, but I do okay, and I'm no dogface ... but I don't wanna be fat anymore." Make sense?

You don't have to share your affirmation here with the class, but please write it down. On paper. With a pen or pencil.

Baby crying. gotta go. Good luck!

I'm a slacker!

I've been doing okay with my goals, just not posting here. We've had a very busy, hectic, sad, crazy, sick week. Thanks, mom, for being such a good cheerleader!

Points to date: (If you think you should have more, please let me know!!)
Dawn: 50+???
Jen: 203
Kadyb: 326
Kaje: 204+?
Kimbooly: 108
Stewie: 200

From week 3, I got 59 points + veggies goal = 74. From week 3, we had fast food twice (bah). We did try to get out as a family and ended up running through a rain storm from the car to a movie instead. lol. I'm not counting it for the points, but at least we all got together. I've been not so good about my snacking late at night again, so I only got 22 points for week 4.

kadyb week4 summary

Thank goodness for second (or third, or fourth) chances! I hope you don't give up on yourselves if you mess up one day. Be patient with yourselves!

Here's my report for the week:
Tuesday - 13 pts
Wednesday - 13 pts
Thursday - 13 pts
Friday - 13 pts
Saturday - 13 pts
Sunday - 2 pts (Why is Sunday such a challenge? When you spend 3+ hours at church and then go visiting a neighbor (too far to walk), it always seems like something falls by the wayside. Like exercise. There should be a separate category with bonus points for developing sitting muscles...)
Monday - 13 pts

Yay!!

And I did get outside for a few minutes with the dog and the hubbers - 15 pts

Total for the week: 95

Ladies, we have just 1 week left on this challenge. I hope you're all able to meet your goals for the week. Hang in there!

Kimbooly--Working on Week 4, updated

Tues-0 pts
Wed- 0 pts
Thurs- 1 pt! I was easy on the sweets!
Friday- 13 pts! I think I was a little over on the sweets, but not by much, but I didn't eat after 9 pm, and I was in bed by 9:30. But even though I didn't meet the low-on-the-sweets goal, I exercised today, one of my original goals, so I'm still giving myself the third point! I walked to the park and back w/ my kids in the morning (1 mile round-trip), AND I swam the length of the pool twice in the afternoon. Woot! I'm feeling better pregnancy-wise, and it's the first time I've exercised since I was crampy. Feels good, though I'm taking it easy.
Saturday- 2 pts
Didn't eat after 9, walked 1/2 mile, but had mucho sweets at a grad party, and went to bed at 10:30
Sunday-2 pts
Only 2 servings sweets, didn't eat after 9, but didn't make it to bed until 10:30 again even though I was really trying!
Monday-1 pt
Had only 2 servings sweets, but ate after 9 pm on accident, and didn't quite make it to bed by 10, which caused me not to be able to sleep, and I was up until 1:30 trying to fall asleep. Ugh.

But we did go to a grad party Saturday as a family, which was rough to organize; My hubby went to work 20 min. in to the party. But at least he came and we enjoyed.

jen bryner week 3

for some reason i am having a SUPER hard time remembering to check the site and post stuff!! so i added it to my google page and VOILA! instant reminder. so, week 3 pretty much sucked as far as points go...if i have added them all correctly, my total is...51. i haven't been able to exercise much because of my dang shin splints. they still won't go away! i can't run!!! lame. thanks to all of you for being an inspiration to keep going :)

kadyb week3 summary

A summary of my week, some of which I've already reported:

Tuesday - 13 points
Wednesday - 13 points
Thursday - 2 points, when I fell off the wheat-free wagon, but still met the veggie goal and walked
Friday - 1 point, when I was too sick to make friends with any veggies at lunch or dinner
Saturday - 13 points
Sunday - 2 points
Monday - 13 points

Total: 57 points

Congratulations, kaje! I wish you the best! Your personal note is much better than mine - I had 26 acrylic plaques engraved with a typo on them, only discovered after I'd given them to the award winners. Ah, well. No place to go but up!

Weekly Challenge #4

Hi ladies!

Kirsten, I'm so excited for you. Can't wait to see your ring! hehe

I'll be back later to post points updates and my own weekly update, but wanted to quickly post this week's challenge.

Sometime in the coming week, get outside with everyone in your family for an activity. Whether that's a walk with the dog or playing frisbee or swimming, do something active together!

My husband and I have a hard time coordinating schedules to do that very often, but we need to. I understand how hard it can be. But you can do it!!!

Kaje's week 3 update

I'm feeling rather pressed for time, so here's my quick copy over from last week:

My goals are:

-Exercise 3-5 times a week
-Drink 64 oz of water a day
-Healthy food and snacks 5 times a week.

Tuesday: Made all 3 goals - 13 points
Wednesday: Made all 3 goals - 13 points
Thursday: Made 2 goals, (went out with friends and shared a creme brulee with Matt), but since I make my goals for the week - 13 points
Friday: This was my free day and since I made my goals the rest of the week - 13 points
Saturday: Made all 3 goals - 13 points
Sunday: Made all 3 goals - 13 points
Monday: man... I meant to work out, and I meant to drink water but I didn't. I did however eat well - no snicker-doodles that my mom served after dinner. But... since I did eat well, I get a point for eating well, and 1 point for making my exercising for the week. - 2 points

Total for the week: 95 points
80 for goals
15 for extra fruits and veggies
0 for posts, I don't think I got 3 in the week

p.s. - I have been making an effort already with another challenge I'm working on to eat 3 veggies a day and 2 fruits. I used this to complete the weekly challenge, but if you guys don't feel that's fair, please feel free to deduct the extra 15 points. :-)

p.s. again - for those who know me... i got engaged this last weekend! Nothing to do with the challenge... but I'm excited!

kadyb - week 3 progress

Oh, boy. Talk about sabotaging yourself...

It all started on Wednesday. My boss had a luncheon party for a couple of us who are going on sabbatical this summer. (Sabbatical is a "benefit" of nearly killing yourself off at work for seven years so you can have 8 weeks of paid play time. For various reasons, I desperately needed my first sabbatical after 4 years of employment but still had to work for another 3 before I got to take it. This is sabbatical #2 for me. If you're any good at math, you'll know that means I've worked at this place for 14 years. 14 years? Who works for one company for 14 years? Apparently I do. 3 of my co-workers have worked there for 21 years... but unlike them, I won't be taking a 3rd sabbatical.)

Anyway, I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me at that party, because I was kind of sick that afternoon and evening. And things just got worse on Thursday. I stayed wheat-free when I ate lunch with the ladies from church, but then I was still feeling icky and my DH wanted to go out to dinner, and we chose a place where they have the best cheesy biscuits and I...(sob) ATE one. Just one.

So then, the whole "icky" feeling thing snowballed, and I felt really gross. And I blew my goals on Thursday, which led to blowing them on Friday too since I was too sick to look very many veggies in the face. Sheesh.

Now I'm back on the horse that threw me, wheat-free and nearly back to normal. As normal as I ever get, that is. I even bought some other, non-wheat flours yesterday (you have to hock something near and dear to you to get $ to pay for these) so I can try making my own, non-wheat cheesy biscuits. Baking with rice flour hasn't produced great results for me in the past, but I guess I'd better give it another try.

Hope you all are doing better with your goals than I did this week!

Herb Roasted Chicken

Ok, ok, ONE more recipe, because this is the new one I haven't tried before, and I enjoyed it. I think I could have done it with dried herbs though, but does anyone know the conversion rate? (For example, is 1/4 c fresh sage leaves the same as 1 T of them dried?) The fresh herbs were expensive.

Herb Roasted Chicken, Dr. Phil style:

1/4 c packed fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
2 T fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 T fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
1 (5 lb) roasting chicken, gib lets & exces fat removed
1 lemon, quartered
1 onion, quartered (I thought this was way too much, I did maybe half an onion, but it was a big onion)
1 rib celery, sliced into 2 inch pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine sage, parsley, thyme, salt, & pepper. Set aside.

Starting at the large opening of the chicken and working back over the breast, run your fingers between the skin and the meat to create a pocket over each side of the breast. Slip 1/4 of the herb mixture into each pocket, massaging the herbs into the meat but taking care not to tear the skin. Make a small slit in each thigh. (and I did on the drumsticks, too, and put some spice mixture in them as well) Separate the skin from the meat by again running a finger through the slits and working the skin loose. Slip the remaining spice mixture in the thigh pockets, again massaging the herbs into the meat w/out breaking the skin.

Squeeze the lemon juice into the inside of the chicken and rub your hands over the interior to coat it w/ the juice. Place the lemon wedges, onion quarters, and celery inside the chicken.

Place the chicken breast-side up in a shallow roasting pan, broiler pan, or baking dish fitted w/ a rack or other device designed to keep it out of the rendered fat that will pool in the pan. (It was still very moist even w/out sitting in its own drippings)

Roast until golden brown and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, abt 1 hour 3 min. Let stand 5 min at room temp before carving.

I covered mine in tinfoil, and pulled the skin off at the end, but enjoyed how the skin kept in the moisture.

Nutrients:
184 calories
31 g protein
3 g carbs
5 g total fat
1 g sat. fat
85 mg cholesterol
1 g fiber
0 g sugars
241 mg sodium
Each serving counts as 1 protein.

Kimbooly's dismal week 3 start

Yikes! Week 3 has also been a massive fail for me so far! Isn't it interesting how when you're already being weak in one area, it just snowballs to other areas?

Tues-0 pts
Stayed up very late, ate dinner after 9, and munched on candy all day. Had a very bleghy day.

Wed-0 pts
Made my new meal, but didn't get it in the oven until almost 8 pm, so I took the kids down to a fast food place for a mini-meal, and came back and tried the herb-roasted chicken about 9:30.
I did stay low on the sweets in the afternoon, probably only 1 serving total (a couple of little tootsie rolls and miniature candy bars that are part of my piano lesson treats, and I teach piano on Wednesday). But I started the morning w/ sweets for breakfast, made myself a bit sick.

Thurs-0 pts
I munched on sweets throughout yesterday morning (I try not to mention on *what* I'm munching to avoid tempting y'all, but it's usually hot tamales lately, sometimes a brownie/cookie/cupcake at someone's house; I don't make the latter myself or I'd eat all of them).
Went to bed VERY late again, after midnight. It just kills me the next day, which is half the reason I'm in such a slump!
Munched on sweets after 10 pm.

Here's to hoping today and the rest of this week I will do better! I at least had a normal breakfast this morning.

I love this challenge, it's helping me to make better choices, even if I did have a 3 day relapse.

It's FRIDAY!

Hello ladies! How has your week been so far? I know my mom isn't feeling too well, so she hasn't asked much about my posting or not today. Let's all send kadyb happy thoughts to feel better.

I did splash in puddles the other day with the kids, at least for a minute. It was pretty cold and the baby doesn't love rain, so we didn't stay out long. And we went for a walk yesterday, even though the shins started burning so I cut it shorter than we used to go. I'll get them outside today after the landscapers are done. I still think it's all progress on this journey, because I'm *doing* things I hadn't done before, even if it's not as long as I want or expected of myself.

Sometimes I think we beat ourselves up and give up on goals because we didn't do something perfectly. If there's one thing I hope we can all take from this is that baby steps are still progress, even if it takes longer to reach the end result we want. As it is, the journey to good health won't happen overnight or even during this challenge. This is just a kick start, some motivation for all of us.

Not that I did it on purpose, but last week was a pretty big FAIL for me. But I've picked myself off, dusted myself off, and am going strong this week. And this challenge is helping me stay motivated.

It's so helpful to remember the goals I've set for myself here. I was feeling "munchy" last night, but it was after 10 so I didn't eat anything. This morning, I didn't feel bloaty or anything like I do when I *do* eat after 10. So yay!

I am looking forward to making good eating choices this weekend and making it a better weekend than I usually have. I hope you all make great weekends for yourselves, too!

Week 2 points

I'm just adding them together, so this is for both weeks so far. Woooooooooo!! good job everyone!

Kadyb: 174
Kimbooly: 90
Evita: 50
Jen: 81 + ?
Kaje: 109
Stewie: 104

Stewie, week 2

Oh gosh ... I'm so embarrassed. Your fearless leader has failed week 2. lol.

I had fast food Monday. And I felt SO sick afterward! Like, I thought I was going to BE sick for hours. Why do we sabotage our own good health that way? Ugh. Truth be told, I watched my sister's kids on Saturday so she and her hubby could go on a date and I hadn't planned dinner ... so we ate leftovers out of their fridge, and the kids all picked first (because they can be picky, I let them). All that was left was some more fast food. Yuck, yuck, yuck. So I only got 5 points for this. (W,H,F,Sun,T)

If you recall, I got severely sunburned on Tuesday at the pool. We didn't make it outside again until Saturday, but I did go for a walk with the kids then. Took them to the pool again yesterday, no burns thank goodness. I only got 2 points for this (Sat,T)

The snacking goal ... went to heck as well. I don't even remember which nights I didn't snack after 10. How sad is that? So I'll take 0 points.

I didn't post a recipe (what the ...) and I don't think i posted OR commented either! MY STARS!

So, from 97 points the first week to SEVEN points this week. My goodness... see how easy it is once your routine is broken to let it STAY that way? My only saving grace is that this is, indeed, a new week. I'd better get outside and splash in rain puddles with the kids before naps.

Challenge #3

We had a hard day yesterday and I missed posting the challenge and updating points, so Kadyb just emailed me to ask for the challenge. Oh yeah, you NEED that today! lol.

It's summer! Maybe not officially, but it IS summer. The markets are offering great deals on all produce. I'm personally rather enjoying cherries and strawberries myself. But I'm lacking in veggies. I know they're important and good for me and yummy, but I just don't eat them as much as I need/should.

I'm sure some of you struggle with that, or maybe with eating enough fruits. So this week's challenge is to choose either fruits or veggies (whichever you struggle with) and eat one extra serving a day. One serving of veggies is generally 1/2 cup cooked, 1 c raw. Fruits can vary, but a medium apple, orange, banana are considered 1 serving each. One cup of cherries is a serving. Berries vary in their servings, so here is a helpful website.

Sorry; this last week was just scattered. I'll do better with posting and encouraging and all that.

Kaje Week 2 Summary

My goals are:

-Exercise 3-5 times a week
-Drink 64 oz of water a day
-Healthy food and snacks 5 times a week.

Tuesday: Made all 3 goals - 13 points
Wednesday: Made all 3 goals - 13 points
Thursday: Made all 3 goals - 13 points
Friday: Made all 3 goals - 13 points
Saturday: I exercised, drank my water, and had a cupcake and ice cream at a birthday party. But... since my goal is to eat well 5 times a week, I still get 13 points for today.
Sunday: Free day. I didn't even get my water in, so I only get 2 points for the day.
Monday: Made all 3 goals - 13 points

Total for the week: 95 points
80 for goals
15 for recipe
0 for posts, I don't think I got 3 in the week

kadyb week2 summary

As I mentioned last posting, adding an alternate goal really gave me a boost this week. I managed to meet 3 goals every day, like this:
Tuesday: walked, ate wheat-free, got my veggies (13 pts)
Wednesday: packed lunch to work, walked, ate wheat-free, got my veggies (13 pts)
Thursday: packed lunch, ate wheat-free, got my veggies (13 pts)
Friday: walked, ate wheat-free, got my veggies (13 pts)
Saturday: walked, ate wheat-free, got my veggies (13 pts)
Sunday: walked, ate wheat-free, got my veggies (13 pts)
Monday: packed lunch to work, walked, got my veggies (13 pts)

Wednesday was the day that I was really tempted with that mid-afternoon snickerdoodle but resisted because I'd written down the wheat-free goal and I didn't want to disappoint myself. Wow! The power of goal-setting!

I noticed last week that Sunday was a challenge for veggie-eating, so this past Sunday, I made a point of having some at lunch time as well as dinner. That worked well.

Since I'm doing OK with getting those veggies in, I'm raising the ante for this week and going with 4-5 servings of veggies.

Total for the week: 91 for my goals, 5 for my recipe, 15 for posting 3 times = 111

PS. You all are doing great - thanks for sharing all your challenges and progress!! It's an inspiration to read what you've been doing. Helps me realize I can do better!

Broccoli Salad

OK, this is one of my favorites, and the only new thing I've made this week, so I'm going to share it with you and let you know how I made it a little more healthy. The core part of this recipe came from the book Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke, but we altered it as we went, and it turned out really yummy.

This recipe makes a lot; the author says 12-16 servings. We took it to a High Priests social Friday night and brought 1 serving home with us. If you don't want 12-16 servings, cut the amounts in half.

2 big bundles of broccoli (you want to end up with about 8-10 c of broccoli florets)
1/2 c chopped onion
2/3 c golden raisins (you can use brown raisins, but goldens are naturally a little sweeter)
1 c small red grapes

1/2 c sugar (I used a scant 1/2 c, because that's all I had left in the bag)
1 c mayonnaise (I used low-fat mayo, which worked fine in this recipe)
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar

6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
1/4 c shelled, dry roasted sunflower seeds (opt)

Cut up the broccoli, using just the florets; you want the pieces pretty small. Mix with the onion, raisins, and grapes. (The original recipe didn't call for grapes. My DH added them, and they were a great addition.)

Make the dressing, mixing the sugar, mayo, and vinegar. (I'd never used raspberry vinegar before, but it was perfect for this recipe - not too strong. The original recipe calls for red wine vinegar; I think the raspberry worked just as well.) Stir till smooth.

Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture. I made the whole thing in a Tupperware bowl so I could put the lid on and shake well. If you don't have a bowl with a lid, stir carefully so that the broccoli gets coated with the dressing.

Sprinkle the bacon and sunflower seeds on the top right before serving.

Notes: The bacon and sunflower seeds are to add crunchy texture (and a little flavor). You can use regular bacon if you don't mind having a bit of fat, or turkey bacon (we like Oscar Mayer brand best), or even bacon bits.

You can make the salad several hours before you're going to serve it; the flavors just blend and get yummy together. If you do make it in advance, wait till right before you serve to add the bacon and sunflower seeds, if you want the crunch. Or if you're lazy like I am, mix everything together and put it in the fridge till you're ready to serve.

Also - the original recipe called for 2 c shredded sharp cheddar, mixed in with the veggies. I've had a lot of incarnations of this salad but had never had it with cheese. We put cheese in it for the HP event, but I like the salad just as well without, and leaving it out really helps reduce the fat. And makes it so Stewie can eat it!

I'm here, I swear - Evitafjord

Back to week 1: Wednesday 2 points, Thursday 2 points, Friday 13 points, Saturday 13 points, Sunday 13 points, Monday 2 points. We went out of town last weekend and I drank tons of water, walked and swam, and didn't cook any meals, so no tasting! I should go out of town all the time.

Week 2 so far: I haven't thought of a new goal yet so probably 1 point only for exercise on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Not so much water this week. Tasting actually may have been okay a day or 2 this week, but I don't remember - I just know I didn't do much cooking. Friday, we went swimming and got our pass for the summer - I even swam a lap of the pool besides playing with the kids, did some running and throwing of kids, etc. too. No tasting either Friday because no cooking. Yesterday, no tasting but also no water and no exercise. No tasting so far today and SE is cooking tonight, so hopefully I'll make that goal today. Better get on the water but probably no exercise since it's Sunday. Maybe I'll take the kids on a walk around the block, but probably not because we have scary dogs on the loose around here and it sucks. I hate living in the country. Goal for tonight - think of a 4th goal and figure out a healthy recipe!!

Another yummy Veggie Wrap

Makes 6 servings

3 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4 inch-thick strips
2 medium red oinions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1 jarred whole pimento, rinsed
1 T tahini*
1 tsp no-salt lemon pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
6 fat-free whole-wheat tortillas (seriously, they're good with this!)

Grill zucchini strips & onion slices until browned & slightly soft, abt 3 min, turn once. Set aside.
Food process all the other ingredients except the tortillas. Blend/process until smooth, abt 1 minute.

Spread the white bean puree onto each of the tortillas and top each one some of the grilled veggies.

Serve tortillas fresh, or wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and store up to 24 hrs in the fridge.

*Tahini is a paste made from toasted sesame seeds. Since it's pricey to buy Tahini (essentially the peanut butter of sesame seeds), and you only need a T of it for this recipe, I buy 1/4 cup of sesame seeds and store them in a spice container. I smash them up in a tiny bowl with the back of a blunt object to make 1 T when I need some tahini. OR, when I'm lazy, I just toss the seeds into the puree w/out smashing them first.

Nutrition Analysis (this is a Dr. Phil Cookbook recipe):
166 Cal
8 g Protein
31 g Carbs
2 g Fat
trace sat. fat
0 Cholesterol
14 g fiber
0 sugar
309 mg Sodium

Each serving counts as 1 nonstarchy veggie, 1 starchy carb, and a tiny bit of veggie protein from the beans.

Banana Bran Muffins

This is another favorite. I'm extremely picky, so I don't try out new recipes unless I've tasted them somewhere and already like them. I really like my tried-and-true healthy recipes, and I will post one more that I have much enjoyed for years:

Banana Bran muffins
Makes 24 small muffins (if memory serves me right they really only make 12 good-sized muffins, but I have no bananas today to make the recipe and remember)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 c bran cereal (or bran flakes, whatever "bran" you've got)
1/4 c milk
1 c bananas or applesauce (I've never tried applesauce yet)
1/3 c oil
1 egg
3/4 c white flour, 1/4 c oats, and 1/2 c whole wheat flour (OR, you could just do 1 1/2 c flour. I like the white/wheat/oats mixture)
1/3 c brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 T cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla

Mix wet ingredients, then dry ingredients. Spray muffin tins (I use paper muffin cups and lay them all in the muffin tin, then spray it; makes it really easy to pull the paper off the muffins, and saves my muffin tins a lot of wear and tear).

Scoop in batter. Cook 15-20 min or until done. Satisfying, non-guilt snack.

Whole Wheat Waffles (not too heavy!)

Sorry, Kadyb that you can't have these or the bran muffin recipe I'll post next! I have a sister who's allergic to soy and peanut butter, which would also be very hard for me!

This is not new, but is a favorite recipe that my dad & his siblings used to make every Sunday for his family (smart grandma--no Sunday cooking!):

Whole Wheat Waffles--
Makes at least 12+ waffles.

4 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 T baking powder
1/2 c sugar
4 c water
6 eggs
1/2 c oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 nonfat powdered milk
1 c pecans, chopped (optional, but is MY favorite part; you can also use walnuts)

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, & powdered milk. Add 2 c water in one bowl.
Separate egg whites from yolks (put yolks in at least a 3 c bowl) and whip whites until fluffy (stiff peaks). Mix oil and 2 c water w/ the yolks.

Mix wet and dry ingredients until smooth, leaving out the stiff egg whites.
Add nuts.
Fold in stiff egg whites (this is what makes the waffles lighter even though they're whole wheat)
Cook waffles until golden brown.

Delicious!

Kimbooly's Week 2 results

Tuesday-- 13 pts
GREAT exercise; walked at least 30-40 min.
Plenty of water (even though that's last week's goal)
No food after nine (this has proved to be a great goal!)
30 crunches

Wednesday--13 pts
Started cramping Mon. and Tues, completely backed off of walking/crunches.
Decided on new goals, and met them all: Only one serving sweets after lunch and after dinner. Really hard to do.
No food after nine.
In bed by 10.

Thursday-- 13 pts
Only had one serving sweets the whole day! (Ahem. I did eat out that day for lunch, though, so not sure I did much good staying low on sweets since I had greasy food instead)
No food past nine (it's amazing how I look at the clock, and I've sort of been craving something, but realize I'm not actually hungry, and I overcome the temptation because of the time)
In bed by 10 (yay, this is a good goal too!)

Friday-- 1 pt
Went to bed by 10 pm.
About 9 pm, munched on some hot tamales and didn't keep it to one serving.

Saturday--2 pts
Very low on the sweets, I think I had half a package of starbursts the whole day. Pretty amazing for me. But I also had theater popcorn, so definitely not sure I'm gaining a ton health-wise. But psychologically I'm very proud of myself for keeping tabs on my sweets, as I'm a gal who can easily eat a whole bag of miniature candybars in a day without thinking, or 25 red vines in a day.
Saw family that was visiting, and ended up eating a very late dinner afterwards, about 9:15 pm.
But I promise I was still in bed by 10 (being pregnant and exhausted sure helps me w/ this goal)!

(Will post Sun and Mon in the comments section)

Kaje's Healthy Recipe - Garlic Tuna Pasta with Asparagus

I found this recipe for Garlic Tuna Pasta with Asparagus on My Kitchen Cafe. I made it last night and it was mostly a hit. Next time I'll make it with cubed chicken and maybe a little less garlic, but overall it was really good!

This is copied directly over from My Kitchen Cafe:

Garlic Tuna Pasta with Asparagus
serves 4-6

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 medium cloves garlic , minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this doesn't add spice - just a nice enhancement of flavor)
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
2 (6-ounce) cans solid white tuna in water (2 cans), drained well
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon butter, cut into fourths
1 bunch asparagus (or substitute broccoli, peas, etc.), tough ends trimmed and stalks cut into thirds, lightly steamed (I steamed mine for 3-4 minutes until just barely crisp tender)
1 pound penne pasta or other similar tube pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions (or however you like it).

Meanwhile, in a 12-inch non-stick skillet, heat oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant (but not browned!), about 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add tuna, slightly breaking up chunks with your fingers, and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until tuna is heated through, about 1 minute.

Toss tuna mixture, parsley, butter, asparagus (or other vegetable), and cooked pasta together in the skillet. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

kadyb 6/5/2009

Progress this week: things are going much better than last week. Since I added my alternate goal Tuesday, I've been able to get at least 3 goals done every day. Woohoo! I'm really glad I added the goal about being wheat-free. I'm really sensitive to wheat, but every once in awhile I think it would be OK to have a little. Before I know it, I end up eating some every day, and within days, my digestive system is in rebellion, and I'm hating life.

This week, I have been wheat-free every day. In fact, Wednesday afternoon I really wanted a snickerdoodle, and I talked myself out of it. I stopped to think about my goal, and then I moved to the realization that I might enjoy it when I ate it, but I'd be sorry later. Everything goes a lot more smoothly when my stomach isn't hurting all the time!

Yahoo! Well, I'm still thinking about my healthy recipe, but I thought I'd better post so I have a chance of getting my 3 posts in for the week.

Hope you all are making good progress this week!

jen bryner - veggie wraps

this is my healthy meal! i LOVE these, i have discovered:) ok, so you can use any tortillas you want, the big ones that are flavored like sun dried tomato or something, or just the raw flour tortillas that you cook. then chop/slice the veggies you want in it. i like to use carrots, bell peppers, green onions, tomatoes green leaf lettuce, and cucumbers. make sure you season it!!! i like to melt cheese on the tortilla first, then put all the yummy, fresh, raw veggies, add your seasoning, add some kind of dressing (whatever you like) and EAT! i love the crunch. all the fresh flavors really help to wake you up and make you feel energized. it's easy and inexpensive, a great lunch or snack between meals. try it!

Kaje Week 1 Summary

I didn't do very week during week 1. I exercised twice, but ate terribly, and I didn't keep track of my water intake!

I made myself a spreadsheet that I've been updating daily, so I'll keep myself a little better in check for week 2.

So, here are my points for week 1:

Tuesday: n/a - wasn't participating
Wednesday: 0 points.
Thursday: 0 points
Friday: 0 points
Saturday: I exercised. 1 point
Sunday: 0 points
Monday: I exercised for 45 min, drank 64+ oz of water, and ate well all day. 13 points.

Week 2 will be so much more awesome. :-D`

Alternate goals and introductions

Okay ... So, I was talking with my mom (kadyb) today about having the alternate goals so you can take a day off training or what have you and not get penalized.

So, new rule going forth: You can choose 4 goals total, and any day you get 3 out of the 4, you can have the 10 bonus points.

I think, too, 5 days out of 7 would be good for the water. (kimbooly, if I need to change your point tally, lemme know).

Speaking of kadyb and kimbooly ... I want to quickly "introduce" y'all to each other. Kadyb is my mom. Evita and Jen are co-workers of mine (and each other, derf), and they are sisters-in-law to each other. Kaje is my friend and former roommate, and I met kimbooly through her. Kimbooly is Kaje's son's aunt (um, ex-sister-in-law).

One last thought for the day. This challenge meant as motivation, not as boot camp. I'm not that person. I can get competitive, but life is best lived enjoying it, right? And to enjoy the journey, maybe relaxing a bit. The points are just for the prize at the end, and extra points motivate me to get my stuff done. So de-stress, take a deep breath, and jump into week 2!

jen bryner

ok, i COMPLETELY forgot to post my goals!!!! i'm a dork. so i went back and added up my points for last week. total points: 81. i actually did all my goals!! but what has made me happier is that finally, after running for 2 months in training for my 5K this saturday (feel free to come cheer me on down in eagle mountain saturday morning!) I'M SEEING RESULTS! not so much on the scale, but for sure in how my clothes are fitting. and my husband noticed, so that's an extra plus for me! so i plan to keep up the running/strength training for sure.

Week 2 Challenge!

All right ladies, this week's challenge is to find *one* new, healthy recipe, prepare it and try it, and post it here with a review by next Tuesday morning for your 15 points.

Have fun!

Week 1 totals

Hey! Not everyone posted their points all week, so the break down is as follows (I'm not counting myself because I won't be giving myself the prize):

Kadyb: 63
Kimbooly: 48
Evita: 2 + ?
Jen: 81
Kaje: 14
Stewie: 97

I am going to be a nag and will email the last three ladies in a bit.

kadyb week1 summary

Well, this is my first week summary. Sorry Stewie that I couldn't get onto the site last night to post.

My goals:
1. Get 3-4 servings of veggies every day - Nailed this!
2. Walk at least 20 min 4 days/week - Squeaked out 3 days. Not too bad, since my foot and back have been acting up.
3. Pack lunch for work at least 2 days/week, instead of buying those super-sized servings in the cafeteria - Managed to get this one done, too. Just barely.

And I met the bonus water challenge, too, in spite of the extra trips to the bathroom. :)

So, I think that makes:
Tuesday 5/26 - 13 pts
Wed 5/27 - 1 pt
Thurs 5/28 - 1 pt
Friday 5/29 - 1 pt
Sat 5/30 - 13 pts
Sunday 5/31 - 1 pt
Monday 6/1 - 13 pts
Bonus, water - 15 pts
Posting 3x - 5 pts

And Stew if I didn't do this right, feel free to correct it. I think the total is 63. Hmmm. I think I need some alternate goals for those other days...

Weekend Woes

All right. I majorly goofed yesterday. 0 points, which isn't good.

Now, I know a lot of trainers recommend "free" days where you can eat more or not workout or both or what have you, but I know that in the past this has always come back to bite me.

Thankfully, the licorice is out of the house and so are most of the "bad" foods, so all I need now is to keep myself in check on the weekends, too, even when hubby and kiddo are eating junk!

Anyone have any good ideas for how to get through your weekends without messing your great week up?

Saturday workout!

Hey ladies! Of those posting, y'all are doing a great job! I hope the ones who haven't posted as much are also doing well.

I didn't get my morning workout today, so after hubby went to work and the kids went to bed, I did a bit of toning per a routine Jillian Michaels suggested. Now, I can't lift weights because of a repetitive motion injury, but these exercises I *can* do. I had fun doing it, although the push ups were killing me by the end (hey, it's not easy to lift [censored] pounds!)

She outlined this as a "trainer tip" on this last season of The Biggest Loser.

Take a deck of regular face cards. The hearts will represent lunges (I did squats *and* lunges because I'm cool like that), diamonds are push ups, clubs are crunches, and spades are reverse crunches. I wrote them all on each card because I knew I'd forget. The aces represent a 1-minute break. For numbers 2 through 10, do that many reps of that exercise. Jacks, queens, and kings get 10 reps as well.

It'll take between 35 and 45 minutes, and since you don't know what's coming up, it doesn't get as old as some toning routines do, where you do the same number of reps for the same number of sets.

13 points each for Friday and Saturday for me! woooo!

kadyb 5/29 report

So far, things have been going pretty well.

I've had several lunch appointments, so haven't taken my lunch to work again. One more chance on Monday to claim the credit for the week. I have grand plans.

On Wednesday-Friday, I drank my extra water and got lots of veggies. 1 point each day (3 total)

Plans to get lots of walking in over the weekend, too, so I can catch up on points.

Hope the rest of you are making progress!

It's Friday!

How have your first 3 days been?

It occurred to me last night that I have been sabotaging my own efforts. By giving myself a designated cutoff time for eating, I have been making sure I eat something *right before* that time, even if I'm not hungry! Hello, counterproductive much?

I encourage each of you to look at how you're doing, and examine your habits to see if you're doing something similar.

(p.s. I get 13 points for each of the last two days. Woo!)

Kimbooly, day 2

Yesterday we were all sick again. Ugh! And the day was zilch. Except I drank plenty of water. But today I do plan on meeting all three goals, so will comment later.

Stewie

Those of you who are on facebook know I"m struggling with shin splints. I was really discouraged about it yesterday and nearly went to Sonic for lunch (when I had to go pick up hubby's prescription next door at Walgreens). Then I remembered this challenge and my goals, and took an extra minute before I left to make myself a sandwich at home. Woohoo! That particular goal is two-fold for me: Save calories AND money, so I'm doubly proud of myself.

So I got 13 points yesterday, plus one day of water.

P.S. If you would all be so kind as to label your posts in the future with your screen name, it'll be easier to do point tallies and see how you progressed in the future!

Evita 5/26/2009

I did pretty good today with water, except that I didn't count how many ounces it was - but I had a 20-ounce bottle and just kept refilling it so I know I got at least 60-80 ounces today.

I did get in 15 minutes of exercise today, did some tummy work mostly.

Sucked hard at the tasting challenge today.

2 points?? Stinky cheese.

kadyb-day1

I almost thought I wasn't going to be able to pack my lunch today, but at the last minute I remembered something I could take, so I did it. And I met my other two goals, too, of walking and having my veggies. Maybe I didn't write my goals well enough to allow scoring points every day; tell me if I need to edit, Stewbert. Now I'm off to drink my additional glass of water!

Kimbooly

I was all over the idea of this challenge a couple days ago, and on Memorial Day I did 30 crunches and didn't eat anything after 9 pm (which is and was hard for me, especially the sweets). Even though I wouldn't get any "points" for it.

But today was a diff. story. All three kids woke up coughing and congested, and everyone stayed home from school. To top it off, I've had a headache all day, and my ear hurts, even though I'm already on an antibiotic for strep throat. Ugh.

So tonight I nearly forgot, but about 7:50 I took the kids outside and walked around the block. It took us exactly 15 minutes because we took it easy.

It's nearly 9 pm now and I'm not eating anything, and I'm sipping my extra 8 oz water right now (I drink a LOT throughout the day, easily 64 oz--I'm a water girl--so I will make sure I get in my "extra" by specifically pouring at least 8 oz a day into a measuring cup and drinking it from there, on top of what I normally drink), and I even did my 30 crunches even though that's the last thing I wanted to do tonight.

So, woohoo, Stewbert. That's the point of things like this. If it were just me I'd say, "Who cares, we're all sick, I'll start this in a couple days instead."

But instead, I have 28 pts. for today. Yay!

Challenge #1

It's Tuesday! And we're off! Hopefully we all get off to a great start. If you have posted here or at my main blog that you are interested or considering, I have sent you an invite to the blog. You'll need to accept it before you can create a post here.

This week's challenge: Drink an extra 8-ounce glass of water a day.

Remember that keeping sufficiently hydrated is key to flushing fat from your body. Gross, I know, but keep on drinking the water anyway. There are different formulas for figuring out how much water you're supposed to drink, like take your weight in pounds, divide by two, and that's how many ounces of water you're supposed to drink. Frankly, I don't think I could drink the gallon of water that I'm "supposed" to drink according to some people. My target these days is to drink 64 ounces of water every day (which is an average goal), so this week I'll add another 8 ounces to that and go with 72. It's warming up out there, so if you're out walking or just spending time outdoors, remember to take some water with you and stay hydrated!

Another thing to remember is to drink your water throughout the day. Have you ever watched the ground after a really dry spell, when it's so dry the water initially just runs off the top? But when there is a little moisture in the ground, the water seeps in and refreshes the parched earth. If you try to chug a bunch of water once or twice a day and neglect your water intake throughout the day, you'll probably end up having to run to the bathroom a lot. But if you space it out, sipping it or taking a few swallows at a time instead of guzzling it, more than likely you'll find that your body is more able to make use of the water and you stay more hydrated.

Everyone is more than welcome to go ahead and post how you're doing with your goals and what not.

Welcome and good luck!

P.S. If one of your goals is to exercise or something 4 or 5 days a week, you can choose another goal for the other days of the week so you still have a chance for the bonus points every day!

The Challenge

I challenge all of my readers who want more help/motivation in getting fit/fitter to join me in a contest. We'll start Tuesday May 26 (go have fun on your 3-day weekend) and go through June 30. Following the same rules as the contest I'm already in, everyone who wants to participate needs to choose 3 goals for yourself. This is the separate blog for this challenge, so post your goals over here in a response to this first entry. I will invite all responders on both blogs to participate in this blog so you can post at will. I'll explain the rules here

Choose 3 goals you want to work on for the duration of this program. You get a point for each goal every day. Any day you achieve all three goals, you get an extra 10 points. So you have the potential of getting 13 points every day. I'll be choosing 3 separate goals from the contest I'm currently in.

I'll also post a challenge on Tuesday night every week. Like, drink an extra glass of water every day this week. Or, eat one more serving of fruit every day this week. If you achieve the bonus, you'll get an extra 15 points.

If you post at least 3 times during that week, or post responses to the challenge blog 3 times during that week, you'll get an additional 5 points. You'll need to respond frequently with updated points; on Tuesdays, I'll post the point tallies for the week so make sure you've updated by then.

Here's an added incentive (in addition to feeling awesome and looking better!): I'll make a cute little Japanese knot bag for the person with the most points at the end of the contest (unless it's me, then the second place person will get it), in color/fabric of their choice. I'll show you pics of the fabric I have and you can choose from it. I'll post a picture of one when I can, but our other computer is in the shop and my photos are on it. As if that prize is not enough, *everyone* who participates will get a chapstick holder for their keychain. I've sold them for $5 each, so it's a pretty cool prize if I do say so myself. Participation means you actually have to DO the challenge start to finish, even if you miss a day or two here and there, can't just sign up to get the gift. haha. If anyone else wants to contribute a prize, you are more than welcome to do so; just let me know.