Packing

Totally not having to do with eating healthy, I just need to vent... It's really hard to pack up a whole house by yourself -- especially with 2 young, emotional children. Clara has been very clingy wanting to be held anytime I am not laying on the couch or floor. Charlie has been acting out and wanting to cuddle a lot. Both are very sweet, but very annoying. I cant get much done. I try to do a lot during Clara's nap and after the kids go to bed, but I am so tired by then I also just want to sit. I finished Charlie's quilt today, so I have no other projects going on so I can focus better. I want to be a good mom, but I need to pack, and I feel something is going to give no matter what. Even when I pay more attention to them and cuddle them, I am stressed out so bad that the little annoyances that kids always have are greatly magnified and I snap more easily. Walking helps some, so of course I havent had much time for that, and the weather is a lot cooler.

On a semi-better note, being so stressed has me eating less because I have no appetite. I choose healthier options when I can, and even Charlie is taking note and eating healthier. We found out Joel has high cholesterol, too, so he will be joining our new eating style since he will finally be home every night.

Thank you for listening  reading. Any tips on moving with kids is greatly appreciated. I will try to post some new recipes or ideas soon, but this week is going to be tough, and we wont have internet for a while, so it may be slow.

Desserts

So, my friends down the street tease me a lot about not eating much sugar, but that's ok. I get so tired and cranky after very much. I dont mind it every once in a while, but I prefer the natural sugars. A friend gave me a recipe for sugar free cookies. I liked them, but these friends didnt. Haha. So below are some ideas, some recipe substitutions, etc.

1. Quinoa "rice" pudding as I said yesterday.
2. Jamba Juice smoothies: you can get pre-measured out packs from Costco for a very good price and its only about 100 calories a serving and so yummy as a dessert, breakfast, or snack.
3. Emerald brand cocoa roasted almonds. Roasted with dark chocolate cocoa with no sugar.
4. Someone posted about mixing canned or fresh pumpkin with vanilla yogurt and cinnamon and using as a dip for apples. Yum!
5. Yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit (I prefer berries) with some ground flax for texture (and regularity)
6. 100% fruit popsicles. You can buy or make them. Kids love them, too.
7. You can make #2,4,5,8 and freeze to have as a kind of ice cream, too.
8. I have a pumpkin smoothy recipe I found:

Substitutions: (most you probably already know)
1. 1T ground flax +3T water = egg
2. Applesauce for oil
3. Honey or agave for sugar
4. 3T milk +1tsp vinegar = 3T sourmilk

PLEASE add anything you have. I have some more on my pinterest if you follow me, and I know I have other recipes, but a lot of stuff is packed so I dont know where it is right now, sorry.

OH WAIT! I almost forgot.
9. Make no-bake drops with honey! Add a little extra cocoa to a little less honey than the amount of sugar the recipe says so its not too strong of a honey flavor. Add in flax or almonds if desired. I recommend putting the warm dough in cupcake papers in the tin to cool because it will be a little runny, but they are SO good and really help with chocolate cravings.





Quinoa

Sitting here I am enjoying 2 of my favorite "dessert" snacks: dark cocoa roasted almonds, and plain yogurt with frozen mixed fruit and some ground flax. Yummy and healthy. However I am going to dedicate this post to a new obsession: quinoa. After almost 3 weeks of no rice, pasta, breads, etc, a friend introduced me to the benefits of quinoa. Below are some recipes/ideas that I have found or come up with.

1. "rice" pudding (you can do this sugar free, too)
2. taco salad: mix with taco seasoned meat, beans, any toppings like tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, salsa, cheese, etc. so yummy.
3. pizza in a bowl: mix with any toppings, pizza sauce, and cheese.
4. Rice. simple as that. however you would use rice, replace with quinoa.
5. pasta/pasta salads. another simple replacement.
6. warm with milk, cinnamon, and honey for breakfast or a snack
7. prepare using boullion in the water, then bake in a casserole

I am sure I can come up with more, but those are enough for tonight. I can say enough that I love this stuff. I pinned a lot of recipes on pinterest that I still want to try, but I love to just create my own that look and sound yummy. Charlie likes it too, which is a plus.

Tomorrow I will post some dessert ideas, and this week I will keep tabs on recipes I use or find and make a post with some new ideas for healthy meals. Please post or email me with anything you have tried, too. :)

Parties

Well, giving myself permission to "cheat" for birthdays and such wasnt a good idea. I am actually sick to my stomach from the past 2 days. Yesterday my sweet adorable little angel turned 1. We had a family party and I enjoyed some pizza. Fail! Clara and I were both miserable. Then today we had a friend party with yummy snacks. Most of them were fine, but I gave in to some cold pizza with the boys and a crescent roll, then a cupcake. Fail 2! I am so ready to kick it in to gear this week. Sugar makes me tired, breads make me sick... they all weigh me down (literally. lol) and make me sluggish. I am ready to clear out the food, eat some healthy, yummy snacks, and ride my bike.

I have a few recipes to post, but it's late. Joel is leaving for his new job so I will have more time. I dont even know if anyone is following this, so I guess it's not too rushed. I will post some this week and hopefully have good news about being good. <3 p="p">

During the month of September, I cut out all bread/pasta/rice and sugar from my diet, and lost 15lbs. I did it as a challenge to myself, the weight loss was just a bonus. I only cheated 1 time the entire month -- a cheat I allowed myself: sushi on my birthday. I felt great! Not only had I accomplished my goal, but I had more energy, I was fittin in clothing from when Joel and I got married, and others noticed the changes.
However, during the month of October, we started preparing to move, lots of stress and sickness, and needless to say, I quickly fell off the bandwagon. I havent gained all the weight back, but I notice the difference. Sugar makes me more tired, depressed, and cranky. I feel weighed down when I eat a lot of these kinds of foods. So, for November (other than birthdays and Thanksgiving) I am back on it!

While I was doing the diet, I enjoyed finding and creating new recipes to keep the food interesting, yummy, and healthy. Even Joel and Charlie approved of most of it. So I will be posting recipes, updates, ideas, etc on here, along with a little journal of how its going. I am also packing our house to move this month, so any motivating comments back would be greatly accepted.
The photo above is me today: November 1. I am wearing a size 10 jeans. I have about 15-20 lbs to go to my goal. I will weigh myself in the morning (though that wont be posted!) and keep tabs on how much I lose toward my goal.

If you want to do this with me, we can keep in touch. I will try to post lots of recipes: dinners, snacks, deserts, etc. If you want an idea, ask. I have lots!!!

She is here... for 4 months!

Clara Jane arrived on November 2. She had the sweetest red hair when she was born that quickly faded to strawberry blonde. She is a great sleeper, amazing eater, and just a happy baby!

Joel and Charlie absolutely love her ... though Charlie was harder to win over. He wouldnt look at her or hold her for 2 days because he didnt believe she was the baby that was in my tummy, but we finally got him.

Clara was 7lbs 6oz, 20 3/4 inches. She didnt like her bath until just a few weeks ago. However, she started sleeping 6 hours a night when we brought her home, and is up to 8-12 hours depending on her growth spurts. She is currently over 16lbs, rolling over (when she feels like it), playing with toys, eating blankets and her fist, and smiling and laughing at anyone around. She is always so happy and calm.

She is definately a cute addition to our family. Charlie is an amazing big brother. He loves to help bathe her, change her diapers, and entertain her. He loves giving me play by plays of what is going on with her in the car, or while I am cooking, and he dances for her at every opportunity.

She is named after my Uncle Clay and Joel's grandma Iola Jane. We love family names, and though we cheated a little on the Clara, we love her name.

6 weeks left

We have 6 weeks (and 2 days) until my due date, and I sure feel it! I have reached the point of just being done! I am loving the cooler weather, but I struggle to get on shoes, and I dont have maternity pants, but I dont want to go buy any this late in the game. I do the rubberband trick on my jeans (that amazingly still fit), and I got a belly band to cover the rubberband. She moves a ton, still, and loves to stretch. She has been in my ribs a lot this week, but is still pushing on my bladder, so she must be pretty long. I have been having lots of braxton hicks contractions. They are getting worse and closer together, but still nothing to worry about. I am looking forward to meeting this sweet little girl, and to carry her on the outside!

Joel is still loving his job. He has been working overtime lately, which is tough, but the extra income will be great when the baby comes. He is working on his "schooling" through them and doing great. He really seems to enjoy learning all this new stuff. It has been great for us to have him back at work. Charlie and I are back in our old routine, and Joel is so much happier working than being a stay home dad. He loves being home, but providing for his family and being out during the day really suits him!

Charlie is still growing. He has really been in to dressing up lately. Usually its just a batman cape, but he also has Woody, Buzz, and Titan costumes, along with a lion costume. I have to call him by whatever name he is dressed as, which gets confusing. And if he isnt dressed up, he is Steve (from Blue's clues) or Joel. It keeps me on my toes! He has been playing more independently lately, which is good since I dont have the energy to keep up. He loves his cars and his "guys". He also has 2 swords, so every once in a while I tell him there is a bad guy and he beats him up to keep me and the baby safe. He is great and taking care of me/us. He is sure looking forward to being a big brother! He asks a lot why the baby isn't coming out, and points out that my belly is big now so it must be time.

He has been in a preschool group with some friends from church. He loves it!!! It gives him a chance to sit still in one spot, to socialize with kids his age, and to learn along with others. He loves to learn new things, but also to tell others what he already knows. All the kids seem to enjoy it, and I enjoy the teaching rotation so he gets lots of teaching styles, plus I get to teach occasionally too.

I found out last week that my brother is getting married!!! Those who know Marc, here is your announcement. LOL. He is getting married in December, so we get to plan a trip out to California. With Joel's schedule, it may just be me and the 2 kids, but he may get to come for part of the trip. I am so excited for my brother!!

That's about it. We had 2 fun trips this month, but I am done travelling very far for a while. We had our anniversary and my birthday, but with Joel's schedule, and all the ongoings of life, they werent the most exciting. We are just busy living life, having fun, and getting ready for our new bundle of joy!