Newest Song

So this is the newest song I decided to do! Any suggestions on my next one? 

Healthy Healthy Healthy!

I have made some big strides in the past month... yes in just the past month! The ENTIRE month of January I ate healthy meals, and snacks. I worked out 5 days a week every week the ENTIRE month! I was determined and committed and it paid off! Friday Feb 1st 2013 I posted this on Facebook:

"Ok so today is a BIG DEAL!!! I have FINALLY reached my pre-pregnancy weight! After 2 pregnancies 1 c-section and a miscarriage my body has finally reached it!! It has taken a ton of hard work and time and I am just excited to get UNDER my pre-pregnancy weight and be in better shape too!" 

I went from 151.6 lbs to 144 lbs in 1 month! That is 7.6 lbs! And I lost over 3 inches a little more in a few areas! I could not be more happy with my dedication and progress! I only have 4 lbs to go until I hit my goal and see how much further I want to go. 

I am now having fun trying new recipes and making better choices, it makes me realize just how bad America eats. We are given such high calorie low nutritional food EVERY where! It's so easy to access! But I am learning that it isn't always cheaper to eat healthy! I also am so grateful for pinterest because there are so many recipes out there that I find! I wanted to share 4 recipes I am trying out this week! I got 3 from http://skinnymom.com/category/food/ and the other on biggestloser.com, I am sure they are all good, but we shall see!!! 

Italian Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

·         1 medium spaghetti squash

·         1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

 1 pound fresh Italian chicken sausage

 1/2 cup bell pepper, diced (green and yellow)

 1/2 cup onion, diced

·         1/4 cup red cherry pepper, minced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 cup marinara sauce

·         1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cut the two ends off of the spaghetti squash, and cut in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and discard.  Place the squash halves cut side down in a large glass baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 – 7 minutes, until soft.  Remove from the microwave, and use a fork to scrape out the insides of the squash, forming spaghetti-like strands. Transfer the squash strands to a bowl, and return the squash halves to the glass baking dish.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Remove the casings from the sausage, and brown in the skillet, breaking up the sausage as it cooks.  Once the sausage is browned, add the peppers, onion, and garlic. Continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Add the reserved squash strands and the cup of marinara sauce.  Stir to combine with the sausage mixture, and cook for a few minutes until the mixture comes together and there is no excess moisture in the pan.

Fill each of the squash halves with the sausage mixture, and top with the grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and golden.  Serve immediately.

Skinny Turkey Rigatoni

Yield: 8 cups

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories per serving: 305

Fat per serving: 9g

Ingredients

·        4 cups (32 oz) tomato sauce

·         1 lb. ground turkey

·         4 cups cooked rigatoni, look for a whole wheat variety (about 2 1/2 cups uncooked pasta)

·         1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese, divided

·         Cooking spray

·         1/4 cup (1 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

·         Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.     Cook ground beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned; stir to crumble.

3.     Drain well.

4.     Combine beef, rigatoni, tomato sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

5.     Top with 1/2 cup mozzarella and grated Parmesan.

6.     Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

  Skinny Mexican Casserole

   Ingredients

     • 1 can (2 cups) fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

     • 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided

    • 1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts

    •  2 teaspoons olive oil

    • 1 cup chopped onion

    • 1 cup skim milk

    • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

    • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) light cream cheese

    • 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce

    • 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas OR 4 Lo-Carb Multi-grain Tortillas (healthier option)

    • Cooking spray

    • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese $

    • 1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)

   Instructions

    1.     Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer   15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once.

    2.     Remove chicken from cooking liquid, SAVING cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.

    3.     In the same skillet used to cook the chicken - with the leftover cooking liquid - heat oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; saute 3 minutes or until soft.

    4.     Add milk and cream cheese - stir until cream cheese is melted.

    5.     Add Monterey Jack (or whatever shredded cheese you are using), stir until cheese is melted.

    6.     Add enchilada sauce and mix well.

    7.     Add chicken (cue the, oh crap I should have used a bigger skillet sigh) Mix CAREFULLY. oy.

    8.     Layer two tortillas in a lightly greased baking dish

    9.     Top with half of your chicken mixture

    10.  Repeat - two tortillas then the other half of your chicken mixture. Top the last layer with cheddar cheese and chips. 

     11.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

   Notes

     Amount Per Serving: Calories: 311; Total Fat: 11g; Total Carbs: 16g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Protein: 38g; Sugar 2g WW Points Plus: 8

  Broiled Barbeque Pork Chops

       8 ounces pork chops, center-cut, 1-1/4 inches thick
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup barbecue sauce, bottled

       Place the pork chops in a broiler pan. Mix together the garlic powder, mustard, brown sugar and barbeque sauce, and brush the mixture on the chops. Put the broiler pan on the top oven rack, 4 to 5 inches from the heat source, and broil for 8 to 10 minutes per side.

      Makes 4 servings

       Per serving:
119 calories, 13 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat (<1 g saturated), 38 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 112 mg sodium

KROD Match

I had Edwin this month! He is super nice and just has fun doing KROD, we missed him the last 2 months but he is back. Check him out!

Wide Awake for KROD

Here is my Karaoke Ring of Death song :)

2013 is a NEW YEAR!

If you are reading this... WE DIDN'T DIE! The 2 or three times that ya know... the end of the world was suppose to happen in 2012. Just goes to show that no one knows when the world will end. SO let's talk about the things I want this year to hold and you can share with me what you want this year in the comments below :)

So one of the first things of this year I would like to see happen is a typical new year resolution, I want  to loose weight BUT this year is MUCH less than last year because I lost about 45 lbs last year! I only want to loose 15 lbs! Reachable! I want to loose this by mid march at the latest! I am doing body by vi shakes to help me loose those extra pounds. I am ok with where I am now but I don't want to settle for ok, I want to get my body in the best shape I can. Along with the body by vi shakes I am working out as I have been since I started getting back to my pre-baby body.

The second thing I want to do is get out of debt and increase savings. I don't want to owe anyone anything again. Debt is slavery and I do not want to  have it anymore... The only debt I want to have is when we buy a house some day... if we ever decide where to for sure live.

That leads me to my 3rd goal which is move out of my Mother in laws house and hopefully into a house and not another apartment. I want safe neighborhood with a house, it doesn't have to be big but at least have a yard so we can play with my daughter and make it our own for the next little bit of time we are there. I don't want to buy a house because we want to move out of state and we would like it to be easier to make that transition.

Also I would like to start a book club! I love reading now, and if I can't find time to physically read I listen to audible.com books. I listen to books all week at work and it is great! I want to start a book club this year, even if it is small.

Lastly I want to try out new churches and find a good fit for our family where we can be a little involved and trust them. I want to start singing at church again. I miss it.

So in review here are my goals:
1. Loose 15 lbs
2. Get out of Debt/grow savings
3. Move out into a place we can settle
4. Start a book club
5. Find a new home church

I feel my goals are all realistic and obtainable with a little work. I will need encouragement and a few pushes to keep some of these but I think I can do it!

WELCOME TO 2013
Now if I can just not be sick, I can get moving!

Karaoke Ring of Death Catchy songs!

It is that time of the month... No not that time... KARAOKE RING OF DEATH TIME! This month is a really great theme!!! Catchy songs! I am hosting Kanriah from  her blog One Red Wall and I would agree this song is catchy even if you hate it! I almost did it because it was defiantly one of my first thoughts when the theme was decided.

Enjoy watching Kanriah preform "Call Me Maybe" and then check me out on Heather's Blog Musings of a Girl where I sing with one of my best friends "Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together" ... trust me you need to see it! 

What not to say to someone who has Miscarried

Today I was asked to share for a MOPS group (mothers of preschoolers) on what not to say to women who have miscarried. I also added what to say and do to that list. While writing it I cried, but was really happy to write it. After the MOPS group I asked if it was helpful and her answer was "Very much thank you! Everyone was like awe that's great to know". That inspired me to post what I wrote to her and share with others:

What NOT to say to someone who miscarried:

1. How are you?

Sounds weird, I know, because this is the go to question. This question was really hard to digest because honestly I wasn't doing good and I didn't want to talk about it. It was obvious I wasn't doing good and didn't think it was something that needed to be asked.

2. It will get better

This also bothered me because I needed comfort at the time. I needed the freedom to grieve. Hinting  to look ahead made it almost so I couldn't just grieve for my loss. And obviously time usually heals but this doesn't really have a time frame you should just be better by. It's been almost 2 years and I still out of nowhere get extremely sad and just need to cry and remember that I won't ever forget because it's not something you wanted to happen BUT isn't something you want to forget because you will always love what you lost. 

3. I know/imagine how you feel (when the person has never miscarried), and I think I had one.

This actually happened to me. I was in the bathroom at church crying from the song "When everything falls apart" that was played by the worship team. I was trying to pull it together and go back out when a lady had heard about my miscarriage came in hugged me and said I think I had a miscarriage... Ugh really lady? You think? Well I KNOW! and when you KNOW it hurts something fierce so stop trying to make it what it wasn't! That is of course not what I said but thought. And other people said I can imagine how you feel... Well truth is, you CAN NOT unless you have. You can't know what it's like to lose a child and don't try it doesn't help either party.

THINGS TO SAY/DO

1. I am here for you

2. Let me know what you need

3. Bring food (even if that person isn't eating, it might help them eat, or give them something to eat because it is so draining on your whole body physically and emotionally and you don't feel like cooking and need rest)

4. Pray for, and let the other person know that you are thinking about them via card. 

5. Help them clean house and possibly babysit for a bit if they have another child so they can have time to cry without worry of another child and mom and dad can have time together to digest or just cry together.

The biggest thing you can do is keep an open line of communication and let them grieve. It was nice to have people around but only for small periods of time. The reason being is when you have company, you feel obligated to not cry, or be some sort of host and it can make a person really uncomfortable just to break down when that is exactly what they need to do sometimes. When you let yourself cry harder than you ever had because it hurts so bad it also makes you feel bad for the person there, because you know if it was you watching them cry your heart would break and you don't want to make them sad or cry either. UNLESS you are REALLY close friends then it can be nice to have someone else to cry with.