The First 43: My Life Now

My next fitness goal is to have really nice arms.  I'm still working on my core but, that's going to take awhile and I know I can sculpt my arms into something really nice.  I know most people worry about their bikini bodies for summer but I honestly think having toned arms will be much more important for me.  Let's face it, more people see me in t-shirts, tank tops and strapless tops in the summer than they do in a bathing suit. It's probably the same thing for many of you! As nice as it would be to have a nice, firm, core, I have decided to shift my focus a little bit, something equally as important to me. So with about 3 months until we start breaking out spring and summer clothes here in Toronto, this is my new challenge.  The image above is one of the arm work outs I've started to do, along with the rope pull, tricep dips, bicep curls, assisted chin ups (I cannot lift my own weight yet!) and push ups! It's my goal to get the remainder of my arm "jig

Jeff was craving chocolate chip cookies and said "Is there anyway to make them healthy?"  My immediate reaction was no but said I'd make them anyway.  The question stuck with me and I did find a way to make them a bit better. Basically, this recipe uses a lot less sugar and flour than other recipes. I also subbed 1% milk instead of whole milk and light margarine instead of butter.  I otherwise followed the directions on the recipe linked below. They are moist and delicious and I promise you, they do not taste even remotely healthy (they taste to me like the 150 calorie cookie!) Calories: 71 calories/cookie.  I know that still seems like a lot but after checking out a lot of regular recipes, they were closer to 100 - 150 calories/cookie so this is a significant reduction in calories. Recipe can be found at: http://pattysfood.com/cookies/light-skinny-chocolate-chip-cookies/

 Before they were cooked, making them from the dough In a light cream sauce..mmmmm... Iron chef challenge #2. Sweet Potatoes is the ingredient.  I wanted to find something a little bit different and something a little bit challenging.  I found a recipe for sweet potato gnocchi on Pinterest months ago but never got around to making it our of pure laziness.  Well, I took the time and I've got to say, they were really good.  I don't normally rave about my own cooking but since gnocchi is my favourite pasta, there was a pretty high bar set for this and I met my own expectations. If you have the time (it will take about an hour total) I highly recommend making these.  I'm thinking about making a big batch and freezing it next time so I have them ready whenever I feel like them.  I followed the recipe exactly. The only difference was that I used a light ricotta instead of regular which cut a few calories. I also found I couldn't just do four rows. I made 8 bec

I kept joking that the day I lost 45lbs I would take a photo of me at the gym holding a 45lb plate.  Something I never thought I'd actually achieve. Well, here I am. In my gym gear, holding a 45lb plate. Please excuse my beet red face from working out.  I really wonder how I spent everyday carrying around that much weight, picking up a plate is really quite heavy!  It is still really difficult to wrap my mind around but it's a reality. Enjoy the cheesy photo!

I'm doing an Iron Chef challenge with some girlfriends, which has us all cooking something every week with a particular ingredient in it.  This weeks ingredient was brie (which I love! You've all heard about my love affair with cheese.)  I am challenging myself to find a healthy recipe every week (or at least a recipe that can be made skinny) as an additional bonus/challenge for myself.  This will not only let me try different things but incorporate more healthy recipes into my diet. I found a recipe online for Broccoli Brie soup which I slightly adapted based on making a healthier soup and what I had in the fridge. It turned out great. Even Jeff who isn't a brie lover really liked the soup. You don't need the heavy cream or whole milk to make this soup delicious.  Ingredients: Two heads of broccoli 1 tablespoon light margarine 1/4 of a medium red onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, grated 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I

I'm back! Took a little hiatus as I was away on vacation this past week.  It was another exercise in watching what I eat while eating out every single day.  We were in London, England which in itself is full of rich and calorie filled foods.  We did however walk about 4-8 hours a day, depending, so it really helped give me the extra boost in calories that I needed. I do now have an huge love for Pret a Manger. Seriously, why have they not opened up in Canada yet?  Calorie information listed on every single food item they sell, and it allows you to make really healthy lunch choices! I haven't weighed myself but am debating doing so on Monday just to see if I put any pounds on while I was away. I want to know and don't want to know all at the same time.  The good news is I really did enjoy eating the extra food everyday and the walking really did allow for it. Going back to a less active and less intake diet is going to be a challenge but it has to be done! Here are a few