The First 43: My Life Now

Last weekend I had a craving for Carrot Cake. Usually I buy it because I was too intimidated to actually bake it but while flipping through the recipe book, sure enough the Carrot Cake was there. I decided, why not give it a try. Worst case is it turns out awful and I buy one at the store.  Turns out this might be one of the most delicious Carrot Cakes I've ever had the pleasure of eating.  The icing is absolutely to die for (and yes, it might be packed with sugar)  Now, you don't have to take my word for it's deliciousness as I did share it (because I couldn't eat an entire cake) and it came back with genuine rave reviews and sharing of the recipe.  This is the Carrot Cake that made me like it in the first place and I see why. My nana had a way with cakes, and an even bigger talent when it came to icing (though I think her secret was don't be shy with the sugar!)  It's nice to know now that I can carry this on and I'm not longer intimidated by making it, I ...

 The second recipe I decided to tackle was my Nana's Special K Cookies.   I baked these a week ago but as life with sick children has it, I didn't get a chance to share until today. If you know, you know, the viruses with these kids this fall are strong and endless. These cookies are some of my favourite, both in taste and nostalgia.  My nana often made these cookies with me when I was a kid and she lived in her apartment at Richview.  They were easy for me to help with and quickly became my favourite. Just baking these brought me right back to her kitchen. It's amazing how certain smells can transport you back to another place and time and unlock memories.  I think that my love of baking is in part because of her. It was one thing we often did together.  Sam saw me prepping to make the cookies and wanted to help. It was a little extra messy baking with him but maybe, decades from now, he will make and smell these cookies baking and it will transport h...

 This week while sorting through our cupboards for my biannual "things" purge I came across my Nana's cookbook. Back in my 20s, after she passed away, I was given her cookbooks. One of them was really fading so I decided to type it up. My dad took that and turned it into a little mini cookbook.  There are both dessert and dinner recipes.  I've decided, starting this weekend, I am going to cook my way through one recipe at a time over the course of the next 6 months. See what works. Make notes on any adjustments.  I am really looking forward to making what she made and using the same recipes she used.  So today I tried my hand at her Banana Bread Muffins because I had some ripe bananas that needed to be used.  Delicious. I took some creative liberty and added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and swapped the shortening for butter. They also need 20-25 minutes in the oven, not the 15 minutes in the recipe - the knife did not come out clean at the 15 minute mark. The...

First things first, how did the February challenge go?  Pretty well! I stuck to the daily fitness calendar which was great. I forgot how hard planks were. My whole body is trembling by the last 30 seconds of each plank we do.  With the food challenge, I would say that I am eating more vegetables overall but, I still struggle with getting vegetables into my breakfast each day.  I still take it as a win though, if I'm eating more veggies, that's a good thing, regardless of the time of day. I'm down a total of 13lbs since January 1! With all that said.... it's March which means March Fitness Challenge! It's my month in our fitness group to run a challenge and this month we are focusing on core exercise. Side Planks, Bicycle Crunches, Plank Jacks and Spidermans! You can check out the exercise calendar below. For our food challenge, we will be aiming to drink more water, half your body weight in oz to be exact!  I'm really excited about the challeng...

The January challenge came to an end yesterday.  It was a tough 31 days.  Though I would say the first half of the month was far more challenging than the back half.  So, how did it go?  Surprisingly well.  Did the cravings stop? Yes and no. My general sugar cravings did stop and I didn't randomly just grab a piece of chocolate when I was looking for a sweet snack. That said, I never stopped wanting a bowl of ice cream or frozen yogurt. It's my food love. I don't think I can ever live without it. I will just live with less of it than before moving forward. One change that will stick is that I'm fine drinking coffee now without the sugar.  A splash of milk does the trick.  No alcohol -  I haven't h ad any since December 31. No dessert -  Didn't cheat. I thought this would be the thing to break me but, I lasted. Tonight, a scoop of frozen yogurt is on the menu! Cut added sugar/no artificial sweetener -  It turns out a lot of what ...

I've made it to the  half way point in the January Fitness Challenge! So far so good, I've actually stuck to my goals and followed through on everything I said I would. Here is a little recap on my goals for this month:  - Reduce Added Sugar (No alcohol, no sweets/dessert, no sugar in my coffee/tea or anything else, no artificial sweetener)  - Gym minimum 2x a week  - January Fitness Challenge Calendar  - Calorie counting for 31 days So how have I been doing? On Jan 1 I weighed myself. Bad news, those 5lbs I had lost packed themselves back on during the holidays. I was one part discouraged and one part motivated.  I was starting back from the beginning but, I was going to really focus and kick my own butt this time around. I've really stuck to it and haven't cheated on my goals.  As of Sunday, I've lost 7lbs.......7lbs in 15 days! I really can't believe it, and hardly believe it's possible. I've never lost that fast. Maybe it...

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!  Last time I blogged, I talked about hoping to lose 15lbs by Christmas. Despite my best efforts, I only lost 5lbs.  Not awful, not great.  A much bigger challenge with a toddler! I will just keep forging ahead and hoping to drop the next 10 in the year year. With that in mind, my friend Krystale and I decided we wanted to do a January Fitness and Healthy Eating Challenge and we would love for you to join us. This isn't about a new years resolution or making this last every month, it's just to kick start a healthy lifestyle in one of the hardest months of the year to keep yourself on track.  We can do different challenges each month but, this is where we are starting. The challenge includes: - Calorie Counting (strictly!) for 31 days (MyFitnessPal, WeightWatchers, whichever method/app you use is fine. Whatever will make it easier for you to stick to it.) - No alcohol - No desserts/sweets - Squat and Push Up challenge (...

It's been awhile friends.  I wasn't sure if I'd pick up my blog again for my weight loss victory lap this time. I tried to pick this up (blog.. weight loss... all of it) a couple of times over the last few months but ending up falling off the wagon for one reason or another. But now I've decided why not blog, I enjoyed it the first time around and it's always good to get it out there.  Where do I even start? How did this happen? Can I blame pregnancy? Did I just get lazy? Did I stop caring about the number on the scale? Really what it comes down to for me was that getting pregnant, carrying the baby, delivering, breastfeeding, and weaning. It takes a toll on your body, it took a major toll on mine. 16 months postpartum and I'm still not at 100%.  This is something I significantly underestimated before getting pregnant. I'm sure many women do, and I know that I'm not alone with where I am in this. Full disclosure, by the time I got pregnant I w...

The last time I blogged was June 8, 2015.  Funny thing? I gave birth this year on June 8, 2016. I realized this a few weeks ago and wow, how much changes in a year! What I didn't blog about at that time was that emotionally I wasn't in a great place. I wasn't thrilled about turning 30, I really wanted to be pregnant, and I wasn't about to admit that I knew I was starting to eat my feelings again (old habits die hard!)  Exercise was at the bottom of my list of things I wanted to do, so it became less and less.  I stopped blogging because that summer was really hard on me. I wasn't myself. I let exercise go, I stopped looking so closely at the calories I was consuming. I put on a few pounds. Nothing dramatic but 5lbs in a few months, after losing so much, was a big deal in my mind which just made me feel worse. Rinse and repeat. One of my primary goals when I lost weight years ago was to try and limit complications due to my weight/size when I became pregnant. To...

Another year of my life has passed, this time, I started a brand spanking new decade. I hit the big 3-0.  I have to be totally honest, the number was freaking me out for months before it arrived. I could barely mentally and emotionally handle the idea of turning 30. What exactly happened to my 20s and what in the world did I do with them?  It's been just over a week now since my birthday and I had the time to think about things, why I was freaked out, what is to come in this next decade and just to take a moment to reflect. I'm still not feeling great about the number but I am feeling great about the things I did achieve, the friendships that I've maintained and made in my 20s. The family that's grown around me over the last decade, and how much more I appreciate them now than I did 10 years ago. Everyone kept asking me if I enjoyed my birthday and honestly, I had a really fabulous time celebrating my 30th. Then it hit me. Only a couple years a...

It's been awhile since I've blogged.  There hasn't been much to update on. I lost some of the motivation that I've had over the last couple of years over the last couple of months.  Even I have to admit, I'm surprised that my motivation to keep at it lasted as long as it did.  The problem with weight loss is that you really can't get lazy, ever, but I need(ed) to find a balance between the two extremes.  I got lucky that I didn't put weight back on but, that's something short of a miracle.  I'm going to start up using my blog again, sharing workouts, recipes, and general thoughts on life post weight loss. Now, my confession. I was trying to live my life without MyFitnessPal and just try to keep at it without all the tech motivating me to keep at it.  What I've learned about myself over the last few months is that I do need it to keep me motivated.  Being accountable to myself isn't enough, I thought it would be.  I need to keep myself in c...

Caesar Chicken Fingers. So good. Highly recommend it! This is another Epicure recipe but can be easily adapted! Ingredients: 2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese 2 Cups Italian breadcrumbs 500g package of fresh chicken strips or chicken breasts cut into strips 1/4 Cup prepared Epicure Caesar Dressing or 1/4 Cup store bought light Caesar Dressing.  Directions: Preheat the oven to 375*F. While the oven is heating, mix 1/2 the Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese in a bowl.  Coat the chicken in this mixture. Once coated, dip in the breadcrumbs.  Place the strips on a baking sheet or in a Pyrex dish. Cook for 20 minutes.  Set aside the extra dressing for dipping. **I served it with a side of cherry tomato and feta salad! I used the Epicure Bruchetta mix, balsamic vinegrette, cherry tomatoes (about 20, halved) and light feta. Calories: 116 calories per finger (this includes the dipping additional dipping sauce) Original recipe can be found ...

BBQ Chicken Chili A friend of mine recommended this recipe so, I decided to give it a shot. I adjusted it ever so slightly from the original skinnytaste recipe only because I can only handle so much spice and well, I was warned it was spicy. I was really impressed with this. I always make chili with extra lean ground beef so, using lean ground chicken was new to me but, worked just as well and was just as tasty. I did change it substantially enough that I am going to write out what I used. For example, I didn't buy chicken breasts and shred them, I used ground chicken. I used more beans, I roasted my own peppers, etc. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 cup white onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, pressed 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 500g lean ground chicken, cooked 2 red peppers, roasted and chopped (not from the jar, it avoids the extra oil.) 1 can of c...

The summer months didn't prove to be great for exercise for me. I got a couple runs in and maybe a handful of trips to the gym. Most of my exercise came from walking and making sure that I walked more than normal. I was starting to feel a little "soft" and I didn't want to go back to where I was. I had those pesky two pounds to lose. They just keep coming on and off. I've decided it's just got to be a day to day variance and I can't stress over it. The one thing I have learned about maintaining my weight is how deep my fear is of gaining it all back or slipping back into old habits. I'm 18 months past my 56lb loss and I've stuck to it but that fear always lives within you. It's not like I think about it everyday, not at all. Every once in awhile though, it creeps on it.  For example,  when I ordered pants online this week and hoped that I still fit into the same size I did last time I bought skinny jeans. This is what got me thinking about al...

After what we can call a... relaxed summer... I am back at trying new recipes, focusing on my calories, cutting back on my favourite beverage (wine!) and getting myself back into regular scheduled life programming. So, with that, trying some new recipes to mix things up in our day to day. Since the weather has been unseasonably cool the last couple weeks, this was my first try at Irish Potato Soup!  Ingredients: - 4 large white potatoes, quartered - One medium sized white onion - Enough water to just cover the potatoes and onion - 1 cup of (Epicure) Chicken Bouillon (you can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth) - 3 TBPS (Epicure) 3 Onion Mix (you can sub in Lipton Dry Onion Soup, not prepared) - Black pepper and salt to taste. Directions: Quarter potatoes, chop onion.  Place in pot with just enough water to cover the ingredients.  Let boil until potatoes are soft.  Once cooked through, place the contents of the pot (including water) into a food pro...

Summer Fruit Salad! This is seriously one of my favourite foods of summer and probably the one thing I always forget to make. So, I made one while we were at the cottage a few weeks back. So good. Reminded me of my childhood. My nana and my mom used to make fruit salad all the time when we were at the cottage when I was growing up. Healthy, refreshing and delicious. In my fruit salad I put: 1 Peach, chopped 2 Bananas, chopped 1 Apple, chopped 15 cherries, pitted and halved. 1.5 cups of Orange Juice (with pulp) Calorie Count : 89 calories per cup (Makes about 6- 8 cups of fruit salad depending on the size of your fruit. Mine made just about 8 cups) 

I thought it was time for  a mid summer update! I've noticed that over the last year, I've had a pesky two pounds that come on and come off. I never let it get to me but more recently, they seem to just be sticking.  I take responsibility. About a year ago, I stopped using My Fitness Pal religiously. I would check in on the calorie count of food when we were out for dinner at restaurants or things like that. So, I'm back on MFP. Faithfully. Two weeks going strong. It doesn't seem like a lot but, after being off of it for so long, it's really a challenge mentally to get back at it. I forgot just how hard it was being so committed to it. I can't believe that I did MFP for over 365 days straight.  It seems like an impossible task now that I'm back on it but, logically, I know it can be done and I can stick to it. Food aside, the main reason I am back on MFP is to force myself to get more exercise. My eating habits changed dramatically during the year I dropp...

Delicious Strawberry Banana Fudgsicles! I tried my hand at popsicles and fudgsicles last summer and it did not go well. I decided to give it another shot this year and I'm glad I did, much more successful! I did adjust the recipe a fair amount for the vegan one this is based on (original recipe linked below) You will need a blender or a food processor and a popsicle mold. (I got mine at IKEA, really inexpensive, I think they even sell them at the dollar store now. You can also get more expensive ones at Walmart, Target and Home Outfitters.) Ingredients:  1 regular sized banana 1 cup 1% milk 3 TBSP Cocoa Powder 1/2 cup sliced strawberries Directions: Get your blender or food processor. Put in a banana, milk and cocoa powder and blend until smooth/liquid.  Fill 6 popsicle molds half way.  Add equal amounts of strawberries to each one. Fill the molds to the top with remaining liquid. Put in the freezer to freeze overnight. That's it, you've got a...

Another year, another Color Me Rad run! We had so much fun this year and the big difference from last year - it wasn't raining! The sun was shining, there was a nice breeze, and we got nice and covered in powder during our 5k and afterward doing the "colour bomb." Nice to get out and have fun with friends while getting some exercise at the same time. If you haven't done the colour run, it is as fun as it looks! Here are some photos of team Rainbow Brights! RAD FACES Before the run  After the run! After the colour bomb!  Some fun photos!