And can I tell you how tired and sore I feel right now?!  Mostly my back and shoulders, which is kinda strange since they would just have been along for the ride and not really doing any “work”.

But despite this, I’m very happy to be “back at it”.  I’ve felt a surge of determination (from where I don’t know, since I have not been able to find it for months!), and I’m so relieved and thankful.  Today is day 11 of getting “back on track” with my eating, and it feels great.  I’m enjoying making some new healthy recipes (love the online resources!), and hunting for healthy foods even my kids will eat.

Last night was this healthy butter chicken over brown rice, with an easy (but yummy) bok choy side (kids didn’t touch the latter!).  And since we had company, we had these chocolate chocolate chip muffins (with a PB centre).  And right now I’m making this basic-but-delicious butternut squash soup for lunches.

I also should report that I got to my Saturday morning Weight Watchers meeting and reported a nice loss.  It felt soooo good! And I’m committed to making sure this week’s weigh-in will be the same.

Thanks all for checking in on me!  As much as I would have preferred for this not to be a struggle, I’m glad I have friends who are on board and working at the same health goals as I am.

Off to serve up dinner (taco salad – though more like nachos for my kids!).

I know it’s just been a day since my last post, but I HAD TO share the awesome recipe I discovered last night.  Honestly, it was the best recipe discovery I’ve had in ages.  I only served it to Andy and I, as I wasn’t sure how it’d go over with my super picky kids.  But I did give each child one bite and actually got a green light from all three.  Not that doesn’t necessarily mean they would eat a whole bowl as a main course, but we will give it a go the next time I make it.  And that will be SOON!  It was THAT GOOD!

Here is the original recipe, though I did make a few healthifying (not a word, I know) changes.

Spinach Artichoke Mushroom Casserole

AKA Spinach Artichoke Mushroom Crustless Quiche

• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• salt, to taste
• pepper
• 1 lb sliced mushrooms
• 15 – 20 ounces fresh (or frozen) spinach
• 1 large jar of artichokes, drained and quartered
• 1 lb fat free ricotta
• 1/2 c. cheese (I used colby jack cheese)
• 1/2 cup crumbled fat free feta
• 4 eggs
• eggwhite equivalent of 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease 13x 9 x 2 pan.
3. In skillet heat oil, onions, garlic and saute.
4. Add mushrooms, cook til soft. Add spinach and artichokes. Cook until spinach is wilted.
5. Mix eggs and cheeses with nutmeg in small bowl and then add to mix.
6. Place in casserole dish and sprinkle w/parm cheese.
7. Bake 45-50 minutes.

(I thought it made about 8 servings, and each was 7 WW Points.)

Oh my! It was AMAZING!  Let me know if you try it and what you think!

It is pretty simple, but here goes:

1) Back at Weight Watchers.  Attending weekly.

I’m a “Lifetime Member” (made it to this goal back in July 2009) but am over my goal weight by more than 2 lbs so will have to pay.  The idea of paying again to attend killed me at first, but I’ve figured out that I need the help (and even the financial penalty!) to get back where I need to be.  Weighing in weekly really does make me think twice before deciding to “give up” on my health plans and just eat. (Which is what was happening daily for the past several months. )

2) Track my food and activity.

I know I’ve said before how much tracking works for me.  Which is why I’ve been keeping a separate food and exercise blog since early 2009.  (Not that I’ve been faithful with this lately, but I do know that it is a help for me to write/type it all out there.)

This go-round, I’ve got a free trial of the Weight Watchers ETools. I’ve just started using it in the past few days, but it I’m liking it so far.  That is where I’ll be tracking my food/Points.

Also, as belated Christmas gift, I purchased a Fitbit Tracker, a device that measures fitness data (such as the number of steps walked, daily activity level, quality of sleep, etc).  I’ve just been using it for a week or two, but really am loving it.  Seeing all my stats charted out actually has made me want to be more active, all throughout the day. Especially the daily activity level worked out in a pie chart  – makes me want to get off my butt and keep the “sedentary” section from growing any bigger!

3) Exercise!

I’ve really not got into the good exercise groove I was in early last year.  During that time, I was able to figure out a plan to fit it into a specific space in my schedule.  It actually became a regular part of my life I enjoyed and even craved.  Lately, this has not been the case.  I have exercised some, but not with the same regularity or intensity.  As a result, my fitness level has gone down, and being discouraged with this has NOT made me want to exercise more, unfortunately.  Running, specifically, has been frustrating, and so I have found excuses to skip it.

At this point, I have not figured out exactly what the answer will be. Running – maybe.  I want to get back at it and love it again.  But if this doesn’t happen, I’m not going to beat myself up over it.  I just need to find something I love that I can do regularly.

Our new schedule (with Andy’s transitional job) is still being ironed out, but we’re working to  figure out a plan that works.  I am committed to adding activity wherever I can though, and I do think this will be easier with spring just around the corner.  Already, we are walking to school more and have gone on a family hike at a local park.

I plan to keep to updated!  So check back here and bug me!

But I’ve decided that since I started this blog (way back at the beginning of my journey back in early 2009) just for me, I figured I’d keep it going now just for me.

<Me – just back from my first run/walk in weeks!>

But yes, I am still here.  Still trying to work all this “stuff” out.  Seriously more complicated than I thought.  Not so much the lose weight “equation” (exercise more + eat less = weight loss), but the mental and emotional part of it.  I think I thought I kinda had it worked it out.  Beat those old demons and was moving on.

Not so much, evidently.

Disappointing? Yes. Very much so. It is hard not to be frustrated with myself for where I am.

But I’m determined not to let this keep me down.  Or define me.  With God’s help, I’m working it out.  He’s working on me, and I’m thankful beyond words.

I’m planning to try to document the journey here, as I journey to becoming what God wants me to be, both inside and out.

I’ll admit to giving up on it for awhile, but I’m committed.  For life.

So, in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, I’ll be back.

Just getting back into “normal life”, with kids in school, fall activities and just general life busyness.

Add to that being thankful for our overall good health (after our recent struggles with the flu) and you’ve got one happy mommy!  Yup, I’m feeling optimistic.  (Hope this lasts.)

So I mentioned I planned to make this for dinner a few days ago.  Ended up switching to a modified version of this instead, as I was wanting something more raw and summery.  (It has been REALLY HOT HERE!)  Ingredients were almost the same really, but I just went with the “salad” version, but stuck with the lime dressing (as opposed to the lemon from my original).

Added some cold shrimp and (fake) lobster (sister’s brilliant idea), and it was a delicious meal that hit the spot!  Hubby gave it two thumbs up too.  (Yes, this is one of those night the kids eat an alternate meal.)

And the left-overs are for lunch and I’m already excited!

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

• red quinoa
• black beans
• corn
• orange peppers
• finely diced purple onion
• tomatoes
• cuke
• avocado
• shrimp pieces

Dressing

• splash of EVOO
• ground sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• lime juice (straight from the bottle) (to taste)
• splash of hot sauce (to taste)

Hope you are having a healthy, optimistic day!

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Ps. 118:24

Not that I really needed a recipe for this simple dish, but I decided to google “clean eating French toast” anyways to get the proportions right.  Came across this site as my first result, and am so glad I did as there are lots of other yummy and “clean” dishes I’m excited to try.  (Had to add thegraciouspantry.com to my blog list so could come back to it.)  And doesn’t her French toast look yummy?

I decided to add a blueberry sauce (just blueberries, a few drops of liquid Stevia and a tiny bit of water) and whipped skim (with my super-Bamix) to make my meal perfect and complete.  Oh yum!  What a great first meal!

Yummm-ooooo!

T’was so good, I had it again for breakfast!

And for dinner tonight?  Another recipe I found while bed-bound called Southwestern Quinoa.  I’ll let you know what we think.

Yes, without giving TMI (too much info), the Frew fam (minus daddy) have been suffering with the flu since the early morning hours of Saturday.  Though I initially believed it was a 24 hour bug, I’ve since changed my mind.  Over 48 hours later and we’re still pajama-clad, just laying around under the fan and watching TV.

I’m actually feeling almost human now and ready to start eating again.  Looked up what might be easy to digest for my poor old tummy and found the BRAT diet – Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast.  Just had some plain whole wheat toast and some warmed-up strawberry applesauce and (dare I say it?) so far, so good. And I’m sipping my warm, weak tea as I type.

Photo from here. (Doesn’t it look good? Making this once I’m better!)

Anyhow, sorry for my absence on the blog.  Busy + not doing so great in the eating-in-moderation department = lack of blog posts here. 

But to look on the bright side of being sick: being ill and confined to my bed (when I wasn’t tending to sick children) means I’ve gotten caught up on all my healthy living blogs.  And I think I’ve managed to glean some motivation to get back into a healthier groove.  In addition, the last thing I ate before getting sick was NOT a healthy, clean-eating food.  I know that this food didn’t cause the sickness, but nonetheless it has made me want to swear off anything that isn’t super healthy!

How’s that for seeing the good parts of a tummy bug!?!

I’ll keep you updated!

Yesterday, I was heading to a (healthy) potluck (more on this later) where I was to bring a meat dish.  I wanted to do some sort of BBQ’d skewer and chicken was the meat I had on hand.  So I typed in four words in a google search: chicken, marinate, healthy, skewer and this was my first result.

Immediately I knew this was the recipe for me.  Almond butter and cilantro?  Two HUGE favorites!  Plus I had almost every ingredient without going out to get anything at the store.  Perfect.

So I made this marinade/dipping sauce. And the verdict?  Yum!  Twas a hit with the potluckers AND with my family when I served it again tonight (left-over sauce so I made some more, this time baked instead of BBQd).

Dinner tonight – Baked satay chicken with grilled zucchini rubbed in olive oil, salt and pepper

So back to the potluck.  Last night we had a get-together for our Biggest Loser at Home (the weight loss competition my sister and I organized).  Our 15 weeks ended in May, but we planned this (healthy) potluck ages ago so we could meet in person.  Only a few gals could make it, but we had a lovely night together.  Some of these gals had never met, but we had loads of fun getting to know each other and got along great.  Lots of laughs, plus many good healthy tips shared.

I was a slight bit nervous, being as I’m not exactly as my lowest weight or feeling as fit as I’d like.  But I’m so glad we planned this get-together.  It was so motivating to see these “losers” in person!

They look FANTASTIC!  See for yourself!

Katrina (middle) placed third, Tamara (2nd from the right) was fourth, and Dawn (left) was in second place by just a hair!

LOSERS!!

Can you tell we had fun??

Sis and I

(Photos courtesy of Dawn. Hence why she is in so few of them.)

I really was inspired by these amazing women and their fantastic losses.  As a result, I had a great day today, getting in a good work-out (on the way to and from my Weight Watchers meeting – 10K total, 8K running) and eating well (clean) and in moderation.  The darned scale didn’t show the work I’ve put in this week, but I really am feeling better and happy to be on course and treating my body well.

Basically, it means that when I’m into something, I’m really into it.  All or nothing. That’s me.

The good way to look at it?  I’m focused.

The bad way?  I’m preoccupied with one thing. To the point that I can’t/don’t put energy into other things.

We’ve been doing some renos around the house these past few weeks.  Tiling a backsplash, painting and updating two bathrooms, plus other littler projects.  And the hubby and I have been staying up laaaaaaaaate to get stuff done without the distraction of 3 small “helpers”.

So ya, you can just guess what my eating and exercising has been like during this time.    I’m not wishing summer away at all, but I am beginning to look forward to fall and the normal schedule it will bring with it.  Not that I can’t get back to good healthy eats and heart-pumping exercise now, but I know it will be easier then to get into a healthy routine.

That being said, the projects are winding down.  I was in bed at a slightly more decent time last night and even got up this morning to run (only 2.75, as my body wasn’t feeling it) and walk for 35 minutes before Andy headed out.  (He’s checking out other churches as part of his sabbatical.)  Wasn’t much, but it was a start.

On the eating side of things, I’ve got all the “supplies” to eat healthy (stocked up on fruits, veggies, etc).  And I just need to DO IT!  And NOT give in to desires when I hit a slump and feel like eating. Plus get motivated to actually plan good meals and cook them.  (It has been awhile since I was “into” cooking, with holidaying and all.  And these last few weeks have been especially pathetic.  I feel like I forgotten how to cook even!)

My belly is now full of my pumpkin custard oat bran and the rest of the day I’ve got plans to give myself a veggie detox.  Saying it here so that I’ve got the accountability of my (huge!) readership!

Thanks for listening/reading!