Re-reading my previous blog post somewhat inspired me to re-evaluate some of my recent food choices. A friend of mine recently blogged about how the 6 weeks of *holidays* seem to leave most Americans with a little extra *baggage*; probably via cookies, cakes, and other rich foods. She pointed out that Halloween is only *One day*, as is Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, but in my opinion, it seems like we use this time of year as an excellent excuse to wage war on our best intentions of eating clean and being healthy.
Her blog made me realize, that in light of my recent *meh-ness* on making good food choices, that I really need to sit down and think through how I want my holidays to go. I love to bake, and I'm good at it, so how much of these baked goods am I going to partake in? I also love to cook, and I'm good at that too, so am I going to wolf it all down with reckless abandon, and undo all the great things I've worked so hard for over the past year and a half?
Hell to the NO! So, in my always-anal typical fashion, I plan on sitting down this weekend, amidst the quadruple layer chocolate cake, and the caramel, chocolate and coconut torte baking, and come up with a plan for tackling the holidays, and the great food and treats, with restraint and compromise.
The good news is that I have begun ramping up my workouts, incorporating more variety, instead of just repetitive cardio every day with a few days of weights sprinkled in there for good measure. The problem is that sometimes I cannot burn enough calories to combat the face-stuffage that goes on daily. So, I realize that I need to do some strategic planning to avoid a gain throughout the holiday season.
Thanks Jo's for the inspiration and reminder!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
My journey to health
So, most of you that know me may not know the transformation I started in the Spring of 2009. It's probably more like an evolution, because I am still changing. It started with a spark...I got sick and I quit smoking. Yes, I used medicine as a crutch, but I am proud to say it's been a year and a half since I smoked a cigarette, and it's different this time. I am a non-smoker for the rest of my life.
Because of all my stomach issues/heart condition, the quitting smoking was a kind of catalyst for other healthy changes in my life. I decided to re-join Weight Watchers to lose that weight that snuck up on me after quitting the cigs, and I made a commitment to myself, after losing 15 pounds, to change my dietary outlook and to make exercise a daily priority in my life. After losing the weight and maintaining for a while, I decided that WeWa was a crutch for me as well, and I started journaling my food and focusing on the overall healthy picture, not just the amount of *points* something was. With journaling, I am able to track my caloric intake, my calories burned, cholesterol, fat, carbs and sodium. This forces me to look at the overall picture of my daily diet.
Besides the fact that I am stalled out with the weight loss (I'd like to lose another 5 pounds), I am feeling so much healthier and I have not had a single flair up with my stomach issues in over a year. I attribute this to all of the changes I made over the past year and a half. I can't tell you how good I feel. So proud of myself, and of course fitting into size 2-4 clothes isn't a bad ego-boost either. Larry, of course, is my biggest supporter and champion to the cause of getting healthy. He kicks me in the ass when I want to dodge the gym-but he always does it so positively, encouraging me and telling me how wonderful I look and how good I'll feel to just get it over with.
So here I sit, with 50 minutes left of work and all I can think about is the pizza and beer waiting for me at Rookies Bar. I guess it's a good thing I really busted ass yesterday at the gym, because I had to earn that tasty treat!
Because of all my stomach issues/heart condition, the quitting smoking was a kind of catalyst for other healthy changes in my life. I decided to re-join Weight Watchers to lose that weight that snuck up on me after quitting the cigs, and I made a commitment to myself, after losing 15 pounds, to change my dietary outlook and to make exercise a daily priority in my life. After losing the weight and maintaining for a while, I decided that WeWa was a crutch for me as well, and I started journaling my food and focusing on the overall healthy picture, not just the amount of *points* something was. With journaling, I am able to track my caloric intake, my calories burned, cholesterol, fat, carbs and sodium. This forces me to look at the overall picture of my daily diet.
Besides the fact that I am stalled out with the weight loss (I'd like to lose another 5 pounds), I am feeling so much healthier and I have not had a single flair up with my stomach issues in over a year. I attribute this to all of the changes I made over the past year and a half. I can't tell you how good I feel. So proud of myself, and of course fitting into size 2-4 clothes isn't a bad ego-boost either. Larry, of course, is my biggest supporter and champion to the cause of getting healthy. He kicks me in the ass when I want to dodge the gym-but he always does it so positively, encouraging me and telling me how wonderful I look and how good I'll feel to just get it over with.
So here I sit, with 50 minutes left of work and all I can think about is the pizza and beer waiting for me at Rookies Bar. I guess it's a good thing I really busted ass yesterday at the gym, because I had to earn that tasty treat!
The Money Pit....ME!
Sadly, it's that time of year where Larry and I haul our boat out of the water, take it home, and clean all the swampy good-time memories off of it, and store it for the winter. I truly wish my parents had mentioned all of the *hidden* costs of a boat, but then I kind of inherited the boat with my husband.
So let's evaluate those sneaky little extras that no one ever thinks about as they are slathering on the sunscreen and popping the top of their favorite brew while the wind blows through their hair as they are perched on the bow of the boat. Okay, maybe it's not quite so movie-of-the-week-esque, but you get the general idea right? And I realized recently it's not just the boat that's a money pit- LIFE is!
So recently I have learned to budget for this endless money spending because it's well worth the 4 months of enjoyment on the boat. Not only has that stuck, it started seeping into the rest of our financial life and I found this great tool on Spark People to budget our money, and track our spending as well. This way I have PROOF that my husband is overspending on his fishing trips! Heh, just kidding; kind of...
All joking aside, this Spark tracking is really awesome, and has allowed me to see where we might be overspending (groceries) and where I may need to budget for things that I didn't really ever think about (winterization for the boat). So far, this diligent (read: anal) tracking has helped me cut down on food-hoarding and other needless expenses. If nothing else, it makes us think twice before forking over the dough. It's nice knowing we have X amount of money left for the week.
Every once in a while, our diligence just needs to be tossed out the window with reckless abandon and we have to enjoy ourselves. That's why for Sweetest Day, we are going out for a Sushi lunch and then Larry is taking me shopping at the mall for some fall clothes. Hey, I said I was *working* on it, not that I had mastered it!
So let's evaluate those sneaky little extras that no one ever thinks about as they are slathering on the sunscreen and popping the top of their favorite brew while the wind blows through their hair as they are perched on the bow of the boat. Okay, maybe it's not quite so movie-of-the-week-esque, but you get the general idea right? And I realized recently it's not just the boat that's a money pit- LIFE is!
So recently I have learned to budget for this endless money spending because it's well worth the 4 months of enjoyment on the boat. Not only has that stuck, it started seeping into the rest of our financial life and I found this great tool on Spark People to budget our money, and track our spending as well. This way I have PROOF that my husband is overspending on his fishing trips! Heh, just kidding; kind of...
All joking aside, this Spark tracking is really awesome, and has allowed me to see where we might be overspending (groceries) and where I may need to budget for things that I didn't really ever think about (winterization for the boat). So far, this diligent (read: anal) tracking has helped me cut down on food-hoarding and other needless expenses. If nothing else, it makes us think twice before forking over the dough. It's nice knowing we have X amount of money left for the week.
Every once in a while, our diligence just needs to be tossed out the window with reckless abandon and we have to enjoy ourselves. That's why for Sweetest Day, we are going out for a Sushi lunch and then Larry is taking me shopping at the mall for some fall clothes. Hey, I said I was *working* on it, not that I had mastered it!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Let them eat Cake!
German chocolate pumpkin spiced cake to be exact. Anyone who knows me well won't be surprised that my boss elected me to be *Baker Smurf* for Halloween. Why not Smurfette, I want to ask, but I guess those days have passed me by, and I digress. Since I've graduated from just making cakes that taste good, to cakes that taste good and look good (okay, still working on this one a bit), I needed to find a new challenge to keep my bakers fingers from getting lazy.
I decided to play around with different flavors and came across a season-appropriate recipe for German chocolate pumpkin spice cake. The frosting was cream cheese with a kick of cinnamon and cocoa powder. When my mom declared there was nothing to be changed, I knew I had hit pay dirt.
So what do I do next, to challenge my developing baking skills? Does frying potatoes in my newly acquired fry daddy count as baking? Well, I guess not, but somebody's gotta do it
I decided to play around with different flavors and came across a season-appropriate recipe for German chocolate pumpkin spice cake. The frosting was cream cheese with a kick of cinnamon and cocoa powder. When my mom declared there was nothing to be changed, I knew I had hit pay dirt.
So what do I do next, to challenge my developing baking skills? Does frying potatoes in my newly acquired fry daddy count as baking? Well, I guess not, but somebody's gotta do it
Friday, September 17, 2010
Fishing Trip= PRICELESS!
So my husband is going fishing soon. Inevitably, he will tell me about this months in advance, when he needs money for the deposit, and then of course he needs spending money too. Since I pay the bills and manage the money, I usually budget for these expenditures ahead of time, based on what he tells me he will need.
He is going with a group of 7 guys, some family, mostly friends from work. I don't care who you are, there is nothing attractive about spending 4 days in the wilderness with a half dozen stinky guys. Yet, he looks forward to this every year, twice a year. This year he tells me he needs $100 deposit for the cabin, which has 3 beds. I do a double-take when he tells me this and I mentally do the math, but hey, I'm not going so I just snicker under my breath and give him the check; scratch that I write out the check, address the envelope and mail it to the place, lest it sit on the kitchen counter top for-EVAH!
As I am doing our budgeting for the month, I ask him how much he'll need for the trip and he tells me $300 should be plenty. So, I set aside the money in our savings account and I am feeling all prepared and stuff. Last week, he tells me he will need a new reel. Being that I don't have a clue what that is, I think it's the spindle-y thing on the rod, I inquire how much he will need so that I make sure to have that amount in our account for him. He tells me $30 should cover it and then spends $70. Needless to say, I had to walk to work that week because that was my gas money.
After having the most toned legs from all that walking, I finally stopped being mad for him overspending because he reasonably explained he forgot that he needed more line too- apparently this is sold separately from the reel. This week he tells me he will need to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things for the trip. I want to ask him what the $300 is for that I have stashed in our savings account, but instead I ask, again, how much he will need. He says $30 should cover a small bottle of vodka, a 12 pack of beer and some club soda.
So in conclusion, let's review the *actual* cost of this bi-annual fishing trip.
$100 for deposit of facility
$300 for spending money
$70 for various necessary tackle
$30 for booze
Total cost:$500
I'm think about correcting Larry and his boasting when he says his trip is so cheap and only costs a few hundred dollars, but then I think of the 4 straight days of sleeping peacefully without getting elbowed and no snoring and I think, maybe $500 is worth it after all.
He is going with a group of 7 guys, some family, mostly friends from work. I don't care who you are, there is nothing attractive about spending 4 days in the wilderness with a half dozen stinky guys. Yet, he looks forward to this every year, twice a year. This year he tells me he needs $100 deposit for the cabin, which has 3 beds. I do a double-take when he tells me this and I mentally do the math, but hey, I'm not going so I just snicker under my breath and give him the check; scratch that I write out the check, address the envelope and mail it to the place, lest it sit on the kitchen counter top for-EVAH!
As I am doing our budgeting for the month, I ask him how much he'll need for the trip and he tells me $300 should be plenty. So, I set aside the money in our savings account and I am feeling all prepared and stuff. Last week, he tells me he will need a new reel. Being that I don't have a clue what that is, I think it's the spindle-y thing on the rod, I inquire how much he will need so that I make sure to have that amount in our account for him. He tells me $30 should cover it and then spends $70. Needless to say, I had to walk to work that week because that was my gas money.
After having the most toned legs from all that walking, I finally stopped being mad for him overspending because he reasonably explained he forgot that he needed more line too- apparently this is sold separately from the reel. This week he tells me he will need to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things for the trip. I want to ask him what the $300 is for that I have stashed in our savings account, but instead I ask, again, how much he will need. He says $30 should cover a small bottle of vodka, a 12 pack of beer and some club soda.
So in conclusion, let's review the *actual* cost of this bi-annual fishing trip.
$100 for deposit of facility
$300 for spending money
$70 for various necessary tackle
$30 for booze
Total cost:$500
I'm think about correcting Larry and his boasting when he says his trip is so cheap and only costs a few hundred dollars, but then I think of the 4 straight days of sleeping peacefully without getting elbowed and no snoring and I think, maybe $500 is worth it after all.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
You say Tom-A-to, I say Toe-mat-O
So, my good friend and neighbor, Laurie brought me a 10 pound box of bruised tomatoes this weekend. Initially I was really excited, except then I realized they didn't come all peeled, cored and seeded like hers did-ahem... after she peeled, cored and seeded them.
Immediately my mind started racing with the possibilities, but I reigned in all the randomness and decided on 4 recipes. Tomato soup, tomato sauce, garden vegetable soup, and Tinga-a Hispanic shredded chicken made with chipotle peppers. I was able to accomplish the first 3 items this weekend. Tinga is on the docket for this week. On top of the load of tomatoes I processed, I also made 2 peanut butter cheesecakes, with brownie crusts. phew, that's a lot of kitchen time. Thankfully the weather went all Antarctica on us and cooled down.
All this baking and cooking got me excited for Fall; the change in weather, more indoor cooking, warm sweaters, drinking by the fire pit, and of course; more cooking and baking! I have started a list, based on my husband's requests, of things I want to make as the weather forces me indoors. It seemed that as college football got started this weekend, so did my cooking extravaganza-to my husband's dismay, the first thing I made was not an apple pie with a flaky crust. I mean I just perfected the *French* version of the apple pie, now I need to make a flaky crust? hmmmm, I think I will need more kitchen hardware a la Amazon.com.
Did I tell you about the Fry Daddy and Truffle Oil I just purchased? no? I guess that's a story for another time.
Immediately my mind started racing with the possibilities, but I reigned in all the randomness and decided on 4 recipes. Tomato soup, tomato sauce, garden vegetable soup, and Tinga-a Hispanic shredded chicken made with chipotle peppers. I was able to accomplish the first 3 items this weekend. Tinga is on the docket for this week. On top of the load of tomatoes I processed, I also made 2 peanut butter cheesecakes, with brownie crusts. phew, that's a lot of kitchen time. Thankfully the weather went all Antarctica on us and cooled down.
All this baking and cooking got me excited for Fall; the change in weather, more indoor cooking, warm sweaters, drinking by the fire pit, and of course; more cooking and baking! I have started a list, based on my husband's requests, of things I want to make as the weather forces me indoors. It seemed that as college football got started this weekend, so did my cooking extravaganza-to my husband's dismay, the first thing I made was not an apple pie with a flaky crust. I mean I just perfected the *French* version of the apple pie, now I need to make a flaky crust? hmmmm, I think I will need more kitchen hardware a la Amazon.com.
Did I tell you about the Fry Daddy and Truffle Oil I just purchased? no? I guess that's a story for another time.
Friday, August 27, 2010
If my little sister is old, what does that make me?
So here I am, feeling all good and stuff because I eat right, exercise, have a healthy, ahem, relationship with my husband, have a great kid/house/boat/job and along comes my younger sister complaining about being old, or some such bullshit. Really? If she's old, what the hell am I?
So, that started me thinking. What the hell AM I? The anal tendencies got the best of me and I began making a list, scratch that, two lists. Things I like about myself, and things I'd like to change. Now, since I was making these lists and not any of my friends, family or people who drive on the road with me, I am proud to say the *likes* list was longer. Maybe my dopey little sister will step back off her ledge when she just comes clean with herself and admits that 35 is the new 20's. Hell, I hear 40's is the new 20's so even I have something to look forward to. Sorry Steph and Sheila, apparently your lives are over; nice knowin' ya though.
So, here are the top 10 things I like about myself:
10) articulate
9) organized
8) funny as hell
7) honest
6) hardworking
5) self-reflective
4) non-smoker
3) healthy
2) good mom
1) good wife
Lest any of you have any specific arguments regarding the validity of these 10 things, feel free to fling yourself from the Tapan Zee bridge. See? honest.
So, here are the 5 things I dislike the most about myself:
5) grudge holder
4) neurotic
3) easily aggravated
2) anxious
1) impulsive
So, there ya have it folks. It took me 37 years, but I finally like myself enough to know that the good outweighs the bad in me. So, Vik, now you know, getting older isn't so bad. Plus, pretty soon, you'll forget to care about your age so it won't even bother you. I told you getting older has its perks.
So, that started me thinking. What the hell AM I? The anal tendencies got the best of me and I began making a list, scratch that, two lists. Things I like about myself, and things I'd like to change. Now, since I was making these lists and not any of my friends, family or people who drive on the road with me, I am proud to say the *likes* list was longer. Maybe my dopey little sister will step back off her ledge when she just comes clean with herself and admits that 35 is the new 20's. Hell, I hear 40's is the new 20's so even I have something to look forward to. Sorry Steph and Sheila, apparently your lives are over; nice knowin' ya though.
So, here are the top 10 things I like about myself:
10) articulate
9) organized
8) funny as hell
7) honest
6) hardworking
5) self-reflective
4) non-smoker
3) healthy
2) good mom
1) good wife
Lest any of you have any specific arguments regarding the validity of these 10 things, feel free to fling yourself from the Tapan Zee bridge. See? honest.
So, here are the 5 things I dislike the most about myself:
5) grudge holder
4) neurotic
3) easily aggravated
2) anxious
1) impulsive
So, there ya have it folks. It took me 37 years, but I finally like myself enough to know that the good outweighs the bad in me. So, Vik, now you know, getting older isn't so bad. Plus, pretty soon, you'll forget to care about your age so it won't even bother you. I told you getting older has its perks.
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