Tips for Healthy Eating (vol. 2)

Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber is made of two major components, soluble and insoluble fiber.  That means one breaks down in water, meaning it is soluble, and the other doesn't, insoluble.  Our bodies need both.

Soluble fiber helps to lower total and LDL cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease.  It also helps to regulate blood sugar and may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

Insoluble fiber helps to facilitate regularity and relieves constipation.

Together they add bulk to your diet.  That helps you to feel full faster, which may reduce your appetite.

On average, Americans consume less than 50% of the recommended fiber levels for good health.  The recommended daily fib er intake for adults based on a 2000 calorie diet is 25g.  We should be consuming a minimum of 20g per day.  A good range is 20-35g.  So what do we need to eat to boost us to the right fiber intake levels?  For some people increasing fiber intake can be as simple as switching to brown.  Brown rice, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat flour.  It's really easy to find these days.  Go for products with the highest percentage of whole wheat or grains.

We keep Mueller's 100% whole wheat pastas in our pantry.

Top 10 Fiber Rich Foods

1. Beans.  Did you know that 1 cup of black beans (cooked) has 19 grams of fiber?  They're also very low fat and contain a lot of protein as well.
2. Bran.  Bran cereal is okay, but try bran muffins.  There are 4g of fiber in the average size muffin.
3. Peas.  A half a cup of peas can round out your meal and contains 9g of fiber.
4. Corn on the cob.  The average ear of corn contains 5g of fiber.  2 ears and you've knocked out half of your day!
5. Raspberries.  One small 1/2 cup of raspberries contains 4g of fiber.  Have them with your bran muffin!
6. Potatoes-A medium baked potato contains 4g of fiber, but you must leave the jacket on.  It's the reason the fiber count is so high.
7. Figs- figs and other dried fruits contain a lot of fiber.  3 dried figs equal 10.5g of fiber!
8. Broccoli- A family favorite here (minus my husband).  3/4 cup of broccoli cooked contains 7g of fiber.
9. Oatmeal- One package (of my instant brand) contains 3g of fiber.  You can dress it up with a cup of strawberries, which adds another 3g.
10. Apples- My personal favorite.  I have at least one everyday!  1 medium apple contains 4g of fiber.

Personally, I want to look up some bran muffin recipes.  We already include a lot of beans, broccoli and apples in our diets.  Bran muffins would help change up our breakfast menu a bit.  Oooo...and I just thought of a way to change my husband's wonderful buttermilk pancakes...whole wheat flour!

Tips for Healthy Eating (vol. 1)

Lean Proteins

Protein is composed of amino acids and is an important building block in muscles.  The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) of protein is 0.8g per kg of body weight.  It's also important because it (along with fiber) helps keep your stomach feeling full for longer periods of time.  Protein also helps turn fat into lean muscle with a regular exercise routine.

To convert weight from pounds to kg divide weight in pounds by 2.2 or click here for a calculator that will do it for you. 

Example: weight = 110

     110/2.2 = 50kg

     50 x 0.8 = 40

     40g of protein per day for someone who is 110 lbs

List of Lean Proteins

• Chicken Breast- boneless skinless is the best option.  There is more fat around the skin so it's best to remove it.  Chicken breast provides 8g of protein per ounce of meat.  Trim any remaining fat from the chicken breast for the leanest cut of the meat.  A serving size of chicken is 3 oz (about 85 grams).
• Fish/Seafood- one of the leanest forms of protein.  It's a great source of protein with very little fat.  It's Rich in Omega-3, EPA and DHA (brain food).  My favorites are tilapia, shrimp, scallops, lobster, and above all...blue crabs.  I wouldn't be from the Eastern Shore of MD if I didn't love crabs.  Check out this table for serving sizes and food facts for the different types of seafood.
• Lean Beef-very lean ground beef (96% lean is what I get here) is great.  Don't get anything less than 90% lean.  Beef is high in saturated fat so I avoid it most of the time.  I do occasionally make meatballs with it though.  I'll include some of my favorite recipes for beef later.  If you are really craving a steak, the leaner cuts include the top round, top sirloin, and flank steak.  It's best to look for grass fed beef as it contains Omega-3 and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA).  Both are healthy types of fat. Serving size is 3 ounces (about 85 grams).
• Egg Whites- You can make some mean scrambled eggs or an omelet with egg whites.  Leave out the yolk because it contains cholesterol and fat.  They don't digest as quickly as egg whites.  Most of the caloric count is found in the yolk.  You can buy egg whites in cartons now a days.  It makes cooking them go a lot faster.  Personally, I advise to look for the actual brand called All Whites (from Crystal Farms).  There aren't any additives.  You can do whatever you want to them! Serving size of egg whites is 2 fresh egg whites or 1/4 cup egg white substitute.

• Beans- I love beans!  You can add them to so many things.  Actually...sitting here right now I thought of a recipe I want to try out...hmm...Anyway!  Beans are an excellent source of fiber and protein.  They also contain very little fat.  You can buy them dry and soak them to soften them, or you can buy them canned and rinse them to get any extra salt off.  I buy the reduced sodium canned beans and rinse them when I'm putting them into different dishes.  There are tons of different types of beans and they are very healthy.  I know of a wonderful chili (I can't take credit for the recipe, but I have used it many times) that I'd like to share that I got from the Food Network.  Serving size for beans is 1/2 cup cooked.
• Dairy- Why is dairy on my lean protein list?  You can find milk or cheese that has a high protein content with a low sugar content.  1% milk and certain cottage cheeses are examples.  Soy milk is another one.  Chocolate Silk is really good.  *Chocolate milk is a great drink for after long runs too.*  Serving size is 1.5 ounces of hard cheese (block cheese), 1 cup of milk.
• Protein Powder- For those who are having a hard time getting enough protein in their diet, or want an added amount of protein (body building).  There are different types of protein powders, such as whey, casein, egg, soy, and hemp.  Whey and casein are dairy based powders and may cause discomfort or gastrointestinal problems for someone who is lactose intolerant.  They come in many flavors, chocolate being a  favorite here.  Talk with your doctor or a dietitian before taking a protein supplement.  They can help you choose the type that best suits your needs.

Recipes

Meatballs

This recipe is designed for single servings.

3 oz  lean ground beef

spices to taste (garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder)

Worcestershire sauce (a few splashes to taste)

It's best to leave them set overnight in the fridge to let the flavors come together.  

Spray a skillet with non stick cooking spray.  Form meatballs into 3 or 4 small round balls (about gold ball size).  Brown the meatballs on all sides on medium heat.  Put them into the oven on 375 degrees to finish cooking.  It'll take about 10-15 minutes to cook.

Meatballs as a meal (with sauce)

*I credit my friend LoAnn for this recipe.  It came from a cookbook that she has.  She made it for us one night at her house.  I've tweeked it a little to suit my taste, but that's what everyone does!  Notice that everything is "to taste".  You can add as much or as little of what you like.

1 package of ground beef (most packages come in 1.5ish pounds)

1 egg

1/4 cup boil in the bag brown rice (because it cooks fast)

2 cans of tomato soup

chili spice to taste

Worcestershire sauce to taste

garlic powder to taste

onion powder to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Mix the ground beef with the rice, egg, 1/2 a can of tomato soup (the rest is for the sauce) and all of the spices.  It tastes best if you leave it set for a while, but it can be made right away.  In a large soup pot or skillet pour the remaining 1 1/2 cans of soup and add 1 can of water.  Add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and mix in.  Heat on low.  Form the meatballs about ping pong ball size and drop them into the pot.  Cover and cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes.  Leave a small opening to let steam out.  Flip the meatballs over and stir the sauce as best as possible.  Replace the lid (venting slightly) and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Check to see if the meatballs are cooked through.  Remove them when they are and cover to keep them warm.  Turn the heat up (to medium) on the sauce and stir to keep it from sticking.  Let the sauce thicken to desired consistency then replace the meatballs and coat with sauce.

Serve with rolls, bread sticks or biscuits and a nice salad.

Quick & Easy Shrimp

Now, this recipe is open to many interpretations.  You can add whatever veggies you like with your shrimp.  Personally, broccoli, celery, and onions are my favorites.

3 oz Shrimp (about 8 pieces), uncooked, peeled and cleaned

vinegar (2 cap fulls)

salt

Old Bay

Cut your chosen veggies into stir fry worthy sizes.  Heat your pan (wok if you have one) on medium.  When the pan is hot spray it with a little bit of cooking spray.  Add your veggies.  Sprinkle on some Old Bay and add a little bit of salt.  Add 1 cap full of vinegar.  Saute them to your desired done-ness. I like mine still crispy.  Toss your shrimp with a little Old Bay and salt, then add them to the pan.  Add the remaining cap full of vinegar and saute until done.  Shrimp only take a couple of minutes to cook.  The best way to judge if they're done is by shape and color.  They should be C shaped (if they're O shaped they're overdone) and slightly pinkish. 

Delicious Tilapia

 This is one of the quickest recipes I know.  Our family loves fish so make it alot.

Tilapia fillets

Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt (McCormick) or a Lemon Pepper blend

Preheat oven to 400.  Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.  Spray it (just to make sure it won't stick).  Add the fish fillets and saute on both sides.  Then stick the whole pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  Make sure your pan has an oven safe handle.  

That's it!  It's that easy. 

Serve it with rice.  I normally spice ours with the same seasoning I put on the fish.

A Joyous Time!

I don't think I could be in any better mood today!  

To start...I have managed to lose the 2 lbs I gained from our anniversary dinner (which was totally worth it) and nearly another pound.  Woohoo!  That puts me at my lowest weight in years!  Shoot, I weighed more than I do now when Bryan and I got married!  I've still got a ways to go, but I'm one excited person right now! =D  Just thinking about it makes me want to hop out of my chair and do some situps.  Yeah...that's crazy isn't it?  Seeing all the hard work pay off and all of the compliments I'm getting from my husband just makes me want to try harder and put that much more effort into it.  I'm now 8.6 lbs from my next goal.  I'm pretty sure when I get to that goal I'll be able to wear these cute jeans that Bryan bought for me.  They're a dark wash ripped jean with a cute studded belt.  I can squeeze into them now, but breathing isn't really an option.  I'm afraid I'll pop the button off and that's not cool.  I want to be able to breathe.  Air is good, ya know!  I already have a cute shirt to wear with them too.  I'm gonna layer my blue tank under a gray  logo shirt I got on sale at the Annapolis Mall a couple of weeks ago.  It's either that or the white logo shirt I got on sale at the same store that has cute silver beading layered with the pink tank I got from my aunt for Christmas...decisions decisions.  Whatever...it's not that big of a deal right now.  What is a big deal though is that I can see those boots getting closer and closer.  I can almost touch them!  8.6 more lbs and they're mine!!

Another thing that's got me in a most joyful mood today is that I'm finally starting college again next week!  I'm working toward my BA in Psychology.  After I complete that I want to further it probably to PhD level and specialize in Health and Wellness.  I really want to help others overcome obstacles like the ones I've had to work through.  I also want to study to be a dietitian.   A healthy life is a good life.  Some people really need a person that's willing to work with them to help educate them on good decisions in their diet and exercise plans.  I want to be that person.  I've had a lot of help from my husband and I want to pass on things that I've learned to others that are in need of the advise and really want the help.  Right now I'm signed up for a behavioral psychology class and a writing class.  I'm excited!  *I'm going back to school, I'm going back to school*  I'm singing to myself, lol.  I always was a bit of a nerd in high school.  *Shrugs*  Oh well, I love to learn.  So sue me...

Let's see...what else is there to say.  Oh!  I know!  My daddy is coming this weekend.  Yes, I'm 26 and I still say daddy.  I'm a daddy's girl.  I can't help it.  It's just the way it is.  We're planning to grill some chickens this weekend.  I'm gonna look up a good potato salad recipe, preferably a red potato, to make.  We'll probably also have rolls and a nice salad.  Dad wanted Bryan to make him a chocolate cake, but I'll be doing that too.  Bryan won't be home this weekend.  He's got a 50K race in Lynchburg this weekend so he'll be gone Friday night.  Hopefully he's back late Saturday night.  Dad loves Bryan's baking.  We have a chocolate cake (with a chocolate buttercream frosting) recipe that is to die for.  It's a wonderfully moist chocolate cake.  I'll probably find some red or pink sprinkles to add to it just because it's so close to Valentine's day.  If it looks nice I'll take a picture and post it.  I'll finally get to use the cake stand my sister's boyfriend found for us for Christmas!  He knows how much Bryan likes to make cake...and he loves eating Bryan's cakes, lol.  We had a hard time finding a place to keep them though.  The microwave just wasn't cutting it.  When he saw the cake stand he knew it was for us.  I love that I can turn it over and use it as a punch bowl too.  It's awesome.

Guess what!  My "Library" is expanding!  Haha, that's not really a surprise though.  I love love love to read.  I don't think I can stress that enough.  I  can work my way through a good book pretty quickly.  I think in the past month Bryan (being so proud of me) let me buy myself close to 10 new books.  We may have to buy another book case soon.  I'm like a kid in a candy store when I'm at Borders.  I'm waiting for another one that's due out on February 22.  Right now I'm in the middle of a series, but I'll drop that until the new book is finished.  Then I'll have to guard the book with my life.  Think I'm crazy...no.  You don't understand...my sister and my cousin will be trying to pry the book out of my hands if they don't get their own copies, lol.  We're all infatuated with this particular series.  Anyway, we've also picked up a day by day Bible for the girls.  I've been reading the stories (that are summed up chapters in an adult Bible broken down so kids can understand them) every night.  It's meant to start in January, but we just got it this past weekend so I have a month to make up.  I like that there are pictures to go with the stories to help them understand what we're reading better.

Valentine's Sweet Treat!

Cherry "Tarts"

Ingredients

2 tubes of crescent rounds               1 can of cherry pie filling

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
2. Spray the inside of 2 muffin pans.  I split the two tubes of rolls between two pans for more even baking.
 

3. Pull apart the crescent rounds and drop them into the pan.
 

4.Allow your child to smush the roll down and up the sides of the pan (cup) to make a tart shell.  You may have to press one more time before putting them into the oven.
 

5. Bake for 10 minutes.  When you take them out you'll have to press the centers back down.  Be careful, they're HOT!  Yeah...I burned myself a few times.
 

6. Remove them from the pan and allow them to cool for a minute.  They cool pretty quickly.

 7. Scoop some of the cherry filling into each tart shell.

 

There's no need to let them set up.  The tarts can be enjoyed immediately.  Natalie had a blast making these today.  She did them all by herself!  It was one of her school projects for Valentine's Day.  

*We did them in two batches so the oven wasn't over crowded.

Ho hum...

Nothing much to say today.

I'm waiting for the Fed Ex person to get here with the few sets of clothes I ordered for the girls.  Natalie's got school work to do.  Lesson 100 today.  We have to filter through and pick out the pages her adviser needs and get them ready to mail off.  She's only got 60 lessons left and she's out of Kindergarten! 

Sometime this week or next week, I need to go to the school outside of the base to get student ID numbers for the girls to attend school on base next year.  I'm hoping to do it by the end of this week.  The sooner the better.  I'm excited for them!  I asked Natalie if she wanted to go to school at home again next year or if she wanted to go to school with other kids and she totally ditched me.  She said, "I love you mommy, but I want to go to school".  Well...fine with me!  I'll be just peachy keen with two kids at home instead of four (insert rejected sniffle here)!  What I like best though, is that the school is right outside of my front door.  Literally.  It's at the end of the street.  They're clearing out and building it now!  I love that they'll be wearing uniforms too.  Less chance for bullying.

I've got their appointments for the their physicals set up too.  Allyson isn't going to be happy about that.  I'm pretty sure she has to get shots. :(  Poor baby.  We had to wait for her records to get here from the UK so she couldn't get them sooner.  She's a trooper though.  Last time she had shots she didn't even cry.  Just sat there and whined a little...and gave me this awful pitiful look like "mommy why are you doing this to me?".  It made me want to cry for her.  Natalie...was awful.  She reminded me of my sister when she had to get shots.  (They had to hold Jess down on the floor to get shots.  Literally...two nurses had to hold her down.  Practically sitting on her.  You could hear her scream all over the doctor's office, lol.)  Natalie isn't quite that bad, but she's not happy about it either.  Kae just gives dirty looks.  Those "if looks could kill..." types.   Yeah...she's pretty intense.  One of the nurses in the UK said she was waiting for a kid to walk up to her one day in the store and just kick her in the shins because they remembered her giving them shots...Kae would probably be one of those kids, lol. Melody handles it about as well as any baby does.  Cries until you pick her up and love on her.  Then she commits the nurse's face to memory and goes on about her day!

Anyway, that's about all I can think of.  Right now the only thing on my mind (other than my diet and getting the girls started for school next year) is laundry.  It feels like the mountain never gets any smaller...no matter how much I wash and put away everyday!  Hope everyone has a great day!  It should be pretty nice here today...even though I was rudely awaken by the sound of the wind trying to tear the screens off of my bedroom windows!  It's lovely and sunny outside now!

Looking to the Future

Bryan and I were looking up some programs with the girls last night.  We feel that just because Natalie is home schooled doesn't mean she has to be isolated from the rest of the world.  We only chose to home school her this year because of the ratings of the schools around us.  The program we're using to school her with has higher ratings than any school curriculum in MD.  The Calvert School home school program is great. They send you all of the materials you need for the year and suggest others that could also be used to reinforce a topic.  Anyway... we want to put her into different activities so she can make some friends and be active.  Both her and Allyson are now old enough to join pretty much anything they want.  We showed them a bunch of different things like gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics, ballet, competitive cheerleading, and other dance programs.  

Natalie's choice is cheerleading.  Even after we showed her everything else.  We played videos from youTube so she could see what they were like.  She's pretty much got her mind set on cheerleading.  So after we figured out that she wasn't going to be persuaded away from it, we started looking up programs around here.  This is the one we chose.  The Calvert All Stars is a cheer and dance program located in Owings, MD.  It's about 30 minutes from us.  No big deal.  We like the program because they make everyone who signs up sign a code of conduct agreement.  They have no tolerance for bullying and such.  I also like that they have a "no cut" policy.  If the children are willing to put in the effort to learn, they're willing to teach them.  They are also willing to workout a special schedule for the children who are home schooled.  I like that they make the effort.  We won't need anything special for her, but it's still nice to know it's an option.  

Allyson went for a more individualized sport.  She wants to do gymnastics.  She was even practicing her split last night before she went to bed!  So we started searching and found The Chesapeake Gymnastics Club also located in Owings, MD.  What's even better is that both programs are located in the same building.  I won't have to leave either of them alone if they have classes on the same night.  I love it because there is the option of private lessons for Allyson if she decides to take it seriously.

Both of the girls are really excited.  Hopefully they'll be able to sign up and start soon.  We want to take them to let them watch before they make up their minds.  We'll have to schedule a day to do that soon.

Turn of Events

Well...last night didn't go exactly how it was planned.  We couldn't leave as early as we wanted for dinner :(.  So, when we got to the Bonefish Grill there was a 45 minutes wait.  Normally, I would have called and made reservations, but we had no idea when we were going to be able to get there.  Had to wait for my mom to get here yesterday before we could leave and we didn't have a definite time on when she'd get here.  So...with that said...we didn't want to wait 45 minutes to eat dinner.  We were starving and decided to go to Red Lobster instead.  15 minute wait vs. 45 minute wait...win!  Dinner was great.  For those who haven't had the pleasure of trying the Peach-Bourbon BBQ Shrimp and Scallops...they are amazing!  Wonderful.  I can still taste them, lol.  They're that good.

Peach-Bourbon BBQ Shrimp and Scallops

We decided not to go to Cold Stone for ice cream because we would be back tracking across town and I didn't feel like doing that.  It wouldn't have been a back track if we had been able to eat at The Bonefish Grill.  We shared a desert at Red Lobster instead.  Can't say no to a warm chocolate cake.  It was lovely.  

After dinner we walked around the mall for a few minutes.  I dropped off my broken chain to the jewelery store we got it from for repair and took a peek around.  Bryan got me an adorable pair of heart hoops and a butterfly necklace that has an opal in the body.  I LOVE butterflies.  I LOVE the necklace.  It's a simple but beautiful little butterfly.  He insisted that he needed to get me something, so who was I to argue with him!  He let me pick out what I wanted.

Pardon my pasty skin.  I am one pale person!

My heart earrings!

I'm really glad the movie theater is in the same shopping complex.  It got a little chilly last night.  We felt like the old couple when we walked into the theater.  There were so many teenagers.  I'm just glad none of them were in our movie.  It was peaceful and quiet.  Bryan and I both enjoyed the movie...although I did jump a few times during it.  At least I wasn't the only one.  What else could you expect from a movie about exorcism?  I liked it.  It was different.

Anyway...completely off topic...Bryan took me shopping today.  We saw a couple of gorgeous dresses (that were on sale) that Bryan insisted I get.  I can't wear them right now, but I didn't want to take the chance of them not being there later on.  There was only one of each dress (two dresses total).  So, I got them and put them at the back of my closet so I can have something to work towards.  I promise I will be getting my picture taken in both of those dresses when I make it to my final goal.  Again, I point out that I said when...not if. 

Shattered a Milestone

I didn't just make it to my next milestone.  I shattered it into tiny little pieces.  Microscopic itsy bitsy little pieces.  Booyah!  A couple of days ago I had 1.9 lbs to lose to meet my goal (2.0 lbs to break it).  Today I am 0.7 under it and still going strong.  This is a major milestone to me.  It's -10 lbs from the last one.  This milestone is a number I haven't seen since I was at least a junior in high school.  My next milestone is 9.3 lbs away.  I'm sure I'll cry when I get to that one.  (Notice...I said when, not if.  That's very important.) I know I haven't been in that range since I was a freshman.  

Today's achievement just makes me even more excited to go out tonight.  I just can't wait.  Today isn't going to go fast enough.  I started getting prepared last night.  Tweezed my eyebrows...ouch.  Picked out my clothes for tonight (I'm still deciding...heel or no heel)  and I painted my nails to match what I'm wearing today.

I think we're going with the dinner first and then the ice cream and movie.  We've had some stuff come up and had to revamp our schedule.  Ya know...now that I think about it.  Ice cream is way worse than popcorn.  Maybe I'll just get popcorn at the movies.  We'll see I suppose.

Tip of the day:  Water and vegetables are key ingredients in weight loss.  While dieting many people forget to take a multivitamin leaving them feeling very tired during the day.  That makes it easier to "fall off the wagon" and indulge.  Vegetables and water are a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals.  Remember to go for leafy greens (spinach, chard, bok choy, etc)  first and starchy veggies (like potatoes and corn) last.  Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day.  Recently I've been hearing that 100 ounces is recommended.  Personally, I drink 5 16.9 ounce bottles of water a day, plus a little green tea.  You'll be amazed at what it does for your system.  Don't worry about water weight...your body only retains water when it feels like it isn't getting enough.  To see more about that check out this tip. 

Upcoming Happenings

Tomorrow is Bryan and my wedding anniversary.  Seven years!  Wanna know something sad?  This will be the first one we actually get to celebrate.  I mean really celebreate.  Go out and have a fantastic dinner and enjoy watching a movie that's not rated G.  He's been working or deployed for all of the others.  So anyway, we're  (and by we...I mean me) trying to plan our evening out.  

I think we're going to see The Rite.  Always have liked watching Anthony Hopkins.  We looked up the movies that were playing closest to us and the one I really want to see ends tonight (The Black Swan) so we're going with the highest earning movie.  

We're also going to The Bonefish Grill for dinner.  I won't budge off this decision.  I've been drooling over this place for a while.  We saw it one day when we passed on our way to Waldorf and I decided to look it up because neither of us knew what it was.  This is right up Bryan's alley.  He LOVES seafood and so do I.  The great thing is that it's not off of my diet, depending on what I get.  I checked out the menu and instantly decided we had to go one day.  We've never been and it looks really good! Who knows, maybe I'll even have a drink.  Probably not, but it's still worth the thought.

I might try to persuade Bryan to get Cold Stone ice cream afterward.  We'll see.  The ice cream would really undo everything I've worked so hard to achieve, but it's soooo goooood!  I'd have to do at least an hour of P90X after that.  

I have no idea what order we're going to do this all in though.  Dinner before, or dinner after.  It all depends on whether Bryan is allowed to leave work early tomorrow.  If he can leave work early we'll go catch an early show.  If not, we'll get dinner and desert and see a late show.  Either way works for me.  I'm just glad my sister is going to be here so we can actually enjoy an evening out.  Plus, I get to dress up and fix my hair and wear makeup.  Woo!  Yes, I'm excited about spending probably more than an hour fixing my hair and makeup so I can go out for just a few hours.  I don't get to do it often, so I get very excited when I get the chance.

Go Me!!

I am STOKED!  I'm exactly 2.0 lbs away from meeting my next goal!  Woohoo!  I'm staying really focused on my goal (my final goal).  I've set a bunch of little goals to get me there.  It helps to make the final goal seem more achievable to me. 

My knees have been feeling pretty good lately.  I haven't  been doing any running, but that's okay.  I wanted to go for a quick job today, but it started raining when we got home :(  Oh well, I'll try again tomorrow if it's not raining or snowing.  I can handle the cold.  I've got plenty of cold weather gear thanks to Bryan.  He's been the most supportive husband in the world.  Anyway...since running was nixed by the doctor, I started doing a lot of biking.  I love being able to sit down and bike 15-20 miles.  I can sit on my butt and stick my nose in a good book.  It gets me through the workout pretty easily.  A good book and my iPod.  Not sure how well I'd do without them.  I've managed to read my way through half of a new series (The Anita Blake series for those who are interested).  

In my last exercise related post I mentioned that recently I had dropped 9.9 lbs.  To update that, I'm down 12.8 lbs.  With that weight loss also came the loss of 5 inches over my body.  I'm thrilled!!  I feel fantastic!  Bryan got me a pretty turquoise shirt after I had Melody and it fit nice then, but I put it on this morning and I was literally tickled pink.  I had to text Bryan to tell him and everything, lol.  My plan is to lose another 12 and then go buy myself the boots I saw last weekend in Charlotte Russe as a reward.  I tried to find a picture of them on the website, but I couldn't find them.  I can describe them though.  They were a light tan, suede, high heeled, tall boot.  I haven't worn a high heeled anything in years.  I'm excited.  I WANT THOSE BOOTS!  And...in order to show them off properly... I'll have to get a pair of skinny jeans.  But not until I drop another 12 lbs.

That brings me to my tip...

Tip of the day:  Set a long range goal and many short range goals to help you achieve it.  Then when you reach a goal, reward yourself!  You worked hard for it.  You deserve it!

Uh oh, that's dangerous!

I've been doing some thinking.  Yeah...that can be dangerous at times.  I might add some separate pages to my blog to help categorize what I'm blogging about better.  Make a page for my family and write things about them there, making a page for my cooking and add things there...and so on.  I'm not sure how many pages to add yet, but I guess I can just add or take them away as I go.  I want my blog to be more accessible for people.  I don't want someone to have to read my life story if they're only looking for some recipe ideas, ya know what I mean?  It seems like a pretty good idea to me.  What do you think?