A great food day!

 Tasty breakfast smoothie! You'll feel like Popeye after drinking this!
The Ninja processor I got came with these cool cups that you can actually blend stuff in. Then just put on a lid, and you're good to go!

 Red Lentil Thai Chili....nom nom...

Banana ice cream!

This one's not my picture -- It was on Pinterest 

So I got a Ninja food processor last week, and it was pretty much one of the best decisions of my life. I LOVE this thing! I use it all the time. Christian really freaked out the first few times I used it. He was so scared. But today, he didn't scream at all. He just came in, and said, "Mmm mm!" He really likes the stuff I'm making with it. I share my smoothies with him. :)

I made a "green monster" smoothie this morning. It was my first time making this one, and I LOVED it!! So delicious. Spinach, Greek yogurt, Almond milk, peanut butter, and a frozen banana. I froze the yogurt in ice cube trays (someone in the comments suggested it), and I used PB2 for the peanut butter, which has way fewer calories. Tastes enough like the real stuff. I loved this smoothie, and I can't wait to have it again tomorrow!! Here's the recipe http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/skinny-green-monster-smoothie.html. By the way, you don't taste the spinach AT ALL.

Lunch was great, too, but I didn't take a picture. It was turkey slices, tomatoes, spinach, and avocado inside of a whole wheat tortilla. YUM.

Dinner was amazing, I thought. Red Lentil Thai Chili http://www.theppk.com/2010/12/red-lentil-thai-chili/

A little bit spicy, but so good. No idea how many calories in each serving, though. It made a TON that I'm going to freeze, I guess. Andrew liked it, but said it tasted "really healthy." He thinks some kind of tasty bread with it would have made it really good. I thought he was going to love it because he loves Thai food, so I was a little disappointed with his reaction. But I loved it! Sweet potatoes, red lentils, kidney beans, red pepper, onions, coconut milk...etc, etc. so good!

THEN, I saw on my sister-in-law's Pinterest, she had a recipe for banana ice cream. It's just made from frozen bananas, peanut butter, and cocoa powder! It was yummy and healthy. The kids enjoyed it. And I was even able to eat it. Win win.

I'm not sure any of you care what I eat every day, but seriously today was a GOOD food day. I just had to tell someone. :) What would I have eaten a few months ago? Cheerios for breakfast, hot dog for lunch, and spaghetti and broccoli for dinner. Why would I want to go back to that?? I still like broccoli, though -- don't get me wrong.

Explosions in the Sky

I've heard Explosions in the Sky before and have always liked them. But for some reason after listening to this song tonight ("Your Hand in Mine"), I HAD to have their CD. The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003) is coming on Tuesday. Woohoo!

I can't listen to their music without a montage of my life's events floating through my mind. Listen to this song -- and try not to think of your life as a dramatic, meaningful movie. You can't do it, can you?

Tell me what you think of this band or this song. Like or love? Cause I can't comprehend anyone hating on these guys. :)

Week 9 weigh-in

sorry these are fuzzy

Here are some of the meals I made this week. For breakfast, I've been enjoying an egg white burrito with tomatoes, green onions, and turkey bacon. Yum! Then I tried a tofu recipe this week for dinner -- my first time trying to cook tofu. It turned out okay. Andrew actually really liked it, and he's usually pickier than I am. I'm not sure if I'll be making it again any time soon, though...I have a different tofu recipe I want to try that I think/hope will have some more flavor.

I was already trying to eat less red meat -- not that I ate a lot before, but after watching some documentaries recently, I definitely don't have a desire to eat beef a whole lot anymore.

Anyway, this week I lost 2 pounds! .2 away from my 2 month 20 lb goal. But that's okay! I'll try to make it up next week. 10.2 lbs more to go! I worked out every day but Sunday, and I feel some major muscles growing in. Especially in my biceps! It's kinda fun! :)

So far I've lost 3.5 inches off my waist (2 inches this month) and about 2.5 inches off my hips (1 inch this month). I never measured the rest of me, but I'm pretty sure I've lost some on my arms, too.

My rock wall

Yesterday Andrew and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. Crazy! We were actually able to go out on a date thanks to Andrew's kind grandparents who watched our kids. We went to a delicious Thai restaurant in American Fork where I tried to order something with as little calories as I could. It's hard going out and having no clue how many calories are in what. I just ordered mixed vegetables and tofu in soy sauce and had very little rice. I did have a little bit of dessert -- mango with sticky rice in coconut milk! YUM. No idea how many calories in that. So we'll see what the numbers are like for weigh-in tomorrow.

The day after Thanksgiving, we bought the Pass of All Passes for a really great deal. The pass lets you go to Trafalga and Seven Peaks for a year for "Free" (besides what you paid for the passes) as many times as you want. Anyway, we've only used it once since then. So we decided to go to the Trafalga in Lehi last night.

As soon as we walk in, I see a rock wall. Andrew got very excited, as he's been wanting to get me to climb one with him ever since we were married...NINE YEARS AGO. He even suggested we go somewhere like The Quarry (a rock climbing place) for our date last night. I suggested Trafalga instead (not knowing they have a rock wall...) Whenever he would suggest rock climbing, I've always managed to get out of it. My answer would always be, "No. I'm scared of heights. I'm scared of falling (even with the thing that makes it impossible to fall and get hurt). I don't have enough upper body strength." I was mostly just afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it. I wouldn't even be able to make it to the top, and I would be embarrassed. FEAR. FEAR. FEAR.

Well Andrew's eyes lit up when he saw that wall, and he once again tried to get me to do it. My answer, "Hmm..." which means no. But when he asked the second -- or third? -- time, I took a breath and said, "Okay. Let's do it." So we did. And get this -- it was FUN. I actually enjoyed it. I made it to the top and had a minor anxiety attack when I had to let go of the wall, but it was fine. When I got to the bottom I realized my arms felt like they were going to fall off! But maybe I burned off a few of the mango dessert calories. 

I should add that it was a pretty easy wall and even young children were able to climb it. But still, I was pretty happy that I tried something that makes me uncomfortable to think about and that I've been avoiding for years. Remember that Transforming post I wrote a couple years ago? This is the kind of thing I had in mind. 

After that we played mini golf and laser tag, and it was all really fun. I'm excited to use that pass a lot more! I'm also excited to try rock climbing again -- and maybe even on a harder wall. :)

Week 8 weigh-in

Well, I had a great moment this week. The pair of jeans I've been wearing developed a large hole in the crotch area...but since I knew I wouldn't be wearing that size for much longer I didn't want to go buy another pair of jeans. So I've been wearing the crotch-hole jeans. Nice. It's been okay, as I haven't had too many important places to be, but then I had a meeting for my calling this last week. I was so stressed out, because it clearly isn't appropriate to wear the jeans I was wearing, but I did NOT want to buy another pair.

I decided to give my jeans that are down a size a try, even though I had just tried them on the week before and they were not comfortable (I could get them on, though!). Well, lo and behold, not only did I get them on, but they FIT. It was one of the best feelings of my life. I really was quite elated. Problem solved! And I was down a pant size!

So this week I lost another 2 pounds! Just 2.2 to go for this month. At this point, I am really feeling smaller, and THAT IS FUN. Feels like everything from here on out is bonus!

Week 7 weigh-in

Well, this has been another good week of working out and eating healthy. I find it funny that now that I'm on a "diet" I eat tastier foods than I ever did before! So strange. I've been loving the dinners I've been making. Seems to me the best way to stay on a diet! Tastiest one was Portobello Mushroom Burgers. YUM! Try it!

I'm working out about 5 days a week, alternating between cardio and sculpting. I've been doing all three levels of both work out videos, and it has left me tired! And sore. I also have become aware of muscles in my legs that I haven't felt for a while!

Anyway, weigh-in today was another great one!! I lost 3.2 pounds!! Woohoo!!

I have not gone down a pant size yet (though the pants are really loose and my belt is cinched tighter), which I am anxiously awaiting...and I'm not sure if anyone but me or Andrew would even notice I've lost weight (and Kate -- she says she can tell by my love handles), but I think over the next ten pounds it will become more obvious to the casual observer.

I got very little sleep last night thanks to Christian, so I am going to have to take a nap today before I can even think about exercising.

I've been plagued with canker sores still. They are so painful it hurts to talk. For a few days I was not drinking enough water because it hurt so much to swallow. Not sure which fruits to cut from my diet. I love them all!

Anyway, I'm half way to my goal, and half way through the 3 months. Feelin' great!!

Week 6 weigh-in

Time for another weigh-in...this time I know exactly what my weight is -- down to the decimal!

This week I lost 2.6 pounds! I'm very happy with that, as it keeps me on track to hit my goal!

I'm still rolling with the salads for lunch and smaller portion sizes for dinner. I worked out 5 days this week, and aside from a major canker sore attack (on the back of my throat and tongue -- too many acidic fruits in my diet now), I feel great!

A week or so ago, I went to a Church activity where chocolate was the only thing available to eat. I even had to bring something -- chocolate chip bread -- yikes! I had a tiny bite just to make sure it was edible, and the rest I left to everyone else. I wish I'd had my camera at the activity -- SO MUCH CHOCOLATE!! It was like straight out of a Biggest Loser temptation episode. But I didn't have any! It was a little bit weird, but I was not even really that tempted. Freaky, huh?

In that Hungry for Change video I mentioned last week, one guy was talking about changing the way we think. Instead of saying, "I want that, but I can't have it" -- change it to "I can have that, but I don't want it." That's totally how I felt when I was surrounded by all that chocolate. It was a bit awkward for me to be the only one not eating, but it was fine. I survived it, and I continue to lose weight right in line with my goal. My eye's on the prize, baby!

Total weight lost since March 1st: 12.6 pounds

Percentage lost: 6.89%