Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken with "Fried" Rice

My husband and I LOVE Chinese food.. mmmm! But I do NOT love the calories that generally come with Chinese food. 

So after browsing Pinterest, I found a recipe worth trying and boy was it worth it!

This picture is actually of two servings. I had a lot of extra points left for the day (how in the heck does that happen?) & I had ran twice that day, so I was hungry!

 

I found this recipe from this blog.

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken: (7 WW+)

Chicken Coating:

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks

1 cup cornstarch (I didn't even use it all, so I'd start with 1/2cup and add more if needed)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

Sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

I added a couple squirts of hot sauce because I looooove me some spiciness ;)

Preheat your oven to 325 Degrees.

Dip chicken into cornstarch and then eggs.  

Heat the oil in a saucepan and lightly brown the chicken breasts, not cooking all of the way.

Place lightly browned chicken into 9X13 baking dish.

Mix all of the sweet & sour sauce ingredients in a bowl & pour over the chicken.

Bake the chicken for one hour, turning every 15 minutes. 

SOOOOO GOOD!!!!

My husband made the rice because I was tired of cooking after the tedious chicken steps (even though it's worth it). 

"Fried" Rice 

3 cups brown rice 

3 tbs olive oil

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)

1 onion, chopped

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)

Garlic (as much as you want- we like a lot)

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a wok.  Add the peas, onion and garlic. Cook until tender. 

Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and cook until scrambled.

 Add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. 

Cook until thoroughly heated.

Enjoy!

What are your favorite Chinese recipes?

New Years Goal- UPDATE!!!!

Yesterday my board read this:

And tonight my board reads this:

Yes, it says 0 miles left!!!!!!!!

After really putting things into perspective (both the nutrition and exercising aspects) yesterday, I am bound and determined to staying healthy and not letting me slip back into my old habits.

So today I accurately tracked EVERYTHING that I ate and I hit the gym TWICE!

The first time I ran 3 miles on the treadmill, did 5 minutes on the stair climber, and did a few arm weight machines.

My husband started the C25K running program this week, so I wanted to be there for him while he did his second run and so I ran another two miles and walked on an incline the rest of the time! It's so nice to have my husband trying to run with me since I love it so much! He is a bigger football guy and isn't too big on running (he'd rather do the elliptical), but he knows how much it would mean to me to have him run with me, so he's trying the program that I started with! Awe, gag me, I know. :)

Since I finished my new years goal a month and a half EARLY, what should I do now?!?!

I am trying to think about my new years goal for 2013. I want to set a goal in relation to me wanting to run a half marathon this summer, but I like goals in which I can track little by little. Hence, 365 miles in 365 days. 

How would you challenge yourself in that aspect? Suggestions?

Catching Myself

Weight loss & maintenance is HARD WORK. It seems to simple to most... calories in to calories out.

To a girl who loves food, it's a lot harder than it is "simply" put.

Although loosing my weight was anything but easy, it was a heck of a lot easier loosing it than maintaing it. My diet has slipped since May(ish). I see myself starting to slip back into old habits. It's hard to admit, but easier than heck to do. But the positive thing is that I'M CATCHING MYSELF!

I have put on about 20lbs since then, keeping my weight loss at about 66lbs. That is still great, I know, but I am bound and determined to get those 20lbs that I gained back off & them some! 

Don't get me wrong, I still have a healthy diet, BUT I have been slipping. My husband and I will have a "candy bar" after a healthy home cooked meal, or we will go out to eat on Saturday and I'll have a hamburger. Why do that to myself? It's..... just.... FOOD! Does it mean that much to me? Does it taste that good? (maybe) NO!
That is when I need to put things into perspective. I love love love my blogging world & friends whom I have made. My blog & you friends whom I have made keep me in check. THANK YOU!

Unfortunately, for the past couple of months (since Mayish) I have been dealing with my husbands health (he is all better now- see my previous posts) so I have been crazy busy, stressed, and scared and really have been slacking. I know, it's not an excuse! I should not use that as an excuse..... and I won't! However, I am coming clean with myself and all of you... So PLEASE... hold me accountable!!!!!! I am determined to continue to live a healthy lifestyle and continue to become a lean, mean, fighting machine!

I love how fitness and being healthy brings people together... it is truly amazing.

I entered my weight loss story to a local gym (Fit Club) & radio station (99.7KISSFM) and they chose me as one top 10 semi-finalist for a 12 week weight loss competition. The three semi finalists who get the most "LIKES" of their picture on my gyms facebook page get to compete in this challenge  The challenge package includes a gym membership, personal training, & a nutritionists. Out of those three contestants who compete who looses the most weight loss percentage wins a makeover from a local salon (BJ Grand Spa) and an all expense paid vacation to MEXICO!!! 

I can currently in second place, but it's a super close match and people can get 50 votes within minutes! So my goal is to try to get ahead by a lot. The voting goes on until Dec 17th so I have three more weeks. If you have facebook, PLEASE follow this link, CLICK on this picture, & then LIKE it!!! Please get your loved ones to vote, too! I am begging :)

I have come so far & I still have a ways to go. I want to get to my leanest & best body weight before I start having children & I want to learn how to MAINTAIN my weight.

Thanks to all of my lovely followers- love you all!!!!



Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151186481348423&set=a.10151186481318423.465739.310314028422&type=3&theater

New Year's Goal- Update!

Yep, you read that correct! I only have FIVE... MILES... LEFT!!!

As most of you readers know, my goal as of January 1, 2012 was to run 365 miles in 365 days. When the new year started, I was NOT a runner. I had lost my weight by then (mostly by diet--- abs are made in the gym ;) & had just started to incorporate cardio into my routine after most of my weight was already shed. 

When you're heavier, everything is harder, especially CARDIO! It sucks to run while you feel yourself jiggling around... it's flat out DISCOURAGING!!!! But, you need to keep your eye on the prize and focus on the POSITIVE, which is YOU DOING CARDIO! Who cares if you think the skinny ultra ripped woman next to you is thinking "what in the heck is this girl doing?" More than likely she probably hasn't even noticed you, or if she has, she's probably thinking "you go girl!" Maybe she was in your shoes at one time?

I began my journey with running by using the Couch to 5K program. I absolutely LOVE and SWEAR by it!!!

It eases you into running and really makes it do-able. I'm serious, anyone can do this, you just have to stick with the routine. Even when it seems easy, keep on the regimen, they know what they are doing and it's for a reason... to train you!

So this year I have gone through my struggles with running.... Around March I was fighting shin splints REALLY bad. They got so bad that I could barley walk during the day. I think I just pushed myself to far & fast early. Sure enough, I worked through them. If I try to go too fast for too long, my shin splints still bug me. So my moto for myself---- SLOW & STEADY WINS THE PACE!! :)

My goal is to run a 1/2 marathon with my dad this summer & I definitely think I can do it! That's going to be my 2013 New Years Goal. 

It feels so nice to actually set fitness goals that I am able to attain!

I used to always set goals like "no chocolate" or something that is never...going...to...happen. Now I am achieving my dreams!

What are your goals?

You think I can achieve my 2013 goal? :)

Running- New years goal update!

My original new years goal was to run 365 miles in 365 days... 

Guess where I'm at?

Yep, you read it right. 22 miless!!!
It's only November 4th and I only have 22 miles to go. SO PROUD OF MYSELF!!!!!

My moto:

I giggled when I saw this!

& if you're struggling with your diet/fitness today (which is easy to do) then read this--- so true:

When you're more fit you feel better-- so get moving!! :)

Skinny potato soup

My soup is adapted from http://www.theyummylife.com/baked_potato_soup_recipe

• 6 baking potatoes -- cooked & mashed
• 2/3 cup flour (I used wheat)
• 6 cups 1 % skim milk
• 1 cup fat-fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup fat free greek yogurt

• Directions

Add flour to large pot. Slowly whisk milk into the flour--keep stirring until it's blended. 

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken (8-10 minutes). 

Add the mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is completely melted.
Stir in the greek yogurt.

Enjoy!!!

Fall & Christmas Door Decorations

Here's a few of my latest fall and Christmas door decorations! This year I have a fascination with burlap! Let me know if you like :)


Deco mesh pumpkin that I made for a friend:

Ryan & I's fall pumpkin:

A burlap pumpkin I made for another friend:

A leopard santa hat embellished with beads that I made:

A burlap ornament that I made:

I opened an etsy account, but don't have much inventory. Let me know if you'd like a door hanger and I can work with you regarding a style and price. I really enjoy creating them!

Still Alive!!!!

Hi All!
Sorry I haven't posted in SEVERAL months! I had a very busy summer consisting of working and doctor visits. My husband had been having "throat issues" for the past year or so, and to make a long story short, we have been going in circles.... until this summer and then we hit the ground running. Our primary care physician treated him with anti- acid medications, which didn't work, so he sent him to an ENT who had no idea what in the heck she was doing. Then he started having a hard time breathing and there was an extremely loud stridor sound(WHEEZING) whenever he would inhale. We were then sent to a respiratory specialists who performed a bronchoscopy and found out that he had tracheal stenosis. We were then sent to a thoracic surgeon, who actually ended up being a friends dad of mine, Dr. Hazelrigg. He then performed a tracheal dilatation on Ryan, which was an outpatient surgery and went just fine. He said Ryan's trachea was the size of a pencil head where it should be the size of a quarter or so. During the dilatation, Ryan's throat started bleeding a little, so he stopped in hopes of not creating a bronchospasm (which would cut off his breathing supply). We then scheduled his second dilatation a month later, and it worked out great, creating an airway the size of a quarter again! The dilatation's were both outpatient surgeries, so he was able to come home and recover. Dr. Hazelrigg's first goal was to solve the problem at hand (Ryan's breathing issue). His next goal was to find out what was causing the stenosis of his trachea. After several tests, another bronchoscopy and a 24 hour PH study, the conclusion was severe GERD (acid reflux). It was a very scary time for us, there was a possible complication of a tracheostomy if surgery didn't go as planned and also the scare of a possible tumor causing the stenosis. THANKFULLY the stenosis was just caused from inherited congenital GERD. Usually people can control the symptoms of GERD by diet and medications, but Dr. Hazelrigg was concerned because it had caused so much issues with his throat. Considering Ryan is only 25 years old, it is obvious that it is genetic, and it is serious. Dr Hazelrigg then discussed the surgery that he suggested for Ryan, a Nissen Fundoplication. The nissen fundoplication is performed laparoscopically with five small incision sites. Essentially, he wraps the upper portion of the stomach (the fundus) around the esophagus and sewn into place. The goal of this surgery is to strengthen the valve between the stomach and the esophagus to prevent acid from regurgitating back into the throat which causes breakdown of his throat tissue/ stenosis of his trachea. To make another story short, Ryan had the nissen fundoplication surgery done FRIDAY and is recovering so well! As far as post op goes, he can't lift weights and has to have a soft diet for 3-4 weeks until the post op appointment. The reason for the soft diet is to prevent any foods to get stuck in the wrap that he created (you can get a full of partial wrap and he created a full wrap for Ryan to prevent further complications down the road since he's so young). So I went out shopping for groceries for Ryan and I have also been researching ( thank you pinterest ) and cooking homemade "meals" for him. He is recovering so well! He is in minimal pain (thank you to high pain tolerance as well as pain medication) and he is in great spirits. My husband is such a great man and he is SO STRONG! He had an overnight stay for the nissen fundoplication surgery and he made sure to ensure that I had a pull out bed and that he thanked me 100000 times. I definitely am lucky and married the right guy! Not that he isn't SUPER lucky to have me ;) Ryan also got a new pair of Ariat cowboy boots. He's super pumped!


Thanks for listening to the long post- that is my "excuse" as to why I have not posted in several months. I know, it's horrible! I am still living a healthy lifestyle. I am cooking healthy and running daily. LOVE IT!!!
Cheers to happiness :)

Here's some pictures of our months (& months) journey to answers & health!

#1: Before Ryan's second bronchoscopy

#2: Before Ryan's first tracheal dilatation. "Keep calm and chive on!"

#3: On the way into the hospital-- Ryan's second tracheal dilatation. He's wearing his DAR tee shirt "Daily afternoon randomness." How handsome is he?! #lucky :)

#4: Before his BIG surgery-- the nissen fundoplication

#5: Same day--- he's a "chiver"  :)

#6: first day post op---- & he gets a surprise present from me!

#7: 5 small incision sites. He's in minimal pain, but it's easily controlled with PO Norco... He's such a trooper!

#8: His new Ariat cowboy boots. Happy hubby!

#9: Soft food diet for a month = THIS

#10: Thank goodness for my parents taking Bella boo for the night while we were in the hospital. This is a pic of her when we came home and gave her a new bone to chew. She thinks she's the queen of the house- she brings such happiness to us!

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers! Ryan totally kicked this surgery's butt and I am so happy and proud for him! God bless and thank you to all of our friends & family for everything :)

"Dump It" Freezer Meals

I've seen a lot of pinterest posts recently on "dump" meals, and it's gotten me really interested. I love cooking, as you can see from the majority of my posts, but it also takes a lot of time. Not only time in regard to the cooking, but time PLANNING. I have been slacking on the planning portion lately, which is a major no no when trying to eat healthy. I've been cooking a lot of the same meals; healthy cooked chicken nuggets, healthy baked chicken parm, etc. Good food, just boring after awhile. So I gathered a few recipes that sounded appetizing and healthy & headed to the grocery store.
On my list:
Crock pot orange chicken
Crock pot teriyaki chicken
Crock pot honey sesame chicken
Crock pot cranberry chicken

At the store I also grabbed some boneless pork chops, turkey meat, & beef stew meat on sale.
I didn't plan ahead for those three meats and didn't know of a healthy recipe off hand, so I froze the pork chops and beef stew meat for later use. I'll use the turkey meat tomorrow & make stuffed peppers. I picked up some zucchini and onions to use for the peppers, too.
In addition to other household expenses, my total was only $111.00! Subtracting the household & misc. expenses, I spent around $80.00 on food. That's for 7 meals, not including left overs. Since it's just my husband & I in my house, we have a lot of left overs, but we depend on those for our lunches the following day. We love leftovers! :) Needless to say, I was pretty proud of my money saving skills.
After googling several ways to "cook" the "dump it" meals, I was on my way to preparing several meals.
I made sure to buy a box of freezer zip lock bags at the store, too. Don't forget those!

A lot of the sites said to chop ALL of the vegetables (for all of the meals) together at one time, same for meat, etc. I can definitely see how that helps with time management, but I am still new to this, so it was hard for me to try to figure out what all I needed and such. So I trimmed the chicken all together, but I cut the vegetables one recipe at a time. In the future, once I get used to making seven meals at one time, I'll try that method.

All you do is dump the contents into the bag (unless there are other prepping directions), squeeze out all of the air, seal the bag, and label with directions. I'd suggest writing on the bag before adding any contents. I wrote the name of the meal, what day I prepared it, exp. date, and any instructions, for ex: cook on high for 4 hours. I know it may seem like common sense, but I am trying to add all of the instructions that are easy to forget. :)
I googled how long you can keep meat frozen for and it said about 6 months.

I also came up with WW+ points, but I am not sure they are 100% correct.
The great thing about using recipes that can be cooked in the crock pot is that you don't even have to defrost the bag... just take it out of the freezer and pop it right into the crockpot. So easy!

Here's the recipes:

Crock Pot Orange Chicken:
This is the one that actually has some preparation, so I started with this one and went from there.

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1/3 cup flour
1 T olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 T ketchup
4 oz frozen OJ concentrate, thawed
4 T brown sugar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 onions (I love onions, so I added more to the recipe)

In a bowl, combine and mix OJ concentrate, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, and red pepper flakes. Place in bag.
Pour flour in small bowl and cover chicken breasts with flour.

Brown chicken in a skillet. Cool completely. Place in bag.

Label: Cook high 2-3 hours or low 5-6 hours.
Serve with rice

Serves 8.
4 WW+/serving



Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken:
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce, low sodium
1/2 cup onion (I used more)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 cloves garlic, mined
4 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 6 T in water
sesame seeds
2 T vegetable oil

Place chicken breasts into bag.
In a bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour in bag with chicken. Mix, squeeze air out, and seal the bag.
Label with instructions:
Cook on high 3-4 hours.
Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce in it. Dissolve 4 tsp of cornstartch in 6 T water. Pour into CP with sauce, cook on high 10 minutes.
Cut chicken into bite size pieces, place in CP, and coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice or noodles.

Serves 4
5 WW+/serving


Crock Pot Cranberry Chicken:
5 boneless chicken breasts
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup fat free french dressing

Place chicken in bag, mix ingredients together in a bowl, pour in with chicken.

Label:
Cook on low 7 hours or high 4 hours.

Serves 5
8 WW+/serving


Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken:
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup soy sauce, low sodium
1 1/2 T cider vinegar
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed

Same instructions as previous recipe.
CP high 4 hours or low 8 hours.

Serves 4
3 WW+/serving




Here's the picture of my freezer. I forgot to mention to flatten the bags to save space.

Mother's Day

Who had a great mother's day???? This girl!!!!

Here's the outfit I wore after church:

All dressed up & ready for church:

The woman of the day: my momma!

Hubby & I:

My sister, nephew, and I:

Wonderful parents:

I got my mom one of Ruffleswithlove's shirts. I had to try it on because I got one for myself & had to compare sizes. Fits true to size and it even has an ADORABLE bow on the back. Please go to her etsy shop and buy at least one.... They are so cute & great for working out!

I got one that says " I WORKOUT!" it's funny :)

And of course my dad had to one up us all with buying my mom a new Burberry purse. So jealous :)

And to top off the presents, my nephew & I made a bouquet of his hands as flowers for his momma (my sis) He loves Mickey Mouse if you can't tell :)

All in all a GREAT mother's day. Thank you to my mom for being such a supportive and great mother who has turned into one of my very best friends. I hope to be as good of a mother as you are someday :) And a shout out to all of you mother's and mother's to be! :)

DIY glitter vase

I like wine, glitter, & DIY projects, so when I found this DIY project on pinterest, I thought it was perfect for me!


All you need is:
- Any bottle (I used a wine bottle that I had cleaned and removed all labels off of it)
-Any type of glitter you'd like
-Pledge floor care finish


All you do it pour the pledge in your bottle, swirl around, and empty the left over pledge back into the container. Next, you pour your glitter in your bottle and swirl until it covers all of your edges and pour the remainder of the glitter out. Then, YOU'RE DONE! So easy & cute.
The dilemma I had was that I ended up wanting to give Ryan's mom this vase and fill it with fresh flowers, which obviously wouldn't work because the water would wash away the glitter. So we ended up filling it with fake flowers. Still pretty.

Baked Tofu

I've never made tofu before, but I have tried it & to be honest, I wasn't a huge fan. It doesn't have a lot of taste (actually I didn't recall it having any taste) and it's texture is like a cooked egg. At a recent Weight Watcher's meeting, our leader demonstrated cooking Tofu on a skillet and it got Ryan and I kind of interested. It has so little points ( 3 WW+ for 3 oz) and is very minimal on calories, that we decided to give it a try. Did I mention it's super cheap? One block of it, which fed both Ryan & I and had enough for a left over for lunch, only cost us .. are you ready for it? $2.99! That's great. 

While on pinterest the other day, I came across a baked tofu recipe, so we decided to give it a try. We substituted the soy sauce for a low sodium teriyaki marinade simply because we didn't have any soy sauce at home, and I didn't have any paprika either... Oh well, it was still DELICIOUS! It turned out crispy & just delicious. We served it over a bed of brown rice. Try it out! Here's the link with the recipe. 

I'm a happy gal :)

You know what's nice about loosing all of this weight? Is the fact that I get to buy new clothes and actually have fun shopping :) Here's a hefty bag full of all of my way-too-big scrubs. Seriously, I tried them on and it was comical. It looked like I could be on the biggest loser. I wish! At least they would buy me a new wardrobe, right? Giving these to a friend and getting them out of the house because this chick will NOT be fitting into these sizes again. I'm here to stay.... this way..... only 20 lbs thinner :)

Q & A

My friend & fellow blogger, Meagan, recently tagged me in a fun "Q & A blogging game." If it involves "blogging" and "game", I am all for it. So here goes nothing!

1.  When you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A teacher. I would always play as a pretend teacher. 

2.  If you ever had to go to the ER or stay overnight at the hospital, what was it for?

Well I work in the ER, so I am pretty much there all the time ;)

But in all seriousness, the only major surgery I have had (other than a tonsillectomy & tubes when I was little) is an appendectomy when I was a sophomore in college. 

3.  What was the best thing that happened to you this week?

I finished the semester with flying colors! 2 more to go (1 year) & I'll be done!

4.  What were your best/worst subjects in school?

Best: Math & Biology

Worst: History... oh my my, I hated history

5.  What do you consider to the most valuable thing you own?  What would you have said 10 years ago?

I'd have to say it's a tough choice between my engagement/wedding rings and my car. My rings are not only valuable in regard to $$, but very meaningful and my car is valuable because it gets me from point A to point B!

 
6.  What is your favorite room in your house, and why?

Hmmm... that's a toughie. I'd have to say our living room because it's comfortable, decorated super cute, & where we spend the majority of our time together.

7.  You were just given a yacht, a Derby horse, and a countryside estate. What would you name each of them?

I'm not sure! 

8.  When was the last time you did something for the first time?  What was it?

Tonight! I cooked baked tofu & it was absolutely delicious.

9.  What did you like best about your hometown?

Everything! I absolutely love this town. It's small yet big enough, has several nice restaurants/bars, plenty of bike paths & parks, plenty of career opportunities, and is a great place to raise a family.

10.  What is the first thing you always put in your grocery cart?

A case of water and a case of Diet Dr. Pepper (yes, I drink diet soda...)   :)

Now it's my turn to come up with questions & your turn to answer them. 

1. What encouraged you to begin blogging?

2. What's your favorite go to healthy snack?

3. What's your guilty pleasure?

4. What's your favorite healthy week night meal?

5. Tell us about what you do for a living.

6. How'd you meet your significant other?

7. How do you keep your weight off?

8. What's your dream vacation?

9. Tell us about your work out routine?

10. Tell us about your usual every day food consumption?

Tag, you're it! :)

1. A Journey to Thin

2. All In My Twenties

3. Finding Joy in the Journey

4. Keeping it OFF

5. Life as a Nurs

6. Making Memories

7. Mama Laughlin

8. Miss Madison's Charmed Life

9. Running on Vegan

10. Tutus, Textbooks, & Treadmills

New Years Goal Mileage

200 Miles to go!!!!

Starting out with 365 miles to run in 365 days and now being down to 200 miles left feels AMAZING. Although my shin splints tried to set me back, I am working through them (yes, still....) and overcoming this obstacle! It feels great to have set a huge, yet realistic, goal as of January 1, 2012 and to KNOW that I AM going to accomplish this is just amazing. 

I'M ALIVE!!!!

Hello All! 
Good news: I'm still alive! Sorry I've been totally slacking on my blog, however, school is taken over as of lately! I have my mid-curricular test this upcoming Monday & our last test the following & then I'm done........ 1 more year!!!!
In order to go onto second year we have to pass with a certain score on our HESI, so I am extremely nervous!


I've been doing great with working out and eating healthy, although it is challenging. I will post my mileage when the semester is over. I am still struggling with my left shin splint...... STILL! I finally took a whole week (well, maybe just 6 days) off of running and have been running 1-2 miles every other day, but doing the elliptical everyday. I can't wait until it's completely healed because I am ready to start my mileage again!! About once a week I run at least 4 miles just to make sure I haven't "lost it," and I haven't... and I WON'T! I am determined to keep this weight off and even to loose my last 20lbs!


It's so motivating and reassuring to follow my fellow bloggers, so THANK YOU for being a great support system. I enjoy all of my bloggers. Sometimes when I don't feel like going to the gym or I feel like shoving something unhealthy into my mouth, I'll look up some of your blogs and it helps me.


I'll be sure to begin posting again as soon as school winds down. Have ya missed me? :)

DIY Chalkboard Painted Wine glasses/bottle

A couple of friends and I are hosting an engagement party for one of my best friends who just got engaged last month. When we were out one night, her fiance bought a bottle of wine to toast with and I saved the bottle to craft something with it. I decided on chalkboard paint.

I painted the bottle with a basic silver paint and let that dry. I then made a rectangular shape with painters tape to paint it with chalkboard paint. I also bought two wine glasses (from the dollar store) and painted their base with chalkboard paint. I bought a purple gerber daisy to put in the bottle. I still have yet to cut the stem a bit shorter, but you get the idea.

I'll be setting this up by the cake and food spread at the party. Look forward to pictures to be posted! :)

DIY Door Swag

If you know anything about me, you'd know that I love creating. A lot of the stuff I do doesn't turn out so hott, but I enjoy learning from it.

I love making door wreaths & swags. It started out that I made them for myself and my mom, but then people started asking if I could make them one, and since I love to create, I kindly obliged! I don't make much profit off of making them, but it's a fun craft to do when I have some free time. Here is my latest door swag for a friend!

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bites

A fellow blogger posted a delicious recipe and I decided to try it out. I have been experimenting with quinoa a lot lately and I have to say that I am enjoying it. Here's her blog, she has a lot of great recipes!

You'll need:

* 1 cup cooked quinoa

* 1 egg

* 1 can of chicken, chopped (or 1 cup of cooked chicken, chopped)

* 1 chopped onion

* 1/4 cup buffalo sauce

* 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (or whatever you prefer)

* 1/2 cup panko

* garlic salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix ingredients together.

Grease a mini muffin pan and pour mixture evenly into the tins.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Pour yourself some fat free ranch and ENJOY!!!!

Running Goal Update

Continuing to run and work out! Miles are quickly decreasing and I'm loving it. Still fighting my left leg shin splint. Ryan and I went to DICKS (a local sports store) tonight and bought a calf sleeve, which I'm wearing right now. I have also been RICE-ing it. Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate.

I have been running about 3 miles a day, but ran 5 miles tonight for the first time in awhile and it felt great!!!

Have a great week!