September 2011

The other day our family went for a picnic at the park and I remember thinking that I wished we had a nice bag for trips like that. Well, not long after that an opportunity fell in my lap to check out Veeshee’s great bags – can you guess what I went for? I found the perfect bag in Veeshee’s Beach Bag.

The best part of this bag? It came personalized! I chose to have our last name embroidered in orange, because I thought it would be a great contrast to the blue.

The embroidery turned out great – I loved Veeshee’s font choices and found one that was perfect for the bag. It was well-done and even on the inside of the pocket it was nice and neat.

I love this bag – it’s got plenty of room along with pockets to store smaller things.

I have to also mention the packaging, because that always makes a difference to me. If you think about which presents you wanted to open first as a child, they were always the prettiest/most colorful, right? Packaging forms your first impression, and the people from Veeshee clearly get it. The satin gray box and gold embossed logo expressed quality and told me right off the bat that something special was waiting inside. I absolutely love it when companies go the extra mile to present their products well – I know that I’d love to send a gift to someone from Veeshee, because they’d be getting something special, well-made and impressive (prices are reasonable, too, and include personalization). Monogrammed bags are something unique and practical that would make a great gift for a wide variety of people, in my opinion!

Great news! One of you will get to experience Veeshee for yourselves – I get to have a giveaway! The winner will get to pick their choice of any bag up to $30. This giveaway is open to all US residents. Entries will be accepted until the end of the day (midnight CST) Thursday, October 6.

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We had a whirlwind weekend, which was both amazing and exhausting!

First of all, we dropped Sally off to stay with friends while we were on our trip. She’s still a little uncertain of the car, but I could tell she liked having the windows rolled down. Ignore my squinty face. This is apparently the face I make while focusing on taking a picture!

Friday night Brian had plans to go to a concert with our friend Tim from college, so we met him for dinner in Dallas before the guys headed out. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Dallas, and the kids thought it was AWESOME – especially since we were on the ninth floor and had a small balcony! As a side note, I am totally in love with the Sheraton Preferred Guest program. We stayed at a Sheraton on our way back from Illinois this summer and earned 8,000 bonus points through a special promotion they were running. We used some for the hotel stay Friday night and just had to pay $30 for a suite. It was a small suite, granted. But $30 isn’t too shabby. I had promised the boys we’d do a movie and popcorn at the hotel without really thinking things through logistically. There were no kid-friendly things on TV, so we hooked up our portable DVD player… and the hotel shop didn’t have popcorn, but they were excited to get to pick out their own bags of chips to eat.

Saturday we got up and drove to Grapevine so I could spend the day with one of my best friends, Amber. She and I met at church camp back in high school but became really good friends during college. Brian and the boys hung out with her husband and kids while she and I went out for pedicures and shopping – I turn 30 this week, and Saturday was a great way to celebrate a little early. :) We also got feathers in our hair, which is something I don’t think I would’ve been brave enough to try without her, but I really like it (thanks, Amber)! Check out our cute feet and our hair – you can kind of see the feathers in this pic:

Sunday was a busy day – we got to visit with several different friends, one whom we hadn’t seen in over 10 years! When we go to the DFW area we’re typically visiting my parents, so there are a lot of friends we haven’t seen in a while. It was great to get the chance to see everyone (and we get to see my parents in a couple of weeks when they come out to visit us)!

We went and picked Sally up on our way in to town (Josie’s staying with someone else) – J was especially excited to be reunited with her, as you can tell:

She’s getting a little big for his lap, don’t you think? Anyway, although I know she had a great time at our friends’ house, she was glad to be home and crashed on the couch most of the evening – with her buddy right nearby.

So, all in all it was a great weekend… aside from a few meltdowns from the boys here and there. I swear, traveling throws their routines off SO much! They don’t nap at the normal times or sleep as much as they normally do, and I can always tell a difference in how they act.

I have to admit, though… I ate horribly! I ate a lot of Mexican food, which is a big weakness for me. With traveling, it would’ve been difficult to transport the Freshology meals with me to the hotel and then somehow store them frozen. I do know if you’re going to be somewhere on vacation for a week, for example, you can set up your meals  to be delivered to a different location while you’re there. For me, though, I am just picking back up on Monday right where I left off.

Watch my video below to find out how my weight fared as a result of this weekend’s eating out!

I recently got the chance to review some maternity wear from For Two Fitness, but there was a slight problem – I’m not pregnant! Thankfully we had a good friend who is, so she agreed to do a guest review.

Jen got to review the Ultimate Maternity Fitness Pants:

Here’s what she had to say:

 

Welcome to Friendly Friday! Friendly Friday begins at 8pm Central Thursday nights each week. We hope you’ll come back and join us again next week – and remember, the earlier you link up, the higher up on the list you are!

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Nicole at Our Pregnancy Roadtrip and Beyond shares experiences that she and her husband enjoy with their eight month old daughter, Blake, who is the love of their life.  They lost a baby while Nicole was 23 weeks pregnant, but now their lives are full of joy and adventure with Blake.   Not only can you see darling pictures of her and read about her adventures, but you can also read reviews on baby/infant products plus enter giveaways for family-friendly products on Nicole’s site.  Check out her ETSY shop to see the adorable headbands she makes for babies.  These would be great anytime but especially for special photos.

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Congratulations to all the winners! Elena, Angela, Catherine and Nancy have all won $25 in Del Monte Fresh Fruit Certificates, and Emma has won the backpack filled with supplies to donate to her favorite educator!

This week has been busy, and I have a feeling it’s just the start. In addition to my regular job I’m teaching adjunct classes where I work, all of which are online classes and take up evening time. This was a choice (and honestly, an opportunity I’m really excited about) but it’ll take some time settling in to a routine. I’m a little late with this post, because I felt like I had to prioritize – family and work have to take precedence over blogging, as much as I love it! Anyway, I’m excited to get caught up on my Freshology posts.

I’m still walking twice a week with my friend from work – it’s not in my nature to wake up really early voluntarily, but I’m really glad we’re committing to this. It feels good getting exercise in at the start of my day, and I think it makes me more aware of calories I intake because I remember working to burn off calories earlier in the day!

Monday Breakfast: Spinach & Caramelized Shallot Omelet (350 calories)

This was my least favorite egg dish I’ve had, which surprised me because I like shallots and actually like spinach when it’s with other things. I think there was almost too much spinach in this one, but that was easily solved by setting some off to the side. I love the variety Freshology provides, but the egg breakfasts with different fillings in between do start to feel a little repetitive. Part of that is probably more noticeable to me because I don’t typically gravitate towards protein-heavy breakfasts.

Lunch: Roasted Vegetable Mosaic Bowl (390 calories)

I liked most of this dish way more than I thought I would! I avoided mushrooms and lima beans but the squash, zucchini, peppers and rice were really good. I would’ve liked a little salt added, but I know that part of the benefit of Freshology is that they make the effort to keep things low in sodium.

Dinner: Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce (430 calories)

I really liked the sweet potatoes with this dish, and I liked the chicken itself a lot. I have to admit I scraped the mushrooms off to the side – I loved the flavor they provided but I can’t get past the texture of cooked mushrooms. I like brussel sprouts more than I did before starting Freshology, but they’re still not going to ever be added to my favorites list. :)

Dessert: Sweet Potato Chip Cookies (120 calories)

Tuesday Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon French Toast with Turkey Bacon (350 calories)

This was a good breakfast! I liked folding the toast over some of the apples to make a little sandwich of sorts – I didn’t even use the syrup. The turkey bacon was good, but I do think I can tell a difference between cooking it from fresh and from frozen. The peaches were good – it reminded me almost of a cobbler filling.

Lunch: Beef & Barley Stew (270 calories)

The flavors of this stew were great! Totally reminded me of something I’d have on a cool fall day. The barley added some heartiness to the dish and was great with the beef. I did avoid the mushrooms and peas, being the picky person that I am.

Dinner: Vegetarian Meatloaf with Succotash & Sweet Potatoes (450 calories)

Hm. Combining meatloaf + vegetables didn’t bode so well for me. The sauce was awesome, sweet potatoes were good… but I picked at this one.

Dessert: Marshmallow Cloud (170 calories) – YUM!

Overall I feel like this week is off to a good start, and I’m figuring out how to juggle everything (and fit in some sleep). I’m really glad that despite a busy, stressful week I haven’t been resorting to comfort snacking like I might have in the past. Here’s hoping the rest of the week goes just as well!

Do Americans like buying cars?

We’ve had our Mazda 5 for a year now, and although we love owning it, we didn’t enjoy the negotiating process. I did my research, finding out trade in value for our old car and a reasonable price for the Mazda, and that helped. How do you feel about buying a new car?

Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/3

So, I crawled through a mud pit this weekend. Voluntarily.

Have you ever heard of the Warrior Dash? Well, our city had a family-friendly version – a three-mile walk/run complete with obstacles and a mud pit at the finish. My friend Chemese and I decided to give it a try, and we’re so glad we did! This was a lot more fun than the typical 5K with the extra challenges added.

Here we are before and after the event… just a slight difference.

I went straight from the run to meet the guys and some friends at Chick Fil A, because they were offering free breakfast and we couldn’t pass that up! In the rush to get out the door for the run I hadn’t eaten breakfast, so I did order an 8-pack of nuggets (260 calories). I know I burned more than that on the run!

We’ve spent a large part of the weekend doing things around the house – I was suddenly struck with the need to get more organized (I’m sure Brian was so happy to be included in this whim of mine). We have some lockers we got for free a while back that need some work- the paint was scratched and rusting. I primed them and then started to spray a coat of paint on them, but the paint wasn’t spraying out evenly so I decided to wait until later to work more. Lesson learned: wear gloves while spraying paint… even after scrubbing my hands, I still look wounded:

Once the lockers are all finished I’ll show you before and after shots. We’re going to put them in the playroom to help organize toys, and I think it’ll be a really nice, fun solution. Let’s just hope I’m not covered in red paint too by the time I’m finished with them.

Let’s take a look at food for the weekend:

Saturday Breakfast: Pancakes with Turkey Bacon & Spiced Peaches (320 calories)

Great breakfast. I skipped the syrup and spread 2 teaspoons of peanut butter between the two pancakes, and it was so good! I liked this breakfast too because it’d be one that’s fairly easy to eat on the go (aside from the fruit). I ended up eating mine later in the day since I was out all morning with the run.

Lunch: Southwestern Chicken Soup with Grilled Focaccia (410 calories)

This was a good, spicy soup with plenty of chicken and veggies. The foccacia bread got tough in the microwave, but that actually was perfect for soaking up soup. I was a little surprised at how many calories were in this meal – maybe because of the bread?

Dinner: Braised Pork with Whole Grain Mustard Glaze & Butternut Squash (330 calories)

I’ll be honest – when I peeled back the film the pork did not look very appetizing! Once I tasted it, though, I was won over. It was incredibly tender and flavorful. I would have loved a little spicy BBQ sauce to go with it, but even just as it was I enjoyed it a lot. The squash was slightly sweet and balanced nicely against the saltiness of the pork. And the green beans were perfect! Just the right texture and amount of seasoning.

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Caramel Cookies (130 calories)

Sunday Breakfast: Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal With Roasted Pineapple (370 calories)

I never thought I’d look forward to eating oatmeal so much but I actually really like it! Cinnamon has always been a favorite flavor for me too, so this was especially good. I haven’t typically loved the reheated fruit – I prefer it fresh – but the roasted pineapple was good. It almost seemed like a dessert, and I really enjoyed it.

Lunch: Cajun Shrimp & Wild Rice Bowl (350 calories)

Brian ate this one… like I’ve mentioned before I just don’t like seafood at all, especially shrimp! I was able to avoid seafood on the Gold plan but receive 2-3 meals each week on the Silver plan that have seafood in them. It’s not a huge issue for me since I just have Brian eat those and then I find a low-calorie alternative. I believe you’re typically able to avoid proteins while on the Silver plan, so there may just be an issue with my settings.

Dinner: Jerk Tofu with Mango Wild Rice (430 calories)

This is really a nicely composed dish, don’t you think? When I opened this one I thought immediately how visually striking it is. The sauce on the tofu added some good spicy flavor, but the texture of it still throws me off. If you’ve had tofu before you’d probably really enjoy this dish – I think it must be an acquired taste, though! The broccolini and red peppers were a great side dish.

Dessert: Peach Cobbler (110 calories)

Here’s my video, tacked on a little late because I shot it at lunch Monday (9/12). You can get a glimpse of my office and find out how much weight I lost this past week!

I thought about not posting anything… it’s not like anyone could forget what happened, and media is almost oversaturated with coverage as it is.

I have thought about it all day,though, so it only seemed right to put my thoughts down and process them a little.

Like everyone else, I can remember the day as if it were yesterday. I was a junior in college and was asleep at my apartment when I awoke to the phone ringing. It was my mom, and she told me the country had been attacked.

I was alone, my roommate off at class. As I hung up the phone, I initially felt numb. I hopped in the shower to quickly get ready – I wanted to get on campus and be with Brian and my friends.

As the water poured down on my head I started to sob. The world as I knew it had instantly changed. I had been living in a peaceful little bubble and now I was hit with the realization of just how dangerous the world could be.

Once on campus I sat with friends watching coverage. I was shocked by the images of the planes hitting the towers and sickened as I watched terrified, desperate people plummet from their buildings. At that point some planes were still unaccounted for, so there was also the underlying fear that another strike was imminent.

I was affected profoundly by 9/11. For months I had anxiety attacks, certain that the next terrorist attack was right around the corner. I even wanted to avoid busy places that might be attractive targets for attacks. I had trouble sleeping, often having nightmares with some thread of the 9/11 terror woven in.

Slowly I started to come out from under that cloud of fear. The sadness surrounding that day will never leave – whenever I remember the day, I always think about those who lost their lives or lost loved ones… those people who got urgent goodbyes, or those who still are left with uncertainty all these years later, their loved ones never found. But I began to feel normal again. A new normal; a little less trusting, a little more cautious, but also stronger.

I read a great quote on a marquee today: “Worrying doesn’t rob tomorrow of its sorrow; it robs today of its joy.” I don’t know what the future holds, but if 9/11 taught me anything it was to value and cherish today. To hug my family and friends, laugh with my children and keep their world innocent as long as I can. To have faith that if something happens again, we will make it through stronger than before.

The school year is underway and there’s a whole new batch of students starting out their college journey. I think this graphic below is timely in sharing info about what typical costs are and how students are paying for them.

Filling the Gap: How Students Pay for College

Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/3

You’d think that after having Monday off for Labor Day that this week would fly by, but it’s been such a busy week that it felt longer than normal. Today I woke up feeling like I was fighting off getting sick, which wouldn’t be all that surprising since apparently strep is going around. Thankfully I felt better as the day wore on, although I’m still not at 100%. I’ll be heading to bed soon – I’m hoping for a productive day tomorrow!

In the morning my friend Chemese and I are braving a 3-mile walk/run – from the description, I get the feeling it’ll be a tamer version of the Warrior Dash. Regardless, it sounds like a fun way to get in some exercise. Wish us luck!

In the spirit of getting to bed early, let’s go ahead and talk about food for the day:

Breakfast: Soy Chorizo Egg Stack with Roasted Mango (330 calories)

Completely forgot to take a photo of this one, but I actually had it while on the Gold plan, so you can see a photo of it here if you’d like. It tasted just as good as I remembered it from last time – I seriously would never guess I wasn’t eating real chorizo with the eggs! It combines my love of breakfast with my love of Mexican food – can’t go wrong there!

Lunch: Roasted Provencal Vegetable Pizza (330 calories)

When it comes to pizza, I’m generally a cheese pizza kind of girl. I’ve ventured into different toppings, but would never have thought I’d like a veggie pizza. This was really good! I don’t know what all vegetables were included in the toppings, but I think that’s a good thing. The crust was crunch and a great texture against the soft veggies and stringy cheese. It was really filling, too!

Dinner: Braised Beef with Brussels Sprouts and Red Quinoa (360 calories)

The beef was SO good! It reminded me of a great home-cooked pot roast. The meat was tender and the gravy added a TON of flavor. I also liked adding some of the gravy to the quinoa to add a little flavor to that component. The brussels sprouts were a little too tender for my liking, but the peppers provided a nice hint of spice.

Dessert: Zucchini Bundt Cake (140 calories)

I’ll post tomorrow to let you know how the run goes!

This week has been harder, I’m noticing! Not as much of a challenge as when I first started Freshology, but I can tell that after having a few days “off” I’m having an adjustment period. Even though I tried to be careful while I was on my own, I think I still ate a larger quantity of food than I normally do, so now my stomach needs to shrink back down and get used to eating less food again.

Wednesday Breakfast: Signature Granola with Raspberry Yogurt (380 calories)

I really liked the granola and yogurt, and especially liked that the granola included pistachios (yum!) – but I wasn’t a huge fan of the fruit. I think that’s something I’ll have to get used to with the frozen meals, because I typically don’t eat fruit unless it’s fresh.
Lunch: Vegetarian Meatballs with Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (400 calories)

I was nervous about this one because I have to admit that hearing “vegetarian” makes me assume it won’t be as good as the real deal – now do you get where the title of this post comes from? I was pleasantly surprised! I did break up the meatballs and mixed everything up in the sauce, but all in all this was a really good lunch.
Dinner: Turkey Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce (390 calories)

I have never been one to eat meatloaf. I was apparently one of the few American children who didn’t grow up with this as a staple meal item (thanks, mom!) so the first time I remember having it was in high school. I have mixed opinions on the Freshology version. The sauce was great – amazing, really. Full of flavor and something I’d eat on pasta any day. The meatloaf tasted good and even had a good texture to it, but it just looked weird to me, so I had to make myself not think about it (or look at it) while I ate. The green beans and mashed potatoes were good, although the potatoes tasted a little more like instant potatoes than homemade.

Dessert: Marble Cheesecake (160 calories)

Thursday Breakfast: Banana Pecan Muffin With Vanilla Cream (370 calories)

Notice that this is still in the package? Wellll I didn’t grab this out until this morning and only then realized that this was a meal to be defrosted overnight. I stuck it in my fridge and later got the muffin out to have, but the yogurt and fruit were still frozen. The muffin was GREAT, though – it tasted just like banana bread so it felt like a real treat.

Lunch: Thai Style Chicken Bowl with Buckwheat Soba Noodles (440 calories)

Great, flavorful lunch option. The noodle bowls from the Gold plan rate a little higher, but overall this was good. The breaded chicken was a nice touch because it makes it feel a little less “health-food.”

Dinner: Eggplant Parmesan Pasta (470 calories)

Another vegetarian meal! I’ve had eggplant parmesan before and didn’t love it, but this was actually really good. I also noticed, between this and the meatballs from lunch on Wednesday, that Freshology adds in spinach with their pasta sauce. What a great idea! I barely even noticed it, and just think of the added nutrition it provides. You could even puree the spinach before adding it to sauce to allow it to blend even more.

Dessert: Carrot Cake (120 calories)

Although the food on the Silver plan is really good, I do miss the freshness that the Gold plan provides. It also seems like the calorie totals for the day tend to range more around 1,400 calories versus the 1,200 calorie totals on the Gold plan. I will be incorporating more exercise to try and burn off the difference and keep losing weight at a good pace.

Do you have any good tips for incorporating exercise into your routine?