My weight loss review thus far.......

So i've been watching my calories to try to stay at 1600 a day. I really try to hit near that number because after all, eating too little isn't beneficial to weight loss. I've done extremely well so far and have lost 3 pounds already since I started this (about a week thus far).

I haven't been feeling well so my water intake decreased for a couple days, but today i'm back on the bandwagon.

On my last grocery trip I purchased some 100 calorie snacks for myself. I have a serious sweet tooth normally, although it's gone down since I stopped eating 2 candy bars a day. I picked up some Hostess cake things that have the creme-filling in the middle (you know, the chocolate cupcake looking ones?), and a box of 100 calorie Orville Redenbacker popcorn. I've been eating Cream of Wheat for breakfast (only 130 calories for a packet and it's filling). Oatmeal is also a great choice because you get a large portion for only 160 calories or less.

Anyway, i'm making progress! Do you have any tried and true weight loss tips?

Loose Meat Sandwiches

Loose meats are on my menu for this week and I had an inquiry as to what they are. So, I thought I would share the recipe.

Loose Meats

1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 lb. ground chuck
1/2 c. tomato juice
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet (can omit if you can't find this)

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute garlic in oil until it begins to brown. Add onion and saute until soft. Add meat, stirring constantly with a fork to keep it crumbly. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to brown meat. Simmer until dry, about 15-20 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

*Just a note: I found Kitchen Bouquet in the aisle with the BBQ sauce and liquid smoke. I didn't realize that it was a liquid and not a blend of seasonings.

Weekly To-Do

April 27, 2009 - May 3, 2009


HAVE TO DO:
[X] [X] DS soccer practice
[X] DS retake soccer pictures and game
[X] Doc appt. for me
[X] Dentist appt. for DS
[X] Laundry
[X] Pick up house
[X] Menu plan/grocery shopping
[X] Call for postpartum appt.

NEED TO DO:
[ ] Repot plant (am I procrastinating or what? This has been on my list for several weeks.)
[X] See about playgroup for DD
[X] [ ] [ ] Month 1 strength training exercises
[X] [ ] [ ] Yoga workout
[/] [/] [X] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Drink 2 quarts of water each day

WANT TO DO:
[X] Get a mani/pedi (appt for Friday)
[ ] Start a new book
[ ] Get out cookbooks and put away
[ ] Go through cabinets to check for expired items

Menu Plan Monday

Chad goes back to work this week so i'll be home with the 2 younger kids. I want to try out at least one new recipe this week.

Monday- Ordered pizza

Tuesday- Tacos

Wednesday- Cheesy ham and potatoes

Thursday- BBQ Crockpot Ribs w/roasted potatoes

Friday- Hamburger Helper w/peas and bread and butter

Saturday- Loose Meats

Sunday- Chicken Quesadillas

Ideas for Inventions

Today I realized something else that someone should invent (in addition to my other post about postpartum clothing)....a short-sleeved sleeper for infants. Chad said I should just cut the sleeves and hem them up and make one myself, which I might just do to see how it works. It can't be that hard, right?

I'm full of ideas for things someone else should invent. haha If only I were that creative I would invent things myself and make lots of money. :)

Favorite Blogs

Today I wanted to share some of my favorite blogs to visit. The first one was brought to my attention by my mom. It's called The Mock Dock. Beware, this site is not for anyone easily offended, however, it is a hilarious site. It contains some celeb gossip, funny videos, pictures, etc.

The second was also brought to my attention by my mom. It's called The Pioneer Woman. The woman who runs this site actually lives on a ranch and has recipes galore, along with amazing photos and more on her site.What are some of your favorite blogs?

What does your garden grow?

The weather has been beautiful here the past three days. Yesterday was in the upper 80's and today is supposed to be the same. The sun is shining and the trees are budding and starting to get green.

I planted my front flower bed yesterday with Addison's help. We put in begonias, dusty millers, a hosta, and an impatien. I would love to get some more plants to keep in big pots in the front and back. I really want some caladiums but haven't found any already started plants yet in any of the stores, just the bulbs. Maybe i'll get some bulbs and put them in a big pot.

I also want to make a fairy garden. I think the kids would have a great time with that. Unfortunately we are going to have to take our gazebo down. Chad put it back up yesterday and then we had high winds during the night with a storm that rolled through. It was leaning pretty badly this morning, but is fixed now. However, more strong winds are predicted for the weekend and it can't take much more of a beating. We'll just have to put it away until we move somewhere with less wind I guess.

Please enjoy this beautiful day!

Weekly To-Do List

April 20th, 2009 - April 26th, 2009

HAVE TO DO:
[X] Eli 2 week well-baby appt.
[X] [ ] Samuel soccer practice
[ ] Samuel soccer game
[X] Samuel dentist
[X] Laundry
[ ] Walk 2 miles this week

NEED TO DO:
[ ] Re-organize cabinets
[ ] Repot Peace Lily

WANT TO DO:
[X] Work on front flower bed

Menu Plan Monday

There are some things from last week that will carry over to this week. I think this week will be an easy meal week since Chad will be off work and the weather is supposed to be great!

Monday- Homemade Pizza

Tuesday- *Soccer practice* Macaroni and cheese

Wednesday- Hamburgers/hotdogs on the grill, corn on the cob

Thursday- *Soccer practice* Breakfast for dinner (pancakes?)

Friday- Steak on the grill, veggie, salad

Saturday- Spaghetti w/salad, veggie

Sunday- Best Creamy Enchiladas

Spring weather is finally here!

After going back and forth with temperatures, snow and rain I think Spring is finally making a more permanent appearance. From now into the next week the temps are supposed to be in the 60's, 70's, and 80's! There are storms coming tonight but it's supposed to be nice after that.

I have really been wanting to get out in my flower bed and plant something, problem is, I don't know what's already in there. There's a plant of some type starting to come up, it appears to be some type of bulb, but I have no idea what it's going to be yet. I don't want to accidentally kill anything that might already be in there from the people who previously lived here, but I do want to plant some things of my own.

I'm thinking some Dusty Millers (one of my favs) and some showy flowers that will bloom for a good part of the summer. I bought some brighly colored pinwheels from the Dollar Tree a while back just to put in the front. I also have various metal garden bugs/animals on stakes that are in the flower bed right now. There's a ladybug, butterflies, dragonflies, turtle, etc. They are pretty cute.

I would still love to deck out the back porch as well, but my gazebo got damaged by the wind (imagine that in Kansas) and we can't really put the canopy back on it for fear that it will damage the iron pieces even more. I had a great vision of what I wanted the back porch to look like but now i'll have to revise that.

What are you planning for your garden?

Someone should really

design a line of postpartum clothing!! You know, something that will suck in the flabby extra skin that's been stretched by the little life you were growing inside you. Most anyone who has had a baby has experienced the in-between phase after pregnancy where you can't fit into your normal clothes and wearing maternity clothes just doesn't feel right. We're doomed to sweats and stretchy pants or simply staying at home because we have nothing to wear.

I'm a person who likes to get out of the house frequently and i'm getting really frustrated with my lack of wardrobe. I have 1-2 pairs of stretchy/workout type pants that I can comfortably wear and 1 pair of maternity jeans that i'm still wearing for lack of anything else. Shirts are a totally different story and I have very few of those. Nothing I put on makes me feel comfortable enough to be seen in public so I find myself wearing a jacket to cover the squishy belly. I constantly feel like a slob.

I tried on several pairs of jeans today and couldn't find anything to fit right so I gave up. I want to start hitting the exercise hot and heavy but it's too soon yet. Eli is only 11 days old and i'm still not up to par physically. So, i've been cutting back on food, which leaves me starving all day long.

Anyway, enough of my rant, but i'm sure most of you can sympathize. If anyone knows a good line of clothing or undergarment wear that really holds in that tummy, please let me know!

Short Term Goals

So far I haven't really done anything in regards to my goals for the year. I couldn't really do anything health wise because I was pregnant. Now that i've had the baby I need to get busy working on myself inside and out. My plan is to make a weekly schedule starting Monday April 20th. Each week I will eliminate something or add an exercise. So far this is my tentative schedule:

Week of April 20th
Eliminate soda and drink lots of water- I don't drink that much soda to begin with, but I would like to completely eliminate it for a while from my diet, at least until I get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I would say caffeine but I just got my regular coffee back and I only have 1-2 cups a day, plus it's supposed to be good for you!

Week of April 27th
Walk 1 mile every day (weather permitting)- The loop we live on is exactly 1 mile all the way around. We were walking it regularly, when the weather was nice, when I was pregnant and I would like to continue doing so. Walking is a great way to start getting back in shape.

Week of May 4th
Eliminate eating out for the entire month- We try not to eat out much, but lately we have been. I would like to completely stop eating out, not only for health reasons but financial as well.

Week of May 11th
Eliminate junk food- I have a definite sweet tooth and like to eat my sweets. I plan to completely cut out candy and pastries, anything junkie like that. I will substitute granola bars, carrots, nuts, etc. My whole family needs to do this. I will start on this in Week 1, but plan to have it eliminated for sure by this week.

Week of May 18th (postpartum checkup week)
Check into and possibly start a yoga class- This week I am 6 weeks postpartum and should have my checkup. There is a yoga class offered on base and I would like to try it out, after I get cleared by the doc. If I don't end up doing the yoga class I plan to start going to the gym at least 3 times a week beginning this week.

Weekly To-Do

Now that the new baby has arrived i'm going to need a list more than ever to remember exactly what I have to do every week.

HAVE TO DO:
[X] Grocery store
[X] Make menu plan for week
[X] WIC appt. (Wed)
[X] Vet for Daisy (Wed)
[X] Samuel dentist appt. (Thurs)
[X] Samuel soccer game (Thurs)
[X] Samuel practice (Tues)

NEED TO DO:
[ ] Clean house
[X] Laundry
[X] Wash bedding
[ ] Organize baby's room

WANT TO DO:
[ ] Repot Peace Lily (still haven't done this)
[ ] Get Starbucks (i've been saving it for my after baby treat)
[X] Start going to gym
[X] Make a health schedule for myself to get back in shape

Menu Plan Monday

I have been menu planning just haven't had time lately to post them. So here is my plan for this week.

Monday- Traveling most of day so whatever night

Tuesday- Spaghetti w/homemade sauce, garlic bread, veggie

Wednesday- Cheesy chicken and rice bake

Thursday- Country Pasta

Friday- Ham steak w/augratin potatoes

Saturday- Homemade pizza

Sunday- Roast w/potatoes, rolls, veggie

Hello Hello!

I'm so sorry that i've slacked so much on my blog! Ever since Chad returned and we moved things have just been non stop.

My most recent MAJOR news is that we had our baby! Eli Michael joined us on April 5, 2009 at 4:02 p.m. He weighed 8lbs. 3oz. and was 21 inches long (my biggest baby out of the 3). We got released on Tuesday and have been trying to adjust to life with 3 kids ever since.

Once we get a routine down and things settle a bit I hope to start posting regularly again.