I'm stoked that fall is really starting to show its face around here. We have a huge window in our living room that looks out over a field, and we have a great view of the trees at the park right across that field. We also have a huge tree in our front yard, right by the window, and all day long, golden leaves have been falling, falling, falling! All of the fall colors are gorgeous, and it puts me in a great mood!
Today I hit a milestone that I didn't think I'd hit again for a while: I weigh 129.5! I haven't seen the 120's in months now. In fact, just a month and a half ago, I weighed 137. My goal weight is 120, but that's only if I can tone myself up. If I stay flabby and reach 120... that'd just look gross. So, for now, I'm just shooting for 125, and gosh darnit, I'm going to maintain it!
Boo-hoo moment: Losing weight means jeans don't fit. :(
And be jealous. I've had a roast in the oven since 11, and I'm not serving it until 4:30ish. It smells FANTASTIC IN HERE. I'm also going to have Phil bring home some apples after his tennis match so that I can make an apple cobbler... if his parents are visiting. I won't know until they get here, since no one likes to answer their phones! :) (If they aren't coming, I'll just make applesauce, or whole wheat apple pancakes to have in the freezer. No use making a whole cobbler just for the four of us.)
I played tennis with Phil yesterday for the first time in over a month, and it was so much fun. I did really good! I'm getting a little more consistent. If I could play a few times a month, that'd be fantastic. I have a great time doing that. In fact... Phil was the one that suggested we stop for the night! I just wanted to keep hitting and practicing my serves. I hope I can get back out on a court soon.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Short-term Problems Create Long-term Goals
My husband was coaching a tennis match until about 5 PM yesterday, and I knew that once he got home that I needed to go do homework, so cooking dinner just wasn't on my "to do" list. So, I texted him and told him that we were just going to get a pizza and call it a night. Easy, no clean up, kids will eat it... plus, we don't eat pizza often at all, so it's a nice treat.
UGH.
My skin felt NASTY within twenty minutes of eating that pizza! And I was bloated and uncomfortable, and I only had two pieces. Ugh, ugh, ugh.
So, I have created a long-term goal for myself: NO FAST FOOD.
This goal will:
POSSIBLY - Lower my weight and clear my skin up
MOST DEFINITELY - Save money!
This isn't just a goal for myself; it's for my whole family. It is cheaper and healthier to just pack sandwiches and fruit if I know that we're going to be on the road during a mealtime, so why in the world am I not doing that? Because we live in freakin' America! Just driving home from Kroger in our town, we pass literally ten fast food restaurants. It's sad.
On a different (though related) note, I got raspberry ketone capsules at the urging of a friend yesterday, and took the first two today. I am going to take two everyday and see if it helps with my energy. She told me that she has lost three pounds in three weeks while on it (accompanied by a good diet and exercise, of course) and that she doesn't get bloated anymore, so it sounds like something I'd really like! It doesn't seem gimmicky, at the very least!
So, I am going to start keeping a tally of my fast-food-free days. My short-term goal is three months, which I know I can do. We really don't get it TOO often... My long-term goal is a year. I know, that's really lofty, especially considering the roadtrip that I'll be taking in March (going down to Hilton Head, SC with the tennis teams and Phil's parents for spring break). If the kids get hungry, I have to feed them, obviously, so I'm going to pack a cooler full of sandwiches and goodies for on the way down. No reason to spend a lot of money on fast food when I'll have even faster (and healthier) food already at the ready! :)
BY THE WAY! I made the chocolate chip muffins with the whole wheat muffin base, and oh my gosh, they are DIVINE. They taste better than those horribly awesome mini chocolate chip muffins that you can get in the sealed bags at the grocery store, and I know that these at least SOME health to them, haha! I also made sour cream drops (cookies) with cranberries in them, and the kids loved them. They only have 1/4 cup shortening and 3/4 cup sugar, so they are by far the healthiest "non-health" cookies I have found.
UGH.
My skin felt NASTY within twenty minutes of eating that pizza! And I was bloated and uncomfortable, and I only had two pieces. Ugh, ugh, ugh.
So, I have created a long-term goal for myself: NO FAST FOOD.
This goal will:
POSSIBLY - Lower my weight and clear my skin up
MOST DEFINITELY - Save money!
This isn't just a goal for myself; it's for my whole family. It is cheaper and healthier to just pack sandwiches and fruit if I know that we're going to be on the road during a mealtime, so why in the world am I not doing that? Because we live in freakin' America! Just driving home from Kroger in our town, we pass literally ten fast food restaurants. It's sad.
On a different (though related) note, I got raspberry ketone capsules at the urging of a friend yesterday, and took the first two today. I am going to take two everyday and see if it helps with my energy. She told me that she has lost three pounds in three weeks while on it (accompanied by a good diet and exercise, of course) and that she doesn't get bloated anymore, so it sounds like something I'd really like! It doesn't seem gimmicky, at the very least!
So, I am going to start keeping a tally of my fast-food-free days. My short-term goal is three months, which I know I can do. We really don't get it TOO often... My long-term goal is a year. I know, that's really lofty, especially considering the roadtrip that I'll be taking in March (going down to Hilton Head, SC with the tennis teams and Phil's parents for spring break). If the kids get hungry, I have to feed them, obviously, so I'm going to pack a cooler full of sandwiches and goodies for on the way down. No reason to spend a lot of money on fast food when I'll have even faster (and healthier) food already at the ready! :)
BY THE WAY! I made the chocolate chip muffins with the whole wheat muffin base, and oh my gosh, they are DIVINE. They taste better than those horribly awesome mini chocolate chip muffins that you can get in the sealed bags at the grocery store, and I know that these at least SOME health to them, haha! I also made sour cream drops (cookies) with cranberries in them, and the kids loved them. They only have 1/4 cup shortening and 3/4 cup sugar, so they are by far the healthiest "non-health" cookies I have found.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Sick Kids and Carbolicious Breakfasts
Sorry for the lull in posts. Grad school and two sick kids has had me down a little bit. I haven't tried making anything new yet, but tomorrow I am going to make another batch of bread (the first batch has lasted us forever! Just now taking the last loaf out of the freezer to thaw). I think I'm going to do a honey wheat this time.
Tomorrow, I am going to make more whole wheat muffins-- one batch blueberry, and one batch chocolate chip. The base for the apple muffins would be a good vehicle, since they freeze AWESOME! I defrosted one for myself today on low for a minute, then microwaved for 30 seconds, and it was fantastic. These muffins don't have much of a shelf-life, though, if made with apples, because the apples will oxidize, even after baking. I found that out when I opened one up a couple of days after making them and the apple chunks had turned red. I didn't see any harm with eating them, but nonetheless, I pitched the few that were left uneaten and just focused on the ones in the freezer.
The breakfast cookies are a BIG HIT in this house. Both the husband and David (and me, too!) love them. David requests them, and the frozen ones, just like the muffins, thaw on the counter/defrost in microwave without compromising the taste or texture. Perfect for this family. If I have a mixture of muffins, whole wheat/flax pancakes, and those cookies in my freezer at all times, I think that David will always be set for breakfasts and I won't be scrambling around trying to figure out what to feed him when we're running late for school.
All that being said-- I wish David would eat something else for breakfast, but like I said, he does not like eggs. Some mornings, he will eat a cheesestick for breakfast.. yes, strange, I know, but we've all had those "I don't want breakfast foods" mornings. I don't like how carby his first meal typically is, but if it's whole wheat (and he doesn't really get bad carbs the rest of the day) then I don't feel as bad, especially since I know he'll burn it all up with his energy levels.
David has been requesting cookies lately, which he doesn't typically get, anyway, but I thought I'd oblige, so earlier I set out to make a batch of sour cream cookies. I creamed together the shortening and the sugar, and reach for the next ingredient-- an egg-- only to remember that Phil hardboiled all of the eggs this morning. So, the creamed shortening and sugar are sitting in the fridge right now, waiting for Phil to bring home some eggies. The kids won't eat a ton of them, and since the recipe makes roughly 30 cookies, and the dough freezes well, I can bake up four at a time (since Phil and I don't need them) and the kids can have a little treat here and there. They aren't healthy, sure, but they're small, and every kid deserves a cookie sometimes! :)
As soon as this cold is over (and I'm sure that's when a new one will start, with David in preschool and Phil working at a college), I will start experimenting again. For now, I just want to seclude myself in my bedroom because I'm cutting my darn wisdom teeth. Boohoo. I'm not a happy camper, at all.
Tomorrow, I am going to make more whole wheat muffins-- one batch blueberry, and one batch chocolate chip. The base for the apple muffins would be a good vehicle, since they freeze AWESOME! I defrosted one for myself today on low for a minute, then microwaved for 30 seconds, and it was fantastic. These muffins don't have much of a shelf-life, though, if made with apples, because the apples will oxidize, even after baking. I found that out when I opened one up a couple of days after making them and the apple chunks had turned red. I didn't see any harm with eating them, but nonetheless, I pitched the few that were left uneaten and just focused on the ones in the freezer.
The breakfast cookies are a BIG HIT in this house. Both the husband and David (and me, too!) love them. David requests them, and the frozen ones, just like the muffins, thaw on the counter/defrost in microwave without compromising the taste or texture. Perfect for this family. If I have a mixture of muffins, whole wheat/flax pancakes, and those cookies in my freezer at all times, I think that David will always be set for breakfasts and I won't be scrambling around trying to figure out what to feed him when we're running late for school.
All that being said-- I wish David would eat something else for breakfast, but like I said, he does not like eggs. Some mornings, he will eat a cheesestick for breakfast.. yes, strange, I know, but we've all had those "I don't want breakfast foods" mornings. I don't like how carby his first meal typically is, but if it's whole wheat (and he doesn't really get bad carbs the rest of the day) then I don't feel as bad, especially since I know he'll burn it all up with his energy levels.
David has been requesting cookies lately, which he doesn't typically get, anyway, but I thought I'd oblige, so earlier I set out to make a batch of sour cream cookies. I creamed together the shortening and the sugar, and reach for the next ingredient-- an egg-- only to remember that Phil hardboiled all of the eggs this morning. So, the creamed shortening and sugar are sitting in the fridge right now, waiting for Phil to bring home some eggies. The kids won't eat a ton of them, and since the recipe makes roughly 30 cookies, and the dough freezes well, I can bake up four at a time (since Phil and I don't need them) and the kids can have a little treat here and there. They aren't healthy, sure, but they're small, and every kid deserves a cookie sometimes! :)
As soon as this cold is over (and I'm sure that's when a new one will start, with David in preschool and Phil working at a college), I will start experimenting again. For now, I just want to seclude myself in my bedroom because I'm cutting my darn wisdom teeth. Boohoo. I'm not a happy camper, at all.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Breakfast Cookies
On my quest to find more breakfast foods for my kids so that they have a large variety to choose from, I stumbled across a recipe for breakfast cookies. Cookies? For breakfast? How fantastic! I'm in!
The recipe kind of made me think of those dry, nasty Quaker breakfast cookies that you can buy at the store now. I think we've bought those once, a long time ago, and never did it again. These ones, though, are moist and yummy but hearty at the same time. Not dry at all!
The ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2 ripe bananas (I used two LARGE bananas... Two small bananas might make for dry cookies)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (make sure it's pastry flour-- it'll make them more tender)
1/4 cup milled flax
2 cups quick oats
1 cup chocolate chips (can used dried fruit instead, but I used chocolate because I'm not a fan of banana flavor... which is a non-issue, anyway. They don't taste like bananas at all, really!)
Cream together the peanut butter and applesauce before adding brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed bananas. Add the flour/salt/baking soda in three batches, stirring by hand. Once all of the flour is incorporated, stir in quick oats one cup at a time. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips (or fruit, or a combination of the two).
Lightly grease a cookie sheet and drop 1/4 cup cookies, lightly pressing them a bit to flatten them out. I fit about eight per sheet. Yields 16 big cookies (but you can definitely make them smaller. Just adjust cooking time). Picture to show their size:
Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes, until edges are golden brown. After letting them rest a minute on the sheet, transfer them to a wire cooling rack. They freeze well, so keep a few out and put the rest in the freezer and thaw in the fridge the night before!
They are definitely large enough to be a substantial breakfast, and they're awesome, because there is no added oil, sugar is minimal, and protein is high! :)
They passed the David test with flying colors, too!
The recipe kind of made me think of those dry, nasty Quaker breakfast cookies that you can buy at the store now. I think we've bought those once, a long time ago, and never did it again. These ones, though, are moist and yummy but hearty at the same time. Not dry at all!
The ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2 ripe bananas (I used two LARGE bananas... Two small bananas might make for dry cookies)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (make sure it's pastry flour-- it'll make them more tender)
1/4 cup milled flax
2 cups quick oats
1 cup chocolate chips (can used dried fruit instead, but I used chocolate because I'm not a fan of banana flavor... which is a non-issue, anyway. They don't taste like bananas at all, really!)
Cream together the peanut butter and applesauce before adding brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed bananas. Add the flour/salt/baking soda in three batches, stirring by hand. Once all of the flour is incorporated, stir in quick oats one cup at a time. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips (or fruit, or a combination of the two).
Lightly grease a cookie sheet and drop 1/4 cup cookies, lightly pressing them a bit to flatten them out. I fit about eight per sheet. Yields 16 big cookies (but you can definitely make them smaller. Just adjust cooking time). Picture to show their size:
Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes, until edges are golden brown. After letting them rest a minute on the sheet, transfer them to a wire cooling rack. They freeze well, so keep a few out and put the rest in the freezer and thaw in the fridge the night before!
They are definitely large enough to be a substantial breakfast, and they're awesome, because there is no added oil, sugar is minimal, and protein is high! :)
They passed the David test with flying colors, too!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Okay, okay, okay... finally got around to the muffins!
...and the applesauce, though that isn't finished yet, so I can't judge on the taste, but it smells AWESOME in my house right now.
David and Gwen were good little helpers in the kitchen today. Since I didn't have to flour any surfaces, the mess was minimal and they were able to help me pour, stir, and as far as Gwen goes, taste the flour.
The muffins are whole wheat apple muffins. There are two cups of apples and a teaspoon of cinnamon in them, so they're very autumny! (Yes, that is a word). I sprinkled oats on the top of them, and they came out very pretty!
Look at all of those apple chunks! Freakin' yum! There is more whole wheat flour than AP in this recipe (1 1/4 cup WW, 1 cup AP), but the texture is delightfully light. I shredded one cup of the apples, and chunked the other cup, so the apple flavor is all throughout. David ate one, and this is his reaction:
Right from the mouth of the critic: "Mom, these are my best muffins EVER!" (He sometimes says "best" instead of "favorite;" that means whatever he's referring to is super-mega-awesome.)
For the applesauce, I peeled and quartered the apples (ten medium-sized Ohio apples.. I have no idea what kind they were, Phil just brought them to me at my request, but they smelled incredible.) The apples were super sweet naturally, which is awesome, because I don't think I'll have to add ANY sugar at all! I put a teaspoon of cinnamon in them, as well. Man, I love cinnamon so much.
Anyway, I had been told that it is easiest to just pop the apples into a crockpot and let them go, but I LOVE my Visions pots, so I thought I'd try it out in one of those first.
They smell so good. Once they're really soft, I'll run them through the Ninja for a few seconds to get it to the applesauce texture that my kids are used to. I am so excited to have fresh applesauce for them! I will add a photo once it's all done.
UPDATE: The applesauce is awesome. My Ninja blended it to just the right consistency and the kids are gobbling it up. David said it is better than the store-kind!
Now, I have a ton of bananas that will be super ripe in a couple of days. I'm thinking some banana muffins are in our future, too! I'm not a fan, but I know David and Gwen will like them, and all of this is for them, anyway :) I'll have to see how well these apple muffins freeze to see if it's worth doubling the batch the next time.
For those of you interested in the muffin recipe!
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used regular, since muffins are more dense)
1 cup AP flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 cup half and half (or buttermilk, if you like that)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 t vanilla
2 cups apple (one cup shredded, one cup diced small)
In one bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a larger bowl, mix wet ingredients. Add dry to wet in batches, careful not to over-stir. Add apples at the end. Pour into muffin tin. The batter can be almost to the top-- these don't puff up a ton! I sprinkled quick oats on top, just to pretty them up :) Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
David and Gwen were good little helpers in the kitchen today. Since I didn't have to flour any surfaces, the mess was minimal and they were able to help me pour, stir, and as far as Gwen goes, taste the flour.
The muffins are whole wheat apple muffins. There are two cups of apples and a teaspoon of cinnamon in them, so they're very autumny! (Yes, that is a word). I sprinkled oats on the top of them, and they came out very pretty!
Look at all of those apple chunks! Freakin' yum! There is more whole wheat flour than AP in this recipe (1 1/4 cup WW, 1 cup AP), but the texture is delightfully light. I shredded one cup of the apples, and chunked the other cup, so the apple flavor is all throughout. David ate one, and this is his reaction:
Right from the mouth of the critic: "Mom, these are my best muffins EVER!" (He sometimes says "best" instead of "favorite;" that means whatever he's referring to is super-mega-awesome.)
For the applesauce, I peeled and quartered the apples (ten medium-sized Ohio apples.. I have no idea what kind they were, Phil just brought them to me at my request, but they smelled incredible.) The apples were super sweet naturally, which is awesome, because I don't think I'll have to add ANY sugar at all! I put a teaspoon of cinnamon in them, as well. Man, I love cinnamon so much.
Anyway, I had been told that it is easiest to just pop the apples into a crockpot and let them go, but I LOVE my Visions pots, so I thought I'd try it out in one of those first.
They smell so good. Once they're really soft, I'll run them through the Ninja for a few seconds to get it to the applesauce texture that my kids are used to. I am so excited to have fresh applesauce for them! I will add a photo once it's all done.
UPDATE: The applesauce is awesome. My Ninja blended it to just the right consistency and the kids are gobbling it up. David said it is better than the store-kind!
Now, I have a ton of bananas that will be super ripe in a couple of days. I'm thinking some banana muffins are in our future, too! I'm not a fan, but I know David and Gwen will like them, and all of this is for them, anyway :) I'll have to see how well these apple muffins freeze to see if it's worth doubling the batch the next time.
For those of you interested in the muffin recipe!
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used regular, since muffins are more dense)
1 cup AP flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 cup half and half (or buttermilk, if you like that)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 t vanilla
2 cups apple (one cup shredded, one cup diced small)
In one bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a larger bowl, mix wet ingredients. Add dry to wet in batches, careful not to over-stir. Add apples at the end. Pour into muffin tin. The batter can be almost to the top-- these don't puff up a ton! I sprinkled quick oats on top, just to pretty them up :) Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Today, I shall...
... get up off of my butt and get moving! I am typically moving constantly, picking up after the kids, dancing with Gwen (because her idea of dancing is me holding her while I dance), etc... but I will actually get up and walk/jog in place, crawl around on the floor with the kids, and so on.
Back when I was wayyyy overweight after having David (weighed about 170 at his first birthday. Yeeeeah....), I started my weight-loss simply by getting up and walking in place for 30 minutes a day. Simply getting active again kickstarted my metabolism. So, I am going to start doing that again! My body won't expect it!
I am also doing a fruit and veggie "cleanse" for the next three days. After that awful (and delicious) cake that I made for Phil and his parents a few days ago, my body totally needs it. So, I am going to eat as many vegetables (with some fruits) as I want for the next three days. If nothing else, the lack of added salt and surplus of water that I will be drinking will help me flush out any water weight I might be carrying! Plus, my skin drastically needs a break from any kind of fats for a few days. I really reflect what I eat, literally. :(
I didn't get around to making the apple muffins yesterday, so that and homemade applesauce is on the agenda for today.
Back when I was wayyyy overweight after having David (weighed about 170 at his first birthday. Yeeeeah....), I started my weight-loss simply by getting up and walking in place for 30 minutes a day. Simply getting active again kickstarted my metabolism. So, I am going to start doing that again! My body won't expect it!
I am also doing a fruit and veggie "cleanse" for the next three days. After that awful (and delicious) cake that I made for Phil and his parents a few days ago, my body totally needs it. So, I am going to eat as many vegetables (with some fruits) as I want for the next three days. If nothing else, the lack of added salt and surplus of water that I will be drinking will help me flush out any water weight I might be carrying! Plus, my skin drastically needs a break from any kind of fats for a few days. I really reflect what I eat, literally. :(
I didn't get around to making the apple muffins yesterday, so that and homemade applesauce is on the agenda for today.
Cereal Bar Recipe
A lot of people asked for the recipe for the cereal bars, so I thought I'd post how I made it. I changed the dough recipe a bit that I listed in the last post.
Filling:
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 strawberries
1/4 cup water
Dough:
1 1/3 cup AP flour (plus some for dusting counter)
2/3 cup Whole Wheat PASTRY Flour (keep an extra 1/4 cup of this out-- the dough is very, very sticky and might need a little extra in order to be "rollable")
1/2 T baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
4 T milled flax
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup cold butter
2/3 cup milk
1 t vanilla extract
Reduce the filling in a pan on low heat and then blend until smooth. Now, I didn't use this filling. I just reduced unsweetened frozen raspberries, because that is what I had in the freezer. My husband loved the raspberry ones. I was not a fan, but then again, I don't like raspberries. I put grape jelly in the other ones, which were slightly messier, but they tasted incredible.
Use food processor or pastry mixer to cut the butter in until the dough is in little pea-size crumbles before adding milk and vanilla. After liquid is all mixed in, you'll probably need to add a little extra flour. It's seriously so sticky that I could hardly work with it at first. Halve the dough, and roll out on a floured surface until dough is about 1/8" thick, then cut into whatever size you want (at LEAST 3" thick). You can form them by hand, too-- that's what I did-- but they'll probably be a little thicker than that.
While oven is preheating to 350, lay cut bars on a lightly greased sheet pan. Put a small amount of filling down the middle of each bar, then fold dough over and seal with your fingers (or a fork). Bake for 16-18 minutes.
Filling:
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 strawberries
1/4 cup water
Dough:
1 1/3 cup AP flour (plus some for dusting counter)
2/3 cup Whole Wheat PASTRY Flour (keep an extra 1/4 cup of this out-- the dough is very, very sticky and might need a little extra in order to be "rollable")
1/2 T baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
4 T milled flax
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup cold butter
2/3 cup milk
1 t vanilla extract
Reduce the filling in a pan on low heat and then blend until smooth. Now, I didn't use this filling. I just reduced unsweetened frozen raspberries, because that is what I had in the freezer. My husband loved the raspberry ones. I was not a fan, but then again, I don't like raspberries. I put grape jelly in the other ones, which were slightly messier, but they tasted incredible.
Use food processor or pastry mixer to cut the butter in until the dough is in little pea-size crumbles before adding milk and vanilla. After liquid is all mixed in, you'll probably need to add a little extra flour. It's seriously so sticky that I could hardly work with it at first. Halve the dough, and roll out on a floured surface until dough is about 1/8" thick, then cut into whatever size you want (at LEAST 3" thick). You can form them by hand, too-- that's what I did-- but they'll probably be a little thicker than that.
While oven is preheating to 350, lay cut bars on a lightly greased sheet pan. Put a small amount of filling down the middle of each bar, then fold dough over and seal with your fingers (or a fork). Bake for 16-18 minutes.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Breakfast!?
Since we didn't buy any pre-made/processed foods the last time we went grocery shopping, I have found myself saying "Well... what can the kids eat for breakfast this morning?" At least four days a week, David would have a granola bar (though in our defense, it was always the preservative-free/organic kind.. still loaded with crap, though) for breakfast. He might have cereal one morning (organic, typically), might have oatmeal that I prepare myself, but normally it'd just be a granola bar and juice box. Gwen normally has a yogurt or eggs, which I make a few times a week.
So, without granola bars in the house... what do I feed my keeed?! My kid who will not eat eggs anymore for some unknown reason? We always have fruit and quick oats in the house, but I imagine they'd get sick of that after days and days of it. After some thinking, I remembered that my whole wheat/flax pancake recipe makes tons of pancakes, which freeze/reheat beautifully, so I will be making a batch of those every two weeks and freezing the leftovers. They're so good. Too bad my mema's homemade syrup offsets any healthy aspects of those pancakes, haha! But it's not like I make it often. Once every three months, at most.
So, that brings me to today! I am going to make whole wheat apple muffins, and whole wheat/flax cereal bars. I know the muffins will freeze/thaw just fine, but if the recipe works out, I will make a batch of the cereal bars once a week for the kids. The recipe calls for dates and berries, cooked down and blended smooth, for the filling. Alas, I have no dates (though David LOVES them... I'll have to get some), so I will use my grape and elderberry jams instead and see how that works out.
I will post pictures when they're both done, as well as give the honest truth from David upon trying it. He liked the bread that I made, and he's my toughest critic.
On a bad breakfast note... I made homemade pineapple upside-down cake yesterday. No, I did not make a healthy version. I am not sure one exists. I just knew Phil has been stressed and that is his favorite. It made a good breakfast, for me.... Oops :)
So, anyway. I knew that most breakfast bars are severely unhealthy and lacking in nutrients, despite what the companies will try to sell (whole grain! real fruit! etc.!) to the consumer. So, I took a look at Nutri-Grain bars. The name of them makes them come across as healthy, but the ingredient list is:
Filling (High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Strawberry Puree Concentrate, Glycerin, Sugar, Water, Sodium Alginate, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sodium Citrate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Methylcellulose, Caramel Color, Malic Acid, Red No. 40), Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Whole Wheat Flour, Sunflower and/or Soybean Oil with TBHQ for Freshness, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Contains Two Percent or Less of Honey, Dextrose, Calcium Carbonate, Soluble Corn Fiber, Nonfat Dry Milk, Wheat Bran, Salt, Cellulose, Potassium Bicarbonate (Leavening), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Mono- and Diglycerides, Propylene Glycol Esters of Fatty Acids, Soy Lecithin, Wheat Gluten, Niacinamide, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Carrageenan, Zinc Oxide, Reduced Iron, Guar Gum, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid.
Not only is this list just mind-boggling (All of that in a little five-inch, unsubstantial breakfast bar!?) but notice the bold letters-- Red No. 40. There are theorists who suggest that Red No. 40 increases the chance for a child to have issues with hyperactivity. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/314691-the-red-dye-diet/) I have been looking at it for some time and I've known that, despite inconclusive results, we need to cut unnatural food dyes out of our foods.
The cereal bars I am making are made up of:
Dough:
2 cups flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, or a combination)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tbsp wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
...Plus the very small amount of jam that I'll be putting into the middle, though I am hoping to start making my own homemade jams next summer. All words that I can pronounce. No dyes. No additives "for freshness." Very little sugar. I hope they turn out well! They certainly look yummy.
UPDATE
The fruit bars are pretty darn good! I overfilled them (oops) and the ones that were filled with grape jelly taste better than the unsweetened raspberry ones, but I bet I could remedy that by adding a packet of Splenda to the raspberries when I'm reducing them. David loved the grape ones! Gwen spit them out, but she's going through a "spit anything with texture onto the floor" stage right now. It's really annoying. Anyway. I will be making these again, but actually rolling the dough so it is a good thickness, as the recipe calls for. I shaped them by hand so that I wouldn't have a huge flour mess on the Gwen-height counter! :)
So, without granola bars in the house... what do I feed my keeed?! My kid who will not eat eggs anymore for some unknown reason? We always have fruit and quick oats in the house, but I imagine they'd get sick of that after days and days of it. After some thinking, I remembered that my whole wheat/flax pancake recipe makes tons of pancakes, which freeze/reheat beautifully, so I will be making a batch of those every two weeks and freezing the leftovers. They're so good. Too bad my mema's homemade syrup offsets any healthy aspects of those pancakes, haha! But it's not like I make it often. Once every three months, at most.
So, that brings me to today! I am going to make whole wheat apple muffins, and whole wheat/flax cereal bars. I know the muffins will freeze/thaw just fine, but if the recipe works out, I will make a batch of the cereal bars once a week for the kids. The recipe calls for dates and berries, cooked down and blended smooth, for the filling. Alas, I have no dates (though David LOVES them... I'll have to get some), so I will use my grape and elderberry jams instead and see how that works out.
I will post pictures when they're both done, as well as give the honest truth from David upon trying it. He liked the bread that I made, and he's my toughest critic.
On a bad breakfast note... I made homemade pineapple upside-down cake yesterday. No, I did not make a healthy version. I am not sure one exists. I just knew Phil has been stressed and that is his favorite. It made a good breakfast, for me.... Oops :)
So, anyway. I knew that most breakfast bars are severely unhealthy and lacking in nutrients, despite what the companies will try to sell (whole grain! real fruit! etc.!) to the consumer. So, I took a look at Nutri-Grain bars. The name of them makes them come across as healthy, but the ingredient list is:
Filling (High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Strawberry Puree Concentrate, Glycerin, Sugar, Water, Sodium Alginate, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sodium Citrate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Methylcellulose, Caramel Color, Malic Acid, Red No. 40), Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Whole Wheat Flour, Sunflower and/or Soybean Oil with TBHQ for Freshness, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Contains Two Percent or Less of Honey, Dextrose, Calcium Carbonate, Soluble Corn Fiber, Nonfat Dry Milk, Wheat Bran, Salt, Cellulose, Potassium Bicarbonate (Leavening), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Mono- and Diglycerides, Propylene Glycol Esters of Fatty Acids, Soy Lecithin, Wheat Gluten, Niacinamide, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Carrageenan, Zinc Oxide, Reduced Iron, Guar Gum, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid.
Not only is this list just mind-boggling (All of that in a little five-inch, unsubstantial breakfast bar!?) but notice the bold letters-- Red No. 40. There are theorists who suggest that Red No. 40 increases the chance for a child to have issues with hyperactivity. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/314691-the-red-dye-diet/) I have been looking at it for some time and I've known that, despite inconclusive results, we need to cut unnatural food dyes out of our foods.
The cereal bars I am making are made up of:
Dough:
2 cups flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, or a combination)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tbsp wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
...Plus the very small amount of jam that I'll be putting into the middle, though I am hoping to start making my own homemade jams next summer. All words that I can pronounce. No dyes. No additives "for freshness." Very little sugar. I hope they turn out well! They certainly look yummy.
UPDATE
The fruit bars are pretty darn good! I overfilled them (oops) and the ones that were filled with grape jelly taste better than the unsweetened raspberry ones, but I bet I could remedy that by adding a packet of Splenda to the raspberries when I'm reducing them. David loved the grape ones! Gwen spit them out, but she's going through a "spit anything with texture onto the floor" stage right now. It's really annoying. Anyway. I will be making these again, but actually rolling the dough so it is a good thickness, as the recipe calls for. I shaped them by hand so that I wouldn't have a huge flour mess on the Gwen-height counter! :)
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Forgot to mention my goal for TODAY!
I am going to go the the Bellefontaine Band Spectacular tonight to watch my little sister in the marching band (and reminisce about my days on the field).... AND I WILL NOT GET NACHOS. I won't, I won't, I won't. No matter how bad I want them. I will bring a bag of grapes in my purse, instead.
Weight gain.. Bad. New recipes... Good!
I was delighted that I was able to lose all of my pregnancy weight by Gwen's first birthday (4/6/12) strictly through nursing. I didn't do any exercise, other than chasing the kids around. I weighed in a few days after her birthday at 124 lbs, which at 5'4 is a very healthy weight. Now that Gwen is almost 18 months old, we're only nursing once in a 24 hour period (right before bed) and my weight is creeping back up. It sucks. I weighed 132 this morning. It doesn't seem like a lot, but I'm not tall by any means. The healthy weight-range for someone who is 5'4 is about 118-140ish, and I'm slowly creeping toward the high-but-still-kinda-healthy number, and that is not okay with me.
I started Insanity back in July, and I LOVE it. It's tough. It kicks my butt. I threw up after the first Fit Test, but it is an awesome and fun workout. Unfortunately, I strained a muscle in my tricep after two weeks, and the push-ups (no matter how much I altered them) hurt SO bad. So, I cut the push-ups out entirely. Didn't matter. Couldn't even do the jumping jacks in the warm-up without my arm burning. Then, my pesky right ankle decided that it wasn't pleased with something, so it started swelling and being a general pain in my butt. I went on an Insanity hiatus to let myself heal, which is recommended with those types of "injuries." I got through two weeks of a 60-day program, argh. I've been wanting to get back into it so bad, but since Phil's tennis season is in full swing right now, it is impossible to find the time. As soon as season is over, I will start doing it every other day until I work back up to doing it everyday, and hopefully finish the 60-day cycle by the time his men's team starts conditioning this winter.
I had been going out on the tennis court with Phil and his parents at least twice a week until he got really busy, and that was a lot of fun. I am not good by any means, but it is an excellent workout! I am getting better. I am hoping to be able to actually have a decent rally with Phil ("dumbing" himself down so I can actually participate, haha!) this upcoming spring/summer.
Anyway-- My long-term goal for myself right now is to be back at 124 by Gwen's 2nd birthday. That seems like a very long time to lose eight lbs, but it is more than just losing it... it is maintaining it that is my issue. So, hopefully by then, that is my baseline weight. I think since we are cutting so much out of our diet (and it helps that the ice cream shops will be closing soon, hahaha.. my weakness) that it should be an easy feat.
On a positive note, I just found two recipes that'll probably become a staple in this house-- crunchy oat and honey bars, and fruit-filled cereal bars (that have both flax and wheat germ in the dough). Both are salt and preservative-free, and have MUCH less sugar than store-bought! Weeeeeee!
I started Insanity back in July, and I LOVE it. It's tough. It kicks my butt. I threw up after the first Fit Test, but it is an awesome and fun workout. Unfortunately, I strained a muscle in my tricep after two weeks, and the push-ups (no matter how much I altered them) hurt SO bad. So, I cut the push-ups out entirely. Didn't matter. Couldn't even do the jumping jacks in the warm-up without my arm burning. Then, my pesky right ankle decided that it wasn't pleased with something, so it started swelling and being a general pain in my butt. I went on an Insanity hiatus to let myself heal, which is recommended with those types of "injuries." I got through two weeks of a 60-day program, argh. I've been wanting to get back into it so bad, but since Phil's tennis season is in full swing right now, it is impossible to find the time. As soon as season is over, I will start doing it every other day until I work back up to doing it everyday, and hopefully finish the 60-day cycle by the time his men's team starts conditioning this winter.
I had been going out on the tennis court with Phil and his parents at least twice a week until he got really busy, and that was a lot of fun. I am not good by any means, but it is an excellent workout! I am getting better. I am hoping to be able to actually have a decent rally with Phil ("dumbing" himself down so I can actually participate, haha!) this upcoming spring/summer.
Anyway-- My long-term goal for myself right now is to be back at 124 by Gwen's 2nd birthday. That seems like a very long time to lose eight lbs, but it is more than just losing it... it is maintaining it that is my issue. So, hopefully by then, that is my baseline weight. I think since we are cutting so much out of our diet (and it helps that the ice cream shops will be closing soon, hahaha.. my weakness) that it should be an easy feat.
On a positive note, I just found two recipes that'll probably become a staple in this house-- crunchy oat and honey bars, and fruit-filled cereal bars (that have both flax and wheat germ in the dough). Both are salt and preservative-free, and have MUCH less sugar than store-bought! Weeeeeee!
Friday, September 14, 2012
First Goals Met
I looked through our fridge and pantry and found what we need to donate/finish up. It is amazing to look at the ingredient lists and see how much crap is put into things. Stabilizers, preservatives, oodles of sodium, so many words that I would consciously have to sound-out in order to pronounce them. Even the "whole wheat bread" that we've been getting all of these years, thinking we were doing our kids favors by not letting them eat white bread.
Ingredient list for the wheat bread we normally buy:
Wheat Flour Whole, Water, Corn Syrup High Fructose, Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Contains 22% or less Soybean(s) Oil, Salt, Molasses, Dough Conditioner(s) (Datem, Ethoxylated Mono-And Diglycerides, Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Dioxide) , Wheat Bran,Vinegar, Yeast Nutrients (Monocalcium Phosphate) , Calcium Sulphate (Sulfate), Enzyme(s),Calcium Propionate To Retain Freshness (Foodfacts.com)
Uhm... Dough conditioners? No thanks.
Here is the ingredient list for three large loaves of homemade whole wheat bread:
Whole wheat flour, high gluten flour, yeast, sugar (to feed the yeast), three eggs, salt, very little oil, water. That's IT.
My mom came over and helped me out with it. I've never made homemade bread before (though I grew up with her making it. SO good) and I just wanted to make sure that I was doing it right. My poor KitchenAid (I have the 4.5 quart mixer, I think) totally wasn't feeling the nine cups of flour that go into this bread. It was groaning by the end of it, so from now on, I will make a half batch once a week, with one loaf of bread for the week for the kiddies and use the leftover dough to freeze rolls. We don't eat a lot of bread, but it'll be nice to have in the freezer on the off-chance we want some for a meal, or for tiny sandwiches.
The house smells great right now. I forgot how great it smelled to have bread baking in a house. Gwen had fun playing with the flour on the counter (and eating it, too-- gross), and kneading the dough was awesome for my upper-body strength, haha!
I think the worst part of cutting the crap out of our diet is going to be giving up my hazelnut creamer. That stuff is awful for me, I know, but I love it. I think I'm going to try to cut coffee out for good, though. I will get my caffeine from tea for a while, and then try to kick it out completely. Shopping was easier, though, not filling our cart with processed foods and snacks. I think it'll be a lot cheaper in the long-run, too. We're going to budget about $50 on meat each month (we don't eat much meat, at all) and $100 on produce, and then $50 on everything else. Cutting out the crap is going to lower our grocery bill so much!!
The timer is about to go off on the bread-- I will post a picture of my first loaves of homemade bread since I lived at home :)
Second goal: Make the bread again-- don't give in to the "ease" of store-bought :)
Third goal: Start keeping track of what we spend at the grocery store and when. Cut out "Well, we need just this one thing" trips to the store-- make meal plan at the beginning of each week.
Ingredient list for the wheat bread we normally buy:
Wheat Flour Whole, Water, Corn Syrup High Fructose, Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Contains 22% or less Soybean(s) Oil, Salt, Molasses, Dough Conditioner(s) (Datem, Ethoxylated Mono-And Diglycerides, Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Dioxide) , Wheat Bran,Vinegar, Yeast Nutrients (Monocalcium Phosphate) , Calcium Sulphate (Sulfate), Enzyme(s),Calcium Propionate To Retain Freshness (Foodfacts.com)
Uhm... Dough conditioners? No thanks.
Here is the ingredient list for three large loaves of homemade whole wheat bread:
Whole wheat flour, high gluten flour, yeast, sugar (to feed the yeast), three eggs, salt, very little oil, water. That's IT.
My mom came over and helped me out with it. I've never made homemade bread before (though I grew up with her making it. SO good) and I just wanted to make sure that I was doing it right. My poor KitchenAid (I have the 4.5 quart mixer, I think) totally wasn't feeling the nine cups of flour that go into this bread. It was groaning by the end of it, so from now on, I will make a half batch once a week, with one loaf of bread for the week for the kiddies and use the leftover dough to freeze rolls. We don't eat a lot of bread, but it'll be nice to have in the freezer on the off-chance we want some for a meal, or for tiny sandwiches.
The house smells great right now. I forgot how great it smelled to have bread baking in a house. Gwen had fun playing with the flour on the counter (and eating it, too-- gross), and kneading the dough was awesome for my upper-body strength, haha!
I think the worst part of cutting the crap out of our diet is going to be giving up my hazelnut creamer. That stuff is awful for me, I know, but I love it. I think I'm going to try to cut coffee out for good, though. I will get my caffeine from tea for a while, and then try to kick it out completely. Shopping was easier, though, not filling our cart with processed foods and snacks. I think it'll be a lot cheaper in the long-run, too. We're going to budget about $50 on meat each month (we don't eat much meat, at all) and $100 on produce, and then $50 on everything else. Cutting out the crap is going to lower our grocery bill so much!!
The timer is about to go off on the bread-- I will post a picture of my first loaves of homemade bread since I lived at home :)
Second goal: Make the bread again-- don't give in to the "ease" of store-bought :)
Third goal: Start keeping track of what we spend at the grocery store and when. Cut out "Well, we need just this one thing" trips to the store-- make meal plan at the beginning of each week.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
All started with a dream...
I had a dream this morning that David got cancer. It wasn't incurable, and we were able to come up with a plan that would "cure" him, but I woke up in a panic. I know he is very healthy and doesn't have any issues, other than hyperactivity (like many four year-old boys). But some cancers (AND hyperactivity!) can be prevented by cutting out all of the crap from our diets. We weren't meant to eat preservatives, fillers, unnatural sugars... so why do we?
Phil and I have talked so many times about putting David on an essentially gluten-free diet to see if it would help with his behavior, but we never implement it. Well, I've never had a dream like I just had this morning, and it was a big wake-up call. I am feeding my kids crap even though I am perfectly capable of preparing whole, unaltered foods for them 100% of the time!
So, I am starting this blog to discuss changes in our eating, our overall health, David's behaviors, etc., as well as share recipes and allow people to share their recipes with me.
My plan is to set a goal for myself each week. This week, I am going to go through my pantry/fridge and find all of the things my family doesn't need. If it's open, we're going to finish it. If it isn't and it has more than five listed ingredients, it is getting donated to a food pantry. Next week, my goal is to make whole grain bread for my family. I have a KitchenAid mixer and an awesome oven, as well as two little helpers, so really, what is my excuse? I will go get the ingredients this weekend.
Here's to healthy eating!
Phil and I have talked so many times about putting David on an essentially gluten-free diet to see if it would help with his behavior, but we never implement it. Well, I've never had a dream like I just had this morning, and it was a big wake-up call. I am feeding my kids crap even though I am perfectly capable of preparing whole, unaltered foods for them 100% of the time!
So, I am starting this blog to discuss changes in our eating, our overall health, David's behaviors, etc., as well as share recipes and allow people to share their recipes with me.
My plan is to set a goal for myself each week. This week, I am going to go through my pantry/fridge and find all of the things my family doesn't need. If it's open, we're going to finish it. If it isn't and it has more than five listed ingredients, it is getting donated to a food pantry. Next week, my goal is to make whole grain bread for my family. I have a KitchenAid mixer and an awesome oven, as well as two little helpers, so really, what is my excuse? I will go get the ingredients this weekend.
Here's to healthy eating!
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