Who’s Got Two Thumbs and is TOO BUSY to Blog???

THIS GIRL!!!

No, I am not constipated.  That’s my “I’ve been too busy to blog” face.  I can’t believe you couldn’t tell!

So what have I been doing???

I’ll give you one guess, and I think you’ll get it right away.  Yes, I’ve been busy dancing up a storm.  Every day, as a matter of fact!  I’m having a blast… but being so busy means I’ve let some things fall on the back burner.  Cooking is one of them!  This week, I have picked up fast food several times.  Sometimes I’ve made good choices, like this one:

 

It’s one of the flatbread sandwiches from Dunkin Donuts.  This one was the Turkey Sausage and Veggie Flatbread breakfast sandwich.  They are really delicious!

Confession…sometimes I’ve made not-so-good choices… like the Taco Bell trip on Tuesday night.  (I DID order my tacos Fresco Style, but it’s still not what I would consider to be a healthy, wholesome meal.)  I’m doing a TERRIBLE job of planning my meals in advance…which means I end up doing something quick and easy.  When I am eating dinner at 9:00 p.m. I am past the point of being hungry… I am famished… which means I usually don’t make the best choices.

So tonight, when I got back from teaching Zumba, I decided to make some of my Sorta Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup.  This was really a treat after this busy week I have had. 

I had a Cascal instead of a “real” drink.  Bubbly but low-cal!

So… one thing I LOVE about teaching Zumba on Thursday nights is that it makes me so excited for Friday… and the weekend!!!  And tomorrow’s a JEAN DAY at work!  I have lots to smile about!

I hope all of you are having a good week!

Reader Question:  What falls “to the wayside” when you get busy?  Your house?  Cooking? Laundry?  All three plus more?  How do you get back on track?

A Weeknight Dinner...

Hi, all!  Today I have a special treat for you... my sister Meredith is going to write a guest post!  Meredith lives in Columbia, SC and writes a blog called The Family Jewell.  So after you read her post, be sure to head over and check out her blog!

I was so excited to be asked to “guest post” on my sister’s blog Confessions of a Former Couch Potato.  I’ve only been blogging since early November but she had faith in my ability to create something (hopefully) somewhat interesting, but if not, then fun.  Let me first preface this post by telling you I’m not a hot chef in the kitchen.  In fact (and to be honest) I think I cook about as much as my husband does, and well, he actually does cook a good bit, so that’s a good thing I hope.  Either way, I’m no Betty Crocker or Ina Garten, but I can hold my own on occasion and hope you’ll enjoy some photos and comments on tonight’s Weeknight Dinner.

Today was a normal day for me (although around the southeast this week it’s been a strange week full of snow, ice, cancelled school, and more cancelled school).  I went to work and then hit the gym for my usual Wednesday evening yoga class.  I have grown to love yoga the more and more that I go and believe it really does have some very positive benefits including strength and core building.  When I got home I knew I was going to have to make dinner because we didn’t need another night of being slack and unhealthy eating (the previous two nights were frozen lasagna and take out).  I read about the “Eat In Month” Challenge that The Chic Life puts on and was going to try my best to have us abide by that rule this month, however we haven’t quite succeeded, but are trying our best (on normal weeks) to eat in as much as possible…and with that, generally making healthy meals.

So on with the dinner…tonight I decided that since I hadn’t prepped ahead of time or marinated the chicken we bought the other day I would just use Publix brand Zesty Italian and bake the chicken in the oven…simple and pretty healthy. 

 

chicken marinating (and cooking) in Zesty Italian



I also had a bag of red potatoes so I decided to do a simple combo of chopped potatoes with EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic powder (a staple) and dried rosemary…delicious!

 

red potatoes with EVOO & seasonings

I knew we needed something green so I made green beans (something simple yet healthy) and as if that wasn’t enough, I decided to pull out our new “How to Cook Everything” cookbook that was a Christmas gift from friends and found one more side dish (Sautéed Apples).



I captured the butter for the sauteed apples before it melted (without the flash)

 

brown sugar and cinnamon for the sauteed apples



green beans & apples cooking side-by-side



possibly my favorite part of the meal (deliciously sweet)



Although I know you’re probably thinking by now this meal doesn’t seem very complicated or original, but it wasn’t meant to be.  It’s merely to show that by having a few basic items in your house during the week (fresh and/or frozen) you can still pull together a tasty and healthy meal…and best of all, have leftovers!!



no caption needed   :)



So after all the prep work was done and each item cooked to al dente, I was actually surprised with myself that all came out at the exact same time and piping hot.  I’m not sure these pictures really give it justice, but hearing my husband compliment me in saying “I’m really proud of you, this is a really good meal” was music to my ears…and voila!  Dinner is served…



dinner is served...



Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything"



And to end on a sweet note since I didn’t include dessert tonight, I thought I’d share a photo of my little kitchen helper…or little beggar, if you will.



Zoe

Happy Cooking!

xo, Meredith (The Family Jewell)

Scared of... the Scale?

So, first I need to play a little game of catch-up.  I've been away from my blog for a few days.  Oh, how I miss those lovely winter vacation days...

As many of you know, I am participating in the Eat In Month Challenge.  The first couple of days were easy.  The past couple of days... eh... not so much. 

Let me take you back to Tuesday.  Tuesday was a special day: the Hubby's 36th birthday!  (Hope he won't be mad that I am posting his age!)  Unfortunately, it was a SUPER busy day for us.  When I asked him what he wanted for his special birthday dinner, he said, "Cheeseburgers."  Of course.  So I made a plan.  The night before I went and got ingredients to make healthy sliders with spicy baked fries.  But Tuesday afternoon I taught Zumba, and then we both had a churh meeting to attend, so we didn't get home until almost 8:00 p.m.  Poor hubby!  What a birthday!  We wanted to cave.  In fact, he said, "Let's just go pick something up."  I'll admit, I thought about it.  But in the end, I went ahead and cooked what I had planned to cook.  You know what?  We ate a little later than normal, but it was SO worth it. 

The sliders were so good and way better for us than picking up some greasy burgers and fries.  Then of course we celebrated with cupcakes.  (Actually, we had to celebrate with cupcakes FIRST so that the munchkin could be a part of the celebration before her bedtime.)

Singing "Happy Birthday to You"

So... I bet you're wondering what the hubs got for his birthday.  Well, I think I may be winning the Wife of the Year award.  I got him...

wait for it...


a Wii! 


I have to admit, the Wii was actually a "we" gift.  I think I will enjoy it a lot, too.  (Especially since I got the Wii Fit Plus with the Balance Board to go along with it!)

So last night, after church, we got the munchkin in bed and decided to try out the Wii Fit Plus.  Do any of you have this?  It's pretty cool.  We both went through the initial fitness test together.  I made him go first.  We found out several things about each other.  I can tell you about Ryan's weight, balance, BMI, and more.  Now that's trust, right?  Then it was my turn.  I let Ryan watch me do the balance test.  (I am WAY more balanced!)  And then came the moment I was dreading... the weight and BMI part.  I have been very lax about keeping track of what I eat and not exercising as much as I used to.  When I lost most of my weight, I was doing all sorts of activities.  Lately, it's been just Zumba.  I haven't been weight training, either.  So I was afraid to see the numbers on the scale.  And the BMI.  And... ugh... it wasn't good.  I KNEW it wasn't going to be good.  You know?  It's like when you've been shopping for clothes all day, and you know you've spent a lot and you are dreading adding up the receipts?  Yeah, that is the feeling I had.  And to make matters worse, I let Ryan WATCH.  So he knows the numbers.  (Now, if that's not serious marital trust, I don't know what is!)

But now that I have seen the numbers and I know the damage, I can start to do something about it.  I read magazines and other stories all the time where people say, "I never step on the scale.  I just go by how I feel."  And to a degree, I believe this works.  I mean, I didn't have to get on the scale to know I was up several (ok, I'll be honest... 15) pounds. My favorite black pants are too tight to put them on right now and my jeans are tight, too.

BUT... I HAD to get on the scale in order to face the facts that I need to get busy doing something about it.  That means more cross-training, and DEFINITELY better eating habits.  I'm following the new Weight Watchers Points Plus plan.  It has been a challenge.  It's TOTALLY different from the old plan.   

So, it's a new year, and I am facing new challenges.  But I am up for it!

Have you ever been afraid to face the scale?  What did you do about it?