:Deliciously Healthy

Salads, and a correction

2012-01-30T19:20:00.006-07:00

I realized that when I was marking my calendar for the 17DD, I accidentally put 7 days for some of the cycles, instead of 10. I also decided to do the first cycle for 10 days, just like the rest of the cycles, instead of just 7 days (I know, I'm all over the place!). It just made sense to make it all 10. After making the corrections, I will be done with the 17DD March 25! That feels like it's just around the corner!

Monday's are going to be my weigh in days. So next Monday I will see where I'm at with the scale (I would have weighed in this morning, but I made the decision to do Monday weigh-ins this evening:)

***

I've still managed to eat out almost everyday, while being on the 17DD. I just always get a salad, and be sure to ask them to leave out foods that I'm not allowed. Here's some salads I've had over the past few days:

Greek salad from Jim-n-NicksChicken Cesar salad from Spicy PickleBuild your own salad from Qudoba. This one kinda looks gross, but I put lots of veggies in it, and it was delish!Chicken and fruit salad from chick-fil-a
Keep in mind that there are a lot of salads, that are high in fat and sugars. Most of the salads I see on menus don't go along with the 17 DD. I usually have to custom order mine. If you're doing the 17 DD,
follow these 3 steps when ordering a salad:
1. Choose a light dressing, and always ask for it on the side.
2. Make sure you only have ingredients in your salad that go along with the guidelines of whichever cycle you're on.
3. Even though it's a salad, and it's filled with healthy greens, stop eating when you're just about full, to avoid over stuffing yourself. Too much of a good thing, is a bad thing :)

I found this neat link on Pinterest that gives a big list of healthy salad dressings. I can't wait to try some of these on some of my salads! Here's the link!
PS. Do you ever want to give a gift to someone who's on a diet, and have no idea what to give? "Chocolates? NO." "Homemade cookies? NO." "Cupcakes? NO." "I give up!" A nice big jar of healthy homemade salad dressing is a great idea!!

Do you have a favorite restaurant salad?

Clear headed, and my plan

2012-01-24T19:30:00.003-07:00

TOM is finally gone, and I've finally got my sanity back. I swear I'm not normally an emotional wreck when good old TOM rolls around (and for those of you who don't know, TOM is "that time of the month";), but for some reason this time was a whole different story.

I've had a good week on the 17DD, but not perfect. I've had a Hershey kiss, and a bite of ice cream, here and there. If there's one thing that I've learned from the 17DD, it's that if you want to have amazing results, you really need to follow it to the T. Otherwise, you'll probably lose just as much weight a week as you would any other diet; In that case, it makes sense to go ahead and do another diet :) I want to have 1 perfect week like I did the first time around. After that, I'll go onto cycle 2, but, it will be a little different...

I've formulated a plan of my own, that I feel really good about:

I'm discovering that I really miss my :Deliciously Healthy way of losing weight, and I miss blogging about it the way I used to. But I also really want to finish the 17DD. My solution to this, is to shorten the 17DD. Instead of having each cycle last 17 days, my plan is going to have each cycle last only 10 days. The 17 DD book says that you can go back and forth between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cycles, if you have more weight you want to lose then you would be able to achieve by only going once through.
This is how my 17DD will look:
Cycle 1, cycle 2, cycle 3. Cycle 1, cycle 2, cycle 3, cycle 4. DONE!
But, my cycles will only be 10 days, instead of 17. With the exception of the 1st, 1st cycle, which will only be one week, since I've already done the 1st cycle. You still with me? ;D

I've got it all mapped out on my fridge calendar!:
I don't know if you can see the colors, but the pink days represent the 1st cycle, blue is the 2nd cycle, and black is the 3rd. According to my calculations (I've always wanted to say that;), I will be done with the 17DD on March 14! That's only 50 days away :)

So far, so good

2012-01-20T23:17:00.003-07:00

Day two was a success!

I've been so emotional all day. I seriously broke down crying for no reason at all, at least twice today. Oh the joys of being a women. The good news is, I didn't have the urge to turn to food. I just kept telling myself, "Eating a hamburger is just going to create more problems, then it would solve." Now if only I could have been telling myself that for the last two weeks... but whatever :)

Lately I've been experimenting with spaghetti squash. I like it, but I can't seem to make it right... it keeps coming out slightly crunchy. Tonight I decided to experiment with it some more. I made chicken with marinara sauce, on top of spaghetti squash, and veggies.
It was quite yummy. and slightly crunchy :)

Onto tomorrow!

Have you ever made spaghetti squash?
Does yours come out crunchy?

One step

2012-01-19T10:20:00.005-07:00

Hello there!
I am so sorry for being MIA lately. As you can guess, I've been struggling. In more ways then just my diet. Usually when I'm struggling, my blog really helps me to journal all of my thoughts, and gets me through a rough patch. But other times, it can be really hard to put myself out there. Kinda like standing outside naked. Completely exposed. In those cases, I hide.

I've had so many things on my mind these past couple weeks:

~Fertility. Once again wondering if we are ever going to get pregnant, and be the parents we so badly want to be.

~Knee replacements. My knees have been killing me lately. I have to concentrate when I walk, to try and not "step" wrong. Cause if I do, I can barely walk for the rest of the day. This has been most frustrating when I'm trying to lose weight. "How am I going to lose this weight, when I can't even walk around the block on somedays?!" I've been considering getting knee replacements now. It's such a hard decision that weighs heavily on me.

~Putting our dog Kisses down. She's old, and doesn't move around much. She needs surgery again, but she's gotten to the age where it doesn't make sense to put thousands of dollars into her. We've decided it would be best to put her down. But I love her, and I don't want to.

~And of course, losing weight. Having so many things on my mind has not made it easy to start my diet back up. Especially a diet that is as strict as this. Food is my comfort, and my happy place. I was doing so well, and I'm so mad at myself for sliding off track. To get rid of that anger, I turn to mac and cheese. The official "don't worry, be happy" food. The problem with the 17 day diet (for me anyway), is that if you slide off track for a few days, it's really hard to get back on it. It's so restrictive (at least in the 1st cycle), and after a couple days of eating yummy comfort food, you don't want to go back to salads. Like, you seriously throw a tantrum like a 3 year old on the way to the dentist.

(Amongst all that, TOM is here (for the first time in a while), so I'm overly emotional, bloated, and hungry.)

Today I've realized that you simply need to take the first step. And then another, and another. But it all starts with the first. It's the hardest step to take. For me, I usually decide if I'm going to be on a diet that day, before I eat breakfast. "Do I make eggs, and get back on my diet, or do I have cookie crisps?" Lately, I've been choosing the cookie crisps, and the day is set for unhealthy eating. But today, I took my first step in a healthy direction. I already feel better. The day is set for healthy eating. Now I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I'm going to do the 1st cycle of the 17 day diet for 1 week, to get my butt back into gear. Then onto the 2nd cycle! And I PROMISE to blog everyday, while on the 17 day diet :D

My Plan, and my early Christmas present!!

2011-12-23T15:40:00.003-07:00

I can't believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow! I am so excited!

After 3 days of struggling on the 17 day diet (Mon, Tues, Wed), I am back on track with my eating. I've decided to stay on the 1st cycle until the day after Christmas. I wanted to give myself a day off my diet, during this fun and joyous time of year. I just had to decide if I wanted my off day to be Christmas Eve, or Christmas. After lots of thought (lol), I've decided that on Christmas Eve I will let myself eat, and be merry (in moderation of course). That is part of the reason why I've decided to stay on the 1st cycle until after Christmas.

***

My hubby brought me home an early Christmas present while he was visiting in NY:A Goldendoodle puppy!

We've named her Bellissimo. It means lovely in Italian. This little pup has definitely been keeping me busy! But we absolutely love her! She has made this Christmas very special.

Our date night, a weigh-in, and an update

2011-12-21T19:45:00.004-07:00

This past Tuesday, my husband and I went on our date to see the nutcracker.
Me in my reward dress!:It was such a fun night with my husband. After the nutcracker, we walked around Denver, and went out to a fancy dinner. I felt beautiful and girly in my dress. Joe kept complimenting me the entire night, and congratulating me on my weight loss. I was on cloud 9, and I felt so proud of myself!

***

Monday was supposed to be the end of cycle 1, and the beginning of cycle 2. Here's my final weigh-in for cycle 1:
(my starting weight was 190.4) On the 1st cycle, I lost 14.4 pounds!

Since Monday, I haven't been doing so good.
Monday I was busy, busy, busy, and didn't make time to eat. I didn't eat until 9pm! I was starving, and too tired to cook, so I had a burrito. Tuesday was our date night, and I just wanted to enjoy myself at the restaurant, and not eat yet another salad. I felt content with that decision. One fancy dinner wasn't going to kill me, or undo everything I accomplished on the 1st cycle. But of course that thought process spilled over into today. Today I've eaten 3 cookies.

UGH!

So now I'm trying to figure out what to do from here:
Continue on with the 2nd cycle, even though I haven't been doing well, and have gained back 2lbs?
Or go back to the 1st cycle for a few days to undo my bad behavior, and then start the 2nd cycle fresh?

Why did this have to go and get complicated? I was doing so well...

17 day diet- cycle 1, day 16: My Christmas dress

2011-12-15T22:16:00.004-07:00

I was going to wait until Saturday or Monday to buy my dress, when I actually finished the first cycle. But I just couldn't wait. And I'm glad I didn't, because there was only one dress left! Luckily it was the size I needed.
I bought a clutch to go with:And a belt :) Now I just have to find a cardigan, and my Christmas outfit will be complete. Here's the outfit so far:If you're asking yourself if I hung my dress on the chandelier, the answer is yes. Yes I did.
I was going to take a picture of me in the dress, but my photographer is out of town ;) I'll be sure to take pictures on our Christmas date night!

This was such a fun reward for myself. I had fun putting it all together, and I absolutely love the dress! The bottom is flowy, and I couldn't stop twirling in it, in the fitting room.

I'm almost done with the first cycle, and I have to say, all the hard work has been worth it.

17 day diet- cycle 1, day 15: Switching it up

2011-12-14T21:49:00.007-07:00

Friday is my last day on the first cycle. Since I had a couple less then stellar days last week, I want to extend the first cycle just a tad. I want Sunday to be the end of the first cycle, and start the 2nd cycle Monday. Call me crazy, but I just feel better about this for some reason.

I also decided to switch my reward for successfully ending the 1st cycle. Instead of getting that darling purse, I want to buy a Christmas dress for my reward. The hubby is going to take me on a date to see the nutcracker, and I want something festive to wear. Plus, with Christmas being on Sunday, I want something pretty to wear to church. I found a red sparkly dress (and a clutch to match;) at kohls that I fell in love with. I'm going to go back in the next couple days to get it! I'll most def take pictures :) That purse is definitely still going to be one of my rewards, though. I mean, that purse belongs on my arm. Maybe at the end of the 3rd cycle?

I've been reassessing my goal weight for the past couple months. My goal weight was 120 pounds; but when I look at pictures of myself at that weight, I just don't like the way I look.
120 pounds: However, when I look at pictures of myself at 140 pounds, I do.
140 pounds:So, my new goal weight is 140 pounds. It just feels right to me. I'm a women with curves, and I like that. I don't need to be a stick. With us trying to get pregnant, my 120 pound goal was stressing me out. "Do I try and reach that before we get pregnant?", "That's so far away!". A 140 pound goal seems very doable. After having a baby, I may take a second look at my 120 pound goal, who knows. For this time in my life, 140 pounds feels right.

17 day diet- cycle 1, day 14: Weigh in, and meals

2011-12-13T17:38:00.007-07:00

I can't believe it's day 14! Time has flown by this week. Sorry for not keeping my promise to blog everyday while I'm on the 17 day diet. With Christmas just around the corner, life has been a wee bit hectic. We had our, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause" date night party this week: I had the girls put on red lipstick, and kiss the Santa. The husbands had to figure out which was their wife's kiss mark ;) It was lots of fun, and I didn't have a single dessert. Yeah, I know, I rock. We got our Christmas cards/pictures ready:And lots of shopping, wrapping, and decorating in between.

I had a good week on the diet, but it wasn't perfect like last week pretty much was. I've let a couple things slip, like having soup with corn in it, or a salad with beans... but over all, I'd say I did pretty darn good.

Today's weight:I lost 2.9 pounds this week. That puts me at a 9.9 pound loss in 2 weeks.

I've been getting a lot of emails asking what exactly I'm eating. I gave a list of the foods you're allowed to eat in THIS post.

On top of that, here's just a few pictures of my meals:

My two favorite things to eat for breakfast on this diet are low-fat cottage cheese with peaches, and eggs with onions and hot sauce:
For lunch I either have a salad (which I usually go somewhere to get), or left overs form dinner:
You're not allowed to have beans, or corn in the first cycle, so be sure your salad only contains items from the list.

Dinners are where I have to get creative. The two recipes I turn to the most are lettuce wrap turkey tacos, and Mexican chicken skillet (minus the corn and beans, and 1 1/2 jars of salsa instead of 1):For snacks I either have fruit (but not past 3pm), or veggies.
I'll try to take more pictures of my meals to show you.

Only 3 days left, and then onto the 2nd cycle!

17 day diet- cycle 1, day 7: Weigh in day!

2011-12-06T13:53:00.007-07:00

I've been on the 17day diet for one week. I've never been so excited for a weigh in day; I couldn't wait to step on the scale, and see my progress!

Last weeks weight: 190.4
This weeks weight:I lost 7.4 pounds in one week!

I think the most I've ever lost in one week was 2.5 pounds. So this blew me away! All my hard work is paying off.

I definitely needed this pick me up today. I had a pretty easy first few days on this diet, but Sunday and Monday were downright hard! I had to use every ounce of strength in me to not go off track. I'm proud to say that my only slip up was having half an oreo. Last time I had a whole, double oreo, and this time I only had half, so I'd say I'm improving ;)

10 more days left on the 1st cycle, and then onto the 2nd cycle. It will be so nice to have a change in the things I can eat!

Today's weigh in showed me that hard work and dedication pay off. It has definitely given me the strength I needed to continue to kick butt.

17 day diet- cycle 1, day 5: I've got some serious willpower

2011-12-03T22:06:00.004-07:00

Today I was at the church all day getting ready for our Christmas party.
Since I knew I was going to be there all day, I made sure to eat before I left (egg white omelet, w/ fruit), and I packed a lunch with snacks (Jimmy Johns turkey lettuce wrap for lunch, and fruit for my snack). Coming prepared was the key for staying on track today. If I hadn't brought food with me, by the time the party started, I would have been so starving that I would have pigged out on all the yummy food people brought. And it wouldn't have been pretty.

Coming prepared wasn't the only key to success today. I had to have some willpower like you've never even seen before. This picture shows just a tiny little portion of the delicious desserts people brought: There were so many desserts there, I had to pinch myself, because I thought I was having one of those dreams again. The kind where I eat 20 cupcakes, with no tummy ache at all. But since it wasn't a dream, I stayed away. I didn't even have a crumb ;)

How do you stay on track at holiday parties?

17 day diet- cycle 1, day 4: Rewards

2011-12-02T22:29:00.004-07:00

Today was a busy, busy day. We had 2 real estate agents come to our house, to help us decide if we should sell our house or not. On top of that stress, we have our church's Christmas Party tomorrow, and I'm one of the people in charge of putting it all together. In a nutshell, I'm pretty surprised that I didn't actually go crazy today. And I'm even more surprised that I stayed on track with my diet, amidst all the stress and craziness of today. I'm pretty darn proud of myself for getting through 4 complete days with no cheats (minus 1 oreo:).

That got me to thinkin'... I really need to have a reward for myself when I get through the 1st cycle (and the 2nd, and 3rd:). And THIS is what I've decided it's going to be:LOVE. This will so be waiting for me in 13 days.

Do you set rewards for yourself? What are they?

17 day diet- cycle 1, day 3: Bedtime.

2011-12-01T22:45:00.003-07:00

The evenings are definitely the hardest for me.
I think it's because after dinner I know I'm done eating for the day... and that's a little bit of a sad thought. Since being on this diet, I've been going to bed a lot earlier. Even if I'm not that tired, I tell myself that I need to put a little heart on the calendar ending a successful day, and just go to bed. That seems to do the trick. Plus, I have the added benefit of being on a better sleeping schedule, since I used to go to bed around 1am. But still, I hope that I can get to the point where I have more self control in the evenings, and I don't have to send myself to bed every night ;)

Day 3 was a success. I had eggs and an apple for breakfast. My snack was a couple tangerines. Lunch was turkey meatballs with veggies, and for dinner I had a greek salad at the spicy pickle. And now I'm sending myself to bed :)

Are you a night time eater?
How do keep yourself from undoing your whole day?

17 day diet- cycle 1, day 2: Today, I am motivated!

2011-11-30T16:11:00.008-07:00

Today is so much better then yesterday. Both in my stress level, and on my diet. Every time I look at my diet calendar, I get all giddy. I keep thinking, "I wonder how much weight I will have lost by the end of the 1st cycle?! I can't wait to find out!". There's only one way to "find out": STAY ON TRACK!! My calendar has definitely helped me. Having all my meals planned out for the week has taken the guess work out of this somewhat complicated diet. And I LOVE seeing myself inch closer and closer to the end of the first 17 days.
I have a slight headache. Probably from the lack of soda. Aside from that, I feel pretty darn good. I have energy, and I haven't felt starved. Both, very good things :)

I didn't realize how much being off my diet dragged me down. Both physically, and emotionally... but mostly emotionally. Every single day I would feel depressed about how far off track I had gotten. It consumed my thoughts. I would even wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it. It was like I had a rain cloud over my head constantly.
Even though I'm not down to the weight I was (or even close), and I'm still living with the consequences of eating all those hamburgers (pants not fitting), that dark cloud has completely vanished. I know that I'm doing something about it, and I will eventually get back to where I was. I'm taking action. And it's just what the doctor ordered.

I'm off to go make dinner: sloppy joe's (minus the bread) with lots of veggies :)

17 day diet- Cycle 1, day 1: Weigh-in day

2011-11-29T19:25:00.006-07:00

Day 1- Starting weight: 190.4Oy.

Today was a stressful day. All day I wanted to turn to food, so I could have a little happy moment between me, and some cheesy pasta. Every time I struggled today, this one phrase kept coming to my mind, "Eat what you've always eaten, and you'll weigh what you've always weighed" That kept me on track. If I want my body to shrink to a size 6, I have to change what I've been doing for the past couple months. And it's not going to be easy. But I know I can do it.

I just had one little hiccup. My husband, in an attempt to cheer me up, got me something I didn't even know existed: They're called double oreo's. It's a regular oreo, stuck to a chocolate stuffed oreo... two oreo's in one! I stood there for like an hour, trying to figure out what I was going to do. Eat the whole box, or walk away? But once again, this played in my mind, "Eat what you've always eaten, and you'll weigh what you've always weighed" So what did I decide? I had 1 oreo cookie, and then walked away. No, oreo's do not go along with the 17 day diet, but hey- I only had one, when I wanted to inhale them all in 10 seconds flat. So I consider that a success.

I'm going to bed, with a stressful, yet successful day behind me.
That feels good.

Making a list, and checking it twice

2011-11-28T21:44:00.006-07:00

I was supposed to start the 17 day diet on the 23rd of November. Which I did. I was good all day, until it got time to cook dinner. As I was cooking the ground turkey for the sloppy joe's I was making, I noticed all this black stuff in the meat. Yup. Like, all the Teflon came off our 6 year old, $20 set of pans we bought right after we got married. Why we used those pans for so long is beyond me. Why we still use the useless knife set we bought with the pans, 6 years ago, is also beyond me. So, we headed to Costco, and bought ourselves a grown up set of stainless steel pans. By the time we got out of the store, I was starving, and I had a headache. So, we stopped and got something to eat. The next day was Thanksgiving, and it just didn't seem rational to start a diet ON Thanksgiving. So, I pushed it off another day. But then we had left overs... and yada yada yada... here we are.

But tomorrow, is in fact, the day. I pinky swore myself. That sounded more pathetic then I thought it would...

Today, I've been getting ready for tomorrow.

The 17 day diet is 3 cycles, of 17 days (it's really four, but the fourth cycle is basically teaching you how to make it a lifestyle change. AKA- being :Decliciously Healthy. So I will just resume my DH way of eating and losing weight after the 3rd cycle) The first cycle is the strictest. Because you're limited in the food you're allowed to eat, you really need to be creative in the meals you prepare. You definitely need to have a game plan with this diet. If you try to wing it, you'll fail. I've learned this the hard way. With that in mind, I made a list of everything I can eat, and put it in my wallet, so I have it with me at all times:

Veggies:

Artichokes
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumbers
Green beans
Greens
Kale
Mushrooms
Okra
Spinach
Tomatoes
Watercress

Fruit:

Apples
Berries
Grapefruit
Oranges
Peaches
Prunes
Red grapes

Dairy

Low fat cottage cheese
Parmesan cheese
Yogurt
Feta cheese

Meat/protein

Chicken breasts
Turkey breasts or ground turkey
Canned tuna in water
Flounder
Catfish
Tilapia
Salmon
Sole
Eggs

Then I pulled out the old refrigerator calendar, and planed out all of my meals for the week! Seeing it all written down made everything feel more do-able.

I am all set, and ready to go!

Tomorrow is day 1, of the first 17 day cycle.

And weigh in day!

Wish us luck! By "us" I mean wish me luck on my diet, and wish my scale luck that it may survive tomorrow's weigh in ;)

My 29 pound reality check- Starting over

2011-11-22T18:17:00.009-07:00

Last March I decided that weighing myself was doing more harm then good. Only losing 1 pound (or less) a week, sent me straight to a carton of ice cream. I had decided that I simply needed to live my healthy lifestyle, and not obsess about how slow the scale was moving. Stepping off the scale really worked. For a while. It worked when I was staying on track. I knew I was losing weight, but I was protecting myself from getting discouraged about how long it was taking. However, it didn't work when I was eating donuts and ice cream. At that point it turned into a way for me to be in denial that the junk I was eating was making me fat. That denial is exactly what's been going on for the past couple months.

Last week, I had a doctors appointment. I normally look away when they're weighing me, but I decided it was time to get out of denial, and get back in touch with reality.

In the back of my mind, I figured I had probably gained 10, maybe even 20 pounds. But what I saw on the scale that day at the doctors office, was that I had gained 29 pounds. I am now 190. The lowest I had gotten down to on this weight loss journey was 161.

For the past week I've been trying to decide where to go from here.

Here's how I see it:
I can either cry about it. Curl up into a ball and eat a cheeseburger, and be back up to 206+ pounds in no time. Or, I can pick myself up, and get back on the horse. I can stop thinking about yesterdays mistakes, and focus on the future... The future where I only have one chin, and no muffin top.

I choose the latter of the two. In the grand scheme of things, it's just 29 pounds. It's not like I went and gained all my weight back. Or more. I'm making a promise to myself that I will never see 206 on the scale ever again. And I am taking the appropriate steps to keeping that promise. Even though it would be easier to just throw in the towel, and fully embrace my old eating habits.

To help whip my butt back into shape, I'm doing something a little different. I'm going on
The 17 Day Diet. I've heard lots of success stories on other weight loss blogs, and I'm really excited to try it. It's 3 cycles of 17 days (51 days total), and then I will be back to my :Deliciously Healthy way of losing weight from there.

Tomorrow is day 1. I'm going to blog each and every day, while on the 17 day diet. This blog helped me to lose weight in the beginning. I've always said that I wouldn't have been able to lose the weight I had lost without my blog, and my readers. The support and accountability that comes from my blog, are more valuable to me then any weight loss plan, magic pill, or infomercial selling some exercise thingy-ma-bob. When I stopped doing weekly weigh-ins, I lost some of that accountability. So, I'm bring them back! Tuesdays are my weigh in days.

This is my "starting" picture.
190lbs:
Tomorrow is day 1 of getting my sexy back. I kinda can't wait :)

Falling in-love with fall: A recipe + a 21 day challenge update.

2011-10-17T17:46:00.013-06:00

This weekend, fall took my breath away.
The leaves on our street have all turned gold and red. For me, heaven was: sitting on the porch, in the perfect weather, and soaking in the beauty of fall.

But then I realized cookies would make that moment even more perfect.
So, I made these:
Oatmeal Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies:

What you need:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups quick oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
1 large egg
6 tbsp canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup semi-sweet organic chocolate chips

What you're gonna do:

Preheat oven to 350°; line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with organic cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice and cinnamon.
In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed.
Add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture, followed by the pumpkin and vanilla extract.
Working by hand, stir in the dry mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain; stir in the pecans, and chocolate chips.
Drop 1 tablespoon of the dough at a time onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until cookies become light brown at the edges.
Cool on baking sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 32 cookies, 1 tbsp each.

They're the perfect fall cookie. Hearty, crunchy, chewy, chocolaty and of course, pumpkiny.*Note: I made these cookies on a night that I was having some girls from church over, so that they would eat the majority of them ;) I only had two of these delicious cookies.

***

21 Day Challenge Update:
I was supposed to start my 21 day challenge last week. But, I ended up being sick all week. At first I was going to keep going with the challenge, even though I was sick. My eating was great (It helped that my apatite was completely gone;), but then I remembered that working out everyday was apart of the challenge. I definitely had not been doing that while I was sick. So, I decided to start it after I had gotten better.

My first official day of the 21 day challenge was last Wednesday the 12th.So far I have 5 little hearts!
What's your little piece of fall heaven?

Love is my new fuel.

2011-10-06T15:11:00.007-06:00

I came across this story on facebook:

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption read: "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way: "Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness. They entertain like crazy with dolphins, and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia. They sing incredibly well, and sometimes are even on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defends and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because they suffer from split personality: woman or fish? They would have no sex life and could not bear children. Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad. Besides, what man wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale. At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, so it spreads all over our bodies. We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated. Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

I love this. Being skinny doesn't equate to being beautiful; and being overweight absolutely does not equate to being ugly.

Even though I didn't know it, I was beautiful at 206 pounds (my husband even told me so).

I keep telling myself that I will be beautiful when I am at my goal weight, of 120 pounds. I've subconsciously told myself that until then, I do not deserve beauty. Nor do I deserve to love myself. I have to tell myself every. single. day. that I hate the way I look. I tell myself that I have to loath what I've done to my body, and that I'm not good enough at the weight I am. I use hating myself to motivate me to get to 120 pounds.

No wonder why it has been a struggle to get there.I cannot look after something that I hate.
And using hate to fuel my motivation to lose weight, makes no sense at all.

From now, through to the finish line, and beyond, I am going to love every stretch mark, and every fat dimple. I am going to love every single pound that shows up on that scale. All of these things made me wiser. They have made me who I am. They are apart of ME. I am going to love myself so freakin' much, that I want to take care of this beautiful body I have been given.

Love is my new fuel.

My 21 day challange

2011-10-03T21:41:00.000-06:00

This little quote got me to thinkin'I don't think I've had 21 straight days of good, healthy behavior since starting this weight loss journey over a year ago. It's always a good day, followed by an, 'Eh" day. Or a good week as far as eating goes, but the gym was nowhere insight.

Taking a month long vaca from my diet screwed me up a little more then I thought it would. My head is all out of whack. I've allowed lots of little cheats in my diet, thinking they won't add up. I've been telling myself I can eat 2 brownie squares and drink a can of soda, and still lose weight. And we all know that isn't true. You are what you eat, and if you keep eating the same things, you will always weigh the same. Plain and simple.

I need to whip my butt back into shape (quite literally). I need to get disciplined, focused, and stay consistent. I need to stop allowing myself little cheats in my diet, and do this.

So, I'm taking a 21 day challenge:

21 days of eating healthy. No junk. Cut back on sugar. and NO LITTLE CHEATS.
21 days of doing at least some form of exercise.
21 days of drinking at least 64oz of water.
21 days of tracking my food and meal planning.

21 days of discipline and 100% dedication = Life long healthy habits.
That sounds so refreshing to me right about now.

To help me get started on my 21 day challenge, I bought a (huge) calendar/planner for my fridge.Everyday I'm going to track my food/meal plan, and write down my goals for the day (going to the gym, drinking all my water, etc) on this calendar. At the end of each day, during the 21 days, I get a sticker if I've had a day full of healthy habits, and I've crossed everything off for the day.21 days to a new me!
Day 1 is tomorrow!

Are you up for the challenge?

Do I want this, or that?

2011-09-15T11:05:00.016-06:00

I've been struggling a little to get back on track, after my diet vacation.

Why is this so hard sometimes?

I mean, it's not rocket science.

Do I want a body like this:
Or do I want a hamburger?

Do I want to finally feel comfortable in a bathing suit:
Or would I rather have a pizza instead?

Do I want to have a jaw line like Jen Anniston's:
Or does a brownie sound better?

Do I want to go on a date with my husband to the cheesecake factory,
Or actually look sexy for him?:
Do I want to be able to wear skinny jeans:
Or have Chinese takeout?

Do I want Oreo's more then I want a butt like this?:Heck no!

It's not all that hard, when I look at it that way.

I want to be a sexy, fashionable girl, that has a jaw line, and a firm bootay, on the beach.
And I want it WAY more then I want all that unhealthy goodness.

Nobody said it was easy, but man
it's going to be worth it!

What would you take over a cheeseburger?

What in this picture, does not belong?

2011-09-12T23:19:00.008-06:00

I was doing good, until I got to the checkout line.

But then I added a (king size) Reese's to my healthy odds and ends.

I can usually resist the loads of candy, that are on BOTH SIDES of the checkout lane. But sometimes something just comes over me, and I grab something.

Sometimes Little Debbie gets me too.She's like, "Hey Brittany! Is that you?! Girl, I haven't seen you since that one time you ate a whole box of oatmeal creme pies all by yourself, while watching that one chick flick. What was the name of that movie? UGH, that's gonna bug me. Watch, I'll remember it after you've walked away. Any who, lets hang out! Come on, it'll be fun!"

And I'm like, "What the hey. Get in my cart girl!"

But then other times I'm able to walk on by, and pretend she isn't calling my name. Even though it's slightly awkward.

I guess you win some and lose some.

I did share my Reese's with the hubs. That's gotta count for something.

Are you able to resist the checkout line candy?

Fall is in the air- :DH Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Donuts

2011-09-07T18:02:00.011-06:00

I'm starting to feel the crispness of fall in the air. The leaves haven't begun to change, but I know it's just around the corner. And I'm all excited about it.

Today I wanted to put out the welcome matt, for fall to arrive.

There's no better way to do that, then to fill your house with the aroma of pumpkin. So, I baked these,
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Donuts.Using this donut mold I bought at Micheal's. With a 40% off coupon. Double score.
Fried donuts are so last year.

What you need:

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup, plus 2tbs packed brown sugar
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1 egg white
1 tbs melted smart balance spread
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or whole-wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
3 tbs dark chocolate chips, plus more to top donuts with
1/4 cup powder sugar for dusting.
Cooking spray

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350
Spray donut molds with cooking spray.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
stir in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into a pipping bag, or a large ziplock bag, and cut off the tip of the bag. Squeeze mixture into molds.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a cooling rack, and lightly dust with powdered sugar.

I was too lazy to tally up the calories. I blame the weather ;) But hey, they're baked, not fried, so you really can't go wrong. You can also make mini donuts, which was what I intended to do, but I could only find the full sized donut mold.

See you soon, Fall. We're going to have so much fun this year.

Have you started to feel fall where you live?
Are you all excited about it?! ;)

Life is back to normal :)

2011-09-02T12:32:00.008-06:00

I never knew how much I appreciated "normal".

We had Casey's funeral on August 5th, in California.
(Me with all my siblings and my Dad)It was therapeutic to see family, and to have closure to this tragedy.

On the way up from California, we spent a couple days at the Belagio in Las Vegas, to celebrate our anniversary (a little early).When we got back home, we visited with my Brother-in-Law, who was in town...
Then we celebrated our actual anniversary...And then we spent the week with my nephew, Caleb, who came up to visit after his father's funeral.
Busy. Busy. Busy.

This past week I've finally felt like life has slowly returned to normal.
I've cooked, and cleaned, and simply laid in bed and watched TV. Because I could.

During the past (crazy) month, I took a vaca from my diet. It was kinda annoying to me that amidst all the craziness of finding my brother, and making funeral arrangements, I was still obsessed with calories, and losing weight. I mean, seriously? I had just lost my brother, and the majority of my thoughts were still on, "I wonder how many calories are really in that donut?" I just wanted to take a break from it all. There is more to life then just calories and pant sizes.

And when I say vaca, I mean like no healthy thoughts entered my mind. I wasn't even trying to have the "balance" that I believe so strongly in.

Since Monday, I have been slowly trying to work in things like fruits and veggies...and things of the non-fried variety. Oh and water. Hello water! My body seriously did miss you. I still need to get my chunky butt back to the gym, and I am still horrified to step on the scale. I'm guessing I gained a good 10 pounds during my month long vaca.

It is good to be back to my :Deliciously Healthy life, and to bloggin' all about it.

THANK YOU for all of your support!
I heart you more then chocolate.

My world got tossed upside down.

2011-08-01T20:13:00.003-06:00

On July 24th (my birthday), my brother Casey went missing, while water rafting, with my brother Ben. The next morning, rescue divers found his body in the river.

It has been a long, emotional week for my family and I.

And I have of course turned to food for comfort...
Which is okay. My diet will be there, after I get through these crazy couple of weeks.

Love you Casey

Trying new things

2011-07-18T21:17:00.008-06:00

This week (this week as in yesterday and today;), I've been trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my lifestyle. The fruits aren't so bad, although I've never really been a fruit lover. The veggies on the other hand... UHG. I'd rather eat a... well a cupcake.

There are so many health benefits from eating your daily serving of fruits and veggies. I'm starting to feel like I'm robbing myself if I don't eat the healthy goodness that nature has to offer.

Here are just a few of those benefits:

Lowers your blood pressure
Helps your digestion system
Helps your body to burn more calories
Lowers the risk of several types of cancer
Reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke
Reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes and better control of blood glucose

I know it's worth it. I just have to re-train my little taste buds. And my taste buds are snobs, so it might take a little while.

Since I don't want to eat my vegetables in the first place, it's hard for me to find the motivation to actually prepare them. These steamfresh bags have been a lifesaver. You just pop it in the microwave for 5 min. and you have perfectly steamed veggies. They're also the perfect size for the hubs and I to share. But since I love the guy, I give him the majority of the bag. There's no "I" in marriage. Oh wait, there is!

Another little thing I tried this week were brown eggs.
I always thought there was something "special" about brown eggs. They're more expensive, and they're brown...so that has to mean something, right? Apparently not. The only difference between a white egg and a brown egg, is that the white egg comes from a white hen, and the brown comes from a brown/red feathered hen. And that's it. But it was a fun little adventure ;)

THIS is a great article by Paula Deen.com, that explains the difference between healthy eggs, and not so healthy eggs.

P.S. It's my dream in life to own chickens, and a cute little chicken coop.
Chickens are the new dog. So naturally I have to get some.

What new healthy things have you been trying?
Do you love your fruits and veggies?

This doesn't really have much to do with weight loss- A beauty post

2011-07-14T23:02:00.006-06:00

Lately I've been obsessed with watching makeup and hair tutorials on youtube. It's so much fun to watch tips and tricks, and to learn the right way to do things. I've enjoyed experimenting with new techniques, and stepping away from my normal (boring) look.

Here are a few of my favorite videos:

I LOVE this video that shows you how to get the Kim Kardashian hair. I learned so much from watching it. Basically that I've been doing it all wrong.

I've already tried these 2 makeup techniques (using a few different products). Love!

I'm scared, but determined to rock this smokey eye:

And yes, if you haven't noticed, I've developed a bit of a girl crush on this girl. She has the best tutorials in my opinion.

Here's 3 ways I can actually tie this into weight loss:

1. I find that feeling pretty on the outside, helps me to stick to my diet. It puts an extra spring in my step, and I want to feel as good as I look. Eating healthy, and slowly getting to my goal weight, definitely helps to do just that.
2. It is so much fun buying new beauty supplies. You can use it as a reward/motivation for you to reach a goal. For me- If I can go two weeks without any big cheats (ex. A Hershey kiss is okay, a big mac is not), then I get to go buy a MAC eyeshadow kit! I'm so there.
3. When I am bored, I eat. Plain and simple. So it's important to keep myself busy. Lately I've been spending a lot of time in the mirror, trying these new techniques. It's been fun, and it has kept my mind off of cupcakes. Which is huge. Cause I'm always thinking about cupcakes.

So there. I guess this did have something to do with weight loss after all. I can pretty much tie anything into weight loss now. I'm like a pro ;)

Do you experiment with your beauty routine?
What's your favorite beauty product?
My new found love is HD green makeup primer (I got it at Sephora). Not only does it help my makeup last all day, but the green combats my red skin that I've been blessed with.

Fertility update, and being happy with me :)

2011-07-11T22:06:00.007-06:00

In THIS post, I talked about my battle with trying to lose weight, while trying to get pregnant. In THIS post I talked about my solution to the problem. I had decided to finish up my Clomid, which would go through to the end of July. If I wasn't pregnant by July, we would take 3 months off so I could lose weight, and so we could save money for future fertility treatments.

But... My Clomid hasn't worked for the past two months. Meaning it didn't get me to ovulate. In the 4 months that I have been on Clomid, it's actually only worked once.

So... there's a new plan:
My doctor is upping my Clomid dosage, and is going to do regular ultra sounds to see what my ovaries are up to, while on the clomid. I've decided to give the Clomid one more fighting chance. I'm crossing my fingers that the clomid will work 3 months in a row, and that I will get pregnant one of those 3 months. If the clomid doesn't work in those 3 months, we will go right into the next step.

There's no longer a battle going on in my head.
My focus is on becoming a mother. If I had to choose between losing more weight, or starting our family, I would choose my family. Why the sudden change of heart? Somewhere in the past couple weeks,
I became happy with myself.
I've become filled with gratitude for losing 45 pounds, and not being 206 pounds anymore.

Before:After: Why was that huge accomplishment not enough for me? I don't know. All I know is, I want to be a mother, and so far, I've lost 45 pounds to help make that happen.

I will of course continue with my :Deliciously Healthy lifestyle, and keep trying to lose weight until I get pregnant. And when I do become pregnant, I will have one :Deliciously Healthy pregnancy.

Thanks for listening to all of my fertility talk :)

Life happens

2011-07-05T22:34:00.005-06:00

Lately, it seems like there's always something going on. Always some excuse as to why I can go off my diet "just for this one day." Whether it's a BBQ coming up, or a Birthday party, I find a reason to give myself a free pass to indulge, just this once. There are days when I'm not feeling well, or when I have a million things to do, so I tell myself I can take advantage of the convenience of fast-food... "just this once".

Today, we got the inside of our house painted.
This is the craziness that was my house today:I felt that I had a legitimate excuse to go off my diet "just for this one day", since I couldn't really use my kitchen. Half way through my burger and milk shake, commonsense hit me straight over the head...

Life happens. There's rarely ever going to be a perfect day for your healthy habits and routines. I'm always going to have busy days, sick days, parties to attend, vacations, visitors, and houses being painted. But I can't use these as an excuse to go off my diet "just for today". I have to learn to adapt. How to stay focused and to adjust to the curve balls life throws at you. I have to be aware of when I'm using an excuse as a crutch. Otherwise, I'm never going to get to where I'm going.

And that is what I learned today, while eating a cheeseburger.

Today...

2011-06-27T23:05:00.005-06:00

Today I was craving a steak. Which is hilarious, because I hate steak. I'm a chicken and turkey kinda girl. So, when I told my husband about today's craving, he looked at me weird, grabbed his keys, and took me to go get steak. It was good. Really good. I'm not sure how bad steak is for a diet? But it's not like it was smothered in cheese and butter, so it can't be too bad. Plus I didn't order soda. And...It doubled as my lunch and dinner, so that helps :)

Today I resisted the urge to buy a tub of chocolate frosting at the store. I used to buy one of these, and eat it plain, by the spoon full. I had a brief flash of me doing just that, as my eye spotted it in the store. But, I continued walking. Well, after I took a picture of course :)

Today I had a blast making peach jam with a friend. Peaches are on sale at Sprouts this week for 49 cents a pound! I bought 40 peaches for 4 dollars and something cents. How awesome is that? I used THIS recipe. It calls for 4 1/2 cups of sugar, but I only used 2 cups. I haven't tried it yet, but my friend had already made a batch using 2 cups of sugar, and she said it tasted great. I can't wait to try it on a piece of toast in the morning!
And I will end this fabulous day, by watching Seinfeld with my hubby. Where I will probably say out loud, "Don't listen to Kramer!"...or George for that matter :)

What's your favorite kind of jam?

Have you ever made jam before?

A sweet gesture, that went straight to my hips.

2011-06-23T21:52:00.006-06:00

A marriage is:
Holding hands and flirting on Friday night dates.
Getting hit with an elbow at 3 am.
Texts with "I love you"s and, "Can you pick up eggs?"
Arguing over what movie to watch.
Playing Rock. Paper. Scissors. to decide who cleans up after dinner.
Saying cheesy things like, "I struck the lottery, the day I married you"
And buying roses for your wife, after an argument.

The roses were sweet. They brought a smile to my face, as I thought to myself, "How could I ever stay mad at this guy?" But then he pulled out the box of chocolates. One half of my brain screamed, "YAY! Chocolate!" and the other half screamed, "NOOO!"

So, I made a compromise. I didn't want to hurt my husband's feelings, after all ;) I took only one bite, out of all my favorite chocolates (which were all minus 3;). One bite of each is all you really need anyway.
I figure I cut the calories in half.Then I told my husband thank you, and to hide the rest.

What do you do when you receive a high calorie gift?

What's your favorite chocolate truffle?
Mine is chocolate buttercream. Mmm :)

I'd love to hear your, "A marriage is" quote!

A new promise to my blog

2011-06-14T14:27:00.006-06:00

I'm just going to say it: My blog has been straight up LAME over the past couple months (not as lame as my family blog, but still pretty lame;). I'm glad I got that off my chest.

I just kinda lost that bloggin' feelin' for a little while there, and I got a little lazy in the blog department (and the cleaning and cooking department;). I can't tell you how many blog posts I had written out in my head... I just lacked the motivation to sit down, and actually type it all out.

Over the past week, I've been thinking about how much this blog means to me. I honestly don't think I could have lost 45 pounds, without all of the support, and encouragement from complete strangers, who voluntarily go on this weight loss roller coaster ride with me. It really amazes me, and I'm so grateful for the readers of this little blog of mine. So, I'm making a new promise to rededicate myself to bloggin'.

I have 40 pounds that I have yet to lose, and I want this blog, and my readers to be apart of every step. I can't wait to write up my victory post, when I've reached my goal weight. Man that's going to be a good post... and my new promise is to make all the posts in-between, incredibly awesome, and non-lame... Well, at least I'll try ;)

Since I'm starting to think I do better on a schedule,
my new bloggin' days are Mondays and Thursdays. I Hope you're here, reading along :)

Love,
:Deliciously Healthy

I heart you, and my decision.

2011-06-02T10:18:00.005-06:00

First up, THANK YOU!
Thank you for all your comments and emails. Your advice and opinions helped me to see things more clearly... both ways I'll admit, but it still helped :) It also helps to know that I am not in this alone. There are lots of women with the same battle going on in their head.

Your comments helped me to see that I'm not obese. I've lost 45 pounds, and that is something to be proud of. if I get pregnant tomorrow, it's not the end of the world, as far as my weight goes. At least I won't be getting pregnant at 206 pounds, and that in itself is an accomplishment. You reminded me that I can have a healthy pregnancy, and I don't have to gain 40 pounds, which would definitely help. And like you said, I will never regret having a baby, but I might regret waiting. I hate that my weight has gotten in the way of us being parents. I just want to stop obsessing about my weight, and get on with living our dreams together.

On the other hand, you helped me to see that I am only 23 years old (almost 24). Even if I put it off for a year, I would still be about 25 when I (hopefully) become pregnant. That's pretty young. But I don't feel young. I feel like I'm trapped inside of an 80 year old body, due to my health issues. I've also been married for almost 6 years. We are ready to have a baby. It's all my husband talks about. I hate the fact that he would have to wait even longer to be a daddy, because I couldn't find a way to put down the cheesecake. But hey, I'm sure he would be entertained during the wait, as he watched me shrink back down to the 120 pound girl he married. My weight is a battle I have not officially won, and it's annoying. I just want to get to my goal weight, and finally win this battle. I want to have a healthy pregnancy, and actually look cute while pregnant.

It's still a hard decision, and I still want both. Go figure.

But I think I've come to a compromise:

My fertility doctor said we would try clomid for 3 cycles (3 months), and then move onto more drastic (and expensive) procedures. July will be the 3rd cycle. I've decided that I want to finish what I've started with the clomid. I've already taken the clomid to have a cycle this month. So if it doesn't work this month, I would only take it one more time, for the month of July. If I'm not pregnant by the time I finish the clomid, then we will take 3 months off trying to get pregnant. This will give us time to both save money for the more expensive procedures that we would start in November, and also give me 3 months to lose 20-30 pounds. Because I will be kicking some serious weight loss butt during that time. I'm going to keep with my diet while finishing up the clomid. I haven't weighed myself, but last I checked I was 165, so I'm assuming I'm 160. If I didn't get pregnant with the clomid by the end of July, then I would be hopefully starting the month of August at 155 pounds. I'm hoping that between August and November I can get down to 125-135 pounds.

I would be happy with either outcome. If I get pregnant between now and July, then at least I'm not getting pregnant at 206 pounds. I've always been so worried that I would never be able to get pregnant, that I'm sure seeing a positive pregnancy test will wash away all my concerns about getting pregnant at the weight that I am. And if we don't, then I have three months to get down to a healthier weight, which could even help us have better luck getting pregnant in November.

I feel at peace with our decision. I will be a mother, and get to my goal weight. I can't snap my fingers and have them both at the same time, but I know that I will have them both, eventually. I just know it.

The battle

2011-05-30T10:58:00.006-06:00

It's been almost 3 weeks since I last posted.
I honestly have no idea what the heck happened to the time. At one point, I thought it had been a week since I last posted, but when I looked at my blog, I realized it had been two! Then I spent this past week with writers block. And here I still sit with it. So I'm going to push through it, and just type.

Do you know what goes through my mind as soon as my eyes open in the morning? My diet. My weight. Fertility, and trying to get pregnant while also trying to lose weight. It's also what's going through my mind as I fall asleep at night. Come to think of it, I'm constantly thinking about it. I am so sick of it! I'm tired of thinking about it.

I hate that it's easy one day, and seemingly impossible the next day. I hate that I couldn't have just stayed skinny after I got married. I hate my stretch marks, and what I've done to my body. I hate that it's been 1 1/2 years, and I've only lost 45 pounds in that time. I hate that I waisted half of that 1 1/2 years not being fully committed. I could have made it to my goal weight during that time, if I had really given it all I had, 100% of the time; and I hate that. I hate trying to lose weight, while trying to get pregnant. One half of me wants to roll my sleeves up, and kick some serious weight loss butt. I want to give it all I've got, and lose my last 40 pounds in 6 months. That half of me is secretly hoping I don't get pregnant that month, so I can lose more weight. The other half of me wants to get pregnant. This month. I want to be a mother, and I'm tired of waiting. The two halves totally contradict each other, and sabotage one another. When I'm thinking about my weight loss, the thought actually crosses my mind to put trying to get pregnant aside for 6 months, so I can lose the rest of my weight. But when I'm favoring the baby side, all I can think about is how excited I am to be a mother, and I absolutely hate myself for ever thinking about putting getting pregnant on hold. I hate this fertility/weight loss battle that is constantly going on in my head.

So that's what's going on with me. I'm trying to figure out which I want more: Getting to my goal weight, or getting pregnant. I want them both...

A :Deliciously Healthy date night.

2011-05-10T20:18:00.009-06:00

This past weekend, Joe and I went on a dinner/movie date, to see Thor. Who knew Thor was such a hunk?
That's some 6' 3" muscly goodness right there.
Any way. back to what I was saying....

First, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Jim-N-Nicks.
I usually sneak in a Dr. Pepper, and a couple cheesy muffins while we're there. They are free after all... But this time I ordered a water with lemon, and told my husband to slap my hand if it started creeping over to the bread basket. Luckily, he didn't have to. That might have been embarrassing.

After our movie, we took a little stroll around the outdoor mall.
And that meant we had to pass the Cold Stone.
You can smell the sugar coming out of that place... and I love it! But that's bad. Very, very bad. I shouldn't love it. I should stay away from it. Far, far away. And that's exactly what I did. I even passed up this Cold Stone sign, that made me drool. You can probably see me drooling in the reflection.

Just a few steps past the cold stone, we saw Menchie's, a frozen yogurt restaurant.:
We had never been there, so we thought we'd be adventurous and check it out. Best. Decision. Ever.
It's a self serve frozen yogurt joint, where you can choose you're own yogurt, and your own toppings! I took a couple walk throughs to soak in all the flavors and toppings, before I made my decision. Then I tried to make the best decision possible. I wanted to get chocolate frozen yogurt, with brownies, nuts, marshmallow topping with fudge and caramel.
But instead, I resisted the temptation, and got this:
Chocolate and vanilla swirl, mini dark chocolate chips, coconut, strawberries, and low-fat sugar free fudge. Plus, I exercised moderation on everything. It ended up being just the right amount.

Delish!
Way better then Cold Stone, if you ask me. And a lot nicer on your girlish figure ;)

You should check to see if they have one near YOU. And if they do, you should go. Right now.
And if they don't, just be patient. They are coming soon, to 22 new states!

I heart date nights. Especially when they're :Deliciously HealthyWhat's your date night temptation?
What's your idea of a healthy date night?
Have you ever been to Menchie's?

The truth about "healthy" fast food options

2011-05-04T18:57:00.007-06:00

I self admittedly go to a fast food restaurant about two times a week.
Sometimes you just need, well, fast food.

Luckily for me, most fast food chains had "healthy" options available. Or so I thought...
Today I took a deeper look.
Brace yourself...

I usually go to Chick-Fil-A to get either a chargrilled chicken sandwich, or a Cesar wrap:
Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich:
Calories: 290. Not shabby at all. That's why I got it. But there's more...
Total fat: 4g
Sodium: 1030. That's the kicker.

Cesar Wrap:
Calories: 460
Total fat: 15
Saturated fat: 6
Sodium: 1510. YIKES!

Healthy choice --> I'd say skip those two, and go for one of Chick-Fil-A salads:

Chargrilled fruit salad:
Calories: 290
Total fat: 6
Saturated fat: 4
Sodium: 640

Chargrilled chicken garden salad:
Calories: 180
Total fat: 6
Saturated fat: 4
Sodium: 650

One of the saddest things I found out about Chick-Fil-A?
The stats on their yummy fruit parfait:

Fruit Parfait with granola:
Calories: 290
Total fat: 6
Saturated fat: 2
Sugar: 39!! I'm like, whoa.

Next up, I checked out some of McDonald's info:I've been hearing a lot about their new oatmeal... I've also heard it has a ton of sugar in it. So I investigated:

Fruit and maple oatmeal:
Calories: 290
Carbohydrates: 57
Total fat: 4.5
Sugar: 32! Remember that a snickers bar has 28 grams of sugar. Insane.

In complete shock, I looked up my next favorite fast-food joint, Wendy's:
My favorite salad, the apple pecan salad:
Calories: 580
Total fat: 27
Saturated fat: 9
Sugar: (brace yourself) 39! For a salad. I triple checked.

Baja Salad:
Calories: 740
Total fat: 47. Straight up crazy.
Saturated fat: 17.

And here I thought I was doing a good thing by getting a salad.
A big-mac's stats are better then that salad!:
Big-Mac:
Calories: 540
Total fat: 29

Salad? Or Big-Mac? I think I'll go with the big-mac.

Healthy choice --> Next time you're at Wendy's, skip the salads, and opt for one of the following:

Baked potato with sour cream and chives:
Calories: 320
Total fat: 4
saturated fat: 2

Chili:
Calories: 220
Total fat: 7
saturated fat: 3
Protein: 18 :)

I thought I was doing good by getting things that seemed healthier then what I really wanted to get (#1 with extra cheese), but now I see how far off I really was. It's all a gimmick if you ask me.

With all that sodium, fat, and sugar, no wonder why the scale wasn't moving!

When I was finally able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I came to this conclusion:
It's honestly best to stay away from fast food all together. Even the "low calorie" items are packed with things that can hinder your weight loss efforts. Pack healthy snacks in your purse instead, to help you stay away from that tempting drive-thru.

Clomid and prenatal vitamins

2011-04-27T20:44:00.011-06:00

There are pros and cons to trying to get pregnant.

Pro: Prenatal vitamins. (these are my favorite so far.)

These vitamins are like Miracle Grow for your hair and nails. I cut my hair short back in November, and it's already almost the length it was before I cut it! The time before last, it took my hair 2 stinckin' years to get back to it's previous length! So naturally, it makes me want to cut my hair short again. If it's going to grow back this fast, why not?

I think I'm going to take prenatal vitamins for the rest of my life. That's not bad, is it? ;)

Con: Clomid.(Can I have cruddier photos? No. I can not.)

This is the first month that I'm on the right dosage of Clomid. As you can see, I've taken all my little pills ;) So far it hasn't been as bad as some of the horror stories I've heard... but it's not a walk in the park either.

I've gotten quite a few emails asking me how the Clomid is working, and what the symptoms of Clomid have been, so I thought I would list them for you:

Emotional. If the Pampers, and various different cancer commercials didn't make me cry before, they do now. This has resulted in me being ultra clingy to my honey bunny baby bear (that's the Clomid talking;). I need a hug from him like every 10 minutes.
Bloated. Since I'm not weighing myself, I count on the way I feel, and how my clothes fit, to tell me how I'm doing. Right now I feel like I've gained 5-10 pounds. I've been good, so that shouldn't be the case.
Menstrual cramps. I don't think I need to explain how much those suck.
Small Pimples on my forehead. I need to get some Proactive.
Muscle cramps. Since I was younger, I've been getting muscle cramps in my legs. You know that pain you have when you get on the floor, put your legs out in front of you, and try to touch your toes? (that question is for the non-limber folk;) Well it's that same exact pain, only constant. When I was younger they told me they were growing pains. They never went away, but as I got older, they only came when it was that time of the month. Since I've started the Clomid, I've gotten them every night :/

In a nutshell, taking Clomid is a lot like PMS.
If it works, it will all be worth it.

Moral of the story:
I'm an emotional girl with long hair.

Are you a vitamin taker?

If you would like to share you experience with clomid, you're welcome to leave it in the comments. I have lots of readers who would like to know more :D

What's inside my Easter basket?

2011-04-23T14:18:00.011-06:00

Instead of eating a basket full of Peep's, Cadbury eggs, chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and egg shaped Reese's and snickers bars this Easter, I thought I'd pick just one Easter sweet to enjoy.

I thought about it for a few days. I wanted to be sure I picked the right one. The one that would hit that Easter sweet tooth just right.

In the end, it was the chocolate Easter bunny that stole my heart. I just couldn't resist it's candy eyes, and those hollow milk chocolate bunny ears.I shared it with my hubby. I love him that much ;)
If you had to choose just one Easter treat, which would you choose?

Happy Easter!

I Know that my Redeemer lives.

The truth about artificial sweeteners

2011-04-13T10:14:00.013-06:00

I saw this incredibly informative video on FaceBook. Gotta love FB.

What makes this video so awesome, is that it breaks down all the chemicals in sugar substitutes. It explains what those chemicals actually are, and what they do to our bodies. Chemicals like aspartame, acetone, methanol, among others:

What did I get from this video? Oh, just that artificial sweeteners are basically just sugar with chlorine, nail polish remover, gasoline, windshield washer fluid, and formaldehyde in it. Sweet (pun not intended, but welcomed:).

It's amazing to me how many "diet" cook books include these artificial sweeteners.

And I can't believe how much diet Dr. Pepper I used to drink. It's crazy.

Here are Dr. Freedmen's picks for the 3 best sweeteners:

***
A couple weeks ago we decided to put a patio in the backyard. When the patio was finally done, we realized they had made a ton of mistakes. Now they're having to tare it out, and do it again. When it is all said and done, it will have taken them almost 2 weeks from start to finish. That's 2 weeks of not being able to let the dogs out back to do their business. That equals a ton of walking for moi. I've had to take them on a walk 4-6 times a day. sigh.

Moral of the story: putting in a patio is the best thing to ever happen to my diet and exercise plan.

Free

2011-04-07T18:13:00.008-06:00

It's been a while since I stepped onto the scale.

I was never the kind of person who would step on the scale multiple times a day. When I first started on this weight loss journey, I would only weigh myself once a week. Then that became twice a week, and eventually, I weighed myself every morning. Soon, the scale and I developed a bad relationship. It was so discouraging to see that all my hard work, was only giving me a 1 pound loss each week. Doubt would set in as soon as I stepped on the scale, and last with me until I fell asleep that night. It's always been my goal to be 150 pounds when we get pregnant. Every morning I stepped on the scale, that goal seemed so far out of reach. I would spend the entire day subconsciously trying to figure out what was wrong with me, and what I was doing wrong. I would try to figure out what I could do to get to 150lbs before we got pregnant, and always getting discouraged when the weight didn't come off quickly enough for me to get to my goal. That discouragement would always lead me into a day or two of bad eating, which of course resulted in me gaining back the pound I had lost. Then I finally realized that 1 pound a week is great. It is a heck of a lot better then zero! So, I ditched the scale.

I am starting to realize what a huge burden it was on me, to obsess about the scale everyday. I suddenly feel freer. Happier. Since I'm not spending as much energy thinking about the scale, my weight, and how slow it's coming off, I suddenly have more energy to go to the gym. To go grocery shopping, to cook, to clean... to live life. I simply feel good about myself when I eat deliciously healthy, and stay on track. It's nice to not step on the scale, and have it take those good feelings away from me. I am living a healthy life for me. Not the scale. I choose to eat healthy, workout, take my vitamins, and drink lots of water, because I love myself, and I want to be healthy. Not because I am trying to lose X amount of weight each week.

It feels like a breath of fresh air, and it makes me happy.
P.S. At my doctor appointment this past Wednesday, my doctor looked at my chart, and said "Oh, you've lost weight since your last appointment!" Luckily she didn't say how much, because I don't know how that would have affected me. But at least I know that it's working, and that I can be successful without the scale.

Stupid pharmacy...

2011-03-30T23:13:00.008-06:00

The month of March was supposed to be my
first month on Clomid, a fertility drug that will stimulate my ovaries to ovulate. 3 days into my "cycle", I was to start taking the medicine, and continue taking it for 5 days. Remember this photo? Well, there were supposed to be two of these little packets.

Since you take the medicine for 5 days, and there were only 5 pills, I assumed that meant that I was supposed to take one pill a day, which I did. A few weeks later, I was "late". My period was MIA, and I started picking out baby names. After a few days of waiting to make sure it wasn't coming, I took a pregnancy test. I thought for sure I was finally going to see a positive... instead I saw what I always see: A negative pregnancy test. I called my fertility doctor upset, and explained that my period was late, and the pregnancy test came back negative. I told her it must mean that I didn't ovulate this month, which meant the clomid didn't work. She started telling me what our next plan of action was, which is when she asked me what my dosage was. I told her I took one pill a day, for 5 days... and that's when she told me I was supposed to be taking 2 pills a day, for 5 days. She looked up the prescription, and confirmed that I had taken the wrong dosage. She then explained that the pharmacy must have gotten it messed up.

I am now reverting back to my 5 year old ways, and calling the pharmacy a butthead. While I stick my tongue out at it.

Right now I'm taking Provera, a drug that will make me have a period, so that I can start taking the clomid 3 days into the cycle. For real this time.

Normally I would have drowned my sorrows into some kind of unhealthy goodness. Instead, I ate 2 of these deliciously healthy chocolate chip cookies, with a small glass of low-fat milk.
(I can't for the life of me upload pics from my camera, so I had to use my phone)It did just the trick. These cookies are free of white flour, and oh so yummy.

Trials will come. That is life. But I will NOT drown my sorrows in food, and let it get the best of me.
I deserve to be healthy, and it's up to me to make that happen.

I know that I will be a Mommy someday. It just wasn't this month.

Stupid pharmacy.
It's going to take me a couple days to stop saying that ;)

Living without the scale, and an NSV

2011-03-28T18:47:00.012-06:00

For the past week and a half, I haven't been weighing myself.

My weight loss has been slow. slash non-existent. slash very frustrating over the past 6 months.
Yes, 6 whole months.

After losing 40 pounds, my weight loss went form a nice steady walk, where I would lose 2 pounds a week, to a painfully slow crawl, where I would only lose .5 to maybe 1 pound a week. I tried cutting down on my sugar intake, which didn't seem to help. Then I started the low glycemic index diet and ate cleaner, but that still didn't help the scale move any faster.

A vicious cycle followed:
I would do great on my diet for 3-4 days, step on the scale and see that I had only lost 1 pound after 4 days of perfect eating. Then I would get frustrated, and eat poorly for the next 2 days. I would of course gain a pound from my recent eating tantrum... so I would go back on my diet, do great for 3-4 days, lose only one pound, get frustrated, eat, gain back a pound, and so on and so forth. 1 step forward, 1 step back. 1 step forward, one step back. This went on for way too many months, which is why I am still 165 pounds. This was all caused by my frustration with the scale moving slowly. That frustration would cause me to go on and off my diet, losing a pound, and gaining it back, for the past 6 months. Where as if I had just come to terms with my new (slow) pace of weight loss, at losing .5 to 1 pound a week, I would have lost 12-24 pounds by now. That is a heck of a lot better then 0.

My solution: Stop weighing myself.

There are so many reasons why I need to live this healthy lifestyle:

I need to be :Deliciously Healthy, so I can have a baby.
I am borderline diabetic, and refuse to ever be diabetic.
My PCOS puts me at a higher risk of having heart disease, and of course, diabetes.
I need to be as healthy as I can be to combat my Lupus.
Because of my RA, I need knee replacements. Being the healthiest I can be, will no doubt help me to hold off on replacements for as long as possible, as it already has.

So, whether I am trying to lose weight or not, I need to live and eat healthy. This is my new lifestyle. I don't know why I have been forgetting that.

My new focus is on eating healthy (low glycemic diet), drinking lots of water, and exercising. To be healthy. I've been doing those things already, of course, but the focus has changed.
It is no longer on the scale. Losing weight will naturally follow my healthy lifestyle. I don't need to keep checking in on it, and risk letting frustration with the scale, drive me to donuts.

I have been doing this for about a week and a half now. I have been doing better then I have in a long time. I haven't been going on and off my diet anymore. I am finally consistent again. Living one healthy day, after the next, and loving it. I am now doing this to simply be healthy, and that stupid scale doesn't mess up my progress.

We have two scales in our house (one in each of the upstairs bathrooms). I haven't moved them, or hid them. They are both still on the bathroom floor, right next to the toilet. I walk past them everyday, and don't give them a second thought.

I can feel that I've lost weight in the past week and a half, but I don't know how much, and I like that.

With all that said, it's the perfect time for a NSV (non-scale victory), wouldn't you say?

My husband left for a couple days on a business trip, and left half a pizza sitting in our fridge. I had a decision to make:
To eat the pizza, or not to eat the pizza?
I chose not to.
And to make sure I stuck with my decision, I threw the rest of the pizza in the trash.We can do this. One healthy decision at a time.

After almost 6 years of marriage...

2011-03-24T21:57:00.005-06:00

...We finally got ourselves a toaster.
I have no idea what took us so long. I think it somehow got turned into a game- let's see how long we can make it without a toaster.
Answer: 5 years, 7 months, 11 days, 18 hours and 35 minutes.

My husband was excited to have a toaster strudel.I took one bite of his, and that was enough for me. Reading the ingredients and nutrition facts on these things, will help you do just that.

And I couldn't wait to get my hands on a nice and toasty
BLT, with turkey bacon.I like mine lightly toasted.
My husband likes his burnt.
Who knew? :)

Can you live without your toaster, or do you use it everyday?

Putting almond butter to the test.

2011-03-21T22:01:00.008-06:00

I had been wanting to try almond butter for a while (like a year), but they don't carry it at my normal grocery store. That meant that I had to go to a "special" store to get it. That = waiting an entire year until I finally talked myself into going to two different grocery stores to do my grocery shopping, so that I could get me some almond butter. Yes. I am that pathetic. I hate grocery shopping. It's a character flaw.

When I finally had the almond butter in my kitchen, I took one taste of it, said I didn't like it, and put it in my pantry closet as I bitterly mumbled under my breath about the $4 wasted.

It seems that everyone likes almond butter. I started to wonder if I was one of the rare few that didn't like the stuff, or if I had possibly been too hard on the poor almond butter. So, I took it back out, and
put it to the test.

If I was going to bring almond butter into my life, it needed to be just as good as peanut butter, on the things I normally put peanut butter on. (did that make sense?) So, I tried almond butter and peanut butter, side by side on the things I usually put PB on:

Crackers:Peanut butter: Delish as always.
Almond butter: Not too shabby. I can definitely see myself doing this.

Apple slices:Almond butter:
DELISH!
Peanut butter:
Good. But I liked the almond butter better.
I was as shocked as you.

And last, I had to see if AB could replace the PB in my PB and J:And it did.
Deliciously.
Here are the facts:
Peanut butter:Almond Butter:Almond butter has less saturated fat. It has significantly less sodium, which earns it some brownie points from me. And it has more vitamin E, calcium, and iron.

I've decided that the almond butter can stay.
No body was more happy about this then the almond butter.

Do you like almond butter?
What do you like to spread your peanut butter, or almond butter on?

Blog shy

2011-03-14T10:53:00.008-06:00

Yes. It has been 2 weeks since I last blogged.
I've had lots to say, over the past 2 weeks, but every time I would sit down to write a post, I would get.... shy. Blogging made me nervous all of a sudden. It was seriously weird.

But I'm back.
Hello world.

Here's just a few random things from the past 2 weeks:

I went to whole foods for the first time:I have been on this weight loss journey for over a year, and I had never gone to a whole foods. I don't believe it myself.

I've been trying some new, clean and healthy products, as a result of my recent trip to Whole Foods:

Cinnamon raisin bagels:Love.

All different kinds of butters: Dislike all of the above.

All natural chocolate chip cookies: Not the best I've ever had, but it's nice to have something chocolaty and "clean" in the freezer, for when I turn into the cookie monster.

Luna bars:
Love. The only problem is, so does my husband. Doesn't he see the label? Women only! ;)

I have developed a love/hate relationship with ovulation tests:Every morning I get a sense of rejection/failure when a little stick tells me I'm not ovulating.
I have yet to see a positive test. My fertility Doctor told me that my PCOS can prevent these tests from working right, but that she still wanted me to take them.
I think I may have ovulated this month, as I had all the "signs" THIS article pointed out.
How many sticks does a girl have to pee on to get pregnant?

I bought this, Clean Eating cook book:
I heart this book. Not only does it give you lots of clean eating recipes, including desserts (none of which I have tried, because I am currently too lazy to bake), it's also a whole guide on how to eat clean. Why I didn't buy a clean eating book from the get go, is beyond me.

And I have developed a small crush on 50 Cent:
That is all.

Do you ever get blog shy?
What healthy foods are you currently loving?

Perfect evenings

2011-02-28T19:04:00.002-07:00

This is my idea of a perfect evening at home:

First, the hubs and I go on a long walk with the doggies, at sunset.

When we get home, we make dinner together.
Twice baked broccoli potatoes:(I got the recipe from the food network, HERE. I lightened it up by using low-fat sour cream and cheese, and used less butter.)

After dinner, we watch my favorite sitcom together, The Nanny.
Reason #1,900,043 why I love my husband so much- because he walks with me, cooks with me, and watches my favorite show with me every night. I'm one lucky girl.

What's your idea of a perfect evening?

Let the fun begin

2011-02-24T20:06:00.006-07:00

Tomorrow I start taking Clomid; a fertility drug to help stimulate my ovaries. Sounds exciting ;)I have faith in Heavenly Father's plan for us. Whatever will be, will be.
But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will bring a little bundle of joy into our lives soon :)

Daydreaming....

2011-02-22T17:25:00.004-07:00

Not much going on here.
Just daydreaming about cupcakes. With sprinkles.

What are you daydreaming about?

Today's wake up call- lab results

2011-02-16T16:46:00.012-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I got labs done for my fertility doctor. We've been playing phone tag for almost a week, and today I finally got a hold of the nurse to get my results.

2 things:
I have high cholesterol. Sweet.
I'm 2 candy bars away from being diabetic. Double sweet.

The nurse said that I wasn't diabetic, but my test results were pretty elevated, and I'm "At risk".

She then told me that I needed to get on a diet, and lose weight. I laughed (because if I didn't laugh, I was going to cry), and told her that I was on a diet, and I have already lost 45 pounds. She literally took a sigh of relief, and told me how encouraging it was to hear that I was already doing something to better my health. She was very happy to hear that I was doing the low glycemic index diet. I explained that at the time of the labs, I had only been on the diet for a week, and she explained that that probably wasn't enough time for the benefits of the diet to show up in my lab work. She strongly encouraged me to continue with the low glycemic diet, and that counting calories just wasn't enough for me, and my health issues.

The past few days I've been considering just going back to counting calories, and I've been trying to figure out what was best. I guess I got my answer. This low glycemic index diet truly is a part of my
new lifestyle. It's pretty easy for me to feel down in the dumps about this. I feel like I've been doing all this work to be ":Deliciously Healthy", and I'm still "At Risk" for diabetes. But on the other hand, I'm very grateful. Thank goodness I put my chunky butt on a diet over a year ago, and lost 45 pounds! I'm certain that phone call would have been very different if I was still 206 pounds. Because I took action, I'm at risk for diabetes, but I'm NOT diabetic!
I dodged a bullet. And that's sweet.

Today I had a wake up call, and found new motivation. I have to do this. And I have to like it. I absolutely refuse to add another diagnoses, to my already long list.

Sounds good to me.

XOXO

2011-02-14T01:00:00.008-07:00

This weekend, we threw a Valentine's Day party!
It was high in calorie, but lots of fun. No matter what diet you're on, you have to allow yourself to indulge in a fountain of chocolate, every now and then. Life's just sweeter that way.Tonight I have a hot date with my sweet hubby.

Happy Valentine's Day!
XOXO

Dessert for breakfast

2011-02-09T21:22:00.005-07:00

Oats+Coconut+Pomegranate= Pure deliciousness.4 cups Old Fashioned Oats
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup canola oil
1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
6 ounce pkg dried pomegranate

Mix all of the ingredients except Pomegranate and spread on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees, for about 30 to 40 minutes, checking and stirring every 10 minutes or so. Cool completely. Add Pomegranate. Store in an airtight container.It goes perfectly with vanilla yogurt.It's like candy. For breakfast. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot.

Brittany's Kitchen Adventures- Clean Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-02-07T20:51:00.005-07:00

A few weeks ago, I made THESE delicious chocolate chip cookies. They had half the calories as regular chocolate chip cookies. They were heaven. I can almost taste them now...

To make them cleaner, I substituted half the flour with
whole wheat pastry flour, and the other half with
oat flour. Everything else stayed the same....My husband said they tasted like a dog biscuit with chocolate chips in it. And I agree. I can't believe how much changing the flour can change an entire cookie. What the heck dude?!

So the quest continues, to find a Deliciously Clean dessert.
(Thank you for your clean eating tips in my last post. I will definitely be checking them out.)

***
I didn't have the healthiest weekend ever. We were at a car dealership ALL day with nothing to eat. When we finally left (with my new car:), we were starving, and an Olive Garden was right across the street. So we went. And I enjoyed. Then Sunday I had leftovers. But today- today was good. And so will be tomorrow, and the next day. I'm doing this- I just got to find some clean desserts, to keep me motivated. A girl needs her chocolate.

Dessert failure, and the come back of "Brittany's Kitchen Adventures"!

2011-02-03T20:21:00.007-07:00

I feel like I'm on a roll with this new clean eating/low glycemic plan of mine.

Except for one little thing: I need some sweets!
Since all of the Deliciously Healthy desserts I used to make have white flour in them, I have to find new, clean(er) desserts to make. Tonight I thought I'd try a little experiment- I made chewy coconut macaroons using oat flour, instead of all purpose flour.They tasted great, but didn't hold together at all.

I'm excited to try making my chocolate chip cookies without using white flour. I have a few ideas on what to substitute the white flour with. I really hope it works, because those would so hit the spot.

I WILL find deliciously clean desserts to bake. You watch :)
Seriously. Stop by every Monday to see me cook/bake new things, because
I'm bringing back "Brittany's Kitchen Adventures"! I took a couple months off, while I figured out my new game plan. Now I'm ready to get back to cooking/baking challenging new things that I've never attempted; and I will blog about all of it! The first few weeks will be on my attempts to bake deliciously clean desserts. There's bound to be some disasters (like tonight's cookies), but hopefully a lot of Deliciously Healthy successes!

Do you know of any Deliciously Clean desserts?

Remember to wear red this Friday, for Go Red For Women Day!

Fertility Appointment

2011-01-31T22:02:00.012-07:00

Today was my fertility appointment.May I just say that I LOVE my fertility doctor.
A lot.

One of the first things she mentioned was my weight loss. She was very happy, and proud of me. She told me that losing weight had no doubt helped my PCOS, and that my regular period cycles were proving that. She talked about insulin resistance, and how it directly effects the amount of testosterone that goes to my ovaries, affecting whether or not they would be able to develop an egg. She said a
low glycemic index diet would help my insulin resistance, balance out my hormones, and help me to ovulate regularly; And she was very happy to hear it was apart of my new plan.

She went down the list of my health issues (Lupus, RA, low thyroid, PCOS), and told me how amazing it was that I was able to lose weight, while having a number of things against me. That was a special moment for me. I felt very proud of myself for losing over 40 pounds, and not letting my health issues keep me from accomplishing my goals.

She took an ultrasound of my ovaries, and said they were "beautiful" My husband chuckled and told her that he always said I was beautiful inside and out. Ha. Ha. ;) She doesn't think I need to be put on Metformin, and wants to put me on Clomid, after I have my next period. Clomid will help me to ovulate more regularly. We will do that for 3 months, and if I'm not pregnant by then, we will talk about other fertility treatments we can do. She sounded pretty confident that the Clomid will do the trick. I'm excited for my next period to start, so we can start!

She talked to us for almost 2 hours. She answered every single question we had. She took the time to break down all my medical issues, and explained to us in laymen terms what they all meant, and how they can affect pregnancy. She is worried about my low thyroid and lupus, so she is going to set me up with one of the leading Rheumatologist/High Risk OBs in the United States!

It was a good appointment.
I left her office with a big smile on my face.

I was also reminded of my motto:
Eat Deliciously Healthy.
Be :Deliciously Healthy.

Some new healthy things I've been trying

2011-01-27T22:33:00.008-07:00

The past couple days have been good, healthy, low glycemicy type of days. And no- "glycemicy" is not a word.

My main focus has been on
staying away from processed carbohydrates. It's actually been fairly easy. I have become label reading obsessed. And it's actually kinda fun. Give me a second to get over the fact that I just said that.

Here are a few new things I've tried:

Almond milk:By itself- no thank you.
In my cereal- yes please!
Fage yogurt with cherry:
With the Cherry it's delicious... but when that runs out.... no freakin' way. Gag.

Whole wheat tortillas:
I tried these a few years ago, and thought they were gross. But since my regular tortillas have processed carbohydrates in them, I reluctantly bought these again. They must have changed their recipe, because they were delish! It made for a very tasty turkey burrito tonight for dinner.
MMM...Let's go ahead and get the elephant out of the room- yes, I ate my dinner tonight on a paper towel, because all my plates were in the sink, dirty. My name is Brittany, and I'm a slacker. It's a miracle I even made dinner.

So far, so good.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to try a green monster smoothie for the first time.

Monday I have an appointment with my
fertility specialist. Last time she saw me I was 206 pounds. I'm excited to show her my new healthy lifestyle, and that I actually followed her orders, and lost weight! I'm also excited to get put on fertility meds.

Wish me luck!

Thank You. And My New Plan

2011-01-24T20:43:00.011-07:00

First of all, I want to say "THANK YOU" for all of your comments, and emails on my last post.
I've been doing a lot of thinking over these past few days, as well as a lot of research on how PCOS, diets, and fertility, all tie together.

I've been having a feeling deep inside of me for a while now, telling me that I needed to eat clean. I got the sense that eating clean, would somehow help me to get pregnant. It was easy for me to laugh it off thinking the idea was ludicrous, because I didn't want to eat clean. So I've been ignoring this little voice in my head, hoping it would go away. But it's only getting louder. It's practically yelling at me now.... And what do you know, all the research I've been doing this weekend pretty much supports this voice in my head, telling me to eat clean. Nerds.

Here's a little bit of what I've learned:

A big part of the problem with PCOS is the high insulin resistance (you can read more about insulin resistance HERE). Resistance to insulin increases the body's insulin levels which effects normal ovulation, by preventing the body from ovulating or limiting the development process of the released egg. This has a direct affect on your fertility and ability to conceive. Many women with PCOS have difficulty losing weight, most likely due to high insulin levels promoting fat storage. The standard weight loss diet may not be the best approach for women with PCOS. High intakes of carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates (sweets, white bread, white rice...) will quickly turn to sugar and cause elevated levels of insulin. Since high levels of insulin can cause a number of problems for women with PCOS, a better diet would be a low glycemic index diet. This is a diet that includes foods or combinations of foods that do not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar. Eating a low glycemic diet will help to keep your insulin at a balanced level, thus increasing your fertility.

Here's what I gathered on the low glycemic index diet:

Avoid white processed carbohydrates which cause a spike in your insulin levels and provide little fiber, or nutrients. Eat breads, grains and cereals that are as unprocessed as possible.
Eat carbohydrates that are rich in fiber. The lower glycemic carbohydrates tend to have more fiber than the higher glycemic foods.
Couple a protein with your carbohydrates. When you eat equal amounts of proteins and carbohydrates, it helps to keep your insulin at a balanced level.
Get lots of fiber. Fiber helps by slowing down the digestion of sugars in the body, so there is no spike in insulin. It also helps by removing excess estrogen from the body, which may also help to reduce fibroids.
Exercise! Exercise helps PCOS by improving your insulin sensitivity, and increasing your metabolism.

Every single article I've read, stresses the importance of staying away from processed foods if you have PCOS. So that's what I'm going to do. In moderation, lol. You know how I love my baking, and I'm going to have to squeeze that in there. I'm thinking twice a month I'm going to allow myself to bake up a deliciously healthy treat. I have an appointment scheduled to see my fertility specialist, to discuss my new plan with her.

I am going to carry my Deliciously Healthy motto into this low glycemic diet. I'm determined to make eating clean(er) DELICIOUS!

I've also realized that I'm not just on this weight loss journey so that I can get pregnant. I'm on it to improve my health, as I have PCOS, lupus, RA, and low thyroid. I want to live a
healthy life, and be the healthiest me I can be. And lets face it, I want to be a size 8 again.
Thank you again for all your support!
xoxo

What's been on my mind

2011-01-19T17:23:00.005-07:00

Yesterday I pretty much spent the whole day in bed, cuddling with Moxie.I was feeling blue, and I just needed to take a time out. I've been in a little funk, and have had a bad week as far as my diet goes. My time in bed wasn't completely unproductive; I was able to figure out what's been bothering me...

I had tried to lose weight many, many times before I was finally successful. There was just never anything that REALLY motivated me enough to get the weight off. That was until I met with a fertility specialist, where she told me if I wanted to get pregnant, I HAD to lose weight.

That did the trick. I didn't want my weight and my love for fast-food to get in the way of any of my dreams, especially my dream of becoming a mother. A fire got lit under my butt, and I finally changed. I came up with my Deliciously Healthy motto and started this blog. I was so excited to lose weight, and be healthy so I could get pregnant. My desire to get pregnant helped me have the will power to turn down pizza, donuts, and everything else. I started having periods on my own, which was so exciting and comforting, as I didn't have them before due to my PCOS. Having regular periods was showing me that I was ovulating regularly, which would make getting pregnant easier. It was all due to my new healthy lifestyle. It was very rewarding, and I was optimistic that I would be a mother in no time. All this excitement made eating healthy a no brainier, and a piece of cake.

At this point, we weren't trying to get pregnant yet. I wanted to wait a few months so that I could actually lose some weight first. The excitement and anticipation of trying to get pregnant in the near future, made me work extra hard at losing weight. In July, we technically started trying, which was 6 months after I started losing weight. And that was when a whole lot of insecurity and doubt subconsciously entered my mind. We would try for 1 month, and then I would come up with some excuse to not try the next month. In the past 6 months of trying to get pregnant, I would say we've only actually tried 3 out of those 6 months. I've realized that I don't believe I'm going to get pregnant. It just seems too good to be true, and surreal. I'm scared to try to get pregnant, because I don't want to be let down. So, I've been stalling. Soon, the baby fever was becoming too much, and I decided that I was done letting fear and doubt get in our way. In the month of December, we were trying to get pregnant. My period started today, which shows me we obviously didn't get pregnant. Once again, I feel like it's just not going to happen. It's too good to be true. "I'm never going to get pregnant." If I believe it's never going to happen, then that takes away my main motivation to eat healthy and lose weight. Hence my lack of motivation these past couple days.

And that's pretty much where I sit today. My motivation is gone, because I have convinced myself that I am never going to get pregnant. Even though we have only tried for 4 months.
(Also note that I'm on my period, so I'm overly emotional about this...)

I haven't given up on my diet in any way. I've just hit a little bump. Also, we have family visiting right now, which isn't helping. My husband always wants to go to every restaurant in town when we have visitors. AND I'm on my period, so I want to eat more then usual. I've been doing my best to at least keep a balance.

It feels good to get that off my chest.
150's here I come!

I ate a donut

2011-01-17T15:12:00.006-07:00

I've been feeling rather frustrated lately.

I've been passing up all sorts of delicious things, in an effort to lose weight, and I have absolutely nothing to show for it.
I am stuck at 167. The frustrating thing is, I used to be 161 a little while ago. I had a bad few weeks, and gained 6 pounds. For the past couple weeks, I have been doing everything right. Eating healthy, exercising, drink all my water... and nothing. Since I was able to get down to 161 a little while ago, I don't really think this is a plateau. I'm just stuck. And it's frustrating. So naturally, I decided to have a donut. Will this solve my scale problems? No. Is it good? Yes.

I will be my normal, Deliciously Healthy self tomorrow.
Today, I'm a rebel.

To die for chocolate chip cookies

2011-01-13T21:49:00.007-07:00

I've had a serious craving for chocolate chip cookies.
I mean, aren't chocolate chip cookies, the best cookie on earth?

So, I decided to satisfy my craving, in a Deliciously Healthy way, by making these:

What you need:

1 cup and 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons unsalted butter- divided
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 teaspoon low-fat milk
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips- divided

What you do:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl, and set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown (1 to 3 minutes). Pour butter into a bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

Add both sugars, salt, milk and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until smooth. Add egg and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in 6 tablespoons of chocolate chips.

Divide dough into 16 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies.

Bake cookies 1 tray at a time for 8-11 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack.

Here's what I'm thinkin':
Makes 16 cookies
Serving size: 1 cookie
Calories per serving: 120 calories

They were perfect.

Seriously.

What's your favorite cookie?

A TMI, NSV

2011-01-11T19:01:00.005-07:00

One of my new years resolutions is to drink more water. I've been doing pretty good, but I feel like I've been taking mad dashes to the bathroom every 10 minutes!

Today, I was doing the dishes, and I had to "go". I was almost done, so I thought I would finish the dishes, before taking the 100th bathroom break of the day. The sound of the running water was not helping me "hold it". Soon I was doing the potty dance, as I tried to rush through the dishes. Finally I realized that I couldn't wait for the last pot to be loaded into the dishwasher. I had to go NOW! So I RAN to the bathroom, quickly pulled down my pants, and... you know. When I was done, I pulled up my pants, and when I went to button my pants, I realized I had never unbuttoned them! Confused I thought, "Can I seriously just slide off my pants?" So I tested it again. I slid them off, and slid them back on, without ever unbuttoning them! And I was pretty happy about that.

The scale may not be moving, but my jeans are looser!

Have you had any recent NSVs (non scale victory)?
If so, high 5 to us!

Happy Birthday Blog!

2011-01-07T14:54:00.008-07:00

This Sunday will mark
1 year since I started this blog, and weight loss journey.
In that year, I have lost 45 pounds, and gained knowledge, health and happiness.

Here are some of my favorite posts, over the past year:

*THIS one just makes chuckle. I still can't wear those.

*THIS was when I started to feel like I could actually do this.

*Last Valentines Day was when I really understood that eating healthy can be fun, and DELICIOUS!

*got a gym membership.

*Conquered my fear, and got in the pool at the gym for the first time.

*Climbed a mountain.

*Was finally able to wear high heels, after losing 40 pounds!

It has been an awesome ride! I'm excited to see what this year has in store!

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, to all those who have read along with me. And thank you to everyone who has left me comments. They always put a smile on my face, and have helped carry me through some hard times in this journey.

I heart you. Each and every one of you.

Baby Steps

2011-01-04T21:29:00.008-07:00

Want to know a key to my success?
Baby steps.

I have baby stepped my way through this entire weight loss journey.
Here, Dr. Marvin, from What About Bob, explains it better then I: "It means setting small, reasonable goals for yourself, one day at a time. One tiny step at a time."

I baby step my way from minute to minute. From meal to meal. I baby step my way to the gym, each and every time I go. I probably wouldn't make it there, if I didn't. When I'm at home, I don't think about everything I need to do to get in the pool, at the gym. I simply think about what I need to do to pack my bag. Then I think about what I need to do to get in the car, and drive. When I get to the gym, I simply focus on getting to the locker room. And then finally, I take baby steps to getting in the pool. Baby steps.

"All I have to do, is take one little baby step at a time, and I can do anything."

Thank you Dr. Marvin.
Dr. Leo Marvin.

Camera shy

2010-12-30T22:06:00.007-07:00

A little while ago, I was contacted by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, the creator of Well Then.org. It's a great website, where people can share their tips on how to be well, by posting a video, or making a picture post. Harvard Pilgrim has empowered me to participate in the “Well, Then” community. They have asked me to share my weight loss journey, by posting videos on their website. In the videos I share my weight loss tips. It's been lots of fun... but I'm a nervous wreck before the camera starts shooting. I've learned that I'm quite camera shy. And that I hate my voice.

So far, I have made 3 videos:

My first one was on setting small goals. (see VIDEO)

On my second video, I shared my 5 keys to weight loss. (see VIDEO)

And my third is about New Years resolutions. (see VIDEO)

Check out my profile HERE.

I laugh hysterically at myself, every time I watch one of my videos. I am such a nerd. And it shows. But hey, that's why you love me, right? ;D

My Christmas Gift

2010-12-28T11:08:00.009-07:00

Every year, on Christmas morning, my husband and I take pictures of each other tearing open our gifts. He insists on taking a picture of each and every Christmas present. When the presents have been opened, and all the "Oohs" and "Ahhs" have been said, I sit on the couch, and review all the pictures. And that is when I ruin my Christmas. One picture after another, I see a fat roll I didn't know I had, or a double chin I didn't realize was so big.
(Here I am on Christmas morning in 2008, trying on a jacket my husband got for me that didn't fit. Even though it was an extra large.)The rest of Christmas day would be spent with tears in my eyes. I'd be filled with regret, disgust, and hopelessness. Every year I would make a promise to myself, that next years Christmas morning photos would be double chin and fat roll free. And with that, I would never look at that years Christmas pictures again. I would pretend they never existed. I would pretend that the whole Christmas morning, at 200+ pounds never existed. I would simply look forward to next year. But guess what? Next year would be exactly the same.

Except for this year....

I spent most of my Christmas Eve this year, worrying about the Christmas morning pictures that would be taken. I had absolutely convinced myself that I was 206 pounds again. I had convinced myself that each and every picture would be included with fat rolls and double chins. On Christmas Eve, I tried bracing myself for the pain that I would feel, when I sat down in the morning to review the pictures. Christmas morning came, we went down stairs, tore into our gifts...and out comes the camera. And of course, my husband insisted on taking a picture of each and every present like he does every year. Afterwords, I sat on the couch as usual, to review the pictures. I braced myself to see something horrible. Instead, I saw something absolutely wonderful. I might even say, Beautiful.No double chins.

This was the first Christmas in 5 years, that I didn't cry when I saw our pictures. This is the fist year that I didn't spend the rest of the day in a depressed funk because of my weight. Instead, I spent the day feeling blessed and grateful for all the blessing I have in my life. I spent the day thinking about how far I've come, and how proud I was of myself. This year I didn't erase a single picture of myself. I didn't try and erase the entire Christmas morning from my mind. Instead, I played it over and over again.

I have lost 45 pounds this year.
That is one totally awesome gift!

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 12: Candy Cane Kisses Sugar Cookies

2010-12-18T16:04:00.006-07:00

This holiday season, we can give ourselves the gift of being healthy, and reaching our weight loss goals, while still enjoying our holiday baking! We can have our Christmas cookies, AND look good for Santa ;) For the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, I will make healthy cookies, during each of the 12 days of Christmas!

On the 12th day of Christmas cookies, your true love made for you, Candy Cane Kisses Sugar Cookies.
Have you tried these candy cane kisses? They're so good. Especially on top of a sugar cookie :)

These cookies remind me of good old St. Nick. I think they would be perfect to make with children on Christmas eve, to leave out for Santa Clause!114 Calories. I used this sugar cookie recipe. After the cookies were done baking, I let them cool for a couple minutes, and then stuck a candy cane kiss on top. Very simple, and very adorable.

On the 12th day of Christmas cookies, your true love made for you, Candy Cane Sugar Cookies, White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Chewy Coconut Macaroons One Nutty Date Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chewies Almond Cherry Bites Pecan Pie Bars Raspberry-Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies Gingerbread Cookies Cocoa-Nutmeg Snickerdoodles Almond Meringue Kisses and Swirled Mint Cookies.
My favorite cookies, of the 12, were the gingerbread cookies, Pecan pie bars, and the double peanut butter chocolate cookies.
Did you have a favorite?

I've had so much fun, doing the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. I learned that baking makes me happy. If ever I was having a stressful day, baking would just melt it away. As soon as I got in the kitchen, I'd have a big smile on my face, while I sang along to Christmas music.

Thank you to everyone who read along with me, who commented, and who tried a recipe or two. I hope you had as much as I did!

XOXO

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 11: White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

2010-12-17T16:42:00.005-07:00

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 10: Chewy Coconut Macaroons

2010-12-16T18:09:00.006-07:00

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 9: One Nutty Date

2010-12-15T18:18:00.004-07:00

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 8: Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chewies

2010-12-14T16:57:00.011-07:00

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 7: Almond Cherry Bites

2010-12-13T20:33:00.011-07:00

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 6: Pecan Pie Bars

2010-12-12T19:19:00.017-07:00

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 5: Raspberry-Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

2010-12-11T21:29:00.003-07:00

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 4: Gingerbread Cookies

2010-12-10T20:19:00.014-07:00

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 3: Cocoa-Nutmeg Snickerdoodles

2010-12-09T18:46:00.008-07:00

12 Days of Christmas Cookies-Day 2: Almond Meringue Kisses

2010-12-08T15:35:00.010-07:00

This holiday season, we can give ourselves the gift of being healthy, and reaching our weight loss goals, while still enjoying our holiday baking! We can have our Christmas cookies, AND look good for Santa ;) For the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, I will make healthy cookies, during each of the 12 days of Christmas!

On the 2nd day of Christmas, your true love made for you, Almond Meringue Kisses.

I was both eager, and nervous to make these, for the 2nd day of Christmas cookies. I had never made meringue before, and it was one of those things that just seemed way out of my league. I swear my heart was racing the entire time. But I survived, and ended up with melt in your mouth goodness.

Before you start anything, you have to let 2 egg whites sit for 30 minutes, while they get to room temperature. Then you add the almond extract (which smells divine), cream of tarter, salt, and beat with an electric mixer, until soft peaks form. Then you slowly add sugar and cornstarch, while beating on high. You do this until stiff peaks form. These were my stiff peaks. I've heard that if you beat meringue too much, it will lose it's volume, and it goes back to being flat. I was scared of doing that. Like horrified. I whipped my mixture on medium high, instead of on high like I was supposed to. For some reason I was scared to go all the way to high. I mixed it for about 2-3 minutes. That was when I started getting nervous that I had been doing it for too long, so I stopped. I definitely don't think it ended up as stiff as it was supposed to, because the kisses didn't hold up their shape perfectly. But hey, I'm not looking for perfection with my first time making meringue. The point is, they turned out, and they were delish!

Once the meringue is done, transfer it into a disposable piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip. Then pipe 1 inch "kisses" onto baking sheets, lined with parchment paper. Bake, and viola! Almond Meringue Kisses!
All in all, these were very easy to make.
They remind me of little snowballs, and they just melt right in your mouth. Mmm.
and for only 13 calories, you can't go wrong.
Get the recipe HERE.

I think they'd be perfect to bring to a holiday party.
Cause they're adorable, and delish.

On the 2nd day of Christmas, your true love made for you, Almond Meringue Kisses,
and Swirled Mint Cookies.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies- Day 1: Swirled Mint Cookies

2010-12-07T18:26:00.011-07:00

This holiday season, we can give ourselves the gift of being healthy, and reaching our weight loss goals, while still enjoying our holiday baking! We can have our Christmas cookies, AND look good for Santa ;) For the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, I will make healthy cookies, during each of the 12 days of Christmas!

On the first day of Christmas, your true love made for you, Swirled Mint Christmas Cookies.

I was so excited to make these cookies, because of their colorful Christmas colors.
And I got to play with food coloring. Which is always awesome.

So I blasted Josh Groban's Christmas CD, and got started.

first, you make the cookie dough, which was very simple.
Then you divide your dough into thirds. With food coloring, die one third red, one third green, and leave the last third white (plain). Let the dough chill out in the fridge for an hour.
Then the real fun begins! Divide each portion of dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-in. rope. Place a red, green, and white rope next to each other. Cut through all three ropes at 1-in. intervals, forming sets of three differently colored doughs. And repeat. Next roll each set into a ball. Place on a baking sheet, and flatten. Pop them in the oven, and bam! You've got perfect, minty, Christmas cookies!Each cookie is only 59 calories! So I had 2.
Get the recipe HERE.

These were so much fun to make. They definitely helped spread Christmas cheer throughout our home. I think kids would have a blast making these.

Want a healthy Christmas cookie tip?
Freeze your cookie batter, and only pull a few cookies out at a time to bake. This helps to limit your Christmas cookie intake :D
I'm excited for the 2nd day of Christmas!

What's your favorite Christmas CD?

12 Days of Christmas Cookies

2010-12-06T17:41:00.006-07:00

(flickr)

I'm putting "Brittany's Kitchen Adventures" on hold this week (and next), to make room for
"12 Days of Christmas Cookies"!!

It's the season to be in the kitchen, baking up yummy, whimsical, Christmas cookies. Baking Christmas cookies always gets me
giddy with Christmas cheer. This year I've been taken over by the Christmas spirit yet again, but I've been trying to live without my traditional Christmas baking. Why? Cause I'm on a diet! And because of this, I felt like I couldn't take part in one of my favorite holiday traditions.

Well, that's proving to be no fun. Just because I'm on a diet, doesn't mean I need to sit out, and deprive myself from the joy I get from baking, and all the yummy Christmas goodness. All it means is, I have to find Deliciously Healthy Christmas cookies to make, and exercise moderation.

This Holiday season, we can give ourselves the gift of being healthy and reaching our goals, while still enjoying our holiday baking! We can have our Christmas cookies, and still look good for Santa ;D

I present to you,
12 Days of Christmas Cookies.
Everyday, for 12 days, I'm going to make lower calorie Christmas cookies.

The fun starts tomorrow, 12/07, and goes to Sunday 12/19

Tonight I'm working like Santa's little elves on Christmas Eve.
I'm finding lots of healthy and adorable Christmas cookies. It's been hard to narrow it down to just 12, but I think I have them picked out!

I'm so excited!

I can have one.

2010-12-03T19:05:00.012-07:00

It's not the holidays, without
Queen Anne chocolate covered cherries.

It was practically a tradition at our house to eat a box (or two) of these every night, in the month of December.

This year, I can't eat an entire box of these, like years past.
But I can have one.

And I made sure to savour every bite of that one, delicious, chocolate covered cherry.

Here's how I eat my Queen Annes:

First, I bite off the top.
Then the cherry, and that delicious juice.
And last, but certainly not least, I eat the chocolaty shell.
And it makes me really happy.
You can still enjoy all your favorite seasonal treats.
Everything in moderation.

Happy holidays!

Brittany's Kitchen Adventures- Turkey Chili

2010-11-29T17:57:00.011-07:00

Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!

Welcome to Brittany's Kitchen Adventures!
Before going on a "diet", I had practically never stepped foot inside the kitchen. I've had to teach myself how to cook/bake, but there's still a lot of things I've never tried, because they intimidate me. I'm a Deliciously Healthy cook/baker in training. Come on a journey with me as I conquer the kitchen! Every Monday, I pick something new and challenging to try in the kitchen! I blog about each kitchen adventure, whether it was a success or not. There's bound to be some disasters, but hopefully a lot of Deliciously Healthy successes!

I have a confession to make.
I. Brittany@Deliciously Healthy. Am afraid of crockpots.

Yup. It's true.
I finally bought one about 6 months ago, but I've used one excuse after another to not use it. Crockpots intimidate me. Why? I'm not sure. I guess it's because I went my whole childhood without even seeing one with my own eyes. From what I remember, the first time I saw a crockpot was when I was 14, at my aunts house. "You leave it on all day? Huh?"
And I've been intimidated ever since.

Another little fact about me: I LOVE chili. Mmmm. So good. But, I've always been too intimidated to make it. It's so good, it has to be out of my cooking league.

So for this weeks kitchen adventure, I'm tackling 2, yes TWO things that scare the chubbiness right out of me.

I used this recipe, because it had the word "quick" in it. And that made me feel better.

First up, I cooked the ground turkey in a skillet. I thought I was going to cook the turkey IN the crockpot. Apparently slow cooking meat was one of the things that intimidated me, because I was relieved when I saw that I just had to cook the turkey the way I've done a thousand times before. That, I can do.On a side note- You want a cheap Christmas decorating tip? Slap present bows on everything!

Next I chopped up some onion, and bell pepper.

Then I just threw the tomato soup, canned beans, veggies and seasonings in the crockpot.
And started to stir everything together. At this point I started talking out loud to myself. I was telling myself how easy this was. That it was absolutely silly of me to be afraid of the crockpot, and of making chili, and I should believe in myself more. And just then, I realized I forgot a step. I forgot to spray the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray. Whoops.

I finished up stirring, put on the lid, turned it on high, and walked away, giving myself a pat on the back. 30 minutes later I came back to check on it. "Hmm. I thought it would be doing something by now?" Then I realized I forgot to plug it in. Silly me.

4 hours later, we dug in!Mmm. The fact that I made it, makes it the best chili I've ever had. Seriously delish.

It's the perfect dish to eat while sitting in front of the Christmas tree, and listening to Christmas music.
I feel myself getting more and more courageous in the kitchen. I'm realizing how silly it is of me to be intimidated by things like this. It's actually pretty empowering. Before you know it, I'm going to be making things I can't even pronounce! Like in french and stuff. I can't wait!

Is there a kitchen appliance that intimidates you?
Have you put up your Christmas tree yet?

Brittany's Kitchen Adventures- Pumpkin Pie

2010-11-22T18:17:00.010-07:00

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I thought it was time for me to learn how to make pumpkin pie. I have visions of me pulling my homemade pumpkin pie out of the oven every year. I used this recipe for the pie crust, and the pumpkin pie filling.

Here's how it went:

First up, I needed to make the pie crust. This was definitely the most intimidating part for me. I figured making the filling would be a piece of cake. Or a piece if pie in the case. I've always heard people talk about what a hassle it is to make pie crust. So I just figured it was something I would never do. I was excited to face my fears, and try it as a part of my kitchen adventures!

First, I mixed the dry ingredientsEasy enough.

Then I slowly poured melted butter mixed with canola oil, into the dry ingredients, while mixing it with a fork. Then it said to mix in 3-4 tablespoons of ice water, until the dough was moist, and held together. Well, after 4 tablespoons, the dough was still pretty dry. This is what it looked like after the recommended amount of liquid:It could kinda hold together, but it would crumble easily: So, I added another 2 TBS of ice water.

Here's what the directions said after that: "Overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface, place the dough in the center and cover with 2 more overlapping sheets of plastic wrap. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Remove the top sheets and invert the dough into a 9-inch pie pan." That part just seemed a confusing, and a little pointless. Although now it totally makes sense to me. I skipped the plastic wrap business, and just formed the dough into a ball, and started working it from there. That proved to be hard. The dough wasn't very easy to work with (mind you I have RA). So I thought I'd give myself a little help, and roll it out. Which now I see that that's what the directions were trying to tell me to do in the first place. Silly me. I was hoping it would roll out to a perfect circle, and would fit perfectly inside. That didn't really happen. At this point, I almost wanted to give up. It just didn't look like it was going to work.
But, I didn't.
And soon this became this. And I was pretty proud of myself.
Looking back on it, it wasn't that hard to do. Especially if I would have paid more attention to the directions.

Then I moved on to the filling. Making the filling was very simple. I just had to mix the pumpkin, evaporated milk, spices, and eggs in a bowl, and pour it into the crust. Although I wasn't sure if it was supposed be this runny?Into the oven it went.
When it came out of the oven, it was still a little liquidity. I wasn't sure if that was normal, or not? I figured it would continue setting while it cooled down for 2 hours. But that never happened. I'm pretty sure I under cooked it.
Aside from being a little runny, it wasn't the best pumpkin pie I've ever had. I did like the whole wheat crust, but the filling wasn't all that great to me. I don't know if it was me, or the recipe? My husband liked it, but you know how that whole thing goes. I don't know if he really liked it, or if he was just trying to prevent me from crying over my first pumpkin pie.

I will definitely be trying it again though.
Practice makes perfect!

Have you ever made pumpkin pie?
Any tips?

Easy Apple Dumplings, and my :Deliciously Healthy Thanksgiving Menu

2010-11-19T20:10:00.016-07:00

The one and only Pioneer Women has this amazingly delicious apple dumpling recipe. It involves 2 sticks of butter,
1 1/2 cups of sugar, and 2 cans of mountain dew, among other things.

It's so good...but you know that's going to go
straight to my hips.

I also love her recipe, because it's very, very simple and quick. The prep time is seriously like 10 minutes.

Simple + Delicious = It has to find a place at my Thanksgiving table this year.

I just had to figure out how to lighten them up a bit.
A little less heart-attack in a casserole dish, and more Deliciously Healthy.

And I think that's exactly what I did.

I cut out some of the sugar, cut the butter in half, and used
apple cider in lieu of mountain dew.And it tastes exactly the same.
That always amazes me.

(because I was experimenting with this, I cut the recipe in half, making only 8 dumplings, instead of 16. I've listed the full recipe, but my pictures are of half the recipe)

Deliciously Healthy Apple Dumplings:

What you need:

2 granny smith apples
2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
1 stick of smart balance buttery spread (it's half butter, half margarine... and half the cal.)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon

What you do:
Preheat your oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Peel and core apples, then cut each apple into 8 slices, so you end up with 16 apple slices. Roll out the crescent roll dough. Then roll up an apple slice into each of the crescent rolls. Lay them side by side in your greased baking dish. Melt 1 stick of butter in sauce pan over low heat. When butter is melted, add apple cider, sugar, vanilla, and just barely stir together. You want it to be lumpy. Poor the mixture over the top of the dumplings. Sprinkle cinnamon over top, and bake for 30-40 minutes. Then get ready for some warm gooey goodness.
My husband may, or may not have screamed like a girl when he had one.I added a little low-fat whipped cream. It would be divine with vanilla ice cream.

info:
servings: 16
serving size: 1 dumpling
calories per serving: 230
How many calories are in a traditional slice of apple pie? 410!
I nearly cut the calories in half.

I'm making these apple dumplings in lieu of apple pie. Because by the time you're done eating your turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and everything else, there's just no room to eat 5 different kinds of pie. You always hope there's going to be, but there never is. These apple dumplings are going to be the perfect solution, to the too many pies problem. A slice of pumpkin pie, and one of these, and I'm
good to go.

What other Deliciously Healthy yumminess is going to be on my table?
Funny you should ask:

Turkey, of course ;)
Mashed potatoes
Gina's stuffing
Whole wheat rolls
Cranberry sauce out of the can. Thanksgiving isn't thanksgiving to me, without a can shaped mold of cranberry sauce on the table.
And pumpkin pie. This is going to be this Monday's kitchen adventure. Wish me luck, and tune in on Monday to see how it goes!

I hope everyone has a very happy, and healthy thanksgiving!

I heart eggnog.

2010-11-17T19:18:00.006-07:00

When I was a kid, I thought eggnog was the grossest thing ever. I thought adults were insane for drinking it. Then, when I was older, a friend forced me to try it. I should send her a thank you note, because in that moment, I realized that
eggnog is awesome.

A couple days ago, that moment happened, that only comes but once a year. The moment when you're walking down the grocery store isle, and you see that eggnog is back! I love that moment. It's like when you see the 1st Christmas commercial of the season. I thought I'd have to pass on this holiday drink this year. It's so rich and creamy, sure it can't be good for a diet. But, I thought I'd at least stop and admire the assortment of eggnogs. And that's when I saw they had low-fat eggnog."Hmmm. Surely I can have this. But will it taste the same?"
Well, you never know until you try. So in the cart it went, along with my turkey, and other thanksgiving items.

As soon as I got home, I had me a glass. Hoping it would be as good as the regular eggnog, but preparing myself for disappointment.

It tastes exactly the same!
It's still rich, creamy, and taste like the holidays in a cup.
Only it has 55% less fat, and 32% fewer calories.
How do I know this?
Because it says so right on the carton. So convenient.

I put a little low-fat whipped cream in mine, because it's delicious.And it goes perfectly with a pumpkin cinnamon roll cupcake. I'm just sayin'.

What's the conclusion of this post?
The cool kids are drinking low-fat eggnog this year ;D

Are you an eggnog person?

Brittany's Kitchen Adventures- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

2010-11-15T12:21:00.011-07:00

Welcome to Brittany's Kitchen Adventures!
Before going on a "diet", I had practically never stepped foot inside the kitchen. I've had to teach myself how to cook/bake, but there's still a lot of things I've never tried, because they intimidate me. I'm a Deliciously Healthy cook/baker in training. Come on a journey with me as I conquer the kitchen! Every Monday, I pick something new and challenging to try in the kitchen! I blog about each kitchen adventure, whether it was a success or not. There's bound to be some disasters, but hopefully a lot of Deliciously Healthy successes!

A while ago (like as in a very long time ago. Okay, okay, it was LAST thanksgiving:), I bought everything to make pumpkin cinnamon roll cupcakes. Sounds yummy right? I thought so too. Everyday, I thought about making them, and everyday, I chickened out. Soon, the pumpkin season was over. As it rolled around this year, these popped in my mind everyday, just like before. But I was still too intimidated to make them. Yeast? Rise? Kneading? Hmmm. That's a whole lot of scariness right there. I saw it very fitting to make these for my first Kitchen Adventure. These weekly adventures are all about me trying new things, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, so I can one day conquer the kitchen!

I got out all the ingredients, took a deep breath, and got started.

I started with "activating" the yeast. That was pretty scary to me. I don't know why. Now I know that all it involves is pouring a packet of yeast into 1/4 cup of warm water. What's so hard about that? See, I'm already growing. Master yeast: CHECK!

Next I put the first 9 ingredients into a mixer to combine everything, then pulled out the dough to knead it. That part was intimidating, hard on my hands, and fun at the same time! 10 minutes later, the dough was kneaded, smooth, and my hands were dead!
I kneaded dough for the first time! Yay me!
(Oh yeah, I cut my hair:)
Then you're supposed to cover the dough, and store it in a warm place for 45 minutes to let it rise. ???. What counts as a warm place? A little bit of stress kicked in at this point. Where the heck do I put this thing? My house is 69 degrees. I don't think that counts as warm. So, I turned on the oven for a couple minutes, then turned it off, and set the bowl in there, for 45 min.
Is there a better way to do this? What do you do?
It seemed to do the trick. It said if it leaves indents when you poke it with your fingers, then it's done rising. Looks like indents to me!
From this point, I started to get a little more comfortable. I rolled it out into a rectangle sprinkled the cinnamon mix, and the pecans, over the dough rolled it up cut it, and put it into the muffin pan. Then I stood in front of the oven, and watched the heavenly goodness, rise out of the pan!
Hot out of the oven:
When they were done, I drizzled the glaze over the top of the cupcakes, with a pipping bag and viola! They were done!
I did it!

And they are pretty darn yummy! And only 219 calories!

And if I can do it, YOU can do it!! Go HERE for the recipe!
I added 3 TBS of pecans to the mix, and I made them into cupcakes. Cause cupcakes are just better :)
Come back every Monday, and watch me try something new!

I think next week I'm going to make pumpkin pie, for the first time! Cause we gotta get ready for Thanksgiving people :D

I'm ready to get my butt back in the game!

2010-11-08T15:29:00.003-07:00

For the past couple months, I've been in one funk after the other...
I've been in a funk, since getting back from California. But this funk was pretty bad. Worse then all the others. This time I was actually doubting that I could do this. I was an inch away from throwing in the towel. Scary stuff. I hadn't felt that way, since starting this journey. I think it was a combination of things, that led me to that point: For one, I got lazy. I got in the habit of just going out to eat, and skipped the whole grocery shopping/preparing meals thing. I've also gotten comfortable where I am. I'm still chunky, but I'm not 206 pounds anymore either. So what if I stay a chunky 165 my whole life? I'm the kind of person who thinks chunky women are prettier then skinny women. I even think I like the way I look right now, verses me at my goal weight. But like it says at the top of my blog, this isn't about me getting into skinny jeans
(I tried some on by the way. Still can't rock those;)
It's about becoming :Deliciously healthy!

My knees have started hurting me a lot lately, and it has reminded me that I need to continue to work on lightening their load. It's either that, or get
knee replacements. Plus, we are still trying to get pregnant, and there's a number of reasons why I need to be healthy, and eat healthy for that! One being that eating healthy gives me a period each month. It's true. When I don't eat healthy, I don't have a period. I need healthy fuel for my body, so it can combat my PCOS, and help me produce an egg each month! There's so many reasons why I need to continue this weight loss journey, that has nothing to do with looks. On top of all that, I just feel icky inside. Eating Deliciously Healthy really does make me happy. I just have to get back into the swing of things.

I'm ready to do this!!
Again ;)

California, Cheeseburgers, and our new puppy!

2010-11-01T18:13:00.006-06:00

I thought it had just been a few days since my last post, but it's been over a week! Yikes!

My husband recently got a new job, where he's traveling a lot. Last week, he was in California. I grew up in CA, and hadn't been back in 5 years! So, I decided to take a last minute trip, and tagged along with him! It was lots of fun, and I'm very grateful I got to go!
It also meant I got to spend my hubby's birthday with him!
(b-day dinner at Rain Forest Cafe)
There was lots of food temptation in CA! I wanted to eat all the food I grew up on, like In-N-Out!And I did.
I feel like I got back handed by a cheeseburger.
Truth of the matter is, I didn't exercise moderation while I was in CA. I went a little over bored on all the good food CA has to offer. I came home a little dumbfounded. I thought I had more control then that. I thought I had learned how to have a balanced life. I guess I still have a lot to learn...
Aside from the calories, isn't this the cutest caramel apple?
I gained 6 pounds during my stay in CA. Yikes!!
But 6 pounds isn't going to get me down. I've learned a lot from this experience. Like to never let my guard down. I'm going to move on, with my head held high. It's not the end of the world, and I will reach my goal!!

Besides being on vacation, there's another little thing that's been soaking up all my time...

Meet Moxie:Our new little puppy!
We now have 3 dogs! :
Kisses, a lab mix: Thumbalina, a Carin terrier, Poodle mix: and Moxie, a Pomeranian, Yorkie mix:House training is brutal, but we love her, and all of her puppy kisses!
Aren't puppy kisses one of the sweetest things in life?

I got in the pool

2010-10-20T23:21:00.006-06:00

First of all, I went to the gym. That was an accomplishment all by itself.

While I was packing my gym bag, I put my bathing suit in there, just in case I actually got up the guts to go into the pool.

And I did.
It was awesome.

I got over my fear, of getting in a bathing suit in public. I stopped worrying about what everyone would think of me, and I just did it. I did it for ME.

My joints feel so good in the water!
Not perfect...I can still feel them grinding and such, but being in the water puts me in a lot less pain then when I'm on the treadmill, or elliptical.

I discovered something, while I was in the water:

I ROCK!And I can do anything I set my heart to.