Imposter

• In the last two weeks I have gained back almost all of the weight I had lost.
• I feel like a fake, an imposter health blogger, so I’ve avoided the blog.
• I hate my new job, and it’s causing some major stress eating.
• I feel like giving up, but I won’t.
• I don’t feel like doing ANYTHING. Seriously. Nothing.
• I ate 3 whole wheat buns with margarine before dinner, for no reason other than they were there.
• I have a friend who has just recently lost over 100 pounds. I’m happy for her, but jealous, and some days I don’t want to hear about it.

Tomorrow is a new day, but I really am getting sick of saying that.  Something needs to change, but I’m not sure what.  I keep coming up with half-assed plans that I don’t implement because I just don’t get around to it.  I can’t continue to abuse my body and expect it to hold up.  This is it. This is REALLY it. The only person I’m hurting is myself, and the last 10 days have undone weeks of good work – self sabotage, anyone?

Tomorrow is a new day, but tonight is right now.  Right now is the time to change.  No more half-assing it.  No more making excuses for my eating and lack of moving.  I’m capable of it, whether I like it or not.

I’m back…

…in more way than one.  Not only am I blogging two days in a row (a miracle, almost) but I also remembered to take pictures of all of my meals today, and I didn’t let a single bad things pass my lips.  If I didn’t feel like my head might just explode at any given time, I’d call this day a tremendous success.

Not having to be out the door so early this morning meant I had an extra five minutes eat breakfast…

My old standby - delicious waffles.

I topped one with this…

Still nursing this jar of North American Superfruit…

And one with this…

A bottle of delicious, no sugar added chemicals…

When lunch rolled around I had some bacon left from dinner last night to use up. We NEVER eat bacon.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time I even bought it.  While I was catching up on blogs Friday night I ran across this recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara and decided it was the perfect easy recipe for dinner. I wasn’t particularly hungry but knew that Mr. T. and the kids would never turn down “Bacon and Eggs with noodles”…

Bacon, eggs, parmesan cheese, garlic, EVOO, salt, pepper and WW pasta. It’s that easy!

It was a huge success, and I can’t wait to try making it again with a few modifications for a healthier version with turkey bacon and low fat cheese.

I cooked the rest of the bacon in the oven this afternoon to use on BLT sandwiches…

The bacon and the tomato…

And the lettuce spinach, because that’s what I had in the fridge…

It was so good, and I like it on thin whole wheat bread since there’s so much going on in the sandwich without heavy bread…

My afternoon was full of coughing, wheezing, some laundry folding and then some nose blowing.  Unless there is a serious change overnight, I’d say tomorrow will be a sick day from work.  It’s not even that I feel that bad, but I HATE when people come to work sick coughing all over me, so I’d rather not be one of those people.

I had big plans to work on the garden this weekend, but they flew out the window along with my energy.  1.5 hours of sleep just don’t hold you over quite like you might hope. 

I was entertaining myself on Twitter this morning, sitting in the living room to try and keep from coughing, when all of you East coasters were getting up and talking about starting your days!

By the time dinner rolled around, I was so glad for Mr. T. and his barbecuing skills.

The world’s tiniest pork chops…

Yummy honey garlic bbq sauce…

Crunch, crunch, crunch…

Spinach, butter lettuce, feta, tomatoes, red onion and cucumber…

 

Actual food into me for the first time in three days…

I even prepped tomorrow’s lunch for work, but at this rate, I’ll be eating it on the couch…

It will taste even better in my jammies!

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Have you checked out yesterday’s blog post yet? I’m giving away some Amazing Grass Amazing Meal!  You’ve got to try this stuff.  SERIOUSLY!

I Have an Excuse

So much for Free Stuff Friday – let’s call this….Free Stuff Saturday.  Cut me a little slack, I’m feeling pretty rough, so that’s the only name I could come up with!

I have been avoiding getting a cold for about two weeks now, watching the members of my family drop like flies, while I looked on with a bottle of water in one hand and a bottle of Vitamin C in the other.

Some things you just can’t outrun.  The nasty bug caught up with me, so I blame all of the spelling and/or grammatical errors in this post on it.  Note: I have no excuses for the errors that regularly occur on my blog. Sorry.

I would have happily curled up in bed for the last two days, but dragged my sorry arse to work because I just started a new job less than two weeks ago, and don’t really want to start out on the wrong foot.  I’m having trouble eating right now, because (for once) nothing really appeals to me, so my meals have consisted of a lot of smoothies and Amazing Grass Superfood to try and at least get some fruit and veggies into me. 

After a long day at work yesterday (surprise, you need to attend the Chamber of Commerce luncheon – try not to cough on all of the people with whom you have to share a cramped table), my mood quickly turned around when I FINALLY got home.

Not one, not TWO but THREE parcels had arrived for me.  I finally received some summer clothes that I ordered, and the cutest giraffe print bathing suit for Baby T. and a surprise parcel from Tracey, the lovely lady who provided me with alllllll of the fab CheeCha stuff I’ve shown (and given away) on the blog.

If you read last Friday’s post, you’ll know that I reluctantly put the fancy schmancy Mario Batali lunch bag up for giveaway, and hoped that no one would enter so I could keep it.  Apparently, Tracey took pity on me and sent me THIS!!!!

Sorry folks, this one is mine! I can’t wait to use it on Monday morning!

BUT….I couldn’t possibly be that cruel to you, show you the great stuff that the mail lady brought me and not give you something in return.

Over the last two months or so I’ve slowly worked my way through all of the great samples the people at Amazing Grass sent to me right when I started this blog. 

 

I loved the Kidz Chocolate SuperFood, and the regular ol’ Chocolate Green SuperFood, but my favourite was the Amazing Meal Chocolate Infusion.  I only use about half of their recommended serving, but you really notice a difference in your smoothies when you use it.  Not only does it taste better, but it adds lots of amazing fruit, veggies, protein and digestive enzymes to your already healthy meal!

This is one of those products that has gotten big hype for a reason – it’s really fantastic – and I want you to try some!  The people at Amazing Grass (seriously, nicest people ever) have offered to give two of my lucky readers each a 15 serving container (I use half a serving so to me that’s 30) of their Amazing Meal – you choose the flavour.

Here’s how you can win some of this amazing Amazing Meal (pun intended):

NOTE: Please leave a SEPERATE comment for each of the following!

• Leave a comment on this post telling me about a healthy food or product that you couldn’t live without
• Blog about this giveaway, and leave a comment telling me you did
• Follow @AmazingGrass on Twitter and leave me a comment saying you did (or already do)
• Tweet about it using the following: @alifat2fit is giving away @AmazingGrass Amazing Meal!   and leave a comment on this post telling me you did
• Follow this blog (great if you already do), and leave a comment saying you do!

Giveaway is open to residents of North America only, and will close April 27th at 8:00 pm PST. 

Good luck, people!  I’m going to have a nap and hope I wake up when this cold has disappeared.

Catch Up

I thought instead of writing the world’s longest post, I’d catch you up with what’s been going on in my life this week with pictures.  Real post, including words, to come tomorrow…for real (why don’t you believe me?!)

 

 

Workin’ 9-5

I’ve been a bad blogger the last week!  Now that I’m back to work, I just plain don’t have the extra time I had before – and what extra time I do have is taken up with kids and a husband, and a ginormous yard that needs a whole lotta TLC for the Spring.

The response to my CheeCha giveaway was great – you people really want to win that amazing stuff.  Le sigh – I suppose that means I have to give it away. 

So here it is – the winner:

Jenny said...

I'm a follower of your fantastic blog!

Yay! Congratulations, Jenny!  I want to see a picture of that fancy schmancy bag being used once it finds its new home.  Send me your mailing address and I’ll send out the giant box ASAP. 

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I’ve been slacking with the picture taking the last few days.  It seems like my schedule is so out of whack, I’m eating on the run, or so hungry I end up eating my food and then remembering to take a picture.  Whoops.

Mr. T. is away for a few days, so I’m taking these evenings as a chance to get myself organized and back into the swing of things.  I give working moms serious credit.  I don’t even work full time, and it’s a struggle for me! 

Until tomorrow, people, when I’ll have a real food post for ya!

Free Stuff Friday: Thank you, Mario Batali

I’m not going to lie to you, I didn’t really want to do today’s giveaway.  Why, you ask (you did, ask, right?)?  Because I want to KEEP IT! 

I’ve mentioned, many, MANY times my love of CheeCha Puffs, and how darn amazing they are.  All the crunch and taste of chips, with far fewer calories.  The perfect crunchy snack!

I mean, really, how could you not love this for 80 calories?

If you haven’t tried them, you should.  I’m gonna help you out.  The lovely people at CheeCha are offering a fantastic prize pack to one of my readers! 

Here’s what you can win!!

An EcoSmart notepad holder and fancy schmancy CheeCha Pens…

 

Cute water bottle, and my favourite kind of CheeCha Puffs – Sea Salt and Vinegar…

And last, but CERTAINLY not least…

A Mario Batali Ditali Commuter/Lunch Bag! It’s totally practical, and cute and you don’t have to throw your lunch in a plastic bag on your way out the door anymore! If no one enters, I get to keep this, right?

Here are the stats:

• Double compartments - insulated and non-insulated
• Exterior pocket with zipper closure
• Zipper closure with magnetic closure on flap
• Adjustable cross-body strap
• 100% high density nylon
• Interior organizer pockets for cell phone, PDA, MP3
• Insulated lining keeps food and drinks warm or cool
• Easy to wipe lining

Here’s what the inside looks like…

 

And, I totally love the fabric lining!

So, do you want to win this fabulous giveaway? Here’s how:

Please leave a SEPERATE comment for each of the following:

1. Follow me on Twitter, and Tweet about this giveaway with the following: I wanna win @alifat2fit CheeCha giveaway!

2. Blog about this giveaway, and link back to this post – leave me a comment telling me you did this.

3. Become a follow this blog and leave a comment telling me about it – if you already follow – thanks :) and leave a comment telling me.

Good luck!  Giveaway ends Monday 19 April at 12:00 noon PST.

Ultimate Comfort Food

Sometimes there’s something about a meal, untouched, unchanged, unhealthified (I know that’s not a word, but it sure sounds good) that, when eaten in moderation, makes you feel good. 

There are a few recipes from my childhood that I make maybe once a year, but each time I do, I kind of get this warm, fuzzy feeling. 

Every time we had turkey when I was growing up, my mom would take the carcass and make stock, make a huge pot of turkey soup, and then use the leftover meat to make turkey pie.  The recipe is simple, but the taste is amazing. 

You could easily make your pie in tart shells to cut down on the amount of pastry you’re using, or just make the filling to serve on its own, or, like me, make a flaky olive oil based pastry, and have one SMALL piece of turkey pie – and enjoy EVERY.SINGLE.BITE.

Warning: I am not a pastry chef…at all. It ain’t pretty, but it’s pretty darn tasty!

Make It:

Creamy Turkey Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 1/4 c shredded carrot
• 1/4 c chopped celery
• 1/4 c chopped green onion
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 c flour
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 c chicken or turkey broth
• 1 c skim milk
• 2 c cooked turkey (or chicken)
• 1/4 c sliced mushrooms

Directions:

• Heat EVOO and add carrots, celery, and green onion 
• Cook until tender
• Stir in salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, peas and flour and stir for one minute

 

• Whisk in milk and chicken broth and continue stirring for 10 minutes, or until thickened
• Add cooked turkey and mushrooms, stir and remove from heat

• Pour into unbaked pie shell (or you could use phyllo dough for a lighter “pie”)
• Cover with more pastry, and bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes

Not exactly health food, but a small piece of turkey pie with a side of baked zucchini and some roasted potatoes and it’s perfectly reasonable, and the ultimate comfort food!

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 Before I go, I wanted to share one more thing with you. At least once a day I get an email from someone asking about my mom.  Her tests today show clean lungs and no new tumours – we couldn’t have asked for better news! She’s not out of the woods, but nothing NEW is a big deal! Thank you all for caring, and for the incredible support!

Head over to Life, Health and Fitness and instead of WISHING you could do something about cancer, actually DO something about it!  Lynn will be doing the Relay For Life this year, so donate, and help her raise her goal of $2,500 to KICK CANCER’S A**.

Mish-Mash

Tonight’s post is a kind of a mish-mash of various assorted things. 

As I mentioned earlier, the last couple of days have been pretty darn solid.  Good food, exercise, generally fantastic state of mind.  Yup, things are great.  I started today with a pretty delicious banana, pineapple, Amazing Meal smoothie.

 How can you have a bad day when you start with with this? AND, you’ll notice the pretty incredible sunshine streamin’ in the dirty windows!

I’ve been toying with the idea of adding protein powder to my smoothies, and would LOVE to win the Prairie Naturals Lean Whey Powder that Lynn is giving away. Yummy!

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I started a new job yesterday, so this past weekend I was particularly diligent about prepping lunches ahead of time.  Carrots in Ziploc bags, hummus in individual portions in containers.  I fridge full of pre-chopped veggies and home made house.  So what did I have for lunch?

Frozen waffles.

I have been craving waffles for days, so I decided to give in.  One whole wheat waffles with apple butter, the other with almond butter and Crofter’s Superfruit.  I could literally eat waffles three times a day and not get sick of ‘em.

I desperately want a waffles iron, but can’t bring myself to spend the money on one right now, with all of the garden and yard expenses.  Probably just as well, I’m afraid my family would get mighty sick of my 100 variations of waffles for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a month.

My favourite waffle toppings are berries, any and all of ‘em. My parents grow raspberries in their yard, my aunt and uncle have blueberries, and we have blackberries.  The only berries that none of us grow are strawberries, so as soon as I see them available in the store, I start hoarding them.

 I lied. I could eat STRAWBERRIES three times a day. Maybe waffles WITH strawberries. Hmmm…

This wonderfully sunny weather calls for BBQing as much as often as possible.  Mr. T. is the resident BBQer, though I will step in in a pinch.  I don’t have quite the experience he does, nor do I have a hat.

That’s right. He has a  BBQing hat.  It was actually his grandfather’s hat, and since I had the good sense to not allow him to wear it out of the house, he found another way to be sure it gets the appropriate amount of wear. Everytime he steps out onto the porch to light the BBQ, that charming (slightly too small) hat makes an appearance.

He’s lucky he’s cute.

Here’s what he grilled up for us tonight!

Lemon Pepper Chicken, roasted baby potatoes, and grape tomato and coloured pepper salad with bleu cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.

Admittedly, I made the salad and potatoes, and marinated the chicken, but he contributed ;)

This is the first time this year I’ve marinated anything in my Lemon Pepper Marinade, and it tasted like summer on a plate!  You can use it for ANY meat, and it’s honestly my favourite marinade. Hands down.

It’s simple:

• 1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 4 tbsp lemon pepper
• 2 cloves of finely minced garlic
• 1/4 c water

It couldn’t be easier, or more delicious.  On pork chops – to die for.

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On a completely different subject, I wanted to mention a blog post I read today that I think you should all read.  If you are fairly new to my blog, you may have missed the post where I talked about the day that changed my life.  I had stillborn twin boys, Aidan and Keegan, nearly 4 years ago, and the experience was devastating and life changing and amazing, all at the same time.

Roni, the inspirational woman behind Roni’s Weigh and Fit Bloggin’ which I am sure many of you have read about, posted something today that I think you should all read.  When my babies died, no one knew what to say, and so often, pretended it didn’t happen because that was what was more comfortable for them.  Roni is dealing with her own loss right now, and sometimes just saying “I’m so sorry to hear that this happened to you and your family,” makes all the difference.

So please take the time to offer her your support, and let her know she’s not alone!

I’ve Got it All Figured Out…Again.

Do you ever wonder if you’ll be struggling with food for the rest of your life? If what goes into your mouth and the effort you put into exercise will be what consumes most of your thoughts until the day you die? 

For me, the last two days have been outstanding  I haven’t had to think about food and exercise hasn’t been a chore.  Sitting here right now I have that “I’ve got it all figured out, once and for all “ feeling.  That feeling I had about a month ago, and 6 weeks before that, and….well, I’m sure you can catch my drift, here.

Having food issues my whole life, I think it’s just too easy to let things slip back to they we they have always been.  How much EASIER is it to snack mindlessly all day and not worry about making a healthy lunch and sitting down to eat it? 

How much easier is it to quiet that voice in your head that says “You could have just one more bite, no one’s looking,” by just having that one more bite, or two, or ten. 

I’m not a stupid person, I know the ins and outs of healthy eating and exercise. I know that just because no one sees me eat it, doesn’t mean it won’t make me fat.  But somehow, I allow myself to rationalize every misstep in my journey to healthiness.

Self-sabotage is something so many of us trying to lose weight have to deal with. I’m not sure why I eat when I’m not hungry, justify poor food choices, or make excuses about exercising. 

Right now though, I have it “all figured out,” and instead of waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop, like I so often do, I’m going to run with this feeling, and this motivation and use this momentum to propel myself past my usual 4 or 5 days of good choices.

I can do this. 

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Spring Cleaning

I love the weekends.  Even when I’m not working, I just love the feeling that Saturday brings.  Regular housework seems more fun on Saturday, and yard work is suddenly prime family time.  Even laundry seems to get processed more quickly and with less grumbling.

Mr. T. took the kids out and ran all of the errands this morning, dump, recycling, grocery shopping and the like, leaving me four whole free hours to myself.  I’m working on making time for just me, and this was an amazing opportunity to do one of my favourite things – clean!  Music blaring, windows open, and I was off.  There is nothing more satisfying than having a clean and tidy house, in my opinion.

My house tends to be a reflection of what’s going on in my brain.  If the house is disorderly, it’s likely because of my disorganized thoughts, and if I’m thinking clearly, the house is spotless.  I’m not sure which comes first in this chicken and egg scenario, but I do know that I woke up ready to tackle the day, clean the house, meal prep and just generally get a jump on the week. 

I like routine and not working for the last five weeks has thrown a serious wrench into my routine.  Starting Monday I’m back to working three days a week, and I already know that this change in routine is going to be a positive one for me.  Scheduled meal times, organizing lunches the night before, and dinners on the weekends – all of which leave me less time to stray away from eating well. 

My weakness is never meals, it’s snacks.  Our three meals a day are always healthy, and while portion size is sometimes an issue with carbs come dinner time, my largest problem comes in the form of grazing. Being bored, and finding something to eat. 

I found myself yesterday thinking about food.  Not because I was hungry, or even bored, but because it’s a habit.  I habitually think about food. When’s the next time I will eat? What will I eat? It’s a hard habit to break when I’m now focusing on losing weight, which means focusing on food intake. 

Today, with a clear head and a clean house, I prepped the weeks meals, and made meal plans for breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  Some people might find this to be overkill, or restrictive, but for me, that’s what works.  I know that if it’s written down, I can refer to that paper, grab what I have already prepared, and not have to focus on food.  Not obsess.  Which is, of course, a lot of what has gotten me to this point to begin with. 

Are you still with me after that ramble? 

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Yesterday, speaking of snacks, I posted a quick giveaway of some VitaTops.  I think you can learn a lot about a person by their favourite song and snack ;) FYI, my favourite song is “Let it Be” by the Beatles, and my favourite snack is frozen grapes.

So, without much pomp and circumstance, the winner of some delicious VitaTops is:

Andra said... Oh, how fun! I've never tried Vitatops so this is perfect. My favorite song is "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith.

Send me your address, Andra, and I’ll have the Vitalicious people send you your tasty snacks!

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I won’t be blogging tomorrow, but be sure to check out Holly’s delicious Slow Cooker Challenge recipe: Chili – one of my favourite comfort foods, and tomorrow Marni will be posting the final recipe of the week!

Something’s Gotta Give

Today was one of those days that kind of flashed before my very eyes.  I feel like I accomplished nothing, but the hours still seemed to disappear. Go figure!  This weekend I plan to get some Spring cleaning done, and of course the weekly meal planning. 

I tweeted about this yesterday, but I thought I would talk about it on the blog today. Between sick kids, a new job, the Slow Cooker Challenge, and of course, thirty meatless days, I’m feeling like something’s gotta give right now.  I am completely loving this whole slow cooker experience, and of course, I can’t quit the job, or give the kids away, so I think I’m going to have to do something that I hate doing…quit. 

My thirty meatless days have officially become 8.5 meatless days, and I’m okay with that.  I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to eat less meat, and have the balance of the week meatless instead of having the ENTIRE week meatless.  If it were just me, or even Mr. T. and I, it would be far easier than having to find meatless meals for the kids too!

That being said, let’s move on to Melanie’s entry for the Healthy Slow Cooker Challenge – Veggie Spaghetti Sauce.  Melanie contacted me to say she’d love to participate, but asked that I put it up on my blog.  No problemo, happy to do it! So here’s Melanie’s recipe, and pictures!

The recipe in pictures:

Classic Veggie Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped Onion

1 cup chopped Red Pepper

1 cup chopped Green Pepper

3 stalks celery, chopped

5 (or so) crushed cloves of Garlic (depending on taste)

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms (I didn’t include these – you’ll never find those yucky things in my house haha)

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

1 jar tomato/pasta sauce

3 cups water

2 Tbsp. dried Parsley

1 Tbsp. dried Oregano

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Chop all the chop-ables, toss in the crock pot. Throw everything else in there too, while you’re at it. Give it all a good stir. Cook on low for 8 hours or so – I usually like to stir once half way through cooking time. Once done, serve over whole wheat pasta. Top with fresh Parm if you’re feeling cheesey! This is my usual Spaghetti Sauce recipe, and when we’re not feeling only veggie, I usually add about one pound of browned lean ground beef.

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Doesn’t it look great? Such an easy way to get lots of veggies into your kids, too.

I wanted to share a another blog with you that’s devoted entirely to healthy slow cooking!  Zibi  at Fresh Slowcooking read about the challenge and submitted her recipe for Spiced Apple Whole Grain Cereal, but you should check out ALL of her amazing recipes.

Lots of you have commented that you don’t have a slow cooker but would love to have one to try out some of these recipes, well, Jocelyn at Jocelyn Eats Fresh is giving away a slow cooker! What perfect timing, go enter to win.

Speaking of giveaways, have you entered my first Free Stuff Friday 24 hour VitaMuffin giveaway??