Not So Tasty

So my husband was all excited to make this dinner on Valentines day. He had talked about it for a few weeks, and had carefully shopped for all the ingredients. I was super psyched because since I have been on parental leave I have made 99% of our dinners. He got the recipe from a magazine I had laying around, House and Home. We even waited until after Maya was in bed before sitting down to dinner that night so that we could actually take our time and enjoy it. When he was cooking it my stomach was a bit queasy but since it looked good in the picture I was still excited to give it a try. As soon as it hit the table, I knew that as yummy as it looked to my eyes, my stomach was saying "ooooh gross!". You see, I have been taking this pill called Diclectin for morning (all day sickness). I have been feeling pretty good lately so I stopped taking it for a day. Bad move. I immediately started feeling sick again, and my appetite just went with it. The aversion to certain foods was back full force! I took one bite of the dish and had to slide the plate away. I felt horrible and you could tell Chris was a tad bit heart broken after all the work he put into it. In the end I settled for a pb&j sandwich. But since it looked like such a good recipe I thought I would share it anyway. Chris loved it and had lots of leftovers for the next day. I'm sure after this pregnancy I will give it another try.

The dish was called, "Ginger Scallion Beef with Oyster Sauce".

1 1/2 lbs flank steak, trimmed
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
7 snow peas, strings removed
4 green onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp sake

Cut the flank steak in half lengthwise into 2 long pieces, then cut across the grain into thin slices. In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, ginger, and mirin. Add the flank steak, toss to coat and let marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat the oils over medium high heat in a wok or large saute pan. Working in 2 batches, sear the beef slices until no longer pink, add the snow peas and continue to cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sake and cook for 2 more, until the beef and vegetables are saucy and hot. Serve.

I would show a picture of it, but I couldn't find the same recipe online, you will have to take my word for it, that it looked good!

Here is a similar picture I found on this site.

Today is a rainy day around here. The snow is melting and it is just blah. Our solar panels are finally done and we hook up to the grid next week.

I'm kind of sad that these things kind of mess with the view out my back windows, but they are starting to grow on me. Once all the leaves grow on the trees and our grass is green again I'm thinking it will blend in a bit better. The good news is with this investment we are hoping to pay off our mortgage earlier and we are promoting sun energy!

Flabby

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Hubby and I were looking at some old pictures yesterday and I came across some of me when I was about the same weight as I am right now. In the pictures I look so fat, but for some reason I feel different this time around. I think it's because I am a lot more active than I was then. I am not as flabby as I once was. 

Although I still have a lot of fat on top, I am getting more muscular. I don't want to go back to super flabby, so that is what I am thinking about today.  I want to eventually have less flab than muscle, rather than the other way around. The only way to do that is to eat healthy. I can work out all I want but it's all in what I eat. 

RANT OR RAVE

Came across this the other day. Only uses a small amount of oil. Gonna give it a whirl. If I can find all the ingredients. 

RANDOMS

Have you ever heard of baby friendly movies? Where I live there's a theatre that has movies every Wednesday you can go to with your baby. They have them in most of the provinces in Canada and a lot of places in the States. The lighting and sound is adjusted to your little one and no one cares if you have to whip your boob out to feed your kid or if they start crying. They have a spot you can park your stroller and an area for changing. 

Maya and I used to go sometimes when she was really little, cause she would sleep through the whole movie. But then she started talking and moving around and I figured it would be too much work to bring her. Today I decided to go anyway cause I haven't been to the movies in a while. It actually turned out well. She had some snacks for the first bit and then just kind of got sleepy and I was able to get her to fall asleep for the rest of the movie. It was nice to get out of the house and just do something entertaining for once.  If you have a baby you should check to see if your local theatre has a program for Moms and babies!

The Way Our Mother See Us

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

When you are looking at pictures of when you are younger it is always in retrospect that you think, "I wish I appreciated my young body when I had it".  I was looking at pictures of myself and kept thinking, "If I only really truly knew my potential when I was that age. If I really just understood myself how other people saw me". But that's how life goes isn't it? And then you have kids of your own and you think, "I hope my little one always knows how beautiful she / he really is". When Maya grows up I want her to really truly appreciate her beauty (because we are all beautiful in one way or another) and I want her to really understand how one's regard for oneself can go a long way in how attractive they appear to others. If you feel good about yourself it will show. If you hate the way you look, if you second guess whether you are worthy, you will look unattractive to others. I truly believe this. But most importantly, I just want her to never take for granted the wonderful person that she is.  If only we saw ourselves the way our mothers see us - beautiful, wonderful, amazing, talented, full of potential. Really, that's what we are, but we don't always see it like that. 

Today I want to keep this in mind. I want to get to a point where I can really truly appreciate myself the way that I know my mother see's me and I want Maya to see that and do the same. If you love your body and take care of it, you are more likely to eat healthy and to feel better about yourself. So that's my focus today. 

RANT OR RAVE

I have been wanting to find a low fat butter chicken recipe and so yesterday I tried this one. I substituted the butter for a few teaspoons of low fat margarine and the yogurt with fat free yogurt. It was a day where Maya was really needy, I think her gums were bugging her, and it literally took me two hours to cook the meal start to finish. By the time Chris came home I was holding her out to him saying, "Take her please so I can get dinner done!". It wasn't until seven o'clock that we actual sat down to eat (and we usually eat by 5:30pm). 

Anyway, Chris and I gave the recipe a big fat fail. Not all recipes are destined to be low fat and I think butter chicken isn't one of them in my opinion. I thought for sure the spices would make it all come together, but.... notsomuch.  

RANDOMS

Ok in the last few months every time I go to the grocery store or anywhere else I get called "Mam". What's up with that? I used to be "Miss", sometimes even "Madam", but now I am just "Mam". It's like as soon as I show up anywhere with a baby I am now an old person, or at least that's what I think of when I hear the word "Mam".  I have definitely lost my cool, hip, young person aura and you-know-who took it from me...

Skinny Minny Is Better Than Fat Pat

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Ahhh, lazy Sunday. That's what today's going to be. Just doing whatever. Trying not to go anywhere cause Maya has had a lot of time in the car lately.

To be honest, on days like today it is hard to stay motivated. Today I am simply telling myself that being thinner and healthy feels a lot better than any short term enjoyment of food on the naughty list. Hopefully that thought sticks with me today. 

RANT OR RAVE

With the holidays coming I am determined to find some desserts that are low in fat and sugar. I found this one. I might give it a try.  I'll let ya know how it goes. 

RANDOMS

I've kind of been getting into the Christmas spirit a bit early this year. Maybe it's because I have a lot of parties at the beginning of December this year and need to get my shopping done a bit early. Anyhoo, thought I would share some of my favourite Christmas songs. I love lots of Christmas music...yes I'm one of those people that listens to the Christmas music radio station before December.

These three songs I always loved since I was a kid. Maybe it's because of the Charlie Brown Christmas sound track. Maybe it's because I actually do like some kinds of jazz music. Maybe it's just because I like the melodies. Maybe it's just 'cause I love'em, which I do.



Create a playlist at MixPod.com


I also found this cool web site that is kind of like twenty questions, only it's supposed to guess what you want for Christmas. It guessed mine every time. Check it out here.  It will make you laugh for sure!

Belts

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Belts. I've never really had to use one because my pants have always been snug for the past ten years (with exception of past diets). When I have used belts, they just look ridiculous on me because of my lack of a proper waist. Even now, when I try on a belt to piece together an outfit, it just doesn't work (my rolls show as soon as I sit down). 

So today I am thinking about the day when I will be able to wear belts and feel comfortable in them. 

RANT OR RAVE

Do you know what I HATE? Getting up in the morning when it's still dark. I think this a common dislike by most people.

In the summer when I would hear Maya getting up the sun was out (or coming up) and it felt like the start of the day. Now when she gets up I am dragging my butt out of bed. Time change will be happening soon too. Don't like it.

RANDOMS

Isn't it just the cutest thing when babies wear hoodies?

The cupcakes mentioned in yesterday's post turned out!

Yesterday we celebrated Chris' birthday with his parents. Chris chose pizza as his birthday dinner. Maya was in such a great mood and was charming it up with her grandparents the whole evening. Even though she was getting tired by the end, she still helped sing happy birthday to her daddy!  

And just this morning, about fifteen minutes ago she said "Dada" for the first time. She has been saying "da da da da da" for a while now, but this morning she actually said the word. Every time I said it she looked at me and repeated it ever so quietly. I called Chris upstairs to come up and hear. She said it again. Now if she can just figure out what it means. 

Maya received a card for her first Halloween this year. I can't wait to post a picture of her in her costume!

Who's That In The MIrror?

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

When I was pregnant I would often catch my reflection of my face in the rearview mirror while riding in the car. By the end of my pregnancy I avoided looking at myself because I could see how fat my face was getting and it didn't even look like me. I didn't gain an obscene amount of weight while I was pregnant but since I was overweight before getting pregnant my face started to look like the pillsbury dough boy.  The experience was similar to when you all of a sudden see your reflection in a store window.  But the other day I caught a glimpse in the rear view mirror and I wasn't completely disgusted. I could tell that my face is starting to look like the old me a bit. So that is what keeps me going today. 

RANT OR RAVE

So I made beef stew for the first time yesterday. Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. 

I posted the recipe here on the recipe page. The only change I made is I substituted the flour with corn starch.  Next up - chicken noodle soup. 

NOTE TO SELF

Swimming Lessons

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

On Monday I took Maya to swimming "lessons". Usually this is something she does with her daddy but he was away for work that day. So we got to spend some mom and daughter time together. Maya loves swimming and being in the pool with others.  The class consists of babies / toddlers and their parents. They mostly just splash, blow bubbles, sing songs, and the like. It is great fun.  It's like a bunch of momma ducks and their babies just doing their thing. Like many people I always hate being in my bathing suit, but what can ya do? 

I was thinking it would be nice if I lose enough weight -  perhaps I would be able to do these types of things and not be so self conscious. I know that Maya will pick up on me being self conscious about how I look and I don't want that to rub off on her. Besides, when she gets older I don't want her to have a mom who is the fattest mom in the class (luckily I was not in this particular class).  I know that sounds mean and shallow but what can I say, kids can be very discriminatory by nature.  But mostly, I just want to enjoy doing activities with my baby girl without the body image issues. 

RANT OR RAVE

Found another recipe I may want to try. Simple, but looks tasty. Check it out here. 

NOTE TO SELF

Sweater Weather

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Sweater weather. When you have sausage arms it's your best friend. They can camouflage and keep you warm at the same time. I can even get away with wearing sweaters in the summer time when I am at work because they keep the air conditioning so cold you feel like you are in a freezer.  But beyond that I am forced to expose my fleshy arms the rest of the year with short sleeves. It will be a good day, the day that I am able to be less self conscious about my arms and when I am able to wear a sweater purely for it's intended function and not also to hide the fat. I will try to remember that today. 

RANT OR RAVE

Well the weather has really changed where I live, the colder temperatures are staying. I think I'm going to try to make a stew this week. I have never made one before but figure it couldn't be that hard with a slow cooker. I will look for some lean cuts of meat and see what I come up with. I will let you know how it turns out and share the recipe once I figure it out!

NOTE TO SELF

Out Of The Closet

 TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Ah, my beloved closet...

When I first moved into this house I thought to myself, "Who the heck needs a closet this spacious? I'm never gonna fill it!"

Then I moved in. This is my side of the closet. Jam packed. 

If I had lots of moolah, I would definitely purchase one of those crazy closet organizers with all the fancy drawers and cupboards where every shoe, blouse, bag, skirt has it's place. But this works for now. 

These two dressers are also jammed with clothes!

You may remember me getting rid of a bunch of stuff in our yard sale this summer where I decided to get rid of stuff. 

Well I decided it was time to tackle my closet, the one thing left to de-clutter. I got rid of all the clothes that are too big, all my maternity wear, and anything that was just UGLY.  When I was going through it, I couldn't believe how long some of the items have been sitting in my closet. The thing is, about half of the clothes were things that I probably have not even taken off the hanger since I lived in this house for the past three and a half years. A lot of it consisted of smaller items I no longer fit into that I wanted to keep "just in case" I lost weight.  There was an array of sizes, some dating all the way back to 2007! The thing is, I would love to keep these clothes except now they are all out of style!  It was actually a bit emotional going through my closet. You would think that it is just a pile of clothes, but really, each item had some sort of memory. The bathing suit I wore on my honeymoon, dresses I wore to weddings, the fat clothes I had to buy after I had Maya (because nothing fit me for the first month of her life).  It really was a concrete way of seeing just how much I have gained and lost over the years. It was weird looking at some clothes that I had worn all the time in the past which now look so small and then others that I wore not that long ago that look so big.  I wanted to save some items just so that I could try them on as the pounds come off but they were so ugly I figured they needed to be chucked. 

As I went through and took things off the hangers the clothes started to pile up.

And this was the final "get rid of" pile. Craziness. About three stacks were maternity clothes, which was sad to get rid off because I spent a lot of money on them and now they will not fit me during my next pregnancy.  Hopefully someone else will benefit from wearing them. 

When all was said and done, this was the before and after shot of my side of the closet. 

Before

After

After

I no longer have a shortage of hangers. 

Last night I lugged these bags to the community clothing drop off box. It was located right by the kickboxing place. Nothing like finishing a fat burning session and then crossing the road to get rid of your baggy clothes. How convenient!  

As I was going through my closet I had a few revelations:

1) My fashion sense has always been non-existent. I am going to have to change that one of these days!

2) I tend to buy the same things over and over again. Sometimes I even buy the same shirt in three different colours. Boring!

3) Fat clothes are just plain ugly. They are just camouflage for the problem areas. 

4) I have way too many "office" clothes. 

5) I need to stop buying black. 

6) Most of the clothes still in the closet are going to be too big for me soon!

Today I am motivated to keep fitting into smaller clothes until everything in my closet goes.  

RANT OR RAVE

Yesterday I made a classic hearty vegetable soup recipe. I have never made soup before, I don't know why - it's so easy!  I added a bit of quinoa to make it a bit thicker since I usually like to put lots of crackers in (but that is not part of my meal plan). It was pretty tasty!

I will head over to the recipe page and post the soup contents soon. 

NOTE TO SELF

Life Is Good

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Lately Chris and I have been going for lots of walks with our baby girl and the dog. The weather this weekend was so cool and crisp - perfect walking weather! It is nice to be able to do something as a family that is as simple as getting a little exercise and catching up on our day. 

Since I have been off work we have also been having a lot more family meals. Sitting together and having this routine has been nice. These are the moments where it all begins. Where we start being a family.

This afternoon Chris and I even sat on the back porch together and just looked out onto the yard with our dog Gunther while Maya was upstairs napping. We talked about what the next few years are going to look like for us.  It's the simple things like that which make me content with life at the moment. I know that one day Maya will become independent and things won't be as easy and simple. Sure,  having an infant is busy and crazy a lot of the time - there is a lot of worrying, lack of sleep and so on. But one day I am going to look back on this time and wish that things were as content as they are now.  Especially when Maya becomes a teenager and decides that I have ruined her life even though she still expects me to give her twenty dollars and a ride to her friends' house.  These times also allow me to continue to focus on what is important, and being healthy is one of the top priorities on the list. So that is what I will continue to think about today. 

RANT OR RAVE

This week I am going to attempt to put together some kind of apple filling that has no sugar in it that is still tasty.  I'll let you know how it goes. 

I may try to pair it with a low fat crepe recipe I found online. So stay tuned!

NOTE TO SELF

Getting Stronger

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

When I work out I am able to life more weight, do more push ups, hold planks longer, do more sit ups. When I first started back to class after my itty bitty came to be, I couldn't do nearly as much.  It was like I was back at square one. Slowly but surely I am getting stronger and faster. That is my motivation today. 

RANT OR RAVE

So hubby and I tried that chicken shawarma recipe. It is supposed to be kind of a healthier version of what you would get if you were to eat out. I must say, it wasn't anything special. I have never had chicken shawarma before so I had no frame of reference of what it was supposed to taste like. He said that it was nothing like what he gets when he gets it at his favourite place at work.  I'm not sure why, but I am guessing because of the way they prepare the meat and the cuts of meat they use. The good news is, I did happen to have a tasty lunch which I can add to my list of favourite meals. Lettuce wraps. Here's what I put in mine:

diced chicken breast

red peppers

mushrooms

onions

humus

I spread humus in the romaine lettuce hearts. Then I grill the vegetables and heat up the chicken and put everything in the lettuce. 

They look something similar to this:

So tasty! 

NOTE TO SELF

The End Of An Era

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Today I got thinking. I'm going to be turning 30 in a few months time. My twenties will be behind me. What a better time in my life to accomplish the one thing left that I've had on my list for quite a while - getting to a healthy weight and staying there. So much has happened in the past ten years, and I am not anxious about milestone birthdays like some people because I really feel like I've built a good life for myself so far. Sure there are some things that I still want to do like further my education and travel to more places, but for the most part I've done everything I've set out to do before I turned 30, except for the above mentioned. I am glad that I am finally putting it into action. 

Today I will think about this so that I can continue to stick with it. I hope my thirties will be even better than my twenties. My twenties were all about gaining independence and finding out who I was. My thirties will be about being greatful for what I have and living life to the fullest!

RANT OR RAVE

I ended up not making chicken shawarma last night because I didn't have time to make the marinade until the last minute and I wanted the chicken to soak in it for more than just twenty minutes. So that is in the fridge for tonight. Instead, we went with chicken pad thai. A nice alternative to the traditional stirfry. I usually just use the store bought sauce, and I like to use carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, green onions and peanuts.  I also don't add anything to the chicken and veggies other than the sauce to avoid hidden calories as the sauce is enough for me! That's the fun about dishes like this, you can make it your own, really. If your diet does not allow for the noodles, you can just make more meat and veggies and eat it without the noodles and it is still tasty!  

Here is a recipe that got good reviews. 

NOTE TO SELF