It's My Birthday And I'll Shop If I Want To

What up booboos!!!

It's Friday...


It's my birthday weekend...


It's a 3 day weekend...


There will be shopping...


There will be fatty food and birthday cake...


There will be ladies night....


There will be awesomeness...


What there will not be... is blogging...


Ta!

Salmon Cakes and Alone-ness

Now that I am done being miserable, I can get back to my regularly scheduled programming.  TheHubby is gone for some months and it sucks but life must go one (Even if I don't want it to).  I prayed about it and that is really all I can do, pray for his safety and keep myself busy so that I am not lonely, bored and worried...3 things a spouse in a deployment shouldn't be.  Two days of wallowing in my own self pity, eating bad shit, and not getting off the couch is about all I can take. So here I am, back in action B****ES!

I have plenty of things to do; pinterest project, shopping with the ladies, decorating this lovely abode, getting back to Spanish practice, AND I have been applying for plenty of jobs so something has to come through.  And my birthday is this weekend and I'll be 27.  Jealous??? You should be.

This morning I was really craving an omelet and I did NOT want to go back to my arch nemesis, sausage.  I searched the cabinets and found a nice can of pink salmon and I instantly knew I had a winner on my hands.  Back in the day, mommy dearest used to make salmon cakes and grits with brown gravy.  OMG.  Talk about a worthwhile vat of calories.  It will always be a favorite meal of mine, but probably one that I wont ever make again.  *Sigh* how I miss the food of my youth.

So salmon cakes for breakfast was a success.  Aside from the oil and the flour, I call it a healthy success.  Each patty is only about 150 calories or less and less heavy and fatty than my usual salmon.  

INGERDIENTS
Makes 6

1 can pink salmon (you can use the real stuff if you choose)

1 slice of red onion(chopped small)

1 egg

1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup olive oil 

1 T garlic Salt

1 T black pepper


1- Preheat oil on medium heat in a medium sauce pan and sprinkle flour on a plate.
2- Open can and drain, add salmon to a big bowl and remove skin and bones.  Go through and make sure you don't leave any of those little suckers in there.  Once they are all removed, make sure you give a little to the hungry pup.

3- Chop onions.  Add onion, garlic salt, black pepper and egg.  Stir to make sure everything is combined well.
4- Use your hands and make a small patty cake, then lay flat in the flour, flip and do the same on the other side.  Make 6.  I usually wash my hands after each 2 because the flour starts to stick.
5- Add to the oil which should be hot by now.  Cook on each side for about 5 minutes.  They should be a golden brown color.
6- Set on paper towel and allow to drain.
7- Eat and be merry.

What childhood food/meal do you wish you could eat all the time?
Any military spouses out there with advice for a new one?

30 Day Challenge (BodyRocktv) Day 2

Greetings folks!  I don't know if you have ever heard of Body Rock tv, but they have this amazing website that is absolutely free and chock full of healthy information.  I have been stalking them for a while now, but I hadn't ever really done any of the workouts until now.  Yesterday I started the 30 day challenge (which was actually from February, but it will work just as well) and it was pretty good.  8 minute fit test that I didn't do too bad on compared to the other stats I saw in the comments section so I thought, no problem, this should be cake.  NOT ON YOUR LIFE!  Today I  moved on to day 2 and got my ass thoroughly kicked.  I mean kicked!!!

Picture courtesy of Mike Shaw

It was a pyramid workout that resulted in 300 reps.  Pyramid means you run through all the exercises 10 times, then start over and run through again 9 times, then so on until you hit one.  Talk about dying.

Don't let the smile fool you!  This really and truly rocked my body (pun totally intended).  It took me about 20 minutes to get through the pyramid and then I took a 5 minute rest before doing the 3 minute ab workout.  Here is the video showing you how to get down on it!

I used a kettle bell for all of the workouts because I don't have that cute pink bag lol.  It work just fine.  My whole body is on fire.  I was sweating like a ho in church.  I think I saw my life flash before my eyes while doing the ab workout.  I didn't use the yellow bar for those either.  Just arms and floor.

1) Alternating hand sand bag swing using the kettlebell

2) Shovel left using the kettlebell

3) Shovel right using the kettlebell

4) Clean and Press Left using the kettlebell

5) Clean and Press Right using the kettlebell

Ab Routine using your interval timer to 10/50 and use your BodyRock Equalizer.

1) Reptile PushUp 

2) Mountain Climbers

3) Star Push Ups 

Please go over to the website and check them out.  This will most likely be the only workout of theirs that I post here because I feel like it is kind stealing.  But I just HAD to post this one for you guys to have an idea.

Have you ever done a body rock workout?

Fat Fighting Fajitas

I remember the first time I had "Mexican Food".  (I quote because once I moved to Arizona I had REAL Mexican Food that rocked my world) I was about 15 and living in Charlotte, Nc and my dad took us to this restaurant called Salsa's.  My dad loved to find new restaurants and experiment with food which probably stems from his growing up in New York.  I used to get so excited when he would say "Everybody get dressed and be in the car in 20".  I'd look over to my best friend Porsha (who visited every summer) and we would smile and jump into the first decent thing we could find.  These trips could be to parks, ice cream, restaurants, or even to another city entirely.  We even randomly went to the beach in SC one day.  The "Where are we going" question would go unanswered and a smiling daddy would look down at his watching basically saying shut up and hurry up.  *Sigh* I miss being a kid.

That day, with baby brother Desta in the middle of Porsha and I, we went to Salsa's for the first time.  I loved Spanish and believed I could speak it but I failed miserably and ended up ordering in English.  A huge lover of food even then, I didn't want to order something that I wouldn't like so I went with the safest choice- Chicken Fajitas.

"Is that mine?" I asked the waiter with the most excited voice.  I could hear the sizzling sound of my dish as soon as it came out of the kitchen.  I was over the top.  Fajitas are now one of my favorite meals ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD they are pretty healthy if you do them right! Maybe they aren't "Fat Fighting" but it sounds good doesn't it?

Low sodium black beans instead of refried beans have less fat and sodium.
Chobani Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream knocks off about another 100 calories or so.
Chicken seared in olive oil.
Served with an iced cold Mojito (crystal light version of course!

I have been on a no carb kick but I figured 1 small tortilla wouldn't hurt the scale.  If I didn't workout yesterday I would NOT have eaten the tortilla.

This recipe makes about 4 servings.

Fat Fighting Fajitas
1 pack thinly sliced chicken breasts
1 large onion
1 large green pepper
1 large red pepper
1 can low sodium black beans
1 chobani Greek yogurt, plain
1/4 packet taco seasoning
1 T garlic salt
1 T black pepper
8 small flour tortillas
Salsa to taste
olive oil for searing.
1 lemon wedge (opt)

1. Slice your chicken into strips in put in a ziplock back with taco seasoning, pepper, and garlic salt and marinate for 10-20 minutes.  While marinating, slice veggies into strips and set aside.  
2. GENEROUSLY Coat a non stick skillet with olive oil (enough to not dry out after a time) and place over medium heat.  The oil is what really gives it that sizzle and authentic fajita taste.
3. Put black beans on medium-low heat
4. Add chicken to the skillet and cook thoroughly, turning ever 2 or 3 minutes.  Cook about 15-20 minutes.  
5. When chicken is done, remove from pan and place to the side.  Add veggies to the pan and cook until desired degree of softness.  I like mine somewhere between hard and soft.
6. Throw chicken back in and combine.  Right before you get ready to serve, turn your fajita mix to high to give it that real fajita taste. Squeeze a little lemon juice on top if you like.
7. Remove from heat and serve with flour tortillas, beans, yogurt, and salsa.  

What is your favorite Mexican dish?

Quick Cross Fit Workout

Morning!  I just threw together this little cross fit workout and I thought I would make it all pretty and share it with you.  Because everyone like pretty things!  I'm about to get up on this as soon as I finish my coffee.  Wanna know something cool?  The killers name on this Cold Case episode is Shaina! WHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Wanna know something else cool that I only JUST realized??? That Commissioner Gordon from Spiderman is also SIRIUS SNAPE! MIND BLOWN!!!!

Ok, I'm done with the crazy awesome facts.  Here's the workout.

Doing the 20 minute cross fit above, then some hardcore biking/walking on an incline at the gym when TheHubby comes home.  Dinner tonight is homemade beef and broccoli.  Plain for me, with brown rice for him.  This will happen!

Operation--

 Get- Skinny- ASAP - So - I - Can - Look - Fly - In - This- Outfit 

IN FULL EFFECT.

This Fit is MAD caliente!

Are you into Cross fit workouts??  If so what is your fav?

2 pounds down!

What up homies!  I lost two pounds this week since "starting over".  WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?  Gimmie some on that!  I've been walking/jogging/biking my ass off and I have gone back to my age old friend, Mr. Carb Less Diet III.  That's right folks.  I weighed in on Thursday so I am sure it's probably more than 2 by now but whatevs.  Here's what it looks like:

Nothing extravagant or cutting edge.  I just went back to what worked.  I thought about taking a photo of the scale while I was on it, you know, be accountable as hell.  Too bad that thought didn't occur to me until later on that night lol.  I wont be weighing again until tomorrow so we shall see.  I also stay within my 1450 calories for the day.  When I get in the heavy cardio, I make sure to underestimate my calorie burn.  If the treadmill says 150 cal, I log 100.  I don't want to end up over eating because I got cocky.

I went shopping yesterday and I did NOT feel so happy.  Something has got to be done about this flabdomen like gut I am toting around.  I swear! No matter how much I lose, this tummy has to keep on being asshole number 1.  THAT my dears is why my damn jeans didn't fit.  Because my stomach is a big TOOL!  CURSE YOU TUMMY!!!  DAMN YOU TO HELL.  Small tantrum there.  Anyway, maybe the clothes didn't look amazing when I tried them on but at least I was fly!

Boho Chic B****es

I felt like wigging it up yesterday and the pearl earrings made me happy.  I feel like I have so much untapped fly potential that I am ready to crack into!  I have only been thin"er" for about 2 years.  The first of which I was in Korea where I could hardly fit the shoes, let alone the clothes.  The second- well, I've been in the UK with no job and absolutely no business spending lots of money on flyness.  But it is about to be on and pop-pop-poppin out here!  Being fly is one of my biggest incentives to lose weight and boy do I have ideas.

I'm going to stick with this plan for a while because it works.  It may not make me extremely happy to not have any of my favorite things, like bread or potatoes, but dropping this gut is sure to please me more than a baked potato.

In other news... MY NEW JOURNAL ARRIVED YESTERDAY.

Handmade in Thailand from a wonderful lady.
Leather
500 + pages
Has my initials on the bottom.

Needless to say, I love it.  Can't wait to jump right on in there with my thoughts.

Do you have any good Carb Free Dessert ideas???  I need dessert in my life!

I Believe...

Boy, that Audrey Hepburn sure had it right...

Back At It

Im back to normal today. I can only do that "WOE IS ME" shite for a few hours before I tuck  a$$ and get it moving. Its 745 in the am, its dewy and foggy outside and Mugsy  is waiting for me to take him out. This is one of my favorite times of day so I am going to take advantage of it. Going for an extremely carbless day today and I have it all planned out!  Thanks for all the support when I was down in the dumps. 

"Why you no ready yet mommy" LOL Dogs version lol

My Jeans Didn't Fit

I have this pair of jeans.  Nothing to fancy or extremely expensive, just a regular pair of jeans.  But they mean so much to me.  I bought these jeans when I was at my lowest weight of 186 lbs.  I walked into Rue 21 to look at shoes and I ended up asking the skinny-as-all-hell-chick what size jeans they went up to and she said 14.  I said damn, and I immediately began to walk about because we all know that a 14 in Rue 21 is probably a 12 in a store somewhere else.  Before I could move she stopped me and said "What size are you like 12?  I'm sure you can fit our jeans".  I was like huh look at this skinny chick trying to set me up! But I figured I would go along with it.  I went in the dressing room and put them on and I'll be damned!  They fit.  I started crying right there. At that point, I was down 100 lbs and it felt soooooo good to actually see the results of my work.  I bought them of course, and another pair for good measure.  They have been known as "My skinny pants" ever since then.  

That was a year ago.

Today I put those pants on and I was not at all please.  I mean, they have always been snug, and even when I bought them there was a little bit of a bulge that I thought would disappear with the more weight I lost and the more stretched out they got.  Needless to say, I didn't lose any more weight.  I am 20 lbs heavier and I feel it.  But I didn't get a slap in the face until my muffin top was clearly visible when I put those pants on.  Not tooooo horrible, but EYE (That is an emphasized "I" if you don't know)

I love these pants.  Even more, I love what they represent; and now, they don't even fit.  So this is me... just a little disappointed and a little hurt.  I'm trying to figure out where to go from here.  This being stuck is the pits and I don't want to just say EFF it and eat whatever.  Maybe I should get a trainer?  The way I see it, at least I have 4 months in here alone to really ham it out and be careful with everything I eat.  Rob will be gone and we are going on vacation as soon as he gets back so maybe I will have time then.  I don't really have anything positive to end this on so I'm just gonna throw up my peace sign.  *Deuces*

Harry Potter Film Guide Amazingness

Harry Potter is my homie.  I don't know if you know, but ummm, I love Harry and in another world we are best friends and I am Hershayanie.  That's right.  Not Hermione, Hershayanie.  I love everything about the books and the movies made my life worth while.  I am a hugeeeee Geek (we all have a little Geek in us) and I love it and so does The Hubby which is why he bought me this book!

This book is amazing.  One date night a few months ago, we stumbled into the comic book store and TheHubby saw this book and placed it in my hands.  I was like OMBurgers how am I going to put this damn thing down when the times comes.  I did not think he was going for 25 pounds for a book so I wasn't even going to ask.  BUT WHOOOOOOO he insisted I get it because he loves me so much and I am the best wife ever.  (I think he said something like that).  AMAZING!!!  

My very own ticket to Hogwarts

There is so much good stuff in here!!!  Its like the biggest ever scrapbook of all things Harry Potter.  There are stickers, foldouts, posters, and everything you ever wanted to know about the production of the movies.  They go into such detail about how they did everything and you will truly be amazed at all the hidden magical tidbits that you probably didn't even notice.  

All about Diagon alley, extra fold outs, AND a catalog from Borgin and Burkes!

All about Delores Umbridge

Needless to say, you should get this ish ASP!  Anddddd I should stop now before I sound even more lame!


On to other things....
Today was really good.  I had oatmeal for breakfast, chicken salad on half a pita and lite popcorn for lunch, and 100 calorie pretzels + a mandarin orange for snack, then a small salad for snack 2.  And most importantly, I did not touch the left over lasagna in the refrigerator!  YAY ME!  I got up and did Taebo right after ANTM and then got dressed for my meeting (its a secret meeting right now because nothing is official soooooo just wait on that news!).

What Geeky tendencies do you have??

Lite Chicken Salad (Sans the Sandwich)

I love Chicken Salad Sandwiches, but as you know I can't mess with the bread and the mayo.  So today I threw together my version of a way lighter option.  Its was really good.  I think next time I make it I will let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before I dig in.  But this time, I was hungry and I was already an hour past my eating schedule.

I made it chock full of all the things I love; almonds, Crasins, chicken, and even threw some walnuts in there.  This is really a "Whatever you like" recipe so add or subtract what you want.  Best of all, only 183 calories per serving!



Lite Chicken Salad

1 can Tyson canned chicken breast in water
1 container of Greek Yogurt, Plain
1/2 cup Craisins
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 T celery (because I don't really like celery, you can use more than that)
1/4 cup chopped onion

1- Open your can of chicken and drain as much of the juice as possible.  You can also use prepared chicken breasts.
2- In a medium sized bowl, break up chicken and add yogurt.  Combine well.
3- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined being sure not to mix too hard and press on the grapes.
4- Place about 1/2 cup of the salad on a bed of lettuce.

Makes for servings (about 1/2 cup)---  Calories- 183

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Devils

THESE ARE DANGEROUS....
                 I REPEAT..........
THESE.... ARE....... DANGEROUS!

I'm going to a BBQ over at my friends house and I am generally the designated baker.  When she said "Just bring some dessert" that was all I needed to hear to search for a new cookie recipe.  You can just never have enough cookie recipes, especially at Christmas time.  *Hums Jingle bells to self*... I am so ready for Christmas!

Anyway, This is also going to be Mugsy's first play date!  We are suppppppppper nervous because he is kind of a tool when it comes to other dogs and their dog, Biff, is a massive beast.  He is 8 years old and has no time for bullshit.  Yikes!  Mugsy might get his ass kicked.  But we gave him a bath and as you can tell, he was so excited about it lol.

In my last post I talked about starting over, and it has really been awesome for me.  I even got a new coach wristlet to start me off on my new journey.  Yes I will use and excuse to shop!  I feel no stress, no pressure, and I actually look forward to going for my long walks with Mugsy... but I just had to make these cookies.

Double Chocolate.....

Chocolate Chunks.... and .... Chocolate chips

Oooooey....Gooooey....Awesomeness.

I mean what more can you ask for????


Giant Double Chocolate Cookies
adapted from Annies Eats

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
• 1¼ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. coarse salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips MIXED WITH Chocolate chunks

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  
2. Blend in the eggs one at a time.  Mix in the cocoa powder until well blended.  
3. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl and whisk together.  Add flour mixture to the bowl about a cup at a time and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.  
4.  Drop by large spoonfuls onto baking sheets covered with parchments paper a few inches apart.  Bake 16-20 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

This will make about 12 giant, delicious, wonderfully horrible for you cookies!!  I am going to try to only have one.  We shall see!

Do you ever take your dog on play dates?

Update-- Mugsy was amazing yesterday.  He pretty much bothered the hell out of their dog but it was fun to watch them play.  When we came home he seriously passed out and it looks like he will be in the same condition all day!

Starting Over (recipe-healthy chicken fingers)

I've come to a conclusion.  I'm still fa--- ummm overweight.  No matter how much weight I've lost already, I'm still quite chunky.  I've been holding on to this "'ve lost 80-100 (depending on the month) pounds" like it's the shit.  It is NOT the shit anymore.  Maybe it was when I started back in 2010 but come on, let's keep it moving shall we.  So I'm going to start over.  I've lost my mojo kind of.  I'm going to do what normal fat people do when they start trying to lose weight; cutting calories, speed walking, ect.  Like I said before, it's an upward battle carrying truckloads of fat.  I have to be more proactive in this thing.  So its back to the beginning for me.

I started my week with the cleanse and yesterday was my first day back on regular food.  I ate pretty well and I did a 45 minute walk run.  I did about 2.5 miles and I used the tracker on my phone.  I'm really just trying to focus on making the right decisions and not weighing myself every single day.  I think I should also be upfront as hell about what the scale says.  I think I shall take a picture of the scale on weigh in days (Fridays).  My goal is to see 200 flat by the end of the month. Today I was at 206.0.  Huge sigh from all that extra shit I've been eating.

So that is where I Am right now.  Brutally honest about how much I have sucked lately and starting over.  So far, in my weight loss journey I have lost .6 lbs.  Let's go with that.

Last night for dinner I made Healthy Chicken Fingers and they were pretty awesome even though the picture is pretty bad.

Healthy Chicken Fingers
Adapted from Fitness Magazine
12 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg slightly beaten
1 T honey
1 T dijon mustard
2 cups cornflakes, crushed finely
Black Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut chicken into 3-by-3/4-inch strips. In a shallow dish, combine egg, honey, and mustard. In another dish, stir together cornflake crumbs and pepper.

2. Dip chicken strips into the egg mixture; roll in crumb mixture to coat. Arrange chicken strips on an ungreased baking sheet.

3. Bake about 12 minutes, or until outsides are golden and chicken is no longer pink.

I used Ranch Dressing and some homemade honey mustard for the dipping sauce.  I also served up some left over veggie fried rice on the side.  

Have you ever gotten fed up and completely started over?

What do you do when you lose your mojo?