Baby Food Jars

Do you have a bunch of baby food jars?  Well I did last year around Christmas.  I knew I could make something out of them and it would be a great memory that my baby used to be a baby.  Sure enough when I saw these guys my heart melted.  I made eight votives that I put the little plastic lights in.  Those little lights are at the dollar store and they come in packs of two.  The snow man and the snow lady took no time.  All you need is some cheerful ribbon (some with wire), permanent marker and a hot glue gun.

Who's Going On A Cruise?

Me! Me! Me!  Super excited!  Eric came home last night with great news that his family had planned a western carribean cruise for the end of January.  It's going to be so much fun and my mother in law is going which means I have an onboard babysitter, that I can trust.  I have two months to get bikini ready.  I am about to go on beast mode!!!  I'm also trying Stri-Vectin for some stretchies I have on my legs and I'll show you before and after pics of that at the end of January.  I should be at my goal of 125 lbs.  by the end of the year and hopefully by the time its cruise time I'll be 115lbs.  Before Thanksgiving I tried my wedding dress on and  it fit ( I know there's a lot of exclamation marks on this post but I am that excited)!  I really didn't want to but my husband made me.  I guess sometimes I still see myself like
the way I was.  Even when I had to put a lot of clothes away
because they don't fit anymore.  I'm just crazy I guess.  I think it's hilarious and appropriate that my sons slide and his truck are in the picture.  That little guy has taken over my world.  Oh and that my hair is super messy.  I remember when I was a little girl and I used to try my moms dress on all the time.  I hope I have a little girl that can enjoy this roll of tulle.  Can't wait to visit some Mayan ruins and hopefully we'll get to try ziplining.  A helpful tip that works great for me is a white board calender in my kitchen.  It's a great way to keep me accountable for my workouts, pay bills on time, and keep my doctor's visits.  I'm going to do P90x doubles until the cruise.  But I must say the best thing is working out with my best friend.  I love spending time with my husband.  Working out together has kept us both on track.  He has already lost 40lbs.  So proud of my baby!

Albondigas

Claire De Lune is on repeat as I make dinner.  This piano solo is so relaxing.  I had some ground beef in my fridge and I thought hey lets make albondigas (meatball soup).  I didn't have any eggs so I looked up eggless meatballs and some people substitute milk for the egg.  It worked but it was not the same. Anywho, every time I make this I am transported to a time where less responsibility was upon me.  My mom made this all the time and apart from her bomb chile rellenos this is my second favorite. 





Albondigas:

For Meatballs:

1.5lb ground beef
1 tblspn garlic minced
2 tblspn Maseca
1 egg
handful of mint
1/2 tspn salt

For the stew:

2 roma tomatos
1tblspn garlic minced
1/2 C green onions
1/2 C cilantro
2 celery stalks
6oz tomato sauce
6C Organic chicken stock
3 carrots
2 zucchini

*you can add vegetables of choice
*dont have time to peel veggies you can also use frozen

Meatballs
Directions:

*In a bowl, combine all ingredients and shape.  Set aside

 

Stew

Directions:

 

 

*Spray nonstick cooking spray in a pan or 1 tablespoon of canola oil and add (you can also add a hanful of rice here and when lighly browned add the rest of ingredients) garlic, tomatos, green onions, cilantro, and celery.  Cook until tomatos are softened.

*Add tomato sauce and cook until boiling

*Add Chicken stock and salt wait for it to boil and add meatballs.  Cook for 30 minutes on medium.

*Add desired vegetables and enjoy



I Had a Pretty Awesome Day!!

Around six weeks ago I introduced my little Levi to the potty.  It was hit and miss for a few days and it seemed I was only stressing both of us out so I backed off.  Recently, he had started sitting on the potty chair with his clothes on.  I thought hey lets give this potty thing anothe try.  Last night, he sat on his potty before bed and did his business.  I was pretty  proud of my little guy.  He is going to be 20 months on December 4th and he is such a smart little guy.  I must say I tried the bottomless method that I read about on a mom blog and it didn't work for me.  He thought it was his free pass to pee all over the place.  Then I tried with little tighty whities and this worked better.  He realized that the underwear was not soaking up his business.  The moral of the story is that your baby has to be ready.  They are the ones that have to be intrested. Especially, since he is at that age where he is establishing his little attitude.  When I pushed potty training on him it didn't work.  This is still a work in progress but I'm super stoked to be closer to my goal of getting rid of those diapers.  Good luck with your little ones and I know I'll need it with mine.  If you have any tips for me please post them on my comments :)

**I also bought the potty chair he wanted.  He is pretty obsessed with cars so Lightning McQueen it was!!

Be Prepared

As a mom, it seems you have to function regardless of wether you are sick, bleeding, dying, or puking.  Meal prep is one of those things I do to keep my sanity.  It also helps me keep my snacking on track.  It's just as easy to grab crackers or carrot sticks but when you're hungry the crackers seem like the more appealing choice.  I always have baby carrots portions out to 3 oz a bag and hummus.  I just bought Supremely Spicy Hummus from Sabra and it was awesome.  I also back tablespoons of peanut butter.  Peanut butter is one of those foods that can bring you back from the dead when you're starving.  What do you do with the left over container that has peanut butter smeared all over?  Throw it away? NO WAY!  Overnight Oats :P 

Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

 

1 Chai tea bag

1tsp cinammon

1tsp vanilla extract

1/3 c 1minute oats

1/4 c low fat vanilla yogurt

 

Directions:

 

*Boil tea bag as directed

*Mix cinammon, vanilla extract and dry oats

*Pour tea over oats and nuke in microwave for 1 minute

*Let oats cool

*Add yogurt to cooled oats and pour into peanut butter jar and let it sit overnight

*Enjoy a hassle free breakfast!

 



Rudolph and Co (Nail Tutorial)

 You are going to need:
*white nail polish
*gold or brownish color nail polish
*black fine tip paint marker
*red nail polish



First, Apply white nail polish.

Second, make a face shape with the brownish color.









Third, carefully make eyes with the white nail polish.
(This is where the right and usually suffers :P)

Fourth, with the black paint marker outline the reindeer faces and dot the white to make black eyes


*Notes:  Choose your favorite nail to be rudolph and make the nose red instead of black!

**Also be sure to allow time for the nail polish to dry in between colors so you wont end up with a gloppy mess :)

Pick Up Where I Left Off

Stepping on the scale after Thanksgiving is like saying sorry to someone after you shot them in the face: POINTLESS.  So I didn't waste my time with that.  You just have to pick up where you left off.  This morning I took my vitamins.  These vitamins are awesome!  They give me lots of energy for my busy day.  Mind you there are seven pills in the vitapaks but I dont take them all at once.  I split them up with my breakfast and lunch.  Started my morning today with four egg whites, 2 pieces of turkey bacon, and a cup of chai tea with fat free milk.  This tea is so delicious.  It killed my craving to have a huge bowl of cereal.   Today I have some Kenpo X scheduled when Levi takes a nap and I'm going to blast that stuffing and mashed potatoes I ate and pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie and turkey and green bean casserole and well you get them picture :) 

Happy Birthday Momma!

The most special woman in my life is celebrating her birthday today.  Happy Birthday Mom!!!  I want to thank you for being so dang awesome.  You know I didn't understand my mom until I became one.  I always wondered why she repeated herself so much.  It turns out my son is teaching me why.  He also pretends like he can't hear me.  I am always repeating myself.  Thanks for saying no.  Where would I be without you?  Who knows.  I am really glad I don't have to find out.  I want to thank you mom for being you.  My mom is funny, sweet, smart, generous, and creative.  Yet more than a mom she became my best friend.  I was able to tell her anything.  Even when I messed up and was embaressed I still told her the truth.  I love you mom for always being there for me and shaping me into the woman I am today. 

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!  In honor of the pilgrims we are whitening our teeth  and putting up our Christmas tree.  Today was an Applebees lunch, dress shopping and trying to get out of Costco alive kinda day.   Since I am writing tonight you can be glad that I made it out in one piece.  I am extremely thankful tonight.  I am healthy, happy and loved.  That little guy with the sock monkey hat is seriously the love of my life.  Mom happens to be his favorite word.  Yeah you bet that I'm okay with that.  I'm thankful for my husband that loves me.  I am especially thankful that my hips are 30 pounds lighter than last year.  I hope that tommorow you guys enjoy yourself.  I am going to be in the ultimate food coma.  Remember that its not about the bird but about all of those beautiful faces that make up our family.

Quick Hors d'oeuvres

It seems like I turn around and it's already 3:00pm.  How did that happen?  It's Plyo time and you're not supposed to eat because there is a strong possibility of spilling your cookies.  I had just finished making my son some chicken and there was some left over.  I thought wow that is not enough for a meal.  So this is how these little snacks came about today.

You're gonna need some toothpicks!

Ingredients:

*Strawberries
*Cubed cooked chicken
(I seasoned mine with salt, pepper and garlic powder)
*Cubed apples
(I used honeycrisp apples because they are my fave!!!!)

 

Ingredients:

*Mozzarella stick (cubed)
*Turkey Pepperoni
*Spanish Olives

Ingredients:
*Mushrooms
*Pizza Sauce  (I always make extra and keep it in the fridge for emergencies)
*Parmesan


Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

*1 yellow onion chopped
*1 can tomato paste
*2 roma tomatoes chopped
*15oz tomato sauce
*2C chicken stock
*Season with basil, oregano, fennel, salt, and a small packet of truvia (you can use any sugar)

Directions:

*On a pan spray cooking spray and cook onions until translucent
*Add tomato paste and cook until it softens
*Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and cook for 3 minutes
*Add chicken stock and season
*Bring to a boil and then cover and place on low and let it cook down for 45 minutes or until thick.

The Moments That Matter

Tonight, as my honey helped me clean the kitchen, I realized that these moments are what matter.  Not the fact that you're still wearing your sweats and/or that you jammed your finger in the drawer (man that hurts).  Just the fact that you got this right.  The person you're with loves you and you can feel it as he dances with you in the kitchen.  My prince charming is a kind and hard working man that I love with all my heart.  We finally had a date night yesterday (thanks mom for babysitting!!!).  It seems like a way to reconnect.  Tonight, we were listening to Josh Grobin sing our wedding song.  I was transported to that moment when I said "I do".  I'm so glad I still do.  I'm not the most romantic or sappy person but he finds a way to disarm me every time.  Thanks for a great evenings honey!!!

I always have food on my mind and decided that maybe I should soak these garbanzos for tommorow.  I don't know what I'm gonna do yet but I'm sure I can think of something.  Always be prepared!

Crockpot Turkey Sausage and White Bean Soup

 

On days that I can't make it to the grocery store I have to be creative.  A great lesson I learned from my momma.  In life sometimes your pantry and refrigerator become an episode of Chopped (man I love that show).  Today was one of those days.  I looked in the fridge and there breakfast turkey sausage and the wheels started turning.  The weather called for soup and my crockpot always gets me out of a jam.  There was no leftovers which equals a thumbs up in my house.  If you make this I hope you enjoy!

Crockpot Turkey Sausage and White Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 6 Turkey Breakfast Sausage (diced)
• 1 White Onion (chopped)
• 1 C Dried Peruano Beans (any white bean will work but these are all I had)
• 2 Bell Peppers(diced) (I had red and yellow one)
• 6 Red Potatoes (cubed)
• 8 C Organic Chicken Stock
• 3 Carrots
• Salt, Basil, and Oregano (I didn't measure)

Directions:

1. Spray pan with cooking spray and cook sausage on medium heat.  When cooked place in crockpot.
2. In the same pan cook onions until translucent and transfer to crockpot.
3. Place beans, bell peppers, red potatoes, carrots and chicken stock in the crockpot
4. Season with salt, basil and oregano
5. Cook on high for 5 hours.  Until the beans are cooked through.

 

The Tortoise and the Hare

July 4, 2012

The peole who love me know that patience really has never been my thing.  It's been tough for me to realize that with weightloss slow and steady wins the race.  In July, I think I was probably 148 pounds and in October I was 136 pounds.  I had only lost 12 pounds which is not the biggest loss in the history of mankind.  Yet those 12 pounds have been the difference between muffin top and no muffin top.  I have also not have to starve myself to get here.  My experience with the HCG diet was quite crazy.  I thought if I only eat 500 calories a day I will lose weight.  I did! 20 pounds in a month.  I also gained 10 of that faster than you can blink.  Yeah that fast and after all that starvation I became anemic.  That little guy you see in the picture is now 3 feet tall and weighs 30 pounds.  He needs a momma that can pick him up and swing him around.  I wanted to be that but had zero energy to do so. 



October 28, 2012

So where am I now? I weigh 131.2 according to my dear friend the scale this morning. My goal weight has been 125 pounds, since thats how much I weighed on my wedding day.  I am only 6 pounds away from that.  At the start of the new year I'll start my second round of p90x and my goal will be to stay healthy and energetic.  I guess the numbers wont matter too much.


 

 

Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks

On days that my honey bunny goes to work the alarm goes off at 6:45am.  This morning, the rain was singing its sweet lullaby and I took 15 minutes longer to pry my body out of bed.  By the time I brushed my teeth and made it to the kitchen the rain had stopped.  The skies looked so beautiful!

So I had 30 minutes to pack a salad, protein shake, coffee, baby carrots with hummus, apple with peanut butter, turkey pepperoni with a cheese stick, yogurt and overnight oats.

Salad

Ingredients: (Too early to measure in cups and teaspoons)
*Cabbage
*Chicken
*Apple (my faves are honeycrisps)
*Small Avocado
*2 pieces of turkey bacon
*Green onions and cilantro
*Dried Cranberries

This is so good it doesnt need dressing!!


Protein Shake

 Ingredients:

*2 tablespoons of PB2
*1 scoop of chocolate Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60
*1cup of fat free milk
*4 cubes of ice

Directions:
 Blend!

If you haven't tried PB2 you have to! It's delicious!!  The chocolate Amp Whey is also super delish.  This whey protein can get a tad on the expensive side but the up side is that you don't get as many protein farts.  Yes, you read correctly I wrote farts.  I've tried others and lets just say I could clear a room.  This is also the same shake I have after my workouts and man does it really help out with sore muscles. 

 

 

Almond Crusted Fish Sticks

Almond Crusted Fish Sticks

Makes: 15 pieces Takes: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2lbs  Cod
1/2C       Almond Flour
1/2 tsp    Paprika
1/4tsp     Black Pepper


* Preheat oven to 350F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray

*Mix almond flour, paprika, and pepper in a wide shallow dish

*Rinse and dry our pieces of fish

*Cut fish into evenly sized long portions

*Place a few pieces at a time into the almond four and coat evenly

*Place them onto the baking sheet

*Repeat until all pieces are coated and on baking sheet

*Bake for 20-25 minutes (don't try to turn them a mistake I made the first time I made this)

You can serve with tartar sauce.  To keep it low calorie I served it with fat free sour cream that had chopped green onion in it with a little salt and it was super good!  Don't forget lemons and fish are best buds!!

Thanks to Macnifique.com for this awesome recipe!  They also had a recipe for the tartar sauce but I haven't tried making that.  Enjoy!

Only The Good Stuff

"You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the only one who'll decide where you'llgo." Dr Seuss

Right now my baby is drinking his milk before his nap, the Disney channel is on, my hair is in a topknot and yes I'm wearing the infamous yoga pant.  I'm a mom.  For some women their significant other can look at them and BAM pregnancy happens.  It wasn't that way for me.  After two miscarriages I felt like maybe it was God telling me that being a mom was not for me.  You know I still think about those moments and cry by myself.  Yet this spurred me to get fit.  I lost 20lbs and on July, 4 2010 I found out I was pregnant. 

 

2 months pregnant

Ready to burst!

 

I was induced on April 3, 2011 because of preeclamsia.  Levi was born April 4, 2011 and I knew that I had to do everything possible to be really healthy for the next one. 

 

 

 

I've done a lot of fad diets since then.  The only things that really work are eating healthy and exercising.  Yeah I know it sucks to read that.  I wanted a magic pill that would make me look exactly like i looked on my wedding day!  If this pill existed I probably couldn't afford it anyway. So instead, hubby and I started riding our bikes and I did the Cardio Max dvd from the Biggest Losers.  Then, we got brave and decided to try P90x. We have 3 weeks left of our first round and I've never felt better!  point is we all start somewhere.  If you make little changes each day it all wont seem so hard.

 

Back to the nitty gritty:  This is just a place where I'll post my recipes (which most people ask me about).  I would like to say I'm not a doctor, dietician or a psychic (<----- Or else I would've won the lottery by now).  Consult your doctor before starting any diet to make sure you're as healthy as a horse.

 

I'll be posting before and after pictures soon.  If you have any questions on recipes from my instagram @mrsrodri777 let me know and I'll post how to make it :)

 

"If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff. "-Remy from Ratatatouille