a new spin on an old fave

the crisp air and fall feeling of my day has inspired me to change my post at the last minute. i had planned to touch on the wonders of baking soda...but i want to share one of my all time (and now my hubby's as well...) simple vegetarian recipes perfect for this time of year: kickin' mac & cheese! not only is it tasty, but it warms you all over and fills you up.

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni 

4 tablespoons butter (divided in half)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

3/4 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

6 teaspoons green Tabasco sauce (this is the magical ingredient; if you are unsure if you can handle the spice, use 2 teaspoons and garnish finished serving as desired)

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (not quite as critical as the sauce, but just as sassy)

1 3/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup dry bread crumbs

2 teaspoons chili powder

directions:

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or as directed by package for al dente; drain.
3. in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. whisk in flour and cook, stirring continuously for 1 minute. gradually whisk in milk, mustard, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. bring to a gentle boil, again stirring constantly. boil for 1 minute - lower heat to lowest setting. whisk in pepper jack, cheddar, and Parmesan until smooth. stir in cooked pasta and pour into shallow 2 quart baking dish.
4. melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. (you may wish to use 3 tablespoons butter depending on how saturated you want your crumbs to be.) stir in bread crumbs and chili powder. sprinkle over macaroni.
5. bake for 38 minutes. let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

i suggest serving with seasoned asparagus and a glass of white vino for a perfect fall treat! bon appetite!

Gymtimidation

When I step out of my comfort zone, there are always those first few instances where the situation isn’t 100% comfortable. The first time I try a new group fitness class, I feel like I am constantly 5 steps behind and everyone can tell. When I first started working out with free weights, I felt like I was in a “girl free zone” and I was entering man territory. Yet with both of those situations, after a time or two, the “gymtimidation” was gone. It wore off quickly. I was comfortable. I knew what I was doing and I knew nobody was paying any attention to me anyhow if I didn't. The only time I haven’t gotten comfortable quickly and easily is with swimming laps. 

  

First and foremost. I love swimming laps. I love being in the pool and the workout I can get . If could guarantee that I’d be alone in that old olympic-sized, I’d swim laps every day. But drop one other body in the pool and I start convincing myself that the workout is less enjoyable. Drop another body in the same lane as me and I quickly start trying to convince myself that my workout is over.

Your probably thinking I learned how to swim late....but you'd be wrong. I grew up with a pool in my backyard. I was definitely a water baby. Most of my first memories are in the pool. However, I never learned proper stroke technique. With two big brother’s (who ridiculously enough were on the swim team), I was of the “drop her in and see if she can do it” school of thought. I learned young, but I never learn right. For nearly two decades I could hop in the pool whenever I wanted and I never had to think about how I looked, if I was in someone's way, or if people noticed how frequently I had to take a break.

My entire life I have swam under water. Only in the last year have I learned the proper techniques for freestyle, backstroke, etc. And let me just say this, they are a lot harder than swimming like a fish. While I try to convince myself that just like in group fitness classes, nobody cares enough to pay attention to how ridiculous I look…I cant make myself believe it. That’s part of the reason I have to set weekly swim goals – because I know if I didn’t, I probably wouldn’t go…and I’d be missing out on a great workout and an opportunity to improve.

When I'm unsure about something new, I usually just jump straight in (metaphorically and physically). I'd rather just get it over with, than feel the cold water on my toes and have the opportunity to chicken out. But that doesn't mean it's any less intimidating the next time.

How do you deal with low self-esteem when it comes to sports, workouts, or anything else for that matter?

Links to Health:

Fewer People May Get Flu Shots This Year

Quick Ways to Detox Your Kitchen

Five Healthiest Foods for Your Buck

Healthy Pecan Pie Truffles

Get a Full Body Workout in 6 Minutes

Some Support...

In the past, we have talked about setting goals. We have talked about eating right and working out regularly. We have also mentioned setbacks and how to get back on track.

But my mother mentioned something to me that I don't think we have talked about.

Supporting each other.

Do you have a support group? Or at least someone to be there to be your cheerleader, your shoulder to cry on and your go-to-person for crazy ideas?

For some, the support group comes from a formal group, such as Weight Watchers or TOPS. For others, it is someone you run with, someone to just get you out the door. Others turn to blogging to get support, like Michelle, who is totally rocking the weight loss. I have even heard of people who use Twitter to lose weight and in an instant allow the world what they weight, what they ate, and how much they worked out. A world of people to support them.

But why do we need support groups (or people)? Is it the accountability? Is it the way they make us feel when we succeed...and when we are failing (we need them for both)?

For me, I find that I feel so much better when I can tell someone that I screwed up. It is a fresh start for me, a new beginning of possibilities. And the possibilities are that I will succeed this time. And my support group believes in me. They are there, cheering me on, and picking me up when I need it. Sometimes they can be a little harsh, but I know they do it because they know that I have the potential to do great things.

And when I tell them that I have succeeded in a goal...that is a fantastically wonderful feeling. Its like I am soaring. And it keeps me going...

Do you have that?

babies and body images.

being pregnant has its distinct advantages.  for example, i felt Baby move for the first time yesterday, and that surreal experience is definitely up there with the top 10 WHAT THE HECK! moments of my life. it's amazing that, as it goes along, i keep trying to picture what this little person will be and come to terms with the fact that, no matter what, this child is going to give the two of us a run for our money.

it's very exciting.

one of the things that has been the most challenging for me, as someone who has lost a great deal of weight in years past and who was struggling with the last 30 before getting pregnant, is the idea of seeing weight gain as a positive thing. 

right now, i'm in that nebulous period between not showing much at all that's discernable to anyone but me and my husband yet not being able to button any of my pants and needing an entire new wardrobe of elastic-banded goodness.  all of the things that are supposed to be growing are growing (ahem, i'm looking at you, chest) and the things that aren't supposed to be growing aren't.

that's all good.

yet, i can't help but just feel FAT.  nothing fits the way it used to, and in my previously conditioned mind, that's a red alert neon sign that i have not been doing my duty: i must not have been eating well, i could not have been exercising well, i must have been a slothful gorger of all manner of deliciousness.

when you're pregnant, that's just NOT TRUE. (i mean, i'll admit to too many cookies, but overall...there's more fruit and less baked goods up in here.)  but try telling that to a mind already hard wired with messages about body image and weight and scales and all of those things that the world tells us is important. 

it's hard is all i'm saying.

i spent the first trimester holding steady. according to the doctor's scale (though i will admit that retaining water may have helped me out that first visit), at my 14 week visit, i was exactly where i started.  since i am already over my target weight, that's what i wanted to do.  it was a healthy option for me, individually.

well, the second trimester has brought with it an appetite that just won't stop and the inevitable (and happy! i get it! it's good!) weight gain. not scary. not inappropriate.  just a couple of pounds that, probably, i needed. 

i'm still eating vegetables and fruits and trying hard to keep it all in check. i write everything down so that i know when i can have that piece of toast at bedtime or when i should really reevaluate why i'm eating that piece of toast at bedtime.  i'm still exercising all of the habits that made me successful before, and so i know that i will be successful and healthy this time. 

there's not really any more i can do unless someone creates a 36 hour day.  my doctor isn't concerned.  my husband isn't concerned. no one is concerned. 

but it's still strange to be in this wonderful place, where i have to retool my entire way of looking at my body, at the world of food, at the scale.  i'm trying to look at it all very philosophically. 

i've always said that i didn't want to pass on to my children my anxiety about weight and body image and the world's conception of beauty. i wanted to pass on to them a desire for health and activity, to see their bodies as a sacred creation that they are charged with using well while they are here on Earth.

it seems appropriate to me that the process of bringing those children into this world may be the one thing to help me finally and really understand and embrace those things. 

my Baby is already teaching me to chill. i sort of dig that. 

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Pizza

I love Saturday morning breakfast. It's a time when the whole family can get together and enjoy a breakfast a little more involved than cereal or cheese toast. Recently my In-Laws visited and my Mother-In-Law brought this recipe for us to try and it turned out great!

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Pizza

(From the November issue of Taste of Home)

Ingredients:

1 8-oz tube refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls

1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage

1-3/4 cups sliced mushrooms (optional)

1-1/4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 green onions, chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet red pepper (optional)

1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

3/4 cup egg substitute

Directions:

1. Separate the crescent dough into eight triangles; place dough on an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan win points toward the center. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of pan to form a crust; seal perforations. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, crumble Italian turkey sausage into a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Add mushrooms; cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain and set aside. In the same skillet, cook potatoes, garlic salt and pepper over medium heat until browned.

3. Sprinkle the sausage mixture over crust. Layer with potatoes, onions, red pepper, and cheese; pour egg substitute over the top. Bake 10-12 minutes or until egg is set and cheese is melted.

when life gives you lemons....

happy friday, everyone!

fridays are my day off, and like anyone with a day off i had the choice to get things done...or have some fun. as tempting as the outdoors are this time of year i went with the former.

sitting at my desk, furiously typing in an attempt to successfully upload my thoughts before the little one wakes up, a smile is on my face. my house smells like the citrus section of a floral shop - and i dig it!

you guessed it....today i bring you...

LEMON.

while lemons aren’t as abundant in usefulness as vinegar can be, it isn’t the red headed step child of green cleaning, either. 

for a not so lazy friday, here are just a few suggestions:

• trash can freshener - don’t waste your pretty penny on scented trash bags! simply place the rind of a lemon (an orange will work, too) at the bottom of your can and voila! 
• furniture polish - mix lemon juice with olive oil (1/2 cup and 1 cup respectively) 
• (solid)brass and copper polish - cut a lemon in half, and sprinkle surface with salt. rub in circular motion to polish - rinse well with water. (this does not work on plated pieces)
• drain freshener - done doing the dishes after dinner? freshen the drain by grinding up a lemon (or orange) peel - your whole kitchen will feel refreshed!
• removing stains from tupperware - squeeze half of a lemon in stained tupperware, add some baking soda, and scrub! (for deep, tough stains it can help to let the paste sit overnight.)
• lime and calcium buildups - squeeze lemon onto areas affected in bathroom or kitchen, allow a few minutes to penetrate, and scrub
• removing rust from clothes - squeeze lemon juice onto rusted area, sprinkle on some cream of tartar, and pat with finger. allow to sit for 15 minutes or so. rinse and clean. **don’t attempt on any silk fabric! 

until next week...

Final 10 for '10

We all know I am a goals girl. I find I am more successful at things when I have a goal in mind. As we are approaching the end of the year, I decided it’s time to set some guidelines to get myself through the holiday season.

In January I did a health and fitness challenge called 10 in ’10. The premise was setting healthy lifestyle goals to accomplish during the first ten weeks of the year. You can read about my original goals here.  

Because we are in the last ten weeks of the year, I thought it might be a good time to do a similar challenge to wrap up 2010. In fact, most of my goals will be the same (with the addition of a few new ones). I was doing really well with them in the spring, but they somewhat fell by the wayside over the summer because we did a lot of traveling. 

Here are the goals I will be working to meet over the next ten weeks:

Goal 1: Swim laps at least once a week

Goal 2: Maintain a fitness schedule of at least 3 cardio and 3 strength sessions a week

Goal 3: Go to a swim stroke clinic

Goal 4: Read a new book on clean eating

Goal 5: Food journaling at least 4 days a week

Goal 6: Go to Yoga or Pilates class at least 5 times

Goal 7: Try a new recipe from Clean Eating recipe

I like to set goals that I have to work hard to achieve, but are not impossible to achieve. You will never hear me say that my goal is to lose Xlbs in a certain time period. I can't control what my body does...only what I do. I am going to be working to achieve these goals while traveling in and out of town for holidays, conquering exams, and battling wintertime laziness.

I’ll be updating with my weekly blog posts to hold myself accountable. If anyone wants to join in and set health/fitness goals for themselves, let me know!

Do you have any goals to help you through the holiday season?

Links to Health:

Dr. Oz Offers a 28 Day Plan to Eliminate Soda From Your Diet

Halloween Candy Breakdown

Roast Your Pumpkin Seeds for a Healthy Treat

Excuse Proof Your Workout

Clean Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry Recipe