WTG! Monday and just random stuff

Okay so it's Monday again! Where is the time going to so fast? Today is WTG! Monday but I'll get to that in a sec. 

We are getting ready to spend April and May in Texas and there's tons to do to get ready to go. 

1. My house is going to be "hotel" spotless before we leave. I wanna come back home to Croatia and our home and be able to breathe a little and just relax in a comfy home that needs very little cleaning. 

2. Gotta get Josh's graduation stuff ready. Invitations, cap and gown and class photos. 

3. Gotta buy goodies to take home to our loved ones. 

4. Take the dog to have her groomed.

5. Take me to have me groomed. 

6. Get all the church responsibilities taken care of. 

7. Prune all the blackberry and Raspberry bushes. 

8. Clean out Josh's room and get all his things ready for his big move back to the States. 

BTW, can I just tell you that it's so much harder losing Josh than it was with Cody. At least with Cody I didn't have to completely clean the room out and I still had Josh around the house  Now I'm completely cleaning Josh's room out and it hurts. I find myself feeling very depressed about the whole thing. We kept Cody with us till he was almost 19 and Josh is not even 18 yet. Let me tell you it stinks super-stinks!

Oh yea and how strange it's gonna be to have only one child. Josh and Hannah spend so much time together that it's gonna be super hard for Hannah to be without Josh. Not only that, Johnny and I'll have to be very aware of spending lots of time with Hannah. We will be all she has here and that could be hard, at least I have Johnny. 

You know I've been dreaming so much lately about seeing Cody. It's been almost a year and a half since I've seen my firstborn. It's hard to go so long without hugging your kid, sadly I'm starting to relate to parents who complain about never seeing their grown-up kids, even if our situation is a little different it still hurts. So I'm tickled about seeing him and I can't wait for a big hug. 

On the weight loss front, It's going even if it's not going super fast. So for my 11th week weigh-in I'm down 1.4 lbs. It's not awesome but it's alright. I'm almost positive that I'm not going to make my goal of 30 lbs down by launch date but I'm still pretty proud of losing 24 lbs in 11 weeks. 

So with only two weigh-ins left before we leave I need to lost another 6 lbs. Can I do it? Oh yea I'm sure I can! Will I do it? We'll see!

How'd you do?

Belated WTG! Monday

Okay so I'm late and I bet you thought I fell off the wagon, right? WRONG!!! I'm so still on the proverbial wagon and after a rut in the path, I'm back on the down-swing.

So after gaining last week I lost 2 lbs. this week. I'm excited about that 'cause maybe it means I'm headed in the right direction again and I'm over the plateau I was on. Okay so maybe it was a self induced plateau but either way it stunk! 

So for my 10th weigh-in I'm down 22 lbs. I should have been more but that old appetite got in the way and Croatia has the best chocolate crepes in Europe.

I only have 3 more weigh-ins before we fly out to the States and I still need to lose 8 lbs. to make it to goal. Huge feat but it can be done but whether I can do it, dunno. 

How'd you do?

Took this recipe directly from Fitness Magazine

Quinoa with Latin Flavors

From: EatingWell

Cilantro, lime and scallions lend a bright finish to delicate quinoa. This versatile side pairs well with seafood, poultry or pork.

Servings: 6 servings, 2/3 cup each

Prep: 30 mins

Total: 45 mins

INGREDIENTS

1 cup  quinoa, (see Note)

2 teaspoons  canola oil

1   medium onion, chopped

1 4-ounce can  chopped green chiles

2 cloves  garlic, minced

1 14-ounce can  reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth

1/4 cup  pepitas, toasted (see Note)

3/4 cup  coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup  chopped scallions

2 tablespoons  lime juice

1/4 teaspoon  salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Toast quinoa in a large dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chiles and garlic; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the quinoa and broth; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Add pepitas, cilantro, scallions, lime juice and salt to the quinoa; mix gently and fluff with a fork.

Tips:
Notes: Quinoa, a delicately flavored grain that was a staple in the ancient Incas' diet, is available in most natural-foods stores and the natural-foods sections of many supermarkets. Toasting the grain before cooking enhances the flavor, and rinsing removes any residue of saponin, quinoa's natural, bitter protective coating.

Hulled pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are dusky green and have a delicate nutty flavor. They can be found in the health-food or bulk sections of many supermarkets.

To toast nuts & seeds on the stovetop: Toast in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

NUTRITION FACTS

Calories 181, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 1 mg, Sodium 196 mg, Carbohydrate 27 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 7 g, Potassium 379 mg. Daily Values: Vitamin C 25%, Iron 20%. Exchanges: Starch 1.5,Fat 1.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Above recipe credit goes to Fitness Magazine

WTG! Monday (week 8)

Okay so I've officially been on my diet for 8 weeks. I can't believe that it's been 8 weeks but it has. I have done really well this time around on my diet. Surprisingly shockingly enough, I haven't cheated which is a huge feat for me. So as you read my 1 month stats please keep in mind that I DIDN"T CHEAT! 

Okay, I've lost 20.4 lbs for the last 2 months. I know that's good and actually above average but it's not good enough. This month was killer for me. I stuck to my diet and didn't cheat, exercised a few times and still I only lost 6.4 lbs. this month. Are you kidding me, I didn't even make the average. Bummer! Oh yea and this week I lost 1.3 lbs. 

Along with my 8 week progress report comes measurements too. I lost only 4 inches this month. Wow, talk about a puny month of weight loss! Oh well, 4 inches is still 4 inches right? For the last 2 months I've lost 16 inches altogether. 

So it's bitter-sweet. I'm happy I lost but I'm bummed I'm not managing 2 lbs. a week. Dunno why but it's a fact. Gonna have to shake it up a bit this week and see if I get a different result. 

OH WAIT! Maybe this is a plateau! Could it be? Maybe this too shall pass and I'll have an awesome week, maybe!

How'd you do this week?

Oven "Fried" Pickles from skinnytaste

Okay so this isn't a recipe but it is a link to a recipe. Fried pickles? Where have they been all my life. Swing on over and check out Gina's site, it's packed full of good, low-cal eats!

WTG! Monday & a Recipe

Okay, today I had my 7th weigh-in and it wasn't too shabby. After last weeks flop I was hoping for three pounds but I'll be happy with the 2.0 lbs. I lost this week. I have officially been doing this for 7 weeks and I'm down 19.1 lbs. I have 6 more weigh-ins before we fly out to the States so I can potentially lose more than 12 lbs by then and I need to to make it to my goal by then.
Oh yea and I've up-ed the ante this week, I putting that treadmill to work. I'm not a lover of excercize but since I have only 6 weeks left I need to boost my chances and the "experts" say moving will do it so I'm moving! my goal is to burn 500 calories a day this week and I'm interested to see what a difference it makes on my weigh-in this week.

How did you do???

Homemade Microwave Popcorn



Number of Servings: 2

Ingredients

1/4 Cup popcorn kernels

Vegetable Oil Spray

Salt

Directions

Serves 2

Step 1: Place 1/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels into a bowl

Step 2: Generously coat the kernels with vegetable oil spray

Step 3: Place the kernels into a LARGE paper bag and fold over 4 or 5 times

Step 4: Microwave on high between 2 - 3 minutes (or till you hear 2 second intervals between pops)

Step 5: (optional) Re coat lightly with oil spray and add salt to taste

VARIATION: You can add any seasoning you like providing it's in powder form however some may change the calorie and fat count. Sugar and cinnamon for the sweet toothed among us. ENJOY!!

Number of Servings: 2

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user INFINITY-8.

WTG! Monday (a day late) and a recipe

Okay so I knew it was going to happen, it was going to slow down. So here I am, a little bummed but alright with this weeks results. I am down a whopping 0.6 of a pound. So to date I've lost...17.1 lbs. 

SparkRecipes.com has some awesome recipes. Check it out!

Greek yogurt ranch dip

Number of Servings: 16

Ingredients

Greek yogurt
Hidden valley dry mix (dill preferred)

Directions

Serving Size: 16 1 oz servings

Number of Servings: 16

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JAMXW6.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 16
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 18.3

• Total Fat: 0.0 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 140.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 1.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
• Protein: 2.5 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Greek yogurt ranch dip caloriesby ingredient

WTG! Monday & 6 Veggie Barley Soup

Whoohoo, it's WTG! Monday again!!! Man I have to tell you how worried distraught I was about losing this week. The first 4 weeks the weight was falling off but this week it didn't seem like that sinkin' (in a bad way) scale moved at all. I had resigned myself to defeat this week and my mind was busily planning my failure day foods. (btw, that's not a good thing) 

Anyhoo, you probably already figured out that I lost but you don't know how much! So, here goes....for my 5th weigh-in I lost.... (man I wish I could add a drum roll here)...2.5 lbs!!!! That makes my loss for the last 5 weeks 17 lbs! I'm so excited about losing this little ol' 2.5 lbs. It kinda messed up my plans for today though, guess I'll have to postpone but depression eating till next week. *Ü*

BTW, I included a link tool at the bottom of this post for you to link up. I'm so interested in all your success and how you deal with your set backs. Please add your link below even if you don't weigh-in on Mondays. 

Okay so I'm always looking for something that's really filling but low in calorie. So I started adding a ton of veggies to a pot with some seasonings and whala, 6 Veggie Barley Soup!

I started by sauteing a large onion, clove of garlic chopped fine and 4 carrots in a pot. I use butter flavored non-stick spray on a low flame.  oh yea and a teaspoon of mixed Italian seasoning. 

After your onions are almost transparent add a can or Rotel tomatoes. After this I let it cook for about 8 minutes to incorporate all the flavors.

Then I added 3 chicken bouillon cubes, 2 cups of frozen green beans and 100 grams of barley. I let this cook 20 minutes then I added 2 zucchinis sliced down the middle and then chopped pretty chunky and half a small head of cabbage.  Cook until the cabbage is almost translucent and it's done. Oh yea salt and pepper to taste. 

It's a great meal for when you just feel like eating everything in the house and maybe the house. The calorie count comes out to about 140 for about 2 cups of soup. Weight watchers had something similar years ago but without the barley and on the WW plan it was free, so you know this has to be good. 

So how did you do today? Did you learn anything that would help the rest of us? I'd love to hear about it. PLEEEEEZ link up below. Oh yea and would you please consider following my blog. *Ü*

Okay for my little link-up there are a few rules guidelines:

* Please only link posts about weight loss or Non-scale victories. 

* Please link to your actual post not just to your blog. 

* Visit a few of the other links, comment and make someone smile. *Ü*

* And last but not least, please take my little link button and link back to me. 

<center> <a href="http://ahomefarfromhome.blogspot.com/"><img border="0"src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/a0629/wtgm_zps824c8e96.png"/></a></center>

Can't wait to read about you guys and about your successes!

WTG! Monday & Brownies!

Okay so today is Monday and you know what that means....WTG! Monday. How in the world I ever decided to be happy about a scale day I have no idea. I'm strange that way! Anyhoo, today is not just weigh-in day but today is my official 1 month on the diet. I'm super excited and thrilled to give you my 1 month stats.

So on the actual numbers home front I'm down for the first month of 2012 2013......(drum roll please)........14.1 lbs! Yeah me!
Oh yea and bet your bloomers I'm totally counting that .1 lb.
14.1 lbs. in 1 month is pretty awesome.

Also along with my 1 month anniversary it's measurement time. I was excited this morning to finally get to measure after waiting a whole month. So the results are...I've lost 12 inches in 1 month. Wait a sec., 12 inches is that like a foot? I've lost a whole foot from my body size and that's pretty awesome.

Remember I have a goal, my goal is to lose 30 lbs. by April 2nd when we fly to the States for our middle son to graduate high school. So I'm well on my way. I have a total of 65 days left until we fly out and I still need to lose 15.9 lbs. I'm working really hard not to cheat and I think I've got this thing.

There are a few things we miss from the States but most things we've learned to live without. Still to be able to taste some of those favorites from home is a real gift to missionaries and we we're so blessed to receive a package from our dear friends for Christmas. Talk about a Christmas gift, we were over the moon to find such goodies in our Christmas package. I had forgotten how awesome Peter Pan peanut butter was, AMAZING! 

Anyhoo, there was a family sized box of Duncan Hines brownies in there and I have to tell you, that box of brownie mix has been my constant nemesis since it entered this house. So I thought, black beans and brownie mix makes an awesome brownie and low fat too, until I realized  I can't get black beans here. BUMMER! Anyhow, the box continued to sit on the shelf and tease taunt me until today!

I walked downstairs to grab the meat for the day (pantry is in the basement) and there it was, that brownie mix, sitting in the same place still glaring at me in ridicule until I saw it, a lone can of pumpkin sitting innocently on the shelf. Are you kidding me, how did I miss this? Eureka!!! The answer to the months of chocolate misery; pumpkin. 

Okay so this is a really difficult recipe so stay focused! 

1 15 oz. can of pumpkin (not pie filling)

1 box (family size) Duncan Hines brownie mix

Whewww, that was tough but I go it all typed out. Just mix it all together, spray you dish and follow the baking instructions on the box. Be really careful not to bake them too long, no one likes a dry brownie. I think dry brownies should be considered an abomination!                                                                                

Oh yea and the calories. If you cut them into 25 then they're only 87 stinkin' (in an awesome way) calories!!!

Anyhoo, this was my week, how'd you do???

***also if you'd be interested in participating in a WTG! Monday in the future let me know.