I can't beat myself up too much here because I am taking on a full load at school, working my rear off at the office, and trying to still be social and active, however our lives need some major spring cleaning if we're planning on a baby.
Our house needs a SERIOUS deep clean. Like scrubbed floors/walls/cabinets, windows, etc. Every crack and crevice needs to be attacked. We walk in the house and it smells gnarly. I know it doesn't help that we have 4 animals contributing to the chaos, but seriously ICK!
My allergies are suffering because of this, too, and it makes me cringe to think about a baby in here.
I'm surprised we don't have permanent residents in our kitchen (i.e. mice or other creepy crawlies).
If you walked into my house you probably wouldn't see things as I do. You'd say something like "Oh, pfsh! M. it's not as bad as you're making it out to be. It's fine!" But truth of the matter, it's not fine. It's disgusting and it makes me sad that I am not able to dedicate the time we need to this house that will be our first child's home.
On top of that, S. and I really need to start getting a schedule in order. We need to maximize our efficiency at work so he's not taking so much work home (as he's been doing), which opens up "family time." I'm having nightmares about this continuing on as I'm playing with our baby and he's on the computer working away our baby's childhood.
But as for good news, we've been through about a month+ of scheduling our meals (we had a rough week a little while back). We're cooking at home more and it's way healthier. We haven't brought in any red-meat to our house since then, either. It's either tofu, ground turkey, chicken, or some kind of fish. It's great!
Showing posts with label Better Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Better Living. Show all posts
Monday, April 26, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Our food and what it means to our health
S. and I started our journey to eating better and more wisely about a year ago. Then, we watched Food Inc. (click for my review) and we really started to question things.
Our food is no longer food and it's disgusting.
A while back ago S. read an article (that we couldn't find, but I found others) stating that apples in a supermarket are normally kept in cold storage for up to a year. These apples are disgusting, grainy, mushy, and sealed with a waxy buildup so it looks pretty to the consumer. EW. Perfect Apple Pushed Growers Into DebtNY Times, Nov. 2000.
Today he found another article that discussed how "fresh squeezed OJ" from the store is no different than the cheap concentrated stuff. And more than realizing there isn't a difference (ew) this article, from Cook's Illustrated, goes into detail about how these juices are made. It's enough to make me make my own, thankyouverymuch. High-end orange juices claim to taste better and fresher than ordinary not-from-concentrates. At twice the price, are they a sweet deal?Cooks Illustrated, March 1, 2008.
Our food is no longer food and it's disgusting.
A while back ago S. read an article (that we couldn't find, but I found others) stating that apples in a supermarket are normally kept in cold storage for up to a year. These apples are disgusting, grainy, mushy, and sealed with a waxy buildup so it looks pretty to the consumer. EW. Perfect Apple Pushed Growers Into DebtNY Times, Nov. 2000.
Today he found another article that discussed how "fresh squeezed OJ" from the store is no different than the cheap concentrated stuff. And more than realizing there isn't a difference (ew) this article, from Cook's Illustrated, goes into detail about how these juices are made. It's enough to make me make my own, thankyouverymuch. High-end orange juices claim to taste better and fresher than ordinary not-from-concentrates. At twice the price, are they a sweet deal?Cooks Illustrated, March 1, 2008.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Week 1 of planning our meals
I felt like a broken record every time S. went shopping for groceries: "can you please plan meals out in advance so we don't waste money buying stuff we won't use and things we don't need?"
My pleas went unheard and every week we found ourselves throwing out produce and dairy and leftovers because we just weren't planning. Not to mention the gobs of money spent on eating out due to the fact that we got lazy.
After doc's bomb dropped on me a couple weeks ago, we decided we really needed to watch more of what went into our mouths. So I sat down and took matters into my own hands and I planned.
Last week I went through recipes on line using the search "healthy dinners" or "vegetarian recipes"(among the likes) and came up with a handful that piqued my interest. So I went through the lists and made a shopping list for the farmer's market and Henry's.
This is how our meals went:
Sunday, March 7: S. improvised and made this sweet potato and walnut ravioli that was yum!
(here's were I stepped in)
Monday, March 8: Szechuan Vegetable and Tofu Stir Fry.
I took the recipe from vegetariantimes.com and made a few tweaks. I should have gone with my better judgment because this recipe felt like something my Wisconsin-born grandmother would prefer rather than my China-born friend. The veggies weren't crisp and juicy, rather soggy and wilted. However, the taste was good. Next time, I'll go with my instincts.
Tuesday, March 9: Chili Sin Carne (but not really because instead of veggie crumbles, I used ground turkey).
Again, this recipe came from vegetariantimes.com, but I decided to make some changes. First, I sub'd the veggie crumbles (what the hell is that anyway?) and used lean ground turkey. I also didn't add nearly as much water as they suggested (thank GOD, too, because mine was perfect!) and I used canned corn instead of frozen. This was a super yummy meal. Steven was floored and we brought the leftovers to the office where our new agent basically gobbled this up. So good.
Wednesday, March 10: Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Salsa Verde.
Also known as the night we sent ALL of our smoke detectors off, freaked out the animals, and realized that we shouldn't grill shrimp inside.
S. helped me a lot with this one because I wanted homemade tortillas and he's amazing at that. And because the smoke detectors were on full blast, I had to tend to the windows, fans, and making sure my animals didn't go psycho crazy. So he ended up grilling the shrimp. Everything else, though, was me and that avocado/tomatillo salsa verde rocked my socks.
Thursday, March 11: Eggplant Parmesan
S. didn't help one little bit with this one and I'm super proud of it. I made my own marinara sauce from scratch (that was probably the best I've ever done!) and I didn't use the skimpy grated mozzarella the recipe called for - no, I used the premium, whole milk mozzarella, which totally made a HUGE difference. Am I still patting myself on the back for this? Heck yes.
Friday, March 12: Our "one day out a week if we so chose to" night.
We ended up having steamed crab, shrimp, corn, and potatoes. YUM!
Saturday, March 13: Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries.
Now before I get to the dinner, let me start with lunch. We had been working in the garage trying to clean that sucker out and we both got super hungry. Enchilada House and Bonellos Pizza were on our "dude, we so should totally get that for lunch" menu. S. thought we were getting pizza until I went back inside and heard our fridge yelling at me to use food that was already in there.
So, I ended up making a thai-inspired chicken salad from my left over chicken and brown rice from Yard House (last weekend), snap peas, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and carrots. With a little help from S. we made this peanut butter dressing that just made this salad killer! Steve was bummed about the no pizza at first, but ended up devouring the salad and we both felt SO much better knowing we didn't blow it.
Ok, so back to dinner, the original recipe I had was from Food Network and it was actually a Jerk Turkey Burger with Mango Slaw dish. We couldn't find this mango chutney that it called for, so I improvised. I kinda read through the recipe and decided to just push it aside and "wing it." I ended up seasoning the turkey meat with salt, pepper, minced onions, and balsamic vinegar. I then took carrots and a green apple and julienned them into a bowl. Then I chopped up some green cabbage and cut up a couple green onions and put them in the bowl. I added some mayo and some apple cider vinegar and mixed it up. That coleslaw kicked butt. Seriously.
I then asked S. to cut up my sweet potatoes to look like fries and I baked them. S.is a master griller so he cooked the burgers. I put the coleslaw on the burger and tada! M.'s Turkey Burger. (I'll actually think of how to write up the recipe later because most of it was just eyeballin' and guesstimates.)
.....
We just went through the fridge and already have dinners for the next week planned AND didn't have to throw anything out this week - saving us TONS of cash. Highly recommend this and really wish we had started this sooner.
My pleas went unheard and every week we found ourselves throwing out produce and dairy and leftovers because we just weren't planning. Not to mention the gobs of money spent on eating out due to the fact that we got lazy.
After doc's bomb dropped on me a couple weeks ago, we decided we really needed to watch more of what went into our mouths. So I sat down and took matters into my own hands and I planned.
Last week I went through recipes on line using the search "healthy dinners" or "vegetarian recipes"(among the likes) and came up with a handful that piqued my interest. So I went through the lists and made a shopping list for the farmer's market and Henry's.
This is how our meals went:
Sunday, March 7: S. improvised and made this sweet potato and walnut ravioli that was yum!
(here's were I stepped in)
Monday, March 8: Szechuan Vegetable and Tofu Stir Fry.
I took the recipe from vegetariantimes.com and made a few tweaks. I should have gone with my better judgment because this recipe felt like something my Wisconsin-born grandmother would prefer rather than my China-born friend. The veggies weren't crisp and juicy, rather soggy and wilted. However, the taste was good. Next time, I'll go with my instincts.
Tuesday, March 9: Chili Sin Carne (but not really because instead of veggie crumbles, I used ground turkey).
Again, this recipe came from vegetariantimes.com, but I decided to make some changes. First, I sub'd the veggie crumbles (what the hell is that anyway?) and used lean ground turkey. I also didn't add nearly as much water as they suggested (thank GOD, too, because mine was perfect!) and I used canned corn instead of frozen. This was a super yummy meal. Steven was floored and we brought the leftovers to the office where our new agent basically gobbled this up. So good.
Wednesday, March 10: Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Salsa Verde.
Also known as the night we sent ALL of our smoke detectors off, freaked out the animals, and realized that we shouldn't grill shrimp inside.
S. helped me a lot with this one because I wanted homemade tortillas and he's amazing at that. And because the smoke detectors were on full blast, I had to tend to the windows, fans, and making sure my animals didn't go psycho crazy. So he ended up grilling the shrimp. Everything else, though, was me and that avocado/tomatillo salsa verde rocked my socks.
Thursday, March 11: Eggplant Parmesan
S. didn't help one little bit with this one and I'm super proud of it. I made my own marinara sauce from scratch (that was probably the best I've ever done!) and I didn't use the skimpy grated mozzarella the recipe called for - no, I used the premium, whole milk mozzarella, which totally made a HUGE difference. Am I still patting myself on the back for this? Heck yes.
Friday, March 12: Our "one day out a week if we so chose to" night.
We ended up having steamed crab, shrimp, corn, and potatoes. YUM!
Saturday, March 13: Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries.
Now before I get to the dinner, let me start with lunch. We had been working in the garage trying to clean that sucker out and we both got super hungry. Enchilada House and Bonellos Pizza were on our "dude, we so should totally get that for lunch" menu. S. thought we were getting pizza until I went back inside and heard our fridge yelling at me to use food that was already in there.
So, I ended up making a thai-inspired chicken salad from my left over chicken and brown rice from Yard House (last weekend), snap peas, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and carrots. With a little help from S. we made this peanut butter dressing that just made this salad killer! Steve was bummed about the no pizza at first, but ended up devouring the salad and we both felt SO much better knowing we didn't blow it.
Ok, so back to dinner, the original recipe I had was from Food Network and it was actually a Jerk Turkey Burger with Mango Slaw dish. We couldn't find this mango chutney that it called for, so I improvised. I kinda read through the recipe and decided to just push it aside and "wing it." I ended up seasoning the turkey meat with salt, pepper, minced onions, and balsamic vinegar. I then took carrots and a green apple and julienned them into a bowl. Then I chopped up some green cabbage and cut up a couple green onions and put them in the bowl. I added some mayo and some apple cider vinegar and mixed it up. That coleslaw kicked butt. Seriously.
I then asked S. to cut up my sweet potatoes to look like fries and I baked them. S.is a master griller so he cooked the burgers. I put the coleslaw on the burger and tada! M.'s Turkey Burger. (I'll actually think of how to write up the recipe later because most of it was just eyeballin' and guesstimates.)
.....
We just went through the fridge and already have dinners for the next week planned AND didn't have to throw anything out this week - saving us TONS of cash. Highly recommend this and really wish we had started this sooner.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Projects.
I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day and I wish I was better at time management so I could accomplish everything I need AND want.
Case in point: I like becoming more domesticated, however with the business taking a huge jump in business (GREAT news) and me acting like a crazy person taking 5 classes this semester, I have ZERO time to clean the house, let alone finish crafty projects I've been wanting to do.
I still can't believe that we were trying to get pregnant through this and, since we hit a snafu there, now going for adoption! There is SO MUCH PAPERWORK and Is to dot and Ts to cross.
I pray just about daily for strength from my maker to help get us through this.
We are yet one more step closer to meeting our child. It's definitely baby steps, but we couldn't be more excited.
Anyway, I really wanted this post to be my a reference point for me to be able to come back to and start tackling things when I do get a chance to do them. So, without further adieu, here are my crafty wishes to complete:
* Mothers' Wedding Album. S. and I have been married 3 years, going on 4, and have yet to get a smaller, more personal version of our wedding album to them.
* Wedding Party Photos. Following in line with the previous bullet point, I still have yet to get my little keepsakes together for our wedding party. :-/
* Blankets for Friends. Back in like 2004, I started a blanket for one of Steven's friends, finished it, gave it to him, then was asked by the other 3 guys in his group of friends to make one for them. A few years passed and then I was hassled by one of them reminding me that I was severely slacking on this blanket. I started it up only to mess it up and now it's sitting in my guest room unfinished.
* Etsy Preserved Lemons Shop. Steve started preserving lemons last year, they became a huge hit with our chef friends, and I would really like to start a cute little side business with them. I was going to ask my friends to submit recipes to use with them and I'd send that a long with a jar of lemons.
* Cooking & Baking Classes. I really want to start cooking at home WAY more. I love the idea of finding something new to cook ad enjoy, however I'm usually way too pooped to even think about it by the time I get home. I have also started diving into baking and would seriously learn to love proper techniques.
Travel Photo Collage. Steve and I had a great trip to Europe back in 2007 and then to Japan in 2008 and took some AMAZING photos. I wanted to make a collage and get it professionally matted and framed for the house. We started on the project, only to find that most of the original photos from Europe are gone (we only have the thumbnail size) and so it came to a halt.
I am hoping that I can update once a project is finished! Hopefully that will be motivation to continue to the next project.
Case in point: I like becoming more domesticated, however with the business taking a huge jump in business (GREAT news) and me acting like a crazy person taking 5 classes this semester, I have ZERO time to clean the house, let alone finish crafty projects I've been wanting to do.
I still can't believe that we were trying to get pregnant through this and, since we hit a snafu there, now going for adoption! There is SO MUCH PAPERWORK and Is to dot and Ts to cross.
I pray just about daily for strength from my maker to help get us through this.
We are yet one more step closer to meeting our child. It's definitely baby steps, but we couldn't be more excited.
Anyway, I really wanted this post to be my a reference point for me to be able to come back to and start tackling things when I do get a chance to do them. So, without further adieu, here are my crafty wishes to complete:
* Mothers' Wedding Album. S. and I have been married 3 years, going on 4, and have yet to get a smaller, more personal version of our wedding album to them.
* Wedding Party Photos. Following in line with the previous bullet point, I still have yet to get my little keepsakes together for our wedding party. :-/
* Blankets for Friends. Back in like 2004, I started a blanket for one of Steven's friends, finished it, gave it to him, then was asked by the other 3 guys in his group of friends to make one for them. A few years passed and then I was hassled by one of them reminding me that I was severely slacking on this blanket. I started it up only to mess it up and now it's sitting in my guest room unfinished.
* Etsy Preserved Lemons Shop. Steve started preserving lemons last year, they became a huge hit with our chef friends, and I would really like to start a cute little side business with them. I was going to ask my friends to submit recipes to use with them and I'd send that a long with a jar of lemons.
* Cooking & Baking Classes. I really want to start cooking at home WAY more. I love the idea of finding something new to cook ad enjoy, however I'm usually way too pooped to even think about it by the time I get home. I have also started diving into baking and would seriously learn to love proper techniques.
Travel Photo Collage. Steve and I had a great trip to Europe back in 2007 and then to Japan in 2008 and took some AMAZING photos. I wanted to make a collage and get it professionally matted and framed for the house. We started on the project, only to find that most of the original photos from Europe are gone (we only have the thumbnail size) and so it came to a halt.
I am hoping that I can update once a project is finished! Hopefully that will be motivation to continue to the next project.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
And so it begins
I re-joined sparkpeople and am hoping to have S. and the parents join, as well. Sparkpeople really helps you track your food intake and your exercise. You can either follow their meal and exercise plan or make your own. They even have an online community where you can join with other people, who share similar stories, and get encouragement and help. The best thing about this site is that it's absolutely FREE. On occasion you may get an ad that pops up, but I don't mind as that's what keeps it free.
I had a great day yesterday with the food I ate, even when I thought we had messed up for dinner. I tracked everything and was on the low side of my daily allowance! YAY. S. then hooked up with Wii and we started the Wii fit again. I took the fitness test and according to the Wii my BMI is 28 and change and my wii fit age is 44!!! I went through just about everything and really like the yoga part. S.'s BMI is 30 and change and his wii fit age went up to 50 something! (I think it was 52)
We both realized how incredibly out of shape and sedentary we are. And just reinforced why we're doing this.
We are also going to start the "Couch to 5K" run.
It basically starts you off walking and sprinkles in a few light 90 second jogs, by the end of the plan (week 9) you're running 5K.
I look forward to March 28th and to a bright, healthy future with my husband, my family, and the little ones to come!
I had a great day yesterday with the food I ate, even when I thought we had messed up for dinner. I tracked everything and was on the low side of my daily allowance! YAY. S. then hooked up with Wii and we started the Wii fit again. I took the fitness test and according to the Wii my BMI is 28 and change and my wii fit age is 44!!! I went through just about everything and really like the yoga part. S.'s BMI is 30 and change and his wii fit age went up to 50 something! (I think it was 52)
We both realized how incredibly out of shape and sedentary we are. And just reinforced why we're doing this.
We are also going to start the "Couch to 5K" run.
It basically starts you off walking and sprinkles in a few light 90 second jogs, by the end of the plan (week 9) you're running 5K.
I look forward to March 28th and to a bright, healthy future with my husband, my family, and the little ones to come!
Friday, January 2, 2009
It's a Family Affair
In our quest to shed pounds and get fit and healthy for baby, we grabbed a couple more people to join us. And, to my delight, they just so happen to be two people I love the most - mom and dad!
Both S. and I are excited to have mom and dad on this physical journey with us as we have more people to help us be accountable.
We sat down and formulated goals and took measurements. We then decided on dates to meet up at in between the "goal dates" to make sure we're all on track.
We should all meet our 3 month goal on March 28, 2009 and will meet again on January 31 and February 28 to make sure that we are all staying on track.
Both S. and I are excited to have mom and dad on this physical journey with us as we have more people to help us be accountable.
We sat down and formulated goals and took measurements. We then decided on dates to meet up at in between the "goal dates" to make sure we're all on track.
We should all meet our 3 month goal on March 28, 2009 and will meet again on January 31 and February 28 to make sure that we are all staying on track.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thrive
We have finally decided to make a difference. Our first start was to realize that we are doing more than just losing weight. We are growing, learning, transforming habits, and thriving. We are planning for children this year and want to lay the groundwork now for a bright and successful future for them, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
S. and I look forward to bringing you on this journey with us, and hopefully can gain some extra encouragement along the way.
S. and I look forward to bringing you on this journey with us, and hopefully can gain some extra encouragement along the way.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Our Beliefs
Hello!
Some of you may already know S. and I personally. But for those of you who don't, we are two normal people. We work together in the insurance industry and are hopelessly devoted to each other.
S. and I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to go to Heaven is through a personal relationship with Him. "16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." John 3:16-18
A word that defines us is crunchy, which means all-natural, just as God intended, pure wholesome goodness for ourselves and our bodies. Jesus tells us that our bodies are a temple to God and we must treat them accordingly. "19. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20. you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinth. 6:19-20
I am very passionate about pregnancy and birth and what a natural, amazing process it is for women. This blog has definitely changed faces a few times. It started out as my weight loss journey, which was supposed to morph into my "yay! we're pregnant, follow us on this journey" blog. Unfortunately, Jesus had other intentions and it's included everything that has happened in our lives trying to conceive, the process to adopt Baby G., as well as other topics that we are severely passionate about.
We are just striving to be two decent citizens who will leave a positive mark in the world. We can't wait for to have our family grow and thrive.
Some of you may already know S. and I personally. But for those of you who don't, we are two normal people. We work together in the insurance industry and are hopelessly devoted to each other.
S. and I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to go to Heaven is through a personal relationship with Him. "16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." John 3:16-18
A word that defines us is crunchy, which means all-natural, just as God intended, pure wholesome goodness for ourselves and our bodies. Jesus tells us that our bodies are a temple to God and we must treat them accordingly. "19. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20. you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinth. 6:19-20
I am very passionate about pregnancy and birth and what a natural, amazing process it is for women. This blog has definitely changed faces a few times. It started out as my weight loss journey, which was supposed to morph into my "yay! we're pregnant, follow us on this journey" blog. Unfortunately, Jesus had other intentions and it's included everything that has happened in our lives trying to conceive, the process to adopt Baby G., as well as other topics that we are severely passionate about.
We are just striving to be two decent citizens who will leave a positive mark in the world. We can't wait for to have our family grow and thrive.
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