Banana Cream Pie Pops

This time of year always reminds me of my favorite summer time dessert...banana cream pie.  My mom used to make it when I was a kid and I can't remember the last time I had it.  (Note to self:  must rectify that.)  But I can make a version that so easily fits into my calories and my latest push pop obsession.  You might've seen  my tropical push pops last month and thought it was a passing fling.

Oh no, m'ladies.  (And gents if there's any dudes out there)

We're talking full fledged, lusty, rendezvous almost every single night.  That's right, I had to kick Skinny Cow to the curb in favor of banana soft serve EVERYTHING.  Don't worry, I'll bring you the recipes because I love ya's!    Let's get to the one at hand which, I might add, would be perfect for the kiddies at this and next weekend's holiday gatherings.

Here's what you'll need for 5 servings:

6 oz frozen bananas, sliced
2 oz bananas, fresh
8 oz skim milk
2 tbsp Speculoos Cookie Butter  (or Biscoff Spread)
1/2 cup Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Crunch Cereal
5 tbsp Cool Whip Lite
1 tbsp chia seeds

Measure out half a serving of Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Crunch cereal and set aside.

Measure out 2 tablespoons of cookie butter.  (Freakin' camera would not focus and I was too lazy to take a 5th picture)

Grab your personal blender (I have a Magic Bullet but you can use whatever blender you have), add the skim milk, frozen bananas and cookie butter and give it a whirl until it's completely combined.

When everything comes together, add the chia seeds and give it another go round.

Is it rest day yet?

I am beat...up...yo.

I must've been on angel dust when I made the workout schedule for this week.  (I don't really need to clarify that I don't use angel dust do I?)  We started the workout week with Atletica and I completely got my butt handed to me for 2 days in residual soreness.  My inner thighs cursed me something awful.  I'm talking walking up the stairs was torture from the squats.  You know, that kind of sore that tells you you did something good and worked neglected muscles?  Then Monday was Breathless Body by Amy Dixon and I do believe I called her a few choice words by the end because I was doing fast feet with said screaming inner thighs.  Tuesday was Supreme 90 Cardio Challenge and I needed a little more calorie burn so I threw in the Turbo Fire HIIT intervals and then I was so tired I overslept the next day.

We had a zoning meeting to go to so we had to work out the second the Mr got home...the original Power 90 and 20 minutes on the Total Trainer.  My arms were complete and utter jello by the end.  Well between that the couch potato workout I did for an hour, my arms were useless.  What's the couch potato workout you ask?  During every commercial break I would get up and do a set of squats, leg kick backs and tricep dips with 15 reps per set.  Holy poo is that a way to knock out 75-90 reps per hour.  I didn't realize how many commercial breaks there were during The Price is Right.  HA!

Tonight is Super Fit Bod which well...sucks.  It's hard, a big calorie torcher and the lunges always leave my knees whimpering a bit the next day.  (Yep, I do them properly.  I'm just still fat, that's all)  ;)  So needless to say I am looking forward to my rest day Friday!

You ever have one of those workout weeks where you feel like you've been run over by a truck?  What's the hardest workout in your arsenal?

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What I've Been Reading Lately

I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd share what I've been reading lately!

Metabolic Testing:  Should you try it?
We've gotten a Bod Pod done and are thinking of getting this test done in addition.  Anyone done it?

6 Easy Resistance Band Exercises
I never thought I would get just as good of a workout with bands but man, when I do Turbo Fire Sculpt after a cardio, I'm toast!

Get Minka Kelly's Abs (workout video)
Looking for some good ab moves, this bad boy has it.

6 Ways to Fire Up Your Metabolism
I'll take any help I can get!

High Sodium Shockers
Sodium is lurking everywhere...boo!

The 10 Most Misunderstood Diet and Fitness Strategies
I really liked what they had to say in this one.  Thumbs up!


Have you read any good health/fitness related articles lately?  Feel free to share them in the comments.  (Unless you're a spammer, don't waste your time)

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Heads or tails optical betrayal

I have this Dance Dance Revolution metal dance pad that leans against the wall where I workout.  I'm able to see from the gut down as I work out.  The metal is of course somewhat warped and therefore the image that is reflected to me is just as warped.  My right leg is reality and my left leg is reflected as a "normal" leg.  I tend to look at the left side and use it as incentive to keep going that one day my legs will actually look that way.

Problem is, I don't know if it's that reflection I look at every time I work out or the fact the only 'real' mirror we have in the house is from the bust up in the bathroom but I have a serious body distortion problem right now.  It's like I see the changes that are undeniably happening like that vertical line in my shins where the fat is thinning out.  We'll call this the "heads" side since I'm referring to the front.  Then I get this idea like maybe they're looking normal and I do something stupid like wear capris in public for the first time at home (I wear them on vacay or to work out) and I'll then catch a side/rear ("tails") view of my legs, recoil in horror and want to run to the nearest store to buy jeans to cover up.  Or I'll discover those "shoulder caps" or biceps starting to peek out and I start to see my body as shapely but then I'll punch and the arm fat/flab will smack or keep waving 5 minutes after I've stopped and I realize that the tails side of me has not caught up to the heads side.  I shudder to think what I look like from behind.

The thing is, if I'm seeing myself as thinner than I am and then being knocked down a peg emotionally when these optical illusions of my eyes playing tricks on me is happening now.  What will I be in for when I finally AM at goal weight?  Will I see myself as fat even though I'm fit?  I don't like the optical betrayal that is going on here and I'm just afraid this will be my life...never being able to see the hard work through my own eyes.

Can anyone relate?  What body distortion issues have you encountered?

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Bathrooms, birds and bad TV

We had like 4 big festivals going on throughout the city and decided between that and heat stroke inducing weather, we would get outta dodge Saturday.  I took the camera but did I take any pics?  No.  Because I'm an idiot like that.

We found a cupcake place and got a few minis to try.  Needless to say we'll be back because they do the icing right.  (aka- it's not whipped!)  I got a few place mats and a few food schtuffs.  We went to a discount rack store and I got 2 new pairs of sucker pants for workouts and the Mr got a new pair too for 75% less than we would've paid at a sporting goods store.  I had him get 2 DKNY shirts that I liked too.  I ALMOST bought a pair of Seven jeans (insert me singing "My Humps" by Black Eyed Peas here) that just barely fit and zipped and basically would've been like something to shoot for jeans but I'm too friggin' cheap at $17 down from $80 but I had the Mr buy those 2 shirts at $22.  Whatever.

We came home and the Mr installed our new bathroom faucet.  4 hours later it was all installed and only a few quick calls to a contractor friend of ours for some minor leakage issues.  It's weird because the spout reaches out a little further than our other one did so I need to get used to having it right in my face when I bend over to brush my teeth in the morning.

Sunday was grocery day so another early rise.  Bleh.  We picked up a spaghetti squash for the first time.  Any suggestion what the hell to do with it?  (IE- how long do I cook it, etc)   We headed out to 2 open houses.  One had this awesome retro kitchen that the Mr hated but the rest of the house wouldn't work.  The other house was okay but barely a yard.  But we really liked the realtor so we're keeping his card for the future.  We came home took a wee nap & we did Atletica and got our butts handed to us.  930 cals later, I came up and made a great Italian dinner while the Mr cut up my fruits and veggies for the week.  Then like a protective father, he watched the bird feed the babies in the nest in our tree outside.  I think it's cute but he seems invested.  Funny.

I'm getting sad one of my favorite shows is coming to an end soon.  Dog the Bounty Hunter.  Oh please, you probably watch those God awful Housewives of wherever or Teen Mom so don't be judgin' me!  Pffft!  We tuned in initially off the suggestion of an old co-worker who said I needed to see the spectacle and the fact it was in Hawaii would be a bonus.  It was...well that and Leland.  Holy hell man, he is hot especially when he gives this grin that makes me want to jump on him, hug him.  I would love to workout with him sometime.  I don't mean that dirty like, well okay maybe a little, but he's a martial arts fighter and has an insane body.  Super defined.  Movin' on.

Anyone watching Dallas?  I thought I'd give it a try since my mom watched it when I was a kid and I got hooked too.  I think they're doing a decent job with it since they brought back some old faces like JR, Bobby and Sue Ellen.  I'm still giving it a chance and I like what I see so far though I do think that everyone having an ulterior motive and plot is a little over the top but I guess not much changes at South Fork y'all.

So how was your weekend? Do anything fun? What's your guilty pleasure show or a new show you're giving a chance?
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Post Road Trip - Weigh In

Up 1.

I knew last week's road trip wasn't going to be kind.  Oh well.  Onward.

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Friday Food Journal 6/17-22

Man this week has gone kinda fast! I'm in a good mood because our Hawaii trip is booked for next year and now we just have to start saving for it!  HA!  But you came by to see the eats so...altogether now...let's eat!

Sunday was Pesto Chicken Mexican Naan Pizza and steamed brussels sprouts.  It was quite yummy!  Calories: 688

Monday we had a friend over for dinner and I made my Spicy Mexican Stuffed Shells which she loved and rainbow salad.  I cheated and used frozen corn.  It was still good but I'll be using fresh corn from now on.  Calories: 750

Tuesday I took 3 oz of the leftover "guts" from the shells and used it to make a quesadilla.  I added spinach and a little cheddar with caramelized onions and a side of rainbow salad.  Calories:  624

Wednesday was a quick dinner.  Pacific Crab Stuffed Flounder and grilled asparagus with 1/2 slice of bacon, basil, scallions and asiago sprinkled on top.  Calories:  382

Thursday was a quickie too.  Salmon burger with 1 tbsp of teriyaki glaze and a side of brussels sprouts with bacon.  Calories:  343

Tonight was fish tacos with broccoli slaw and some fresh dill and cilantro from the garden to mix it up and little and the last of the rainbow salad.  Calories:  586

I hate to report and run but I hear the Mr just paused the movie and is getting irritated for me to come and join him watching The Game.  (affiliate link)  Haven't seen that in forever.  Okay, gotta run but feel free to leave any inspiring eats you had this week in the comments!

Have a great weekend!

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Food bombs, shave ice and thingys

Yesterday turned out to be a great day despite the way it started.  At about 2:30am, the Mr got a phone call and had to work for 90 minutes.  It is never fun to get a phone call in the middle of the night especially when you have a somewhat heavy sleeper who lets it ring the entire ringtone and wake you up whether intentional or not.  So it took a few to go back to sleep and then I got up late which is okay but I felt really tired.  I don't get that.  I feel more tired on more sleep.

After the Mr left, I attempted breakfast...

Yeah, my oatmeal exploded and I was so pissed I threw it all away.  There was nothing wrong with it, it was to teach it a lesson.  As I was doing that, my egg white frittata kind of got well done.  Who was teaching whom the lesson?  Then I rallied with my new bowl of oatmeal.

Oatmeal, 1 banana, 1/2 tbsp mini chocolate chips, 1 tbsp cookie butter and 1/3 tbsp of honey.  YUM!

The Mr's work was having some family day thing and I could tell he really wanted me to go.  Ever since he found out they were going to have a Hawaiian shave ice truck there he wanted me to come get a shave ice with him so I agreed.  I looked through the menu...

Standard fare but I always get cherry.  We got kiddie sizes and started walking and eating to find some shade from the 90 degree heat at 11am.  1)  This was not Hawaiian shave ice, it was a snow cone.  Shave ice is truly like eating snow and a snow cone is like eating ice.  WTH?  and 2) the cherry tasted like Robutussin.  I took a few bites off the top where there was only ice and offered the Mr the rest.  I felt bad his big shave ice coup wasn't what it was cracked up to be but it was no Ululani's on Maui and honestly, most cherry syrup ends up tasting that way.

Then it was off to have me meet the co-workers and boss.  From the second I walked in, people were like "you're the dessert lady!  We love you!!!"  I make all kinds of naughty recipes I want to try, take a serving and send the rest to the Mr's work and boy do they appreciate it.  Every single person who he introduced me to was like "oh my God, I LOVE your cupcakes!" or "thank you so much for sending in treats!" or "do you take requests?"  I told them there might be a Christmas in July rush and they lit up.  So funny.  It was nice to finally see where the Mr spends his time when he's away from me.  Since I had a late breakfast, I sat with him in the cafeteria while he ate his lunch.  We roamed around a little more and I was on my way.  It was a nice way to break up the day and I could tell the Mr really felt proud to show me off.  Too cute. 

Then it was time for Power 90/ Tone 30 and as I was upstairs changing into my gear, I flipped off the light and in a darker light I saw something that made me do a double take.  I have that vertical line trying to form just before your gut decides "oh yeah, there are actual ab muscles under here."  I've been working on them more the past 2 weeks and you can't see the line in bright light so I went downstairs and shut off the main lights so the Mr could see if I was crazy or not.  He said no, he could see them!  Yay!  Then as I was dancing around from that, I scratched the top of my shoulder and I had those thingys!  That's exactly what I exclaimed to the Mr too...."I have those thingys!" and had him touch them.  You know that indent on the top of your shoulder from that bone and then there's a dip and then the head of your bicep?  I know what muscle it is but it escapes me.  I could feel the indent!  It's like the past 2 weeks of more strength training are actually...gasp...shaping things!  How about that!?

I am anxiously awaiting the return of my laptop computer Monday.  It appears the computer company fixed it so we'll see.  Fingers crossed because working on this tablet and sharing computers, well, sucks.  (Though I'm very appreciative of the Mr letting me use this wee technological eye strainer.) 

There's a big festival in town this weekend and we're not up for the crowds so we're going to drive around and see what we can get into a few towns away.

What are your plans for the weekend?  Found any new fitness related 'thingys' on yourself lately?


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Investing in others can be tricky business

Let me preface this by saying I'm not talking about you guys or my online friends when I talk about this.  I mean family or friends I've known for years. 

When you have lost weight, people tend to fancy you some kind of guru.  It's like you've discovered the lost city of Atlantis or something.  Then they ask you how you do it and when you say portion control, smart, balanced eating and exercise they say "oh, I could never do that!" or look at you like you have 3 heads.  It's because of these typical reactions that I get excited when someone I know decides they're actually going to jump on the bandwagon.  They want to pick my brain and know everything I know and I'm more than happy to spill it.  But I tend to go overboard.  When someone asks for tips or pointers, I tend to give them more than enough info to get started and stay on the straight and narrow until they hit a plateau or something.

Problem is, 90% of the people who have asked me for this info end up doing the same thing I did when I wasn't truly ready to change and peter out before week 4 much less ever have a chance to hit a plateau.  Then when they stop checking in or gain back weight they've lost or whatever, I feel like either I've failed them somehow (knowing that isn't true) or I get ticked off because I feel like I invested more in their attempt to change than they did.  I do it in pretty much any aspect of my life.  If someone is going to Hawaii, they know to contact me, I give them way more than they can comprehend, they never write back about it, I ask how their trip went and did they go to any of the places I suggested and I get the wishy washy "ohh no, we didn't get a chance to go there, we went to (insert chain restaurant)" or "we sat on the beach the whole time."   Then I feel like "WHY did they ask me if they had no intention of taking myself advice they asked for and why did I waste my time writing a pamphlet of everything from the best restaurants to good and bad parts of town to the best attractions?"

I need to learn to temper this eagerness to give advice to people closest to me who ask for it and not spend more time on it than they are willing to spend on themselves.  That's not to say if they ask I won't answer their questions but I will give them the shortest and most to the point answer I've got and nothing more until they've proven they're serious.  It's the only way I can ensure that if they don't take what I said to heart that I can avoid taking it so personally.

Have you ever felt like you've invested more in other people's potential weight loss journey than they invested themselves?

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Take a seat

It's NSV time, y'all.  (NSV = Non Scale Victory for those wondering)

That's my view sitting at my seat at the Jake Shimabukruro concert Saturday.  I took the pic and I looked at it and I thought, "I remember in 2007 when I went to a musical for my cousin and sat there terrified the seats were going to give in under our weight and having bruises on my hips for almost 2 weeks after that from bolts digging in."

I remember being heartbroken on having to miss out on two different times Duran Duran came to town because I was petrified I wouldn't fit in the seats or that people would say something to me and ruin the evening.  This summer I'm driving to see them in another city because I'm tired of missing out on seeing the band that was my first crush as a little girl.  2nd row thankyouverymuch.  I'll be the girl getting dragged out on the encore for trying to lick Nick Rhodes' face.  I doubt I'll be able to hold back tears of finally making that dream a reality.  I even decided what the hell and we're driving to see another band this year because mama used to do this quite a bit as a teenager and I miss it.  I miss feeling like the people are singing just to you.  I remember being at the Popmart Tour for U2 in 1997 and I swear that even at the top of the stadium in the worst seats ever, Bono was singing "One" only to me as the 102,000 people faded away.

I think it was 2 years ago that I realized I could just fit back into auditorium seats and while I knew I could fit, my brain just wasn't havin' it.  When I went on a concert ticket buying spree earlier this year, I gave no thought as to whether I fit.  I'm certainly not small enough to never have to worry about that again, I mean I know my current weight after losing 200 lbs is still another person's "before" picture.  But the freedom of not being completely paralyzed over the thought of going to an arena, auditorium, etc is truly one of the most freeing things in the world.

We enjoyed that concert and even though my seatmate was cool, he kind of impeded on my personal space by sitting with his legs all widespread and the guy on the other side of the Mr was the jolly green giant so he impeded on his space with his wicked tall gams.  In the end, it was nice to know the fat people, the one expected to lop over and take up extra room, in fact, were not.  The skinny people were.  While I'm not a big fan of having a random dude's leg bobbing up and down on mine to the beat I didn't care because 1) I was just happy he really dug Jake's music and 2) he had to come over to my side to touch my leg, not because he had to due to my girth.  I don't expect many people to relate but that's major.   Let the good times roll.


Got any NSV's to celebrate?  Shout 'em out in the comments!


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Let the training begin

Hanalei River is gonna be my bee-otch, yo.

Two years ago, the Mr faced the challenge of stand up paddle boarding.  He did it on our 2010 trip to Kauai and I said that when I finally do it, I want to do it where he did on the Hanalei River.

The Mr paddle boarding on the Hanalei River.  60 pounds ago!

The plan is to do it next year when we go to Kauai and I want to be ready for it.  Friday I started my "training."  We got a Reebok Balance Board (300 lb weight limit) (affiliate link) and I decided to throw it in the circuit workout we did Friday.  I got a swimming "noodle" to mock the paddle so I could attempt the motions as I tried to balance.

I put the balance board on a mat to mimic the paddle board because it spins a lot on the concrete.

I think I did pretty good.  I didn't fall and I tried to remember to keep my hand on the top of the paddle as I switched sides just like the instructor told the Mr and to look at the horizon like the local guy yelled from the shore that completely changed everything as far as balance for him.  I would like to have a bit of an edge going into it with the correct muscles strengthened.  It's safe to say I'll be well on my way given how bad my inner thighs and core were screaming after incorporating that.  This is something I'm going to make sure I do a minimum of once a week and I think I'll benefit greatly from it.  For under $20, I'd say this balance board (affiliate link) is a great addition to our routine and if you should decide to get one, make sure you have mats handy in case you fall and make sure you have someone there with you.

Are you training for something?

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Road Trippin' for Aloha

I knew when we got back from Hawaii the best thing we could do is find a way to capture that aloha that we'd be missing after being back to 'real life.'  Thankfully for us, I did some digging a few months ahead of time and found one of our favorite Hawaiian artists, Jake Shimabukuro was doing a rare mainland tour this summer.  (If you don't know who he is, check out his version of Bohemian Rhapsody all the way through.  It's amazing and it won it's fair share of people over.)   I found the town "closest" to us and decided to make a road trip out of it and surprise the Mr for our anniversary.  This weekend was the weekend to go road trippin' for aloha to Cleveland, Ohio to see this ukulele (pronounced oo-koo-leh-leh not yook-uh-lay-lee!) virtuoso.

I apologize for the collage laden mess below but I took a ton of pics so just click to make 'em bigger.  First off was a stop at Brown Bag Burger which we'd heard nothing but good things about and it was duly touted.  (That rarely happens!)  Good, flavorful burger and yummy fries.  I got the junior size and we split the fries after the guy said "you want a regular fry too?" when I ordered.  We asked if they were big and he said yes so we decided to split.  When we got them it was like it wasn't that big but we must've looked like we weren't two fatties comin' in that could polish off a regular each so that was encouraging.

Next was off to pay our respects to a great singer lost too soon.  Patty Donahue from The Waitresses.  (affiliate link)  I loved her sassy, indifferent tone in I Know What Boys Like and I still can't get through the song "Christmas Wrapping" without crying when I hear the line "you mean you forgot cranberries too?!"  I know...nerd.  If you want to visit when you're in the area, she's at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn, Ohio.  Go in and turn left.  You'll see the St. Benedict building up front.  Park there on the right.  You'll see the tree view like in pic 2, she's just behind the first pine tree on the left.

Then it was off to this really cool candy store we read about called B A Sweetie.  It has EVERY candy you can imagine, many from childhood so we stopped by to grab a few little pieces.  I was surprised the restraint we showed given how batshit I could've gone in there.  I think eating lunch beforehand was a good move!  Then it was off to vintage toy store, Big Fun where the Mr lamented the passing of his youth in front of the Star Wars figures and me in front of the Strawberry Shortcake.

No trip to the area is complete without swinging by Ralphie's house from A Christmas Story.  We didn't go in because we'd been there before and our time was running low but we got a pic of the house, the leg lamp and it looks like the Bumpus' are having some work done next door.

You know me...I see the international sign for cupcake and I'm there dude.  Everything looked great from the selection to the funky tables out front.  We decided on 3 cupcakes to split (salted caramel, M&M something or other and PB Crunch).  The salted caramel looked impressive and the cupcake portion was good and then we got to the frosting...

whipped!!!  BLECK!!!!  And with that we threw the rest away.  What a disappointment.  I want something that is going to induce diabetes, not a can of RediWhip on top.  The Mr is the same and one of the reasons I love him.

Then it was time to check in to a fancy pants hotel downtown.  It all looks innocent enough doesn't it?  Have I told you we've been watching Hotel Impossible?  Well the brown thingy came right off and into the corner since they are rarely washed.  We did our bedbug inspection, clear.  Sat on the bed and knew while it felt fine for sitting on, it was going to make for an uncomfortable night's sleep.  (I was right)  Then the Mr took off the pillow cases when he saw something through the thin as rice paper pillowcases.  Check out the bottom 2 pics...

Yes, that would be a murder scene on the pillow on the left.  Mine?  Well mine had some loverly short hairs all over them.  Oh hells no!!  We called downstairs at 3:20pm.  We had to leave at 5pm.  Nothing.  We gave them time because we thought with the big wedding going on (that we knew would have drunken slobs and a-holes keeping us up all night and we were right.  Worst night's sleep ever) that maybe they were backed up.  We return 7 hours later and nothing.  It took the Mr going down to the lobby with other customers standing there and waving the bloody pillow on the left in front of them saying "I'm not being picky, would YOU sleep on this???"  She yanked it away to keep it from the other customers and said they'd be right up.  An hour later they showed up with the "new" pillow on the right.  That would be more blood stains and a HUGE urine and/or sweat stain in the middle.  We decided to flip the pillowcases inside out and finally go to bed...completely aware that this would be our first and last stay at this fancy pants wanna be hotel and confirming why, if we can help it, we'll never sleep in a hotel again.  We usually rent homes.  This was AWFUL.  Meh.

But before the concert we wanted to go to Little Italy for dinner.  We went to Nido Italia and got the ricotta stuffed rigatoni.  SO good!  Then we headed across the street afterward to Presti's Bakery and got this chocolate mousse thingy...divine!    See the creamy middle in the bottom left.  Worth every calorie.  Then we walked around town to walk off the feeling of yakitude from over-indulgence.

Then it was off to Cain Park to see Jake.  When that lil nugget took the stage, I know more than half of the people there had no idea what they were in for and left lifelong fans.  He is so amazing, energetic, funny and passionate about his playing.  My cheeks hurt from smiling and my eyes stung from crying, sometimes bawling through his lighter tunes like Blue Roses Falling which he explained was inspired by a friends grandma who was in the hospital and she began hallucinating that there were blue roses growing on the ceiling and at night the rose petals would fall on her.  He wrote it after she passed and I could not stop the tears from streaming down my face.  When there is a story like that tied to a song, I'm a quivering heap o' flesh.  Good Lord, I'm crying now just writing about it and listening to it play.  I cannot begin to tell you what a beautiful experience this was for the Mr and I and even more so when he invited people to come say hello afterward.  Now I've met some famous people in my time and we're even friends with a few so it's not a big deal to me but I froze up like the biggest dork just so in awe of him and what his music has meant to our lives.  He signed our shirts and my ticket.  I know the Mr could not stop smiling and it was the perfect late anniversary present for him.  I was able to tell him what his music means and he was so gracious and sweet and he even accepted gifts and took pics with everyone.  The line for that must've been over 100 people long (we were toward the front thankfully) but I know he likely stayed for every person because that's the aloha spirit that he exudes.  It's not a hokey marketing line, it is something living, breathing and known to all who live or visit there.  I cannot thank Jake enough for doing a mainland tour and I will drive any distance to see him again.

We were hoping to get his new CD Peace Love Ukulele (affiliate link) but we didn't have enough cash after buying the shirts.  So it goes on the wish list for our birthdays.  We're very happy he's working on a new album with Alan Parsons and great studio musicians.  He gave us a sneak peek of a song or two and they're amazing.

Sunday was back to reality and we got on the road early and back late but still got a good workout in.  I want more weekends like that and I've got a few planned.

What did you do this weekend?

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Yawn - Weigh In

Down 1.

That I'll take given when I get a 3 spot thrown at me, I never lose anything...like I'm being punished.

I would really like to be down another 2 by the end of the month if possible because that'll put me at my lowest weight thus far.  I won't be greedy about it but I just started incorporating some stuff that has me in serious soreness pain.  (I will never use DOMS...ugh.  Hate that phrase!)  Is it weird that pain makes me hopeful for change?  HA!

Well, by the time you get this we'll be long on our road trip.

Anyone have anything fun planned for the weekend?

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Food Journal Friday 6/10-15th

It is weird I am super excited from picking 3 decent sized green peppers from our "Big Bertha" green pepper plant? 

Sadly I threw away just as many that never got big and started kind of rotting from the inside out.  I would like to get at least 10 this season so I can make it even out from buying at the grocery store.  Now...what to make with them.  The Mr will likely use one for his salad.  Maybe I can do a stir fry with them and I have a dinner I'm making with a friend Monday so I might use them in the rainbow salad I'm making.

In bummer news, we think our neighbor is coming home from vacay tonight.  We only assume this because we hear the "Almira Gulch" theme playing from the Wizard of Oz.  It has been peaceful...we'll miss that.

But that's not why you stopped by...let's eat.

Sunday was rather simple.  Trader Joe's pacific crab stuffed flounder with grilled asparagus.  (Why do I always want to write assparagus there?)  Calories: 447

Monday, I can't remember what we did but I remember I wasn't in the mood to cook something elaborate like the fish tacos I had planned so we went with salmon burger with teriyaki glaze and a 6 oz potato made into fries.  Calories:  371

Tuesday is where you should picture a meal of wood fired tilapia and asparagus (both requested with no butter), a side salad with 1/2 tbsp of French dressing (dipped my fork in it) and 1 cheddar garlic biscuit with a big ol glass of water.  I was somehow able to come in decent even though we ate out.  Calories: 570

Wednesday was pesto chicken with tofu noodles with a side of brussels sprouts and bacon.  Le' yum.  Calories:  370

Thursday, while it basically looks like a big blob of brown on a plate, it was actually coconut shrimp (with 1 tbsp of cocktail sauce) and 1 serving of basmati brown rice with 2 tbsp of Trader Ming's General Tsao's sauce mixed in.  Yes, it's a weird combo...we both liked it.  Calories:  615

Tonight was fish tacos (using cod instead of mahi) and grilled asparagus.  (Yes, I typed it again)  Calories:  434.

Notice something?  I had fish every friggin' day except for one.  *Checks for gills*  I'm not complaining but I didn't plan it that way either.  Weird.  Nothing against the fish but the chicken was my favorite meal!

What was the favorite thing you ate this week?

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Pesto party

I have a confession to make.  I've never had pesto.  {collective gasp from the crowd}

It sounded good.  I had good intentions to make it because I've always had tons of basil go to waste every year so I had no good excuse.  The excuses stopped when I was encouraging my cousin to make pesto from the basil plants I gave him and realized I was being a little hypocritical since I'd never made it myself.  I had nuts left from my cashew date balls, plenty of basil and such so I figured I'd give it a go and throw it together.

Here's what I used for mine:

20 big basil leaves
2 oz raw unsalted cashews  (Nut Bar brand)
3 1/2 tbsp olive oil (I had 4 tbsp on hand in case I needed it but I didn't)
1 oz Trader Joe's Parmesan, Romano & Asiago Cheese blend
1 cup Trader Joe's organic baby spinach
(Makes 10 servings)

I put the basil, cheese and cashews in the food processor and gave it a whirl while drizzling the olive oil in the escape hatch.  (I always picture the ingredients hatching a plan to get out of the processor before I press the pulse button.  This is what lack of co-workers does to me.)

Then when it's broken up and just starting to come together, I grab the spinach and add it to the pesto party.

The finished product is a great marinade for meats or coatings for pasta or whatever your little heart desires!

I know...there are people gasping in disapproval that there's no garlic.  I didn't have any.  I didn't need it because it was awesome on its own.  I'll make it with some in the future but I actually made something better with it but you'll have to wait until next week for that one!

Ooh...cliffhanger.

Nutritional Info (per serving- recipe makes 10 servings):  Calories 78  Total Fat 8g Sat Fat 1g Poly Fat 1g  Mono Fat 4g  Cholesterol 1mg Sodium 15mg  Potassium 5mg  Total Carbs 2g Protein 1g  Vitamin A 4%  Vitamin C 2%  Calcium 2%  Iron 3%


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Nothing brightens up a day like...

Yep.  It's been a colossally crappy week thus far and I feel like the next step for me is twitching.  The Mr, sensing my pending meltdown at the stupidity of all mankind and the state of "customer service", came home with beautiful red roses.  Since I don't have a desk to show them off at "work", this blog will serve as my desk so he can get his man props.  He also unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher for me after our workout.  Man props #2.

Then Mother Nature decided I needed some blooms too so the hibiscus tree on the lanai had several blooms  just waiting for me.

It makes ya feel a little bit more peppy seeing beautiful flowers.  It actually brought my blood pressure down watering the flowers yesterday and again when the Mr came in with my flowers.  Since we all know that stress and keeping your heart rate elevated due to it is bad for your health, these were welcome natural distractions to keep my mind off of the rest of the less pleasant things in life.

How do you get your zen on when life is throwing doody balls your way?

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I annoyed myself

Oh God, we were those people at the restaurant last night.  My aunt, uncle and cousin were late getting there and after they got settled, my cousin started asking about calories, talking about workouts, calories burned, how much muscles hurt...you know, shop talk for those of us on the weight loss ride and friggin' annoying to anyone else who isn't.  You could tell people were annoyed with our "lifestyle" banter and I almost felt like I was listening to our conversation outside of myself and thought "damn, we're annoying!"

I would've apologized to everyone for it but he is doing so well and is so proud to be seeing results that I will do anything to help support him even if that means subjecting everyone else to listening to how healthy people talk.  I likened it to hearing mothers go on and on about their kids and the people without them sit there with their eyes glazing over praying they move on to another subject.  I'll be honest, I'm excited the Mr and I have someone else to share our enthusiasm for this lifestyle/journey/insert cliche phrase here because we are definitely in the minority in our family.  We used to be on the other side of the coin and want to spit at anyone who started talking about losing weight because if you don't acknowledge or engage the person talking about it, you can pretend it doesn't apply to you as well.  So I get it.  I just wish other family members would "get it" on our side now so they could live longer and better lives.  Sigh.  I'll just have to hope we'll be an example and along with my cousin, hope we can inspire others to follow suit.

Do you cringe hearing yourself talk about your healthy lifestyle "poison" (Zumba, Cross Fit, running, etc) because you swore you'd never be one of those people?

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Food wrench...party of 2

The Mr and I have a birthday dinner for a family member tonight.  It's at a seafood place that has very little that isn't a salt lick sodium wise.  I've got my dinner all planned out and such and it fits perfectly into my calories.  But I hate eating out at places on non-high cal days (especially places I'm not jazzed about the limited choices) because even with my best effort the sodium will be 1100mg for one meal.  I've planned the rest of my meals to accommodate it.  But you know, you go where the birthday person wants to go and grin and bear it.  (I cringe knowing the entree they order along with the app they usually get will end up being close to 5000mg of sodium by the time it's all done.  I'm not judging or anything but they have high blood pressure so I just know how bad that is for them.)  Oddly, I find myself getting slightly obsessive and weirded out about it.  It's not that I can't handle a small wrench in my plan and I'm obviously handling it intake wise just fine but I guess I feel like I need complete control over my plan and when I don't have it, I get...antsy.

I know, I'm a weirdo.

How do you handle when you have a meal out pop up when you know your choices are going to be limited?

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The weekend that wasn't

Talk about lack of a weekend.  :-(

The Mr had some work that needed to be done this weekend since he's the "lucky" one on call and he ended up working (from home or wherever we tried to go in between) for over 40 hours.  Needless to say, he took today off.  I'm going to try to talk him into taking tomorrow off too but Mr Work Ethic likely will decline.

Saturday night after he'd been on the phone for well over 10 hours I was bored out of my gourd so I decided to make some pre-workout snacks for the week.  I'm sure you've seen recipes for date bars/balls whatever you want to call them all over the internet.  I don't follow someone else's recipe, I just chuck some stuff in a blender and go with it.  Here's how my version went...

10 dates...

Open 'em up and remove the pit.  The pit looks like a pecan.  Wouldn't it be nice if the pit was a pecan?  Then you could just eat the whole thing and it would be like eating pecan pie for about 25ish calories.  Dare to dream...

1/2 cup of raw cashews.  Chuck 'em in your Magic Bullet (affiliate link)  or blender and break them down a bit.

I add about 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste and give it the final whirl...

Then it's time to grab your 1 tbsp cookie scoop.

Scoop away...

It makes 12 balls.  Oh great, I suppose you want nutritional info now?  Well, lucky for you, I have it!  ;-)  Calories per ball:  73  Total fat 4g  Sat Fat 1g  Sodium 1mg  Potassium 45mg  Total Carbs 8g  Fiber 1g  Sugars 5g  Protein 2g

I gave one to the Mr while he was on the phone and he had to put it on mute the more he chewed to groan in approval.  We're gonna pop one for a little energy boost before workouts.

Sunday I wanted to get up and make him a nice big breakfast I'd pre-planned the night before in the tracker.  Don't you love it when you go to make something and you don't have what it says you need?  I forgot we used the rest of the milk.  I checked the ingredients on the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancakes I've been squirreling away and it had buttermilk in it already so I crossed my fingers and used water.  Here's how it turned out...

Beautiful, fluffy and yummy.  Of course just before we sat down to eat it, his phone rang so I told him he was going to at least eat breakfast before he got on the phone the rest of the day (which he was NOT scheduled to work.  IRRITATING!)

Lunchtime rolled around and I realized having any sort of weekend was completely shot and I would likely not see the outdoors at all which was fine given it felt like the 3rd circle of Hell outside.  I decided to get going on what I had planned for lunch which involved reviving the last bit o' beef roast we had left.  My hard work paid off when I froze some beef broth from the roast.  I put it in the fridge and skimmed all of the fat off then I measured out 3 tbsp into small metal bowls and froze them all for future use in sauces and such.  I bagged them up and threw them in the freezer.  (Pic 1)  I cut up some shallots and sweat them out, added some fresh thyme, oregano and rosemary then added 2 broth discs (Pic 2)...

I let it bubble up into saucy goodness (Pic 3) and then I added 4 oz of beef roast, turned it down to low (Pic 4) while I multi-tasked.  It smelled like Christmas in here.  It was WONDERFUL.  Unfortunately I didn't multitask well because I got my Hawaiian buns a little more brown than I like but they weren't burnt thankfully.  So we had BBQ beef sliders, no salt tortilla chips with homemade pineapple salsa and fruit salad.

The Mr said he was eating way better than anyone on his call.  I love it when I can make stuff that makes him happy.

I hope crab stuffed flounder and grilled asparagus made him happy because that was the last meal I prepared for him while he finished up and logged his 40th HOUR since 6pm Friday night!

Before dinner, it was a matter of being able to fit in our workout.  He said he didn't care if he had to put it on speakerphone while he was doing it, which he did, he wasn't missing it.  We had Supreme 90's Back and Bi's scheduled so we got that in while he ran up and took care of stuff and got back to it and we were able to finish up together.  Needless to say it got done and we're glad the weekend is over.  We hope to enjoy ourselves a bit today and we're getting the hell outta this house!

Tomorrow we're going out for a family members birthday at Red Lobster.  Ugh.  I hate that place.  You might as well hook up a salt IV to my bloodstream.  So I'm going with the half serving of salmon, asparagus and I always have one biscuit.  I'm gonna tank up on the water too.  That also means a morning workout which we loathe but I guess it'll be good to have it out of the way.  We'll be looking forward to this weekend when we go on a road trip for some much needed relaxation.  Man we haven't even been back a full month from Hawaii and we're already getting just as stressed as we were before we left!  *rolling eyes*

What did you do this weekend?

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