A Perfect Winter Meal

I don't know about everyone else, but where I live it is cold, snowy, and gray.  Most of the time I crave warm soup during this time of year, but my hubby does not like soup.  I hardly ever make it, but today was definitely a soup day.  So I ate this soup while he ate tomato soup.  He was totally missing out:)

Now there are a million and one variations to making minestrone soup, but this is one that I got from my mother-in-law, and I love it! So yummy and so comforting on a cold winter night.  Since I am the only one eating this, I have the next few days of lunches planned and I froze a big batch for the next time I am craving soup.  This is one thing that I don't have to share and no one else cares! 

Minestrone Soup

1 lb lean ground beef or turkey (I used 93% fat free ground beef)

1/2 medium onion, chopped and diced

3 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 bell pepper (I had a yellow one on hand today)

10-15 baby carrots, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)

4-5 cups water w/ added chicken boullion (I didn't have any chicken broth, so this is what I used.  And I also don't like a lot of water in my soups, but you could add more water if you like it that way)

2 cans beans (any kind you want.  I used garbanzo and cannelli because I had those on hand)

1 can green beans

2 cups spinach

2 T parsley

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 T basil

1 bay leaf

1 cup whole wheat noodles, uncooked

Brown ground beef along with onion, celery, and pepper in a large pot.  Drain off excess fat. (I actually rinse my meat under really hot water to reduce the fat content even more.  Weird I know, but it makes me feel better!)

Next add the rest of the ingredients and cook until the carrots and pasta are tender. (I had some leftover whole wheat penne from another meal, so I actually added my cooked pasta at the very end.)

This soup is so yummy and so filling! And it makes a TON of soup.  

Now I did not make these next items on the same night, but as I was posting this I realized that this combination would make the best combination for a complete winter meal.

Who doesn't love the smell of fresh cooked bread flowing through the house? I love it! I love to make my own bread because I know what is going in to it, and it just feels good to be domestic sometimes! I got this recipe from a woman in my parent's home ward, and we love it! The plus side is that it uses everything that you would find in food storage.

**I used my bread machine to mix the dough, but you could use a bosch or kitchen aid, or do this all by hand.**

Whole Wheat Bread
2 3/4 cups warm water
1 T salt
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
5-6 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 T flax seed
2 T wheat germ
1 T yeast

Set to dough setting and let it do its thing! Check often as the dough is mixing in the beginning to make sure there is enough flour.  You don't want it too sticky.

When it is done, seperate dough ball into two balls and place in bread pans.

Let rise 30-45 minutes or until desire height of bread.

Bake for 28 1/2 minutes, or until done at 350 degrees.

*I cover my loaves in foil while they bake so they don't get too brown.

Two loaves equals about 32 slices at 108 calories per slice.


Ok so you know the whole no sugar thing, well I have been finding ways to get a sweet taste without adding sugar, and here is another winner; poached pears. So good! Even my hubby was impressed!

Poached Pears
2 large pears, cut in half and peeled
4 tsp butter
splenda
4 tsp lemon juice
4 tsp orange marmalade
sprinkle of cinnamon

Place pears in a greased pan (use pam or something like that) and place 1 tsp butter in the middle of each.  sprinkle splenda, lemon juice, and cinnamon.  Place marmalade in the middle of all of that. (I actually had a low sugar orange jam that I used and it was still yummy!)

Cook in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.  Eat it hot or cold.  Either way tastes yummy!!

Week 4(I think) and COLD weather workout

This past weekend was TOUGH!

There was a lady in our ward who had surgery so I made some yummy treats for her.  I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to eat them.  Good thing they will be gone tonight because I don't know how much longer I can hold on. I just kept reminding myself how disappointed I would be if I slipped this close to the end of the month.  ALMOST THERE!

Today has also kind of been a hard day in regards to eating.  I desperately need to go to the store but it is FREEZING today!!! This morning it felt like -27 degrees! BRRR!!!! So needless to say the kids and I have not gone anywhere all day.  Those make for hard days in regards to eating.  I am doing OK since we don't have a lot of food, but I could do better.  My plan is to brave the cold after the kids are in bed and stock up then.  We will see if I feel that ambitious when the temperate drops tonight.

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Like I said, it is cold. My son's preschool was canceled so my window of working out while he was in school and the baby was napping was gone. I was still determined to work out though, so I did a full body workout from trainermomma.com (It is a rocking workout!) and by that time the baby was awake.  (He has a cold and coughed the whole time he was asleep, so he did not nap well.) I still wanted to get some good cardio in, so I took both boys downstairs in the basement with me, strapped Kayden on the baby seat that is still attached to my bike on the trainer (I was glad at that moment that I had not taken that off), brought a few cars and toys for my oldest to play with, and did a 25 min HiiT bike workout.  Considering the circumstances, it was a great workout! I am glad that I decided to just workout despite the conditions because I feel so much better than I would have if I had not worked out.

Now the baby is napping (has been for an hour! :)) and the older one is watching "Aristocats" while I catch up on a few things.  I love these moments! :)

Three Tangent Tuesday

Hungry Runner Girl has a tradition to share 3 random things about herself each Tuesday, so I thought I would carry the tradition over here.

3 random things you may not have known about me:

1-I am a twin but have not seen my twin sister in over 15 months!!! She is serving a full time mission right now for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but will be home April 20th!  She is my best friend, and I miss her like crazy!!!  She shares a love of fitness and nutrition with me as well!

2-I want to run a marathon some day.  It seems kind of scary to me, but it is on my bucket list.  I hope to do one before we have another baby.  Hopefully this summer or next!

3-I am afraid of almost every body of water; oceans, lakes, rivers.  I mean REALLY afraid.  Pretty pathetic, but its true.  My husband learned this the hard way when we were engaged.  I agreed to go water skiing with him because I didn't want him to know what a whimp I was, and he was messing around and almost knocked me in the water.  He knows now that I really am afraid and doesn't push the issue with me.  I want to do a triathlon some day, but I don't think I will ever be able to because of the water issue.

Well, not really exciting things, but there you go!!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Black bean burgers with sweet potato fries

I have been wanting to try more meatless recipes at least once a week, and this is my attempt at a meatless meal today.  It was a big hit and our house, and I will definitely be making this meal again.  So yummy!

Black Bean Burgers: 

 1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 egg
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1/2 cup bread crumbs

I did not take this picture.  I forgot once again to get one, but took this one from the internet.  Ours looked very similar to this, so it works!

***You can cook these a number of ways, but I baked mine in the oven since I was already baking the sweet potatoes at the same time.  My oven was set to 425 degrees, but the recipe recommends 375***

-Preheat oven
-Mash black beans until thick and pasty
-In a food processor, chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic.  Then stir into mashed beans
-In small bowl, stir egg, chili powder, and cumin together
-Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans.  Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together.  Divide into patties. (I had enough to make 6 patties)
-Place patties on baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes each side.

We put our patties inside of a whole wheat pita and then topped it with your normal hamburger toppings

Yummy!! (Make sure you have some beano on hand though before you eat this meal; really, do.)


Sweet Potato Fries:


4 small sweet potatoes, sliced thin
1 T olive oil
Seasoning of choice (I used plain old seasoning salt)

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
-Slice up potatoes and place in plastic bag with  oil until well coated.
-Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with seasoning salt
-Bake for 15 minutes on each side until crispy!

Some days I love running!

In fact, more often than not I love running, but running on a treadmill for 3+miles can get boring.  I subscribe to a blog of a girl who ran a MARATHON on a treadmill yesterday; FOR FUN! She has some serious talent, so that is one thing.  I however don't have a talent for running; just a love for it.

I got on the treadmill this afternoon not in the mood to run, so I just decided that I would do 10 minutes.  I got to 10 minutes and added 10 more because I was feeling really good.  I think reading that blog yesterday about her running a whole marathon in the treadmill inspired me because I just wanted to keep going.  40 minutes later I ran 5.3 miles! (Not speedy I know, but good for me!) I wasn't expecting to get that kind of workout in, but I felt so good afterwards! Some days running just feels great, and others it just feels like a chore.  I am grateful that today was a good day!

I can't wait for the weather to get nice though so I can take my runs outdoors.  I am excited to be able to strap my kids into the jogger and just go! 

After my run this morning, I decided that I wanted to do another half marathon this summer.  Now all I have to do is find a race and get going!

What I do for exercise at home...

Everyone has their own personal preference on what type of exercise they want to do, but I wanted to share with you what I try to do every week.

I would love to be able to go the gym every day, but it is really hard to go every day with our schedule right now.  Because of that, I have been building up workout stuff that I can do at home. I aim to workout for an hour a day 6 days a week with at least 30-40 minutes of cardio and then using the rest of time doing resistance training. (This can be tricky with the kids sometimes, but I try my best to get a workout in while the baby is napping and while my oldest is at Preschool.  Most of the time it works out, but there are those days when it is a challenge.)  I try to do resistance training at least twice a week, and on the days that I don't do that,  try to spend the whole hour doing cardio. I do try to go to the local YMCA at least twice a week though to mix it up, and they have a great daycare there that I drop the kids off at while I workout.  It can be tricky to go sometimes though because of trying to time naps and such, so we go when we can.

I have decided that once I am done working in the morning I will try to do my workouts in the early am because really that is the perfect time to do it with kids.

Here are a few things that I love right now...

-My favorite workout equipment that I have right now is my indoor trainer. I. LOVE. THIS. THING! It is by far the best investment for workout equipment that I have made up to this point. I would love to get a treadmill some day and maybe even an elliptical, but this works for now with our limited space and income.  My foot has been hurting lately when I run, so I have been doing this most days. This sits in our basement, so it can get really boring.  I try to do anywhere from 20-30 minutes using HIIT (high intensity interval training) and then add some kind of resistance training or more cardio upstairs afterwards.  I have gone for an hour before, but like I said, it gets really boring. What I love about this is that you can change your resistance by changing your gears that your bike has.  My indoor trainer has another attachment that you can use to increase resistance, but it broke recently so I just use my gears.  I get a killer workout every time!

-Greg got me a kettlebell for Christmas, and it probably my second favorite thing. I recently bought Jillian Michael's Kettlebell workout.  It is a great strength workout! My kettlebell also came with a set of exercises that I love to do as well.

-I like any workout that is quick but intense, so I really love Cathe Friederich's HiiT DVD.  There are 3 workouts on the DVD.  Each is about 20-25 minutes in length.  All the workouts are super intense, and really get my heart rate going and I burn a ton of calories.  If I am short on time, this is one of my favorite go to DVDs because I know I am going to get a killer workout.  I would love to get more of Cathe's DVDs because all of her workouts are great, but they are so expensive.  Maybe when we have more money I will try to stock up on her DVDs.

-I love my step bench as well.  I have one DVD that I use most often with it, but it is a great fitness tool to add a quick cardio burst into your workout.

-I use resistance bands in the EA Sports workout that I talked about in a previous post, and I really have loved using them.  I need to get higher quality bands though because I am in constant fear that they are going to snap when I use them.  My husband and I tried P90x a few years back, and one did snap on him.  One day I will get better ones, but for now they work.

-We have a couple flights of stairs in our apartment, so I like to use those to get a cardio burst in.  Depending on my mood I will aim at running up and down them a certain number of times or for a certain time limit.  We have neighbors on both sides of us, so I am sure they just love it when I do it.  The joys of apartment living!

The one thing that I have learned about having to work out at home is that it takes creativity at times, so I  constantly looking for ways to workout using what I have.  It is fun to find new ways to get your heart racing.  Like stepping up and down on a kitchen chair or doing jump up on a door frame.  Or even dancing with the kids.

Not having access to a gym should not be an excuse to not be active because the possibilities really are endless. Be creative and fun with it!

Sausage and Rice Casserole

When my mom came after I had my second baby, she made this meal for us and it instantly became a favorite in our house.  It is on our menu almost weekly.  Now I know you read sausage and think of it being unhealthy, but we try our best to make it as healthy as possible.

Sausage and Rice Casserole
1 lb pork sausage (I use Jimmy Dean's reduced fat version. It is around 12 oz, but it makes enough)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery (I usually double or triple this)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice (I use long grain brown rice)
1 package chicken noodle soup mix
2 cups hot water
1/2 cup slivered almond (It HAS to be slivered! It just tastes yummier that way for some reason:))

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brown the sausage, onion, celery, and pepper; drain any excess fat

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a coated 2 quart dish, and top with almonds.  Cover dish and cook for 60-90 minutes. (I have a gas oven and it cooks faster, so mine is usually done anywhere from 45-60 minutes.)

We love to wrap this in a whole wheat wrap. It just tastes yummier that way.  I love the new flat out wraps, but any whole wheat wrap would work great!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Week 2 Update and Some REALLY Yummy Recipes

Well another week has passed in my challenge, and things are still going great! I love not feeling like I HAVE to eat dessert after every meal.  I have been eating fruit to serve as dessert, and I am amazed that it actually satisfies that sweet tooth of mine! I honestly think I am going to take this sugar free binge for another month.

I tried a few more recipes this week that I have to pass on because they are just too good not to share: (For the future; I will try to take pictures of the food we eat but I always eat it all before I remember to take a picture.)

Pina Colada Shake (from www.trainermomma.com)
1 cup non fat milk
1/2 cup fresh pineapple
1 scoop protein powder (I bought a new brand of protein powder this week, and it is so yummy!)
1 pack of splenda
1/4 tsp coconut extract (I actually used closer to 1/2 tsp because I wanted a stronger coconut taste)
5-6 ice cubes

Blend it for 3-4 minutes.  It turns out to fluffy and yummy.  Honestly; I LOVED it!

I love to have protein shakes for snacks; especially for a snack between lunch and dinner because it is so filling and keeps me from wanting to eat everything in sight.  For some reason, that time because meals is a major pit fall for me. Anyone else??

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Week 1: A success!

I am proud to say I have not eaten sweet for one whole week now! Whoo Whoo! There have definitely been times where I wanted to eat chocolate or something, but I am proud at how much self control I have! I need to set goals like this more often.

My sweet tooth has not disappeared though, so I have been experimenting with recipes that will help with that craving without eating any sugar.

Here are a few of them that I have fallen in love with:

Cereal Goolash:  (Sounds weird I know, but I couldn't think of a better title for it)
1/4 cup grape nuts
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 T natural, creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup blueberry sauce (recipe below)
Pinch of ground flax seed

I heat the grape nuts, oatmeal, and milk in the microwave for 1 min and then add in the peanut butter and blueberries.  I made this up on the whim one morning when I was in a pinch for time, and the whole time I was eating it I was thinking to myself, "I can't believe this is healthy!! It tastes so good!"

Calorie count: 330 for that whole bowl of heaven!!

On to the blueberry sauce:

One night I was in the mood for crepes, so I made 100 % whole wheat crepes and used greek yogurt and blueberries for toppings.

Blueberry Sauce:
2 cups frozen blueberries
3/4 cup splenda
2 T lemon juice
4 t corn starch

Heat in on the stove until it thickens.  It is so yummy!


Another great thing that I have discovered and fallen in love with is greek yogurt.  Don't knock it till you try it because seriously with the right ingredients it is so yummy! I buy the plain kind since it contains less sugar and then I combine it with a pack of stevia, and a drizzle of agave. (Try this stuff too!) It makes awesome fruit dip and is so yummy on top of crepes.  I can't get enough of this stuff either.  The best part about it is that it is FULL of protein, so it keeps you fuller longer.  What can be better?

I also love to make protein shakes.  I found this great recipe on trainermomma.com for an almond berry smoothie:

1 cup sweetened almond milk
1 scoop protein powder
3/4 cup frozen berries.

Blend it all together for 2-3 minutes, and you have a very filling and delicious smoothie that keeps those sugar cravings at bay.

With all these new things I have found and knowing that sugar really doesn't control me, I have been thinking that I want to take this goal into February, but I have not decided yet on that.  Valentine's day might be tricky with that. :) We will just see.

Building my Home Gym

I am slowly building up a home gym and am always on the lookout for something new to add to my collection.

My bargain seeking husband found a GREAT deal on a Wii, so that was our family gift this year. (And I am talking about a REALLY GREAT deal.)

This same bargain seeking guy knows how much I love fitness and bought EA Active more workouts for me for Christmas, and I LOVE it!

I don't even know where to begin to express how much I love using this.  There is a 6 week challenge mode on it, and Greg and I are both currently in the 2nd week of this challenge.  It gives you 4 workouts a week and 3 rest days, so it is not a replacement workout by any means but something you can add onto what you are already doing.  I like it because it incorporates a lot of resistance training and that is something I struggle doing on my own.  I need someone to tell me what to do and then I will do it.

For all of you Wii people, I would DEFINITELY recommend this. 

What are some of your favorite workouts to do at home?

Weekend Success!

Well I made it through my first weekend on this sugar free month and I have to tell you that is a HUGE accomplishment for me! You have no idea. 


Yesterday was kind of tough though because Sundays are usually the day when we have some kind of dessert, but I resisted! Yay!


I have started a really part time job working at a day care (7-9 am Mon-Fri) so my workout schedule is kind of thrown off.  I am kind of nervous about being able to fit in a workout each day, but I will find a time.  This morning I got up at 5 am to do a quick workout to get me going before work, and it felt so great! I might try something like that every morning to wake me up.  I am also going to walk to work every morning because it is only a block away.  Since it is cold right now I ended up running the whole way there to get out of the cold, so that has to count for something right?


Anyway, I am looking forward to a new week of setting realistic healthy goals and sticking to them!


Here are my goals for the week:


-Drink at least 100oz of water a day.
-Record what I eat to help me to stay on track
-2 snacks a day
-Don't eat out all week
-Be happy with myself and my flaws and forgive myself when I make mistakes. (A work in progress)
-Play with my kids every possible second. (Working at this daycare for a short time makes me feel so blessed to be able to be with my kids all day.)
-Spend more quality time with my husband after the kids go to bed and don't waste time on the computer!


Happy Monday everyone!

Day 1 of my sugar free month...

Day 1 of my sugar free month has begun! I am excited for this challenge because I know it will be hard, but that is why I want to do this! I want to set a hard goal and achieve it.

I have been doing a lot of reading on doing a sugar cleanse, and there seems to be a lot of extremes you could take that I just don't think I am going to do.  I am not in detox mode, I just want to kick my sweet tooth habit.  Some sources said give up carbs; and there is not way that is happening for a whole month! So I am not going to be as extreme as that.

So I am giving up chocolate, ice cream, cookies, etc obviously and in place hoping to fill up on lots of fresh fruit and veggies.  It won't totally replace that sugar craving, but in time I hope it does!

I have been exploring a few recipes that will give me that sweet taste without being full of sugar, and I found a smoothie recipe that is super yummy and filling here: (This blog is totally awesome by the way!)

1 cup nonfat milk
1 scoop of whey protein powder
1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries (my favorite to use is frozen blueberries)
ice if you want it

Blend together for 2-3 minutes. (This is always an exciting time in our house since Deagan really hates the sound of the blender. He usually runs and hides in his room screaming "IS IT DONE?" with his hands over his ears.:) This really gives the smoothie A LOT of volume and I feel like I have a ton to eat without really eating a ton of calories.

I will continue to find new recipes or ideas that will help me a long this month and I will be sure to share them with you all!

Happy New Year everyone! May this year bring more health and happiness than last year!