Time to Post those Points!!!

It's been a long 18 days and I think we've all gotten a taste of what we need to do to enjoy the season ahead of us and stay healthy both inside and out in the weeks ahead. I hope that you all stick to being healthy through the next two months even if you're not participating in the challenges.

Everyone who post their points will be in a random drawing for this awesome fall towel that Melissa has graciously offered as incentive.


The bling will go to the big winner who persevered through Halloween and had more good days than bad.

Never Quit, Never Give Up!

Last night as I watched the Biggest Loser the Marines pounded this into the contestants heads: Never Quit, Never Give Up! I like this, it goes right along with I Can Do Hard Things!

This is a hard time of year for me but this year my motto along with the above is, more good days than bad. I know I can do this and you can too!

Do any of you ever look at your Costco Connection magazine? I do, I often find good recipes. This past month Bob Harper, of the Biggest Loser, had a little article in the Healthy Lifestyles section. I like what he said, because it's what we are doing here on this blog.

So, if you're coming, going, paying attention but not committed to doing the challenges, know someone will be here for you as a support. Sometimes that's all it takes, knowing someone is thinking about what you're doing.

Here is what Bob had to say:

Fall happens to be one of the most important times for people to start exploring a new exercise program and developing healthier eating habits, as the upcoming holidays- with enormous meal after enormous meal, party after party, and all the resulting leftovers-can wreak havoc on anyone's waistline.

For most people the hardest part is staying motivated and on course. I believe three elements, beyond the actual exercises and food, are central to sticking to your plan.

KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME
It is crucial to realize that this is not a race. There is no finish line. You are making a change that should last a lifetime. It will be hard to stay motivated and to pick yourself up after a hard workout, so find outlets that keep things interesting and allow you to mix up your routine a bit. The intention is to combine sound fitness and exercises in a way that does not get boring. If you keep it interesting, you'll keep your head in the game.

KEEP A JOURNAL
Imagine weeks of keeping an impeccable food and exercise journal as you enter the holiday season. Do you really think you are going to want to tarnish your beautiful journal, filled with entries about vegetables and tough workouts, with junk food around Halloween? (or any other holiday coming up) No way. Keeping a journal helps you maintain a commitment to yourself.

DEVELOP A SUPPORT GROUP
Enroll your friends and co-workers in your effort from the outset. Challenge them to stay motivated as they challenge you. Technology makes it so easy. Post a motivational message on a friend's Facebook wall. Leave an inspirational voicemail or e-mail. Tell someone he or she looks amazing. Always express gratitude for their support. It will go a long way on your personal journey.

Make this fall and holiday season the first of many healthy ones.

A fun workout!!!!

Hey Girls! I just wanted to share a fun indoor workout for those of you who have stairs in your house. I do this work out often and really like it.

Run up and down your stairs 10 times. Take 2 minutes off, then do it again. 10 times.

Now here's the fun part. I like to fold laundry or put it away during my 2 minute rest. I start my stairs running at the top of my stairs by my bedroom. That way I can finish upstairs, walk to my room grab a stack of clothes, walk to a different room and put them away. I use a stop watch to signal when it is time to head back to the stairs to do another set. You can also do sit ups, or jumping jacks, or push ups, or anything else. I also like to alternate the stairs with my elliptical machine. Or maybe try tidying your kitchen.

Give it a try. It'll get rid of those winter blues and give you amazing leg muscles!!! Plus you will be able to get some things done around the house at the same time. I was dripping wet by the end of my work out today...and my legs feel tired and wonderful.

Just don't fall down your stairs.

Done that.

It's not fun.

If you start feeling sloppy, slow it down. You'll still feel the benefit of climbing stairs.

This has been the hardest period of all and I'm not quite sure why. It has been harder to focus and stay on top of things. One goal I thought I would try was while my walking partner was out of town, I thought I would try to run on part of my walk. First day was ok but the second day I ran again but I paid for it big time. I could hardly walk and I had to sleep with heat on my hip and some good pain killer. Nothing like getting old. I think I'll pass on running but *I did achieve my goal.
Sept. I wrote off all sugary sweets. I did really well but this month has been terrible. I did ok until the end with two pot lucks, a chili/pie cook off and lemon pie for FHE. I will post my points but really not as good as it could be. I need something crunchy....any suggestions. My taste buds need a pick me up with GOOD healthy food.

I diligently got up this morning to exercise after my sugar induced coma. I was doing this move with the exercise bands to mock a pull up (which I can not do). As the thought came to me, "I wonder if the band would hurt if it snapped in half. And then it happened. I have big welt marks across my chest and arm, and a nice big bruise. And the answer is, YES IT DOES HURT. Do you use exercise bands. I don't think I will use them again. I can do an imitation pull up by using a chair, but due to back injury it's harder. Maybe I just gotta avoid pull ups til my back gets stronger.

How I survived Halloween...

I survived Halloween by, RUNNING! 
Crazy? Maybe but I wasn't alone. We ran with 3000 people who were dressed up in AMAZING costumes. I was shocked to see how creative people got! It was fun to pick someone like Tinkerbell or Waldo out in the crowd and try to pass them. Let's just say it kept things interesting as we ran 13 miles down Provo Canyon :)

Running with your best friends makes it even better!

It's Monday and my legs are still extremely sore but it was so much fun. Don't worry, I will get a better costume for next year :)

Somebody Wire My Mouth Shut

Yep, I need to have an accident, break my jaw and get it wired shut. I just eat and eat and eat and eat... where will it stop?!! I think it's all that sugar! It just promotes more hunger, which in turn promotes more sugar eating, which promotes more hunger, and the vicious cycle keeps going. I think I will definitely have to recommit myself to the HWHL way of living!

Nope, this ain't easy.

It's Halloween weekend. I'm sure many of you have parties to attend, kids to get ready and candy to hand out. It's not easy juggling so many things with temptations in the house...not to mention I made this challenge longer than usual. I did this on purpose. This is just a taste of the challenges that are ahead with Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Many of you may have had a few slip ups already. I have. The important thing is to not stop. Everyday is a new day and a new opportunity to make better choices. More better days than bad, that's a realistic goal.

So I have two things to tell you. FIRST: Don't stop working at this challenge. Everyone who post their post their points at the end of the session will be put into a drawing for the fabulous gift Melissa has offered. Of course, not the person who wins the bling, sorry who ever the lucky one is.

SECOND: Challenge #2 is to tell everyone what your successes were this weekend. It's not perfection. Small successes help each of us grow. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Bitter

Ever have a day (or a week...) where things just don't taste right? And as a result you under eat (gasp!) your range? Well, that's me this past week. So, perversely, I'm not even getting my range points. Frankly, that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Orange is in Vogue

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a lunch for some of my friends to celebrate fall and a birthday. There were three orange soups. But, none of them were the same. Although I love my Sweet Potato Leek Soup I made something new and it included a new veggie I had never used before: The Turnip. It was delicious and I'll make it again.

Turnip and Carrot Soup with Parmesan (Flat Belly Diet Book)
1 pound white turnips, peeled and quartered
4 large carrots, cut into chunks
2 large red or white new potatoes, quartered
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp. dried
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage, or 1/2 tsp. dried
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, combine the turnips, carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, broth, water thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.

2. In batches blend, or with a hand wand puree the veggies until smooth. When all the soup has been pureed, stir in the milk. Cook over low heat just until heated through (do not boil). Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Ladle into bowls and top each with 2 Tablespoons of the pine nuts.

This makes 8 servings. 261 calories per serving, 9 g. protein 5g. fiber.

I left the Parmesan on the side and sprinkled it on top. It's good either way!!!!

Try it, you'll like it!

Are You Ready!!

Are you ready?? It's coming. The Holidays are before us and Halloween is the kick off to lots of celebration (and yummy food). I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. But, I also know that I have to figure out a plan of attack. What to do with all that candy? I know I don't need it, and my kids certainly don't need it. In years past we eat it, usually not taking long to finish it off. But this year has got to be different. Check out this website:

http://www.freebies2deals.com/2010/10/let-dentists-buy-back-your-halloween.html

Have you ever done it before? I haven't, but I'm thinking about it.

Trainer Momma did some great posts last year. One was Wednesday October 28, 2009. Sorry don't know how to link a site.

I need ideas!!

Try it. You might like it.

The reasons I love sushi are simple.

It's tasty.
It's pretty.
It's healthy.

. . . and most important of all . . .

I get to use chopsticks.

If you think you're sushi-averse, start small. Try the California Roll first (no raw fish there, only cooked imitation crab).

P.S. Sushi also makes me think of my little brother, also known as Audrey's husband.

edible acorns

Today at Wegmans I picked up something new. It's an acorn squash, and I have never eaten one before. Last week in the Washington Post they had a side column on different varieties of squash and how to cook them. I quickly ripped out the article to save, since there were a few on that list that I have never tasted. Spaghetti squash was another one that I wanted to try, so it also made it into my shopping cart.

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I will substitute the couscous for brown rice or quinoa to make it gluten free. I'm making it for dinner tomorrow, so I will let you know how it goes. My husband and I will be having a nice dinner with just the two of us after everyone is in bed...(only because I only bought two acorn squash.)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 large acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked couscous

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Arrange squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, or until tender. Dissolve the sugar in the melted butter. Brush squash with the butter mixture, and keep squash warm while preparing the stuffing.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans and raisins. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
4. Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, and mix in the couscous. Cover skillet, and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absorb liquid for 5 minutes. Stuff squash halves with the skillet mixture to serve.

Scary

New food in my house is considered scary. If the kids find out I'm tying a new recipe or new food, they've been know to cry before even seeing their dinner plates. They even think the word "recipe" is scary because it implies more than one ingredient. My attempt to console them is this: I usually alway have a couple items on their plate that are no-brainers when I'm trying something new. It should also be said that there are PLENTY of recipes I don't try, though I'd like to, because of the picky eaters around here. In other words, I'm already working behind the scenes to reduce food fear.

Tonight was a total feast of deliciousness for me: a balsamic skillet pork chop (so easy, moist and super tasty), roasted butternut squash with fresh rosemary, sea salt and pepper (bonus points: old veggie made a new way!), Brussels sprouts cooked in chicken stock with lots of pepper and thyme and, last, applesauce.

For the kids, I added a little bowl of pine nuts (protein in case they were unwilling to try the chops). I did not even offer them the greens, so I had high hopes for the squash. But despite my insistence that the squash was a close cousin to the sweet potato--a food they enjoy--even my oldest, who scarfed down the chop and asked for seconds, was scared.



He did try one bite in the end. What this all comes down to is this: all three of them will request bread before bed tonight, my high carb whole wheat concession on nights when the food is excellent, but no one but me knows it. Now that's really scary.



And that I'm posting twice in one day. BOO!

Enjoying the view

We took a long fall walk this weekend. It was the perfect fall day, 72 degrees and sunny, with the golden leaves carpeting the forest floor. The first part of the walk involved climbing a long, endless-seeming set of stairs. We counted each and every stair up to the top: all 135 of them. And then we took out our water bottles and enjoyed the hilltop views.
The experience reminded me of our task here on HWHL. The hilltop or mountaintop moments are what we live for: finishing the race in record time, reaching our weight goal, making a really healthy and delicious meal that everyone loves. But we can't rest in that moment for long. Most of our lives are spent below, on the plains and even, sometimes, in the valleys. But don't forget, after all those steps, to enjoy the view and store it someplace you can return to in your heart and mind, again and again.

Stress Trigger and Release

This is what I wanted to do Friday night. I've recently become the cub scout committee chair for our ward. This basically means I need to be really organized and manage everyone's political agenda. The other thing is means is putting together a list of the awards for the upcoming pack meeting. This shouldn't be a hard thing but since it was recently decided to put everything on the computer program it was crazy.

Problems, not everyone has their stuff on the computer.
The computer that had all the old stuff crashed so I'm unsure of what everyone already has.
Some of the info came from emails and not the computer program.

So, after a wonderfully fun day of lunch, shoe shopping, visiting Samantha, Homecoming Parade and Football game I sat down thinking it would take about 45 minutes to pull things together to give our Cub Master, it was 10:30.

At 1:15 when I finally headed to bed I WANTED A DIET COKE! But I didn't have one to give into, so I went for the VitaWater Zero.

SO THE QUESTION IS: What have you replaced your stress trigger bad habit with? Is that when you give in and fall of the wagon for a bit or have you found things that are better choices and still help?

I see a pattern here. Sunday tends to become my confessions day, although I am learning a lot about myself.

Here's what I've learned.

...I have little self control when it comes to sweet treats that are gluten free.

...I tend to fall apart on the weekends.

So now, the trick is to figure out why that happens, and avoid it!

Here's the plan. I am not going to bake large amounts of gluten free carrot cake, unless there is a lot of people at my house who will help me eat it. I ended up finishing off the cake so I wouldn't be tempted any more, and so I could start the week fresh. (wink wink)

Mmmm, it was good.

Second, I am going to have to plan for healthy treats on the weekend, so I can still have a reward that won't sabotage my efforts. I think if I have the ingredients all together to make my healthy treat, I won't default to creating something that I won't be able to resist.

Third...Keep the really bad stuff out of my house. AKA gourmet chocolate and carrot cake. At least there was carrots in it!

Does anyone else struggle with portion control when it comes to dessert?

How To

I saw a lot of questions on how to make these, so I thought I'd do another post in case you don't get notified by e mail on comments.

I use a toothpick to make the sandwich on a stick. It's not as long as the picture shows, but I use a couple toothpicks and make a few sandwich sticks. My daughter is only 6 and doesn't have a huge appetite.
If you toast the bread, and then use food coloring, it works perfectly.

I use mozzarella cheese as the sail for the sailboats. I cut it like a sail and then stick it in a toothpick. Then I put the toothpick in the egg.

One Of My Favorite Things About Fall

The fall leaves falling from our tree.

Great family exercise.

My drug of choice

Sadly for me, today is the first day I've been able to get my exercise in since last week. But I'm so much more clear-headed and energy-filled and mood-enhanced, I feel like I'm taking drugs (I've had some experience with steroids for hives). Which got me thinking, not about what exercise does for my body, but what it does for my brain. And I was so amazed with what I found. Frankly, the human body amazes me pretty much every day. This study talks about how exercise can increase your brain acuity. In turn, that can affect other major outcomes in life: people who were fittest at 18 were more likely to achieve both higher educational and socioeconomic status later in life, according to results published in December 2009 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

I'm also following this line of research: molecular biologists and neurologists have begun to show that exercise may alter brain chemistry in much the same way that antidepressant drugs do — regulating the key neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. Exercise is a free drug! We all have the prescription and it never runs out. We just have to remember to take it.

P.S. The picture is cool, but freaky too, I know.