Scrumptious Saturday!

I like anything pumpkin...Wait let me rephrase that I LOVE anything pumpkin. I think that still is not a good enough word...OK I am OBSESSED with anything pumpkin. I mean it is so awesome!! I know a lot of people are really excited when the fall comes because there is pumpkin everywhere, but I am here to tell you friends pumpkin is not just for the fall. I love it all year. I am going to give you all my recipe for my yummy scrumptious pumpkin muffins. I kind of made up the recipe on the fly. My picky 7 year old has gobbled them up since I made them. First before I give you the recipe let's talk pumpkin. So here are some benefits to one of my favorite foods. Seriously pumpkin is amazing!

 

 

So yea pumpkins are awesome!!!!

 

 

 

Ok the first thing I did was make my pumpkin puree. You can use canned, but I like the fresh pumpkin. If I don't use fresh I get the organic pumpkin that is in a carton (at whole foods) not in a can. To puree your pumpkin just cut it in half and scoop out the middle (save your seeds to do roasted pumpkin seeds) and place it down in a dish. I put a little water around my pumpkin. I bake for about 60 minutes. After it has cooled just scoop out the middle and put in a food processor or blender and voila yummy pumpkin puree. Make sure you get the right kind of pumpkin. This is what I use.

 



After making the yummy puree it is muffin time. So finally what you have been waiting for here it is...The pumpkin muffin recipe!!

15oz of pumpkin puree (homemade or carton or canned)
1/2 cup of applesauce (homemade or organic unsweetened)
2 large organic eggs (flax eggs can be used as well, 1tbsp of flax with 3tbsp water= 1 egg)
1tsp organic vanilla
1/2 cup organic coconut sugar (you can also use brown sugar)
1 3/4 cups organic spelt flour (oat, coconut, wheat, or quinoa would work as well)
1tsp baking powder
2 1/2tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and ground cloves)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

I always mix all my ingredients together in the order listed. I know every recipe says do dry first in a bowl, and then a separate bowl mix your wet ingredients and then in another bowl mix them all together. Seriously who wants to do that many dishes? I have a Kitchenaid stand mixer and just dump everything in there, and mix.
I used silicone muffin tins, but use whatever you have. If you have paper lightly grease the bottom with a little organic olive oil.
I use an ice cream scooper so I can get roughly the same amount in every tin. Bake them for 30 minutes. With the applesauce they will be a little softer on the inside. You can freeze them to pull out to eat during the week. Let them cool down and then enjoy.

You could add some other ingredients in there if you want. Nuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter, bananas etc... I don't want that other stuff in the way of my yummy pumpkin though. I am a pumpkin purist :)

Happy Birthday!! belated...

January 27 marked the 7 year anniversary of me becoming a mommy. Oh yeah and it was my son's 7th birthday. Is that a coincidence that they are the same day?? :) This is my oldest sweet baby. It was emotional for me on his birthday. I always think of him as my little baby. Which he will always be, but now he is a big baby! He is about 4 1/2 feet tall and weighs 56 pounds. He wears a size 3 in his shoes and 8/10 in his clothes. So yea he is a big baby :)

 

 



January 26 2007 I was induced for my first baby to be born. It was a mix of emotions for us. We were very excited and nervous at the same time. I was induced at 5 pm with him on a Friday night. My amniotic fluid was very low, and it was a necessity for him to be born. I was very upset about it. I wasn't ready and this wasn't part of my birth plan were the thoughts I kept thinking. Of course him being delivered safe and healthy was the most important thing so of course we said let's do this. I had made it to 6 pm Saturday January 27 and was miserable. The contractions were reading off the chart, and I had no epidural. I was in misery. I had gone 24 hours with an induction and was so ready for him to be born. The doctor checked me, and I was at 3cm. I was crushed. I screamed and cried and said get him out of me know. I lost it. I said give me a C-section (of course I didn't want one, but I was miserable). I finally said give me an epidural. I know realize I would have been fine without it and really did not need one. I could have made it without one. After delivering without an epidural and being induced I know I could have made it. That was the point where I was going to start advancing quickly, but being a first time mom I did not know this. I had never planned to get an epidural. I wanted it all natural. So to be induced and now get an epidural I was so unhappy, but I kept thinking as long as he is safe that is all that matters. I will say after I got the epidural I was like a different person. There was a big whirlpool tub in the bathroom which I couldn't use obviously because my whole body was numb. So my husband decided to take advantage of this awesome tub. I was finally calm and playing cards with my mom. It was almost 8pm. He went in the bathroom, turned off the lights in there and got in a nice warm Jacuzzi tub. Then there was suddenly a knock on the door. My mom was telling him ok it is time to push now. Wow what a wasted bath right? So I pushed for a short time for a first time mom. He entered the world at 8:49 pm. So after almost 28 hours of labor my baby was finally here. I couldn't wait to hold him. The nurses seemed very concerned as they were pumping lot of liquid out of his lungs. They wrapped him up quickly and let me hold him for about 5 sec and then rushed him out of the room. My heart sank. Where did my baby go? Why is he not in my arms? He was in respiratory distress. It was awful. They got him stabilized, and Daddy got to go in there to help give him his first bath. After several hours I finally got my baby back in my arms. He was so sweet and tiny. It was finally real I was a mommy. It was amazing.

He had a dramatic entrance into the world, and has not stopped since then. I am so lucky to be his mommy. He is so amazing. He is so smart and strong. He is in the first grade, and gets straight A's and reads on a fourth grade level. He is just so amazing. My little 7 pound 8 ounce baby is growing into such an amazing little boy. So happy birthday to my sweet little man!!

He had a ninja turtle party yesterday. It was so awesome to celebrate with his friends and our amazing family. He had a wonderful time. Which as a mommy is all I really want for my baby. I can't wait to celebrate so many more wonderful birthdays for my big boy!!

Belated birthday

I feel so bad that I am writing this post so late. My sweet baby turned 5 on the 15. We had a great lego birthday celebration for him. He had a wonderful time, and so did all of his guests. I even made a homemade lego piñata for him. He is the sweetest, most unique little man I know. He knows what he wants and will not change his mind for anything, which can sometimes be frustrating :). He loves his brother and sister more than anything in the whole world. He will be the first person to tell you that you look beautiful, or you are cool etc... He loves giving people compliments and he genuinely means it. I can't believe my little baby boy is 5 now. Here are a few photos from his special day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Size matters!!

Today we went out shopping. I didn't get myself anything, but looked around at a lot. My birthday is next weekend, and I was showing my hubby what I want for my birthday :) Well I have been walking around wearing size 16 jeans which are completely falling off of me. I mean it looks ridiculous how big they are on my. Which is great because only a few months ago there was no way I could even think about buttoning them. Anyways today I wore my new size 10 jeans out. My husband said wow there is such a difference when you actually wear the right size clothes for you. I think one reason I was keeping my size 16's was a comfort thing. The other day I took 4 trash bags of my "fat" clothes to goodwill. It felt great to get rid of them. I don't want to sound weird, but it was kind of a liberating experience to drop them off and know that I will never again need them. I still have some of my 16's, but I think I will be taking those to donation next week. I need to completely clear them out of my house. I have noticed that I still look at myself as the girl that could only shop in the plus size section or stores, and a lot of times even those clothes were tight on me. I still have to accept that I can shop in the smaller sizes. I am still focusing what I want to work on instead of what I have already changed. I am working on this. I still look in the mirror and see the overweight girl that has been there for so many years. So I got a big boost today when my hubby told me how good I looked in the right size clothing. I know also it will be very, very soon that I will be able to put on those single digit jeans. Can't wait!! So here are my jeans that I wore today (also my shirt is a medium just a few short months ago I couldn't even dream of wearing a 2x button up shirt)

Fabulous Friday

So today's post is a continuation of yesterday's post. Since it is birthday week this week I thought why not keep it going :) I posted the other day about my daughters birthday. I was so much happier this year with everything. I felt so much better about myself. It was indoors so it was not 100 degrees like last year. Also most importantly my mom was there at the party and not in the hospital!!!! From the moment I found out I was having a girl I knew I was going to name her Callie, I have wanted that name since I was 16. I have also loved the movie Mary Poppins since I was a little girl. I have loved watching it with my own children. My baby girl loves the movie. So a Mary Poppins party was practically perfect in every way. It was honestly one of my favorite parties I have ever done for my kids. My other two favorites were a golf party this year for my oldest son, and a fall festival I put together for my younger sons second birthday. I knew as soon as I found out I was having a girl I was going to do her second birthday as Mary Poppins. I mean what is cuter than a sign that says superCALLIEfradgalisticexpialiTWOcious!! Most importantly she had an amazing time at the party, and I think everyone else did as well. I am so happy looking back on the photos from her party. Here are a few of my favorites.

Another shout out!

Margaret and I are in a mommy group together. Her daughter and my daughter are the same age. She has been one of my inspirations to my healthier lifestyle. We have a fitness group on facebook and she is always so inspiring. She started her weight loss journey in October of last year. She has lost 56 lbs during her journey. She loves Jillian Michaels and has done a lot of her different workouts. She also enjoys running, hooping, and kickboxing. She and I do some monthly challenges in our group. She also eats a very healthy diet. She has been a big inspiration to a lot of the ladies in our fitness group. She is at her goal and is now just trying to maintain where she is at, but I can say she has not really stopped working hard. She knows this is a lifestyle and not just a temporary change.

Another Shout out!!

This shout out is to my favorite person in the whole world, other than my babies of course :) He is the most amazing person I have ever met. He is my biggest supporter and inspiration. He works very, very hard for our family. He has stood by my side through everything. He is the love of my life and my soulmate. Obviously I am talking about my husband. After we got married we "enjoyed" married life a little too much, and we had both become very unhealthy. He is probably the pickiest person on the face of the planet. His mother told me good luck because he won't eat anything. He is a southern boy. Which means sweet tea and fried foods. I am so proud of him. With all the changes I have made he has never complained once. He is willing to try so many new things. I actually made him a salad last week with spinach and kale, and he ate it all. I could not believe it. He is my partner in training. I am so proud of everything he has done. He is the most fantastic person on the planet.

Sweat it out!

I must admit I used to hate it when I would even get one drip of sweat. I thought it was so gross. I did not want to go outside because I was afraid I would get sweaty. If I did ever try to work out I would stop when I started to get sweaty. Who wants to be covered in sweat? It just seems so gross. Now I love it!! If I have a workout and I do not break a sweat I feel like I did not workout hard enough. I need to go do some more to get a good sweat going.

Sweating has a lot of health benefits. Sweat consists primarily of water, as well as concentrations of sodium and chloride, and to a lesser extent, potassium. There are two types of glands involved in sweating: eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine glands trigger perspiration to keep our core temperature regulated, while apocrine glands release sweat as a response to nerves or stimulation, such as exercise. In addition to the aforementioned ingredients, sweat from apocrine glands may contain proteins and fatty acids.

Sweating is your body’s natural way of providing a high-tech cooling system

Skin is considered the largest organ in or on the body and it’s vital to take care of it

In conjunction with proper washing, sweat can produce soft & supple texture of the skin

Improves tone & flexibility of skin

Critical factor in the body’s hydration process

Essential in the process of removing toxins from the liver, kidneys & the cardiovascular system

Is the body’s natural process of cleansing & washing skin pores

Serves as one of the body’s many indicators

On a small scale can burn calories in conjunction with traditional training

Improves circulation

Helps boost the body’s immune system

Triggers your body to work harder to compensate & adjust

When you exercise and sweat, endorphins are released to lower your stress levels and brighten up your mood.

When you sweat make sure you wash your face to unclog the pores from it.

So go do something now that makes you sweat. I bet you will feel great afterwards!

 

Treat yo self

I got some new workout shorts today as a treat for myself. I used to always turn to unhealthy foods to treat myself, but I am so much happier with my treat now. Everyone needs to treat themselves every now and then, my husband tells me this all the time. I had fun tonight breaking in my new shorts with some fun exercises! I love the Adidas shorts. They are the most comfortable to me. Also I love the bright colors of them. I know you can't tell a lot in the picture, but they are bright pink and yellow. I love that all the workout gear now has these fun colors!

I love strength training!!

I  have always heard that to lose weight you should increase your cardio. I joined the gym in February, however, I did not actually start going until March. My intentions were to go in and do cardio. I was going to use the elliptical and stationary bike. I have never really done strength training before, and I was very intimidated by it. Seeing all these men and women in shape who look like they know what they are doing is very intimidating. I actually did not want to do it at all. We signed up to work with a personal trainer, which was very scary and exciting for me. The philosophy of the program absolutely no cardio just strength training. I was happy that I would have someone there telling me what to do. I was nervous about my first session. I found out how much I really like strength training, and I actually HATE cardio. I try to get some cardio in because it does help to burn a lot of calories quickly, but the majority of my fitness routine is my strength training. The thing about cardio is yes it does burn a lot of calories really quickly, but as soon as you step off the cardio machine or stop running etc...you stop burning calories. With strength training you do not burn as many calories while doing it, but your body will continue to burn calories for up to 36 hours after your workout. That is much more appealing to me for sure. Strength training builds lean muscle which increases our metabolism, and you will continue to burn more calories each day. By speeding up metabolism you will burn more fat. The goal should be to burn fat and gain lean muscle, which you will not get from cardio alone.

I hear all the time "oh you do strength training you are going to get bulky". That is false. Most average women will not get bulky from strength training. That usually happens when women start taking supplements. Compared to men, women have 10 to 30 times less of the hormones that cause muscle hypertrophy. You will, however, develop muscle tone and definition. This is a bonus. So do not worry about getting big and bulky!

Unlike cardio, strength training is a great way to set positive, motivating goals that will keep you going to the gym week after week, month after month, and year after year. And, not to mention, allow you to achieve the body transforming results you’re after. Don’t focus on going to the gym just to burn fat and calories. Set performance goals and adjust your strength training program accordingly. I have set several goals for myself. I have never been able to do a pull up. This is a big goal for me. I want to be able to increase my weights on all the machines I do. It is a great feeling going in and doing an exercise with ease that was hard for me the week before. I was intimidated by the other people in the gym, but now all I am not worrying about them. The only person I need to be better than is me from yesterday. Strength training is also a good stress relief. There have been several times where I said I don't want to go to the gym today it is just a bad day. After getting my workout in though I always feel much better.

I loved working out with my trainer. He was awesome. He helped give me confidence, and helped me kick start my new fit lifestyle. We are no longer working with him because it was no longer cost effective. He helped set me up for success. Last week was the first week of not working with him. The problem is I started to feel unconfident and intimidated again. I have been doing these workouts for 4 months with him, but I felt like I did not know anything. Thankfully my wonderful husband is working out with me. He helps me with my workouts, and is helping me gain my confidence again. I feel like I do not know what to do, and as soon as he tells me I think yes I know this. I really enjoy working out with my husband, and hope we continue to workout together. I do, however, want to stop relying on him. I know the exercises I just need to get my confidence back up. I need to stay out of my head and focus on my strength training again.

 

 

I do some cardio to help burn quick calories, but I think that my main focus will stay on strength training. I have been building muscles in my body that I did not even know that I had. So try to incorporate strength training in your routine. Trust me you will not regret it. It has changed my life for the better.

 



Colors are our friends!!

Eat a rainbow of colors often!!

 

 

 

Who wants to eat a plate of food with plain drab colors. It really does not sound appetizing at all. There are so many benefits to eating more colors other than they just look more appetizing. Different colored foods play different roles in the body. You should aim for at least three colors at every meal and two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables over the course of the day. Every meal should include fruits and vegetables because of their fiber and nutrient contents.

 

 

If you eat 3 colors each night at dinner that will add up to over 500 servings of vegetables over 6 months.

 

 

 

 

 



Red foods are packed with phytochemicals like lycopene and anthocyanin's, red foods help increase heart and circulatory health, improve memory, support urinary tract health, and decrease the risk of certain types of cancers. Some good red foods to eat are cherries, cranberries, red bell peppers, strawberries, red kidney beans,  red potatoes, rhubarb, beets and tomatoes.

 

 

Orange foods are high in antioxidants such as vitamin C, carotenoids, and bioflavonoids. Eating orange foods has been linked to skin and eye health, increased immunity, decreased risk of cancer, and a healthy heart. Some good orange foods to eat are carrots, oranges, sweet potatoes, peaches, apricots, cantaloupe, mangoes, tangerines, and butternut squash.

 

 

Pineapple, yellow peppers, corn, star fruit, and other yellow foods contain nutrients that promote good digestion and optimal brain function. High in alpha- and beta-carotenes, yellow foods have also been linked to increased immunity, a decreased risk of some cancers, and healthy eyes and skin. Some other good yellow foods are lemons, yellow watermelon, yellow tomatoes, yellow winter squash, and yellow apples.

 

 

Green fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of potent phytochemicals such as lutein and indoles. Benefits include a lower risk of some cancers, improved eye health, rejuvenated musculature and bone, and strong teeth. Some good green foods are spinach, broccoli, kale, kiwi, avocados, honeydew, green peppers, green cabbage, green apples, zucchini, watercress, arugula, leafy greens, cucumbers, and Brussels sprouts.

 

 

These colorful foods get their bright hue from anthocyanin's, which have been linked with antioxidants and anti-aging properties in the body. Blue and purple foods help promote bone health, and have been shown to lower the risk of some cancers, improve memory, and increase urinary-tract health. The main benefit of blue and purple foods is increased circulation and microcirculation. Some good blue/purple foods are blueberries, plums, eggplant, purple grapes, figs, purple Belgian endive, purple-fleshed potatoes, purple asparagus, purple cabbage, and elderberries.


While many white foods are refined, like white bread and white rice, there are a lot of white foods that are packed with nutrients. White fruits and veggies have been linked to lower cholesterol, decreased blood pressure, and a lower risk of heart disease. The key benefit of white foods is increased immunity. Eating white foods helps enhance the immune system, the lymph systems, and aids in cellular recovery. Some good white foods to eat are garlic, onions, cauliflower, ginger, turnips, jicama, white corn, turnips, shallots, mushrooms, parsnips, Jerusalem artichoke, white peaches and white nectarines.

The goal should be to eat at least 1-2 from each color group every day. I sometimes find this hard to do. I try for as many colors as I can. I am still working on this. I like to eat a lot of colors, but I am still working on it. My kids do well with eating their colors. We are still working on it as a family. I know all of the benefits of colorful foods. The goal is to get more of them into my diet. Clean eating has really helped me a lot on my fitness journey. Eating the rich colorful fresh foods will only assist me in my fitness journey. Color is powerful on our plates.

 

 

 

 

 

 



H2O Love...

I always hear you should drink 8 glasses of water a day. I had trouble just getting those in every day. It would be 2 in the afternoon before I realized I had not drank anything all day. Then I would reach for soda and not water. No wonder I always felt thirsty. I felt hungry constantly so instead of trying to drink more I would eat snacks, snacks and more snacks. Water is the key to health. My husband always makes fun of me because I talk about water all the time. He says I treat it like a miracle drug...in essence it is nature's wonder drug. Water can do amazing things for our bodies. Did you know that your body cannot tell the difference between hunger and thirst? I didn't. I would reach for those snacks when really I should have been reaching for the glass of water that I let sit on the table all day. Did you also know that our bodies are made up of 60% of water? So when we are affecting the performance of our bodies by not rehydrating it. Dehydration can make us feel sluggish, hungry, have headaches, feel bloated, and feel grumpy and confused. There is one simple solution to cure all of these DRINK WATER!!!! Water can help flush toxins out of our bodies so we feel less bloated. Drinking a glass of water can help us concentrate and feel refreshed and alert. By drinking more water we will eat much less.

I drink at least a gallon of water everyday. I do not drink anything else during the day except an occasional cup of hot tea, which has water in it :)  I went from drinking almost no water to 16-24 glasses a day. The days that I workout really hard are of course the days I get more water in. Some things that have helped me up my intake. I drink at least 8 ounces of water as soon as I wake up in the morning, I always keep a glass of water beside my bed. Before each meal I eat I drink at least 8 ounces of water about 30 minutes before, I eat 4-5 meals a day. I drink at least 8 ounces before going to bed each night, remember when I said I always keep a glass of water beside the bed. So far we are up to at least 6-7 glasses of water just by doing these simple steps. If I get up to use the restroom during the night, which trust me you will if you are drinking this much water, I drink some more water before lying back down. Of course while I am working out I always have a bottle with me. Typically I can drink 3-4 right after a workout. I try to never go anywhere without bringing my water bottle with me. That way I always have it so if I feel thirsty it is right there with me. If I get cravings during the day and feel hungry I will drink at least 8 ounces of water and wait 30 minutes. If I still feel hungry then I will go ahead and eat a snack, a good healthy snack of which I will usually drink some water with. If I do not feel hungry still then I was just thirsty, remember our bodies cannot tell the difference. I have a Rubbermaid bottle that is 32 ounces, so if I drink 4 of them then that is 1 gallon, 128 ounces. I try to make sure I have at least 1, 32 ounces drank before lunch, then at least 1 more before eating my snack, then at least 1 more before dinner, then at least 1 more before going to bed. So that will give me a gallon a day without adding in the water I drink at bedtime, or working out etc...So yes my husband makes fun of me for my love of water, but he knows how great water can be. Water intake is really dependent of the size of a person and the activity level. Take your body weight and divide by 2. That is the number of ounces you should at least be getting in everyday. Of course drinking more than that is going to be even more beneficial to you especially if you are a very active person. So go grab a glass now and DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!!!!