Milestone #1!

I started my diet on January 12, and I had (and still have, for that matter!) in my mind that I would lose 60 pounds.  I am giving myself a year to complete this goal-which is just over a pound a week.  Of course, I know that I will lose weight faster in the beginning, and it will slow towards the end of the goal.  This morning when I stepped on the scale, it showed that I have lost exactly 10.0 pounds!  It took me 19 days to achieve this, and I am excited about that!  While I don't feel like my clothes fit me any differently just yet, I know that it will come!  I realize, also, that I am not consistently at a 10 pound weight loss-that is-at the end of the day, and tomorrow, my weight may be up more than that-I am looking forward to a consistent 10 and pushing to my next goal of 20 pounds lost!

By the way, I created this neat chart online at a kids website I found.  Click this link, if you need to create a graph for anything.  It has a wide variety of graphs to choose from.

Together Training Pictures

The other day I blogged about the Together Training that we attended.  I had forgotten my phone that day, so I wasn't able to take any pictures.  But my husband did get some great pictures of worship time, and I wanted to share them.

Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo

After going to the rodeo today, we walked around the rest of the grounds to see what all the Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo had to offer.  As expected, there were lots of food vendors with typical fair food.  There were carnival rides, and lots of vendors.  There were also buildings with show animals.  I got a few pictures...

It was a wonderful afternoon, and I am glad I got the chance to experience it.

Rodeo!

Today we attended the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.  Our church gave us 2 tickets to get in, and so we were excited to go!  I really enjoyed watching it all, although I wasn't completely sure what was going on much of the time!  I got lots of pictures, but due to how fast the animals were moving, most of them didn't turn out too well.


Barrel racing...

Roping... 

Bucking bronco...

Bull riding...

The rodeo clown jumped this truck and trailer on a motorcyle...

Roping...

Horses...

More roping...

Carriage racing...

One of the really neat things we saw that I couldn't get a decent picture of was some kids doing stunts on horses.  While the horse was running around the arena, they turned around on the horse, stood on the horse, and jumped off the horse to where it looked like the horse was dragging them and then jumped back on.  The youngest kid doing this was 8 years old!  It was amazing!

Planning for a Fast Food Day

I have said it before, and I am sure I will say it again, but I follow the saying "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  I knew that today I would be fed lunch at a youth training-and whatever they served me would be my lunch.  And I knew that after the event, we would be picking up fast food.  So I had to plan well for my weight loss.

For breakfast, I chose the lowest calorie option of my normal 3 breakfast options-oatmeal-so that I would have a little more calories later in the day.  Looks really appetizing, doesn't it-lol?  We stopped at Starbucks after we arrived in Denton, so I chose the green tea-unsweetened-which has virtually no calories.

For lunch I was expecting pizza-it tends to be the go-to answer for feeding large groups of students.  We were actually served Chick-fil-a sandwiches along with chips, cookies, and sodas.  I ate the sandwich, and then ate an apple and water I had brought with me for just such an occasion.  I am glad I prepared ahead!  Later I was getting hungry, so I ate a 100 calorie pack of peanut butter crackers that I had brought with me.  Again-I am very glad I planned ahead.

For dinner we ended up stopping at Jason's Deli.  They have a whole section of the menu with lighter options, and it lists the calorie count right on the menu for these options.  So I ordered a half of one of those sandwiches, along with a cup of chicken noodle soup.I am pleased that at the end of the day I came in at just under 1200 calories.  I never would have expected that to be possible, but I keep proving to myself over and over that if I just plan a little bit, it is possible.

Together Training

Today we took several of our students to Denton for "Together Training".  The students we took were our "campus missionaries"-students who have committed to share Jesus on their school campuses.  This training was put on by Youth Alive, and they did a spectacular job.  I am not one who can sit though meetings all day long, but I was able to today-it was fast paced, and they kept changing things up every 30 minutes.  As leaders, we sat with our students for certain parts, and attended meetings of our own as well.  I love seeing our students catch the vision of reaching the lost for Christ-and I got another opportunity to see it first-hand today.


I left my phone at home today-oops!-so I didn't get any pictures during the day, but I did get a quick picture of the t-shirt from today's event, and the schedule cover.

Pizza Night

Both my husband and I were in the mood for pizza tonight.  After multiple times of ordering our favorite (Papa John's) and it taking over an hour to arrive, either to be cold or burnt, we decided to order our second favorite tonight-Pizza Hut.


Of course, as I mentioned earlier this week, pizza is a difficult food to eat on a diet.  So I visited the Pizza Hut nutrition webpage, and decided what to order:  the ham & pineapple thin crust pizza...with the amount of calories I had left for the day, I knew I could have 2 slices plus an apple.  They also had a few options for "Fit 'n Delicious" Pizza.  While it did have fewer calories, it was smaller pieces, so I decided to stick with my first choice.  I will definitely have to remember this option for future reference, though.

I think one of the reasons my diet is going to work is because I don't deny myself food that I am craving-I simply limit myself to how much of it I can eat.

Cookie Filler

This morning when I opened my cabinet I noticed just how many cookie fillers we have:  chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, Andes mints pieces, Reese's Pieces, mini m&m's.  And it is all there to tempt me!  I figured I should make another batch of monster cookies to get rid of these fillers-my boys love to take them to school for lunch.

This time, I didn't realize that we didn't have enough peanut butter-so I only put in about 1/2 cup instead of 1 1/2 cups.  I also added about 1/4 cup of milk since last time the batter was so think I could barely stir it.  I didn't add any nuts, either, since I didn't see any in the cabinet, although I am sure we have some somewhere.  I only ate one, and after my family each had a chance to eat them, they went into the freezer-out of sight, out of mind!

Mahi Mahi & Alligator

In case you haven't noticed, I like to eat a variety of foods.  I get bored quickly if I eat the same stuff over and over-so tonight when my hubby was taking me out on a date and he suggested RJ Gator's in Hurst, I was excited and ready to go!  RJ Gator's specializes in food from Florida, and has both alligator and mahi mahi on the menu several times.  I have eaten alligator on a handful of occasions, and it is really good-it tastes similar to chicken-not "fishy" at all.


What I couldn't recall having tried was mahi mahi, which is a dolphin fish-not to be confused with a dolphin.  I have had a few opportunities to try mahi mahi in the past, but I declined because I thought it was actual dolphin-for some reason it just didn't seem right to eat that.


So tonight I ordered the grilled mahi mahi, and my hubby ordered alligator prepared with Jamaican jerk.  We both ordered our food "Havana Banana" style-which means it is served with "Floribbean rice", black beans, and fried sweet plantains.  Here is a picture of our plates-my mahi mahi in the front, and his alligator in the back.

And a close-up of just the mahi mahi.  My fish was amazing!  It was prepared perfectly-and I'll definitely order it again someday.  There was just so much food, though-I could only eat about half of it.

While we were eating I even commented to my hubby that I love fish so much, I wondered why I don't eat more of it.  The problem is-if you go somewhere where they don't know how to prepare fish-it can taste kind of, well, fishy.  Red Lobster is a another place where the fish is really good.  But restaurants that don't specialize in seafood tend to turn me off to fish.  I had a fun night with my hubby, and I am glad I got the opportunity to try something new.

Pictures of Lost & Found

I attended a chapel service this morning, and Dave McNaughton spoke.  He works to help prepare pastors to plant churches on the national level.  He had an excellent message on the lost and the found.

In Luke 15, there are 3 pictures of the lost and found:  -the shepherd that left the 99 sheep to go after the one that was lost; -the lost coin that was searched for; and -the  prodigal son who came home.  Dave explained that God is not obsessed with the lost, but rather He is obsessed with the lost being found.


Faithfulness is awesome; but He is also looking for fruitfulness.  Dave asked us to consider the story from Luke 5 of the 4 men carrying their friend to see Jesus on a mat.  These men were both faithful and fruitful.  These men followed 4 main things:
1-They understood and embraced their mission.
2-They understood their role.
3-They executed their task.
4-They trusted that the other men in their group were going to hold up their end of the bargain.


This message was a good reminder for me to not just be faithful, but to strive to be fruitful as well, and seek out to find those who are lost.

Running Giveaway Winner

I follow lots of blogs on a wide variety of topics.  One of the blogs I follow is Secrets of a Running Mom, which (as I am sure you guessed by the name) is a blog written by a mom who runs.  The blogger is humorous and pokes fun at herself constantly.  She has had several giveaways in the past, and so far I have not won any.  Back at the beginning of the month, she posted a blog about some running mama bumper stickers that she was giving away, so I figured I would try to win one.


Imagine my excitement when she posted the winners, and my name was on the list!  I followed her instructions, and made my selection (I chose the 13.1 as I figured I would be way closer at achieving that goal than the 26.2).  My prize came in the mail today!  It feels so cool to win something!

Rainy Day

Ever since the drought this summer, my perspective on rain has changed.  It is just wonderful!  I changed my desktop wallpaper from snowy pictures to rainy pictures last week. So pretty!

I realize that I have blogged about the rain before, but it is just so refreshing!  It poured down during my commute (but I was carpooling so I didn't have to drive in it), and when I got home, we had to make a trip to the grocery store, so we got to go out in it.  I took joy in getting out my rain coat and rain boots.  It is a very cold, hard rain with occasional lightening and thunder-my favorite!  Now I am just letting my coat and boots drip-dry while I warm up under my blanket.  Refreshing!

Pizza on a Diet

There are several foods that have always been difficult to eat when counting calories:  Mexican food, Italian food, and pizza.  The main thing I have to remember when eating those things, though, is:  Moderation!


Today at work, there was a special luncheon, and we were served Pizza Hut pizza, salad, and dessert of pecan pie squares or cherry dump cake.  As soon as I heard pizza was being served, I knew I had to plan.  I checked out the website, and saw that thin-crust was my best option (no big surprise there).  We had lots of choices, so I chose the thin crust with just cheese.  If I am not on a diet, I go for the thick crusts and lots of pepperoni or meats.  I can be content with no toppings, but choosing the thin crust is a bit more difficult for me.  I made myself a big bowl of salad greens and broccoli, and filled up on that before enjoying my pizza.  It was enough to make me full.  When it was time to go for dessert, I chose not to eat any (233 calories in one piece of the pecan pie squares was just not worth it).  It was a decision that was made easier because most of the people at my table declined dessert as well due to health reasons. 

My typical lunch is 300 calories or less.  Today, even with the pizza, my total was 280 calories.  I am so glad I made wise choices!

A Low Goal For A Reason

Several people have told me that 1200 calories is too low a number to try and maintain everyday.  While this may be true, I still like having that goal for one main reason-when I overdo it, I haven't gone completely overboard.  There are occasions when we have a big lunch and a big dinner in the same day.  Or when a high calorie food really tempts me and I give in.  Because I have a low calorie goal for the day, when I go over, it isn't in the 2000's, it only ends up being in the 1300 or 1400's.  Yesterday and today were both days like that-I ended up with 1314 calories yesterday, and 1240 calories today.  And while I did go over my daily calorie intake, it is not so high over that it will prevent me from weight loss.  I acknowledge that there are going to be days that I go over, but they are simply one day, or one meal, and nothing is lost.  I still exercise, and I still pick back up right where I was the next meal.

Italian Food with College Students

Tonight we had a couple college students come over for dinner.  They were wanting some homemade food, so my hubby decided on Italian sausages with green pepper and onion, penne pasta with a red sauce, green beans, and some Italian herb rolls.  It was all so yummy!  I got a picture of the peppers and onions on the grill-I love that crispy taste!

We had a fun night-college students have so much energy!

Catfish Plantation

Last night I was in the mood for catfish, so we took the family to Catfish Plantation in Waxahachie.  The Catfish Plantation is advertised as "The Most Haunted Restaurant in Texas". It is located in an old Victorian home near downtown.  The house is surrounded by a 1-2 foot tall white picket fence, and it has a stagecoach, among other props in the front yard.  There is even a wooden ghost cut-out for kids to put their heads in and get their pictures taken.  There is some outdoor seating, but it was not being used last night, a little surprising due to the nice weather.


What used to be the front porch has since been enclosed and serves as a waiting area for guests before their seats are ready.  This area has many interesting things to look at while you wait.  There is a table with a little bit of history of Waxahachie and information on the paranormal, which you can read about here.  The rest of the area is decorated in typical Victorian era decor, although there are several tacky things like garden gnomes placed around the room as well.  


The restaurant only has 3 dining rooms.  We walked through the first two before being seated in the 3rd room.  The restaurant is decorated just how you would expect a Victorian home to be decorated, although there is a hodge-podge mix of old tables and chairs.  The mix-matched furniture gives it a special character.  All the windows had stained glass windows covering them.  But mixed in with the decor, are ghoulish things.  In fact, this lady sat over our table on an antique hutch while we ate:

The hostess gave us our menus, which had the history of the restaurant printed on the cover, also found here.  The dinner menu was a little pricey, in my opinion, although the lunch menu looked a little more reasonable.  The waitress was less than attentive, and the food was so-so.  This is not a restaurant we would frequent because of a combination of all the negatives I just mentioned; however, I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a different dining experience.  Just don't come with high expectations!

Beautifully Warm January Day

Yesterday the weather was nice and warm-in the 70's.  It was wonderful!  But since I had to work, I really couldn't enjoy it.  Then I found out it was supposed to be nice today, too.  I love the Texas winter-there are occasional warm days-which are perfect for doing the things outside that I put off because of the weather. One of the things I put off during cold weather-cleaning the car.  It was out of control!  So when I went to get the oil changed this morning, I picked up everything I needed to get the car cleaned out.

I checked the hour-by-hour forecast, and I saw that it was supposed to peak at 76 degrees from 2-4.  That was my time!  I vacuumed out the car, cleaned out the trash, armor-alled the interior, and cleaned the windows.  Then I gave it a nice wash.  When my hubby got home, he even waxed it for me.  It looks like a new car.  It was such a gorgeous day, and I can't wait until the next one!

A Not So Un-fortune-ate Lunch

My hubby and I decided to get a quick lunch at Panda Express today.  I checked their website before going to get the nutrition information, and was pleasantly surprised by what great choices they had.  When I ordered the green bean chicken, though, there was none ready, so they told us they would prepare it and bring it out once it was ready.  I enjoyed my mixed vegetables (although I would have much rather been eating fried rice) and broccoli beef, but the green bean chicken still hadn't arrived.  I figured I would open my fortune cookie while I waited-but there was no fortune inside!  About that time I realized I was full, and didn't actually need my chicken, so I asked for it in a to-go box. I love feeling full after eating only 190 calories! 

Perseverance and a Mistake

Diet-wise, I thought today had been a pretty good day.  Wednesdays we never eat dinner at home-there is just not enough time.  So I knew we were headed to the Sonic drive-thru.  I had checked calorie counts before I went, and I was stoked (and also a little bewildered), that I was able to order a cheeseburger and tots.  I had really watched my calories all day, though, so I decided to enjoy my meal.  And enjoy it, I did!  Yum!  But later, when I went back to the website to get the fat grams, I realized I had made one detrimental mistake-I got my calorie count from the "calories from fat" column, not the "calorie" column.  Talk about frustration!  I ended up eating 1490 calories today-almost 300 calories over due to a mistake!  Boo!


Exercise-wise, it was not looking like a good day.  Today is my last day of the "week" (my diet weeks will start on Thursdays and end on Wednesdays because I initially started on a Thursday), and I had only exercised twice.  My goal is to exercise for 30 minutes, 3 times a week.  But I forgot to set my alarm for an early morning.  And since as soon as I get off work, it's time to get the boys and head to church, there is no time in the evening to exercise.  I don't usually get home until 9:30 or 10:00 on Wednesdays, and since I go to bed at 10:00, I don't even have time for my Gazelle.


But this was my very first week.  I can't not reach my goals the very first week!  And what about my "No Excuses" mentality I am trying to have?  So as soon as I got home from church (at 9:45), I quickly jumped on the Gazelle.  When I say quickly, it is no exaggeration.  I literally walked in the door, threw my purse down, and started right in.  I didn't even change my shoes, or my clothes.  That's right-I wore my boots and jeans!  And my tennis shoes were on the floor right next to the Gazelle.  In fact, I stared at them for most of my workout.  I almost quit after 20 minutes-after all, experts agree that 20 minutes is the minimum time recommended for weight loss-at least, that's what kept going through my head, anyhow.  But I knew that my goal was 30 minutes, so I made myself finish the workout.  It made me feel very proud of myself for finishing the week out right.  And my feet?  Yeah, my toes were killing me!  I am definitely wearing tennis shoes next time-not these!

SOPA and PIPA

Quite some time ago, when my hubby was stationed in Iraq, I quit watching the news.  It made me too nervous to hear about the deaths of soldiers, and different attacks that we were under.  When he arrived back to the States, I never got back into the habit of watching the news.  I think I realized how much negative stuff was reported, as well as the scare tactics that the media uses (think swine flu, West Nile virus, etc), and I decided I didn't want that to be a part of my life.


Anyhow, the downside to not watching the news is that unless it is big enough news to get the attention of the morning DJ or my friends on facebook, I usually have no idea what is going on.  I wish I were more informed, but don't know how to be, while still avoiding the negative and extreme reporting.  So, while on my morning commute, I heard the DJ talking about 2 bills before Congress right now:  SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act).  From my understanding, these bills were meant to stop online piracy.  However, due to the wording of the bill, if passed, the government would have the right to shut down any website it wants to.


I think what frustrates me the most about this, is that I feel the wording that was chosen was intentional.  The government doesn't put anything out without having their lawyers look over it, and they know exactly what they are doing.  They are saying this bill is to stop piracy, but in reality, it is just another way for the government to censor what they want us to see and hear.  And while I don't expect there to be an immediate shutting down of websites, I feel that this is just the governments preparation for whatever future events they think they feel the need to control.


My hope is that enough people have heard about these bills and have in turn let their congressmen know that they are against them, that they will not be passed.  Google has a direct link to sign a petition today.  Wikipedia has shut down their site today in protest.  Many other websites are also participating in this silent protest in other ways.  If you haven't already, get online, and sign your name on a petition!

Chicken Curry

I have had Indian food on my mind for a while, so I decided to make some chicken curry tonight for dinner.  I found a basic recipe at allrecipes.com for Easy Chicken Curry.  I wanted to add some carrots and cauliflower to the mix, but we didn't have any cauliflower, so I just added a couple carrots, finely chopped, when I added the onion.  The recipe came together very simply.  I probably added about a cup and a half of water total to the onions and carrots.  The recipe didn't call for any-I wonder if it was omitted?  I can't imagine cooking this recipe without it.


My hubby had picked up some basmati rice at the store when he saw I was getting curry powder.  I'm so glad he did!  It really makes a difference with the final product.


Here are the veggies cooking up:

And the after I added the chicken...

And here is my portion ready to eat.  (I tried to get more veggies than chicken so it would be a little more low-cal).

Taste-wise, I felt like it was lacking something.  My hubby suggested red onion.  Maybe if there is a next time, I'll choose a different recipe with a bit more ingredients to keep it interesting.


Unfortunately, this didn't get my Indian craving to disappear.  I would still love to have some naan, tandoori chicken, and some masala.  Maybe we will have a chance to eat out at an Indian restaurant soon.  Here is the recipe I followed from allrecipes.com:

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1/3 cup curry powder, or to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft and golden brown. Slowly stir in curry powder. Once ingredients are blended together, add chicken breasts. Cover skillet and simmer over medium low heat for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside.
2. Remove cover from skillet and cook for an additional 15 minutes, until sauce reduces. (Note: Make sure that you stir and that dish does not burn, as curry powder burns very easily!)

Lunch With Something Extra

For my lunch on workdays, I buy soups or frozen dinners with 300 calories or less.  As I was shopping this weekend, I came across a Smart One's pot roast meal with only 180 calories.  It includes the meat and typical veggies-potatoes, carrots, green beans, and onions.  When I was getting ready for work this morning and grabbed the meal, I noticed the calorie count, and was excited because I had an "extra" 120 calories to work with for lunch.  We had some leftover (generic) King's Hawaiian Rolls (probably my favorite store bought dinner roll) which are 100 calories each.  It was a nice treat to add a little something extra to my meal, but especially something with carbs!  I will look for this meal again!

4 Days In

Today marks the 4th day of my diet.  I am very proud of myself so far.  Each day I have not gone over my 1200 calorie limit, regardless of what was being served that I had no control over.  There are times when I feel hungry, but it hasn't been unbearable.


One thing I have found that is different about this time around is the apple.  I am not much of a fruit eater.  It's not that I dislike fruit, it is just never my first choice.  However, I know that it is a good snack to help me feel full, and (in turn) eat less "bad calories" later.  I like the Golden Delicious variety, which has 80 calories.  I have found that if I have other varieties of apple, I would rather eat something else than the apple, but for some reason, Golden Delicious is the key for me!

I got a new notebook to write down all my calories, exercise, measurements, and any thoughts I have that might help me out.  I think the notebook was a vital part of weight loss last time, and I don't think it would work for me without the notebook.

As far as exercise, I have only used my Gazelle once.  I typically try to exercise every other day.  I should have exercised today based on that reasoning, but my back has been hurting me all day.  I know I need to improve in this area for sure in order for my diet to work.  My goal is to use the Gazelle tomorrow night after work.

Pushing forward!

A Day of Creative Failures

Sometimes I try things out, and, well, they just don't work out.  Today I tried two different things-making another type of scarf out of a t-shirt, and a cilantro lime chicken.  Neither turned out.  Bummer!  Don't worry-I don't feel too bad-they were not creations of my own, but rather, things I saw online and wanted to try.


My first bout of creativity was the fringe scarf.  I found this tutorial on a blog I follow.  I like the scarf in the picture online.  I also have a co-worker who I have seen wearing one that I like.  I don't know why I don't like it.  Perhaps it's because I opted for a shirt with a design rather than a solid color.  Or it might be because the type of t-shirt it was has two seams going up the sides.  Or maybe the t-shirt itself was too small.  Or perhaps, it was just a combination of all three.  Regardless, I have no plans to wear this one.  I'm sure it will be in the trash soon enough.

The next thing I tried that was not-so-great was dinner.  I figured I should see what was in the freezer that needed to be used up, and I found 2 cornish game hens.  I was looking for a crockpot recipe for the game hens that I liked, but couldn't really find any, but I did find a recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken that looked good-and we just happened to have fresh limes and cilantro that needed to be used.  I combined the 2 recipes (cornish hen recipe for the cooking method and chicken recipe for the ingredients), but was not pleased with the results.  The lime was over-powering.  It was edible, and we ate it, but I won't cook it again.  My hubby sprinkled some fajita seasoning on his to help with the taste factor.


Maybe next time I will have better luck!

CFNI Night of Worship

Tonight we took our students to CFNI's Night of Worship in Dallas.  CFNI is known as one of the best colleges world wide for Worship Pastors to attend to get their training at.  The Night of Worship runs from 7:30 until around 10:00, and is high energy.  The Holy Spirit really showed up tonight, and there were miraculous healings.  I love to be in the presence of the Lord, and His Sweet Spirit filled the place in an amazing way.  I am so glad our students could experience so many worshipers seeking God with their whole hearts.  I think that through this experience, lives are changing.  I am so excited to be a part of how our students experience God on their journeys.

Making 1200 Calories and Regular Exercise Work

I remember some things from last time I lost weight-like how to eat to keep my calorie count low-which will be really helpful.  I have to keep things in perspective in reference to  counting my calories.  There are some things about my lifestyle that I have no control over.  I can use those as an excuse, or accept them and make them fit into my diet.


For one, I am a Youth Pastor's wife, which means we have lots of events where the food being served is youth friendly-like the pizza we were served last night, for example-or the burgers we're having tonight.  One of the phrases that kept me going last time I lost weight was "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  So when I know we have an event, I adjust what I eat for my other meals.  It's do-able; it just takes planning out my meals, and checking restaurant websites  before I go so I know what to order.  Doing this isn't always "fun", but it works.


Another difficulty is my work schedule.  I work 10 hour days, plus I spend 2 hours commuting everyday-which means that by the time I get home from work, we rush to eat dinner, relax a little while, and then it's just about time for bed.  This leaves little to no time for exercise.  I moved the Gazelle back into the living room, though, in hopes that on some work days I will spend at least 30 minutes exercising while I watch tv.  Again-this is not something I "want" to do, but it is necessary for me to lose weight.


I also prefer to exercise in the morning when I have more energy-but I am not willing to wake up at 4:15 to do it.  It's all about choices.  I am choosing to lose weight, and so I have to plan a time to exercise that works best-even though I don't prefer it.  I saw a phrase the other day that I hope will help keep me motivated to exercise, "No matter how slow you are, you're still lapping everyone on the couch."


Today I took my measurements and weighed myself.  I am ready to see the numbers go down!  Keeping a log of this regularly will help keep me motivated, too.  I am ready to lose 60 pounds-one pound at a time: one meal at a time, one workout at a time.  But I can do it!

Pledge For Missions

Last night we took our youth group to Cedar Hill to a Missions Tour.  At the service, the youth were encouraged to give money to help missionaries purchase vehicles and sound equipment.  Our youth group has determined to raise $6000 this year to purchase a snowmobile for a missionary in Russia, in an area where this is not considered a recreational vehicle-but a mode of transportation.  I am proud of our youth for attending this event, and excited to see them catching the vision for missions!

The Diet Has Started

I have heard the phrase "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired," and that is an accurate assessment of how I feel today.  I feel continually run down and  exhausted.  My clothes don't fit, and I am very unhappy with the way I look.  This morning when I got up, something finally "clicked".  I am starting today!  My goals for today are to drink 8 glasses of water, and to eat 1200 calories.  I have a very full day ahead, so there will be no time to exercise, but tomorrow I will begin my exercise program (running/walking).

Food-wise, breakfast and lunch will be easy: oatmeal (at 130 calories), and canned soup (at 260 calories).  Dinner will be more difficult, but I am determined!  We are attending a meeting tonight with our youth group, and pizza will be served for dinner.  Pizza is generally at least 300 calories per slice, so I realize that I need to plan ahead.  I am going eat an apple (80 calories) before we go so that I am mostly full when I arrive, and then I will have one slice of pizza. That should leave me over 400 calories to use on whatever else they might be serving.


I am ready for a new, energetic me!

White Chicken Chili, Part 2

I couldn't have picked a better day to have served my White Chicken Chili-the weather outside was cold and rainy.  It was so nice on my commute home to think about a nice bowl of soup waiting for me to help me warm up.

It really hit the spot!

White Chicken Chili

After dinner tonight I started on tomorrow nights dinner.  It was really nice to come tonight knowing all I had to do for dinner was heat and serve, so that made it much easier to get started on my white chicken chili.


This recipe I got from a co-worker who had made it for a meeting at work.  Not wanting to contend with a lot of leftovers, I just made a half batch.


A few notes:
-I left the tomatoes and tomatillos sort of large, but while they were cooking I ended up pulling them out of the pot to slice them smaller.  I should have diced them rather  than chopping them so big.
-Fresh cilantro is a MUST!  Love the smell of it cooking in the soup.
-We bought frozen, fully cooked, cubed chicken breasts.  It was perfect!  I am going to have to buy this more often.


Here are the veggies cooking:

And here is the finished product-can't wait until tomorrow night!

The Dove's Nest White Chicken Chili


2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
1 (7 oz) can chopped green chiles
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup (heaping) chopped cilantro
2 (19 oz) cans cannellini beans
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste


Serve with:
sour cream
shredded cheese
tortilla chips


Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion.  Saute for 3-5 minutes or until softened.  Add the garlic.  Cook for 1-2 minutes longer; do not brown.


Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, and jalapeno.  Cook until the tomatillos are tender, stirring occasionally.


Add the chicken stock, green chiles, chicken, oregano, cumin, cilantro, beans, and lime juice.  Cook until heated through, stirring frequently.  Season with salt and pepper.


Ladle the chili into serving bowls.


Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips.