Eggnog Cupcakes

Christmas Eve...where has the time gone?!

I knew it had been quite some time since I've written anything...basically since I've been back to work. But, quite frankly, I was shocked that it hasn't been since the middle of July and the last post being the Pina Colada Pops! Oh summer...I miss you!

I also seem to have developed quite the Angry Birds addiction...that's a whole other post on its own - ha!

It's been kind of interesting leading up to Christmas for me this year having an EXTREMELY active 1 year old...into everything, all the time, a mile a minute! The last month was pretty brutal as well as she's been a slow teether...until the last month! From the middle of November until now she has cut her 4th bottom front tooth, her two bottom eye teeth, her two bottom first molars and I have not been able to get a good look at the top. I'm not quite sure how I functioned during the day at work with very little sleep. A few nights, no sleep at all. I did though. Somehow! A few nights there I was starting to think I was crazy for wanting more (kids). But then the next morning when I'd have her in bed with me and she'd roll over and reach her little arms out to hug and cuddle into me, those thoughts quickly disappated! I was beginning to wonder how I was going to get it all done. At least, what I would normally get done for Christmas. I think I was stressing myself out even further with such high expectations with trying to achieve what I used to and I just had to accept reality - I couldn't. So I decided that this year, I would sacrifice my baking. GASP! Really?! Really. So, I bought a flat of Nanaimo Bars...I figured as long as I had my Nanaimo Bars, all would be right in the world. Well, that flat is already half gone. I was like, "GET IN MY BELLY!" And oh...they did!

D is working night shift Christmas Eve night and Christmas night. If he's on night shift at Christmas, they usually do a potluck and I usually make Magic Bars. Well this year, I wasn't planning on anything. I thought maybe he'd just take in some wings or something. But I don't know what got into me the other day...must have been the Christmas Spirit! But I offered to make Eggnog Cupcakes for him to take! Then Little Miss and I were invited for Christmas dinner and I decided I would just make more and bring them for dessert! I was all of a sudden ready to get to it!

When I was pulling out my ingredients this morning, it felt so good! It honestly did! There's a feeling that comes over me when I start to bake. I feel so relaxed. Like I could take on the world! Little Miss had gone down for a nap and D went out for some last minute shopping. So I turned on the monitor (thank god for a visual monitor), put my earbuds in and cranked up my music. IN MY ELEMENT! I was ready to rock these Eggnog Cupcakes!

I've made these before a couple years ago and they are so delicious! You know how sometimes a flavour doesn't quite translate into a baked good - it just doesn't taste exactly like it, or you only have a slight hint of the flavour...this is NOT the case here! When you take a bite, the flavour is so dead on, you may as well be taking a sip of eggnog...with rum! YUM!

So let's get to it!

Sunday Sweets: Piña Colada Pops

Oh summer, you are just the jam to my pb! You never cease to wow me...when you show up! And so far...you have!

I was really starting to get a complex thinking that maybe the lack of summer was my fault. I saved up vacation time prior to my mat leave so I had a full summer off last year. And this year, well I don't go back until August 7th and up until last Sunday...summer was nowhere to be seen. It seemed like we had skipped forward to fall! It was THAT cold and dreary! So I was starting to get a complex thinking that maybe because I was on leave that maybe, just maybe, this horrible weather was my fault. That maybe I wasn't allowed to take leave during the summer months. But look at us now! Basking in all of summer's glory!! (Thank you summer! Now I don't have to worry about taking time off and have all your doom and gloom weather fall on my shoulders. We'll leave that up to Mother Nature. I'm sure her shoulders are a little broader than mine...one can hope at least!)

Since we've been having such hot weather, there was no way I was turning on my oven. Last week's Sunday Sweets was the Chocolate Banana Cream Cheese Pie which only had the oven on for a few minutes, but now that we're well into our lovely hot weather that oven was not getting turned on! And what better time than now to introduce boozy pops to Terracotta Café!

The Moment of Truth

I got eliminated from the biggest loser challenge I was in. There. I said it.

It was a community 5 month challenge that began May 1st. The only way to get eliminated was if you gained weight. Also, if you didn't weigh in, you'd be disqualified. I made it through the first month with a measly 2lb loss. Then we come to July 1st. I weighed in. 1lb...up.1lb! I got eliminated because of 1lb? One. Measly. Pound. It wasn't like it was a surprise. I knew I was up. I was actually surprised it wasn't more than that. I wasn't working out. I was eating crap. I wasn't really trying. So, I gained weight. I got eliminated.

Am I sad? Angry? To be honest...not really! Slightly disappointed because it was 1lb. Maybe I would feel a bit better had it been more like five. I actually feel relief. Throughout the whole last month I really thought about what was going on. I feel like because I wasn't "allowed" to gain weight...I did. When I'm feeling a restriction is placed on me, I'm more likely to resist back and be like "Oh yeah? Well I'll show you!" It's just not in the positive direction it should be. Can someone please tell me I'm not allowed to lose weight??

I think also I know that my maternity leave is almost up and my back to work date is getting closer. I'm starting to stress out about that a little A LOT and I have in my mind that maybe I shouldn't even bother trying to "lose weight" until I'm back to work and we have out routine all in place and everything is a little more settled. Instead of getting into a routine now and then trying to alter it then. Am I just making an excuse?

I've been tossing around some ideas in my mind lately about my whole weight loss journey. I believe that it's 80% mental and 20% physical. I 100% believe that is true. And believe me, if my mind isn't in the right place, it just ain't happenin'! So, I've made a decision. My decision is this: to implement a new game plan where my mission is changed. My mission is no longer to "lose weight". I mean, when you lose something, you're almost always going to find it, right? Well I don't want to find that weight (both mental and physical). So in order to do that, my mission is now to get fit and healthy. When someone asks me if I'm trying to lose weight. Nope. I'm getting fit and working towards being the healthiest I can be for the rest of my life. I'm no longer going to focus on the number on the scale. I'm focusing on my body and my mind. I don't want my goal to be a number.We were catching up on Mad Men and in season 5 Betty has been struggling with her weight and going to Weight Watchers. There was a scene in episode 9 where she was at a meeting and the leader said something that rang so true to me. It was definitely an "a ha" moment.

We always talk about our goal in pounds, but that's not all it is. Is it?

LIGHTBULB!

I have so many goals that I want to achieve, but the main one I talk about is always pounds! But that's not what it's about! It's about feeling great. It's about feeling and being strong! It's about getting out my road bike again (my love) and completing the Skeena River Challenge. It's about being able to have a non high risk pregnancy. It's about being able to go shopping for clothes and not have to worry if they carry plus sizes! It's about having less strain on my back. It's about being able to set an example for my daughter and leading a long, healthy life so that I can be around for her.

So how will I achieve my goals? 

I am no longer putting restrictions on foods. My relationship with food has been strained for so long. For years it's been ingrained into our minds that there are good foods and bad foods. Eat this - Not that. This is why we so often fail. When you're told not to do something...that darn little devil is put into play and sits there on your shoulder saying, "Cmon...you know you wanna!" And so the food battle begins continues.So I'm setting out to try a different approach. EAT! That doesn't mean that I'm only eating junk food. I will eat the foods that provide my body with the highest performance fuel. And if I want to eat cake, you better believe I'm going to eat cake.

I'm going to move. I'm going to sweat. I'm going to get strong.

I'm not putting any deadlines on any of this. For so long I've set out on my weight loss journey saying, "Okay. I'm going to lose 60lbs by such and such date." How has that helped me? Sure they say you have to have measurable goals and they should have a time frame. That this helps you to get there. I'm not trying to get there, to one certain point. This is for life. My every day, rest of my life.

I'm not going to say all this starts "tomorrow", "Monday", "next week", "when I go back to work". It's already started. It started when I came into this world and took my first breath. My life. It's been up to me all along to live my best life because it's the only one we have. You better believe I'm going to do my damnedest to make sure of that!

I hope you do too.

Sunday Sweets: Chocolate Banana Cream Cheese Pie

This is going to be short and oh so sweet! Summer has finally arrived!!! So instead of baking and writing away at the laptop, I was outside with Little Miss soaking up the glorious sunshine! We even had a couple friends over to hang out in the frigid pool! We didn't care!! Summer's here!! Hearing and reading about all of these 100°F+ temperatures in the eastern parts of the continent, was really starting to get annoying (sorry to those of you who live there...no, not really!) because we had SUCH a crappy summer last year. Wait...we DIDN'T have summer last year. It was almost a full week of warm temps, that was about it. I kept hearing, "Oh, but this must be so nice for you while being pregnant!" Noooo! It wasn't nice! I felt if just one more person said that to me, I would scream at them. Remember, don't piss off a pregnant woman! I'm a summer girl. So not a winter girl. I love the heat! Bring it on! I sometimes wonder why I live here in Northwest BC. An area with really crappy weather. Harsh winters and a ton of gloomy, rainy days. But when the sun does shine. Ohh, it's so beautiful! I guess just has to be that the sunny days, however far and few between they are, just far outweigh the overwhelming number of fugly days. We get really invested in our weather here, as you can tell, ha! So, there was no way I was going waste my day away. It was going to be enjoyed outdoors, doing summery things!

So, I've had these bananas that went pretty ripe quite quickly. They definitely needed to be used up in something more than my usual go-to breakfast of toast with pb & b (add a sprinkle of cinnamon on the banana....mon favori!!) The other day I also spotted a bag of graham crumbs in the cupboard so I knew I wanted to make sometime with a graham crust. Hmmm...what else did I have. Chocolate pudding...cream cheese.... Everything was just kinda falling into place for a nice no-bake pie! Perfect for a nice, summery day. Something quick and easy, so we could get the most out of the day! I also just kinda slapped it together while D was grilling the steaks! Then by the time I got around to photographing, it was dark and my camera wasn't within arms reach...but my iPhone was! So I'm kinda lazy....so what.....hehe! To take the laziness even further, I didn't follow a recipe, again, I just kinda slapped this together, so I'll do my best at writing out the recipe...

Chocolate Banana Cream Cheese Pie

2+ cups Graham Crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 pkg Instant Chocolate Pudding

1 1/4 cup Milk (I use skim)

8oz Cream Cheese (I used light), softened

1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 medium Banana

Combine the graham crumbs and melted butter. I said 2+ cups because I just kept adding more crumbs until I found a consistency for the crust that I liked. I actually think it ended up being more like 3 cups. Press the mixture into a 9" pie plate and bake in a 350°F oven for 10-12 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it! When it's done, remove from the oven and cool. (I waited about 5 minutes once out of the oven and then I threw it in the freezer to cool even faster!)

While the crust is in the oven, combine the pudding and milk and beat with an electric mixtur on slow for 2 minutes. Then increase the speed and beat until you get your desired texture. I decreased the amount of milk than what the pudding package calls for so that the pudding would be thicker. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the cream cheese with the electric mixer until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides as you go along! Add the vanilla and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix. Set aside

Once the crust is cooled enough, spread the cream cheese mixture on the bottom. Then, spread the pudding on top of that. Put in the fridge to chill for a couple hours or until ready to serve. Just before serving, slice up the banana and place on the top of the pie. Serve. Enjoy!

Sunday Sweets: O Canada

Haul out the toques, maple syrup and throw as many "ehs" into sentences we can! It's Canada Day! Every year we head to Kitimat to take in the festivities since it's the best Canada Day party in the northwest! They have the parade, the international food fair, all the activities happening at Riverlodge, entertainment and the night wraps up with fireworks...which we'll of course have to miss this year. And, it's also one of the biggest social events of the year. If there's someone you haven't seen in ages, you're bound to run into them! Walk a few feet..."Oh heyyy! How have you been?? Haven't seen you in ages!!" Walk another few feet..."Oh heyy! How have you been?? Haven't seen you in in ages!!" Walk another few feet...you get the picture! Our weather has been so miserable, rainy and cold. Zero summer so far. But, when does miserable weather ever stop us? I guess if it did, we wouldn't live here (we just stay to keep complaining about it! Ha!) So Little Miss was put into her "Canadian Cutie" t-shirt (can't quite see it in the photos I took), flags were attached to her stroller and we were off! With all of the hub bub of development going on in the area, we figured the parade was going to be quite long. It was. One of the largest parades in years! I grew up in Kitimat, so it was nice to go down for the day, see some familiar faces and partake in one of our favorite events of the year!

Lately, I've been seeing over the top flavour combinations all over Pinterest like crazy! Peanut butter cup, cookie dough, oreo cupcakes. Peanut butter, pretzel brownies. Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars. Just to name a few. So I thought I would partake in some of this madness to celebrate our nation's birthday....something red and white? Add a little richness. A dash huge amount of deliciousness. Et voila! Happy Birthday, Canada!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Brownies:

1/2 cup butter
1cup sugar
1tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
pinch of salt

2-3 tsp red food colouring (gel)

1 tsp white vinegar

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

Cheesecake:

8oz. cream cheese, softened (VERY important to be softened! I wasn't patient and it turned out lumpy!)

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/8 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 pan.

Melt the butter. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the next six ingredients. Stir to combine. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs. Add to the mixture and stir. Fold in the flour, being careful to not over-mix.

 Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture. Pour the remainder of the batter into the pan.

Beat the cream cheese until soft using a stand or hand mixer. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until combined. Spread the cream cheese mixture overtop of the brownie batter in the pan. Drop spoonfuls of the reserved brownie batter on top of the cream cheese. Using a toothpick or knife, drag it through the batter to create the swirls. (I was really rushing and ended up with more of marbled effect than swirls)

Bake for 30 minutes or until the cream cheese is set. Once done, place on a cooling rack and allow to completely cool before cutting. Serve. Enjoy!

I cut mine into 9, so they were a hefty size. I then individually wrapped them and threw them in the freezer. I of course ate one two before they made it in. Actually I think I'll go get one now...

Happy Canada Day!!

Little Miss is... 10 months old

Are you for real? My baby girl is 10 months already?! Where is the time going? When people tell you to enjoy every minute of it because it's going to go by so fast, you think yeah, I know it will. You hear it so many times over and over again that it just kind of becomes this thing that goes in one ear and out the other and it's like yeah, yeah, I know and you don't really quite believe it. But I'm telling you now....believe it! It's true! The time goes by so insanely fast and really, where do the days go? Not to sure, but now I have a 10 month old Little Miss!

Finally, first time in a swing at Ambleside Park while visiting Grammy and Grampy

Weeeeeee!

It's funny how when you're a first time mom you have all these big ideas of things you're going to get done and work on. What's really funny is how little time you actually have to get those done. When you finally do have a spare minute, you just want to sit there and do nothing. Be a mindless blob. At least that's how I felt! I started to write Little Miss emails each month. I think her last one was when she turned five months. I haven't even kept up with writing in her baby book. Isn't this only supposed to happen with your second or third child? Your first child is supposed to have every single moment, every milestone documented? Uh oh.... I think it's time to start writing down those milestones, likes and dislikes!

Mango-licious

The other day there was a great sale on cases of Mangoes at Wholesale. I saw these beauties and thought of the deliciousness that could lay ahead should I put them in my cart. So I did.

I had been craving a crisp or a cobbler, so I knew that some of those would definitely become that. As for the rest, well around here don't let the clouds, rain and just plain cold fool you. It's summer! And that means slushy cocktails! They all won't go towards those....or will they??

So, I got peeling and chopping! Some went into the blender to be puréed and some just remained in chunks to be used in my dessert and for smoothies!

I poured the purée into ice cube trays so that we can grab a couple frozen cubes to mix into delicious margaritas and daiquiris! I bagged the chunks up into 1 cup portions, which could be used for smoothies or baking or curry, even salads!

Leftover purée went into a baggie for one of those days when I need a VERY large margarita!

Those chunks sitting there patiently in the green bowl were used for this..

Sunday Sweets: Lemon Loaf

When we went away on our holiday, we had our next door neighbor look after our place. On our way back, just before we were about to board our flight in Vancouver, I all of sudden realized we had forgotten our keys at my parents' place. YIKES! So I called up our neighbor - luckily he was home! He would meet us at the airport with our second set of keys. So I knew I had to do something nice for him. I would bake him something! Of course when we brought it over to him with a thank you card, he told us we really shouldn't have - as he always does. But in my books, you should always try to show your appreciation. This time it was with this tangy, moist, delicious lemon loaf!

The great thing about lemons is that you can use them any time of year! These Coconut Lemon Squares are one of my go to recipes when you need something sweet, quick and easy! Lemon is right up there in my favorite baking flavours. LOVE it - especially in this loaf! And, the glaze just tops it off perfectly. I did a whole bunch of freezer baking prior to Little Miss' arrival and two of those were those squares and this lemon loaf. I actually cut them both up and individually wrapped the pieces so that you could just one at a time out of the freezer instead of hauling out the whole thing and having to eat it right away. It's an awesome thing to do! Portion control!!

LEMON LOAF

Makes 1 loaf

2/3 cup margarine or butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp lemon zest, grated

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

GLAZE

1/3 cup lemon juice

3 tbsp sugar

Cream the margarine and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each one. Add in the milk and beat well.

Combine the dry ingredients and lemon zest.

Stir until just moistened.

Pour into a greased 9x5x3 loaf pan and spread evenly.

Bake in a pre-heated 350°F for 60min until an inserted skewer in the centre comes out clean. Poke holes all over the top (careful not to poke through to the bottom) of the hot loaf with the skewer.

For the glaze, stir the lemon juice into the sugar until dissolved. Drizzle over the warm loaf and then let stand in pan for about 10 minutes. Use a knife around the edges to loosen the loaf and then remove from the pan
and let it cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Planes, Ferries and Baby Showers

Just thought I would forewarn you, this is a very long post. We were away for nine days! Lots to cover!

We just got back from vacation visiting my parents and sister. We flew down and this wasn't Little Miss' first plane ride. For an almost 10 month old, she's already quite the seasoned traveler. Coming home would mark her eighth time being on a plane. Just like all the other times, she did wonderfully! I was a little unsure as this would be the first time since she's been mobile. She did get a bit restless as she just wanted to get down and about. That's where those wonderful things called Cheerios came into play. What would we ever do without Cheerios?! This trip however, would mark her first time going on the ferry! We took some time to go over and visit my sister and brother-in law in Victoria. She loved it! She was constantly pointing out the window and when I took her outside she was so fascinated by the water. Most of all though, it was the people. She is such a people watcher. And kids! If there's a kid in the crowd, Little Miss will find them, most definitely.

D took it with his phone from inside the ferry so it looks like there's white smudges on Little Miss!

Again, smudges on the window. I don't wear dirty pants!

The weather wasn't all that great, but for the most important days (2 of 9) it was gorgeous. The first of those gorgeous days, we took Little Miss to the Vancouver Aquarium. Was that ever fun!! I couldn't even remember the last time I had been. Maybe when I was maybe 6 or 7? It sure has changed from what I could remember. Little miss would just stare at the tanks of the fish, but as soon as she saw a kid. That's all she wanted to look at - and there were lots! It was a great experience and I definitely recommend taking your family - Even better if you can find a coupon or discounts to go. We lucked out with a bogo coupon from our car rental! There was also a $2 off on the back of our ferry receipt, but we had already been. The highlight for me was definitely the new penguin exhibit. Little Miss loved looking at them through the glass. There was one who was quite smitten with her as well!

Re-design

It's finally done!!

I've been working on this re-design from initial concept to layout to html coding to completion for about three months now. Things are A LOT different with having Little Miss around. The projects most definitely take a back seat. But, I'm excited!!! It's done!!! I now can get down and dirty and back at it! It feels really good to have Terracotta Café up and running again.

There will be recipes. Really delicious recipes! Healthy recipes and not so healthy recipes. I mean, who am I kidding? It's all about balance, right? There needs to be some indulgences ;)

In the Terra Fit section I will be posting about my weight loss journey. Struggles, triumphs, exercises and nutrition.

Real life, it's just that. Real, everyday life. Parenting, kids, the home, fun stuff!

Welcome back to the Café!

New Project

Okay, so I majorly slacked on the challenge. Wouldn't be the first time! I think what happened was I was really hoping for a huge response, which I didn't see here. That disappointed me. But, I think that's where I went wrong. I should just do this for myself. That's what I originally intended. Just use this as a tracker for me. A good visual on my thoughts and progress. But I wanted to try and make it something bigger. Having a lot of people involved. I always have very expectations of myself and my projects - sometimes unrealistically high. It's a good thing and not so good all wrapped into one. Good because I think it's great to have big dreams and to want to go after them. Always strive for greatness. But for me, when I don't get 'my' expected results right away, I stop. Everything comes to a halt. I fall right back into my comfort zone. I apologize to anyone who was really going to try and follow along that I didn't follow through. Most of all I apologize to myself.

So, in the last few weeks I've been doing a lot of thinking, reflecting and brainstorming. All in my favorite and best place to do so - the shower! What came to me was brilliant! At least I thought so! My new project! What lead me there was the fact that I was struggling with finding the balance between Terracotta Cafe, Terra Fit, being a new mom and just life in general. So my new project is going to take the best and not so best of all those worlds and combine them into one. Which, essentially, is my life! This makes me very, very excited! I am currently working on the re-design and busy compiling ideas. So please bare with me during the process!

I will keep you posted as to when it will launch. As for now, this yummy mummy needs to get to back work on her handsome hubby's Chocolate Wasted Birthday Cake!

66 Day Challenge Workout #2

In this workout you'll be working your thighs, calves, glutes and shoulders.

Again, make sure to take 30 second breaks between the sets and use a weight that will challenge you where the last repetition is tough to complete. Also, complete all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next.

Workout #2

If you have any questions, fire away!

Get out there and totally ROCK IT!!!

66 Day Challenge - At home workout #1

As some of you were wanting to participate in the challenge, but didn't have access to the gym, so couldn't necessarily do the workouts posted, now you can! I have a series of workouts that are designed for at home using very little equipment.This workout was actually a part of my Terra Fit Challenge back in 2009. Also, as a side note all weekend challenges that are posted on the Facebook page, are all using your body weight, so you won't need a gym to participate in those either.

At home workout #1

Next weekend, I will post the at home workout #2.

Good luck and ROCK it!!

66 Day Challenge Workout 1

This workout is designed for women. I apologize if there are any males who are looking into this - haven't heard from any yet!

I am getting my workouts from Sam Omidi of Weightloss and Training.

He has designed this workout to be a 5 day routine with an optional 6th day for those of you who really want to get it going.

He recommends 30 second breaks between the sets and choosing a weight that will challenge you where the last repetition is tough to complete. Also, complete all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next.

Day 1 you will be working your arms and back together. Resistance training with weights is used to build muscle to burn fat.

Day 1 Workout

If you have any questions, fire away!

Get out there and totally ROCK IT!!!

66 Day Challenge

Why is it that bad habits are so hard to break? Why is it that time after time of trying to make a good habit stick, you just end up back at square one. Well, I've heard that to create a habit, it can take anywhere from 21 to 28 days. One day I decided to look into it. The majority of the pages I came across all seemed to say the same thing: if you REALLY want to make a habit stick, it will take 66 days. 66 days huh? Well I guess that makes sense. Time and time again we hear, "Well you didn't get here over night so it's not going to change over night." Well alright then - 66 days it is.

So I've been thinking about this for a while. The majority of that thinking has actually been taking place in the shower. I for some reason have my best brainstorm sessions in the shower! Being a new mom, the shower has become my escape! With a clear mind, the ideas just come to me! So I've decided to put together this 66 day challenge. I really want to make these habits stick. I'm still quite a few months away from going back to work as I'm still on mat leave, but I want to be able to have some real healthy habits in place before I go back to work. For me not only is this about creating healthy habits, but also continuing my weight loss journey.

I've created a worksheet as an outline for this challenge which can be found here:

Terra Fit 66 Day Challenge Worksheet

You can print it off and fill out by hand.  Or, to save as a Word doc, once you click on the link go to File->Download As->Word. You could then fill it in on your computer and save it that way. Once downloaded as a Word doc though, for some reason, the formatting changes slightly and it doesn't appear quite as pretty.

So with that said, here are my 66 Day Challenge daily goals:

1. Keep a daily food journal to track my consumption
2. Minimum 10-8oz glasses of water
3. Wake up at 6:30am
4. 25 squats - 25 push ups - 25 crunches

Nutrition:
Following a clean eating lifestyle, limiting the processed items.

Fitness:
Gym - 3-4x/week on Dave's day's off.
On Dave's work days I will rotate Kinect UFC Trainer & Your Shape as well as my bike trainer.
On nice days, I'll take little miss for a walk.

I'm using gym workouts from Sam Omidi of Weight Loss And Training. I will be posting these every second day.

As weekends always seem to get a little tougher, every weekend on the Terra Fit Facebook page, I will be posting mini challenges to keep us going!

If you'd like to join in the challenge, leave a comment. If it's still the same as before, if you don't have a Google account, just choose anonymous, but leave your name in the comment. The more the merrier and we can support one another!

Let's do this!! 66 days...ROCK IT!!!

Rewards

So I've been thinking about rewards for the last week. What is a reward? Well we all know, but I thought I would google the definition.

Reward: A thing given in recognition of service, effort, or achievement.

A thing given in recognition of service, effort, or achievement. Hmmm, okay. So a thing. What about the rewards we automatically get on this journey to health: improved health, an increase in energy, a fit body, knocking down our mental barriers, etc. I think those are pretty great rewards! But, sometimes we need to have something that we can actually see to remind us of our great achievements.

Last summer I was watching Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition with Chris Powell. He calls himself a Transformation Specialist. He has a degree in Exercise Science with concentrations in physiology and biomechanics. WOW! This guy knows what he's doing! One thing that I especially liked was his system. Each participant was given a year. He then broke that year down into 4 phases. Each phase had a specific goal and a reward. Now these rewards were HUGE! I of course don't have the deep pockets of ABC, so my rewards will be on a much smaller scale. I loved the idea of the phases. I thought that this was definitely something that I could use.

So the other day I sat down and thought about what my phases could be with goals and rewards. It's tough for me to put in deadlines as I'm nursing, I'm not quite sure how that would work. So I've set out my goals and rewards.

Here they are:

PHASE 1
Goal: 10% - 228lbs (-25lbs)
Reward: 2 new outfits

PHASE 2
Goal: Onederland - 199lbs (-29lbs)
Reward: iPad

PHASE 3
Goal: 10% - 186lbs (-20lbs)
Reward: Lululemon workout clothes

PHASE 4
Goal: THE BIG ONE - 160lbs (-26lbs)
Reward: Trip to NYC

Mini Phases
Goal: 20lbs
Reward: Massage

I'm looking forward to and very excited to achieve each and every one of these goals. When you have something very specific to work towards, it kind of takes the guess work out of getting there. Put in the work, reap the rewards!

Have you put a plan into place like this with your specific goals and rewards?

Skinny Super Bowl

We're having a Super Bowl party today and I decided to make lighter versions of popular Super Bowl party foods. Below are the links to the recipes I made:

1) Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe from Skinnytaste.com (1/2 cup - 3+pts) (I will be replacing the crumbled blue cheese with light cheddar - will update if points affected)
2) Skinny Baked Jalapeno Poppers recipe from Skinnytaste.com (2 poppers - 2+pts)
3) Tara's Guacamole (1/4 cup - 4+pts)
4) Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing (1 mini - 2+pts) (I am replacing the sugar with Splenda +1/2 cup skimmed milk powder and an extra 1/2 tsp baking soda. (I actually halved the icing ingredients and sprinkled each cupcake with shredded sweetened coconut (1/2 cup for recipe))

So that's 12 pts for a serving of each of the above. To cut down on the pts to go with the dip, I will be having celery/carrot sticks instead of crackers or chips. As for the guacamole...we'll see. Guests are bringing chili, wings, tortilla chips and hummus. I think I'll stick to my dishes. Oh, I may also have to make a punch! I will probably do that with club soda, crystal light and fruit.

I'm excited for the party! I think this is the first time ever where I've planned ahead to make sure I provided options which fit in with my new lifestyle, but are still delicious and who am I kidding - fun!

Weekly Mini-Goals

I was reading some blogs the other day and came across one post that was on weekly mini-goals. I had forgotten that before I got pregnant that's basically what I was doing! It really, really helped. So while little miss was having her nap the other day, I wrote out my mini-goals for the week:

Hydration: Drink 8-10 glasses of water (64-80oz)
Fitness: 18-20 AP (Weight Watchers Activity Points) - 90 min of which should be cardio
Nutrition: 5 fruit/veg per day and 3 dairy
Support: Blog 4 times (Either WW or Terra Fit)
Home: Don't sit down until everything is done that I need to get done (when little miss is napping)

Scale: 3.4lbs (the remainder of the 10lbs I challenged myself to lose before Cancun)

So I wanted to share this and next Tuesday (weigh-in day) I'll give a full report on how I did!

Have you thought about doing weekly mini-goals to help you get to your end-goal? If not, give it a go! I think you'll find it really helps :)

Scale-a-holic

Hello, my name is Tara and I'm a scale-a-holic.

Yes, it's true. Every morning I have a ritual. I won't go into specific details, but it always ends with me on the scale. My reasoning was that I'd like to see how much harder I'd have to work. Yes, I know they say you shouldn't really focus on that as there are so many factors that can come into play with a fluctuating daily weight. So why was I doing it? Habit. Pure habit (with a dash of self-torture).

So this week I decided to break this habit. Since I was "re-wiring" my brain, I may as well re-wire my brain on this too. Let me tell you, like any habit, it's been a tough go. Ohh how I've had the urges. I feel like I'm doing really well and I just want to hop on the scale to see how well. D has been helping out though and he reminds me of how to look at it. "Would you rather see where you're at right now or how about how far you can go by Tuesday. Wouldn't you rather that greater triumph?" Thanks hun! He goes on day shift tomorrow - 48 hours where he can't remind me of my goal. So, he's going to hide the scale! Out of sight, out mind.

I'm already half way there. I'm ready to go the distance and not hop on that scale until Tuesday morning.

Breakfast of Champions

So, I've decided to start my day with oatmeal. It's a great start to the day. It fills you up and really leaves you feeling satisfied. Since I am nursing little miss and working out more, I was concerned with drying up too soon. I read that oatmeal helps with lactation. So, daily oatmeal it's been! Now, just plain oatmeal every single morning can get so boring, so the foodie in me started to play around with the flavours. So far this week I have made four different variations. I thought I would share with you since they have been so delicious!

Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal

1/3 cup quick oats

1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder

1 tsp splenda

3/4 water (I've also made with skim milk, just adjust the pts)

1 tbsp light peanut butter

Combine the first 3 ingredients and stir. Add the water and stir. Then stir in the peanut butter. Microwave for 2 minutes. Remove, stir, enjoy!

WW+pts: 7

Almond Joy Oatmeal

1/3 quick oats

1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder

1 tsp splenda

1/2 tbsp medium unsweetened desiccated coconut

1 tbsp slivered almonds

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp coconut extract

Combine the first 3 ingredients and stir. Mix in the coconut and almonds. Add the water and stir. Then stir in the coconut extract. Microwave for 2 minutes. Remove, stir, enjoy!

WW+pts: 7

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal

1/3 cup quick oats

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

3/4 cup skim milk

2 tbsp orange juice

2 tbsp dried cranberries

pinch of cinnamon

Combine the first 2 ingredients and then stir in the milk and orange juice. Mix in the cranberries. Microwave for 2 minutes. Remove, stir, sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!

WW+pts: 7

Tropical Oatmeal

1/3 cup quick oats

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 tsp splenda

3/4 cup water

1/2 pineapple, diced

1/2 medium banana, diced

1 tbsp unsweetened, medium desiccated coconut

Combine the first 3 ingredients. Stir in the water then mix in the last 3 ingredients. Microwave for 2 minutes, stir, and enjoy!

WW+pts: 8

Are you an oatmeal eater? Do you like yours the good ol' fashioned way? Or do you like to spruce it up. If so, what's your favorite?

Green Monster Smoothie

So I came across this recipe on Pinterest last night and it's from a great blog, Skinnytaste. I've actually been seeing this "Green Monster" around in a few different places, so I thought I may as well give it a go. Am I ever glad I did! It is DELICIOUS! Seriously...aside from it's vibrant green colour, you would never know there's spinach in it! I had to adapt the recipe as I didn't have quite exactly the ingredients specified and I also added a bit of vanilla protein powder. Nontheless, DELISH! This one will definitely be added into my breakfast rotation...or any time of day rotation to be honest!

So here it is sitting in the blender awaiting a whirl.

And here it is all blended up into sweet, satisfying deliciousness ready to go in my belly!

Green Monster Smoothie (adapted from here)

1 medium banana, frozen

3/4 cup skim milk

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (only had Oikos honey cups, so just scooped the plain yogurt off the top!)

1 tbsp light peanut butter

2 cups spinach

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

2 cups spinach

Place all in a blender. Blend! Pour into a glass and ENJOY!

Nutrition Info:

Calories 552.3

Fat 10.9g

Carbs 76.9

Fibre 5.1

Protein 42.4

WW+Pts: 13

Note: Next time I'm going to try and use some different ingredients to try and get those numbers down. Nonethess, this is a great choice to start off your day!

Re-wiring

I can't believe it's been so long since I've written. I've been putting it off and putting it off, so finally today I just decided to write. I find that I'm comparing myself to others quite often and was even doing that with my blog. I was thinking that I should have all of these topics, research them, have something really good to say about it and pose a question. I feel like mine should be like someone else's. Not my own. I guess what happens is that I feel like I should be like somebody else, something more...but I realized today there's no one out there like me - I'm me! So instead of contemplating what I should be writing about, how I should write it, how I should present it, I decided to just - WRITE!

This past week I've actually been doing a lot of thinking. I think probably since we went to visit my parents, I really got stuck in a rut. I was on a losing trend and gained a bit when we went to Vancouver. Tried to get it back when we got back, but then before I knew it, it was Christmas. The two weeks of Christmas holidays....I gained 9lbs! Nine freaking pounds! I had no inhibitions whatsoever. I stopped tracking my WW points, I ate everything I saw...Nanaimo bars being my worst enemy. Oh Nanaimo Bars why do you have to be SO delicious?! So then came the next couple weeks after Christmas. MAJOR struggle. I was trying to do everything and do it all at once. I was trying to figure out how to balance my weight loss efforts while nursing little miss. I was thinking that I always needed to see big numbers, otherwise it meant I wasn't succeeding. I was thinking about how I was so close to my pre-pregnancy weight (4lbs), then gained so much (I have a history of getting so close and then sabotaging myself). I was stressed out! What helped me overcome that struggle was a phone call with my mom. She was telling me of her struggles and what she had been experiencing. So I thought about what she was going through and how it related to my struggle!

The light bulb! Aha!

I don't have to do everything RIGHT NOW! With my weight loss...if I were to lose 1lb per week...in a year that's 52lbs! FIFTY TWO POUNDS! How much closer I would be to my goal doing that, then with the mentality I've had where it all has to come off now. Going gung ho at the beginning...petering out, losing momentum and not even close to my goal - most likely further away. The old tortoise and hare trick.
So! I'm not stressing out about it. I'm just making sure that I eat healthily, get in some exercise during the week - NOT going crazy about it.

This is going to take time. When I think about where I could be in a year's time, it makes me excited of where that is.

I will strive for greatness! Not for the greatness of someone else, but for the greatness in me.