Flying Through The Pages! (Book Worm Wednesday)

Apparently I have been getting a lot of reading in this week. I didn't realize it, but I have finished 2 books! I think getting M to bed at a decent hour leaves me a little time to read in bed if I want which is really nice! So, without further ado...

Knit, Purl, Die by Anne Canadeo is the second in a series about a group of knitters that congregate at the Black Sheep Yarn Store. It really was a good read. The newest knitter to their group dies unexpectedly and the Black Sheeps do NOT think it was an accident as the police decided. So, these ladies go about trying to solve the mystery on their own. The mystery part of the story is pretty good and the knitting parts of the story are even better. There are patterns and recipes at the end of the book which makes the book an even greater read in my opinion! If this type of fiction appeals to you at all, check it out! But, you might want to read her first book, While My Pretty One Knits just so you can meet the characters in the right order!

I also just finished Daniel X: Watch The Skies By James Patterson this morning. I am a BIG James Patterson fan, but felt this one fell a little short. It is a Young Adult novel and the second in a series. I think that maybe I just prefer his mysteries as I wasn't a HUGE fan of the first Daniel X book, nor his stories about the Bird Kids (I am pretty sure the first was Maximum Ride). I will say though, of course the story was WONDERFULLY written and descriptive as I would expect nothing less from Patterson. The plot of the story itself though just didn't do it for me. But, check the book out yourself and make your own opinion and let me know what YOU thought!

Now I am getting ready to start Kitty and The Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn. This is a series of books about a werewolf. The librarian suggested them, so I am hoping she has good taste in fiction!

Just a few words about yesterday's post...I feel MUCH better today. I cut my points down yesterday and didn't feel like I was stuffing my face! I worked out at the gym this morning, but did a slightly easier workout than I have been doing, but only because my muscles were a LITTLE tired. Tomorrow it is back to the grind! :)

Have a great day! We have already been outside playing in this GORGEOUS sunshine!! Make sure you get a little sun today too!
With Love,
Theresa

Ugh! (Take It Off Tuesday)

Well, my experiment FAILED with a big F! Remember? I made myself eat all 40 points every day (OK, so 2 days I ate 39.5, but come on a half a point is difficult to find!). I lost only .8 pounds. Originally, I actually GAINED .2 and then had to nurse M again, so I weighed myself on a whim and apparently he ate a pound worth of milk, making my actual weight loss -.8. This is VERY discouraging to me. I am trying NOT to let it get me down, but it is difficult. I feel like I work so hard, I watch what I eat, and NOTHING. Logically, I know that isn't true as I have lost almost 30 pounds in 2 months, but it is still just so damn frustrating! Why can't their be a magic genie of skinniness so that I can just wish it away? While I'm at it I'd like a million dollars and a cure for cancer!

So, last week is over, my bitching is DONE and I am moving on. This weeks plan...well, I'm for sure not eating that much food every day! Seriously, I felt pretty miserable. I don't really understand the philosophy here (and I'm sure if I actually WENT to a WW meeting, I might understand better!). You are supposed to eat all your points, but you are supposed to stop eating BEFORE you feel full. Well, I felt full WAY before I ate all my points. I found I was eating random things just to meet my points. So, with that in mind, I am dropping my points level. Since I am nursing, I am technically allotted 40 extra points. I am not going to use these. I will keep an eye on M, don't worry and if I need to start giving him a bottle or 2. He has started eating a little oatmeal at night anyways, so that is good for him. :) That means, I will be eating 30 points each day. That seems a LOT more reasonable!

I have also amped up my gym workouts. I am still Shredding, but really wasn't killing myself at the gym. Well, that has changed! I am doing MUCH harder workouts now and sweating a whole lot more. I am really hoping it all works and I can get past this plateau. I would LOVE to break 30 pounds this week. have 4 more Shred workouts to get my 30 days in and earn a One Pound Pass in my contest (I have already won 1 by being one of the first 3 to lose 10% of my original body weight). I plan on continuing to do Shred, but to also start going to Body Pump at the gym. I miss this class so much!

Well, I am out of time for today as M is up and starting to cry. Have a great day. Get out and enjoy the sunshine! Take a walk, chase your kids, have fun!
With Love,
Theresa

What To Make?!?!

For all my food stalkers out there (yes Jennifer, I am talking to you!) I have NO idea what I am making for dinner. I am thinking about Smoked Turkey Sausage Sandwiches. No, not very exciting, but for whatever reason, it sounds AWESOME! Maybe some Shell's and Cheese and some veggies would round out the meal just fine. Yes, that is what I am going for...

Now, what for you to make? Well, let me tell you that I use my Crock Pot a TON! Seriously, I LOVE my Crock Pots (I have 2!!). I make chicken, beef, pork, just about anything I can. I love that I can put it on and forget about it! In fact, tomorrow, I think I will make Chicken and Noodles in the Crock Pot...sounds good! Why am I telling you this? Well, today's Munchy Time Monday recipe is for the Crock Pot! This is seriously about the EASIEST thing you will be able to do. For anyone that says, "Oh, I'm can't cook, I don't know how.", I PROMISE you can do this!

"Roasted" Chicken
1 Whole Chicken
Any Spices you want on it (I use Garlic [of course], onion powder, a little salt, pepper, paprika, and usually some cayenne pepper. You can also use a bag of Lipton Onion Soup Mix!)
Chicken Broth or water
Onions, Carrots, Celery (optional)

Spray your Crock Pot!! Trust me on this! Next, make sure that you have removed the innards if the chicken you bought didn't already come de-innarded (lovely made up word, huh?). If you leave the insides in the bag in the chicken, well, let's just say GROSS!!. Rinse the chicken inside and out with cool water. Place in Crock Pot on it's tummy. Sprinkle with whatever seasoning you want. Pour in a little water or broth (liquids do NOT evaporate in a Crock Pot, so whatever liquids you put in will be there when you are done!). If using veggies, either stuff the chicken with them (you can also throw some cloves of garlic in there too!) or just put them in the Crock Pot with the chicken and spices and liquid. Put it on low and let it cook all day! Pretty simple, isn't it? Now, if you are a little shorter on time, crank that puppy up to high and it should cook in 3-4 hours. Remove from Crock Pot. Word of warning, the chicken will be VERY tender, as in fall off the bone. Make sure you do not choke on any bones accidentally!

Now, Crock Pot Tip...DO NOT REMOVE LID DURING COOKING!! When you remove the lid, you let all the heat/steam out and that makes your cooking time take longer. Seriously, just leave it alone!

Well, that is the tip for today! Enjoy this gorgeous day and have a good one!
With Love,
Theresa

One Of My Favorite Things (Free For All Friday)

Today I wanted to show you one of my favorite things. I know this is probably weird, but I LOVE these. My friend Jen suggested them as a healthy snack to eat while following Weight Watchers. They are only 2 points a bag and are so good. Without further ado...



QUAKER MINI DELIGHTS CHOCOLATE MINT!!!

Seriously these are SO yummy!! I have a HUGE weakness for the Thin Mint cookies that the Girl Scouts sell. I could go through an entire box in one sitting and not really think twice about it. This year, these kept me out of that box! Ok, so yes, I had 2 cookies, but that is it! I really like these Mini Delights! They come in plain chocolate, caramel, and cinnamon streusel too. The cinnamon are pretty good, caramel is OK, and we haven't tried the plain chocolate because I love the mint ones too much!

So, go out and get yourself a box! You won't regret it!
With Love,
Theresa

Books As Art (Fiber Therapy Thursday)

My good friend Carli taught me to knit in June of 2007. Since then, I have immersed myself in the knitting culture whole heartedly! I knit every opportunity that I get, I pour over patterns both in books and online (see last weeks post on Ravelry). I can stare at and feel up yarn for HOURS! I LOVE to look at other people's knitting. I can talk about knitting all day, arguing if straight needles are better than circulars, wood vs. metal, and whether I am pro or con for acrylics (I am pro, except for Red Heart, YUCK). But, today I am going to stray from the subject of actual knitting. Instead, how about we talk about the art of the knitting book.
There are probably just as many knitting books out there as there are knitters, and believe me, that is a lot! If you have never looked through a knitting book before, you are missing out! The Knitting book in and of itself is as much of an art form as the knitting itself Pictures after pictures of GORGEOUS art work are in these books. And not necessarily just the pictures of the knitting, but the organization of the book and all the petty scripts and other illustrations, they are just gorgeous! I don't think I can say that word enough...GORGEOUS!

Some of my favorites are Boutique Knits, French Girl Knits, Knitting Little Luxuries, and Inspired To Knit. I just realized that these are all put out by Interweave Press...I guess that I must really like them huh?!? In all seriousness, if you get a chance, just check these books out for the pictures alone, even if you aren't into the whole knitting part! Other fun books are the Stitch & Bitch series. What great reads! Knitting Magazines too are great works of art...check them out!

Next week I will fill you in on the whole knitting blog phenomenon! It's even crazier!!!

Till then,
With Love,
Theresa

Artemis Fowl (Book Worm Wednesday)

I was able to get another book finished for the week. It was a Young Adult book called Artemis Fowl and it was written by Eoin Colfer. As far as Young Adult books go, it wasn't bad. It is about a 12 year old boy whose father has disappeared and mother is going insane. He is a criminal mastermind intent on rebuilding up his families abundant wealth. His plan is to expose the magical world of fairies and their fight back to avoid that exposure. As far as fantasy books go, it was decent. It is most definitely written for the Young Adult set, but I think I am a young adult at heart, so I don't feel weird reading it! There are more Artemis Fowl books in the series and I think I would eventually like to read them all. I am going to take a small break though and read some more grown up fiction. Bottom line...easy read, somewhat entertaining, not a lot of brain stimulation!

Not much on the agenda today. Just dealing with sick kiddos which is screwing up my wanting to work out. I managed to stay with my goal of eating all my points yesterday and feel as if I ate ALL day long! But, if it works, than I will do it. I guess we will see at the weigh in on Tuesday....I hope it works!!

With Love,
Theresa

Take It Off Tuesday (plus another recipe!)

I hit 28 pounds today! I lost 1.6 pounds this week. I feel a little bittersweet about this. I know that 1.6 pounds is a GREAT weight loss. I do. But, for some reason I just feel really defeated. Stupid I know, but I think that part of my disappointment is because of the Biggest Loser contest I am doing. I just REALLY want to win so to see a smaller weight loss is frustrating, but like my friend Erica said, that is 1.6 pounds that is no longer on me. She compared it to 1.6 pounds of ground beef...that is a lot! So, I should feel better about my 1.6 pounds, huh? Especially since we had J's birthday party and I ate some Pizza Hut pizza, brownies and ice cream. OK, going to be PROUD of my 1.6 pounds!

The contest has 28 more days. My goal is 15% of my original body weight. That means I need to lose 9.5 more pounds. I don't really know if it is doable or not, but that is my goal. At this point, I have already hit my goal for the entire contest (10%) so anything else is gravy...mmmm....gravy! ;)

I tried something new Friday morning. I went to a class at my gym called "Barre". It is based on the principles of ballet and even though it wasn't the sweat inducing workouts I usually like, it was pretty good. My calves were SCREAMING for 4 days! There was a lot of ab work and work of all those little muscles that don't normally get hit in a workout very easily. I am hoping that I can make it to the class again soon. It only meets on Monday evening and Friday mornings. Evenings are rough because of family time and L goes to our neighbors house on Friday mornings. So we will see, maybe we can do an every other week thing, although I would prefer going more than that. I don't know though, maybe I'll have to check out some of the gym's other locations and see if it is anywhere else at different times. :)

I made a Weight Watcher's Shepherd's Pie last night. It was SO good. I had a lot of people asking me for the recipe. So, here it is. I got it from the Weight Watchers newsletter that gets emailed to me every couple of days. Here you go:

Classic Shepherd's Pie

2 large Potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 c. fat-free sour cream
1 T. reduced-calorie margarine
1/8 t. table salt (or to taste)
2 t. olive oil
1 c. onions chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium stalks celery, diced
1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. rosemary, fresh, chopped or 1 t. dried
1 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. table salt
1/4 t. black pepper
2 c. canned chicken or beef broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain potatoes, transfer to a large bowl and add sour cream and margarine; mash until smooth, season to taste with salt and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery; Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add flour, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a simmer; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.
Transfer turkey mixture to a 9-inch, deep dish pie plate. Spread mashed potatoes over top and using the back of a spoon, make decorative swirls over the top. Bake until potatoes are golden, about 30 minutes. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.
5 POINTS per serving

Now, what I did different...
I used Ore-Ida steam and mash potatoes...God love whoever invented these!! What a novel concept...I hate peeling potatoes!
Instead of cutting up the onions and celery, I used a frozen mix that had those plus green pepper already diced up, then I just added carrots to the mix. I know you can buy the mix with onions, celery, and carrots, just didn't have it on hand.
I also put in a little Italian Seasoning in with the spices.
Oh, of course I added garlic too! :)

Everyone liked it! Enjoy! Let me know what you thought!

I forgot to add that I started Level 3 of the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred yesterday. Did it again today. There is something oddly gratifying about hitting Level 3 on the DVD player! :)

Have a great one...until tomorrow!
With Love,
Theresa