My Wedding Anniversary

is in exactly 30 days! I want to be healthy and slender for my husband. My anniversary present to myself (and him) is that I am trying to lose as much weight as healthfully possible before our big day! So far i've lost 13.8 pounds-10 of them in the last 6 weeks, when I really started getting serious about this. The super fun thing is, hubs has jumped on the health bandwagon, too! He bought us a gym membership and we have been going and working out together several times per week. I love working out with him, and he has said that it makes him feel closer to me, doing this together.

It feels so good to bless my body! I have so much more energy already. My clothing fits better, and I just feel healthier all around. I know that there are people out there who have health problems and such that prevent them from being able to do anything about their weight, and this makes me truly grateful that I can-and it also reminds me to keep my friends and loved ones in prayer who don't have the opportunities I have in this area.

I have chronic bronchial asthma, and a heart murmur, and my health problems get considerably easier to handle when I am in good shape and at a certain weight. I have already noticed a big difference in my energy levels and just in the way I feel-the exercise has really helped me work off some stress and I feel refreshed when I get done with a workout. I don't feel so bloated and sluggish and tired since i've lost a few pounds and started eating more healthfully. I've also gone out and bought a couple of cute dresses that I totally wouldn't have been able to carry off when I was heavier...i'm enjoying the excuse to buy some new, more feminine clothing-as my old clothing grows too large for me (and yay to fitting back into my size 8 jeans!)

I'm really hoping to bless my family and my husband by blessing my own body. I really feel that it helps me to serve my family more joyfully and efficiently when I am healthy. (Oh, and summer is coming! I am looking forward to having the energy to go hiking and to the beach, playing in the surf and sand without getting fatigued! I love spending time with my family outdoors!)

The struggle with weight is not new to me. I hit my highest weight at the age of 27, after giving birth to my 5th child. (I had the youngest 3 in less 3 years-2 13 months apart, and then littlest 22 months later. Hard on the body! Total, 5 kids in 10 years.) After my littlest was born,I weighed in at 190 pounds at a height of about 5 foot 6. This tipped me just over the line of being obese on the BMI scales. It took me about two years to lose almost 50 pounds and get down to around 140 pounds-it was hard, but I persevered and did it. I, personally, feel most comfortable between 140 and 145 pounds-I have tons of energy, and just feel great at that weight. Unfortunately, a miscarriage about a year and a half ago left me with some excess weight once again. It took me a while, but I really knew I needed to do something about the excess weight-so here I am. After giving birth to 5 children, losing 3 pregnancies, and now, nearing my mid-30s, it is not as easy to lose the weight as it used to be. One big problem I have is that I get to my goal weight, and then something happens (in all of the previous cases, pregnancy & delivery, and/or miscarriage) and I gain weight again and take too long to get it back off. Instead of making my goal just to lose the weight this time, my goal is to keep it off long term. (Well, I may put on some, temporarily, if I get pregnant, but hopefully I will take it back off a bit faster this time afterwards.) :0)

So, I guess i'll see how much more I can accomplish with my health in the next 30 days...this is exciting! Here are a few verses to help motivate you if you are trying to get healthier:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? ... So use every part of your body to give glory back to God..." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:20

(And, my personal favorite to repeat to myself during a really hard workout:)

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

13.8 pounds down, 10 to 15 more to go! I guess i'll try to update at the end of May and see if I make my goal. If I do, i'm buying a special "outfit" (wink wink) to wear just for my guy for our anniversary! (hubba hubba) If i'm really brave, perhaps i'll post before and after pictures...

Split Pea Soup Recipe

Well, this is not an innovative or new recipe by any means, but split pea soup can be a frugal and deliciously healthy dish. Dried split peas are very economical and have a long shelf life. (I like to buy mine in the bulk section at Winco.) I got my potatoes for 99 cents for a 10 pound bag, my baby carrots @ 79 cents a pound, and the celery was pretty cheap, too. Add half a brown onion, chopped, and some leftover ham from a meal a few nights before and we had a big pot of pea soup for a very low price per serving. (I didn't actually work out exactly what that price was, i'm too lazy, but, trust me, it was a cheap way to feed a big family + some guests.)

you'll need:
*2-3 cups dried split peas, rinsed and rained
*8 to 10 cups water, plus more for replacing evaporated water while pea soup boils
*1/2 medium onion, chopped
*20 baby carrots, cut into 4ths
*4 celery ribs, halved and then sliced
*5 to 8 potatoes, peeled and chunked (amount varies depending on how much you like potatoes. We like more rather than less in our soup.)
*ham steak (optional, I make this vegetarian style quite often by omitting the ham), diced, or you can just throw in a ham bone for flavor without having chunks of meat in your soup
*salt & pepper to taste

1.Throw your split peas, water, and diced onion into a large stockpot. bring to a boil. Boil for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. DO NOT ADD SALT until later, because if you are using ham in this recipe the ham will add a bit of salty flavor on its own-if you salt now you may end up with very salty pea soup.

2. Boil about 20 more minutes. If you keep it at a medium high boil, your peas will start to disintegrate. After your second 20 minutes is over, add your diced ham. I like to cut mine fairly chunky so that my pea soup will be hearty with good sized dices of meat. You may want to add more water at this point to replace the water that has boiled down. Depending on how thick you want your pea soup to be, you can add as much water as you'd like.

3. Boil for another 20 minutes. Make sure you stir often because this will begin to thicken and the bottom could burn. I like to use a good, heavy bottomed pan so that it doesn't burn so easily on the bottom. Keep on checking the water level and adding water to suit your taste.

4. Add your carrots, celery, and potatoes. Taste the broth to see how salty it is. You may add a teaspoon of salt to give some flavor to the potatoes so they don't end up tasting flat. You can also grind some fresh pepper into the mix if you'd like. Boil for 40 more minutes, stirring often. You should end up with a thick, hearty soup, with nice chunks of potatoes and ham and some dices of celery and carrot for flavor and color.

This soup is high in fiber and iron, making it a hearty and healthy choice for your family-you can also sub the ham for turkey ham, it is still very flavorful and has less fat and calories. I usually use regular ham but I trim it very well before I dice it for our soup. We like to serve ours with whole grain bread and Smart Balance margarine-this tastes delicious dipped into the soup. This is great on a cold fall or winter day and the leftovers are awesome for lunch for hubby the next day, too!

Note: If you soak and rinse your peas for several hours before making this, it shouldn't give you gas.

Cinnamon Almond Crusted French Toast Recipe

In the fall I like to make pecan crusted pumpkin french toast topped with a dollop of maple whipped cream. It's almost more of a dessert than a breakfast. I wanted something lighter for the summer months, so this morning I experimented with cinnamon almond crusted french toast. Please excuse my pic of breakfast, above, as I am certainly not a food photographer, haha. The little white lumps are powdered sugar. As an afterthought i'm sure breakfast could have done without it.


Here's what you need to make this:

*a sturdy skillet
*plastic ziplock/freezer bag
*rolling pin or other suitable almond smasher (for the fun part, you can even get the kids involved)
*spatula

*several slices of your favorite bread. (I use Milton's Whole Grain Plus bread-it has lots of fiber and a good supply of iron, which I need, because I struggle with chronic anemia.)
* eggs, I used about half a dozen for 7 slices of french toast
*a splash of milk to mix with your eggs to make them nice and fluffy
*cinnamon
*vanilla
*a handful of almonds
*Smart Balance margarine sub, or whatever type of butter/margarine you use

Now, here's what ya gotta do:

1. Put your almonds in a sturdy, sandwich sized freezer bag. Don't close it because then it will probably pop while you are trying to crush your almonds. Lay your freezer bag flat on the counter, try to lay the almonds in one flat layer. Now take your rolling pin and crush your almonds, still inside the bag. Beat them, roll over them, just make sure they are in small chunks with some that are almost powdered.

2. Pick up your bag of almonds and shake a little cinnamon in for flavor. As much or as little as you like. Shake the bag all around to mix the cinnamon and almonds together.

3. Get a small dinner plate and pour your almond/cinny mixture out in a flat layer on your plate.

**At this point you may want to turn the heat on under your skillet to medium-high. not too high, not too low. You want your skillet nice and warmed up for when you put your french toast in. If you have a good nonstick skillet, you may not need any butter or margarine. If not, throw a small dollop of Smart Balance margarine sub in there to add a nice buttery flavor and keep your french toast from sticking.

4.Take a small, shallow dish that is big enough to fit your bread slices in and crack some eggs into it. Add some milk, a bit of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon to your liking. Beat your eggs until they are light, fluffy and yellow.

5. Take your slice of bread, and immerse each side in your egg mixture. Make sure that you get the whole thing covered in egg.

6. Now, take your egg drenched slice of bread and press each side into the almond/cinnamon mixture. Make sure the bread is covered with yummy pieces of almond and flavorful cinnamon.

7. Lay your bread in the hot skillet. Keep an eye on it and flip it when it is a nice golden brown. I can't even tell you how long, you just have to practice a few times and get a feel for it. Cook on the second side until golden brown and crusty.

Note: This french toast is very rich, I only make one crusted piece per person. I pile their plate nice and high with regular french toast (same recipe sans almond mixture step) and then top it with 1 slice of crusted french toast.

You can serve this with butter/margarine/Smart Balance/whatever you use, and some maple syrup, or even a fresh berry reduction and a dollop of freshly whipped cream. If you use the bread and stuff that I did it has a good amount of iron and fiber, and it also has some added vitamins and minerals. It will have kind of a chewy, grainy texture. I love it this way but if you are a white bread kinda person it may take some getting used to.

I am eating this for breakfast this morning, even while I do my Biggest Loser contest. I love modifying recipes to make them healthier.

**If you have an aversion to egg yolks, just use egg whites (no yolks) in your egg mixture.

Biggest Loser

About 4 weeks ago, I joined a Biggest Loser contest with a bunch of other HK ladies. It has been so much fun! I haven't lost a whole lot of weight-actually, less than 10 pounds-but I have started exercising consistently, eating much better than I was, and getting to bed at a decent hour each night.

I have noticed some awesome changes in my body from the exercise, and my energy levels have been so much higher. I had some health problems over the fall and ended up gaining about 20 pounds over fall and winter. My goal is to lose about 18 more pounds. The pic above was taken by my son before I started the competition. maybe i'll take some sort of "after" pic or something once I get to my goal weight.

I don't know if she even knows I have a blog, LOL, but I want to thank Tawna for putting on the contest. She is doing it all by herself and it must be such a big job! She has worked really hard to make sure everything is done fairly and she has put so much time and effort into it. I also want to say to my fellow contestants, GO BIG LOSERS GO!!!

January 12, 2009

<--Little Miss Autumn at her Santa Bear tea at Christmastime at the library. All the kids made little glittery reindeer antlers to wear. :)

Autumn woke up sick. I spent the morning cuddling with her and trying to nurse her back to health. Apparently it worked because by midafternoon she was feeling fiesty, playing with her sisters and eating everything in sight. :)

I'm trying to lose a few pounds and get healthier in the hopes that I will have more energy to keep up with my family! Last night we had a grilled London Broil over a really nice salad with some sunflower seeds sprinkled on top. Then I went and killed it by throwing some ranch dressing on it. ;) It was HEAVENLY! I'm sure it had a decent amount of iron in it as well, which I need really badly right now, as my anemia has been really bothering me.

I weighed in this morning and got my starting weight. I'd like to lose ten pounds. Not because I want to be a "hottie" or something, but because when I was about ten pounds lighter, I had a lot more energy (and I could fit into most of my pants! LOL!)When I weighed in this morning I got a pleasant surprise-I was about 5 pounds lighter than I had anticipated! :) I love the outdoors and it is hard to enjoy them when i'm anemic and sluggish and my asthma acts up-I have noticed, that in my life, all of these things can usually be kept in check with proper nutrition and activity. My body functions so much better when I make an effort to live healthfully.

I really feel like I need energy to do the Lord's work, to take care of this adorable, rambunctious family I have been blessed with. I have been praying that He will help me to eat healthfully and that He will just grant me energy and vibrance so that I may be a shining Light to my family. Wish me luck! :)

**I won't be posting my weight on my blog for personal reasons.