Thursday, December 27, 2012
Brooklyn Rebekah Holt
On December 10th I went in for my scheduled induction and after 6 hours of labor at which point the epidural wore off for the last 15 minutes of pushing, our little Brooklyn was born. She weighed in at 7lbs and 2oz, 21 inches long. She barely cried and she did not have to spend anytime in the NICU like her sister did before her. Yay! She is a breastfeeding champ and has really helped me feel more motivated to deal with the 2 weeks or so of pain. She has brought such a calm dynamic to our lives. Welcome home Brooklyn!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Loaded Potato Soup
I recently found a post with Disneylands Loaded Potato soup. I modified the original recipe to fit our needs as a family and it turned out great! Some of the issues with the original recipe I found is that I don't use really fatty bacon. I had to add oil to my pot to help the potatoes, onions and carrots to cook correctly. We used half the potatoes that it called for and that was even a lot! I didn't end up using any other seasonings, but I think next time I might try it was a little garlic powder. This is going to be a regular at our house!
I didn't take any pictures this time, but here it is.
1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped
2 tbs of oil
1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3/4 cup diced celery
4 medium red potatoes, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups water with 2tbs of chicken boulion mixed in.
Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Pint heavy whipping cream
Optional garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
I didn't take any pictures this time, but here it is.
1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped
2 tbs of oil
1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
3/4 cup diced celery
4 medium red potatoes, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups water with 2tbs of chicken boulion mixed in.
Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Pint heavy whipping cream
Optional garnishes: chopped chives, bacon bits, sour cream, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
- In a 6- to 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp.
- Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving half for garnish. In bacon fat and oil, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour is cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add chicken stock and half of the bacon. Season with salt and pepper.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Mash some of the potatoes for thicker, creamier texture. Add whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Adjust thickness by adding water or stock. Soup should have a creamy consistency.
- Season to taste, and garnish with toppings.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Chicken pot Pies
I came up with this one today after looking at some ideas on pinterest. Here it is! It's fairly easy to make.
Start with Flaky Pie Crust here on the blog. This recipe will make 4 individual pie crusts or one big one. I made 4 individual ones today. It should look something like this:
After you have your pie crust you will want to make your filling. I used chicken gravy mix for the sauce and added cooked potatoes, mixed frozen vegetables and some of a rotisserie chicken.
I put the top of the pie crust, put them on a cookie sheet and baked them for 35 minutes! The smell will kill you!
Here is the recipe:
For filling
2 cups water
2 packages of chicken gravy mix
1/2 cup frozen vegetables
1/2 cup cooked potatoes
1 cup rotisserie chicken
I really hope you all enjoy this one! Excuse my bad photography. I just point and shoot. :)
Start with Flaky Pie Crust here on the blog. This recipe will make 4 individual pie crusts or one big one. I made 4 individual ones today. It should look something like this:
After you have your pie crust you will want to make your filling. I used chicken gravy mix for the sauce and added cooked potatoes, mixed frozen vegetables and some of a rotisserie chicken.
I put the top of the pie crust, put them on a cookie sheet and baked them for 35 minutes! The smell will kill you!
Here is the recipe:
For filling
2 cups water
2 packages of chicken gravy mix
1/2 cup frozen vegetables
1/2 cup cooked potatoes
1 cup rotisserie chicken
I really hope you all enjoy this one! Excuse my bad photography. I just point and shoot. :)
Flaky Pie Crust
My Mother in law is amazing at making pie crusts! I don't know how she does it and I wish I knew how to make pies as well as she does. My favorite has to be her strawberry pie. Here is an awesome pie crust recipe I've used for YEARS! My mother in law recommends using butter shortening.
3 Cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cup shortening
1 egg beaten
1 TBS vinegar
1/4 cup Ice water
Mix flour and salt together and fluff a bit. Cut shortening into flour mixture using a fork or pastery cutter until flour looks like small peas. Mix together egg, vinegar and ice water and slowly combine together (I don't always use ALL the water mixture in flour depending on humidity)
This makes
2 Pie shells
1 Pie crust with top
4 personal size pies (As I found out today)
Bake as directed on your pie recipe or if there isn't one bake at 400 for about 25 minutes and check on it until golden brown.
3 Cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cup shortening
1 egg beaten
1 TBS vinegar
1/4 cup Ice water
Mix flour and salt together and fluff a bit. Cut shortening into flour mixture using a fork or pastery cutter until flour looks like small peas. Mix together egg, vinegar and ice water and slowly combine together (I don't always use ALL the water mixture in flour depending on humidity)
This makes
2 Pie shells
1 Pie crust with top
4 personal size pies (As I found out today)
Bake as directed on your pie recipe or if there isn't one bake at 400 for about 25 minutes and check on it until golden brown.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
2nd Labor and Delivery visit.... This MONTH!
That thought alone kinda freaks me out. I really don't want next month to be like this month.
Here it is, in not so much of a nutshell.
On Sept 12th I experienced intense pain in my chest. It was then that I went to L&D and they monitored Brooklyn and found that nothing was wrong. They sent me on to ER where they discovered gallbladder disease. At that point my liver enzymes were still in "Normal range" but on the high side.
Fast forward to Sept 22-24 I noticed a difference in the color of my urine (I know, people don't usually talk about this stuff. I'm not afraid though) Mine was ORANGE, that's right orange. That can mean basically one thing in my condition. That a gallstone was stuck somewhere and bile was filling into my digestive system and being processed by the old kidneys. Which is a very very bad thing. Basically the bile then gets into your blood stream and you can develop jaundice. You know, when you find bilirubin in your blood. Anyway, they did a urine test and a comprehensive blood panel. when I say THEY, that was my sergeon. Mind you, there are two doctor's right now that I'm trying to work with. Well, my sergeon called me later on that day and said, "Looks like you have protein in your urine, follow up with your ob for antibiotics." And that was the beginning, I should have known!
25th, I called my ob's office and had them pull the blood and urine report that was done. My liver enzymes are DOUBLE what they were on the 12th and I had high bilirubin. I get a call from my OB himself saying that he doesn't like the level of my liver enzymes and if I really have protein we have a problem. Get my butt to L&D. Well, a little while (about an hour) we made our way in without a 2 year old because that's the last place we need her all hyper. They repeated all the tests. My enzymes are still high, no protein and my bili levels are back in normal range. They sent me home with order to collect pee for 24 hours.
26th, OB called again recently and explained. Liver enzymes are one thing they use to diagnose people with preclampsia. They aren't positive if my liver enzymes are due to my gallbladder or not, but now it makes it harder for them to diagnose the preclampsia. They now have to rely on what my urine tells them and what my blood pressure is. I'm still collecting urine for the protein test which I will find out tomorrow and in the meantime my blood pressure is still good. He hasn't given an exact decision at this point, but I know what it's going to be. Preclampsia can only be resolved with the delivery of the baby. At this point that means that Brooklyn would be 12 weeks early. Hopefully that doesn't happen and I'm going to try to relax and hopefully have good news tomorrow.
Here it is, in not so much of a nutshell.
On Sept 12th I experienced intense pain in my chest. It was then that I went to L&D and they monitored Brooklyn and found that nothing was wrong. They sent me on to ER where they discovered gallbladder disease. At that point my liver enzymes were still in "Normal range" but on the high side.
Fast forward to Sept 22-24 I noticed a difference in the color of my urine (I know, people don't usually talk about this stuff. I'm not afraid though) Mine was ORANGE, that's right orange. That can mean basically one thing in my condition. That a gallstone was stuck somewhere and bile was filling into my digestive system and being processed by the old kidneys. Which is a very very bad thing. Basically the bile then gets into your blood stream and you can develop jaundice. You know, when you find bilirubin in your blood. Anyway, they did a urine test and a comprehensive blood panel. when I say THEY, that was my sergeon. Mind you, there are two doctor's right now that I'm trying to work with. Well, my sergeon called me later on that day and said, "Looks like you have protein in your urine, follow up with your ob for antibiotics." And that was the beginning, I should have known!
25th, I called my ob's office and had them pull the blood and urine report that was done. My liver enzymes are DOUBLE what they were on the 12th and I had high bilirubin. I get a call from my OB himself saying that he doesn't like the level of my liver enzymes and if I really have protein we have a problem. Get my butt to L&D. Well, a little while (about an hour) we made our way in without a 2 year old because that's the last place we need her all hyper. They repeated all the tests. My enzymes are still high, no protein and my bili levels are back in normal range. They sent me home with order to collect pee for 24 hours.
26th, OB called again recently and explained. Liver enzymes are one thing they use to diagnose people with preclampsia. They aren't positive if my liver enzymes are due to my gallbladder or not, but now it makes it harder for them to diagnose the preclampsia. They now have to rely on what my urine tells them and what my blood pressure is. I'm still collecting urine for the protein test which I will find out tomorrow and in the meantime my blood pressure is still good. He hasn't given an exact decision at this point, but I know what it's going to be. Preclampsia can only be resolved with the delivery of the baby. At this point that means that Brooklyn would be 12 weeks early. Hopefully that doesn't happen and I'm going to try to relax and hopefully have good news tomorrow.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Pink Frosted Sugar Cookies and Baking Tips!
I have always known that I loved baking. I grew up always experimenting with all kinds of baking. My dear mother had way too many sweets in the house when I lived there because I love to create and I don't always help with the eating of the creation. :) Maybe that's why she's loosing weight and looking great!!!! Anyway, I came across this recipe the other day while looking for desert ideas. Jaron and I threw a baby celebration party and we aren't really fond of cakes and cupcakes. I haven't found a recipe of them that I love yet. However, he saw this recipe and said, "I want you to make that one." So if the hubby wants it, he usually gets it. Plus, who can give up an opportunity to bake because I sure can't.
I worked in a bakery for a little while and I feel like I learned a lot about baking being there. Plus, I always had my fill on sugar stuff I never made anything the whole time I was there! haha. Baking tip I'm explaining today has to do with cookies. When you bake cookies you usually need to be careful about how you bake them. If you don't mind crunchy burnt bottom cookies then overbake all you want. Most people don't like it. So here's what I learned. Say I'm making a chocolate chip cookie that is a little dense and supposed to be chewy. You want to bake until the tops are golden brown. There are a few shades of brown, but stick to the light shade and it won't disappoint. When you take the cookies out of the oven you want them to sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. A baker at my job once told me that cookies continue to bake after they come out of the oven. Taking them off of the sheet right out of the oven stops the baking. Depending on how soft or hard you want your cookie is how soon you take them off the sheet. Typically with a light brown top you want to leave them on the sheet for at least 2 minutes to finish their cycle.
Sugar cookies are entirely different. They are very dense and meant to be soft all around. You want to bake them until the BOTTOM of the cookie is a light/medium brown and after baking IMMEDIATELY take them off the sheet onto a cooling rack. This is because you never want to overbake a sugar cookie. With that tip, I introduce the recipe Jaron requested. Get the original recipe HERE.
6 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 c. butter, at room temperature
2 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. Salt
1 1/2 c. sour cream
4 c. powdered sugar
6 T. heavy cream
Several drops food coloring
Multi-colored Sprinkles
I worked in a bakery for a little while and I feel like I learned a lot about baking being there. Plus, I always had my fill on sugar stuff I never made anything the whole time I was there! haha. Baking tip I'm explaining today has to do with cookies. When you bake cookies you usually need to be careful about how you bake them. If you don't mind crunchy burnt bottom cookies then overbake all you want. Most people don't like it. So here's what I learned. Say I'm making a chocolate chip cookie that is a little dense and supposed to be chewy. You want to bake until the tops are golden brown. There are a few shades of brown, but stick to the light shade and it won't disappoint. When you take the cookies out of the oven you want them to sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. A baker at my job once told me that cookies continue to bake after they come out of the oven. Taking them off of the sheet right out of the oven stops the baking. Depending on how soft or hard you want your cookie is how soon you take them off the sheet. Typically with a light brown top you want to leave them on the sheet for at least 2 minutes to finish their cycle.
Sugar cookies are entirely different. They are very dense and meant to be soft all around. You want to bake them until the BOTTOM of the cookie is a light/medium brown and after baking IMMEDIATELY take them off the sheet onto a cooling rack. This is because you never want to overbake a sugar cookie. With that tip, I introduce the recipe Jaron requested. Get the original recipe HERE.
Cookies:
6 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 c. butter, at room temperature
2 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. Salt
1 1/2 c. sour cream
Frosting:
1 c. butter, room temperature
1 t. vanilla extract 4 c. powdered sugar
6 T. heavy cream
Several drops food coloring
Multi-colored Sprinkles
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the
butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy,
about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula
as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is
incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until
combined.
Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined,
scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough will be a bit “sticky”. Divide
dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches
thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight
or at least two hours until firm.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with
parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
Use the plastic wrap that you chilled the dough in. Dust the top of the
dough and then flip and flour the other side, keeping it on the plastic
wrap. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.
Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a
baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately
transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Best to work in small batches
while keeping the remainder of the dough chilled.
To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the
paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in
the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1
tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is
achieved. If desired, add food coloring and beat until combined.
Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles. Allow
frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let cookies sit
for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.
Makes approximately: 5 to 6 dozen cookies (will vary on the thickness of the dough)
Notes
I do not have a stand mixer so I used a hand mixer and it worked very very well.
Leave the second half of the cookie dough in the fridge while the first half is baking. This thaws out very quickly and is very very sticky dough. It is supposed to be very very sticky so don't let that alarm you!
6 cups of flour is just the right amount of flour. NEVER over add flour into your sugar cookies. You want them to be soft and melty not like a piece of bread.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
1st week with Gallbladder Disease
I have no idea where to begin, but I have learned a few tips that I figure I should write about.
I learned to pay attention to my body and what it's telling me. I'll explain. I did some research online about gallbladder disease/gallbladder problems. I found that side effects can include: Fatigue, Hair loss and Weight loss. I've experienced all of that! Well, not exactly the weight loss, but I haven't gained anything since I lost 10lbs about 2 months ago and when I went in for my OBGYN appt today I was down a pound from last time... But it makes sense. I have always had thick hair, but so far this pregnancy it's really thin which doesn't make sense because I take prenatals everyday which should make your hair grow like nuts, right? Fatigue, I chalk that up to being prego, but what do I know. Mostly it was the hair loss and the weight loss that tipped me off that something wasn't exactly quite right.
Eggs are bad for your gallbladder!! Who knew! They have a lot of fat and cholesterol. I figured they were so healthy. Hmm, interesting. You can find good diet ideas here.
Listen to your surgeon where this is obvious it's important to remember. Mine doesn't want me to go through surgery right now because they wouldn't be able to go in laroscopically (sp?) basically 4 small incisions. Given the size of my uterus right now they would have to do it the other way which is 2 8inch long incisions and it would be longer to heal with risk of pre-term labor.
Listen to your body and to what irritates you. So far I'm on an egg/sausage mcmuffin. I have ruled out that cheese is not a factor in my gallbladder pain, but I have yet to eat sausage or eggs because of my fear of the pain and I really don't want to take pain meds right now. Different things irritate different people so if spinach irritates someone else, it might not irritate me. It's trial and error, but also you need to be smart about it. Don't go eating a huge hamburger.
Most people have gall stones. Gallbladder disease means that you have an infection or "sludge" in your gallbladder and thickening lining. So far I'm not as severe as some, I have some sludge, but not enough to thicken the lining of my gallbladder.
I learned to pay attention to my body and what it's telling me. I'll explain. I did some research online about gallbladder disease/gallbladder problems. I found that side effects can include: Fatigue, Hair loss and Weight loss. I've experienced all of that! Well, not exactly the weight loss, but I haven't gained anything since I lost 10lbs about 2 months ago and when I went in for my OBGYN appt today I was down a pound from last time... But it makes sense. I have always had thick hair, but so far this pregnancy it's really thin which doesn't make sense because I take prenatals everyday which should make your hair grow like nuts, right? Fatigue, I chalk that up to being prego, but what do I know. Mostly it was the hair loss and the weight loss that tipped me off that something wasn't exactly quite right.
Eggs are bad for your gallbladder!! Who knew! They have a lot of fat and cholesterol. I figured they were so healthy. Hmm, interesting. You can find good diet ideas here.
Listen to your surgeon where this is obvious it's important to remember. Mine doesn't want me to go through surgery right now because they wouldn't be able to go in laroscopically (sp?) basically 4 small incisions. Given the size of my uterus right now they would have to do it the other way which is 2 8inch long incisions and it would be longer to heal with risk of pre-term labor.
Listen to your body and to what irritates you. So far I'm on an egg/sausage mcmuffin. I have ruled out that cheese is not a factor in my gallbladder pain, but I have yet to eat sausage or eggs because of my fear of the pain and I really don't want to take pain meds right now. Different things irritate different people so if spinach irritates someone else, it might not irritate me. It's trial and error, but also you need to be smart about it. Don't go eating a huge hamburger.
Most people have gall stones. Gallbladder disease means that you have an infection or "sludge" in your gallbladder and thickening lining. So far I'm not as severe as some, I have some sludge, but not enough to thicken the lining of my gallbladder.
Homemade Crunch Wraps
OH MY GOSH! I forgot to post my weekly recipe post. I had a goodie this week. Found this on pinterest. It's homemade crunch wrap supreme. Supposed to be as good (if not better) than the ones made at Taco Bell.
Get the recipe at this blog here
So good! I think it's better than Taco bell. I recommend making homemade taco meat OR for a Less fat version I actually put refried beans in mine. Since I can't have very much fat I have completely cut out taco meat from my diet. :( But hey, I love refried beans so it's okay.
I give this an:
Get the recipe at this blog here
So good! I think it's better than Taco bell. I recommend making homemade taco meat OR for a Less fat version I actually put refried beans in mine. Since I can't have very much fat I have completely cut out taco meat from my diet. :( But hey, I love refried beans so it's okay.
I give this an:
A+
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Gallbladder Issues
So as we ramp up to 27 weeks along (SQUEEE, Just one more week until 3rd trimester!!!) I found out that I have Gallbladder disease. Jaron and I spent 6 exhausting hours at the hospital today first making sure that Brooklyn was okay. Which she is fantastic, just so happy and healthy moving around in her little space. I'm so relieved that she is okay and she gets to stay in there still! Next we went to the ER because no one ever told you that L&D doesn't really deal with chest pain. I didn't know what was going on and I was freaking out. Let's recap.
I first felt the pain at about 10am this morning at work 25 minutes away from my home. I ignorded at first and figured nothing was wrong..... About a half an hour later I was feeling much worse with hot flashes and check pain radiating from my right side to my left. Lets just say I booked it out of work and I honestly don't remember if I clocked out or not..... I drove most of the way home when I stopped and puked up my guts on the freeway. After that I felt better and started to think that I was imagining things. Dr said to go to L&D though so I carried on. Got the hubs and the little one in the car and grandma kindly helped us with her while we got to the hospital. Once there we sat in L&D while the elvaluated Brooklyn. She was putting on a show the hole time becuase of all the excitment!!! What a cutie! Anyway, they figured out that she was okay. My OB came in to talk with me and I began to feel worse at this point. Pain still on my right side, but now it was traveling to my back and down my right side. I felt nothing on my left which was good news to my OB because there was nothing with my heart. Told me to go to ER to be evaluated for gallbladder and/or kidney infection.
Once there I took a turn for the very very worse. I spent the next hour in the most intense pain I have ever been in in my life INCLUDING labor. I was crying, puking, and sweating as much as anyone could imagine. I honestly had no idea what was wrong, but I figured it was the gallbladder. I asked my husband for a blessing who then asked any member of the staff if they could help provide one. No one stepped up right away so we continued on with all our testing. I had an ultrasound done and they found gall stones and sludge in my gallbladder. They also found some protien in my urine which means I also have a UTI on top of it all!
While the testing was going on Jaron and myself were blessed with an amazing opportunity that I'm sure doesn't come around much. One of the men in the hospital stepped forward to come aid Jaron in a blessing for me. I was amazed with his willingness to help us and with his love of the gospel to know what a great opportunity that this was. I will never forget his kindness that day.
Tomorrow we shall see what the surgen says. I hope by then I haven't drove myself crazy looking at articles of gallbladder surgeries and pregnancy, but I know everything will be okay and Brooklyn his healthy. At least we have that to help us!
Love you all!
I first felt the pain at about 10am this morning at work 25 minutes away from my home. I ignorded at first and figured nothing was wrong..... About a half an hour later I was feeling much worse with hot flashes and check pain radiating from my right side to my left. Lets just say I booked it out of work and I honestly don't remember if I clocked out or not..... I drove most of the way home when I stopped and puked up my guts on the freeway. After that I felt better and started to think that I was imagining things. Dr said to go to L&D though so I carried on. Got the hubs and the little one in the car and grandma kindly helped us with her while we got to the hospital. Once there we sat in L&D while the elvaluated Brooklyn. She was putting on a show the hole time becuase of all the excitment!!! What a cutie! Anyway, they figured out that she was okay. My OB came in to talk with me and I began to feel worse at this point. Pain still on my right side, but now it was traveling to my back and down my right side. I felt nothing on my left which was good news to my OB because there was nothing with my heart. Told me to go to ER to be evaluated for gallbladder and/or kidney infection.
Once there I took a turn for the very very worse. I spent the next hour in the most intense pain I have ever been in in my life INCLUDING labor. I was crying, puking, and sweating as much as anyone could imagine. I honestly had no idea what was wrong, but I figured it was the gallbladder. I asked my husband for a blessing who then asked any member of the staff if they could help provide one. No one stepped up right away so we continued on with all our testing. I had an ultrasound done and they found gall stones and sludge in my gallbladder. They also found some protien in my urine which means I also have a UTI on top of it all!
While the testing was going on Jaron and myself were blessed with an amazing opportunity that I'm sure doesn't come around much. One of the men in the hospital stepped forward to come aid Jaron in a blessing for me. I was amazed with his willingness to help us and with his love of the gospel to know what a great opportunity that this was. I will never forget his kindness that day.
Tomorrow we shall see what the surgen says. I hope by then I haven't drove myself crazy looking at articles of gallbladder surgeries and pregnancy, but I know everything will be okay and Brooklyn his healthy. At least we have that to help us!
Love you all!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Weekly Pinterest Recipe: Best Burger Recipe Ever with Secret Sauce
I have decided to start doing a weekly Pinterest recipe challenge where I will try at least one of the pinterest inspired recipes and grade it with a rating. Today's recipe was "Best Burger Recipe Ever with Secret Sauce" There is the link the the original site. Anyway, I gave this one a try! Here is the recipe:
Burger Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef 85/15
sesame seed buns
1/2 cup of grated Monterrey jack cheese
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
season salt to taste
cracked black pepper
onion powder
2 lbs ground beef 85/15
sesame seed buns
1/2 cup of grated Monterrey jack cheese
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
season salt to taste
cracked black pepper
onion powder
After trying this recipe here are my thoughts. I liked this burger because the bbq sauce gave it a sweet taste. I used Sweet baby rays BBQ sauce because that's what the recipe calls for on her blog. I think this would be a good burger with a sweet pickle. I myself am not a fan of sweet burgers, I like them bitter. But overall this one was a good recipe so I give it an:
A-
Harvest Soup
I found this recipe last year sometime and decided to try it. At first I was a little confused by the combination of food, but once you try it you won't be disappointed!!! I don't know the exact measurements since I now make it from memory.
Enjoy!
4 strips of bacon cooked and chopped
1 Red potato sliced
1 small carrot pealed and sliced
1 cup water
1 tsp of chicken boulion
2 cups milk
3/4 cup of frozen corn
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbs of cornstarch
3 Tbs cold water
1 cup cheese
Green onion
First cook your bacon through and set aside on paper towel to let drippings soak. Then put your potato, carrot, water and boulion together and boil for 20 minutes (If you have picky ones in your house who don't like green onions you can add 1/2 cup onions here, I usually use a few Tbs of dried onion.) Then add milk and frozen corn, pepper and garlic. Then heat until corn is softer about 5-10 minutes. Be careful not to boil or your milk will scald. Mix cornstarch and water together until smooth and pour into soup and then heat for a bit longer until thicker. (You can add as much cornstarch mixture as you want. Remember that more cornstarch = thicker soup). Then turn off stove and remove from head and add cheese stirring until melted. Don't cook more because your cheese will fall to the bottom of the pan. Spoon into bowls and put bacon and green onions on top as desired.
Enjoy!
1 Red potato sliced
1 small carrot pealed and sliced
1 cup water
1 tsp of chicken boulion
2 cups milk
3/4 cup of frozen corn
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbs of cornstarch
3 Tbs cold water
1 cup cheese
Green onion
First cook your bacon through and set aside on paper towel to let drippings soak. Then put your potato, carrot, water and boulion together and boil for 20 minutes (If you have picky ones in your house who don't like green onions you can add 1/2 cup onions here, I usually use a few Tbs of dried onion.) Then add milk and frozen corn, pepper and garlic. Then heat until corn is softer about 5-10 minutes. Be careful not to boil or your milk will scald. Mix cornstarch and water together until smooth and pour into soup and then heat for a bit longer until thicker. (You can add as much cornstarch mixture as you want. Remember that more cornstarch = thicker soup). Then turn off stove and remove from head and add cheese stirring until melted. Don't cook more because your cheese will fall to the bottom of the pan. Spoon into bowls and put bacon and green onions on top as desired.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Growing
Our little family is growing! I am officially 26 weeks along now! Yay!
This week I get to participate in the "wonderful, Delish" glucose test. Praying that the test turns out normal and pretty sure it will.
As far as the pregnancy goes this time it has been a rocky one. At 19 weeks my doctor told me I had Pregnancy Hypertension. This is a condition that only appears during pregnancy usually sometime before 20 weeks. With Abigal I had it at about 39 weeks and I turned out to be one of the "Lucky" 15% who developed Pre-clampsia. I have been trying all I can to keep the blood pressure at a healthy level. One thing I have changed is my sodium level. I have also taken caffeine out of my diet. I keep my sodium intake below 1,000mg a day and eat more natural foods. My snacks are fruits and vegetables instead of crackers. Ha! So that's my update for now!
Jaron is doing good. It's been a struggle sometimes to be a stay at home dad, but he does a great job! Happy to have time with Abby. He keeps the house in excellent clean condition. I'm very proud to have such a great husband.
Abigal is getting so big!! Today I realized how much she's really changed. I am amazed by her and her knowledge of everything around her! Happy to say she's finally starting to communicate. She's always had a hard time communicating to us. She tends to freak out a little. We've taken a different approach the past month. In the midst of a freak-out moment we sit down to her level and we ask her to explain it to us in a very calm tone. I think this has really helped her understand that we are trying to hear her and when she's upset and not communicating it's not helping us help her. I'm so excited to be a parent and I am completely in love with this age!
Can't wait to see Brooklyn when she finally gets here and to see all of my favorite baby clothes again!
This week I get to participate in the "wonderful, Delish" glucose test. Praying that the test turns out normal and pretty sure it will.
As far as the pregnancy goes this time it has been a rocky one. At 19 weeks my doctor told me I had Pregnancy Hypertension. This is a condition that only appears during pregnancy usually sometime before 20 weeks. With Abigal I had it at about 39 weeks and I turned out to be one of the "Lucky" 15% who developed Pre-clampsia. I have been trying all I can to keep the blood pressure at a healthy level. One thing I have changed is my sodium level. I have also taken caffeine out of my diet. I keep my sodium intake below 1,000mg a day and eat more natural foods. My snacks are fruits and vegetables instead of crackers. Ha! So that's my update for now!
Jaron is doing good. It's been a struggle sometimes to be a stay at home dad, but he does a great job! Happy to have time with Abby. He keeps the house in excellent clean condition. I'm very proud to have such a great husband.
Abigal is getting so big!! Today I realized how much she's really changed. I am amazed by her and her knowledge of everything around her! Happy to say she's finally starting to communicate. She's always had a hard time communicating to us. She tends to freak out a little. We've taken a different approach the past month. In the midst of a freak-out moment we sit down to her level and we ask her to explain it to us in a very calm tone. I think this has really helped her understand that we are trying to hear her and when she's upset and not communicating it's not helping us help her. I'm so excited to be a parent and I am completely in love with this age!
Can't wait to see Brooklyn when she finally gets here and to see all of my favorite baby clothes again!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Jalapeno Cheese Bread
1 Cup warm milk
1 packet active dry yeast
2 Tbs butter
2- 4 oz of chopped jalapenos.
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
3 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
Mix milk and yeast until yeast is dissolved. Add other ingredients until mixed. Split into two dough balls. Cut X on top of both and add cheese and Jalapenos to top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
Yum!
1 packet active dry yeast
2 Tbs butter
2- 4 oz of chopped jalapenos.
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
3 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 Tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
Mix milk and yeast until yeast is dissolved. Add other ingredients until mixed. Split into two dough balls. Cut X on top of both and add cheese and Jalapenos to top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
Yum!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Provolone and Broccoli soup
I have this one memorized, but I figured I probably better put it down somewhere to share! It's super easy and I figured the other day that this could be considered "Skinny" as it has little sodium for the sodium conscious.
1 cup water
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs of Chickin Boulion (Don't have to use if you don't want to)
Cream Sauce
2 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Flour
1 Can Evaporated milk
1/2 - 1 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 C. Provolone Cheese
Boil water, Broccoli, boulion, and onion in pan for about 10 minutes. Set aside. For Cream sauce melt butter and add flour until smooth. Add evaporated milk and warm until thicker. Then add your broccoli mixture with Cream sauce and stir until smooth add seasonings in recipe and others if desired. **At this point if you want a THICK sauce add 2 Tbs of Corn Starch mixed with 2 Tbs cold water** After your sauce is as thick as you want add your provolone cheese and stir until completely melted. Serve in bowls and enjoy! Makes about 3-4 servings.
The beauty about this easy recipe is that it's hard to mess up AND if you don't want the onion flavor you can add onion powder. You can also add any cheese you want to make it your own or leave it completely out! It still tastes great without cheese in it!!
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs of Chickin Boulion (Don't have to use if you don't want to)
Cream Sauce
2 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Flour
1 Can Evaporated milk
1/2 - 1 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 C. Provolone Cheese
Boil water, Broccoli, boulion, and onion in pan for about 10 minutes. Set aside. For Cream sauce melt butter and add flour until smooth. Add evaporated milk and warm until thicker. Then add your broccoli mixture with Cream sauce and stir until smooth add seasonings in recipe and others if desired. **At this point if you want a THICK sauce add 2 Tbs of Corn Starch mixed with 2 Tbs cold water** After your sauce is as thick as you want add your provolone cheese and stir until completely melted. Serve in bowls and enjoy! Makes about 3-4 servings.
The beauty about this easy recipe is that it's hard to mess up AND if you don't want the onion flavor you can add onion powder. You can also add any cheese you want to make it your own or leave it completely out! It still tastes great without cheese in it!!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Mom's Famous Zucchini Bread!
My Mother makes the BEST Zucchini Bread. Neighbors where she lives ask for her recipe constantly and since she always grows mountains of Zucchini she's usually happy to share both! The smell of this bread is intoxicating while it's baking! I recently found the recipe in a cook book of mine while I was searching for rolls. I was excited to finally have it to make on my own!!!
Here it is!
1 c. white sugar 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 c. brown sugar 3 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. oil 1/2 tsp allspice
2 c. grated zucchini 1/2 tsp cloves
3 tsp. vanilla 1 c nuts
3 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda
Here it is!
1 c. white sugar 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 c. brown sugar 3 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. oil 1/2 tsp allspice
2 c. grated zucchini 1/2 tsp cloves
3 tsp. vanilla 1 c nuts
3 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda
Combine ingredients. It'll look like this:
Then bake at 375 degrees for about 55 minutes!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Jalapeno Poppers
Looks so good huh!!!!! Here's the recipe
2-3 jalapeno peppers minced*
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1 package of cressent rolls
Roll out package of cressent rolls and make one big sheet. Mix jalapeno peppers and cream cheese together and spread out on big sheet of cressent rolls. Roll up long wise and cut them every 1 inch. Put them right side up on baking pan and bake for 11-13 on 375 degrees.
* You can use canned jalapeno's if you want. I loved the flavor of fresh ones.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
BEST Baked Caramel Corn
I grew up with this favorite recipe for Caramel Corn. We would have this every New Years Eve party with pizza and Root Beer. Such happy memories that I love to remember when I eat this popcorn. I think this is by far the most tasty I have had. I may be biased because I grew up on this, but I haven't found another Caramel corn I love as much as this one. The picture isn't so good, but I have limited light at night in our basement apartment. Enjoy this recipe and come up with your own traditions for this Caramel corn!3qt popcorn popped
1/2 Cup butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Corn Syrup (The clear one)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
Pop corn and set aside in a 9X12 baking dish (Might need a bigger size). Mix following 4 ingredients in sauce pan until boiling. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla. Stir until completely incorporated and pour over popcorn. Stir into popcorn and place in oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.
Enjoy!!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Go-To Fried Chicken
I'm totally slacking off!!!!! I haven't written anything in FOREVER.
18 Weeks left till baby #2 is born and it's another girl! Her name will be Brooklyn Rebekah Holt.
YAY!!! Enough of that, I want to share with you all my ULTIMATE Go-To fried Chicken Recipe. I have been SEARCHING and SEARCHING for this for several years now ever since we spent some time down south in South Carolina one summer and I had an amazing Fried Chicken!!! I can't get my mind off of it sometimes and I have discovered this recipe that is the closest I can get to it!
Like many of my creations, I found this one on Pinterest.
They look amazing!!!
Here is the recipe:
Like always, original link is right here
Enjoy Ya'll!!!
18 Weeks left till baby #2 is born and it's another girl! Her name will be Brooklyn Rebekah Holt.
YAY!!! Enough of that, I want to share with you all my ULTIMATE Go-To fried Chicken Recipe. I have been SEARCHING and SEARCHING for this for several years now ever since we spent some time down south in South Carolina one summer and I had an amazing Fried Chicken!!! I can't get my mind off of it sometimes and I have discovered this recipe that is the closest I can get to it!
Like many of my creations, I found this one on Pinterest.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tenders
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil, for cooking
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 heaping teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk
For the Marinade
For the Breading
Instructions
- Combine the chicken tenders with all of the marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Seal the bag tightly and smush it around to ensure chicken tenders are evenly coated with buttermilk and seasoning. Place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 hours.
- Make the breading by combining the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined, then add the buttermilk and stir with a fork until mixture is evenly clumpy.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade a few at a time and toss into the flour mixture. Be sure to press the chicken firmly into the breading so clumps adhere to the meat. (It's best to use one hand to remove the tenders from the bag and the other to toss in the breading.) Set breaded tenders on prepared baking sheet.
- Line another baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels and set aside. Add oil to a large, high-sided pot until the level reaches about 3/4-inch. Heat over high heat until oil is shimmering. (If a cube of bread sizzles when you drop it in, it's ready.) Using tongs, place several chicken tenders in the hot oil without crowding the pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottom side, a few minutes, then flip and cook until second side is also golden, a few minutes more. Set cooked tenders on baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Fry remaining tenders in batches. Serve hot.
Like always, original link is right here
Enjoy Ya'll!!!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Ihop Pancakes!!!
I got this from Pinterest and where I don't exactly have a picture of said pancakes.... I got the recipe from this website.
I kidnapped her picture from the website,
but here is the recipe:
IHOP pancakes
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 c. sugar
Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder,and salt. Mix the egg with the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Add the melted butter and sugar. Fry on a greased griddle. Serves 4.
I absolutely loved them!!! A trick I use on a daily basis. I never keep buttermilk in my home for very long because I never use it and it goes bad. So I take 1 cup of milk and 1 tbs of vinegar and mix them together then let them sit for about 5 minutes while I make up the rest of my recipe. It's the closest thing I can get to buttermilk on a whim, but then I don't have to run to the store when I realize I don't have any. I make recipes the day I see them, usually without making sure I have the exact item or not. I have learned to improvise and have found that improvisation actually turns out better. Good luck in your yummy adventures. Will post another good one from Pinterest soon!!!
I kidnapped her picture from the website,
IHOP pancakes
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 c. sugar
Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder,and salt. Mix the egg with the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Add the melted butter and sugar. Fry on a greased griddle. Serves 4.
I absolutely loved them!!! A trick I use on a daily basis. I never keep buttermilk in my home for very long because I never use it and it goes bad. So I take 1 cup of milk and 1 tbs of vinegar and mix them together then let them sit for about 5 minutes while I make up the rest of my recipe. It's the closest thing I can get to buttermilk on a whim, but then I don't have to run to the store when I realize I don't have any. I make recipes the day I see them, usually without making sure I have the exact item or not. I have learned to improvise and have found that improvisation actually turns out better. Good luck in your yummy adventures. Will post another good one from Pinterest soon!!!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Bad news and some Good news too
Today around 1pm my husband called me to let me know that he has lost his job. Being 8 weeks pregnant and making decent amount on my own it still freaked me out. I guess we won't have to pay for day care for a little while and we can get some more school in........ I was so upset and all I wanted to do was cry after everyone at work left since I was closing.
Then two hours later.......
I had a manager come up to me and talk to me. This is a person that I had spoken with a few days back because I applied at a LONG shot job to be a Level 3 at Select Health insurance. I have been there a total of one month and one day now and I knew it was a total long shot, but I went for it anyway. Level 3 is basically the Help Desk for when pharmacies have problems on insurance claims. So they will call up the Level 3 and we do all we can to get that information in the system and completed so that they can get the Pills to the patient and on their way. They also work Prior auths for doctor's offices/patients. Anyway, the Manager pulled me in and told me that she is extremely impressed with me and wanted to let me know that I will get the job. It comes with a $2.50/hr raise and a promotion to a Level 3. After only being there a MONTH! Anyway, I was very happy and it made the Lay off not so terrible. Still frustrating as I will have to work probably through all of school for Jaron because my job is so stable, but at least we won't have to worry so much.
It's just interesting how things work out.
Then two hours later.......
I had a manager come up to me and talk to me. This is a person that I had spoken with a few days back because I applied at a LONG shot job to be a Level 3 at Select Health insurance. I have been there a total of one month and one day now and I knew it was a total long shot, but I went for it anyway. Level 3 is basically the Help Desk for when pharmacies have problems on insurance claims. So they will call up the Level 3 and we do all we can to get that information in the system and completed so that they can get the Pills to the patient and on their way. They also work Prior auths for doctor's offices/patients. Anyway, the Manager pulled me in and told me that she is extremely impressed with me and wanted to let me know that I will get the job. It comes with a $2.50/hr raise and a promotion to a Level 3. After only being there a MONTH! Anyway, I was very happy and it made the Lay off not so terrible. Still frustrating as I will have to work probably through all of school for Jaron because my job is so stable, but at least we won't have to worry so much.
It's just interesting how things work out.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Inadequate
Yesterday, I was feeling like a terrible Mother. I'm never home with my child when I should be and I feel like she doesn't like me as much as she does others (I'm sure she does)... Maybe it was just pregnancy hormones or something, but I was dealing with this in a terrible way. I felt frustrated and degraded/downgraded. Most of you don't know, but Jaron has had a hard time finding suitable stable work and without a degree in anything yet it's hard to be supportive. The economy isn't very forgiving of the middle class that Jaron and I fall into. We make too much for state assistance and we make too little to really have excess. I had a moment of resentment to him for not being who I needed him to be so I could be home with the child and almost children.
Then I had a moment of doubt thinking that I'll be working for the rest of my life. I desperately want to be there for my children, but I also need a place to live. I have a stable, good paying job and I know that in the profession that I'm in I will always have this job. My husband works extremely hard and he's still trying to figure out what to go into, but it's not something that's easy. School was easy for me, but I already knew I wanted to play with prescription drugs all day.
I thought about my life and the way I was raised. I grew up in a single parent home where my mother worked day in and day out to provide for us and even though we didn't have everything we had what we needed. I realized that not everyone in my family has experienced the same situations that I have, but I'm grateful to my mother. After I realized that I still love her even though she worked everyday I understood that my child will probably feel the same about me. I make good money, enough to be able to afford a good home loan when we decide to act upon that. So for now, I will continue to work as a mother even though it kills me to leave my baby everyday to be cared by someone else. I'm eternally grateful to my Mother in law, Shaula who has helped me through a lot. As well as our paid babysitter, Sarah who has taught Abby the importance of kindness and patience. She wouldn't be who she is today without them. So Thank you!
Everyday I will try to rely on my knowledge of the gospel to get through this. Unfortunately I don't want to go into too much detail about my husband, but there is a reason he's taken his time figuring out what to do. I pray for strength that I can be there for him and I think there is a reason that I married him. Probably because most days I don't mind working, in fact, I enjoy it.
Thanks for reading. I know my weaknesses now and I have learned a lot in a short period of time.
Then I had a moment of doubt thinking that I'll be working for the rest of my life. I desperately want to be there for my children, but I also need a place to live. I have a stable, good paying job and I know that in the profession that I'm in I will always have this job. My husband works extremely hard and he's still trying to figure out what to go into, but it's not something that's easy. School was easy for me, but I already knew I wanted to play with prescription drugs all day.
I thought about my life and the way I was raised. I grew up in a single parent home where my mother worked day in and day out to provide for us and even though we didn't have everything we had what we needed. I realized that not everyone in my family has experienced the same situations that I have, but I'm grateful to my mother. After I realized that I still love her even though she worked everyday I understood that my child will probably feel the same about me. I make good money, enough to be able to afford a good home loan when we decide to act upon that. So for now, I will continue to work as a mother even though it kills me to leave my baby everyday to be cared by someone else. I'm eternally grateful to my Mother in law, Shaula who has helped me through a lot. As well as our paid babysitter, Sarah who has taught Abby the importance of kindness and patience. She wouldn't be who she is today without them. So Thank you!
Everyday I will try to rely on my knowledge of the gospel to get through this. Unfortunately I don't want to go into too much detail about my husband, but there is a reason he's taken his time figuring out what to do. I pray for strength that I can be there for him and I think there is a reason that I married him. Probably because most days I don't mind working, in fact, I enjoy it.
Thanks for reading. I know my weaknesses now and I have learned a lot in a short period of time.
Friday, April 13, 2012
New Baby
Jaron and I were hoping to keep this a secret until Mother's Day because we wanted to surprise his parents with the news. They figured it out a few days ago.... So we felt like it was okay to announce it now. We are expecting our second child in December!! Abigal was born on December 8th 2009. This is like Deja Vu all over again. It's the exact situation as before. I almost feel like I'm experiencing the same things only 3 years later. Anyway, we are very excited about the new addition and we are happy to introduce he/her to Abby. Here is a picture of my HPT (Home Pregnancy Test).
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Heavenly Fruit Pizza
Sorry, My lens is a little blurry in this picture. I got this great recipe on Pinterest. Here is the original blog that I got it from..... Oh my gosh, it is heaven sent!!!! You must try! I will be making this for years to come and for a friends bridal shower that is coming up!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Happy Easter!!
Happy Easter to all. I am happy to share that I believe in the gospel that I live. I'm proud of who I am and I love this time of year to think about where I am in my spiritual life!
It looks great!
On a different note. I found a cute way to make deviled eggs from a friend online that I talk to. Here is my finished picture!
You use Olives for the eyes and a small carrot piece for the nose!!! It's so adorable. I tried to get the back right one with paprika, but it didn't turn out as nice. Here is a close up.
Abby was a little afraid to eat the little guy because he was so cute. Enjoy your Easter!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Weekly update!!
So I decided to do a weekly update on my goals since I think it'll work out better.
So for this week I have lost:
1 POUND!!!
YAY! That wasn't even me counting calories yet or adding in my running yet either. I will be adding in a every other day run in about a week or so!!
So for this week I have lost:
1 POUND!!!
YAY! That wasn't even me counting calories yet or adding in my running yet either. I will be adding in a every other day run in about a week or so!!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
FITNESS GOAL!!!!!
Hello friends of all ages.
I have decided to do something for me now which doesn't happen very often since I'm working constantly and helping with a 2 year old. I have decided to lose some weight!!!!! Okay, I'm a bit sheepish to talk about this because I honestly have never looked like a "Glamor Girl" my entire life. Honestly I have never been self conscious about the way I look either so that is good.
I came to this decision because we are currently trying to have another child and what better way then for me to lose some weight (and hopefully keep it off).
Here is my Goal:
~I would like to be at about 135 lbs not pregnant. If I get pregnant before reaching this goal then that is fine and I'll still work out, but I won't be as aggressive.
~ I will write my updates on my blog one or twice monthly. I haven't really figured out which yet. But they will include my......... weight (can't believe I'm agreeing to this) and inches on bust, arm, neck, waist, hips and legs............. This will at least help keep me motivated and maybe help someone else in the process.
~I have never been a crazy runner but I would like to get back (see how I said "Get Back" having babies can really do something to ya) to running about 5-6 miles a week if not more. I think that would be amazing!!!!!!!
Okay, here it goes
This is my listing in inches and how much I currently weigh...... (blush):
Weight: 200 lbs
Neck: 14in Waist: 37in
Arm: 12in Hips: 46in
Bust: 41in Legs: 25 in
Now before anyone goes and judges me, I must confess that I work at a desk all day and I honestly don't do anything except sit there..... all day..... I used to work at a job where I was standing/walking/running/lifting constantly all the time so I had energy and I was happy even though the job was hard I believe it helped me.. I still have confidence in myself and my abilities. The biggest reason for my determination is the fact that 1. I have constant headaches now and I honestly think it's because of this. 2. I am a lot more tired then I used to be. Might be because of a 2 year old, but I think it's because of the extra 65 lbs of baby weight that I put on shortly after getting married. I honestly didn't care much about what I looked like simply because I have always been this shape. I don't quite fit into some styles or clothing and I have been and will always be okay with that. I just want to have the energy again and maybe even have another child in the meantime.
At the same token I must admit that I learned something this weekend from a good friend's mother who owns the gym that I go to. She said that we as women of the church have all heard the lesson about the women with oil in their lamps and she said that she believes that means that we need to take care of ourselves as well to help contribute to the oil in our lamps. I believe in that and I also believe that as working wives and loving mothers that we need to take a little TLC and take the time to do something for ourselves to give ourselves the energy we need to get through the day/week/playtime/hubby time as well.
Thanks for reading. I'll update you all in two weeks and post a before photo soon!!!! Don't be ashamed of your shape or size. I certainly am not. :D
I have decided to do something for me now which doesn't happen very often since I'm working constantly and helping with a 2 year old. I have decided to lose some weight!!!!! Okay, I'm a bit sheepish to talk about this because I honestly have never looked like a "Glamor Girl" my entire life. Honestly I have never been self conscious about the way I look either so that is good.
I came to this decision because we are currently trying to have another child and what better way then for me to lose some weight (and hopefully keep it off).
Here is my Goal:
~I would like to be at about 135 lbs not pregnant. If I get pregnant before reaching this goal then that is fine and I'll still work out, but I won't be as aggressive.
~ I will write my updates on my blog one or twice monthly. I haven't really figured out which yet. But they will include my......... weight (can't believe I'm agreeing to this) and inches on bust, arm, neck, waist, hips and legs............. This will at least help keep me motivated and maybe help someone else in the process.
~I have never been a crazy runner but I would like to get back (see how I said "Get Back" having babies can really do something to ya) to running about 5-6 miles a week if not more. I think that would be amazing!!!!!!!
Okay, here it goes
This is my listing in inches and how much I currently weigh...... (blush):
Weight: 200 lbs
Neck: 14in Waist: 37in
Arm: 12in Hips: 46in
Bust: 41in Legs: 25 in
Now before anyone goes and judges me, I must confess that I work at a desk all day and I honestly don't do anything except sit there..... all day..... I used to work at a job where I was standing/walking/running/lifting constantly all the time so I had energy and I was happy even though the job was hard I believe it helped me.. I still have confidence in myself and my abilities. The biggest reason for my determination is the fact that 1. I have constant headaches now and I honestly think it's because of this. 2. I am a lot more tired then I used to be. Might be because of a 2 year old, but I think it's because of the extra 65 lbs of baby weight that I put on shortly after getting married. I honestly didn't care much about what I looked like simply because I have always been this shape. I don't quite fit into some styles or clothing and I have been and will always be okay with that. I just want to have the energy again and maybe even have another child in the meantime.
At the same token I must admit that I learned something this weekend from a good friend's mother who owns the gym that I go to. She said that we as women of the church have all heard the lesson about the women with oil in their lamps and she said that she believes that means that we need to take care of ourselves as well to help contribute to the oil in our lamps. I believe in that and I also believe that as working wives and loving mothers that we need to take a little TLC and take the time to do something for ourselves to give ourselves the energy we need to get through the day/week/playtime/hubby time as well.
Thanks for reading. I'll update you all in two weeks and post a before photo soon!!!! Don't be ashamed of your shape or size. I certainly am not. :D
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Goodbye Dear Sentra
I have not blogged in a very long time. But about last year in April Jaron's parents gave us their 2002 Nissan Sentra!!!! It was a great commuter car and we were proud to use it in the next coming year. That's when the unimaginable happened and Jaron was hit by another car while he was driving it. I'm grateful to have Jaron here and everything, but I just can't seem to get my head around the car that we desperately need at this time with Jaron in school now and myself needing a car to get to work. We know that everything will work out, but it almost doesn't replace the frustration we fill. We just have to work our schedules around and try to find the best routes so we use the least amount of gas. Think positively and you'll make it through, right?
Anyway, Goodbye to our beloved Sentra. We have enjoyed the time with it. Here is a little video of Abby enjoying the car when she first learned how to roll the window down!!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150398361102725
Anyway, Goodbye to our beloved Sentra. We have enjoyed the time with it. Here is a little video of Abby enjoying the car when she first learned how to roll the window down!!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150398361102725
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