Lucy and Daddy were playing with his hat the other night:

I woke up this morning before my 5:30 alarm (at 5:20) to do Cardio X. The workout was good but I think I prefer Plyometrics. Food for today:

-I had half a banana Larabar before and half after
-A really great bowl of oats for my “snack”
-Lunch is leftovers from last night-Peanut Butter Chicken (recipe below), brussel sprouts, and potato cauliflower mash
-Snack is a pear and maybe yogurt? Something protein-y at least 🙂
-Dinner is Spicy Apricot Chicken with Chinese long beans and brown rice. This is a new recipe as well and I’ll let you know how it turns out.

This is a weight watchers recipe that I modified:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp peanut butter
4 (6oz) drumsticks- I used boneless, skinless thighs (Shaun will ONLY eat chicken thighs-*sigh*)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp honey
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs-I just toasted some Ezekiel bread really well
1 tbsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp low-sodium chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, mashed to a puree

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray (I used a silpat). Remove chicken skin. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine peanut butter, honey, hot pepper sauce, broth, garlic and soy sauce. Whisk until smooth.
In a gallon resealable bag combine bread crumbs, paprika and cayenne pepper.
Add the chicken, one at a time, to peanut sauce and thoroughly coat.
Shake in crumb mixture.
Do this with all the chicken.
Bake for 20 minutes and turn drumsticks over carefully. Bake another 20 minutes. (I did 15 and 15 since there was no bone.)

Next time I make this I think I’ll serve it with rice and some sort of Asian side. A friend recommended the potatoes with it and while I liked it, it screamed ASIAN (just like that) at me. Shaun really liked it and said he would have added creamed corn to the plate (no surprise there!).

In this house we don’t eat much chicken because Shaun really doesn’t care for it. The fact that we’re having it 2 days in a row is quite uncommon. We’ll see if I get by with no complaints tonight-I used chicken breasts so I doubt it. Wish me luck =D

I am so unoriginal =D I decided to jump on the bandwagon and bought some chia seeds at Whole Paycheck on Saturday. I’ve been having some *ahem* MAJOR gastrointestinal issues for the last 3 weeks and when I read that they can help in that arena I decided to try them. The ones I got were in the bulk aisle and brown. They come in both white and brown varieties. I first tried them in a protein shake on Saturday and gave Lucy some (not really thinking). Well-they worked on her! I added some to my oatmeal both yesterday and today and I have to say that they are working for me too-HOORAY! In addition to helping in that area, they are also very filling-the absorb something like 9 times their size in water. I definitely noticed a difference and feel quite full after I eat them. You can just eat them straight (although I’d think that would be a little weird), you can make them into a gel, or you can just add them to your cooking or to smoothies. I give them a thumbs up!

You know what else I give a thumbs up? ME! I have been eating really well-I had a GREAT weekend and I got up at 5:30 this morning to do some P90X action. I woke up with my alarm and felt GREAT while working out. Now I feel really energetic and not like I’m going to die. I haven’t felt this way since before I got pregnant. I used to LOVE working out in the mornings but ever since I got that extra line on my pregnancy test, morning workouts HAVE NOT been agreeing with me. That’s a good 22 months of just NOT feeling like myself. I think the fact that I’ve stopped nursing has me back to “normal”. I know that my body is still a bit confused since I only stopped a week and half ago but I really am starting to feel like the old me. Don’t get me wrong, I am SO happy and proud that I nursed Lucy for a year but this tells me that it really was time to wean. Plus? Lucy has become a cuddle bug since I weaned her. I get more cuddles now then I ever did while nursing-it’s FANTASTIC. I do miss it sometimes but like I said, it’s only been a week and a half and I think that’s to be expected.

Now, let’s hope that this isn’t a fluke and I can stay on this train!

YAY! I didn’t do so hot with them here but I’m back to it today. I hate that I’m such an emotional eater but I’m working on it and that’s all I can do, right?

I’m really excited to get my house back and my BED! They slept in our bed and we slept on the couch. Needless to say, I haven’t slept well AT ALL.

I have to go dress shopping this weekend for my high school reunion. I’m not looking forward to it.

And, that’s all I have right now 🙂

Cyn asked about nursing. I am COMPLETELY done pumping-YIPPEE!!! I haven’t pumped in almost 2 weeks-WOO HOO for that! I am still nursing her morning and evening, but I think that my milk is pretty much gone. My boobs never feel full anymore and I tried to hand express this morning and got maybe a dot of milk. Shaun’s going to try to put Lu down this evening with no nursing. We’ll see how that goes. She still really LIKES to nurse in the mornings and gets mad if I stop the nursing session but if I offer her some string cheese she’s okay. She’s taking whole milk out of a sippy cup at daycare but refuses it at home-or will only take a few sips. She was acting REALLY hungry this morning even after a 30 minute nursing session (I bring her to bed and sleep while she nurses) and after her string cheese, so I gave her a sippy of milk. She was more interested in playing with it than drinking it.

My 10-year reunion is in 2 weeks and we’re staying with my Aunt and Uncle and leaving her with my them while we’re at the reunion. I need her to be able to go down without the boob (or bottle-she hasn’t had a bottle in over a week), so I think it’s a good idea to start that now. She eats A TON before going to bed at dinner so I think nursing is just for comfort right now. Once she’s able to go down without the boob, I’ll then work on the mornings. I think I’ll still bring her into bed with us (I get back into bed after I work out to nurse her) because it’s a time that we’re together as a family. I’ll just give her a sippy of milk that hopefully she’ll take.

It’s all so complicated and confusing. And of course now that I’m ready to wean she’s all about the boob. She’s always been a good nurser but never one of those babies that LOVED nursing. Well now she it…

We’ll get it figured out.

Yesterday was a bit of a disaster eating wise. It was all healthy but I at too much. Oh well today is a new day, right?

It’s going well so far other than the fact that I’m so tired it hurts.

Things are still going well-YAY! I started P90X yesterday which means waking up at 5:30 and I am one tired Mommy!!! I was very used to getting 8 hours of sleep or more (maybe I’m still making up for when Lu was younger?). Now I’m getting about 7-which used to be my magic number-now I’m not so sure. It feels good to be exercising again though. Yesterday was Chest and Back and Ab Ripper X (X X X). Today was Plyo and tomorrow is Shoulders and Arms and Ab Ripper X (said in your most cheese voice).

I haven’t gotten that initial jump down on the scale that I normally get when I start eating well again. It’s gone down to 163 (from 164) but I was hoping for a big jump-especially since I weighed 160 3 weeks ago. Oh well, I’m not going to obsess about numbers. I FEEL so much better (albeit tired) and that’s what counts!

Today was another great day!  I made a great dinner that Shaun really liked too (he gave it a 4 out of 5 stars which is high praise from Mr. Titus).  Here’s what today looked like:

B: Oatmeal with banana, barney butter, bee pollen (interesting), and wheat germ

S1: One of those “cookies” from last night (oats, dates, currants, honey, cocao nibs)

L: Chicken “Pot Pie” leftovers.  Lu had some too and LOVED it!

That’s a whole wheat biscuit in her mouth (she LOVES whole wheat which makes her Mommy happy):

S2: String Cheese and freeze dried pears

D: Adobo Rubbed Pork with black bean salsa over Arugula-YOM

Dessert: A Green Smoothie:

In that I put:

-1 cup Milk
-1 cup Ice
-1/2 cup Raspberries
-1 Banana
-1 packet of Protein Powder
-2 handfuls of Spinach

I have enough for my pre-workout snack tomorrow. I can’t taste the spinach at all. It’s actually really good and much better than the kale smoothie I had in Hawaii.

All my food is packed for tomorrow.

From left to right: Chicken and White Bean Soup, Ezekiel Bread with Avocado to smush on top to go with the soup, banana, pear, figs, apple, “cookies”, peppers, hummus, and bee pollen and wheat germ to go on my oatmeal that isn’t pictured.

I won’t eat all the fruit but I like to have options 🙂

Here’s the recipe for the Adobo Rubbed Pork:

-24 oz pork tenderloin cut into 8 pieces
-6 TBSP paprika
-2 TBSP fresh ground black pepper
-2 TBSP coarse salt
-1 TBSP chili powder
-1 TBSP cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 350*. Mix all the spices, thoroughly coat pork pieces. Heat an oven-safe skillet over med-high and pan-sear pork on both sides. Transfer to oven and cook until done (6-8 minuted for each inch of thickness)

Pico De Gallo to go with it:
-2 cups black beans
-4 medium tomatoes, diced
-1/2 cup red onion, diced
-1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
-1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
-2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
-1 TBSP chili powder
-1/2 tsp salt

Mix that all together. I ate mine over some arugula and I served Shaun’s with brown rice. The Nutritional Info (not including rice): 246 Calories, 26 g protein, 9 g fat, 17 g carbs.

Seriously yummy!

Breakfasts: Oatmeal with Banana

Snacks: Ezekiel Bread with Almond Butter or preserves, string cheese, freeze dried fruit, pears, figs, apples, persimmons, cottage cheese, yogurt, protein shakes

Lunch: Chicken and White Bean Soup, Salad, Pork Adobo on top of salad, Leftover Burritos or Wraps

Dinner: Pork Adobo with Black Bean Salsa, Chicken Marsala with Brussel Sprouts, Ground Beef Burritos, Spaghetti

Off to make my Chicken and White Bean Soup.  I think I’m going to try a “Green” Smoothie later today.  I had one in Hawaii that was okay.  It was made with kale -I’m going to try spinach this afternoon-it doesn’t seem as “earthy” as kale.

Here’s what I ate yesterday (I went to a baby shower and had a dinner party and I think I did really well!):
B: Ezekieal Bread with a banana and almond butter on top
S1: String Cheese and Fuji Apple Crips (freeze dried apple)
L: Leftovers of Chicken, brussel sprouts, and spelt
S2: (at shower): 1 slice of cheese, 1 fruit skewer, cauliflower salad (really good-made with raw cauliflower)
S3: (I probably didn’t need this): Lara bar (protein bar) and apple
D: Chicken “pot pie”-made totally healthy with a whole wheat biscuit on top. Shaun didn’t like it but I thought it was good. My guests liked it too. Oh 2 ounces of wine.
Dessert: This no bake cookie thing that my friend made with oats, honey, currants, dates, and cocao nibs.

For a day with 2 functions this was pretty good. I probably shouldn’t have eaten my third snack BUT it kept me from eating the Kettle Chips and the chips and salsa that were here. I also turned down one of my most absolute favorite things-a Margarita!!!! I’m calling it a success!

I meant to take a picture of my Costco and Whole Foods haul.  It was quite impressive.  Even more impressive was the fact that I got it to fit in my house.  I wish we had a garage-it would make Costco so much more enjoyable!  Oh well.  I made it work.  My “SCORE!” discovery was single servings of Sabra hummus-totally awesome.  Since Shaun doesn’t eat it, hummus usually goes bad before I can finish it.  Not now!

All I have to do today is pay bills and make food for the week. YIPEE! The house is clean, the laundry is done (well it does need to be folded), the errands are run.  I’m feeling really good about things. 🙂

While my husband watches poor women and girls dance to “Single Ladies” on You Tube, I’ll write about my third good day 🙂

Here’s what I had (aren’t you riveted):

B: Oatmeal with Banana (I forgot how sweet the banana makes it-no need for sweetener), barney butter

S: Apple Fruit Crisps , String Cheese

L: Shaun and I went out to lunch and I passed on the cream based soup, and my next 2 choices for salad because one had mayo and the other you couldn’t get without the dressing. I got a salad with prawns, cucs, corn, and parmesan.  No dressing.  I had very little carbs and I knew it would bite me in the butt later.

S: Persimmon (Love the FALL!), String Cheese

S (No carbs biting me in the butt): Ezekiel bread, barney butter, and honey

D: Beef stir fry with carrots, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and peppers with brown rice.

Dessert: Dark Chocolate

I did well today-YAY!  I am EXHAUSTED tonight though.  I don’t know what that’s about.  Thank god I get to sleep in tomorrow.

I have big plans tomorrow to go to Costco and Whole Foods-WOO HOO…I’m having a dinner party tomorrow night.  I’m making us individual chicken pot pies with whole wheat flour-they should be good.  The friends that I”m having over like dessert so I don’t know what I’m going to make.  Any ideas?

I had a very good day today eating wise.

My lunch looked disgusting but it was delish and filling! I even ate an apple!  I kind of burned myself out on apples but I know that they are a really good thing to eat.  I ate an organic fuji and it was tasty but the skin was so thick and tough.

For dinner I did chicken, brussel sprouts, and spelt all mixed together.  I spiced it up with a little salt, pepper, and Sambar Curry (a curry powder that I got from Whole Foods).  Before I put the curry in I took a little out for Lucy’s dinner.  I gave it to her and she wanted noting to do with it.  I gave her some of mine and she wouldn’t stop eating it!  It wasn’t spicy it was just spiced and she LOVED it.  She even ate spelt!  Shaun liked it too.

I’m full 🙂

Poor Lu had a reaction to the vaccinations she got last week.  The doctor mentioned that she could get a rash and a fever in a week and to be aware.  I forgot and so when daycare called to tell me that she had a rash and a fever I freaked out.  As soon as I called the doctor and described her symptoms the lightbulb went off.  I gave her some baby Ibuprofen and by the time I put her to sleep her fever was down to 98.6 from 101.6.  I’m going to work from home tomorrow just to make sure she is okay.