Recipe??? Cumin Chicken Salad....

For my own thoughts, and to have it in case I lose a computer or something goes crashing away. I just made the most amazing Chicken Salad....if you want to try it, here's the recipe. I have a different palette. I don't do "plain" at all. If it looks odd, make a small batch and see what you think :)

Chicken Cumin Salad
8 oz chicken tenders
1 yellow bell pepper
3 celery stalks
1 large pear
1 large apple (I used a Cameo, sweet, crisp & a little tart)
2 cups non-fat PLAIN yogurt

Before you begin, take the yogurt put it in a coffee filter and set it in a strainer. You want to drain the whey out to make it thick. I will be thicker than sour cream. Sprinkle the chicken tenders with garlic power, onion powder, sea salt, ground cumin, & pepper. Put in hot skillet w/ 1 tsp of Olive oil and cook. Once done, remove from pan, and set aside to rest. While chicken is cooking, dice all veggies to a small dice. Then dice chicken to small dice. Put all item in large bowl and add the strained yogurt. Season to taste with black pepper, sea salt, and a couple of sprinkles of garlic powder and cumin. Let set in fridge for at least an hour before eating to let flavors meld. Before you eat, make sure to stir before serving. Serve on lettuce leaves, or in lettuce leaves.

I know this sounds weird, but it's AMAZING!!!! So refreshing, and so very healthy!!!!

Monday Once Again...

Well once again it is Monday, and here I sit....Last week was not to shabby. Not to much happened. It was actually pretty quiet in our house.

Tori is now pulling herself up on the side of her crib. She can go from laying down on her back , to flipping over, grabbing the side of the crib, to arched back position, to up on her knees, to a 1/2 stand. So yeah, I'm in for a rude awakening pretty quickly. *mental note, must find child coral* She still doesn't have any teeth yet, but I know in good time they will come in. Every child is different.

This weekend we drove to Graham. It's 300 miles one way. It was my Aunt's 60th birthday. She was totally surprise to see us there. We stayed for the party, and then started our trip back home. Roughly 11 hours in a car is way to long for one day. But to see the look on her face, it was priceless!!!!

The weight loss journey is going GREAT!!! I weighed in this morning, and I lost 2.8lbs this week. So in 3 weeks, my total is 7.6lbs. I'm very happy with those results. I'm really trying to get the processed foods out of diets. The only thing processed that is still left is bread, lunch meat and cereal. I'm not going to count yogurt or cheese, because well I can't make cheese, and yogurt is yogurt. I buy the plain stuff w/ no sugar or anything and just add chopped fruit to it. We are really limiting our going out to eat as well. Unfortunately there's not that many healthy restaurants around. However yesterday for lunch we did go to Panera Bakery. OMG it was wonderful. I had the 1/2 + 1/2 combo. I had the Strawberry Poppy seed salad, and a cup of their Vegetarian Black Bean soup. Was light, but very filling, and was just a great experience and I felt good about my dining experience.

We are really getting into an exercise routine over here. The only bad thing is that we have to go REALLY early, or LATE at night. Unfortunately we are having triple digits days and it's not conducive to having a baby out in it, or for that matter an adult. Last week the baby and I walked over 21 miles for the week. (Monday to Sunday evening) I'm really happy with it. She loves being out in the stroller and looking at the trees and the people. We wind through a neighborhood and end up on a great road. One side is a sidewalk, and the other is a wide strip of asphalt for jogging strollers, bikes, skates ect. It's lit all the way up. And on top of it, there are some hills to climb on it. So it's not just flat land!!!!

Here's to another week. I have pictures to upload, so I'll do that sometime this week....

Wow What a Week!!!

That is the only thing that I can say....it was a CRAZY WEEK!!! Let's see. I had a birthday to celebrate every other day, starting on the 13th and concluding on the 21st. And then there was Father's Day as well......I need a couple of weeks to destress, but that won't be the case. This weekend I have a 5 hour drive to a surprise party. and then the following weekend, my cousin is getting married. When will it all end????



Over all it was a wonderful week. My husband turned 40 on Monday, my sister turned 24 on Wednesday, I turned 31 on Friday. My birthday was wonderful. I went to see my grandpa. It's what I wanted to do. So we loaded up the baby, and off we went. Hubby had to work, so it was my mom, sister, and I. It was a surprise for my grandpa, and I'm so glad. He was surprised to see us all sitting in his living room. It's wonderful that we don't have to call and tell him we're coming, (my step-grandma) new so we were in the clear. I was just so glad he got to see Tori. And as always, she was the perfect happy child. No meltdowns or anything. She just giggled and laughed, and made everyone smile. Life is wonderful.



Yesterday was Father's Day, and although we didn't do anything spectacular, it was fun just to enjoy the company of my husband and daughter. We went to church, then to breakfast, then we came home and took a nap (stayed out to late on Saturday night), then got up, went to the grocery store for fresh ingredients for hubby's dinner, ate, then went to the swimming pool, and ended the evening with a 6.2mile walk. Simple, but so enjoyable...

Random acts of kindness have turned into little gifts for you. A great opportunity to get some MoXie swag and pay it forward. I would especially like the opportunity to create for people I've never met (but I'll make stuff for the people I love too!!)

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something handmade by me.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.

2. What I create will be just for you, with love.

3. It'll be done this year (2009).

4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something strange.

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to blog. (So obviously you have to have a blog. If your blog is private, tell me so in your comment and I will trust you.)

7. Send your mailing address - after I contact you. (Be sure to include some sort of contact info if your blog profile doesn't link to your email or blog.)

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own blog to pay this forward.

Week 1 Complete...

Well week one is complete. And I'm very happy with the results. I didn't get to exercise as much as I wanted, but there will be more time for it this week, I hope. This week is CRAZY BUSY. Today is Vic's 40th birthday, Wednesday my sister turns 24, and on Friday I turn 31. Like I said it is crazy this week. But I am determined to keep with the program.

My first weigh in was today at Noon. And I'm proud to report that I have lost 3.4lbs. or in a more visual aspect of it all, that 16 sticks of butter. GROSS!!!! I know this is short and I will post more later, but for now, I have cheesecake bites in the oven for the hubby. (They are reduced fat and everything... Now lets hope they taste good :) )

What Can I Say....

I'm horrible....My goal in starting this blog was to make it so when Tori got older she could see what I was thinking when she was "x" old. And well I've slacked....but as of late, I'm making some new strides in my life and I'm getting back on the band wagon....Today is a few "firsts" for me....and I've made a couple of decisions for my life, and the betterment of my/our family.

I'll spare you all the details, and try and give it to you all in a nutshell....This month, I will be turning 31. Not a bad age at all. I didn't freak when I turned 30, so why freak out on 31? I guess I'm like my mom, age is just a number, and as long as I feel great, that's all that matters. The problem, I don't feel great....but that's neither here nor there. So here it all goes...I'm airing my laundry for all to see.....grab some popcorn and have a seat, and I hope you'll stay for the whole show.

In August of 2004, I woke up, looked in the mirror and was DISGUSTED. There I was, beyond the point of being pleasantly plump, and I resented myself for letting me get this way. So I acted upon it and did something about it. I joined Weight Watchers Online program. I exercised at least 5 days a week (my company had 3 gyms on location and it was dirt cheap) so I would exercise before I went to my desk. I loved it...and the pounds melted away. By February of 2005, I had taken up cycling. (Yes the kind that has 2 wheels and I have to use my feet to get it to move) and we (me, hubby, & my mom) were cycling about 200-250 miles per week. By the time that I got married in April 2005, I had lost 92lbs. And felt AMAZING!!! That July I had to have hand surgery, and it kept me from riding, but I also contracted a lung infection, that after 2 months of steroids I had gained 60lbs. I was miserable, tired, and just lost. I had given up. I kept off the last 32lbs though....but it wasn't the same. At the end of 2007 I decided to get back into things and was on a roll. I was slowly losing the weight, and it felt great, I had started cycling again and was up to about 100 miles a week. A far cry from my 200+ but it was a start. Then I started not feeling well in April 2008....and well you know the rest of the story. That's when I found out I was pregnant. A true blessing from God. I tried to keep up the exercising, however being put on bed rest at 20 weeks, eliminated that....So....after all that....here I sit today. The heaviest I have ever been in my life. Down and out about it, but WILLING to make a change. This morning I woke up, got Tori dressed, dropped her off at my sisters, and headed down the road.... I attended my 1st WW meeting today.

This road is going to be a tough one. I will have setbacks, and I know this. But it's not just about me anymore. I have the most amazing little girl to be healthy for. I don't want to be the "tubby" mom that can't go on the school field trips...or the mom who can't roll around on the floor with her. I want to be the mom that takes her jogging in the stroller, or pulls her in the trailer behind the bike. The mom that teaches her about self discpline, that exercise can be fun, and that when you are good to your body, it is good to you. I don't want her to grow up with a weight issue. I want her to be proud of her body, and the things she can do with it (ie: soccer, softball, swimming, cycling ect). I want her to be healthy....

Okay I said I wasn't going to get long winded but I did anyway...SORRY. But now you know what's going on in my world.

So this blog will now contain, my first time mommy experiences, my photography, and my road to a healthy new me....

I hope you all stay with me....it's going to be a roller coaster of a ride.....

Cousins....

There's something to be said about cousins. Sometimes they look alike, and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they get along, and sometimes they don't....

My little sister and I never really grew up with our cousins at all. 2 lived about 6 hours away and the other 2 lived 2.5 hours away. So it's not like there were day trips to see them and things of that nature. Which it was kind of a bummer, because I would have loved to be close to them. But that's not the case for our children. My sister lives about 8 miles away from me. And she watches Tori 2 times a week for about 4 hours each day. And her 2 children I adore. Her first born (Ali) I watched from the time she was itty bitty until about 18 months. She was my "first" born. And to my sister I am Ali's second mom. I love her to pieces. Her son, Brandon (aka PB) I was in the delivery room to see him take his first breath. Although I'm not as close to him, beings I didn't get to watch him (my sister is able to be a SAHM now) I will always have that connection with him.

Well anyways, with that being said, I did a mini photo shoot with everyone yesterday. Here's a couple of pictures for you to see the group. I love them all so much.....

One of these days I hope to get the hang of this and make me some $$$.... but until then, I will be happy knowing that I have captured beauty at its finest....the innocence of children...