Wiiiiiii!

My inlaws bought us a Wii for Christmas. Hub's cousin gave us a mall gift card for Christmas.

What do these two things have to do with each other??

EA Active!

I have heard a lot about Wii Fit and the newer EA Active, especially on the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans blog.

After a bit of research I decided on getting EA Active.

I am on Day 2 of the game's 30 Day challenge.

How do I feel?

Well, my lower body knows it's been worked out, that's for sure!! I love running on the track, and the inline skate game is fun and hard. By the end of the skating interval I am cursing at the perky personal trainer egging me on.

How is this different than an exercise DVD? Well, you can't cheat. The game has you hold controllers in your hands for the upper body exercises, and comes with a strap so you can attach a controller to your leg for running and lower body work. If you don't hold a rep long enough, or run fast enough, or lift your arms and legs high enough, the trainer tells you to do it again.

I love how the calories you burn tick off on the corner of the screen--very motivating. The game also charts your progress so you can look back on the work you have done and helps you set goals.

I did the easy workout yesterday to familiarize myself with the game. I managed to break a sweat. Today I did the moderate and think I will have to stay there for a while--I worked hard today!

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

This is a delicious soup that is fast to make, filling, and kid friendly. (even my two year old gobbled it up!) It calls for inexpensive pantry ingredients s o you can whip it up on the spur of the moment.

Give it a try! Don't fear the pumpkin in the soup. It adds a creamy richness and gives some sweet contrast to the spices.

My kids like it with cheese on top. I like it with cheese and a dash of hot sauce.

Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup
(1 serving: 160 calories, 1g fat, 1,128mg sodium, 13g carbs, 12g fiber, 6.5g sugars, 10g protein)


Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
4 cups fat-free broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
1 can black beans; drained and rinsed
1 cup corn
3/4 cup salsa (this is where you can add or reduce the spiciness)
*Optional toppings: shredded reduced-fat or fat-free cheese, and reduced-fat or fat-free sour cream

Directions:
Spray pot with nonstick cooking spray and set stove to medium heat. Add garlic, chili powder, and cumin; stir for one minute. Add broth to the spices, and bring to a simmer. Next, add pumpkin and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Optional: Garnish soup with a sprinkle of cheese and a little fat-free sour cream on top. Serves 4.

*Nutritionals do not include optional toppings.

Weigh In Wednesday

It's that time again!

I am tracking my food and exercise, getting myself back in the habit of paying attention to what I eat. I am trying very hard to stop snacking in the evening. A selection of decaf herbal teas in my pantry is helping with that, as is my knitting.

So, here are my stats:

Last Weigh in Wednesday (in July...) 160.6
Last Week's Weight 160.0
Today's Weight 159.4
Loss 0.6

So, a hair over half a pound. It isn't great, but at least it is going down. I was derailed one day this week when I was perfectly on track, and then got invited to a dip party. Yes, I sampled. Yes, I probably overdid it a bit with the artichoke dip, and I KNOW I overdid it with the chili dip. BUT, I did not buy anything but seasoning mix for my lowfat buttermilk mashed potatoes and some sauce for chicken breasts, so that is something! I know better than to keep cheeseball mix in our house.

My two goals this week are:

1. Reach for water first before snacks.
2. EXERCISE!!!!

I have such a hard time making time for exercise. I have exercise-induced asthma which is an all too easy excuse to fall back on when I am feeling lazy. I need to stop making excuses and just get off my bum and do something.

Suck it up, Buttercup

I'm ba-ack.

We are moved in and settled and (mostly) unpacked. Time to get back on the wagon. My muffin top is growing again. It is just all too easy to slip back into bad habits. How quickly the weight comes back on!

I feel a whine coming on:

• I hate being hungry. I hate feeling like all I do is think about food. Tracking my food is a pain, but it seems to be the only thing that works.

• I must either do the work, or quit complaining about how I feel and look.

• My shirt didn't shrink THAT much from going through the dryer.

I just have to suck it up. My first step was logging back on to The Daily Plate. I tracked my food today.
My next step is to hide the tiny chocolate bars that are sitting in my kitchen. I was an idiot and fell for the 50% off Halloween candy at the grocery store yesterday.

Ok, here we go again......

I Zumba'd!

I got a call from a friend today. She said there was a new class being previewed at the Y tonight. Zumba.

What?

She said something dancing and aerobics and fun. I dug out my workout clothes and tagged along.

An hour later, I was sweating, out of breath and my legs were jello.

I had So. Much. Fun! I didn't get all the moves, but the music was great, the instructor was friendly and I danced (a bit) of my bum off.



I may just have to go back and try this again.

Have I mentioned this site before?

So, have you ever wanted to bake cookies but your tried and true recipe calls for two eggs and you only have one? Ever have a hankering for Ethiopian food but don't know what the heck teff is? Want to know if you can sub sour cream for buttermilk in your favourite muffin recipe???

You need to bookmark

The Cook's Thesaurus

Do it right now. I'll wait.

You won't be sorry.

The moving truck comes in 11 days, 10 hours, and 37 minutes. I am only buying the bare minimum groceries right now--fresh fruit and milk, mostly. I am digging deep and shopping my pantry so I don't have to move as much. I found a lonesome can of lentils I bought before I knew the true depth of Hubby's dislike of them--I made chili and ended up passing the leftovers along to his Mom who eats anything. I discovered that sticky sushi rice makes absolutely fantastic rice pudding.

Anyone have ideas for an acorn squash? For some reason I bought two. Last night we ate one roasted with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon (YUM!) I need something new to do with his friend.

Why aren't I packing right now????

Helloooooo out there!

Wow, it's been a month since I have posted here! Time flies. If you read my other blog, you will know that things are changing very quickly here. As I am typing, I am surrounded by boxes. We move to a new house in two weeks.

How is the weight loss? Stalled at 159 lbs. Not too bad. I dropped three chasing Matthew at camp a couple of weeks ago and that is where the scale has stopped moving. I have noticed not having my kids home has changed how I eat. My bad habit is eating off the kid's plates when they are finished. I need to figure out how to really stop doing that when they get home in a couple of days.

Hubby and I have enjoyed eating grownup food for the past week--I bought the ingredients for California Rolls one day and then decided I didn't want to fiddle with rolling sushi. It turns out that tossing the ingredients (minus the rice and nori) in a crusty bun with sliced tomatoes and lettuce plucked from the garden makes a delicious sandwich perfect for eating on a hot summer evening.

My CSA box has me eating wonderful fresh vegetables every night. I cannot keep up with the zucchini, though. I have SEVEN in my kitchen right now!!!! I think I need to give this Zucchini Streusel a try...I don't know if I will try to pass it off as apple crisp though. Hubby still doesn't trust me after I served him potato salad made from cauliflower. (It did fool him, by the way!)

When we move I will be saying goodbye to my very productive apple trees. I canned 16 pounds of crababbles yesterday and have eight more in the freezer. This morning I plan on making a Dutch Baby pancake and topping it with some of the pie filling I made yesterday. Yum!

I hope you try some of the recipes I linked to! I will be sitting here counting down until I get to start cooking in my sunny new kitchen! What should I make to break it in???