Fun and Mental Changes

A few years back I joined my local Curves and jumped on the Curves Complete bandwagon with HUGE success.  Since then I moved to an area that doesn't have a Curves, my husband was forced to retire from his job, I started a new job and life has been FULL of fun and mental changes (some not-so-fun).  How do I respond to a whirlwind of changes that gives me whiplash?  I stuff my face and DON'T do what I know I need to do to stay healthy and reach my goals. Welp today I'm giving it another go.  I may not have a Curves near me, but I AM still part of the Curves online community and I have access to some pretty great resources and included in those resources is a meal planner complete with recipes and even an "on the go" menu that I lived on today until dinner.  While not advised to do on a daily basis, having "on the go" options means that you can stay on course when you are in a pinch!  Breakfast:  Dunkin Donuts Ham and...

What is it that sets me off?  I don't know what it is, but there are days I want to eat non-stop.  And I mean literally just keep chewing and chewing until my jaw seizes... except it never does.  I've always been a lover of food; a little is never enough.  Some people talk about emotional eating or bordom eating.... seriously gang.... I will eat just to eat. I will eat because things are going bad; I will eat because things are going great. I will eat because nothing's on TV; I will eat because something good is on.  I will eat because I'm going out, or because I'm staying in.  There is no rhyme or reason to why I binge.  I know, because I've been journaling about it for years.  But recently, I've noticed that there are certain foods that have been making me feel satisfied, that I can also eat a lot of, but doesn't cause damage to my weight loss achievements.  Here is a list of foods I've been incorp...

Please believe me when I say that this picture DOES NOT do this dish justice!!!  Today's gluten free dish is brought to you by the letter Y for FREAKIN YUM!!!!  It TOTALLY looks like I'm scarfing down on some pasta but its not.....it's spaghetti squash.  Now I'll be honest, the first time I made spaghetti squash I didn't like it.  I cut it in half, scooped out the seeds and baked it (skin side up) a LITTLE too long and it came out mushy like a baked potato.  It was not appetizing at all.  I also slathered it with hot marinara sauce which didn't help even in the slightest.  But THIS rockin creation.... I could eat this every single day.  I am so excited to find a gluten free dish that is actually better than its gluten counterpart.  I wish I had a name for this dish, but I don't.  This is literally something I threw together praying to baby Jesus that the second time would be a charm.  Thank the dear Lord it was!!! 2 b...

   THIS awesome yumminess is what I had for dessert tonight thanx to my super awesome Pampered Chef lady.  Why that is important is because not only did she share the original recipe for this low-cal dessert that I "frankenfixed" with my de-glutening super hero powers, but she also supplied me with THAT AWESOME square brownie pan that I love so much and use for EVERYTHING!  I have used this thing for mini single serve quiches, bacon bowl breakfast cups, single serve lasagna and, of course, brownies.  But THIS wonderful decadence is by far my best masterpiece!!!!   My Pampered Chef lady posted on her facebook page a recipe for a 33 CALORIE CHEESECAKE!  And added, "Let the Brownie Pan help you with your New Years Resolution!"  Well I immediately noticed that the recipe contains sugar and gluten.... the two things I swore to avoid as my New Year's resolution, but I have the pan so away I went "frankenfixing" this rec...

Hello my pretties!!!  Take a look at what I had for dinner!!!  Stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon.... and they were so so good!  I'll share the recipe here in a sec, but what I really wanted to talk about was this business about fat.  Fat does not make us fat?  Could this be real???  How could that even be possible when everyone from the time I started going to school has been telling me that a low fat diet is the way to maintain weight and stay healthy???  Could it be that dietary fat (real fats, not lab-created crap that the body doesn't recognize) is actually the key? I recently watched Fat Head, a documentary that debunked ANOTHER documentary I watched last year called Supersize Me.  In Supersize me a guy eats nothing but McDonalds for 30 days and "supposedly" ruins his health by the end (after watching Fat Head I REALLY questioned the authenticity of Supersize Me).  Do I believe that a diet of really bad food choic...

I've dealt with gluten intolerance for a large portion of my life and recent "attacks", for lack of a better word, have caused me to REALLY think about my lifestyle.  I've known that I shouldn't eat gluten, but was always able to tolerate it in small amounts and even when I would splurge and over-indulge I knew that I would feel bad for it later.  But suddenly, "later" is now minutes after consuming a meal containing gluten.  My latest attack ended with me feeling like I was having a heart attack and my hands swelled up so bad that my knuckles were white.  I am SUDDENLY terrified of gluten.  It's like my body is saying enough is enough.  So I gathered my gluten free cookbooks and began putting a meal plan together, but I really wasn't "feeling it" if you know what I mean.  All the recipes that I've collected are good, but I was truly wanting to find GREAT food to inspire me to change and change for good.  Let's face it, I'm ...

This is truly a thing of beauty.... and the hubs went back for seconds.  Yep, I'd have to say that this cauliflower pizza crust is a HUGE winner.  Click HERE  for the cauliflower crust recipe I used. For the first one I've ever made, I am so proud to say that IT ROCKED!!!  But, even though it was PRACTICALLY perfect, a couple of changes WILL be made to the next one so I thought I would share those with you guys in case anyone out there is planning on attempting this. So, this crust ended up being a tad bit drier than the real thing.  While you couldn't tell that it was made out of cauliflower AT ALL, a little bit more sauce is in order for next time around.  That being said, I'm reading online that if you omit the third egg and the 1/2 cup of gluten free all purpose flower, that will make the crust a bit "wetter".   And I also read that without those two ingredients, too much sauce will make it fall apart. I'll definitely be giving it ...

THERE SHE IS!!!!  My very first 100% Gluten Free Cauliflower Pizza Crust!  Sorry about the hazy pic, I don't know if it was the camera on my phone, the steam from just being pulled from the oven,the lighting in my kitchen or a combination of them all, but if you click on the pick to enlarge you can see that it turned out PERFECT!!!  Honestly, I surprised myself.  When you make the dough it doesn't look like it should turn out this beautiful.  I haven't "officially" eaten it yet because I made it in advance so I can just throw the toppings on tonight after work and pop it into the oven.  But I DID sneak me a little edge and it is SOOOOO YUMMY!!!  I can't wait until the pizza is done with all the yummy toppings I got for it.  I even picked up some turkey pepperoni!  So here is how this pizza crust is made; you won't believe how easy it is!!! Florets from on small head of cauliflower 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free...

Too often we say "I love you" with food.  For some time I've been trying to break that nasty habit in my household, but this way of expressing "I love you" is something that has been done to me, and I've done to other people, for my entire life.  And is it just me, or does EVERY celebration have to revolve around food???  Tonight I am committing to ending this behavior once and for all.  The trick is figuring out how to quit associating food gifting with love giving.  Here's a great example: Once, my husband brought me home a banana split... smiling from ear to ear.  I PANICKED!  For a split (pardon the pun) second I FREAKED OUT in my head thinking, "I've eaten a perfectly clean diet all week.  I'm in the home stretch.  WHY would he do this to me?  Can I REALLY turn down a banana split?  Will I hurt his feelings by turning it down?"  I honestly went through a pretty manic minute and half before asking him, "why did you...

OK..... so if you could only SMELL this loaf of gluten free banana bread you would know RIGHT away why I'm so excited about today's post.  And to TASTE it???  Oh you guys.... you have GOT to taste it!!! Last night I made gluten free banana bread from a recipe I found in Make It Paleo (one of my favorite cook books) and it turned out better than any banana bread I have ever made OR ever ate!  I made a couple of alterations to the recipe found in Make It Paleo, so I will post my recipe here and you can click on the link above to check out the recipe from the authors' blog.  Click HERE to get your hands on the Make It Paleo Cookbook.... you will love it!!! Gluten Free Banana Bread 6 Pitted Dates (will need boiling water to soften dates, see recipe below) 1/2 Tbsp Coconut Nectar 6 Omega 3 Eggs 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (melted) 1 Over-ripe Banana (mashed) 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract 1/2 Cup Sifted Coconut Flour 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 Cup Crus...

Are you ready for some chocolate goodness???  What if it was like guilt free?  Well, this one sort of is!!!  I made ANOTHER cake from my new beloved cookbook Make It Paleo and it turned out FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!!!  The beauty of this cake is that it is gluten free AND low glycemic!  YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!! You all saw my birthday post featuring the gluten free coconut birthday cake I made, well this one is sheer chocolate decadence!!!  Here is how I made it.  At the end I will include a link to the original recipe (I made a few little changes that made this one so very rich and ultra chocolatey). 3/4 Cup coconut flour sifted 1/4 Cup raw cacao powder 1 Tbsp decaf instant coffee granules (optional) 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp baking soda 10 eggs 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract 1 Cup pure maple syrup * 1 Cup melted coconut oil Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large bowl combine dry ingredients and set aside.  Blend remaining wet ingredients...

***CLICK HERE TO ENTER MY FAVORITE THINGS BIRTHDAY GIVE AWAY!!!***  If I would have known that my birthday would get extended, I would have gone gluten free YEARS ago!  hahahahahahaha!  Here's THIS year's birthday lasagna made for me the day AFTER my birthday.  My husband has made me lasagna for my birthday every year for the past 18 years.  Its one of those traditions that I thought I was going to have to say good-bye to when I first started down this gluten free path.  What I know now, but didn't know then, is that not all pasta contains gluten.  In fact, I think the lasagna this year is better than any of the lasagnas from the past.  Why was THIS one so much better???  Well, for starters, this lasagna is WAY more colorful because along with diced tomatoes, it also has zucchini and spinach.  The pasta ended up being super easy to use because it was a no boil rice noodle.  This lasagna is sheer perfection... and organic too!!!...

***CLICK HERE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN MY FAVORITE THINGS BIRTHDAY GIVE AWAY!!!*** Wow!  What an incredible birthday already!!!  So let me give you a little back story for those who may not know.  I am trying to get down to wedding-dress-shopping-weight and started the Curves Complete program at my Curves gym to get me there.  When they called this program "Complete", they were NOT joking!!! This morning I went in to my Curves to take a Zumba class and decided to take a piece of the gluten free birthday cake I made yesterday with a copy of the recipe to my Curves Coach.  She looked at the recipe wide eyed and said, "I bet that you didn't gain a pound from this cake yesterday.  Let's see!  Jump on the scale!"  Now, YESTERDAY was my weekly weigh in, so you know that my current weight was fresh on everyone's mind and I'm not gonna lie here, I just about peed my pants when I stepped up on the scale to find that I lost an additional 2 p...

O....K.....!!! So tomorrow is my birthday and after the MESS that I was last weekend after consuming gluten at a bridal shower, I requested a gluten free birthday cake from my new favorite cookbook, Make It Paleo. Well of course my husband was more than happy to oblige except, since it was going to be my birthday tomorrow, I sort of couldn't wait.  I (as in ME, ME, ME) wanted to be the one to make the first gluten free cake in our house.  I just KNEW it was going to be incredible after all the WONDERFUL deliciousness I've made from this out-of-this-world cookbook.  Yep, I was right!  Check out that little slice of heaven (click on pic to enlarge).  Happy Birthday To Me!!!  This cake is moist, decadent, creamy and most importantly 100% gluten free.  Click HERE for the recipe, or better yet, click HERE to buy the book.  Or even better YET ....  leave a comment on this post for a chance to win one for FREE!!!!   That's right g...

WOWOWOWOW!!!  So I HOPE you all are missin me!  I haven't been posting much lately because I've got my FULL focus on taking this weight off so that I can go wedding dress shopping.  The good news is that its working.  That bad news is, I'm discovering that gluten was the culprit for the problem in the first place!!!! Years ago, after being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, I had a nutritionist tell me that I shouldn't be eating anything containing wheat and should probably stay away from oats as well.  She never explained exactly why or what it was doing to my body, she only said that there was strong evidence that people with chronic fatigue syndrom were sensative to wheat.  Not putting much stock into what I was told... I mean, come on, it wasn't like I broke out in hives or my breathing became restricted (and quite frankly, I didn't believe that I could live without my beloved bread and pasta), I continued eating what I ...

Ok folks!!!  It has been A LONG time since I posted the healthy stuff cooking (and not cooking) in my kitchen!  Honestly, I've been on again/off again with the healthy living so there hasn't been a lot to post.  But thanks to some inspiration by my new blog buddy Audra of Audra's Foodtopia  (and a little program called Curves Complete ), I'm back in the saddle and ROCKIN IT for the past 5 weeks!!!  Last week, on her facebook fan page she came up with a brilliant idea to expand our healthy eating by running a little food challenge.  She picked a healthy recipe to make sometime during the week to "present" today with how we made it, what we thought, etc.  So her healthy recipe was Hawaiian Chicken Skewers .  WOW!  What a way to start the show!!! So, I don't have skewers, nor did I want to grill (its already getting hot in the afternoons here in sunny AZ) so I decided to do a little "deconstructed" version of this heavenly dish....

As you may already know, this is my first week of Curves Complete and, THE DAY BEFORE signing up for the program, I had an accident breaking a toe and hurting my back BADLY!!!  I went to my chiropractor (lightening fast) who has been working with me to overcome the back injury.  I told him that this was my first week of Curves Complete and he said that I could work out, but I needed to take things slowly... so that's what I've been doing.  What I've found during my workout, even though I'm taking the Curves circuit at a snail's pace, is that my heart rate is only SLIGHTLY slower than when I'm working out at 100%!  I'm moving through the circuit VERY slowly (skipping machines that I'm not confident using) and ending my half hour workout SWEATING!!!  I was so worried that this injury was going to keep me from being successful on the program, but as it turns out, giving it your all means different things at different times to different people.  My "a...

Ok folks... today's the day!!!  Today's the first day of the 90 day Curves Complete program and my emotions are in overdrive!!!  Now, I've known FOREVER that a healthy, strong body begins in the mind.  I cannot tell you HOW many times I've read article after article about the brain being the largest muscle in the body that needs the most training, but you can KNOW information that never quite makes it to your heart.  THIS is where I really need the work!  But today I think I'm on the verge of a breakthrough! So as I was perusing the internet in search of inspiration to carry me through the next 90 days of Curves Complete I ran across THIS gem from Muscle and Fitness Hers:  Master Your Mind And that AMAZING article sparked a full-on Bible study that was desperately overdue!!!  So to start things off, the Bible very clearly points out that knowing without doing is NOTHING!!! James 2:17 - So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ...

I forgot to mention yesterday that the owner of my Curves advised that I try out a gluten-free diet for the next 90 days during my first run at the Curves Complete program.  She is suggesting I do that because I told her about the article I read that discussed wheat intolerance being associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.... which I have.  She thought that since I'm "tweaking" my diet anyway, that it might be a great time to try this gluten-free gig and see how I feel.  I couldn't agree more!!!  But where do I start???  I first started online.... OF COURSE!!!  Here's what I came up with:  http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/gluten-free-whole-grains Then I found:  http://glutenfreegirl.com/how-to-live-gluten-free/  and http://simplygluten-free.com/  and http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/high-alkaline-foods-12-perfect-foods-for-optimal-health And great tips here:  http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-well...

So I joined Curves around Christmas of 2011 and just started the new Curves Complete program (my official start date is actually this upcoming Monday).  The Curves Complete program offers me everything that Weight Watchers was offering.... ONLY BETTER.  Let me tell you why its better for me.  1) I'm already working out there.  The convenience of weigh ins, education and group support all at the same place where I work out means that its more efficient for me. 2) I actually am saving money too!  I didn't think that I would save money since the Curves Complete is $200 for three months and Weight Watchers was costing me about $50/month to go to the weekly meetings.  But as it turns out,  for the extra few dollars a month with Curves Complete, both me and my husband can participate in it for that amount (the program is web based, but he CANNOT work out with me at Curves...its women only) AND I get online benefits.  We...