Spring is here!  We have had a busy few weeks.  School activities, church activities.   Bible study is coming to a close and boy has it been good!  We have our huge brunch on Thursday.  It is a feast and so delightful.  Such a terrific group of women that are seeking and growing a relationship with Jesus.

With summer coming I thought it would be fun to share tips and ideas for getting in shape, not only physical but spiritually too.   So whenever you see the logo above you will know that’s what we are chatting about.  I just want to toss out what has worked for me.  I am in no way certified, hold no degree’s and do not have any credentials behind my name.  I am just a gal that struggled with her weight, lost the weight (with lots of hard work and lifestyle change) and has maintained the weight.  I also have found that when I am out of bible study, because most studies take a summer break,  I tend to fall into pits.  With that said, let’s share!

First, I want to tell you that I am looking at new habits to toss into my daily schedule.  I don’t want to take things away cold turkey because I know I will fail, but if I implement a new good habit, maybe the old will fade. 

1.  Start drinking more water.  I am an ice tea drinker.  Not sweet tea, I use Truvia.   So I bought a new water bottle and drink 3 bottles a day.  Cut down on my coffee too.

2.  Start a summer bible study.  This is will be a new adventure.  I am going to host and it will be in the evening so dad’s can be with kids.  Gotta stay in God’s word.  It is crucial to our spiritual health and growth.

3.  I have started making smoothies in the afternoon to curb my munchies.  I like to toss in a scoop of protein, good for your muscles.  I found this website with tons Smoothy Recipe’s and this site for other skinny recipes.

4.  Sign up for a 5k.  Now, I am not an outside runner.  I can run on a treadmill but if I run outside I get horrible knee and hip pain.  So I will be briskly walking a 5k.  On the hunt for one in my area. 

5.  Resistance training with weights.  I have really come to enjoy tossing around weights.  I love to challenge myself.  Do you lift weights?  It is the best way to transform you body.   

Again, I am no expert.  I just want to share what I have learned in my journey to get healthy and stay that way. 

Have a wonderful week.  Share what you are going to do to get healthy, in your faith, nutrition and fitness!

As you can see I gave my blog a makeover.  It’s funny how we women like to get makeovers.  Our hair, our wardrobe, our shoes, sometimes it just time for a makeover.   Like our kitchens.  My first kitchen had apples as the decor, then I switched to birdhouses.  My second home’s kitchen had a vineyard/wine theme, that carried over into our third home’s kitchen.  Now in our fourth and final home I have coffee decor.  I love a good cup of coffee!!  Especially now with spring here, I usually put on a strong pot  around 3pm.  Yum, and to go with the coffee I am gonna give you a tasty recipe that my grandma made when I was little. 

MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE

1 box butter cake mix      1/2 c. oil (or applesauce)

4 eggs                                      1 can mandarin oranges

ICING:

1 box vanilla pudding                 1 small can crushed pineapple

1 tub Cool Whip

Mix cake mix, eggs, oil and mandarin oranges together.  Pour into 9×13 inch greased pan.  Bake 350 for 25-30 min.  COOL. 

Mix vanilla pudding and pineapple together until stiff.  Fold in Cool Whip and spread on cooled cake!  YUMMY!!

So what kind of makeovers are you in the process of doing?

Yeah…it’s here, like a beautiful wrapped present..FALL!  I absolutely love this time of year.  There is nothing like it.  I thought it would be fun to list our top 7 favorite’s of fall.  Here are mine,

1.  The changing colors, have you looked around?  I love the majesty of the oranges, reds, yellows and browns.  God is  Amazing!

2.  The cooler temps.  We had such a hot summer here.  The cooler temps are a reprieve!  Can’t wait for it to be closer to 65 degrees.

3.  Pumpkin spiced Latte’s at Starbucks, yum!

4.  Roaring fireplaces.

5.  Trips to the pumpkin patch and apple orchards.

6.  Jeans and sweatshirts.  Oh, add in boots, just bought the cutest boots!

7.  Baking!  Love to make anything apple.  Pumpkin mousse, pumpkin muffins, pecan pies.  Also add soups and roasts.

That was hard, my list is so long!  So now it is your turn.  Tell us what you like about fall.  I thought I would add a few links of some fun websites to check out.  Lots of fall ideas from cooking, baking, activities and decorating. 

 http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com/blog

http://www.mommyskitchen.net/

http://www.gooseberrypatch.typepad.com/blog/

http://www.southernplate.com/

http://www.aprongirls.blogspot.com/

Happy Fall Y’all!  I hope to be blogging on a regular basis, so we will be chatting soon.

I hope everyone had a safe Halloween.  We had fun at our church’s Harvest Fest.  Lots of games, inflatable slides and bouncy houses and of course, CANDY!!  What to do with all the candy.  I know for myself I have to get it out of my house or I will eat it.   I don’t really consider Halloween a “holiday”.  It is just a fun time.  Now I can focus on the true upcoming holidays. 

I did want to share with you some pictures of the girls in their Halloween costumes. 

I made this yummy pumpkin mousse.  I wanted to share the recipe.  I have broken graham crackers into a bowl and spooned the mousse on top and I have bought an angel food cake, torn it up into a truffle bowl and layered it with the mousse.  Both ways were so good, plus it is low fat!

Pumpkin Mousse

1   15oz. can pure pumpkin (not pie mix)

1 package instant sugar free, fat free vanilla pudding (6 serving size)

1/4 cup skim milk

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

8 oz.  fat free whipped topping, thawed (cool whip)

In a medium bowl, with a mixer at medium speed, beat pumpkin, pudding, milk, and cinnamon until well blended.  FOLD in whipped topping until thoroughly blended.   Spoon into serving bowl, cover lightly and chill until ready to serve.  Also good frozen. 

Comes out very rich- you can satisfy your sweet tooth and cut calories

Makes 8 servings

serving size= 1/2 cup

Each serving = 2 weight watchers points. 

ENJOY……..oh, and how do you like the new look?  The colors remind me of fall, and that is my favorite season..

The air is crisp, leaves are changing colors and falling and fall is in the air.  There is just something about this time of year.  It starts getting darker earlier and I have to say that I love it.  By this time in the year I am ready to slow down and spend some time in the evening relaxing. 

I wanted to share some ideas I have come across for making your home comfy and warm this autumn season.

1.  Decorate your home.  Pumpkins, acorns, pine cones, and leaves strategically placed through your home gives it that cozy feeling.  It also creates an atmosphere that says welcome.   Candle light is always a favorite.  Place a candle in the center of your table and light them at dinner.  It is calming.  You can use coffee beans or ground unmade coffee to help hold candles.  If you have a mantel (we will in our next home and I am so stinking excited)  decorate it with mini lights and all kinds of fall decor.  There are tons of photo’s on the Internet that can give you ideas. 

2.  Get together your favorite recipes, sit down at the table and plan your menu’s.  Pick out old and new tasty creations to try.  Invite some friends over for coffee, hot tea, or cider and swap recipes.  What a great time to catch up and fill your recipe bin.  Stews, casseroles, roasted veggies, pumpkin crunch, homemade apple butter, main courses and hearty breakfasts.  Fill up those recipe books. 

3.  It is time to clean out the freezer and fridge so you will have room to make and store meals, holiday cookies, and homemade gifts.  Also remember to clean out that pantry.  Look at expiration dates and half used bags of rice, cornmeal, flour and such. 

4.  Stock up.   When you go to the grocery pick up a few  items that you know you will be using this holiday season.  This helps keep your budget in check because you are not spending your entire grocery allowance on baking and cooking items.  Pumpkin, spices, apples, hot chocolate, cranberry sauce, flour, cooking spray, chocolate chips.  Start picking up plastic containers and ziploc bags too. 

5.  Go through closets and donate unwanted items.  There is always someone that can use something.  Coats, mittens, scarves, snow boots…look at what you have, what you don’t need and think of someone to bless with it. 

6.  Look for pumpkin patches and apple orchards in your home town.  These are great day trips.  I know that the pumpkin patches in our town offer hay rides, greenhouses, homemade goodies, some have petting zoo and than everyone gets to pick their own pumpkin.  I have heard that we have a great apple orchard that makes fresh, hot apple fritters on Saturdays.  Yum Yum

7.  Count your blessings daily!!  Remember to look at each day as a gift.  In some way or another we are all blessed.  Pray that God shows you how you can bless others.  Cultivate a thankful heart.  Each day write down 2-3 things your are thankful for.  It could be as simple as the crisp morning air.  The beautiful sunset.  Stop and be aware of your blessing and praise Jesus for what he has done. 

Hopefully you have some ideas to get your home in order so you can enjoy and relax this holiday season.  My next post is going to start a series of posts about the ways we can create a fun, creative, peacefull and memoriable  holiday season.  I really want to learn from one another and so please feel free to post ideas, recipes, thoughts.

We are coming to the summer season.  Some of us are excited and some of us cringe thinking about shorts, tank tops and the dreaded swimsuits.  I know for me my weight loss journey has been an adventure. 

I have become addicted to the reality show, The Biggest Loser.  I think it’s such an inspiration to many people out there.  So who do you think is gonna win.  The final two are Helen and Tara.  America is going to decide who contestant #3 is.  It’s between the father-son team, Ron and Mike.  I think that America is going to pick Mike.  I also think that Helen could win this.  It is based off of percentage of weight loss, not pounds.  Who is your pick?

I was pretty thin and in shape when my hubby and I met.  Life was good, just he and I.  Than we got married.  No, no…that is great…but the weight began to creep on.  Little bit here, little bit there.  Than, baby #1.  I gained so much weight with my first child.  I was on bed rest for 10 weeks.   I got depressed, ate and than ate some more.  Well after you have a child you are so busy being the perfect mom to that baby, you yourself go out the window. 

Than my daughter suffered her injury and we lived in a hospital for 12 weeks.  Hospital cafeteria food is NOT healthy.  There I also was depressed (for a good reason if you need one to be depressed)  and I ate.  I came home with a severely disabled child and ate some more. 

Well over the years I have ping ponged with my weight but in 2006 I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.  This is a disease of the intestines.  Things got bad.  Two hospital visits and stays.  I did loose weight with that but it was not a healthy way to do it and it came back.  In 2007 I had a bowel resection to fix complications with my Crohn’s disease.  I lost weight again only to put some of it back on.  I joined an aerobics class at our church called:

I began to loose weight and inches.  Tammy is the instructor and she has  a passion for fitness and nutrition.  She is adorable on the inside and out.  I contribute much of my weight loss to her.  Her classes are so much FUN!!  She encourages  women in her class to press on, work hard and have fun.  She is such an inspiration.  Tammy loves Jesus and shines for him.   She offers  cardio mix, cardio kick boxing, step aerobics, strength training and  some dance (similar to zumba).  I adore this class.  It is offered twice a week and has been a blessing.  She has really encouraged me, pushed me  and become a great friend. 

In April 2008 a friend of mine invited me to go to Weight Watchers.  I told her that I would go but I knew I would not do the program.  Well…once I got there and saw how inspiring and encouraging it was I decided to give it a whirl.  I joined and fell in love with the points program.  It became a game to me.  I would take my counter to the grocery and stand figuring out points.  I attended meetings and weight was coming off.  Two pounds here, three pounds the next week.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was loosing weight.  I knew I needed to be healthy to be able to care for Natalie.  I had to be in tip top shape.  This was crucial.  This was my new goal.

In August 2008 I became a lifetime member with Weight Watchers.  This was HUGE for me.  I set a goal and achieved it.  I have lost 30 pounds and feel great.  I did have to make some changes to my life and I will be blogging about that soon.  Take a look,  

Please feel free to share.  I would love to hear about books you have read.  Exercise routines you have tried and loved or not.  Recipes.  Anything that worked for you or didn’t work for you.    Looking forward to chatting about this for a few days.  Summer is right around the corner!!!  Oh, and go ahead and throw out who you think is gonna be the next Biggest Loser!! 

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

1/4 cup Sun -Dried Tomato vinaigrette dressing, divided

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 tomato finely chopped

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

Place a large sheet of foil over half of grill grate; preheat grill to medium heat.  Pour 2 Tbsp. of the dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag and coat chicken.  Refrigerate for 10 min.  Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill 6 min.  Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing.  Turn Chicken over; place, cooked side up on foil on grill.  Top evenly with tomato mixture.  Close lid and grill an additional 8 min.   Enjoy with grilled veggies or pasta.

Blueberry Cheese Rolls

1 pkg. (8oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

4 oz.  ( 1/2 of a block of cream cheese) Neufchatel Cheese

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup blueberries, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Unroll dough into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal.  Combine cream cheese and sugar; spread onto dough rectangles to within 1/2 inch of edges.  Top evenly with blueberries.  bring opposite corners of rectangles together; press together to seal.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 11-13 min. or until golden brown.  Makes 4 servings, 1 roll each.