Very curious...

So something very curious has been happening.  Very, very curious.  

And of course it involves food.  And Christmas.  So here ya go:

I've always been an 'out of sight/out of mind' person when it comes to food.  Honestly, if it's not in front of me, 97.6% of the time I won't go seek it out.  As long as I have the snack foods hidden for when I NEEEEED them, I rarely think about them.  HOWEVER, if there just happens to be a Reese's peanut butter cup laying on the counter...than OBVIOUSLY it's the only thing I'VEEVERNEEDEDTOEATINMYWHOLE LIFE and I HAVE to have it.  I'm wired like that. 

So going back to the curious happenings, Trader Joe's just so happens to make their Christmas treats RIDICULOUSLY adorable and I have made said treats a part of my Christmas decor around here and they've been hanging out on my counter all month long.

The curious part??  (may I repeat...ahem...) THEY'VE BEEN HANGING OUT ON MY COUNTER ALL MONTH LONG!

Like, as in NO OVER compulsion to polish them up all the live long day.  NO NEED for a 'little piece of this & that throughout the day.  They're just THERE.  And looking oh-so-pretty I might add.

Now let me back up a second here.  It's not like I'm not eating things from my Christmas stash AT ALL.  Quite the contrary...and here's where some 'mental weight loss magic' may be working.

So when December started, I knew I wanted to do a few things.... 

1. Get my 2-3 mile Walk Away the Pounds in every day (or at least most days)
2. Enjoy Christmas treats and all the fun things the month brings.
3. Not deprive myself all month long and then STUFFMYFACE like a lunatic the last 2 weeks of December.

That last one has yet to be decided, BUT I HAVE been enjoying a treat a day.  The key to this seems to be the fact that instead of waiting to have 'dessert' at the end of the day as I usually do (all while trying to distract myself ALL day from not diving face first into that stash), instead I usually CRAVE chocolate around 1-2 o'clock every day...so guess what?  I have it.  And I don't wait.

Revolutionary, I know.

But hear me out.  For whatever reason (and reading into Ayurvedic medicine, this seems to make more sense) my hardest time to make it through the day, snack wise, is 12-4p,.  Mornings I don't care.  Nights (FOR THE MOST PART) I don't care.  But those afternoons are a BEAR and where I have to distract my mind the most, but it definitely WANTS.  So instead of trying to distract myself, I just started giving into it and enjoying whatever the hell I wanted in the afternoons.  (and on that .04% chance I don't want to snack that day, I *GASP* don't).  And guess what?  My mind has been SO much clearer and I've been able to sort through my cravings easier.  Choosing what I REALLY want every single day, having it and just moving.  And here's the REALLY important part: with having no interest in having MORE.  I can't overstate that non-desire to keep eating & eating enough.  I can't even TELL you how many times I've ignored my cravings (be it for a day or days) and eventually ending up in that sweet/salty snack cycle, all the while nothing seems satisfying.  Here, I have what I want.  It satisfies me.  End of story.

It's really so crazy that this needs to be a THOUGHT PROCESS, while I'm sure for others this just comes so naturally.  It feels sorta crazy...but ya know what?  It is what it is and I'm better off acknowledging that it's a process for me (and I'm sure for some of you out there) then to pretend that it's not and only end up going off the rails (again, and again and again).

I know nothing of that.

*snort*

The daily exercise has definitely been another key in helping keep my mind clear on rational food choices (although I'm currently on hiatus with a cold...grrrr!) and really satisfying each craving WHEN THEY HAPPEN (more on that soon!).   That has been my huge "accomplishment" this month.  

Hahahahaha...and by accomplishment, rest assure this also means I was making a pan of salted pretzel bark last night (right alongside our healthy dinner of Farro, white bean and kale;) because I knew I DID NOT want to wait until closer to Christmas to enjoy it.  I wanted it NOW and that was that.

And the kicker?  I feel GOOD, both in body and SOUL.  Not deprived, enjoying all the Christmas treats all month IN PEACE (vs. in a crazy binge) and if I wanna go back to swapping the chocolate treats for apples come January?  Well, we'll just cross that bridge when 2017 ushers in;)

We'll see how this rolls on through the next couple weeks, with the MOUNTAINS of treats being thrown at us left & right for the rest of the month.  (Not to mention my love of cooking with all those little *special* ingredients this time of year aka-puff pastry, Brie cheese, etc.)  My goal is to ENJOY WITHOUT that overindulgence that not only leaves the guilt, but also the GROSS feelings.  Even if I've been working on not associating guilt with food these past few months, ya still can't deny the GROSS factor.  So AVOIDING THAT will be my new goal.

There.  I said it.

It's gonna happen.

How do you guys work out those cravings??  Especially around the holidays??  

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A dose of perspective...

So since I decided to stop weighing myself, I've been 1000% less COMPLETELYOBSESSED with the numbers on the scale and more focused on how I feel and trying to make good choices.  The only 'problem' is that during my once-a-month weigh-ins, I've been fairly consistent on the scale...which is GREAT, but I also would like to loose a bit more before I get to that maintenance phase.  And with that said, I decided to start trying to be EXTRA consistent with my work-outs and more diligent about food choices/loosing weight.  And since my brain had some 'free time,' given it wasn't obsessed with that scale...what would any moderately rational person do instead?  OF COURSE focus on how RESENTFUL I felt about needing to loose THE SAME weight for the 4th time (the 1st time around, the 2nd time after I gained some back + 2 pregnancies).  

About 3 weeks ago, I had went back to my 'home base' of workouts and started back with my good ole "Walk away the pounds" videos and trying to do them at least daily.  The only problem was that even when I was waking up and getting the 3-mile version done first thing in the morning, I didn't feel proud of myself.  I just felt MAD that I STILL had to do these things, even ALLLLLL these years later.  Now, don't get me wrong, I have written AT LENGTH on this blog about how I've never really been inconsistent with working out because I've always done what I'd like...which is all true.  HELL, I never really even forget how lucky I am that I CAN move my legs enough to workout, ya know.  And I'll be the FIRST to admit you never really can stop working, BUT...this resentment coupled with TRYING to get EXTRA consistent to loose THESAMEPOUNDS left me pretty pissed off.

And then, much like any other time in my life, the perfect answer came to me at just the right moment.  I was in the midst of having a pity party and getting angry about working up the motivation to do the 7 zillionth walk in 10+ years, and in the back of my mind came the words I needed to hear clear as a bell...

But what's the alternate?

Talk about a wake up call.   Because what's the alternate of blowing off workouts because you're mad and you just don't want to do them anymore?  What's the alternate for eating junk food that you know makes you feel like trash, but you're just hoping THIS ONE time you sit on the couch and overindulge on chips and eat yourself into oblivion will not make you FEEL like trash for days?  And what if you just did both of these for days, weeks, months on end....where is that going to lead?

You know where I'm going with this.

It was just the bit of perspective I needed to clear my mind and get myself moving HAPPILY again.  And not just moving, but feeling 100% mentally lighter after shedding all of that weight of resentment.  My current 'routine' is to tackle one of these 2 mile walks at least 4 days of the week, while I try to sweat it out a little extra with the 3 miles atleast twice a week.  And 98% of the time, I play one on my phone/computer while watching TV.  (Fun fact: a 3 mile walk is the same length of time as a Real Housewives of NJ episode, sans commercials...heyyyyyyy!;)  And, as I've learned about 8 zillion times before, as soon as I get a consistent burst of cardio going, my brain clears SOOOOOOOOO much better to make wiser, calmer food choice.  Making it MUCH easier to decipher true cravings from the times I really don't mind calling a green monster or cauliflower with hummus my breakfast or lunch.  And/or being able to REALLY enjoy those indulging times and helping you just move onto your next meal without an ounce of guilt or second thought. (because, ummmm...I already have melted brown butter cooling on the stove for Katie & I to make these cupcakes later today;)

Just thought I'd share if you needed that bout of perspective this morning.  It definitely helped me pull it all together and hope it will for you as well.  Enjoy your day!

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A peek in the lunchbox...

Hey, everyone!  I'm so sorry I don't get to post on here as much as I'd like...but I had a fun reason to pop on here today.  

Speaking of POP, Skinnypop was interested in my take on gluten-free lunch ideas.  And since I heart me some Skinnypop (especially the, swooon, white cheddar!), I thought I'd share what I pack for my Pre-K daughter for lunch.  And while my house is not gluten-free, after photoing a near- week's worth of lunches, I realized they were pretty much all naturally gluten-free.  So I thought I'd pop (there I go again;) on here today to give you the lay of the land for a week's worth of lunchboxes.  As always, I like to keep it quick and simple.  Momma's got NO TIME for fancy at this moment in life;)

MONDAY:  Chickpeas + grapes + a cheese stick...

...plus, um, an ice pack because it's 2016 and HOWDIDWESURVIVE our school days without ice packs back in the day?? ;)

TUESDAY:  Cucumbers + Laughing Cow cheese + yogurt

WEDNESDAY:  Cucumber & carrots + hummus + yogurt 

THURSDAY:  Yogurt + Pear + cheese stick 

I'm trying to jog my brain to think of anything different that she's eaten so far this school year and the only items that I can think of was when she was having a pepperoni & cheese moment.  Beyond that, she pretty much sticks to these few things every week.  What can I say?  My girl's a creature of habit (the apple don't fall far, folks;)  And of course Skinnypop would round out these lunch perfectly for a great snack or for a nice treat waiting afterschool.

Hope you guys liked this little peek and have a great weekend!

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Cozy, comforting AND healthy...

Hey all!  Hope you're having a great week.  I'm not sure if it's the change in the weather OR that I'm feeling slightly UNDER the weather lately, but I have been craving COZY foods (aside from today, when it's HOPEFULLY going to be the last day of 90-degree weather till 2017!) and vegetables.  Vegetables like CRAZY!  I was full on craving roasted brussel sprouts the other day and I would NOT say that unless it was VERY true because...umm...super random, no??

Well, I'm bringin back this great recipe to share with you for the Collingswood blog project today because it fits all the bills: cozy, comforting and packed with healthy veggies.  BOOYA!  I present...

FARMER'S MARKET MAC & CHEESE!

Weeeeeeeee!  Fun right?  Plus, what a happy way to use up a bunch of veggies I had on hand, right?? 

Oh yeah...and some bacon!  (because WHY NOT??)  The first thing I did was add bacon (You only need 2 strips for this recipe.  I crisped up some extra to use today in another recipe) and some cherry tomatoes to a baking sheet to toss in the oven at 350 while I got to working.  In the 30 minutes while I cooked on the stove top, these guys were doin their thing in the oven. 

While the baking was well under way, I took another bunch from the LOAVES & FISHES pile of peppers that just NEVER seems to diminish!  Every time I think I'm going to polish them up, they just seem to MULTIPLY in that bag! 

Anyway, I lopped off the tops, pulled out the seeds, chopped em into chunks and took the easy route and just pulsed em in the food processor until chopped.  

I just could NOT bear the thought of standing around dicing all of these (AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!), so THANK YOU FOOD PROCESSOR! 

I tossed em into a pan coated with olive oil cooking spray and let them saute for a couple minutes... 

Next, I de-eared 3 ears of fresh corn and added that to the pan and let everything cook for a couple more minutes... 

Next, I got my pasta cooking up, removed the pepper & corn to a plate and got to working on the cheese sauce right in the same pot... 

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan on medium heat.  Add 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk that together for 2 minutes until toasted.
2. Add 1 cup chicken broth & 1 cup 1% milk and whisk until combined with the flour.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
3. Add 2 cups cheese and swirl until melted.

Next, add your cooked pasta and the corn & peppers and stir to combine.

By now, the bacon was crisped and the tomatoes were warm and SLIGHTLY caramelized... 

 Top your Mac with some bacon & tomatoes and chow down!

This dish was ULTRA creamy & dreamy studded with lots of fresh taste from the corn & peppers.  And don't even get me started on how much I LOVEDDDD the bites of tomato mixed in.  It just gave it that extra UMPH.

Oh yeah...and the bacon.  I mean, come on?  Do I even need to tell you that was a divine addition?

Hope you guys try this one out soon and let me know what you think!  Have a great day.

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A tale of two peppers...

Hey guys!  I know it's been a minute since I've shared a recipe with you for the Collingswood Farmer's Market Bloggers, so today I'm bringing you a DOUBLE whammy. 

But first?  A photo of Katie, who lingered by this mural next to the market for a good half hour while we noshed on Tortilla Press Quesadillas.  She just couldn't get over all of the animals hidden in the tree branches, and I couldn't get over watching her love it:)  #Momlife.

And of course, we have our produce picture...

...and this STILL doesn't tell the tale of how many beautiful and fresh veggies are just BURSTING at the seams at every turn at the market.  TIS THE SEASON for ALL the beauties.

And one big theme this week:  Peppers.  Peppers ALL DAY.  "You get a pepper!  And YOU get a pepper!"

OK, I'll settle down.

BUT not before sharing 2 recipes with you today.  The first is for one of my favorite ways to 'healthy up' one of those awesome decadent treats:  Pepper nachos!

Swoooooonnnnn...nachos minus the cards and + lots of vitamins & minerals?  Done and DONE.

You can use any peppers you want for this recipe, but my favorite is to use those ADORABLE baby peppers to make bite-size 'nachos'...

Slice the peppers in half, remove the seeds and bake the peppers for about 10-20 minutes on 350 just to soften them up a bit.

While the peppers are cooking up a bit, it's time to get your fillings together.  For this recipe, I poached some chicken breasts until cooked, give em a shred and sprinkle with taco seasoning.  (you could also use ground meat/turkey, black beans, whatever sounds good to you)

Next, pile the chicken (or your favorite filling) into the peppers...

Top with cheese (I used monterey jack & cotija) and green onions and bake until the cheese is melty and delicious...

Top with lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole or any of your favorite nacho topping and you've got a quick, delicious and HEALTHY way to serve nachos ANY day of the week!

Baby Pepper Nachos

Ingredients:

• 1 bushel of mini peppers, seeded and sliced
• Poached chicken (or your favorite nacho filling)
• Cheese
• Green Onions

1. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 10-20 minutes at 350 degrees until warmed through.
2. Fill with chicken (or your favorite filling) and top with cheese and green onions.
3. Bake until cheese is melty.  Top with lettuce, tomatoes, etc.
4. Devour!

And from the itty-bitty peppers to these beauties...

...I put them to work to make a great meal for these grilling days:  Grilled Pepper Pizza...

I quickly lopped off the tops of the peppers and deseeded them before slicing em in quarters and giving em a quick whirl in my food processor, creating a flavorful 'sauce' in mere minutes.  I also added a couple garlic cloves because, well, WHY NOT?  But feel free to omit if that's not your jam.

While I worked on the pepper, I had the crust workin on that grill.  The way we make grilled pizza is to stretch out the dough and toss on one side directly onto the grill.  When the crust is done, it will easily release from the grates.  Flip the cooked side up.... 

...and start to pile on the goods.  For this pepper pizza, we added the pepper & garlic 'sauce'... 

...we also added some sliced onions (to really extenuate how AWESOME we were going to smell later;) and lots of mozzarella...

...toss back on the grill until the underside is cooked and the cheese is melted.

I mean...

Can you really argue with GRILL kissed pizza laced with fresh flavors?  It's one of the perfect ways to wind down this summer season.

Grilled Pepper Pizza

Ingredients:

• Long peppers, deseeded and quartered
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Pizza dough
• Onion
• Mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat grill and roll out the dough.  Once the grill is hot, place dough directly on grates.  It will easily release once the dough is cooked on one side.
2. While the dough is cooking, toss the peppers & garlic into the food processor and whirl until it is a sauce consistency.
3. Take dough off the grill and flip so the cooked side is on top.  Top with pepper sauce, sliced onions and mozzarella cheese.
4. Place back on the grill and cook until the underside is cooked and the cheese is melty.
5. ENJOY!

Hope you liked these recipes.  I'll have more to share with you next week since, this time of year, I am BURSTING with fresh, healthy veggie recipes.  Have a great one!

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Lazy/hectic days of summer...

Hi, guys!  I know it's been a while since I've posted an update, but the days & weeks just get away from me these days in a sea of dropping kids off to run & teach yoga and then running back to go get them.  Rinse & repeat about 90 times a week.  Throw in a month-long bout of double pneumonia from Scott and my yoga schedule picking up ten-fold (THANK GOD!) and you have the makings of our own household tornado that never stops spinning.  Just like everyone else on planet earth with their own whirlwind storm, amIright?

The one thing I AM happy to report, even in my blogging absence, is that I've still been practicing what I preached in my last few posts and have spent BARELY ANY time obsessing, focusing or lamenting on weight loss or any lack thereof.  It was most noticeable last week, where we spent most of our time on the beach during Scott's (BLESSED AND TIMELY!) vacation.  Normally I would have spent the whole week with a lot of running commentary through my head of "ugh, I feel so gross, I hate the way I look, NEXT YEAR I'm gonna look SO much better"...etc, etc.  You know the drill, I'm sure.  Instead, I only had two fleeting moments of realizing how I had hardly ZERO of those moment the whole week and how liberating that felt.  That instead of spending SOVERYMUCH of my time berating myself and beating myself up over 'that one last bite' or 'why did I eat that??  Look what I've done to myself!'  Instead, I just...GASP....lived life and didn't worry about it.  How novel.  I just kinda looked around and said "who are these imaginary people that I'm trying to impress with the size of my swimsuit?  And if those people ARE judging me...do I really care??"  So far the answer has come back with a resounding "HELL NO."  I JUST DO. NOT. care.  And it feels awesome.

I've weighed myself exactly 2 times in as many months: the beginning of July & again at the beginning of August, solely just as a gauge and this has nearly STOPPED all of my food/weight obsession 10 fold.  Ironically, not only did I not obsess about weight loss at the beach, but we barely even thought about food much last week.  Sure, we had a couple ice cream splurges and our lunches were bigger than the usual salad, but for the most part...we honestly didn't think much about food at all.  And believe me, I WANTED those chorizo nachos from the boardwalk, but the IDEA of it sounded like more fun than actually HAVING them, ya know what I mean?  
That being said, there are definitely weeks I notice that I'm more indulgent, and ya know what I do the very next week?  Just get back into it, paying more attention to how I FEEL when I eat well vs. berating myself for 'eating bad.'  I know I still have a long way to go with breaking down all of the mental scaffolding I've put up over the last years, but it's definitely progress.  It's definitely more 'fun' to eat well to feel good vs. panicking about every bite that might show up on the scale.

The other 'irony' has been that as soon as I wrote about all of the exercises I love, I actually started doing a lot more routines working on muscle/squats/lunges/etc.  I mostly keep it to those quick, 20-ish minute workouts from Tone it Up MOST days of the week and am completely OBSESSED with this one.  I probably attack that one about 3-4 times a week and I've FELT the difference in my tone VERY quickly.  And who doesn't like quick results??  I just play the video on my phone and do the exercises while I'm catching up on TV.  Gosh...I sorta hate myself for sounding so millenial there, but whatever works and gets ya up & movin is A-OK in my book.

So, I just thought I'd pop in for a quick check-in and let you know my silence has NOT been based on having a tough time (for once!) but rather not focusing on the 'struggle' lately.  I'm sure I'll have more thoughts to share with you soon.  The photo above stirred a lot of thoughts regarding HOW MUCH TIME we spend basing life on CALORIES.  Now that I've stepped back a bit, a lot is hitting me at once regarding how we get to that place.  I'm sure I'll be sharing more with you soon.

I'll also be sharing another post for my Collingswood Farmer's Market recipe project!  I'm bringin back an oldie but goodie to use up our late summer veggies.

And how bout even I am just SONOTREADY to give up Summer 2016 just yet??  I'm sure about 97% of this has to do with the fact that Katie is starting preschool next week (I. CAN. NOT!), or that I've just REALLY embraced ALLTHETHINGS this year...EVEN with our OUT OF CONTROL temperatures.  It DID make me giddy to have a few days/nights with the windows open last week from the cooler temperatures, but I want to really embrace this 'last week' as much as I can....although I surely be breakin out all those great orange-colored items VERY soon.

OK...that's enough rambling sentences for one day!  Have a good one.

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