I'm Still Here!

Hi blog-followers! Just wanted to update after a whole long MONTH of not updating. I feel ridiculous by I've gotten so caught up with school and working that I just haven't had the time.

The good news is: I haven't gained any weight! Bad news is, I've come to a plateau. No weight loss yet, but definitely soon because I'm starting to try new things: more exercise, eating at very specific times, NOT eating a very specific times. I feel so healthy and fabulous. Sure I can still pinch a bit of my stomach, but not to fear! 

I will be updating every week again and will take a weight loss picture on the 23 of November.

Look for more blog posts this week, definitely by Saturday! 

Love you ALL!!

Peace, Love & Good Food.

the moment of truth.

So, here I am, one month after I started this blog, one month after I vowed to get as healthy as I could, and 'get mine'. Ladies & gentleman, I certainly DID get mine. I stand her, before you, (slash before my MacBook) at 9.5 pounds minus Katie! 

Here are a couple of pics, I wish my MacBook had better quality, I also wish I could get it at a good enough angle.

I'll figure those details out next month when I update my weight loss again.

The first 2 pics I just got back from my run earlier today and thought they'd be funny.

I was listening to "Macho, macho, man-I've got to be, a macho man" (which I am).

And the rest are just of me. Those of you who know me pre-this blog, my face is much thinner.

I still got those chicken'nugget cheeks though.

I may not be where I want to be yet, and today, I have my period and I feel bloated and terrible about myself.

But I'm going to keep my head high, I did this blog for a reason, and I will NOT stop until I am 25-30 pounds minus Katie. You can bet your bottom dollar.

This weeks blog: more recipes and more excersize tips. Email me if you have a suggestion that you want me to blog about! Brandtk@student.wpunj.edu

I love you all-Happy eating, Happy living.

-Katie (minus 9.5 pounds of Katie)

hot frittata coming through.

So, for the seasons to come, we're gonna have some cold ass weather. Cold ass mornings, cold as evenings, and everything in between. I am going to show you a delicious, fast, easy frittata you can make that will take any breakfast, lunch, or dinner, to the NEXT LEVEL, dun dun dun...

What you will need:

Serves 8.

1	pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli (CHOPPED, not minced or diced)
1	small carrot, diced, this is optional, but it adds delicious flavor & crunch!
1/4	cup water
8	EGGS (yes, 8)
1/4	cup milk
2	tsp. prepared mustard
1	tsp. seasoned salt
1/8	tsp. pepper
3/4	cup shredded Cheddar cheese (3 oz.)
1	Tbsp. chopped green onion Okay, now what you need to do: it really is very simple, preparation shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes and the total cook time for the frittata is about 20.  *Combine the broccoli, (unfrozen), the diced carrot, and 1/4 cup water into a nonstick skillet (if you have one, any pan with at least 1/2 inch depth will suffice, just add Pam or grease the bottom with Butter). *Cook broccoli and carrot over MEDIUM HEAT, low will take forever and high will bring the vegetables to a boil YOU DO NOT WANT THAT. Broccoli is very delicate, please play nicely. This'll take about 10 minutes, stir occassionally while you do the rest of the steps: *Beat your 8 eggs, milk, mustard, and salt in a large bowl, until all ingredients are blended, will have a milky-yellow color and a nice viscous consistency. *Then add your green onion, pepper and cheese. *Drain your carrot and broccoli and place back into the skillet, add the egg/milk/mustard/vegetable mixture into same skillet. Make sure to COAT the ENTIRE skillet. *Cook over a LOW heat, until eggs are set. Won't take you longer that 6 minutes. Eggs cook very quickly which is why we're doing this part of the process on a nice low heat. DO NOT COVER. *Then remove from the heat, the residual heat is going to keep this dish going for another 10 minutes, now you can COVER the frittata. Keep the frittata covered until there is no visible liquid, that will mean the eggs are fully cooked, the cheese fully melted and delicious heavenly goodness will come. Cut frittata into 8 triangles, take one for yourself at: only: 195 calories, full of protein, great fat from the cheese, delicious crisp vegetables. Serve this at breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner. Until next post, which will be my weight loss post(!!), HAPPY EATING! *Nutritional info thanks to incredibleegg.org*

my 'thank you' to fruits & vegetables.

Boys and girls, today is a great day. I hardly ever weigh myself. I don't think that it is always condusive to someone trying to drop the pounds. But, today I weighed myself and I lost a total of 5 pounds in the past week and a half! And I have only 2 things to thank: Fruits & Vegetables! If it weren't for those banana's that I would eat with my morning breakfast, or the apple I would finish the day off with instead of dessert, or the broccoli I steamed and made a frittata with (recipe to come), or those delicious cherry tomatoes that I snack on- I wouldn't be 5 pounds minus Katie. 

Even though this is a victory for fruits & vegetables, it's also a victory for casual exercise. I used to be obsessed with going to the gym (I still go, and still love it) but, that's not always the best way to work out, at least for me. When I would be at the gym I would just count down until and hour and a half was over so I could get out of there. It would exhaust me and make me cranky and hungry. But, lately, I've been walking around the Oval in town, walking and running intermittently. And that has boosted my energy tenfold. I feel fabulous. Thank you all for your support. A recipe will be posted this week, and next week, on Sept. 23rd I'll be posting a picture of myself and the weight I lost since August 23rd.

Happy eating, happy living, happy walking.

(Happy life, happy wife)

busy lifestyle? eat more vegetables!

It's no secret that vegetables are good for you, but did you know just HOW good they are for you? I doubt it. Let's just start with the basics: they help you become 'big and strong', they help your eyesight, boost your metabolism, keep you fuller longer, for the most part they are 0 calories and 0 fat, and they're just plain old delicious. 

I was inspired by vegetables this past week because I started my 2 new jobs and my classes at Willy P. Being on the run I lost 3 pounds this past week, completely unexpectedly and NOT the way I wanted to. I hadn't worked out in days, I just stand for approximately 31 hours a week at my jobs, and I wasn't making enough time for myself to eat healthful meals. But not this week! I have a plan, and that plan is: EAT MORE VEGETABLES. 

So I made a recipe that I can make tonight and have for the next couple of days for either lunch or dinner, whichever one I'm home for.

Fabulous Rice & Beans, Featuring: Red Beans, Black Beans, Celery & Onions.

First: choose the type of rice you want. For this recipe I have used either Yellow Spanish Rice or White Long Grain Rice, usually I'm all about the whole grains, but this dish has enough health in it, spring for the White Rice!

Start cooking the rice (directions on box) but basically you have to let the water boil before adding rice, make sure there's enough water in the pan before adding the rice. Rice soaks up a lot of liquid. Follow directions for how much water to add per cup of rice.

Then in a skillet open a can of red beans, I personally use Goya.

Then eye it to about 1/3 of the can and empty into the skillet.

(Skillet should be on low heat)

Make sure you add some of that bean-juice that's in the can, we need that liquid for this dish.

Then, with no hesitation, start opening the can of black beans (Goya, again).

Use about 1/2 of the can of black beans and make sure you get plenty of bean juice.

(Now, if you are more partial to red beans, by all means add more red beans than black,

I just personally think the dish is prettier with more of one type of bean, instead of equal amounts)

Then cover the skillet, leave on low heat.

Now for the Celery and the Onions.

Get 2 celery stalks: clean them thoroughly, and then place them on a cutting board.

You'll want to cut the celery horizontally  and then cut those little "half moons" of celery in half.

You're basically "cubing" the celery, the best one can cube celery.

Then for the onion, I am a fan of the red onion so that's what I use for this dish.

Peel the skin from the onion, cut it in half, and then from there take the half of the onion and slice it down the middle, vertically about 4 times across, and then take the knife (be careful if you are unexperienced in dicing onions) and slice the bottom of the onion off. Click HERE for a picture.

Once the onion is diced and your celery is cubed, take the lid off of the beans (they are going to be hot and spurting at you so be careful). Add all of the onion (1/2 onion) and all of the celery (2 stalks). Stir the beans and the other veggies together. Cover lid again, keep on low heat for another 10 minutes so the celery and the onion have time to flavor up those juicey beans.

By now the rice is probably going to be done, good rice never takes more than about 15-18 minutes to be cooked to perfection. I like my rice a little al dente, but cook it to however you like.

Put rice into a big bowl, add the bean/celery/ onion mixture and stir completely until the rice is blended with the veggies. The juicey almost meaty flavor of the beans will give this meal a substance that no chicken or cow has ever provided for me. And the crunchiness of the celery will give you that crunch that I know we all desire, it will satisfy you completely. This, if contained properly can be a lunch or dinner for up to 3 days (beans tend to taste a little vinegary after a while). I would suggest heating this up in a skillet, rather than the microwave (I'm not a fan of microwaves).

Until next Blog, Happy Eating.

control emotional eating.

Everyone has "those days" where things just didn't go your way. Some people, a lot of people, use "those days" as an excuse for over-eating, and not just over-eating but over indulging.

Now, I am not an emotional eater, in times of stress and in times of sadness I actually lose my appetite. But I am what I call a "reward eater", example: "Oh, I worked out today, can't wait to go home and eat 8 grilled cheeses." The 8 grilled cheeses is an exaggeration (but not by much).

A lot of people eat for a number of reasons, and surprisingly it's rarely ever because we're hungry. It's usually because we're: depressed, bored, lonely, frustrated, stressed, and anxious.

(Another fun fact: 80% of the time we feel hunger, we're actually THIRSTY! Always have a water bottle or even some tea with you, you are not hungry YOU ARE THIRSTY.)

(But 20% of the time-you're hungry).

A good way to curb emotional eating is not by starving oneself (that is never the answer), its by feeding those feelings, and satisfying them the healthiest way you can. First, some advice on what to do to help boost your emotional state of mind with exercise.

1. When you're feeling stressed or depressed, do what I do: Yoga!

I understand that not everyone is extremely flexible, and not everyone knows very much about yoga in general. Here are 2 simple moves you can do that not only will improve your physical health, but your mental health as well.

Downward facing dog:

*From a kneeling position, place your hands in front of you so they are perpendicular to the floor, palms facing down.

*Slowly start to extend your body forward, until your arms have reached their maximum stretch.

*Slowly walk your legs up until they are completely straight, (keep your hands on the floor).

Keep your head down, hold this position for as long as you'd like, no longer than 2 minutes though. Feel the stretch! Think of happy thoughts, and play some of your favorite music.

Shava Asana:

*Lay either a yoga mat or a blanket down on your floor (a good pose for outside as well).

*Lay ontop of yoga mat, your back on the mat and your front side facing the sky.

*Keep your legs about 2 inches apart and your arms at 2 inches away from your body.

*This is a relaxation pose, take several deep breaths and move your head from right side, to middle, to left side, and back again. Very slowly and fluidly.

Now, you can also control emotional eating by just accepting that you're not going to eat a salad, but you're going to eat what you want. I provided similar advice in the PMS blog I posted.

If you are hungry for pasta, have pasta, carbs are a great comfort food, and a big part of our daily diet! Just watch your portions. And instead of store bought sauce, that has hydrogenated oils in it and sometimes high fructose corn syrup (yes, it does, scary!), make your own! It'll be fun and it'll take up time and keep your mind off of things that are stressing you out or upsetting you.

Simple recipe:

Buy a can of peeled whole tomato's

Use any spices you like, I use:

Red pepper flakes (about 3 table spoons or 5 shakes)

Italian seasoning (3 tablespoons)

Olive oil (2 tablespoons)

Pour ingrediants into a bowl, now for the fun part!

Mash the whole tomato's with the ingredients, you can use your hands, or you can use a fork. (Using your hands is more fun).

Once the tomatos and other ingredients are all mashed together, add some freshly grated parmigiano reggiano. It adds a nice bite to it.

Pour sauce over 1 serving of whole wheat pasta (about 1 cup), put on Sex & The City (the movie or the show), pour yourself a glass of red wine (0nly 160 calories a glass) and enjoy your night.

shit happens. fix it. (i did)

well, i hate to say it, but unfortunately this week i "fell off the horse" so to speak. with the ongoing pms and the menstrual cycle, i ate all healthy things, but i overate everything to the point of feeling nauseous every night. never a good way to feel, especially before bed, because then you wake up with that "why did i eat all the food?" feeling. today, however, i started my new job here in town, where i work from 10am to 5:30pm, which is a long day (especially to stand around on your feet), but it is a great new things for me because it does this: cuts out snack time!

for those of you who know me, you know this: i am quite the snacker. i'll eat snacks all day everyday if i allowed myself, (which i used to, and sometimes still do). so having a small breakfast of special k cereal with some soy milk, and then packing a small lunch cuts the calories i eat in a day practically in half. 

example: for lunch today i packed a Greek yogurt, 110 calories 0 fat, a juice box: 100% juice (for 100% kids) and only 90 calories, and then some cubed watermelon (i don't even bother counting the calories in such a watery fruit). so by the time 5:30 pm hit, with both breakfast and lunch included i only had about 350 calories. 

then i did a very courageous thing, after a long day of standing and being exhausted, i went to the gym. i do not know what possessed me, but i went, and i actually felt amazing afterwards! had a nice mexican meal for dinner with my man-love, and then saw a movie (inglorious basterds, you have to see it, it is amazing and worth the money!), and haven't snacked all day or all night. 

we all hit bumps in the road, no day will be perfect, no week will be perfect, we're lucky to get an hour of perfection every month. so, when you do over-eat, don't sweat it. just close your eyes, count to ten and there is always tomorrow. 

pms, a time for over-eating?

pms, or, as i like to call it "problems men started" (pause for laughter) really  stands for premenstrual syndrome. which is both misleading and somewhat offensive, because it's not like menstruating is a disease it is, however, a time where a woman's body is going a wee-bit crazy and the hormones (for me at least) are telling me to do one thing, and one thing only: EAT! 

so when i was younger (maybe about a year or so ago) i would feed into my body's demands and i would eat anything in sight. "oh, is that a week old donut on the table?" *munch*, "oh, is that some cheese that someone discarded, but it hasn't touched the rest of the garbage yet?" *crunch*. 

yes, it was that bad. when i started becoming more weight-conscious and health-conscious i (with the help of my mother) decided that that just wasn't the way to handle the cravings of pms. so, i started listening to my body more, started focusing more on my health as a woman. this particular issue of pms and women's health is very important to me because i have a minor in sexual health which plays into women's health a lot. anyway, i started allowing myself to indulge but in the healthiest way i could. 

for example: one of my favorite things to eat, pms or not, is pie! apple pie, cherry pie, miscellaneous fruit pies, i love them all. so, when it would come to that "time of the month", and i would crave a delicious, warm, apple pie, i would simply do this:

1. slice an apple in half, i prefer red-delicious for this recipe, but any apple works, take out any seeds, and remove stem.

(place apple halves in a baking pan, use parchment paper do avoid mess)

2. sprinkle some cinnamon-sugar evenly over both halves of the apple, about 3 tablespoons per half.

3. if you like nuts, use walnuts, chop them up and sprinkle them on top, almonds are delicious with this recipe too!

4. a little bit of butter goes a long way with this, use 1 tsp. for both halves, so 1/2 tsp of softened butter per apple half, place on top of nuts.

5. set oven to 350, place baking pan in for 4 minutes or until desired texture.

then, you will have a delicious apple-crisp with literally 1/4 of the calories as an apple pie. 

and you don't have to compromise on taste! you're still indulging.

so, do not fret when it comes to pms, you can have your cake and eat it too.

*apple in recipe can be replaced with a not quite ripe peach, delicious!

happy eating!

week one: focusing on fruits

everyone (and their mother) knows that fruits and vegetables are two of the most important food groups, not only for changing one's lifestyle, but for daily functioning of the body. this week i'm going to focus on my favorite of the two, fruits! 

the darker and richer in color the fruit is, the more vitamins it packs, same story goes for vegetables. 

fruits like: mango, cherry, any sort of berry, banana, plums, apples, avocado-yes avocado is a fruit not a vegetable, apricots, and oranges are bound to have more vitamins in them due to the rich color of their outer skin. the rich color comes from the ratio of vitamins to water, if the fruit has more vitamins than it has water, then it will have a darker, more vibrant outside. 

fruits like, watermelon, kiwi, strawberry and lychee are mostly water, so they pack way less of a punch when it comes to vitamins. that is not to say, however, that they are any less delicious or important to a well balanced diet. a "party plus" for some people when it comes to these watery fruits is that they are extremely low in calories! 

another reason fruits are so important, and why it is recommended for us to have atleast 2-4 servings daily of both fruits and vegetables (a task i will be concurring this week) is that they are packed with antioxidants. 

antioxidant rich fruits: pomegranate, acai, blue berries, black berries, raspberries, prunes (or what i like to consider their more delicious cousin-raisins!), red grapes, and cherries (anti0xidant-fruits.com). something you may notice in the listing of these antioxidant fruits is that they are all various shades of red and purple, (next week when i list antioxidant vegetables, you will see a similar pattern. very sneaky, mother nature.) 

just for a quick overview of why antioxidant rich fruits are important, the definition of antioxidant is found easily in it's name. in this case, anti means: inhibiting, and oxidant, means, well- OXYGEN! so, antioxidant is the act of inhibiting the oxidation of the skin in animals. which assists, but is not a cure-all, in helping the skin age more gracefully. another party plus for the fruits!

today when i go shopping i put a list together of the following fruits i will eat for this week, and the reasons behind why each fruit is extremely important on the journey to both health and weight loss.

katie's fruit-licious shopping list:

all antioxidant fruits (see above)

oranges (vitamin C- hello!!)

watermelon (delicious, in season, and only 90 calories- IN HALF A WATERMELON)

avocado (can make delicious guacamole, or for less calories slice it up and add some tomato with salt, but beware avocado is very high in fat-good fats!- but fat none the less, eat in moderation)

tomato (another sneaky fruit turned vegetable turned fruit. delicious, watery, full of vitamins A, B & K)

pears (so i can get my potassium on)

banana (see the reasoning for 'pears')

nectarine (vitamin C)

pomegranate (vitamin K- so it can aid in my blood clotting, and it is said to help prevent cancer-whatever that means)

on friday i will post a delicious fruit recipe that i will come up with this week, as well as give the details of what eating 2-4 servings of fruit every day has helped me achieve. i hope to feel more energized and have a more regular stomach cycle.

until then, happy eating! and as always-work it.

first blog entry

sunday is the best day to start something new, a new diet, a new book, anything. so today i start my new (and first) blog, as well as my new and improved goal. the goal i set for myself is to lose 25 pounds by january 1st of this upcoming new year. not only that, in this blog i will be cooking through the "cook yourself thin cookbook", providing a guest blogger, tori hartnett, who will give health advice and also update on her weight loss transformation. i'm going to make my own healthy recipes and provide all the caloric information as well as photographs. every month i will take a new picture of myself and document how much weight i've lost. the goal of this blog is to keep myself motivated, i also hope to motivate people into a healthier lifestyle. weight loss isn't about being kate moss, or not being rosie o'donnell, it's about what's right for your body type and for yourself.

let's work it.