The craziness of life and its blessings

2010 was a year of ups and downs, but the ups outweighed the downs. I do wish friends and family didn't have to deal with health problems, nobody had to deal with disappointment or stress, I could figure out the whole organization/non-procrastination thing and that friends didn't have to move - but still the ups are numerous!

New little ones to love, goals accomplished, more friends to enjoy, the knowledge that there is really someone out there for everyone (including me!), realizing that strength is learned and earned, rediscovering old loves of all types.

Dreams of losing weight and gaining a Kitchen Aid mixer were realized. I ran my first 5K and then 10K. Ventured even further into discovering new foods (of course now maintaining that weight loss is getting more challenging!) and cooking with others I had only tasted.

I keep thinking about 2010 and thinking about how lucky I really am! I have my health (and that's a bit better now even), a job I love (most of the time), a roof over my head, a car to get me to see those that I miss (even if it is on its last legs!), love and a wealth of family and friends that help me get through the ups and downs of life.

2011 looks like it's going to be an interesting year and I can't wait! There are trips planned to Indianapolis, Washington (IL), Nashville, Michigan, Scrap Inn (or scrapbook camp as someone calls it!) and St. Louis just to name a few... Friends planning weddings and having babies while other's babies grow up. More dishes to try and ;the weight goal to be maintained. Got a presidency of an almost all-male organization to deal with and more Speech Coaching to do... Time with a certain guy, family and friends, trips to the city, a move to make, stuff to get rid of and organize what is staying...

I love my life!

Now, I do want to make a few resolutions and post them here so that I have a bit of accountability...
1. Maintain that weight loss!
2. Run more (maybe even a 15K or half-marathon)
3. Get rid of more stuff!
4. Keep spending time with those that I love
5. Work on anti-procrastination techniques
6. Keep getting myself in better shape financially and save up for that car down payment

Let's see how I do!

Cookies, Cookies and more cookies...

Well, it turns out that owning a Kitchen Aid mixer can be quite dangerous! There was a cookie explosion in my kitchen over the past several days - as in there were cookies EVERYWHERE! There were types that were full of wheat, gluten-free, sugar-free and even the most delicious non-fat ginger cookies. All that time spent baking was son incredibly worth it when I gave family members their favorite cookie or gave others something they could enjoy. Let's just say I'm the baker in my family and I haven't really baked in about 2 years, so they had been going through withdrawal.

Unfortunately, in the quest to get everything done for spending the holidays with family I forgot to take pictures...

But to sum it up - and I will probably add pictures of some of these later - this year in holiday baking included:

Pistachio Chocolate Chip cookies - a recipe from a friend and my brother's all time favorite
Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cookies - one of my sister's new favorites and dad loves anything chocolate chip
Nutella Cookies - deliciousness defined!
Nonfat Chewy Gingersnaps - One of my new favorites! A David Lebovitz recipe with all natural ingredients!
Eggnog Snickerdoodles - a little dry so they need some work
My first ever macaroons - YUM! Even if they did take some problem-solving and looked funny :)
Lemon Olive Oil Cookies (sugar-free and sugar-filled) - Gluten-free from the Gluten Free Girl
Peanut Butter Cookies - the flour-less variety and mom LOVES them!
Fairytale Sugar Cookies - I think I added too much flour, so this one is getting a do-over ASAP!
Rugelach - Gluten-free and Sugar-free and ABSOLUTELY loved by everyone in the family and a couple others - also from Gluten Free Girl

Wow, that is a long list! No wonder I was so tired the day after Christmas...

The crazy thing was that I was much more relaxed for most of the holiday than usual, but I'm contributing a good portion of that to the guy that made me dinner in the midst of it all the baking and even helped scoop cookie dough. Now, if only his favorite kind of cookie wasn't something sold in stores... Oh, well - I think I smell a challenge! ;)

Although I have to say that dinner on the 26th was fabulous! Pirogi and kolacki - YUMMM! (I love me some Polish specialties...)

I hope you had an amazing holiday with your family and friends! I know I did!

Spicing up Tomato Soup

Well, I planned a soup social for work and ended up making tomato soup from scratch/cans for the event. Let's just say trying to blend soup in a food processor is not so much fun...

Then someone told me about the wonders of an immersion blender and I bit. It came in the mail just before I came down with a lovely case of acute tonsillitis, so needless to say it sat unused for about two weeks...

But by Sunday night, I was itching to make some more tomato soup with a few changes from the first recipe inspired by dating a guy who adds hot sauce to a whole lot of things and the fact that I adore salsa! Then I went to find the recipe and couldn't, so this is a combination of memory from making the original three weeks ago and new inspiration. It's Delicious with a capital D and he didn't even add hot sauce!

And that immersion blender thing - is now one of my top three gadgets in the kitchen, maybe even top two! Only topped by the Kitchen Aid mixer! This thing is amazing and my new favorite thing is making blended soups. Next on the soup spectrum is dairy/wheat free corn chowder with a recipe that tastes like it's loaded with cream! Can't wait!

Salsa Tomato Soup

(ingredients are in the order that you will need them!)

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4-5 stalks of celery, diced

2 cans sliced carrots*

1 box vegetable stock**

3 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes

2 jars salsa***

1 T fajita seasoning#

pepper

In a large pot, saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until they start becoming transparent and then add celery, carrots and garlic. Saute that mixture until the carrots and celery begin to soften and heat up.

Add the vegetable stock, tomatoes and salsa. Bring to a simmer and add the seasoning and pepper. Let the mixture continue to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Turn the heat off, but let the soup sit covered for several minutes to let it cool some before you blend it.

Once the soup has cooled a bit, use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup and finish combining the flavors.

Heat it back up for just a few minutes if you desire and serve. (We added a bit of fat free sour cream but it really didn't need it! There was also a grilled cheese sandwich, but that's another post...)

*I think the canned carrots blend better (Thanks for that idea goes to my sister's friend Britt), but you can substitute 4-5 regular carrots. They would just need to be steamed first or sauteed for longer.

** Broth can be used, but I have a preference for stock since I think it has a richer flavor and isn't as salty

***I used Trader Joe's Fire Roasted Salsa, but this is where you should use your favorite one and go with it! Next time I may try a fruit version or pico de gallo

#This is purely to taste - we like things a bit spicier.

Enjoy!

Cranky!

It's December and I'm cranky!

Cranky because the antibiotics haven't made me feel completely better yet.

Cranky because one of my nearest and dearest friends is moving just after Christmas and it hurts to talk to her and I can't go see her since I can't chance getting her or her kids (who I'm going to miss something fierce too) sick since they need to spend time with her dad who is dealing with Chemo.

Cranky because, have I mentioned it hurts to talk but other than that I'm perfectly fine to teach and I would rather be at school than at home catching glimpses of daytime TV! It's simply too much work to NOT be here.

Cranky, because I've realized how long I've neglected my poor blog once again - that has to change with the different things going on in life and the amazing yummy stuff coming out of my kitchen... So much to share!

Cranky because December is so much fun with everything going on - but I have so much to get done! (Along with everyone else out there...)

Cranky because I really, really want to go for a run...

And, I'm cranky because I'm cranky! I hate being cranky! It's annoying, darn it!

But, now that I've vented a bit and had some tea, I'm feeling a bit better. Life is pretty good at the moment (Well, aside from the Schlosser-Goode family moving, but that just means that I'm going to have to get to know the various routes to Nashville, right?) and I need to remember that. I am so lucky in so many ways with my family and friends, a great guy in my life, a job that I love (aside from when I'm cranky), my health (most of the time), two adorable furballs, a good group of kids on my speech team, somre more holiday shopping done, and so much more...

YAY for getting rid of most of the crankiness!!!! Hopefully it stays that way!

Stay tuned for recipes for some of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made and homemade tomato soup with a kick! Hopefully I can get those up this week :)

Seriously???

Apparently, there are people out there that think skinny people can't cook. Really? What rock have they been living under? And for their information, they thought I could cook just fine when I was 70 pounds heavier!

This little outburst comes from my reaction to a conversation that took place at a gathering of women centering around books. Someone had the great idea of starting a recipe club, which I thought was an AMAZING idea! My initial thought was what could I contribute to the first one, of course. Heck, if I weren't allowed to cook and try new things I would go crazy. So I spoke up and simply said "I'm in!" The response I got was a little shocking in that the person responded, probably intending it to be a joke but it was a poor one, by telling me I was too skinny to be part of it. I just looked at her, appalled by the comment that was coming out of her mouth considering that she was talking to someone slimmer than I as they came up with the idea. She immediately turned back to the other person and continued the conversation.

It's amazing how your body can define you to other people and the opinions that people have about those that are overweight simply transfer in the reverse to people that are slimmer than them. Honestly, when I was heavier I thought the slimmer girls had all the fun and it was easier to be skinny since they apparently didn't have to work to stay slim. I was wrong. There was a preconceived notion of what it meant to be slim as opposed to heavy and lots of people out there have those notions about people on both ends of the spectrum. It seems to me that one has got it made if you are just average because then you are right in the middle.

Losing weight ain't easy! It's a lot of hard work and you have to find the method that works for you. It won't come off easily and it's an on-going process that includes a lot of change.

Yes, I finally found my method - a mixture of Jenny Craig and my own healthier cooking, moderation in any other food, less alcohol (apparently friends believe that my liver now needs a workout ;)),two JC consultants by the names of Vicki and Collette (they are fabulous!!!), a gym membership, a trainer that happens to be a Marine by the name of Nick, running and the support of friends and family.

And while I have cancelled the Lane Bryant credit card, I have not forgotten how to cook! In fact I cook even more and made polenta and yogurt for the first time last night. Fresh polenta is so stinking easy and tons better than the already prepared stuff (although the best one for that is Trader Joe's). The yogurt is still in the yogurt maker...

I'm thinking grilled polenta and chicken with peach salsa for dinner tomorrow night. Mangoes and veggies on the side sound delish!

Does that sound like the menu of someone that shouldn't be allowed to join a recipe club??? Recipes posted this weekend!

Vegetables galore...

There are a fair amount of people out there that think eating healthy can be boring and dull. I have to admit that I really do disagree. I mean, how can this be considered boring?

The best part of summer is all the fresh fruits and vegetables!

Veggie Combo #1

Saute 1 medium white onion in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. When that starts to get slightly transparent add about 8 oz. sliced portabella mushrooms and let those cook for about 3-4 minutes until thet start to get limp (just barely). Add 1 small sliced zucchini and half a pint of grape tomatoes and let that saute for another 2 minutes before adding 1/2 pound asparagus, with the stalks cut in half, and the seasoning of your choice (this time around I used an Italian blend). Let all of that countinue to cook until the asparagus gets tender and add a bit more seasoning with the low-fat/fat-free cheese of your choice (or the regular stuff if you would like!)

Makes 2-3 servings depending on how much everyone loves their veggies!

Cede even wanted some!

A new beginning...

Spring and summer are times for new beginnings for so many things! We get to have more fresh vegetables again, the new flip flops hit the pavement, and in my case, a new outlook on a few ideas.

Last spring, I had lost about 20 pounds and was getting used to the idea of losing weight. I thought that losing all the weight I wanted to lose would make life so much easier and I would automatically have all my body worries go away. Life would be peachy keen and worry free!

Ummm… Not so much!

Instead there are variety of different issues that can pop up and the realization that there are flaws that one used to consider a liability that can now be considered a benefit. Who knew one could draw strength from a weakness simply by recognizing it and talking about it? I sure didn’t!

Sometimes, I think I talk too much once I get started on a topic and that can come in handy when friends notice something and point it out. It also helps when you decide to go see a therapist or just spend time talking to those that are close to you. Then I step back and think about what I said a good portion of the time…

Getting past plateaus is frustrating, but my biggest struggle in this whole weight loss thing (besides finding the right strategy/wagon – but more on that later) is realizing that even if you are trying to lose weight the healthy way, you can end up having unhealthy thoughts.

The thing is that about two months ago or so, I realized that I was still thinking of myself as being fat. Now, I know that is rather normal for a fair amount women since we all want to be our own version of perfect, but I had a hard time saying thank you when someone would compliment me or comment on how skinny I was getting. I just wasn’t seeing the results that everyone else was seeing. My confidence was a bit low at that point and with scary thoughts like thinking about buying a new bathing suit coursing through my mind – I hit the low. People were making comments about me wasting away and that bothered me! (I’m not wasting away, honestly I eat plenty – I promise!)

It got to the point where someone commented on how tiny I am getting and I responded by saying that I still feel fat even after losing almost 70 pounds! The reaction that I got from her and others in the room made me realize that it was time to talk to somebody.

I was still seeing myself as I had always been – insecure about the way I looked, hiding behind anything and everything, afraid to let even my family and friends see anything that I was ashamed of, and completely scared of the changes that were happening.

That after years of being a plus-size girl and then 17 months of working on a big lifestyle change, I have had hard time accepting the fact that I now shop in what I have always considered to be the "skinny" part of the store. I always wanted to shop there one day...I always wanted to be more athletic, the one that could eat anything and not gain a pound, to be able to wear all that cute stuff etc. I thought once I lost all the weight I wanted to, things would be perfect and all the problems would be solved.Hardly...I'm still working on getting to my goal, but I've encountered new bumps in the road. It’s a journey, but one that I am getting comfortable on and it has been teaching me a lot in regards to who I am. There will be more about this since dealing with the bumps gets easier when one opens up and talks to people :)