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Settling In to Settling Down

Whew...oh life how busy you keep us. I wouldn't/couldn't ask for anything different though.

We have been keep very busy and that's one of the reasons I haven't blogged in a while. The biggest change is that I started a new job a week and a half ago. Unfortunately the job that we moved to Ft. Worth for hit some hard times. But, everything happens for a reason and I'm learning a TON in my new position at a marketing firm in Irving. It's a little further from home, but B and I carpool a couple of times a week and it's worth the drive to be in a stable and healthy work environment.

Now that we're working on getting completely settled down in our home and our schedules I'm hoping that things will balance out some more and that I'll have more time for blogging, running and cooking again!

Some exciting things that have happened over the past few months:

We started fostering a sweet sweet 18 month old furbaby. His name is Rufus but I call him Roo Roofie Poofie, Ruf-a-sauras, etc. He will be such a great kiddo for his furever home. Still on the search for the perfect home for him.

I also had my 10 year high school reunion. It was so great seeing so many old friends. Honestly - most of my best friends are still the ones I went to HS with, but it was amazing having everyone in the same place at the same time as it rarely happens. It was definitely great seeing so many great people I hadn't seen in well...10 years!

Hopefully it won't be so long in between now and the next time!!

Love, 

Lisa

Milestones

Fall is in full force and I couldn't be happier. September is usually my favorite month of the year, but I felt it was still a little warm to really enjoy it... However, football has started and now that October is here, I think the cooler weather is finally here for a while too. I love the 2nd season in Texas (yes, there are only 2)...the season of Less Hot. It makes me a happy person.

We celebrated 2 special birthdays in September - both on opposite sides of the spectrum. Andy Roo turned 1! What a precious little boy and his mommy and my best friend did an amazing job with his party! And I got to play with lots of babies, so that's always fun!

This past weekend we celebrated my Mom-Mom's 90th birthday! Her actual birthday is October 10th, but it worked out best to celebrate a little early. It's the first time all 9 of her children were together for quite some time. Yup - all 9 of them. God bless her! My mom is one of 7...God Bless my Nan too! Times were definitely different back then. Almost all 18 grandkids and 18 great-grandkids were present too. It reminds me of all the blessing in my life to have such a wonderful family on both sides. And it's also made me extremely homesick for the Northeast. What I'd do to live up there again. I've never felt like Texas was home and every time I visit either family in Philly it makes it a little harder to come back to Texas... 

We got some great photos of Mom-Mom's day...in between dancing of course.

Also in September was Courtney's baby shower! We had tons of fun with our mustache themed party! And I made adorable guilt-free cupcakes! ;) This project was a little harder than I anticipated, but well worth it for the results! See below for instructions.

Guilt-free Cupcakes for Baby Shower:

4 receiving blankets

4 onsies (works best with newborn)

I used the following "recipe" to complete: Cupcake Tutorial

I couldn't get my blankets to a perfect 3 inches, but it still worked out alright. I think the best touch is the box and wrapping. I found mine at Michael's. 

Lots of fun coming up in October! My Godson's turning 2!!! We're doing a "trash the dress" session (sooo can't wait for this!) AND I have my 10 year high school reunion. It blows my mind that it's been 10 years already, but I'm looking forward to seeing friends I haven't seen in years! Oh how time flies!

A Whirlwind Weekend and a Day to Remember

This past weekend was fast paced and exciting! Since the wedding, our weekends have been much calmer and relaxing. It was nice for a while to have that break, but I'm not one to waste away weekends on relaxation. Sure it's great to decompress a few hours each day or maybe Friday night, but life is too short and although this past weekend blew right by with everything going on, I loved it so! Now that the fall weather seems to be fighting through, I hope to have many more outdoor-filled weekends and adventures. Fall is by far my favorite season and I can't wait!

Friday night we went out with some of my friends to say goodbye to our fancy DC-living Lindsey. She's making a name for herself in the political world and until we have her back in TX permanently, we wish her the best and enjoy the brief visits we have with her! Lindsey is infamous for dragging us out to Billy Bobs - or Hoots...even worse (or better depending on how you look at it), but this time she threw us for a loop and we ended up in Kennedale, TX. Yeah, I know - you've probably never heard of it... None-the-less, we headed that direction and found ourselves in quite a fantastic Austin-like bbq restaurant/bar called Reds Roadhouse. They have live music outside every Thurs-Sat and the food was incredible. The service - eh, but still worth it overall. Might just become the new tradition!


Saturday morning started off bright and early with the Color Me Rad Run! I did the Color Run in Dallas in February, but I feel that this one was a bit more successful and my shirt turned out a lot cooler! The weather was gorgeous and it was a true "fun run". No chip times and we just had a good time with it! Only downfall was that it reminded me that I am no longer in the running shape I was about a year ago... It takes forever to build up a running endurance and NO TIME lose it! Which is unfortunate, considering I have a 1/2 marathon in a week & a half. Wish me luck!

So, by this point, I've accomplished quite a bit - friends, exercise, outside...but why stop there? I went on a "date" with one of my dear friends, Shannon. We don't get to see each other nearly as much now that she travels for work. We spent a leisurely afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum to check out the Chihuly Glass Exhibit. Stunning, amazing, etc.

I'm trying to dedicate more time to an interest I've always had - photography. That interest intensified when I studied abroad with the Photography Dept. at Texas A&M, in Germany. Ah, Germany...another story, another post... Although I don't have the fancy equipment and editing programs I dream of, I do the best with what I have...and I think I captured some great photos this weekend!

Sunday was a little more laid back. We did some housework and watched every football game! It's so wonderful having football back - just another reason to LOVE the fall!! Then, Sunday night our new foster dogger arrived! I've fostered pups in the past, but took a break for a bit. Now that we're settled in our house and have a yard again, I was ecstatic that B jumped on board with helping out one of my favorite local rescues: Dog Star. Ladies and Gentleman, meet Rufus:

He's as sweet as can be. We keep joking with Timmy that he better take a lesson or two or else we're keeping the foster kiddo and adopting him out. Obviously, joking, but Rufus really is a fantastic pup! He's only a year old and about 45lbs. Thus far he hasn't required much direction. As long as he is exercised properly, he seems to be mild mannered and ridiculously sweet. No accidents, no chewing... Maybe I should knock on wood... Get in touch with me if you're thinking of extending your family! He's definitely a keeper!

So, today wasn't the best day at work...there's some stress and drama there and I let it get me down a little today. But, then I stopped myself to reflect on my blessings. It angers and saddens me that it took what happened 11 years ago to bring our nation so tightly together, but I'm also grateful and have so much respect for all the men and women who did pull together and those that are still defending our country. I'm blessed to be home tonight with my husband and doggers and to have my family and friends. I think we should all always remember and reflect on today as we move forward as individuals and as Americans. I came across this article today...it was interesting to read about some of the "volunteers"...  The Dogs of 9/11

Goodnight and God Bless!

If Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries...

Then I eat life nearly every day for a snack! :) And it's delish!

I think that cherries are probably my favorite afternoon snack. Good news is B doesn't like them so I get them all to myself as well!

Today was day #10! We're 1/3 of the way through and I don't know how I feel exactly. Today our office was filled with temptation - catered lunch, birthday cake and snacks...whew! I was ready to get out of there! The prep is no longer the hard part - the willpower is! In so many diets you have a point system so you can allow for cheats or you have a cheat day every week or so, but one of the foundations of this date is that for 30 days you are ridiculously strict. ZERO CHEATING! It's a little intense, but we're definitely seeing and feeling the effects/results. I think we both feel and look healthier.

A couple of this week's meals:

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA:

2 large zucchinis
1lb lean ground turkey
Tomato sauce or homemade if you have a good recipe for it (organic/no added sugars)
1/2 head of cauliflower
Grated almonds
Onions, mushrooms & any other veggies you'd like to add.

Slice the zucchini thin, longways.
Ground the cauliflower into a "rice" consistency
Saute all other veggies in EVOO with salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning to taste

Layer zucchini, then veggies, then cauliflower and last a layer of sauce. Repeat until casserole dish is full. Top off with layer of sauce and grated almonds. Bake on 400 for about 20-30ish minutes (honestly...I don't remember and just cooked it until the veggies were tender and it was hot all the way through). It was pretty tasty!

I'm also not a professional food photographer either. Hope it gets the gist of it across. It all wound up coming apart (no cheese to hold it together...sad), so it doesn't really matter how pretty your layers are really.

WHOLE FAJITAS

This was super simple:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
1tbsp ghee or clarified butter
1 onion
1 bell pepper
Leaf lettuce
1 large avocado
1 bag frozen organic zucchini
Homemade salsa (recipe here)

I chopped the chicken into cubes (actually, B did) and then pan grilled it in EVOO with cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the onions and bell peppers into strips and sauté in ghee with seasoning on chicken. Sauteed zucchini separately with same seasoning.

Fresh Guac: Mash 1 avocado with about 4-5 tablespoons of salsa and add salt and/or garlic seasoning if necessary.

Use the leaf lettuce instead of a tortilla and dress as with all the toppings. Now, you may need to just chop up the lettuce and make into more of a fajita salad, but I was determined to make it feel like a real fajita, so I managed...a little messy, but ya know. Add zucchini to the side in place of rice and beans.

Not much else going on this week. Trying to get my runs in - have a 5K on the 8th: Color Me Rad! I am so excited! And another 1/2 coming up in the near future as well!

Looking forward to my best friend's son's first birthday party in 2 weeks in Houston and my Mom-Mom's 90th birthday party at the end of the month in Philly!! She's kind of adorable, don't ya think?

Until then - stay ding-dong-dorable!

Lisa

Whole 30 - Day 1

Well, I'm halfway through day 1 of the Whole 30 food challenge. For those that have asked it is basically a very strict Paleo diet that eliminates all gluten, dairy, processed sugar, alcohol and soy from your diet. Um, that's a lot!

We decided to embark on this journey for a couple of reasons, one being that Brandon is looking at a career change into law enforcement and there are many physical benefits to this type of diet. Also and more importantly, we both want to make a lifestyle change to eat much healthier on an every day basis. We ate generally healthy before this started and I often cooked for us at home, but there are so many things you don't think of regarding how much sugar is added to processed foods and all the chemicals that are used in foods now. We're both very excited to see where this turn takes us!

I also have several friends making the same switch. I think what we all agree on is that this is not a "diet", meaning a weight loss/short-term change in the way we eat, but a diet by definition: a) the food and drink regularly consumed by an individual; b) habitual nourishment. It's great to have people you socialize with on the same path and especially in this case because there basically has to be ZERO eating out for the 30 days.

Today -
Breakfast:
We started off with a Green Monster Smoothie. This has become a bit of a craze and I found my first recipe for it on pinterest. There are literally dozens of versions, but I've tailored this one to be completely Whole 30 compliant.
- 1 banana
- 1 skinned apple (or leave the skin on if you'd like - I just don't like the texture)
- 1 handful/scoop of frozen or fresh pineapple
- 1 handful/scoop of frozen or fresh blueberries
- 1 handful/scoop of frozen or fresh strawberries
- 2 handfuls frozen or fresh spinach (about 1 cup)
- Ice/water as needed to reach desired consistency

Honestly - you can use ANY fruit - if you stick to tropical yellow/orange fruits it yields a bright neon green smoothie. Do not be alarmed! If you add in strawberries, blueberries, etc. you get a little more of an earthy brown/green. Either way it's delicious and nutritious!

Some people even add in carrots and cucumbers, but I like to keep the taste more fruity!

You can also pour smoothies into ice trays for a quick sweet snack or for portion control: http://pinterest.com/pin/5840674487682934/

Snack:
Mini Egg Muffins. These are also great for breakfast!

I quartered organic sliced turkey (check your ingredients!) and put a piece in each tin. I scrambled 10 organic, cage free brown eggs with homemade salsa (recipe below) and poured in each tin - about 3/4 full. Bake on 350 for about 15 minutes. Yup - it's that easy. Feel free to experiment with these - add spinach, onions, broccoli, peppers, etc. Anything you'd like to spruce it up. The salsa in it was the perfect mix! I might have to hide them from Brandon!

Lunch:
I had a fresh green salad with cucumber with tilapia. I used the salsa as dressing.
Fish is an awesome quickie meal. With tilapia filets you can even microwave them, which is what I did because it was late last night and I was tired and over cooking. So, I put the fish in a microwave safe dish, added about 1 Tbsp. of ghee, squeezed half a lemon and seasoned with some sea salt, pepper and garlic. It doesn't get much easier than that!

Dinner:
Almond crusted chicken breast with sweet potatoes and mixed veggies. OMG - delish and easy!! I had NO idea I liked sweet potatoes bc I always HATE the sweet potato casseroles at Thanksgiving. Well, they can be done Whole 30 compliant and oh so deliciously!

Ingredients:
2 organic chicken breasts
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 egg
salt, pepper, garlic to taste

Grate the almonds with a food processor and spread onto a plate. Scramble the egg with the seasoning. Dip the chicken breast in the egg and then dip in grated almonds. We only did one side to save on calories. Repeat with second chicken breast. Bake on 350 15-20 minutes.

2 organic sweet potatoes
1 tbsp. ghee
Italian seasoning (make sure to read labels that nothing extra is added to the spice mix)

Peel and slice sweet potatoes into thin disks. Put potatoes, ghee and seasoning into a glass pyrex or baking dish. Baked on 425 until potatoes were tender.

Veggies were easy - just microwaved them with some ghee and seasoning.

This whole diet can be done pretty easily!

Ok - now for the homemade salsa recipe. This is also ridiculously simple.

In a blender:
6 whole tomatoes
2 jalepenos
1/4 of a white onion
4 garlic cloves
Cilantro (to taste)

Blend it all together...and done! :) I know! So simple

Now, friends - I am no professional cook and I'm AWFUL at keeping measurements, etc. I do a lot of measuring by taste. My theory is that you an always add more, so I keep it pretty light and just add more when necessary.

So - I doubt that I'll blog every recipe throughout this process. That's 90 meals, but today was just such a successful first day that I wanted to share. I do promise to share my favorites that I come across along the way though!

Have a great night folks!

Rainy Weekends

This is one of the first weekends in quite some time where we haven't had a full schedule of events, errands, chores, etc. Today has been a moderately lazy day, which has worked out perfectly, because the majority of the day has been rainy. Thank the heavens because we sure needed the rain and the cool air that comes with it is an added bonus.

B and I were talking today about how much less harsh this summer has been compared to last year's! It's exciting breaking records, but not if the record is how many straight days in a row we break 100 degrees! Ugh! Texas has been my home for several years now - more than half my life, but I will never ever get used to or "accept" the long, scorching summers. And I still dream about when we will eventually pack up and head somewhere with 4 seasons! One day...

My parents are in the process of selling their house. It's bittersweet. It's the home that we lived in the longest and my mom bought the house because she said she could see me walking down the steps in my wedding gown...

CHECK!

I think it took about a week or two after that for them to decide to put it up on the market. So, today we went by and picked up some of my old stuff that my parents had in their attic. Man - we found some gems... A journal about my 4th grade crush, a bunch of notes from junior high still folded in that funky little fold we'd do, a huge megaphone from when I was on pep squad (kept that since my hs reunion is in a couple of months...ha), and of course a whole box of what I call the "ex-files". I went through most of the stuff with my mom...we laughed a lot, teared up a bit. Like I said - bittersweet. I did keep a few items from the "ex-files" - a scrap book, some trinkets & pictures, etc. I wasn't sure but I remember when I was young that my mom showed me notes, drawings, etc. that she had kept from her "first love". I always thought it was so interesting and I debated back and forth on whether to keep any of my stuff to show my kiddos one day. Curious to see if other people have done the same...?

I think the greatest experience about today was that my parents bequeathed the nursery furniture that they used for all 3 of my sisters to us. It's the crib and the changing table and I didn't even know they still had it. It's old and vintage-y looking and I absolutely love it! Made it very real that we're at the age of considering starting our family and it's pretty exciting!

After that we made an afternoon of watching movies and relaxing. Today's laziness will mean tomorrow's productivity! We are embarking on a journey starting Monday - it's called the Whole 30 food challenge - www.whole9life.com. It's structured on a Paleo style of dieting, but stricter and it is more or less a metabolic re-start/jump start into a Paleo lifestyle. Brandon and I have been talking a lot about health and change lately, and when a friend of mine posted about this challenge on facebook, I did some research and am very much looking forward to getting started. We'll be doing our grocery shopping and prep work for the week tomorrow. It will no doubt be a challenge, but we're both looking very forward to it and the benefits of embracing a "clean eating" lifestyle. I'll be sure to post about this journey and any recipes I come up with along the way!

Praying that the rain continues tomorrow along with that cool air!