Things I'm Lovin'

When I lose like 40 pounds (which will probably never happen), I am totally buying and mobbing around in pants like these. I {heart} them.

Cherry Coke Zero.  I forget about it for awhile, and then rediscover that it's like dessert in a can.

GCB. Don't judge.

My new cutting board! Stacy had it made for me (by her talented brother). Thanks Stacy!

Red Bell Peppers. I love to snack on them. So yummy. They are frequently on sale for 3/$1 at Sprouts.

Ivory Soap. Put a tiny squirt in a water bottle, and you have the best window cleaner ever.

Photography. I seriously love my camera. When I'm not feeling like going somewhere, I just have to think, "I can take pictures!" and I get instantly excited. My love-for-photography dad keeps sending me photography articles and I am really enjoying learning!

New Fav

Since my stomach has been uneasy, I decided to try the Tortilla Soup at Cafe Rio. I loved it! Definitely a new favorite. They put shredded chicken, cheese, pico and guacamole in the cup, then ladle over the yummy broth. They top it with tortilla strips, cilantro and a lime. I had them add a little of their fresca salsa to it to give it a kick. Absolutely delicious.  Oh, and it comes with a fresh flour tortilla on the side (I give that to the kids).  Plus it's only $4.25 and totally filling. Such a bargain, especially with the free kids quesadillas!... If they only had a play place.

Favorite Things

It's about time for another Favorite Things post, right?  It's been f-o-r-e-v-e-r. This is the last one I could find...not terribly exciting, although I do still love that primer, and have that shirt in my closet.

On to much more exciting things. *insert sarcasm* But, hey, maybe one of these things will change your life.

In no particular order:

1. Cherry Pomegranate Crystal Light.  I hate all things Cherry, except this. Very delicious.

2. The Organizher collection from Target. I'm not sure how I functioned without my fridge family calendar.  They have lots and lots of cute, fun things to help every mama stay organized.

3. My new Jillian Michaels weight set. I got these for Christmas from my brother John.  It makes working out at home much more exciting.

4. Verizon Fios.  There is almost no need for a DVR.  Almost everything is available On Demand.

5. Chili's Virgin Margaritas.  Here is how you have to order it though:  "I would like a blended virgin margarita, but not in the virgin glass.  I would like it in the big specialty blue glass with a full rim of salt (or sugar). Thank you."

Weight Loss Wednesday

Weight Loss Wednesday is back and I am so excited!!

So I just had a baby...10 months ago... and was super proud that I only gained 23 pounds! (thanks to getting the flu once, stomach flu twice, and pregnancy barfing until about 20 weeks). I almost immediately dropped about 15 of that, and the last 8 came off just in time for Christmas. So excited. So proud.

THEN... I started eating more, and eating more, and eating more. Then I started making dessert every other night, then every night, and I craved sugar non stop! I had no desire, no motivation to change my sugary eating habits. Then about 4 weeks ago, I stepped on the scale... drum roll... I had gained 16 pounds!!! Seriously? Who does that? I mean fluctuating 5 pounds, okay, but 16!  You would have thought my "fat" pants being skin tight and my desire to wear flowing dresses every day would be motivation enough. Nope. I had to dig myself into this horrible hole before I found the motivation to change.

Well, now I have the motivation. I joined Weight Watchers (I LOVE WW) 3 weeks ago, and have lost 8.2 pounds. Another 7.8 to get back to my pre-Boston weight, and another 10 or so to be at my ultimate goal weight. I have a 17 week pass, so I should be able to make my goal by then and become a life-time member. (Your membership is free once you reach your goal and maintain your weight for a few weeks).

Here's what I've been doing:

• Saying no. A lot.
• Still giving myself small treats so I don't feel deprived.
• Eating lots of fruits and veggies. (They're 0 points now!)
• Eating more whole grains, and cutting out some carbs.

Here are a few things I love:

• Mission Extra Thin Tortillas. You know I love my mexican food. These are 1 point vs. 2 for a regular corn tortilla. I actually like them better. They have a stronger corn flavor, and crisp up easier for taquitos and such.

• Avocado Sauce. (My families recipe) This is virtually 0 points. It does have avocado in it, but such a small amount per serving, I'm not sure how to calculate it. I guess you could add a point for it if you used a ton. I use it on everything that needs a little spice.

• Weight Watchers 2 point treats. You can buy these at the WW center. I love the dark chocolate turtle, and the peanut butter bliss. Perfect for a sugar craving fix.

• Kellogg's All-Bran Crackers. 18 for 3 points, and they're delicious.

• Fat Free Cream Cheese. 2 TB for 1 point.
• I spoon in 2 TB of cream cheese in a bowl, put about a teaspoon of my favorite jelly (Mixed Pepper from Stephanie Calderon is my favorite right now) and dip my bran crackers in it. So good.

• Laura Scudder's Reduced Fat Natural Peanut Butter. 2 TB for 5 points. Get you some ice cold crisp celery and you have a delicious snack that you can snack on forever.

I have a few recipes that I really like that I'll share in another post.

I am so excited to get healthy. I already feel soooo much better. I have so much more energy, I'm not as tired and my clothes are fitting much better.

I have a weight loss blog if anyone is interested in sharing. It's nodietsallowed.blogspot.com. It's private right now, so leave a comment or email me if you want to be added.

ALSO! WW is having a "Walk-It Challenge". They are encouraging everyone to get out a walk/run a 5K on or before May 22nd. Not like a sign up and pay 5K, just going out and doing it. I WANT TO DO IT! Who's in?  I'm going to pick a day, time and place and let everyone know, and then whoever wants to, we'll do it and then maybe go out for a healthy lunch/dinner afterward. It's 3.1 miles. Totally doable for anyone. I'll be posting when I'm working out too so if anyone wants to join me, that would be great!

Until next week...

Christmas Favorites: Songs

I love the different versions that you hear of all of the Christmas songs.  Here are my favorites of a few.

Ave Maria by Jewel


Baby It's Cold Outside by Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting


Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt


Silent Night by Taylor Swift


My all time favorite Christmas CD's are
1. Home Alone 2 Soundtrack
2. Carpenter's Christmas (which is now on CD at Target for $10... A must have)

Cedar City

If you didn't know, I grew up in Cedar City, Utah for most of my childhood. I moved to southern California a few weeks before I turned 20 to work for my Uncle who owns Fenn Termite & Pest Control. (they stay true to the "Family owned and operated").

I don't get asked this so much anymore, but when I first moved here people would always ask if I liked living in Cedar or SoCal better? Small town, or big city? I would always answer, "I like both."

When I was home last I decided to go around town and take pictures of some of the things I miss about living in Cedar.

Some of the obvious things:

My family.


The summer beauty.

Location. You can be to Lake Powell, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Brian Head Ski Resort, Lake Mead, Las Vegas, within a couple of hours... and you can get to smaller lakes, places to hike, ride dirt bikes, camp, etc. within minutes.

(Above pictures provided by Dale Heit)

Some of the not so obvious things:

Drive Thru's. Pretty much everything has a drive thru in Cedar. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cafe Rio

Drive Thru Banks...not just ATM's.

Subway

Panda Express

Gas Stations... sometimes you just want a drink or some chips or something!

Then there's...

The light house. So that the cars can see where their going on I-15 ;).




Wal-Mart Grocery. This Wal-Mart was built with a full grocery store inside. Produce, Deli, Bakery...Full grocery. I haven't been to any of the new ones around here where they've added produce and such, but chances are it's not nearly as big as this one.

Vanilla Coke. None of the canned vanilla coke crap. Real out of the pump vanilla. You can get it at almost any restaurant. This picture was courtesy of Dairy Queen (which has a drive-thru as well). Next time you drive through CC, stop at Top Spot and get a large coke/diet coke with vanilla AND lemon. It will change your life. It's been my favorite drink since I was like 15.


Summer Thunder Storms. I love when it rains and it's still 80 degrees.

The Shakespeare Festival. Not so much because I like plays...but because it brings tourists from all over to visit.

And last... the Sno Shacks. There is a sno cone place about every 5 blocks going down main street I swear. Delicious.

I definitely get much more home sick when I go to Cedar in the summer, because I'm not a huge fan of snow. But I'm so thankful that we get to go up there at least once a year for a few weeks... even if it over Christmas when it's snowy. :)

Favorites Friday!

I've fell in love and rekindled my romance with a few things I feel the need to share:

A. Samy's Dry Spray Shampoo-
Only $7.99. Takes care of my oily 2nd day hair, gives me volume, and smells great!


B. CPK's Buffalo Chicken Pizza-
Decided to try something new tonight. D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. It's a spicy one though, so beware.


C. Taco's Mexico-
On my way home from my good friend Erin's today, I remembered one of my favorite taco places is just down the street. You can get a couple of tacos (I recommend Carnitas although the Carne Asada are good too) and a side of beans (or rice if you want) for about $3. Very authentic, very scrumptious.

• Corner of 1st & Harbor in Garden Grove
• Knott & La Palma in Buena Park
• Tropicana Exit in Las Vegas, right by the Chevron.

D. Arbonne Primer-
A must have, cannot live without product. Once you try it, you will never go back. Your makeup goes on so smooth, and actually stays on!


E. Bianca by Layers-
Just got this in the mail today, and sported it to CPK tonight with Braden. I like... a lot.

...Maybe I'll wash my hair tomorrow maybe I won't

True Love

Oh how I love cleaning products.
My favorite section of Target hands down.

My newest favorites include:

1. Method Grapefruit All Purpose Spray & Wipes. Non toxic, and good for the environment.
2. Murphy Soft Wipes, Clean & Dust. Far better than the other brands in my opinion.
3. Glade Plug In, in Lemon & Chamomile. Smells like you just cleaned all the time.

PS. I know I've said it before but don't be jealous of my green counter tops.