Is Jamie Oliver nuts?

Did you watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last night? What did you think? Were you appalled? Upset? Disgusted? Or just irritated that an Englishman would try to change America and how we eat?

I say, hat's off to you Mr. Oliver for attempting to do what many of us are too lazy or too self absorbed to do.

Can I tell you a secret? I actually have a pack of processed chicken patties in the freezer. The same kind he used as an experiment to show the kids how processed foods are made -- how they're yucky.

Even though the chicken patties are my husbands, I am ashamed to admit, I ate one of those processed patties like two days ago! This is what happens when I refuse to go grocery shopping. Anyway, after watching him show the kids the good cuts of chicken and how the processed foods are made from the rest...I felt so, so dirty.

My husband watched this scene too. The look on his face after seeing the ground-up fat and bones was priceless. He said, "Well I haven't eaten the chicken patties for a while, but I did have two corn dogs for lunch." Hmmm, I guess corn dogs are better...NOT!

What I couldn't believe is that even after Oliver showed the kids the nasty chicken patties and how they were made, they still wanted to eat them. The kids weren't stupid, they knew the processed patties were bad for them.

But like Oliver said, "We've brainwashed our kids so brilliantly...unless something genius happens, it's hopeless."

Even before this show aired, I've been focusing my efforts on nutrition. Not dieting, but food pyramid-like nutrition. My desire is to eat the foods my body needs to not only shed weight, but also to live a long and healthy life. I appreciated this show. It helped make me aware. It helped make my husband aware.

With all this talk of nutrition, I want to leave you with one healthy meal idea. This meal includes all the food groups, except sweets.

Meal includes:

• Pacific Foods' Red Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup (fruit and veggie)
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread (whole grain)
• 1/4 Haas avocado (good fat, protein)
• less than an ounce of prosciutto (protein)
• 3 slices of tomatoes (fruit)
• 1 cup kale (veggie)

A healthy meal can be made in minutes, just like a processed chicken patty. I am not sure how to do it, but I want to get on board with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

Wishing you all a nutritious weekend,

--Shawnee

Seeds of Change

The last time I fell off the face of the earth it was because I was hiding – ashamed of my non-exercise and terrible eating habits. But this time, this time my excuse is actually a healthy one. I think anyway.
I’ve become, in the past month or so, a healthy-eating, exercise- lovin’ fool! My hiatus from the blog-o-sphere has not changed that. I’ve had this massive revelation injected into my brain and now it’s trickling down to my stomach and my legs. It’s like I can’t get enough of exercising and healthy foods.

The time change is probably the biggest factor for my not blogging. I had been running in the morning, but due to the sun not getting out of bed until about 7 a.m., I am stuck running in the evening. Also, my yoga instructor was in a car accident, so there haven’t been any good classes in the morning. But on the plus side, my hubby is running with me more and I finally got to try Zumba. I heart Zumba!
I am just trying to figure out how to juggle this new schedule, which has included eating dinner as late as 8 p.m. on some nights. And somehow, I’m ok with a late dinner. My life used to be based on my food schedule. Now, if I’m hungry, I just wait to eat.

What has changed?

I am trying to figure out this new enthusiasm. I feel like if I don’t figure it out it’s going to slip away from my grasp.

Anyway, despite my lack of presence, I do intend to continue my blog. I have a couple ideas for blog updates that may make my life easier. We shall see.

What have you all been up to lately?

So far. So good!

A quick post to say that so far I have kept up with my training, and I even talked my mom into running the 5k with me!

Training started out on Saturday with about 6 minutes of running and 14 minutes of walking. Sunday I did 12 minutes running and 28 minutes walking. Both of those days I just went out and ran to see what I could do. Monday I lifted weights for 40 minutes. Tuesday I ran for 10 and walked for 30. And finally today I lifted weights for 20 minutes and then rode the stationary bike for about 22 minutes.

My plan was to do yoga on my off days, but my yoga instructor got into a car accident so class has been canceled. :( I am really missing yoga.

I have been pretty tired this week and haven't felt much like getting on the computer to blog. I did a trial and error of a new recipe and I hope to share that in the next couple of days.

Question: Have you ever ran a 5k?

Blessings,

Shawnee

When all else fails, sign up for a 5k

So after my last pathetic pity-party of a post, things are looking up in the health and wellness department. The change of heart went something like this:

My alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. on Friday morning. I didn't get out of bed and rush to yoga like in weeks past. Instead I lay there, and like a 7 year old who had been scolded for her wrong doing, I thought about what I had done.

I thought about my poor eating habits for the past week and my failure to comply to the exercise gods. I came up with two solutions...

1.) A mini-morning fast

2.) Sign up for a 5k

As I sipped on my detoxifying lemon juice that morning, I browsed the web for upcoming 5ks. I didn't want one too soon, or too far out. I discovered the Earth Day run on April 24th. After thinking about it for an hour or two, I pulled out the credit card, paid, and officially registered.

That's right, I'm running a 5k.

Either the 5 hour fast provided me with mental clarity or it completely clouded my brain with a nasty crust of craziness.

I have seven weeks to train. Today is day one. I am going to take up the Lord on his beautiful sunny day and punish myself and push myself and see how far I can run without stopping.

I'll be starting with week 3 of the Couch to 5k running plan, as I can already run for about 5 minutes at a time. My exercise schedule will look like this: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 1 hour of yoga and strength training; Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, run!

I'll keep you updated with times, distances, triumphs and failures. Wish me luck.

Have an awesome rest of the weekend!

Shawnee

P.S. The picture is from Courier-journal.com.

Talk about Irregularity

This week. Oh this week has been irregular (no I haven’t been irregular, the week has). I had most the day off Monday for some flex time and then took the day off on Thursday to tend to family. I honestly felt like I had three Mondays.

I am tempted to blame the irregularity for my lack of exercise. I only went to the gym one day. That same old sorry-for-myself feeling is creeping back in. On top of that, my eating has been pretty poor. The perfectionist voice is back and my instinct is to pull the plug on the blog, exercise and my attempt at healthy living.

Sleep comes more abundantly when I feel like this. I don’t want to wake up and face my failures. Or get up and face myself.

I said two posts ago that I would write about portion sizes.

See, last week I bought a weeks worth of healthy pre-packaged meals, so I could condition my body to eat normal portion sizes. I don’t think it worked. I don’t know that I am ready to give up my poor eating habits. I’ve had a lot of stress this past week and food and salt and carbs and sugar are so stinking comforting.

I don’t know what this post is about, but I thought I should post. I thought I should get this all out and that maybe by acknowledging it magical fairies would make it all better.

Maybe.

I am going to scrub my face with sugar now and go to bed.

Good Night All

Shawnee

Ode to Exercise in the key of E minor

Every time I start to write my “Ode to Exercise,” which I promised last week (or was it two weeks ago?), it starts out as a history of my exercising patterns. Blech. Who wants to read that?

Instead I decided to do a quick in-a-nutshell recap of exercising then, in between and now…

As a kid: Hated it.

As a teen: Obsessed about it.

As a college student: What is exercise again?

And now…

I don’t know what it is. Some way, some how, I’ve been exercising for nearly a month. I joined a fabulous gym that has group exercise classes, exercise equipment, programs for kids, a water slide, a lazy pool and a lap pool. The best part is membership is only $25 per month. I KNOW, RIGHT?

Miraculously, I’ve been working out 4-5 times a week. A month ago I only averaged 1-2 times per week, if that. Now, almost every morning, I roll myself out of bed, throw on some clothes and partake in the amazingness that is yoga and Pilates. And for variety and cardio I throw in a little walking with the hubby, elliptical and cycling machines.

Wow! I impress myself.

So I am trying to figure out what’s changed? I think my success in all of this is…

1.) Knowing I am paying for it.

2.) The fear of having my coworkers ask if I worked out this morning.

3.) Grace.

Grace should really be #1 on that list. Probably twice a week I wake up and just don’t go or I sleep in. Only once have I felt like a huge failure. Otherwise, I give myself a pep talk which goes something like, “Okay Shawnee, you’re doing awesome. So you’re tired. You’ve already worked out 2 times this week and there are still 4 days left after this. You are doing this for you and you alone.”

I know soon I will have to kick it up a notch, adding in more strength training and cardio, but for now...wow. Did I say that already?

Questions: How many times a week do you work out? How many times would you like to work out?

Tomorrow I hope to post my thoughts on portion sizes and nutrition.

Blessings,

Shawnee

P.S. The picture is from www.prevention.com.

P.P.S If you didn't see my new recipe from Wednesday, check it out.

P.P.P.S Check out Dancia Daily's amazing giveaway!

Look who's back, back again

..Shawnee's back. Tell a friend. (Wicky Wick Slim Shawnee) HAHAHA. Sorry you may be too old, or too young to get that reference. ;)

Happy Tuesday everyone! I am on my lunch break at work, so I'm going to make this super fast. :)

Last week: I fell off the face of the earth by choice last week. I just woke up and decided, I'm going to take the day off from blogging. Though, I fully intended on blogging on Sunday. Anyway...

Thursday Night's Dinner: Lemon/Citrus Chicken

I borrowed a cook book from Brittany that has nothing but fabulous crock pot meals in it. I tried the Lemon Citrus Chicken one.

I would give you the recipe, but I'm not sure on copy right laws and such. But basically this was a whole lemon, orange juice and honey. I also threw in some carrots and a yam on top.

The flavor was really mild, but absolutely fantastic.

I ended up soaking a piece of french bread in the juices. YUM!

Saturday's Dinner: Deceptively Delicious Chicken Quesadillas and Brownies

Here is the deal, my husband despises beans of any sort. With these quesadillas I was able to hide white beans in with the sour cream mix. He had no idea he ate beans. He may have induced vomiting had I told him. ;) Also, this sneaky recipe hides butternut squash puree in with the cheese.

The husband's verdict? Well he said he would have preferred just chicken and cheese and had the sour cream on the side. I don't think I could have gotten away with just the cheese/butternut squash mixture. He may have been able to tell.

Anyway, I think I will make these again, but put the sour cream on the side for him. :) At least he'll get in some beans.

Are there green specks in your brownies? Why yes, yes there are. In fact, my husband stuck his face about three inches away to inspect this mixture. All he said was, "That's brownie batter?" And then walked away. LOL But what he doesn't know is that I hid spinach and carrots in the batter. MUAHAHAHAHA

Thankfully you can't see the green specks once cooked.

He told me I was zero for two. Meaning, he wasn't excited about either the quesadillas or the brownies. I didn't really like the brownies at first, but with a little powdered sugar over the top, they're pretty darn delicious.

I think my husband didn't like the fact that they weren't very sweet. The recipe called for only a 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Most brownies call for regular sugar, and a lot more of it. I liked them though, they had a dark chocolate taste to them and they're really moist and fluffy!

Check out http://deceptivelydelicious.com/ for more information on Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook.

My weekend at a glance...

Here are some of my highlights for the weekend:

• Watched "The Soloist" (Great film)
• Watched "Knowing" (Ok-cheesy ending though)
• Began watching season 1 of Heros (L-O-V-E IT! Yes, I'm a nerd at heart)
• Cleaned the whole house (8 man hours between Josh and I)
• Hiked all of Silver Creek Falls (8 miles)
• Planned all of my meals for the week

I don't normally watch that many movies or TV in a weekend, but I was so exhausted from my first week of work that I just wanted to relax. It really felt good.

I started food journaling again!

That's yesterday's journal. :) I didn't exercise 'cause my legs were still sore from the hike on Sunday, but I did exercise this morning. I plan on pushing up my jog time to 20 minutes on Thursday.

I'm gonna run. I'll post tomorrow morning. :)

Have a great weekend all!

--Shawnee

The Kashi Kraze

I got a Kashi coupon in the mail for one free box of any of their product. This reminded me that I had a $1.50 off a box of TLC crackers or cookies when you buy a box of Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal.

So late last night after youth group, my husband and I drove to Safeway. I had two of those $1.50 coupons, but they say one per person. I made my hubby buy one separately. Oh and we also had one of Safeway's double off coupon for up to .50. So the total discount ended up being $2 off. :)

Anyway I got about $23 worth of Kashi products for 12! I was very excited when I realized that each box of the Go Lean Crunch cereal contained two snack sized pouches of crackers, and they have two $1 off coupons on the back of the boxes. :)

Major score!!

Anyway, I really do have to make this one short this morning. I'm about 45 minutes behind my morning schedule. I'm thinking I don't have time to exercise. I am going to attempt to force myself to do it tonight.

Go to www.kashi.com for your $1.50 off coupon! I printed off a couple more just in case.

Happy Thursday everyone! Tomorrow's Friday. Yippee. :)
--Shawnee

The way snacks were meant to be

Quick post this morning. I don't really have anything exciting to share with you in terms of creative or exciting meals.

I thought I would take a picture of my lunch for today, which I packed last night.
My lunch looks really large, but its actually about 4 small meals or snacks. For my first snack I'll have the Oikos with blueberries and granola. For my actual lunch I have 3 of my enchiladas (in the smaller Tupperware container) and two wee oranges. Third lunch includes carrot sticks, cucumber slices and 1 tbsp of almond butter. Meal number four includes watermelon and a small slice of cheese.

The method behind my lunch madness? Well, I was reading an article in Real Simple magazine that talked about snacks and what they should include to keep you full and energized throughout the day. Basically your snacks should have bulk, protein, and a carb.

Thus, each of my snacks/meals have bulk with the fruits and veggies, which are also my carbs in most cases, and protein. I have protein in the yogurt, the beans/turkey in the enchiladas, a slice of cheese, and almond butter.

Of course we've all heard that we should eat smaller meals throughout the day. I fully agree. Smaller meals will keep you satisfied longer.

Anyway, my in-service day went well yesterday. There was a whole lot of talking going on, but being a Christian work environment, I kind of enjoyed some of it.

All three meals were included. For breakfast I had eggs, hash browns and a large serving of fruit. For lunch I ate a salad and splurged on the blue cheese dressing. :) I also had a half sandwich with turkey and pepper jack cheese. Oh and I also had a cookie which I should not have eaten, 'cause it kind of pushed my full-o-meter over the top. For dinner I had a salad, a small chicken breast, a small scoop of potato salad, and a dinner role.

I think throughout the rest of the day I ate a banana, a plumb, two starbursts, grapes and a slice of smoked Gouda.

I did not exercise yesterday. My excuse was that I had to leave for work at 7:30 a.m. and I didn't get home until 7:30 p.m. I was really tired, but I should have still forced myself to at least walk for a few minutes.

I'm now off to run and shower. Today is day 3 of my new job. Wish me luck. :)

Blessings to all,
--Shawnee

Where have all the cowboys gone?

I mean where have all the photos gone? Or something. Just trying to be witty. Sheesh.

Last night for dinner I made homemade bbq chicken pizza on my homemade whole wheat crust, but I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture. It wasn't that pretty anyway.

Health wise yesterday I was not feeling so hot. See I have these stomach issues, which the doctors thought was a gall bladder problem, but after very expensive and exhausting testing, we found out its not. Grrr... doctors. There are a couple other things it could be, but I am staying away from the doctor for a little while, as I racked up some doctors bills. :(

Anyway, my issue or flareup as I like to call, it has been waking me up the past couple nights. I've never had that happen before. It's been getting pretty bad so I have to eat bland and boring foods for the next couple of days.

For breakfast I had oatmeal, plain almond milk, a banana, and a tbsp of honey. For lunch I'll have plain rice and apple sauce. I haven't even thought of dinner yet. I sure wish i had a sweet potato.

I didn't exercise last night. Though I should have. Exercise is actually pretty beneficial to my problem. I am going to try to run tonight.

Anyway, sorry there are no pictures. Hope you all have a good day.

--Shawnee

I've fallen off the wagon

If you're looking for the "Deceptively Delicious" Cookbook giveaway, click here.

*hangs head in shame and can't bare to meet your eyes*

I haven't exercised for 3 days and I've lost track of all I've eaten. Bad Shawnee! Here are my excuses. Keep in mind they are just excuses and I know I am entirely at fault for not exercising and not eating clean...
I had a semi stressful event take place on Monday, and knowing that it was coming, I had massive anxiety about it all weekend. On top of that aunt Flo is coming to visit and we all know how much of a pain in the you-know-what she can be.

Like I said, I know that all of these things are just excuses. I should have nipped my naughty behavor in the butt and got off the couch and exercised. I also should not have given into my salt cravings. :(

But instead of dwell on my misfortunes, I can rejoice in some of the good choices I made:

• While I did eat one of my husbands corn dogs for a meal, I only ate one!
• Even though I had a massive craving for Subway, at least I wasn't craving Burger King. I had a 6 inch sub.
• I spent a couple hours cleaning my house.
• Even though my husband came home from his trip yesterday, and I ate fast food twice, *screams* I made good choices for those as well (or better choices at least). I had a McDonalds' Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad (only about 450 calories, with lots of veggies). I also had an Arby's French Dip, with no fries.

Anyway, instead of just sitting and moping about this weekend, I'm going to get right back on that wagon and ride baby ride! I'm going to write down my food intake today, and enter it on SparkPeople. I'm also going to exercise when I get off work.

I can do this, and I will do this! I am not going to let little Mrs. Perfectionist get in my way and tell me that I've screwed up this weekend, so there's no way I can achieve my goal.

One interesting eat in the midst of all this chaos:

My very own Mexican Pizza!

Like I said above, I was having these massive salt cravings, so I really wanted something salty the other day.

I try to always have some homemade pizza crusts on hand (see my July 19 post for a link to the recipe), and I had a bunch of Mexican type toppings left over from when I made my Quesadillas and Mexicana Hummus. Here is what I came up with:

• For the sauce, 2 tbspn hummus, 2 tbspn cream cheese, 1 tbsp salsa.
• Black beans
• Chopped Belle Pepper
• More salsa!

It was the best pizza I've had in a long time, period! ;)

Well, my goal for tomorrow is to wake up early and post. Tonight is Scrappy Tuesday. :) Hope you all have a great one.

-- Shawnee

P.S. I had every intention of making those Spinach brownies, until I realized they also call for carrot puree! I am out of carrots, so maybe I'll get some tonight (or tomorrow??)

P.P.S Not that anyone would notice, but I accidentally deleted my links at the top of my page, under my header. I hope to get those back up in the next couple of days.

And the Ex-Perfectionist emerges from her hole

First off, thank you all so much for entering into the "Deceptively Delicious" Cookbook Giveaway! Giving away this cookbook is just as exciting for me as it is for you. :) I've already made one recipe from my copy and tomorrow I plan to make the mac & cheese, a childhood comfort food of many of you. If you have not yet entered, click here.

As for my absence the last couple of days, I have no excuse other than I haven't made myself get out of bed in the morning. :( It's the best time for me to blog.

Here is a glimpse of what I've done the last few days...

Cucumber Egg Salad Sandwich

Yes, this is another one of Shawnee's creations.


In my sandwich:

• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• 1/4-1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1/4 cup red onions
• handful chopped parsley
• 2 hard boiled eggs with the yolk, 2 without
• 1/4 cup light mayo (it's all I had, would have preferred plain organic yogurt)
• 1/4 cup mustard
• salt, pepper, paprika to taste

Directions, mix everything together and serve on whole wheat toast. This made three servings. I served mine with kale chips (my new favorite). Not bad. I am not so sure I liked the parsley.

The benefits of living in a farming community...

I am always getting fresh veggies and fruit from people. I got all this in just one week. That's blue berry jam! :D It is delicious.

Zucchini Cakes

I put that yellow squash, or as some people call them, yellow zucchini to good use and made some Zucchini Cakes. I got the recipe from Food del Mundo.

I really liked them. Of course I made some changes (as usual). First, I gratted the carrots, rather than thinly slice them. I added about 1/2 a cup of thinly sliced green peppers. I needed to use them. I also used3/4 cup flour, rather than part Parmesan cheese, 'cause I didn't have any. Oh and I needed another egg. I also added some chili powder to go with the theme of these...

Quesadillas from "Deceptively Delicious"
I was really surprised by the quesadillas. Jessica Seinfeld incorporated squash puree into the cheese. You couldn't even tell it was there! Of course I only had white cheese, but with yellow cheese your kids (or husband as in my case) would definately be fooled.
I made a Mexicana Hummus to go with my Mexican meal. I used this...
Brittany got it for me a while back and I had yet to try it. It's supposed to be mixed with sour cream rather than chickpeas, but I though "why not?" It's not too bad.
Overall a very satisfying meal!

Sometimes I do things

I've been feeling a little blue today. I'm not sure why. Actually I do know why but It's all gonna be a'ry! But sometimes when I feel blue, I do things...
Like dye my hair. LOL
I'm satisfied with the color. I still need to put highlights in, but I'll do that tomorrow. If Brittany can get a tattoo, I can color my hair.
That's right, I said it!

Tuesday was pretty Scrappy

I did an hour of scrapbooking again on Tuesday, but I ran out of glue. So tonight, I'll be finishing the pages. This layout is for my 2007 trip to Nashville for a Journalism conference.
When I went to buy the glue I couldn't help but buy this fabric!
Ahhh Michelle what have you done to me? Thanks again, Michelle, for "The New Handmade." It's such an inspiring book. I am so excited to make homemade cloth napkins! Won't these just be adorable as napkins? But before I make the napkins, I have to make my cloth grocery bags. I'm starting those tomorrow.

What I've eaten in the last 3 days.

So I didn't calculate calories, but here is my food journaling. You can click them to make them bigger (edited to note that for some reason you can only click the last one to make it bigger...who knows why). I've also been exercising. Though I don't think I'm going to get to it tonight. :( I've been bad. I'll just do a double tomorrow. Well everyone, thanks for reading, and don't forget to enter for my Deceptively Delicious" Giveaway!

Until tomorrow,

--Shawnee

50 Foot Plumber Man meets Eating Disorders

I’m one of those people who can’t sleep because thoughts, emotions, and ideas are constantly racing through my brain like it’s the German Autobahn. I’m blessed and cursed as a thinker and a visionary -- always dreaming up new ideas or projects for myself. But I can get so completely overwhelmed and ahead of myself that I can’t seem to control the steps or processes it takes to get to my desired outcome.

Thus, perfectionism.

Bah! Well, today I am going to discuss a couple of those things that have been plaguing my thoughts. Just to get them down and out is so relieving.

Attack of the 50 Foot Plumber Man!

First off, I nearly just had a panic attack. I got a phone call today from a plumber’s office and it went something like this:

“Hi this is Trudy from Mr. Smith’s Plumbing. Mr. Smith is ready to come and look at your home." (The plumber is seriously a block away!)

“Oh, uh, wow. I didn’t get any sort of a warning.”

“Well, dear he’s been in business for 20 years and nothing bothers him. Don’t feel embarrassed.”

I agree to let the man come over, hang up the phone, and talk myself out of throwing a fit. (Names have been changed to protect the innocent)

See, I broke my 21 Day habit yesterday and let my dinner dishes go. I had planned to wake up and do them this morning, but I slept in (thus breaking another habit). I had already been feeling guilty about breaking my habits, and now someone has to see the living proof of it!
I had to slow down and think about the rest of my house. It isn’t that bad. Just the dinner dishes.

Anyway, I realized right off that this is the voice of perfectionism creeping in. I’m not perfect. The man has no right to judge me. And even if he does, he doesn’t know how busy I was last night.

So in yo face MR. Plumber man!

Eating disorders: A deadly perfection

There was a common theme floating through the air yesterday. Or perhaps God was just trying to tell me something.

My best friend, Brittany, admitted on her blog yesterday that she has an eating disorder. Then, I was reading the Daily Sparkblog and found a link that defines different eating disorders, including one that is not usually associated or defined as such. Click here for the definitions.

I’ve admitted briefly and vaguely to Brittany and my other beautiful best friend, Michelle, that I have an eating disorder. But I wasn’t really convinced. After reading that definition, I am pretty sure it defined me.

In fact I was just talking to my Mom on our trip to Ashland about this. I actually told her that I am not a binge eater. I told her I’ve never eaten a whole box of cereal or a whole bag of chips. But, occasionally I do have one or two serving extra of something small. Then I feel really disgusted with myself, and out of control, and like I want to crawl in a hole and die.
Part of that definition, defines me. It turns out it doesn’t matter how much you binge on, it’s more about the emotions and feelings that are associated with eating.

I am pretty convinced one of the reasons the world -- girls, teens, people in their 20s and older – struggle with eating disorders and negative body issues is because we’re all trying to obtain perfection. It saddens me to think that some women work for this perfection, but they’re never going to obtain it.

We feel this need for perfection because we were created to feel that need. God created us to keep our eyes on Jesus, who is the embodiment of perfection. Sadly, the world is striving for the wrong perfection.

I’m no better.

But knowing I struggle, and admitting it, is going to make my path to healing so much easier.

Recap of yesterday:

Calories in/Calories out

I'm sorry I didn't get to adding up my calories yet today. Perhaps I will have time and edit to add my calories in and out.

I did do 35 minutes of Billy Blanks' Tae Bo Bootcamp. That was a blast from the past. An exhausting one at that!

I told my hubby last night that when I was in high school, Tae Bo was a sinch to me. It made me feel really out of shape.

Dishes: Not check. Exercise: Check. Wake up early: Check.

So far today, I did not wake up early.

I will be gone this weekend!

On the agenda:

• Garage sale at Josh's parents house on Friday
• Mom's wedding on Saturday
• Lunch with Britt and Michelle on Sunday! Busy Busy.

I'll take my laptop. Hopefully I might have some time to do a quick post.

Have a good weekend everyone.

--Shawnee

Oh Scrappy Day

I had a fabulous day yesterday. Pretty much everything seemed to just flow together, with no major hiccups to my schedule. That makes me a happy camper. Oh wait! Does that mentality make me a perfectionist?

Ahhh! Blind-sided by my own philosophy. Of course, there were a few moments when not all went as planned, but I am not focusing on those insignificant details. I just want all my efforts to be geared in the direction of living and loving my life -- even the imperfect times. If that makes any since at all.

New recipe at add to my recipe binder

My day started off yesterday with an early rise to blog. And, I even had time to try a new recipe: Baked Oatmeal! Thanks to Kath from Katheats.com. Click here for the recipe.



Now, Kath used all banana, but I had some leftover pumpkin puree in the fridge that needed to be used up. I'm calling my version Baked Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal.

Here are my substitutions/additions:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (in place of the one mashed banana)
• 1 .5 tsp Cinnamon
• .5 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (added to the batter)
• 1/2 cup mixed chopped nuts and seeds (added to the batter)
• Vanilla almond breeze in place of the milk

I enjoyed ever single bite. This morning, I topped it with half a cup of fresh blueberries. YUMO. Thanks for the idea Kath.

Girls lunch out: Gardner House B&B

My coworker and I went out for lunch yesterday to the Gardner House in Stayton, OR. I had their Hummus and Grilled Veggie Panini (half) and a cup of the chicken dumpling soup. So wonderful and light. Though, I could have eaten a whole sandwich and a bowl of soup. :P

Then for dessert I took one of these babies to go. Chocolate Raspberry Tart.



I ate half after lunch and half after dinner. It made for a sweet treat.

Dinner creation: Chicken Breast with White Wine Lemon Gravy

This recipe is no where near perfect. I'll give you a quick version of the recipe...


Ingredients:

• Chicken breast
• Chopped parsley
• 1/2 green pepper sliced
• Handful of baby Bella mushrooms
• 1/2 of a fresh diced tomatoes
• Juice from a quarter of a lemon
• 1/4 cup (or less) White Wine (not cooking wine)
• 1/4 cup (or less) chicken stock
• tsp Corn starch

First cook the chicken on med-low in a frying pan. Lightly salt and pepper each side. When the chicken is cooked through, lower heat and add the wet ingredients. Next throw in the veggies on top. Once the veggies are cooked to desired crunchiness (or lack there of), remove the veggies and the chicken. Arrange with chicken on top of veggies. Next mix your corn starch with a little COLD water. Add the corn starch water to the left over juices. Stir until the gravy is thickened. Spoon over chicken.

I served mine with grilled zucchini and a baked yam with Smart Balance Light Butter. Not a bad meal for 4oo calories!

Calories in/Calories out (July 21)

As light as dinner may have been the rest of the day goes as follows...

Calories in: 1873

Calories out: 297

Please note that my calories in does not include the wonderful little tart. I'm guessing we could add another 200 to that total. *screams* Keep in mind my goal is 1700.

I am however very pleased with my calories out. I ran for 10 minutes strait, walked for 15 at a decent speed, then walked at the same speed at a 10% incline for 10 minutes, and cooled down for 5 minutes. For a total of 40 minutes.

Don't forget to click the photo of my food journal for a better view into what I eat! I was beginning to feel a little self conscious about taking a picture of my food journal. That is until Dancia posted a very encouraging comment about my journaling on my last post. I began to worry that the photo looks too cluttered. And not to mention I have terrible hand writing. So thanks for the encouragement!

A little me time: Scrap-Happy

Remember the list of things I want to do every week but don't have time for, which I mentioned in my last post? Well, scrapbooking is one of those things. I made time to do it last night for 1.5 hours. It felt nice.

After two years, I was finally able to scrap my best friend's wedding and bachelorette party. Scrapbooking used to be one of those things I was a perfectionist about. I could literally take 4-5 hours on one page. I wanted my pages to by stylish and something that other scrapbookers would admire. You know, a layout worthy of a scrapbooking magazine.

But I realized, I scrapbook for me. Nobody else but me. I want to preserve my memories in a way that makes me smile. I don't care if they're cluttered, or if I use too many photos on one page.

My goal is to do this at least1.5 hours every week. I think Tuesday will be my scrap day. :) I've been putting it off for way to long.


Day 12 (July 21): Dishes: check. Exercise: check. Wake up early: check

My goal for today is to have a good day! I plan to work hard and eat less. :)

What is your goal for the day?

Blessings,

Shawnee

Almost forgot to name this post!

Good morning! I'm awake. :D It's 6:34 a.m. and I've been out of bed for 34 minutes. Yay. I feel like I accomplished something huge.

So what prompted this early rise? Well, yesterday I made a list of all the things I would like to do in a week. Maybe one of these days I'll share it. On that list there were about 10 "extra-circular" activities, or things that don't necessarily need to happen, but that are hobbies. And there are about five things that are necessities (cooking, cleaning, exercise, etc.)

After making this list, I jotted down a basic schedule of my every day. I realized, I am either going to have to give some things up or add a couple hours to my day. So here I am, blogging (not a necessity) at the wee hours of the morning. If I want to do it. I'll make time to do it. Right?

Recap of yesterday...

Interesting meal idea: Grilled Blue Cheese and Baby Sandwich:



On this sammy:

• Homemade whole wheat bread
• 2 tbsp left over pizza sauce
• 1 oz blue cheese
• handful of baby Bella mushrooms
• handful of spinach
• 3 slices tomatoes

In a small to medium frying pan, using non-cook spray, saute the mushrooms until desired tenderness. Rinse the spinach and throw it in with mushrooms. Cook spinach until warm, but not mushy. Add other toppings to the bread, then add spinach and mushrooms. Grill the sandwich on medium-low heat until golden brown and cheese is melted. YUM!

I had this for lunch yesterday.

Calories in/Calories out
(for July 20)


Click the pic for a larger view.

Calories in: 1918

At least its less than yesterday! I'm pretty sure my problem is the stupid chips. I am not sure why I am so addicted. I didn't even buy them, but they're in my house so I eat them. Grrr how they vex me so.

I subtracted the chips from my total calories, and yes I would have been under my goal of 1700 calories had I not eaten them. :(

Calories out: 185

I should have burned about 100 more calories. I did do a 30 minute walk yesterday.

Dishes, check. Exercise, check. Get out of bed early, not check. But as you can see, I did get out of bed early this morning. :)

Amazing Blogger Giveaways!

Oh and BTW Dancia is having a Annie's new Mac & BBQ Sauce Giveaway! To enter, click here to checkout her blog.

Also, check out Missy Maintain's Musselman's Apple Sauce Giveaway, click here.

Don't miss this fabulous Artistan Nut Butter Giveaway at Twirlit, click here.

Well, I'm off to make a new recipe for breakfast. I'll share it with you tomorrow morning.

--Shawnee

A new day -- for real

Calories in / Calories out
(for Friday, July 17)

I just realized that you can click the pictures to make them larger. Weird that I am just now figuring that out. So to better see what I am eating, click the pic! ;)

Calories in: 2,053 :( *hangs head in shame*

Calories out: 269

Most of my extra calories in, came from a small potato chip binge and some animal crackers with almond milk. I guess all of my bad calories came from snacking. *sighs* oh well.

Calories in / Calories out (for Saturday, July 18)

Calories in: 2,207

OMGoodness Did I seriously eat that much??? YES!

Calories out: 420

According to Caloriecontrol.org I burned 420 calories for 1.5 hours of grocery shopping yesterday.

She was a baking queen. Young and sweet only 25!

After going to the Salem Farmers Market and going grocery shopping, I just had this massive urge to bake.

Yesterday I baked...

• A loaf of whole wheat bread
• Whole wheat pizza crust (enough for 6 personal pan pizzas)
• Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My intent for making these cookies was so that I would have a healthy-all natural treat to have in place of expensive granola bars. As my faithful seven would know, I refuse to buy organic bread. I can just make it myself. Well, I decided that I am not going to buy granola bars any more. These are just as filling. And I get 30 of them for the price of a box of organic granola bars!

For the original recipe visit Spark Recipes. The original recipe is called Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. Mine were definitely not vegan. I added an egg. And instead of vegan chocolate chips I used raisins. I added a 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, and I substituted the oil for apple sauce.

I really like them. They have kind of a cake-cookie texture. And, they're only 125 calories each. Oh, and they're really filling. I had one and a cup of coffee for breakfast this morning. It held me over until noon.

A little Italiano :P

Did you know I am a quarter Italian? My grandma was full blooded. Any how, I made pizzas yesterday for dinner.

I got the recipe from Anna Maria's Open Kitchen website. Of course I substituted half whole wheat flour. Oh and I used the dough setting on my bread machine. Worked like a charm. I'll be doing it again.

You get three medium pizza's worth, or six personal size pizzas with this recipe. I partially bake my personal size pizzas for 3 minutes first, then I freeze the extra pizzas for a fast dinner later!

I had Canadian bacon, pineapple, mushrooms and tomatoes with mine. The hubby had the same minus the mushrooms. YUUUMO!

Reflection on life:

Remember this...

Oh yeah...didn't that have something to do with three new habits that you wanted to make a daily habit forever?

Yeah that's it! My daily habits were: Wake up every day at 5:45 a.m., exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes, and keep the sink clean and shiny.

Well, I am still workin' on it. I've had to reflect on the early morning thing. That is probably the habit I have done the worst at. I guess if my goal is to wake up that early, then I need to go to bed earlier. So tonight my goal is to get in bed by 9:30 p.m. I probably wont fall asleep until late, but I need to establish the habit on both ends.

Honestly, I have missed a couple days of exercise, and at least two days of dishes. I did do about 10 days straight with no flaws. Well, I am going to start at day 11 tomorrow. :)

Today is a new day. I'm tired of reflecting on what I haven't done, or how poorly I have done things. My goal is to do my best every day, to enjoy life, and be thankful for the things God has given me.

I'm not perfect, and sometimes I try new things and fail royally, but that doesn't mean I don't have the right to be happy!

Today I'm thankful for...

...my very big puppy doggy, Maddie. She's my buddy. We had a little one on one time today.

Happy Sunday everyone!

--Shawnee