Some tricks of the trade

Tonight at our Weight Watchers meeting we were discussing ways to readjust our routine so that following the plan fits into our day naturally. I love to eat, I do and I don't apologize for that. Eating is not a problem when you have healthy things available. Over time I have found some easy ways to keep snacks on hand so I can easily grab exactly what I love as soon as I want it.

1. Plan ahead: on any given day I stock my fridge with Honeycrisp apples, Bartlett pears, bananas, Cara Cara oranges, and mangoes. For fruit where I eat the skin, I take the tip I found from Pinterest (

Source: foodlushblog.com via Leah on Pinterest

) about cleaning apple my fruits and veggies before putting them in the fridge. I also purchase containers of nonfat Greek yogurt and fat free cottage cheese.

2. alternatives to fattening favs: sometimes veggies can be difficult to swallow. There are a couple things you can do to make them all more tasty. Add a ranch packet to plain nonfat greek yogurt- it tastes just as yummy as ranch dressing. Walden Farms products are awesome. I particularly love their Sun-dried tomato salad dressing and caramel sauce.

My new favorite thing to munch on is homemade french fries. Slice up potatoes, lay them out on a cookie sheet, spray with olive oil Pam and your favorite seasoning mix. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 mins. Tasty!

Whatever you choose...just find the stuff you love and make it available.

Natural Family Planning

Now this is a topic that will probably make most women exit from this page and choose not to continue because it's just so touchy...like really touchy. As I've been researching and communicating with Mike, I've had new thoughts and feelings about birth control methods...these statements are purely my own personal feelings and in no way, shape, or form reflect on anyone else nor do they change my belief that every woman has the right to choose how she will handle her own body.

I've never had personal, spiritual, or ethical issues with birth control. Right or wrong, I just haven't. Before getting pregnant with Kenzie, Mike and I opted for a form of birth control that worked for us and we were happy with the outcome. We had little complication and a normal wait time after stopping the birth control before conceiving. Because of my C-section, we knew we had to wait a year before conceiving again for my physical safety and because I'm a teacher and we can hardly contain a three person family in our current apartment size now, we also wanted to be more selective with when the next one came along to reduce the amount of time I have to take off work.

What wasn't so easy post-baby was our new choice of birth control and even now we are still undecided. Since being willing to discuss this issue with more women, I have come to realize that our feelings about birth control are as strong and intense as our political affiliations and religion. Wow! I knew I didn't want to be on the pill. I hate the pill. I've tried it (several types in fact) and I've hated every one, they make me feel horrible. What to do then? I didn't have the blessed opportunity to nurse as a natural pregnancy prevention method. Funny enough though, I worked so darn hard to get pregnant...you know charts, temps etc that I got to know my body pretty darn well and I realized that there may be some ways to use this knowledge to our advantage. Little did I know that this is actually referred to as the Natural Family Planning method. Mike and I are not Catholic, nor as I said at the beginning have I ever had a moral issue against birth control. My abhorrence of most birth control metthods is purely personal and in large part based on how I feel.

So now I can honestly say...I kind of dig the whole NFP method. I'm not going to whip out the charts and let's be honest...if you have sex there is always the possibility of getting pregnant right? Some people call me absolutely crazy and irresponsible for not taking more precaution. Some people stand up and applaud. Some people are thinking, "why am I even reading this and why is she writing about this?" I don't have any idea...

1 PPV Thanksgiving Meal

You're probably wondering what in the world I'm talking about... on the Simply Filling technique from Weight Watchers, I figured out how to eat a 1 points plus value Thanksgiving meal. Here's what I'm talking about about:

Turkey white meat without the skin (power food)
mashed red potatoes with sea salt, plain non fat yogurt and some fat free sour cream (all power foods)
fresh steamed green beans quickly sauteed in 2 tsp of olive oil (power foods) 
glass of Skinny Girl white wine blend (1 PPV)

You are probably thinking...that's it? Seriously, Leah this is Thanksgiving. It happens once a year so splurge a little already. Okay, here are some healthier option ways to spruce up the meal:

Sweet potato pudding with rice milk, pumpkin pie spice, and egg yolk (approx. 2 PPV)
fresh cranberry sauce made with 3/4 c splenda and 1/4 c sugar and orange zest (5 PPV)
whole wheat roll (3 PPV)
apple strudel (in place of pie) 3 PPV

Thanksgiving Day may only come once a year but remember...Christmas baking, holiday parties, and New Year's celebrations are right around the corner and also only happen once a year. Don't let one day break your long term goals. There are healthy alternatives to get your yummy Thanksgiving fix.

Weekly Sample Menu for Simply Filling

I've had a few questions from people (mostly at my WW meetings) about what Simply Filling looks like in my life and how it has how it has helped me lose so much weight in such a short period of time. Let me start with the staples; these are the foods that I keep in my house almost all the time:

Fridge ·         Bananas In season fruit (typically Honey crisp apples, pears, or Mangoes depending on the season) ·         Sweet onion ·         Red potatoes ·         Kraft Fat Free cheddar (shredded) ·         WW american singles ·         Nonfat milk ·         Low fat or nonfat cottage cheese ·         Unsweetened apple sauce ·         eggs

Pantry ·         Low sodium black beans ·         Low sodium beef and chicken broth ·         Canned tomatoes and sauce ·         100% whole wheat pasta ·         Salsa ·         Steel cut oatmeal ·         Lots of fun seasoning ·         Sara Lee 45 calories Delight bread

Freezer ·         93% fat free (or more) ground beef and turkey ·         Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs ·         Edamame, green beans, corn ·         Favorite WW ice cream bar

There are always other things that I add to that but these are the "always in my house" items. You will notice that nothing in the pantry or freezer is a pre-made meal. Most of my pantry and freezer items are what I call meal builders and I'll show you how below. This is an example of a weekly menu that I might follow on Simply Filling with some of my 49 weekly PPV left over:

Monday B: Non-fat plain greek yogurt with a little splenda sprinkled on top. Banana and coffee with skim milk S: apple, banana, WW string cheese L: mixed greens with grilled chicken breast, frozen corn, black beans, bell peppers, and salsa. Fruit S: Fiber One Brownie D: 100% whole wheat pasta with fat free pasta sauce mixed with ground beef (83% fat free

Tuesday B: scrambled egg whites in nonfat cooking spray and ff cheddar. 2 slices of Sara Lee bread with small amount of no sugar added jelly. S: fruit L: salad from Monday S: cheese stick D: 95% fat free turkey burger on 2 point sandwich thin. Tiny bit of ketchup and fat free Thousand Island dressing. Add tons of lettuce and pickles. Sliced roasted red potatoes with seasoning and a few sprays of cooking spray. Dessert: WW ice cream

Wednesday B: Steel cut oatmeal with 2 tbsp brown sugar and banana S: fruit L: mixed greens with can of tuna (packed in water), cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and Walden Farms dressing S: fruit D: grilled chicken with grilled onions and peppers. Careful with sauces, instead consider dry rub seasonings. Use course or sea salt for richer flavor.

Thursday B: Monday’s breakfast S: fruit L: leftovers from dinner S: Grande Skinny Cinnamon Dolce latte D: tacos with 99% fat free ground turkey and load up with tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, and onions. Include fat free cheddar and black beans and put it all on small corn tortillas instead of flour. Add a few slices of avocado Dessert

Friday B: Wednesday’s breakfast S: fruit L: throw all the leftovers from dinner on a bed of mixed greens with more salsa. S: fruit D: eat out somewhere but be sure to ask for food to be cooked without sauces, extra butter, or oil.

 
Realize that I don't always change up my meals like this. I rely on cooking a large amount of something over the weekend and then eating the leftovers for lunch all week. I'm just trying to give you some ideas but these are just a few of many.

Traps to avoid:

• being made with whole wheat does not make something 100% whole wheat so look at the package. 
• Processed fruit suddenly is not always zero points so be careful. Apple sauce is okay so long as you don't add sugar. 
• Restaurants have butter and oil added into almost everything. It gives food the pretty, shiny look and tasty grill marks. It also added that "man my food never tastes like this" flavor. Get used to asking how stuff is cooked, substitute items you won't eat, ask for no bread at the table, request food to be made "dry". 
• Some healthy things really aren't if you aren't careful. Case in point: granola. Typically baked in butter to hold it together. 
• Creamer containers at restaurants for coffee. 2 points per container. Yikes!

*Disclaimer- this is in no way endorsed by Weight Watchers. This is my own eating pattern and examples. Simply Fillings, PPV, points are all trademarks of Weight Watchers and I give them full credit!

Daddy's Girl

Not too long ago, the artist Neyo came out with a new song "Let Me Love You". Although I'm sure his intent was to write it about a girl (possibly not even a specific one, who knows) but honestly, it spoke to my heart in a way he (or his writers) likely never expected. These are the lyrics (from directlyrics.com):

Much as you blame yourself, you can't be blamed for the way you feel
Had no example of a love, that was even remotely real
How can you understand something that you never had
Ooh baby if you let me, I can help you out with all of that

Girl let me love you
And I will love you
Until you learn to love yourself
Girl let me love you
And all your trouble
Don't be afraid, girl let me help
Girl let me love you
And I will love you
Until you learn to love yourself
Girl let me love you
A heart of numbness, gets brought to life
I'll take you there

Girl let me love you
Girl let me love you baby, oh
Girl let me love yo
Girl let me love you baby
Girl let me love you
Let me love you, let me love you, oh

I can see the pain behind your eyes
It's been there for quite a while
I just wanna be the one to remind what it is to smile
I would like to show you what true love can really do


This speaks to me on several levels. Similarly to many other girls, I didn't have the relationship with my dad growing up that little girls dream of (and deserve). I'm not saying he was a bad father but there wasn't a passion, an unconditional display of love and affection that I believe little girls need and desire from their daddies. Furthermore, I also believe that my relationship with my earthly father seriously impacted my view of my heavenly father and how He felt about me. I spent 20 plus years believing that I was always "in trouble" with God, that He was disappointed. I spent most of my Christian life cataloging my faults and focusing on my short-comings rather than embracing the love and Grace that God desired to lavish on me. Don't get me wrong, I know that He desires my obedience, He longs for me to live a life that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ. However, these goals should not be at the expense or in place of living in the light of an Abba who adores His children who call on His name.

Needless to say, my serious "daddy issues" followed me into adult hood and reared their ugly head in my relationship with Mike. For four years, I doubted him, I put myself down in front of him (and still struggle with that), and could hardly believe that he could really love me. Little did I know that God was using this precious man to slowly reveal Himself to me in a real and intense way. Through delicate and some times difficult moments, I started to taste the freedom that is associated with unconditional love. I started to warm under the praise of a loving man. What I came to realize is that Mike's love for (similar to God's love for me) had nothing to do with myself but everything to do with Grace. Double bonus... Mike came with this amazing father who from the very beginning has always treated me like a daughter. He tells me he loves me all the time, he embraces me, seeks out time with me, is patient with my moodiness (that we all know I tend to), and is unbelievably supportive of some of my most bonehead mistakes. Grace.

My appreciation for these two special men came rushing to me in a hurry when I first heard this song by Ne-Yo. Through them I have experienced a renewed understanding of God's love for me. I know that love has nothing to do with me, and all with God. I'm so blessed to not only experience this for myself but watch this love trickle down to Kenzie. We need gentle men capable of showing this love to their wives and daughters.

"A heart of numbness, gets brought to life"- is there any other way to describe what God's love does?

Bucket List updated

100 Things to do before I Die

Academics/Career:

1. Be a principal
2. Be either a superintendent/district administrator
3. sing/speak at a public event8th grade promotion May 2012/worship team for Tres Dias
4. Be a grade level team leader
5. Get my master's degree August 2, 2012
6. Get a doctorate degree
7. Teach a college class 
8. Start my own business/support my husband starting a business Epic fail with Mary Kay but at least I tried

Family:

1. take my daughter to get a pedicure for her first birthday
2. Make baby books every two months for the first year of my children(s)' lives.
3. attend a mother/daughter sleepover
4. go to grandparent's day
5. have ALL my children and grandchildren come home for Christmas
6. french braid my daughter's hair 
7. Be a mother-of-the-bride
8. watch Mike walk our daughter down the aisle
9. hold my baby in my home in her Aunt's blanket
10. offer my engagement/wedding rings to my grandson/granddaughter
11. serve on a Tres Dias weekend with my husband
12. speak to my grandfather about his experience in the Holocaust
13. Dedicate Kenzie at church 5/13/12
14. Adopt a baby with down syndrome

Personal

1. weigh less than 140 lbs
2. Have no need for contacts or glasses
3. come up with 100 items for my list
4. VBAC
5. Rectora/Head Cha
6. Own a black pug
7. Own a MAC/Ipad
8. get married 6/19/09
9. have a baby 10/14/11
10. buy a home
11. see someone accept Christ
12. become a member of my church
13. Host a bible study at my home
14. Write and publish a children's book
15. Write and publish a novel
16. Complete a pull up
17. Do a hanging sit up

Travel/World Experiences: 

1. Cruise to Alaska
2. Live in England for a year
3. Take the Lord of the Rings tour of "the Shire" in New Zealand
4. See my husband baptized in the Jordan River 
5. Meet a president
6. Go on the Disneyland Cruise
7. vow renewal in the church Mike's parents were married in
8. Visit the tribes of my Native American heritage
9. Live in a "Stars Hollow" town

DIY/Activities:

1. Collect all the Cinderella stores from around the world
2. Have an entire room in my home with floor to ceiling libraries
3. Own all the Caldecott winning books
4. take a drifting class
5. Make the hair bows for my daughter's sport's team (volleyball, cheer etc)
6. learn to hip hop dance
7. solve the rubic's cube in under 4 minutes
8. Read all of Jane Austen's book
9. Go to the midnight release of the final Breaking Dawn movie 11.16.12 Thanks Tami, Stacy, and Holly!
10. Complete a parallel study of the Gospels in progress with Jenn
11. Take a ride on the light rail- Thanks Joann!
12. learn to use a sewing machine 
13. trash the dress in water
14. relearn and "speak' sign language fluently
15. Shoot a gun Happy Birthday to David!
16. Learn to ride a sport bike
17. Learn how to do a fish tail braid 
18. Run a 5K 

Finances:

1. Eliminate all debt
2. Pay off all student loans
3. Learn how to invest 

Total: 69
Completed: 11

18.2 lbs in 5 weeks? Yes please!

I have blogged about how amazing and awesome the Simply Filling Technique is through Weight Watchers but I've decided to outline how and why. Spoiler alert: you could follow this and probably not even need Weight Watchers meetings, although I find their etools very helpful (for only $12.95 a month) and highly recommend trying it.

Let me start by saying that I did the tracking program through WW for over a year and lost 46 lbs...it works! Weight Watchers works! Let me continue by saying, using the Simply Filling program through WW, I've lost 18.2 lbs in 5 weeks!!!! Did I get your attention? Let's continue...

image from stackoverflow.com

What is Simply Filling? Simply put, Simply Filling is the non-tracking brother to the Points Plus Program through Weight Watchers. In WW, there are foods that are labeled as "Power Foods" and they are signified by a green triangle  in all of their program materials. Simply Filling works great for people who don't have the time or patience to track everything they eat. You make the majority of what you eat come from the Power Foods and only deduct points plus values when you eat non-Power Foods. Simply Filling Technique eliminates daily PPV (Points Plus Values) altogether and you are left with your weekly 49 PPV.They key is that you stop eating as soon as you are satisfied (Never Full)

Sooooo...what exactly are Power Foods? Without causing serious copyright issues because I do like to observe proper Netiquette, Power Foods are actually quite simple:

• all fruits and veggies
• lean meats (93% fat free or more, skinless, trimmed etc)
• nonfat dairy
• whole grains (actual whole grains, not processed, partial, or artificially inserted grains) It must say 100% whole grain and nothing else. 
• 2 tsp of healthy oils (olive, vegetable etc) daily

Um, don't I already kinda like eat that now? Yes we do but notice what is excluded from this list. Anything prepared, boxed, broken down etc. Now I admit that many non fat dairy products have been processed (fat free cheese etc), I get it. However, it is quite easy to drink fat free milk, use fat free sour cream, fat free cream cheese etc. This is different than eating fat free chips or something like that. There is not huge amounts of added chemicals. If you are concerned about it and really want to go healthy...add all organics to the list! 

What does this look like in a daily life then? I am so glad you asked! I have found some fantastic recipes to help me along my way. I shared the slow cooker pumpkin oatmeal made with steel cut oats a while back. You can grab that recipe here. I have found that I love plain nonfat greek yogurt for breakfast with just a sprinkling of splenda (yes I eat that crap) with a whole cut up banana. I snack on fruit like ALL DAY LONG!!!!!! Lunch is fun and quite frankly flirty salads topped with everything from frozen corn and black beans with salsa to left over grilled chicken, fat free feta, and a small handful of almonds (those have to be deducted). This week it is homemade bean dip topped with salsa, mounds of lettuce, FF cheddar over Tostitos baked scoops. Yum!!! 

But I want a glass of wine, is that a Power Food? Alas, it is not. However, you have 49 PPV to use for the week in any way you'd like. Enjoy a glass of wine (4 PPV for 4 oz), have some ice cream, include some real parmesan on your whole wheat pasta and homemade spaghetti sauce. Huge perk...not even joking- Grande Skinny cinnamon dolce latte at Starbucks is a Power Food. What!! 

How do I start??? Start by saying no to anything prepared in a box for you or prepared as a frozen meal. Make your meals and freeze them yourself to go to later in the week. Explore veggies and fruits that are seasonal because they are cheaper and usually taste better. This is the perfect time of year to try some new squashes. Stock up on fruits and veggies. Yes you will have to shop at least once a week because natural, non-processed foods just don't last as long.  I literally buy a bunch of 8 or more bananas three times a week. My daughter, husband, and I gobble them down like people catnip.

I have said it and I'll say it again, I have been so successful using the Simply Filling Technique through WW. You don't lose 18.2 lbs in 5 weeks not loving the program. I never feel deprived, I don't take any pills, I do my strength training with my physical therapist for my knee (for which I earn activity points and hence more food points), and I never feel deprived or starving. I enjoy a brownie if I want it and I don't hate myself afterward. Simply Filling is just that...Simple.