Beginnings...

Well I had plans to set all these New Year resolutions...diet, exercise, FLYlady, my business, etc. but have decided that trying to complete all of these at once is just going to lead to failure!! I will eventually add them in, but it's going to take time.

First things first, my health! This week is dedicated to get back to healthy eating and exercise. 2 weeks of menus were planned out and groceries were bought. Pop or diet pop were NOT bought so that is the first thing I am going cold turkey on. Things are going well right now...getting the exercise daily (Wii Fit, walking & the 30 Day Shred), I'm eating the planned meals and snacks and the pop is gone, with water in it's place.

Next is my business. I REALLY want to get things moving on this and get nice and busy! More about that next week...

For now, I will continue updating on our healthy lifestyle..

Day 1: More...

Well I've just finished the 2nd go at the 30 Day Shred...and it was as hard as the first time...actually HARDER!

I made it through though. I stopped one time for about 5 seconds cause I thought my heart was going to explode, but that was it. I don't know that I will be able to move for the rest of the night, but it means it's working, right? *haha*

I'll let you know how tomorrow goes!

New wedding cake pic...

Forgot to add in my new wedding cake pic. I did the cake for a wedding at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club last weekend. The venue is gorgeous...and the Bride, Taya, was stunning.

I wasn't that pleased with the cake at all, but everyone at the wedding, especially the bride and groom, loved it.

Day 1: 30 Day Shred

Well I guess yesterday was technically day 1, but I'm not counting it as we didn't do the work-out to it's fullest. We started too late at night (10pm) and we were still working so we kept having to stop.

Jason and I have decided to do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred for the next month. We took our weight and measurements and we are going to do it each day and see if her claims are true (BIG weightloss/inches lost as well as much more stamina). I am hoping to weightloss, to get toned and definitely more stamina. I want to be able to jog again.

So we started it last night and man oh man, was it hard!! I had watched it earlier and thought it looked easy *hahahahaha!* It literally kicked my ass! It kicked Jason's too, so I didn't feel quite as bad then. We collapsed on the couch after and literally didn't move for about 30 minutes. The stairs up to bed were rough. I slept better last night though than I have in a while!

This morning I was a little stiff, more than sore. So I got my shoes on and went out for a 3.5km walk which I did in about 30 minutes. Felt good!

Sometime today Jay and I will do what I consider Day 1 of the Shred. I am going to try and update each day to let you know how it goes.

Now onto my weight & measurements:

Weight: 173lbs

BMI: 30.66 *ugh!*

Neck: 14"

L Bicep: 12.5"

R Bicep: 13"

L Forearm: 9.5"

R Forearm: 10"

Bust: 42"

Waist: 36.75"

Hips/Butt: 46"

L Thigh: 21.25"

R Thigh: 21.25"

L Calf: 15.5"

R Calf: 15.5"

Food today has been good. 2 slices of raisin toast for breakfast and an organic apple after my walk. Salmon on wholewheat for lunch and fajitas for dinner. Organic carrots as a snack later.

Recipes haven't been that exciting lately, although last night I did make my best "chicken parmesan with aglio e olio" - it was super YUM and I could have eaten several plates, but didn't.

More later...after the next "Shred"...

Let the peace and quiet begin...

School started today!! WOO HOO! Although it was quite a surprise as we arrived to find that our kids were no long enrolled at the school! Yes, I was in shock! But why?, I asked. "Well because you've moved to Sudbury", was the answer. "No we haven't", I replied, "and I certainly didn't authorize you unregistering my children!". "Well somebody did", replied the secretary.

Well they've now been re-enrolled and are in the classes they had wanted to be. Grade 1 with Mrs. Pearson for Emily and Grade 4 with Mrs. Elliot-Cummings for Ben. I'm sure I'll hear all about it this afternoon when they get home.

So I left off saying what we'd have for dinner on Saturday? Well for the life of me, I can't remember. I am thinking we had sandwiches as Jason was at work.

Sunday was the Ribfest/street party here. I made cupcakes..."hamburgers" and "Corn-on-the-cob" *haha* Everyone loved them and I ended up giving out lots of cards :D

That night I made my first "from scratch" ribs on the BBQ. I'd done them in the slow cooker before, but never on the BBQ. I did a memphis style rib. A dry rub first of paprika, cayenne, salt & pepper. I BBQ'd them on low (only 1 burner lit with ribs on opposite side of BBQ) for 45 mins. While that was happening, I made the BBQ sauce on the stove. After the 45 mins I started basting the ribs with the sauce and did so a couple times an hour for about 4 hours total. Now I have to say, the ribs were FANTASTIC! The flavour went all the way through...the rub was spicy and the sauce was sweet and tangy. I was so pleased and almost wish I'd entered them in the rib contest. But it was nice to have just something for Jay and I (which we ate when he got home from work that night).

Find the recipe below (which I didn't follow exactly as usual).

Monday we were out for dinner at Karen's house. We had chicken on skewers with a spicy peanut sauce, various salads (including the best salad EVERY...Karens broccoli & mushroom one - which I MUST get the recipe for!) and fresh peach cobbler with whipped cream for dessert. All VERY delish. I brought the appetizer...a pizza style hot dip. It went within 10 minutes and everyone loved it. Am going to make it again this week for Jay and I one night as Jay didn't get any and he would really like it. I'm including the recipe for that below too (again, I made some changes - getting much more confident at that as my culinary skills improve!).

Tonight I'm thinking we'll have a creamy salmon pasta...new recipe I found. Will let you know how it goes!

Memphis Ribs

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours, 00 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds pork spareribs
• For Rub:
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoons cayenne
• For Sauce:
• 2 cups ketchup
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce

Preparation:

Prepare ribs by removing the membrane from the underside of the ribs. Trim off any loose fat or meat. Prepare smoker or grill. You will want to hold a temperature around 225 degrees F. for 4 to 6 hours so plan accordingly. Season ribs with Memphis rub and place on grill or in smoker. While ribs are cooking, prepare barbecue sauce. Blend together everything except the ketchup. Pour into a saucepan and add the ketchup. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Cook ribs until the internal temperature of the meat reaches about 145 degrees F. Brush with barbecue sauce. After about 10 minutes turn the ribs over and brush with sauce continually during cooking process.

Last night's dinner...and hopefully tonights!

OK, so the truly expensive organic beef & cheddar burgers from last night were...*drum roll*

Sooooo worth it! I've had quite a few burgers in my day, but these were exceptional!! So delicious, so meaty, so cheesy (with no adverse reactions to this cheese!! *yea!*)...just, for lack of better words, REALLY GOOD! I would definitely buy these again, even at the price (about $4 each). And it has really made me more and more interested in changing to organic meat.

As for tonight...I'm thinking it will be a pasta casserole made with homemade sauce and ground turkey. The only problem is, I'm working until after 8PM, so I'm not sure how making it will go. Might have to do something alittle simpler. I'll get back to you...

I know, I know...

I keep saying I'll blog regularly, but then don't!

So...inspired by Julie Powell's blog (ie. Julie & Julia), I have decided for the next month, to post the recipe of what I'm making for dinner.

Today's isn't much of a recipe unfortunately. Tonight's menu is: fresh organic beef & cheese burgers from Whole Foods with tomatoes/onions/etc and home-made french fries (chop up some potatoes & fry 'em style).

Tomorrow I'm working 12 hours and so I Jay, so I'm thinking of a casserole or the like that I can just prepare early on and then stick in the oven...or maybe crock-pot. Hmmm...I'll get back to you tomorrow on that one!

Other news??

Busiest month so far for my cake business. I have 8 orders (approx. 2 a week) and I find this very exciting! Fingers crossed things continue this well. Plus I suppose I should really start handing out some cards too!

More later...will let you know how what the burgers are like. They better be fantastic for the price I paid. I LOVED Whole Foods, but DAMN! I definitely couldn't afford to eat there exclusively. Plus I love how they don't put the price on a lot of things...must not want to put people off *haha*

Why does eating healthy have to be so expensive??!!