This past week has been pretty cool. I went hiking twice, once with my sister in law and once with Michael and the bean. I also kept on running. I finally was able to fit in a morning run on Saturday morning and let me just tell you...I LOVE morning runs! They set you up for a really great day.
I am really proud of myself for not falling off the chocolate wagon this weekend. I found out that my dream life of having Michael home every night after work is coming to an end. He'll be back to working away all week and coming home on the weekends starting today. Total life suckage. I am super grateful for all the time we did have together as a family, but I'm still allowed to sulk a little bit.
Walking/Running. I walked and ran over 22 kilometers this week! I'm feeling good!
Strength Training/Ab workouts. I am slacking a bit on the strength training and the overall ab workout (which I should really be doing double time on the ab workouts because lets face it...I have no ab muscles.) I am possibly considering, maybe (I said MAYBE!) thinking about starting the 30 Day Shred by using the youtube videos. Have any of you ever done any of the work outs? Know someone who has successfully completed the Shred?
Weigh in.This week I had some seriously fat moments and also some pretty amazing skinny moments. Let's see what the scale said...I lost 1.2kg (2.64 lbs)! This is awesome, but also dumb. I already lost that weight last week and then in one day ate it back in chocolate. Stupid me. Now, I am basically just making up for the chocolate cave in. Stupid, stupid chocolate! Anyway, I'm glad I got back on track. My original goal was to lose 12 kg in 12 weeks. This is week 10, I only have 3 more weigh ins. I am most likely not going to meet my goal, so let's change it a bit! To date, I have lost 6.3kg (13.86lbs) , only 5.7kg (12.54lbs) more to go. Let's do this!
New goal: Lose the remaining 5.7kg in 10 weeks. That is an average of .57kg (1.25lbs) per week. I got this!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Fresh from the Garden - Turkey Harvest Stew
My mother in law (Oma a.k.a Grandma) has an AMAZING garden. Seriously, amazing. This year it has been incredibly plentiful. Since Alexa started eating solids, most of the vegetables for her baby food has come from Oma's garden. Peas, green beans, wax beans, zucchini, squash, and now butternut squash and pumpkin! Oma brought over a huge bag of freshly picked squash, butternut squash and a huge pumpkin and I had to figure out what to do with all of it.
I searched a little online for butternut squash recipes. I ended up making my own butternut squash soup which was delicious! Then Oma brought over two more butternut squashes! It was clear I was going to have to whip something up with all of these delicious veggies...I give you - Turkey Harvest Stew.
I had enough stew to freeze for another dinner for Michael and I, I pureed and froze some for Alexa, put aside some for Michael to take for lunch AND still had enough leftover for our dinner and my lunch the following day!
**Please note: this recipe yields 5 liters of stew!**
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Bowl 1-
2 cups of fresh pumpkin, peeled and diced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 butternut squash (from the seedless end), peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices
Bowl 2 -
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, washed and sliced
1 large yellow squashed, sliced and cut into pieces
Pot -
1 1/2-2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 heaping teaspoon garlic, minced
Ziploc Bag -
1/4 of a large turkey breast, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used dinkel vollkorn mehl)
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder (I'm obsessed with garlic)
Additional -
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of veggie broth
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 tsp. crushed, dried rosemary
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
water as needed
1-1 1/2 cups of dry whole wheat pasta (I used
Directions:
In the order listed above, I peeled, diced and placed the ingredients into their specific containers. After cutting up all the hard veggies and placing them in Bowl 1, I filled the bowl with cold water until the veggies were covered. Put that aside.
In a large stock pot, heat 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil over medium to high heat. Add in your onions and garlic and let cook for about 3 minutes. (You might want to turn the heat down a little bit). While the onions and garlic are sauteeing, prep your flour and seasonings in a ziploc bag. Then cut the turkey breast up into small pieces. Add all of the turkey to the ziploc bag, seal and shake until all pieces are coated.
Add the turkey to the pot and stir with a wooden spoon to keep the flour from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add more coconut oil. Cover and let cook for 3-5 minutes until the turkey is lightly browned. Add 2 cups of chicken broth (the liquid should just cover the turkey). Cover and let cook on medium for 15 minutes. Add the contents of Bowl 1. Add 2 cups of veggie broth, cover and let cook on medium for 15 minutes. Add the contents of Bowl 2, the can of crushed tomatoes and enough water (if necessary) to cover the vegetables. Add the rosemary. Add 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer - let cook for 45 minutes to one hour.
Using a ladle, remove 3-4 ladles worth of stock and place in a small pot (you will use this to cook your noodles). Add 1-1 1/2 cups of dry noodles and boil for 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add to the stock pot. Add parmesan cheese and cook for another 10 minutes on low. Enjoy!
I searched a little online for butternut squash recipes. I ended up making my own butternut squash soup which was delicious! Then Oma brought over two more butternut squashes! It was clear I was going to have to whip something up with all of these delicious veggies...I give you - Turkey Harvest Stew.
I had enough stew to freeze for another dinner for Michael and I, I pureed and froze some for Alexa, put aside some for Michael to take for lunch AND still had enough leftover for our dinner and my lunch the following day!
**Please note: this recipe yields 5 liters of stew!**
All veggies add! It just needs to simmer and thicken up.
(Unfortunately, there are no after pictures because we ate it all up!)
Turkey Harvest Stew
Ingredients:Bowl 1-
2 cups of fresh pumpkin, peeled and diced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 butternut squash (from the seedless end), peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices
Bowl 2 -
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, washed and sliced
1 large yellow squashed, sliced and cut into pieces
Pot -
1 1/2-2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 heaping teaspoon garlic, minced
Ziploc Bag -
1/4 of a large turkey breast, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used dinkel vollkorn mehl)
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder (I'm obsessed with garlic)
Additional -
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of veggie broth
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 tsp. crushed, dried rosemary
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
water as needed
1-1 1/2 cups of dry whole wheat pasta (I used
Directions:
In the order listed above, I peeled, diced and placed the ingredients into their specific containers. After cutting up all the hard veggies and placing them in Bowl 1, I filled the bowl with cold water until the veggies were covered. Put that aside.
In a large stock pot, heat 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil over medium to high heat. Add in your onions and garlic and let cook for about 3 minutes. (You might want to turn the heat down a little bit). While the onions and garlic are sauteeing, prep your flour and seasonings in a ziploc bag. Then cut the turkey breast up into small pieces. Add all of the turkey to the ziploc bag, seal and shake until all pieces are coated.
Add the turkey to the pot and stir with a wooden spoon to keep the flour from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add more coconut oil. Cover and let cook for 3-5 minutes until the turkey is lightly browned. Add 2 cups of chicken broth (the liquid should just cover the turkey). Cover and let cook on medium for 15 minutes. Add the contents of Bowl 1. Add 2 cups of veggie broth, cover and let cook on medium for 15 minutes. Add the contents of Bowl 2, the can of crushed tomatoes and enough water (if necessary) to cover the vegetables. Add the rosemary. Add 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer - let cook for 45 minutes to one hour.
Using a ladle, remove 3-4 ladles worth of stock and place in a small pot (you will use this to cook your noodles). Add 1-1 1/2 cups of dry noodles and boil for 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add to the stock pot. Add parmesan cheese and cook for another 10 minutes on low. Enjoy!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Suzy and Martha
Recently, my Suzy Homemaker/Martha Stewartness has been vibing strong. I have been quite creative and crafty in the living room, not to mention super adventurous in the kitchen.
I attempted to make my own "Kinderwagonkette", or stroller toy, which was a total flop, so I moved on to knitting. I decided that I wanted to knit Alexa a hat!
Well, hat #1 was a little bit too tiny...and by little, I mean it is now her doll's hat.
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It was a fun, quick project though, so I grabbed the bull by the horns, or the baby by the head(?!), remeasured and started anew. I even used old knitting squares and pulled together a pretty neat hat! Since then, I have had hat knitting fever!
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Plus, I have the cutest hat model imaginable!
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I attempted to make my own "Kinderwagonkette", or stroller toy, which was a total flop, so I moved on to knitting. I decided that I wanted to knit Alexa a hat!
Well, hat #1 was a little bit too tiny...and by little, I mean it is now her doll's hat.
It was a fun, quick project though, so I grabbed the bull by the horns, or the baby by the head(?!), remeasured and started anew. I even used old knitting squares and pulled together a pretty neat hat! Since then, I have had hat knitting fever!
Plus, I have the cutest hat model imaginable!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
It's the Season of Soup!
I love Fall for so very many reasons: the leaves changing from green to red and orange and yellow, the temperature cooling down enough to wear my very favorite clothes (t-shirt, jeans and a hoodie) and of course because of the delicious Fall flavored foods (apple cider, pumpkin pie and SOUP!). Here in Austria, soup is akin to breathing. It is almost impossible to sit down at a restaurant without ordering soup before your main dish. The soups here are to die for, so I have jumped on board the soup train! One of my favorite Austrian soups is Kürbiscremesuppe, or pumpkin cream soup. Within the next few weeks our house will be filled with the aroma of pumpkin cream soup. Best of all, we are getting the pumpkins fresh from my mother-in-law's garden! That recipe will be coming up soon!
This week I have been all about the Italian Wedding Soup. With the weather changing, I have come down with a little cold. Nothing makes a scratchy throat feel better than a nice hot bowl of soup or a nice hot cup of tea. I'd been drinking tea to my heart's delight all weekend long and when that didn't do the trick it was on to the cure all - a nice, fresh pot of soup. I decided to make Italian Wedding Soup because it is a nice, flavorful and hearty soup AND because Alexa can eat everything in it, so two birds, one stone. I looked up recipes online and decided, as usual, to wing it.
Ingredients:
Total time: 5-10 minutes prep, 45-50 minutes
(Tip: Make the meatballs first, it cuts down on the overall cooking time)
For the soup
1 1/2 liters Vegetable Stock
2 large carrots, washed, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tblspn. scallions, chopped
2 tsp. dried parsley
dash of garlic powder (I really like garlic)
dash of pepper
dash of chili powder
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
1 1/2 Tblspn. Italian seasoning
Spinach (I used 3 blocks of frozen spinach)
1/2 cup star noodles
Heat the vegetable stock in a large pot on medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, scallions and all of the seasonings. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes (I brought the contents to a boil and then covered the pot and put the stove on simmer setting for like 2 hours).
For the meatballs
200 grams/ 1/2 pound of ground meat
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2 Tblspn. milk
1 egg (As I had all of the ingredients mixed together I realized that I had no eggs in the house, the meatballs came out fine eggless!)
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Mix all the meatball ingredients together and then place on a cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes in a 350F degree oven.
After your soup has simmered for a while, heat up the frozen spinach in the microwave, easily chop it and add it to your soup. Then, add the cooked meatballs and cook at a low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Add the star noodles and cook on medium heat for 8 minutes. Voila! You made Italian Wedding Soup! Enjoy!
This week I have been all about the Italian Wedding Soup. With the weather changing, I have come down with a little cold. Nothing makes a scratchy throat feel better than a nice hot bowl of soup or a nice hot cup of tea. I'd been drinking tea to my heart's delight all weekend long and when that didn't do the trick it was on to the cure all - a nice, fresh pot of soup. I decided to make Italian Wedding Soup because it is a nice, flavorful and hearty soup AND because Alexa can eat everything in it, so two birds, one stone. I looked up recipes online and decided, as usual, to wing it.
Ingredients:
Total time: 5-10 minutes prep, 45-50 minutes
(Tip: Make the meatballs first, it cuts down on the overall cooking time)
For the soup
1 1/2 liters Vegetable Stock
2 large carrots, washed, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tblspn. scallions, chopped
2 tsp. dried parsley
dash of garlic powder (I really like garlic)
dash of pepper
dash of chili powder
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
1 1/2 Tblspn. Italian seasoning
Spinach (I used 3 blocks of frozen spinach)
1/2 cup star noodles
Heat the vegetable stock in a large pot on medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, scallions and all of the seasonings. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes (I brought the contents to a boil and then covered the pot and put the stove on simmer setting for like 2 hours).
For the meatballs
200 grams/ 1/2 pound of ground meat
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2 Tblspn. milk
1 egg (As I had all of the ingredients mixed together I realized that I had no eggs in the house, the meatballs came out fine eggless!)
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Mix all the meatball ingredients together and then place on a cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes in a 350F degree oven.
After your soup has simmered for a while, heat up the frozen spinach in the microwave, easily chop it and add it to your soup. Then, add the cooked meatballs and cook at a low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Add the star noodles and cook on medium heat for 8 minutes. Voila! You made Italian Wedding Soup! Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
I'm a Baby Wearing Mama!
Who would have thought that I would be so into "wearing" my little bean. I knew we would need some kind of a baby carrier, but thought that a simple Baby Bjorn would be enough. How wrong was I! A friend gave me a Moby and after a few months of practicing how to tie the wrap and learning the different ways to wear it, I am completely obsessed. Another friend gave me a Ring Sling, which is similar to the Nordstrom Slings & Wraps... I use all three of the baby carriers all the time. When we go out hiking I usually stick to the Baby Bjorn because I find that it is extra supportive whether Alexa is rear or forward facing. Around the house and around the neighborhood, I constantly use the Moby. It is so comfortable and if I need to wear her while I am vacuuming or doing other chores around the house, it is my go to wrap. Grocery shopping or walking around the mall, I am all about the Ring Sling. I can carry her in a sitting position, a lying position and can even nurse in this wrap. No wonder baby wearing is so popular!
What's your favorite way to wear your baby?
What's your favorite way to wear your baby?
Monday, September 2, 2013
Mommy Makeover - Week 9
Weigh in. This week I was so excited about checking my progress that I decided to weigh in on Friday. I just couldn't wait any longer! I was so excited to see that I lost another kilo! 2.2 pounds down and out! Seeing the numbers on the scale drop is such amazing motivation. So motivating that I thought I could eat chocolate cake this weekend.
If you have all learned anything about me in the last 8 weeks it is that I have no self control whatsoever around chocolate. Chocolate is, in fact, my kryptonite. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting...that is kryptonite with frosting my friends. Yup, I ate three (3) pieces of chocolate cake yesterday. I would be ashamed, but it was so DELICIOUS.
Now we get to the lesson...when you eat three pieces of chocolate cake the scale does not say nice things about you. So, I went from my super motivated, totally pumped up Friday weigh in where I lost a kilo, to my Monday morning weekly weigh in post cake...yup, totally gained a kilo plus - 1.3 kg to be exact. Nothing good happens when I am in the presence of chocolate.(And on to the excuses...)
In all fairness, we were celebrating my sister in law's 20th birthday. You HAVE to have cake for a birthday celebration! Plus, we did a 5.2km walk after the eating of the cake. Apparently I needed to double or triple the distance of the walk...one round for each slice of cake I ate. :/
Stupid cake.
Stupid chocolate.
Here is my new mantra:
I will do better this week. I will do better this week. I will do better this week. No more chocolate!
or maybe this...
Cake is evil. Chocolate is evil. Stupid chocolate cake! (I think I like this one the best!)
In positive news, I have been running just about everyday. I have come up with a new running schedule - Run 3 days, rest 1 day, repeat. So far it is working. And, I am still loving running. I am even toying with the idea of running a 5k! YIKES!
If you have all learned anything about me in the last 8 weeks it is that I have no self control whatsoever around chocolate. Chocolate is, in fact, my kryptonite. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting...that is kryptonite with frosting my friends. Yup, I ate three (3) pieces of chocolate cake yesterday. I would be ashamed, but it was so DELICIOUS.
Now we get to the lesson...when you eat three pieces of chocolate cake the scale does not say nice things about you. So, I went from my super motivated, totally pumped up Friday weigh in where I lost a kilo, to my Monday morning weekly weigh in post cake...yup, totally gained a kilo plus - 1.3 kg to be exact. Nothing good happens when I am in the presence of chocolate.(And on to the excuses...)
In all fairness, we were celebrating my sister in law's 20th birthday. You HAVE to have cake for a birthday celebration! Plus, we did a 5.2km walk after the eating of the cake. Apparently I needed to double or triple the distance of the walk...one round for each slice of cake I ate. :/
Stupid cake.
Stupid chocolate.
Here is my new mantra:
I will do better this week. I will do better this week. I will do better this week. No more chocolate!
or maybe this...
Cake is evil. Chocolate is evil. Stupid chocolate cake! (I think I like this one the best!)
In positive news, I have been running just about everyday. I have come up with a new running schedule - Run 3 days, rest 1 day, repeat. So far it is working. And, I am still loving running. I am even toying with the idea of running a 5k! YIKES!
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