Finding the Recipe for Life

Wedding on a Budget

2012-11-04T17:51:00.002-08:00

On September 1st, 2012, I married my best friend and it was wonderful!

Everything about the day was exactly as I had planned and hoped. We did the planning, the food, the flowers, and found everything on sale when we could. A friend of ours made our cakes and another friend married us. My aunt did the coordinating for the day and another friend and relative did the photography. I did all the music via a playlist on spotify and family provided the lighting. We had a couple of friends bar-tend for the evening. I found my dress online, new for 1/2 the price at David's Bridal and my husband wore a suit he already had. Another friend did my make-up and family did my hair; there was also a borrowed headpiece and jewelry. I found an amazing rental place with prices you could only dream of! The Sweet Buffet Lady, was a saint in disguise and saved me from creating unnecessary waste. I'm sure there were more details that I am grateful for, but not recalling at the moment (oh, table clothes from an aunt!) We probably spent close to $3500, granted our space rental was the bulk of that at $1200 for the day and food and beverage was also close to $1000.

Also, on the day of, I had so much help from family for setup and take down, it was truly a group effort and I didn't have to worry about anything. Everyone that helped and attended made the day a special occasion that I will never forget.

Here a few of the things we did for the wedding and pictures from the day.

Bouquets of Dahlias, picked from a farm the day before the wedding!

DIY Boutonniere

Table setting with Dahlia, Burlap Table Runners, and Cookies

Cookie Favors

Wedding Cakes - We couldn't just have one!

The Food! We had a BBQ-Picnic Theme. Ryan was smoking meat for 2 days straight!

The beautiful space - The Great Hall at Green Lake

Our amazing family and friends.

Our Wedding Party

Officiant - Melody, Maid of Honor - Nicole, Best Man - Richie

If you have any questions about how we did anything, please feel free to contact me!
xo,
Ivie

Life Catches Up With You.....

2012-11-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

I am TRULY sorry for my absenteeism, I've been a terrible blogger; and the worst part is, I actually have a lot to share with you! I'm going to take the time and sit down and tell you about what I've been up to since July, well more so, the past 2 months. However, I'm going to need to break these blogs up into separate posts, otherwise, this might end up being 10 pages long!

I will give you a hint.....

We got Married and did it on a budget. I've got tons of DIY tips for you!

We immediately began remodeling our apartment after the wedding. Upgrades galore and more DIY! And, yes I said "apartment", more details on that later. We are using this kit for our coutnertops!

So again, I apologize for being absent....But I want to tell you that I am back and have so much to share! Look for my first follow up post before the end of the weekend!

xox,
Ivie

Days 17 & 18

2012-07-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to cheat these last couple of days. It seems to be all I think about. I think it is because I didn't go grocery shopping over the weekend and I have not been as prepared this week as I was the previous 2 weeks. I've also been feeling hungry between meals again, and just want to eat something, anything! I have managed to stay on track, but it has been hard.

For breakfast, I've been grabbing something from the work cafeteria. Yesterday, I had an omelet and this morning I had 2 hard-boiled eggs and 2 slices of bacon. Yesterday for lunch, I had a chicken burger from the Nordstrom Grill - no bun, no cheese, and extra veggies. It was left unsatisfied and felt I paid WAY too much. Tomorrow, I am taking leftovers so that I don't have to wander around work until I can find something that fits in the meal plan.

Dinner Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Salad and Mashed Yams.

Lunch Wednesday: From the Nordstrom Cafe - Grilled Salmon and Veggies (hold the potatoes and corn, please!)

Dinner Wednesday: Chocolate Chili and Roasted Baby Carrots

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/02/22/my-favorite-chili-recipe/

We have planned out meals for the next couple of days and I've got leftovers for lunch (Curry and Chili). I hope I stop devising plans to sabotage myself.
xo, Ivie

Day 16 - I'm Back!

2012-07-16T22:08:00.001-07:00

I am back from my whirl-wind weekend of family, fun, and exhaustion. I took Friday off of work and prepped my food for the weekend. I was going to be away from home, and away from a house for close to 24 hours and needed food that I could eat, so I wouldn't frequent any of the tasty vendors at the Relay for Life that I was going to participate in. So I went to Trader Joe's and made chicken salad and muffins I could eat. Although I didn't eat regularly, I ate when I was hungry and felt satisfied all weekend.

Meals to go - Plums, Cherries, Dry Roasted Nuts, Mango, Chicken Salad, Tea, and Bubbly Water.

I made the muffins following this recipe:

http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/07/07/server-problem-solved-and-paleo-apple-muffins/

Relay for Life in Bellingham, Washington

Friday Evening

My 2 closest cousins and me (on the right)

Speaks for itself.

On Saturday, Relay was over and discussions of wedding plans were done with my mom and aunt. Boy, weddings do take a lot of planning. I hope we were able to get some solid plans and things will flow smoothly on the big day. After that I went to my cousin's house and made myself a steak and sweet potato fries. I was hungry and happy to eat something cooked and hot. By the time I was able to sit down and eat, it was close to 10:00 pm!

On Sunday, I had my bridal shower with my family. I don't have any pictures, I have to get some from my cousins who threw it for me (the 2 lovely ladies in the above picture). I had a great time, and the best part was our impromptu game of make up a story of how you met the guest of honor (me). My cousins also made the cutest cupcakes and cookies; I did not have any of them, but did take a couple cookies home and put them in my freezer to try after the Whole30 Challenge is over. I'm looking forward to trying them, everyone raved of how good they were.

When I got home, my wonderful boyfriend (fiance) made me dinner. I was ready to relax, eat, and sleep.

Dinner Sunday Night:

Spiced Shrimp with Spicy Apple Slaw over Butter Lettuce

Dinner Tonight:

Chicken Curry over Vegetables

Tonight, I am tired and I am ready for bed. I think I am still catching up on my sleep from the weekend. I hope you had a memorable weekend as well. I can't believe I am already 16 days done with this challenge, and doing very well (if I say so myself).
xo, Ivie

Day 12

2012-07-12T22:42:00.002-07:00

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. I will post again on Sunday, when I get back into Seattle. Until then I'll leave you with a picture to put a smile on your face and then a picture of dinner tonight. Have a wonderful weekend!

Some inspiration and so cute and cuddly!

Today is the day, I can do this (resist temptations and stay strong during this challenge), no problem.

Dinner: Grilled Steak skewers with Harissa Sauce and Greek Salad!

xo, Ivie

Day 11

2012-07-11T21:44:00.001-07:00

I don't have any pictures from yesterday. Lunch was leftover curry soup along with coleslaw with chicken breast added, and dinner was garden salad with one of my girlfriends (the lettuce and snap peas were pulled from her garden and so fresh). The dinner was also accompanied with a little hamburger, that was about 3 bites, so I did saute a bit of mushrooms, sausage, and zucchini when I got home. I mainly made it for breakfast the next day and had a few bites before bed.

Today we had a work baby shower and I survived the carrot cake. It looked delicious and was gluten free, but loaded with sugar. I was surprised to find out how many people were gluten free or preferred gluten free. The whole cake was eaten, which is not very common at my predominately female place of employment.

I was happy with myself, that I didn't feel like I missed out. I actually haven't been having any cravings for food that I can't have right now. The only think I thought about that I couldn't have was a glass of wine after work, but I got over that as well.

Okay now for the pictures:

Lunch - Salad with just about everything!

Mixed greens, 2 boiled eggs, avocado, cucumber, tomato, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries (sweetened with apple juice instead of sugar!). When I was searching for dried cranberries for my salads, I was beginning to be discouraged that every brand at Safeway had sugar! I was shocked; shouldn't it just be dried cranberries? Finally, at Whole Foods, in the bulk section, I found some that were sweetened with apple juice. I was very excited.

Dinner - Cauliflower rice with prosciutto wrapped lamb burger.

This was amazing. We mixed the lamb meat with finely chopped sun dried tomatoes and garlic stuffed olives, as well as thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper. We wrapped the patties in prosciutto and grilled them. I made a cauliflower rice with - onions, red bell pepper, toasted cashews, turkish apricots, turmeric, and a curry like seasoning (and of course salt and pepper).

That is all for now, I'm tired and ready for bed. Good Night!
xo, Ivie

Days 8 & 9 - It is getting Easier!

2012-07-09T21:28:00.003-07:00

I hate to jinx myself, but this feels like it is getting easier. Making food decisions doesn't feel as labored nor restricting. And I must say, we've made a couple more delicious dinners and have a great menu planned for the week. My challenge this week will be the fact that I will be out of town on Friday through Sunday. I'm going up north to participate with my in Relay for Life, followed by a bridal shower (where I am the honored guest). I am trying to come up with snacks and meals on the go and think I might make a big batch of the chicken salad to take with me for meals. I might wear myself out on chicken salad, we'll see.

Here is the plan for this week:

Here are the pictures to catch you up! I think most of my blogging will be a little of how I'm feeling and then a lot of pictures......I hope you are okay with that.

Ingredients for homemade salsa - pico de gallo:

jalapeno, lime, 1/4 yellow onion, 4 tomatoes seeded, cilantro, and salt & pepper

Pico de gallo

Sunday Morning Breakfast: Leftover Steak and eggs with pico de gallo and a bowl of cherries

Dinner Sunday Night: Fried plantains with guacamole (I only ate 1/2 of the plantains and saved the rest), almond flour crusted cod over leftover coleslaw with more pico de gallo (do you see a theme here).

Monday after work treat

Dinner Monday Night: Chile Rellenos with chorizo (Hempler's brand - no crazy bad ingredients - score!), zucchini, and mushroom, leftover plantains and guacamole. Ryan made a wonderful romesco sauce (tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, spices, almond flour, and chicken stock). You probably also noticed, we didn't have a side salad, I prefer to get through leftovers, rather than waste food.

During this challenge, I have missed having my usual condiments, as you can see, I've definitely found some replacements. Usually, I'll have sour cream, ketchup, tartar, mayo, ranch, salsa, but most of this stuff is out right now. But, tonight with the romesco, I didn't miss any of that! Are you a condiment person?

xo, Ivie

Days 5, 6, & 7 - In Pictures

2012-07-07T21:22:00.001-07:00

To catch you up and wrap up the week, I will do this in pictures. Overall, I'm feeling great. I've gone 7 days without any alcohol, and the last couple of days I really haven't missed it. I did cheat a bit with dinner tonight and we braised our brats and onions in a pale ale. So that was a cheat, but I decision I made. I think this Whole30 challenge might be harder on the boyfriend than it is on me. Although he isn't following it like I am, we still share dinner and he has been helpful in the planning and cooking. I hope he is okay with another 23 days of no pasta for dinner. Thankfully, summer has arrived to Seattle, so we've been grilling every night.

Okay, now for the pictures:

Salad Lunch - this is what many of my lunches look like: Grilled Chicken and Veggies with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

I was struggling this week with what to drink......I was getting really tired of WATER! So I added some raspberries. It didn't add much flavor, I should have muddled them. I have however switched over to soda water and lemon or lime. I also picked up some naturally flavored Perrier water.

Dinner Thursday night: Grilled Rib Eye Steak, Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Sweet Potato coins. I love my condiments and miss ketchup a little, so I ate my sweet potato with our homemade mayo.

Work Breakfast Friday: We have a cafeteria at work so I got a bacon, zucchini, salsa, and spinach omelet.

Friday Night: Butternut Squash Soup - 4 ingredients: roasted squash, yellow curry paste, homemade chicken stock, and coconut milk. This was a winner!

Friday Night: Beef Kofta in Butter Lettuce. The boyfriend spiced these up asian style to go with the soup (no soy sauce). They were so flavorful, and you pull them off the skewer with a lettuce leaf and eat.

Brats and Coleslaw

The coleslaw with made with our homemade mayo, cabbage, anaheim pepper, and apple slices. The boyfriend made a serrano, garlic, and dill pickle relish that made the brats perfect. I didn't even miss the bun.

I hope you had a great weekend. We did some meal planning today, and tomorrow we will go grocery shopping for the week. I think we've got another great week of meals planned!

xo, Ivie

4 Days Strong

2012-07-04T21:02:00.002-07:00

I have 4 days down and 26 to go, and I am staying strong. It was really hard not to have a drink and sit outside on this beautiful day. Instead I sipped my lemon water and enjoyed the sun, nonetheless. I think summer has finally arrived in Seattle, the forecast shows 70's and sunny for the next 5 days. I am looking forward to grilling as much as possible. Grilling does make this Whole30 challenge much easier.

While waiting for the grilling weather to arrive, we made a moroccan stew over cauliflower rice for dinner on Tuesday night. Since hearing about cauliflower rice a few days ago, I had been anxious to try it. It isn't something I would want to eat by itself, but it was perfect with the stew.

How to make the cauliflower rice:

1 cleaned head of cauliflower and one diced shallot (or onion).

Cut into crowns, small enough to fit into the cuisinart feeder tube. Shred in the cuisinart with the grating blade.

Shredded cauliflower (rice)

Saute a finely diced shallot for a few minutes. I used a little EVOO and clarified butter for flavor. Then saute the "rice" for 5-10 minutes until you get the bite or texture desired. I added turmeric for color and salt & pepper for taste.

Beef moroccan stew with tomatoes and olives, served over cauliflower rice.

For dinner this evening, we BBQ'ed like most Americans to celebrate our Independence day. My (very supportive) boyfriend made a coconut curry paste to glaze the shrimp and salmon. It was delicious and stayed within the dietary limitations. We served them with a cucumber & watermelon salsa and used butter lettuce leaves as our wraps. Dinner was delicious and fresh. I can't wait to make it again.

Curry shrimp and salmon wraps!

I don't know if we'll be up late enough to see or hear fireworks. I hope you enjoyed your holiday and stay safe!

xo, Ivie

Day 2 - Dinner Plans

2012-07-02T23:42:00.001-07:00

Today was pretty uneventful. I made it through the day - not as hungry as yesterday and I had an "a-ha" moment. While at work, I was walking past a desk with treats, my arm extended and started to come up as I was trying to decide which one to get - when I realized that I wasn't eating sweets and sugar right now. It was so odd to realize how quickly I was going to grab a candy and how I had to make a conscience effort to not. I have to be fully aware of my actions at all times so I don't go on auto pilot, and some habits might be harder to break.

Speaking of habits, one of the things the book talks about is eating Mindfully - I'm not really good about removing distraction, so to start, I'm been making an effort to look at my food while eating it versus just shoveling it into my mouth; and also taking smaller more thoughtful bites. Does that make sense? I don't know if thoughtful is the right word, but to actually understand the process of eating and chewing my food; and trying to focus on eating. I think we tend to overeat because we just "mow" the food into our faces and then look down and realize our plate is empty.

Now onto the food:
Since I already showed you breakfast for the week and what I made for lunch for a couple of days, I'll jump right to dinner from yesterday and today. Enjoy!

Sunday Night Dinner: Roast Veggies and Roast Chicken

Although it looks a little bland and mostly white, it was good and quite filling. I made WAY too many veggies, so tomorrow we are changing up our menu a little and going to experiment with them. More on that tomorrow. The roasted veggies were: onion, fennel bulb, carrots, celery, and sweet potato.

Monday Night Dinner: Stuffed Peppers and Sauted Veg

We created a sausage stuffing for the pepper and topped it off with a bit of egg as a binder. I also sauted some garlic, zucchini, and mushrooms. There was definitely a lot of garlic in dinner tonight - I could probably ward off vampires, except for the vampires in movies/tv today don't seem to be thwarted by garlic, huh?

Well I hope you had a wonderful day, I felt pretty good myself.

xo, Ivie

Day 1 - A little hungry......

2012-07-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

It is day 1 and I've definitely felt a little hungrier between meals than I usually do. I don't know if that is due to lack of starch, but I worry that I'd over eat throughout the day because I "feel" hungry. Here is the breakdown of what I've had today, and you can tell me what you think.

I started the day with black tea, and also brewed enough extra tea to put some in the fridge. I have been on an iced tea kick lately. It is a little bitter without a bit of splenda, but the lemon and lime slices help. I then sauted the following for our breakfast frittata and for my egg muffins for the week.

Frittata ingredients:
1/2 onion
1 red bell pepper
1 anaheim pepper
2 cloves of garlic
3 links homemade sausage
1/2 cup shredded pork
9 stalks of asparagus
Saute in some clarified butter

I split the ingredients and put 1/2 in a saute pan with 10 beaten eggs and the other 1/2 was split into a large muffin pan - with 12 eggs divided into the 6 muffin slots. Yes, I did go through 22 eggs this morning!

Ingredients in a large muffin pan - waiting for the egg mixture to be poured on top.

The other 1/2 of the mix was cooked in one large frittata. Cook on the stove top for a few minutes, then pop into the oven at 350 degrees until it sets up.

Finished frittata

Finished Egg Muffins

Breakfast - 1/4 of the frittata topped with sliced avocado, side arugula salad with a light lemon dressing, and strawberries.

I ate an egg muffin for lunch with a sliced tomato. I was a little worried I might have too may eggs, since I don't think they will freeze well. I still have 2 slices of the frittata and 5 more egg muffins - and only 5 work days this week. I might be eating these as a snack or lunch this week too. Have you ever froze eggs in a frittata form? Did they turn out okay?

This afternoon I made a chicken salad for work lunches. I had 2 cans of chicken breast that I used. I checked the ingredients and noticed after I used it, it contained modified food starch. This is probably a no-no, but I hope most of it was drained down the sink. It was too late as I already made the salad. Next time I'll use leftover chicken.

Chicken Salad:
Homemade Mayo (2 egg yolks, EVOO, mustard, apple cider vinegar, paprika, salt & pepper)
2 celery stalks
1 apple
1/4 cup toast almond slivers
1 5oz can of sliced water chestnuts
2 5oz cans of canned chicken breast

Chicken salad - Tastes so good!

I split the chicken salad into 2 containers, it should feel substantial enough to be a meal tomorrow. I might take some butter lettuce and eat them in wrap/cup form in the leaves.

Tonight for dinner we are roasting chicken hind quarters. The leg and thigh are attached, and they were on sale and the whole chickens were about $10 each! I'll have to stock up next time the whole chickens are on sale. We are going to roast the chicken over celery, onion, fennel bulb, sweet potato, carrots, and garlic. I'll tell you how it is tomorrow.

So far, I'm feeling pretty good about everything. I am a little mad about the modified food starch in chicken - I really didn't want to make a mistake on my first day. And, like I said, I've been a little hungry today.

xo, Ivie

Whole 30 Challenge...Starts Tomorrow!

2012-06-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

I am participating in a 30 day challenge, outlined by this book: It Starts with Food

To give you an idea, it is mainly a Paleo style diet. Removing processed, refined foods from your diet. It can be used to weed out allergies and helps to promote optimal health, by putting only whole foods into your system. I am doing this because I like a challenge, and because I feel it is a good time to be healthy. I also like the idea of being more creative with our menu and find new ways to make delicious meals. I don't expect to lose a bunch of weight, if I do, it will be a benefit.

One of the things I will be cutting out for the next 30 days is alcohol. I don't think I've gone 30 days without an adult beverage since I turned 21. So this will definitely be a challenge and force of will. But I think I'm up for it. Besides, when we finally decide to start a family, I'll have to go 9-10 months without a drink (plus however long I decide to nurse). And speaking of starting a family, this is something on the horizon for us, and I'd like my body to be in optimal health to be able to hold up to the task of growing another human being.

In preparing for the start, July 1st, I began with meal planning for the week, and thankfully my fiance partnered with me in deciding our dinners. We sat down, like we do every week, and planned out dinner for each night of the week, and I added stuff for lunch salads, and frittata breakfasts that I can make in advance for the work week. I think we came up with some pretty good meals:

I am definitely a bargain shopper, so I was pretty excited about keeping our grocery bill for food under $130 for the week. We started by hitting-up our local fruit and veggie stand and getting the following - for less than $30:
basil, watermelon, bananas, fennel bulb, asparagus, lettuce, butternut squash, zucchini, celery, potatoes (for the fiance), yams, onion, tomatoes, shallots, ginger root, and garlic

After that, we went to our local Safeway and got the remaining veggies and meats. I load my Safeway card with coupons every week and am excited to see my savings - I'm not a "couponer" per-se, but I do love the advantage of extra savings.
At Safeway we got:
water chestnuts, tea, red wine vinegar, olives, coconut milk, eggs, butter, rib eye steak, loin tip steak, chicken legs, chicken cutlets, shrimp, bell peppers, avocados, lemons, apples, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, anaheim peppers, arugula, butter lettuce, thai basil, and oregano

I am feeling pretty confident that we can stick to the meals this week, and then we'll have one week under our belt. Like the book says - quitting heroin is hard, beating cancer is hard.....this is not HARD.

I will be prepping a lot of food tomorrow, but to start my prep, I turned a pound of butter into clarified butter, this evening.

Grocery store find - Organic Butter overstock only $1.99, regular price $5.99!

Melt the butter over low heat, and scrape off sediment as it forms.

After the sediment is removed from the top, slowly poor through a cheese cloth and you have clear, clarified butter!

I will admit, today, I am still enjoying some adult beverages, and we will be having nachos for dinner. But tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start!

My goal is to blog here and keep you updated on my journey. I'll share what we are eating (or at least what I am eating) and how I am feeling. I'll also share my struggles, as I'm sure there will be one or two (or more).

xo, Ivie

Zucchini Bites

2012-03-18T14:37:00.004-07:00

I have been on the lookout for healthy snacks and meals and found this recipe via a Pinterest post. The recipe looked so tasty and after I put the ingredients into Weight Watchers, each bite came out as only 1 point plus. So I immediately pulled the ingredients out of the fridge and made them. Yes I had all the ingredients on hand. I did make a couple of changes to the original recipe - I doubled the original recipe to fit into a regular muffin pan instead of a mini-muffin pan (the amounts I followed are written below), I made my own bread crumbs from bread I had up in the freezer and added dried herbs, and lastly, I added a few pinches of paprika.

Zucchini Bites

2 medium zucchini, shredded

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup shredded parmesan (2 oz.)

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

2 large eggs, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.

2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- like when using frozen spinach.

3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.

4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

My bites, just out of the oven!

I had 2 with breakfast, along with sauted kale and crimini mushrooms, topped with a fried egg.

Website where I found the original recipe:

http://curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com/2012/03/zucchini-tots.html

xo,

Ivie

But it was free......

2012-03-15T09:54:00.001-07:00

Today the new Nordstrom Rack opened in Westlake Center and there were DJ's, Live Music being setup across the way, and the Top Pot air-stream donut mobile. I had passed by to see all the excitement while heading into work and I stopped by and got a free donut......but not just any donut - My Favorite Donut the Old Fashion Glazed Donut, with the pink glazed cake donuts with sprinkles a close second (they had those too!). I stopped by the air-stream and asked if they still had the free giveaways and which ones were available. I immediately saw the Old Fashion Glazed and asked for one. I put it in my bag and began walking into work, slowly contemplating if I can eat this donut and when that will happen.

I looked up the Points on the Weight Watchers Website - they didn't have Top Pot specifically, but they did have the Starbucks Old Fashion - which is the same thing. And the verdict was 12 Points +, ouch! I don't think I can do 12 points for breakfast, especially if it won't keep me full until lunch. I think I may have 1/2 of it after lunch, as a treat.

I find it very difficult to say no to free stuff - it's a good thing it wasn't a pizza or cake!

What is your favorite donut?
Are you as weak to the "power of the donut" as I am?

Is it donut or doughnut?

xo,
Ivie

Encouragement and Discouragement

2012-03-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

I signed up for Weight Watchers last Thursday, but really just began counting my points properly on Monday. On Monday, I prepped for my week by cooking food for breakfasts and lunches, and prepped for some dinners. I felt confident and ready to take the "bull by the horns". I even felt great and didn't feel deprived or "starving" at any point during the day.

However, Tuesday was a different story. I was hungry, I mean HUNGRY, for most of the day. I ate 2 salads for midday - one at noon and another at 3pm! I wanted to eat candy and treats and didn't want vegetables. And as I was sitting at home last night, trying to figure out why Monday was so easy and Tuesday was torture I realized - It isn't too hard to go one day with reduced calories (I've sometimes gone a whole day only eating one small meal), but reducing calories for multiple days is a little different. I finally made it through the day yesterday, only dipping 3 points into my weekly "extra" points.

I'm hoping that today isn't as hard, or hungry, as yesterday.

Also, on a "why did I do that" discouraging note, I stood on the scale today. Again, why did I do that? When I first signed up for WW, I guessed at my weight, or just assumed it hadn't changed since I weighed myself 2 weeks earlier. But when I stood on it this morning it was 1.5 pound up (Yes UP) from my guess last Thursday. Well, this isn't starting out so great.

And to add injury to insult, I finally had one of my breakfast burritos today and I must say - the tortillas, that are so delicious for quesadillas, taste like crappy cardboard after they've been microwaved. Next time I will get a different tortilla.

I'm hoping this "hump" day is the only hurdle I have today and that it is smooth sailing through the weekend. I changed my weigh-in day to Sundays, I prefer a fresh start for the week, instead of Thursday; and I am not going to stand on the scale until Sunday. I hope that 1.5 pounds is gone by then.

What do you do to distract yourself from hunger? I need some tips and tricks, until my body gets used to its new calorie intake.

xo,
Ivie

Here we go again...

2012-03-13T12:23:00.005-07:00

Why does it always feel like I am starting over?

Last week I rejoined Weight Watchers. I signed up for the 3 month online special. This will help keep me committed, at least for the next 3 months. Also, my wedding is in a little under 6 months, so things need to start changing and I need to begin working on losing some extra weight (and that is quite the understatement - I have a lot to lose).

I registered last Thursday, but hadn't really started tracking properly until yesterday. I needed to go to the grocery store, and plan out meals. I finally planned out meals yesterday and went to the grocery store. After grocery shopping, I spent 3 hours cooking and prepping meals for the week.

Here is the Plan!

Breakfast:
Option 1: Hot Oatmeal with a tablespoon of jam and a tablespoon of peanut butter. I love this combo in the morning and it generally keeps me full until lunch. (Approx 8 P+)
Option 2: Homemade Breakfast Burritos - I made 8 burritos last night with 1 pound homemade chorizo, 8 eggs, and 6 red potatoes. I wrapped them in La Tortilla Factory tortillas - that are low carb/high fiber and actually taste good. (Approx 9 P+)

Lunch: Ginger Carrot Curry Soup (Approx 6 P+ for 16 oz), and leafy green lettuce with balsamic dressing and craisins ( 3 P+)
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=308098380

Dinner: Various interpretations of Chicken and Brown Rice. This sounds boring, but I think I can make it exciting. I still have 24 points to play with today, yippee.

I am keeping track of recipes I'd like to try and plan on cooking a few this weekend to prep for next week. It should be fun! I haven't really been cooking much at home, since Ryan began working. I am the only one around and I find it difficult to meal plan for one. However, it does save on the grocery bills!

What are your favorite "Chicken and Rice" recipes?

xo,
Ivie

Step 1 - Get Up!

2011-09-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Image from: Womenshealthtip.com

This morning the alarm went off at 6:00am. I know for most people, this is the regular time they get out of bed and begin their day, but not for me, I usually get up around 7:30am and catch a bus at 8:05am to work, and on the weekends, I like to sleep until 8:00am or 9:00am, if I'm lucky. However, in an effort to better myself (once again) I joined a gym and am making it a goal to work-out Monday thru Thursday before work. On Friday's, I will still get up at 6:00am but instead of going to the gym, I'll just head into work early so I can get out early and start my weekend. I decided to do my workouts early, because I can easily talk myself out of working-out after work. At least by going in the morning, I'm not quite awake and by the time I fully wake up, I'm already downtown.

Right now, I am struggling with trying to remain focused and keep my eyes open. I am incredibly tired and cannot stop yawning. I was hoping for extra energy after getting my workout in early. I hope tomorrow is easier.

Do you workout in the morning or evening?

Which do you find easier?

xo, Ivie

An Engagement

2011-09-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Most Weddings begin with an engagement, which begins with a ring and a proposal. However, my story began a different way and is still playing out. There was no diamond ring, there was no "down on one knee", there is just a man and a woman in love and ready for a congregated lifetime commitment.

Ryan and I have been together for 6 1/2 years, we've been through tough times and we've had wonderful experiences together. We love and support each other. We've also had many conversations about our future and our lifetime commitment to one another. We've spoken about what we want from our future and how we will eventually have a family and grow old together. A wedding was something that we would mention here and there, but we were waiting for certain things to fall into place. All those things may not have happened, but together we decided the timing would be right to get married next year.

There was no surprise, there was no ring; but the moment was ours. We decided together to make a public commitment in the presence of our friends and family next year. We will exchange vows, exchange rings, and revel with friends. We are excited for this day.

So I guess if you were to ask, "I am engaged and have a fiance". Those are odd words to me, but they are part of me now. I wear a ring, that was a Christmas gift from Ryan's mom. It is a simple white gold ring with my birthstone; but soon enough I will replace this ring with a wedding band that Ryan and I will pick together and exchange as a token of our love.

In the next year, there is a lot to be done. And when September 1, 2012 arrives, I hope everything falls in to place for a beautiful celebration. I will keep you updated on my goals for that day (there will be some weight loss - as I've put back on, what I lost), and there will be some budgeting wedding ideas. I am lucky to have many gifted and talented friends who can help us plan our day and I'm sure when the days arrives, I will be eternally indebted to them.

I hope this finds you well.
Happy Labor Day!
xox, Ivie

2011-07-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

I just want to document - Last night I slept for 10 hours, and I don't feel bad about. It was wonderful, it was necessary and I feel 1000% better today.

Yesterday, I was feeling frustrated, exhausted, and apparently hormonal. I broke down and cried at work - the first time since being back in 9 months. Thankfully, my boss is understanding and wonderful.

I also want to apologize for the blogging break - with free flowing money in our bank - not so flowing, our meals and life have been on a 6 day repeat - Hamburgers, Pasta, Sausage, Chicken & Rice, Pizza, Leftovers. I'm hoping things will improve, but I have a feeling budgets are not going to change too much in the next year. They might even get tighter.

What do you meal plan on a budget?
What are your staple dinners?

xo,
Ivie

Pork Adventures

2011-07-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

4th of July Porkfest Weekend

We spent most of the 4th of July weekend making sausage and cooking various pork products. We made the sausage, packaged it up and put them in the freezer for future meals. By making our own sausage we save money, know exactly what is in it, and can share it with friends - at a fraction of the price!

Pork Shoulder only $1.29/lb. at Costco

Cubed Pork Ready to Grind for Sausage

My Beautiful Stand Mixer does all the hard work!

Grinding the pork shoulder that has been tossed in the spices for the sausage.

3 kinds of Pork Sausage, Venison Sausage, Pork Ribs & Pork Butt for Smoking for July 4th BBQ and under all that - Flank Steak for Dinner later in the week. Our fridge is a little obscene after a trip to Costco. They have quality meat at amazing prices.

Smoking 1/2 of the sausage that was cased. The other half was packed into 1 pound packages and frozen. We smoked 2 layers of sausage, you can see the venison sausage under the andouille.

4th of July BBQ

For the 4th of July, we went over to our Friend's (Nick & David's) house. We made Pulled Pork Sliders, Baby Back Ribs, Potato Salad, and Corn Muffins. Below are some pictures from cooking and the finished product.

First Layer of Smoked Pork - Pork Butt for Pulled Pork Sliders.

Meat Cage!

Baby Back Ribs - on Meat Layer 2

The finished Ribs were falling off the bone. Sorry for the carnage picture, but there was not way to take this picture without it looking like carnage. The meat fell clean off the bone and was delicious!

Assembled pulled pork sliders, with our homemade coleslaw and dinner rolls from Costco. Ryan whipped up a BBQ sauce that made these extra delicious!

Corn Bread muffins with Cheddar on top!

It was a fun weekend and full of delicious food!

Did you BBQ for the 4th of July? What did you make?

xo,

Ivie

Friendship

2011-06-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

While on the bus today, I started thinking about friendship. I've had many friends all through my life, I've been hurt by friends and I've been comforted by friends. But what I started thinking about today was, what is the cycle of friends? My best friend is a lovely lady that I met in 1998, so we've only known each other for 13 years, but in those 13 years, our friendship has not floundered, it has not felt forced, and I know I can always lean on it. She is my rock and the person I have called on in the early hours of the morning. Aside from my boyfriend/partner, I know she will always be there for me, and I know I would do anything for her; including driving the 5 hours in the middle of the night if necessary.

I am not talking about those strong relationships, I'm talking about the other ones. The people we call "friends". I have friends, but as I get older I find my friend circle shrinking. I probably can't even name 5 people (outside of family) that I would feel comfortable calling at 2 am with a problem. I know this is a high standard to hold a friend, but at the same time, I hold myself to a high "friend" standard.

Do friends come into you life for a purpose and sometimes when that purpose is met, they move on? Are some friends, like our fairy god-mothers to get us through a hard time and when that time has passed, so are they? I'm not saying these friends are less of a friend, but the friendship does end and other friends move in.

It is just a few thoughts running through my mind lately:
Who could I call at 2 am?
Who would I rely on?
Who would call or rely on me?
Who do I miss?

Even if all the people that would fall within those 4 questions could fit on one hand, I still feel like a very lucky woman. I love my friends and I hope they feel they can rely as I feel I could rely on them.

xo,
Ivie

Weekend Plans

2011-06-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend we are off to Montana for a wedding and I got this dress to wear. I am excited about the new floor length maxi dress. The best features - pockets and convertible straps! I got it on sale at Macy's. I also got a white sweater to wear over it, so that my arms are covered.

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=553131&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results

When you go to a wedding, do you get dressed up? How dressy do you usually get?

I still don't know what shoes to wear, you won't actually be able to see my feet and I don't wear heals. I prefer to be comfortable. I might get some sparkle TOMS, which I can wear all summer long.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/toms-classic-glitter-slip-on-women/3062810?origin=keywordsearch&resultback=1686

Have you heard of TOMS? It is a great philanthropic company and I hear they make the most comfortable shoes! Check them out!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, I'll update you on the weekend when I get back next Tuesday!

xo,

Ivie

Smaller Dinner Servings

2011-06-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

I have been working on serving myself smaller plates. I am trying not to pile my plate high of food and then eating the plate clean. This has been difficult lately, because with an increase in exercise has been an increase in appetite. I am not sure how to handle the increased hunger, except with sheer willpower; and I don't have a strong will. How do you deal with extra hunger when working out?

Dinner Wednesday Night

Wild Mushroom Agniolotti (Ravioli) with Pasta Sauce and Chunks of Homemade Italian Sausage. We got the ravioli at Costco and will be purchasing them again in the future. We each had 10 ravioli (technically 2 servings) and it was more than enough and very delicious. Next time I will start with 7 ravioli, I need to continue to work on smaller dishes; starting with 2 servings, even if it looks small, is not a good start.

Dinner Thursday Night

Cheesy Shrimp and Grits with Bacon and Green Onions. Ryan made a homemade shrimp stock and we used it for the grits, we also added some cream and white cheddar to the grits. We topped the grits with shrimp cooked with thyme, bacon, and green onions. This was delicious and I could have had more, but this is an indulgent meal, and I didn't want to over do it. Have you had shrimp and grits?

xo,

Ivie

Super Feet!

2011-06-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

Super Feet

I feel like I have new feet! I know I seem a little overly excited, but for the past week, my right foot has H-U-R-T. I dreaded walking around the house and had no desire to do my morning walks. It was painful and my ankle even began popping with every step. I had purchased some Dr. Scholl's inserts over the weekend, but they didn't provide the support I needed. So, on Tuesday, I went downstairs at work (Nordstrom) and purchased some Super Feet. I was hesitant at first, because they cost $30-40 a pair, but I was in too much pain to continue to do what I was doing. I am so happy I bought these - in "Berry".

Dinner Monday Night -

Brisket Chili and Cupboard Chili merged magically to make this delicious dish. We used our leftover BBQ brisket, added it to a cupboard chili (crushed tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, corn, onions, garlic, and spices). I topped mine with green onion, and it added a "bite" and "crunch" that was perfect.

Featured Snack of the Week - About 100 Calories; 2 Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges and Celery Sticks!

Featured Breakfast of the Week - Boiled Egg with S&P, Fresh Cut Strawberries!

Do you use shoe inserts? I have flat feet and definitely need the support.

xo,

Ivie

Prepping for the week

2011-05-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Menu for this week!

It was pointed out to me that Pasta and Ravioli are the same thing.....I meant to write Pasta Sauce and Ravioli or Spicy Italian Sausage Sauce and Ravioli, but I got lazy. This week we are keeping it simple and I plan on serving myself smaller main dishes with a side salad for each meal. I have a LARGE container of mixed greens. I also plan on making salads for lunch this week.

To prep for the week, I cooked up 2 chicken breasts and then diced them and packaged them in 3 ounce baggies.

Chicken - Grilled and ready for lunch!

On Tuesday night, we are planning leftover Pea Soup and Quesadillas. Quesadillas are hard to make when I'm counting calories, because each tortilla is usually between 100-150 calories. I found these tortillas and tested one for lunch today. They are delicious and soft! They don't taste like cardboard, like most high fiber, whole wheat tortillas! They are a big win for me!

My new favorite Tortillas! La Tortilla Factory brand has been the best tortillas I've found, besides homemade tortillas.

Only 50 calories per tortilla and 7 grams of Fiber! WOW!

Ok, time to go ride my bike, and give my foot a day off. It is feeling a lot better today and the swelling has reduced considerably!

xo,

Ivie