Happy 4th of July week!

Hopefully this finds you on a week long vacation, since the holiday is smack in the middle of the week - how incovenient!  Me?  Nope... not headed anywhere this week, you'll find me working four days.  There are head surgeries to have in the somewhat near future, birthday parties to plan, and trips to North Carolina to be made again this fall, all of that means no 4th of July holiday week for me.

On top of that its hot... really hot, and humid, like can't breathe when you walk out the door humid, and there really isn't a break in sight all week!  So... what's a smart, calorie conscious girl to do?  Concoct a points-plus friendly version of a delicious, icy cocktail, make it nightly, and repeat!

So, can I offer you a cocktail?


1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 single-serve packet of Crystal Light lemonade (or similar)
1 oz vodka - if you want more that is between you and the bottle... just make sure to count the calories/points for it.  I'm not here to judge
3-4 crushed ice cubes
Sprite Zero, or similar diet lemon-lime soda

Get out a magic bullet- or blender of your choice.  I happen to love love love my Magic Bullet (no one paid a dime for me to say that either).  Fill with strawberries, lemonade mix, vodka, crushed ice cubes, and fill with sprite to the top - leave a little room so it doesn't overflow when you blend.

Blend on high for about 10 seconds.

Garnish with a lemon slice and strawberry on the side.
Drink, and repeat!

Happy 4th!
Stay cool and safe!
And drink Light Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Responsibly.

To my partner in the good and bad, "L"s dad, contest winner, coffee loving Canadian, Lily's dad, sometimes forgetful, cute, sweet 95% of the time, best friend, holder of my hand through the death of my own dad, a miscarriage, 30 ultrasounds, 1 echo cardiogram, 1 amnio, 2 C-sections, and as I lost 116 pounds. Cleaner of puke and poop.  Wiper of tears.

I know a lot of people write and sent out a Christmas letter.  We've never done it before, but I guess this year seems as good as any given the amount of change in our lives.  Since I just sent out birth announcements, and we are still working on Thank Yous... sorry if you haven't received yours yet, we are slowly getting through them... I just can't see myself taking on another task this holiday of addressing all of the cards/letters and getting them in the mail.

I decided that most of the people I would normally send this letter to anyway, read my blog.

So here's you go... here's is our Christmas letter... ENJOY!

Dear Friends, Family, and Blog Readers,
As I was wrapping Christmas presents the other day, I could not believe that another year has come and gone.  I can hardly believe that in two short days, we'll be celebrating Christmas with our family of 4. 

Shortly after Christmas last year, I attend the wedding of my niece in Portland, OR.  I went solo, while Mike and "L" stayed home.  It was nice to escape Minnesota January for 4 days in balmy Portland, and it was so fun to see my sisters, mom, and brother Bob.

Me and my oldest sister... don't we look hot?

Baby Lily at 6 weeks as a tiny bean.

On May 12th, our world turned upside when we learned at our 19 week ultrasound that there were complications with our baby.

We spent the months of May, June, July, and August at doctor appointment, after appointment. I had 28 ultrasounds and 1 MRI during my pregnancy, but despite all of the dire predictions, our baby, Lily Grace, was born on the 16th of September via a scheduled C-section. 


She was 5 pounds and 9 ounces and 18-1/2 inches long.  She spent 36 hours in the NICU, but came home when I was released 4 days later!

Prior to our hospital release we finally had our answer to the difficulties during my pregnancy.  Lily is missing 1 chromosome - an "X".  She is an XO instead of an XX.  But that's about all she is missing.  In the past 3 months she has shown us that she is a feisty little character, full of projectile vomit (from a horrible case of reflux), but even more full of smiles.  She has beautiful blue eyes!  Lily will likely have surgery next summer to remove excess skin from the back of her neck and a remainder of the growth from the back of her head.  It is considered cosmetic and should be outpatient.  Given all the scenarios we could care less that Lily is missing one of her "X"s.  She should be able to lead a relatively normal life.  She will never be able to have children of her own, and she be quite short, but we will support her as a family however we can.


We've spent the last 3 months loving on our little girl.  I can't say Lily has been an easy baby.  She has horrible reflux, and is very colicky, but even in the hardest of moments, I find myself staring down at her, and thanking God for letting us hold her and love her on this side of my womb.

The same day that Lily was born I found out that I won the people's choice in the Minnesota's Most Valuable Blogger contest!  Thank you to everyone that voted for me.  What a thrill to find out I won on the day of Lily's birth.

Last night as I was feeding Lily I was listening to Christmas music on my iPad.  Silent night started to play, and as I gazed down at the sweet little girl resting peacefully in my arms, I thought of Mary as a mother... many thousands of years ago, and I cried as I wondered what her pregnancy was like, what struggles she went through before and on the night that Jesus was born.  I wondered what she possibly could have thought when she found out that not only was she pregnant with a child she didn't plan on but that she was going to give birth in a barn! 



Dear friends, families, and strangers from around that world that have prayed for our family this year.  It is because of your prayers, and the amazing power of that baby, that was born in Bethlehem long ago, that I hold my daughter tonight.  I will never find the words to thank you enough.  This is by far the best Christmas I have ever had.  Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Love,
Mike and Sarah
"L" and Lily
Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill towards men!

Last year I did a healthy edition of my favorite things - things that I personally own and love.  This year, given the journey we've been on with our new baby girl, I thought I'd do a different twist on that, and present to you the second annual Fat Little Legs, My Favorite Things - Kids and Baby Edition.  Just in time for Christmas!

Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper

I cannot say enough about my love for this sleeper.  My sister-in-law and family got it for us just after Lily was born.  It is the perfect angle for her, given her reflux issues.  Last night she slept 8 hours in this thing without making a peep!

Wubbanub

This little animal with an attached paci is amazing if your little one is a paci spitter like Lily.  They can more easily hold on to it, and keep it in their mouth.  She loves to rub this little lamb's head.  They also have a ton of other cute designs.  Shh... but Lily is getting the caterpillar for Christmas

The Blender Bottle

Invaluable for mixing clumpy formula... like soy!  It has a little stainless steel whisk ball in it that breaks up the clumps as you shake it.  Also the lid is TIGHT... take it from someone who had a  container of formula where the lid popped off recently... not good in your eyes, hair, and mouth!  These can also be used to make smoothies and protein shakes.  Awesome dual purpose... one for me... one for you!

Puzzle Books from Usbourne


My son loves these books from Usbourne.  He loves the story lines, and loves the challenges of finding the hidden objects, and doing the activities on each page.

Crayola Color Wonder Kit - Cars Edition

This has been my standard birthday party gift for the past year.  It is perfect for probably 3 years and up.  It comes in the Cars Edition like above, or a princess edition, and its reasonably priced at around $15.  You can find this at Target too in the school supplies section.  The best part is... other parents will love you because the markers and paint included ONLY make color on the special paper and books.

Tiny Love Gymini

We used this with "L" and now already at 2 months Lily loves it.  It folds up for easy storage, and it has toys you can hang, but also detach.  It plays music - both nursery rhymes and classical.  We all love it!

Robeez

Because both my babies have been tiny, they've had these little itsy bitsy feet that socks never work for.  Robeez are amazing!  They hold up great... we are using some giraffe ones we had for "L" for Lily right now, and they STAY ON a baby's feet!  I got these bubble gum ones for Lily while I was still pregnant.

Moby Wrap


I LOVE my Moby Wrap.  I can hold Lily close to me with no hands... how I often work!  It works great for when I don't want to haul our car seat into Costco or Target either.  Very secure for the baby... and way better than a sling for your back.  Its easy to learn to tie, once you practice a few times.

Bumbo Seat

We love the Bumbo!  Already at 2 months little Lily can "sit up" in it!  You can even buy a tray to attach for feeding or toys.

I could probably go on and on... but I'll stop there.
Disclosure note:  While none of these companies are paying me to say these things about their products, these are my Amazon.com affiliate links, and clicking on one and buying something will result in a tiny commission being paid to me.

It's Thanksgiving Eve... and many times I've thought of composing this post, and each time I even stare at the blank screen I start to cry.

For despite dealing with lack of sleep, low self-esteem, a colicky, refluxy baby, and a house that always seems in mess and chaos, I have never been more thankful.

At the beginning of this year, I set out some major goals:  run a 10k, eat cleaner, lose 10 more pounds, but its funny how goals change.  Here I am, with only a month left in the year, not having run a 10k, in fact, I haven't run since February, admitting that I have eaten way more than my share of pies and licorice, and 40 pounds more than I was last Thanksgiving.  And while I find it hard to look at myself in the mirror these days and love what I see, I still have never been more thankful.

I have a turkey breast in my fridge to cook for tomorrow - who knows if it will ever make it to the oven, and my mashed potatoes are prepackaged from Costco, I have no gravy, and I shudder to think that my cranberries may actually have to come out of a can.  I have high hopes to make a pumpkin bread pudding recipe, but in my heart I know that we'll end up with a store bought pie.  And yet... I've never been more thankful!

At work this past week, I found spit up crusted to the shoulder of my new Ann Taylor shirt, and there was no makeup on my face.  About 2 pm I felt as though I might actually collapse in a heap on top of my desk, and yet I have never been more thankful.

I clean poop out of the underwear of a 4 year old that can't seem to learn that holding it in all day is not working for him... and yet I've never been more thankful.

Currently I have no clean sheets, and in fact the last 2 nights I have slept on top of a pillowcase thrown over baby puke on my sheets. I also currently have no clean pajamas due to being projectile vomited on many times. My bedroom smells like sour milk and my couches are going to have to be replaced, but yet the reason is because there is a real, live baby girl projectile vomiting all over these items, and I have never been more thankful!

As you gather your families around the Thanksgiving table tomorrow, remember that you never know what is going to happen in life.  Life can change so suddenly.  So make sure to enjoy every single minute you have with the ones you love, and thank God for them regardless of the difficulties or circumstances. 

Remember to give thanks for the obvious things... and maybe the not so obvious ones too!

A repost from last Thanksgiving... here are my favorite Thanksgiving recipes - PointsPlus values included!  ENJOY!
Cranberry Orange Relish

There is nothing I love more than a tasty cranberry sauce. It is SO easy to make… and tastes 1000 times better than the canned stuff. This is awesome as a condiment for sandwiches, and even a dessert topping. This is the recipe I’ve used for the past several years. I’ve lightened it by subbing some Splenda for the sugar and using Light Orange Juice.

Makes approximately 4 cups of sauce.
1 serving = ¼ cup = 1 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value

½ cup Splenda
½ cup Honey
2 cups Orange Juice – I use Trop50 Light Orange Juice
2 Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 Tbsp fresh orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
3 cups fresh cranberries – basically 1 bag
1 tsp sea salt

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the Splenda, honey and orange juice. Simmer until everything is completely dissolved. Add the ginger, orange zest and cinnamon stick. Stir. Next, add the cranberries and simmer stirring occasionally for 45-60 minutes. The mixture should become thick. Remove from heat and stir in the salt.

This can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator.


Sarah’s Stuffing

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found about 5 years ago on www.allrecipes.com. I’ve changed some of the ingredients to my tastes, and lightened it a bit, eliminating unneeded butter, and using reduced-fat sausage.

12 servings
1 serving = ½ cup = 4 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values

12 oz Jimmy Dean reduced-fat sausage
2 cups chopped onion
2 apples – peeled, cored, and chopped
2 cups chopped celery
1 Tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup dried cranberries
14 oz Pre package stuffing mix – like Pepperidge Farm
2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 Tbsp fresh sage leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat cook the sausage until brown. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl. Now, use the same skillet over medium heat and add the onions, apples, celery, and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Stir in rosemary, cranberries, and sage.

Mix the onion mixture with the sausage mixture and Stuffing Mix in the large bowl. Add the chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste.

I’ll be honest; I usually don’t stuff the turkey… I actually make this the day before, and then put it in my crock pot on low to reheat on Thanksgiving Day. Easy Peasy… and delicious!


Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes – aka Drunk Potatoes
Makes 8 servings
1 serving = ½ of a full potato = 6 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values

My husband is Canadian, and last year he went to his sister’s house in Vancouver for Canadian Thanksgiving… which is in October – usually the same day as Columbus Day in the US. They made sweet potatoes that were glazed with a mixture of Kahlua, butter, and sugar. I took the same ingredients… added in a streusel topping and decided to make twice baked potatoes with it instead… here’s the yummy result:

4 medium-sized sweet potatoes/yams
3 Tbsp Light Butter
3 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup Kahlua or other coffee flavored Liqueur

For the topping:
3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 Tbsp Light Butter, softened
¼ cup chopped pecans

Cut the potatoes lengthwise in half; place the cut-sides down on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake 30 to 35 min. on 425 degrees or until tender.

Remove from oven and cool a few minutes until you can handle them, and then scoop out the centers of potatoes into a bowl, leaving behind the shell.

Add 3 Tbsp of the light butter, 3 Tbsp of the brown sugar, and the Kahlua to the sweet potatoes. Mash until everything is well combined, and mixture is fairly smooth.

Fill the shells with potato mixture;

In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients: 3 Tbsp brown sugar, the flour, 2 Tbsp Light Butter, and the chopped pecans. Mix together until crumbly. Top each potato with about a Tbsp of the mixture.

Return the potatoes to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the filling is heated through and the crumb topping is just starting to brown.


Green Beans with Yellow Pepper Butter
This is a classic recipe that makes an excellent substitution to the traditional Green Bean Casserole that is found on many Thanksgiving dinner tables. This recipe was taken from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, and adapted by me to lighten it up. I think it tastes just as great as the original.

Serves 8
Servings Size = ½ cup = 3 PointsPlus Values

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium yellow sweet pepper, coarsely shredded
4 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups green beans, trimmed
1 large yellow sweet pepper, cut into thin strips

In a small saucepan melt the 1 tablespoon butter. Add the shredded sweet pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor bowl combine the 4 Tablespoons softened butter and the pine nuts. Cover; blend or process until almost smooth. Add cooked sweet pepper, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Cover; blend or process until almost smooth. Set aside.

In a covered saucepan cook beans in a small amount of boiling water for 12 minutes. Add the sweet pepper strips the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain the beans and sweet pepper strips.

To serve, transfer beans and sweet pepper strips to a serving bowl. Add the blended margarine mixture; toss to coat.

Happy Belated Independence Day!  We were so incredibly busy having fun and soaking in the sun over the past 3 days that I totally forgot to blog! 
My weekend?  Amazing!  The weather was perfect, we saw a parade, and "L" and I made this:

Its this recipe... Yes it was a ton of work, but amazingly delicious, and no it is probably something you don't want to know the Points Plus values for.
This weekend I took the time to celebrate my freedom.  Freedom from what?
-- From constantly thinking about the issues with my pregnancy and our baby girl, and just loving life for a few days - eating BBQ ribs, watching a parade, roasting smores, and running in the sprinkler
-- From thinking about food constantly (yes I know I get a pass this year as I'm pregnant), and just trying to be conscious about portions, making sure what I am eating is fresh (see above cheesecake, no artificial ingredients there), tastes amazing, and is always in moderation!
-- Guilt (mommy guilt, food guilt, weight guilt, not writing on blog guilt).

I also thank God I live in a country that allows me to express my opinions and live my life the way I want to live it!  Happy Birthday USA!

At the same time I celebrated my 13th wedding anniversary yesterday.  13 years ago on July 4, 1998 I married my best friend.  When you say wedding vows there is usually something in there about for better and for worse.  Well... there have been lots of "betters", but in the past several years, we seem to have had our share of "worsts".  During the betters, life is easy, marriage is easy.  Thinking about it, I am certainly glad though that through the worsts I have my husband by my side.  I cannot imagine doing any of this without him, or with someone else.  Hopefully in the near future we'll be able to enjoy the betters together once again.

I trust that you all had a fabulous holiday weekend.


If the fun of my Christmas was in direct proportion to the amount food I ate than I had a great one! A great thing for having a fun. A horrible thing for the way my pants feel this morning!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted, as long as it was special – something I normally don’t eat/have. Well… I guess I apparently was feeling a little suppressed, because everything was special and I had some. Honestly, though, most things really were things I don’t normally have:

Tamales – check
Beef Taquitos – check
Lots of Guacamole - check
Godiva Chocolate from my stocking – check check triple check!
Lefse – homemade by me – with butter or cheese and apple Gouda sausage – check
Cranberry Walnut Bread – check
Marzipan Stolen - check
So many pieces of fudge and lemon curd shortbread cookies that I lost count – again made by me check x 100
Various glasses of champagne, bloody Marys and other alcoholic beverages – check!
Homemade Chex Mix – gotta have it!
Cheesy Twice Baked Potatoes - check
Cherry Pie – check!

So there… you can see that, I too, am fallen.

I stand before you confessing my holiday food sins. Except guess what? I don’t feel much shame… maybe a little – mostly for the little bit of spillover I had into Sunday.

Yeah, my pants feel tight this morning, and I’m having a sugar hangover. I’m up 8 pounds (not kidding), most of which HAS to be water retention right? – think ham + alcohol = double whammy! The old me would have thrown in the towel for the rest of the year, which sounds way worse than it is at this point in the calendar. But the new me… she got up, showered, put the tight pants on, did her hair and makeup, made a breakfast of oatmeal and yogurt, worked out, turned down an invite to eat lunch out and instead ate a small ham sandwich, a banana, an orange, and some cucumbers, and drank 6 glasses of water today so far. She is moving on with …away from those few days of eating with abandon.

Good try ghosts of fat Sarah past… I know this trick you play… but you lose this time!

I win! I win because I did Christmas the way I wanted, and am still under goal (barely) and here to tell about it. So I’m up a few pounds… I know exactly what to do about that. I’m not going to let it get me down.

As I’ve said many times before… this is life and I intend on living it! Besides… it’s Monday

How are you recovering from Christmas, or do you even need recovery?

Whew!  Mere hours to go until the big day is here... the presents are wrapped, the stockings are hung, the food is made, the house is decorated.  I am finally breathing a sigh of relief.  Good grief I LOVE the holidays, I really do, but sometimes it is all a bit much, and I just want everything to be as perfect as possible. 

Amid of all of that, a find a longing for a sense of peace this holiday season - to be able to step away from the chaos and the brokenness for just a moment and take it ALL in.  To find the beauty all around me... even in the imperfect and broken.  Isn't that what Christmas is about?  A long, ill-timed journey for a pregnant lady, a child born in basically a barn, and then laid in the trough where animals fed.  It was imperfect, and yet it all worked!  Boy, I don't know about you, but I can certainly identify with that.

It is with that thought, that I wish you the most joyous of Christmases, A wonderful holiday season, and a bright and healthy upcoming 2011!  Thank you for coming along on this journey with me this year.

I leave you with a song I have found a lot of comfort in the past few days.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Four years ago in November 2006, I sat on Thanksgiving sad and fearful for the future.  I had a horrible year.  I had become pregnant earlier in the year only to suffer a miscarriage, and then be diagnosed with PCOS and resulting infertility.  I was told that because I was so fat, I would have difficulty conceiving a child.  I was told that if I did conceive I would have a 50 percent chance of a miscarriage.  I was disheartened and broken!  I felt betrayed by my body and forgotten by God.  I weighed about 125 pounds more than I do today.  I didn't see how I could be given a different future. 

On New Years Day 2007 - only a little more than 1 month later, I woke up on New Years morning to a positive pregnancy test.  I was both overjoyed and unbelievably scared.  I spent the next 7-1/2 months throwing up, stressing out, checking blood sugars, and my pregnancy culminated in an emergency C-section with 3 pound 4 oz little boy who spent 27 days in the NICU.  Regardless of the circumstances, I was blessed.  The first year of my son's life passed quickly but I still found myself 115 pounds heavier than today.  My future certainly had been changed with the long-awaited addition of a child, but I still felt like I didn't have much of a future at my current weight.  I certainly couldn't me the mother I wanted to be at that weight.  And then I was told by my doctor that my weight was a contributing factor in my pregnancy issues, and would likely result in infertility for me if I wanted to have any more children.  I needed to change something.  I needed to change my life.  This was probably one of the last pictures that was taken of me as I started this journey...

Me Thanksgiving 2008

Fast forward four years since that Thanksgiving, which now seems, so long ago.  I am lighter in weight there is no doubt, and my future has certainly been changed beyond what I could ever have believed, but once again I feel heavy in spirit.  My heart longs for another child.  In a way, I feel like I am back in that same spot that I was 4 years ago. I feel the same despair that my future will not be changed, and this time I can't blame it on being fat.  For some reason, being able to blame it on fat seemed easier.  I at least had a scapegoat.  I held up my end of the bargain.  I took control of what I could, I lost the weight that was creating the issues... the problem is... the issues didn't go away.  So what do you do with that?  Tonight I want to cry and swear and eat too much and drink too much.  I want to cover my head up and lay in bed and not come out.  The thought of going through a holiday season with this burden is overwhelming to me tonight - and it came suddenly out of nowhere very quickly today.  It feels so eerily familiar.  It takes me back to a very dark time in my life, and I hate it. 

Welcome to the last day of Healthy Living During the Holidays Week. I hope you’ve enjoyed this week, and that we’ve given you some tips to help you be just a little healthier this holiday season. I do wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. This week please take a moment to reflect on what you are most thankful for.


Now on to my final post for this week…

So… you’ve been given lots of information this week to try and help make your holiday just a little healthier. You have the recipes and the tools at your disposal, and now you must make a choice. It is up to YOU. You have 3 choices:
1) You can decide that you will give it your all this holiday season. That you will not behave differently because of the holidays. That you keep a pretty regular exercise schedule. You will still be able to indulge, but reasonably. You will cut back on non celebretory days to compensate for those with holidays and special occasions. Come January 1st you will be lighter.

2) You can decide to indulge yourself, go off your workout schedule, and not have to worry about living healthy during the holidays. You can decide that you’ll start over after the holidays. Come January 1st, you will be heavier.

3) You can decide to maintain during the holidays. You can decide to sometimes induldge, and sometimes be on your program. You can decide to sometimes workout, and sometimes skip, maybe because of so many other commitments. Come January 1st, you’ll weigh the same.

You have options, and you get to choose, that is an amazing and empowering truth. No one is going to judeg you for choosing 2 or 3 over 1. I have chosen two different strategies in the past 2 years. The first year I chose to lose, and I remained focused. I had my biggest monthly weight loss in the past 2 years during the month of December 2008 – 11.2 pounds! Last year, I chose to maintain. I chose to sometimes be on my program, and sometimes not. I chose to workout a little less, and during the month of December I lost about 1 pound. Both times I was happy with my decision, even though the decision were very different.

So… make YOUR decision. What will you choose? There is no right or wrong answer. Whatever you do, you will be a success!

Now take the last few hours of the day to Enter my Cookbook Giveaway

Good morning!

I have a summary post that will be up later today bringing an official end to Healthy Living During the Holidays Week, but until then, don't forget that today is the last day to enter to win the Weight Watchers cookbook.

Joy over at http://transparentjoy.blogspot.com has lost over 50 pounds. Her goal is to honor the Lord and be obedient to Him, to love His people and to use her life as a living example for many.  I personally think she is doing a great job. So wise… So let’s listen to what she has to say.


The holidays are upon us. My goodness Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away! I am already feeling the hustle and bustle of things beginning to happen! Its here, folks, can’t believe it!!!

If you are like me, up to this point, you may have been a little self centered and focused on your weight loss and fitness journey. By now, you might be feeling a little stressed, your blood pressure is rising. Already there is so much you have to do for yourself, your family and your other obligations, that the upcoming holidays just adds a little extra pressure to your already busy life. You also might be thinking that there is just not enough time left in the day to exercise, or plan your meals or journal your calories….DON’T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT QUITTING AND PUTTING OFF WHAT’S IMPORTANT FOR YOU!!! YOU CAN’T QUIT NOW!!! Just saying…

Anyway, in the “old” days, by now I would be thinking of all of the wonderful goodies and treats I would be making for my friends and family, and of course, I would be planning our huge Thanksgiving meal.

So this year…instead of putting all of my energy and focus on the food of the season…I’ve decided that I’m making the holidays more about people!
Giving of my time and money….

Whoa, you might say…”Right now I neither have enough time nor enough money to spare!!”

I get it...I get it!!!

But I would like to challenge you and ask you to trust the Lord with this mission.

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:25

So if you are up to it. Spend your time blessing others. Give your hubby backrubs…Play games with your kids…Spend time and money at a homeless shelter or a food bank…Make cards and send them to your friends…Call someone you have not spoken to in a while…Call someone and make amends…Invite your single neighbor over for Thanksgiving dinner…Give Blood…Visit someone in the hospital…Start a Bible Study with your co-workers…Take your boss out to lunch…Volunteer at your church…Make things and take them to a nursing home…Pick up trash…Open doors for people…Let someone in when merging on the highway…Give grace to others…Give out hugs…Say a kind word…Just be a blessing to all!!

Now don’t get me wrong. Don’t forget about your health and fitness goals and other obligations. You still need to keep focused!

This holiday season; don’t put your focus on the food. Focus on others…be giving…be generous…be a Blessing and then you too will be refreshed!

Are you with me?
Keep focused!!

Welcome to Day 5 of Living Healthy During the Holidays week. I hope you’ve been enjoying the recipes, guest posts, and giveaway I’ve had for you so far. Don’t tune out just yet though, as we still have some good stuff left to talk about. Today’s post is by yours truly. I’d really love it if you’d leave me a comment and let me know how you’re liking this special theme week so far.

And don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS feed, so you can make sure that you don’t miss a minute of the remainder of the week… we aren’t finished yet. For some reason I had 90 some people unsubscribe from my feed yesterday. Talk about a kick in the gut. I’m hoping it’s a computer glitch, but if not, then I guess too bad for them!

Now on to the subject at hand.
The holidays are here! Next week at this time, I’ll be stuffing my face full of food running in my self-created turkey trot** and later having a delicious meal. Thanksgiving seems to be the start of it all, and we all know it seems to just go downhill from there. Its kind of like when you make a snowman. You start with a really small snowball and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger as you roll it.


But why do we let our eating “snowball” this time of year? We let it get out of control, and STAY out of control. For me, it was, and I’ll be honest, still sometimes is, an “all or nothing” type of mentality:

• Why should I even bother losing weight this time of year. I’m not going to be successful with all of the holidays, parties, _____________ I have going on (you fill in the blank).
• I don’t have time to exercise today, so I guess I’ll just completely give up on the week.
• I ate A LOT of food on Thanksgiving…. WOW, my weight is up. I just as well spend the rest of the weekend eating like its my last meal, since I‘m going to gain this week anyways.
• I’ll start again in January… I won’t gain that much in the meantime!

DON’T DO IT!!! It isn’t worth it, and yes, you can gain that much. Trust me on this one… I have run every experiment in the book on gaining weight.

So how to combat this “all or nothing” mentality:
First you have to think today is a HoliDAY. So fine it’s a special day, then eat that special meal and the things you love, and the next day, wake up, and start over. It’s OK. This is a win. This is a success. The key is it is ONE DAY. The next day you are back at it. Give yourself permission to do what you want on the HoliDAY, but remember it is NOT a HoliWEEK, MONTH or YEAR. That is what will take you down. That is what will make you need that New Year’s resolution so desperately on Jan 1st.

Next, don’t eat everything. Yeah, I know, you don’t want to hear that, but seriously How good are those store bought rolls and canned cranberry sauce anyways? You don’t have to eat it all, but you can absolutely have what you want. Ask yourself, is this really a 10? If the answer is “yes”, eat it, enjoy it, and move on. If the answer is no, maybe consider only a small bite, or even pass on it this time. It will be empowering… I promise! I also ask myself, “Is this a special food? Can I get it in another place at another time?” If the answer is no and it is your mother’s hot from the oven potato rolls smeared with butte, or a piece of lefse with cheese and sausage (Yes, I write this as much for myself as you), then allow yourself to indulge in a reasonable portion, and move on.

Finally, I want you to set realistic, reasonable goals. It is not reasonable to think that you will not drink any wine, eat no dessert, and only take turkey breast sans gravy or skin and veggies for Thanksgiving dinner. It is reasonable to change your goal to be something like:
I will exercise for 30 minutes today, I will choose reasonable portions of the foods that I love, and I will allow myself 1 OK fine 2 glasses of wine with dinner. I will have a ½ piece of my favorite pie, and then I will stop eating for the day. That is a reasonable goal statement. If you don’t set a reasonable goal for the HoliDAY I believe failure to meet your goal will result in that “all or nothing” attitude again, and you will end up just throwing in the towel. Remember my belief that every day can be a Monday. If this does happen, wake up the next morning - realize the HoliDAY is now over - and move on.

Got it? OK, now go and enjoy your HoliDAY! I believe you are ready for anything.


** Self-created turkey trot is the First Annual Go Fast Before you Feast turkey trot thought of and created by me. CCWL, a few of my peeps, and me are running around a local lake on Thanksgiving morning. 
The long range weather forecast promises me that this Thanksgiving will be the coldest in 20 years with highs in the upper teens.  Bring it!  Oh, yeah baby, that’s gonna be cold!

Welcome to Day 4 of Living Healthy During the Holidays Week!  Today I have another guest post for you.  This time from Ellen of www.fatgirlwearingthin.com.  She has lost over 100 pounds and has maintained that loss for the past several years. I really enjoy reading her blog, and I hope you will go over and check it out - after reading this post of course!

Take it away Ellen:

The holidays are upon us. Many of us will be fixing Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends. Many more of us will be traveling to other parts of the state, across the country, or in some cases, other parts of the world to spend time with our loved ones. Traveling can be exciting, but eating while traveling can be an absolute nightmare to those of us who are watching our weight.

Toll roads are filled with nothing but higher-priced fast food chains, while rest stops offer very few healthy options among rows of vending machines. This of course means that after sitting for hours on end (and thus burning fewer calories) we get out of the car to sit down again and fill up on fried foods, loads of carbs and sugar. Even if your willpower is rock-solid and you search for a salad, you still have to put up with highly caloric dressings, high fat toppings and in many cases, questionable lettuce.

Traveling is even tougher if you are flying. You are pretty much at the mercy of your airline as they tempt you with honey roasted nuts, soft drinks and maybe a $15 meal which probably has the nutritional stats of a Three Musketeers Bar.

If you are traveling this holiday season, just remember that you CAN be in charge of your eating habits and arrive at your destination without a gut-ache as long as you do a little pre-planning. Here are some tips that I use when I travel: If I know that I’ll be in a vehicle for a while, I take along a couple of small coolers. One is filled with bottles of water. I also take along various flavors of single-serving drink mixes like Crystal Light On-the-Go. This way, if I get bored with water alone, I have an easy way to add more drink choices without sacrificing car space. My second cooler is filled with a pre-prepared meal for the road, and consists of items that are easy to eat with little mess: sandwiches, pre-cut veggies, fruit and 100 calorie pack crackers.

Great items to choose from whether you’re in a plane, train or automobile: celery, carrots, radishes; fruits like apples, bananas, grapes.   Other foods to choose from: Laughing Cow Cheeses with 100 calorie pack crackers, Vitatops, almonds divided into plastic baggie single ounce servings, Weight Watchers 1 point individual packs of string cheese.

Sometimes, traveling is just plain boring. Many times I will find myself searching for food even if I’m not hungry just to give me something that will help pass the time. In cases like these, I always make sure to pack 2 additional things and keep them close by: gum and lollipops. There are countless flavors of sugar-free gum that will keep your mouth occupied during those times when you feel the unwarranted need to snack. And lollipops are a super alternative as well. They are relatively low in calories (I like Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops, which contain less than 25 calories per pop). They keep your mouth happy and busy.

Remember, making smarter food choices doesn’t begin at the dinner table. The decision to eat healthy before you arrive will start you off on the right path and help give you the strength to continue making healthy choices throughout the rest of your visit.

Have a safe, fun and memorable holiday season, everyone.
Ellen
http://www.fatgirlwearingthin.com/

Welcome to day 3 of Healthy Living During the Holidays week. Today is ALL about recipes. For me, the best way to control my eating during the holidays is to make healthier alternatives of my favorite foods. That way I don’t feel a bit of deprivation, and I can still eat on plan. This post contains the best of my favorite tried and true Thanksgiving side dishes along with the Weight Watchers Points values. Please remember to always double check the points with your ingredients, as sometimes nutritional information among specific brands varies greatly. I’ll be adding these to my recipes archive, and adding pictures (after Thanksgiving) next week.


Now on to the recipes…ENJOY!

Cranberry Orange Relish

There is nothing I love more than a tasty cranberry sauce. It is SO easy to make… and tastes 1000 times better than the canned stuff. This is awesome as a condiment for sandwiches, and even a dessert topping. This is the recipe I’ve used for the past several years. I’ve lightened it by subbing some Splenda for the sugar and using Light Orange Juice.

Makes approximately 4 cups of sauce.
1 serving = ¼ cup = 1 Weight Watchers Points Plus Value

½ cup Splenda
½ cup Honey
2 cups Orange Juice – I use Trop50 Light Orange Juice
2 Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 Tbsp fresh orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
3 cups fresh cranberries – basically 1 bag
1 tsp sea salt

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the Splenda, honey and orange juice. Simmer until everything is completely dissolved. Add the ginger, orange zest and cinnamon stick. Stir. Next, add the cranberries and simmer stirring occasionally for 45-60 minutes. The mixture should become thick. Remove from heat and stir in the salt.

This can be made several days in advance and kept in the refrigerator.

 
Sarah’s Stuffing

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found about 5 years ago on www.allrecipes.com. I’ve changed some of the ingredients to my tastes, and lightened it a bit, eliminating unneeded butter, and using reduced-fat sausage.

12 servings
1 serving = ½ cup = 4 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values

12 oz Jimmy Dean reduced-fat sausage
2 cups chopped onion
2 apples – peeled, cored, and chopped
2 cups chopped celery
1 Tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup dried cranberries
14 oz Pre package stuffing mix – like Pepperidge Farm
2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 Tbsp fresh sage leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat cook the sausage until brown. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl. Now, use the same skillet over medium heat and add the onions, apples, celery, and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Stir in rosemary, cranberries, and sage.

Mix the onion mixture with the sausage mixture and Stuffing Mix in the large bowl. Add the chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste.

I’ll be honest; I usually don’t stuff the turkey… I actually make this the day before, and then put it in my crock pot on low to reheat on Thanksgiving Day. Easy Peasy… and delicious!

 
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes – aka Drunk Potatoes
Makes 8 servings
1 serving = ½ of a full potato = 6 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values

My husband is Canadian, and last year he went to his sister’s house in Vancouver for Canadian Thanksgiving… which is in October – usually the same day as Columbus Day in the US. They made sweet potatoes that were glazed with a mixture of Kahlua, butter, and sugar. I took the same ingredients… added in a streusel topping and decided to make twice baked potatoes with it instead… here’s the yummy result:

4 medium-sized sweet potatoes/yams
3 Tbsp Light Butter
3 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup Kahlua or other coffee flavored Liqueur

For the topping:
3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 Tbsp Light Butter, softened
¼ cup chopped pecans

Cut the potatoes lengthwise in half; place the cut-sides down on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake 30 to 35 min. on 425 degrees or until tender.

Remove from oven and cool a few minutes until you can handle them, and then scoop out the centers of potatoes into a bowl, leaving behind the shell.

Add 3 Tbsp of the light butter, 3 Tbsp of the brown sugar, and the Kahlua to the sweet potatoes. Mash until everything is well combined, and mixture is fairly smooth.

Fill the shells with potato mixture;

In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients: 3 Tbsp brown sugar, the flour, 2 Tbsp Light Butter, and the chopped pecans. Mix together until crumbly. Top each potato with about a Tbsp of the mixture.

Return the potatoes to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the filling is heated through and the crumb topping is just starting to brown.


Green Beans with Yellow Pepper Butter
This is a classic recipe that makes an excellent substitution to the traditional Green Bean Casserole that is found on many Thanksgiving dinner tables. This recipe was taken from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, and adapted by me to lighten it up. I think it tastes just as great as the original.

Serves 8
Servings Size = ½ cup = 3 PointsPlus Values

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium yellow sweet pepper, coarsely shredded
4 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups green beans, trimmed
1 large yellow sweet pepper, cut into thin strips

In a small saucepan melt the 1 tablespoon butter. Add the shredded sweet pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor bowl combine the 4 Tablespoons softened butter and the pine nuts. Cover; blend or process until almost smooth. Add cooked sweet pepper, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Cover; blend or process until almost smooth. Set aside.

In a covered saucepan cook beans in a small amount of boiling water for 12 minutes. Add the sweet pepper strips the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain the beans and sweet pepper strips.

To serve, transfer beans and sweet pepper strips to a serving bowl. Add the blended margarine mixture; toss to coat.