And the Weight Is Off!

Before:

After:

I finally did it! I chopped off my hair! I had been thinking about doing it for a while but was so unsure if I really wanted to do it or not, and exactly when. Well, once I decided I really wanted to do it, I wanted to do it right then. So a few weeks ago, I chopped it off! It was a little bittersweet because my hair was probably the longest it had ever been in my life and it ended up being shorter than I'd wanted, but overall I'm really happy with it. I just wanted a change, especially since in addition to the weight of my hair being off, I have finally met my goal of losing 40 pound! Getting both of these weights off feels great. I started my weight-loss goal about the first week of April and although some weeks were not as successful as others, I feel great that I've finally lost the weight. The funny thing is, I can't blame it on baby weight. I had gained quite a bit of weight when I was working before I even got pregnant (stress, maybe?!) and that was really what I had to work at, since I didn't have any trouble getting the weight off that I had gained during my pregnancy. (How does that work? I dont' know!) I've been working out a few times a week, doing slim-fast shakes for 2 meals a day (most days), and preparing overall healthier meals for my family. It has not been easy, but it's totally been worth it. And even though my body isn't what it used to be before baby, I still feel good enough about myself and it feels great to fit back into clothes that I haven't worn in what seems like forever! And I am now back down to what I weighed when I got married, almost 4 years ago! And through this post, I am in no way trying to show off or make anyone out there feel bad if they're not where they'd like to be, I simply want to share my success and maybe in some small way, inspire someone else to do the same. I can't say either that the way I did it is the way everyone should do it. I just did what I knew I could handle and now I hope to be able to maintain a healthy weight and keep my motivation up to exercise more and eat healthier. It's amazing the energy I've gained along the way too, which is definitely necessary at this point in motherhood when I've got a crazy little toddler to keep up with! And I know I haven't posted any recipes in quite a while. It has been a crazy summer in many ways, and I feel that my time has been limited in the blogging world. I will soon post some yummy and healthy recipes I plan to try but for now, here's a muffin recipe I really like:

Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins:

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons wheat germ (optional)
2/3 cup olive oil or 2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
4 eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup hot water

Recipe & Photo Courtesy: www.food.com (keyword: whole wheat honey banana muffins)

And now for a quick summer update: We have really enjoyed our summer so far with frequent trips to the pool, fun in the sun, and getting to see family! My parents came down from Oregon to attend my cousin's wedding and it was great to see them and spend time with them. Isaac loved being with them and getting to play a lot with his cousins, and it was also a great opportunity to see some extended family I haven't seen in a long time. The time my parents were here really made me wish we lived closer to each other, especially because Isaac just had so much fun. Manuel started his job a couple of weeks ago where he's interning at a home infusion pharmacy for University of Utah Healthcare. It is a great opportunity for him and they've given him full-time hours until he starts school at the end of August. Then he'll go to part-time hours and what a blessing, he won't have to work Sundays! He will, however, probably have to work holidays which is a bummer, but so is life! Isaac had a speech evaluation for our local early intervention program since he hasn't really said many "words" we can understand yet and qualified for services. I understand that doctors and speech specialists are simply trying to sort out any language delays or other learning disabilities in children earlier and earlier these days so they can catch things sooner and make a plan of action. I am not really worried about Isaac because he is very "verbal" in his own sort of language and is constantly using sounds, etc. Plus, he uses several signs to communicate with us and understands directions well. He's also the first child child and a lot of the time it's just me and him. After the evaluation, the specialist came out to sort of do her own "evaluation" and to set up some goals with me for him. I'm not sure what to think of her yet since I really felt like she underestimated Isaac's abilities, making several judgments of him based on how he "performed" just during the moments she was there. On top of having a stranger in our home and probably not behaving/acting the way he normally does, Isaac was super tired at the time and really needed a nap, which didn't help things. But I was perfectly honest with her and told her I'm not concerned that his level of talking is a problem, I just want to take advantage of the services and help him in any ways we can so he doesn't fall behind his peers. I will give her another try on our next visit, but if I feel like she could hold us back in this process because of her judgments/opinions about Isaac's abilities, I may request for a different specialist to work with us. I am proud of Isaac for all that he can do, and if anything, the visit really made me do a lot of my own thinking that I need to create a more consistent schedule for Isaac. So far, it has helped a lot. I have our days laid out to include plenty of play time, learning time, meals, errands, etc. including both scheduled structure time and "scheduled" unstructured time. Isaac is such a fun boy these days. He loves to play outside, be with other kids (although nursery at church has been a bit of a battle the last couple of weeks), jump, dance, climb, ride his bike, and play with kitchen tools. He is also quite the affectionate little guy. He gives the sweetest hugs and kisses spontaneously on his own, loves to snuggle, and loves when we sit and read stories together before both his naps and bedtime. His favorite books are ones that are songs I can sing like "This Old Man", "There Was An Old Lady", and "Five Little Penguins". Soon, we plan to get some books in Spanish so Manuel can read more to him as well. Isaac's favorite songs are ones with motions like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Popcorn Popping", and "Baby Shark". Part of our new "routine" includes library time every week where Isaac and I can go and pick out some books/shows he'd like as well as ones I will reserve online and pick up as we go in so I don't have to battle him at checkout! Isaac is also quite the little socialite. Everywhere we are or everywhere we go, he waves to everyone! I think it's adorable he's so friendly and everyone else seems to think so too :) And potty training might be right around the corner for us. So far, he's not that interested in using the potty his abuelita got him, as he'd much rather use it in its stool form and climb up to turn on the water and put things in the sink to get wet. What a little goofball! But for a couple of months now, whenever he has a wet diaper and is uncomfortable, he'll go to his room and bring me the wipes and a new diaper. And when he needs to go #2, he points to his diaper, takes my hand, and pulls me into his room, especially when we have guests over (he doesn't like to do his business in front of people). I'm in no hurry to rush him into potty training, especially because he is still so young, but he is showing some signs of readiness, and I'll keep trying to introduce the potty to him with no pressure.

Well, that about sums it up for now so until next time, love to all our family and friends!

Memorial Day Weekend & Black Bean Brownies

Since it was forecasted that Memorial Day this year was going to be rainy, we decided to have our barbecue picnic on the Saturday before. It was such a warm and beautiful day! We found out about Mill Creek Canyon which is only about a 10 minute drive from our place and it turned out great. There are some nice picnic areas there and we found a great spot where the creek ran along and was surrounded by trees. Breaking from my diet that day, we made some yummy turkey burgers topped with tomatoes, cheddar, caramelized onions, avocado, and crispy bacon on some whole wheat sandwich thins. They were delicious! We also grilled up some baby back ribs since I found them on sale and I made a super yummy Kansas City barbecue sauce I found on the Food Network website. I also tried a brownie recipe from skinnytaste.com made simply from black beans pureed with some water and then added to the box brownie mix (I love the Betty Crocker dark chocolate kind and I also used less-sodium black beans), omitting the oil and eggs. You literally cannot taste the black beans in them, and although they do have a much different texture than regular brownies, the flavor is great, you gotta give them a try! Overall, it was a really fun day, we spent it just the three of us and Isaac really loved it. He has a love for nature that I think he gets from his tree-hugging Oregonian mama :) While we were there, Manuel met a woman from Guatemala who was there with some friends and family and had a little dog. Isaac started chasing it and wanted to play with it and ever since, has had a fascination with dogs. Every time we see one at the park or around our complex, he wants to play with them and he's so cute and gentle with them! I wish we could get him a puppy, I know he would love it, but we'll probably wait until he's older and can take on more responsibility with having a pet. For Memorial Day, we took Isaac to the pool and had some yummy Olive Garden takeout at home. It was such a nice and relaxing way to spend our weekend. Here are some pictures from our day in the canyon:

Here is the recipe for the barbecue sauce I used, courtesy Food Network: (Before it cooked on the ribs, it tasted a little sweet, but afterwards, it had such an awesome flavor)

http://www.foodnetwork.com//recipes/food-network-kitchens/kansas-city-style-bbq-sauce-recipe/index.html

And here is the recipe for the black bean brownies, super easy, and courtesy Gina from skinnytaste.com:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/06/black-bean-brownies-2-pts.html

Hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day weekend as much as we did ours and try these recipes! Love to all our family and friends!

Pool Time!!!

Since we got our 1-year memberships at the Holladay Lions Fitness & Rec Center, we decided to take advantage of a warm day about a week and a half ago and take Isaac to the pool for the first time. It was so much fun! I didn't plan on getting in the water since I was dressed to work out afterwards, so Manuel got in with Isaac. His first reaction was a little fear and clearly by the first picture of him and Manuel, he was reaching for me almost in tears to take him out. So I ended up rolling up my pants and getting in with him so he wouldn't be scared. I swung him back and forth and showed him how to splash in the water and eventually, he really started to enjoy it. By the end, he didn't want to leave and he was just having so much fun. It was so fun for us as parents to see him learning and trying something new. We've since taken him again and plan to hopefully take him once every week during the summer, if not more. I myself have always had a love for the water and for swimming since I was just a little girl and plan to teach our kids to swim as well. Here are some pictures from that day:

This was actually the last picture we took right before leaving, when a really nice girl offered to take this for us :)

"Mommy, save me!"

Isaac starting to have some fun

A little blurry, but I love how happy Isaac looks here :)

And last week, I was a little lazy with taking pictures of the meals we ate but here was what probably ended up being my favorite. It's another from Gina from skinnytaste.com called Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/01/asian-turkey-meatballs-with-lime-sesame.html

I didn't have sesame oil on hand so I just used some canola oil and threw in some sesame seeds. The recipe also makes large meatballs, but I made mine smaller using a small cookie dough scoop. These meatballs have so much flavor! I didn't eat mine with noodles that night for dinner since I was trying to save on calories and carbs that day, but I made Manuel's with some udon noodles and I'm sure they'd also be delicious over some brown rice. I actually plan on making this again this week but I'm going to try adding some spinach to the meatball mix just to include some extra nutrition. You gotta give these a try, sooo good!

Until next time, love to our family and friends!

Mother's Day & Other Weekly Highlights

The last week and a half have been great. Manuel finished up with his finals on the 2nd, completing his first year of pharmacy school. I'm so proud of him for doing so well! I know it's not easy to be in such an intense program, especially when you have a small (and at times, demanding) family to take care of. Manuel has been a great support to me at home on top of his studies. He has especially helped me out by taking care of Isaac while I'm at the piano and organ throughout most of the meetings at church and more recently, taking care of him while I am putting in my time and efforts at the gym. Since Manuel finished up with his finals the beginning of last week, we've had some great quality time to spend together as a family as well as time to get some things done that had been put on the back burner for some time. It's great to accomplish these things before Manuel gets going again this coming Monday with his summer classes. Luckily they will only last 8 weeks and then we'll have the rest of the summer to spend together but hopefully Manuel will also have a job by then. Isaac has been a bundle of fun and is always surprising us with new smiles, laughs, sounds, and facial expressions. Here are some photos of Isaac from the last couple of weeks:

All messy after smearing Split Pea Soup all over his face and hair :)

"Mom, this is not amusing!"

"Okay, maybe it is..."

Pushing Daddy around on his trike

And Daddy then pushing Isaac on his trike

And Isaac helping Mommy cook dinner

Mother's Day was better than I could have imagined. First, my mom surprised me by sending me a beautiful bouquet of flowers that arrived on Friday.

Then, Saturday Manuel brought me home a gorgeous bouquet of roses and a beautiful card.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, taking Isaac to the park, and a late-night movie at home. Sunday morning, I woke up to Isaac giving me hugs and kisses, more than usual which means I think he secretly knew it was a special day for his Mama. Manuel told me the thought crossed his mind to make me breakfast but knew that since I was on my diet, I probably wouldn't be able to eat it. I appreciated the thought but also appreciated that he wanted to support me in my goals :) We got ready and went to church and then drove down to Provo to spend the afternoon and eat dinner with Manuel's parents and grandma. It was a really great time, and although it was raining, we even took Isaac to the nearby park. Maybe that was a mistake though, we all got soaked! But the drive home in the pouring rain was relaxing enough for Isaac to fall asleep and I was glad to be in a heated car. Here's a picture Manuel took of me and Isaac at the park:

And finally, some more fun adventures in healthy cooking but just a couple of recipes to share this week:

Huevos Rancheros - http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/huevos-rancheros.html
(These were so easy to make, and sooo good! This was Manuel's portion by the way, I just thought it looked bigger and better for the picture)

Split Pea Soup with Ham - http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/03/split-peas-soup-with-ham-2-points.html
(Also a super yummy dish, I served this with reduced-fat crescent rolls)

Barbacoa Beef - http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/04/barbacoa-beef.html
(I was planning on serving this over brown rice but decided to use quinoa instead which turned out pretty good. The only negative was that I went a little heavy on the chipotle peppers and it ended up a little too spicy--lesson learned!)

Hopefully with the warmer days approaching this weekend, we'll have even more fun pictures to share before Manuel is back to school. Until next time, love to all our family and friends!

A Few New Healthy Favorites & Other Recent Happenings

I've been having so much fun with my new adventures in healthy cooking! I decided that after I reach my goal weight, and start slowly adding back in foods that I'm restricting myself from while on my diet, I don't want to deprive myself from really any foods that I enjoy, rather come up with healthier ways of preparing them--whether with healthier ingredients, or by healthier cooking methods, and still keeping in mind good portion control. I've had some great success with the new recipes I've been using, most of my recent dinner recipes coming from skinnytaste.com. All of the recipes shown here are some of my recent favorites courtesy of Gina from skinnytaste.com minus the last photo shown, which is a classic Peruvian dish called Lomo Saltado from my Peruvian cookbook "Cocina Peruana". I will include the recipe below. One of the other things I've been working on a lot is meal planning. I have found it to be so helpful and such a time-saver knowing exactly what we're going to eat each night of the week and having all of my ingredients bought and ready to go. I've also been working on finding a good balance of meat, legumes, rice/pastas, and meatless meals throughout the week so we don't end up eating chicken every day, for example. Hope you all enjoy and maybe try some of these recipes!

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/07/asian-glazed-drumsticks.html

Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/01/slow-cooked-sweet-barbacoa-pork.html

Beef, Potato and Quinoa Soup
(for the beef, I used super-trim stew meat)

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/01/slow-cooked-sweet-barbacoa-pork.html

White Northern Beans with Aji Verde Sauce
(I served this with brown rice which I finally figured out how to get the right texture: soak the rice for 30 minutes before cooking--it turned out so much better!)

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/12/white-northern-beans-with-aji-verde.html

Turkey Chili Taco Soup

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/02/turkey-chili-taco-soup.html

Peruvian Lomo Saltado (not the healthiest of the group, but so yummy!)

Apart from my cooking endeavors, I have been having lots of fun with Isaac. He is just growing up too darn fast! He is now 16 months old and starting to express himself more and more each day. He is quite the little fireball now when we have guests over, running around the house, showing off, and gets super hyper! It's a funny sight to see! He hasn't said much as way of words besides “Mama” and “Dada”, although on some occasions has said "Hola" and "up", but he is definitely being more verbal in general. He also knows how to sign "more/más", "please/por favor", "thank you/gracias", "eat/comer", "all done/terminé", and can wave "bye-bye/chau-chau", give high 5s, and blow kisses (besos volados). I try to teach him words, signs and sounds in the calmer moments, but he is just so active, he would much rather run around and play, of course! I love how active he is though, he is so fun and I love how he laughs when we chase him around the house. He is also quite the cuddly little guy. He never was much as a baby, but he likes to give hugs and kisses and loves to cuddle when I rock him to sleep at night. Nap times have been a challenge, especially since he is now only taking one a day. I've spoiled him in this area for too long also, and am just now working each day to get him to nap in his crib. Some days are good, other days, not so good. Isaac also recently got his first haircut which my sister did and he did pretty good. We kept it long and curly but did a short trim and more in the back so it didn't look quite so wild! I'll have to post pictures soon. I've also been learning new ways to discipline him as he branches out more as a normal toddler does and tests me at times. My main goal is to teach more than punish and always discipline with love and patience. I'm just beginning in this process, so I have absolutely no advice to other moms at this point, but hopefully I'll get it down someday. Who knows, it may take having a few kids before I really figure that part out. I think this part of parenting is already showing me how to be a better person overall.

Manuel is finishing up his first year of pharmacy school and will take his last final on Monday. I remember when he first started and I thought how long four years sounded and I can’t believe how fast this first year has already flown by! I am so proud of Manuel for all his hard work and efforts and he has done very well in his classes. He has also been volunteering Wednesday afternoons at the 4th Street Clinic for the homeless in downtown Salt Lake City working there in the pharmacy. It has been a great opportunity for him to learn more as he’s filled prescriptions and has helped with translating during patient counseling with Spanish-speaking patients. He really enjoys it but also hopes to get an internship opportunity in the near future and get even more experience.

Well I guess that’s quite a bit for one week’s entry, so until next time, love to our friends and family!