38 x 38 - 12 New Recipes (#2, #3, and #4)

I come from a long line of great cooks and I often (jokingly) blame them for my waist size.

Grandma Joyce

My maternal grandma ran a school kitchen back when food was made from scratch. They peeled potatoes, made the bread, stirred the soup....they did it all. Potato soup, the best homemade rolls you'll ever bite into, and fried elk steak with gravy......yummy! Grandma Joyce's food is all comfort and love.


I swear my paternal grandma was from the South although sadly, I'm not sure. She passed when I was a freshman (maybe a sophomore) and I hate to admit I didn't think to ask back then. There's some secrets that I'm not sure of but that's an entirely different story. But Grandma Carmen could cook the best fried chicken, potato salad, collard greens, and green beans with bacon that I've ever tasted.

My mom can make anything. I was one of those lucky kids who grew up with almost everything from

My mom in the middle at last year's fish dance

scratch. You wouldn't find a box of hamburger helper in our kitchen nor a boxed cake mix. We lived on a tight budget and my mom knew how to stretch it and still make great, delicious, healthy, nearly gourmet food.  Give my mom a bottle of cheap whiskey and she'll grill up the best drunk steak you've ever eaten (no my mom isn't drunk, the steak is!). Meatloaf is great for dinner but the next day for a sandwich....delicious. Pies, cakes, cookies....yes, mom does it all.

My dad and his wife

Then there's my dad who does all the cooking in his household. I've never seen my dad follow a recipe. Oh, he'll glance at one here and there but then he takes out this, adds in that, doubles this.....you get the picture. He cooks like me. His food is spicy...he lives in New Mexico and is definitely influenced by jalapenos, Hatch green chilies, and other flavors like cumin and chili powder. He's the one who could win Iron Chef - give him 10 ingredients that don't match and shouldn't taste good and he'll make it happen.



Which of course bring me to me. . . I consider myself a pretty darn good cook. I can follow a recipe and have it turn out. I also do like my dad and never follow a recipe exactly. Comfort food, spicy food, baked...I'm pretty good at it (except bread...I give up). I again jokingly blame my waist on this.

So now I'm learning to eat better (by the way, 30 lbs lost in just 7 weeks woot woot!). So I'm trying a lot of new recipes and I thought I'd share a few with you. These are delicious and pretty healthy (just try it!!)

Cauliflower Fried Rice
This was delicious and I found it on....you guessed it, Pinterest. It was delicious. I liked it alot but I will say it's not EXACTLY like rice. I couldn't fool my kids with it. 

- 3 cups of grated raw cauliflower (use a cheese grater or food processor)

- 1/2 cup frozen peas

- 1/2 cup carrots, thinly sliced

- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/2 cup onion, diced

- 1/2 TBSP olive oil

- 2 eggs (or 4 egg whites) scrambled

- 3 TBSP soy sauce

1. In a large pan, saute garlic and onions in olive oil on a medium/high heat, until onions become soft and transparent. (about 2-3 minutes)

2. Next add in peas, and carrots and cook until carrots begin to soften and peas are heated through, about three to four minutes

3. Next stir in scrambled eggs , cauliflower and soy sauce. Cook stirring frequently for about 5-7 more minutes. 

Chickpea and Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil 

I tried this a while back (before the diet) and it was soooo super yummy I can't wait to have it again. 

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• About 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 25 large basil leaves, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp honey (10g)
• pinch of salt

Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least 20 minutes, allowing all the flavors to merge.

White Wine and Soy Marinade For Chicken

This recipe boasts that it's the best marinade for chicken ever and after trying it, I might just agree! It's sooo delicious! A couple of my own notes: the recipe called for bone-in, I used boneless because it's what I had, the recipe says marinate overnight but I only had two hours, and I added garlic (see I'm my dad). Oh and I made my chicken into kabobs with lots of veggies. 

¼ cup grapeseed oil

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup white wine, nothing fancy (I used chardonnay)

2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika

In a blender, combine the grapeseed oil, soy sauce and white wine, Italian seasoning and paprika. Blend on high until your marinade looks creamy and well combined. 

In a zip lock bag, place all chicken pieces and pour the marinade in. Massage it around so that all of the chicken is coated with marinade. Seal the bag and marinate overnight. Now grill

I highly recommend all three! 

Weekend on a Budget - Spring Creek and the Hatchery

I love the first part of summer! Everything in our area is still green, it's not too hot, and the heat is refreshing after a cold winter/spring. This weekend was the perfect reminder of everything I love about summer.

I was on a mission to be relaxed this weekend. Friday night, we all sat around and watched a movie together:

•  Warm Bodies - a different zombie movie than the most. My review? Pretty good but really only if you watch Zombie movies to catch all the references. Unfortunately I think Nate was pretty bored. 
• Identify Thief - Much better than I expected. I laughed a lot (exactly what I needed). Melissa McCarthy cracks me up (loved her when she hosted SNL last time) and she delivered this time too. I was a little surprised by how crude she was. But if you're up for a laugh, I think it's worth watching. 

Saturday, we sat around doing nothing. Yep, that's pretty much it. Watched tv, cleaned house, boring stuff. I loved it but by Sunday I was ready to get out. 

The View from the Klamath Hatchery

So we headed north to the Klamath Hatchery. I'm surprised that as fishing crazy as my sons are, that I haven't taken them here before. It was beautifully set in amongst a ton of trees. 

Marc and Nate feed the fish

The boys were thrilled with how many trout there were and how big they are. For 25 cents, you can get a handful of food to feed the fish. They had several concrete stations for the "little" fish and then some viewing areas for the "HUGE" fish. Marc was wishing it was open for fishing.

They have bat houses too (don't worry - we didn't actually see any bats). But as we walked past the shed and I realized what it said, I pointed it out to Marc (see below). He jumped about a mile high (I think you can see him jumping out of the way in this photo haha).



We left there and went to Spring Creek, just past Collier Logging Museum. We didn't actually visit the logging museum this time so we'll save that review for another day.

Spring Creek however is absolutely breathtaking. The water is so perfectly clear, there were very few people, the day use had many many benches and picnic tables, and it was very clean. We didn't catch a darn thing but Marc sure tried.

Marcus fishes Spring Creek

 The water is so clear and so blue at this point in the river.

Spring Creek 

 Peaceful.

Spring Creek from the bridge

 Nate wasn't in the mood to fish so he decided to swim. I tried explaining it would be freezing (it's a spring after all and not a "hot" one) but this boy lives to swim so he jumped in. Notice his little body tense as he hurries to get out!

Nate takes a dip in Spring Creek

 Then it was back to our house. Nate loves riding his bike so he spent the evening riding his bike and we took the dog for a walk. Is there anything that says summer more than kids out in the street on their bikes?

A great start to summer. My weekend on a budget total - $2.25 (if you don't count gas). We went about 40 miles total. I filled up our water bottles and took snacks from home. The $2.25 was for fish food. A great way to spend a Sunday!

6 weeks, 27 lbs, 16 inches!

Six weeks ago yesterday, I was stressed out, had no energy, and didn't like what I saw when I looked in the mirror. My clothes were tight, nothing was comfortable.

It's been six weeks (and one day if you're being exact) and let me tell you how much can change in that short little time:

• I've lost 27 pounds. 
• I've lost 4 inches from my chest. 
• I've lost 7 inches from my waist (7 inches!!)
• I've lost 5 inches from my hips. 
• I have sustained energy throughout the day! 
• My clothes are baggy, some even unwearable!!

Wow, what a change. I can tell you that I'm still stressed out! But I think if I hadn't started the program I did, those numbers could very well have gone the other way. I could have gained 27 pounds and 16 inches! 

I am so excited I had to share! I've struggled with my weight my whole adult life. I remember when I hit 200 pounds and thought, "That's it! I can't believe I weigh 200 pounds and there's no way I'll be more!" Then I hit 225, and 250 and we don't need to go any further....

I've always used a basic calorie counting method. Less calories in, more calories out. And then I lose weight, my clothes get a little lose and I get excited, thinking I look great, and then I start not paying attention. 

So six weeks ago, I started Take Shape for Life (using meal replacements five times a day and eating one lean and green per day). I sort of felt like I was cheating. I worried that when I stop with the replacements, would I be able to keep it off? Will the food taste good? Will I feel deprived?

So far my experience has been wonderful and I think the thing that makes this program a little different is the awesome book and workbook that goes along with it. Through the book (and I still have a ways to go), I started to think about what I REALLY wanted. 

Pre-TSFL (pre-take-shape-for-life) - I would set my goals based on feeling better. No real goal, I just wanted to feel and look better. The problem is...once I looked better and felt better, I stopped. That could be with just 10 or 15 lbs lost

After-TSFL - I've begun to realize that I want an active, adventurous lifestyle. My kids are growing up (Marc will be 18 next year) and there's this whole second half of my life staring at me. I want to be healthy for Nate and Marc but I also want to be an active, healthy person after 40 and as I approach 50. 

• I want to be climbing mountains, not into a hospital bed. 
• I want to be exploring things around me, not exploring the best way to deal with disease. I want to wear cute clothes. 
• I want to take my kids to a water park and not worry they'll be embarassed to be with fat mom.
• I want to enjoy food but not have food control my life. 
• I want to be an inspiration to my kids and hope they never deal with obesity like I do. 
• I want to be 80 and still out for my walks.....
• I could go on and on.....oh the dreams we could dream. 

Pre-TSFL - I had no energy 45 minutes after waking. Oh I'd pull myself up when I had to and do the random 5k walk but in general, I couldn't wait to get through the day and watch some tv. 

After-TSFL - My energy levels stay pretty high and steady all day. Now I go home and put on my walking shoes and take Nate and the dog for a walk. 

Pre-TSFL - I hated the way I looked in the mirror.

After-TSFL - I realize I have a ways to go but I'm starting to like it. It's exciting to see results. 

You'll probably hear more about my journey going forward but I'm just so excited. I really don't like these photos of me but I had to show the progress and these are the photos I had:

On the left, I pose at my work's Annual Awards Gala. I actually felt pretty that night. A little fat and lacking confidence but felt like I looked good for my size. 

On the right, a friend took this picture in the office yesterday on my six week anniversary. I hate my hair in it but can you tell a difference?? (PS - in a photo like this what the heck do you do with your hands??)

Thanks for letting me share! 

Weekend on a Budget!

It's been a little crazy around here and as you can tell from yesterday's post, I'm having some stressful things happening in my life so I've been blogging a little less lately. My way of dealing with stress is to retreat and become more of an introvert than I usually am.

With the nice weather, the boys and I have been enjoying some time outdoors. I thought I'd share a few fun things with you:

Last week, I went with Nate's class to Scienceworks in Ashland, Oregon. It was a great time with about 30 third graders! Scienceworks is a great hands-on science museum with exhibits perfect for kids. Nate specifically loved the 2-liter pop bottle rocket that you filled with water and air then shot into the air. He also really liked the room where you could make a giant bubble around you. If you haven't been, this is a "must-go" attraction. Close to Klamath, affordable, and a great way to spend the day.

Nate playing at Lithia Park in Ashland

If you go to Scienceworks, I recommend taking a picnic lunch at Lithia Park in Ashland. Beautiful! So many trees, a river running through the park, and great play structures. My only warning....poison oak is everywhere so stay on the trails (except obviously in the play area).

This weekend marked the opening game of our local baseball team, the Klamath Falls Gems. While not a league game, it was still fun to go. We are not a baseball family....in fact most of us think the game is incredibly boring. However, I will say going to a game like this is super fun. First, it's cheap! Second, if you don't like baseball, they have enough other things like visiting with friends, being outside enjoying beautiful weather, and fun promos that the kids (and you) can participate in. For example, pitch groceries into a grocery cart for a gift certificate, dancing to twist and shout during the 7th inning stretch, and watching adults play the "dizzy bat" game. Even if you're not into baseball, go to a game once! You might just like it!





And of course, our family favorite...fishing. With all the water around Klamath, you can quickly and easily get to a fishing spot. Our usual favorite is Topsy Reservoir:

Marcus poses at Topsy Reservoir

This weekend was Oregon's free fishing weekend (meaning no license needed) and we decided to go elsewhere. We headed out to Gerber Reservoir (about 45 miles from here). The water was low and we didn't catch anything but we still had a great time!

Here's my self portrait doing my favorite fishing activity (see the kids down at the water, me reclined in my favorite chair with a great book!)

We took Marc's friend Martin. These silly boys love to flex and so were more than happy to pose for a photo.

The boys and their "gun show"

And again (trust me, there's even more than this but I'll just share these)

Silly boys!

When we got back from Gerber, I took Nate for his first motorcycle ride. I was a nervous nelly but we just went around the block at about 25 mph. Yikes, he loved it!!


Love time with my boys! Not a bad weekend on a budget! I figure I spent about $18 on gas, $16 on tickets to the baseball game, and about $10 on food/snacks out to fishing.

Not for the Faint of Heart

For nearly seven years, I watched as couples reduced their years of marriage to an argument over trivial things like curtains, frying pans, and cordless drills. I watched as years and years of marriage were boiled down until all that remained were bitterness, anger, and sadness. And in the very worst cases, I watched as loving, caring parents resorted to putting the kids in the middle - usually without even knowing it.

I worked in an attorney's office and divorces were common.

I vowed to never get divorced.

Fast forward, and I found myself contemplating the dissolution of my own marriage (of marriage number two). It was really hard to accept that being apart might be the right thing for all of us - him, me, and our two beautiful sons. I am a "fix-it" kind of girl and spent years trying. In defense of him, I think he too was unhappy but chose to avoid it (our marriage) by plunging into online computer games, etc. After years of trying, I made the leap. I asked for a divorce.

It's been two years (in July).

It's not going as I hoped.

I feel like a failure.

And after two years of largely keeping my divorce between me and a couple of very close friends, I have a few things I want to share with you. My hope is that a) you'll have some great advice or b) maybe you're dealing with something similar and it helps you to know you're not alone.

Things I Didn't Expect:

• I didn't expect to work so hard at convincing my ex I don't hate him. 
• I didn't expect him to completely forget the person I am. 
• I didn't expect to pray for my ex daily. 
• I didn't expect that communication would become so difficult that I'd get an attorney involved. 
• I didn't expect to second guess my decision often and wonder if I should have just held out until the kids were grown. 
• I didn't expect that two years later, everything would be a fight. 

Are you thinking to yourself right now, "What did she expect?" You might be thinking I'm an idiot, that I divorced him, and how exactly did I expect him to react.

Well, let me tell you what I thought would happen:

• I thought we'd go through a period of time (maybe a year) when anger, hurt, and resentment were prominent but that by year two, things would even out. 
• I thought he'd go on to realize he wasn't happy too and eventually heal from the process. 
• I thought that if I remained as fair, flexible, and focused on the kids as I could that all would be well. 
• I thought that we'd get through the transition period and we'd realize that we weren't meant to be and we'd settle into a pattern of co-parenting that was best for the kids. 
• I thought that I could somehow convey to him that while being married didn't work out, I don't think he's an awful person. 

I was wrong. 

Now I'm trying to set up regular, respectful communication between two people (us) who didn't communicate well to begin with. I'm trying to work with him on co-parenting when we didn't usually agree on how to parent before. I shouldn't be surprised. 

So now, if I have any readers out there who have gone through something similar....

How did you get through it? 

Any advice for me? 

Divorce definitely isn't for the faint of heart. 

I'm fat but it's okay

I'm fat. There's really no way to sugarcoat it.

For years, I've justified it like this:

• but it's okay because I can still do what I want to do. Maybe a little slower but I can still do it.
• but it's okay because it doesn't keep me from enjoying life.
• but it's okay because for someone my size, I look pretty good. 
• but it's okay because I'm starting a diet on Monday (or after Christmas or after Thanksgiving.....)
• but it's okay because I don't wear spandex
• but it's okay because some guy thinks I'm sexy
• but it's okay because I'm not one of "those" fat people

Oh, I'm sure given enough time I could go on and on and on. 

But it's not okay. 

• I have no energy
• It does keep me from things like taking my kids to the water park or going dancing
• My body aches if I do more than I should (I still do it but pay for it later)
• I want to be beautiful and not "beautiful for my size"
• I worry about the health risks 

So I decided to do something about it. The few times I've been mildly successful (meaning 20 lbs of weight loss), I kept it off for a bit and just counted calories. I followed the "eat less, walk more" philosophy. Then the weight would slowly creep back on. 

So thanks to my mom and an early birthday present, I started Medifast/Take Shape for Life exactly one month ago today. I resisted a bit because it feels like cheating. Plus I hear all the time about "what are you going to do when you're not eating their food anymore....." But I gave it a shot. 

Warning: the images you are about to see could be scary. You could have nightmares. You've been warned. 

One month ago, I weighed in at 270. If you'd asked me beforehand I would have told you probably 240. I hadn't weighed myself in years. 

Today I weight 250. I've lost exactly 20 lbs in one month. Amazing! 

I'm sure the program isn't for everyone but I can tell you these are my favorite things about it:

• I have energy all day long. I don't have the afternoon or late morning slump
• I'm rarely hungry
• Most of the foods taste good (I will say I have some I hate like the oatmeal and several of them I had to give a second shot)
• The book that goes along with the program is a HUGE help. It really helps me work through and make the right decisions (more about that later). 
• Right now my life is STRESSFUL so I appreciate not thinking about it. I grab four items, put them in my bag, and I'm ready for the day. No more trips through fast food. 

I'll share some of the things I'm learning as I go along but for now let's get to those pictures (I'm really embarassed for these to be on the internet) but look at the difference in JUST one month:

The thing that cracks me up in this one is that in the "before" shot
 I was sucking in my stomach so it wouldn't be so bad!!!

I still have a LONG long long long way to go but just look at that. More later....have a great day!

38 x 38 - Take the Kids Geocaching

I'm a little behind in this craze but for a couple of years now, I've wanted to take the boys geocaching. Marcus loves the outdoors, Nate loves the idea of treasures so it seemed like a perfect mix. Why did I wait years? Because I was under the mistaken belief that I needed a GPS unit - that is until someone told me my smart phone was completely capable (at least for the "beginners" caches). 

The concept is fairly simple - someone has hidden a treasure (a cache) and has given coordinates to its location. You get the coordinates and navigate to the spot. 

Easy, right?

Um, sort of. I quickly learned that some of the caches are really hard to find! 

Sunday, we were bored and I'm a little "financially challenged" these days so I was looking for something inexpensive and fun to do. For fun, I signed up for an account at geocaching.com (there's a free membership). There was a handy Geocaching 101 section and after reading, I felt fairly certain that we could do this. 

Then I downloaded the c:geo app on my Android. The app was pretty easy to figure out. I selected the "nearby" feature and was surprised to see around 10 "caches" within a mile of my house, nestled in some residential areas. I figured this would be a great way to get our feet wet and see if this is really any fun. 

We headed out to the first one. It was a bust. Or we didn't know what we were looking for. Hard to say. 

Marc searches but no luck

So we headed to the second one....another bust. Or again, we don't know what we're doing. 

The third one Marcus worried that someone would call the cops because they wouldn't know why we were poking around behind their house. 

Finally, the fourth one we hit treasure! Using the compass on my phone, we navigated to the spot, and nestled in a bunch of grass, hidden under a mound of dried grass, and in a camouflage container, we found our first treasure. 

The boys find their first "cache"

Inside the little container was a plastic army guy, a logbook, two marbles, and some ear plugs. Nate took a marble and left a plastic dinosaur. The rules say if you take something, you're supposed to leave something of equal value. We signed our names and returned home as it began to rain and thunder. 

One thing I learned was to take a look at the "logbook" online when you head out to find a cache. People post the last time they found it. I wasn't sure if a few of them we went to had been taken, moved, or if we just weren't looking in the right spot. 

All in all, I think geocaching is something we'll try again soon. A fun afternoon for sure!

A few other highlights from my weekend:

Our town had its annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration with a parade down Main Street. Here are a few photos:

As we left, we noticed a single volunteer out picking up the cones that had helped organize the parade that morning. As Nate and I drove up, I quickly identified with his chore. Having organized my fair share of parades for the last few years, I knew exactly what he was doing. He drove up to a cone, hopped out, took off the number that had been taped to the side, stacked the cone in the back of the truck, got in his truck and drove to the next one. Not hard but definitely tedious. I usually drive the truck while someone else picks them up and yet another volunteer in the back of the truck peels off the number and stacks them. Much faster!

As we walked up, I'm going to admit that my first thought was "ha, poor guy, have fun with that!"

But as we neared, Nate said, "Mom, let's help." Of course, I didn't say it but my first thought was "Ha, no way. Been there, done that." I glanced at him and was going to bribe him with a Dutch Bros to just keep going. But he had a big grin on his face. So we pulled over and offered to help.

Bob Pickel was the volunteer. I've spoken with Bob on the phone many times but I think this may have been our first time meeting in person. We offered to help and he looked at us like we were crazy. Nate hopped in the back, Bob drove, and I walked along and picked up the cones, handing them to Nate.

The whole way, Nate grinned and said we should do this more often. I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of pride for my son who's so willing to help. His joy was contagious and I found myself smiling as I walked beside the truck.

As a parent, I find myself second-guessing my decisions often. Am I doing the right thing? Have I taught them the things they need to know? Have I been a good example? Will my sons be great people? Am I doing ok?

Then something like this happens. A moment that without any prompting, you realize your kids are amazing! I'm not perfect. I make mistakes all the time and I'm sure I've done things that would make the "experts" cringe but in moments like this, I feel like maybe, just maybe, I haven't totally messed up. Of course it helps I was blessed with amazing kids! 

Have a great week!