Pictures from Our Weekend

Recently, Jon has been very busy flying. We are so thankful for all the trips that he has been able to go on. However, it was so nice to have Jon home this weekend!! Whenever Jon is home I try to hangout with him as much as possible, because I don't know the next time that his schedule will allow for him to be home. That being said, Jon decided that this past weekend would be the perfect time to start celebrating my birthday, which is coming up this next week!!

{Saturday}

Saturday morning, Jon and I both had to work, but after that our schedule was free for us to hangout together! Jon took me to a neighboring town, so that we could do some shopping.

I have been dying to go to Fresh. It's the most amazing grocery store, but we do not have one in our town. Jon took me to the closest Fresh around, so that we could check it out! It was amazing and we had so much fun walking up and down all the isles to see what types of food we could find.

We even found Okinawa Sweet Potatoes!!

Me with the Okinawa Sweet Potato. (Michelle, these pictures were for you!)

We also found some of the most amazing four cheese bread. It's not Weight Watchers friendly, but that's okay!

After some shopping, I was starving so we went and ate at Chipotle!

Jon wanted a picture of his Chipotle burrito. It was so big that they needed two pieces of tinfoil when they wrapped it up!

After dinner we made a quick stop by Barnes & Noble, because we love bookstores!!

Of course, Jon was able to find the only Legos in the whole store! They were actually really cool!

On our way home, Jon gave me one of my birthday presents. Don't you love the bag!?

Jon knows me so well! He bought me Elephant & Piggie books!! I read them aloud to Jon and the baby on our way home. These books were so funny that I could not help but laugh out loud!

{Sunday}

Sunday was awesome, because after church we came home and didn't go anywhere the rest of the day! We watched movies, played games, read books, made pancakes and cookies!! It was just the restful kind of day that we needed before starting another week.

Jon said it's my birthday week, so I got to choose what we had for dinner. I picked pancakes!! Jon made very thick pancakes and they were so good!

I was craving cookies so I made Chocolate Chip.

It was such an amazing weekend! I am so thankful to Jon for making my pre-birthday weekend so special!!

Hungry Girl Supermarket List 2012

source

If you have ever started a weight loss program you know how overwhelming it can be to make your very first trip to the grocery store. Many of my Weight Watchers members ask me for food ideas, so that they know which items are "safe" to buy when shopping. To keep from being overwhelmed when grocery shopping I use the Supermarket List from Hungry Girl, which I have found to be the solution to my problem.

I am happy to announce that today Hungry Girl released their 2012 Supermarket List! This yearly list from Hungry Girl is so helpful. Each year I print off this list and keep it with me while I am grocery shopping. It helps me to navigate the store successfully without spending hours calculating the PointsPlus values of every food item I walk past.

If you are new to healthy eating, I would recommend that you print this list and keep it with you.

This supermarket list is extremely long, so please visit Hungry Girl for the complete Hungry Girl Supermarket List 2012. To download the PDF version of this list, please click here.

source

Wordless Wednesday: Sore or Sorry

source

Learning About the 27 Million

source

For our 5 year anniversary, Jon and I attended Passion 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. I think that this was the best way for the two of us to spend time celebrating all that God has done in our marriage.

When we arrived in Atlanta for Passion 2012, Jon and I learned that the theme for this year's Passion was FREEDOM. Throughout the conference we learned that there are 27 million slaves in the world today, this is more than any other time in human history. We heard a message from Christine Caine, about how she is taking action too help those who are victims of human trafficking. Christine founded The A21 Campaign, if you would like to learn more click here.

The last night that Jon and I were at Passion 2012 we took a stand for freedom with 45,000 other college students, leaders, and volunteers. It was powerful to walk in silence and pray for the 27 million that many people know nothing about. At midnight, the hand of freedom was lite. Shouts and cries to the Lord rang out from all 45,000 of us that were there. We began to sing songs of freedom, trusting that the Lord would hear our cry for the slaves in this world.

source

Jon and I were extremely convicted as we learned about the 27 million at Passion 2012. For so long, Jon and I have lived our lives thinking that everything was just fine, but it's not. We are so thankful for the A21 group and their courage to step up for these people and share with them God's love. We are determined not to forget these 27 million and to share their stories when they cannot.

Please take a few minutes to watch this video about Natalia's story by the A21 campaign.



So, now you know the truth...what are you going to do about it? What is this was one of your sisters? Would you just sit back and do nothing?

Yesterday You Said Tomorrow

source

This morning, I want to give you the meeting summary from my Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday, March 3, 2012.

No More Exer-scuses!

The Motivation To Move
How to start — and stick to — an exercise plan.
Article By: Melissa Sperl

You've heard it a million times: Consistent, moderate exercise is a key component not just of weight loss, but of good health in general. Being physically active can help reduce your risk for cancer, heart disease and diabetes. It can relieve stress. It can give you the extra energy you long for.

But you already know all this, so why is it still so hard to get out there and move?

Get motivated, get moving
"No time" is a popular excuse, but what it's really about is a lack of motivation. You've probably heard your Leader or other meetings members talking about a powerful solution to this problem called Motivating Strategy from Weight Watchers Tools For Living.

Motivating Strategy helps you use your imagination to determine the goals you really want to achieve and then take steps toward them — whether those steps are tracking PointsPlus® values, eating more fruits and vegetables, or exercising.

It works because it connects you with an action's positive results. For example, use Motivating Strategy to find the motivation to be more physically active, and you'll envision what it feels like to be a physically active person — what you look like, the things you get to do and wear, the way you spend your time and relate to others.

Once you're motivated to be more active, it's time to take those crucial first steps. Here are some tips for getting started:
1. Choose activities that you actually enjoy. You're not likely to keep up any exercise you dread doing.
2. Start small and work your way up by increasing your intensity or the amount of time you spend doing the activity.
3. Think about the season. Now that spring is around the corner, how can you take advantage of the nice weather?
4. Buddy up. Do you have any friends or family members who are also trying to get fit? Can you do an activity together?

At your next meeting, ask the friends around you what they did to first add activity to their lives.

. . . . . . . . . .

In addition, here is a list of 25 reasons to exercise...these far out way our excuses!

25 Reasons to Exercise

1. Strengthens heart muscle.

2. Decreases the incidence of heart attack.

3. Reduces risks for heart disease, e.g., reduces bad LDL cholesterol and increases good HDL cholesterol.

4. Improves circulation and oxygen/nutrient transport throughout the body.

5. Helps lose weight and keep it off.

6. Improves breathing efficiency.

7. Strengthens & tones muscles and improves appearance.

8. Helps prevent back problems and back pain.

9. Improves posture.

10. Strengthens bones and helps reduce risk of osteoporosis.

11. Strengthens the tissues around the joints and reduces joint discomfort and arthritis if appropriate exercise is selected and properly performed.

12. Decreases risk for several types of cancer.

13. Improves immune function which decreases risk for infectious diseases.

14. Maintains physical and mental functions throughout the second half of life.

15. Increases self-confidence and self-esteem.

16. Boosts energy and increases productivity.

17. Improves sleep.

18. Helps create a positive attitude about life.

19. Reduces anxiety and depression.

20. Increases resistance to fatigue.

21. May lengthen lifespan.

22. Reduces blood pressure.

23. Decreases the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.

24. Reduces stress.

25. Improves cognitive function.

Recipe Review: Banana Ice Cream

One of my Weight Watchers members today me about this recipe for Banana Ice Cream. She said that it was really good and I should try it! I always have leftover ripe bananas that I through in the freezer. I knew that this would be a great way for me to use up all of those bananas that are taking up room in my freezer.

I went home and tried this recipe and really enjoyed it! I love ice cream and the blender frozen bananas really did have the same texture as ice cream by the time I was done with it! I'm so excited that I have another great dessert option that is also healthy for me!

The Ingredients. Slice and freeze ripe bananas.

I put my frozen bananas in the blender, but you could also use a food processor or mini chopper. Add 1 Tbsp of fat free milk.

Next, add a splash of vanilla extract.

You may have to add 1 additional Tbsp of milk if its too thick.

It really looks like ice cream! See the variations below  for other creative ways to spice up your banana ice cream.

. . . . . . . . . .
Banana Ice Cream
Source: Friends for Weight Loss

Ingredients
2 large banana, slice and freeze
1/2 tsp vanilla extract, add a splash
1 Tbsp fat-free skim milk

Instructions
1. Slice and freeze ripe bananas. It is really important to slice your bananas before you freeze them or you can burn out the motor in your blender, chopper, food processor, etc.

2. Add a splash of vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp of Fat Free Milk, ,Almond Milk or Chocolate Almond milk and blend away until smooth and creamy. You may have to add 1 additional Tbsp of milk if its too thick. Looks just like ice cream, huh?

3. Heat 1 Tbsp of your favorite caramel sauce (it spreads further if its hot) and drizzle with a little whipped cream.

Variations
Chocolate Banana Ice Cream - Add 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream - Add 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder & 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter Powder
Banana Split - Add 3 frozen strawberries and drizzle with 1 Tbsp Chocolate Syrup and Whipped Cream
Strawberry Banana Frozen Yogurt - Add 4 oz Fat Free Strawberry Yogurt with 3 Strawberries.

Serves: Makes 1 Big Bowl of Ice Cream - O pointsplus with no toppings

Beat the Stress Eating

source

This morning, I want to give you the meeting summary from my Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday, February 25, 2012.

Instead of reaching for food when you are stressed or emotional, try one of these great ideas!

1. Organize yourself, figure out exactly what to do and execute a strategy for getting things done. If you are not good at this, ask a friend who is good at this stuff to help you.

2. Take a bath

3. Go for a walk

4. Go to the gym

5. Meditate

6. Drink tea

7. Call a friend and talk out what is going on with you.

8. Write in your journal/blog

9. Stretch or do yoga

10. Zone out and watch a movie that you like

11. Curl up with a good book

12. Take your dog for a walk, or pet your cat if you have one

13. Clean your house

14. Do some volunteer work– get out of your head by helping some other people out. Serve food at a soup kitchen, volunteer to play with kids at a homeless shelter, walk dogs or play with cats at the local animal shelter.

source

15. Buy a meal for a homeless person in your neighborhood and bring it to them

16. Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time

17. Call a much older relative or friend. The advice of people older than you with so much more life experience can be incredibly valuable.

18. Listen to music that you can lose yourself in

19. Get out of your apartment or house and be out in the world with people, don’t isolate

20. Draw, paint, do something artistic

21. Walk around the block then attack your to do list.

22. Promise yourself a non-food reward for everything you cross off your list, such as 10 minutes to zone out on the internet.

23. Get a massage

24. Take a shower

25. Water your plants

26. Find something to break, like sticks or branches you find outdoors. Rip up an old tee-shirt. Anything that can feel cathartic and release some tension. Just don’t hurt anyone.

27. Relax your jaw. Your jaw is the strongest muscle in your body and because of that, you hold a lot of stress in it. Massage your jaw muscles and try to relax them.

28. Cry

29. Scream into a pillow

source

30. Dance

31. Go to a spin class, kickboxing class, or to the boxing gym– something that exerts energy

32. Go for a drive through a neighborhood that you like

33. Go out to a movie

34. Smell flowers

35. Color hard with crayons– releases stress

36. Garden

37. Go to the beach and look at the ocean

38. Think about people you love, call them, tell them your woes or don’t tell them your woes, just connecting can be healing

39. Paint your toenails

40. Window shop

41. Play a musical instrument

42. Make Love

43. Write or read affirmations.

44. Give yourself a foot massage

45. Go for a good run!

source

46. Write kind notes or emails to people for no reason

47. Walk outside and smile at 10 strangers

48. Write a letter to your higher self or your higher power or the Universe…

49. Slowly inhale to the count of 5 then exhale to the count of 5. Do this for 5 minutes.

50. Let it go.