Ginger-Lime Chicken

This is one of my favorite WW recipes. Chris hates it. My brother isn't a fan either. I don't care, I'm still making it.

Ginger-Lime Chicken

What you need-

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 limes- you need the juice from both, and the zest from at least one

2 Tbs ginger root- grated

2 cloves garlic- minced

1 Tbs honey

1/4 cup cilantro- I don't use this, although the recipe calls for it

1 pound chicken breasts (I use tenderloins)

2 Tbs scallions- finely minced (optional) I would have used them but we were out.

I really need to get my big camera out for these photos. Sorry!

What you do-

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a glass bowl. If you're using the cilantro, add two tablespoons into the marinade. Mix well. Add in chicken. 

Let the chicken marinate for a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in lightly greased dish, cover with a few tablespoons of the marinade.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

I served mine with brown rice and roasted veggies. 

10 WW pp for 3 oz chicken, 1 serving brown rice, and veggies.

Two recipes in one week? Who am I?!

I'm THAT Girl

You know the one I'm talking about. The one who when you first meet, you think, 'Wow she seems like a bitch.' The quiet one who doesn't talk to you until you talk to her first. Again, because she's either stuck up, or...a bitch.

Throughout high school and even college I was told the same thing over and over, 'I thought you were a goodie goodie, or a mean person, or whatever.' 

Yeah I'm that girl. 

Except really? I'm not.

I'm the most passive aggressive person ever. So much so that I got called out at work the other day for it. I thought it was hilarious, but it always comes as such a surprise when the other person discovers the truth. 

I'm not really all that bad. I mean. Okay, if you give me a reason to not trust you, then we'll have problems, but I'm not stuck up or whatever like my first impression may give.

I hate confrontation. I do everything I can to avoid it. Always. And I'll hold all of my emotions in. For a while. Until finally? I blow up. And when that happens, it's not pretty. 

And it's been happening a lot lately. With family, C, work. Nearly everyone. I suck at life right now. Taking peoples' shit is not something I do gracefully. 

But I'm working on it. 

I'm trying not to let it get to that point. The point where I explode, which means dealing with the whole 'I don't do confrontation' thing. 

I'm working on it people. 

Bear with me. 

Weight...Loss?

{The 21 Pound Edititon}

I did it. I reached my mini goal of hitting 20 pounds before August was over. I not only hit it, I exceeded it by skipping straight to 21 pounds lost total. 

I celebrated... 

By buying two pairs of shorts in a size that I'm a little uncomfortable in. I know I'll get there. Hell, they fit, just snugly. 

Last week was a good week. It was also the first week someone actually asked me, 'Hey, are you losing weight? You look great!' I laughed. Why yes in fact I am. I have been busting my ass for the last almost 4 months. 

Someone also asked me if I felt any different since losing a bit of weight. The short answer is no. I mean, I can throw down on the elliptical for 45 minutes without dying, whereas I used to only could do 10 minutes and then I'd nearly fall over dead. But everyday life? No. I feel the same. Still exhausted by 2 pm every day. I think I need some vitamins or something. 

What I've been enjoying this week-

I ate a Payday-It was worth every stinking (7) point(s). 
Bananas- 0 points
Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Bread- 2 points per slice 
Oatmeal with skim milk, cinnamon, and banana-5 points

I'm trying to get more power foods in, and I do good in the morning, but as the day goes on it gets harder!

Bubble Up Enchilada Bake

This was a WW friendly recipe-until I got my hands on it. It still was technically a 'good' one, I just bulked it up a bit.

Bubble Up Enchilada Bake

What you need-

1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey if thats your thing)

1 10 ounce can enchilada sauce

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 16 ounce can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits (I used Grands!)

1 small can whole kernel corn

1 can black beans

1 packet taco seasoning (I like the spice it adds)

1 1/4 cups shredded low fat Mexican cheese

Extras you may want-

Sour cream, scallions, salsa, or black olives (ew).

Don't let the biscuits throw you off. They threw me at first, (biscuits?! with enchiladas?) 

Trust me. 

Crappy iPhone pic. 

What you do-

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown and drain your meat. Add in the corn and beans once the meat is browned. Mix in the enchilada and tomato sauces, also toss in the taco seasoning. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes while you tend to the biscuits.

Open the can of biscuits, cut each biscuit into fourths. Little triangles! Throw them all into the meat mixture. Grease a 9X13 baking dish. Dump the meat/biscuit mixture into the casserole dish and throw it into the oven for 25ish minutes. Or until the biscuits are done. Take the casserole out of the oven, top it with the cheese and stick it back in the oven a couple of minutes-long enough to melt the cheese. 

I topped mine with light sour cream and scallions. It was delish. C liked it too, and he's not a casserole guy. 

If you're a WW member and you use e-tools, throw this into the recipe builder to find out how many points. 

Serves 6-8

About That...

So the house hunting thing? Yeah. We're signing another six month lease this week, just like I knew we would. 

Everything was just so expensive. And what we could afford, was in a shady part of town (no thanks) or the same size as what we have currently. What's the point right now then? The place we are in now is fine. 

At least I keep telling myself that. We finally got rid of the window busting, door slamming neighbor.  Please don't ask me who is living there now. It's almost just as bad. Almost. Regardless, we're staying. 

A little longer at least.

And anyway, I just cleaned all of the baseboards, so I that warrants another 6 months here. Right?

Beef Stroganoff

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe around here. I've basically been cooking the same old stuff. Sometimes I find myself searching for a recipe that I think C will like. He puts up with my chicken eating habits quite well, but I know he prefers red meat.

Men. 

Anyway I came across a recipe for Beef Stroganoff (that you throw in the crock pot!) and it's really good.

Beef Stroganoff

What you need-

1-2 lbs stew beef (I used around 1.3 pounds and mine was already cut up quite small)
2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup (the secret ingredient)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1 14 oz can low sodium beef broth
8 oz button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (totally optional, and I totally left them out) Ew.
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz low fat cream cheese- room temp
1/2 cup light sour cream
Noodles of your choice-I used whole grain wide egg noodles

What you do-
Combine all ingredients except for the cream cheese and sour cream, in a crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. I think mine went for closer to 7 and it was fine. At least an hour before it's done cooking, add in the cream cheese and sour cream. Stir often until ready to Serve. It takes a while for the cream cheese and sour cream to break down, but be patient! It'll be worth it!

It makes around 4 servings, and if you did want to count WW points, with a serving of noodles it's 16 points. 

Sometimes you have to sacrifice points to keep the other people you feed happy!

Baby J

A couple of weekends ago I got to photograph Baby J. You might remember their maternity session from here. Anyway. He was twelve days old the day I photographed him.

I'd never ever ever photographed a newborn before. And I. Was. Nervous. Not because I don't know anything about newborns, but because I was going to be inside and I was freaking out about the lighting and space and every little thing I could worry about. After all, a twelve day old would be asleep the whole time. Right?

 

Ha! Wrong! Baby J was wide awake the whole time. I was totally surprised, but he was so laid back that it didn't even matter. I never realized how loud my camera was, until I photographed in a silent room with a newborn. 

Here are a few of my favorites (to see the rest, click on that link up top that says 'Photography')-

And my absolute favorite...

I can't even take it. Those forehead wrinkles? The eyes? The bubbles? 

Adorable.

Weight...Loss?

I can't.

I can't even.

I'm so close to my 20 pound mark. 

I gained 1.6 pounds last week. What the what? Yep. I was feeling like I'll never get there. But, I refuse to give up. There are some things that I am giving up though...namely those chocolate covered graham cracker cookies that I can't have in the house.

I just can't. If they are here, I'll eat them. So at the grocery store on Saturday I didn't even go down the aisle. I win. 

So those are gone. They were holding me back from my goals, yo.

Also? I put on a pair of jeans that I used to wear in college. And they were too big. How? So this means that I'm at the size I was at when C and I met. That makes me happy. I still want to lose 30 more pounds. Once I hit the 20 that is...

One thing at a time, Ashley.

What I've been enjoying this week-

These HC frozen greek yogurts, so far I've tried the strawberry-  3 points

I haven't tried a HC frozen entree that I don't like yet (good for lunches!)-They range anywhere from 6-9 points

Water- 0 points. I've been craving it this week.

Yay for pants that are too big!

26. AKA-The Birthday That Just Keeps Giving

In all of my whining about my crap weekend, I totally forgot to mention one of the more awesome things that someone has done for me in a while...

My uncle, gave me my birthday present. Can I turn 26 next year too? And the year after? Seriously, this birthday has kept going and going...

Anyway I have Photoshop! I have no idea what to do with it, or how to do anything with it, but? I HAVE PHOTOSHOP!

I can't wait to have time (ha!) to play with it and learn all the cool stuff. Up until now I'd been editing my photos with Aperture, and months later I feel like I just got the hang of that. 

Anyway, I honestly just had to choose whether to blog, or open up/play with Photoshop because my time is so limited. You win!

So if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know where I am. 

Ahem.

Weekend Suckage

Honestly? Could the weekend have been any more lame? I mean really.

I'll preface this post by saying we didn't even clean house on Sunday. We always clean the house on  Sunday. I can think of maybe three times in the two years we've lived here that we haven't cleaned. This is a big deal people. Our house isn't dirty...but we have a cat. A super hairy cat who lays around everywhere. And everywhere she lays? Hair. Lots of it. So it gets grody in here...fast. Regardless, I had to give one chore up this weekend in order to fit everything else in, and that was it. 

Ugh. 

I was in a mood all weekend. Because of a lot of things I don't want to talk about. Thankfully, I got some 'me' time on Saturday night while the boys went to a baseball game. Lord knows I didn't want to sit through that torture. So, a bubble bath, pedicure, and HGTV re-runs? That's exactly what I did.

Oh, did I mention that I FELL DOWN OUR STAIRS on Saturday. Dude. I don't know how it happened. I was nearly all the way down them (only 4 or so steps to go) and I guess my foot slipped. I don't remember any of it except C, (who was behind T, who was behind me) yelling 'OH, SHIT'. And then I was trying to straighten myself up at the bottom of the stairs. Maybe I blacked out? I have no idea, I don't remember the fall, but my left hip and butt hurt. Still.

Then on Sunday I had to go into work. That was lame, and totally not worth the gas to just stand there for an hour and a half in the HEAT for our 'Summer Social'. None of my students/parents even showed up. Hell, no one really showed up, except for the teachers. 

The bright side of that was that C took my car in for an oil change, and also a wash and gas fill up while I was gone. I drove his car to work. I'm not sure why he's so good to me when I'm in one of my bitchy moods. 

Wait, where was I going with all of this?

Weight...Loss?

I lost 3 pounds last week. I'm half a pound away from the 20 pound mark! That's about half way from my ultimate goal. 

Even happier news? My boobs fit into a large t-shirt this weekend. That hasn't happened since...high school. So that was fun.

Yep. Free Apple garb.

I'm missing Mexican food more and more recently. I noticed every time I give in and eat it, that's the week I gain. I can't really control my chips and salsa intake. Bummer.

Speaking of salsa, I found one I like a lot. Now, I just need to find other things to eat with it besides chips. Or veggies (ew). Hmm.

Ideas?

What I enjoyed this week-

Salsa- 0 points

Emerald Sweet & Salty Mixed Nuts- 4 points a serving

I'm having a hard time finding any apples in stock at the store that I like. That's reason number 829 that I'm ready for fall. 

Yay for another successful week!!

A Letter To My Future Self-

Just a few things-

Please tell me you've gone back to school. It's been years, and frankly, if you're still wiping butts for pennies, then you are just like those people you say you're not. Ahem. Remember that feeling you had when you got the acceptance letter in the mail for nursing school back in 2006? Honestly. 

Put the cookie/cake/chips/queso down. Remember how hard you worked your ass off to drop that weight? Is one cookie (or twenty) worth it? How could you forget the hours you spent with the elliptical? All a waste? That's what I thought.

I really hope there's a baby by now. If not, what are you waiting for? Clearly you're going to have to have some fertility specialists help with this one. So get on it. 

Stop being so critical about your photography and just get out there and do it. Stop doubting yourself. It's all about practice, and experience. Okay, and maybe good lighting. But still. Keep at it. Even if you only ever do it as a side job. Don't quit.

Also? You're doing the best with what you've been given. You're still learning. Listen. 

Stop interrupting C in mid sentence word. Years later, and that's still the one thing you know he can't stand. Stop trying to make his story better and just shut up. Again, listen.

Call your dad. You don't do it enough. Okay, ever. Even though he never picks up the phone first, one day you'll regret not being the one to do it. Talk about something besides the weather. Tell him you love him and appreciate everything he's done. Don't you wish you could have this same conversation with your mom? Alright then.

Lastly, be a part of more things that make you uncomfortable. That just means you're gaining more experience. Whether it's in your job, or whatever. Just say yes. And do it. You might be surprised what you walk away with.

Ashley-age:26

Weight...Loss?

Last week I gained half a pound. I'm going to say it's because I only got three workouts in and not four. Life got in the way. 

And I napped instead.

Just taking care of number one y'all. 

This week I'm back on track, tracking and all. 

I'm not sleeping well. Not sure why. So, I'm surprised when the evenings roll around and I have enough energy to go work out. 

I tried on a pair of jeans from last winter, this morning. You know the ones-they're tight, everywhere. Except they weren't. So that was fun.

I've been craving everything sweet lately. I really want to get in the kitchen and bake....but I'll refrain. 

My new short term goal is to be at 20 pounds lost within the next couple of weeks...

Negative/Positive

I'm extremely tired of not being able to watch my own TV. Mainly because there's always baseball on it these days. 

More time to focus on other things.

I'm not sleeping well which is making my patience at work verrrrrry limited.

I get to snuggle babies for six hours each day, then send them home with their parents. 

Spending hours on a Friday night meal planning/coupon clipping makes me grumpy.

It's done for the whole week and no one ever asks, 'What's for dinner.' Plus? Easy to track.

Speaking of tracking...where in the heck did all of my 'favorites' in my WW app go? Tracking these days is a nightmare. 

Financially being able to join/commit to WW/seeing results.

It's too hot outside to even walk.

Fall is coming.

Meeting sweet baby J today and feeling sad that I/we don't have one.

Feeling blessed that his momma asked me to take photos of him in all of his newborn-ness.

Did I mention work has been stressful lately? For real.

I get to work with E a few times over the next week or so!

Sweating my butt off on the elliptical and getting foot cramps.

Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror today and thinking, 'Wow, those are my legs?!' makes it totally worth it.

Being too tired to have dinner on the table when C gets home from work. 

He happily starts dinner, and does the dishes. Lucky me.

Different

Cancer with my grandma is totally different than cancer with Chris. In the beginning, I knew it would be different because it would effect her ability to eat and she would also be getting radiation-whereas C only had chemo. 

It's so different, and hard. And she's struggling, which is making me struggle to be there for her. She wants to give up every.single.day. She keeps talking about how she feels like she's a burden. Of course she isn't, but I can totally see how she feels that way. 

She can't do much for herself, she's so weak. She has a feeding tube, which she has to use for nourishment and medication. If you know anything about G tubes, you know that you need 31 hands in order to use it-in the beginning at least. I'm sure we'll get the hang of it, but right now it's...interesting. 

I'm stressed. She isn't getting enough help during the day so when I went over there today? She hadn't eaten (in nearly 7 hours) or taken her daily meds. I don't mind helping her take care of herself at all, I just don't feel like I can be there enough. Home healthcare is supposed to start helping out soon, so maybe that will take a bit of stress off, but damn.

I like how everyone's life (in my family) goes on. Except mine. Vacations? Still happen. Work? Who needs to reschedule anything?! (it feels like only I do). Friday night date nights? Still happen. What the hell?

'Oh and by the way, while we're on vacation? Do you mind taking care of grandma?' Seriously? I was asked this yesterday.

Of course I will (I basically do anyway when it comes to self care). She comes first. Now stop being so nonchalant about this, she's not a dog that you're asking me to feed. 

Fuck.

It makes my heart hurt how she is being treated during this whole ordeal. In the beginning when she was first diagnosed, she said this was how it would be. I told her she was wrong, but she was right. So right.

When C was going through treatment, he worked a full time job without complaint.

My grandma can't even open a bottle of water.

I would love to just quit my job and take care of her full time, but I don't want to put that financial stress on C and I, or our relationship. So, I feel like I'm being pulled in 95 different directions. 

She's over half way through with her treatments. If she quits now, then everything she's been through up until now, was for naught. That's what I keep telling her (and myself). 

For now, we'll just take it one day at a time.

FTR-I don't care who reads this (family-HI BLAKE!) Everyone knows what they're guilty of, if anything.

Weight...Loss?

At my meeting last week I found out I lost 1.6 more pounds. That's 17 pounds total.

I'm blaming it all on the elliptical. That's the only reason I'm seeing such great results. Because? I'm definitely eating everything I want. In fact, toward the middle of the week, I stopped tracking. The WW app is really annoying me lately because all of my  'favorite' foods aren't saved for me anymore.

It's a pain.

I've been tracking again this week, but I really don't feel like I need to.

Favorite foods this week- 

Black beans- 2 points for half a cup

Blueberries -0 points

Water- I don't know what happened, but I can't get enough of it lately.

I really didn't crave anything. So I've been eating the same old thing. Except for my craving for Mexican food last weekend, so I had that...

I haven't measured recently, but I plan on doing so soon. I know my tops and bras! are fitting differently, so maybe I'm finally getting results on that end!