Friday, February 26, 2010

My Mom's Super Chili Recipe

This is so easy and delicious. Wish I had some pictures for you, but you can get the idea of how colorful it is.

1 lb of chopped meat or turkey
1 onion -chopped
Cook until browned, drain

Put back in pot and add:
2 McCormack's chili seasoning packets - or season to your taste.
1 green pepper -chopped
1 yellow pepper -chopped
2 cans RED beans
2 cans PINK beans
2 cans BLACK beans
1 can small WHITE beans
1 can LIGHT RED beans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 can corn

If you chose you can add a small jalapeno depending on your taste buds. I personally am not a big fan of the spicy, so I use mild seasoning packets and no jalapeno. You can also mix up the beans any way you like them.

I usually simmer on the stove all morning and it's fantastic. This recipe will make a LOT. Like possibly 4-5 quarts! So make and plan of giving some to neighbors, freeze or have a party!

The Snow Workout

I have been doing great this week. Despite the massive snow we just got dumped on us, once again.
I was at the gym on Mon and Wed and did 2.5 miles in about 30 minutes each time. Yesterday the Kid had an early dismissal and then I was watching a friend's daughter so I wasn't able to get over there....but today... Ah. Hubby had to go to work (took him double the time to get there- that means it took 3 HOURS for him to get to work today) so I was on my own with this white hell that the sky keep giving us. So I bundled up the kids and went out to shovel our driveway. For those of you who have never been here (all of you) my driveway is loooooong. We can easily park 4 cars in it and if we really squeeze we could probably fit a 5th. But, I did it. All.by.myself! I did about 40 minutes and then we could hear the neighborhood kids out, so we went next door and played for a while. Then I brought the Baby home to nap and the Kid to have lunch and went back out for another 1/2 an hour! I came back in sweatier than I ever imagined I would have been.
There goes the guilt of not making it to the gym in 2 days.
Hubby is home all weekend, so I will be making frequent trips. :)
Few more days until my weigh in. I am very excited to see how I have done.

I also made some yummy food this week. I made a fantastic pot of turkey chili and a southwest chicken & white bean soup. Very filling, yet has so many good things in it! I'll post the recipes later, if you want.

And since I started writing this, I have seen the sun come out and then it started snowing again, then the sun came out again and now it's all cloudy and some flakes are coming down again. ugh. I am SO ready for spring. We better have a nice one.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

And the start weight is...

I did it. I weighed in yesterday afternoon.
I was wearing jeans, since I went while the Kid was in TaeKwonDo. And it was just after 4 in the afternoon. And it was after I stuffed my face all weekend.
I am 201 pounds.
Holy crap! I was honestly 180 last June when I was running. Then I stopped. And gained it all back.

I can't wait to fit into my size 14 jeans that I am squeezing over my ass every day. (can we say massive muffin top?) I threw out all my 16s last summer b/c I SWORE I would never be that big again. I am. I refuse to buy new jeans.

I went back to the gym after TKD. My mom came over and gave me 30 min on the treadmill. I went 2.5 miles! I realized yesterday that it's easier to look at time, not distance. Every 4th minute I would pick up the pace from 4.5 -> 5.5 for a minute. Then on the last minute I was around 6.2! I used to try to run faster for a 1/4 mile and I'd get tired out fast. I read a blog about intervals folloing the TIME and it worked much better.

ok. Officially time to kick my ass into gear. Of course, today is a free short stack of pancakes at IHOP (with a donation to Children's Miracle Network). And I promised the Kid we'd go for dinner. I will ONLY have the short stack with a bit of sugar free syrup (no butter) and no add ons, like bacon or sausage or breakfast potatoes. Then I will go to the gym!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Pigs are flying...

I never thought I'd say this, but the beach sucks!! Well, running on the beach does. hahaha

It was only a 1/4 mile, but the snow on the beach was slippery and the sand was all soft. It was really rough on my ankles. But I reached my goal! I wanted to run the 2 mile run in under 25 minutes. Well, I went over the finish line at about 25:25....but it took me about a minute to even get to the start line after the race started. There were snow banks on the side of the roads and cars parked (they should have had no parking) so there were at least 1500 people crammed into a tiny street waiting to go. That is my estimate. I know there were 1300 pre-registered and it was a beautiful sunny 40+ day with hardly any wind. I wouldn't be surprised if there were another 200 people signed up that morning. I know a lot of people wait until the day of a race to check the weather if they want to run.

It was a gorgeous fun day. Then Hubby and I went to the after party at the bar and had a great time with another couple. The kids were great with grandma and we are just counting the minutes until bedtime!!
I am so looking forward to spring!!

2 more days until the weigh in!!

Friday, February 19, 2010

No weight yet...

I went to the gym this morning. I didn't have to weigh in! yay! I have one more weekend to relax. We have to be weighed in by Monday, so I will have the stats on that then.

I did get on the treadmill for 2 1/2 miles. The first 2 miles I walked on an incline (3.5) and then for the last 1/2 mile I lowered the incline to 1.5 and upped the speed and jogged a bit. Holy cow, now I know why I never liked inclines. They are rough!

Tomorrow is a 2 mile beach run - only 1/4 mile is actually on the beach. Then after we are going to the bar with a couple friends and now I don't have to worry about the beer calories! :)

Under the Knife

Kind of....it was a tiny knife.
I had a dermatologist appointment this morning to check out my mass of freckles and moles on my pale blonde body. Ironically, coincidentally, I don't know what it is, but my P.A. is friend's with my friend. Small freaking world, right? She was awesome, bytheway.

Anyway. I had 3 things cut off my body today. (I will have results in 1-2 weeks.) One right in the middle of my tramp stamp, one on my left thigh and one on my upper left arm. I am not sore yet since the holymotherofgod painful little needle with the numbing stuff is still in there, so I am heading to the gym. I have my weigh in and I am just going to do walking on an incline today. I don't want to do too much before my little cuts scab over, plus I have a 2 mile race tomorrow. Yay!
Need to drink a 1/2 gallon of water before I go.....

Will post later with gym results! :)

Thursday, February 18, 2010

New Beginnings

Hubby and I have joined the local gym. I have been going 2-3 days a week for the last 3 weeks. I am SO hoping this doesn't fizzle out again, like it does every other time I start running.

Once, when The Kid was 8 months old I was going to an all womens gym and was on the treadmill almost every day. I lost 30 pounds in 3 months. I know, right? Unheard of. Especially since I wasn't tracking food at all. Imagine what I can do when I start really logging my food into Sparkpeople! Then I gained it all back. Then I got pregnant, then I had a miscarriage, then I got pregnant again and had the Baby. (who is almost 17 months old!! Holy Crap!)

In the last 4 years I have taken Running 101, 102, 101, 102, 101 and then 102 again. (A local running club does these programs to get people back into running or to start running if you've never run before.) Each time I was into running, ran a few 5Ks and then stopped. And gained all the weight back. Then I had to start all over again.
Last June I had finished my 3rd Running 102 class and I was 20 pounds lighter than I am now. Seriously. I would like to say I gained 20 pounds in 8 months...but honestly, I have been at the same weight since last November...so the 20 lbs came back within 5 months. How the hell does that happen? Excuses? I broke my toe in Sept. What was my excuse from June until then? The heat? 2 kids? not good enough. I have no excuses except that I got lazy again.

I am joining the Biggest Loser competition at my gym. The weigh-in is tomorrow. I am planning on being accountable to many many other people. I have been posting on dailymile every time I go to the gym or do my Wii fit, which in turn posts to my facebook. I plan on posting here as often as I can and hope to get some support and motivation to keep it up well past May when the competition is over.

Here are my goals.
I will lose at least 20 lbs in the next 3 months.
I will keep losing until I am down to 160. I know that isn't my 'ideal' weight by my height, but I would be very happy with that. Any more is a bonus.
I will do one or two 5Ks a month starting in March, until Sept....then I will run a 5 miler.
In 2011 I will run a 1/2 marathon. There. I put it out there. I think I have been saying that for years.
I will post my progress, including weight. I will take pictures, and maybe I will get brave enough to post them...when I have a good 'after' shot. ;)

Push me. Challenge me. Motivate me.
Please.