Aging.... a year closer to perfection

I turned 35 less than a week ago!  On the eve of my birthday I got a little down about turning 35.  There was a melancholy gloom hanging over my head.  However, the next morning I woke up with feelings of thanksgiving and joy.  Thank God I'm still here!  No, I haven't accomplished, 'everything' I planned to by this age.  But let's look at the awesomely wonderful things I HAVE accomplished.  When I decided to take the 'glass is half full' approach I was able to really see my true blessings.


I'm not going to let my age, gender, weight or anything else hold me back.  I'm a force to be reckoned with.  I promise you I'm getting closer to 'perfection' as each year passes.

I'm so glad that I was able to accomplish this in a lifetime... and I ain't even through yet!

 Slow and Steady wins the race ~  "The tortoise and the hare"

My new favorite meal - Chicken Meatballs & Sauteed Spinach

Recently I've been trying to add new meals to my daily repertoire.  Eating the same old thing everyday doesn't work for me.  It's time to shake up my workouts and eating.  I'm still on my mission.



This past Friday Night I prepared:

Chicken Meatballs with sauce & Sauteed Spinach

I've got my protein and veggies going on.  Low carb, aside from the small amount from the crackers. AND it was pretty easy to make.  Everyone knows that tomato sauce tastes even better a day or two later, so I'm still enjoying my meatballs on Sunday afternoon.

OMG.. it was Slap yo' Mama good.  (Sorry Emma Jean)

I don't have a recipe per se, because I'm a 'dump' cooker.  There were no exact measurements.  Add more or less of an ingredient based on your personal preferences.  Here's the jist....

Chicken Meatballs
1 lb ground chicken breast
4-5 crumbled crackers (I used Ritz)
1 Beaten Egg
Chopped Onion
Shredded Carrot
1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley (chopped)
Dash Garlic Powder
 Salt & Pepper
Bottled *chunky style* Spaghetti Sauce

Preheat oven to 375
Mix all ingredients.  Roll into balls.  Bake on grease foil lined cookie sheet for 12-15 mins or until meatballs test done.

Place baked  meatballs into sauce pan.  Pour chunky spaghetti sauce over meatballs.  Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.

*the mixture was quite sticky.  I'm sure there's a trick to this, but I haven't gotten there yet.  I'll keep trying until I get it right.

Makes approximately 20 meatballs depending on size ....

Sauteed Spinach
2 Bunches fresh Spinach, (washed with stems chopped)
3 garlic cloves (minced in Garlic press - or use approx 1 tbsp jarred minced garlic)
Red Bell Pepper (sliced into strips)
1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley (chopped) 
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar to taste

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in non-stick pan over medium heat.  Add Red Pepper strips to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften.  Add minced Garlic, then parsley.  Add spinach in batches.  Stir, allowing the leaves to wilt after each addition. Cook spinach to desired tenderness.  Season with sea salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.  Drizzle lightly with balsamic Vinegar.

Idle Hands :(

So let me preface this blog by saying this is serious subject matter.  However I always try to see the good in everything, or at the very least use the situation as a learning experience.  (Those that know me personally recognize that I am long winded, my apologies in advance. That being said, let me tell you about my day yesterday 6/19/12.....

So... I had been on PTO for 2 days, which essentially gave me a four day weekend.  I did a little shopping while I was out and about and decided to rock one of my new dresses on my first day back in the office. The irony of this is, when I looked at myself in the dress I said to myself... "Hmmm, this is a good outfit to blog about."  It completely reflects the point I was trying to make about choosing clothes that look good on you.  Not hiding behind larger sizes or trying to force yourself into clothes that aren't cut for your particular body type.  I'm getting used to my 'new' body which is still a work in progress.   Some of the attention/compliments I get is awesome.  Some of the attention if you continue reading.... not so great. 
So I'm feeling good about the dress.  Wasn't really sure about it when I purchased it,  (the print was doing too much in my opinion), but my girlfriend Jackie told me that I should get it.  So I sucked it up and spent a whopping $24.99 at TJMaxx.  Anyway I had a great day at work and was planning to head to the gym.  But unfortunately I had to make a quick pit stop at good ole Wal-Mart.   I was looking for

 some special ointment for my recent tattoo and I also wanted to to pick up a copy of Jet Magazine. My friend Santana and her new husband are featured in this week's issue, so of course I needed to grab a couple.  I'm on the phone talking to my cousin J in Cali.  We needed to catch up about some recent events. A random lady walks up to me as I'm getting a cart to say, "Excuse me honey.  I have to tell you, you are really WEARING that dress.  You look great!"  So of course that serves as an ego  booster..  I realize that Jackie might have known what she was talking about.  I continue on my my shopping mission.  Ultimately I didn't find the ointment, but ended up in the cosmetics searching for some new nail polish.  Meanwhile I'm still on the phone with my cousin.  I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy because she's giving me positive affirmations.  She's telling me how good I'm looking, being positive, the law of attraction etc.   I'm taking it all in and also loving this Sally Hansen color I just picked out.

Sally Hansen Slick Slate 










Then...... WHAMMO!!!!!!   SHREEK!!  O M G.  SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!! DOUBLE YA TEE EFF!!!!  @!#%*$^

It happened.... some perv decided he wanted to manhandle my arse.   In layman's terms I was sexually assaulted in Super Wal-Mart while shopping for nail polish!   Clearly the fact that I wasn't aware of my surroundings made me an easy target.  I'm on the phone soaking in my cousin's every word while losing my mind about this new nail color.  Everything happened so quickly.  For a brief second I felt someone up behind me.  It never really registered that NO ONE should be up that close on me at Wal-Mart until after the fact.  The most disgusting thing about the whole ordeal was that this dude went IN!  He didn't just smack, pinch or poke my booty.  Oh no!  That would have been too mundane.  This clown used BOTH hands, cupped/squeezed and lifted my booty.  Can you say violation?  So in my mind I'm like I'm going to turn around and see someone I know.  I will then lay into them immediately with all type of vile language. In my mind I'm like whatever friend/associate that was went WAAAY too far!  Imagine the shock when I turn around and see an unidentified male standing there looking at me.  Meanwhile I'm still on the phone screaming in my cousin's ear.  I grab my purse to chase dude down the aisle.  I try to wave down some Wal-Mart assistance.  Other customers are standing there with their mouths open.  Dude takes off running and I'm standing there with this dude's hand prints etched onto my ass.   Ultimately I call the cops, file a report and am able to identify the guy via the surveillance video.    So what's the moral of this story.......

#1 Always ... ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings.  I was doing way too much.  I never even saw dude.  Based on the video tape he actually walked by me one time.  Then decided to come back and move in for the kill.  Had I been more on my p's and q's and he less of a pervert the 'groping' may have never happened. 

#2 Report assaults and crimes.  It is your civic duty to do so.  Part of me wanted to go home and take a shower, but the other part of me said.  This sicko needs to be caught.  If there is anything you can do to aid in that.  Do it!   After talking to the police officer he advised that what took place was a sexual assault.  He said he would do everything he could to find the guy because "this is how it starts".   Many serial killers, rapists, etc start off doing 'small' things to see what they can get away with.  And let's be honest.  I'm no petite chick.  This guy certainly has a problem.  I'm 5'6 and had on 3-4 inch heels yesterday.  This guy was 5'4 or 5'5 at best.  If he did this to me, could he be doing the same to a defenseless child?

#3 It's not your fault.  We've all seen the Lifetime movies and School Break specials that are about sexual assault.  I always felt that it was wrong to be accosted by someone, but never quite understood how victims qualified their situation as 'traumatizing'.  I totally get it now.  After the fact I was trying to figure out, was the dress too tight, too short?  Did my booty jiggle when I walked?  Maybe I shouldn't wear this dress again?  But then I realized it doesn't matter if I  had on some "David Lee Roth" pants

the situation should have never happened. 

Apparently the guy found this view irresistible?

Imagine if I had a butt like Serena [Williams]

Accept your curves (or lack thereof)

It took a long time to get this point, but I've finally learned to accept my curves.  For years and years I beat myself up in various dressing rooms because I never really understood my body.  This post is inspired by the fact I was just doing some online 'window shopping'. I  ran across a site that had ultra skinny jeans on clearance.  Two years ago I would have tried on some ultra skinny jeans and would have ended up in tears.  I mean skinny jeans are already diabolical.  But when you add ultra in front of them, a bottom heavy chick like myself would be inches from the ledge.  Luckily I finally took inventory of my body and realized what styles and cuts work for me. I stopped trying to force my nooks into crannies that just weren't made for me.  Accept your body shape and find clothing that compliments your figure.

As much as I love the retro look of shift dresses

they absolutely DO NOT work with my shoulder to waist to hip ratio.  Not a good look at all. 

I've found that belted dresses look better on me and they actually accentuate my waist.
 see >>>>

I do own a few pair of skinny jeans.  None of them are ultra skinny, and normally I have to go up a size or two to accommodate my rump and thighs.  Doesn't make me feel that skinny after all.   But I digress.   Every fashion trend isn't made for every person.  And... that's OK.  Accept what you've been blessed with and WORK your assets to your advantage.    "Work" <in my best RuPaul voice>

Why did I resist so long?

Why did I resist eating healthier so long?  I've been really consistent with working out for the last two years.  But, for some silly reason.  I was determined not to give in to healthful eating.  Yes, I changed my eating habits for the better over time.  But for the life of me, I didn't really want focus on the quality of my food.  I know my way around the kitchen exceptionally well, but preferred packaged/processed foods.  I guess I didn't want to cross over into a tree hugging health nut.  Maybe I still wanted that feeling of inclusion.  Most of my family and friends could give a rat's arse about how much artificial 'anything' is found in there daily diets.  Well except you Karen.  LOL, but you're the definition of weird anyway, so you don't count!  <hug>

After enjoying my oatmeal for breakfast I am so pissed at myself for taking so long to try something new.

My clean oatmeal was made from:

Old fashioned oats, blueberries, banana, toasted slivered almonds, cinnamon and drizzled with maple syrup.

I highly recommend it!

7 days... 7 lbs

Ha! I actually stuck to an eating clean plan for a week.  I'm happy to announce I've also lost seven pounds in the process.  I'm extremely excited about what the next few weeks will produce.  I'm not approaching this from a dieting perspective.  This is a lifestyle change that I plan to adopt for the long haul.  I  feel better and stronger in this small period of time.

Been Thinking about SUGAR like an old lover

So..... over the last few years I've been telling people that they need to change their relationship with food in order to lose weight.  I'm learning that we need to treat food as it was intended.  Food should be nourishment.  We shouldn't have emotional attachments to food. I was the extreme emotional eater.

Good emotions ...

Bad emotions...

Ambivalent emotions...

  If I was feeling "some type of way".... I ate.  And ate.  AND ATE.  Food is an inanimate object.  Well, after it's been slaughtered it is.  Food doesn't somersault into our mouths.  Chicken legs don't do the running man onto our plates.  We put it there.  We are also responsible for the additional pounds and inches that is a direct result of what we eat.  Yes we put those there too!  I've realized I had to get a handle on how I viewed food.

I won't let a trifling family member or friend steal my joy.  So why allow food to steal my health?  You wouldn't let anyone hinder you to the point that you lose your job would you?  So why do we love food so much that we turn a blind eye to it's hidden agenda?  We know that certain foods, just like certain relationships are just no good for us.  Yet, we continue on the infinite hamster wheel going around in circles.  When do you, "stick a fork in it" and say,  I'M DONE?

 Today, I've had thoughts about SUGAR.  I was thinking about sugar when I was driving. I was thinking about sugar as I washed dishes.  I thought about sugar as I prepared my morning protein shake.  I have had a volatile relationship with sugar all my life.  If I personified it, I'd call it an abusive relationship.  It was bad.  There was a bit of a longing for it today.  I feel like I am post break up.  I felt the need to just have a little bit for old time's sake.  You know how we do ...   "I'll just call and text him to see how he's doing."   
Or....  "I wonder what he's up to; if he misses me?"  Sugar has been on my mind like an old boyfriend today.  But I'm proud to say I'm putting an end to this dysfunctional relationship.

Thirty More Pounds (give or take) Baby!!!

30ish more pounds to go!

Appreciate your journey

This weight loss and fitness journey has been a semi difficult journey.  Timing is everything.  Having the right mindset, the right people, the right tools can make all the difference in the world. I've learned this over an eight or nine year period.  Would I change anything about my journey?  Not really.  If anything, probably that I would have taken the weight off faster.  But at the end of the day  I realize that things happen as they should.  Altering my steps wouldn't make me... me.

Soooo... I'm one of "them"

Major Inches Gone

Size 26 pants!!!!

Wow, really?  I just realized a few days ago that I am one of "them".  Someone who has lost a substantial amount of weight and can stand in one pants leg of an old outfit.. Left me a little speechless.  When did this happen?  Yes, I'm elated the weight is off.  No, I never realized I was so heavy that I even came from that place.  Geez... why didn't anyone tell me?  Oh yeah, my wrath.  I guess they couldn't chance that.  I'm blessed to have come this far no doubt,  but I thought the standing in the old fat pants was reserved for people like Jared on the Subway commercial.  OMG!  I'm one of them!