Turkey Pancakes!

Two Thanksgivings ago I had to get thru my first holiday without my boy with me.  It worked out that he was going to be with his father that year, so I just had him for the morning.  I knew it would be just as hard for him, with all the changes he had recently been thru, so I wanted to try to make our morning special.  I made a big breakfast with all his favorite things and surprised him with this little guy!

It's pretty simple to make.  I use an electric skillet and found that it cooks pancakes so evenly that you can make shapes pretty easily.  The body has cocoa powder mixed in to make a chocolate pancake. The feathers are a mixture of multi colored mini pancakes (just added food coloring to the batter) and cut strawberries.  The legs are bacon pieces and the eyes are chocolate chips.  Easy!

This was a HUGE hit, even for a 9 year old boy.  He still talks about it to this day and, at 11,  is super excited to see what kind of pancakes he'll be getting tomorrow.  I have some ideas... :)

Update - this year was pretty good too! Cornucopia pancakes:

long time no post!

I may have forgotten all about this little blog for the last few months! I just work and make plans,  work and make plans.  I'd have so much more free time if I didn't love to make plans! So anyways, I'm back and here's a few things worth mentioning before I change the primary direction of this little blog that only myself and 2 others see! My life in a nutshell:

1) Starting over is a part of life and is necessary - this includes diets and workout plans.  Basically, I'm not beating myself up anymore for starting over all the time.  It's not such a bad thing. (side note - new plan starts 11/26)

2) I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for.

3) I really believe that when you start doing things you love and make yourself happy,  everything falls right into place.

OK - so quickly, new plan goals are to work out everyday (doing something,  anything) and run at least 2 times a week.  I'm pretty proud that I've been running the last few weeks with a friend. Outside, at 6am,  in the cold.  That's a pretty huge deal for me.  We take it a  little at a time, but I don't stop and I'm pretty happy about that. Also,  I feel really good afterwards.  I like that too. I'm all signed up for my first 5 k next year - plenty of time to get better and reach that goal.  

Next  - I freakin LOVE Pinterest.  But aside from that,  I love all these people who blog and have awesome ideas.  So I'm going to write some of mine down too.  Here goes... :)

Here we go again!

I know, I know...restarting AGAIN! Typical me.  I do think it will work this time. Also,  my Accountabili-Buddy updated her blog, so I must as well...it's been way too long. Although the best of intentions were had,  the goal a day, check in with my buddy didn't quite work out as planned! It's ok though,  we're still doing our thing (and when we stop planning/worrying - then there is a problem). In my mind, we're still on it!

SO, now I have almost 20 people I feel I need to stay accountable for! I alerted most of my Facebook peoples that I'm doing a 6 week challenge and invited them to do the same.  I basically forced myself to keep going as the host of this group of people also interested in working out. The idea being - I CAN"T quit now, right? There are actually people paying attention. So far so good.  Day 2 of my program which consists of Slim in 6 as the primary program and rotating other videos in the mornings, 6 days a week. Sundays set for rest/makeups. I have a good feeling about this one....

Looking back,  i started all this in March. March. I know it's been a busy few months,  but I could have amazing results right now if I just stuck to the plan. I can't keep doing this.  I WILL stick to something.

So there you have it. Measurements to follow.

Busy, busy, busy...

OK, so I haven't been checking back here like I originally planned.  Lots going on...

Almost 3 weeks ago I started a new job. I had been working from home for a little over 4 years. Last month I took the leap and decided to accept a new position that is 8:30-5 in an office downtown. The jump may sound nuts to some people, but pretty much everyone I used to work with totally gets it. The job itself: so far,  so good.  Less stress, less work. The adjustment to waking up earlier, getting ready for work and leaving all day: working on it. I know it sounds easy - everyone does this, but I've been working in my PJs for a long time and it's a pretty big change.

Day 3 of my new job, I get sick.  It figures. It's a cold or something,  but it's taking FOREVER to get rid of. I suspect it's from shaking a gazillion new hands.  My immune system was probably like WHAT?! Too many germs. It's getting better,  but still not gone.

Then some other stuff happened, so this last week, in particular, has been nuts.  Between work, getting the boy to baseball, hospital visits and trying to coordinate some family stuff, it's been nonstop. So any slight noise my phone makes will wake me up and here I am at 3 am blogging instead of sleeping. I need to be up in about 3 hours.

I'm tired. Overwhelmed. It will get better though.  It's just a lot all at once right now

Working out has not happened.  I'm going to start going to the gym during lunch next week in case I don't get to Slim in 6 (which I think I may switch to my primary program). I'm going to reevaluate my goals this weekend.  Until then...

Week 2/REDO

OK I know I said I wasn't going to start over (again) BUT the last 2 weeks have been just...meh. The best thing about starting over tomorrow (Monday!) and what makes it different from the other times is my new accountability buddy! After reconnecting with an old friend thru facebook and this blog,  we've agreed that we're going to follow up with each other regularly and use a point system to track our goals!

My 5 daily goals:

My Oscar

1) Walk Oscar
2) Work out in the morning (I need to get used to this since there are big changes happening soon and I won't have as much time as I have now)
3) Drink shakeology
4) Stay within my chosen calorie level
5) Drink at least 2 bottles of water (I'm not sure how many ounces that is  - I have to check.  But it's a big sports bottle)

As for the big changes... I have been working from home for over 4 years now. I've decided to take a new job that will put me back into an office 8:30-5.  It's going to be a huge adjustment for me,  the boy and Oscar!

Oscar is very used to someone being home and he didn't quite adjust as well as I hoped to the divorce.  He has been acting out off and on this past year. He really is not going to be happy about the new job.  That's why goal number one is pretty important.

So we begin again on Monday - but this time we will be helping each other make sure this is the last time we have to start over!!

Adventures in Juicing

So I watched this documentary (love my Netflix!) called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  I highly recommend this to whomever hasn't yet seen it.  It basically follows an overweight Aussie who decides to spend 60 days touring America without eating anything - only drinking juice.  He mostly drinks this green juice made from apples,  kale, cucumber,  celery, ginger and lemon. Long story short, he loses a ton of weight, becomes kind of a hottie,  no longer needs all the medicine he was on and inspires others throughout the way (making way for an even better story).  It's good.  It made me want to juice!  Now I'm hooked on these nutrition vs.  medicine documentaries,  which i find very interesting since I'm not a big medicine person myself. Let me just say, I'm very aware that there is need for it and I'm not against medicine, but I very much like the ideas outlined in Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and Food Matters (both streaming on Netflix right now.)


So enough about all that - now is the fun part.  I first had to find a juicer.  A quick Facebook request is all it took and a friend of mine let me borrow his that he hadn't even used yet! I picked up the juicer the next day and even though it was nearly 9pm,  I couldn't wait to start! I got the boy involved and we made the mean green juice that Joe Cross drank in the film.


The juicer we used was very easy to use and the boy had fun with it! You can see below where the back bin fills with the juice and the front bin fills with the waste.  Tip for first timers - DO NOT leave the waste overnight in your garbage can! Take it right outside. The next morning the entire house smelled terrible just from that little canister of vegetable waste!

I'll say that the juice itself is very pretty and it even smells nice!
                    

 So here goes my little test subject!

thinking about it...

going for it...

wait a minute...

NOOOOOO!!! 

one more try!

too much! lol

I'm not so sure we will be making that one again.  I think it may have been heavy on the cucumber and lemon anyway. We both drank about a half a glass and that's all we could handle!  We did juice only apples the next day and that was really good.  I also tried this apple,  kale,  carrot and ginger recipe that wasn't nearly as pretty,  but i could actually finish a whole glass.

I love the idea of getting all these nutrients out of one glass of juice and I also found that the days I had the juice,  I could use it as sort of a meal replacement in that I wasn't as hungry after I drank it. After researching online I found out that the juicer I'm borrowing is a really good one (like $350!) and I'm not quite ready to invest just yet.  I've read that the quality of juicer is important and I don't know if I can go to something cheap after using the good one! I might just borrow for a little bit longer! :)

Jelly Beans and Beauty Queens

Being late to the party on the blog front means that all the easy blog addresses are taken.  I’m not very clever with naming these type of things, so if I can’t use “Jul”, “Julia”, or “Julia Jean” I’m lost.

Julia

 One of the many things I’ve learned in the last few years – last names change.  A few years ago I started painting.  It’s not something I do often and I’m not that particularly good at it,  but on the occasion that I see something I like that costs more than I can afford,  I think “I can make that.” So it was at this time, when I made my first little painting that now proudly hangs at my mother’s house, when I was torn as to how I should sign it.  As if it was such a big deal! I suppose, looking back, it was kind of a big deal.  I knew then that my last name might not always be my last name. That’s when I fully embraced Julia Jean.  My mom’s side of the family has called me this for years, as to distinguish me from my namesake. I’m named after both of my grandmothers.  I kinda love that. Plus, it’s a great name combo, in my opinion.

Jean

When I was little my mom made up this song that she sang to me. It goes something like this:

Julia Jean, Julia Jean

Sweetest kid I’ve ever seen

Mommy’s little jelly bean

Daddy’s little beauty queen…

 Cute, right?!  So “JuliaJean” may have been taken,  but “jellybeansandbeautyqueens” was available. Imagine that. Why is it this name is now so important to me?  For me, it represents who I am and where I come from. It’s mine. It’s only mine.  It will never change.  I can’t say the same for my last name! :)