You know what tends to grind my gears? When someone tells me to love myself the way I am. This tends to be someone who has never dealt with issues stemming from poor self-esteem. I could make the antithesis to Shakespeare's sonnet about comparing me to a summer's day with all of the self-hatred I've got running through my brain. For every positive thing I think about myself, there are at least 2 negative things. I'm working on it, but goddamn it's hard.
How can I find positivity when all that I see in the mirror is imperfection? Zits, grease, rolls, lumps, scars, stretch-marks. It's just too much sometimes.
But I'm working on it.
My new goal is to find one thing I like about myself every week and write about it. Interspersed with how my 'get healthy' journey is going and pictures of the food I'm eating/making.
This week I'm going to focus on my eyes. Yeah, it's a cop out. But I need to start small!
It's no secret that I've got a different set of genes than my brother and sister. It was kind of a no-brainer when my brother was tall and slim and my sister is short and slim, and I'm shaped like an oversized teapot (not so short but definitely stout). I'm also the only one with blond hair and blue eyes. Sure, sure, my brother has dark blond hair and blue-green eyes, but that's beside the point.
My blue eyes are cool. They're pretty light, although not nearly as light as my daughter's, and they're two slightly different shades. One of them even has some brown around the pupil. There's navy blue around the very outside. They're not too big and not too small, my lashes are relatively okay but they curl well and that's awesome. They're very expressive. They leak when I'm happy, sad, eat hot food, or am outside in the cold wind. All in all, they're pretty neat.
I've been using My Fitness Pal to keep track of my food. Thus far I'm doing okay with tracking, even if sometimes I fall off the wagon and eat absolute garbage. I can't say that I've lost much weight yet nor have I lost any inches, but I've gotta get my mentality there before I can push myself. I've been phasing out my morning coffee and drinking more water and tea. It doesn't hurt that my digestive system has been going haywire lately, getting angry when I consume anything that it doesn't like. For example, all things milk or coffee. Or deep fried. Tim Horton's food, in general, is a trigger. So... yeah.
The exercise thing is going alright as well. I've picked up another WiiFit board after an off-brand rechargable battery pack destroyed mine many moons ago, I just need to get more games for it. Actually, come to think of it, have the EA sports game tucked away. I should try using that in addition to just using the game it came with. Yay brain!
I've managed to catch a nasty flu after a fun party this weekend, so I'm sore throat and full of phlegm. Even sneezing this time and I never sneeze. Thank goodness for tea and Nyquil.
I picked up Jessica Seinfeld's book 'Deceptively Delicious', which is basically making purees of vegetables and sneaking them into foods. I mentioned it to my husband today and seemed suprisingly amenable to the deal. I don't know if he's playing along because it seemed like something I was interested in, or if he's actually interested in eating better. Either way, I'll take it.
Speaking of husband, he leaves on Monday to Alberta for a month. He's 10 days on 4 days off and he'll spend the 4 at home, but still. It sucks. They just asked him today if he'd go out here and he has to give an answer by tomorrow. The money that he would get for overtime and living allowance would help us a LOT right now, especially because we're in talks about having our second kid and we need to make sure we can afford it. Although I've crunched the numbers... we'd save roughly $1000/month by me staying home. And that's literally just daycare fees, parking permit fees, and the gas costs for me driving into the city every day. That's not even taking into account the excess money spent on food items and the like. But that's rambling.
Hopefully the next post I make contains some food related items. I'll try my best.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
The Time With That Thing
Just because I write a food/recipe blog, doesn't mean that it has to be EXCLUSIVELY food or recipes, right?
Sure, let's go with that.
2014 has kind of crept up on me. One minute I'm starting a new job then Olivia's first birthday, then all of a sudden it's Christmas and I'm thinking "Wait, what?" There were so many great things that happened in 2013, I am excited to see what this year will bring.
I guess this could be a lame seque into food and this blog.
I'm going to try to shift focus. Not a crazy shift, but more of a lifestyle change. I really need to get happy with myself. I am SO not. This can be identified by the fact that I went from having medium-ish length blond hair, to red hair, to super dark auburn, to chin-length auburn, to a strawberry blond pixie cut all within 2 months. Tyler's number one fear was that as soon as I start doing stuff with my hair, then that must mean there's an issue with our marriage. Where this guy gets his ideas from, I have idea. But fear not, our marriage is just fine (although he wasn't really working hard on proving to me that things were okay...). Anyway, it all boils down to self confidence. I've got, like, a negative amount. Okay, that's not true. I start out with an average amount of self-confidence and then throughout the day it diminishes. By the end of the week I'm asking why I bother and then I put on my sweats and giant tshirt and sit on my ass all weekend.
That, dear friends, is what needs to change. And how can I change it? By actually taking care of myself. Appearances are good and all, but I need to make a shift so the insides and outsides can match. I know what I want my tyle to be and reflect, but I just can't because of size restrictions.
So here's what's going to happen. Starting January 6, I'll be taking part in one of those DietBet things, wherein you bet $35 that you'll lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks. If you win, you get your money back AND you split the kitty of whomever didn't win. It's a pretty big bet on my part, just based on my current weight, but that's the motivation to do better. I'll also be hooking up with My Fitness Pal again, scouring the Pinterest boards for recipes and exercises, and hopefully I'll be on my way to being a better me.
Besides. If I want another baby, I gotta lose some girth first. Whatever motivates me, right?
Keep tuned to the blog, I'll definitely be posting more recipes and random things that I'm doing (if I find a good blog or if I find that a workout is really killing it), and I'm always open to suggestions.
Sure, let's go with that.
2014 has kind of crept up on me. One minute I'm starting a new job then Olivia's first birthday, then all of a sudden it's Christmas and I'm thinking "Wait, what?" There were so many great things that happened in 2013, I am excited to see what this year will bring.
I guess this could be a lame seque into food and this blog.
I'm going to try to shift focus. Not a crazy shift, but more of a lifestyle change. I really need to get happy with myself. I am SO not. This can be identified by the fact that I went from having medium-ish length blond hair, to red hair, to super dark auburn, to chin-length auburn, to a strawberry blond pixie cut all within 2 months. Tyler's number one fear was that as soon as I start doing stuff with my hair, then that must mean there's an issue with our marriage. Where this guy gets his ideas from, I have idea. But fear not, our marriage is just fine (although he wasn't really working hard on proving to me that things were okay...). Anyway, it all boils down to self confidence. I've got, like, a negative amount. Okay, that's not true. I start out with an average amount of self-confidence and then throughout the day it diminishes. By the end of the week I'm asking why I bother and then I put on my sweats and giant tshirt and sit on my ass all weekend.
That, dear friends, is what needs to change. And how can I change it? By actually taking care of myself. Appearances are good and all, but I need to make a shift so the insides and outsides can match. I know what I want my tyle to be and reflect, but I just can't because of size restrictions.
So here's what's going to happen. Starting January 6, I'll be taking part in one of those DietBet things, wherein you bet $35 that you'll lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks. If you win, you get your money back AND you split the kitty of whomever didn't win. It's a pretty big bet on my part, just based on my current weight, but that's the motivation to do better. I'll also be hooking up with My Fitness Pal again, scouring the Pinterest boards for recipes and exercises, and hopefully I'll be on my way to being a better me.
Besides. If I want another baby, I gotta lose some girth first. Whatever motivates me, right?
Keep tuned to the blog, I'll definitely be posting more recipes and random things that I'm doing (if I find a good blog or if I find that a workout is really killing it), and I'm always open to suggestions.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Experimentation
Do you ever get to a point where following recipes makes you feel like the worst kind of cook? That's what I've reached. Don't get me wrong, I loves me a good recipe. But I've found that lately I'll get the bare bones (general seasonings, oven temperature, and cooking times) and then run with it on my own. And the results, thus far, have been DELISHUS.
It's been as hot and humid as the Devil's nutsack here lately, so turning on the oven (hell, even the stove) is a do not want. So we've been BBQ-ing. Tyler informed me that he really disliked the pre-made/processed chicken burgers that I picked up at Costco, so we decided to just go straight to the chicken breast. And the pork chop.
I have a confession to make. I'm in love with Smoked Paprika. No word of a lie. A couple years ago when we were visiting a friend in Vancouver, I was cooking supper and all he had was Smoked Paprika (instead of the regular stuff I'd always used). I took a sniff and thought "Hmm, not bad" - that's how I test my spices, I sniff and determine if it "goes"- and proceeded to use it.
Oh. Em. Gee.
It's a subtle difference, but oh so tasty. Then I apparently forgot all about it until a couple months ago, when I randomly decided to buy some of my own.
I've been attempting to keep up with meal planning too, in hopes of saving some money in the long run. Has it worked? For the most part. Wanting to slim down a bit has me trying to cut back on takeout but it's just so damn tasty!
I digress.
Last night, we had chicken breasts grilled on the BBQ. I sprinkled some seasoning salt, garlic salt, thyme, and a bit of smoked paprika and drizzled with a smidge of EVOO. The results were amazing. On the side we had a greek-style pasta salad (although Tyler only ate 4 individual noodles because he is LAME)
Tonight, we had pork chops grilled on the BBQ. I sprinkled garlic salt, smoked paprika, Epicure's 4-Pepper blend, ginger, sage, and brown sugar on one side of the chop, basic salt on the other side once it was on the grill. Let them cook until probably about medium, then put them into a dish with a couple tablespoons of BBQ sauce (Bullseye Steakhouse) and then into a 225 degree oven until we were ready to eat.
The chops were juicy and cooked, and the flavour was amazing. We had strawberry spinach (& almonds & feta & Kraft Pure Raspberry Poppyseed dressing) salads, and roasted butter, garlic, lemon, and parsley potatoes.
I love experimenting. Tomorrow's supper isn't so fancy, just tacos. It is, after all, Taco Tuesday.
It's been as hot and humid as the Devil's nutsack here lately, so turning on the oven (hell, even the stove) is a do not want. So we've been BBQ-ing. Tyler informed me that he really disliked the pre-made/processed chicken burgers that I picked up at Costco, so we decided to just go straight to the chicken breast. And the pork chop.
I have a confession to make. I'm in love with Smoked Paprika. No word of a lie. A couple years ago when we were visiting a friend in Vancouver, I was cooking supper and all he had was Smoked Paprika (instead of the regular stuff I'd always used). I took a sniff and thought "Hmm, not bad" - that's how I test my spices, I sniff and determine if it "goes"- and proceeded to use it.
Oh. Em. Gee.
It's a subtle difference, but oh so tasty. Then I apparently forgot all about it until a couple months ago, when I randomly decided to buy some of my own.
I've been attempting to keep up with meal planning too, in hopes of saving some money in the long run. Has it worked? For the most part. Wanting to slim down a bit has me trying to cut back on takeout but it's just so damn tasty!
I digress.
Last night, we had chicken breasts grilled on the BBQ. I sprinkled some seasoning salt, garlic salt, thyme, and a bit of smoked paprika and drizzled with a smidge of EVOO. The results were amazing. On the side we had a greek-style pasta salad (although Tyler only ate 4 individual noodles because he is LAME)
Tonight, we had pork chops grilled on the BBQ. I sprinkled garlic salt, smoked paprika, Epicure's 4-Pepper blend, ginger, sage, and brown sugar on one side of the chop, basic salt on the other side once it was on the grill. Let them cook until probably about medium, then put them into a dish with a couple tablespoons of BBQ sauce (Bullseye Steakhouse) and then into a 225 degree oven until we were ready to eat.
The chops were juicy and cooked, and the flavour was amazing. We had strawberry spinach (& almonds & feta & Kraft Pure Raspberry Poppyseed dressing) salads, and roasted butter, garlic, lemon, and parsley potatoes.
I love experimenting. Tomorrow's supper isn't so fancy, just tacos. It is, after all, Taco Tuesday.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Updating
I swear, I'm going to get better at this. My cousin informed me that I would tempt her with drool-worthy pictures before, so I should probably get back on the saddle.
Stay tuned next week, I'll post some pictures and recipes (possibly a meal-plan or two). I'll also be starting a more serious weight-loss regime, so if you've got any good recipes for that please let me know!
Stay tuned next week, I'll post some pictures and recipes (possibly a meal-plan or two). I'll also be starting a more serious weight-loss regime, so if you've got any good recipes for that please let me know!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Menu-Planning Fail
Although, it can't actually be qualified as a Paige-fail because I was in the hospital.
Basically from Saturday, October 20 until Wednesday October 24, I was in the hospital getting my gall bladder removed. Wasn't planned, but apparently it was required. So I didn't cook at all that week, or the next week, but we cleared out all of the freezer leftovers!
This week will be better. I've got a plan that I'm going to stick to, and will make sure to take all the photos and give comments like I have in weeks before.
Basically from Saturday, October 20 until Wednesday October 24, I was in the hospital getting my gall bladder removed. Wasn't planned, but apparently it was required. So I didn't cook at all that week, or the next week, but we cleared out all of the freezer leftovers!
This week will be better. I've got a plan that I'm going to stick to, and will make sure to take all the photos and give comments like I have in weeks before.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Week Two
Sunday: I didn't make anything because it was Thanksgiving (yay!)
Monday: Again, I didn't make anything because we had another Thanksgiving supper at the in-laws.
Tuesday: Green Eggs & Ham Quiche, Hashbrowns
The quiche was SO good. If I've learned anything about AllRecipes, you check the comments before making whatever recipe you've printed off. Why? Because 9 times out of 10, someone made an AWESOME suggestion to change things up and make the recipe outstanding. The recipe originally called to use the food processor on the spinach and basically blend everything into one green mess. Someone commented and said they left everything as a rough chop, so I did that. I also added bell peppers (about a cup) and green onions (about a quarter cup). I used 6 eggs instead of the 4, and then added an additional 1/4 cup of bisquick to compensate. Seasoned with salt and pepper, a bit of garlic salt & seasoning salt, and the teensiest bit of thyme. The result was flavourful and oh so tasty, not to mention quiche apparently freezes well so what we have leftover after a day or two (um, hello breakfast tomorrow!!) I'll toss in the freezer to reheat later.
Wednesday: Crispy Garlic-Ginger Chicken on Rice Vermicelli with bean sprouts and carrots
This chicken wasn't crispy at all. And mine turned out a totally different colour than the picture. I marinated it from about 2 until 6, unlike the 30 minutes it said to. Combining 3 tbsp of cornstarch with one single egg white is not fun. I minced my garlic and ginger rather than leave it as sticks, and I think that was key. Having a bite full of those would have suuuucked. Overall, I don't think I'd make it again despite Tyler saying that he liked it.
Thursday: Coconut Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce, Rice
We decided to have potatoes instead of rice, and I added peas (how could I have forgotten a vegetable?!). This chicken was FANTASTIC. So so good. Nice and crunchy with a subtle coconut flavour, and when it was dipped into the sweet chili sauce... droooool. Tyler liked it even without the sauce, so that was full of win. I don't know why I put off buying Panko crumbs for this long. They just make things so deliciously crunchy! This recipe is a keeper :D
Friday: Chicken Fingers, Zucchini Sticks, Sweet Potato Fries
Okay. Friday was a fail. We had leftovers from Thursday that Tyler wanted to eat and the zucchini my mom had given me had gone spongey by Friday. So, we had leftovers and sweet potato fries.
I didn't actually use the recipe. I mean, I used the timing and temperature of oven, but other than that I just made them how I would normally make fries... Toss in oil & a bit of seasoning salt and garlic salt, then onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Did 20 minutes, then turned them over and baked for another 15. They were okay. The flavour while eating was good, but I did not like the after taste of sweet potatoes.
Hopefully week 3 will be better, a lot less recipes, a lot more of what I kind of throw together.
Monday: Again, I didn't make anything because we had another Thanksgiving supper at the in-laws.
The quiche was SO good. If I've learned anything about AllRecipes, you check the comments before making whatever recipe you've printed off. Why? Because 9 times out of 10, someone made an AWESOME suggestion to change things up and make the recipe outstanding. The recipe originally called to use the food processor on the spinach and basically blend everything into one green mess. Someone commented and said they left everything as a rough chop, so I did that. I also added bell peppers (about a cup) and green onions (about a quarter cup). I used 6 eggs instead of the 4, and then added an additional 1/4 cup of bisquick to compensate. Seasoned with salt and pepper, a bit of garlic salt & seasoning salt, and the teensiest bit of thyme. The result was flavourful and oh so tasty, not to mention quiche apparently freezes well so what we have leftover after a day or two (um, hello breakfast tomorrow!!) I'll toss in the freezer to reheat later.
This chicken wasn't crispy at all. And mine turned out a totally different colour than the picture. I marinated it from about 2 until 6, unlike the 30 minutes it said to. Combining 3 tbsp of cornstarch with one single egg white is not fun. I minced my garlic and ginger rather than leave it as sticks, and I think that was key. Having a bite full of those would have suuuucked. Overall, I don't think I'd make it again despite Tyler saying that he liked it.
We decided to have potatoes instead of rice, and I added peas (how could I have forgotten a vegetable?!). This chicken was FANTASTIC. So so good. Nice and crunchy with a subtle coconut flavour, and when it was dipped into the sweet chili sauce... droooool. Tyler liked it even without the sauce, so that was full of win. I don't know why I put off buying Panko crumbs for this long. They just make things so deliciously crunchy! This recipe is a keeper :D
Friday: Chicken Fingers, Zucchini Sticks, Sweet Potato Fries
Okay. Friday was a fail. We had leftovers from Thursday that Tyler wanted to eat and the zucchini my mom had given me had gone spongey by Friday. So, we had leftovers and sweet potato fries.
I didn't actually use the recipe. I mean, I used the timing and temperature of oven, but other than that I just made them how I would normally make fries... Toss in oil & a bit of seasoning salt and garlic salt, then onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Did 20 minutes, then turned them over and baked for another 15. They were okay. The flavour while eating was good, but I did not like the after taste of sweet potatoes.
Hopefully week 3 will be better, a lot less recipes, a lot more of what I kind of throw together.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Week One
Week One of the "official" meal planning went well. I had been doing meal planning for the couple weeks leading up to the first week we put everything on the website, but at least here I was taking pictures!
Sunday: General Tso's Chicken, peas, and rice.
Comments: So I ended up making peas to go with it, and hot damn. That chicken was delicious. Even my picky husband liked it. I have issues with this guy's sauces, in that they never turn out in the consistency that I think they should. Not to mention the 'make a caramel' step backfired and I burned my hand haha. So I ended up adding more water, and then put the chicken in a 8" glass dish, poured the sauce over it, and baked it in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes. OH and I only put in 1 1/2 tbsp of the chili paste. I felt it better to have not enough spice than to have too much. And for us, it was perfect, but if you like it spicier then adding the full 2 tbsp would have been good.
Monday: Strawberry, Spinach, Pecan (and Chicken!) Salad
Comments: I just made a giant chicken, spinach, strawberry, and pecan salad with the balsamic vinaigrette in the recipe for the salad, rather than double up the balsamic. I did, however, season the chicken (I sliced it into strips and cooked it with a bit of olive oil in a frying pan) with poultry seasoning and salt and pepper, which kept it from being too plain. Tyler enjoyed it, so I'd say it's a win!
Tuesday: Baked Spaghetti
Comments: I added a couple pinches of cinnamon to the sauce (as I do with all of our tomato sauces) and then used more cheese throughout the casserole. All in all, it was delicious. I agree that it made a lot of food, but I was able to share it with friends/family that live close to us. So win/win!
Wednesday: Turkey Chili and Biscuits
Comments: Okay. I failed on making biscuits because of sheer laziness. It was a grey day, weather wise, so I was just sluggish and tired as a result. As for the chili, I only loosely followed the recipe. I added coloured peppers (about a cup worth, and I used red, yellow, orange, and green), did two cans of kidney beans, two cans of Heinz beans in tomato sauce, two cups of chicken broth (although next time I'd reduce to 1 1/2 cups) and a bunch more spices than this called for. With all the additions, it definitely will serve 8 people. I just don't really like the chunks of tomato (I thought I had crushed tomatoes in my pantry but I've only got the diced) so I wanted to make them few and far between :DFor my first time, ever, making chili, this was an epic success.
Thursday: Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Quinoa, Steamed Broccoli
Comments: For our first time eating quinoa, it wasn't too bad. This recipe was actually pretty tasty, although I did alter the cooking method a bit (in that I put the garlic, thyme, and salt into the pot with chicken stock so that the flavours were absorbed better). The only issue was that it made a LOT. I don't know how they determined that it was 4 servings, but with Tyler and I each having a moderate amount, plus leftovers set aside for the next day, there was still probably another two servings in there. So next time, I'd definitely cut it in half.
Sunday: General Tso's Chicken, peas, and rice. 
Monday: Strawberry, Spinach, Pecan (and Chicken!) Salad
Comments: I just made a giant chicken, spinach, strawberry, and pecan salad with the balsamic vinaigrette in the recipe for the salad, rather than double up the balsamic. I did, however, season the chicken (I sliced it into strips and cooked it with a bit of olive oil in a frying pan) with poultry seasoning and salt and pepper, which kept it from being too plain. Tyler enjoyed it, so I'd say it's a win!
Comments: I added a couple pinches of cinnamon to the sauce (as I do with all of our tomato sauces) and then used more cheese throughout the casserole. All in all, it was delicious. I agree that it made a lot of food, but I was able to share it with friends/family that live close to us. So win/win!
Comments: Okay. I failed on making biscuits because of sheer laziness. It was a grey day, weather wise, so I was just sluggish and tired as a result. As for the chili, I only loosely followed the recipe. I added coloured peppers (about a cup worth, and I used red, yellow, orange, and green), did two cans of kidney beans, two cans of Heinz beans in tomato sauce, two cups of chicken broth (although next time I'd reduce to 1 1/2 cups) and a bunch more spices than this called for. With all the additions, it definitely will serve 8 people. I just don't really like the chunks of tomato (I thought I had crushed tomatoes in my pantry but I've only got the diced) so I wanted to make them few and far between :DFor my first time, ever, making chili, this was an epic success.
Thursday: Broccoli & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Quinoa, Steamed Broccoli
Comments: For our first time eating quinoa, it wasn't too bad. This recipe was actually pretty tasty, although I did alter the cooking method a bit (in that I put the garlic, thyme, and salt into the pot with chicken stock so that the flavours were absorbed better). The only issue was that it made a LOT. I don't know how they determined that it was 4 servings, but with Tyler and I each having a moderate amount, plus leftovers set aside for the next day, there was still probably another two servings in there. So next time, I'd definitely cut it in half.
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