Update: 10 new tips for healthy living

I've had a bunch of people ask me for an update on my "13 Things I'm Doing to Get Out of A Diet + Exercise Funk" post, and looking at the calendar I realize an update is long overdue. 

I'm glad to report that things are going really well. Since I wrote that post, I've lost 15 pounds and about 13.5 inches and although I've had a few hard moments, I'm generally feeling really encouraged and inspired. I've started taking advantage of some nutrition guidance at the club where I workout, and I'm convinced that right now, that has been one of the major keys to my success. Well, that and a bunch of people in my life who are cheering me on in a big way. 

So I'm back with a new list for you! Here they are:

10 new things I'm doing to maintain my healthy groove:

• I'm a food-diary-keeping maniac. I am writing down everything I eat for two reasons: One because I need to show it to the nutritionists who are guiding my food choices but also because it really makes me mindful and careful about what I eat. It's helped me control those "innocent" bites I might throw in my mouth while making dinner and especially the things I eat between meals. 
• I'm moving more. The days I don't exercise in some way have become the rarity of my week versus the norm. Some times it looks like a big old sweaty workout at the gym. Other days it looks like a walk up the road with the girls and their 4-H lambs. (Yes, we do that.) And today, it's probably looking like my first attempt at a yoga video in my living room. 
• I've switched to Fitbit from Jawbone, for now. I've had a Fitbit flex band banging around on top of my dresser for awhile, but have always loved my Jawbone more. But after some frustration with my Jawbone band needing a soft reset every time I charged it, I got frustrated and reached for my Fitbit. The jury's still out on which I like better, but for now, the data nerd in me likes keeping track of steps and sleep. And in case you were wondering, if you're cutting grass on your riding mower, the Fitbit will think you just knocked it out of the park with your steps. So you might want to take it off. Have a Fitbit? I'd love to "friend you"!
• I'm drinking water consistently. So this was a new and interesting thing I learned a few weeks ago--when you are drinking water, it is important to drink a consistent amount of water each day. Right now, I'm at 64 ounces, which is the recommended minimum, but as long as you are in a healthy range, your body gets used to that amount of water and craves it each day. It's your body's happy place. Eventually, I'd like to bump up my water intake but for now, this is working. 

• I keep track of my water intake in a very archaic way. I kept finding myself sit down at my food journal at the end of the day, having lost track of how much water I'd consumed. I know there are a million apps to keep track of water, including a nice one on the Fitbit app, but I didn't always have my phone on me. So, I have been wearing four bracelets around my wrist. In one day, I need to drink 4 of my water bottles, so each time I finish one off, I move my bracelet to the other wrist. It simple and by no means a fashion statement. But it's working. And, in case you're wondering, those loops for potholders work like a charm. *cue probable eye-rolling from my children*
• I'm keeping track of victories. When I started my food diary, the nutritionist told me she wanted me to keep track of one victory every day. It sounds simple, but surprisingly, for me, it's really hard to come up with something each day.  We are so hard on ourselves. And this practice of coming up with something positive has been really eye-opening and helpful. I highly recommend it. 
• I make my whole plate before I sit down to eat and I try to make it really beautiful. I'm basically making two meals every time we sit down to eat--mine and everyone else's. And sometimes, man! I'd really like what everyone else is having for dinner, but for now, it's not "on the plan." But I've found that making it visually appealing and having my whole meal portioned out in front of me makes me feel pretty good about what I'm eating. I'm all about setting a nice mood for my meals.
• I'm staying satisfied. My most difficult moments are when I'm hungry--when I walk into the kitchen starving, I'm pretty much willing to shove anything into my mouth. But I'm learning to both stay satisfied and to talk myself through those hungry moments. I tell myself that if I just eat my meal, I won't be so ravenous for junk or for what everyone else is eating. 
• I "treat" not "cheat". I'll be honest, I just got back from several days at the beach with my family and there were a few days where I let myself go off the plan and have a treat. It's tempting to beat myself up about it and then in turn feel like the rest of the day is screwed. But when I change my thinking and know that they are small treats, it's a much healthier approach. Granted, I'm not giving myself a bag of M&Ms each day and calling it my treat. But that night when we went out for ice cream and I got a child's serving for myself? That's a-okay. It's a treat. Treats are good.
• My kids are involved. With a house full of girls, I've been extremely careful about how I approach my desire and need to lose weight. The absolute last thing I want to do is put any insecurities or worries in their minds about their physical appearance. I've been consistently staying away from the word "diet" and putting all the focus health--eating healthy, moving because it's good and important for my body. It's a tender path to walk down, but so far, I think the little things that they are picking up by watching me on this journey are positive.
• I keep the end in mind. I'm not really one for visualizing or anything like that, but I will say that every time I get on the elliptical and don't feel like it. Or get hungry and find myself questioning whether I'm going to eat well or eat poorly, I keep thinking about how awesomely good it's going to feel when I get to the place I'm headed. I've already experienced little tastes of victory and man, they feel good. I can only imagine how great it's going to feel when I'm even further along in this journey. When I think about how good that will feel, it encourages me to keep going. 

So that's the latest from where I sit...yes, once again I need to get up from this desk and get moving--(actually I need to get to the feed mill for horse feed). But as always, thank you all SO MUCH for asking and listening and contributing to this journey I'm on. More soon. xo.

13 things I'm doing to get out of a diet + exercise funk

People, it's been a long winter. In the midst of the grey, dull, cold, snowy skies that just wouldn't quit, a ridiculously long bout of sickness, and general winter funk, I feel like I've lost my exercise and healthy eating mojo. I wrote about it very briefly on here, but early this winter I took the big personal step of hiring a trainer to help me with my goals of losing weight and getting more fit. 

It's been one of the best things I've done for myself. Ever. 

But even though my trainer is amazing and those two days with her are a highlight of my week, there's still all those other hours of the week where I'm on my own. 

For me, good decisions beget good decisions. So when we were missing sessions because of weather and illness and whatever else was getting in the way, I found the interruption of our schedule becoming an excuse to slack off. And eventually the slacking off sucked up all the enthusiasm that I'd had before. 

A few weeks ago, my trainer and I had a 'come to Jesus' talk. Yes, I may have cried standing in the middle of the club. But in my defense, she had too. I was sick of the funk and ready to get back on track again. I was feeling frustrated. Beat down. And pretty discouraged.

We talked through a few ideas but that night I came home and made a list in my moleskine (this is how I use my moleskine for journaling) of the things that I do that help me pull out of a funk. I've been sticking to this list pretty religiously that past few weeks and it's really helping me feel back on track and moving in the right direction. 

I thought I'd share my list with you because I think it's helpful to see how other people do things and most likely, I'm going to need to refer to this post over and over again when the hard days come. And because many of you have told me that you want to hear more about what I'm doing with my healthy goals. When I started down this path my dad said to me something along the lines of "say it out loud." And I think there's something to be said for letting people know what you're going through, how you're doing and having that accountability for change. 

13 WAYS I'M GETTING BACK ON TRACK WITH DIET AND EXERCISE

• Finishing the day well. Doing all the dinner dishes, tidying up the counters, taking a bath, figuring out where my exercise clothes are...all these little details help me both go to sleep and wake up the next morning feel organized and in control of the day ahead. Chaos and disorganization are two of my favorite excuses to fall off the wagon.

• Living in workout clothes. Sometimes I don't feel like that walk or time on the rowing machine, or trip to the gym because the thought of finding my workout clothes, putting them on and going out the door makes me tired. I figure if I'm already dressed, it makes finding time to exercise that much easier. And bonus, putting on jeans and a tee suddenly feels so "put together."

• Becoming BFFs with my water bottle. I have this nifty one that was a kickstarter project of a friend of mine. I love it, which is good because I take it everywhere. 

• Reading things that inspire me. I'm taking time in the evenings, or while I'm making dinner to read books that motivate and inspire me to keep on keeping on. Currently: Foodist, Eating Well mag, Tosca Reno (in moderation--she's pretty intense, but the principles are good), The Perfect Recipe, Cooking Light. And this article with similar (and excellent) ideas.

• Making lists (my List of 3), and writing down what I eat--a very enlightening experience.

• Cleaning out my fridge. I love my fridge. It's huge. And when it's clean and organized it's so motivating to me. Before (almost) every grocery shop, I wipe down shelves, deal with anything moldy and combine the 15 bags of shredded cheese that have been opened and partially used.

• Freezing fruits and vegetables before they go off so they're ready for smoothies. This was a lightbulb moment I had with a friend a few weeks ago when she told me that before her languishing kale, spinach or berries go bad in the fridge, she tosses them in ziploc baggies and freezes them for smoothies. I cannot tell you how many bags of stinky kale that never got finished have been tossed to the chickens. Freezing them? It changed my world.

• Charging up my favorite fitness gadgets and getting all appy. I've had a JawboneUP band for awhile and after trying several different kinds, it is my current favorite. I love the app, love the data, but got out of the habit of wearing it. So I charged everything, updated my app and have been wearing it again. I'm also using My Fitness Pal for some food journaling and syncing it with the UP band app and getting a good idea of how I'm moving, sleeping, sitting, etc. (In fact, it just buzzed to tell me I've been sitting too long.)

• Praying for my kids. So I know this doesn't sound like it belongs in my list but let me explain. I have found that I am becoming a bit of a worrier. During Lent, I decided that instead of giving something up, I was going to spend solid time praying for my children. (This book [ugly cover warning] has been the perfect framework for me.) Obviously, worry is no good. And these quiet moments put me in such a healthier frame of mind. It has been a really powerful part of my day.

• Making my bed every morning. Okay, I know most people do this already, but there are many (MANY) mornings when I slip out of the blankets and leave behind a child or two still snoozing in the sheets. We often get middle of the night and early morning visitors so the bed often goes unmade. Now, when I wake up, I dump the kids onto the floor so I can make the bed. Kidding. I don't. But I do make a point to go back and make it. Makes everything feel a little more buttoned up.

• Sharing the load. Speaking of kids, I've broken out the old chore chart again. I've realized that if I reach the end of the day and feel like my kids' time hasn't been productive that day, it puts me in a bad mood. Really, what's probably happening is that I'm taking my guilt out on my kids--that's another conversation. But organization, a good plan, and helping out the family is good for EVERYONE. Right now, as I type, there's a small person setting the dinner table. It's one of her chores. And sharing the load makes me happy. And that makes everyone happy, right?

• Taking a new approach. Besides trying to do some intentional things to keep me on track, I'm also beginning spring with a new approach. I'm going to be focusing a lot harder and more intensely on nutrition and swapping out some of my training sessions to focus on this. I'm feeling really good about this new direction.

• Talking about it. I swear, I won't be so wordy in the future, but I think it's going to be really good for me to keep talking about how I'm doing, what I'm working on and where things are going. So prepare for more. 

So obviously, I'm not doing all these things, every single day. I mean, let's be realistic. But I'm trying my darnedest to stay on top of these little things that have a big pay off for me. If you see me out in my jeans, not carrying my water bottle, you may want to ask me if my bed is made. (No, people who see me in real life. Please don't. I'm already wincing at the thought of publishing this, and the people who will read it.) But for now, finding the things that help this absolutely chock-full life feel slightly balanced and in control are just what this journey needs. 

Thanks for listening to my lengthy list of to-do's. More soon...xo.

Make this now. Peanut butter popcorn

I'm pretty sure I could get away with not even posting pictures with this recipe, because when I said the words "peanut butter popcorn" on Facebook the other day, people were suddenly scrambling for the recipe. 

And I admit, that when my friend Kate mentioned she was making her peanut butter popcorn for her kids, I IMMEDIATELY sent her a message that I needed the recipe. I may have even carried my phone around in my hand waiting for her response. 

So yeah, this one's good. Peanut butter popcorn--do I really need to say anything else to make you want to try this? 

The original recipe is not my own. All credit goes to Kate who has now created an epidemic in my home. 

However, I'm sharing her recipe with a few notes of my own..some tweaks that I've made now that I have a few batches under my belt (a pun that may sadly be true.) All things in moderation, right? 

So do yourself a favor. Make this. Now. Today. Tonight for snow-day-movie-night. 

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PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN

by Kate, commentary by Molly

1/2 cup unpopped corn kernels

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla

cinnamon (optional, to taste)

Pop corn and set aside in large bowl. Over medium heat, melt peanut butter and honey until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat. Add cinnamon, if desired.

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MY NOTES:

(#5 being most important)

1. I pop my popcorn on the stovetop in coconut oil. I found that I needed a very generous 1/2 cup of popcorn so that the recipe doesn't come out too peanut-buttery. Then we move from delicious snack to major belly ache from too much sweetness. So I highly recommend a generous 1/2 cup of unpopped corn. 

2. I transfer my popped corn to a large bowl and then use the residual heat in the pot to melt the peanut butter/honey mixture. Saves on dirty dishes, right? 

3. The worst part is the mixing. Kate says she sometimes puts it all in a paper bag and shakes the heck out of it. I pop my popcorn in a pretty large/tall soup pot. I found it works best to put the popped corn back into this pot (that already has the melted peanut butter mixture in it) and do all the stirring to coat in this pot. 

4. If you happen to not finish it all (doubtful) I put it in a ziploc bag and thought it was still really good the next day.

5. My kids didn't go for this, but a little sea salt sprinkled on top of your bowl of peanut butter popcorn sends this over the top. 

6. You're welcome.

When you need a fix: Healthy homemade chocolate

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I tend to get on what I call "kicks" in the kitchen. They are the things that I can't stop making, over and over until I can pump out the recipe in my sleep. 

There was the summer of tomato/basil/mozzarella salads, the winter of shortbread, the fall of meringues, and of course, the best snack ever--roasted garbanzo beans. 

Just before the holidays, I decided it was time to start getting serious about my health. I started working out with a personal trainer (which has the best thing I've done for ME, in a very long time) and I've been making a lot of changes in the kitchen. 

The over-arching principle is clean eating. I'm trying to be much more careful about the ingredients I'm using in meals--keeping them simple and whole, really re-vamping what I'm eating for breakfast (oatmeal and I are best friends.) and finding ways to tweak things I already love to make them a better version of themselves. 

The results are self-motivating. I've been losing weight, but more importantly I'm feeling so much better. Like life-changing better. Like pulled out of the funk, welcome to the light better. And stronger. Like woah, it's the end of the day and my back isn't killing me stronger. Like I just ran up the stairs and I'm not out of breath stronger. 

I'm convinced it's all about the baby steps and each little bit of progress helps to keep me on the path to a healthier version of me. 

But, come on. I'm not a superhero. And no matter how healthy, we still need chocolate. (My children, who just finished a "study of chocolate" in their homeschool co-op like to wax eloquent about the benefits of chocolate. Good girls.) 

So, I've found a way to make my own, with ingredients that are all healthy-me approved. And people, this chocolate is crazy-easy, crazy-good and perfect to have on-hand when you need a fix. 

HEALTHY HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup almond butter (My kids prefer peanut butter. I prefer almond butter--but it does make the chocolate a little more grainy. But I think the flavor is less overwhelmingly-sweet with almond butter.)
• 1/4 cup honey 

Line a cupcake tin with cupcake papers. On the stovetop, combine all the ingredients and melt over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth. Pour into cupcake papers and fill a little less than half full. (I find that anything over a half is a little too much for one serving.) Chill in the refrigerator until firm and set, or if you're really desperate, freeze for a quick fix. This recipe will make about 12 chocolates. I should really try doubling it, huh? Once they've chilled, I toss all of mine into a baggie and keep them in the refrigerator. 

They'll keep for about...I have no idea. Mine are eaten, shared, and devoured by small children in a matter of days. 

Woodlawn Update \\ Weekend kitchen projects

If you're reading this through a feed reader, then phew! Things are looking pretty cleaned up and fresh around here. I made the move to the most updated Squarespace version, gave the blog a quick facelift and tried to get all my ducks in a row so that this move would be a little more seamless than the last one. I still have a few kinks to work out, a few things that didn't make the move with me that I need to bring back (like an updated "what we're reading" list!) but overall I'm so happy with the newness. With a week of nursing sick kids, it took a little longer, but I'm back...and I owe you chocolate. That's coming. 

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Woodlawn kitchen: BEFORE. Sometime this summer.

In the meantime, I'm sharing a quick Woodlawn update. It has been so long! 

Dan finally knocked one of those nagging little projects off the to-do list this weekend. When we (and by "we" I mean Dan) were frantically getting this kitchen up and running before our move-in, we left the backsplash decision on the back burner. As Dan was cutting down countertops, he had an extra run of butcher block, so that became our temporary backsplash around the sink. 

Even though it was attached and sealed with silicone, my apparently wild water antics washing dishes (actually I blame it all on the kids) meant that water was still finding ways to get in any possible crack or crevice. 

A few weeks ago, Dan decided to take off the backsplash (on Christmas Eve, I believe. He's always had a knack for timing house projects) before any damage was done to the actual counter tops and we've been drying out and religiously oiling what was left behind. 

With a cold, rainy weekend before him, my "I get a little antsy without a project" husband decided to finally tackle the backsplash project. We went with a simple, white subway tile. I really didn't want to do anything too strong behind the kitchen sink. I didn't want to make a statement, but wanted to keep things looking clean and bright. The project was so easy (for me, the photographer) and finished in just the weekend. 

Tiles went up on Saturday. And you'll notice that we still keep the coffee pot plugged in a ready. Priorities, people. And on Sunday afternoon, by the time I got home from my monster grocery shopping trip at Wegmans, he'd grouted AND cleaned up. 

This was my kind of project. Even though I love progress, it is a well-known fact around this house that the in-progress chaos makes me a little nutty. But this job was painless (for me), budget-friendly (all under $100!), and the results make me so very happy. 

Dan tells me the next things on his list are some hooks under those shelves for coffee mugs and another small set of shelves beside the stove for my jars of pantry staples. But first, we should probably fix that little drip coming out of the handle of the faucet. 

And by "we", I of course mean Dan.