Weight Loss Wednesday: Recipe Share

Today's weight loss Wednesday post is all about low calorie dessert options. I am sharing a recipe that I threw together yesterday. Turned out yummy! I have always had quite the sweet tooth---and many of these options are 100 calories or less and help keep things in control!

Here is a recipe for mini-banana loaves

1.25cups of whole wheat flour
1/4c of vanilla whey protein powder
1/2c canned pumpkin
2-3 mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup splenda or sweetner of choice
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
*Optional: chocolate chips and/or walnuts (I didn't add these, but I bet it would be super yummy..)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together and spread between 4 sprayed mini loaf pans. Bake for about 40 minutes. Cool. Take out of mini loaf pans and cut loaves into thirds. Makes 7 servings. (Serving size is 2 slices--depending on if you add nuts or chocolate-- macros will vary. I didn't, so it was only about 150 calories per 2 slices!)

Other low calorie dessert options that are quick/easy...

*Sugar Free/Fat Free JELLO Pudding-- if you want to make it more filling, Mix a pudding snack (or 1/2c of the homemade kind) with 1/2c of canned pumpkin and add some cinnamon. ...super yummy, under 100 calories and has good fiber!)
*Sugar Free/Fat Free JELLO Gelatin (only 10 calories per serving)
*Skinny Cow Ice Cream Treats (100-150 calories each)
*1 cup of frozen berries (70 calories) topped with some light cool whip


These are only a few. Not the "cleanest" but they help get rid of the cravings and are quick, easy and low calorie! What are some of your favorite low calorie sweet treats?

Isabella Tuesdays

This week life continues to be eventful with Bella. Her teeth are coming in like crazy! She got her bottom 2 teeth at 4 months old, but then she didn't get any others until 2 weeks ago. Now we have 6, with more already budding below the gums. Apparently, she is getting ready to eat steak! haha!

With teething, it has brought an increase in fussiness-- waking more in the middle of the night again which has made a sleepier Mommy and Daddy. She is a trooper though, and really is a great baby. We just aren't used to her getting up once she goes to sleep anymore. Usually Bella is out for the count from 7:30/8pm until 7:30/8am. She's been sleeping 11-12 hours solid at night since mid-January, which has been WONDERFUL! So anyway, we are muddling through the teething business.

She REALLY wants to walk. She stood unassisted for about 10 seconds on Friday before she freaked herself out and fell over, haha. She continues to pull up and cruise on the furniture. Her Mimi and Grandpa went to Saugatuck this past weekend and brought her back some goodies including these cute little Robeez shoes that she likes to practice stepping in while holding our hands.

Bella also had her first swimming pool experience this weekend. We filled up the baby pool in the backyard and put her in her cute little swimsuit! She was ADORABLE! I think she liked it, but I also think she thought we were bringing her bath outside and was confused, ha!

I can honestly say that I do think she has favored me a bit this week. The way she looks into my eyes-- it literally melts my heart. I would do anything for this little girl.

Motivation Monday

Hello all and Happy Monday! I decided to dedicate my Monday posts to motivation. Mostly because I never feel like I have anything interesting to write about on Mondays, and also because I've discovered that Mondays often decide how the week is going to turn out for most of us. If we can get motivated to do something, anything, on Monday-- then suddenly the whole week is better. I find that this goes for exercise, diet, work, cleaning around the house -- even something as small as drinking enough water. If I get a good start on the week-- Monday-- then the rest of the week has a better chance. However, if I put myself aside on Mondays, don't get a workout in, let the dishes pile up, or drink more diet coke than I should-- the week just isn't as great.

So here's the deal... each Monday, lets start motivating each other. I don't care if it has to do with fitness or not. In fact, all topics are welcome :) Need some motivation to clean your toilets? How about to balance your checkbook? Lets help each other out!

My motivation of the day is going to be the obvious one. Make time to exercise on Mondays. Have you gotten yours in yet? I haven't yet... but thats only because I have been at work since 4:45 this morning.> But it will get done! I always work a very long day on Mondays-- 12 hours. 6am-6pm. However, I know that if I don't get a workout in on Monday, the rest of the week I will feel like crap. So I block out 2 hours from 12-2 to workout. Its usually a short one, since I have to workout, eat and shower all in 2 hours-- but I get it done. And I feel so much better! Whats on your card today? Tell me what your exercise plan is today.

For me... I only worked a half day today because I was down a sitter this afternoon for Bella. So the plan is to go to the gym around 5pm and do 30 minutes on the step mill and a total body workout and be home in time for dinner with Jerry :)

Recipe of the Week

Crockpot Carrots

Put all of these ingredients in crockpot and cook for 4-6 hours.. TADA! No more boring veggies!!

Serving size: 1 cup

1 32oz bag baby carrots
1tbsp brown sugar
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp whipped light butter
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
2 tbsp low sugar apricot preserves

Optional: nutmeg, pepper

Bella Update

The latest on Isabella this week is that she is officially a Houdini baby! Jerry and I decided to do some major baby proofing last weekend ,since this kid is EVERYWHERE. She is a crawling maniac-- going at lightening speed from one room to the other; she is cruising on all of the furniture and pulling up on everything and anything. So we got a good baby gate (Summer Secure Fit) and some foam padding to put in the living room so she can safely play and fall and not give her self multiple concussions. Works great! Well... until you put her in the "baby jail" for a minute by herself. I did this yesterday and went to answer the door-- I was gone 1 minute. Came back, and there was Bella, outside the baby g

ate... standing on the bottom of the stairs-- looking at me. How on EARTH?! I thought to myself. The baby gate looked exactly how I had left it. I was completely perplexed. So I put her back in the "baby jail" closed the little door and left the room. Off she went, crawling (or should I say FLYING) towards the door to follow me...and stood up and pushed with all her super baby strength until the door popped open and 

she was FREEEEE! Here I am thinking my baby is a genius. Ha. Good thing Jerry showed me when he got home that the baby gate door has an additional latch that if I make sure its locked, she really can't push the door free. So that fixes that, except then today, I spent the day with a pissy Bella because she couldn't push the door open. Haha.

We also have 6 teeth now. 6! Holy Cow! Where did those come from?! Apparently, she is ready for steak ;)

Weight Loss Wednesday

Its that time again! My tip this week is this... 

Weight loss and/or maintenance should be a lifestyle change, not a diet. Sure, a "diet" will work temporarily, but what happens when you don't want to keep getting those meals delivered to your door? Or you start eating bread again? Or you have a birthday party to attend? Life happens. Its going to happen. So make lifestyle changes that you don't give up on. Trust me, I know from experience! :)

Yogaglow Review

Yogaglo Review

 

Do you guys like Yoga? Do you find it hard to find time to do your yoga or don't belong to a gym to go to a good class? I was contacted recently by a company, Yogaglo about their new website that has recently been launched. Yogaglo offers live classes via the internet that you can do in the privacy of your own home or work, with workout lengths varying from 5 minutes to 1 hour. All levels are welcome and many different styles are available as well—from traditional basic yoga poses, to Vinyasa Flow and Yin (two styles that I gave a try). All of the instructors are certified and the classes are coming to you from the beautiful Santa Monica, California.

 

Yogaglo offers unlimited yoga classes via the internet for a low fee of $18/month with classes free of advertising and a good quality video. Yogaglo is also a great company; they donate 5% of their profits to their non-profit partners and to unite the global yoga community and to help others with regular practice. The instructors of Yogaglo are well spoken and easy to understand instruction; they have a passion for the practice of yoga and what it can do for your body, mind and spirit.

 

I had the opportunity to try this website out myself and I have nothing but good things to say about it. I admit that I don't do yoga and meditation as much as I probably should, but I will never doubt the good things it can do for you! I really enjoyed the Vinyasa Flow style—it was very challenging and I found it useful that I could do it in as little as 5 minute increments just to get some stretching and deep breathing in throughout my day! I found these little segments invigorating and re-energizing. For busy moms, this is perfect. For advanced atheletes—we need to put more of this practice into our routines. For normal yoga-goers, this site is a great resource and an affordable choice.

 

Check it out for yourself at Yogaglo