Jessie Here

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written on this blog. It has been crazy busy here. The bright side? Forgetting unnecessary snacking and not having to worry about over eating during the day. Breakfast consists of Kashi cereal, lunch consists of a sandwhich (whole grain bread and fat free lunch meat), dinner usually consists of some form of meat and a veggie :) Keepin' it simple these days!

A Wonderful Website!

This is me Alissa writing. I learned a few weeks ago that Spark People Dot Com is the place to go to record what you eat. It's free too!

They also give you exercising tips.

If you are someone struggling with weight, I strongly recommend you checking out their site.

Alissa's Daily Calorie Intake

I saw a diabetes nutritionist this morning. This is my eating plan:

Daily Totals:
Carbohydrates 12
Protein 8 ounces
Fat 4
Calories 1650

Breakfast:
3 Carbohydrates = 45 grams
(starch, fruit, milk, sweets)
0-1 Protein (ounces)
(meat, eggs, cheese)
1 Fat
1-2 servings non-starchy free vegetables

Lunch:
4 Carbohydrates = 60 grams
3 Protein (ounces)
1 Fat
1-2 servings non-starchy free vegetables

Dinner:
4 Carbohydrates = 60 grams
5 Protein (ounces)
1-2 Fat
1-2 servings non-starchy free vegetables

1 Snack:
1 Carbohydrate = 15 grams

She gave me a book to help me determine what each food fits in category wise. This is helpful because I would have never guessed that yogurt is a carbohydrate. I'm now moving to eat plain yogurt and add fruit myself. Cottage cheese is a protein. Honey is just as bad as sugar. Lots to learn!

I am to exercise at least 30 min. a day.

Alissa Walked the Kids

My four year old wanted to watch a movie and I said, "No, we're going for a long walk!" We walked to the park that's pretty far. I pushed my 2 year old in the stroller, and the four year old walked. They had fun playing at the park.

Everything was good until I realized at home that my cell phone had fallen out of the stroller. The kids were already down for a nap, so I couldn't just drive or walk back up there to find it. My husband saved my day by leaving work, and found it for me. My hero! ;)

Spicy Fried Tofu

There are a lot of recipe's online for tofu. Tofu is a curd made from mashed soybeans, used chiefly in Asian and vegetarian cooking.

It's really pretty good when you mix it in with other things.

This weekend I was looking for something fast to make. We had a family gathering. Everyone was pitching in and buying Pizza Hut Pizza. I knew this was something I shouldn't have. Instead I brought my own dinner: Spicy Fried Tofu, watermelon and cantaloupe mixed, carrots, celery and water to drink.


Here's the recipe I used: 

Cut the extra firm tofu into small cubes. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet or wok on high heat. Add tofu and saute for 5 minutes, turning with a spatula. Remove any excess liquid.

Mix the spices in a small bowl while you are letting the tofu cook. Don't forget to turn it though.

Reduce heat to medium, add the spices. Add the garlic and 2 more tablespoons oil to prevent the tofu from sticking. Increase heat and add soy sauce, stirring constantly. Finally add Parmesan and mix well; sauteing until golden brown or until cheese melts. Add a bit more soy sauce while it browns, if desired. Good hot or cold. Serves 4 to 8.

Can serve over Asian noodles, or rice. Some people add cooked veggies with it too.

Jessie's Recipes

Sorry it's taken me so long to check in!! Ah, it's been so busy here. But not too busy for an all natural fruit smoothie.

Check out some recipes below:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Strawberry Smoothie
Orange Julius

Alissa Skips Out on the Skippy

I've now listened to my father and decided to skip out a little on the peanut butter. I was eating All Natural Skippy. I'm not going to totally take this out of my diet, but I'm skipping out on the Skippy some.

Instead we bought Almond Butter at Costco. My boys really do love Almond Butter. It is a little more pricey, but healthier for you.

Alissa - Glucose Tolerance Test

My glucose tolerance test came back normal! :) I still am meeting with a diabetic nutritionist on Tuesday to push losing weight further. I want to lose weight and be healthy.

New Balance Shoes

Alissa here. Does anyone want to win a pair of New Balance Shoes? I do!

Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous is giving away a pair of New Balance 759 Running Shoes.

Fun Follow Friday

Fun Follow Friday is a great way to get to know what's out there in the blogging world. It's hosted by Simply Stacie and My Wee View. The goal of this hop is to get new Google Friend Connect Followers for your blog and be introduced to new blogs to follow!

I hope you enjoy our new blog. It's a journey about two women tring to lose weight.

Alissa - Fasting, Fasting, Fasting

Once again I'm fasting for a glucose testing. I had to fast for 12 hours. No breakfast for me today. This lab stuff will take two hours. Having this done in the morning is no big deal. Right now I'm drinking my orange drink. It brings back memories of being pregnant with my two boys.
Only this time I'm just fat, not pregnant.

I wonder how this happened, me getting fat. I was skinny up through grad school. I've gone though two pregnancies, this winter I broke my foot, and I just got into bad habits of sitting on the couch too much.

On Monday I fasted all day, came in to get my lab work at 3:45, and they told me it was too late in the day to do anything. The nurse said as long as it was before 5. Not so. This is my second time coming in.

At least I have a computer to type on! ;) It's too bad they don't have an exercise room right here. :( But we are going swimming tonight, tomorrow night and on Sunday. ;)

Food Scale Giveaway!

This is Alissa. I just wanted to let you know that J. Leigh Designz is giving away a food scale by EatSmart!

If you are a person that needs to lose weight like me, this is a great giveaway to enter!

A Healthier Burger

It's me Alissa here. I love cheese burgers! I never really craved them too much until my oldest was born close to 5 years ago.

I actually mixed in oatmeal into the hamburger. If you want less texture, you can use a mini food chopper to grind up the oatmeal up before adding it to the meat.

I also added chopped green onion, tomatoes, garlic, feta cheese and a dash of worceshire sauce.

The burger had wonderful flavor! There really wasn't that much feta cheese in the mix. I didn't add additional cheese on it.

We try and get meat that is low in fat. 

Juice

Alissa here. I think it's important to touch on the topic of juice. Too much juice can cause obesity, diarrhea and tooth decay. This is exactly why doctors try and prevent toddlers from drinking juice. We tend to think of juice as being a healthy alternative to soda. Even some of the more natural juices have added sugar in them.

I mix always add water to our juice at home. Sure it may not taste as good. It still has flavor, and we've gotten used to it. When I make it from the can, I add in one extra cup of water then what it calls for. When it comes to the pre-made juices, I add 1/4 water to our glass of juice. When the container gets down to 3/4 of the way full, I top it off with water.

If you like Lemonade like I do, skip it and drink water with lemon or lime juice from the actual fruit.

Food Scale

It's me Alissa. I'm so excited because csn | stores contacted me once again to do a product review. They said I was a preferred blogger. That made me feel good because I've never officially reviewed a product before. I do talk about products all the time.

This time I decided to pick something out for me! I picked out a food scale. Perfect for this time in my life!

I'll let you know when the review is up. I just ordered it, and like to spend a few weeks with the product before I review it.