I have an annoucement to make!

I am pleased to share that I officially became an employee of Weight Watcher's :) I am currently training to be the newest Leader in the WW family! I was hired a couple of weeks ago, and have started the training process...

I am excited, nervous, anxious, and many many more emotions for the process to begin. I feel like the tools that I will learn to lead an amazing group of people and support I can help provide are things I can use for a lifetime and apply in my everyday life. I am so honored to be given the opportunity to provide the support that I needed when I started my journey to the WW community. It is hard to believe that a little over a year ago I was walking into my first meeting looking for help, and now I can/will be that person at the door helping members through their very own journeys :)What an amazing feeling!

More to come on the training process, I have no idea what meeting I will be taking over and it is a lengthy training process. I will share when I know more :) Yay! So exciting!

My workout companion... Emma :)

Back in June we suddenly lost our family dog, Jack. After he died I couldn't bring myself to go for a walk without him. There is just something about the companionship of a loyal pet that is unexplainable.

A short time after Jack passed, we welcomed Emma into our family, a beautiful yellow lab. A yellow lab has been my FAVORITE breed for years, but I didn't feel I could offer the level of exercise they require so we waited. Though it felt very soon to get a new dog, I was willing to open our home and hearts again to a loving puppy :) She has been the best thing to come into our home, I cannot say enough about her! She is the absolute best!

About 5-6 times per week since the day we brought her home at 8 weeks old, I have brought her for a walk. I am training her to be my loyal walking/jogging companion. In the beginning it was as expected, she pulled on the leash, stopped all the time, was easily distracted, and just your normal puppy. In just seven short weeks since she has came into our home, she has transformed into my partner! She now jogs with me, walks beautifully, doesn't pull as much, is focused, and knows exactly where to position herself :) I know this sounds cheesy, but I truly believe that she was brought to me on purpose. She is completely loyal to me, and I cannot imagine our home without her in it.

There are a million reasons why dogs make great workout companions, here are a few:

1. They are always ready to go, and never make excuses why they can't.

2. They need the exercise too, so you're killing two birds with one stone.

3. You are socializing them everytime and exposing them to the world, which ultimately, makes them better dogs.

4. They enjoy it, they just want to be with you!

5. Have you ever watched Cesar Milan (aka The Dog Whisperer)?? lol... He says that walks are the most important training tool you can do with your dog. It teaches them who the pack leader is :)

6. They keep you motivated, even when you don't feel like going seeing that look on their face or excitement in their body when you talk out the leash is absolutely worth it!

7. They can push you to keep jogging, even when you want to stop and walk the rest of the way.

8. Giving your dog the exercise they need gets all of that extra energy out, which helps their behavior.

These are just a few, but I cannot stress how important exercise is for your pet. If you are unable to walk/run them regularly, simple activities like frisbie or fetch can also help get them moving :) Nothing is better than the love and loyalty of a family dog!

I have started to research races that include your dog, my goal is for next spring is to do a few 5k's with Emma!

Recipe - Garlic Hummus

I love love love hummus, and buying it premade meant I had no clue what was in it! We talked about it at my latest WW meeting, and one of the members was saying how easy it was to make. I gave it a shot, and not only was is SUPER good but it literally took like five minutes to make (not to mention it is about $1.50 per batch!). As an excellent source of fiber, hummus makes for a nice filling snack :)

Garlic Hummus

2 Cans of Garbanzo Beans (aka Chick Peas)
4-5oz of Chicken Broth
1-2 TBSP of Lemon Juice
Minced Garlic or Garlic Powder to taste
**You WILL need an electric chopper or food processor of some sort**

1. Open can and drain garbanzo beans completely

2. Add about 1/2 can of beans into chopper (do NOT chop yet)

3. Pour about 4-5 tbsp of chicken broth, a splash of lemon juice, and garlic to taste into chopper w/ beans.

4. Chop until beans have turned into a thicker paste, add more garlic/chicken broth if needed

5. Once completed, add hummus into container and refridgerate.

6. Repeat all steps until you have used all of the garbanzo beans

Serving Size 1/4 cup (4 WW PointsPlus per serving)

Other Ideas:
Add roasted red peppers instead of garlic
Use as a veggie dip
Serve w/ reduced fat crackers

A Few Tips for Successful Grocery Shopping

At the beginning of my journey grocery shopping was a huge fear for me, it was something that I had not mastered quite yet. I think everyone creates their own routine for shopping, and you get the same things over and over again or just items that are "comfortable". The first few times I picked up food, I went without my kids & hubby, and it took FOREVER. I was calculating everything out (for my WW points) and I would only put safe foods in my cart. I probably wasted lots of money while doing it too! Here are a few tips I have used along the way that make my shopping trip much easier, and cheaper too!

1. Be prepared, make a list after looking through your cupboards/fridge to determine what you really need so you're not buying duplicates.

2. Don't go hungry, eat before you go! (This one is the most crucial for me)

3. Most of the time, I go weekly shopping so that I am not buying a ridiculous amount of food. Just enough to last a week or so, I save money and food does not go to waste when I plan my meals accordingly.

4. Do your research, find out where the deals are. I buy all of my produce at Aldi's and meat at Walmart, just to save money. Seems silly, but when you are basically living off produce it really helps.

5. Buy the produce that is in season, I love summer months because you can get more varieties of produce. But that doesn't mean that in the winter I don't buy any because it's spendy. I just buy what is in season for the time of year.

6. Only put food in your cart that you feel you can eat with control. I have two young kids, so buying snacks is a necessity. But instead of buying junk food, I buy healthier options that still tastes good for them but if I decide to join in I can eat without overdoing it. Example: Chocolate Goldfish crackers, fruit strips, Reduced Fat Crackers, Sugar Free Pudding

7. I shop in the outside border of the store for 90% of my groceries. The outside borders are the only sections of fresh food that actually go bad. I buy very little in the middle sections, if the food doesn't go bad and can sit in my cupboard for months/years - I don't want it :)

8. Read the nutrition facts BEFORE putting the item in your cart. Even if it looks healthy from the packaging, looks can be deceiving. Look at new unfamiliar items carefully so you are fully aware of what you are bringing into your home.

9. Make healthy substitutions every chance you can. Example: Instead of buying regular noodles, buy wheat, salad dressing/cheeses buy light or fat free, instead of canned veggies buy frozen or fresh.

10. Lastly, and probably the most important for me. Prepare your produce the moment you are done putting groceries away. After I am done putting everything away, I line my counter with all of my fruit and veggies, wash every piece, cut it all up, and place the prepared food in containers for the fridge. It takes a little time but I never waste any produce, it is so much easier to grab and go when it is all ready ;)

Hope these help a bit, I use every single one of these tips every time I shop. Happy shopping!

How's the Inline Marathon Training Going?

My friend Sarah and I are participating in the Duluth North Shore Inline Marathon (yes, that would be 26.2 MILES) on September 17, 2011!!!!!!!!!!! It is coming up so quickly, and my anxiety levels are starting to creep up... I am not feeling as prepared as I would have liked to be this close to the race. Tomorrow morning we are going to do some "hill training" to SOMEWHAT prepare for those intense Duluth hills we are going to face the day of the big race. I never thought in my life I would ever take part in something this crazy! I am so proud of us for facing our fears and just going for it :)Neither of us is in it to "race" for a good time, we are doing it to complete it and accomplish yet another huge milestone.

In addition to racing, we are staying up there for the whole weekend "kid free"!! We are celebrating a year of life changes and accomplishments with each other and our husbands. It will be a much needed, seriously deserved weekend away :)

Now it is time to crack the whip and get as prepared as we can! Here is the link to the race for anyone that may be interested.

http://northshoreinline.com/

Happy Saturday!

Here's an update on my slump & my dad is back in the game too!!!

Happy "hump" day :) I always chuckle a little when I hear that :) lol...

It's been no secret that this summer has been a struggle for me to maintain my regular intense workouts and control my eating at special events. Though my weight has not increased at all because of it, I was feeling a icky about the way I was handling myself.

Things over the last couple of weeks have been better, I have still been doing my daily cardio (walks/runs) and eating has been a bit more controlled. I have had a few events, and I did eat the food served at them but then the remainder of the week I have was more committed to stay on track. I am still not nearly as on "target" as I have been at times, but it's a work in progress! I am human, and still have struggles like everyone else :)

Also, I am going to try weighing in on Thursday mornings vs. at 5:30pm. I have been finding that the afternoons without my regular snack are far too difficult and then I binge eat after my meetings because I am STARVING! Not good.

Lastly, my dad has recently jumped back on the WW wagon!!!! Woooooo Hooooo!!!!! I am so proud of him, at the beginning of my journey I asked him to join with me. Let's be honest we both had a long road ahead of us, though he lives in a different state our daily check in phone calls were what I needed at that time and so did he. He had great success, and then he had some life changes that caused a slight hiccup in his own journey late last summer. I could tell when he decided to stop following the program, our daily phone calls then went to every other day, then soon once a week and we didn't even talk about the program anymore. I asked him several times to not give up, but he needed to make his own choice. I was in this for me, and I could not allow his slump to pull me away. I was focused and determined to keep at it. Throughout my journey, he has continued to be a huge support for me. But I knew inside he felt like he had failed me, a couple of weeks ago he made the best choice I have heard in a long time and decided to get right back on again!! Our daily phone calls have resumed, and he is doing amazing. I am so proud of him, and I will stand by him encouraging him along the way! I will be that support for him now in his journey, I know he can do this :)

Here is a picture from the week before we both started this journey. We went to his home for a family vacation and all we did was eat, literally. When I got home, I felt gross and knew I needed to make a serious change. My dad, was the first person I called asking for help.

Recipe - Diet Soda Cake

It's my mom's birthday today, and for every family members' bday we get together for dinner, cake & ice cream. I asked my mom if I could bring the cake, I wanted to try a new receipe!

Diet Soda Gluten Free Vanilla Cake (My stepdad requires Gluten Free, but you can use any box cake for this recipe)

1 Package Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix
10oz Diet 7up
1 Box Sugar Free Strawberry Jello
1 Box Sugar Free Lime Jello
8-12oz Fat Free Whipped Cream (I like lots, so I needed more than 8oz)


1. Preheat oven to 325

2. Empty cake mix in bowl, pour Diet 7up in cake mix & stir until mixed

3. Pour in greased 9x13 pan, and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden

4. Let cool for about 20 minutes

5. While cake is cooling, make jello using 1 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup cold water.

6. Poke holes all over cake w/ fork, once jello is ready and cake is cooled, pour jello over top of cake. (I used about 1/2 of each kind)

7. Top with fat free whipped cream and refridgerate for 1-2 hours

8. Cake should be cut in 16 pieces (4x4 rows)

Serving size is one piece (Each piece 5 WW PointsPlus)

Everyone loved it! It was very very moist!!!

I am back in the game!

I apologize for not posting lately, I was blogging from my cell phone and it is so hard to do that! I didn't own a computer until today, so now I have no excuse! I will be posting more often now moving forward :) PS... this is my VERY first computer! Crazy!

Hmmmmm... let's see, I did another 5K yesterday morning!! That would be my 5th total and 4th for this season! My time wasn't very good (36.47) but it was a hard run for me. Lots of hills, grass, dirt, and just a different type of ground to run on. I enjoyed the scenery, but made for a tough run! I did the run with one of my dear friends that has been apart of this journey with me every step of the way :) Between the two of us, we have lost 129.4lbs since June 2010!!!!!! It's amazing to have someone close understand the entire process.

Anywho, I am going to post some new recipes this week... I am so pumped not to have to do this from my phone! Wooooo hooooo for technology! lol

Shantal