Soft molasses cookies.

Hello my fitness friends. MERRY CHRISTMAS!! one of my favorite treats this time of year is molasses cookies. LOVE THEM!!! They are delicious and spicy and sweet. Here is my recipe. I have found a clean eating molasses cookie recipe that I will test and report. If its good I will post the recipe.

Soft Molasses Cookies
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter softened
1/2 c shortening
3/4 c sour cream (I subbed plain Greek yogurt this time and it worked perfect)
1/2 c molasses
1 egg
3 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon

Heat oven 375*

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Add sour cream (yogurt), molasses, and egg. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl and add in thirds to wet ingredients. Careful to not over mix, but blended completely.  Drop by TBS onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Cool slightly on cookie sheet then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Sprinkle with sugar while hot from oven if desired.

These cookies are total comfort food, not diet conducive, and are little pieces of molasses heaven. Happy holidays my wonderful friends.

What the HECK I should make for dinner this week??

I posted a request to have some new ideas for dinner.  We eat a lot of chicken and fish, but just get stuck in a rut eating the same things over and over and I get so tired of it.  My kids are really tolerant and will try just about anything once.  My fantastic MyFitnessPal friends...they came through in a pinch.  I got lots of ideas and plan to do some this week.  I have links to some of the recipes that I was given and will post them here.  Also, recipes for those that decide to share them with me and I will share them all with you. 

Salmon recipes.  These look amazing!! Yum, I want to try them all.  We eat lots of salmon and other fish around this house.  It is so good for you. 

• http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/never-be-bored-again-6-salmon-recipes.htm

CHICKEN CHICKEN CHICKEN
So is the life of a lifter.  It is one chicken dish after the next.  It sucks the joy out of eating and really drives home the "food is fuel not pleasure" point, but there are days when you need a little pleasure out of your food or it is easier to just not eat.

This one looks really good.  I think I will skip the corn flakes (we don't eat cold cereal around here and I don't think its needed).

• http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/coconut-chicken-salad-with-warm-honey.html

We usually have bell peppers on hand.  Sometimes I need to use them up and don't have time to slice them to freeze for stir fry or other dishes later.  Stuffing them is a great way to use them and my kiddos will actually eat them.

• http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/08/chicken-and-white-bean-stuffed-peppers.html

The suggestions are as follows from my awesome MFP friends.
Salmon and veg
chicken casserole
spaghetti Bolognese
meatloaf
slow cooked beef
steak
chicken curry (healthy recipe of course)
river cobbler/tilapia with pesto
Cajun Chicken Linguine
Chicken Stew
Shepherd's Pie
Tilapia topped with salsa
Taco salad
chicken parm (baked)
chicken tenders in buffalo sauce
chili
Thai salmon curry
Honey soy salmon (Mix honey with soy sauce and marinate. Then bake till done.)

You can never go wrong with Jamie Eason.  She has great recipes.  If you wanna have a tweaked up heartier recipe for the protein bars look at ThisTimeisMyTime on MFP.  She has souped up the recipe and added a few things.  Her blog is www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/thistimeismytime.  Very inspirational and the bars are good to eat. 

We bought a whole pig earlier this summer and have it in our freezer.   We are always looking for new recipes and things to do with it.  These Mexican Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas sound delicious!

• http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/03/mexican-slow-cooked-pork-carnitas.html

Or these Pork Chops with Dijon Herb Sauce

• http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/06/pork-chops-with-dijon-herb-sauce-525-ww.html

AND....when you just can't face another round of chicken-something for dinner but don't want to spend extra calories or fat on lean burger or pork, give turkey a go.  These Turkey Meatloaf Muffins look good and filling.

• http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/video-jamie-eason-turkey-meatloaf-muffins.htm

Who doesn't love some cheese fries?  I know I do.  So give these a shot...made a little more healthy than your standard fare.  Thanks to dogo187 for the recipe.

•  cut up a butternut squash into fries. Lay some wax paper on a baking tray and toss the squash in just a little olive oil, some garlic, salt and pepper. You can also add a little paprika and some red cayanne pepper if you like it spicy. Spread out on the wax paper in an even layer. Bake in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes then toss them around a little, put them back in for another 10 to15 minutes depending on how you like them cooked. Sprinkle with a little grated parmasen cheese.

If you don't feel like cheese fries try some roasted sweet potatoes from Addicted2Aerosmith.  Sweet potatoes are so good and help curb that sweet craving too.

• Cut 4 small sweet potatoes into cubes. Toss with 2 T olive oil or spray with butter spray, salt and pepper.  Roast at 450* stirring occasionally, until browned, about 40 minutes.  

 

AND!!!  Last but certainly not least, what would a recipe post be without a contribution from our favorite TrainLikeaBOSS?  His recipe is as follows:

• take some chicken, bake it, serve with fresh spinach when it is done. And I quote "AMAZING" is the word he used to describe this meal.

If you have more you want to include submit it as a comment here on my other blog and I will be happy to post them too. (willlift4shoes.blogspot.com or myfitnesspal.com/blog/1TenaciousGirl) 

Social Anxiety Disorder

There are days when I have the hardest time just getting up and getting out of bed. I know that there are a million things I need to do, a million responsibilites that I need to take care of, my kids, my house, my job, my husband.  The list goes on and on.  Over the past few months things have spiraled out of control for me. Choices I have made and life hitting hard have made things difficult for me.  They have also increased my anxiety and my depression has deepened.  It has been recently that I have been able to see a light at the end of the tunnel. 

I make no secret on my profile that I deal with anxiety and depression.  They fuel my emotional eating or lack of eating depending on the kind of stressor.  They make it so I struggle to leave the house and go to church or even Wal-mart without my husband. There are days when I have to talk myelf into going to the gym to meet with my trainer.  I don't cancel on these days because I know the endorphin payoff is gonna be good and I have never regretted going.
I was talking with my therapist (yes I have one of those too...immensely helpful and has helped me make more progress in the last month than just about anything else out there) and he suggested that I look into Social Anxiety Disorder.  So I googled it. OMG!!! I was reading page after page of me. How I felt. How I reacted to things.  How this was something that I could overcome.  Symptom and behavior after behavior and symptom fit me to a T.  I felt sad that I have this and then I felt hope that I could overcome it.

My most recent bout with this Anxiety Disorder is when I went to a church function for my oldest daughters. They work hard all year long on various projects and goals. At the end of the year they get to display and show off some of their hard work.  My oldest daughter is a writer. She wrote poem after poem about her life and struggles and successes.  It is beautiful. My second oldest is a dancer.  She worked so hard to go en pointe in ballet.  She also loves ballroom dancing.  She is a gorgeous dancer.  This is one talent I was excited to see her display.  I haven't been to church in a while, the anxiety is just too high in a large group of people and our church meets at a time when Ken is working.  Next year we will switch to an 11 time and he will be able to come with me. I showed up and everyone there was so loving and welcoming and overwhelming. I didn't want people to know that I was panicking (part of the disorder) and so I was trying hard to just interact with them. As we got started the panic had already set it.  I was shaking in my chair. My daughters noticed and asked if I was ok.  I told them no, that I was having some anxiety.  They tried to calm me down, but it was too late.  The room was freezing cold, yet when I got up to stand in the back of the room to try and breathe, it was sweltering hot and I was struggling to get my racing heart to slow down and not hyperventilate. I finally had to leave the room that I was in.

I texted my husband but he was sleeping.  It was late and he had to work early the next day.  I texted a friend I met here on MFP.   Tracy was available.  She just texted with me and talked with me until I was finally able to calm down enough I could breathe and face the room.  I couldn't go back in until the program was done, but I did have a little ice cream with the group and then gathered my chicks and went home and curled up with Ken.  Bless him, he is so understanding.  His wife is a little looney and he just doesn't care.  He loves me anyway and tries to be understanding.

The part I find the most frustrating is that this disorder is taking away from me parts of me that I have always had.  I have always been willing to stand in front of a crowd and talk.  Public speaking was never an issue with me.  I loved to go to the mall, or WalMart or just drive around on my own.  I can't do that now.  I think eventually I will be able to get back to that, but it is going to take time. It has made it so I am isolated from my friends.  I have recently met a friend who is understanding of my anxiety and willing to work with me when I need to just go or have a quiet moment to regroup.  i am very grateful for her. Part of the disorder is knowing that you have an irrational fear but are just unable to overcome the fear. I know this.  The logical side of my brain says that it is silly and just let it go.  The emotional side of me just hangs on for dear life to it becuase OMG what if......  I have always been able to just be open and friendly.  The personality you see online is me in real life.  I don't change it up becuase I am online.  I am just regular me. What you see is what you get. I want to be the gregarious Brandy that I have always been again.  Not trapped in anxiety.  
So to my friends here. One: thanks for reading all that. Holy Cow you are true friends. Two:  Know that this sometimes fuels my craziness on here...Like when I delete at random and then have to turn around and say sorry....I didn't really want to do that.  UGH, its a pride swallowing event and I do appreciate you adding me back.  Three: Thanks for being patient with me. Four: My husband is such a great guy.  I love him with all my heart.  I couldn't do this without him. And Five: I couldnt do this without all the great encouragement I get from everyone here. I love you all and appreciate your friendship.   

Read more on Social Anxiety Disorder: http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-social-anxiety-disorder

Boss-tastic Diet

I mentioned that I had used a diet that TrainsLikeABoss gave me to my sister.  She is seeing that I am keeping the weight off and asked me to give her the diet plan.  I posted this on MyFitnessPal.com and several of my friends there wanted it.  Boss said to copy his wife's day the other day.  She is spot on and doing great.  Below is the copy of her day.  I took off the supplements and the coffee.  They added minimal to the counts.

Meal 1	Calories		Carbs	Fat	Protein
Eggs - White only, raw, 6 large	103		1	0	22
Steamed - Green Beans, 1/2 cup	34		8	1	5
Kernel Season's Popcorn Seasoning - Ranch , 1/2 tsp	4		0	0	0
Apple - Gala - Medium , 1 medium apple	80		22	0	0
Smucker's - Creamy Natural Peanut Butter, 1 Tbsp	100		3	8	4
	321		34	9	31
Meal 2
Eggs - White only, raw, 6 large	103		1	0	22
Steamed - Green Beans, 3/4 cup	51		12	2	7
Kernel Season's Popcorn Seasoning - Ranch , 1/2 tsp	4		0	0	0
Fruit - Red Seedless Grapes, 0.5 cup	52		14	0	1
	240		29	4	30
Meal 3
Walmart - Chicken - boneless, skinless, 5 oz.	138		0	3	29
Spinach - Raw, 1 cup	7		1	0	1
Kraft Salad Dressing - Light Asian Toasted Sesame (Reduced Fat Dressing), 2 TBS	50		7	3	1
Cucumber - With peel, raw, 0.5 cup slices	8		2	0	0
Generic - Red Seedless Grapes, 3 grape	10		3	0	0
	243		17	8	31
Meal 4
Spinach - Raw, 1 cup	7		1	0	1
Walmart - Chicken - boneless, skinless, 3 oz.	83		0	2	17
	90		1	2	18
Meal 5
Walmart - Chicken - boneless, skinless, 5 oz.	138		0	3	29
Spinach - Raw, 1 cup	7		1	0	1
Personal Mix - Protein Powder - Whey, 2 scoop	220		12	3	50
	365		13	6	80
Meal 6
Personal Mix - Protein Powder - Whey, 2 scoop	220		12	3	50
	220		12	3	50
Totals		1,479	106	32	240
This is a sample of what you should do.  Mix it up with your veggies, stick to lean protein like fish, lean beef (sparingly), pork (also sparingly, there is lots of fat in pork). I like peppers, cucumbers and radishes.  I am happy to answer questions, drop me an email willlift4shoes@gmail.com. This diet has worked really well for me.  I have enough energy to lift. I usually end up eating about 1600 calories on days I lift and stay close to 1400 on days I don't.  I am maintaining my weight at about 135, (I fluctuate about 3 pounds either way, and I am ok with this).  My current body fat is at 21%. My goal is 13% for my competition.  This is going to come from sticking to my diet.  My new trainer has a diet plan for me, and we will be discussing it on Wednesday.  I will post it when I get it.

Lemony Grilled Shrimp Salad

Again, not mine, but from Cooking Light, Sept 2012 issue.

2 tsp lemon rind zest
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
7 tsp olive oil, divided
24 extra large shrimp, peeled deveined (I used the medium 41-60 shrimp.  Its about $5 at my Walmart)
4-8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for about 10 minutes
6 c baby arugula
1 c peeled jicama cut into 2x1/4" strips (I didn't use this tonight.  Couldn't find it in the store.  It is a hit and miss item there)
1 avocado sliced
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs white wine vinegar (I had apple cider and it was fine here)
1/4 tsp sugar (I used a little granular Truvia instead..tasted fine)
1 oz queso fresco crumbled (about a 1/4 c) (also didn't measure, just let everyone decide how much they wanted)

Preheat grill to high.  combine rind, paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp oil in a bowl. toss with the shrimp to coat.  Thread shrimp onto skewers.  coat grill rack with oil or cooking spray. grill shrimp 2 minutes each side or until done (mine took a little longer they were still a little frozen, which made it a little easier to poke on the skewer, and I used an indoor grill). 

toss arugula, jicama and avocado in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine remaining 2 T oil, remaining 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper, lemon juice, vinegar, and sugar.  stir well with whisk to emulsify.  add juice mixture to salad and toss to coat.  (this is also where I let others control how much they want.  To me, I don't like a lot of dressing, and  my little ones may not like it as much.  Let them pick is my say). Top salad with cheese and shrimp. 

ENJOY!!

There was no shrimp left, but there never is.  Shrimp is a favorite around here and we eat a lot of it.  My kids love it.  The salad...I have on hand.  I didn't use arugula, it has too much of a bite for my kids.  I have a spring mix that my group eats and loves.  I tossed in some spinach into the mix too, cuz its good for ya and my kiddos don't complain about it. 

Fast Chicken Chili

As much as I would love to take credit for this recipe, I found it in a Cooking Light magazine, Sept. 2012 issue.

1 T canola oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut in bite size peices
3/4 tsp salt divided
1/2 c vertically sliced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
3 c canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 c water
2 cans chopped green chilis
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1/4 fresh cilantro
1 lime cut into wedges

heat dutch oven over medium heat.  add oil.  sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp salt.  add chicken, saute 4 minutes. add onion, garlic, and spices. saute another 3 minutes.  add 2 c of beans, water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 can of chilis, and broth.  Bring to boil.  mash 1 c beans and 1 can chilis together in a bowl, add to soup.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Serve with cilantro and lime.

My family ate this up!  I added extra beans to make it stretch a little further (a family of 7 eats a lot) there was one small bowlful left over.  Everyone had 2nds.  This is a definite make again.

Rest days

In a word ... suck. They are just no fun. When you train and train and train your body craves the burn, craves the pump from lifting. When you are forced to take some rest days you go through withdrawals. It has been hard to be down these last 3 days. I have missed the gym. Missed working out and getting sweaty and pushing hard.

Lately I have struggled in the gym. My husband and I have been going through some rough times. We have spent a lot of time beating ourselves up and tearing each other down. We are trying to quit and work out what we need to. I have been in my head a lot. Its affecting my lifts. The other day with my trainer Jolene, I just broke down right in the middle of my workout. I am standing there doing my clean and press and bawling. I felt like such an idiot. She finally made me quit and just talk. I felt like one of those people you see on biggest loser who are running on the treadmill sobbing their eyes out.  I always thought it was just part of the show, something they created, not something that people really felt. (Now the puking on the other hand...I can see that. I have been there before).  It felt good to get it out. But how does this relate to rest days....I hadn't been taking one. I was working out every day. My body was spent.

Rest days give you the chance to recover.  You body needs time to heal itself.  When we apply stress to our bodies..and trust me lifting is stress...it makes minor damages to our muscles. Small tears and weak points. Your body repairs these and tells your brain "hey, we seem to be fixing this a lot, send more stuff here so the damage can be minimized. " this is what makes us stronger. This makes it so we can lift heavier next time.  We have literally built more muscle as a response to working the muscle out. This can only happen when we rest.

So I am being good. Taking my meds, drinking my shakes, working out my head, and rebuilding my muscles. When I go back to the gym (tomorrow is the plan) I should be stronger for it.

new powerhouse drink

12 oz water 1/2 apple
1 c mixed berries
1/8 pineapple wedge with core
1/2 banana
1/4 lemon with peel
10 almonds
10 walnuts
1-2 scoops protein powder, whey isolate
1/2 -3/4 c oats
1 carrot
Broccoli (2 medium florets)
1/2 c spinach or 1 stalk of kale

can also add 1 T extra virgin olive oil
   1-2 whole raw eggs
   grapes or anything else that is good and healthy for you

Mother Guilt

When you make the decision to get healthy and make drastic changes to your life, your food, your workout routine, your body overall there are lots of nay sayers.

There are those who will say you can't. I was told when I first started losing weight that it was impossible to lose. That is would just yo yo and I may lose it for a short time but I would eventually gain it all back.

There are those who say that what you are doing isn't healthy. I faced this when I made changes to my diet. I went completely sugar free for 30 days. No bread.  No fruit. No dairy. No white anything. No refined sugar. Minimal sweeteners.  I was told everything in moderation.  I was told you have to eat fruit. I was told a little won't hurt. I ignored them all. I went 30 days no sugar. It was the best decision I made for my diet. I have some dairy now in the form of Greek yogurt and a little bit of cheese. I have fruit from time to time.

Fruit triggers my cravings for sweet so I avoid it in large amounts. No more than one or two servings a day.

When I said I was going to start lifting weights I was told that I would get big and bulky unless I just stuck to low weights and more reps. People raised their eyebrows and asked why on earth on would want to look like a shemale. Of course I don't want to look like this. But toned and beautiful...absolutely. A well defined muscled body looks a thousand times better than any soft pudgy body tried.

The biggest hurdle to overcome is the guilt. The dreaded "Mommy Guilt" that so many of us heap on ourselves. I work 40 or more hours a week. I workout at least 2 sometime 2 1/2 hours a day. I work hard to make sure that I am not taking time away from my kids. Some days are better than others. I like training in the morning early before they get out of bed. I go get my pump on before they wake, rush home and put us all together and out the door. Sometimes I hit a late night cardio ... like blacklight zumba at 9:00 pm. And sometimes I get to workout out after work. After work is the hardest. It is away from my little ones. My older girls can train with us, the little ones can't. This contributes to mother guilt.

Sometimes this guilt is fed from th outside. I had just had a great workout. I had busted my butt working hard completing several different lifts that involved my chest and triceps. I had my pump on. Then my husband and I hit a cardio class called "R.I.P.P.E.D." that works every muscle group in your body, builds your endurance, and focuses on strength building. I had sweat like crazy. Worked my guts out. High fived my husband on a job well done. And called my Mom to celebrate on my way home. She crushed my high when she said so do you just post a picture of yourself at home so the kids know what you look like? What the hell!! I said nice mom..thanks for the guilt. She quickly retracted and swore she wasn't trying to make me feel guilty but didn't I feel bad that the kids didn't see me cuz I had been working out all night long? I fight myself over guilt a lot. I know my kids have been in daycare heir whole life. I know my older girls help me in ways I can't even imagine a teenager could would or should. I know my husband makes sacrifices so I can achieve my goals. I feel guilt over these things sometimes. I told my husband about what my mom said. He, being the amazing guy that he is, said don't worry about what she said. You spend lots of time with the kids and you are getting healthy. I love this man!! I do worry about the time I spend away from them and if it is too much. I don't think so. I know they know I love them. If anything, I am showing them it is OK to say yes to themselves and their needs.

I need to be healthy. I need to be able to have a strong body to do the things I love to do with them. What better way than to go to the gym and lead by example. Put the guilt aside. Let go of negative thoughts. When someone says you can't..ignore them. Focus on all you do and all you are accomplishing. Let the nay sayers say what they will. They are gonna notice all your changes one day and ask what you did to make the change. Their eyes will gloss over when you tell them it was work, but you know that in the end, you are the real winner.