BIG FAT CHECK

I was so excited about the check I received in the mail that I had to take a picture and share it with you! Have you heard of ebates? If not , check them out here. Their site is FREE to use and they mail you a check quarterly. You sign up, shop and earn electronic rebates that they mail quarterly. There are literally thousands of stores on their site, just make sure that you always go to ebates and then link to your favorite stores thru their site. My check is from my holiday shopping, I did 100% of my shopping online and made sure that I got free shipping on all of my purchases! Just wanted to share my BIG FAT CHECK

Clean Eating - Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

We have been trying to eat things that are "nature made" instead of "man made" , thus Clean Eating. I found this cookie recipe in the Clean Eating magazine and can't wait to try it. Please let us know what you think! Enjoy!

Here is a link to the magazine's site http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/

INGREDIENTS:
Olive oil cooking spray
1 1/4 cups quick-cook old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 tsp flaxseed meal
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 large egg white
2 tsp unsalted almond butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark bittersweet chocolate chips (about 40 grams)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together agave, egg white, almond butter and vanilla.
Add egg mixture to dry ingredients all at once and combine. Stir in chocolate chips.
Divide batter equally into 16 mounds (about 1 rounded tbsp in size) and arrange evenly spaced on prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a slightly dampened spoon, flatten each mound into 2 1/2-inch circles. Bake 9 to 10 minutes, until golden. Cool on sheets for an additional 10 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, cookies will keep fresh for 2 to 3 days.
NOTE: Substitute the chocolate chips with raisins, shredded coconut, dried cranberries or other dried fruit to give these cookies a new identity every time you make them.

NUTRIENTS per 2 cookies:
Calories: 170
Total Fat: 3.5 g
Sat. Fat: 1 g
Carbs: 35 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 18 g
Protein: 3 g
Sodium: 75 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Have you heard?

Have you heard about Etsy?  Do you know about this fabulous online boutique where you can purchase anything from vintage earrings to hand-made baby clothes?  Quilts to knitted caps?  Shoes to dolls to wall hangings?  And everything in between.

Etsy is a favorite place of mine.  There are amazing finds and real deals on the site.  I love that I can purchase handmade/homemade products and most crafted by moms.  How great is that?

Today I want to introduce you to possibly my favorite Etsy mom crafter.  Sandi is a SAH who somehow finds time to sew, quilt and craft.  She makes many of the amazing outfits her children wear by hand.  She is one of the most involved school moms I've ever known, and is officially a HOTmama for her strong, loving 16 year-but-its-like-their-first-date marriage and oh-so-intelligent and delightfully feisty four kids.

For me, it was love at first quilt: Sandi's work is amazing.  The detail and fabrics are amazing.  We've washed this "Piece of Africa" quilt about a million times, and it just gets softer with each wash. 

 Knowing how much we love the "Piece of Africa" quilt, Sandi recently made the matching name banner for Sam.  

Sandi's work is very reasonably priced and I invite you to check out her site.  Let me know what you think.

Note: These are my honest personal opinions.  I was not paid for this review.  I have purchased many items from Sandi's shop.  She did recently send the banner as a gift for Sam but in no way requested a positive review in return.

Talk Therapy

Boy oh Boy am I tardy on postings.  Needless to say, we've been pretty busy over here at Casa De Sam.  And that's part of the reason for this particular posting.

I KNEW parenting would be tough...tougher than anyone ever warned or cautioned us.  Most likely the toughest thing we'll ever do.

But I didn't know, and wasn't prepared for the toll on marriage.  

I'm sure some fly through this "new parent" thing without incident.  Not us.  Things have been pretty rough since we came home with Sam in July.  Now, there are several legit reasons for that, such as the fact that it wasn't G's decision to be a SAH: it just didn't make sense for the attorney to stay home and the chef to keep working, financially speaking.  His new role is hard on his ego and frankly, immasculating.  Because of the demands of work, G now does the cooking, cleaning, laundry, you name it, all in edition to caring for and nurturing our son.

It wasn't my decision to be a working mom.  I feel a tremendous amount of pressure being the sole income: am I bringing in new clients and billing enough at work?  Am I putting in enough "face time" ... how are the partners viewing me as a new working mom?  But most of all, is 2-3 hours a day enough time with my son?  

Because of the stress of our new roles, and frankly, the fact that we are older and SO VERY set in our ways, we bicker a lot.  I will admit, I usually start it: I pick on G for some little thing, and then the it brews into a fight.  We make up, we always do...but the stress and strain remains in the background.

This weekend everything came to a head.  We had a HUGE fight and then spent 5-6 hours talking.  I mean REALLY talking.  Baring hearts and souls and crying.  Expressing frustrations, hopes, dreams, feelings of failure.  We laid it all on the table.  And you know what?  It was fantastic.  G and I are stronger than ever because we came back to the foundations of our relationship: friendship, communication, understanding and love.  I think over the past 7 months we have forgotten about the communication factor.  Well, I know we have.  But no longer.  Now communication is our No. 1 objective, our biggest goal.

As tough as the past few months have been on our marriage I wouldn't change a thing.  Sam is the best thing that's ever happened to us, and we are navigating this "new parent" thing to the best of our abilities.  So long as we keep this weekend in mind and keep the lines of communication open and strong, we'll be terrific parents and partners.

How is your communication with your spouse?  Any room for improvement?

The View Ambassador

InnerHotMama is so HAPPY to have been one of the Blogs chosen to represent the VIEW!!! Are you passionate about The View and want to attend a taping? Check below and enter to win a trip to NEW YORK CITY!

Enter The View sweepstakes that’s currently being run on the Mom Central website. One lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a trip to New York City to watch a taping of The View! The sweepstakes is open until February 28th. Here is a link to our sign-up survey for this sweepstakes: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22A5X7KF2CZ

“I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.”

A Mom's Ultimate Book of Lists

If you need to get organized, and we all do, you will LOVE this book by Michelle LaRowe. It is a reference book full of quick and practical tips! There are lists for everything imaginable. From a list of things to do when preparing for a baby, to what to do once the baby gets here, to a list of shots needed...it's all covered. I think that my favorite "lists" in the book is the section on "Lists for saving your time, money and sanity", what mom couldn't use a LITTLE MORE of any of these 3?This section covers things such as, ten tips for balancing home, work and family...how to create date night and become more organized in your home.

My absolute FAV list is LIST 111, THE VIRTUOUS WIFE of Today, This list takes the Bible scripture and translates it for today's mom. This list has some things that I think we all strive for:

She takes care of her body, working to keep fit
She helps others in need
She seeks to be of good character
She carefully considers her purchases and doesn't buy on impulse
She is a blessing to her family.
......I could put the whole list here....it truly is a wonderful book and would help any woman, get more organized.

“Available January 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”




disclaimer: I was given a copy of the book and asked to give my honest opinion.

8 Minute Veggie Pasta

The key to keeping all those delicious carbs in your diet is 

(1) fiber-dense whole grain bread or pasta 

(2) adding more veggies to the meal than pasta or bread

(3) portion control.

For me, this means pre-measuring everything.  But it works, and I get to eat pasta, so I'm not complaining.  Especially when I get to eat this:

8 Minute Veggie Pasta

I know when you think peas, broccoli and pasta, you think of heavy cream sauce. But if you use tomato sauce instead, you get an unexpectedly delicious dish with lower calories & fat, along with loads of nutrition.  Oh, and this is a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies...Sammy gobbled up his and begged for more!

For each serving:

3/4 c dry whole grain pasta

1/2 c fresh or frozen peas

1 1/2 c fresh or frozen chopped broccoli 

splash veggie broth

1 t. chopped garlic

2 T. fresh grated Parmasean cheese

1/2 c tomato sauce

While pasta is boiling, sautee the veggies with a little EVOO and veggie broth.  After 2 minutes, add the tomato sauce and put a lid on the veggies (heat on medium-low.)

Drain pasta when al dente, toss with the veggie sauce and add a bit of grated cheese.

YUM!

Snowed In

So here in the midwest we got alot of snow, not as much as the East Coast but still, alot of SNOW! In preparation for the snow storm, I stopped at borders to pick up some books for my kids to keep them busy just in case we were stuck inside for a few days. We didn't end up having a snow day but the books were a HIT!(and as you can see, there is a magazine in there for me too :) )

What do you do when you're snowed in?

Monday check-in

Slow and steady wins the race.  

I've always been the hare...running, running, running.  Often frantically.  My husband calls it "jazz hands."  But now, I'm trying to slow down.  Thinking about what I put into my body.  Meal planning so I'm not getting something on the go.  Planning time for workouts.  I'm staying veg and fitting tons of fruit, veg & fiber into my everyday eating.  I'm more satisfied.  I'm actually fuller eating about 1/2 the calories I used to.

And I've found that I WANT to be the tortoise.  Because the tortoise is winning.  I am winning.

Since January 1st I'm down 14 lbs and 1 size.  I am sleeping soundly and have energy to spare.  I run around with my son and hold nightly "dance parties" (which is quite interesting with a 1 1/2 year old in case you haven't tried it before.)

Thanks Zenful Mommy for challenging us ALL to be healthier mommies!

It's Amazing

It's Amazing what paying attention what you put in your mouth does for your mind, body and soul. My healthy commitments are: I gave up soda over a month ago, NOT MISSED! I gave up fried foods, NOT MISSED! I vowed to do mostly CLEAN EATING and I love it! In fact my kids are eating healthier...just shows that Leading by Example works.

Over the last week, I got in my 6 workouts and took my daily vitamins and ate well.My waist is shrinking and i am getting stronger by the day! I have energy now and am loving everyday!

Thanks to bookieboo for this challenge to lead a healthier lifestyle, you gave me the little push that I needed.

Valentine Cookies

This is a SIMPLE recipe for Cut-out Cookies

1/2 cup shortening or butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

cream shortening, sugar and egg...add vanilla, add in dry ingredients, roll out and cut into your favorite shapes!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, bake 10-12 minutes

Let cool and decorate!

You were right

Gawd I hate admitting that. But you said (a collective you) that exercise would give me more energy and help me sleep more deeply at night. I fought you. I bitched about it. I made excuses. And then I did it.

And I must say, you were right. 

I've been getting about 150 minutes/week in via walking and such.  Nothing hard-core.  But today I did 40 mins on the elliptical at the gym (thank you LaGrange YMCA for adding 4 extra machines this summer!), a feat never before attempted because after 15 minutes my thighs were burning and quivering (and not in a good way, wink-wink, nudge-nudge.) But today I felt GREAT, and actually had energy to spare afterwards, which would have translated into time on the weight machines if not for the YMCA babysitting ending at 12 noon (it's a work-at-home day in between a ton of suburban meetings.)

Oh, and I'm sleeping deeper than I have in...well...forever. Now, part of that is the fact that Sam is sleeping, in his own bed, ALL NIGHT LONG. This has been going on for almost 2 weeks now and it is delicious. He does wake at 5:30-6 but he'll go back to sleep for another hour in our bed, which I'll do for the extra sleep. But the hours between 11p-6a are pure and utter bliss. Okay, so Sam may be waking up, but G and I don't know about it because we are sleeping so well. I think we would hear him...

The moral of this story? 2 points for you 0 for me. Maybe I'll be right about something else fitness related in the near future.

yucky week...mamavation

It was a difficult week for me, exerise wise, food wise....and everything else.

For some reason my kids, ages 7, 4 and 6 months...all decided to wake up thru the night, everynight.....so much that I had to offer "treats" at the end of the week if my oldest 2 stayed in their beds at night. I promised them ice cream on Friday night if they could stay in their beds all night for the remainder of the week. I saw a habit forming, of them coming into my bed everynight and didnt' like it....they woke me up everynight, at least 2 times and I was "QUITE" grouchy in the mornigs. The fact that I work out at about 9 at night and can't get to sleep until 1 am doesnt' help much either...so heres my report for the week.

Nutrition: Ok I guess, did the 5-6 small meals a day, no soda, still had my 2 cups of coffee a day(can't and won't give this up) Got in my fruits and veggies as well as my TONS of water a day. Also managed to have donut holes that my hubby brought home, as well as leftovers of my kids grilled cheese (yummo!)

Exercise: Did 6 of 7 days...it was hard as hell but I did it!

Health: Felt blah all week..still have a cold, but took my supplements and drank EmergenC

YIPPEE ! Down a pound....


How was your week?

Portion control & 150 a week

I have now learned the art of portion control.  I had NO IDEA how much I was eating before.  300 cal of healthy food is still 300 cal.  I took about 3 weeks to measure things out and now can pretty much eye-ball it.  I can tell you what 2 c of spinach, 1/4 c nuts, 1 serving of pretzels, 1 inch cube of cheese all look like.  I've also been getting my 150+ minutes of exercise a week.  That represents 30 mins/day for 5 days.  Last week I got in 180 minutes and my goal for this week is 200 minutes. 

Overall, I've lost over 12% of my weight-loss goal (okay, I'm just gonna say it and get it out of the way, I'm trying to lose 100 lbs to reach a healthy, "normal" BMI.)  I've given myself 18 months to lose the weight...slow and steady wins the race and insures the weight will STAY OFF this time around.

Stats: down 12.5 lbs in 7 weeks and almost ready to go down a dress size from where I started.

How are you doing on your "get healthy" goals?