Chicken Dumpling Soup

Happy Monday friends!

Welcome to the new work out week. Hope that first day back went well for you.

Tonight I decided to make the family some chicken dumpling soup...something that they've never had before. Ha! I heard this from the six year old, "What's a dumpling?" and then shortly after a teeny, tiny bite..."I don't like dumplings! They're icky!"

Well, she did NOT know what she was talking about because they were absolutely wonderful!!

Daddy Rainmaker had some, I had some...and my husband is taking some to work for lunch tomorrow... And the kids who copied her...the 4 and 2 year-old...well, that just left more dumplings for the rest of us to eat. Dumplings will not be going to waste at this house!

Here's a nice little close-up...

I simply don't know why I didn't make dumplings sooner...
Here's my big batch soup recipe that I use:
ten cups of water
10 teaspoons of chicken bouillon (or 3 T and 1 t)
1 cup of onions
2 cups of celery
2 cups of carrots
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
after I put the water and bullion in, I turn it on high and begin cutting everything up. Once it starts to boil, I turn it down to medium until I've put all the chopped stuff in the pot. Then, while it's on medium, I mix up the dumpling mixture:
2 cups of whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
3 T of parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of thyme

I mix that well and then:
I mixed 1/4 cup of olive oil (or oil of your choice or less oil)
and 3/4 cup of milk (you could probably get away with no milk and just water)

Oh, then I add three cups of cooked chicken
(now, if you don't want to add meat...maybe try a favorite bean?)

Then, I turn it up to high..
Once it starts boiling, I use a Tablespoon and spoon the dumpling mixture into the soup. After it's all in, I put a top on the soup and turn it down to between low and medium and let simmer for about 12 minutes.

After that, it was ready to eat.

This is the base soup recipe I use for all of my soups. If it's not dumplings I add, it's home made egg noodles, or rice, or lentils, or garbanzo beans, or corn, barley...you can add just about anything. And then, what I do is stick the leftovers in a crock pot. Then, a few hours before lunch the next day, I turn the crock pot on, and soup is ready for lunch.
(however, I don't put a top on the soup if I put other things in it)

I did want to add that, I generally don't eat this soup because of the chicken bouillon in it. I see it as being a processed food. However, until I can find a different way of making it, I cook it this way.

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Well, I made it to the gym tonight running against a northerly wind and in freshly fallen snow that felt like a run at the beach. Hm..Hey Sunshine, see I can imagine I'm some place warm too. Ha!

Got in a terrific 60 minute leg work-out. It felt great! Got in some abs and then some push-ups. two sets of 15 girl style and two sets of 15 boy style.

My weight fluctuated up again to 6.8 pounds loss in four weeks.

I think I've been eating more than I probably should. I made some more carob peanut butter bars. But I notice that with the additional calories, I get more breastmilk. I want to make sure I get in enough calories for Mr. Lovely so I'm tending to err on the side of more rather than less. I think it is affecting my weight loss. So, perhaps after this week, I may look into getting some FenuGreek which helps to produce more milk flow.

However, I'm still eating clean, with no sugar or white flour.

Well, I hope you all have a good one!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Millet/Buckwheat Pancakes...Buckwheat Blueberry Muffins...And Fantastic Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Happy Saturday friends!

I hope you're weekend is going well. I've been having fun in the kitchen again this weekend. This was my breakfast this morning. I whipped up some Millet and Buckwheat pancakes from a recipe that I found online and then added my own extra ingredient...cinnamon.

Perfecto!
I ground up some millet to make flour...

And some buckwheat groats for more flour...

Altogether my recipe was this...

1/4 cup of millet flour

3/4 cup of buckwheat flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon of oil

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 cup of water

The batter ran perfectly.

I was able to make ten smaller sized pancakes that were around 60 calories a piece.

I loved the added cinnamon flavor .

The kiwi was a nice touch to the breakfast.

Then I found a recipe for buckwheat blueberry muffins that I doubled.

For a single batch:

1 cup of buckwheat flour

1/4 cup of flax meal (basically ground flax which you can get anywhere)

2 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil

2 eggs beaten

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 a cup of water

2 cups of blueberries (I just used one cup per batch and there was plenty)

Mix dry ingredients first and well, and then I add the wet.

I cooked it for about 20 minutes on 350.

These muffins didn't raise very high.

For having no sweetner added to this at all,

I was surprised at how good they tasted.

These muffins are just so healthy for you and

they ended up being a little over 100 calories per muffin.

See, they are smaller and tend to have a darker look to them.

These are a great snack!

I also made some muffins that would appeal to the vegans out there...Ahem, Sunshine Meg

This is basically the same blueberry muffin recipe that I made last week...

You know the one where the muffins raised real high because of the yeast?

Remember I said those tasted a little bland?

Well, this time...

instead of adding the 1/3 cup of honey and 2/3 cup of protein powder...

I added 1/2 cup of organic Agave syrup.

Then, instead of spelt...I used whole wheat flour...

I also only added one cup of blueberries instead of two

Even I am able to eat these muffins...

Which, of course, I did.

They were...SPECTACULAR!!

We have a winner, folks!

It must have been the agave that gave it such good flavor

I offered one to my husband...who is not a whole wheat flour fan...

It had just come out of the oven...

I put butter on it for him...

And he loved it and lauded it!

He goes, "You're learning!"

And I said, "Learning what?"

"How to cook good."

I also served them up to some guests tonight

who also thought they tasted awesome.

But, these muffins are tasty without putting anything on.

I am beginning to really enjoy making these yeast type of muffins.

They do take a little longer...but they are worth it.

The smells they make while baking are just wonderful...

And they are filling...which is a plus for a mom

who wants to make sure her kids have filling snacks.
I have ideas for using apples to make these muffins next.
Each muffin averaged around 155 calories.

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I will use bread baking or muffin baking day as a way to experiment with new recipes and also to "carb -up" for my longer distance run, which was a five miler this afternoon.

I did flux up on the scale this morning by 4/10 a pound..

So now the loss is 7.6 pounds in almost four weeks.

But I think there is a definite trend of weight loss going on here,

so I'm happy about that.

Have a good one!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

The Scale Says I'm Down Eight Pounds...

Happy Weekend friends!

Friday finally came and with it the loss of another 1.4 pounds in one fell swoop for a total of eight pounds total. As exciting as this is, I'm not getting too excited because last week I was at a 7.8 pound loss and then "fluctuated" back up.

But it is encouraging and after feeling tired from the week, I will take it with a smile.

And for those of you who happen to be looking for whole millet...SunshineMeg, I found mine in the local food coop. They carry bulk supplies of whole grains so I can measure out what I want. This store tends to charge more for its specialty food. That's where I found "date sugar" for about $8 for 16 ounces (but I didn't end up buying it), and carob chips for over $5. But after making those carob peanut butter bars with the carob chips, I felt it was worth the splurge to be eating something healthy versus grabbing for a chocolate bar. And because this diet is void of sugar and white flour, my options are limited...so being able to eat something rich and yummy feels like such a treat.

Once I get back down to my goal weight, which in all honesty is still like 22-27 pounds away, I want to continue to eat clean so that it is easier to maintain that weight. So, I'm taking opportunities when I can to whip up recipes that everyone can eat. Because things will feel more normal if they are eating clean too. For example, I made hummus again for the kids for lunch, and I could swipe a few bites of it if I wanted to.

Isn't that what mom's do? Take bites of the food they're cooking for their family? Ha!
If I'm cooking clean, I can do that!

I need to teach myself how to cook great tasting dishes and desserts without refined sugar, and processed and bleached white flour.

It's a lot to learn, but I'm determined to learn it. I'm convinced that this is what I need to learn to be able to maintain continual good health not only for myself but for our family.

Well, I have plans tomorrow to make a bunch more blueberry muffins to freeze, maybe some buckwheat/millet pancakes that I saw a recipe for somewhere. Also, I picked up a special ingredient to make healthy doughnuts. If I don't tire out too much from all the baking, maybe I'll make that too.

Tonight, I ran 2 1/2 miles, and did a 65 minute arm work-out and did my abs. My calories are around 1,800-1,900. I have plans to get in a five mile run tomorrow. The four-miler last weekend was my longest run since I've had Mr. Lovely. So, a five-er will by the longest yet.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Happy Thursday! Mr. Lovely Turns Twelve Weeks...

Hi folks!

Happy Thursday...only one more work-out day at they gym. We can do it.

I took these pictures of Mr. Lovely tonight while I was cooking up some millet patties for the kids. He fell asleep with his thumb in his mouth.

I hate doing this...but to try to stop him from sucking his thumb, I first put a sock on his right hand...so....then he just switched to sucking his left thumb...

ok...

So, I put socks on both hands...
and then I found a wet sock because he had sucked through the sock...

So, then a few times, I put on mittens because they are thicker.

He totally does not like it when I take his thumb out of his mouth.
"Ahh...what's a Sunshine Mama to do!"

Well, he weighed 12.2 pounds tonight

which is down 8/10 from weighing 13 pounds last week.

I think he may not be eating as much these

last few days because I am more engorged

and he has been sporting a little fever.

And, then, what does this mean mama go and do?

Pull his thumb out of his mouth.

But I still managed to get him to laugh tonight.

Here are those millet patties I cooked up tonight.

I used crunchy peanut butter in it instead of creamy and things looked nuttier.

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Well, I kind of didn't want to go to the gym tonight, but did anyway.

I was able to increase the weights on some of my exercises.

I did a 50 minute leg work-out and a 2 1/2 mile run.

My weight stayed the same this morning, so

so far I've lost 6.4 pounds in 3 weeks and three days.
My calories were around 1,700-1,800 today.

Is it just me or is this weight loss thing taking forever?

Well, I'm glad I have all of you to share it with.

We can do it!! Rah! Rah! Rah!

Have a good Friday!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Ode To Fig...

Greetings friends!

How was your hump day?

I hope it went well because it's all down hill folks...just two more days until FRRR....IDAY!!!

So, in the spirit of having gotten those first three days behind us...I decided to photograph some organic figs that I picked up at Wal Mart the other night.

You see I'm just in this "spunky", kind of mood. I'm feeling good. I was feeling the adrenaline during my work-out tonight. And what better way to have some dietary fun than to take pictures of something as un-appetizing as a fig.

Why is that fun you ask?

Because just look at them... Don't dried figs look gross?
I mean... can you believe people actually eat things that look like this?

And I absolutely LOVE dried figs!
But they look so unappetizing and I was feeling this

creative kick to focus on their outside wrinkles
So...here's an Ode to Fig...
(And I'm making this up as I go along)

Ode to a fig
I'm just like you
Wrinkly outside
But inside... true blue

They take for granted
That you're just no good
they judge your looks
You're misunderstood

If only they knew
the surprise in you
The splendorous taste
a bite will imbue

They'd give you more credit
They'd give you your due
They'd spend more time
with figs like you

-Sunshine D' Mama

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ok, I have no idea who D mama is but it just sounded fun.

Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yesterday's post.
And, Dawne, I'm not pregnant. I think it is possible but unlikely at this point.
Though I would heartily welcome another little one if I were.
I looked at that picture and had warm fuzzy feelings
connected with having a little basketball in my belly.

Ever get a runner's high or just this revved feeling while working out?
That was tonight!
I'm feeling like the Ole Sunshine Mama is coming back!
So, I did 2 1/2 mile run, abs and 60 minute chest and triceps work-out.
I woefully haven't counted my calories tonight...they may be around 1,800.
(it's those carob peanut bars, but they're all gone now).
I dropped 6/10 a pound this morning for a total of 6.4 lost in three weeks and two days.

Have a good one!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

More Gym Talk...

Good evening folks!

Hope your week is progressing well.

I have another gym story that I've been sitting on for a few days waiting for the right time to share it with you all.

So, you all know that I worked out when I was pregnant. In fact, I managed to get in a good leg work-out the day before I went into labor. About ten weeks before I had Mr. Lovely, I cleaned up my diet and ended up leaning up and feeling great.

Well, the other day, during one of the morning sessions where my husband and daughter went to the gym for their usual morning work-out, they ran into the YMCA basketball coach.

During the course of conversation with my husband and daughter he began lauding me and praising my work-out attitude. I smiled when I heard his praises and knew that he was probably recalling seeing me when I was at the gym when I was looking like this...except probably a little bigger because this photo was taken when I still had four or so weeks to go. Our eight-year -old son was standing nearby listening to the conversation.

However, he wasn't smiling when he heard what the YMCA coach had to say about me.

In fact, our very literal-minded son adamantly stated, "That's not a very nice thing to say!"

What did the coach say?

Well... he very effusively called me an "animal."

*pause for chuckles*
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Well, this "animal-like" Sunshine Mama hit the gym again tonight and churned out a 60 minute biceps and back work-out. I motored through a 2 1/2 mile run and I haven't added up my calories, yet but I'm guessing around 1,700. I dropped 2/10 a pound this morning for a total of 5.8 pounds in three weeks, two days.

I got a "sweets" urge and made a half batch a carob peanut butter bars. Those were awesome!

Well, We're almost half way through this week.
You guys are doing great!

Have a great Wednesday!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Me Versus Myself...Who will win?

Good Monday friends!
Hope your work day and work-out day went well.

I was considering competing against myself in this whole lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks thing. I mean who would be a more equally matched opponent than me?....18 months ago?

Granted..the situation is a little different...I'm dieting in the dead of winter (so when I go for a run, It's zero degrees instead of 70), I have six kids now instead of five. I'm homeschooling three of those six instead of one. Heck, it was summer when I started this last time..so I had all this free time to focus on dieting. Also, I'm breastfeeding right now where as I wasn't 18 months ago. So, I have to balance my calories so that I have enough for Mr. Lovely.

So...I personally think that the "me" of 2011 has more obstacles to overcome than the "me" of 2009.

But...me? I'm up for the challenge. The older me has become more organized. The older me has obtained more good knowledge about eating clean to apply to my diet. And if anything...the older me is as determined as the younger me.

So...who's winning right now you ask?

Well...at this point 18 months ago, the younger me had lost eight pounds in three weeks. As of this morning, I gained back 1.2 pounds so, I'm at 5.6 pounds in three weeks.

But...the younger me stayed at eight pounds for two weeks! So, I've got some time here to close the distance.

Competition is a good thing. Sometimes it can bring out some great results. Christine's competing with her husband to see who will lose ten pounds first. The winner gets $200.

Hmmm...maybe I should have a prize for the winner of my competition with myself.

I kind of like that $200 dollar prize idea!

What do you say Daddy Rainmaker?

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Well, I got in a 60 minute leg work-out and a 2 1/2 mile run, abs and four sets of 15 push-ups with two being girl and two being boy. My right arm felt fine, so hopefully it's mended from when I pulled it several days ago.

My calories came in at 1,941. I think I ate too much of that home made hummus I made for the kids. No, I did not take any pictures. Next time.

We can do it folks!
Have a good one!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Meat Free Millet Patties

Hello everyone!
The weekend is ending, but I finished it with a good bang in the area of cooking something new, fun and delicious...oh and healthy!

I found this recipe in "The Ten Talents" cook book and then modified it according to the ingredients that I had on hand.

I was impressed with how simple yet tasty this ended up being.

My husband liked it; the eight year-old ate four of them,

the six-year-old and four-year-old had three a piece.

And I had two when I only meant to have one.

First you cook up the raw millet to get

it to equal four cups of cooked millet.

To do this you combine four cups of water with

one cup of uncooked millet and add a little over a 1/2 a teaspoon of salt.

After it comes to a boil, you lower it to low to medium

and stir occasionally until all the water is gone.

I didn't time it, but it took maybe twenty minutes.

Then, the recipe asks you to have it dry.

I just set mine aside for about 40 minutes until it cooled.

Then you add:

four cups of cooked millet

1/2 cup of almond, cashew or peanut butter

1 T of soy sauce or Bragg Aminos (I used soy sauce)

2 T of onion powder (I had none of this, so I threw in about 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder)

1 tsp of veggie salt (I used seasoned salt maybe 1/2 a teaspoon)

Then, celery seed, rosemary, thyme, to taste (I didn't use any of this either)

They were a little sticky on my hands

which is probably why they asked to have the millet dry.

But the extra moistness fried up nicely.

I used my spatula to pat them flatter.

Quite frankly, I would never have guessed that
peanut butter and soy sauce could taste so well together...oh and garlic and millet?
Crazy...but the kids absolutely loved this!
There are 91 calories per pattie. I was able to make 17 patties.
There are 3.4 grams of protein per pattie.
I'm definitely making this again.
Oh, and it's cheap to make.
I think I paid about $1.50 to $2.00 for a pound
of organic millet at the co-op which one pound equals two cups.
Plus the peanut butter was worth 50 cents...
So, I made a healthy meal for the kids for less than $2.50.
This will definitely be going into the rotation...
My six-year-old just kept lauding the millet pattie with,
"This is SOO good, mom!!"
Ahh...music to my ears!
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Other than that, I took today off and I dropped another
pound this morning and so am at 7.8 pounds in almost three weeks.
My calories today are around 1,600-1,700.
Hope you all have a good Monday!!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Sugar Free, Spelt Blueberry Muffins...Rye Flake Cereal

Happy Saturday folks!
I hope you are all enjoying the weekend.

One of the things I really look forward to on this sugar and white flour free diet of mine is the weekend when I have more time to try out new recipes.

I tried some blueberry muffins a few days ago, but decided to make a version of a recipe that I found in "The Ten Talents" cookbook because it used yeast instead of baking powder, baking soda or eggs to get the muffins to raise.

And boy did they raise.

Don't they look wonderful?

But before I give you the recipe, how about my breakfast?

Instead of pancakes, I tried cooking some rye flakes that I kept reading about in "The Ten Talents cook book. When I saw them at out local co-op I got some.

As you can see they resemble oatmeal.

I cooked up 1/3 cup with one cup of water and drizzled
about a teaspoon of honey and topped it with blueberries.
I liked it.
I think it actually tastes better than oatmeal.

For lunch, I cooked up a chicken breast with 11 1/2 ounces of sweet potato fries.
I coated the potatoes with two teaspoons of olive oil and various spices.
After ten minutes at 450 degrees, I turned them once and then cooked them for ten minutes more. I absolutely love these fries. And they are so good for you.
The sweet potatoes were 253 calories, 80 calories for the oil and 137 for a 5 1/2 ounce chicken. 15 calories for some Mrs. Dash marinade for a total of 485 calories.

Here is the cover of "The Ten Talents" cook book.
There websits is http://www.tentalents.net/.

Here is the first page of their table of contents.

And the second page.

Now to those blueberry muffins...

In a mixing bowl, dissolve:

2T of active dry yeast

1 T of honey

1/2 cup of pure warm water

Let set for five minutes while blending:

1 cup of pure warm water

1 T of pure vanilla

1 cup of dried dates pieces or date sugar

(since date sugar is super expensive, I,

instead, put in almost 1/3 cup of honey and 2/3 cup of vanilla protein powder)

1 tsp of sea salt

1/4 cup of soy oil (I used olive oil instead)

Stir this into mixture-then fold in:

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

(I used freshly ground spelt flour instead)

Let rise 15-20 minutes in a warm place; then fold in:

1 3/4 cup of flour (gold'n white, soy or barley)

(I used spelt flour)

2 cup of fresh, frozen or dried blueberries.

It says to bake it at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes,

but my muffins were ready after about 25 minutes.

Here's how they looked before baking.

Here's four year old Peach Blossom sniffing the final product.

Each muffin was 171 calories.

You could easily lower the calorie content by using less oil, and not using protein powder.

I thought they tasted a little bland probably because of me not using the date sugar.

So, I may just break down one of these times and buy some date sugar or dates.

I could also play around with using more honey in the recipe as well.

But overall, the texture was perfect.

I really like the flavor of spelt.

Spelt is great for people who are intolerant to wheat.
I love how the yeast makes the muffins rise so high.

I also love the fact that I can eat these muffins...guilt free.

See, didn't I tell you this diet would be fun?

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I dropped 4/10 a pound this morning for a total loss of 6.8 in 20 days.

I ran four miles in 6 degree weather.

My legs felt fine, but I felt a little cold. Not too bad though.

My calories came in at 1,482.

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Happy Weekend! Pictures That Leave You Smiling...

Hello!
We're doing 11 week baby pictures of Mr. Lovely a day late, but better late than never right?

I love how his hair sticks up like that on his head.

And Sunshine Mama, Daddy Rainmaker, Darling Rose
and the kids are able to coax little smiles out of Mr. Lovely on a regular basis now.

We're still working on him holding onto his feet though.

His eyes are a dark blue which he gets from Daddy Rainmaker.

My blue eyes are lighter, plus they will sometimes change to green.

And he still sucks his thumb.

When he wakes up from a nap,

I keep finding his thumb in his mouth.
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It's been a busy week and I intend on catching up on you all this weekend.

Today was another cold day with the temperature sitting at around 4 degrees. Plus they said it was 15 below with the wind chill. So, instead of running to the gym Darling Rose and I biked to the gym. I'm a good bundler-up-er. Just check out my post last year on the red coat.

So, once at the gym, I ran 1.25 miles on the treadmill and got in a 50 minute triceps and chest work-out. I still haven't done any push-ups this week for fear of re-injuring my right arm. I think I will try some tomorrow.

My calories hit 1,865 today and I lost 1.4 pounds from the day before which puts me at 6.4 pounds lost in 19 days. Who knows it might fluctuate up again tomorrow. Thank you guys for being encouraging. I really appreciate it.

Well, I intend to try some new recipes tomorrow and Sunshine Meg, I have a few recipes from this "Ten Talents" cook book for meat less burgers.

Have a good weekend!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Carob Peanut Butter Cups...Yum, Yum!!

Happy Thursday and Friday folks!

Thanks for all your birthday wishes for Daddy Rainmaker and my dad. When I told you all that I was making something for my dad that involved carob chips, I didn't know what I was going to make yet. Ha!

But I found this recipe in a cook book given to me by my mother called "The Ten Talents."

This recipe is super easy and literally only took me like five minutes to whip up.

Here is the finished product...16 peanut butter bars.

Carob chips in natural lighting on the back of my couch.

First you mix 1 cup of natural crunchy peanut butter and 1/3 cup of honey on the stove over medium. It takes a few minutes...

Then, after it's combined you mix in 1/2 cup of carob chips (still over medium) until they are melted and a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla ...another few minutes...

It looks like this.

Then, the recipe actually asks for you to put them in small paper cups to chill or freeze.

Since I didn't have that, I just pressed them into a pan for bars.

Here they are up close.

My opinion?

They're great!

They have this wonderful chewy texture,

the flavor seems to change the more you chew it.

You can taste the honey. It has an almost rich taste to it.

Total calories per bar is 141.

BUT...they are completely sugar free...aka...guilt free.

But they are higher calorie so you have to watch your intake.

But how wonderful to be able to eat something so rich and yummy.

Oh, here are some shots of the birthday boys.

My dad...looking great!

Daddy Rainmaker after the kids surprised him

with snakes and a tarantula for some of his gifts.
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Well, I took off from the gym yesterday to cook, clean and prepare for last night's fun. I had a few more calories than I wanted, around 1,900 last night.

Then, I actually went up a pound this morning, so I'm now at 5 pounds in 18 days. So, apparently, my body is fluctuating and adjusting. It's annoying, but I hold to the idea that by the end of 10 weeks, I will usually average out to a two pound a week loss. So, if I can be down at least six pounds by Monday...that six pounds in three weeks.

Today I made it to the gym for a 55 minute leg work-out, a 2 1/2 mile bike ride, a 1.25 mile run, and abs.

For calories I'm estimating that I consumed around 1,700.

Hope you you all have a good Friday!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

Guess What The 19th Is...

Hi folks!

It's a terrific Tuesday night, right?

Tomorrow is Daddy Rainmaker's birthday so you will all have to wish him a happy birthday because he checks my blog during his break at work. Also, the day after tomorrow, the 20th, is my dad's birthday.

If anybody believes in those astrological signs, I basically married a man who is a lot like my dad (astrologically speaking that is).

And if you're reading, babe, I love you! And Happy Birthday! I feel so honored to be a part in celebrating your birthday with our children and family. You are almost 11 years older than me, but I think that I am definitely the one who scored.

And to my dad, I love you too. I'm glad you're feeling better. Thanks for being a good dad and rescuing me when I would run out of gas when I was in college because I was too much of a cheap wad, to fill up that old cadillac all the way. And then I would forget that I was getting low until the car just...stopped. And my dad would come save me (this happened three or four times...what can I say, I'm a slow learner?).

What will be fun is my parents are coming over tomorrow night for a little joint birthday celebration. I just may be baking up a little surprise for my dad who tries (for the most part) to maintain a sugar free diet. I can't say exactly what I'm making because he also reads my blog. Ha! But I have some fun sugar free ideas that just might involve carob chips.

In fact, I'm considering making Wednesday a day of cooking and cleaning in preparation for the birthday parties. Having the kids wrap their gifts and make cards for the occasion.

Well, today went well. I made it to the gym and did a 60 minute back and biceps work-out. I held off on doing any push-ups since that's what caused my arm to hurt last week. I didn't push too hard on my arm work-out, but I did still manage a good work-out. I ran 2 1/2 miles and got in 1,685 calories.

I also weighed Mr. Lovely this morning and he weighs 13 pounds which is 1.4 pound increase from two weeks ago. That to me is proof positive that he's getting plenty to eat despite me being on a diet. I also have noticed that the more water I drink, the greater my milk flow...like today. I got in plenty of water and I've had plenty of milk production.

Oh, my weight actually increased 4/10 a pound this morning, so now I'm at a 6 pound loss in 15 days.

Have a good one!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Let Me Count The Ways That I Feel Better

Hi friends!

We made it through another Monday. Hope yours went well for you.

It's been two weeks since I started eating clean and working out five days a week at the gym. In that time as you can read from the top headline, I've lost 6.4 pounds in 14 days. I weigh myself every morning so come Tuesday morning, I will try to update with a new weight check.

I think it takes 21 days to create a good habit like eating clean...so getting through this third week is very important in setting the groundwork for the rest of my diet.

So, in the spirit of keeping myself motivated, I've decide to share the improvements that I have noticed.

1.) I'm happier.
-Because I know that I'm not going to gain any more weight and I have a goal and plan of action that will allow me to successfully lose weight
2.) I have more energy
-my arms are stronger which I notice when I'm hoisting kids around, my legs don't feel sore any more when I'm walking up steps, I feel this extra bounce in my step
3.) I'm more alert
-I'm thinking more clearly. I've revamped the home school schedule and am more productive during the day
4.) My face looks healthier
-I've lost weight in my face and my skin appears more vibrant and clearer
5.)My stomach is flatter
-the baby pooch is a-going down
6.) The other jeans fit
-Since I actually gained a little weight after having the baby, I was unable to fit into this one pair of jeans...now I can perfectly...for now! ha!
7.) I'm looking leaner
-I can see more muscle definition because of the loss in fat
8.) I'm not as engorged with breast milk
-My breast milk would "let down" too fast for Mr. Darling to be able to drink it quick enough, so he ended up getting upset. Now it flows at a more appropriate rate.
9.)I'm content without sugar, white flour
-I am enjoying eating natural foods and tasting their good flavors and discovering new recipes. I tend to be an all or nothing kind of gal. So, since white sugar and flour are completely off my radar, I don't even bother fantasizing about that food. Instead, I'm looking for new ways to make natural food taste great.
10.)

Well, I couldn't think of anything for #10, but these are all good reasons for me to keep the pedal to the metal.

Also, I wanted to apologize to Sunshine or anyone else out there who might have been offended by my use of the word "oldish" in my last post.

Today I ran 2 1/2 miles, did abs, a 60 minute leg work-out and consumed 1,785 calories. I was short on my water though.

Have a good one!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Last Night's Gym Talk...

Hi folks,

Sorry I missed posting last night, Friday, but it ended up being a late night with grocery shopping...ect...

However, I still wanted to post my funny thought.

I was at the gym last night when I overheard this old-ish guy...maybe 50's sitting on the bench press talking to a nearby youth. He was one of those kind of guys whose voice tends to carry, one of those personalities that make you want to pause and listen to what he's going to say next because his voice has kind of a gruff quality, and he uses it to say things that are definitely not politically correct.

So, he sees this young guy nearby and says to him, "How old are you?"

Answering half as loudly as the man, the boy says,"20"

Then the old man begins to tell the young man a little about himself.

"I was weight lifting at your age too.

And nobody was weight lifting back then....

*pause*

But I was weight lifting so I could beat the cr*p out of people."

I know I wasn't the only one that stopped what they were doing and smiled, rolled their eyes, or shook their head.

The kid smiled.

And then not ten second after that remark the old man says...

"And it worked too!"

Well, folks, whatever your reason is for being in the gym, weight lifting and working hard...I hope it works for you too.

I'll be honest...this week was a tough week and I didn't even want to get into the gym last night. As it happened, I think I strained my arm after doing some push-ups last night. I had to back off on some of my arm exercises because of it. Hopefully, my arm will feel better by my next arm work-out Tuesday night.

But, I did do it. I made it all five days.

My weight went up a little Friday morning and then stayed the same this morning. So, altogether I'm at a six pound loss in almost two weeks. I'm not too concerned about the fluctuation because I'm eating perfectly.

So, last night I ran 2 1/2 miles, did abs, push-ups (1 set of 15 girl style and 3 sets of 15 boy style) then I did a light 25-30 minute arm work-out because I hurt my arm after the push-ups. I consumed about 1,500 calories yesterday.

Today I took off of working out. Instead I have been baking like a fool. I baked eight loaves of whole wheat bread, and eight loaves of white bread. I've also been cooking up some meat and freezing it to use for soups later. We made a batch of whole wheat noodles.

Well, I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

Happy Thursday! I Found Some Positive

Happy Thursday folks!
Are you hanging in there?

Yesterday I talked about trying to find the positive in situations when it comes to getting through the first several weeks of this weight loss/fitness journey.

Today it occurred to me that sometimes taking the spotlight off ourselves and focusing it on others may just be another remedy for making the time fly faster.

Take me for example. I have plenty of kids to focus on in my life. And catching a snapshot of Mr. Lovely sucking his thumb...well, that just makes me very happy. Very positive. Ha!

How about another angle?

Can you believe he's ten weeks old today?
I didn't even weigh him.
He might be 12 pounds by now.

Ahh...so anyway,

I think good conversations with friends, helping others, doing some deep cleaning organizations...other things that make you feel good...may just help you feel a little more in balance with the whole "waiting-for-the-next-ten-weeks-to-go-by-while-I-drop-this-weight-feeling".

I mean... who wants moments like this to go by fast?
Make your moments today count!

Have a good one!
Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama


Today, I ran 2 1/2 miles, got in a 45 minute leg work-out and got in 1,848 calories. Oh, and I actually gained 4/10 a pound. So, now it's 6 1/2 pounds lost in ten days.