Peanut Butta Jelly Time!

YAY!!!! I found a keeper!!! So as most of you know I've been on a search for a yummy, healthier peanut butter and I FINALLY found one!! I have tried just about every kind the grocery store offers and most have just tasted down right horrible or nothing at all like peanut butter. I know peanut butter is fattening, but it does offers other healthy benefits and it's near and dear to my heart...or my waistline whichever you prefer :) You guys probably think I'm retarded for talking so much about peanut butter, but peanut butter is to me like chocolate is to most people. I lurrrrve it! Anyways my main goal was to find one without high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils...meet the winner:

I was hesitant to try this because it looked like something old people buy lol. I'm retarded. It's yummy, creamy, and gooey!

More Faves:

Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges

These make for a great snack with whole wheat crackers.

Ok this is not necessarily healthy, but it is a new discovery I made over the weekend-->JALEPENO JELLY!!! OMGOMGOMG!! It's Ah-mazing! It sounds disgusting. I even snarled my nose at it, but man it's good!! I ate it on a ritz cracker with some cream cheese (yeah, like I said...NOT healthy)...I'm gonna get some fat free cream cheese and see how that tastes.

Update on Going Organic: I'm not going to lie, it's not going well. My biggest problem is that my local grocery stores just don't have a lot of organic products to choose from. However, on the Today Show this morning they were talking about the link between Food Dyes (ie Red 40, yellow 5, etc.) and ADHD. Just another reason to make the switch to organic!

~Laci

YAY!!!

So if anyone follows my "Exercise Log" you will see that I haven't worked out in SEVERAL days. Well a fungus is among us and it won't get outta my house!!!!!! I was sick throwing up, body aches, no energy, etc. for 2 1/2 days, then Alexis got sick and is STILL sick (5 days later OMG!) with the same junk plus a wicked runny nose! This junk just won't go away and it's stressing this momma out!!!!!! So needless to say, yes I've been a worn out, tired, lazy whore! The gym is the last thing on my mind when my poor widdle baybay is miserable :( However, I FINALLY got my lazy arse out last night and ran/walked. ANNNNNND I acquired a new walking/running buddy!! I'm pretty excited about this new development!! She's my bestie and I'm hoping this becomes a new routine for us!

Now for some great news!!! We took Alexis out of daycare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY! Actually this is kind of bittersweet. I wish it would've worked out because I know it could have been beneficial to her, but it didn't so I'm at least glad that we have amazing family that we can lean on. It takes a village to raise a child, I'm tellin ya! Anywho...Derek's sister was thrilled when I asked if she would like to watch Alexis one day a week if I paid her. Alexis LOOOOOVES her Aunt Kasi so I was SOOOO relieved when she was more than willing to watch her. Today was Lexi's first day to stay with her and she was SSSSOOOO excited!! Kasi is awesome with her. She loves on her and plays with her all day. And Kasi has two cute little puppies that Lexi just loves. She discovered the doggy door this morning and couldn't figure out why in the world the dogs kept going through it, so she tried to follow them :)

It is such a relief to be able to drop your child off with someone you know genuinely loves and cares about her more than anything. As a full-time working mom I feel bad enough that I'm not able to be at home with her everyday, so I figure the least I can do is send her to a place that she loves and is comfortable with. I had tons of mixed emotions about whether to keep her in or take her out of daycare because I received many different opinions. But nothing p*ssed me off more than a certain persons UNwanted and just out right RUDE opinion. I won't name any names but this is how that conversation went down:

Me: *With loads of excitement* "We don't have to take Lexi to daycare anymore!!!! Derek's sister is going to watch her!"
Miss Rude: "WIMP! What are you going to do when she starts school?"
Me: *Struggling to not jump across the room and choke the old bat out* "She's 2!! I will figure out school when that time comes! We have a few years to get her adjusted to that and try out daycare again, if need be. But sending my child to a place that terrifies her so badly she throws up and is hysterical isn't right. She wakes up EVERY DAY, cries and the first thing that comes out of her mouth is 'Do I have to go to school today?' There's obviously something that is not right here and I'm not going to continue to put her through it just so I can say 'I won. She didn't win.' We've stuck it out for almost 3 months now, I don't think it's about winning at this point!

Some people just need to learn to keep their mouths shut. Anywhosal...the weekend plans are looking nice! The in laws are camping and we plan to go spend the day with them Saturday on the lake and just enjoying the great outdoors (but I'll skip on the actual camping part lol). Then it looks like Derek and I will get a date night that night!! Woohoo!! Hope you guys enjoy your weekend!!

~Laci

A Couple of Dips

Here are a couple of D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. dip recipes I got from a friend, thank you Shayna :)

Black Bean Avocado Dip:

1 Can Low sodium Black Beans (seasoned or plain)
2 Avocados
1/2 Medium red onion
2 large tomatoes (or 4-5 roma tomatoes)
1 bunch of cilantro
Lime Juice
Chili Powder to taste
Cumin to taste
salt and pepper

Chop the tomatoes after removing the seeds.

Dice the avocados.

Mix beans, tomatoes, onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and diced avocados. Don't mix avocados until just before serving. Season and serve chilled.

Everything is to taste. If you like more tomato, add more. If you like more avocados, add more. You can't mess it up! This dip goes great with Baked tortilla chips!

Fruit Salsa:

What You Will Need:

4 Kiwis

2 Apples (My favorite are Fuji's)

8 oz. Raspberries

16 oz. Strawberries

3 Tbsp. Fruit Preserves (any flavor)

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Chop the fruit into small pieces. Add the preserves and sugar. Stir together and set in fridge at least 15 minutes.

Goes great with Cinnamon Tortilla chips:

10 10" Tortillas

Spray Butter

2 Cups of cinnamon and sugar mix

Spray tortillas with spray butter. Cut into 8ths. Put on cookie sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mix. Spray again with butter to coat the tortilla. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

I LOOOOOOVE these dips. They are a great healthier alternatives when having a party or potluck and they're so good people won't be able to tell they're healthy.

Enjoy :)

~Laci

Turkey Chili Taco Soup

I had planned on making this for dinner last night, but when I walked in the door it was already made! It was so easy Derek made it while I was at the gym! I was blown away at how good it was. Derek loved it and so did our picky 2 year old!

What You'll Need:

1.3 lbs 99% lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
10 oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
15 oz canned or frozen corn, drained
15 oz kidney beans, drained
8 oz tomato sauce
16 oz fat free refried beans
1 packet taco seasoning (you can use 40& less sodium)
2 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth

In a large pot, brown turkey on medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, add onions and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, tomato sauce, refried beans, taco seasoning and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10-15 minutes.

*For a thinner soup add more broth, or you can leave the broth out and you have yourself a bowl of chili.

I had mine with a few whole wheat crackers crushed in, a little reduced fat cheese, and a smidge of low fat sour cream. Sour cream in any type of chili is my new fave, it's amazing! You can also serve with your favorite toppings such as jalapeños, onions, or fresh cilantro. Freeze leftovers in individual portions for future meals

And my favorite part...look how low fat it is: !!!

Servings: 9 • Size: 1-1/4 cups • Calories: 198.8 • Fat: 1.4 g • Carb: 29.7 g • Fiber: 7.0 g • Protein: 19.5 g

Cleanse update: I gained 4lbs. back. I kind of figured that would happen :/

~Laci

3 Day Fruit Cleanse

Okay so I'm not into gimicks, fad diets, or a specific "diet" at all. I like doing my own thing: watching my calorie intake, staying active, and not being completely restricted from certain foods. Specific diets have never worked for me, but I have been at a plateau for several months now. My cousin (my uncertified and free dietician and trainer as I like to call her) suggested I try this 3 Day Fruit Flush Detox:
So I said what the hey it's only 3 days, I'll give it a shot. Let me tell you a little bit about it first.

It's great if you want to:

• Lose up to 9 pounds in 3 days
• Break Food Addiction
• Kick-start a new diet or exercise program
• Break through a plateau
• Cleanse and detox your body from toxins and impurities
• Shed a few pounds before a special event (wedding, prom, vacation)

So I figured at the least my body would get a good cleaning :) I chose to start on a Tuesday, that way I could shed my weekend weight (about 3 lbs.) on Monday and I would have a true weightloss result.

Day 1:

You drink 5 Jay Robb protein drinks...one every 2 hours from 8:00-4:00. (I couldn't find the Jay Robb protein powder in my area, so I found something comparable, but it wasn't quite close enough so this could have had a negative affect on my results.) At 6:00 you have a big salad of raw veggies and grilled chicken w/ olive oil and 1/2 of a squeezed lime/lemon. Day 1 wasn't bad at all. I stayed surprisingly full all day and the chicken salad was pretty good.

Day 1 Weight loss: 1.6 lbs.

Day 2:

You eat a serving of fruit every 2 hours from 8:00-4:00. At 6:00 you have a raw veggie salad with NO chicken :( and one protein drink. This day was rough. The fruit didn't keep me as full as I expected and the salad had no flavor without the chicken. I choked down 1/2 of the salad then threw the rest away. By the end of the night I was miserable, weak, tired, and had no energy. To avoid dealing with food cravings I just went to bed. Hey, I could use an early nights rest anyways!

Day 2 Weightloss: 1.8 lbs.

Day 3:

You do the same as day 2. I woke up feeling smaller, so that made me feel good. It was a lot easier knowing this was my last day. I'm not gonna lie I put a little chicken on my salad that night...I just couldn't choke down another one of those nasty plain salads.

Day 3 Weightloss: 1.6 lbs.

Total Weightloss in 3 days: 5 lbs!

I was pretty happy with the result and the cleanse overall was alright (thank God it was only 3 days). It did help me break through my plateau! But I'm afraid that may be because my body is completely empty and I may gain it all back with the first meal I eat, whether it be a good or bad one. We'll see. I'll let you know next week. However, after eating breakfast this morning I'm STUFFED and that never happens, so hopefully it shrunk my stomach a little!

I don't know that I'll ever do it again but it was something new to try. My cousin lost 6 lbs. on it and said she will probably be doing it a couple times a year.

For more info on the 3 Day Fruit Flush go to http://www.jayrobb.com/ and download the ebook for $5.

As for me, I'm ready to EAT and get back in the gym :) Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!!

~Laci