Shopping for food and bigger boobs

Today is the 4th day of our “Eating Healthy and working out” life changing event. I’m way less stabby.

I posted a few days ago about how motivated I was… I still am. I have to be honest the first day was one of my lower moments.
I cried. I sat in front of the open fridge drinking Boones Farm Sangria to numb my pain of not being able to eat pasta for every meal. My food heart was broken. I went to my Pinterest board of “Work It Out” and looked for inspiration.

So instead of caving, I went to bed at 9:30pm. The next day was ok… I ate a lot. But all snacks. So eggs for breakfast, then a few hours later an apple, after that lunch was a measured cup of pasta (I NEED carbs) snack was pretzels, dinner was pork chops, corn and apple sauce.

I was wearing thin again that night. It’s our tv munching that gets us. So the next morning I dropped Buzz off at school and Blue and I went to shop for food. Aldi and Walmart later we came home with food we loved to eat. BUT was healthy. A variety of fruit for snacks, pretzel chips, yogurt, fish and chicken for dinners, and now we’ve added Hummus to our snack foods.

Work out routines for me haven’t started yet. No good reason. Soon… maybe today I’ll do the step routine I found in Shape’s recent magazine.

So yesterday my MIL called to celebrate my Christmas with her. It’s been YEARS since I’ve done this with her. It includes a day of clothes shopping and dinner afterwards.

My MIL was hesitant of buying me clothes, if I was going to loose all this weight. HA. I’ve been saying that for 4 years now. I need new clothes. At least feel good about clothes that I know fit me now.  I’ve got to get to that smaller size, before I start worrying about having to big of clothes. New clothes that fit THIS me, inspires me to loose weight, so I can fit into even smaller and cuter clothes!

Starting in Victoria Secrets Pink store. This is my SECOND time EVER in this store. First time was a few weeks ago, my best friend took me. She had to pay a bill… omg. I FEEL IN LOVE. HARD. Bright colors, comfy clothes, cute clothes, things I WEAR everyday!! I spent a good amount of my Christmas present in that store.

Now we ALL know how mean florescent lighting is. Those evil mirrors and all in a tiny room full of static electricity! Gah! It was an awakening to what size I fit in, and what I look like in it… almost like looking at myself through other peoples eyes. Gross.

I’ve had good self esteem most of my life. (thanks to my parents for ALWAYS boosting me up) I’ve got tough skin, but this was brutal.

I’m SUPER inspired to purge the HELL out of my closet. Donate, donate, donate. Again, the new years resolution of 2013, Simplify.

NOW onto the good news. I had my Pink girl, Cassie, measure me. FIRST time ever to be actually measured for a bra (sad I know) I was always a small B. Had kids, kept the big boobs… figured I was a small C now… Cassie said (and I’ve read this before) that 70% of women are in the wrong size bra. Well I walked in wearing a 36 B bra. She measured me. I had her measure me again. And still I doubted her… a 36D!?! WHAT?

ME?

Yes. She showed me on the measuring tape. She wrote it on the little boob card so I can keep it forever. Ah, if I could time travel and show this card to my 12 year old self, and say “You’ll get there someday”

The girl who for 16 years of her life prayed for nothing but boobs. I’m NOT kidding. Church every Sunday? boobs. Mass every morning before classes? Boobs.

I wanted boobs. Everyone else had them, I was tired of being made fun of for not having them. 16! I was 16 when I finally got them! Now don’t get me wrong, I know they are bigger due to my weight. I’m sure when I loose weight, they will get smaller too. I’ve enjoyed my big boobs, and living in big boob land. But I’d be MORE then happy to be my little self again with little self boobs… well not LITTLE boobs. You get my point.

Cassie might as well have said “You aren’t a large, you are a XS!” it was such a compliment… now if I could be an XS again, AND have boobs… life complete*.

JCat McGack

*Amazing that the world paints a picture for what we should be. Not saying I’m gullible and HAVE to fit a stereotype, if that is what my blog post reads as. I want to be healthy, but still have the curves.

Parmesan Potatoes

I’ve been raving about these potatoes I’ve made on facebook all week, and promised to post about them.

They take a bit of time (more then just poking holes and tossing in the oven baked potatoes) but they are worth it in the end.

Using a knife cut wedges into the potato (see bottom left photo) on these small potatoes I can get about 3 wedges cute out. Your BIG daddy sized dinner potatoes you could get more wedges. More wedges. More butter!

Each potato gets a sheet of foil (I LOVE these precut sheets)

Time to get messy. I use a brush and my cooking oil, paint some oil all over the potato. Get in the wedges too.

In each of the wedge spaces I add butter. I seasoned with the chicken rib rub. (I season with whatever my little heart desires. Bacon bacon, garlic seasoning, steak seasoning… do NOT be afraid to season!)

This time I also added parmesan cheese. It added a fun taste to it.

Now fold each foil side over, and I just crunch the ends of the foil to shut it.

I make a bunch, we can reheat them later for lunch or add them to left over meat for a quick dinner.

Note these take forever to cook (you could nuke them in the microwave for about 15 minutes to get a jump start if you didn’t want to wait as long. Don’t boil them. They’d be all mushy… not the good mushy. More a mess mushy)

It was of coarse the hottest day of the year yet when I went to cook these. So instead of heating up the kitchen, I tossed them into the crock pot on high. I left them there for 2 hour and they were perfect. (note not all of them fit on the bottom of the crock pot, stacking them worked. Everyone got cooked)

After they are done, you can add shredded cheese.(optional!) I just open the foil a bit, cover in cheese, and close it back up for a few minutes. The hot potato will melt the cheese.

OH and the little wedges you cut out. Don’t leave them out! Oil, butter and season those too. Make a nice snack, or I enjoy eating them with eggs the next morning.

That’s it. It’s simple, a bit messy, and takes time to cook. But worth it in the end if you want home made awesome baked potatoes.

I have to say, growing up my mom NEVER bought the potato mixes. Those premade ones. When I was first married, that was ALL I used. Simple, cheap and after a long day at work. I just wanted a 5 minute potato.

I guess it took me having children, and being home all the time to want to make home made potatoes again. And on the budget I’m realizing a 10 pound bag of potatoes for $3.77 goes A LOT further then the premade mixes do. They taste better too.

(except those big tubs of premade mashed potatoes… I have to go against myself and say those are pretty damn good. And work well for picnics. Dump in crock pot heat up!)

Happy Potato cooking!

JCat McGack

Sharks for lunch, and ketchup faces!

 

Lunch for the kids is the same routine day in and day out. Something healthy, something they WANT to eat, and to get them to be on the same plate isn’t always easy.

Today I opted for the deli chicken, slice of American cheese, pepperoni slices (Buzz/Alex only) and shark cheese crackers.

I have before just put it ALL on a plate, but I’ve learned if I take the time (a few minutes extra) I get this sweet giggly reaction to lunch, bonus. PLUS I get them to eat in minutes, with out having to say, eat. take a bite. eat. eat. take a bite.

Buzz is learning his name (I know, I know, I let you all in on my kids name! GASP secret identity revealed!) so anything with his name, is cool. Especially the X. He LOVES the X.

Tink/Mia loved her plate too. The sharks swimming around her letters, and happy to NOT have pepperoni on her plate.

I do this with most meals. If I can create art with food, so be it! Plus it just looks more appetizing! Another one I do often, is Buzz likes to have his mac and cheese on a plate (I have one with a high edge) I spread it out flat, cools MUCH faster, and he LOVES ketchup on his. So I LOVE making some sort of face. Happy, tongue out, or sad if he’s grumpy.

When you take the time to make just about anything for a kid fun. The odds of them doing it, eating it or wearing it seem much better!

JCat McGack