Recipe: Pasta with Asparagus

 

I made this ahh-mazing meal last night courtesy of Gina’s Skinny Recipes. It’s so delicious and healthy. Gina used spaghetti noodles but I only had penne noodles lying around so I used that instead. It makes four meals too..bonus!

Check out the recipe here.

I burned 3,498 calories last week so I lost one pound. That means 14 lbs to go!!

I’ve altered my eating habits a bit to focus more on eating fresh foods and protein which are great fat burning foods. (With the exception of today and yesterday, working 13 hours a day will alter your eating habits in not good ways...I will update more on that next week, ugh.)

Anyway, did you also know that canola and extra virgin olive oil contain healthy fats and burn fat away? I was always afraid to have them because of the fat content but it’s OK for you in moderation from my understanding. I’m eating more lean meats, hard boiled eggs or nuts instead of crackers for a snack, more filling breakfasts such as peanut butter toast with bananas. I’m also going to start making smoothies with fresh fruit, Fiber One yogurt and ice. YUM.

Eat. Pray. Love.

So I had a really awesome weekend. Friday night I reconnected with an old friend from college (I hadn’t seen her since December) and we had dinner together and it was so nice to catch up with her!

Saturday I reconnected with another old friend who I hadn’t seen for a few months as well and we had dinner with one of my girl friends. So, that’s FOUR friends that I have reconnected with this year so far!

After that, my friend and I watched half of the movie, Eat, Pray, Love (we then met up with some other friends and went bowling, saw a burlesque show and listened to rock and swing music – which was super sweet).

On Sunday I finished watching Eat, Pray, Love and I must say that movie is seriously amazing. There is so much inspiration and wonderful quotes in that movie. I REALLY wish I could get the courage to leave my life behind for a few months (I don’t think I could do a whole year) and just travel and experience something completely new. I mean I really love to travel but Elizabeth’s journey (played by Julia Roberts) as a newly divorced woman really makes me examine my own life and the things that are important to me.

She talks about the “The Physics of the Quest” in which the whole movie is based off of. She says that it is: “A force in nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity. The rule of Quest Physics goes something like this: If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.”

I need to experience this quest.

I’ve thought about the three elements that relate to this movie and how I already am/would incorporate them into my life. Here they are:

{Eat}

Obviously I love to cook. I mean really love. But I should experience with more ethnic foods (made healthy for now, of course) and I love trying out new restaurants, especially when the weather is nice. There are so many lovely mom and pop restaurants around my area I need to visit! Anybody want to be my date?

{Pray}

I was asked to go to church on Sunday morning actually (not sure how likely it was really going to happen) but I decided to go to my Body Works + Abs class and do the Stairmaster instead. I do not go to church regularly which makes me feel kind of uneasy because there is a universalist church one block from my house which I have only gone to twice since I’ve lived at my current place for two years. I once went there for Buddhist meditation – it was kind of neat and definitely makes me want to experiment with different religions, but not necessarily pick one to become (perhaps that will come later in life). I was born and raised Catholic – went to weekly religion classes, received communion and confirmation, the whole works. But the only time I revert back to my Catholicism is on Christmas and Easter with my family. My goal is to experience different religions and go to some sort of service at least once a month. I know I could use some spiritual guidance in my life.

{Love}

This one is so complicated and jumbled for me. Elizabeth says so many great things about Love, and not just romantic love but loving those around you, even strangers less fortunate than you. I need to get back into volunteering and I will be doing some volunteer work soon. While in India, Elizabeth writes an email back home that says if she were home she’d be planning a stupid, expensive birthday party and “you’d all be buying me gifts and bottles of wine” but why not help a little girl named Tutti and her family in India because “we must take care of our families wherever we find them. When you set out in the world to help yourself, sometimes you end up helping Tutti.”

(BTW, I am so guilty of planning my birthday this weekend but perhaps next year I will think differently.)

I feel so blessed to have the friends and family I do in my life (although I do which I could be closer to my extended my family – summer goal!) I have the most amazing friends I could ask for so it’s important for me to keep those friendships strong and reconnect with the ones I don’t see as often. I have been single for three years and as am vastly approaching year 26 (this weekend, eek) I think I should have experienced more love in my past. My last relationship lasted a year and a half, which is the longest one I’ve ever had, and looking back on that experience, I don’t think I ever truly was in love and it definitely was not a beautiful loving relationship like it should have been. So, it makes me feel sort of weird that I’m (almost) 26 and never have been in love. I mean I have dated a lot and I have learned so much about myself through dating and I am thankful for that. I know love will come at the right time, for all of us.

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.”

P.S.: Sorry this is so long but I felt compelled and inspired to write.

The Catch 22 of finding that right career

I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels the way I feel when it comes to finding that right career. We want something where we’re making more money but then we also want a job we are happy in, enjoy doing, etc.

But what happens when the job you want is very limited and very competitive (I mean, the job market is already really competitive but some areas are more competitive than others)?

I’m reaching a crossroads in my career life and need to start making some big decisions as to where I want to go. Anyone who knows me, knows I hate making big decisions. They bring me anxiety and make me feel uncomfortable. I also get scared of change where as some people really embrace change; I wish I could be more like that.

What I do know is that I really, really, want to get into the marketing communications field. I have been in it before and I do get marketing communications related projects in my current position. I am technically in merchandising right now which correlates with marketing (so that’s good) but those projects are far and few between. Since January, I’ve probably had something about once a month.

However, there are a few opportunities that have presented themselves within my current company this week. Job #1 is definitely not what I want (it’s not even in marketing communications) and is one of the most stressful jobs in the company – not even joking.  Job #2 I would maybe consider but is still not in the marketing communications area but I could get those types of projects with that job.  Both jobs pay more but Job #2 is a little bit less per year.  I know I could do both jobs and with my extensive (almost ridiculous) about of experience I have and the amount of years I’ve been with company, I could get promoted pretty easily to either. And I’m not trying to sound self absorbed here; HR knows I want to move up and they know my experience with the company.

But I’m not deciding quite yet. I decided to wait it out a little longer to see if something that is more what I want opens up. I have a few connections and it’s not like I’ve been at my current entry level job forever –it’s been one year, five months. On top of that, it’s not like I haven’t tried to move up. I’ve already have had TWO interviews scheduled for TWO jobs this year that I REALLY wanted. One got cancelled due to a hiring freeze and the other I was thisclose to getting and was one of the top two candidates but the other was chosen due to her having more web design/social networking experience. Craptastic!

I have my job shadow/tour for the advertising/communications agency in the beginning of April and we’ll see what they say about any opportunities there.

I would feel horrible if I took a job that I took to make more money and then two months later a job that I would love opened up but I couldn’t apply for it because I already took on another job. I feel some sort of promotion will come this year but I just need to ride the wave and be patient.

Drinking & Bridesmaid Dress Shopping (not at the same time)

So one of the reasons I started this blog is so that I can take accountability for my actions and be honest with myself and all of you followers.  So here it is…. I broke my “No drinking in March” promise that I made to myself. Ugh. I was doing so well too not giving into any temptations.



Beer and Hockey? Yes please?!

It all started Friday night when I went to a work event. One of our vendors got us a suite at a hockey game with complimentary beer, wine and food. Well I had the food which was not good for me, and a few beers. But I had never been in a suite before and I’m at a hockey game so I felt like I had to and I gave into temptation.

Then Saturday night I ended up going out with some friends and someone in the group wanted to buy us shots so I ended up drinking then too. Well a little more than four shots. Try five beers, two mixed drinks and then the four shots. Ugh. Sunday was horrible because I was so tired/hung over which caused me to miss the gym. And theeeen I had go to try on bridesmaid dresses feeling all bloated and crappy. My dress ended up being two sizes bigger than I would have liked but I’m hoping that by the time they come in mid-May, I’ll be down those two sizes and then I’ll just get alterations. But seriously, that’s probably going to be the motivating factor for me to be focused from now until Mid May.

It had been about a month since I had drank in the first place, so that’s pretty good.

I’m hoping to finish out March strong with no drinking.

The good news is I burned 2578 calories last week and I worked out for two hours lastnight along with FOUR loads of laundry. Phew!!

Websites I ♥ for weight loss.

I often find myself looking at these three websites A LOT throughout my journey. They help me stay focused and motivated and allow me to keep track of my progress.

The Activity Calculator

Simply enter in your weight and the amount of time you did an activity and it calculates the approximate amount of calories you burn. It even has activities such a cleaning and plumbing. LOL.

Gina’s Skinny Recipes

Gina has all of your favorite recipes made healthy! It is made for Weight Watcher users and although I am not technically on Weight Watchers, I make a lot of recipes from here! My favorite is her recipe for Black Bean Brownies. Eating brownies on diet? HECK YEAH!

Calories Needed for Goal Weight

Enter in your current and goal weights; your level of activity and it will calculate how many calories you should be eating per day and how long it will take for you to healthily achieve your goal weight.

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ♣ I am not Irish and will not be celebrating. Not because I’m not Irish but because I have chosen to remain sober for the month of March. Who needs empty calories anyway!

Officially down 30 LBS!

Yes, 3-0! OMG!!

Last week I burned 2400 calories! My goal is 2000 calories a week – and that doesn’t include the 15-20 mins/3 times a week of lifting weights/ab work at work.

I ate like crap yesterday which is a rarity and my first time eating craptastic since my Cali trip, which was a month ago. Gee, I sure mention that a lot….maybe I should do a blog post to document my trip with photos? Perhaps.

I definitely made up for my bad day yesterday. Today was a good day. I never document what I eat, I just eat really healthy but today is an exception! And maybe you can get a good idea of what I eat.

Meal	Food	Work Outs for Today
Breakfast	• Oatmeal & Coffee (190)	15 mins weights - 50
Snack 1	• Trader Joes Multi Grain Crackers & Light Laughing cow cheese wedge (200)	40 mins walking - 125 (I walked to & from the gym)
Lunch	• Spinach Salad w/dried cranberries, turkey, Red Fat Motz cheese & Raspberry Vinaigrette (200?) • Fiber One Chocolate & Oats Bar (140) • Medium Orange (65)	1 hour Body Works + Abs - 500
Snack 2	• Mixed Candy (150) (NAUGHTY!)
Dinner	• 2 Chicken Fajitas (320) • Milk (110)
Snack 3	• Pear (100)
Total Calories Consumed	1475
Total Calories Burned		675

And honestly, I usually don't work out THIS much in a typical day but I felt bad about yesterday. And I just realized I went over my caloric intake by 100 calories. Woops. Well the good news is, I'm down to 800 calories "consumed" today after all of that.

P.S. If your curious, yesterday consisted of crappy church food (brown beans, potatoes, shredded pork sandwich & brownie – but I had one serving of each..yay!), sour patch kids, chex mix, 2 chocolate marshmallow eggs (my favorite Easter candy!), an orange & fiber one bar. BLAH!

But anyway, I am on my steady 1.5-2 lbs/week goal right now and I am so happy! I definitely reached my plateau 5 lbs ago and felt like I was at that weight FOREVER and now its melting off. I just hope it stays like this! Does anyone know how many plateaus you have to go through? Or is there just one? I might talk numbers when I get to my goal weight but I will tell you that before this journey, I was at my highest weight EVER! It was sickening.

I am trying on bridesmaid dresses this coming Sunday and I have a little anxiety about it. I have about 15 lbs to go (granted I look good in a bikini by then) and hopefully I will be there by May (just before swimsuit season!) and obviously I’ll be there by the wedding which is in October. But still, the anxiety is killing me! I will survive though.

Remembering Grandpa Erny



Grandpa in his younger years.

My grandpa Erny died peacefully Friday night surrounded by his children at the rip old age of 100 years old. I have been preparing for this since I visited him last summer so I was somewhat relieved when I learned of his passing.

When I last saw him, he was not the same Grandpa Erny that I remembered. He had become frightfully skinny – he was already skinny, but this last time he was horribly skinny. He was very week and walking with a cane – I had never seen him with a cane. I remember trying to help him up from the chair and he was so week that I felt like I was going to break him when I picked him from the chair – I had to have my dad (his son) come and help me. When he spoke, his words were very mumbly and unclear and he kept falling asleep during conversation. At that point and time, it was like my old Grandpa Erny had already died and I couldn’t bear to see him the way he was.  I knew I had to hold on to the memories of my old Grandpa Erny and realize that he was gone.

He had been asking to be with my grandma, Alice, who died in 2007, ever since she died. This is what he wanted and I don’t blame him one bit. I can only imagine the look on his face when he sees her as she greets him into heaven and thinking about that brings me great comfort. It’s just sad thinking I will not have either of them in my life again.

I will miss his laugh – I can hear it in my head right now and it’s so adorable! I will miss him telling me stories about growing up and our mornings when we would watch the birds from his porch. He made the best bird sounds ever! I will miss the evenings when my sister and I would play cards with both of them. I will miss hearing about his beloved garden and grandma’s rhubarb jam she made from the garden. I will miss hearing about his adventures with his motorcycles – he was very much into them as a young fellow. He had a motorcycle shop in which he met my grandma at. He would jump through fire hoops and he even took a honeymoon to Montana in a side car which is what I will leave you with. A few years ago, Antique Motorcycle, did an article on my grandparents and how they met, etc. It’s short and sweet (& probably could have been written better).  

A Honeymoon to Remember

Shortly after his discharge from the service, Erny met his future wife Alice Erdmanczyk. Alice's brother, Lenny, hung out a lot at the Yeske brother's shop a lot. One day Alice joined her brother when he went to the dealership. Spying a new Harley still in the crate, Alice asked Erny who it belonged to. Erny admitted that it was his, and when pressed further by Alice, he explained that it was still in the crate because he simply hadn't had time to put it together. "Why don't you put it together and take me for a ride?" Perhaps that was just the thing a busy bachelor needed to hear in order to prompt him to make the time to put his bike together. Erny and Alice went for many rides, and eventually they were married in September 1948. "He had to marry me," said Alice. "He couldn't spell or pronounce my last name." Alice and Erny had two Sons, Arthur [my dad] and Larry, and one daughter, Mary. They have had many great memories of trips including their first long ride together, a five-week honeymoon to Montana.

They were married for nearly 60 years. I will be wearing this beautiful necklace to his funeral tomorrow. It was my grandma Alice's.

Love and miss you both forever!

A successful month so far...

I have been sticking to my work out plan - kicking my own @$$ five days/week, eating great - I have lost 5ish lbs since getting back from California annnnnnndddd.....*drum roll please*

Maria and I found an apartment.

A beautiful remodeled two bedroom apartment still in the city - one block from Lake Calhoun. Everything is brand new with white crown molding and cabinetry. In fact, everything is still being worked on right now but it will be move in ready by April 1st. I'll have TWO places for the month of April which is kind of weird but it'll make the moving transition less stressful. I am really excited about this new place but I am so going to need a tissue box when I see my current place empty and bare. I've had so many great memories here and I LOVE my spacious bedroom but there are other things I didn't like...no air conditioning, no dishwasher and street parking to name a few. None the less, it will be hard but such is life.

On the job front....
I am job shadowing and touring an Advertising/Communications agency in a few weeks and I cannot wait! I was lucky enough to reconnect with an old collegue of mine who now just happens to be the vice president of the company. I really cannot wait to visit this facility and see everyone I used to work with! I am hoping this will lead me to future opportunities.

Until next time....

The road to skinny

The road to becoming happier and healthier has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life. I have never felt more motivated and dedicated to lose weight in my life than I do now.

Guess what? Losing weight is 90% mental, 10% physical. Just think about it, you need to have the discipline, motivation and dedication (90%) so that you can apply yourself to work out and eat right (10%). This is my own realization so I’m not sure if this is scientifically correct or if experts would agree but I imagine they would say something like that.

My weight loss has slowed down a bit so it’s become more of a challenge. In the last 2 weeks since I got back from California I started making more changes to speed it up a little to a steady two pounds per week.

I haven’t drunk soda and I’ve kept to my calorie goal of burning at least 2000 calories a week.  I definitely gained a pound on my Cali trip which has since been lost. I also decided to lift weights for at least 15 minutes of my lunch break at least three times/week in addition to my one hour work outs five days/week.

I thought I would also share with you these five awesome tips from Bob Greene, Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer. If you are stuggling with being motivated, READ THESE TIPS!! I saw him on one of her shows like a month ago and when he said these five things, I realized that I was already doing these things and that is what has contributed to my success. Seriously, read these tips. They are SO helpful.

{1.} Have a clear vision of what you want. "Picture your life the way you want it," Bob says. "You could even be the most motivated person on the planet. If you don't have a vision for yourself, your motivation will take you somewhere away from the vision that you want for your life."

Also, make sure your vision is realistic. "If you're 5'4" and you want to be 6'1", have a different vision," he says. "In your heart, you need to know that you can achieve it."

{2.} Convince yourself that you are deserving. Bob says it's critical to break down this barrier. "[People] feel unworthy because that was reinforced growing up by either an unsupportive adult or authority figure,” Bob says. “You're reconfirming [that] by sabotaging your own efforts.”

{3.} Identify the biggest barriers holding you back. Bob says there's a big difference between a barrier and an excuse. "I've heard every excuse imaginable—except a good one," he says. "A barrier is more of an issue."

"We all have a natural aversion to discomfort and pain, and that's the irony on both exercise and diet. You don't want to give up. There's some discomfort giving up your favorite foods," he says. "If you're doing exercise right, you have a level of discomfort to get results. And we are wired to avoid discomfort and seek pleasure."

{4.} Break through the barriers. Bob says the only way to break through a barrier is to identify what's holding you back. "You have barriers for a reason. They're coping mechanisms in many cases. Breaking through takes courage, but the benefits could last a lifetime.

{5.} Put yourself first. "Another way to say that is, 'Get the support you need,'" he says. "It's getting the people in your life on board."
 

Don't make excuses. Its OK to say no if you feel like something would interfere with you going to the gym or with your weight loss goals. Example: happy hour with friends.

Sorry for the long post but I thought it was necessary to share this. :)

2011: A year of change

2011 will be my year.

So many changes will be happening.

{1} I have THREE friends getting married this year. I have only been to ONE wedding in my almost 26 years alive and now I’m going to THREE this year, and one of them I am IN!


{2} I am moving out of my current place in April…I will have lived here for 2 years. This is my first place post college. I have attachment issues so it will be hard but it’s what I need.


{3} I really need a new job. I have been in my current position (entry level) for nearly 15 months now and I know it like the back of my hand. It’s time for a new challenge, something new for me to learn. I had 2 interviewed scheduled already this year one of them was cancelled due to a hiring freeze and the other I was in the top 2 and the other candidate was chosen. Such a bummer when you are so close and were told you did a great job but you lacked one thing in experience.


{4} I need to lose my last 15-20lbs. I have lost 26 lbs since July of 2010 but I need to lose that last bit before summer. I KNOW I can do it and I have been doing really good so I’m not worried about not accomplishing that goal.


{5} I need to volunteer more. I was volunteering at least 1-2 times/month from September to December and have not volunteered since. I feel SO good when I volunteer so I really need to get back into it.


{6} I need to continue to travel more. I have been on 3 vacations in less than a year and I love it. It’s such a high for me - to experience a new place, new people, new atmosphere. I really want to go outside of the USA but I have a feeling that won’t be until next year.


{7} I want to find something I am REALLY passionate about. Sure, I have hobbies but I want to find something that I really like to do. I really want to get back in touch with my creative side and start various projects…whether it would be painting on canvas, photography, etc.


{8}  I want to support a cause I am passionate about and then take action. Whether it would be donating, volunteering or doing a 5k for a cause.


{9} I need to reconnect with old friends. I have reconnected with so many friends via Facebook but I would really like to see them in person again and actually meet up. I have reconnected with 2 friends so far this year and it feels really good. It’s amazing how time can fly so fast yet it feels like all of the memories you have shared with them were from yesterday.


{10} I would like to increase love my life activity to 25%. Ha! Currently, I have no ‘love’ life. Although this is at the very bottom of the list. I really need to focus on myself so having someone in the picture is not my top priority. Plus, I find that once someone is in the picture, you let yourself go and I can't be having that. A few dates would be okay with me though. :)

I have been working on some of these goals since last year (minus the first two, obviously). As humans, we are always a work in progress. I really want to build myself to be the best person I can be. I want to become passionate about my job, my friends, my life, my surroundings and others around me. Think of how much further you can go with things in life if you are passionate about them.  I don’t just always want to be content, I want to be striving for more. 


This journal will document these changes that are happening and by documenting them and sharing them, I will be held more accountable for my actions. I hope know that on December 31, 2011 I can say that all of these have been accomplished.


Oh, and P.S. I changed the name of my blog to "Mission: Me"....my mission is to work on ME (obviously). The old one was too much to live up to, I think. :)