The Nifty Foodie

Amy

Dinner Priorities

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As a child, my Mom always made sure we ate well. We were always trying new fruits and vegetables, which I admit, has made me the veggie lover that I am today. However, a huge part of me always looked forward to…

Pillow 2

Of course, dessert never happened until our dinners were finished. However, now that I’m an adult, I can follow this theory as much as I want.

Dinner Table Priorities

I know I’m not alone here. ::hides Cadbury egg wrapper::

This was the first pillow cover that I’ve sewn. I really have to admit, it wasn’t bad at all. The most time-intensive part was stitching on the words…not the actual pillow cover!

I ended up submitted this pillow to Sew Mama Sew’s Pillow contest in the Words to Live By category. 🙂 Cross your fingers for me? Ha!

How many of you think the way I do? Do you find yourself eating a cookie before dinner sometimes? 🙂

The non-scale differences (and a challenge!)

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I’ve been actively working out for the past 3 weeks. I know I haven’t lost much weight, but I know things are changing in my body with each week that I work out. 🙂

Kickboxing. Oh man, I remember the first class. (If you’ve been reading this blog a while, you might remember that I went to kickboxing a bunch before the wedding, so I’m familiar to how the classes work, and oh boy, do they work!!) Our Y hired a new instructor, who I just really didn’t like. Her teaching style was much different, and I’m just not a person for change. There were some moves I couldn’t do (due to terrible balance) and some moves I couldn’t do with the pace of the music (kicking way too fast). It was way more advanced than I was used to, and I wanted to quit. I remember walking out of the first class feeling that I didn’t get a good workout in, because I couldn’t do some of the moves, so I’d march in place or do knee lifts. However, in my class this week, I noticed that I was able to do a couple of sets of the moves that required better balance, and my kicks are getting faster and more intense. WIN! I walked out of class feeling sweaty, which is SUPER awesome!

I’ve also started taking Millie on her long walks again (which, for now, is only 0.6 miles) since it’s warming up outside. The first walk, my thighs were absolutely sore (since Millie pulls like crazy…this is why she’s in training), and I was way out of breath! A couple of days ago, though, the hubs offered to come with me, and I noticed I was able to talk the whole time with him and came home feeling refreshed, rather than tired. Another WIN!

I’m also noticing some changes in my legs. I don’t notice their size going down or anything, but a few months ago, I started getting this weird pain in my legs when I’d try to fall asleep, which would only feel better if I moved my legs around or something. I was pretty worried that I was getting restless leg syndrome or something, thanks to Dr. Google. I have no idea if working out contributes to this, but the pain doesn’t really happen anymore. Maybe it’s all in my head, but I really think something with the work-out routine did wonders to nipping this pain in the bud!

I’m just so glad that I’m already feeling some changes! It definitely encourages me to keep going with the work-outs, and even find time to work-out more frequently. 🙂 This is good stuff, y’all. Good stuff.

I’m going to spice things up for next week. I’m getting my cardio in pretty well, but I really need to get back to weights. Weights + cardio literally melted weight off of me in the wedding planning days, so this week’s challenge is about focusing on weights!

For every comment you guys leave until Monday night, I will lift 40 lbs. of weights in some form next week. Whether it’s a leg machine, arm machine or chest machine, I’m going to lift it.

I appreciate y’all’s support in advance! You guys are awesome at pushing me further in this weight loss journey of mine!

A bunch of randoms…

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  • Weight loss is steadily going well. It’s very slow weight loss, but hey, at least it’s not a gain. I’ve been going to kickboxing classes every week, and walking the dog around a bit more since it’s warming up a bit. I’ll probably update y’all in a couple of weeks with pictures (where you probably won’t be able to tell the difference much) and measurements! (Yeah, I need to measure myself…oops…)

 

  • I got a new sewing machine. This one, to be exact. It works like a dream so far and is WAY lighter than my old one. I’m trying to get used to having no auto-tension, but I pretty much love it. 🙂

 

  • We’re slowly but surely decluttering the heck out of our house. We’ve come to realize that we’re accumulating a huge amount of crap again, and we just need to get it out! (Please don’t call Hoarders on us…) I see a garage sale in our near future! I’ve already filled up a Rubbermaid container with nothing but craft room stuff I want out. Eesh!

 

  •  I saw Cadbury Eggs at Target yesterday. Crap….it’s that time of the year already!? Speaking of Easter, look at this super cute basket! Adding that to the “to-do” list now, since Joey, Millie and I don’t really have Easter baskets. (and yes, our dog gets an Easter basket)

 

  • I’m going to need that baby on “Raising Hope” to stop being cute. She’s giving me a raging baby fever, and it’s just not fair. Does anyone else watch that show? I’m starting to like it more than Glee!

 

  • I went to Tallahassee this weekend with my mom and sister. My youngest sister is a super talented musical theatre student at NOCCA, and ::gulp::, she’s going to college next year. We went to Tallahassee for her to audition at FSU….she’s been actually doing auditions like crazy since the holiday season ended, and this was her last one. Fingers crossed that she gets into a great program!

 

  •  I hate junk mail. Hate it.

 

  • I also hate washing dishes.

 

  • Oh man, y’all. I tried knitting on the road trip to Tallahassee. It’s been SO long since I’ve knit, that I almost forgot everything. I’m super sad about this…I used to knit so well! Lesson learned: once you learn a craft, keep practicing!

 

  • I need Louisiana strawberries to be full-force in season again. I’m craving them like crazy and every place that carries them is sold out (since it’s super early in the season)!

Gone Vintage

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For a while, I’ve lusted over blogs that featured adorable vintage bedsheets being made into fabulous accessories and clothing. Each time I went to my local Goodwill, I really would NOT luck out. The sheets were heavily faded, stained or just plain ugly.

That was until last weekend.

Vintage Finds

Last weekend, I ventured out to the farmer’s market for some infamous Louisiana strawberries, only to leave empty handed since they sold out. After that, I went to a local produce stand to find strawberries, but theirs were $4/pint (heck no…not paying that). Feeling a bit defeated, I started driving home and noticed the Goodwill. I figured I might as well try.

BINGO! I found 3 sheets and a pillow case!! Aren’t the prints adorable, too?

The price? $7.

$7 for appx. 7 yards of fabric! I call that a deal, for sure!

My big plans with these sheets is to make the majority of the fabric into reusable grocery bags. I’ve been meaning to do this for quite a while, but didn’t want to spend $6-$7/yard on the fabric to make the bags, since you can buy them for cheaper than that.

However, the great thing about making these bags is that they will be cute, as well as convenient to use (they will fold up into their own little bag for easy storage in my car). Plus, I’ll get all of the warm fuzzies knowing that I made them. I love those warm fuzzies!

Have you sewn with vintage sheets before?

Challenge Me! (Week 2)

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Challenge Week 1

Last week, y’all challenged me to over 100 minutes of working out!! I am so excited to say that I’m only a few short minutes away from meeting y’all’s challenge!!

Here’s how I split it up so far:

60 minutes – Kickboxing
30 minutes – Brisk walking (in a pretty hill-y area)

All I have left to do is 18 minutes, which I plan on doing either on the Wii Just Dance game or the 30 day Shred! Thanks everyone for helping to challenge me to actually get moving!

Do y’all want to challenge me again? I think I’m going to up it this time.

I will work out FOUR minutes for every comment on this blog post. Four minutes. 🙂

All you need to do is leave a comment. 🙂 I really dig comments, obviously! I’ll close the comments on Monday evening, and get to working out right away! Thanks for your support everyone! 🙂

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

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Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

I love cute food. Anything mini always seems to catch my eye.  In this case, it was fingerling potatoes. I mean, how can you say no to a cute bag of itty bitty potatoes? I know I can’t!

Of course, I didn’t want to make these itty bitty potatoes into mashed potatoes. Where’s the cuteness in that? Mashed potatoes are never cute. Then, I saw this recipe on The Novice Chef. Roasted fingerlings. Those would be cute, right? The recipe is so simple (just rosemary and garlic…that’s simple AND cheap), and the verdict? These are delicious! No joke.

Seriously, if your store has fingerlings, make these. You’ll be happy you did. 🙂

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Source: The Novice Chef, original recipe from Jamie Oliver

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb fingerling potatoes, halved (or quarter for the larger ones)
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • water (for boiling)

Directions:

  1. In a large stock pot, bring water and a dash of salt (enough to cover the potatoes) to a boil. Once boiling, add potatoes and boil for 8 minutes.
  2. Then drain potatoes in a colander and allow to dry (about 5 minutes). While the potatoes are still in the colander, toss them around a bit to ensure you got all the water out and to as Jamie says “fluff them up a bit”.
  3. Then combine potatoes, garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a roasting pan. Make sure the potatoes are well mixed in the seasonings and that the potatoes are spread out in a single layer.
  4. Cook at 400 degrees for about 35-45 minutes. Check them mid way through and stir them up a bit. You will know they are done once the edges are perfectly browned and crisp! Serve immediately!

Cooking for Kids

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Diet Cupcakes

When I was a kid, I jumped at every chance to help my mom cook or bake. I found it so cool to be a part of making dinner or baking goodies, so I know one day when I have kids, they will get as many chances as I did to be a little sous chef.

Frigidaire has a website featuring a Kids’ Cooking Academy, which encourages families to come together in the kitchen and make the meal happen together. I think this is a great idea, since cooking can be such a blast for kids!

When I was an education major at one point in my indecisive college career, I realized how much kids LOVE color. They go crazy over colorful things. So, I wanted to share with you this  fun idea for rainbow cupcakes that will probably bring out the kid in you, and heck, if you have a kid, they would enjoy throwing these together with you, too!

I made mine in Valentine’s Day colors, but you can go all out with a full rainbow if you’d like.

I usually use this white cake recipe for cupcakes, but since I’m trying to lose weight, I used an old stand-by cupcake recipe that is pretty popular at Weight Watchers meetings. This also explains why my cupcakes are naked…buttercream isn’t very Weight Watchers friendly. 🙁

Diet Cupcakes
Source: not sure, but someone at Weight Watchers is a genius

Ingredients:

  • 1 box cake mix (any flavor)
  • 1 1/4 cup of diet soda (any flavor)

Directions:

  1. Mix cake mix and soda together. Place in cupcake tins and bake as directed.

Challenge Me!

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You guys are so awesome! Thank you for your support, and for being so nice when I posted my “before” pictures yesterday. I didn’t really expect so many wonderful, encouraging comments and tweets about my weight loss plan, but I appreciate each one. EACH ONE!

So, I want to ask you guys to challenge me this week. I’m doing fairly well with staying within my Weight Watchers Points(Plus..whatever), but as far as exercise goes, I need some motivation!

So, I’m stealing an old idea from Tyler of 344Pounds. I remember him blogging asking his readers to help him with his workout pledges. For every comment on his blog, he’d workout 1 minute.

My idea is, for every comment from you, I’ll work out 3 minutes this week. (Limit one comment per person, because I want this to be a realistic goal.)

So, comment away!! Please! 🙂

If I get 15 comments, my goal is to work out 45 minutes this week!! (although I’ll break that in one day, since I usually put in a good hour at the gym!) I’d love for you to share this with friends to comment…I need a goal and I know y’all can help motivate me with a wonderful exercise goal!

Never Again

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This blog post is embarrassing. I’ve never weighed this much in my entire life.

On my wedding date, I was 241 lbs. This was after a rehearsal dinner binge, and I thought I was fat.

Little did I know…

I’m 290 lbs., according to the WW scale. 292.2 lbs. according to my home scale.

I gained FIFTY POUNDS since my wedding in May 2009. FIFTY POUNDS!!!!

You want to see what that looks like? It’s ugly and shameful.

My Before

I just can’t believe it. I went from this…

To, well, this. 🙁

Pity party for one, please!

Bright side. I’m changing it. I’m treating my WW Points like money. I’m not going into what I’m going to call “food debt”, which will lead to weight gain. I’ve gained enough.

I’m done.

I’m going to give y’all updates every month with pictures, weight and measurements.

I might possibly need y’all’s help with some workout stuff along the way, too! (You’ll find out about that in later posts!)

Blogiversary Winners!

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Thanks so much for the comments! I loved reading them, and I really appreciate your ideas on what you’d like to see on The Nifty Foodie in the future!

Ok, so you wanna know who won the Blogiversary giveaways?

Blogiversary Giveaway #1:
Jenn, who said “I would get an ice cream maker!”

Blogiversary Giveaway #2:
Lindsay Tjarks, who said “I’m guessing an apron!”

Blogiversary Giveaway #3:

Amanda, who said “I loved your tomato paste entry which I thought was so smart because I rarely need a whole can. So, I’d love more “nifty tips” and Louisiana dishes would be great as well.”

Congrats y’all!

If you won, please contact me at niftyfoodie@gmail.com to claim your prizes!