Monday, December 31, 2012

Return and Report: New Years Resolutions 2012

Alright so I think it's really important to be accountable for the goals I set for myself so I went back and read the goal I made for 2012 to see how I did, here goes.


I said: "- I would like to lose the rest of my pregnancy weight while continuing to breastfeed. More specifically 12 pounds by May..."

Well, I don't know if I met the 12lbs by May, but I've definitely lost all my pregnancy weight and am now lighter than before my babies! :D Wanna know how I did it? Sign up HERE to receive more info about our Body Turnaround Challenge starting soon! I give myself a 95% on this goal, I think I made it by May, don't remember. 


"- I want to post more regularly on this blog. Let's say once a week at the least, but hopefully I can manage my time better so I can post more frequently."

I think I did ok with this. Some months better than others. Our AC broke at the end of the summer (in Las Vegas), we gained another walker in the house, we moved to a new house, and my husband has hardly had a break from 'busy season'. He's a CPA and mostly does audit, not tax work, but I don't think he's had a slow down all year. Anyway, all this has prevented me from doing some projects, but I think I was able to post at least once a week for the most part and multiple times a week lately. Yeah! I give myself an 87%.

"-Eat healthier. I want to cut down on our consumption of meats and increase fresh fruits and vegetables. I want to have at least 3 meatless dinners a week."

I rocked this one for sure! I haven't bought meat since April or prepared meat at home since June(?) !! Except Thanksgiving and that was because we had family come to visit. The only time we eat meat is when we eat out and that isn't all that often so yeah us! My husband hasn't complained one bit either. I give my self a 98% on this one. Here are some of the recipes I've shared with you: 









"- Maintain a cleaner house. I came across a cool pin on Pinterest about maintaining a clean house in 15 minutes a day. I've made my own schedule and I plan on using the Get Clean line to clean and keep my house a safe place, free of chemicals."

Umm did I mention we moved? lol Yeah this one didn't go too well. I've been using the Get Clean line without fail and keep up with the mess for the most part, but I get really complacent when it comes to dishes and a lot of times there's a pile...eh, can't believe I'm admitting this! lol. I guess I'd have to give myself a 65% for trying...just barely passing. 

"-Grow my business. I have loved every product I have tried from Shaklee and I not only want to share the products to help others live healthier, but I also want to share the opportunity."

This year I've went to the Shaklee Global Conference here in Las Vegas. It was so much fun to see all the other members of our team. The great thing about Shaklee is you're in business for yourself, but not by yourself and these ladies are such a support. I've done several things to grow my business this year, but I know next year is going to be even more amazing with the Body Turn Around Challenge! I just hope to follow in Bonnie's footsteps and walk across the stage and get a Tiffany's Box!! I'll give myself a 70%, I did a bunch, but I definitely could have done more too. 

Happy New Year Everyone!!! I hope it is happy, healthy, and full of fun!


Friday, December 28, 2012

Vegetable & Quinoa ‘Fried Rice’

Have you heard of quinoa? yeah? Ok, but have you TRIED it?

Quinoa is A-mazing! It's a grain, no it's a protein, no it's BOTH! Quinoa is a super grain and it is a complete source of protein. You see other plant proteins like beans need a carb to complete the 9 amino acids for the human body to process. BUT quinoa, this amazing little grain, has all 9 in itself. 

So if you would like to try a great quinoa recipe, here you go!

I came across it on Pinterest, of course, and I just love it!(originally from Here)

Quinoa Veggie "Fried Rice"(full recipe at the end of post)

Beat 2 eggs in a bowl then in a large skillet fry until cooked through. (not pictured) Place aside to let cool. Also cook your quinoa, most packages will have the directions on them.

Then over medium high heat add garlic and onion and cook until onion becomes transparent. 
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Add mushrooms, broccoli and zucchini and cook about 3-4 minutes until tender. Be sure to stir constantly.

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Add corn, peas, carrots and quinoa. Cook for another 2 minutes or so. 

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Add ginger and soy sauce and mix thoroughly. Allow to cook a little longer until heated through. And lastly stir in the green onions and eggs. 

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I doubled the recipe this particular time and...well...I kinda made a mess. :-D Oops.

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So go try it. I think you'll like it! It's a great healthy recipe for starting your New Years resolutions and losing those holiday pounds!

Be sure to sign up for more info on the amazing Body Turnaround Challenge starting January 7th! There is no commitment at this time, just sign up to get more info about a life changing program to lose fat FOREVER. Plus you could earn your product for FREE. Come learn how...



Quinoa Veggie “Fried Rice”:
Yields 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 2 carrots, peeled and grated
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • Sriracha, for serving
DIRECTIONS:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Add eggs and fry until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping only once. Let cool before dicing into small pieces.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Add mushrooms, broccoli and zucchini. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Add corn, peas, carrots and quinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
Add ginger and soy sauce, and gently toss to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Stir in green onions and eggs.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Pictures from Our Christmas

 This year was interesting. The week leading up to Christmas my boys were sick. Yucky sick. So I did a lot of cleaning, laundry, and sanitizing. I was worried they were going to be sick on Christmas day too, but luckily they felt better. I was the only one to avoid this nasty bug because I've been keeping up on my immunity vitamins! I felt nauseous on Saturday, but nothing else! Phew. We were able to have a very nice quiet Christmas with lots of rest and relaxation. 





By far the biggest hit was the 'drumset' we got the boys. They both love it and play it all the time. Even our little guy will sit and play for a while by himself. So fun!


How was your Christmas? What was your favorite memory you made this year?

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

My Lime Green and Red Christmas Decorations

Can you believe that Christmas is less than a week away?! I have no idea where December went!

Today I'm going to take you on a quick tour of my decorations. It's not much and our house is pretty bare since we moved in just a couple months ago, but here you go.

Lime Green and red are my colors as you'll see. I've gotten all my Christmas ornaments on sale after Christmas usually for 75-90% off. 


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I added the ribbon this year because the tree didn't feel quite finished. 
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I also got it on sale at Michaels when they did 70% off holiday ribbon last week. So it was less than $2/spool. 

I love glitter! :-D

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In the front entry I've got my all season tree (started out as an Easter egg tree, then fall and Halloween) and some red berry garland that the previous owner left on top of the kitchen cabinets. 
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I ran some garland from the dollar store along the banister along with some more of the red berries. 
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Then I've got our Advent Calendar. This is actually the one from my childhood. My mom just passed it down to me and I'm excited to have it in my Christmas decorations now. It'll be fun to continue using it with the boys! 

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Then outside I have my new wreath and the Christmas tree topiary. I will definitely be on the look out for some other fun things for the front porch. It's a little boring right now, but I'm working with what I've got. 

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I just wanted to add that my heart goes out to all the victims of last week's tragic shooting. I cannot begin to imagine their pain. I don't actually have a tv in my house, which I think has been a good thing. I have only read one article on the events and that's all I needed. I haven't had to endure all the news stories that keep rehashing the tragedy. I pray for the families who've lost loved ones and hope they can soon find peace. 


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Friday, December 14, 2012

Ribbon Christmas Tree Tutorial


It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday...


:-D 

I couldn't resist, now it's stuck in your head, huh? Mwahaha! 

How’s your week been? This week has just raced by, some up’s some down’s but I think it was pretty productive overall.

I hosted a craft night at my house this week and this is the project we worked on. The inspiration came from Jaime at Whipper Berry.
 
What you’ll need:
A styrofoam cone
2-4 spools of ribbon, more if you choose thinner ribbon or a larger cone

I was lucky and found this one at the Dollar store.
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So it’s super easy. Just cut your ribbon about 3-4 inches long
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then glue the ends together. I chose to do mine like Jaime’s,
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but you can also fold the ribbon in half like the example Michael’s has on their website.

Once you have a bunch of loops made, start at the bottom and glue them to the cone. You may want to turn on a nice Christmas show while you do this, it takes a little while.
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After a little while, you’ll have your own Ribbon Christmas tree…
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Have a fantastic weekend!

It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday


:-D

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Hobby Lobby Inspired Lime Green and Red Christmas Wreath



Phew, well I feel like this week has gone by super fast. I was lucky on Monday and my husband was home. I guess that's the upside to not using vacation days during the summer. He's having to use them before the end of the year so he's taking a couple for Christmas, a couple for New Years, and then some random days throughout the month. We got a bunch done out in the yard and a bunch of painting. So I'm just getting around to posting this tutorial.

Back in October, I dropped by Hobby Lobby and they just got their Christmas decorations in. I immediately fell in love with this wreath, but at $140 full price, there was no way it was coming home with me.
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So like any DIY blogger, I set out to recreate it for less.
I started with two wreaths from Walmart for $4 and $2.50.
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I used the two wreaths together to make them a little fuller. I connected them by first twisting a few of the branches together
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then wiring them together. We tend to get really strong wind in Vegas so I wanted to make sure they stayed together if it fell off the door.
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Then I used ornament hooks to wire the ornaments onto the wreath
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I bought the large ornaments on sale at Michaels for $5 and had the others on hand.
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I also had these green leaves from Joann’s for $2 on Black Friday sale.
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I used a little hot glue to make sure these and the red berries (Dollar Tree) stayed in place. And lastly, the Merry Christmas was from another wreath I had and reused.
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Et voila! I’ll take $14 over $140 any day!
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And here’s my little front porch decorations. Not much yet, but working on it. My awesome wreath and my topiary tree. I got a new pot for it and added a fourth tree stake, much better!
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Hope you're having a great week!
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