And we keep plodding along.

Jillian Michaels rocks!  I thinks he does, and if I was going to hire a personal trainer, I would want it to be her.  Ok, wait, if I could AFFORD to hire someone like her, I would want it to be her…if she does that kind of thing…oh whatever you get my drift!  She’s tough, in your face and she pushes you.  Exactly what I would want in a trainer, if I wanted a personal trainer.  But that’s another post.  She has released 15 (to date) exercise DVD’s, and several books on eating healthy and living well.

11) Take Great Care of Yourself, so your kids don’t have to-Love this, but let’s be real.  Things happen.  You might live a stellar life-exercise, eat right, sleep right, etc, etc…and get sick at 70.  You lived right, you took care of yourself, should your kids chuck you in assisted living?  

Roy and I decided to live smarter.  We eat better, are more active and try to live a life that our kids can be proud to emulate, but we aren’t fools.  We know things can happen, and instead of being determined to live perfectly, I’m trying to do my best, and that includes raising children with empathy.  I want my kids to know that they don’t HAVE to help Roy and I in our old age, but I hope the might want to.

Maybe that’s too much to ask.  I don’t want my kids to drop everything to take care of me, should I need it.  I don’t want them to sacrifice their own lives, to be there for me at the end of mine.  But I would hope, that our relationship would be one where they might WANT to help out a bit.  They might want to be there with me when I say good bye to this life,and move on.

Roy and I argue that we have plans to go first.  And no this isn’t a joke, the idea of being 80 years old and without him, fills me with a pain so deep that I can’t even explain it.  Yes, that’s how much I love that man.  Neither of us has any plans on going anywhere, (though we have both said what we want should something happen, well I have!) and we dont’ let fear stop us from living, but I also know that I would literally be one of those women to probably die of a broken heart, and at 80 I would be ok with that.  The boys would be grown, hopefully with full lives of their own.

Ok, off topic.  Bottom line, trying to live a good life, to be healthy so that when we are older our kids won’t have a heavy burden is excellent advice, and it’s advice Roy and I took to heart.  But as I said, above, I also hope we raise the type of children to understand that family is for keeps.  That we love them, and we hope, if their comes a time when we might need them, even if it’s just to say goodbye, they will WANT to be there-not feel obligated to be there, but WANT to be there, because I hope they will love and respect us as much as we love and respect them.

EDIT-mamamusement made an excellent point.  As a parent, it is important to have a will, a living will, and life insurance.  I don’t want the boys worrying about what we might have wanted, and what is and isn’t the right thing to do.  Should something happen to us in the near future, I wouldn’t want their guardians worrying about money.  Spell out what you want and even make arrangements if you can. If you have older children, tell them what you want, so that there won’t be any surprises, should the time come when your wishes need to be put into place.

Let me be clear here, I am not talking about dieting.  I don’t like the concept of diets, mainly because I think people diet until they achieve their goal and think that’s it!  They’re done and then go back to what got them in trouble in the first place.  Or perhaps that’s my definition of a diet, and that isn’t what Roy and I are looking to do. We have kids, and while I think for the most part we were actually in decent shape, we could have been in BETTER shape, we could certainly eat better, and we could be more active.  So, I don’t look at the changes in our working out or eating better as part of a diet… no, they are lifestyle changes we are making so that we are healthier.

I am also looking at this as an opportunity for the boys.  Teach them a better way now, and they don’t have to look to make their own lifestyle changes when they are older.  That isn’t to say we don’t ‘splurge’ occasionally.  Every once in awhile we decide we are going to enjoy a wonderful meal, guilt free.  And I am getting better at doing just that, and then not feeling guilty about it later.  

I will say, in my quest to cook better we have mad more hits than misses.  The boys don’t seem to notice the change from ground beef to turkey, or meals with no meat at all.  But when it comes to snacking and even lunch and breakfast, I take the easy way out… packaged meals.  Here are some of our favorites:

1) Lean Cuisine’s new springrolls - They have fajita chicken and a garlic chicken that is just yummy!  Nothing close to my moms, but all I do is pop these in the microwave for 2 and a half minutes, so this works for me. 

2) Lean Cuisine Sante Fe Beans and Rice - Roy seems to really enjoy this one.  And it is exactly how it sounds… Mexican Rice with some beans, but there is this yummy sauce on top.  Not sure what it is, but it really adds a little something to the dish.

3) Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken - I love chinese food, love Vietnamese Food, but it can be very fattening, so I tend to gravitate to meals like this.  The Sesame chicken has a slight sweetness to it that I enjoy, and it satisfies my craving for the local Chinese buffet.

4) Lean Cuisine Orange Chicken - Roy tried this one a few weeks ago and said it might be his favorite LC meal.

5) SmartOnes Desserts - We have tried a few of these. Brownie Sundae, Key Lime Pie, and Strawberry Shortcake.  Be warned, it is just a little square serving, and you can probably eat it in about four bites, but they have a nice sweetness to it and will certainly satisfy your craving for something sweet.

6) SmartOnes Angel Hair Marinara - This is my favorite packaged dinner meal.  It isn’t really anything special. Angel hair pasta with a simple marinara sauce and squash for some protein and bulk.  But if you are like me and LOVE pasta, this is a really great serving size.  I feel like I am getting a decadent pasta dish for only 230 calories!  Sprinkle a bit of Parm cheese on it, and I am good to go!

7) Garden Lites Zucchini Souffle - This is becoming my new favorite for breakfast!  I found them at Costco, and apparently there are a few other varieties that I am hoping to find and try. Anyways, I got a package of these the other day and tried it for breakfast.  It is simple. Just pop it in the microwave, and out comes a rather delicate little souffle.  But it is hearty at the same time.  The veggies are nice and tender, and the portion size is quite substantial.  At 140 calories this is the perfect accompaniment to my favorite breakfast…

8) Greek Yogurt! - This is probably our favorite go to dish.  We are using it for everything - in place of sour cream, Roy is using it in smoothies, but I will take mine straight with some agave for sweetness.  I like the Fage Total 0%, and I kid you not, when we were at Costco, and I saw the larger size for $5, I jumped up and down clapping.  I could eat this stuff three times a day, 7 days a week!  I grabbed three of them, and am now sitting here wishing I got more!

My favorite dessert is Skinny Cow Sandwiches.  These things are a great size, and they have a rich and creamy taste that I can’t believe isn’t the ‘real thing.’  Love the Strawberry Shortcake, and though they are a little pricey for me, it is money well spent.

And let’s not forget Pinkberry!  We tried this for the first time a few weeks ago, and Roy has to go up north on Sunday for a few things… I already asked him to take me to Pinkberry and am counting the days until I can get this yummy healthy treat!

If anyone else has any low-cal, low-fat, heart healthy foods they love, please share them, as I am always looking for ideas!  Especially dinners that the whole family will enjoy!

As I have mentioned, we are on a quest to live a healthier lifestyle.  All the kids are on board.  Roy and I are having a pretty good time finding new recipes, and new ways of doing things in the kitchen (though we do enjoy our splurge days!).  I have had some great luck with the few new cookbooks I have bought.  Taste of Home: Comfort Food Diet is a big favorite in our house.  So far everything made from this book has been a hit.  The Lime Chicken Tacos are especially tasty and healthy!

So, it is with great excitement that I bought Rocco Dispirito’s book Now Eat This!  I have cooked a few entrees from this book.  The Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Cauliflower and Asparagus was wonderful!  Tasty and healthy, and everyone liked it!  (not always an easy feat in my house.)  I made the Mashed Cauliflower to eat with a pork tenderloin one evening and again really tasty, so I was excited to try the Brownie recipe included in the book - Low Calorie Black Bean Brownies.

Sure, it was a little weird adding black beans to brownie mix, but the reasoning seemed sound to me.  The beans were to add some moisture and protein.  Ok, not a problem, I’ll give it a shot.  So, Roy and I mixed up all the ingredients and poured it into the 8x8 pan.  I popped it in the oven and eagerly awaited a taste.

When I pulled it out, needless to say, it looked NOTHING like the picture in the book.  In fact at this point I am pretty sure the picture in the book is of Duncan Hines brownies!  Instead our brownies looked strangely smooth, and not unlike a mudpie.  (thanks to a recipe reviewer from another site for coming up with this apt description.)  After looking at it for some time, Roy believes it looks like an old dried up home cooked pudding (you know, the one you leave in the fridge too long!), and while I love chocolate pudding, that is NOT an appetizing description for brownies in my book!

Anyways, so not only do they look completely unappetizing, but they even smell like overcooked coffee.  (Can you do that?  I don’t know… dont’ think so, but that’s what these things smell like!)  Well, Roy was the first brave soul.  I watched my handsome husband put a small nibble in his mouth, and then I watched his gorgeous face turn into the face he makes when one of the kids has had a particularly tough time in the bathroom, if you get my meaning.  Ok, wow!  Not off to a promising start.  And it only got worse as he walked over to the sink and spit it out.

“What?  It’s that bad?”  I asked.

“Yeah, it’s that bad.”  He told me, and I could see he wanted to wipe his tongue off.

For some reason, this made me want to try them.  Roy brought me a fork, and I popped it into my mouth.  Let me see if I can describe the taste - burnt coffee with some bean casings grit.  Then the lovely aftertaste of artificial sweetener… YUMMO?  Nope… GROSSO! is more like it.

I have nothing against trying something new.  I use artificial sweetener in my coffee and don’t really miss the taste of real sugar, but these brownies… GROSSO!

I would rather have one gooey, flaky, rich chocolately square of goodness on my splurge day than EVER bake these brownies again.  But what’s really scary is Roy found a video where Rocco says these brownies are the heroes of his new book.  What?  Really?  Did he add another special ingredient to his brownie that we don’t know about… hint, hint, wink wink. 

Cause if he thinks these brownies are the heroes of anything, he is certainly smoking something!

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we joined Golds Gym on Black Friday.  Serious about weight loss, Roy and I have been really good.  We go between 3-6 days a week, we have tried some new classes, we laugh, and we lift weights together.

For me, it is all about consistency, and having someone to work out with really helps.  Roy encourages me, makes me laugh, and makes working out bearable - dare I say even fun?  We took a class last Thursday, Body Pump - AMAZING workout!  But I don’t think my legs have ever been that sore.  I could barely walk down the stairs, even sitting down was rough, but happily I woke up this morning and feel almost normal.  Normal enough to hit the gym today, but sadly my honey is not feeling well, so I will either be going it alone or bringing one of the older boys.

I do find it frustrating though, the pounds seem to melt off Roy, and I count calories, carbs, etc. and workout hard, and I am just chugging along.  But, Roy is very supportive, and cheers all my victories - no matter how small.  We have been keeping food diaries for about a month (it will be one month on January 31st) and I have lost five pounds since I started recording everything I put in my mouth!  And, I’ll take that.  Five pounds in just over three weeks.  Slow but steady.

I have also adjusted the way I cook.  Cooking for me has usually been fun.  I enjoy cooking for a large family.  I like experimenting and trying new things, but with three growing boys it has been a challenge.  The boys are pretty active.  They are all growing, so cutting calories isn’t necessarily something they have to worry about.  On the other hand… Roy and I aren’t getting any younger.  For me, especially after five babies, losing weight has been a challenge.  I made up excuse after excuse to avoid the gym.  I told myself I would cut back on the sweets tomorrow as justification for eating one more Oreo, and the weight got comfortable, especially around my butt!

After deciding that we needed to get serious about watching what we eat, our health, etc., I set out on a mission.  I wanted to find healthy meals that EVERYONE could enjoy.  The boys still don’t need to watch their weight, but at the same time, why not teach them about healthy eating and how tasty it can be right from the get go?  And for the most part, they have been great.  Addi, Hayden, and Dean are too young to understand the hows and whys, but they have gamely tried the new recipes I have put on the table.  Joe is a bit more vocal in his critique.  He even said he enjoyed the “healthy” spaghetti sauce better than my usual.  Corey is very interested in food, so he has enjoyed looking through my new cookbooks, and finding recipes that would appeal to everyone.  I bought Rocco Dispirito’s book, Now Eat This, the other day, and I think I want to try everything in it!  Corey looked at it, and has decided he wants to make the revamped Philly Cheesesteak.  It’s great that the older boys are supportive or our decision to cook healthier meals.  I still buy them snacks, but I have found that every day that goes by it is easier for me to avoid snacking on them myself. 

I bought some dark chocolate candies for Roy and I, and I am learning to enjoy just one and really to savor it, rather than eating three or four.  I am learning to listen to my body and stop eating when I am full, even if we are out.  The other day, Roy, Dean and I went to Chili’s.  Normally, even though I might be full, I would try to eat just a few more bites since the food is often expensive, but this time I ate about half and I was full, so rather than try and finish it, we took it home, and I had the rest for dinner last night.

And it is working!  I don’t feel hungry all the time, I don’t feel restricted like I am sure some diets are, I am learning to enjoy the gym, and I feel better than I have in years.  I even worked up a little treat list for myself.  For every five pounds I lose, I get a treat.  I woke up this morning, and sure enough… five pounds are gone!  So, I went to Target and got myself a brand new Navy Blue sports tank.  The next treat I am looking forward to is a new pair of cross trainers… already have them picked out!

As I have mentioned, I am trying to lose some weight.  Part of it is vanity, part of it is feeling pretty darn great after a good workout, and part of it is because I want to live for a good long while.

I will say for the most part, my new “diet” isn’t so bad.  Today, Roy and I made an AWESOME Tuna Steak with Olive Tapenade.  Lots of protein, simple to make, and really yummy!  But we also try to incorporate a little splurge now and then, so we don’t go into a funk.

And since today was Joe’s 15th birthday, we splurged a bit and had… cupcakes!  A lovely little local bakery just opened, and they have about 20 different types of cupcakes.  Joe LOVES Red Velvet, so he asked if he could go to the bakery and pick out some cupcakes. 

Joe had a Red Velvet and a Cookies and Cream cupcake.  He said both were AWESOME!

Corey had a Creme Caramel cupcake.  AMAZING!  (his words, I didn’t try that one.)

Hayden had the Smores, and he just about licked the paper clean.  He is already asking for another one.

Dean had one, not sure what they call it (they all have cute names) but it was a simple yellow cake with Vanilla buttercream and colorful sprinkles.  Dean, of course, LOVED the frosting and sprinkles. He didn’t make much of a dent in the actual cake though.

Addi had the Mocha Madness, and he said it was like delicious coffee.

I had a Strawberry cupcake with strawberry frosting…YUMMY! 

And Roy had the Sugar Free Chocolate.  He’s a good man and didn’t splurge much… but this is surprisingly moist and tasty for a sugar free cupcake.

It was just a lot of fun to try the different cupcakes.  Everyone got what they liked (well I’m sure Roy would have liked to grab a Red Velvet too), and we were all together for our son’s 15th birthday!

And you know what… I don’t even feel guilty for splurging a bit.

We posted a photo of Dean’s cake, and I just want to say, it was great!

We got it from a local source, so if you live near us and need a birthday cake, USE this great small local business!

Dean loves Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, and is particularly found of HoHo, the little monkey friend of Kai-Lan.  We asked if a HoHo cake could be done, and sure enough… at 1 pm that’s exactly what we got!  We ordered the rainbow cake with cream cheese icing, and the cake was really so cool looking - inside and out.

Now, all the boys are trying to decide what kind of cake they want for their birthday!  Corey is pushing for a Zombie cake, and Hayden watched Blade on TV the other day and says he wants a vampire cake.

Roy and I used today as our splurge day, and we ordered pizza from another local place… lunch rocked today in our house! Or maybe we are just super hungry because of our diet.

I’ve had five kids, that’s a fact of life.  It’s also a fact of life that I don’t have a personal trainer on speed dial, a personal chef and a nanny to help me lose the baby weight within 10 days of delivery.  And that’s ok.  I feel overweight sometimes, sure, and I know I should lose a few more pounds, but my boys are happy and healthy, and Roy and I enjoy a wonderful love life (though he might have a different opinion).

But then we decided to take a cruise this summer, and my vanity kicked in.  How I would love to lounge by the pool in a skimpy bikini, have Roy’s eyes pop out of his head when I walk out of the room in a tiny cocktail dress… vanity.  It isn’t easy with five boys that need all the calories growing boys do, because let’s face it, I sure as heck don’t need all those calories!  So I am faced with numerous challenges:

1) I want to lose weight, and I am no spring chicken.  At 36, I don’t feel old by any means, but the weight is not falling off like it used too.  I actually have to work now.

2) Roy needs to lower his cholesterol.  Okay, not a big deal.  The gym should help as we haven’t been as active as we could be for a while.  And I can switch up a few things in our diet.  For the most part, I cook pretty healthy, but our problem is portion control, so I need to monitor and be on the ball with that.

3) The kids don’t need to lose weight, so I am challenging myself to find healthy meals for Roy and I that have enough flavor to entice the kids.  Last night we hit a home run - Healthy Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry with brown rice.  The kids liked it, Roy and I liked it, and no one noticed that it was actually good for us!  SCORE!

4) Pushing myself to go to the gym.  I always feel great after a work out.  I love lifting weights and the feeling it gives me - that slight burn.  I love the sweat I work up on the treadmill, but getting out of the house isn’t always easy.  It’s cold, it’s raining, the laundry is piling up, or maybe i just want to watch some TV.  It’s a constant push to get out of the house, though once I do I am always glad I did.

Numerous challenges, BUT I’m not alone in this struggle.  Roy is right there with me, struggling to lose a few pounds, to lower his cholesterol, and to hit the gym.  It isn’t easy for me here though.  I know that men lose weight faster than women, and Roy is certainly no exception, but I am trying to focus on how I feel (so much better - less PMS!), how my jeans fit (looser, though I just bought them!), and how my arms and legs are already stronger.

And I was able to admit to myself that wearing a bikini is not necessarily something I care about anymore, not since I checked out the bathing suits at Saks’ website and fell in love with this hot little number by Badgley Mischka.  It’s a one piece, but I love it!  Maybe for me it’s more about having the option to wear a bikini and look the way I want to in it, than actually prancing around in one on the cruise.  Because, I simply can’t get that one from Saks out of my head…

In this case, the “babe” I’m talking about is 33 years old, about 6’2” and has a sexy five o’clock shadow going on - yes, I am talking about my husband.

He’s a funny man, quiet, and stoic much of the time.  He isn’t above letting loose with me and the boys sometimes.  And every once in awhile he says something that really sticks with me, though a few aren’t fit for a family friendly site. 

Recently, Roy got an iPad (I wrote about this in an earlier post), and he loves it.  Plays with it every night, and will tease me when I use it.  He is always looking up information on new applications or updates.  The other day we were sitting at the table, and I was teasing him about looking up free apps.

“Are you looking up more free stuff for your toy?” I asked him as I paged through my magazine.

“Yep, sure am!” He shot back.

I snorted, “Figures!”

“Yeah, I know.  I have so many free apps.” He remarked as he paged through his games and apps, “I think I’m a free app whore.”

“A what?” I wasn’t sure I had heard him right.

“A free app whore.”

I laughed, and he shot me a sexy smirk, then went back to feeding his addiction.

This past Friday our local gym was running a special - no enrollment fee, no dues for 30 days.  I was conscious of the fact that we decided to take a cruise this summer, and was on board when Roy took a drive over to the gym.  We went in, and the young man that gave us the tour was nice, but like any other business they want to make money, so he gave us the hard sell.  As soon as I walked in that gym, all I could see was myself on the deck of that boat in a sexy new bathing suit, maybe a new LBD (little black dress).  I was gonna hit that boat looking hot if it killed me.  After the tour, and an outline of all the costs, the young man gave us a moment, but my mind was already made up.  I know Roy took one look at me and knew that he wasn’t going to persuade me otherwise.  So we joined, and today we went for the first time in probably 18 months.  Getting on the elliptical trainer felt great, breaking a sweat again felt great.  Not sure how I will feel tomorrow morning, but right now I feel great.  Afterward, I drove over to the local grocery store and decided to stock up on some healthy things for lunch.  I try to make healthy dinners - lean cuts of meat, fresh vegetables, fresh spices instead of a lot of salt - but lunch can be a diet killer for me.  I am usually in a hurry, and I don’t always grab the most diet conscious food, so I figure if I have things readily available, I will eat better.  I got some Lean Cuisine, fresh fruit, and some rice cakes.  That last item is what Roy teased me about in line.

Roy was putting things on the belt and picked up my rice cakes, “Seriously, Chris?”

“Yes!” I told him vehemently, “I’m gonna get on that boat and look hot dammit!”

“Ok, whatever you say.” He shrugged it off, “That’s funny, I thought you already were.”

And my heart completely melted.