Update on Life, Love, and Wedding

It's been SO long since I just posted about how everything is going!  So I thought I would catch everybody up.  I can't remember that last post like this I made, so bare with me if I've repeated something.

As far as wedding updates go, we have officially booked the venue, photographer, minister, and DJ.  I still have TONS of ideas for DIY (do-it-yourself) projects, but that is a little ways down the road.  I have found several websites and blogs with wonderful ideas for DIY wedding ideas.  I can't wait to get started.

I started kickboxing a month ago.  I bought a Living Social deal with a nice discount to try it out and I LOVE it! It's such a great workout and for any of you other readers out there who are dealing with deployment or long distance relationship, I have discovered it's a great way to take out all your aggression.  I am for sure going to have to keep it up for the next year.  I haven't lost too much weight with it yet, but I have lost inches, my pants are fitting a lot better!

I attended one of my friends' weddings last Saturday.  I LOVE weddings!  They are such a great celebration of the couple and their new lives together.

As far as deployment goes, I'm hanging in there.  Some days are just better than others.  This week has been tough because he has been on a mission since Monday morning with no cell phone.  So no calls, no texts.  I guess this is supposed to semi-prepare me for what's to come in the next 10 months.  But no matter how much "training" I have in that area, I will never get used to it, or prepared for it.  BUT, the good news is I get to see him in 15 days! Yes 15 days!! That's two weeks and one day!  We are spending 4 wonderful days in Biloxi, Mississippi.  The only thing on the agenda is to register.  We are going to get the registry started that way if we decide to have a Wedding Shower while he's home on his R&R (date unknown) we'll have things on our registry for people to get.  It has been so important to me for him to be as involved in the wedding as possible.  Even if that means doing some things "unconventional".  So I have done lots of planning when there is over a year until the wedding, or we might have a shower 9 months before the wedding.  We arent' going to have a "normal" engagement.  I'm just trying to get things done when he's accessible.

I'm headed to my parents for Memorial Weekend.  I haven't been down there since Christmas, so I think it's due.  Plus my mom and I have wedding plans to talk about :)

Anyways, enough of me blabbing.....

Weddzilla

For those of you who haven't noticed or just don't know, I started blogging for this website called Weddzilla.  They have all kids of ideas and blog about anything wedding.  So I will probably be posting more of my detailed wedding ideas on there, there is an image to the right and if you click on there you can navigate to my page, or even check out some of the other people's blogs.

I'll probably be posting a link to it on here each time just so it's easier for people to find.  Right now I have two posts up and am working on my third.  So go check them out!

Click here to go to my page

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Do you live a busy life? Do you rush around to get dinner on the table or forget about cooking and just stop at a fast food restaurant?  Well, if so, check out this recipe!

I love crock pot recipes, they are simple, quick, and most of all delicious!  This one is no different.  I also got this on Gina's Skinny Recipes.  I threw it all in the crock pot before I left for work, came home at 5:00 to a wonderful smelling apartment and dinner already ready!

Nutritional Info:
Servings: 8   Serving Size: 1 cup   WW Points: 4 points plus  
Calories: 190  Fat 1.5 g  Fiber: 5.6g  Carbs  23.1 g  Protein: 21 g

What you need:

• 24 oz (1 1/2 lb) chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes
• 25 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt to taste

Directions:

1.  Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. 

2.  Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.  

3.  Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.

Before cooking

4.  Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.  Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.  Adjust salt and seasoning.  

After 10 hours of cooking and shredding

This would be wonderful on it's own, but I cooked some brown rice to have with it as well as some reduced fast cheddar cheese (both of these add points).  But it was truly delicious!  Give it a try!

Yumm!!!!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I decided to be really adventuresome today and make something with lots of spinach in it.  I got this recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes and was really excited to try it.

Nutritional Information:
Servings: 9  Serving Size: 1 roll   WW Points +: 6   Calories 225   Fat: 5   Fiber 3.4  Protein 13  Carbs: 31.5

What you need:

• 9 lasagna noddles, cooked
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinache, thawed and completely drained
• 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh pepper
• 32 oz tomato sauce
• 9 tbsp (3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.  Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

3.  Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish

4.  Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles.  Make sure the noodles are dry.  

5.  Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodles.

6.  Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish.  Repeat with remaining noodles.

7.  Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzerella cheese.  

8.  Put foil over baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until cheese melts.

These were a little interesting.  I like spinach but there was A LOT in this recipe.  If I were to make it again I would take out at least 1/2 of the spinach and add some ground turkey.  But these are good for vegetarians.  Or if you really just love spinach.  You also don't need 32 oz of tomato sauce, I only used about 15 oz..

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing mothers out there!  I hope to be a mother someday, but until that day comes, this day is for all you other amazing women out there!  Here is a special montage of my wonderful, amazing, caring, giving, and always supportive mother!

I love you mommy!  Thanks for being so amazing my entire life and shaping me into the woman I am today :)

I'm the little one in the bottom left

My mom and I at a friend's wedding

Me and my parent at the Space Needle in Seattle

At my graduation from OSU

Vacation to Boston

After I complete the OKC Half Marathon in 2010

Hard Week

Heard this new song of Avril's. I have been having a tough week. No reason in particular, just a tough week. I miss Ricky, sure I get to talk to him, but it's not the same, AT ALL! But this song reminds me that everybody hurts....and it's ok. It's ok to cry, it's ok to be sad.

I need to find something else to get my mind off of it. I enjoy my free time, I need a hobby at night after work to do at home.

April/May Goals

I honestly can't believe that April is already gone!  Ricky has been gone for 1 whole month and now I only have about 11 more to go!

April Goals:
Menu Planning - I did really good at this.  I tried to set my meals for the week on Sunday or Monday and it helped me stay on track all week long.  I discovered that the hardest part are the weekends though.  Not having my normal routine really gets me in a food funk.

Get to 185 - I got to 186! That's progress!  It's so hard for me to watch the scale move so slowly though.  I just want to get rid of it now!  But I know it will take time and the slower it comes off the better I will keep it off.

Study for LEED - still didn't do this this month.

Save Money - check!  I'm trying to put back a little with every paycheck, as well as cutting pack on some non-essential things in my life.

Ricky sent me this pic on Easter morning :)  

May Goals:
Menu Planning - this really helps me a lot to stay on track and trying the new recipes is fun.

Get to 178 - This is more than a pound a week, but I really would like to be here by the end of the month.

Save Money - Every little bit helps.  And I'm trying to pick up some small side jobs to get some extra money too.

Give up soda - I have done this before, but starting drinking it again.  So I'm giving it up again for at least 1 month.