Valentine's Day Treat for Friends - Raspberry Sugar Hugs

I've been experimenting with some fun little treats for my friends and my daughters' friends.  I've always loved Peanut Butter Blossoms--the yummy, sweet peanut butter cookie with a chocolatey Hershey's Kiss perched right on top.  They're absolutely delicious!  Naturally, when I saw the limited-edition Raspberry Hugs version of the Hershey's Kiss...well, my mind was reeling at the possibilities.

I present to you...Raspberry Sugar Hugs!

Aren't they purdy little things?

They're super easy.  Use your favorite sugar cookie mix or recipe...
Roll into 1" balls...
and coat in sprinkles from your favorite Valentine's Day palette.

 

Bake as directed (do not let cookies brown) and take out to cool for a few moments.  Unwrap several Hershey's Hugs...

and place one in the center of each cookie.  Then wait.

When you can't stand it anymore (or about 5 minutes), heh heh...transfer each cookie to a cooling rack.  You will see that the Hugs do an amazing thing--they flatten out into beautiful buttons of glistening white chocolate with raspberry stripes.  If yours don't completely flatten right away, just be patient.  They will eventually.  You can help out if you feel confident enough by picking up the cookie just about an inch off the rack and "dropping" it back down on the rack.  That should do it.

Take a toothpick and swirl it through the Hug...it should make a little design.

Voilá!  Pretty little button cookie.  Delicious, as well! 

Time's a-Wastin'...

(channeling June Carter Cash with my title)

I've been gone a while.

I had to go through a bit of a personal, mental transformation.

I had to learn to forgive myself.

I had to learn to rely on the Lord.  Every day.

I had to learn to banish negative things like jealousy (really, such an ugly word, isn't it?).

I had to learn I am on my own path and that I am successful and can stand on my own.

I still have much to learn...

But I am here.

I've had the lap-band for almost two years now.  I've lost a total of 38 lbs, or roughly 30% of the weight I needed to lose.  I lost 30 lbs within the first four months and after that it was a terrible struggle just to get one pound off of me, even with a personal trainer twice a week.   I've worked very hard to get health issues like my thyroid and PCOS in check in order to lose more weight, but they have worked against me for the most part.  I've still managed to get 8 more pounds off in a year and I look forward to the challenges of 2013 and watching another 8 pounds come off.  Every. pound. counts!  Every pound means my hard work is paying off.  No one ever guaranteed that I would lose weight like others; no one ever guaranteed I would lose weight at all.  I had to work through my disappointment and realize I am still a success story, just an unconventional one.

I would never, ever say I regret getting the band.  Quite the contrary. It has forced me to look at my life and the way I eat so totally differently than I had anticipated; it has forced me to face some mental demons I had/have and banish them from my life.  It's a reminder to me, every day, that I cannot do this without God's help.

If you are still here, thanks for reading.  I look forward to writing more about what my struggles have been and what I've been able to do in the last year.  Maybe it can help you, too.

Expatriate in a Fast Food Nation: A Year Without McDonald's

You might think it's kind of silly, but I am really sort of amazed at what has happened since I made my decision.

So, what's the big deal?  Well,  it's probably not a big deal for some of you, but I haven't eaten at a McDonald's in one year, and my children haven't eaten at a McDonald's in one year.

It wasn't anything I started out doing with any particular goal in mind.  It was just that every time we went past ANY McDonald's, Paige would get very excited and say, in a sweet sing-song voice, "Hello, Old McDonald's!  Hello!"  it was cute at first, coming from a 3 year old--but then I started thinking: my gosh, we eat at McDonald's at least once a week. In fact, I myself had probably eaten at McDonald's once a week, in some shape or form--whether it was for a Salad, a Sausage Biscuit, McNuggets, or Quarter Pounder-- since I was 18.  There was something very comforting about it, and no doubt I associated it with great memories of my childhood. 

The thing is, my childhood ended a loooooong time ago.  And it's not like I've eaten super healthy for the last 20 years. I'm pretty sure I was eating to try to get some of those really good memories back, because let's face it, certain food has that power.

So I thought to myself, is this what I want my daughters to get excited about?  And where is this going to lead them?  Are they going to be eating at McDonald's once a week when they get older?  Do I really want to lead them to that?  One question snowballed into another.

It was just one little decision, made as I was crossing an intersection, one random day last January.  I just thought, okay, let's see if I can stay away from it.  A week turned into two, two weeks turned into a month.  Then February came, and I hadn't even had so much as a taco at a fast food place.  After a few months, I thought, "hey, I bet we can stay away from McDonald's for a year!  I wonder..." and here we are now, a year later, no McDonald's!

Now, I won't lie and say I haven't eaten fast food in the last year.  Sure I have. What I am sointrigued by, however, is that by removing McDonald's from my options, I have not only reduced going out to eat over all, but I have begun to make much better choices at the now-shrunken list of VERY few fast food places we do eat.  When I ate at McDonald's, in my mind, any fast food out there was okay to eat.  I didn't care if it was Carl's Jr or Taco Bell or Jack-in-the-Box.  When I stopped eating at McDonald's, I became much more "discriminating" as far as that went; it wasn't a conscious effort, it really just naturally happened. 

How do I eat now when it comes to fast food?  How do my kids eat?

For one thing, we eat it maybe twice a month.  If that.  It just depends on what we're doing or where we're going. 

I haven't eaten a restaurant hamburger (fast food or otherwise) in a year.  And one of my favorite things to do in the past was to get a double quarter pounder with cheese (or double w/cheese from Wendy's), take off the bun, and eat it with a fork and knife.  I just haven't done it; it seems so weird to say that now.  

French fries are out.  Unless I'm at Sonic, when I get small tots, I never order french fries.  They're not good anymore, so to me, they're not worth the enormous calorie count.  

We generally choose Chick-fil-A or Whataburger, but there are decent options at Sonic and Wendy's, too. 

I don't ever feel obligated to get a "meal".  If I just want a drink, I get a drink.  If I just want chicken, I get chicken. There have never been any hard and fast rules. Just don't get me started about the Chicken Fajita Taco, my absolute favorite from Whataburger and just a little over 400 calories.  Best lunch/dinner ever! Have you ever had Wendy's chili poured over a baked potato??  It is DELICIOUS! 

Yes, I still eat like crap sometimes, but far LESS crappy than I used to, and that is such a huge step for me.  The decision to cut out McDonald's has encouraged me to make healthier choices, not perfect choices!  I am mindful (my word for 2013, btw) of the calories and sugar that I and my family are taking in.

Better yet, I am showing my daughters that attachments do not need to be made to fast food, and that ultimately we are in control of what we put into our bodies for fuel.  I really didn't want them to grow up thinking McDonald's is a staple food source in our lives, and yet, that is exactly what the executives at McDonald's Corporation want us all to think.  Does this mean I will never eat McDonald's again?  Never have another bite of a McRib or Quarter Pounder? Well, that's kind of silly, isn't it? I don't want to put myself under that kind of obligation.  However, if I don't, well, I don't, and that's just the way it is.

My new goal is to get my kids to eat the grilled nuggets at Chick-fil-A.  A step at a time!  We do eat our chicken first, and then they can have their waffle fries, but generally by the time they get through their nuggets they don't have a whole lot of appetite for fries, so I purposely remove about 1/3 of them before I give them to the girls.  They never know, and half the time, they leave some behind anyway.  

(BTW, Matt was not part of this, but by osmosis or association or whatever LOL, he severely cut down on ALL fast food and rarely ate at McDonald's)

So here's to a year of pushing myself even further.  Who knows with what I will next challenge myself?  Kind of exciting!

I'm a hot mess. *groan*

Well, kiddies, I haven't been here in a while. Did I tell you about my staph infection?

It all started in my finger, with this little blister that I scratched:

and the next morning (no lie!) it looked like this:

Well, ya know, you think, "Hey, that's not so bad?" but it was pretty awful.  Not only did I have to wear a cast-like thing and sling on my arm, for the first week I was not really allowed to move, so I pretty much sat in bed all day with my arm elevated.  Try doing that and taking care of your family.  I was put on two rounds of very strong antibiotics and the next step--if the second round didn't work--was hospitalization.  Nice.

What made it all worse was the drugs I had to take interfered with my Synthroid, so I was unable to take it for almost an entire month--20 days, anyway.  By the end of my treatment, I was completely WORTHLESS--I had no energy and was absolutely miserable.

That was my August.

My September consisted of comforting myself in every way possible.  I stayed away from the gym, got out of my groove with my eating, and shoved every bit of sugar I could in my mouth, working around my band.  I found a way to get past it--all I had to do was drink during my meal and VOILA!  I could really get some serious Macaroni-and-Cheese in my belly.  Drink a little more and I could eat not just one enchilada but TWO--and some chips and queso to boot.

Everything has gone down the toilet for the past two months.  Thankfully I have not gained any weight, but I certainly have not lost, and I've wasted 60 days of my life trying to recapture the eating habits I gave up 7 months ago.  WHY??  I do not know.  Fear?  Of what?  Failure?  Success?  I wish I knew.  I know I need to call my surgeon's office.  I'm scared of that, too, to be perfectly honest.

Family Pics on Saturday...and I'm PMSing. Awesome!

Do I even need to post any more than that? LOL.

I'll write a recap when the weekend is over.   Did I say WEEKEND!?!? woohoo!  Just three more days!!

Off to do laundry.  Hope everyone has a marvelous day!

Linguine With Clam Sauce

This is how my Dad made it, and how we make it today in the McDonald household:

1 package Barilla linguine
3/4 c. white wine of your choice (I use Beringer Chenin Blanc)
2 small cans chopped or minced clams, with juice
1-2 cloves of minced garlic
1-2 T. parsley, chopped fresh (dried is okay, too)
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 stick of unsalted butter
salt, to taste, and finishing salt at the end if you have it (the big flake kind)
fresh grated parmesan


In a saute pan, melt the butter and add olive oil.

butter melting bliss :-)

Bring a large stockpot (3-5 quarts) full of water to a boil.  Add 1-2 T of salt to the water.  Yes, 1-2 TABLESPOONS.  Do not be afraid of the salted water!  Your pasta will barely pick up even a teaspoon of it when all is said and done.  It is only to season the pasta and believe me, it needs it.

Now, for the fun part:

Add the wine. I typed 3/4 c because, frankly, I have no idea what I put in.  I know it's more than a half a cup, though.  Probably closer to a full cup...but you decide what you want.  The alcohol burns off quickly so you can determine if you wish to add more.  Slug back the rest.

When your water in your stockpot is at a rolling boil, add pasta and cook according to directions.

While the pasta is cooking, keep the butter, olive oil, and wine at a simmer.  Add minced garlic.  Add clam JUICE ONLY.  Best way to do that is open the cans slightly and use the lid as a strainer.

Drain pasta.  Do not rinse.

Add clams and chopped parsley.  Cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Stir well.  Spoon over individual servings of cooked linguine.  Sprinkle with finishing salt and fresh grated parmesan.  Serve with garlic bread.

Don't plan on going on any first dates for about a week.

A Little Post About....Transgressions... *blush*

Well, I had a great time in Florida.  No, scratch that.  A fabulous time.  Unfortunately, so did my appetite for sweets.  Needless to say, I was up two pounds at the gym when I got back on Tuesday--though I suspect it was mostly water as I have since lost it.  But, let's take a look back at what I ate, and how MUCH I ate.  I chowed down probably too much fast food on the way down there, then too much fried shrimp, then too many desserts (Orange Crunch Cake at the Bubble Room, anyone?). Clearly I am eating more than I should be able to, so...I think it is time for a fill.  I am working off of willpower currently, and that's great, but at some point I've got to make sure my tool is working for me, so I've made the decision to do this.  Matt says I'm probably not eating what I think I am, but I know that isn't true.  My hunger is definitely catching up in between meals and I need to do something.  My doctor said I should be eating meals the size of a Happy Meal--that's the equivalent of 4 Chicken McNuggets, and a small fry.  Well, I'm able to eat more along the lines of 6 McNuggets and a small fry.  And a cookie.  Or two.  *groan*

Anyway, I will keep you all updated as to when I get my fill.  I am calling Dr. C tomorrow. In the meantime, since I've been home, I've been staying away from sweets, drinking only water (no Crystal Light), and trying to avoid "trigger foods".  I have also gone back to my regular workout routine with my trainer, though today was far from "regular" LOL--we've upped my exercise for sure!  I love being able to reach a heartrate of 140 without feeling like I am totally dying.  It's great!