Shoes to Lose

Several months ago while dining at one of our favorite restaurants, Matt and I shared a dish that I still dream about. It was cheesy and buttery but not too heavy. It was flavorful and tender. It was ricotta gniocchi. We left assuming that it was a specialty item that we'd likely never get again until I stumbled upon a recipe for it at allrecipies.com. The recipe was highly reviewed and had several comments stating how wonderful and easy it was to make. I knew this was going to be on our menu. Since the recipe called for the dough to be refrigerated before cooking I decided to make the gnocchi the night before we were going to eat it. I also took pictures of every step along the way because I knew this was going to be something I'd want to share with you. I got all my ingredients lined up. Mixed them into a soft beautiful dough. Kneaded and formed the dough into rolls. and cut the dough into small dumplings. I laid the little puffs onto a floured baking sheet and placed in the...

GIRL! Isn't she lovely? I am now almost 23 weeks pregnant and I've gained a total of 11 lbs.

I’ve always loved magazines. The glossy pages, the full-color pictures, the perfume samples that make the whole thing smell good. Oh, I love magazines. Magazines have also been very helpful to me when it comes to my journey to get healthier. Its motivating to see success stories in magazines and helpful tips to get the most out of your food and your workouts. I subscribe to many fitness magazines including SELF, Shape, Weight Watchers, and Women’s Health. I may have a problem, but you can get them for so cheap! (Think $0.50 an issue.) I love that they give me extra motivation when I see them on my counter and they also give me wonderful recipes to try out. So, it is no surprise that I was beyond thrilled when I was interviewed for a magazine. A real-life, glossy-paged magazine. If you pick up “My Weight Loss 2011” (a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Magazine) on shelves through March, you’ll find my face and interview on page 17. I was interviewed back in July before the cr...

I know this post is long, but hear me out. One of the biggest things that has helped me get back on track is the fact that Matt is currently participating in a "Transform Your Body" competition at a local gym. As part of his participation he has a free gym membership and a personal trainer for 12 weeks. He's been on track for almost 4 weeks and has lost 25 lbs. (Yes, irritating, I know) However, this has become a huge lifesaver for me because I know I can't really keep sweets and snacks around the house and I can't justify cooking him a fattening meal. Its easier when I put him first. I may want pizza, but my husband needs a meal that will fill him up and won't be too high in calories. (More on this later) As part of his participation he needed to attend a seminar at the gym. His personal trainer, who is also trained as a sports nutritionist, was putting on a seminar on nutrition and told him she wanted his wife to attend. At first I was hesitant because, I...

I have been feeling the love since my last blog post! I am so grateful to have such an amazing support system to come back to and I'm glad to hear that you all won't mind a few (a lot) of baby posts coming up in the future. Those of you that have been following me for quite some time know that the elliptical is my go-to workout. It was the only exercise I did when I started my healthy journey because it was something I didn't have to think about, and I could burn a lot of calories in not a lot of time. I was best friends with my elliptical for several hours a week and it really helped me to achieve my goals. I have to say that during my recent exercise hiatus I did miss it a little. I missed the feeling of my heart pounding in my chest and the sweat starting to form on my head. Thats not to say that I missed it enough that I actually sought it out. When I decided to resume my exercise routine I spoke with my doctor about it first. It used to be that when you were pregnant y...