Fit by 40

I turned 39 at the beginning of September. Not a milestone by itself, but it is the last stop before a big milestone. I got to thinking during the days after my birthday that I was tired of being fat and tired. I decided something needed to be done, but I've tried making big changes in the past to only end up back where I am. We were pretty successful with the 17 Day Diet back in 2012 when I lost about 30 pounds, but that weight all came back and it brought some friends. We've tried to do the 17 Day Diet a couple of times since then and we just couldn't make it work a second time. I was up to my heaviest weight and largest pants size on my birthday. I hate outgrowing clothes, but I hit the point that I really couldn't wear most of the pants in my closet and a lot of my shirts were getting tight. I had to go up a size for my polos and my dress shirts were starting to tug at the buttons on my belly. I knew something needed to change.

I decided that if I'm going to lose weight and get in shape (and stay that way), I needed to make more gradual changes rather than trying to lose the weight quickly. I found the Runs for Cookies blog a while ago and one of her strongest recommendations is to start by making small changes that add up to a big change in the end. I also don't want to give up all the good food options :). My plan is to make a series of healthy changes during the year leading up to my 40th birthday. I've read that new habits take about 40 days to really stick. I don't want to wait that long in between changes, so I'm going to introduce a new change every two weeks. Some of the changes will be giving up a bad habit. Others will be incorporating a new healthy habit. The first changes focus on food because a healthy weight starts in the kitchen. So far I have ideas for 9 of the 26 changes. I might decide that I need to devote more time to make sure some of the changes become permanent before moving on to the next one on the list.

Here are the ideas I have so far. I would certainly welcome suggestions for other healthy habits.

• Give up pop
• Fix breakfast
• Pack lunch
• Stop eating out
• Eat at least 2 fruits a day
• Exercise 30 minutes 3x a week
• Exercise 30 minutes 5x a week
• 10,000 steps a day
• Bodyweight exercises 2x a week

 Starting stats:

•  Weight: 228 lbs
• Pant size: 38 in waist
• Shirt size: XL (16.5/17 in neck)

Sweet Potatoes

After the success of the rice cereal, we decided to jump right into real food.  First up, sweet potatoes!  I have never liked sweet potatoes but Kevin loves them.  I was interested in seeing which way Gunnar was going to swing.  Well, he sided with Kevin, and I'm kinda happy about that.  Sweet potatoes are good for you and the more healthy stuff Gunnar likes, the better.  We're finishing out the week with the sweet potatoes then we'll be moving on to one of my favorites, green beans!

Cheers!

Something new to chew on!

First taste of something other than formula.  Kinda shocking...

 

Not sure how he feels about it, but not spitting it out either.

In the end, he really liked the sweet potatoes.  And yes, he did get some in his mouth.  :)

 And of course we have a video.

National Pie Day 2014

I learned about National Pie Day (not to be confused with Pi Day) last January and threw together a pie baking contest with my co-workers. The prize for the best pie was a diet book that we were going to sell in a garage sale. When we moved to Florida I thought it would be a great idea to continue the tradition with my new co-workers. This year we had prizes in 5 categories: Best Dessert Pie, Best Savory Pie, Best Healthy Pie, Most Visually Appealing Pie, and Pie of the Year. While we only had 4 official contestants (store-bought pies were ineligible), my co-workers didn't disappoint. I found an apple pie recipe on the Food Network website. I was going to make Alton Brown's apple pie, but it was a little complicated and required to many ingredients that we didn't have on-hand. Ning brought in an Oreo ice cream pie, Ronald made a shepherd's pie, and Jennifer made a sweet potato casserole in pie form. Elias planned to make a pizza, but he ran out of time Wednesday night. Ronald's shepherd's pie was the clear winner of the day taking home the Best Savory Pie, Best Healthy Pie, and Pie of the Year awards. I'll admit, the healthy pie award was a bit of a stretch, but the shepherd's pie was the closest thing we had to healthy. I took home the Most Visually Appealing Pie and Ning won the Best Dessert Pie. The prizes this year were pie servers.

All the ingredients assembled.

Fresh out of the oven.

All of the pies assembled for the tasting.

The prizes.

The aftermath.

Food Truck Invasion

Every second Friday of the month is the Food Truck Invasion at the PSL Civic Center.  While in ATL, I wanted to go to the food truck park but never had the chance.  Well, I wasn't going to miss this opportunity in FL.  Food trucks have really upped their game.  It's not fair food anymore.  Sure, you still get elephant ears and pizza and fries, but you can now get BBQ, fish, wraps, Mediterranean, Mexican food and so much more.  There were so many choices, I had a hard time deciding.  And the food trucks change every month.  There is also a DJ.  It seems like people in PSL like to get together and hang out and the Civic Center provides a lot of opportunities for them to so.  I can't wait to have visitors so we can go and check out the food trucks.  :)

Cheers!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the Kendi Haus!  We had a great, relaxing day.  I decided to make polish food like I used to have at Easter with my Grandma CC.  We went to the polish store to get all the things I needed to make brunch on Saturday.  They had a bunch of people in there stocking up but we got our Easter kielbasa, pierogi, and the butter lamb.  We also got pazckis!  We were really excited.  The meal came out great.  I think my Grandma CC would be proud.  :)

We hope that you all had a great day with family and friends!


xoxo,
Kendi Haus

Done shopping!

The Butter Lamb

Freeman says Happy Easter!

So does Chester

Chicken Bake with Black Beans and Salsa

Dinner options in the Haus of Kendi have been pretty sparse this week because we haven't gone grocery shopping since returning from vacation (more on that soon). Rather than going out for dinner last night I decided to take a quick stock of the pantry to see what I could whip up. I found a can of black beans, a jar of salsa, and some chicken in the freezer. After consulting the Google I found a recipe for a Chicken Bake with Black Beans and Salsa. It sounded tasty, we had all of the required ingredients, and it was a simple recipe. Turns out I made a great find! I modified the recipe slightly based on what we had in the kitchen and the baking time didn't work out. I thought the suggested time of 35 minutes on 350 was a little short, but I went with it. I ended up adding another 25 minutes at 400. Here are the details:

Chicken Bake with Black Beans and Salsa

4 chicken breast halves
salt and pepper
1 can (16 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (12-15 oz) corn, drained (I used frozen corn, about 12 oz)
2 cups chunky salsa, divided
1 can (4 oz) chopped mild green chile peppers, optional (we didn't have this)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided (we didn't have fresh, so I just sprinkled some dry)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

Mix the beans, corn, 1 cup of salsa, chile peppers, and half the cilantro in the casserole dish. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and place on top of the mixture. Pour the remain salsa and cilantro over the chicken. Top evenly with the cheese.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the chicken is cooked thoroughly (this took another 35 minutes for me - 10 minutes at 350 and 25 minutes at 400).

Chicken Bake with Black Beans and Salsa

Stats
Cost: $6
Servings: 4
Leftovers: yes
Time: 45 minutes

Taco Chicken

I have to share this with you.  It was a pin that lasted three days.  It was also the easiest pin I think that we've tried.  I'm calling it Taco Chicken, or Chicken Tacos.  Enjoy!

Taco Chicken

2-6 chicken breasts (we used 4)
16 oz. jar of salsa
package of taco seasoning

Pour the whole jar of salsa into a slow cooker.  Mix in the package of taco seasoning.  Add the chicken breasts on top of the salsa.  You can spoon some of the salsa on top of the chicken to cover them.  Cook on low for 6-8 hrs.  That's is.  After it's done cooking, the chicken will shred apart.  It should look like this:

Then, you just make tacos like you normally would.  We made soft tacos with wheat tortillas, added some cheese and lettuce and went to town.  They were really good.

Because we made the chicken with four pieces, we had a LOT left over.  Kevin ended up using some of the chicken the next day to make a quick quesadilla for lunch.  Way easy.  For dinner, we altered the "8 Can Taco Soup" recipe.  It's also really easy and filling and makes great leftovers.

8 Can Taco Soup

1  15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1  15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1  14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1  15.25 oz can sweet corn, drained
1  12.5 oz can white chicken breast, drained (we used our leftover taco chicken)
1  10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup
1  10 oz can green enchilada sauce
1  14 oz can chicken broth (we make this from powdered bouillon.  WAY cheaper...)
1 packet taco seasoning

There you have it!  The second meal with the Taco Chicken.  The soup was just as good as the first time we made it.  Sprinkle some cheese on the top and break up a taco shell to add some crunchies and you're good to go!

The last meal we made with the taco chicken was oven baked tacos.  Got the idea from this pin.  We didn't follow it exactly, basically just used the oven idea.  We got some hard shells, lined them up in a baking dish, put the taco chicken on the bottom and added cheese.  Baked them in the oven and topped them with lettuce and sour cream when they came out.  Very easy and so nice eating a taco that doesn't fall apart with the first bite.  We will definitely try her whole recipe some time in the future.

So, if you're keeping track, we made 3 dinners and 7 lunches from 4 chicken breasts.  All for less than $15.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  :)

Cheers!

Stats:
Time: prep- 5 mins, slow cooker- 6-8 hrs
Servings: 13
Leftovers:  Definitely
Cost: less than $15 

Dijon Fish Cakes

Real Simple magazine taught us how to cook fish.  This recipe has become a staple in the Kendi Haus because of its reliability and speed.  Now, Real Simple has taught us how to make fish cakes!  If you have ever been to a restaurant and wanted crab cakes, you probably saw the price and was like, DANG!  They aren't cheap.  Well, Real Simple has a great alternative and you can't beat the cost.  I present, Dijon Fish Cakes!  They taste amazing and I think I like them better than crab (I never liked how crustaceans were cooked...).

Cheers!

Frying up the fish cakes!!

They got a touch darker than they should have, but they aren't burnt and taste really good!

Stats:
Cost:  about $3
Servings:  4 (two cakes a serving)
Leftovers:  Yes
Time:  1 hr

Beef Stir Fry

Every now and then, Kohls does their Kohls Cares promotional merchandise.  One round included a "weekend" meals cookbook by Good House Keeping.  It caught Kevin's eye on the bookshelf last week and he dog-eared a bunch of recipes that were quick and easy.  The first one we tried was Beef Stir Fry.  We had always made chicken stir fry so beef was a nice switch.  The streak continues, Kevin nailed it.  :)

You can find the recipe here at GoodHouseKeeping.com  (We added baby corns because they we on sale at Kroger.  They are NEVER on sale!)

Cheers!

I always eat stir fry with chopsticks.  It's just faster.  :)



Here's the money shot...

 Stats:
Cost:  about $8
Servings: 4-5
Leftovers:  Yes
Time:  15 min

Best Baked Ziti Ever

I don't generally like to toot my own horn, but I'm not ashamed to say that I make some of the best baked ziti ever. It's my go-to meal for special occassions and Sunday dinner. It's probably the only dish I can make without looking at the recipe cards. I start by making a batch of homemade marinara. While the marinara is simmering I boil the noodles and cut/grate the cheese. Usually the noodles and marinara are done at just about the same time as I finish with the cheese. I mix together the ingredients, transfer to a baking dish, top with a layer of cheese, and stick it in the oven. Half an hour later we have a bubbling mass of cheesy goodness topped with a golden-brown layer of more cheesy goodness. Yum! Oh, and the leftovers are great for taunting your co-workers at lunch the next day.

It pairs great with a Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. This was the first meal I cooked in my new kitchen in Lansing. After spending a year without a functional kitchen I needed to celebrate with my favorite meal and one of my favorite wines - a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon from McKenzie-Mueller. My brother and I discovered McKenzie-Mueller when I was visiting him in San Francisco several years ago. We were driving around hitting up some wineries in Napa Valley and stumbled on them after getting a recommendation from another winery. They aren't usually open for tastings, but it was the 4th of July so they had special hours. The owner spent a lot of time with us explaining all of the wines and letting us taste just about everything they make.

Stats:
Cost: $7
Servings: 6-8
Leftovers: Yes
Time: 60 min

Summer Ravioli

Over here in the Kendi Haus, Kevin and I have a system for meals.  He enjoys cooking them, I enjoy eating them.  I am very fortunate to have a husband that is a really good cook.  Lately, we have established a pattern of me finding recipes to try, and Kevin trying them.  So far, it has worked out pretty well with a bunch of new dishes to add into dinner rotation.  Here was a keeper that we tried last night.

Summer Ravioli (originally found here) with our modifications:

1 package frozen ravioli
1 large, ripe tomato, washed, stem removed, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped
¼ cup Italian parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sweet butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup water
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Heat to boiling, 5-6 quarts of water salted with kosher salt. Drop in the fresh pasta, being careful to separate the ravioli. Cook 4-5 minutes until al dente.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan, add the cooked ravioli, tomato pieces and garlic. Season with sea salt and pepper. Toss and stir 5 minutes.
3. Raise the heat, add ¼ cup water. Simmer and reduce the sauce.
4. Serve on a plate, topped with a sprinkle of Italian parsley and grated cheese.

We changed the recipe on accident (note the use of pasta water in the original), but it still came out great.  Next time we try it, we'll cut back on the butter to make it a little bit healthier.  We try to only have one pasta dish a week, and this one is filling and gives you good left-overs for lunch (a must for any Kendi meal).  Highly recommended.

Cheers!

Stats
cost:  less than $6
servings:  4
leftovers:  yes
time:  35 minutes