Life is Sweeter with Biscuits and Honey

This morning I got a little crazy and decided to make some homemade biscuits. I had emailed my aunt a few weeks ago asking for her biscuits recipe, and when she said "let me dig around for it", I knew it would be a while...if ever...before I got it.

So I did a little google-ing (thank goodness for google, amen?) and found a recipe that looked like it had potential. Besides, you can't go wrong using a recipe from someone who calls themselves Granny, am I right?

I don't think my kitchen has ever seen so much flour but the end result was worth it!

















And in my house, every biscuit deserves a little honey drizzled on top...
































Granny's Homemade Biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk

Combine all dry ingredient and blend well with whisk. Cut in butter until resembles coarse bread crumbs. Stir in milk until all comes together to form a dough ball. Turn out dough ball onto a heavily floured surface (I use wax paper). Let set for a couple of minutes and then knead for about a minute and then re-flour surface and pat out to about 1/2″ thick. Cut biscuits with floured biscuit cutter and place into ungreased baking pan. Form remaining dough into ball and repeat until all dough made into biscuits. This recipe will make approximately 12 biscuits. Bake in 425-450 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. (Note: I didn't use a biscuit cutter, therefore my biscuits turned out more uneven and bigger. I like them that way!)

(In case you were wondering, I only ate one and gave the rest away to my family. They didn't complain.) :)

A Few Tweaks to my Diet

I struggled yesterday with whether or not to post my weekly weigh in results because again, I do not want this blog to become all about that. But I find also find myself struggling with what else to blog about lately because my life is well, pretty boring right now. And honestly? I kind've like it. Last night my day ended with me sitting on my back porch chair, feet propped up, drinking a glass of red wine, and watching the last of the sunlight fade away. That pretty much equals perfection in my book. Bad scale day or not.

That being said, yesterday I started my day with my first gain (+1) on Weight Watchers (this time around). I didn't get too upset because I know I did my best. But having said that, it's definitely time for a few tweaks to the program. If you try something over and over again and get less than great results, it's time to make some changes.

I went to the WW website yesterday to try to get some advice and tips. I posted a question on their forum and immediately got many responses! I was so thankful and the advice was great! So here are my tweaks to the program recommended by other WW members:

• Tweak 1: It was suggested that my daily points allowance might be slightly too high for my lifestyle. Other than the days that I workout, I sit at a desk all day long. I'm pretty sedentary. Therefore, on days that I do not work out, I am going to shave 2 points off my daily points allowance.
• Tweak 2: Fruit became a "Free Points" item on the new Points Plus Program to encourage members to eat more fruit. However, I am a bananaholic and since they have become "free", I think I eat too many. As Jillian Michaels says, it's all about calories in, calories out. A banana might be free on WW, but it's still calories at the end of the day. So, I am going to begin to count bananas as 2 points if I eat more than one.
  
• Tweak 3: Shave off a few points from my breakfast. I love breakfast, and I tend to use up a lot of points here. Sometimes at the end of the day I leave myself with only 4 points for supper. That's not much! And after a hard workout, I need something substantial. So going to try to limit breakfast to 6-7 points and have a snack mid morning.
  
• Tweak 4: Strength training. I have GOT to start incorporating strength training in my workout routine so I don't lose muscle mass. Lack of muscle mass equals a slower metabolism which equals slower weight loss. Ding, ding!
  

So there you have it. We'll see if it makes a difference next week! Tonight is Zumba class again - I can't wait! Have a great Thursday everyone!

"Sunsets are just little glimpses of the golden streets of Heaven..."

Lately, we have had some amazing weather here in the Carolinas and the sunsets have just taken my breath away. I have always been in awe of a beautiful sunset, and whenever I see one I must stop and take a picture even if I'm in the car.

Here are a few sunset photos I have taken over the last few days...all were taken on different days. The one on the top right was taken from my porch last night. The sky was so orange and pretty!

What to do when the scales get stuck (per Dr. Oz)

So yesterday, I recorded the Dr. Oz show and he had a few tips about what to do when the scales aren't moving.

1. Add a new ingredient to your diet. They suggested lemon juice, because it contains Citric Acid which slows down gastric emptying. This means it holds food in your stomach longer and in turn you should feel full longer. I added lemon juice to my water today, and will continue to do so all week. I will report back if I think it really does help.

2. Change up your environment. The suggestion was to put your trigger foods in the freezer. This eliminates easy access to your treats and putting them in the freezer creates a barrier. This really doesn't apply much to me, because I simply do not have any trigger foods in my house right now. And my biggest trigger food is ice cream, and well.... ;)

3. Dr. Oz’s third tip for speeding up your weight loss is change your habits. He said to set your alarm every 4 hours to remind you to eat. Eating regularly throughout the day creates more energy and thereby revving up your metabolism. I have not figured out how to do this on my phone yet, but I'm sure there is a way. Although, I must say, my stomach usually tells me every 4 hours it's time to eat!

Overall, I was hoping he'd have more tips and I'm sure if I looked harder, I'd find some more on his website. But I just wanted to pass these along. Do you have any good tips for breaking through plateaus? Anything that has worked for you?

In regards to fitness, last night I did my first Zumba class at a new gym. It was fun! What a great workout. Right now I am looking for different ways to get a workout in, so I don't get bored. Tonight is Yoga. I am also on Week 6 of Couch to 5K.

I promise not to let this blog turn into a diet and exercise blog! I have my other fitness blog, but since right now it is my main focus, it's just easier to post here. I promise soon I will have some more interesting things to talk about! :)

Weight Watcher's Mid Week Update

First, thank you for all the sweet comments on my last post!

Second: today's weigh in: - .6 Good Lawd, I'm a turtle loser! haha

But no worries! No whining today! A loss is a loss. It's actually a little comical to me now and I've come to expect these tiny losses. Just gonna laugh it off, and I will not give up. It is clear: I am going to have to work VERY hard to get this weight off, but anything worth having is worth working hard for. Right?

2/16 - .6
2/9 - .4
2/2 -1.0
1/26 0
1/19 -.4
1/12 -1.2
1/5 -1

This turtle WILL finish...someday! A few notes from the past few weeks:

First - What I've done right:

1. Tracking. I am a tracking maniac, especially since I got my iphone! I now have access to my weight watchers food journal everywhere I go. And anything I've eaten in the last 5-6 weeks has gone into my tracker, good or bad. Last weekend out to dinner, I had a cucumber sushi roll and what do you know??? WW had the points already figured in their system! Who knew? Love.

2. Staying within my points. Because of my tracking, I am able to stay within my points range each week and even have a few splurges occasionally. (See Red Velvet Cupcakes down below...ha)

3. Getting in my fruits and veggies. I LOVE experimenting with new recipes and finding newer healthier ways to cook. Below is my dinner from last night: turkey burger topped with cooked onions and tomatoes, steamed veggies and roasted potatoes (drizzled w a tsp of EVOO and a dash of sea salt).
























Where I could do better:

1. Cardio. An ongoing challenge - sometimes I excel in this category and sometimes I fail miserably. Gotta do better because this is probably where the majority of my weight loss problems lie. I just joined a new gym, and I have started back the Couch to 5K program again. My next 5K is next weekend!

2. Using up my extra points. I tend to hoard my points sometimes. I saw a quote somewhere - wish I could remember who said it - about being a points hoarder and I immediately thought "that's me!" Points are fuel..to be used daily.

3. Strength Training. Just need to do more - enough said.

4. Stop comparing myself to others. Last week I was really upset about my tiny loss and I came very close to throwing in the towel. But this week, I have had a better attitude, and several of you gave me great advice and encouragement in my post. Thank you! Tiny losses still count in the long run and I need to remember that. I'm in this for the LONG haul so that means day in, day out until the job is done. Gotta keep my blinders on and stay the course.

Did y'all see Jennifer Hudson on Oprah? Wow. 80 pounds gone using the Weight Watchers program. She looks amazing.

This blog is 100% smoke free

Happy smoke-free anniversary to me! Eight years ago I became a quitter for life: I quit smoking. I try to blog about it every February to commemorate this big event in my life. If you've ever been truly addicted to something, then you know how difficult it is to stop. It was the hardest thing I ever did and yet still to this day, the BEST decision I ever made. THE BEST. It was/is life changing.

	2935 days, 10 hours, 29 minutes and 24 seconds smoke free. 17613 cigarettes not smoked. $2,641.50 and 4 months, 14 days, 13 hours of your life saved. Your quit date: 2/2/2003

Happy Valentine's, Luv-uhs!

Tonight I decided to make some mini cupcakes and I went with red velvet! They are delicious...

They may or may not be Duncan Hines but I'll never tell... ;)

Weight Watchers: Yep, More Frustration

Well, well, well. Here we are again. Today's weigh in: - .4

:::Heavy Sigh:::

Really Mr. Scales? Really? Why do you hate me so? Why won't you work with me? You see day in and day out how I cook my food...plan ahead...pack my lunches...count every.single.point.every.single.day. Drink my water. You know how I stayed home all weekend to avoid splurges like Super Bowl Parties. You saw me eating grilled asparagus on the couch when everyone else was drinking beer and eating burgers and yummy dips. You saw me walk the hills of hell this weekend. So what gives????

I know weight loss is a journey. I know it won't come off overnight. I know it takes time and patience. I know it's a loss and I am grateful. But... I do expect when I work the program exactly as it tells me, that I should have more success than I have had recently. And I'm frustrated.

Having said all that (and thank you for putting up with my whine session), I am not giving up. I need to blog about my frustrations because I want to document my journey each week. I want to be able to look back and see what I was thinking/feeling each week. Maybe (hopefully) things will change soon.

My stats to date:

2/9 - 0.4
2/2 -1.0
1/26 0
1/19 -.4
1/12 -1.2
1/5 -1

Total: 4 lbs over a 6 week period

PS My new little friend: WW iphone app. Love this!

Be Mine, Valentine!

I saw the cutest wreath on Tater Tots and Jello's website and decided to create my own. I really wanted to make mine a little different but I ended up loving the polka dot ribbon so much I couldn't help but do the same. The actual wreath itself is made of 100 mini cupcake wrappers all hot glued on to a wreath. I wrapped the wreath itself in the polka dot ribbon as well. It turned out really cute! Except now I just want some cupcakes... :)

Well, I did it

I drank the koolaid and purchased my iphone from Verizon last night. At 3 AM. Delivery is tentatively scheduled for February 10th.

What I'm most excited about? The Weight Watchers application!



















Do you have the iphone? Do you love it or hate it? I have a feeling I'm going to love it.

Weight Watchers Weigh-In Day

Well, I lost a pound. I'm happy about that, but also a little frustrated. This past week I can honestly say I did everything right. I stayed within my WW points every day (even when I had a cheat night I counted and used my extra points), I exercised, I drank lots of water. Not sure what else I could have done but it is what it is. I'm obviously the Turtle in the weight loss race. And as long as the turtle finishes, I'm ok with it. Total loss: 5 lbs. (according to my WW tracker). I also have to lose 3 more pounds to meet my 5 % goal.

I went back and read a lot of my old blog posts for the last several years. It's sad how much I talk about weight loss on this blog (and in real life). And it's sad that in 4 years, I haven't accomplished any of my weight loss goals. But as a friend of mine and I discussed this weekend (as I was venting again) at least I have not gained back the weight I originally lost on WW back in 2006 (around 25 lbs). Also, I have ran several 5Ks and an 8K. That's something I should remember and be proud of.

I think losing weight is a personal demon of mine and I probably should just pray about it. Because I forget to do that sometimes! And as much as I'm so tired of hearing myself talk or write about weight loss, I refuse to give up. It's time to finish what I started in 2006! Who's going to join me? :)

I feel so loved...

Look what my talented, sweet, wonderful friend Rebecca Jo made for me!!!!!!


































Seriously, how talented is she?? RJ, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I think you must be one of the kindest and most thoughtful people I have ever known! You truly are an inspiration to me, and I can't wait to meet you in person someday! And when we do it we will probably not stop talking the entire time! haha :) Thank you for the sweet handwritten note too!

From her RJ Photography facebook page: (which you should definitely "LIKE"!)

"It is easy to say how we love new friends, but words can never trace out all the fibers that knit us to the old." -George Eliot

So true my friend! <3