Monday, February 25, 2013

Give me a break!

Ok, that pun isn't so funny, but as you probably know by now, I fractured my right elbow on Thursday night. I am slowly teaching myself to do things with my left hand, or figuring out how to still use my right fingers (or realizing my limits and asking for help), but there are some things that won't ever be easy... Like typing.

Because of that I've decided that until further notice I am taking a break from full blog posts (I may post short updates every now and then). It just takes entirely too much time to type with the hunt and peck method and only one hand.

I'm annoyed, frustrated, and a little angry, but thankfully I have Sakief who is taking such good care of me (and thankfully was there when I fell to rush me to the ER). He's been doing everything for me that I ask (and lots that I don't), and putting up with my crappy attitude. I'm trying to make light of the situation, but it's less and less funny the longer I'm in the splint. 4-6 weeks in this thing is not going to be easy.

I'll be back! After this short break...

Friday, February 8, 2013

Slacker

I've been a blogging slacker, and just a slacker in general. I meant to post a recipe earlier this week, and didn't, so see below. Also, and more importantly, I'm less than surprised to learn that I'm back to even on the year.

It seems as though I can keep my head in the game for three or four days, and then blah for three or four days. The blah always more than undoes the good though, so I end up gaining. Sakief and I were talking about it last night, and both of us agreed to help one another more. We are both out of shape, and not always eating the healthiest.

I am slowly starting to get back in the work out routine. I had big plans for this week, and then ended up sick at the beginning of the week, and for only one day of illness, it's been quite a struggle to fully feel better. My stomach still hates me a little bit. Anyway, I did get in some home weight lifting, and last night restarted C25k, week 1 day1! This time I fully intend to finish it, no excuses. I have such easy access to the gym now. It was kind of a beautiful thing to walk into the apartment gym later than I used to go to the gym, and still be home earlier, just because I no longer have a gym commute. Ahh.

We are slowly settling into our new routine, and one of the things that I'm enjoying most, and I know Nora is too, is our new walk route. In many of the places where I have lived before there hasn't been a great place to walk with Nora, or much green space, so we did a lot of standing and waiting. Now we have a pond behind our building with picnic areas and a paved path for me. I estimate it's about a quarter mile if not a bit longer. I've made it a point that our morning and after work walks take us all the way around the pond, so in theory I'm adding an extra half mile or so of walking to my everyday routine. It's not much, but I know how much of a difference that can make in the long run.

To wrap it up, I present the latest of my Pinterest wins! I got this recipe from Ari on Pinterest, and even though she highly recommended it, I was still a bit skeptical. Anyway, Sakief has been asking for pancakes for awhile now, and I've been itching to use the griddle that he got me for Chanukkah. Obviously traditional pancakes aren't exactly low carb. This recipe could not be more simple... I present, low carb banana pancakes:

For one:
2 eggs
1 soft banana

Mix eggs and banana together (I used a potato masher since my bananas weren't as soft as I'd hoped). Scoop onto griddle and cook as you would a traditional pancake.

That's it! Sprinkle with cinnamon, serve with fresh fruit, or, as we did, find a tasty sugar free syrup. The texture is amazingly pancake like, however, they are much thinner than traditional pancakes.

Warning, if you don't like bananas, this recipe is not for you... It still tastes like banana. Also, if you have leftovers like we did, they do keep, however, just like with any banana, the flavor gets more intense with age (and transfers flavor to other foods they may be stored with, I learned the hard way when I took a bit of banana flavored sausage, ugh!).

Enjoy! This is definitely something I'll have many more times.

Friday, February 1, 2013

We moved!

Missing last week's weight check wasn't intentional, I was just too dang excited about moving that I didn't post. BUT the good news is that I made it back into the teens last week! This week is just the opposite though... I remembered to blog, but didn't step on the scale. Adjusting to the new apartment and just getting all around settled in has thrown me off of my habits.

In terms of working out, I haven't ventured into the gym at the new place yet, but other than the work out that moving gave me all weekend, I did join Erin and Laura at the gym on Tuesday, and lifted weights at home Wednesday morning. I expect that it will take a little more time for me to find my new normal, but I'm excited about my work out plans.

As far as the apartment goes, we love it! There is still a lot of work to do which has been a little overwhelming to me, but I know it will get done. Lots more was completed last night since Sakief's stuff was delivered yesterday morning. We now have all of the furniture for the guest room/Sakief's office, and are only waiting on our couch, Sakief's dresser, and the tv stand for our bedroom. Unfortunately, except for the couch, everything else is "some assembly required". I've found that it's not so easy to assemble these things. The tv stand for the living room took three people and several hours, and our nightstands took several hours and my sacrificed right hand.

I discovered a new chicken marinade last night that I really enjoyed (Sakief said he did too). It's very simple, so here you go:

Half cup fresh cilantro
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 minced garlic cloves

Blend ingredients in food processor (I used a bullet since it's such a small recipe). Rub on 4 chicken breasts and let sit for at least 15 mins. Cook chicken as desired (grilled, broiled, baked, etc).

I actually used chicken thighs since that's what we had, but this original recipe called for breasts. I don't think it matters at all.

Stats this week:
Current weight: 219 lbs
Weight lost in 2013: 5.5 lbs
Total weight lost: 65.5 lbs