Random Weekend Thoughts

1. How did Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan end up in so many movies together? Sleepless in Seattle. You've Got Mail. Did they just work together once and say "hey, I don't find you annoying. Let's just do all our movies together"?
2. Why is my dog a thousand times more likely to jump all over me with her pointy toenails on days when I am wearing tights? I need someone to make indestructible tights ASAP. And in cute patterns. 
3. I love cute clothes. That being said, there's always so many cute clothes out there. Can we all just pick our favorite little outfit to wear 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, just like they do in the cartoons?
4. Why is everything Zooey Deschanel does so adorable? I want to wear everything she wears.
   
   
   
   
5. I want to know what I'll look like once I meet my weight-loss challenge. That way I'll know if it's worth it. I know it's worth it for health reasons, but I just want to know if I'll look the way I'd like to. 
6. I might have been born in the wrong era. I wish crinolines and full skirts and gloves were an everyday thing. 
7. I think I need to make Ruby a huge wardrobe of kerchiefs to wear on her neck from the huge stacks of fabric I am currently not using for anything. I might have to do this today. OOOOOH or doggie Peter-Pan collars....with bows! 
8. I watched a lot of Gilmore Girls when I was sick last Monday. Until yesterday, I had gotten to the episode where Luke and Lorelai break up, and it had me in a funk. So I watched the episode where they get together, and felt way better.
   
   
   
   
   
9. I will never ever get tired of my sausage and lentil soup. It's just delicious. 
10. I think I need to find a way to display my mixed and mis-matched collection of tea cups and saucers. I do use them all the time, though, so it would need to be accessible...
11. I hate those socks that have the grippers on the bottom. I have a pair, but whenever I walk around i feel like I'm stepping on little rubber marbles or something. Not comfortable. 
12. My husband is the sweetest. Seriously. 
13. I need to stop browsing Pinterest. It's giving me too many ideas for projects that I will positively never get around to. 

Lovin' It!

Okay. For real. This week was insane. I was ready to relax today.

I was ready to wake up slow. Sit on the couch sipping Earl Gray tea with raw honey out of a fancy teacup. Slip on a comfy pair of black cropped leggings and my big oversized gray sweatshirt. Sip chocolate milk straight from the carton. Read my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking like it's gripping non-fiction. Daydream about butter.

Because I love what Tracy and Danielle are doing, here's my own little list of things I'm loving right now - enjoy!

• This is super scary, but also VERY true. Carbs are BAD. I hope I don't sound like one of those crazy skinny blonde girls who squeal in horror at the thought of eating bread, but everything I've been reading lately (as well as the last month of eating differently) has convinced me that it's sooooo true. 
• Loving Danielle's blog over at SometimesSweet. 
• I think I'm in love with these cute little Valentines. Seriously. What's cuter than a macaron?
• This bag from Fossil is to die for. So pretty!
• I love this dress - so cute with sunny yellow flats. 
• I also love this dress, and this dress (reminds me of Valentine's Day!)
• In my imagination, I'm wearing this dress to my birthday party. The party in my imagination is at Marietta Diner. I have the paella for dinner, and a giant slice of coconut cake for dessert. Everyone has a spectacular time. Throw on some pink ballet flats, a couple layered strands of pearls. Dreamy. 
• Pearls - they're never not gorgeous. 
• Muppet typography. I think I need a poster of this for our future child's bedroom. 
• These bookshelves. Amazing.

Time to go make a nice batch of Sausage and Lentil soup, and call my Nana for a nice chat.

It's just different....

Maybe it's the fact that I've been sick. Maybe it's the fact that this cold/stomach virus/persistent headache has had me lying around a lot sleeping, dozing, and lying on the couch drinking tea with honey and watching endless episodes of Gilmore Girls (yes, I cried during the Luke & Lorelai breakup episode in season 5. If you don't, you might want to have your tear ducts examined.)

Anyhow, I've had some time to reflect, and something about this year just feels different. I don't feel like I'm always a person who has a lot of willpower. I tend to sort of start things, and get super excited about them, and then quickly lose interest when something else shiny comes along. Like card making for example. I got super interested in it a year ago because my mother in law does it, and then I quickly lost interest (there's a tiny rubbermaid bin full of rubber stamps and ink pads in my closet to prove it).

But something about this year just feels a little different. Kevin and I ended out 2011 with a mutual decision to eat healthier and get into shape. I decided I'd like to lose about 25 pounds. To be honest, I was a little worried about myself. I was worried that I would hop enthusiastically on to the eating-healthier-losing-weight bandwagon, and then promptly hop off when beckoned by my dear friends Ben & Jerry. But so far I haven't!

Maybe it's the whole foods type diet we've been sticking to. Maybe it's the fact that I've broken the carb addiction cycle, or the fact that I've entirely substituted soda with water and tea. Maybe it's the exercise I've been getting in physical therapy. Either way, I've started to notice big differences when I get on the scale in the morning, and little differences when I look in the mirror. Overall I'm just feeling motivated. I've been using an iPhone app called "LoseIt", which is really keeping me motivated. Supposedly, I'll reach my weight loss goal by the beginning of April! Hooray! And I've decided my excellent reward for my weight-loss goal will be a sweet new swimsuit. I'm not 100% sure where I'll wear it, though. We don't have a pool, or go to pools. Maybe I'll get a cute new little black dress instead. Either way, it's going really well so far!

I'll keep you posted (and by you, I mean whoever reads this....if anybody reads this besides my husband, cause he already knows all of this).

xo

Diana

Healthy Livin'

Eaten anything healthy lately? I have.

There comes a point in some people's lives when they decide enough is enough. Not to say that I ever really considered myself fat, but there did come a day not so long ago when I stepped on the scale and thought "well, it might be time to change some things".

Maybe it was just a desire to look fantastic in a swimsuit come summer. Or maybe it's the beginning of healthier eating that will really contribute to long-term health. Maybe it's the result of reading a few interesting things, and watching a few interesting things:

• "Why We Get Fat, and What To Do About It" by Gary Taubes (a great book - I'm only about halfway through, but already I'm implementing the very low-carb focused eating habits that his research highlights, and already I'm seeing results)
• "Forks over Knives" by Lee Fulkerson - a great documentary highlighting the health benefits of a whole-foods fruit and vegetables diet

So far from loading up the fridge with healthy fruits and veggies, to really stepping up my intake of dark leafy greens, cutting down (pretty much eliminating) my intake of breads, sweets...pretty much anything you would find in the aisles of your friendly neighborhood grocery store. We've been sticking to the deli section, stocking up on lean deli meats and cheeses, buying nice fresh fish, and enjoying lots of leafy green spinach, crunchy kale, sweet green, red, orange, and yellow peppers, tomatoes, and sweet green peas. 

It's interesting. I've always loved food. I've always loved cake, and pie, and cookies, and it's no mystery that I love ICE CREAM. Giving up on Ben & Jerry has been like having a friend call and leave repeated messages, and just ignoring it and trying not to notice when they keep calling. Poor guys. What will they do with all that Peanut Brittle ice cream? There might be a surplus crowding the shelves of your local grocery store. Just so all of you know...

But despite my love of food, I've been surprised with how good I've been feeling since starting to eat differently, and think differently. I've actually found myself enjoying coming up with creative ways to turn fish, red peppers, and half of an avocado into a really tasty meal (something that doesn't make me miss cheeseburgers). 

Ultimately, healthier living is the goal, but at the end of the day, the weight loss has been nice, too. I'm hoping in a few months there will be about 25-30 pounds less of me blogging on here, and I've decided to get myself a cute new swimsuit for summer if I reach my goal. One thing that's really been helping is an app that Kevin turned me on to. It's called "Lose It" and it helps you set your goals. First you enter your current weight, then you move on to outline what you want your "goal weight" to be. It will then ask you a couple questions to help ascertain what your ideal daily caloric intake will be (since I'm not super active, and spend a lot of my day at a desk, I went on the lower end of the scale). Next it tells you by what date you can expect to reach your goal weight. Ultimately I like the app because it's so easy to use, plus its interface makes it really easy to stay motivated. I like that it also sends you little encouraging emails for the little milestones you reach. So far I've lost about 5-6 pounds, and in some ways, I feel like they've been falling off. It's the incredible shrinking Diana!

I'll definitely keep anyone who reads this blog updated on my progress (or our progress, I should say! Kevin got me started on all this, and he's doing great, too! Ruby's even been switched to a higher protein lower carb diet, and thanks to some extra exercise she got at Kevin's parents house over the Thanksgiving holidays, she's looking a little leaner, too!)

xoxo

Diana

Smoooooth...

Ever had a green smoothie? No? Until recently, neither had I, and MAN I was missing out!

I thought green smoothies would be the equivalent of a mushy salad thrown in a blender. It's really not. It's delicious. It LOOKS like a salad thrown in a blender, but it TASTES delicious and fruity. Basically you're taking lots of goodness, and throwing it all together. Your mouth tastes yummy yummy fruit, but this smoothie is half-Ninja, because it sneaks healthy veggies into your tummy.

See? Cucumber. Delicious. I threw them in my smoothie with a teaspoon of fiber supplement (gotta keep things moving...I'm just sayin').

Next I like to throw in some chia seeds. They're fantastic! They're full of all kinds of good things. Don't worry, they don't taste like anything, they just add a little texture to your smoothie....

Want to add a little protein powder to it? Go ahead! Doing a cleanse? I am! I just twisted the capsules open and dumped the stuff inside into my smoothie. Go for it. You could even throw in some vitamin C powder if you're feeling crazy!

So what else did I add to mine?:

• Kale! Two big handfuls of chopped up kale. I'm starting to buy big bags of chopped up kale from the store, and keeping it in giant ziplock bags in the freezer (making sure to press all the air out) so I can just grab it and stick it in my smoothies
• cucumber (pictured above!) makes things taste fresh and summery!
• orange juice (a little liquid makes things smooth and pour-able. You could also add coconut milk, regular milk, or any other kind of juice you wanted! 
• frozen cherries (just a couple, to make things sweet, and make it taste a little less green)
• frozen peach slices (because peaches make everything taste better!)
• frozen strawberries (delicious!)
• frozen RHUBARB. I'm not kidding. It makes it YUMMY!
• more kale (because why not?)

The end result? Delish! And healthy. Grab a straw, and drink it up! If you're lucky like me, your local grocery store carries a wide variety of frozen fruits. AND if you're lucky like me, your mom gave you a stick blender for Christmas, so you can just throw all your stuff into your smoothie cup, blend it all up, and throw on the lid! Awesome.

Happy New Year!

Hello Friends!

2011 was a good year, and I'm hoping 2012 will be even better! It's hard to imagine how this year could top last. It was so full of good things. Here's a little snapshot I took of a tasty cupcake that I saved for New Year's morning for breakfast. Not a good start for my resolutions. Boo.

What are my resolutions, you ask?

1) eat better. Way better. I'm strongly considering doing some kind of low carb high veggie protein diet. Still trying to work it out
2) stop overcommitting to things. There have been years in my past where saying "yes" more has been to my benefit. I think this year, saying "no" more often will be key for me. Not saying "no" to everything. Just being more intentional about what I do.
3) read through the Bible in a year. There's so much in there that I've never read before. It's time to get into it up to my elbows!
4) do everything I possibly can to be the best possible wife to my husband, and the best possible mommy to my doggie.

Happy New Year!

I love Sausage and Lentil Soup!

Kevin and I went out for Italian with my aunt and uncle, and it was DIVINE. I should preface this by saying I'm not really the type of person to order soup in a restaurant when given the choice between that and salad, but when Carlo (our server) mentioned that they had sausage and lentil soup on the menu for the day, it got my attention. I LOVE sausage. I love sausage on the grill, I love sausage in pasta sauce. YUM. So despite the fact that I'd never had sausage and lentil soup, I decided to give it a shot, and I'm SO glad I did! It was delicious. Spicy, savory, hearty, and with just the perfect blend of flavors. I came very close to flagging down the waiter to change my entree order from pasta to another bowl of the S&L soup. I didn't do that, but I did get home and started scouring the internet for a recipe that sounded just about right. I tweaked what I thought would be the closest recipe, and here it is for your culinary enjoyment.

Get out a nice big pot, or a Dutch Oven (if you're lucky enough to have received a nice big blue one as a wedding present, like we were). Dutch ovens just hold the heat SO well, and everything just cooks so nice and evenly in them.

Also get out a frying pan, and drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom. About a tablespoon should do it. In the frying pan, brown up somewhere between 1 and 2 pounds of ground mild Italian sausage. It just depends how meaty you like yours. I personally like mine meaty so I did two full pounds, but if you prefer a more delicate soup rather than something so chili-like in consistency, just do one.

There's my ground sausage browning away. Lucky sausage, you get to be in soup!

While that's browning away, grab a large green zucchini and a sweet onion (Vidalia if you can get it). Chop them up into nice even little pieces. I have a fun kitchen gadget that you can use to chop up veggies, but you could do it the old fashioned way with a knife as well. While you're chopping, put your Dutch oven or soup pot on the stove on medium heat, and drizzle two or three tablespoons olive oil in the bottom, along with about 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Toss in the chopped up onion and zucchini, along with one minced clove of garlic, and stir everything together. Let it simmer on medium (make sure it doesn't burn) while you do the next step. 

See that zucchini and onion? It's smelling sweet and just a teeny bit garlicky, too. YUM. 

Next, chop up two good sized carrots along with two or three stalks of nice fresh celery. Chop them up into nice tiny pieces. I did these separate because my awesome vegetable chopper was no match for the dense carrots and stringy celery. Toss those in the Dutch oven or soup pot once they're done. Now it's time to add some fun spices! Hooray!  Go to your spice rack and grab your parsley, your thyme, your oregano, your basil, and your red pepper flakes. I started with about 1 teaspoon of everything except for the thyme - I used just a couple sprinkles of that. You can really just add each seasoning to taste until it starts smelling delicious. I added a little extra parsley and basil, but you can do whatever you like. Stir in the spices with the veggies and stir around until well combined. If it seems too dense and sticky, you can add a couple drizzles of olive oil to loosen things up. That's totally okay. 

Once this is done, grab your nicely browned ground sausage from the pan, drain off the fat, and combine the meat with the veggies in the Dutch oven. Stir everything together nicely, and add two 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes. Don't drain off the juices, though! The more the better. Once this is well combined, add between 3 and 6 cups of chicken broth to your liking (if you want it more stew-like, just add three cups. I added 6, but I wanted something a little more soup-y in consistency). At this point, you'll want to turn your burner down to low. Add four cups of dry lentils, and make sure there's enough liquid (broth) in the pot to cover everything. At this point, you can throw in some more spices if you feel like it, or toss in a little extra black pepper (or red pepper flakes, if you like things spicy!). Go ahead and let the whole concoction simmer for about an hour, or until the lentils have a nice soft consistency. Grab a spoon, and try the broth, and adjust the seasonings accordingly. By now, things will look a little bit like this: 

Mmm....I can smell the soup bubbling in my kitchen as I type this. It's smelling good, and there are only about 15 minutes left on the timer. Last thing you'll want to do is grab your stick blender (if you have one) and use it to puree just a little bit of the soup once the hour is up. If not, you could put a cup or two into a blender, and add it back to the pot once done. Once you're done pureeing some of the soup, stir it all together. The blending helps to thicken up the soup nicely, making it taste even BETTER.

Here's how it looked when I popped it into a nice deep bowl, and sprinkled some nice parmesan & romano cheese on top. YUM. It tastes 10 times better than it looks. 

Happy soup-making!