obese

Sicky McSickerton & the Weight Gainers

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Ok.  So usually when you hear of people getting sick you think, “oh they will be just WASTING AWAY!”.  Unless “waisting away” means the number on your waistline running away to college and gaining the Freshmen 15, I’m not part of that.

I ducked around the stomach flu at Christmas, I’ve weaved in and out of the Upper Respiratory Flu like a prize boxer.  Then I got cocky and went down like Joe Glass against Piston Honda in Mike Tyson’s Punch Out. Ding Ding Ding.  Aaand she’s out.

Yup. Out for almost 4 days last week.  Now, if you’ve ever met me, you already know that we were all expecting a fat lady to sing and pigs to fly at even the thought of this.  I am a workaholic.  There, are you happy? I said it.  So, for me to take that much time, just because I’m sick, is redunkulous.

So I spent most of last week with my son at daycare, my husband at work and the dog curled up with me on the couch or in bed watching netflix, pinning on Pinterest or both simultaneously. This, mind you, all while suped up on good ol’ Nyquil, mentholatum greased all over my face and tissues all around me.

In the end, I’m still dealing with that lingering stuffy nose, but I’m on the mend.  Today was my first workout since my “epidemic”…and…wait for it.  It was LEG DAY.

Ah yes Leg Day.  The only time it’s perfectly normal to walk like the chicks on trashy reality TV Shoes like Campus PD after a bust.  I swear after the first set of Kettlebell Squats, Deadlifts and Sled Pushes, I thought it was all over.  But oh no, Benjamin had 3 of these glorious sets in mind for me.  The good news?  I made it through and sweat my nards off.  The Bad news?  there is no bad news. I made it through and didn’t barf.

So I enjoyed a sweaty post workout selfie, a Quinoa bar for complex carbs and some Amazing Rosemary Mint water.

One of the things I’ve been doing lately is jazzing up my water. My newest obsession is kinda different, but i really like it.  It’s Rosemary Mint Water.  It’s really refreshing and some of the benefits of Rosemary are pretty awesome!

  • Rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
  • Improving digestion
  • Enhancing memory and concentration 
  • Neurological protection
  • Prevent brain aging 
  •  Protection against macular degeneration

 

(FULL Medical News Today ARTICLE HERE)

Come to find out that Rosemary is actual a member of the MINT Family..no wonder they rock together…I mean people have been putting MINT Jelly on their Rosemary Lamb for years…why not just drink it…minus the lamb…and the jelly.  Ps..when they say aids digestion.  That’s not a suggestion. just sayin.

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Hallelujah, Holy Sh!t..Where’s the Tylenol (A Post-Holiday Rant)

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Diet Shaming 101

Diet Shaming 101

I, honestly, don’t know which way is up anymore.  My (self-diagnosed) ADD is on a Defcon 5 red alert.  I feel like a Suffolk Punch (for you horse lay people..that’s a breed of draft horse).  I need blinders to stay on the road ahead and I officially outweigh the top weight on my scale…and I have heartburn….and my husband just opened the credit card bills and almost had a stroke….and my son pooped in the tub tonight.

Have you ever seen the “EE” on your scale?  no? well let me tell you how that works.  Step 1: stand on your scale.  Step 2:  get the “EE”  Step 3: in a panic take off any article of clothing you have on and throw it beside the scale  Step 4:  stand there..cold, naked and shocked when the scale reads 298.5.

How could this be?  There’s no way I’ve put on more than 10 lbs over the holiday.  Only pretty chicks with success stories in the magazines put on weight like that..not me.  No way! .. I know for a fact I successfully deluded myself into thinking it was ok to eat anything covered in marshmallow as long as it was at “dinner time.”

If you’ve never been at this point…let me fill you in.  THIS. is rock bottom.  THIS is when you start wishing you could just barf to make your stomach feel better, but knowing that your upset stomach is about your Total reality check in the “weight” department, you know the second your head hits the toilet, your mother will have 18 pamphlets on Bulimia at your doorstep and be calling every 5 mins asking if you’re ok.  “I’m fine mother, I’m fine. I don’t have an eating disorder.”

Sure I don’t.  I may not be Bulimic or Anorexic, but I certainly have an eating disorder.  Along with a procrastination disorder and the uncanny ability to have long drawn out conversations with myself while attempting to reason.  And by reasoning, I’m talking about bullshit.  Maybe I am only speaking for myself here, but MAN we bullshit ourselves a lot.

Long story short (too late), it’s time for me to stop dickin’ around and get some shiz done.  I’m so fired up about this right now that this herbal tea i’m drinking, may as well be crack.

Reality Check. it’s 11pm.  I have an appt with Ben my trainer tomorrow for my full restart. You can bet your boots I’ll be there. I’ll probably puke, passout or cry…oh lord don’t let it be all three…but I know for a fact that in 1 single workout, i can keep this drive alive. I can do this. I’ve done it before, I can do it again.

and if my mother calls, I’m fine!

Chicken with Balsamic Tomatoes & Artichokes

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2013-12-30 19.54.01Alright. First off I’d like to thank the Academy.  Ok. Not really, but I would like to thank my mother for always making things from scratch.  After years of peering over the counter watching her chop veggies and try new recipes, I can officially say that I’ve inherited the kitchen bug.

I found a recipe similar to this one last night on Pinterest and totally forgot to actually pin it…what does this mean?  Well it means I’ll never find it again. It’s now lost in an abyss of recipes and handicrafts.  Thankfully, I read the recipe well a couple of times and had already done the shopping for it.  Now, it’s time to put my own twist on it.

The original recipe only called for around 5 ingredients:  Roma Tomatoes, Jarred Artichokes, Flour, Sugar and Chicken.  That’s it. yup.  It was a Clean Eating Recipe and well, I guess they didn’t realize that white flour and white granulated sugar are both no-no’s in the Clean Eating world.

I also am a HUGE fan of Fresh Herbs and food with a bit of a tang to it:  Insert Balsamic Vinegar.  Oh B-Vin you ol’ dog you!  You always know how to make a girl feel sophisticated.

I also forgot the temp on the oven and how long to cook it…so we winged it…and well..it worked!

My husband gladly ate his over angel hair pasta and said he liked it enough for me to make it again, but not enough to eat leftovers.  I still consider this a victory since my husbands idea of pantry staples are Manwich, Suddenly Salad, Frozen Pizza and Pierogies.

You can use any 9×13 cake pan or roaster…I have a Le Creuset 3qt Au Gratin that I used for this recipe.

If you are super new to cooking..don’t be afraid this is NOT a difficult recipe 🙂

Materials I used:

So I started out by cutting each Roma Tomato into 4, then coring them, then chopping them up from there.  I drained a small jar of Artichoke hearts and added them to the bowl.  This is where I start to get creative because the original recipe only called for two more ingredients, white flour and sugar. Nope Not using those.  So instead I add Balsamic Vinegar, Honey, Chopped Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped Fresh Basil, minced garlic, salt & pepper, grated Parmesan and whole wheat flour.  I generously Salted & Peppered my Chicken breasts and then popped it in the oven! BOOM that easy!

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I baked it, covered in tin foil, at 350 degrees until the chicken was almost done, then took off the foil, stirred it up a bit, basted the chicken, sprinkled on some Parm/Asiago mix and fresh parsley and popped it back into the oven until bubbly and the chicken/cheese mix was slightly browned.

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Served it over Quinoa for me and Angel hair pasta for my husband. it was delish 🙂

2013-12-30 20.12.06Chicken with Balsamic Tomatoes & Artichokes

Easy / Serves 4-6 depending on portions

      • 2.5 lb pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts (thawed/fresh)
      • 6-8 Ripe Roma Tomatoes
      • 1 small jar of Artichoke Hearts
      • 1 heaping TBL of Whole Wheat Flour
      • 1 clove garlic minced
      • 2 Tbl grated Parmesan Cheese
      • 2 Tbl to 1/4 c Shredded Parmesan, Asiago or blend Cheese
      • 1 tsp honey
      • 1-2 Tbl Balsamic Vinegar
      • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Flat Leaf Parsley (reserve 1/4c for end of baking & garnish)
      • 2-3 large Basil Leaves Chopped
      • Kosher Salt
      • Pepper
    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
    2. Wash then Quarter, core and chop up Roma Tomatoes and put them in a large mixing bowl
    3. Drain and add Artichoke hearts to the bowl
    4. Add Garlic, 1/4 cup of the Parsley, Basil, Honey, Balsamic Vinegar, Grated parmesan cheese, Whole Wheat Flour and mix together.
    5. Pour into a greased baking dish
    6. wash and pat dry the Chicken breasts, then generously salt and pepper them.
    7. Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the tomato mixtures
    8. Cover with Foil and back until chicken is almost finished, approx 50 mins.
    9. Take the foil off, stir it up, baste the chicken and sprinkle shredded cheese onto chicken.
    10. Place back in oven and bake until bubbly and the chicken/cheese turns a golden brown.

Hockey & Nuts..two of my favorite things (Chile Lime Almond Recipe included)

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Just outside the Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, ND.

Just outside the Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, ND.

So it was another balmy weekend in Grand Forks, ND.  Known as Home of the Fighting Sioux and constant potato ass smell from the Simplot Factory.   Sorry, that was offensive.  The NCAA says I have to say “North Dakota Athletics”.  I digress.

My husband and I are proud supporters of UND especially the hockey program. We, along with my Mother and Father In-Law and Brother In-law and his wife, have season tickets to Men’s hockey at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.  It’s a great way to get me home to see my mom and family back in North Dakota that I wouldn’t see half as much and we absolutely love hockey.  So it’s a win-win.  Then there’s weekend’s like this last one.  -16 Degrees TEMP.  Icicles have icicles at this point.  balls.

As much as I dread the “Tundra Shuffle”, the shuffling of feet while you pull all other appendages into your body like a turtle with your freezing breath barreling out of you like a factory on overtime, once you step in to the wonder of “The Ralph” you forget about the rest of the world.  You are standing a midst legends in the College Hockey World.  From the memorabilia on the walls, to the smell of Bavarian Roasted Almonds and Prime Rib Sandwiches, you are here.  This isn’t just a hockey game, it’s like a family reunion with 11,000 of your closest friends.  You fork over your 50/50 ticket cash, take your seat and it’s on!  I wouldn’t change it for the world.  However, when you’re trying to eat clean and lose weight, prime rib sandwiches, Dippin’ Dots, beer, beer and more beer don’t help matters.

BLOG_HOCKEY 2I settled for a Diet Coke that night while my husband partook in the customary silver bullet.  It was the first sweep at home for the Sioux this season and we were so happy to be there.

All weekend long it was holiday baking, eating out, late nights and luckily a few naps.  This is great, but again eating clean and fitness were nowhere to be found.  I’m getting ready to be spending a full week out at the lake and I’m going to have to get a gameplan together to keep my goals on track.  Let’s be honest, staying on a clean eating and fitness track when everyone is singing songs about figgy pudding isn’t easy.  I don’t even know what figgy pudding is, but if it’s Christmas, I’ll eat it.  herein lies the problem.  I’m like the 100 lb Labrador that thinks it’s a Chihuahua, only instead of sitting on people’s laps, I will eat just about anything in sight at such speed I myself might even question it’s happening.

oy.

So, I’ve started putting together a few projects like the Arm-Knitting Scarf Pin, Zippered-Wristlet Tutorial, PJ Pants for Timothy, and even finish my Strip Quilt I started.  There will inevitably be a few culinary adventures as well.  I really want to try this Hearty Roasted Vegetable Recipe 🙂

Last night I made a bunch of Oreo Cookie Balls…you know the Crushed Oreos mixed with Cream Cheese then dipped in chocolate confectionery balls of heaven.  Yeah..about that.  I’m not going to lie, I ate a few whilst creating my masterpieces, but I decided to also partake in a Pin I saw a week or so ago.  Chile Lime Roasted Almonds. BOOM!  I like them alot, but I shouldn’t have tried to eat them right after the Oreo balls…nothing tastes as good as skinny fee….shut up. Oreo balls taste amazing.

So I spent my night making balls and nuts. (insert laughter and random joke here)

Now you can too…enjoy!

Chile Lime Roasted Almonds

Note: I think I was short a few almonds..so I wound up with a little too much mixture on them…I may look to decrease in the future.  I also maybe could have roasted them longer!