We've got FLOORS!!!

Things are coming along quite nicely with the house!  Installing the floors has made things go from construction zone to home.  The kitchen cabinets are going in this week and the electrician is coming to do the final install of the lighting.  Then it is just trim and some finishing touches.  We are hoping to move in the next couple of weeks!

We purchased the floor model of our fridge and the rest of the matching appliances are on the way.  The old oven is just there for cooking frozen pizzas while we work :)

Just a reminder of where we came from...

 Today!

Progress...

We closed on our house the 5th of August.  It has been a crazy time since then!  We have totally gutted the place and (slowly) started the rebuilding process.  This week, we are having electrical and HVAC work done, so no real aesthetic progress.  Come the weekend, it is full steam ahead with drywall!

Here are a couple of before and during photos, stay tuned for more as we progress!

This hall leads from the open concept living room and kitchen area to the 3 bedrooms and the bathroom.  Please note the abundance of hideous textures in the hall.  Beams, popcorn ceilings, paint, wallpaper, wood, shag carpet... AHHHHH so many competing ugly things in one place!  Since this photo was taken, we have also replaced the old beam and bizarre grecco-roman columns over the living room with a super awesome raw hemlock beam and posts.

Our original plan was the refinish the existing kitchen cabinets.  On our closing day, a truckload of unfinished oak cabinets arrived at our local Home Depot and we were able to purchase all new cabinetry for $1500.  SCORE.  The other side of those studs to the left is the master bedroom.  The husband is in the process of building his and hers double closets that will extend the length of the entire wall.  A home for my shoes!!  Yay!

A Big Climb!

The biggest climb in Maine, as a matter of fact!  And in my opinion, having hiked Mt .Washington in NH, which is taller than Mt. Katahdin, the most difficult in the East.

Baxter State Park is an annual trip for us.  It's definitely our happy place, away from the world, completely unplugged.  We have done a lot of hiking in the north end of the park and thought it was finally time to give the famous Mt. Katahdin a go.

We enjoyed some fishing near our campsite on the Nesowadnehunk as well and had some great luck! Nothing like a gourmet meal of fresh trout and Kraft mac n' cheese to round out a great weekend.

A few photos from the weekend...

(Pin)Spiration Furniture Rehab



The husband and I are finally moving into our very own house!  With a yard!  We couldn't close on the house for several months, so we are staying with my parents this summer to fill the gap.  I can't wait to get started on the house and have the decorating itch in a bad way.  Until I can get my hands on the house, I decided to work away at some furniture rehab to help satisfy the urge.

These end tables look antique, but they were actually a newer hand-me-down from my Mom.  I wish I had a before photo, but they were basically medium toned wood with a bunch of water marks on the top.

This was a really easy project! After removing the hardware and taping off the drawers, I scuffed them on with some medium grain sandpaper and cleaned the dust off.  Next, it was Krylon to the rescue!  I applied a coat of grey primer, followed by a couple of coats of Blue Ocean Breeze.  I am going to let the paint cure for 48 hours before I reattached the hardware and move them.

I have gone back and forth on whether to distress the tables and what to do with the hardware.  Now that I see the finished product, I am happy with the finish as is and plan to leave the hardware too.  Once we are in the new place, I will post the finished product in our living room.

  

This is a little preview of another ongoing project.  This old coffee table will be transformed into an upholstered bench with the striped fabric.  Stay tuned for more on this project... 

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow (or not!)

We may have a light covering of snow for Christmas on occaision, but never in my memory have we had so much snow so early in the winter!  With another foot on the way, the mother, the husband and I thought we had better get out and break the snow shoe trail today!

Because of the ice storm, the snow has really stuck to the trees.  It really is a winter wonderland!!

New Hampshire Trip

We just got back from a week long vacation in New Hampshire.  We had the best time!  It is rare that we want to return to a place right away.  Not that we haven't been awesome places, because we have.  But we just feel like there is too much of the world to see to go to the same spots.  Something about New Hampshire just drew us in and we are planning our hikes for next year.

Here we are on Lion's Head, part way up Mt. Washington.

I'm back. And I have a plan!

The madness is finally over and I survived relatively unscathed.  We traveled to Mexico, Florida and to visit the in-laws (4+hr drive) all in a little over a month.  The weight gain was kept to a minimum in part by exercise and applying South Beach principles whenever possible and in part due to a truly horrific stomach flu contracted from little niece on our final excursion.  Bless the husband's dear heart for driving us home on that fateful night...

I spent the weekend cleaning, doing laundry and stocking up on healthy food, so there is no excuse to not get back in the groove this week.

Sunday:  Venison stir-fry
Monday: Pulled pork salad
Tuesday:  Chicken cordon bleu and roasted broccoli
Wednesday:  Taco salad
Thursday:  Tortellini and shrimp in a red sauce (small portion for me!) and caesar salad
Friday:  Stuffed haddock and veggies

Ok ok, one more Mexico photo...

I hope to start posting more actively about food when we get back from Florida after Easter.

It is a rare occasion for the husband and I to get a decent photo together.  Usually he is the one behind the camera!  I couldn't resist sharing just one more from the Mexico wedding.

Mexico!

As you know, I had a goal of losing 15lbs by Mexico.  Well, I MADE IT!  And, I am only back up about 2lbs after our trip, which is pretty awesome considering I ate out for 8 days, most of which was all-you-can-eat and drink style.

We went on an awesome excursion in Tulum, to see the ruins and then to a ranch for zip lining, repelling and snorkeling and swimming in the cenotes.  It was an amazing day!

In other exciting news, we booked a last-minute trip to see my parents in Florida over Easter, so I am right back at it to get back down a few pounds before we head to bikini land again.

What's the plan? (January 27-February 1)

Today is day 26 of the South Beach Diet and I am down a little over 10lbs!  My Mexico goal of -15 seems possible!

I am really loving the way I feel and my sugar cravings have almost entirely disappeared.  I have added my english muffin back into breakfast, but am still staying away from starchy carbs at lunch and supper.

My parents left for Florida this week, so we inherited a bunch of miscellaneous perishable food items that I am trying to use up.  Fresh cranberries and three bricks of cream cheese needed eaten the most urgently.  I made a delicious low-sugar spicy cranberry chutney last night and the husband is already making some serious headway on the cream cheese.

The plan for this week...

Sunday:  Cheeseburger wrapped in romaine lettuce (no bun), cauliflower buffalo "wings"
Monday:  Pork tenderloin stuffed with cream cheese and chives, topped with homemade spicy cranberry chutney side and a side of roasted broccoli
Tuesday:  Chicken breasts stuffed with brie and cranberry chutney, green beans
Wednesday:  Sole fillets stuffed with crab, green beans
Thursday:  Venison steaks, mashed cauliflower and green beans

Mexican Breakfast Skillet

For almost 10 years, I have eaten an english muffin, cheese and a fried egg for breakfast.  Shaking up my breakfast routine has probably been the hardest part of the South Beach Diet for me.  I have a feeling that adding this "carb" back into my menu a lot of days will likely be one of my first moves in Phase 2.

In the meantime, I have been making omelette's and breakfast skillet's the night before that I can heat up when I get to work.  The Mexican Breakfast Skillet is extremely filling and from running it through MyFitnessPal, I can see that it is quite low-calorie as well!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 green pepper, diced
• 1/4 red pepper, diced
• Red onion to taste, diced
• 1 large mushroom, diced
• 1/4 c. black beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 large raw shrimp, tail off and cut into 3
• Mexican seasoning (I used Kirkland Sweet Mesquite)
• 1 egg, 2 egg whites and a dash of milk, beaten
• 2 tbsp shredded cheddar (1/2 oz.)
• Salsa
• Green onion

Directions:

1. Sautée veggies, black beans and shrimp in the mexican seasoning until the veggies are softened and the shrimp is cooked and most of the liquid released is cooked off.
2. Add the eggs and scramble.
3. Top with shredded cheddar, salsa and green onions.

South Beach Diet Chili

This chili recipe is pretty close to my standard chili, I just nixed the corn and carrots.  We always have a lot of deer meat on hand, so I used ground venison, but extra-lean ground beef or turkey would do the trick too. 

I usually make it the day before we plan to eat it, because it's even more flavourful if it sits for a day.  It comes together very quickly though, so it would make a great weeknight meal as well.

The recipe is full of veggies and protein, it doesn't get much healthier!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 5 stalks of celery, diced
• 6 large mushrooms, diced
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 packet of sweetener (or 1 tbsp of sugar or honey)
• 1lb of ground venison (or extra-lean ground beef or turkey), cooked and fat drained
• 1 can of beans (I used six-bean blend, but kidney or black would be fine too!), drained and rinsed
• Seasoning to taste:  chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne, salt & pepper
• Hot sauce to taste

Directions:

1. Pour olive oil into a large dutch oven and heat to medium.  Sautée the veggies until softened.
2. Add the remainder of the ingredients and simmer for up to an hour.
3. Serve and enjoy!  Shredded cheddar, low-fat sour cream and scallions make great toppings. 

The Plan (January 6-10)

The first week back to healthy eating was most definitely a success.  The Christmas weight is gone and I am on track to keep losing.  Now that I have the eating part down, I need to add exercise into the mix.

I am not sure that I mentioned this in my last post, but I am following the South Beach Diet right now and making my way through phase 1.  At first, I was scared it was a bit of a "fad diet" and the restrictiveness would make it impossible to follow.  I was wrong!  After a week, I have never felt better.  DH has noticed a big difference too.  My tummy troubles are gone and even my mood is better. 

Phase 1 has been somewhat difficult, but I was eating so much sugar and junk over the holidays, it was no surprise I had a few days of headaches coming off the carbs.  I really do not miss the starchy carbs, but I am looking forward to adding some fruit and yogurt back into my diet next week, when I start Phase 2.

For breakfast, I have been eating different omelette's and egg scrambles.  Snacks are veggies and hummus, celery and natural peanut putter and deli meat, laughing cow and lettuce roll-ups.  For lunch, I usually have leftovers or a big salad with protein.

Dinner plans:

Sunday: Chili with shredded chedder, green onion and low-fat sour cream
Monday: Meatloaf muffins, cauliflower "rice" and green beans
Tuesday: Italian stuffed portobello muchrooms and cesar salad
Wednesday: Sundried tomato sole in a bag and roasted asparagus
Thursday:  Mediterranean chicken thighs and roasted asparagus

Back at it! (January 1-6)

I am back to work after almost 2 weeks off today.  What better time to get back to healthy eating?

We are off to Mexico in just 8 weeks, so I really need to crack down!  It might be far-fetched, but I would really like to lose 15lbs before we go.  I figure the first 5lbs of Christmas bloat should go pretty quickly, so perhaps it is possible?

Breakfasts:  1 egg, 2 egg whites, protein and veggies
Snacks:  Veggies with peanut butter, hummus or laughing cow and deli meat roll-up's

Tuesday:  Pork tenderloin stuffed with goat cheese, sundried tomato and spinach with roasted broccoli and garlic toast

Wednesday:  Seafood chowder and biscuits (my cousin's husband makes a mean chowdah!)

Thursday:  Marinated venison steak and roasted green beans, mushrooms, red pepper and onion

Friday:  Low-carb shepherds pie (with mashed cauliflower and edamame)

Saturday:  Salmon and veggie stir-fry

Sunday:  Spaghetti at the parents after a little snowshoe trek

Short Week Plan (December 10-14)

We are heading out of town on Thursday night for the weekend.  My in-laws will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this Christmas and we are having a surprise party for them on Friday night.  I am thinking a ham and a hot dip will be my contribution to the party?

Monday:  Taco salad (didn't get to it last night)
Tuesday:  Continental pork chops, rice and spinach salad
Wednesday:  Creamy sausage pasta bake and cesar salad
Thursday:  Leftover pasta before we hit the road

A couple of quickies for you:

Continental Pork: 

• Mix 1 can of cranberry sauce, 1 envelope of onion soup mix and 1/3 c. french dressing.
• Pour over pork chops, tenderloin or loin OR chicken breasts or thighs.
• Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.
• Serve with rice or mashed potatoes, because the sauce is practically drinkable.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing:

• Mix olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, cider vinegar, garlic and s&p.

Heyhey, goodlookin', whatcha got cookin'? (Dec. 3-7)

My cousins own a farm and we inherited a large box of ground beef over the weekend.  It doesn't get much more local and free-range then a cow I petted out in the pasture this summer!  Between our new-found ground beef stash and my husbands yield from hunting, we have a VERY full freezer!  If you see an unusual amount of ground meat based meals on the agenda for the next six months, you know why!

It's funny, I was talking to a co-worker about our meat "situation" and she was kind of grossed out.  "Really, deer meet?  And a cow that you have met?  It's really creepy."  Ummm... no.  Given all of the media in Canada these days about meat safety and the (lack of) processes at some of the countries largest meat plants, I am so happy and relieved to have a freezer of local, free-range, grain fed, organic meat.  I know exactly where it came from, what it ate and where it was butchered.  People need to get connected with their food!  Where do they they think that ground from Costco came from!?

I digress... without further ado, here is the plan for this week!

• Homemade pizza, topped with pesto tomato sauce, shrimp, red onion, feta, mushrooms and spinach
• Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, veggies soup
• Chicken legs, potatoes, spinach salad
• Taco salads, with the aforementioned ground

LePlan (November 25-30)

I have an extremely busy week at work coming up.  I tried to keep the menu simple, but healthy.  And easy, so the husband can make himself useful too!

Sunday:  Quinoa and ground venison stuffed peppers and salad
Monday:  Chili
Tuesday:  Mediterranean pasta casserole (from the freezer), green beans and roasted chicken thighs
Wednesday:  Leftovers
Thursday:  Venison, sweet potatoes and green beans
Friday:  Homemade pizza

This morning, I had the most delicious and filling brunch (500 calories and 22 grams of protein!)

English muffin with a fried egg, pesto, feta, red onion and red pepper
Banana with peanut butter and a yogurt

The Best Tuna Salad Ever

Generally, I am a tuna salad purist.  Tuna, mayo, chopped celery and onion.  I saw this recipe on pinterest and was intrigued.  I needed a quick and easy meal for tonight, so I gave it a go.

O. M. Gee.

I don't think I will ever make boring old tuna salad again.  I added a few extra ingredients, but overall, I followed the spirit of the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cans of tuna, packed in water
2tbsp light mayo
1/4 c. pesto
Sundried tomatoes, chopped
Red pepper, chopped
Green onion, chopped
Zerto 4 cheese blend
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

If you are making this as a sandwich or as filling for a lettuce wrap, just mix it all up and filled your vessel :)

I made this as a melt, so I left out the cheese and used it to top my open faced sandwich instead.

Whatcha got cookin'? (November 12-16)

I got the huge bag of broccoli from Costco.  You know what that means... broccoli for all!  Wooohooo!

Here's the plan, the order is up for grabs depending on what time I get out of work.

Roasted sole with greek pasta
Pulled pork tossed in sweet chili relish, rice and roasted broccoli
Roasted chicken legs, baked potatoes and broccoli
Homemade pizza
Beef and broccoli stir-fry

The Good Wife

My husband had a hard day.  Cracked pepper triscuits are his very favorite, so I dressed them up as a surprise for him. 

Apparently, I am a good wife :)

The line-up:

• Goat cheese and sweet chili relish
• Marble cheese and pastrami
• Feta, sundried tomato and green onion
• Marble and salsa

An appetizer buffet would of course not be complete without drinks... Leffe for the husband and a vodka water with a squeeze of lime for me.