Recipe as requested

Faux Twice Baked Potato

1-head of Cauliflower (Approx 2lb)
½ c. fat free sour cream
4-oz - fat free cream cheese (I make my own)
¼ c. minced green onions
1/4 c. low sodium chicken broth

Topping
Shredded low-fat cheese (I like mozzarella)

Boil cauliflower approx. 20 to 30 minutes until tender, drain well.

In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, cream cheese, chicken broth, sour cream, minced green onions. Mash it all together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.I mash it in my Kitchen Aid Mixer.

Put it in a buttered 8 X 8 casserole dish. Cover with the shredded cheese.

Place in a preheated 350° oven and bake until all the cheese has melted. Approximately 20 minutes. Garnish with chives if desired.

I love this dish - really does taste like twice baked potatoes. I guess the shredded cheese keeps it from being truly core, but I still count it as so.
YES, I'm a core 'tweaker'.

loving the support!!!

My DH is doing so great! He is down 33 lbs and running 5 km at least 5 times a week.

Best of all, he is helping to keep me going!

Yesterday his aunt called to invite us to her house for Christmas dinner. She asked him if I could bring a dessert, and he told her that I would bring some fruit (I love that he made this healthy choice on his own) and then he asked if I could also bring a side dish, since we are both trying to eat low fat foods, and he knows that I make a nice CORE cauliflower dish that tastes like twice baked potatoes. When he told me all this later, I was so proud him for suggesting these things. He has totally changed his frame of mind. It used to be that I couldn't bring a dessert somewhere unless it was covered in chocolate so that he would eat it - now he wants FRUIT!!! I love it.

We really do NEED support in this journey. I used to think I could do it all on my own, but failed every time. This time around, I'm having more success than ever before and he is on board - I KNOW that the 2 are completely connected.

Momentum

SO, today was wi # 11 and I have now lost for 11 straight weeks!

I am so happy with how the program is working for me. I know that I could (and should) be doing A LOT more in terms of exercising, but I do feel that for me taking baby steps in that regard is working. I used my Wii fit several times last week, and we even took the kids swimming both Saturday & Sunday. We are definitely changing our overall lifestyle as a family.

The other night I felt very tired, and while my DH went out for his run with the dog I decided that I would lay down and close my eyes for a bit. Well, I got all comfy and stayed there for about 2 mins while I thought about how proud I was of my DH for all his efforts lately (he has lost 33 lbs since I've started) and I got this overwhelming feeling that I wanted to exercise too. So, I got up off my butt and did 40 mins of a combo of aerobic and balance exercises on Wii. I felt so good afterwards.

I am excited to hear about this new program that WW has in store for us in December. I've heard that it is supposedly called MOMENTUM, and I feel good about that. I know that I have a good momentum going, and hopefully this new program will help me to get closer to and finally reach my goal. I've heard through the message boards that it is a combination of both flex and core programs. I'm very curious to see how it all works since I am a die-hard core advocate.

I hope that everyone out in cyber weight loss land is having a good start to their week! :)

My Big Boy!!

Today my DS turns 5!!! See 'crazy' picture of cake face boy with his Chuck E Cheese loot! Don't ask me what he is doing with his face 'cause I have no clue!!!

I can't believe how grown up he is becoming. He amazes me everyday with something that he says.

5 years ago this morning I woke up to the horror of severely bleeding - and it was 2 months before my due date.

After a very scary day - my son was born at 5:06 pm and although we were originally told that he would have to stay in the hospital until his due date mid-January, through much prayer and one amazing little boy I was able to bring him home on my 30th birthday (December 7th).

Those two and a half weeks that he was stuck in the hospital seems so long ago - he has come so far since then. He surpassed all the timelines that the Dr's gave us for a preemie - and was even released early from the neo-natal follow up program based on his development.

I feel so grateful to have a both a daughter and a son - they are so different!!

On a side note - I skipped both the pizza and the cake at his Chuck E Cheese party yesterday!!! Hopefully I will be able to be good at Montana's tonight for his birthday dinner!

Setting Goals

SO, before I start, I just want to give a SHOUT OUT to everyone who reads this blog, and especially to those who comment on it - it really helps to keep me going. YAY CYBER FRIENDS!!

So, when I reached my 10%, my leader told me that it was very important for me to set another goal. I thought about this for more than a week now, and I have decided that I will set of goal of being a total of 30 lbs lost by New Years. That means another 8 lbs in the next 6 weeks.

I think that this is reasonable based on the results that I've had lately. I put a lot of thought into this. I didn't want to set a goal that I couldn't reach, and I know that there is going to be a time when I plateau. On the other hand, I know that I have been doing all that I can do exercise wise, so I wanted to make sure that I gave myself a goal that would not be too easy either.

On a separate note: Yesterday I didn't eat so well, I ended up have 4 chicken McNuggets (with BBQ sauce) and a whole pile of pepperoni sticks. It was TOTALLY due to bad planning on my part, and letting myself get way too hungry (not good on the core plan). BOY, did I pay for that last night and this morning!!! I have spent WAY too much time in the bathroom (sorry tmi) and I still feel queasy (it's 1:30 p.m.). I hope this passes soon, my DS's birthday party is at 4 p.m.
I had plans tonight of not caring about the plan, and having a panzerotto (Mmmmmmmmm) from this place here in Whitby that makes these HUGE ones full of greasy cheesy goodness! But after how I have been feeling from yesterdays bad choices I am reminded why I am making good choices in the first place. NO PANZEROTTO for me!!

WI #10

So, another Monday, another WI.
I was happy to hear that I was 1.2 down, I was SOOOOO hungry last week. I know with the core program I can eat more when I am hungry - but I just kept choosing non-core REALLY fattening thing.
I think my saving grace was that Wii fit that I got. I love using it so I have been exercising regularly.
This coming week will be tough. Its my DS's 5th birthday, which means a party at Chuck E Cheese on Tuesday (I love their pizza, I know gross right?) with cake, and then my in-laws are taking us out for dinner on Wednesday (his actual birthday) and I'm sure that there will be more cake.
Its gonna be tough, but I am going to try my best to plan for it all.

my (early) birthday present!!!

So, I was telling my DH how my birthday is still more than 3 weeks away, and how that is 3 weeks less 'fit' I could be (since I have asked for Wii Fit).
Anyways, he agreed, and went to his car and pulled out my Wii Fit!!!
We all played it last night until the kids went to bed, then I did an aerobic workout on it. I'm sure that for people who frequent a gym it wouldn't feel like much of a workout - but for me it was great.
I also tried some of the yoga - man, thats hard.
So, I am SUPER happy with my early present!!!

Out of control day!

SO, after all these weeks of doing well, I had a bad eating day yesterday.
The day got out of control time wise, I had so much to do. One of the things I needed to do was some baking. Usually this wouldn't be a problem for me, I usually don't eat while I am baking - but for some reason it was different. I couldn't stop eating the cookies and chocolate covered apples.
Then, to top it off - I missed dinner due to a meeting I had at my church, so I came home and made sausage rolls! A whole bunch of them.
I ate like garbage all day - but THAT WAS YESTERDAY!
Just one horrible eating day out of the last 9 WEEKS!!!
9 WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today is a new day in this journey of mine - this journey that already has me 20 lbs down!
I feel good, I know that yesterday was bad but I am not letting it destroy the progress that I have made thus far. That was the old me. The old me let one bad day turn into a bad week, and then I would give up - GIVE UP ON MYSELF - CRAZY!!!!

NOT THIS TIME!!! I am doing this for ME! I am worth it! My family is worth it! I WILL reach my goals.

On a side note - I love that Amy C. voted Brady off last night on the Biggest Loser!!!! Way to go girl!

YIPPEE!!!!

So today is WI day, and I was really hoping for the 0.4 I needed to get my 10%.

Drumroll please...........................................................

2.2!!!

So, not only did I get my 10% keyring, I also got a new 10 lb sticker since I am now over 20 lbs.

What a great way to start the week!!!

GREAT DAY!!!!

Today was my DD very first ever cheerleading competition.

... and they came in 2nd!

She is SO happy!

So is mommy!!!

And a MAJOR added bonus is that even though we were at the arena all day - I didn't eat any of the garbage food there. And when we went out to eat afterwards, I chose a nice grilled chicken citrus salad.

Loving this weather

I don't know how many of the people who read this live in or near the GTA, but we have been having FANTASTIC weather this week!! It feels like spring, I LOVE it.

I've been on track this week with my eating - but have only earned 3 aps thus far. I really do have a major problem with getting off my butt. There always seems to be something else that needs to be done.

This afternoon I am DEFINITLY taking a long walk with my kids though - I think that they will like it as much as I will.

My DD is competing on Saturday in her very first Cheerleading competition!!!! She is super excited, she wakes me up each morning telling me how many more sleeps until comp. Crazy thing is - I may be even more excited than her. I was a cheerleader for 4 years in high school, and I LOVED it. Seeing her do it brings back many happy memories. And the fact that she started cheering at 5 means that she will be better than I ever was by the time that she is 8 - lol. She really loves it. She gets to to gymnastics, dance and stunting all in one - plus she gets to scream her head off!!! She is SO suited to it. My DD is a LOUD, crazy bundle of energy who LOVES to perform - DEFINITLY Mommys girl!

Not to mention -she is the spitting image of me. I'll put a pic here that was taken of each of us around the age of 5 - CRAZY how similar we are. The similarities are complete - physical and emotional. She has my personality - super sensitive Drama-queen!!! Sometimes I wish she wasn't as sensitive as I am, but I can't fault her for it.

My boy is the spitting image of his Dad. Everyone always comments how our kids are not a mix of us, DD is all me and DS is all DH!!! Kind of cute.

Going to go drink a bunch of water now - lol

Great WI and oh so close.....

SO, today was WI day.
(drum roll please)
.........................................................down 2.2!
While it is GREAT to say goodbye to another 2.2 lbs forever - if it had of been 0.4 more I would have got my 10% keychain. I really wanted that keychain this week, but I knew that 2.6 lbs would be hard, especially since I haven't gotten of my butt to exercise yet.
I don't know what my problem is with exercise -just lazy I guess.
I VOW to earn at least 6 APs this week.
And hey, I'll get that keychain next week ;)

Happy Halloween

Just a quick post to say that I had a GREAT halloween after sewing all week.
The kids came home with over 12 lbs of candy!!! (yes, i weighed it) I could have killed the hubby for letting them get so much.
But, I've been very good with it thus far - So I'm feeling good.