Sushi Time

Anyone else a sushi lover? Yum! With all the white rice and tiny bits of fish, though, I feel like I could eat my weight and not feel satisfied. Enter this brilliant find! I will claim no authorship  but I am so thankful to Julie of The Survivals of Jewels blog for this gem. :)

Can't wait to put this on next weeks menu!

Mexican Chicken and Cauliflower "Rice" Casserole

Today's healthy recipe is from Sandy's Kitchen. If you haven't checked out her website, it's such a great resource!

This is a great hearty recipe for the cooler days we are dealing with. Also, now that I'm in Asian food land, I'm craving all the Mexican from home. :) I'll be testing this out in my kitchen this week!

Note: If you are not losing as quickly as you had hoped, use mozzarella instead of Mexican cheese for a higher protein and lower fat content.


What's cooking in your kitchen this week?

Where are you putting your faith? And other Urgent Care musings.

This has been a trying few weeks for me. Emotional ups and downs have always been a battle for me, and I am just really ready to step off the roller coaster for good.

For starters, I've been dealing with nausea since mid-December. Nope. Not pregnant. But comically fitting for the girl who is trying to suppress baby desires to get non-pregnant morning sickness. You can imagine the roller coaster of emotions I let myself ride with that. And here I am, almost through January, still nauseous, and what's more, odd abdominal pain for a couple days. Kidneys working hard in there maybe? And then, Are my eyes kind of yellow? Yes, yes they are. Maybe I've watched too much House, but liver failure isn't exactly something I'd love to push to the side. And so, to the Urgent Care I went.

----

A few days ago, before any of the extra symptoms and fear-fight that came with, Joseph asked me "What do you think the Lord is trying to teach you through all this?"

Woa. Embarrassingly enough, I hadn't asked that yet. Would could he be trying to teach me? And like a light bulb:
Peace

I want to be a woman of peace. I want people to be attracted to me because of my calmness in the midst of crazy life, the ability to bring perspective in stressful times.

Before, I have been putting my faith in the strength of my faith, in my ability to muscle through, but to have this kind of steadiness, calmness, consistency, peace, I must put my faith in the unchanging character of God.

And somehow, a midst the craziness, I get it. He is enough. My test came back all very "unremarkable", which has it's sighs of relief. The realization that I paid a doctor a lot of money to draw blood, give me an IV, cover me in sticky jelly, and then tell me I am perfectly "unremarkable" is less frustrating when I remember that I don't want the attention in a hospital setting. Unremarkable to them is a blessing.

And if this nausea doesn't ever go away, I will still trust and believe in my unchanging Lord. I just might need to be reminded not to complain sometimes. ;)

Re-Useful Wedding Cards

Since October, everything we own is finally in one place. This brings a sense of calm, but also calls me to de-clutter action! I found a box of all our wedding cards. What do I do with these? I thought. I'm not going to want to store them for my children to deal with when I'm gone.. And then I had a great idea. 

I cut off the pretty front, which most people didn't write on, and have been using them to write and hide love notes for my husband. In his drawers, books, Bible, work bag, office desk, etc. They're colorful, sweet, and such a great way to remember our wedding, now almost 1.5 years ago. So far, it's been a hit. :)

Spring Green Fever

Joseph and I have only lived in apartments since we've been married and have sorely missed some green space. The lovely Jo Goddard got my heart inspired. Here's what my country-raised heart is now dreaming of. Someday, maybe :)

Stuffed Peppers

I couldn't help sharing this recipe for stuffed peppers. Such a yummy, quick recipe. I sub cheddar for mozzarella for a lower fat option and omit rice depending on our carb needs of the day.

I made this about half a dozen times last year. So good!

Baked Oatmeal

Mornings are generally a hectic time for Joseph and I. We've tried various things to settle them down, but the thing that has helped the best is this recipe. Make it ahead of time and pop it in the oven. Reheat the leftovers for breakfast the next day. Simple. Nutritious. Delicious. I've adapted it from this recipe I found a few years ago. 
*Note: This is a great maintenance breakfast, but not so great if you are in your weight loss phase.

Baked Oatmeal 

• 2 cups  rolled oats
• 1/2 cup  walnuts,pecans,almonds, or whatever you have. chopped
• 1/3 cup  sugar 
• 1 teaspoon  baking powder
• 11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 cups milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 11/2 cups mixed berries (huckleberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc)
• 3 tablespoons coconut, shredded
• 
  
• -Preheat the oven to 375F
• -In a bowl, mix together the oats, half the nuts, the sugar, the baking powder, and cinnamon.
• -In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and the vanilla.
• -Arrange about half the berries in a single layer in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish or deep pie dish. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Scatter the remaining berries on top as well as the coconut and remaining nuts. Slowly drizzle in the milk mixture. Gently give the baking dish a couple thwacks on the countertop to make sure the milk moves through the oats. 
• -Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. 
• 
  
• Perfect to enjoy with your morning cup of tea or coffee. Serves 4-6 

1000

Wow! Apparently this little baby has had over 1000 views already.

In honor of that, I'd love some feedback. What kinds of posts do you enjoy? What would you like to see more of?

Christmas Dates Wrap Up

Life can get busy. And when life gets busy, my blogging isn't always prompt. But that's alright :)

Our 12 Dates of Christmas Check-List

1: Pumpkin Party

2: Cinnamon Ornament Making 

3: Pick our Tree

3: Decorate the Tree

4: Snowflake Lane 

5: Hot Chocolate Hike

6: Explore Leavenworth for the day 

7: Drive around looking at Christmas lights

8: Face the crowds and go window shopping

9: Stay in and bake some Holiday goodies

10: Walk around the Bellevue Botanical Garden 

11: Pick out our 2012 ornament

12: Christmas Movie Night

Bonus: Ice Skating

Hot Chocolate Hike

12/16 This past weekend we had plans up the wazoo. And then about half of them got canceled, leaving us with a full but peaceful two days.

Saturday afternoon, in the rain (got to love the Northwest!) we went for a walk in a new park. And of course, a thermos of homemade hot chocolate to keep us warm.

The steam was incredible. It traveled so far and hung so long!

Leavenworth Day

12/8 Two weeks ago I read The Snow Child for my book club. If you are looking for some magical fiction to escape into, pick up this book. It is a wonderful book set in Alaska. I had snow topped mountains on the brain as we left for Leavenworth the next day.

Driving up was breathtaking. I knew it was near the mountains. I didn't know it was in them. There was a fresh 21" of snow the night before to the delight of the snowboarders and us. It looked like the inside of a snow globe! (Only bummer thing: We decided to bring our camera for better pictures. And I just haven't gotten around to pulling them off my camera..)

I wasn't sure what to expect when we got into town, but we were met by a town-wide celebration. Everything is Barvarian, festive, and busy. And everynight they have a lighting ceremony. My toes practically fell off while waiting, but Joseph gave me his gloves, so I lived :)

And we found our 2012 ornament to remember our wonderful day trip, and Joseph even snuck-bought the best leather computer bag/large purse for me. Such a surprise on Christmas!!

Ice Skating

12/4 Early in the season, right when the Bellevue rink opens up, there are BOGO nights. And we had a blast ice skating with our friends Keith and Marie! I didn't even fall! Except when I tried to stand still for a photo!

We didn't get everything on the list finished, but I'm not bothered. If I hadn't tried, we may have only gotten one or two of these things in. Instead, we have tons of fun Christmas season memories! 

NY Resolutions: Create Your Plan

New Year's Resolutions get a bad wrap.  Maybe it's the dusty treadmill by mid-March, the unfinished scrapbook in July, or the unwritten book on your computer that haunts you. The thing is, a goal without a plan is just a wish. But a wish with a plan will become a reality.

I use this handy chart to map out my goals. This way I know what steps to complete each day to get me to my goal. (Pst, want to know what goals I'm striving for this year? Check them out here)

Let's start with the classic resolution to get healthy in 2013. Write your current reality at the bottom. Be honest and be specific  How do you eat? How often? Water intake? Hours of sleep? Stress level? Exercise? Energy level?

Then at the top, take a moment to dream. Again be SPECIFIC. Are you comfortable in a bathing suit on the beach a x number of pounds? Are you skiing with your grandkids on the mountain without getting breathless? What day is it? What are you wearing? Who are you with? What are you doing and how? What are you feeling? This is your dream, so write it into reality. Think about it like your pen is magic and whatever you write is reality. So don't leave anything out.

Now we fill in the middle of the page with our steps. Write out what is going to get you from your current reality to your goal. After you write something, be sure to attach a time to it. Either an amount (2x a week, 1x a day, etc) or a deadline, depending on what you need.

This is the best way for me to work on large projects and goals in our life. Take the time to write it out for yourself and post it where you can be reminded of your daily steps. And re-write it every month. Keeping it in front of you will keep you propelling forward.


Are you ready to get healthy this year and would like me to walk along side you in that? Leave a comment or email me at wright.tianna@gmail.com

Goals for 2013

1. Pay off my part of the student loans. You eat an elephant one bite at a time. This year, we are going to get in lots of bites as we take down my portion of the student loans. 

2. Take more time to read, pray, breathe, and be away from screens. I get sucked into spreading out my "work" (hello pinterest!). I want to work faster to get off my computer and phone. It's better for my brain and my mood.

3. Help 100 people get healthy. I love what I do. I can't believe what an amazing privileged it is to walk with people on their journey to health. I get to encourage and teach sustainable habits while my clients are getting to a healthy weight fast (10-15 lbs a month). I am looking forward to sharing this gift with more people this year.

4. Be gentler with Joseph. We are hitting that 1.5 year mark and I can see some things popping up that I don't like. I'm getting lazier about the house/dishes. Table manners aren't quite pristine  And my moody side is getting quite snappy. I'm hitting reset on that and putting more effort into loving on my husband. 

5. Print pictures. Wedding and honeymoon photos are still on our computers. It's embarrassing   It's time to print them. These babies will be the first month's goal :)