The Kids Went Back To SCHOOL!!!!

This is just a quick post to celebrate the awesome 1st day my 5th grader, 3rd grader and Kindergartener had today!  I was soooo proud of the 3 of them.  They can't wait to go back tomorrow and i'm hoping this feeling never ends.  Here are a few pics to share with you.

AND THE WINNER IS....

Hear ye, HEAR YE.... For those of you who don't know, I was a participant in a 3 month weight loss challenge that basically required me to work harder than hard, make an endless amount of sacrifices and seek GOD more than I ever have my entire LIFE!!!! SERIOUSLY!!! Well, I have just been informed that I WON THE WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE!!!!!!!!

This may not sound like a big deal to you but 100 people participated in this challenge and with the help of GOD I came out on top. I won $550 and a brand new Polar FT60 Heart Rate Monitor sponsored by Polar USA.  I'm still in total shock.... I just had to share. No matter where you are in your journey, DON'T EVER GIVE UP!!!! My biggest reward is not the money or the prize but the gift of a healthy life that money and prizes will never be able to buy :-)

Just took a quick weekend getaway...

8/10/2012...

The kids and I decided to tag along with hubby down to FLORIDA for the weekend.  He has final exams for school (he's in the MBA program at The Univ of FL). So after a lengthy road trip, unwinding with the kids by the pool and taking them out for pizza I decided to drag my tired self down to the hotel fitness ctr and get in JUST 1 mile. So after completing the mile I was seconds away from pressing the "stop" button when this chick and her friends entered the room! She looked me up and down, jumped on the treadmill next to me and started galloping like a horse!! She glared at me in the mirror and I took that as a "bring it on" challenge. The next thing I know, I was finishing up mile 2. I noticed how she began to struggle and that's when I transformed into Carmelita Jeter!!! LOL!!! I cranked up the speed and the incline and sprinted through mile 3! She gave up and went to the elliptical as I coasted in with a total of 3.12 miles. I was a sweaty mess but I got it in!!! Both of my girls were with me and they said "wow mom, I didn't know you could run like that!!!" LOL!!! I said "watch and learn girls... watch and learn..." I can't wait to get it in tomorrow :-)

UPDATE today 8/11/2012

I saw that chick and her crew again at breakfast this morning. I gave her a head nod with a scowled face and a twisted lip. She gave me one back. Later, I blocked her from getting an extra plate and plastic ware... she had to say "excuse me" so that she could get around me. I laughed and said "you're excused!!!" We smiled and watched each other from a distance. As I left, I gave her another head nod... she nodded back. Guess that means "we'll finish what we started later tonight in the fitness ctr".... To be continued!

I COMPLETED INSANITY!!!!!!

Woooooooo hooooooo!!!  I've conquered INSANITY and........  I'm completely EXHAUSTED!  Never before have I pushed myself beyond what I thought was possible as I have with INSANITY!  After completing Day one (June 4, 2012) I thought I was gonna die!  Seriously, I really did.  I had no idea what was instore BUT I knew that quitting wasn't an option for me AT ALL!  I was determined to continue to push until I couldn't push anymore. There wasn't a week that went by when I didn't question what I had gotten myself into.  There were many tear shed, a few doubtful moments, lot's of screaming, begging and moments when I thought I would literally drown in my own sweat and tears.  Yet, I continued to push!  Not only did I do INSANITY but I jogged/power walked after every workout (total of 147.55 miles of jogging/powerwalking), did strength training and family sports (soccer and tennis).  I chose not to follow the INSANITY nutrition plan because it just didn't fit my schedule and what I was currently eating worked great for me.  I stuck with eating lot's of protein and little to no red meat or pork, plenty of fruits/veggies/water and my daily multi vitamin.  I logged my food into MyFitnessPal daily and wore my bodybugg every day to track my daily calorie burn.  All of these things are what kept me on track toward reaching my goals.

Now that INSANITY is complete, I plan on focusing on building my strength, endurance and speed.  I will get in my daily runs (both indoors and outdoors), power walks and strength training at least 5 days a week.  I have an official half marathon that I will be running in February 2013.  Every month (starting in October) I will run a half marathon (the last day of each month) to see if I can 1. Complete it and 2. Shave seconds and minutes off of my time. I've pondered the idea of joining CrossFit or Bootcamp but for now, I will stick to what works best for me.  This month will be quite hectic with the kids' sports (soccer and football) and the start of a new school year.  I hope to come up with a concrete schedule by September that will intensify my training and help take me to the next level of fitness.  Here are several pictures of my progress from the weight loss competition as well well as my overall progress over the last 9 months.  I will have updated pics in November, as that will make my 1 year fitness anniversary :-)

This pic shows my weight loss throughout the 3 month competition:

The following pics show my progress from INSANITY Day 1- Day 63:

The next pic shows my "Fitness" at the present.... I'm still working on several areas :-)

The final pic shows my progress from before, after and present... 9 months of vigorous exercise/healthy eating:

Homemade Pineapple Raisin Bread Pudding

So, the family wanted something sweet to eat and I felt like using what we had at home. I preheated the oven... walked over to the pantry and grabbed some bread, golden raisins and sugar... grabbed some 2% milk, eggs, light butter and freshly cubed pineapple from the fridge... some cinnamon, vanilla, salt (and some extra secrets) from my spice cabinet and made a pineapple & raisin bread pudding! Why spend the extra money? Just be creative and watch your portions :-)

When I get in this type of creative mood, I seldom measure anything.  I just go with what looks good and it always turns out perfect!!!  Here's a made up recipe from the top of my head that should give you similar results :-)... ENJOY!!!

~Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

INGREDIENTS:
~2% milk (2 1/2 -3 cups depending on the thickness of your bread... use 3 cups for thicker bread)
~3-4 tblspoons of Butter (I use light butter or margarine)
~Golden Raisins (about 1/2 cup)
~1/2 cup of Pineapple (I cut up my own fresh pineapple, cube it and dice it up)
~3-4 tblspoons of sugar (you don't need much because the fruit will make it sweet enough)
~1 tsp of Vanilla
~1 tblspoon of Cinnamon (i like cinnamon so I may have used a little more)
~3-6 cups of bread (depending on how large your pan is)
~2 eggs

Directions:
~Melt your butter in a mixing bowl
~In a separate baking dish, slice/cube/tear your bread into the size you desire (toss it into the bottom).  It should come up a little higher than your dish.
~add your eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, milk into the mixing bowl with the melted butter... whisk them together
~stir in your pineapples and raisins
~pour the wet mixture over the bread and push it down until every piece is saturated
~let it sit for about 15 minutes
~sprinkle more cinnamon over the top (about 1 tsp) OR you can sprinkle on some brown sugar
~place a lid or foil over the top and let it bake for about 45 minutes
~remove the lid or foil and let it bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until it's golden brown
*it should be light and fluffy and spring back if you touch it with a spatula/spoon or whatever :-)*
~Let it cool for about 20 minutes before scooping out a serving

While it's cooling you can make a vanilla glaze/icing to put on top of each serving (i like to put it on top of each serving so that I can monitor the quantity).

Vanilla Glaze:
~Confectioner's sugar (about 3/4 cup)
~2% Milk OR Heavy Whipping Cream (liquid)... about 2 tblspoons
~a splash of Vanilla
~a little cinnamon
*Use a whisk to blend it together and make sure there are no lumps.  Feel free to add more milk or Confectioner's Sugar until you get it to the consistency that you'd like.

-You can add nuts (walnuts/pecans) and/or the fruit of your choice (Pineapple, Peaches, Strawberries, Raspberries, Cranberries, Blueberries, Bananas and etc...)

Let me know how it turns out!