DIJON CHICKEN POCKET
(Makes 1 serving)
2 oz. Cooked Chicken Breast, shredded
(see Make-Ahead Recipes, pg. 78)
2 Tbsp. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. chopped raw pecans
1 (6½-inch) whole wheat pita, cut in half to make pockets
Fresh parsley sprig, chopped
(for garnish; optional)
• Combine Cooked Chicken Breast, yogurt, mustard, and pecans
in a small bowl; mix well.
• Fill both pita halves evenly with chicken mixture.
• Garnish with parsley if desired.
1,600-calorie modification: Increase Cooked Chicken Breast to 5 oz.
and pecans to 5 tsp.

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

water
medium sweet potato, peeled, diced
½ cup Cooked Quinoa
(see Make-Ahead Recipes, pg. 74)
¼ medium red bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. chopped raw cashews
2 Tbsp. Citrus Vinaigrette
(see Make-Ahead Recipes, pg. 71)


• Fill bottom of steamer with 2 inches of water; bring to a boil
over high heat. Place sweet potato in top of steamer; steam
for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fork-tender.
• Combine cooked sweet potato, Cooked Quinoa, bell pepper,
and cashews in a medium serving bowl.
• Drizzle with Citrus Vinaigrette; toss gently to blend.
Serve immediately.

Friday Weigh-in

Wow, has it really been three weeks since I posted?! I am so sorry!! The flu took two weeks to go through our family. We had 4 anti-nausea prescriptions and one trip to the ER with DD1. The twins were puking for 10 days alone. Then it has taken me a week to just recover. BUT we are all better now and hopefully will stay that way for a while. :)

I thought I would start back in with a weigh in. This has been SO helpful for me to have y'all along for the ride. Since I last posted I have lost another 5 pounds. That makes 20 so far. Can you believe it?! When I started it seemed like such a huge thing to do. Now, I only have 10 to go. I am consistently running 3 miles - slowly. But I am able to do it without stopping.

It has been very helpful to look at this as a lifestyle change instead of just wanting to obtain a certain size. After a while the look looses it's fun when people get used to you being skinny. But when I am trying to be healthy for life then I keep going.

Flu Battle

Dear Readers,

The DH had a bout with the stomach flu over the weekend, the twins started today, and it looks like I am up to bat. Then who knows who is up next...

I am sorry to do this to you, but I am not going to post the rest of the week... Just wanted to give you a heads up so that you don't keep checking in and wondering what is going on.

hugs,
j

Friday Weigh-in

This morning started out as a tough run. My ipod ran out of batteries just as it was getting hard (which was pretty early on :). Also, I couldn't find my workout hat so the sun was in my eyes, and DD1 was out with an injury.

Despite all of that, the morning was gorgeous and I ran 3 miles without stopping!! When I started all of this all I did was run down our street and walk back up it three times. Now I ran the whole development. Small and simple steps can take you long distances.

Also, I lost two pounds this week. So that makes 15 so far!! I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight and halfway to where I want to be.

The tip this week comes from my father-in-law -and he doesn't even know it. He and my MIL are avid runners. I asked him once how he got to LIKE running. To my surprise he told me he doesn't like it. He said it is like banging your head against a wall - it feels so good when you stop.

So today when it got hard, I thought, "It's like banging your head against the wall Jen, it will feel so good when you stop." And it did!!

Have a great weekend!
j

Cheap Teacher's Gifts

Dear Mags and Emily,

Thanks for posting to the Hum Drum post. You have given me topics that should keep me going for the next little while. What a relief for all of us! ;)

So first off I will tackle cheap teacher gifts since the end of school is just around the corner. (sob, sob.) Mags, I LOVE the vase idea. I can envision it and it is adorable. You are so crafty!

Another version is an empty soup can, covered with paper your child has decorated, filled with pencils. If you want to go a step further, you can order pencils with the teacher's name on them. This helps her/him not loose so many to borrowers. ;)

*I have given sticky notepads to teachers who send home lots of notes on them. (Not glamorous, but meaningful.)
*A gift card for an icecream/coffee shop. (Ten dollars at one of these places will cover the cost of whatever they want, vs. only covering a pittance of the tab at a resturant.)
*Wildflowers your child picked for them put in a vase decorated by them.
*DD1 is giving a clearance coffee mug to her teacher this year because the teacher kept breaking hers.
*Do a Google search using "cheap teacher gifts" as the key words. I hit the first link from betterbudgeting.com. There were a lot of fun cute ideas. (If you click on the title of this post it will take you to this website.)

Hope this helps!
j

Hum Drum

For those of you who write blogs, you know how difficult it can be to come up with new and exciting material multiple times per week. It is a bit like running a small scale magazine. There are times when the ideas come fast and furious, and then there is the brain block. Right now, I feel a bit of blog block going on.

This is where you come in....Do you have a great tip/idea to share? What do you want to know from me?

Please tell me so that I can get through this block...

hugs,
j