Weddings, weddings, weddings!

I thought I would blog about my wedding details today since that's what's been on my mind! 117 days to go! Yikes.

I'm getting married at a yacht club, so we decided to go with a nautical wedding, which is actually very dear to our hearts. My dad loves to spend time with his yacht club buddies and on his boat, and some of the best times I've had have been with him and our family out on the boat. The Clover Island Yacht Club was just rebuilt in 2009. There's been a light house added to the island, along with a brewery and restaurant.

My wedding colors are navy, white, and coral, with some yellow accents. The navy and yellow look so beautiful together. The bridesmaid dresses are coral and the groomsmen are wearing navy blue sport coats and khakis (with boat shoes!).




We're going to decorate the ceiling with paper lanterns and draping sheer cloth. Beautiful and romantic feel!

Wedding colors and inspirations boards!

And instead of cake, we're going to be having cupcakes. But those I'm keeping a secret until the wedding ;)

Hope you enjoyed your sneak preview!

I'll post pictures from the wedding when they're available.

--HB

Slacking

I've been extra lazy this week. I've only done one work out in the mornings...I've just been so tired! I haven't been pigging out though, so I guess that's a plus! I've been super busy with tracking down addresses for my save the dates, which were supposed to go out Monday. If I get them in the mail Saturday morning, I'll be happy. There's 121 days left until I get married. Yikes! I feel like I haven't done much of anything. I guess I've got a lot of things planned though. I have: a venue, a caterer, a DJ, an officiant, a dress, a GROOM, my bridesmaids and their dresses, groomsmen, a wedding theme (nautical!), and more plans...

I need: shoes, a hair dresser, nail appointments, jewelry, veil, make-up artist, flights, and the list goes on, and if I were to sit here and think of them all I might have a break down. I'm going to email my "wedding planner" with a few ideas so I feel more organized.

So, I found this neat website where it gives you the '411' on food. It's http://www.hungry-girl.com, and it's got some great substitute ideas for high-fat/calorie foods for low-fat/low-cal stuff. Like these noodles I tried, tofu shirataki noodles, they only have 20 calories per serving (opposed to 200 calories of regular pasta per serving). They stink! But, they taste like whatever you put on them. You have to really rinse them well and dry them, but it's worth the calorie exchange. I used them in stir fry last night which had broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, onion, water chestnuts, sprouts, and chicken! Jeez, that was a lot of chopping.

Oh! And I called on my treadmill part yesterday. It's out of stock and back ordered. I tried to explain to the man that I was getting married and that treadmill was ESSENTIAL to my weight loss. He laughed and said "I understand ma'am, and I'm very sorry it's taking so long..." I wanted to scream that I only had 120 days left! But I calmly said thank you for your help and hung up. Stupid treadmill. It's finally staying light past 5:00 so I think I'll be able to run after work soon. On a lighter note, literally, I can tell that my pants aren't as tight. Yessssssss! Finally a little reward for the work I've been doing.

After I mail my save the dates this weekend, I think I'm going to make a batch of muffins, I found them on sassy fit's blog. This is the recipe:

APPLE-CINNAMON OAT-BRAN MUFFINS

This recipe's so delicious you won't even realize it's also heart-healthy

Heart Guards
Prep: 10 min Cook: 25 min

These baked beauties are a cardiologist's dream food--the pectin fiber in apples, the oat bran, and the vitamin E-rich canola oil are loved by docs because together they lower both total and LDL cholesterol and keep insulin and blood sugar levels under control.
But protecting yourself against heart disease won't even cross your mind when this dessert-worthy combo of apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg hits your taste buds. Too yummy to be typecast as breakfast muffins, they can be popped anytime for a filling and satisfying bite. Make a full batch of these and pack one in the morning for your mid-day sugar craving at work!
1/2 c oat bran1 c whole-wheat flour1/4 c ground flaxseed1 tsp baking soda1 1/2 tsp baking powder1 tsp ground cinnamon1 tsp nutmeg1 egg, beaten4 Tbsp canola oil1/3 c applesauce1 shredded apple1/4 c sugar1/4 c chopped pecans
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together bran, flour, flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and oil until smooth. Stir in applesauce, shredded apple, and sugar. Combine mixtures and fold in pecans.
4. Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack.
Makes 12. Per muffin: 147 cal, 9 g fat (1 g sat), 163 mg sodium, 18 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein

Though I might substitute the sugar with truvia. That eliminates about 100 calories from the whole batch, not a ton, but every little bit counts!

Okay-work time!

--HB

Weekend report

Friday afternoon I headed to Pullman, WA to check out my friend Sandra's new apartment and see her school. She's a graduate student at WSU getting her MS. I'm very excited for her. She's also following my blog, and has been using some of my recipes. When I got to her apartment, she was cooking me a healthy recipe she had found and it was so delicious I wanted to post it on here.

Five-Spice Turkey and Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup instant brown rice
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (see Note)
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder (see Note)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 heads Boston lettuce, leaves separated
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil, mint and/or chives
• 1 large carrot, shredded

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add rice; reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. We used regular brown rice, which took 45 minutes to cook, feel free to prepare the rice ahead of time.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and ginger; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, bell pepper, water chestnuts, broth, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder and salt; cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

To serve, spoon portions of the turkey mixture into lettuce leaves, top with herbs and carrot and roll into wraps.

Sandra used extra cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and pepper to season the turkey. The extra spice and kick was delicious! We also cooked extra brown rice and served it as a side. 1/2 cup cooked brown rice= 85 calories. The meal was 370 calories total.

Nutrition

Per serving: 285 calories; 11 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono); 66 mg cholesterol; 24 g carbohydrates; 26 g protein; 5 g fiber; 543 mg sodium; 390 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (150% daily value), Vitamin C (140% dv), Iron (25% dv), Folate (20% dv).

_____________

I showed Sandra some of my vinyasa yoga and we were going to get up Sunday morning and do some...but I guess coffee and sweet orange rolls sounded more appealing. :) whoops.

I'm still waiting on my treadmill part! Gosh! I'm calling Reebok again today and asking where it is. Hopefully it will come this week. I'm taking my dress in for alterations in 2-3 weeks. The thing about my dress is, the places that need the most alterations really have nothing to do with weight loss, which is good, because I didn't want to get too thin, and I definitely don't want to gain weight either. So hopefully my dress will fit just right :) I really need to tone my arms...they're definitely wobbly and in poor form! I think I'm going to use this work out, along with my yoga and pilates, to tone my arms.

Compliments of womenshealthmag.com

Pushup2

Get in a pushup position on hands and knees. Lower your chest, then push up as fast as you can. (If you can, clap hands in the air.)

SETS: 2

REPS: 12-15

REST: 60 sec

Close-Grip Cable Row2

Sit with your abs tight, lower back slightly arched, shoulder blades squeezed back, and torso upright. Lean forward from the hips to grasp close-grip handles and return to the upright position (A).

Squeeze your shoulder blades and row toward your chest, pulling the handles back as far as possible while keeping your arms close to your body (B). The rowing motion should come from your upper back, not your arms or lower back. Don't jerk your body backward to complete the movement. Slowly extend your arms to return the handles to the starting upright position.

SETS: 2

REPS: 12-15

REST: 60 sec

Stability Ball Lat Swim2

Grab a pair of 2-pound dumbbells and kneel over a stability ball, keeping your feet where the wall and floor meet (it will help brace you). Walk out until your body forms a straight line and lift the dumbbells in front of you to shoulder height, palms down. Keeping your arms straight and palms down, squeeze your lats (think shoulder blades) and bring your arms to your sides. Bring them back in front of you. If this is too hard, start with no weights, and perform the exercise until your form breaks.

SETS: 2

REPS: 12-15

REST: 60 sec

Floor Dip2
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and hands at your sides, directly underneath your shoulders. Hoist your hips off the floor, like a crab. Next, bend your elbows and lower yourself toward the floor (without touching it), then straighten your arms.

SETS: 2

REPS: 12-15

REST: 60 sec

21's 2
Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, palms forward. Curl until elbows hit 90 degrees, then lower to start; do seven reps. Follow immediately with seven more curls, this time bringing the dumbbells to your armpits, then lowering until your elbows reach 90 degrees. Finish with seven complete curls, lowering the dumbbells to your hips and curling them all the way up.

SETS: 2

REPS: 12-15

REST: 60 sec

Now, for my meal plan today

Breakfast: Kashi GoLean! Crunch with non-fat milk and coffee with non-fat milk, no sugar

Lunch: Lean Cuisine- Lemon Chicken & hard boiled egg

Snacks: Cottage cheese & Orange, Granola bar & banana

Dinner: Mediterranean chicken and bow ties- now we usually use lots of noodles with this dish, but we're limiting our portions of bow tie pasta to 2 oz each, which is about 1 cup cooked pasta.

1 cup pasta: 200 cal

4 oz chicken: 110

Herbs, chicken broth, & olives: 50 calories

1 tsp olive oil: 40 calories

Thats all for now, have a great Monday!

--HB