Recipe for the day: Shrimp Pasta in Spinach Pesto Sauce

Who doesn't like a big ol' bowl of "Spasketti"? I know I do! Since I'm doing low carb and whole wheat and blah blah....I tried a really yummy recipe that I thought might be good to eat for the winter months (for those in the bitter cold ) when you want something to stick to your ribs.

I made whole wheat spaghetti with shrimp and pesto sauce.

It's pretty simple which is why I can post it from memory.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of extra extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp of fresh basil leaves or 1tsb of dried basil
1/4 cup of chopped garlic
1/2 cup of fresh spinach (optional)
1 tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (feel free to use dried Parmesan cheese out the container)
1 box of whole wheat spaghetti
2 cups of frozen pre-cooked peeled shrimp
1tbsp of butter

*optional* sun dried tomatoes

Directions:

Set Shrimp and butter aside
Boil spaghetti in a pot. (Add a tsp of oil if desired)
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or blender

Heat skillet on med high and saute' shrimp in butter for approx. 2min or until done.

Strain and rinse spaghetti. In a bowl toss shrimp, pesto, and spaghetti until a nice coating is achieved. Add sun dried tomatoes for texture and additional flavor.  Spinach option add a beautiful green color (and extra nutrients!)

Serve with side salad or alone.

Pair with Alsace Willm Pinot Gris 2007



Enjoy!

Barbie

I did it! 56 Miles today!

Yippeeee! I made it to 56 miles today! I walked 4 miles everyday for two weeks straight! It feels so awesome to have actually accomplished a fitness goal. It makes me feel like I can do anything.

I wanted to keep it simple and not try to do too much. So, I'm going to make another goal of continuing this fitness regimen for another two weeks.

Wish me luck! Have you accomplished anything you want to share today?

Ciao,
Barbara

If we knew better...

We'd do better? Is that true? There's a reason someone coined the phrase, "Ignorance is bliss." Is it because we just don't want to know what we ought to be doing? How we ought to be living? Is is that we don't want to be held accountable for our actions? Probably. I was joking with my sister about how I wanted to eventually become a Certified Personal Trainer (whoop!) but I had a lot of work to do before I could help someone else. Imagine me, sitting on the reformer, eating an Oreo, telling someone else to push it and pump it up! I could just see myself, with a 64oz Slurpee in one hand, too small leotard, tights, and a valour headband saying, " If you want fame, it starts here! And you start paying, with SWEAT!"....(slurp!..belch!) I thought it was a funny image, till she reminded me that there are plenty out of shape trainers (well maybe just a few) who know all the moves but never implement them for themselves. How many machines do you own? How many fitness DVD's have you bought with the best intentions? You could open your own gym and consultation service for all the diets you've tried and equipment you've purchased. So what's holding you back?



06' in while living in LA-Image was everything there.



6 mos pregnant...glowing. :)



What held me back for a long time was what I saw in the mirror. Admittedly, I was never a skinny person. I was statuesque (yes, we'll use that word). A curvy 14/16 with a proportioned waistline and though I couldn't shop in Express...I still was able to wear many designer duds. When I would lament that I was slightly overweight, someone would chime in and say, "whatever, you're not fat!"...I'd go, "oh, yeah, I guess you're right." I wasn't. Size is very relative. Words like fat, overweight, thick, plump, chunky, lean..are words that are in the eye of the beholder. When I looked in the mirror, what I saw changed from time to time, but it wasn't enough to lead me into action.

Then enter baby. I looked in the mirror and I looked different. I am no way shape or form minimizing the struggles those who have battled weight since childhood have, but I couldn't believe who was starring back at me. This was real.  I said,"This is what I look like now." I didn't like mirrors for a week or so, but I was obsessed with starring in them. I'd smile, frown, wince, lift an eyebrow, turn to the side; anything in hopes that the image would be different. It wasn't. I kept saying, out loud, in conversation that I was "fat", "ugly", I even called myself a "troll under a bridge." I tossed these self bashing terms around like hotcakes hoping it could add humor to a sad situation. What was most sad was that I believed it. It wasn't until I prayed and said, "Lord, I'm wonderfully made in your image; why don't I feel that way? " He said, "because you are looking through your lens and not mine." If I was truly grateful for being made so wonderfully, how could I treat my body as though it was a piece of junk? I couldn't do that.

So, I fasted from make-up to see who I really was for a while. And I decided to take all that I knew, learned, and was learning about fitness and nutrition and decided to make over the inside. I was an am careful about what I put it. When I work out it's a time of prayer and meditation (even though it's fast paced). I reflect on what I look like, what I feel like, what I love about myself, and what I love about God. I thank Him for making me in His image and restoring me.

What really makes us do better not necessarily knowing, but understanding. When you understand that you are made for a purpose greater than what you see in the mirror; you can start to make changes. When I work out and look at my baby sleeping; I smile. I say, "we're almost at 4 miles Lilly!" She grunts and keeps on snoring. But I am committing to change for her, to give her a legacy of good health and positive self affirmation.  Loving yourself isn't just about saying it, but truly taking care of your body, mind, and spirit.

I hope that you pull out those DVDs, dust off that treadmill, and open that whatever diet book. Not because you need to lose weight but because at some point you felt you needed to change for the better. You can do it!


Ciao,
Barbie

Sugar Sugar....Sugarhead

How many times have we heard older African-Americans refer to themselves (or others) as having "the sugars" when referencing Type II Diabetes? I remember hearing that term a lot growing up. Unfortunately, in my family, its a frequent saying as several of my family members have been diagnosed with either Type II or Type I Diabetes. It is another disease that plagues the African-American community in startling numbers. It can lead to loss of sight, appendages, and a slew of other debilitating conditions if left untreated.

That being said, my sugar addiction scares the crap out of me because I see myself spiraling down a dark rabbit hole that leads to a not so wonderful land of insulin shots and strict (er) diets. While I was pregnant I was nervous that my overly heightened sugar addiction would lead to gestational diabetes and complications in my pregnancy (including a baby with a high birth weight). Fortunately, I didn't have it. Yet, I am still genetically prone to being diagnosed with it. The hardest part of this whole health process is cutting out the sweets. Here are a list of my repeat offenders:

BIRTHDAY CAKE! (I always seem to know someone whose birthday falls in every month and I'm sure to call and say, "Happy Birthday" and get a cake. Even if they live miles away. It's the thought that counts. ). I even love bad birthday cake. With the horrible dye and sprinkles and hokey toys on top.

Oreos. Chocolate with cream in the middle. Enough said.

Bread. I love it with a big slab of butter and something saucy or soupy to dunk it in. My favorites are my Aunt's rolls, Red Lobster biscuits, and banquet rolls.

These seem to catch me up all the time. My doctor said it simply, "Barbara, you consume too many carbs and too much sugar. Cut it out, and the weight will come off."

He's right. I had to cut it totally. When I looked back at my diary, I had at least two separate forms of carbs that convert to sugar (i.e. bread, pasta, processed food, or sugary sweets themselves). It was eye opening.  PLUS, sugar in my drinks (i.e. pop, tea, and the biggest offender JUICE!...the Juice was loose in my diet. )

So here's what will help YOU to purge the sneaky sugar.

1.You're not crazy; you might actually have a sugar addiction. Sugar gives us an emotional and physical lift. It stimulates the brain to release endorphins and raise the "feel good hormone" serotonin. Because of this we eat sugar when we're stressed, sad, PMSing, or want to feel happy or celebratory (Happy Birthday!). But, as all good things come to an end, it wears off and leaves you feeling bad, heavier, and sluggish.  From an evolutionary standpoint, it's what helped us decipher good food from poisonous ones. Well, it's come to that again. For your survival, you need to know that sugar can kill you. It's a radical thought, but it helps to gage it and keep it in check.

2. 25 grams of sugar is ALL the sugar women should get in one day. To give you perspective, you usually clear that in on 8oz glass of juice or pop. As, I sit in Starbucks right now, I could have easily cleared it with my Grande Skinny Carmel Macchiatto (had I not asked for it to be sugar free). That one drink had 35grams of sugar in it.

3. Reach for Healthy Substitutes
I'm no fool. An apple in not gonna cut it when I want something that was baked, frosted, and sprinkled. But it will help to take the edge off. Nicorette for smokers, grapefruit and strawberries for sugarheads. Those fruits still have natural sugars, but they are also packed with nutrients that can fill you and an apple has fiber so it won't leave you feeling hungry like that piece of cake will.

4. This seems to be the rule. Cheats or OK. It's too much sugar overtime that will cause the problem. So, birthday cake is good, so long as it's your birthday, which rolls around once a year. (Duely noted.)
Besides according to integrative physician Jacob Teitulbum, M.D., 80 percent of the pleasure that comes from eating something sweet occurs within the first two bites. So take a bite, and another, then share the wealth. With me! (or someone else..) If no one else is around, just toss it.

I hope these tips help. This is a very personal battle to me and can cost me so much in the long run. Wish me luck. If you are battling a sugar addiction, take a look below to see what it might cost you.


Happy Eating!
Ciao!
Barbie

P.S.
FYI- The Cost of Too Much Sugar

-Anxiety
Sugar wreaks havoc on your nervous system by spiking blood sugar, leaving you on edge.
-Depression
Eating sugar laden foods instead of nutritional ones leads to Vitamin B deficiencies, which exacerbate the blues
-Type II Diabetes
Your body can be overwhelmed with the need to process all the sugar and lead to insulin resistance and weight gain.
-Fibromyalgia

Sugar suppresses the immune system. One can of soda can weaken your immune function for up to 3 hours!

-Migraines

A drop in blood sugar after a sugar "high" can cause tension headaches and worsen migraines.

-Sinusitis

Too much sugar causes yeast overgrowth, which may trigger an inflammatory reaction in the nose.

Sugar Ray :)

Black Woman's Kryptonite

The root of ALLLL evil...not really. Enjoy responsibly.

Laces up!

Hi All,
Running. People generally have a love/hate relationship with it. I love the sound of my breath keeping pace with my heart. I love the feeling of swiftness and the wind whipping through me. I love the escape from life and the chance to be one with my thoughts. Running is cleansing.

And it burns a buttload of calories!

Some of you all may be aware that I am on target (yay God!) to meet my walking goal of 56 miles in two weeks. The reason I set this goal, was because I need to drop weight to safely begin running again. I wish I had pursued my passion for running earlier in life. It just never dawned on me to join the track or cross country team in high school.  Well, since my legs are still working and I have breath in my lungs, I'm going to tie those laces up and hit the track. I used to love to run/jog on the lakefront in Chicago.  Since I put on baby weight, it's not safe to run till I drop the pounds. I could risk serious injury to my knees. So, walking is my next best friend.

I can't wait until I can jog safely again and then run!

One of my goals is to run two events this year. A 5k  and a half marathon. A 5k is a little over 3 miles. Half marathons are generally 13 miles. I know I'll have the stamina, but I have seen people very close to me suffer foot, knee and back injuries because they were running with too much weight. So, stay posted as I work toward my immediate goal of walking 56 miles in two weeks and my greater goal of participating in the Women's Running Magazine Half Marathon, November 11th in Tennessee!!

P.S. I have a new love in Women's Running Magazine! It's a great read and very inspirational.

Ciao!
Barbie

Portion Control

Hello All,

There are so many reasons to be grateful today! It's a beautiful day here in Texas, and I lost 3lbs since last Monday! The hard work is paying off! One thing that I am starting to do, however, is watch my portions. Now, we all know that America restaurants doll out enough food for three people on one plate. Here in Houston (area), it's even more likely that you'd get enough food to last you the whole day in one sitting (and the calorie intake too). This being considered, I have to be very careful of my food preparation at home. To the left you can see that I switched bowls. I used to eat out of the blue bowl. Now, I eat out of the clear bowl. "But what if I'm still hungry?", you ask. Fear not. Here are some other tips I found to help with portion control and stamp out hunger:

1. Break Leftovers Down

When you cook, put leftovers away before you even fix a plate, that way you will be able to pull it out in a perfect portion size without trying to figure out how much is too much.

2. Say Yes to Salads

Eating a salad before lunch or dinner to fill yourself up and get your serving of veggies. This isn't just a small iceberg either. Used dark leafy greens and colorful vegetables to load variety, flavor and best of all needed nutrients to your diet. Plus, the fiber from the salad will make you fill fuller.

3. Single out trigger foods

Round up the "usual suspects" and divide them out into snack healthy portions. It's easy to go through a whole bag of chips (or cheeze its in my case) when you're not paying attention. However, if you're done with a 12oz bag, then you're done. (A caveat: if a healthy portion is less than a serving size, you probably shouldn't eat it.)

4. Master mini meals

Eating small meals during the day helps to keep hunger at bay. Ideally, you should have six small meals.

5. Keep Seconds out of Sight

This goes alone with number 1. After cooking, just put away the food. I like to serve plates and put the food away before we even sit down.

6. Serving Standards

Perhaps the most important, know what serving standards look like. Learn to "eyeball" portions. A 3oz portion of meat looks like a deck of cards or audio tape. A 1oz portion looks like a matchbook. 1 cup of potatoes or rice looks like a tennis ball.

7. Last but not least...indulge.

I ate a piece of cheesecake Sunday. It was VERY good. But it tasted so good because I had worked so hard to enjoy. Give yourself a a treat and know that it's worth it. Make it worth it. Don't splurge on a cheap Little Debbie Snack, get a gourmet delight that will make you say, "That was perfect".

I hope these help. They are helping me, along with patience and diligence.

Ciao!

Barbie

Hold On, Push Through

Hi All,

Creating a goal gives you a purpose. There is something so rewarding about reaching that goal. That's why for your emotional, spiritual, and physical health: you should be creating tangible goals that you can accomplish.

I am so excited to share that I am halfway to my goal of walking 4 miles a day for two consecutive weeks (56 miles). Today I reached 28 miles!! I am almost there. On Sunday, I had to go to church and agreed to walk with my sister at 8am in the morning. Sure enough, 7:54 a.m rolled around and I woke up on my own. I looked at the clock and said, " I can do it after church." Something, in my head (my little angel on my shoulder) said, "But what if you don't. How will you feel knowing you came so close to reaching your goal, and you gave up for the sake of sleep?"

I literally JUMPED out of the bed and drove to my sister's house. I didn't even call her. Whether she was up or not; I was walking. I didn't want to cheat myself out of my blessing. Sometimes we do that. We're almost there and if we just hold on and push through, we will make it.

So, HOLD ON! PUSH THROUGH! You will accomplish all the goals you set for yourself.

Ciao,

Barbie

What I'm Walking it out to!

Hi All,

This is what I'm walking to right now. My joints and ligements are still loose from pregnancy and I can't do too much too soon, however, I love this video because in 50 minutes I walk 4 miles and burn A LOT of calories. I also like that she incorporates cross training and strengthening. As I stated, I want to start running by June, so this helps to build up my endurance and bring me down to a weight that is safe for my knees to run on.

If you are getting started in your workout, try this video. She also has 1mile options and up to 5 mile walks.

Enjoy.

Ciao.

Barbara

Back at it again...

Hi All,

It has been a while. A year exactly since I last posted on here. That says a lot. It says that I've fallen, gotten back on, fallen and gotten back on again. I'm excited this time because I have so much motivation this time around. When I started this blog in 2008, I was gearing up for my wedding and trying to slim down and be healthy. My goals are still the same but much has changed since then. Obviously, I got married. More recently, I had my first daughter. The other love of my life. She is more than I could have ever asked for and more. She has already taught me so much!

She came with a hefty price too! 60lbs of lovely baby weight (see above). Truthfully, I can't even blame her. I ate whatever I wanted and made no apologies for it. Now, with 20lbs gone, I still have 40 left to shed. This year, I didn't make any resolutions, I simply started a food journal. Last week, I started consistantly walking 4 miles a day. I'm trying.

I make no promises to myself, only goals. I set a goal to keep a food journal for two weeks (recording everything I ate, the good, the bad, and the yummy!). My reward for sticking with that? A new workout outfit. I just love feeling sexy while sweating!

My next goal is walking 4 miles daily (without fail) for two weeks. I created this goal to see if I could stick to a fitness routine. I get creative and want to add things but I just want to stick to this and see how it goes. My reward? A massage my sister bought for me. I'll check back with you all to see how it goes.

Ciao!

Barbara