Broccoli Pin

Are you on Pinterest? Oh my, If you are not then pretend I didn't mention it...close this page...resist the dark side.

If you ARE using Pinterest you know that what happens is that you pin a ton of good intentions, brilliant ideas, MUST do thats... and then close up the computer and walk away. Hahahahahaha.

Well, I am DETERMINED to actually use some of these and I have tried two so far. The score is Fail-1, Success-1.

My fail was a homemade tea latte that just tasted terrible! So, I did a little more research on my second pin (labeled Best Broccoli of Your Life) and found out it was actually a Barefoot Contessa recipe. LOVE her! So with only mild anxiety I gathered the ingredients and gave it a try and guess what-- it was great!

Eric said it was a 'keep' recipe and Evie liked it except for the lemon juice at the end (I SHOULD have thought of that) so next time I will just set some aside before I add that at the end.

Notes: I did not use the pine nuts or the basil. Just didn't want to invest in a 1st try recipe...figured we would know without those two if it was a keeper or not based on the comments/reviews. Also, since I only used ONE head of broccoli (again not investing yet) I did mine in the toaster oven and it turned out great. (LOVE not turning on the big oven!)

Have you tried any of your Pinterest pins? Was it a success or total fail? Are you addicted to Pinterest?

Photo from here

A-PEek at the Movies

Friday night was date night (yea!) and there was no movie we HAD to see so we just went with our standard movie picking system. It is this: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ (we say at LEAST 50% but the higher the better) + our time constraints = Movie we will see. It's been a fail safe formula! This time it led us to Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Now, I am already a huge fan of James Franco (1. because of the spider man series and 2. because he looks like Eric's cousin- REALLY!) and I wish I could bring myself to watch 127 hours but I just CAN'T!! Also, I thought John Lithgow and 'the girl' (turns out she is Freida Pinto) were great too.

A surprise was *MINOR spoiler alert* seeing Draco in there (Tom Felton). I hope this doesn't mean poor Tom will only ever play the mean guy. I'd like to see him be a NOT mean guy in a role. If he has please let me know.

Best part of the movie was definitely the special effects combined with the performance of Andy Serkis who you will remember as Gollum (now you have to say 'My Precious' in a freaky whispery voice...go ahead say it with me).

Overall review:

Me- walked out thinking it was a perfect date movie. Emotional story for the girls and special effects for the guys.

Eric- Meh. He said he couldn't put his finger on it because he thought the effects were GREAT (and Eric would know) but he didn't think the movie was great. After we took some more time to think it thru we came up with two reasons this might be. First, the story itself was kind of a mish-mash of pieces of other movies you have seen, nothing REALLY new here and you could probably watch it a second time and start labeling the scenes that were stolen from other movies. Second, I think it suffered from 'Episode 3 syndrome' meaning that the problem is you KNOW how it ends so they can't really go anywhere else besides the inevitable ending and that makes it....well, anti-climatic.

I still say go see it. But, I do think Rotten Tomatoes may have been a bit generous on this one at 83%. ENJOY!

Have you seen this movie? What did you think? Are there any movies with actors you like that you want to watch but because of the story/theme can't bring yourself to?

Photo from here

Coming Up Violets

Ok folks. Get ready to add this to your list. Total thumbs up.

Part mystery, part ancestry, part romance = a good read. If I see something recommended by someone (in this case I believe it was one of my blogs) I often go to the library website and request it. Then it's like a little gift when it comes in and I have forgotten about it.

In this case it was a GREAT gift. Easy to read, enjoyable and something that won't keep you up at night while still making you want to read just a LITTLE more.

The word that comes to mind is deLIGHTful and I am pleasantly surprised since I had recently given up on this whole 'middle age woman starting over' type story entirely.

Next up for me....I'm gonna head on back to some YA Scifi and read "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle cause one of her books recently caught my eye at a second hand shop and as I was about to buy it I noticed it said: 'a companion to A Wrinkle i Time' so I placed it back on the shelf and instead made a note to read that one first. You can see my recent review of another great book by this author here

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Back to Reality- Morning

As many of you know, I successfully followed Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure www.jorgecruise.com and lost about 20 pounds last year (along with doing lots of yoga).

I essentially went off the diet around the new year and although I kept up the workouts my weight started to creep up. So, after my recent food indulgent vacation I am back up by 6 pounds for the year (about a pound a month so not TOO bad) and am ready to get back on track.

I love the BFC because it DOES allow carbs (unless you do his fast track option- but that is not for me). I am a total carb freak! When I started his plan I tried cutting out ALL the carbs which made me sad. Then after a week or so I added them back (the 6x20g allowed for the day). That way, I make my carbs really count! I found that I didn't miss pasta at all (which surprised me) but I really DO like a bun on my burger. Also, I don't really like cheese much (cheese sticks are a totally easy, portable and ideal snack on the BFC) but I will eat it spread on a cracker. Stuff like that.

So, this week I am trying to get back on track. Last time I set a goal weight and worked toward that. However, I don't actually think I need a weight goal this time. I'm not unhappy with the number on the scale. I do, however, have a few body areas I'd like to see diminished in size and that's what I am going to work on.

The thing that works absolutely the BEST for me is to basically have a set meal plan. If I have to make a decision at meal/snack time I NEVER make the best decision (or even a good one...cookies for breakfast....why not?!) So, I like to make a little plan for everything all day and eat the same thing every day. This might be boring for some of you but it's what works for me. In my plan dinner is a wildcard. I don't plan that at all. I just eat what is availiable or what is handy or what I am craving. But the rest of the day is set.

Here is what is on my plan starting today:

• Breakfast- Protein bar and a diet soda (technically diet soda is not allowed on the BFC because of artificial sweetners but I veto that one since I am not a coffee girl (coffee is allowed) and I need my caffeine. Zevia is an alternative but it is REALLY expensive compared to my store brand sodas and I lost the weight last time without cutting my sodas so I will only give these up if I don't see any success) My top choices for Protein bars are Think Thin and Supreme Protein.
• Snack- Wasa bread and Laughing Cow cheese. Two of these crispbreads and one slice of the cheese really fills me up. Try all the flavors. My current favorite is the queso fresco & chipotle YUM! (there is an even higher fiber option www.brancrispbread.com but I found them to be a little TOO cardboard-like and inconvenient since you have to order them online)
• Fiber/Water boost- I can't stand drinking plain water unless it is during a workout. So I finally found my ideal water. I add a packet of True Lemonade and a few teaspoons of Benefiber to a 23.7oz bottle of water. (the packets are supposed to be for smaller bottles but I find I like the less intense flavor of putting it in a larger bottle). (Benefiber again is not Jorge's first choice but I already have a stockpile of it so I am gonna go with that)
• Supplements- I am taking local honey for my allergies (which right off the bat is straight sugar but I'm leaving that out since it keeps me from taking some pretty serious allergy medications), a probiotic tablet, and a chewable vitamin (since it's easy to pop one when I give one to the kids).

Well, that's the morning plan! I will be back later with the afternoon/evening plan!

Have you tried the BFC? Have you even HEARD of it? Do you follow a set daily eating plan? Feel free to comment and let me know! :)

Protein bars are my friends

I have been following Jorge Cruise's Belly Fat Cure for about a year now off and on. Initially I lost almost 20 pounds doing it pretty strictly. Since then, just using the plan when I feel some pounds creeping back on. While on it I discovered these Think Thin bars. YUMMY. And they have lots of protein and low low sugar & carbs (due to sugar alcohols). They are even gluten free if that is important to you.

At first, I only knew about the peanut butter and brownie ones. That's what I could find at Kroger and HEB. But after a few months I was pretty burned out and that got me down. I missed my bars. I should say- I missed enjoying them. Then one day-- I found out there were MORE FLAVORS!!! I was SO excited. The only down side is that so far I have only been able to find the other flavors at Whole Foods and Central Market. I could order them online from Amazon but I have heard mixed reviews about the freshness of their supply.

Recently, I got the free sample of the Atkins bars thanks to some of the deal sites I watch. It arrived (it was a starter kit with two bars) and Eric and I tried them and we like them too! Happiness. So, I am not abandoning my Think Thin bars by any means (I love me some tangerine, lemon, and white chocolate chip) but it's nice to know that Walmart carries quite a nice variety of flavors of Atkins bars between trips downtown.

Today I was picking some up (in the drugstore section) and then found a whole display of new and different flavors (COCONUT, YUM!) over in the main aisle of the food section!! Eric attacked them as soon as he got home. He likes them because its protein and not meat. I like them cause I can throw one in my bag and have a meal on the go that keeps me TRULY full till the next meal.

Are you a fan of protein bars? Are you watching sugar? How do you feel about the sugar alcohols being used to make them sugar free? Let me know!

Photo from here