Guess Who's Cooking?

Well I finally decided to get my but in the kitchen and start doing something constructive, so I think.
MeikMeika has been getting on my case about posting pictures, so here you go. Now I have to admit I am not a pro in the kitchen but I do try. My initial goal was to try something new every week. I think that lasted about one week! Lol. When I started the Master Cleanse that's when the cooking went down the drain, because there was no need to cook! Also being on Weight Watchers

and counting points, kinda makes it difficult to count your points and to make sure you are getting the right proportion. So I usually make my meals separate from everyone else. Anyhow I decided to dust off my WW's cook book from last year, I'm sure it will make things a little easier.
Lets see whats first?






This first dish is Tofu and Veggies in Peanut Sauce . I'm not sure why they called it Peanut Sauce because they actually use peanut butter. I love peanut butter! I know it sounds like a weird combination but don't knock it till you try it! Also not sure why they called it veggies because the recipe only had broccoli, I guess if you wanted to add more veggies you could. It still turned out good. I loved it and I will be cooking that again.

The next dish wasn't nothing new. I just decided take a picture. I cooked French Style Green Beans, Plantains, Brown Rice with Black Beans(with diced tomatoes, garlic, oregano and onion). This was my first time putting diced tomatoes in my Black beans and I have to admit that it gave it a lil more flavor.

Now this is one of my favorites. Its a vegetable and tofu pot pie. I made this on my own. I was lazy and bought pie ready crusts. I sauteed some mixed vegetables,tofu, with onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. I then mixed in Cream of Mushroom soup, then poured it in the pie crust and added another pie crust on top. This was delicious, however it is also high in fat due to the crust. I meant to take the picture before I sliced it. (I was eager to dig in) Then I forgot to take a picture of it cut so you all could see the middle, go figure. Oh well maybe next time.



Last but not least this is a vegetable stir-fry with a meatless substitute. I have discovered that I like squash and zucchini. I just made this on my own. I cut up Summer Squash and Zucchini in little pieces along with sweet onions, green, yellow, and red peppers. I sauteed them in Peanut Sauce and added Morningstar Farms Veggie Steak Strips . They actually taste pretty decent. This was my first time ever trying peanut sauce and after discovering that it was spicy. I had to make another batch for my DH and son. I really liked that meal as well.

Just today I made some Cinnamon-Rasin Banana Bread Pudding. I got the recipe from my Weight Watchers cook book. It was my first time ever making bread pudding and I think it actually came out good. I forgot to take pictures as usual. However if my bread pudding still looks picture ready tomorrow, I will update the post with a picture.

I have been a vegetarian for about 6 months now! I am glad that I decided to change my eating habits. Since I wasn't a big meat eater, I knew it wouldn't be that hard. Also with the support of my DH he decided to go along this journey with me and I'm glad because I know it probably would have been difficult if he was still eating meat. Anyhow I have decided to take it up a notch by becoming vegan before the end of this year. I know I can do without eggs. It's that I'm addicted to cheese. It tastes so gooooood! I'm sure I will be fine with out it. I have got to try that cheese by Follow Your Heart that MeikMeika suggested. I also got to try veganaise because I like mayo but I'm not addicted to it like cheese. I know becoming vegan may become a problem for my DH because he is in love with Mayo, he acts like he can't live without it! lol Anyhow me and DH had some concerns about bringing our kids up on a vegetarian lifestyle. My DH thinks we should let the kids eat meat, until they get old enough to decide. I on the other hand thinks it should be the other way! I think we should raise them as vegetarians/vegans and when they get old enough to know the difference then let them decide on if they want to continue or not. I guess he is concerned of them not getting enough B12 and other common deficiencies that vegetarians/vegans get. However my main concern is when they get older and start school, and have to eat at school. What if they forget? Or what if they trade lunches or something. If you have any suggestions let me know. As of now I know that I will probably have to pack their lunches for a very long time. My son J is in Day care and I ask for the weekly menu in advance so I know what to bring him to replace a meal if needed. Right now its working because the school is good about feeding the kids veggies and healthy snacks. I just have to replace the meat every now and then, but I'm thinking about what is going to happen when they get older when they don't have supervision when eating lunch. Oh well I guess I have time to figure that one out!
Well I hope to start back cooking so I can get good at it! Lol If you all have any meal ideas let me know. Until next time much love

My Quest To Lose Weight

THIS MY BEFORE AND I WILL BE AN AFTER




It's a New Year and it's time for New Beginnings. I have decided to take my health more seriously and do something about those extra pounds that I have been carrying around, because it is not cute! Lol

Anyhow as most of you know I was on this same journey last year around this time. However my daughter Justice thought she would come in the picture and put my goals on hold. So anyway I am back on my quest to lose 50 pounds! It's actually 41.8 but I'll explain later.

I started my journey in the beginning of December. With no luck the entire month I stumbled upon Maryee's Blog and I found a link about her and Jen's experience on the Master Cleanse. You can read more about it here. So I thought I would give this a try to jump start my weight loss! I have done this before in 2006 for 3 weeks and lost only 9 pounds due to some severe cheating lol. However this time I was a little more successful. I lost 13 pounds in the minimum of 10 days recommended! Overall it was a great experience. I felt great and full of energy throughout the whole process . However after I started back eating I gained 6 of those pounds back but I was okay with that if you want to find out more info about The Master Cleanse aka The Lemonade Diet you can read more about it here.

I decided to rejoin Weight Watchers to help aid in my quest to lose weight. I had to quit last year because of my lil interruption. I am so glad I rejoined! I lost 4.8 (almost 5) pounds in the first week. I tried doing WW's on my own back in December only to fail. Going to meetings and having extra support really make a difference to me, I feel more accountable so if going to meetings will help me lose weight then so be it!

I have really decided to make a lifestyle change as far as being more active. I challenged myself to take up something different at least once or twice a month. As far as skating, riding a bicycle, kayaking, hiking, playing tennis, basketball, swimming, and boxing. Doing the normal exercise routine all the time can tend to get boring. So I thought adding new activities would spice things up a bit!

However the most challenge of them all is running! Yep I decided to take up running. I know it is challenging and that is why I decided to take it up. I want to commit to running and eventually that will be my primary exercise. My goals for this year is to run in two to three 5K(3.1 miles) races. Or two 5K races and one 10K (6.2 miles). My ultimate goal is to eventually run in a half marathon and a marathon. I haven't set a date on that goal yet because a run like that. I will need some serious training. Now I don't expect to place in these runs.I will be doing it just for the fun of it, just completing the races will satisfy me alone.


















Now running is a serious sport. I admire runners now. To help me become a good runner. I had the opportunity to purchase this lovely Nordic Track Treadmill ( AS I am not ready to show my extra jiggle outside, lol). It is really great and it has special programs that will help train me with my running goals. I figured since I don't have the opportunity to go to the gym at the moment I will bring the gym to me! I also purchased a Garmin Forerunner 305 which is a runner's best friend. It has a GPS system, Heart Rate Monitor and lots of tools to help you train. I love it! I must admit the price is a little expensive but I was able to get a bargain at amazon.com. I am so ready to take on this new challenge, I am even having dreams about it. I know I'm crazy.





Anyhow I started this weight loss journey at 210.5 but then gained two pounds. Anyhow I have loss 6 pounds with the help of the Master Cleanse and an additional 5 rounded off( 4.8 ) with Weight Watchers. I only have 42 more pounds to go. I know it will not be easy but I am determined. Well I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Until next time much love!

Soft Spikes Challenge

I hear so much from other sisters how long their curls last and I am amazed with their results. So I decided to do a Soft Spike challenge to see how long my curls would last.
To prepare I washed my hair at night before, I also added Elasta QP Design Foam to help aid in the longevity of the curls. To make sure that my hair was dry.( Still waiting on that Purple People heater!) I let the SS stay in my hair for 24 hours (Glad I didn't have to go anywhere! lol) Anyhow the first day I took them out I wore them as is. Then the following day I finger combed the curls out. My curls lasted for about a total of 7 days. They probably would have lasted longer if I wasn't working out. I didn't think to do much styling maybe next time. All in all I was happy with the results and I will try them again. I wonder if my curls would have lasted longer if I would have dried my hair with heat. There is only one way to find out! Well I hope everyone in blog land is doing fine. Until next time much love!

Oh by the way this is another ColdPlay Song called "In My PLace". I can't help it I'm addicted, I think they make good music. I can listen to them all day!

Bringing In The New Year With Curls

Day 1



I decided to give my Soft Spikes ( regular size) another try. When I first purchased them, I wasn't too fond of the curls, they were kind of tight. However now that I have a little length I think I like them. I'm still going to get the jumbo size one day but I think I will give these a few more tries before I do.

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Day 2 I'm wearing one of my Brunsli Hair Ties
I know you can't really see the curl patttern that great in this picture but it did turn out good.

I set my hair on the Soft Spikes right after I washed them. I also spritz my hair with diluted Lotta Body to help the curls last. Since I wasn't going anywhere I let my Soft Spikes stay in for over 24 hours. I wanted to make sure that they were fully dry, since I don't have hair dryer as of yet. The first day I took them out I wore them as they were, and on the second day I hand combed them out. I am happy with the reuslts. I just wanted to try something new besides free styling all the time. Anyhow I hope everyone had a bleesed New Years, until next time much love.



Day 3 I'm sporting one of my Tomoka's Twists and Earrings

I was excited when I finally got them in the mail. I love them and the earrings, thanks Carmen.


P.S. You know I had to eventually add my rock music into the playlist. This is one of my favorite songs by Cold Play. If you don't like Cold Play something is wrong with you! Lol, I'm just kidding.( Well not really)