Surprise Inspection

So, the other day, I was working at my desk, minding my own business when I heard a familiar voice.

One that regularly haunts my dreams.

It was trainer Mike.

He was at the office to visit someone else, but - of course - came over to take the opportunity for a quick desk inspection.

What do I mean by inspection?

Well, it was a food inspection. Yeah, you heard right. He marched right into my cubicle and started rummaging through my things. He checked the drawers, my cabinet and the garbage can to see if I was hoarding any contraband. You know, like chocolate, soda, chips - anything that tastes good. Basically, anything other than celery and water!

(He totally busted Cali for having a banana on her desk!)

This comes from a guy who regularly (every single day) eats at fast food burger joints!!! Thank goodness my breakfast that day consisted of a pear and cottage cheese. I think I passed his inspection. Don't get me wrong, I (recently) hid in my pantry at home quietly opening the Oreo package and shoving some in my mouth without being seen or heard, but who am I really hurting???

So, even if you don't have an Inspector Mike in your life, you need to be accountable to yourself because you are worth it!

I am proud to say that this is what I currently hoard at my desk:

Before and...During?

I am working on a blog for Mike. We will announce it shortly. One thing he wants to include on his blog is before and after pictures. 

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Mostly because I am not in the 'after' stage just yet. In fact, I am at the 1/2 way point, give or take.

That being said (haha, I hate it when people say that!), I am (nervously) going to post a 'before' picture and a 'during' picture. The pic on the left was taken last fall and it was definitely a wake-up call. I was so embarrassed when a good friend posted it and tagged me on Facebook. Actually, I was mortified and I immediately untagged myself. 

How did I let things get so bad?

However, it did give me some incentive to start making changes. That very night, I joined Weight Watchers online and started working out more regularly. I lost 19 pounds in 2.5 months, then fell off the wagon and gained 14 of those pounds back (dang holidays!) before I started training with Mike.

I pray that is the last diet roller coaster I ever experience.

I took the super cool selfie on the right 2 days ago.

It's so exciting to see changes - especially in my face. I am super jazzed that my chinny chin chins are disappearing.

As of Sunday, July 7/27/14, I have lost 50 pounds!

Here's to 50 more!!

And The Winner Is...

Sorry that we didn't get this announced yesterday.

It was a typical no good, very bad Monday for all of us and we are just now recovering :)

Since there were only three comments (thanks friends and family) - which were all super hilarious, we are going to give the main prize and two runner-up prizes.

'Cuz we're cool like that.

So...drumroll please...

The winner is...

CHS!

Hooray!

This is his funny/embarrassing workout tale:

Gosh I just love this blog. I have a story. Its sad. I'm about to go to a sad place...

So I tried cross-fit once for about 45 minutes and I was taking a beginners class. A class for out of shape people with no upper body strength (Me) as par of the work out we had to do pull ups. Sadly my body weighed more than what my arms were capable of pulling up. So they had me use this rubber band strap to assist with the pulling. Well in our group we had some girl who looked like a fitness model. She had no business being in there and of course she was on the pull up bar next to me. We had to do 10 reps and I think she finished all ten before I got to rep 4. When she was done she turned around and started cheering me on like "come on you can do it!" and "Your almost finished!" I wanted to yell at her to stand under me and help push me up! She was beautiful, i was wimpy. I think I'm still on rep #6. When she looked away I yelled out 10! and hopped down. AND THAT IS MY SAD SAD STORY!

So, CHS! gets the cookbook and the $25 Target gift card.

And, Jessica and Castle each get a Jamba Juice gift card.

Please send us an email recoveringcupcakeaddicts@gmail.com and give us your contact info.

Thanks for participating!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

This Pizza really helps take the place of those cravings for greasy, cheesy, yummy goodness.  Also for only 272 calories you get to eat THE ENTIRE pizza!  Enjoy!!!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Ingredients

Nonstick spray
2 1/2 cups cauliflower, grated (about 1/2 a large head)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh basil leaves, optional

Directions

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Grate the cauliflower using a box grater (I used food processor until fine crumbles) until you have two cups of cauliflower crumbles. Place in a large bowl and microwave for seven to eight minutes, or until soft. Remove from the microwave and let cool.
3. Mix in the egg, one cup mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Once combined, pat into a 10-inch round on the prepared pizza pan. Spray lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden.
4. Top the pizza with the sauce, 1/4 cup mozzarella, grape tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Bake in the oven until melted and bubbly, another 10 minutes. Top with basil before serving.

I got the recipe here: http://www.fitsugar.com/Low-Carb-Cauliflower-Crust-Pizza-Recipe-30739512

Relapse

The other day was Erica's (29th) birthday.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

So, Brianne thought it would be a great idea to make cupcakes in order to celebrate this milestone.

You guys, cupcakes!

And they were so delicious. She made 2 kinds. Chocolate (with mini Oreos) and vanilla with pink frosting and sprinkles. So, of course, we (I) had to try both kinds. They were mini cupcakes, so I didn't feel too guilty that I actually had three. 


(But, if you talk to Mike, I had zero, okay?!)

So, as with most events big or small - or any given Tuesday, we took some photos.

NBD, right?

Well, within the hour Erica posted this photo on Facebook.

Really?!

Here's what ensued:

We think we're pretty funny.

And, I am very worried about Tuesday...

Erica is definitely going down first for posting the dang picture.

Snitches get stitches!!

Thought of the Week

Your success or failure in life depends 100% on your state of mind and attitude. You can achieve anything you desire in this life if you but allow yourself to believe it, commit yourself to it and work for it. Other than God, NOBODY in this world can stop you from achieving your dreams. You and only you can stop yourself. NOBODY has power over your mind, ambition, drive, learning, choices  and personal growth but YOU. Yes! I mean YOU.  You put the limitation in your own mind and nobody else. Your fears, self image, expectations in life, outgoingness or standards set by peers are what put limitations in your mind. Do not allow yourself to be held captive to your mind. As someone once said, 

"A wise man will be the master of his mind; a fool will be its slave." 

You have the power to choose how far you go in your life!

You have the power to use your thoughts to harness the incredible power of the mind to help you to achieve anything you desire in this life!

You have the power to think and, correspondingly, act in ways that precipitate success!

When you finally come to understand and believe that the first step towards success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you now find yourself, you will unlock a whole new powerful portion of you that your Heavenly Father gave you for that day when you decide to become all that He has created you to become.

Stress Eating

I am a first-time foster mom to a sweet little chihuahua named Sunshine.

This little dog was rescued by a close friend during a trip to California.  This sweet stray dog deserved a chance at a happy life.  So being a dog lover, my friend saved this little girl and brought her home.  

And here is where I come into this picture... 

My friend has pit-bulls that are aggressive with other dogs and since I am currently a mom of 2 other small dogs and a dog lover myself, I agreed to foster her until a great home could be found.  

Fast forward 3 months... 

I have grown attached to this dog. However, with 2 dogs of my own, a very elderly cat and a super busy schedule, I felt it was time for Sunshine to find her forever home (at least I thought I had made this decision).  So, we listed her with a great rescue organization and they will list her on website and show her at their adoption events.  So, this last Saturday I woke up to get this trusting dog ready to go to her first adoption event. Then it hits me... I look at this sweet face who has no idea what is about to happen to her and I start to bawl!  I continue sobbing all the way to the adoption event.  I  am sure I made a giant fool of myself in front of the other foster moms who seem to have their emotions in control.  I cry, wipe my snotty nose and try to give them the needed information for this little girl.  I leave the event knowing if she is not adopted I pick her up in four hours and do this horrific routine again in 2 weeks.  

So, me and my husband leave and what do I do then??? 

I EAT!!!  

I decide we should go to Sizzler since I have all the best intentions of enjoying a healthy salad.  What do I do next? I start to cram into my mouth not the healthy salad I made at the salad bar, but the delightful triangles of cheesy goodness made by Sizzler named CHEESE TOAST.  I don't only eat one, no, I find it necessary to drown my sorrows in 6!!! Yes that's right SIX pieces of cheesy buttery heaven!!!  Yes I feel guilty, yes I am disgusted, but do I stop??? No I don't!!!  

The problem with this whole scenario is that Sunshine did not find her forever home so I picked her up and I get to do this all over again!!! Not sure my waistline can handle much more of this.  

Maybe Sunshine will just become a permanent part of our family.  

Stress and boredom eating for me are MAJOR obstacles in my journey. I just need to find a new way to deal with this, maybe take up a new hobby.


Any ideas??? 

Epic Fail

Hi. We've missed you.

So, since the giveaway was a complete bust, we are cutting our losses and moving forward. We will still choose a winner on Monday (s0 please, please leave us a funny or embarrassing workout story). The odds are pretty good at this point since there are a total of TWO comments.

Let me check again...yep, two.

It's okay. We are having fun with this blog anyway and people are stopping by on a regular basis, so who needs comments anyway, right?

(Well, we kinda do, but we'll live)

In other news:

I got the sweetest email from a co-worker/friend a few weeks ago that reminded me of the importance of encouraging each other.

It made my whole day, week and month. Please tell people the good things you notice about them. It encourages them to be better.

Radio Silence

We started advertising this blog a little over a week ago and are pretty blown away with the number of hits we’ve had so far. It’s pretty exciting. We are happy that people are anxious to see our pain!

However, we are a little sad that the comments section hasn’t blown up. Guys, half (75%?) of the fun of having a blog is to get to know your followers through reading their funny/witty comments.

So, we have decided to encourage full-on bribe you to leave some comments by having a GIVEAWAY! Hooray!

We want to hear your funniest and/or most embarrassing workout stories. Please fill up the comments section of this post with tales that make us snort when we laugh.

The reward for the best story will be a copy of Bob Harper’s book Skinny Meals. He is not paying us to say this, but we love this book. We know (all too well) the vicious cycle of eating the same thing over and over because it’s easy and we know it fits into our meal plan but this book has helped us take the guess work out of incorporating new (healthy) food into our eating rotation.

Oh, and we’ll also throw in a $25 gift certificate to Target (to buy produce and other good-for-you stuff! :)

So, for the next 7 days (until 7/28/14), please share your stories with us. You can also share someone else’s story, or make one up. We’re fine with whatever. We just want to be entertained and we want to get to know you!

We will announce the winner at noon on Monday, 7/28/14.

Southwest Chicken Wraps

I found this recipe on Cooking Light.  There are 210 calories and 19 grams of protein per serving AND they are delicious! A serving is 2 wraps and 2 TABLEspoons of sauce.  Not teaspoons, Tablespoons!!

(8.8-ounce) package microwaveable precooked whole-grain brown rice  (I just made my own brown rice:))
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (Again, I just cubed my chicken and sautéed it in a pan with salt, pepper and garlic, but rotisserie would be super easy too)
3/4 cup fresh salsa
1/3 cup chopped green onion (about 3)
1 (15-ounce) can reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
12 iceberg lettuce leaves (Butter lettuce is my favorite for wraps, so I used that)

Prepare rice according to package directions. Place rice in a large bowl. Stir in chicken and next 3 ingredients. Spoon chicken mixture evenly in center of lettuce leaves. Fold in edges of leaves; roll up, and secure with wooden picks. Serve with Spicy Chipotle Dipping Sauce.

Chipotle Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (Greek Yogurt works awesome too)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

**  I added avocado because I like it and I like to do things my way!   Of course that would add to the caloric value, but it tastes so good it's worth it and it's healthy.  Even making the chicken and rice on my own, this meal was complete and plated in 30 minutes.  Next time I am going to add some corn.   

The possibilities here are endless!!  

So Funny!

I heard the funniest quote today.

It made me laugh out loud.

fitbit

My super cool little sister got me the greatest gift for my birthday ----> my very own fitbit. 

I love it.

Today is the third day I have worn it and I finally hit my 10,000 steps (but only because it counts steps, not actual time working out so when I lift or do yoga for my workout, it doesn't give me credit). Actually, I have logged 13,041 steps today. So, it's totally okay that I had chips and salsa for dinner, right?

The chips were baked and that's all I had, so don't judge me.

It's sad that I have to justify eating chips, huh?

It's good to be accountable and to keep track. I guess I can connect with friends but I'm still figuring things out.

I do have to be careful when I show people the app on my phone because just below the calories burned section is my weight. So, Mark in I.T. knows how much I weigh.

Sorry about that friend.

Not quite ready to go public with that information just yet.

Workout of the Week (Trainer Mike)

Mike has agreed to make regular contributions to this blog - a 'trainer tip of the week' of sorts. (It didn't even take much begging. He is nice some of the time). Here is a workout that will definitely get your heart rate up and make you sweat. Be sure to have some Tylenol on hand the next day.

If he were to write something to introduce this workout, it would probably be this: "Yo, I'm Mike and I like to make people cry. Do the following workout without stopping, then jump squat to the stop sign and back. If I catch you stopping, I will be on your butt for the rest of the workout. Let's go ladies!"

(He is for sure going to kill me when he reads that).

Here's the workout. Enjoy!

Perform one set of an exercise, stretch your muscles, then move immediately to the next exercise. Complete one set of each exercise in the circuit before resting 1-2 minutes. Repeat the circuit 2 times before moving on to the next circuit.

Circuit 1

repeat 2 times

15-20 reps dumbbell shoulder press

15-20 reps dumbbell bicep curl 

15-20 reps dumbbell triceps extension

15-20 reps dumbbell delt skier kickbacks with front squats

Cardio:

Treadmill 

3 min of brisk walk, followed by alternating between 1 min sprint and 1 min easy run, and 45 seconds recovery.

Repeat 2 times

Circuit 2

repeat 2 times

15-20 reps plate front raise

15-20 reps one arm cable curl (you can use bands if training at home)

15-20 reps barbell bicep curl

15-20 reps dumbbell triceps kickback

Cardio:

3 min of brisk walk, followed by alternating between 1 min sprint and 1 min easy run, and 45 seconds recovery.

Repeat 2 times

(Pay no attention to my bat wing. I am working on it!)