Deanna's Christmas

Just in case you missed my meeting this week or were wondering what happened to me... I went to Ohio to see my amazing family. I cannot tell how much I miss them and appreciate every moment spent with them. We had an amazing Christmas. My mom is so awesome at making us feel so special at Christmas time. Here are a few photos from the holidays...



Myself and My niece Mahaylee in our matching Bearcat outfits!



My Awesome Sisters looking great!

All the Awesome women in my family

Have a safe and Happy New Year and I will post again either tomorrow or in 2012!!!

A thought to ponder...

From the Weight Watchers Magazine...

"You can have your cake and eat it,too, but its what you eat before and after the cake that makes the difference..."

What can you do before and after the new year to make it your year?

Gotta sweet tooth... Try this.

Product Review Day! These are always fun.

This is made by NESCAFÉ. All you need to do is add hot water. If you have sweet tooth in the afternoon this will truly fill your craving. Its AMAZING! In fact if the people at NESCAFÉ happen to see this silly blog they should send me some because I am in love with it. You can visit their website by clicking here!


They come in packets like pictured below and all you need is a mug and some hot water. I have a water warmer here at work so I just heated some water up and enjoyed.

Do you have a favorite seasonal product? This may just be my new favorite.

What do you want...



These always feel good!



"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." Tony Robbins

My motivtional calendar really got me thinking today.

What do you really want?

How are you going to get it?



Are you ready to make your 2012 goals? Every year since 2009 I have set some high expectations for myself. What will your goals be? What do you want?



I would like to continue to do this and maybe even get better

How to have an epic fail at a Christmas party...

The day was super busy... I didn't make enough time to eat well before the party. So I went in fairly hungry and didn't eat much...

 OK well at least we looked good....



 So here is the breakdown....

Got to the casino about 2 and half hours before the party started... So what else do you do... start having a good time.

Dinner was good. However who can avoid miniature cheesecake and some yummy cupcake the boss insist you must have... Really who can...and several hours of yummy drinks.

12 hours later... passed out. Great night with great people.... the scale will reflect this.

Bonus... I won some money!!!

Spicy Meatless Chili

I decided to buy myself a Christmas gift since a friend was getting me a great deal on it. I got a new crock pot... One that actually holds enough to make a decent meal. I was really excited about getting this. So I decided I need to get making something this weekend. My coworker brought me a cookbook to look through because it had a section of crock pot recipes. So I found this Spicy Meatless Chili recipe. Its easy and yummy.

Ingredients:
2 (14.4oz) cans Mexican Tomatoes (the ones I bought were only 10oz so I used half a can of fire roasted tomatoes that I had open in my fridge to make up the difference) Do not drain.
1 (14.5oz) Can Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
2 Cups Frozen Corn Kernels
1 Cup Salsa (I used the kind I buy from Costco)
1 Medium Zucchini cut into 1/2 pieces
1 Celery Rib
1 Medium Pepper (cut)
3 TBS Chili Powder
1 TSP Oregano
2 Garlic Cloves (I forgot to put these in)


The Finished Product



Salt

Pepper

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (I didn't have this)

Combined all ingredients into crock pot cook about 8 hours.

Makes 5 servings.

4 Points Plus Values is what I came up with in my Recipe Builder.

Survey...

One of my new favorite blogs is Onion In my Hair she has a very fun blog. She's a vegetarian so if you like things related to vegetarian recipes I really recommend her blog. Today her post was a survey about fitness and all things related. So here are my responses... check out her blog to see how we differ on a few things.

Five Fitness Things I Can’t Live Without:

• Motivation/Goals
• Magazines that give me ideas
• Good Running Shoes
• I love doing fitness DVD's
• Running Partners

I really like brooks running shoes

Most Embarrassing Song I Listen to While Working Out:

• I think most of my music is embarrassing but you never know when something like Vanilla Ice or New Kids on the Block.

Favorite Pre-Workout Snack or Meal:

• During the week when I workout after work I normally have either a granola bar or something very light like some dried fruit.
• On weekend before runs I have oatmeal with almonds and raisins. I also usually pair that with a glass of OJ depending on how much I plan to run.

On My Fitness Bucket List:

• Run the Air Force Marathon in 2012
• Run the Flying Pig Marathon... someday
• Buy a treadmill for my basement
• Disney Princess Half Marathon in February



Must Have Tech Tools:

My Garmin watch is awesome. It really helps me keep pace when I am training for races or when I am in a race.

 



Garmin Watch

I also really like using the app on the smart phones called Run Keeper... My good friend Sara told me about it. It is really great when I am running alone. You can read about the app here!

Top Exercise Gear:

Actually this is one thing I am not particular about. I really like that Nike has some funny sayings on many of their shirts. I also really like some of the Fila brand stuff I find at Kohls. Target also usually has some good deals on their Champion line... I do almost always wear a hat. I really love running bottoms that have a holder for my keys.

Motivational Mantras:

• Pain is temporary
• I run because I can
• We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.

Favorite Cardio Exercises

• Running Obviously
• Jumping Rope (makes me feel like a kid again)
• Jumping Jacks

Favorite Strength Moves:

• Lunges with some kind of bicept work
• Holding Plank... makes me realy sweat.

10 years...




Jason and I ready to go to the reunion

  While I was home on for Thanskgiving my high school had our ten year reunion. I wasn't sure what to expect especially since many of them I really have not seen in 10 years. It was really great to see some of the people I had not seen in a long time.





Sara and I



 My good friend Sara and her husband Joe came. I have remained friends with Sara since high school and was a bridesmaid in her wedding. Many of the others though I had not seen in a really long time. I think almost everyone who attended agreed it was a really great time.



I started thinking about how much my life has changed in 10 years... So I decided to give a top 10

10. I attended and graduated from the University of Cincinnati.

9. I have lost over 47 pounds and maintained this weight loss for two years plus.

8. I have not only run several half marathons but also completed a full marathon this year.

7. My lifestyle is much more active. I am willing to try almost anything. In fact I started a 20 day holiday shred with my sister this week. We are feeling the pain yet accomplishment from it.  Below is one of my softbal pictures... This is about as active as I got when I was younger.


One of my famous softball pictures.. can you find me?



6. I am not afraid of anything. I must admit I held back in my younger days. Today I feel like nothing can stop me from achieving anything I really want.

5. The relationship I have with my mother is much different than it was 10 years ago. The older I get the more I appreciate everything she has ever done for me She is truly amazing.



4. Currently I am leading two meetings per week for weight watchers. I am very proud of this. I am so proud of all members who step into that meeting room every week. I hope to inspire them weekly as much as they inspire me.

3. I am Aunt. My sister had a baby just over a year ago. I never knew what an amazing experience this would be. She is such an amazing little girl... To hear her say "Dee" just warms my heart.. 

2. I enjoy life. There are many times when I was overweight I was not enjoying my life.



Some of my favorite girls from high school



1. High School wasn't the time of my life... There is a country song by Brad Paisley and he jokes about high school not being the time of his life. Honestly for me it was what it was. There are been many more memorable days since then. I wouldn't take any of the great times from high school but my life is so much more full now.



I can cook!

Oh yes and here's the proof. I helped my mom on Thanksgiving... Look at me go. It was actually a lot of fun spending the afternoon with my mom. After we got home from the Thanksgiving morning race my sisters had to take off for another family function. So my mom and I started the cooking. I felt good knowing that I was able to help prepare the meal and spend quality time with my mom.
















Of course I made the Weight Watchers recipe I shared before thanksgiving. I did try something I read online I added a tiny bit of Splenda brown sugar to the top. I think it turned out great. I even heard from people at my moms that it was great! Yay! I love when people say they love something and I know it was a Weight Watchers Recipe.

You can find a link to the recipe here... http://deannamg.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-love-sweet-potatoes.html

I had an amazing day with my family.

I am so thankful for everything about this year's Thanksgiving.


My Favorite Girls



I also attended my 10 year reunion this past weekend. I will post more on my thoughts about it as soon as I get a chance.

How are you reflecting on this year's Thanksgiving?



What are you Thankful for?

I am thankful for many things including my family, friends, and health. I feel so empowered. This morning my mom, sisters and I went to a Thanksgiving day walk and run. I am so proud of them for getting up and going. What a better way to start the day then with three amazing women whom I love very much. Take time to appreciate things like this today.

Life can change so fast. I am so thankful to be spending the day with my amazing family. I am so reflecting today on many things. Only 3 years ago I was a new weight watchers member who still had a significant amount of weight to lose and didn't even bother thinking of getting out of bed to run. Today I ran 6.10 miles and have maintained a weight loss of over 47 pounds for two years now. (that's about two and half turkeys) WOW! I feel very empowered by everything that has changed. I am also trying to remain focused on all of these things and remind myself today is about spending time with my family not stuffing myself (the turkey should be only one getting "stuffed" today)

More updates about our meal today and shopping tomorrow to follow.

What do you want from Thanksgiving?



Thanksgiving 2010

 Last week in Weight Watchers meetings we discussed making the most of our Thanksgiving "plates." We discussed points plus values of typical Thanksgiving meals. I think there are many ways we can approach the holiday. I told many of my members and even discussed with a fellow leader that is will prove to my most difficult Thanksgiving since I joined the program. I have never had the pleasure to go home to Ohio since I joined. Every year I have been able to setup a really good plan to tackle the holiday. Although I have still planned a few things to set myself up for achievement this year.



My sister Jenna

 1. My sister Jenna and I are going to run her first ever Thanksgiving 10K. My mom and other sister Kristen also plan to come and walk the 5K. I really believe that getting in a good I workout sets you up for some really good success on the day. I am really proud of my sister Jenna for being willing to tackle something she has never done before. Although I  know I can do really well at this race I am choosing to run every step along side my sister Jenna for support. If you don't have an event to attend  then make your own... I have to give credit for this idea to my friend Sara setup her own 5K for her family since there were not any events near the home of her sister. Don't let something like this stop you from getting out there and being active. Go around the block and make it a fun event for everyone!


2. I plan to one point friendly dish that I know I can enjoy without the worries of the points. Even if no one else wants to enjoy it I can.


3. Since this is my first Thanksgiving home in nearly 4 years I plan to make the most of the time with my family. I have told many people that I really love Thanksgiving for the fact that we do get to  enjoy so much time with family. I plan to make the most of every second with my amazing family.



My Amazing Family



4. SHOP TIL I DROP. I love black Friday. I cannot wait to spend the day with my sisters and mom getting great deals and seeing all the crazy people out.

What do you want to make out of your Thanksgiving? .

I love SWEET POTATOES!

I love that they are on sale right now. I love that they are filling and really good for you! I also really love that you can do so much with them. Cut them up make them fries... mash them and make "mashed sweet potatoes" or just make them.

Do you like sweet potatoes? What is your favorite way to make them?

Here is my favorite weight watchers sweet potato recipe... It is a great replacement for the famous sweet potato casseroles at Thanksgiving. I have made this the last few years and it turned out GREAT!!

Ingredients


4 Sweet Potatoes (8 to 9 oz. each)

1 1/2 cups Weight Watchers Nonfat Yogurt

1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 1/2 Kosher Salt

2/3 cup Low fat Granola

Cooking spray, butter flavor

Place washed sweet potatoes in oven and bake at 350° F for approximately 40 to 60 minutes, until they are soft to the touch. After the potatoes have cooled, remove the skin.

Place the sweet potato flesh in a mixing bowl. Add Weight Watchers® Vanilla Nonfat Yogurt, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whip on medium speed until all of the yogurt is mixed into the potatoes.

Coat glass or ceramic baking dish (1 1/2 to 2 quarts) with cooking spray. Scoop potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle granola evenly across the top of the potatoes and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 350° F for approximately 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Serving size: 1/2 cup PointsPlus™ 2*

Marathon Recap

Well over all it went way better than I ever expected. We started in downtown Indianapolis and we went by the state fair grounds, the museum park, Butler University and many other beautiful areas in Indianapolis. I felt great from the start until around 13-15. Started to have pain in my right foot. By 20 is was really bad.



Bryan, Myself and Nora at the start line



I loved all the crowd support and my "Marathon Virgin" shirt was a hit. The weather was amazing. The last 3 miles felt like 100. A crowd supporter started pumping up a runner near me and her words really encouraged me.

My mom and Nanny came up from Ohio to see us race... I am so glad they came. The support was amazing!

Nanny and I



Mom and I





As soon as I saw the 26th mile marker tears began to flow... I just couldn't believe I did... I am so proud I finished a marathon. I ended up finishing in 4 hours 22 minutes. I was the 1,596th person to cross the finish line. I was 90 out of 188 females aged 25-29. I was also 513 out of 1038 females. 

Post race I got to celebrate with one of my very good friends Michelle. She lives near Indy and we got to hang out the rest of the day. Support like this is amazing. I am so lucky!



Marathon Ready?

So I have know what race nerves are... I get those little butterflies every time I run a race. I have been doing a lot to prepare myself mentally and in other ways. I got out my overnight bag and I started putting things into it I knew I wouldn't need before race day. I even made my own shirt so that my friends and family can spot me. Today I started increasing my carbohydrate intake.

Today's Menu

 I had a piece of toast and an orange before work. Of course Coffee also

Then I had some Oatmeal with Almonds and canned pumpkin with a banana.

Snack 1 is going to be: yogurt with cereal and blueberries.
Lunch: Turkey Wrap, Quinoa with black beans and corn, Carrots, Apple

Snack 2 Crackers maybe even some dried fruit before I run

Dinner... I am thinking about having tacos....

Today's run is 4 miles...

I really would like to get most of my packing done today. I need to eat my big carbohydrate dinner tomorrow.... What sounds good? Pasta, Pizza... something homemade... haven't decided.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween... The beginning of the Bermuda triangle. There are many ways to survive successfully. Halloween and candy doesn't seem to have the same effect to me as many of the other holidays do.










However days like today always remind me how much my life has changed. I sat in a weight watchers meeting this week reflecting on how much Halloween has changed for me. I don't even really see the candy as an issue. I had a great time with great friends this weekend. I was reflecting on a picture from a few years ago at Halloween and then a picture of myself this year. It makes me realize everything I do every week to improve my life is well worth it. I can't let anything get in my way. No little candy bar is worth going back. Have a happy and safe Halloween.

Halloween 2011

Halloween 2008

Dinner Cincinnati Style

One way that I can enjoy a little flavor of Cincinnati is we buy frozen chili at Meijer from our favorite chili place back home Skyline Chili. So to make it somewhat more points friendly I skipped the hot dog and I put half a cup of chili and reduced fat cheese on low calorie hot dog buns. Still get the same great chili taste only lower in points. Cincinnati style chili has a slight sweet taste to it and also has no beans. 

The chili on the hot dog buns with no hot dog as pictured here we call chili cheese sandwiches.







This chili is also really great over spaghetti with the cheese on top.We refer to the Chili over spaghetti with cheese as a 3 way.  If you have the hot dog then we call those a cheese coney. Go and try some and tell me how you like it or if you are a skyline lover already here is a great way to save some calories/points

2 Buns
1/2 cup Chili
1/3 cup Reduced Fat Cheese
11 Points Plus Values

Chili + Fall=Heaven

I love Fall.

I love Chili.

I love pumpkin....

This recipe came from one of my other favorite bloggers/wesbites http://www.skinnytaste.com/. 

Here is the recipe they created for Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili. It warms my soul. (I cut the recipe in half) 9 Servings (3 points plus)
Ingredients
Cooking Spray
2LBS 99% Fat Free Turkey
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1tsp Chili Powder (to taste)
2 Bay leaves
1 Small Onion
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Oregano
2 (15oz) Cans White Beans norther or navy rinsed or drained
15oz can Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
4.5oz Green Chilies
2 cups fat free chicken broth
Fat Free Sour Cream (optional)
Cilantro (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat Large pan high heat and lightly spray add meat and cook until white. Add to crock pot.

Add Oil to pan then onions and garlic saute about 3-4 minutes; add cumin and saute about another minute. Add this to crock pot.

Then add to crock pot beans, pumpkin, chilies, broth, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, I also put in Cinnamon (a little Cincinnati flavor)

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Remove Bay leaves.

Here are a picture of what mine looked like. I am in love. New fall heaven. What is your favorite fall recipe? Share with me and I will make it and try it. I love to try new easy recipes.

Yummy Dinner

One of my favorite new blogs to follow is http://www.emilybites.com/

She has some really great recipes.
Yesterday I tried this one that was highly recommended by other bloggers and members from the weight watchers online community. I am glad they suggested it. I loved them!

Cheeseburger "Cupcakes" (I cut this recipe down so that it would only be enough for my boyfriend and I. As well as the fact that my muffin pan is only 6 not 12)

 Here is a link to the original recipe http://www.emilybites.com/2011/09/cheeseburger-cupcakes.html

Here are the ingredients and what I changed


1/2lb extra lean ground beef
1T McCormick Hamburger
4 laughing cow cheese wedges (I only used 3)
3T Ketchup
1T Mustard
1/4C Onion
4oz Mushrooms (I used slightly less)
4oz Reduced fat shredded cheese
8 Wonton Wrappers (I used 6)

Here they are ready to go in the oven

Here is one on my plate... OH YUM.

"Chicken Nuggets" YUM!

So often we talk about replacements in our weight loss journies. A few weeks ago I received a coupon at a grocery store for these meatless products made by "Gardein." I decided to try these chicken tenders. I really love them. They are very low in carbs and high in protein.

Last night for dinner I paired them with a little bit of sweet and spicy mustard and a sweet potato and it made for an excellent dinner last night. Often we are afraid to try certain things because we don't know if we would like them. If you love chicken nuggets or chicken tenders I really recommend these. 2 tenders are only 2 points plus and I had 6 so that was only 7 points plus. How yummy!

Have you tried anything new? Or any of the "Gardein" Products you would reccomend?

10 Things About me...

Inspired by another blog... Here are 10 things about me you might not know...

1. I went to the University of Cincinnati and I studied Spanish, so Si, Hablo Espanol. I even spent 6 weeks in Mexico one summer. Here I am learning how to make tortillas.

2. I really like to read. If you have suggestions on good books let me know. I am more inclined to read books that are non-fiction about people who are interesting. I also enjoy very light hearted easy reads.

3. I am a reality show "junkie" Some of them are so bad yet... here I am watching them as if I am watching some train wreck unfold in front of me.

4. I have been to Las Vegas more times than the average person. My "Granny Barb" used to live there. The first time I ever went I was only in 5th grade. I just went in March on vacation. I really like to visit there.

5. I hate winter. I can feel it coming and I am already sad. I often refer to it as the "white death."

6. Most people know my first job was at Kings Island. I also worked two winters at McDonalds. Yes I know things about this place I wish I didn't...

7. I love sports. Almost all of them. I actually even really know what I am talking about when it comes to sports. I even play fantasy football. This year I went with my sister, her fiancee and my boyfriends to The University of Cincinnati game vs Miami of Ohio. We had a blast!

 

8. I get told all of the time I look like Kirsten Dunst... What do you think?



9. I am not a picky eater but there are a few things I really do not like to eat very much one of them is Blue cheese. I don't know why I just detest it. I would rather eat any other kind of cheese.

10.

Things I do well: I have become a good runner. I am not fast but I am dedicated. I also make really cool scrapbooks and photo collages.

Things I am bad at: Driving... I always have bad luck. Also cooking. I need to learn.

What do you do well? What do you need improvement on?