Driving with the Cruise Control On - A Very REAL Look at my Journey!

When I am driving on a trip or around town, I like when I can drive with the cruise control on. It keeps my car at a consistent pace and keeps me from speeding (as long as I don't set the control at a speed above the limit!). But I have found myself here lately in my life driving with my cruise control on. Just going through my days not really focusing on the journey that I am on. Letting life kind of pass me by, so to speak.

I have not binged or fallen off the food wagon, but just have not dug deep enough to push myself through some tough spots in my life. I have become very comfortable in eating the same foods so as not to have to think about having to fix something different. I have become hit and miss in my exercise. But some of the events that have happened or are happening in my day to day life have knocked the wind out of my sails so to speak.

I don't share a lot about my personal life on my blog except what has been the happy spots in my journey. But I need to get this out, process it and get back on the journey! Here lately I have been very content to just park at a roadside picnic area and just watch life go by!

My dad is struggling with the early stages of dementia and also with cancer. It is very hard to see a parent struggle with such harsh diseases. My dad has always been very active and busy. He loves to drive and go places. So much so when he retired from the grocery store business he took up driving for a local dealership as a part time job! Now I see a man who has good days and bad days. Can't drive any longer due to the confusion of his illness. This has had a harder effect on me than I really thought it would. My mom is an amazing woman! She has handled all of this with grace, mercy and honor. I know these days, weeks and months have been very rough on her emotionally and physically, but I admire and appreciate all of the care that she has given to my dad. I am truly blessed with my parents.

My mom's oldest sister passed away a few weeks ago after a long struggle with health issues. It is always hard to lose those that you are close to and love dearly! I struggled with not being there with and for my family! I love where God has us in ministry...but there are days that I wish I could get home more. But God has his reasons and I have to trust those reasons!

Yesterday (September 1, 2013)while I was at church we had a guest speaker. I have always believed that God knows me and cares about me, but yesterday was one of those days that I NEEDED to be reminded that God knew exactly where I was. God didn't disappoint! The sermon yesterday was God takes the ruins and makes them glorious! Then in the afternoon, we headed to Branson to Silver Dollar City (our favorite amusement park)for the Southern Gospel Picnic Festival. The weather was beautiful, even during the drizzling rain! Was reminded that God's love for me is like a gentle rain bringing a season of refreshing to a parched and dry land! They have a concert every night after the park closes. We rarely stay for these..just because we want to get home. But last night we stayed! I am truly thankful that we stayed. One of my favorite comedians, Dennis Swanburg, was there along with a wonderful southern gospel group, Greater Vision! I love new praise and worship songs..but oh how I miss the "old" songs that I have sung all of my life that find their way into the very spots of your heart and spirit! God spoke and filled my heart with the words and music of just about every song. As I have grown up, I had heard the saying that when you have those special God moments that God did know your address and exactly where you were! Well after the day I had yesterday...I know that not only did God know my address, He was right there with me, wrapping His arms around me and letting me know that HE does care and He does love me!

I don't ever like to admit when I am going through a tough time because I am the "strong one". I am the "encourager", I am the "cheerleader". I can't let people know that I struggle. Well we are all human and we do struggle..but the last few weeks I have just been in a holding pattern and a fog. When I am asked advice about losing weight I always tell people...GET A FRIEND..don't do this alone! It gets very tough to do this journey alone!!! I have to say that I am truly thankful for the friends that God has put into my life! My training and race running buddy, Angela told me that if I EVER got into a funk that I had been in and didn't tell her the next time..she was going to beat me! I believe she would do it!! :) But I am thankful for her along this crazy journey and several others from my WW group and my leader, Vicki, that I have speaking into my life during this journey!

I have had to ask myself, while in this holding pattern, What exactly is it that I am afraid of? What is holding me back from reaching my goals? What do I need to do to get out of this holding pattern? As I am working on those answers..today was a brand new day...I started it by going on a walk/jog! Until I can figure out all of it..I'm going to do what I know works and keep on keeping on on this journey. I am not going to quit! I have come way to far on this journey to stop and go backwards! There is still more to do!!

Well this is me being very real....

Keep on keeping on...it's the only way we will ever reach our goals!!!

Bobby Deen's Shrimp and Grits

For Mother's Day my family got me the Bobby Deen's From Mama's Table to Mine cookbook. I have just not gotten around to cooking much out of it due to a crazy summer!!! But this last week I broke out the cookbook and have had some yummy of the yummy southern recipes with the calories cut.....

So here is the recipe:

1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
3 Canadian Bacon slices
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper; finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 c. dry white wine...I didn't have any and left it out...
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fat free half and half
3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 cup quick-cooking grits
Chopped scallions (dark green tops only) for serving

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bacon, onions, and bell peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the white wine and let it bubble until it is mostly evaporated, about 1 minute.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of the chicken broth and stir dissolved. Add the remaining broth to the skillet along with the half and half stirring, for 3 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the shrimp and cook until opaque, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the grits according to the package directions.

Serve the shrimp and sauce over the grits, and top with the scallions.

Enjoy...


Nutrition: Calories: 211 Fat: 6 Protein: 19 g. Carbohydrates: 21 Fiber 1.5 g. Sodium: 650 mg

Keep on Keeping on!!!

Oven Fried Chicken....Summer Time Comfort Food!

Well I love summer time and spending time with my family! When you grow up in the south, most of the time our family time always included someone either making fried chicken or stopping by KFC to grab a bucket (or two..depending on the occasion!

Well I haven't had fried chicken in forever!!! So today I got to looking for a "fried" chicken recipe that was healthy. Well I went looking on one of my favorite website for recipes: Skinnytaste.com! I wasn't disappointed. I found one for oven fried chicken! Well when I make a healthy recipe, I never tell my family what is in it UNTIL they have eaten it! That way they don't start judging before they eat it!

Well everyone liked it, so I thought I would share it with you!

Oven Fried Chicken:

6 medium bone-in skinless drumsticks (I use boneless-skinless chicken breasts)
2 1/2 cups bran flakes
3 tsp kosher salt, less if you are using regular salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp fresh cayenne pepper
5 Tbsps Light Mayo
1 tsp Dijon mustard
oil spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and set a rack above (I used my broiler pan) Spray rack with oil.

Crush cereal in a food processor or chopper. In a bowl mix crushed cereal with salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Place in a shallow dish or ziplock bag.

Combine may and mustard. Using a cooking brush, brush mayo mixture onto chicken then coat chicken with crushed cereal mixture. Place chicken on wire rack and spray with oil. Bake 40 minutes.

It was yummy!

Serving size: 1 drumstick Calories 170.7 Fat 6.6g Protein 14.5 Carbs 14.7 Fiber: 3.1 g WW Points Plus: 4

That all changes for different chicken pieces.

Keep on Keeping on!

Summer Time Is Here!

I have to say that I LOVE summertime! You have access to TONS of fresh fruits and veggies!!! You want to be outside more to go swimming, baseball is in full swing, beach trips, vacations! Summer is always a fun and busy time!

Farmer's Markets are usually in full swing! I have to say that to me, Farmer's Market fruits and veggies always taste better to me. Supermarket produce just doesn't taste the same. Generally supermarket produce is picked before it is ripe so it looses some of it's flavor. Farmer's Market....pretty much picked the day before or sometimes day of market day!

Our supermarket that we use is very good to give out recipes for different fruits and veggies! We were thrilled to be able to try one tonight after dinner! I hope you enjoy this!!!


Watermelon Smoothies
2 cups seedless watermelon chunks
1 cup ice cubes
1 6oz fat free lemon chiffon yogurt (I didn't have lemon yogurt, so we substituted Strawberry Banana fat free)
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (I used Stevia in the Raw)

Put all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend on High for 30-45 seconds or until ice cubes are blended.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time.

Serves: 4
Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 90
Carbohydrates: 19 grams
Sodium: 30 mg
Fat: 0

Weight Watcher Points Plus: 2

Enjoy your summer time fun!!
Keep on Keeping on!!!

Lessons Learned From Watching Birds!

This post doesn't have much to do with recipes or a physical workout. It does have everything to do with stretching and growing! That is something that happens in life to prepare us for the next level!

Over the last few weeks, we have watched a mama robin build a nest from the ground up. We have seen her beginnings of a nest blown out by the winds. The very next day, she would start all over again with more straw, grass and what ever she needed to do to build the nest where she would lay her eggs. She would work harder each day and the nest would grow. Finally the nest was completed! That shows : PERSISTENCE!

A short time after that, I got a text from my son, who had been watching the nest from our window, and said MOM! I believe she is laying her eggs. The interesting observation he made was that as she was laying the eggs, the daddy robin would bring her food and take care of her needs. That shows: ENCOURAGEMENT!

As we would watch at different times during the day, we would see one of the birds fly up and the one sitting on the nest would fly away and the other would take a turn sitting on the nest! They did this for quite awhile! That shows: TAKING TURNS!

Finally the time came that we began to see more action in the nest! The babies were born!!! At first we only saw two little babies poking their heads up to get the food that the parents were bringing to them. Then the day came that we saw three little heads in the nest! That shows: CELEBRATION!

We still watch the nest several times during the day. A few days ago, we had a weird weather day and on May 3rd, it SNOWED! We watched out the window as mama didn't leave her nest! She snuggled down tighter on her nest to protect her new born babies from the elements! She held tight as the winds blew and the snowflakes fell through the tree branches! Once again the daddy bird would come up and bring food to the babies so that mama wouldn't have to leave the nest and could keep the babies warm! That shows: SUPPORT!

We watch off and on through out the day and we are seeing the babies move more and more each day. We are seeing little wings start to flap in the nest. We are also seeing mama bird fly away more now that the babies are growing! This is where the lesson is beginning for me! I watch mama come back with the meal for the babies. She doesn't bend down low to them like she used to do when they were young. She will stand on the end of the nest and wait for them to stretch up to her to get their meal. I have watched this for the last couple of days. If mama bird always bent down low to give them their food and didn't challenge them to stretch and reach for the goal, they would stay in the comfort of the nest forever (well at least until someone fell out because it was too crowded!) She challenges them to reach for the goal! Stretch and bend or do whatever is necessary to achieve the prize! To prepare them to be able to fly on their own she is pushing them out of their comfort zone on to the next level and eventually they will be able to soar! That shows: DETERMINATION!!

So throughout your lifetime, look for someone to come along side of you in your journey! It can be a spouse, a sibling, a parent, a friend or a family member! But look for someone that will be persistent and not let you stop. Someone that will be encouraging and cheer you on along the way, especially when the journey is tough! Someone that will celebrate along the way with you at your accomplishments! And someone that will encourage your determination to succeed! When it comes to taking turns, I learned this as I did my first 1/2 marathon last year, you will never be at a down spot at the same time and you will take turns pushing and encouraging one another! When you see the tough times come on the journey, be there to support someone! As all of this works together...you will be able to reach your goal and SOAR!!!!

Keep on Keeping on!!!

I Think Winter Has Finally Ended!

Yes, here we are on May 9th and I believe that we have finally made it to Spring!! Some of you may say...Silly, spring arrived weeks ago! Not for us here in Missouri! We had snow on May 3rd!!

Having winter hang on for so long was very hard for me physically and mentally! There were days that I think I could have eaten everything that wasn't bolted down. I really didn't feel like exercising, because I was tired of being inside...I was ready to be outside enjoying the birds singing and the flowers blooming! But alas, I was still in the house and feeling my momentum just slip away a bit! That's a rough thing to have happen when you want to be so very excited about getting ready for 5K's and other races as they come available! The race I did in February really did a rough number on my mental! When I signed up for said race, we had been having a very mild winter and thought...this will be great to get a race done in February! The day of the race, it was the coldest it had been all winter! The wind chill was 20! I had the fastest pace that I had ever done for a race and I have come to the conclusion that if I had slowed down, I would have frozen to death! I came in dead last in that race...which really did a number on me...but then realized that I was running with the "Big Dogs" so to speak! These people were the crazy serious runners!

I have struggled some this winter/spring mix that we have had! Trying to shake that off and get back into the fun of training and getting my stamina back! Slowly but surely it is happening! I have gotten in some great walks the last couple of weeks! Looking forward to getting more in as time progresses! I have my 3rd race of the year coming up next weekend! I'm excited about it! I have added a first for me a couple of weeks ago when I did my first Color Me Rad run! What a hot mess that was! It was cold and rainy and LOADS of fun! I was with two very special friends that did this one with me. It wasn't timed..and we were a colorful mess when we got done! We have laughed about how we looked when we got done and hope to do another one like it again!

All of this to say...As Winston Churchill says: Never, Never, Never Give up! Keep working at your goals, what ever they may be! Don't give in to the set backs. Push yourself and focus on the goal!

Keep on keeping on!

Kielbasa and Bean Soup

With only a few weeks left of winter, we have had snow flurries for the last few days. When it is chilly outside, I LOVE to make a warm, filling soup to eat.

Tonight's dinner was Kielbasa and Bean Soup. It was very good!!!! I hope you enjoy it!

Kielbasa and Bean Soup
3/4 pound turkey kielbasa, sliced
1/2 bunch kale, trimmed and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Combine all ingredients in a 5-6 quart crock-pot. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.

Serves 8
Serving size 1 cup
159 Calories per cup, 4 grams of fat, 28 mg cholesterol, 797 mg sodium, 19 grams total carbs, 5 g. total sugar, 6 g. fiber, 13 g. protein
WW points plus = 4