Lightspeed ahead to a healthier you! April 2016 WISH challenge... all are welcome!

Oh wow what an awesome machine! Now I'm remembering my grandma talked about something like this. Fries made with just a cap full of oil. I want one so badly but will probably hold off until I move out of my teeny tiny apartment - it looks like a big machine
 
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Oh wow what an awesome machine! Now I'm remembering my grandma talked about something like this. Fries made with just a cap full of oil. I want one so badly but will probably hold off until I move out of my teeny tiny apartment - it looks like a big machine
Yeah, it's fairly big but so awesome. My son who is a fry freak prefers the homemade fries from this over the frozen ones you bake or fry any day.
 
Name two or three of your favorite GREENS (green Skittles and green M&Ms do NOT count!) and how you prepare them! If you struggle with greens (or any vegetables) don't despair ...... keep up with our answers and perhaps you will find a new vegetable or a new way to prepare them that suits you!

I adore: lettuce, asparagus, zucchini, green apples and pickles!

The lettuce and pickles are usually on my Subway sandwich at lunch, with the side of apples. Asparagus and zucchini are my favorite steamed veggies at restaurant.


(I love the way you proposed this question!)
 
QOTD: Two veggies I am obsessed with lately are asparagus and green beans! I wrap my asparagus with prosciutto (or bacon) and cook it in some ghee (butter) on the skillet until the prosciutto is crispy. My green beans I could eat every single day! I cook them in a large pot with olive oil, garlic, and sea salt for a few minutes, then add chicken broth enough to cover the beans. Bring it to a boil and then cover (letting the steam escape) and cook until all the juice has evaporated off. This takes a little time but SO worth it! I also cook green beans in the oven with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt at 350 for about 30 minutes until the beans are shriveled...I swear they taste like french fries!
 

What a whirlwind of a day today. I managed to get in for the Avengers 10K and RNR Las Vegas Half Marathon (yay!) and was informed by the university today that I did not make honors at graduation (boo). Apparently the cut off was 3.76 and I had a 3.75.

I will not eat my feelings! I am actually going to fuel this frustration into productivity - taking a nice long walk today at lunch at a local outdoor mall (it's 85 degrees outside in beautiful Southern California) and then tonight having my husband join me on a walking 5K.
 
What a whirlwind of a day today. I managed to get in for the Avengers 10K and RNR Las Vegas Half Marathon (yay!) and was informed by the university today that I did not make honors at graduation (boo). Apparently the cut off was 3.76 and I had a 3.75.

I will not eat my feelings! I am actually going to fuel this frustration into productivity - taking a nice long walk today at lunch at a local outdoor mall (it's 85 degrees outside in beautiful Southern California) and then tonight having my husband join me on a walking 5K.

That is pretty high to get honors. I am sorry you didn't get it. YOu should be proud that you finished your degree.
 
What a whirlwind of a day today. I managed to get in for the Avengers 10K and RNR Las Vegas Half Marathon (yay!) and was informed by the university today that I did not make honors at graduation (boo). Apparently the cut off was 3.76 and I had a 3.75.

I will not eat my feelings! I am actually going to fuel this frustration into productivity - taking a nice long walk today at lunch at a local outdoor mall (it's 85 degrees outside in beautiful Southern California) and then tonight having my husband join me on a walking 5K.
Oh I'm sorry! That happened to DD. They had Honors and High Honors. She missed High Honors by .05 percent. She was SO upset. I'm glad you are going to turn the disappointment into something productive though, that shows you are in the right head space. I'd say I'd come down and watch you race when you're in Vegas but I avoid the Strip at all costs especially when there's an event going on. I'll send you good Vegas vibes though.
 
That is pretty high to get honors. I am sorry you didn't get it. YOu should be proud that you finished your degree.

Thank you! It was a bit difficult to wrap my head around it, but it turns out there were a group of girls that had 3.98 GPAs. When you have people starting that high it throws the curve off just a little. If I look at the bigger picture - I don't have to buy a sash for graduation (money savings for WDW!) and no one will ever ask me. Just more of a crazy thing to realize that even at a 3.75 ... I wasn't good enough.

Oh I'm sorry! That happened to DD. They had Honors and High Honors. She missed High Honors by .05 percent. She was SO upset. I'm glad you are going to turn the disappointment into something productive though, that shows you are in the right head space. I'd say I'd come down and watch you race when you're in Vegas but I avoid the Strip at all costs especially when there's an event going on. I'll send you good Vegas vibes though.

One of the reasons I wanted to lose the weight was so that I looked good in my graduation photos. To succumb to anything negative now (when I'm so close) would defeat the purpose of why I started and ultimately reverse any great strides I've made on the path to a better me. So I will focus on the positive: money saved, still look good in gown, and it's a gorgeous day outside that I'm going to enjoy!

The Strip will be insane that weekend - they close it down and there's over 20,000 racers participating. I'm glad that I booked a time share unit right in between the start and finish lines... I'm sure now that room isn't even available!
 
... I wasn't good enough.
Please listen when I tell you that NOTHING, no number, no weight, no compliment, no dress size, or anything else should be determining if you are "good enough!" Yes, coming SO close to an accomplishment is going to sting, but it's a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of life. You are good enough, smart enough, fit enough, and perfect enough, just the way you are, so hold your head up high, and bask in all the accomplishments you have achieved!
 
Please listen when I tell you that NOTHING, no number, no weight, no compliment, no dress size, or anything else should be determining if you are "good enough!" Yes, coming SO close to an accomplishment is going to sting, but it's a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of life. You are good enough, smart enough, fit enough, and perfect enough, just the way you are, so hold your head up high, and bask in all the accomplishments you have achieved!

Well Said
 
Quick check in before I head to bed.

Green veggies: I like asparagus (even though here the white asparagus is more common and it is about to come into season, very excited about this), spinach (my favorite dish is mashed potatoes mixed with chopped spinach), broccoli (especially as part of stir fries) and zucchini (a staple in my oven roasted mixed veggies, but also in a tomato based pasta sauce, kind of a zucchini bolognese). I recently found a very interesting recipe for green beans that I intend to try soon. But currently I feel very low on cooking energy, so am falling back on my loved and tried easy dishes.

Today was a good day with lots of walking and good eating. I am well within my calorie goal for the day and while there were some empty calories, I also had a fantastic and very healthy lunch: sandwhich made of whole wheat/rye bread with a little hummus and a lot of grated carrots. It is the "vegan sandwich" the bakery around the corner from my office started to offer. It was delicious and came out to only 400 calories. There could have been a bit more protein, but the bread is very high in fiber and there was definitely one full serving of carrots on that sandwich. The thing cost 2.50 €, that is a little less than 3$. So happy with my find!! And then the sun was shining and I even went for a nice walk in the sun during lunch break!!

Now, I need to get my running clothes sorted for tomorrow morning and head into bed!
 
Please listen when I tell you that NOTHING, no number, no weight, no compliment, no dress size, or anything else should be determining if you are "good enough!" Yes, coming SO close to an accomplishment is going to sting, but it's a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of life. You are good enough, smart enough, fit enough, and perfect enough, just the way you are, so hold your head up high, and bask in all the accomplishments you have achieved!

Wow. That's incredibly well put and puts things into perspective. Words cannot express the gratitude felt after reading that sentiment and maybe a little bit of tears were shed. We haven't spent much time together on these challenges - but I hope others will recognize your contributions and sentiments. You've positively impacted me today in a way that I will not forget.

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:
 
What a whirlwind of a day today. I managed to get in for the Avengers 10K and RNR Las Vegas Half Marathon (yay!) and was informed by the university today that I did not make honors at graduation (boo). Apparently the cut off was 3.76 and I had a 3.75.

I will not eat my feelings! I am actually going to fuel this frustration into productivity - taking a nice long walk today at lunch at a local outdoor mall (it's 85 degrees outside in beautiful Southern California) and then tonight having my husband join me on a walking 5K.

One of the reasons I wanted to lose the weight was so that I looked good in my graduation photos. To succumb to anything negative now (when I'm so close) would defeat the purpose of why I started and ultimately reverse any great strides I've made on the path to a better me. So I will focus on the positive: money saved, still look good in gown, and it's a gorgeous day outside that I'm going to enjoy!

@iheartdisney44 said it so well - but I understand your frustration at being so close after working so hard towards your goal. After seeing your before and after photos the other day you are going to look stunning at graduation and in your photos. Enjoy the day you worked hard and should definitely be proud of your achievement. We are expecting the same temperature as you here today - the days are lovely at the moment still warm enough to swim but not so hot that you feel like you are melting!

And then the sun was shining and I even went for a nice walk in the sun during lunch break!!

:thumbsup2 for another one of us making the most of the weather to get in some exercise.

I think I will aim for another walk on the beach this afternoon.
 
Please listen when I tell you that NOTHING, no number, no weight, no compliment, no dress size, or anything else should be determining if you are "good enough!" Yes, coming SO close to an accomplishment is going to sting, but it's a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of life. You are good enough, smart enough, fit enough, and perfect enough, just the way you are, so hold your head up high, and bask in all the accomplishments you have achieved!

I know this wasn't directed to me, but this might get printed for my office. Wow.
 
QOTD for Tuesday, April 5, 2016:
View attachment 160375

Green lightsabers................ if you know anything about the Star Wars universe, you know that green lightsabers are carried by GOOD GUYS.... Yoda and Luke, to name two.

Green lightsabers aren't the ONLY good "greens" though! How about spinach, kale, or bok choy.... green grapes, green cabbage, or green apples?

Name two or three of your favorite GREENS (green Skittles and green M&Ms do NOT count!) and how you prepare them! If you struggle with greens (or any vegetables) don't despair ...... keep up with our answers and perhaps you will find a new vegetable or a new way to prepare them that suits you!

broccoli, asparagus and brussel sprouts. :) I love them all really. Kale and spinach are favs as well.


Tonight we are having gluten free spaghetti with chicken Parmesan. I wish I could say I'm making the chicken but its just frozen ones. :( I need to master making it more clean and healthy so my daughter will eat it. tomorrow we probably will have left over tacos and enchiladas. Maybe 15 bean soup with left over ham on Thursday. Friday usually pizza day we will see if we do that this week or not. I'm wanting to try gluten free for awhile because my trials have shown improvements in my IBS symptoms when I avoid it. My daughter who bloats real bad from spaghetti has been insisting on gluten free noodles. LOL I used to use the ancient harvest quinoa and corn ones. We've tried different brands but I think I discovered my issue was more the small sauce pan I've been using because with the lid and electric burner it doesn't take forever so I bought a 3 quart pan to start using because I did a test to avoid sticking by using the propane up a bit while cooking on the stove with a bigger pan(6-8 quart) I don't have a lid for. They didn't stick like usual so now I may have fixed my problem some just by getting a bigger pan with lid. I'll try to work into making my breakfast in morning(eggs and fruit) and might do smoothies some or protein shakes on days I'm not as hungry in morning. And try to get more veggies with my protein for lunches they've fallen to the side some. Right now I can eat breakfast and lunch at home before work if I do the right planning and warm up dinner leftovers often. In the future it will have to be packing a lunch more again. The problem is all of us just haven't even figure out what we are really wanting to eat. Nothing sounds good at all lately not even junky fast food or restaurants and this tends to happen every year when the temp raises up. I think we probably need more produce especially cucumbers and such with "water" content. :) I got a bunch of those the other day so I need to remember and slice some with lunches too.
 
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Hi friends!! I thought I'd come on when I got home to do some replies, but there have been over 20 replies since this morning! Suffice to say, I read EVERYTHING, but do not have the energy to reply.... it was a long day with standardized testing proctoring in the morning and my special ed student (who was not having a great day) in the afternoon, then off to WW.

I did READ all of the replies and I love seeing everyone get excited to talk about the greens they love!! I too, love roasted veggies... broccoli, asparagus, green beans, cabbage, zucchini are all delicious when roasted!

I was SO DELIGHTED to see so many of you jump in to remind Courtney how special she is and how proud she should be of her accomplishment!! And Courtney, I'm so glad you took it to heart! I'm happy that we can support each other in MANY aspects of life!

Hope that those of you who were trying to get in an outside walk/run ended up with decent weather. We had sunshine, but cold weather today. Thankfully most of the snow has melted away!

I've got to finish my tea and go to sleep. DD has asked me to proof read a final edit of her Senior Thesis paperwork and she promised it would be ready to read to 10 pm.... but I might have to doze off before that and wake up to read later.

BB in the a.m. !....................P
 
Quick end of day check in. I had a pretty good day, all things considered. Finally went to the grocery store and got stocked up on yummy green things! I got my Victoria & Albert's confirmation and likes/dislikes email which just made me wiggly with excitement. I accepted that The Dress is just too small over the weekend and I'm not going to fit into it even if I eat nothing for the next three weeks. So I took it to a tailor. A magical, magical woman who I swear is made up of pixie dust because she is 100% positive there is enough fabric in the seams to make it fit now. And then she made me feel even better when she promised to shrink it down as small as it needs to be for free when I reach my goal weight!

My visit to the office wasn't quite so cheerful. It is a smoky, drippy mess. We won't be back in it for at least a month. So definitely in damage control mode!

And then there is the Disney planning fiasco in our pay more get less times. I'm sort of happy I no longer age to worry about planning around the first week of Rivers of Light but really sad we have no chance of seeing it. And this new Early Morning Magic thing is totally blowing up our MK rope drop day. I have no idea what to do and switching around park days with all of our ADRs and FPs in place doesn't seem so feasible. Double sigh. I may start polling people here with my would you rathers before DH smothers me with a pillow to make me stop.

How could I forget brussels sprouts?! I LOVE them too. Roasted is usually my go-to as I love them crispy but omg what is this air fryer you speak of?:scratchin



Hi, are you me? That's essentially my typical salad :thumbsup2

I might be you! Or it might just be the best salad ever. :)

My air fryer is the Philips AirFryer. I love it. My husband's eyes practically rolled out of his head when I bought it because he thought it was so ridiculous. And I think he has used it almost every day since. It makes frozen fried things taste like they are fresh from the pub but it also is great for healthier things. Grilled salmon, shrimp, off the charts roasted vegetables. I agree with the above comments about the other one - if it broke, I'd go replace it immediately.

What a whirlwind of a day today. I managed to get in for the Avengers 10K and RNR Las Vegas Half Marathon (yay!) and was informed by the university today that I did not make honors at graduation (boo). Apparently the cut off was 3.76 and I had a 3.75.

I will not eat my feelings! I am actually going to fuel this frustration into productivity - taking a nice long walk today at lunch at a local outdoor mall (it's 85 degrees outside in beautiful Southern California) and then tonight having my husband join me on a walking 5K.

Boo! I'm so sorry. You've got the highest honors in our hearts. And I know you deserved them from the university too!

Thank you! It was a bit difficult to wrap my head around it, but it turns out there were a group of girls that had 3.98 GPAs. When you have people starting that high it throws the curve off just a little. If I look at the bigger picture - I don't have to buy a sash for graduation (money savings for WDW!) and no one will ever ask me. Just more of a crazy thing to realize that even at a 3.75 ... I wasn't good enough.



One of the reasons I wanted to lose the weight was so that I looked good in my graduation photos. To succumb to anything negative now (when I'm so close) would defeat the purpose of why I started and ultimately reverse any great strides I've made on the path to a better me. So I will focus on the positive: money saved, still look good in gown, and it's a gorgeous day outside that I'm going to enjoy!

The Strip will be insane that weekend - they close it down and there's over 20,000 racers participating. I'm glad that I booked a time share unit right in between the start and finish lines... I'm sure now that room isn't even available!

You are good enough!!!!! That is an amazing GPA and all of your accomplishments just blow me away. And who wants a sash getting in the way of a smoking dress anyway??

Please listen when I tell you that NOTHING, no number, no weight, no compliment, no dress size, or anything else should be determining if you are "good enough!" Yes, coming SO close to an accomplishment is going to sting, but it's a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of life. You are good enough, smart enough, fit enough, and perfect enough, just the way you are, so hold your head up high, and bask in all the accomplishments you have achieved!

9000 thumbs up! This is so beautiful and so right that it makes me teary.
 














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