2010 Review and New Goals and Resolutions for 2011

*This picture was taken on a hike in Hawaii.  I NEVER do hikes when they involve ropes.  But this time I pushed myself to do it and I did.  This was where I had to stop because it got too scary for me to continue, but I did do many sets of ropes before we got to this point.*

2010 has been a great year.  I feel like I am in the best shape of my life, I am healthier than I have ever been and my self esteem and confidence is so much better.  I went on many trips to see friends, family or just for the sake of traveling and seeing new places and I also turned 30!  I challenged myself to try new things, to work harder than what I thought I could and just to genuinely care about myself and my health.  Looking back at my resolutions/goals for 2010, I feel very optimistic about what I am capable of in 2011.  Looking back, these are the resolutions I made for myself for 2010: 

Resolutions for 2010

1. Floss every day
2. Workout 5-6 days a week for at least 30 minutes
3. Scrapbook
4. Continue to make integrated health a priority (healthy food choices, exercise, sleep, leisure)
5. Continue sewing
6. Make at least 1 new recipe a week

*This picture was taken back in September on my birthday weekend.  Bicycling was one type of exercise that I incorporated into my life over the course of the past year.  It was a lot of fun riding bikes on the weekends when the weather was nice.*

Looking back at this, I feel like I had a very successful year.  The only goal that I can’t really say that I completed was scrapbooking.  I will try again this year but I am not going to make this one of my goals/resolutions.  I feel very proud that I have continued to make health a priority.  Even when life gets stressful, healthy living has become such a habit, that falling back on bad habits has not been an issue.  The only time I have fallen off the wagon is with travel.  It has been very difficult to travel and maintain the Weight Watchers program.  But instead of stressing too much about it, I just pick myself up and start right back with it the next day.  I also give myself a few days before I weigh myself because there’s no sense in getting discouraged by what I see on the scale.  However, if I give myself a week and there’s still a gain, I know I am doing something about it and I know the weight will come off so I can start losing again. 

*Jogging has been another exercise that I have started in 2010.  I swore it off after the half marathon in 2006, but after I started losing weight, I got curious about it again.  I felt like it might be easier and more enjoyable with less weight to carry around.  I wouldn't say that that jogging is my favorite form of exercise but I really do enjoy it now and I love that it's such a good calorie burner.*

Goals/Resolutions for 2011

1. Run a 5k race for an animal organization (Humane Society, SPCA, etc.)

2. Blog at least once a week (I find it motivates and encourages me when I put my thoughts in writing and really think about my weight loss journey.)

3. Learn to use my NEW camera!  (I just purchased a Canon Digital Rebel and I should be shipped to me very soon!)

4. Incorporate more upper body workouts (It was a rude awakening in Hawaii when I was trying to do easy kayaking but it was very tiring for me.)

*This picture was taken at the trailhead of the 13 mile hike that we did for my 30th birthday.  That was such a great feeling completing that hike and knowing that it was something that I wouldn't have been able to do when I turned 20.  Knowing that I am in better shape than I have ever been is such a great feeling!

What are your resolutions and goals for 2011?  What do you want to accomplish this year?  Happy New Year to you!

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Every now and then I really crave muffins.  Since I have been on the new Weight Watchers program, I haven't been baking as much.  Carb heavy foods like cake, cookies and muffins (even when made with whole wheat flour) are quite a bit higher in points.  Oh well...I was eating too much of it anyway.  But this weekend I did a little experimenting with some muffins.  Now that fruit is "free," I decided to bulk the muffins up with quite a bit of fruit.  I was really happy with the results.  I will definitely make these muffins again.

Blueberry Banana Muffins 
-1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or whole wheat flour)
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/3 cup organic zero sweetener (you could also use Stevia, Truvia or regular sugar)
-1 banana (mashed)
-1/4-1/2 cup almond milk
-1/3 cup applesauce
-1 tsp vanilla
-3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sweetener).

Mix the wet ingredients together (mashed banana, 1/4 cup almond milk, applesauce, and vanilla).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  If muffin batter is not wet enough, add another 1/4 cup almond milk and maybe a little more applesauce.  Once wet and dry ingredients are mixed, fold in blueberries.

Put in a muffin pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Let cool and serve.

Kale Smoothie Success!

I have always been a little scared of the "green" smoothie.  I guess I thought it would taste gross or that I wouldn't be able to get it right if I made it.  But while I was in Hawaii, I tried a kale smoothie at Sweet Home Waimanalo and it was delicious.  (I ended up having 3 of them before our trip was over!)

  I knew I wanted to try and recreate this smoothie after discovering how delicious a "green" smoothie is.  So, today was my first attempt at recreating the kale smoothie and I think it was a huge success.  Another bonus is that, with fruit being zero points on the new Weight Watchers plan, the smoothie is only 1 point....what a deal!  (Plus, I count it for 3 fruit/vegetable servings and 1 "milk" serving because it has a cup of almond milk in it.

Above is a picture of my kale smoothie.  I think the trick with the kale is chopping it up and pureeing it before the other ingredients go into the blender.

Here's the recipe:

Katy's Kale Smoothie

(Serves 1-2)

-2 large leaves of kale (de-stemmed and chopped up into small pieces)

-1 cup almond milk (I buy the unsweetened kind but you can use the non-dairy milk of your choice)

-1 banana (not frozen)

-1 large handful of frozen, chopped up peaches

-1 handful of frozen strawberries

-1 packet of Truvia

-1/4 cup water (optional)

In the blender, put in the chopped up kale and 1/2 cup of the almond milk.  Puree until there are no longer pieces of kale.  It should just be a green puree.  

Then add the banana and puree until smooth.  Next, add the frozen peaches and frozen strawberries, the other 1/2 cup of almond milk and the packet of Truvia or sweetener of your choice.  Blend until smooth.  I added 1/4 cup of water to the smoothie to make it a little less thick and to help it blend a little better.  This step is completely your call.  You may like your smoothies really thick, so you can omit the water.  

Test your smoothie out with a spoon and make sure it's sweet enough and there are no chunks of kale or fruit.  Now it's ready for you to drink!  Healthy and delicious....I love it!