Gettin’ Skinny the Beautiful Thrifty Life Way!

*I am not getting paid or compensated in any way for this post. I probably should be, but really I’m just gushing because I looooove it!*

So, beautiful baby girl is here and Mommy is thrilled- but fat!

Okay, I’m not that fat, but I could definitely stand to lose a few pounds. And, as per my usual, I decided to forgo the expensive programs like NutriSlim and Weight Watchers and skip the pricey gym membership as well. 

So how am I losing my weight?

I am using a fantastic FREE program called My Fitness Pal. If you want to lose weight, get in shape, or even just learn more about your relationship with food, you have to try this! Here’s how it works:

- Go to www.myfitnesspal.com - you can use the website with your computer or you can download their free app for your mobile device.

- Enter in your info: age, height, weight, average daily activity level. Then tell it what your goal weight is and how much you want to lose each week.

- My Fitness Pal will then calculate your daily calorie goal: your calorie limit for each day for you to lose the amount of weight you desire. 

- Start tracking! MFP has a huge food database- all different brands, along with various raw fruits and  veggies. Just type in what you ate and it will find it for you and tell you how many calories you’ve consumed. You add it to your daily “food diary” and MFP will tell you how many calories you still have left. You can even put in the ingredients for your favorite recipes and MFP will calculate the calories and save them so you can easily access it whenever you need to.

- Get moving! MFP also allows you to set fitness goals. Anytime you work out, you add the exercise and minutes and you can earn yourself more calories! Want an extra dessert? Better put on your gym shoes first!

- Get friends and family to sign up- MFP is like facebook, where you can add your friends and family and see whenever they work out, complete their daily food diary, or log a weight loss. Even on days when I don’t feel like working out, I’ll see that someone else did and it motivates me to get my butt in gear!

Using this program has made losing weight like a game for me. I look forward to adding in my food and seeing how many calories I have left. I enjoy trying to find ways to trim calories, and finding healthier alternatives to my usual favorite foods. I love working out and rushing back to my computer to enter in my minutes and watch my calorie allowance for the day suddenly go up (yummy dessert, here I come)!

Here are the ways this program has really helped me:

1. I have learned to make better food choices. I know that 250-calorie cupcake tastes good, but I also know that 60-calorie peach won’t leave me hungry again in 30 minutes like the cupcake will.

2. I have learned the difference between wanting something to eat and being *actually* hungry. Now when I think I’m hungry, I drink a glass of water first. Most of the time the water does the trick and I’m fine.

3. I’m drinking more water! MFP also allows you to track your water intake, which is an important element in losing weight. Stay hydrated!

4. I’m learning portion control- in order to correctly track my calories I have to accurately measure my portions, and I’m realizing I was eating WAY more than I should.

5. I’m learning that it takes awhile for my brain to register that I’ve eaten. Often after I’ve eaten my correct portion size I will still feel hungry. But I’ve found that if I wait 30 minutes or so, I will actually feel satisfied. This realization is definitely helping me to stay on track and not overeat.

6. I can eat whatever I want! I know that if I save up my calories I can still enjoy that dessert and be completely guilt-free while doing it.

7. No guesswork. It’s simple math: calories in vs. calories out. I know that as long as my calories in are less than my calories out, I’m losing weight. Simple.

The best part? I actually look forward to getting on the scale- I’m excited to see how much weight I’ve lost! And by the way, it’s not just me- I got my whole family on board and they have lost about 16 lbs between the 5 of them over just the last 2-3 weeks. I have lost 3 lbs over the last 4 weeks doing it, and I can honestly say it’s been really fun. :-)

Do you need to lose weight? Do you want to learn more about your relationship with food and try to make healthier choices? Check it out! 

A Pinteresting Pinvestigation

Pinterest has become a fun hobby for me- not just browsing and pinning, but actually trying out new recipes and activities and tips that I pin. A few months ago I shared some of my Pinterest successes with you and this week I thought I’d add a few more- both the successful and not-so-successful. :-)

Let’s start with the good:



Like these flourless fudge cookies from Chocolate & Carrots...YUM! Warning: these do stick- make absolutely sure you have the parchment paper for these. I did, and they were still pretty sticky! But oh so delicious and worth it!

And another winner:



Ho. ly. cow. This recipe for restaurant-style steak from Amuse Bouche is UNbelievable. I thought I had died and gone to steak heaven when I took my first bite after making this. Seriously- if you like steak then this recipe is a MUST! Warning: I have made this a few times now and I always have to open the windows and turn on the fans because it will SMOKE YOU OUT! But again, SO worth it.

Need some more dessert? I gotcha covered:



This Lemony Cream Butter Cake from the Blackjack Bakehouse is as lemony and creamy and buttery as it looks! I made this for a luncheon at church and was practically mobbed by people asking me about it. One lady overheard the fray and wanted a piece but there were none left- someone actually insisted that she lick the serving utensil so she could get a taste!! So funny!

Need something healthier? That’s okay, I got you covered there too:



These pina colada pops are made with fruit and coconut milk and they are YUMmy! My kids love them too, which is a total plus in my book!

One more hallelujah recipe for you (this one not so healthy):



It’s cake batter fudge, people. Cake. batter. fudge. Do I really need to say anything else? I bought another funfetti cake mix today because my children have practically been on their knees pleading with me to make more of this stuff. (They really had to twist my arm, you know.) And it’s waaaay easy to make, too- just mix and chill. This could be dangerous.

Okay, enough with the sweets- let’s get back to dinner.



This Man-Pleasing Chicken from Witty in the City pleased my man AND me! I used dried rosemary because I didn’t have fresh, and I thought it was quite tasty. I’m actually making it again this week- it’s a quick and easy recipe, which is important when you have a newborn at home!

And last but not least, who’s up for breakfast?



These Bacon Egg Cups from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body are tasty and perfect for a crowd. My only complaint was that they took a little while to put together (that bacon is slippery and doesn’t like to behave nicely in muffin cups!) and they were a tad on the greasy side because the bacon grease had nowhere to go. I made these when I had house guests and both they and my kids really liked them.

So, have you been cooking any of your pins? Found any new favorite recipes? Leave a comment and share! Next week I’ll be back with some pin FAILS! Those are always fun...

Linking up to

Look Who's Finally Here!

I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Teeny. 

She arrived only 1 day behind schedule, on July 20th. 

She's a very zen little squirt, and her big brother and sisters are so excited she's here.

We are, too. :-)

Quick Afternoon Project: BAGS Dispenser Can

Guess what? Today's my due date! Still no baby. *sigh* Anyway, thought I'd at least commemorate the day with a post for y'all.

Earlier this week my son had a friend over to play, my littlest was down for a nap, and I knew Starlet would be bored and I wanted to find something to do with her to keep her out of the boys' hair. I have discovered recently that she's a big fan of paper crafting, and I've had this project on my to-do list for awhile, so I thought we could have some fun with it together.

This handy-dandy bag dispenser was created from an empty #10 can which we Mod-Podged with scrapbooking paper. Starlet helped me choose the colors, apply the Mod-Podge, and she was in charge of using the Quickutz to  punch the die-cut flowers and letters. I assembled the flowers and we figured out the placement together.

As you can probably tell from some of the flowers, I also let Starlet cut them out with scissors. They aren't perfect, but they're beautiful because we did it together. :-) And now we have a pretty, colorful bag dispenser! Perfect for all those dirty diapers that are sure to be coming our way soon...I hope...

For more great project ideas for your old cans, check out this post by Under the Table and Dreaming.

Hope you're having a fun summer. Have you done anything crafty with your kids recently?

Linking up to...

So You Think You're Crafty: I'm Crafty Party

Restaurant-Good Fajitas!

I've been thinking of posting this on here for awhile, but whenever I make this recipe I get so excited I forget about all else- including taking photos of the process! But this time I made sure to document it all so I could share it with you, dear readers.

I LOOOOVE fajitas, especially the kind you get at Mexican restaurants where they serve it to you on a cast iron skillet with fresh tortillas. YUM. Unfortunately, every time I got a "fajita" spice mix or frozen "fajitas" meal from the store, they never even remotely resembled the restaurant fajitas I love. 

After some searching I came across a fajita marinade recipe from Allrecipes.com that hit the nail on the head! 

Restaurant-Good Fajitas

1/4 cup lime juice

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I use red pepper flakes instead)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Step 1. Mix together ingredients for marinade; cut your chicken (I usually use 2 large breasts) into thin strips and marinate for 30 minutes-2 hours. 

Step 2. Scoop chicken out of marinade and cook in large skillet on HIGH heat until outsides turn white. Don't cook for too long or chicken will become tough. Remove chicken and set aside, keeping it warm.

Step 3. You'll need onions and multicolored peppers- I just keep it simple and use 2 packages of frozen. Less chopping that way! But fresh works too.

Step 4. Using the same pan you cooked the chicken in, cook your onions and peppers (this gives them some of that fajita flavor too). Personally, I think that to make this dish more authentic you kind of have to cook them to oblivion- in the photo above, there's lots of liquid still...

 ...but in this photo you'll see how the liquid has evaporated and the onions have kind of caramelized- this gives the dish that amazing tangy sweetness. You have to wait until you actually have to kind of scrape the onions & peppers off the pan. Ohhhh so good.

Step 5. Add your chicken back into the mix- stir well and you'll see the chicken kind of get this golden coating from the veggies. YUM.

Step 6. What do you want with your yummy fajita mix? I personally love to eat mine over a bed of Chipotle rice- yeah, the same kind you get at Chipotle restaurant! You can find the recipe here or do like I do- just use basmati rice, use a little less than twice as much water as rice except replace some of the water (a few tablespoons) with lime juice and then add extra salt. Once the rice is done cooking, mix in a few tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro. 

Another great option is to serve this on freshly-made warm tortillas. Yes, you can make these at home! I pinned it and I did it! Find the recipe here.

Step 7. Devour. And think about opening your own Mexican restaurant with your mad fajita-cooking skills.

The Last Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe You'll Ever Need

Today I have a real treat for you! There have been a lot of "microwave mug cake" recipes floating around on the internet, and I have tried quite a few. Often, they get tricky because of the amount of egg required- the results either turn out too dense or too spongy. 

Lightbulb moment!

My very favorite chocolate cake recipe is vegan- it has no egg in it at all (it utilizes the leavening magic of baking soda and vinegar instead). I thought, Why not scale down that recipe and turn it into a microwave mug cake recipe?

Well, I scaled it down, messed with it a bit, and discovered the perfect recipe for a moist, light, fluffy cake recipe that just hits the chocolate spot. Here ya go:

The Last Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe You'll Ever Need

4 1/2 T flour

3 T sugar

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa

scant* 1/4 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 pinches salt

3 tsp vegetable oil

scant 1/4 tsp vanilla

scant 1/2 tsp vinegar

3 T cold water

*"scant" means just a little bit less- because this recipe has been adapted from a much larger quantity, some of the measurements were weird fractions, so just doing a tad less than a full 1/4 tsp, for example, will give you just the right amount.

1. Mix the dry ingredients (1st 5) in your mug with a fork or mini whisk.

2. Make a well (hole) in the center of your dry mixture and add wet ingredients.

3. Stir well with your fork or mini whisk. You may want to use a spoon to make sure you get all the dry ingredients out of the bottom corners. 

4. Lick the spoon/fork/whisk. No raw eggs. You're totally allowed.

5. Microwave for 1 minute, 20 seconds. I have a 1000-watt microwave- if your microwave is more or less powerful you may need to adjust this time. Start low and work your way up.

6. Let cool for as long as you can stand it (about 10 minutes is good- I usually dig in early and blow on each bite.)

7. Devour the chocolatey deliciousness. 

Aww yeah. Next time you're craving some moist chocolatey goodness, I've got you covered. You're welcome.

I would love it if you tried this out yourself and left a comment to tell me how you liked it. :-)

Linking up to:

Milk & Cuddles

Getting Ready for Baby!

Isn't this photo my photographer friend Jenn took amazing? I just love all my little munchkins' hands on my belly! We had an incredible maternity photo shoot- check out her website or her blog to see more of her gorgeous photos.

We're two weeks away from my due date, and I am up to my ears in burp cloths and baby blankets! The bouncy seat, swing, and car seat have all been extracted from the attic, their covers laundered and replaced, and now I'm working on the layette. It's a lot of work!

One thing I realized this morning as Little Boo (2 1/2 now) bounded into our room was that I could go into labor and have to leave for the hospital in the middle of the night. If I did, it might be a bit disconcerting for her to come into Mom & Dad's room and find us missing! Even more disconcerting if she went to look for us downstairs and found a strange person (well, it would be someone she knew but still strange) sleeping on the couch in the living room...

So I came up with this idea:

I made this little sign and showed it to her, explaining that if she wakes up and comes to our bedroom door and she sees this sign, it will mean that Mommy and Daddy went to the hospital so Mommy could have the baby. It would also mean that Uncle Erik, or Miss Shari (or some other friend or family member) will probably be downstairs. 

She got very excited about this sign and when she said our family prayer tonight she prayed that Daddy would take me to the hospital and that Uncle Erik would be here. :-) Maybe I gave her the wrong message...

Another gorgeous shot from our photo shoot. LOVE!

Oh, well! At least she has some idea of what's going on. I'll keep reminding her of how the sign will work until the time comes. In the meantime, I'll be hanging in there, staying in the AC and nesting my little heart out...