making a healthier me

just over 6 months ago, i decided that i was fed up with the extra weight i put on in grad school and fed up with being out of shape and unhappy in my own skin. on september 7, 2012 i logged onto myfitnesspal for the first time – i am not even positive how i found out about it. i think i was just looking for a website to track calories and found it by googling. i used slim fast’s website for a food diary the first time in my life i lost weight, during my senior year of college, but didn’t really like the site.

myfitnesspal is amazing. everyone’s different, but it has been fantastic for me. it has been the single biggest factor in my weight loss – 23 pounds so far – and after 6 months, i can’t imagine ever not logging my food and exercise.

on september 7th, i got started at 175 pounds. i didn’t take measurements right at the start – the first measurements i took were on october 10th (i had lost 3 pounds at that point). on that date, my measurements were:

natural waist: 33
low waist: 39
hips: 44
thigh: 26

today, i weigh 152 (13% loss) pounds and my measurements are:

natural waist: 30 (9%)
low waist: 33 (15%)
hips: 41 (7%)
thigh: 24 (8%)
*body fat: 26.9%

*i have no idea what my body fat percentage was to start. using online calculators, my guesstimate is roughly 30-31%. i had it measured at my gym and it was 26.9% a couple weeks ago, which aligned with one online calculator – so i used that online one to figure out that 30% was my starting body fat percentage.

my original goal was to reach somewhere between 135 and 145 pounds. once i am comfortably in the 140′s, i am less concerned about my weight and more concerned with making my body look better and improving my overall numbers (such as measurements and body fat). i have read the stories of several women who lost weight to their goal but were “skinny fat” and then started weightlifting. most of them gained weight but continued losing inches and becoming more toned/sculpted. my goal body fat percentage is 23%.

exercise is something that is becoming a bigger part of my life. in 2011 i got into running for the first time, and ran three 5k’s that summer. once winter hit, i stopped running. last summer with our big move, i didn’t really do much running. i started again this winter and signed up for a 10k – pretty much on a whim – and knew being registered would help keep me motivated to get into a training program. it was then that i decided to get a gym membership so i couldn’t use the weather as an excuse anymore. i also decided then to enter the lottery for a half marathon that will take place on my 29th birthday – and i got in! the 10k is perfectly aligned with my training for the half marathon. that race is in 3 weeks and i am up to 5 miles on my long weekend runs, so i should be in good shape to run 6.1 in 3 weeks. my goal for the 10k is to run the entire time with a time of 1:15:00 or less. my goal for the half is to run the whole time and finish, but using an online pace estimator my goal is to come in around 3 hours.

i had intended to write a post once i reach my goal weight, but i decided that i wanted to document where i am today and have something to look back on.

gnocch gnocch, who’s there?

tonight’s dinner was a gnocch out! (i have clearly been watching too much my drunk kitchen lately). here are all the things tonight’s dinner have going for it:

• it helps out with one of my new year’s resolutions
• it’s different – adds a little variety to our diet
• it’s a one-skillet dish
• it’s quick
• it’s relatively low cal
• it has spinach in it – no side dish necessary!
• the fella actually likes it

that’s a whole lotta positives for one recipe! so, what was for dinner? this skillet gnocchi with spinach and white beans (the original recipe called for chard, but i made it with spinach). it very nearly didn’t happen, as i couldn’t find the non-refrigerated gnocchi at the store. i went back for another look and found it in the international section – hoorah!

the only negative with this dish is the proportions – it would be better with a little more gnocchi and a little less bean action. other than that, perfection!

this was my first time using the fella’s new cast iron skillet for anything other than frying up an egg and a slice of canadian bacon. man, that sucker gets hot! i also got to try out the silicon handle-gripper thingy that we picked up last night. we went out to dinner and stopped to browse in a kitchen store – and i could barely drag the fella out of there! i thought it would be me wanting to browse all night, but when i was ready to go he was barely getting started. i managed to get him out with just this one purchase, though!

the gnocchi is fried, not boiled

a whole lotta spinach

throw in some beans and tomatoes

add some cheese and voila, – gnocchi deliciousness

fitted a-line sweater pattern

i designed a sweater! a sweater that i am actually willing to wear in public!

while i was in grad school, i made a dress for a friend’s baby using a pattern from bella bambina knits. i haven’t made many garments, and this pattern was a bit of a light bulb moment for me in terms of the overall construction of a top-down dress or shirt. at the time, i thought it would make a cute adult top and have been meaning to play around with it ever since.

so, a couple of weeks ago, i decided it was time. using the basic premise of the baby dress pattern, i played around with the math/stitches to make a ladies’ top, size medium. other adjustments included changes to the armholes, some shaping at the bust, lowering the “waistline” to an empire waist, and some different shaping in the torso. i also added an edging, which was not part of the original pattern.

i am loving this sweater, so i thought i would share the pattern so that others can make it. this is my first time writing out a pattern, so please feel free to post questions in the comments if anything is unclear. enjoy!

liv’s a-line sweater pattern

so sweet, but yet so sour

we have been trying to incorporate some new recipes into the routine lately, and there was one recipe in particular that i pinned awhile back and have been meaning to try. it’s a quick and easy version of sweet and sour chicken that has a ton of positive feedback.

i have always wanted to learn a little more about how to make chinese food – i’ve tried whipping things together without a recipe in the past and the meat is never like what you get at a chinese restaurant. it’s one of those things i’ve been meaning to get around to, but just never have.

so when this recipe called for coating the chicken in cornstarch, dipping in egg, and searing it in oil before baking it, i thought to myself – ok, this must be what makes the meat turn out so differently.  a quick google searched confirmed my suspicion, and it even has a name – this method of cooking is called “velveting” the meat and it’s what gives the meat in chinese dishes that signature soft, velvety texture.

there are no pictures of the dipping-and-searing process because that process was a hot mess (literally) – eggy cornstarch goop everywhere! next time, i need to let the oil heat up more – i started searing the chicken a little prematurely this time. it doesn’t seem to have affected the taste, but it ended up taking longer and probably not searing the meat properly.

i’ll also probably use about half of the sugar next time (or adjust other ingredients up to offset the sugar but still make enough sauce). it was really heavy on the “sweet” and pretty light on the sour. the fella thought it was fine, but after a few bites i was pretty convinced that the amount of sugar in the sauce is overkill.

another modification – i chopped up some red bell pepper and tossed it in with the meat and sauce to bake. perfect! i will try some other veggies next time i make it.

methinks this will be a common dish from now on!

chickity china, the chinese chicken

creation nation new year’s resolutions

i’ve done pretty well on the list of works in progress that i posted last march:

• pastel green baby afghan (crochet) – still working on it (i started this over 5 years ago and pick it up every once in awhile…it’s getting there!)
• blue king size afghan (crochet) – frogged and gave the yarn to my mom
• red, green, and black granny square afghan (crochet) – finished (and love it!)
  
• grey cardigan (crochet) – finished, but dissatisfied with the final product
• burgundy cowl scarf (knit) – finished, and made a matching earwarmer
• blue and grey (will be) felted bag (knit) – still working on it

i’ve also put a major dent in my box of yarn – i’ve been pretty good about not buying any new yarn and using up what i already have. since it’s a new year, i thought i should set some goals to give my creations direction in 2013!

• finish the two wip’s above
• crochet a sweater that i actually like and wear!
• begin work on t-shirt quilt
• refinish the sewing table i bought at the thrift shop last summer
• knit something more complicated than a scarf or hat
• add some healthy, easy dishes to the recipe repertoire
• improve my cookie, cupcake, and cake decorating skills

that will probably keep me pretty busy, eh?

just call me martha

i decided on some fairly labor-intensive treats for christmas this year. first, i made pfeffernusse in early december – they take a few weeks to soften. buckeyes have become a tradition every year – i started making them when we lived in ohio and at this point, they’re basically a condition of my participation in the fella’s family’s christmas celebrations. the first question his sister asked when we walked in the door was whether i brought them again!

i decided to round things out with sugar cookies decorated with royal icing. i’ve made sugar cookies before but never with royal icing – and things went surprisingly well for my first attempt! i used martha stewart’s recipes for both the cookies and the icing. i did my homework and read a lot of advice and tips on working with royal icing, and am very satisfied with the results. i had to make do without any cookie decorating tips or icing color, so the decorations are pretty simple and colors are a little washed out, but still – not too shabby for my first attempt!

this is an excellent sugar cookie recipe. however, i needed to bake mine a couple minutes longer than the recipe. i have an oven thermometer and it was 350 on the dot, but these took 13-14 minutes for me. as you can see in the photos, they didn’t brown at all.

here are some tips i’d offer on working with sugar cookie dough and royal icing:

• the special food coloring for icing really is necessary. it just wasn’t possible to get the colors right with food coloring, and that little bit of liquid really does affect the consistency. i planned for it by starting it out a little thick.
• at least two batches of icing are necessary – one a little thicker for making the outline, and thinner stuff for filling in.
• chilled dough, a well-floured surface and well-floured rolling pin are the secret to clean edges and easy-to-transfer sugar cookies.
• use cool pans – even a little bit of heat will affect how the cookies bake.
• let the cookies cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack – i did a few too soon and they bent and cracked.

nice clean edges

after baking

some with sprinkles

outlined

pretty good, eh?

after flooding

pink is christmas-y, right?

so pretty

o-hi-o

it’s beginning to smell a lot like christmas

man, did the smell of these cookies take me back to grandma’s kitchen! she always made pfeffernusse for christmas and i got to help roll the cookies into balls. i made some of these last year but using a more modern version of the recipe where they’re ready to eat right away. traditional pfeffernusse are made around thanksgiving and then stored in a pillowcase until christmas. the cookies are soft right when they come out of the oven, but then harden – and over time, become soft again. time also allows the flavors to develop.

this is definitely a cookie that i appreciate more with age; while i loved helping my grandma make them, i didn’t actually like them as a kid. they are a spice cookie with fairly complex flavors, and my palate was more appreciative of grandma’s homemade peanut butter cups!

my mom wasn’t sure if she had grandma’s recipe, so i found a traditional german pfeffernusse recipe online that is basically the same. the black pepper and anise extract are what really makes these smell and taste like the legit pfeffernusse grandma used to make. i couldn’t find cardamom at the store, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. my process is slightly different than grandma’s, as i’m storing them in ziploc bags to age rather than a pillowcase. as i was making these, i wished i would have cooked and baked more with my grandma when i was younger. but, it’s nice to know that i’m keeping her spirit alive when i make her recipes.

my favorite part!

just like grandma’s