Spring is {Here}

I was so happy to finally reach the first day of Spring 2014.

 

 

Here in the Pacific Northwest we didn't have a horrible winter this year.  1 day of snow.  Literally just enough to build a snowman and watch it melt away the next day.  But, that doesn't mean it wasn't cold over here.  We had our fair share of below freezing days but they were too dry to result in snow.  Ironically, our area is known for rain, rain, coffee and oh, more rain, but yet it was too dry for snow. 

With my fingers crossed, I'm going to say those days are behind us. 

 

Spring is here and I welcome her with open arms, (as long as she doesn't bring too much rain).

Am I coming back?

I'm not sure yet.

I'm officially done with College (for now anyways), the babies are a little older now, and I'm just really missing my blog life.  So I've really been considering coming back.  It seems like the time is right again.  With that being said, I still have a lot of projects I'm dabbling with, so I'm not completely free with time. 

To Blog or Not To Blog?  That really is the question.

I do however post on Instagram almost daily.  So if you are interested in seeing what I've been up to, how the kidlets are and what I'm eating, you can check me out @hungerfix on IG.

{Me Fix} Getting to know me!

Saw this over on Wonderfully Complex and thought it looked like fun. 

So here I go.


1. If you had 10 minutes to be on a popular television show, which show would it be? Umm, I'm a big reality show junkie, but I think being on a reality show would kill my interest in watching because I would find out, it's not as real as I hope it to be.  So, instead I would choose Law & Order: SVU.  Love crime mysteries and love me some Ice T!!

2. If you could have one superpower what would it be?  Since having kids, I always wonder how they see me.  I would love to be able to see the world through my kids eyes.

3. What TV show are you embarrassed about watching? iCarly. 

4. What is your favorite book? I used to read a lot, you know, pre-mommyhood.  Usually I would pick up a good black romance drama.  Some faves were Milk In My Coffee, Flyy Girl and The Coldest Winter Ever.

5. What is the worst flavor of ice cream? Not a big fan of any thing with chocolate chunks.

6. What is your favorite condiment? Hot sauce.

7. What is the ideal comfort food? Mac and Cheese

8. What is the most important meal of the day? Breaky Fast!

9. What is your dream job?  Not sure, but would involve, travel, food, having my family with me, creating, and lots of money.

10. What subject do you wish you had paid more attention to in school? Math.  Hated it in high school, but learned to really enjoy it in college.

11. What musical instrument do you wish you could play?  The piano.  It's so big and powerful.

Well, there you go.  Just a little more info about me.



{TV Fix} Farewell to The Oprah Show

I am a huge Oprah fan!!

 I loved watching her show.  It opened my eyes to so many important issues; puppy mills, the health of our planet, the dangers of using a cell while driving, just to name a few.

While watching, I would laugh and cry, learn and cry, be inspired and cry some more.  (There was always lots of crying, didn't really matter what the subject of the show was, it always ended in a waterfall of tears.  Or as I like to call it, a spiritual clense.)


I'm really going to miss her show. 

So in honor of her last show, here is my list of the top 8 things I've learned from watching Oprah:

1. If attacked/snatched/kidnapped etc. never let the attacker take you to a second location.
2. Don't ignore that little feeling you get when you sense something is not right, it could be the difference of life or death
3. Live in the moment.  Be present.  Be concious of your life, your experiences, you choices and your surroundings. 
4. Own it!  Take responsibility for the choices you make. 
5. Find your inner Peace.  Walk comfortable in the skin you are in.  Be you.
6. Forgiveness is freedom.  Don't weigh yourself down with other people's baggage.
7. Give back! Share your knowledge, wealth, and heart.  It is more rewarding than you could ever imagine.
8. Your poop should be in the shape of an "S".

~~~

Dear Oprah,

Your footprint on our little planet is undeniable.  You've made such a difference in the lives of so many.  I thank you for all that you have taught me and because of you I strive to be the best DaMora I can be. 

xoxo,
D.

~~~

Any Oprah fans out there?
What have you learned from watching her show?

40 weeks today... ugh.

So, today is my official due date and there is no baby in site. What is he doing in there? Besides growing and getting fat? I'm getting anxious and really trying not to stress out. My anxiety comes from knowing that I am supposed to be on an airplane in 12 days, with my little guy, headed to the Baking With Betty Event in MN. The sooner Little Man decides to come, the older he'll be when we board the plane. I'm already a little concerned about taking him on a plane so young and everyday that he is not here, I get more and more concerned. COME OUT!!!

~~~

In attempts to stay busy and keep my mind occupied, I've been taking lots of walks and doing lots of work around the house.

Yesterday, I spent some time in my (neglected) garden. The lettuce was so overgrown. I picked a ton of it, washed, wrapped it in a paper towel and stored it in the fridge. I'll be eating lots of salads in the next few days. (That's if I'm not in the hospital, where I'd rather be)

My Thyme and Oregano was also way overgrown. So I picked, washed and hung 2 bunches to dry.
So fragrant.

{Oregano}

{Thyme}

I can't wait for my tomatoes to be ready to pick. By this time last year, we had so many ripe tomatoes that I was giving them away. This year our summer started out so cold, that it stumped the growth of many of the plants.

There is hope in site though, I have lots of little green tomatoes on all my plants, so in due time, I will be munching down on some fresh tomatoes.


~~~

Later in the day, The Hubs and I took Jaelyn for a walk along the waterfront.

While down there, we did some crab hunting. We found lots of little crabs. But we also found lots of really pretty shells, and even a small starfish.

Check out the bright orange shell.

Jaelyn thought they were so cool. Me too.

Well, no baby yesterday. But we did have a great day, just the 3 of us. Which will soon be a thing of the past. I can't wait for our new addition.

7.2.2005

I Love You more today, than I did 5 years ago.

Happy Anniversary Baby!!!

Just have to say....

I'm headed to a wedding today. Not really in the mood. I feel like curling up in a ball, on the couch, with a big ol' bowl of extra buttery popcorn and a day of lifetime movies.

I've got some serious pregnancy emotional baggage and my hormones are raging. I just don't feel like being the big, fat, prego girl at the wedding in the Moo Moo dress trying to be social.

But I'm going anyway.

Wish me luck!

I ate and ate and ate...

Yesterday was one of those mindlessly binging days that some how sneek into my life. I started the day with good intentions but that didn't last long. I think it was just an overall lazy day, I was feeling a bit slugish, I didn't get good sleep the night before and I was just not in the mood to care.


Here are some of the many things I filled my face with yesterday.


{1 pear and some banana bread}




{Coffee while sitting in the window with the sun on my face}

{Nutella on whole wheat bread}

{Light yogurt with a scoop of trail mix. I couldn't keep my hand out of the trail mix all day. I'm putting it high in the cabinet today so if I want some, I have to make a serious effort to get to it}

{Leftover spaghetti for lunch}

{Fresh veggies and hummus}

{Homemade pizza on whole wheat crust for dinner, then another slice and yes, another}

Seriously, 3 pieces of pizza? Glutton!! That's the kind of eating that turned me into a "beached whale" with my first pregnancy. I have got to snap out of it.

On a more positive note, aside from my morning coffee, I only had water to drink all day, I managed to get some fresh fruit and veggies down and I said no to the bowl of ice cream that was calling my name before bed.

Today's a new day, and I'm not heading down that road again.

Sissy Love!

Hey "From My Kitchen" Readers,

Are you into fashion?

Well my little Sissy has started a fashion blog. She has great taste, is up on all the latest fashion greatness and she even designs & sews a little sumthin sumthin.

Check her out.

NPC Styles.

Granny's Recipe Box

When my Granny passed away a few years ago, I got to keep her box of recipes.

Many of the cake and pie recipes she used to make for the Holidays are in this box.

Unfortunately, most of the savory dishes she made, she didn't have written recipes for.

Many of the recipes were in her handwritting, which makes them extra special.

Some are from friends of hers and many are clippings that she collected over the years.

I plan to make some of these recipes and turn them into a recipe book with pictures.

What a great way to honor my sweet Granny who's home and kitchen was the "Grand Central Station" of our family.

Miss you Gran!

So Far So Good

I've been true to my healthy plans so far. And I have to say, I'm happy about it. I think I got my "groove" back. I've stuck to my plan to make it to the gym everyday after dropping Jaelyn off at school. Yay!!

My eats have been great too. No mindless snacking and lots of healthy choices. Here are a few of my meals from the last couple of days.

{Oatmeal w/ Pumpkin Butter}

{This fruit bar was really good}
{Garden Salad}

{TJ's dried Apple Rings made a great snack}

{Golden Delicious Apple & a Sandwich Thin w/ Almond Butter and Honey}

{Kashi Go Lean w/ ff milk and a Banana}

We went out for Italian Tuesday night. I wanted Fettucine Alfredo so bad. So creamy, so yummy. But I decided to have the Penne Primavera with a side salad.
Jaelyn and Eric had pizza.

The pasta was way too much, I ate all the veggies and almost half of the pasta.

{Jaelyn loved the ooey gooey cheeeese}

{Yogurt Mix w/ Strawberries, Raisins, Puffins, Fiber One and Bare Naked Fit}

~~~

Hey check this out.

I received my giveaway from Jen. Thanks Girl.

***

Tonight, Eric and I are going to see my nephew perform in his very first major production.

He is in this show

playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle.

I'm so excited. This is right up my alley, I was a big drama head in High School and really wish I stayed involved in theatre after graduating. Maybe I will again someday.

But for now, I get to watch my nephew do his thing.

I hope I can get a pick of him afterwards in his costume.

Ugh.

That's how I've been feeling lately. I just can't seem to find my "Happy Healthy Place"
It really time for a hunger makeover.
Let me explain. I got my grub on this past weekend, I did well with Thanksgiving dinner, but everything else was a disaster. I had cookies, apple pie, pumpkin pie, Chinese food, too many slices of toast and butter, wine, candy, a few mini chocolate bars and I'm sure I'm forgetting a whole handful of more "big booty" foods. There is just something so difficult about sticking to a health plan while away from home, esp. around the holidays when there is food at every turn.

So today, I am committing to turn that all around. I have eleven days before we leave to TX to visit some of The Hubs' family and I do not want to feel bloated and heavy.

My Plan

• No Meat. This doesn't mean, I'm going Vegetarian for life, it just means I'm not going to allow any heavy meat into my food plan for the next week or so. This is not meant to be a challenge for me, and it really isn't, I don't eat a lot of meat anyway, I just want to concentrate on a veggie/fruit based diet. I might allow a little fish, we'll see how I feel each day.
• Tracking. I plan to track my meals. Those of you who do track, know the impact of tracking each thing that enters your mouth. It keeps me accountable and keeps me aware of what I'm eating. If at the end of the day, I can look at a list of the things I've eaten, I can easily find any problem areas.
• No Cheating. Yes, I admit, I cheat sometimes. But not this week. I am going to be honest with myself and not allowing any temptations to get the best of me.
• Activity. 30 mins per day, no matter what. No excuses. It's just too important for me to ignore.
• Listen & Obey. I'm going to listen to my body and hunger signals. No eating just because I want to.

That's it. That's my plan. I put it out there for the universe to see.

Wish me Luck!!

When you fall off track what are the things you do to get back on?

New Routine.

Exciting day for us. Jaelyn started his first day of Preschool today!! I think he was a bit nervous, I know I was. He has never gone to daycare so I didn't know how he would react to the structure of a classroom and the authority of a new person. But when he got home he was happy to tell me about his day and had a "Good First Day" note from his teacher.

So, now with J going to school, my plan is to drop him off in the mornings and head straight to the gym. Yup, that's what I did this morning and it worked out beautifully.


I did a good 45 mins on the treadmill then came home.

For breakfast I made a yogurt mix with nf vanilla yogurt, a small nectarine, puffin cereal, fiber one cereal and Bare Naked Fit granola.

After picking J up from school, we headed to the park. It is such a beautiful day today and I wanted to feel the sunshine.
By the time we got home, I was hungry for lunch. Keeping in mind it's Meatless Monday, I decided to try these Veggie Samosas.

I heated to according to the package instructions and while I waited for them sauteed up some veggies. Mushrooms, red bell pepper, onion, carrot and some spinach went in a pan with a bit of EVOO, seasoned with S&P, curry powder and smokey paprika. Just before removing it from the heat, I added some leftover brown rice and a splash of teriyaki sauce.

I ended up with a lot of food, but it was really good. The samosas had a great crispy wrap and were a bit spicy inside. I used sweet chili sauce for dipping which was the perfect flavor combo.

Happy Monday!

***

Only 3 days left to enter my Apron Giveaway.
And if you act fast you can win some Chobani Greek Yogurt from Yum Yucky, contest ends tonight.

It's getting so Cold!

I woke up this morning and it was so dark and gloomy out. The sky was a crazy mix of black and grey. Brr. It was so cold and I just dredded stepping out into the cold air.

I offered to take a shift on a unit I'd never worked before for a chick who got ill. It was horrible. So busy, and I totally felt like a fish out of water. All the units run differently, but this one was completely different from any other I had worked. It was the Short Stay and Day Surgery unit, so naturally I was expecting a lot of patient traffic, but it was even beyond my expectations. All I can say is, I'm glad it's over.


Eats.

I puffy heart oatmeal!!
Esp. when it's dressed in goodness.
Chocolate chips and coconut flakes.




I posted another Operation Beautiful note in the Ladies Room at the Hospital.

Lunch was the last of my Trader Joes Reduced Guilt pita chips. I'm not happy about this, I definately have to get some more soon.

I also had a bowl of Progresso Wild Rice and Veggie soup. And a Diet Coke.

When I got home I had what is probably the last watermelon I'll have until next summer.
Dear Sweet Juicy Watermelon, I will miss you!

Dinner was Mexican. I didn't get a pic but I ordered a veggie burrito. Of course it filled a plate the size as Texas.

I love Mexican, it's one of my absolute fav's, but it's so challenging to eat it out, b/c the portion are out of control. I try to only eat until my body is satisfied, but that is so hard to do, esp. when the food is off-the-hook delicious. So, needless to say, I ate more than what I should have. I guess it was just one of those days.

Who doesn't like free stuff?

Quick Post.

Kelly @ Happy Texans posted some links to sign up for free samples.
Go on over there and get your freebies. I did.

Ugh...

It's been one of those days for me. I havn't been feeling well all day. A bit dizzy at times, tired and lazy. I don't know what it is. I really hope I'm not coming down with the flu or other virus.
I've been consuming more sugar than usual lately. For some reason there has just been more cookies, cakes and goodies around here. And I've been picking here and there. Maybe that's the problem.

Tomorrow, I'm waking up and starting fresh. No junk for me for a while. Also, I think I need to get back to journaling. That way, I will have time to re-think any bad food choices.

Oh and Water, Water, Water. I think I've been lacking a bit on the H2O.

-

Moving on.

Despite waking up and feeling like crap, I still managed to make a great breaky fast.

• 2 Special K Red Berries waffles w/ sf syrup
• A juicy nectarine
• 2 egg whites with a sprinkle of cheddar

Lunch was just as delish.

• A pita pizza w/ fresh mozzarella and fresh basil
• Diet Coke (had a sweet tooth)

After lunch it was all downhill.
I snacked on a few different things.

• PB and crackers
• Apple slices
• Yogurt and granola
• Handful of Honey Bunnies
• A couple bites of some salmon

It was bad.

I havn't had a real meal for dinner, but I'm craving Ice Cream.

Smile & Push

I did a lot of running around today. Got lots of things accomplished, boring stuff that's not worth mentioning.
But while I was out, I went to Borders Books to find Push by Sapphire. A gritty novel about a young girls struggle to find herself, her worth, her purpose and love, while growing up in Harlem. A movie has been made based on the book called Precious presented by Oprah and Tyler Perry.
Anyway, while I was at Borders I posted an Operation Beautiful note in the ladies room. My first post, but not the last. If you are not familiar with Operation Beautiful, check it out. I think it's a brilliant way to spread self love.

After all of my running around, I went to Starbucks, purchased an Iced SF Cinnamon Dolce NF Latte, found an outside table, munched on a banana, looked at some pics, and began reading Push. What a great slice of time to myself.

Note to Self: Post up at a coffee shop and get lost in a great book more often.

Garden Fresh

Here are a few picks from my garden. 2 Zucchini's, 1 corn, 1 lonely little strawberry and plenty of tomatoes. Yum. I love having a garden, it inspires me to eat healthy.

Breakfast and Fear

Oroweat sandwich thin with rf PB, fruit on the side.

Kashi Go Lean Crunch with ff milk and blueberries.

These are 2 breaky-fasts I've had in the last few days. I hadn't had a chance to post them until now. They are both quick options that do the trick along with a cup of coffee, and hold me over until lunch time.

~

1 week from tomorrow I will be participating in my very first triathlon. I havn't talked about it much mostly b/c I'm scared to death. It's the Danskin Triathlon Series, which is an all women's tri for all athletic levels. I find a little comfort in knowing that I will not be the only beginner out there. I'm not doing it alone, which also comforts me. A friend of mine did it for the first time last year and invited me to join her this year. At the time she asked, I was all over it. Excited and totally convinced it was something I could do. Well today, I'm still excited, but not as confident. I just don't know if I'm in way over my head or not. I guess, the answer to that will be told next week.

We'll see...