Tuesday, July 17, 2012

15. Lose 15 (more) Pounds


It's been 4 months since I lost my last 15 lbs, but at least I'm still losing! Today at Weight Watchers, I hit 30 lbs total loss.   (Above is a chart with my total loss scale! Sorry, you don't get the actual numbers! I deleted those for my sanity!)

But I've hit my WW 10% too, and got my totally awesome keychain! Which is oddly motivating to me. It's been a huge driving thing, and I've decided that I'm going to buy myself my own charm for it every 5% I lose, so that I have something to aim for, to keep me motivate and to brag about!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

55. Go for a full week without buying anything but Bills/Groceries

The first week of July was great for this goal! I made a grocery list, we stuck to that list and then we found free activities to do around town! It was a great exercise in self-control for me! (And has been fairly easy to follow up! I'm hoping it's made a change in how I do my spending from now on!)

A few photos of our free activities - to help spice this page up!!




3. Try 30 New Recipes : Cucumber Lime Popsicles

It's summer, and here in Southern Colorado? It's HOT! Skyler and I were looking for some good ways to cool off, and we decided - what better than a Popsicle?

We started with juice-sicles, just pouring some Cherry Limeade (Minute Made) into popsicle molds and freezing them! But then we (I) got more adventurous! Today's experiement? Cucumber Lime!

Sure, I saw them on Pinterest. (courtesy of The Little Foodie) But when I first saw them, I thought "Umm... right..." Because really? Popsciles and Cucumbers? Not so much. Right? WRONG! They are delicious! And super simple to make!

All you need is a Cucumber, a Lime, a Tablespoon of Sugar and a Cup of Water! (For 4 popsicles) 
Run them in the Food Processor (and be sure to cover your ears while you do so!) 
Fill your favorite molds (dixie cups and old yogurt cups work well if you don't have popsicle molds! But these were $1/each - and so worth their cost!) 
Then freeze for 2 or 3 hours and enjoy! 
Ingredients
  • 1 Peeled and Cubed Cucumber
  • 2 TblSp sugar
  • 2 TblSp Lime Juice
  • 1 Cup Water

3. Try 30 New Recipes : Pretzels

With my recent Pinterest Addiction I've been wanting to make Pretzels for quite awhile! So Skyler and I finally broke down and tried one of the Pin's I'd saved! They turned out super yummy, and we're anxiously waiting to make them again! We followed this recipe from The Family Kitchen.






Big, Soft Pretzels
Ingredients
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (one package)
3/4 cup lukewarm water
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
4 – 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
For the boiling solution:
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda
 Directions
Pour a bit of the water into a large bowl, stir the yeast into about half of the water (measure it, then just pour a bit into the bowl to make sure the yeast is active); let it sit for about 10 minutes. If it’s not foamy, toss it out and buy fresh yeast.
Add the rest of the water, milk and canola oil to the yeast, then stir in about 3 cups of flour and the salt. Add about a cup more flour, and when it becomes too difficult to stir, turn it out onto the counter top and start kneading. Once all the flour is incorporated, keep kneading, adding extra flour if it’s too sticky, for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for an hour.
Cut the dough into 10 pieces and roll each into a rope, and shape into pretzels or hearts, pinching the ends to seal. Let them rest on the countertop for 15 minutes while you bring 2 L of water to a rolling boil with the salt and baking soda. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Boil about 3 at a time, so you don’t crowd the pot (they will swell) and bring the temperature down, and simmer for a minute per side. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle with coarse salt as soon as they come out of the water, so that it sticks.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Makes about 10 pretzels.




33. Fill my Memory Card on my Camera in one day

On July 9th, we took a 3 mile hike through Garden of the Gods with my friend Erica - our first trip to our favorite place in the world since the Waldo Canyon Fire. With my camera in hand, we hiked (slowly) stopping to snap photos as we went.

I filled my 2 GB memory card during this hike! (I know, 2GB isn't huge, but it came out to 474 JPG images for me!) And I've decided to share with you a few of my favorites!  (Click the collage to view larger!) And a set of my absolute favorites is available to view on Flickr - Just click here!


 


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

57. Donate hair to Locks of Love

In May of 2012 I was getting really tired of my same old, LONG hairstyle and decided I needed a change! Luckily, the length I wanted chopped off was enough to donate! My fabulous hair stylist (who has been doing my hair since 1988 - seriously!) got me a cute new style, and a nice thick braid to donate!