February Goals

Here we go again!

1. Finish the hall closet renovation.

2. Purge, organize & clean the guest room and start making it actually look like a guest room.

3. Maintain current weight (135lbs) and maybe even drop another lb or two.

4. Bring M's baby book up-to-date.

5. Spend more time with Cear by giving her a good walk each evening.

6. Get out for a run with M in the jogging stroller at least 2x a week.

7. Find a nanny or caregiver for M for when I go back to work.

8. Finalize my start date back at work for April.

9. Renew my Canadian passport, order Max's Canadian passport AND replace my lost British passport.

10. Finalize the date & theme for M's 1st birthday party and start working on invites.

Of course, there is a bit of carry over from January like the hall closet renovation as well as avoiding alcohol during the week. I'm slowly trying to get back into working mode by cutting out alcohol during the week, getting to bed earlier and waking at a decent time, which is rather easy with a baby who currently likes to get up around 6am. Should make those 5-5:30am starts a bit easier come April!

Lots to do in a short month!

Meal Plan for the Week of January 31st

We cheated and had take-out tonight. Last night's birthday celebrations lead to hangovers today, which meant I didn't get out to do a grocery shop. My list is prepared and I'll be hitting the store tomorrow.

Here are the 5 meals we'll be enjoying this week:

• Chicken breasts with red Thai curry sauce (Fine Cooking) served with steamed carrots & broccoli and rice.
• Meat pies (from the fabulous Herrington's Quality Butchers in Port Perry) with mashed potatoes & peas.
• Pasta with sausage, olives, sun-dried tomoatoes & cream with salad on the side (another Fine Cooking recipe).
• Baked potato and leek soup with cheddar & bacon (yet another Fine Cooking recipe) with salad and/or buns.
• Pork cutlets with orange-dijon rosemary sauce (um, yeah... another FC recipe) with potatoes and carrots.
• Homemade Hawaiian pizza with salad.

My shopping list isn't that extensive so let's hope I can bring this one in under $100 this week.

January 31, 2010

Happy birthday to ME! I had a fantastic time celebrating my birthday and was truly spoiled. I was surrounded by family & friends and had a weekend that made me feel loved.

It's time to wrap up January and move into the 2nd month of 2010. First, an update on the goals I set for myself earlier this month:

1. Lose a few lbs by the end of the month? Success! I'm thrilled that I managed to lose 10lbs by cutting out alcohol during the week, eating better and exercising more.

2. Cut out alcohol during the week? Success! I only cheated twice (going to a Leafs game and an early birthday celebration) but I'm glad I did it.

3. Use my Wii Fit 5 times this month? Success! I used it a lot more often and although I've slacked the last 2 weeks, I'm ready to start the Wii Active 30 Day Challenge tomorrow. I've also got my fancy new jogging stroller and I'm hoping to get a warm & cozy muff early this week so M & I can pound the pavement together.

4. Finish the hall closet renovation? Um... well... not really a success. I've got all the shelves ripped out but I still have to sand & paint. It's hard to work on this when it's down the hall from M's room because it's when he's napping that I have the time to do the work.

5. Get 30 loads out of a container of laundry detergent? Success! Seems like such a silly thing but I was determined to 'wash smarter' as I feel like we're always being wasteful. We use too much, which isn't good for the clothes or machine and it means we're spending unnecessary dollars.

I'm pleased with the results and I know that I need to set mini goals for myself each month. It's the only way I seem to stay on track and follow through with things. I'll be working on my list of new goals for February, which I'll post tomorrow.

Lastly...

D surprised me with a weekend in NYC for my birthday. I absolutely love New York and I can't wait to share it with D. We're going at the end of March for 3 days and I can't think of a better way to finish off my maternity leave. The only part (or person!) missing will be M. He'll be staying home so D & I can enjoy a few days to ourselves.

I think it's too easy to become complacent in a relationship, especially once a baby is involved, and you forget that you need to remember why you fell in love in the first place. It becomes easier to nag & complain instead of nurturing & encouraging. Amidst all the day to day things like work, maintaining a home and generally living life, you tend to go about your days without doing or saying the little things that keep you feeling close. I think D and I have both realized that relationships DO take work (or more work than we've been putting forth lately) and that we need to take time for ourselves. This trip to NYC is going to be a fabulous way for us to enjoy each other's company and celebrate all the good & luck in our life.

That said... I'm already dreading the thought of leaving M behind!

2010 is off to a great start and January was a great month. I'm so lucky in life & love and I truly couldn't have asked for a better start to my 33rd year.

Last Weigh-In for January 2010

I lost another 3.1lbs! Yay!

I started at 144.8lbs and currently weight 135.1lbs, which is a loss of almost 10lbs! Double yay!

My goal for January was to lose a few lbs by the end of the month. I started eating better (more often with less snacking), cut out alcohol during the week and greatly increased my water consumption. I got more active using my Wii and even went out for a run or two. Admittedly, I have done next to nothing active during the last two weeks but I stuck with the eating. I'll be back on it come Monday and I'm really hoping to get our with M using my new jogging stroller.

I think this is the motivation I needed to push me further. It isn't so much as losing more weight but rather feeling fit & healthy. I'm turning 33 (gulp!) this weekend and this is the best gift I could have given to myself.

Chicken Saute with Snow Peas & Teriyaki Pan Sauce

Super easy to make and really tasty... definitely an easy weeknight dinner. Egg noodles, rice noodles or rice pair well with this sauce.

Chicken Saute with Snow Peas & Teriyaki Pan Sauce

*Serves 2

2 boneless & skinless chicken breasts cut into 3/4" chunks

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 cup water or homemade or lower-salt canned chicken broth

2 Tbs. peanut oil or vegetable oil

5oz. fresh snow peas, trimmed

One 1-inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks (about 2 Tbs.)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup sake or mirin (sweet rice wine)

3 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. rice-wine vinegar

1 Tbs. honey

2 Tbs. crunchy bean sprouts, such as soy or lentil, washed well, or 2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, blend the cornstarch into the water or broth.

Heat 2 tsp. of the oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the snow peas and cook, stirring frequently, until they're slightly browned and softened but still crisp, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Heat another 1 Tbs. oil in the pan and add the chicken. When the underside of the chicken has turned deep golden brown (after about 1 minute), turn it with a metal spatula. Turn occasionally for even browning until almost cooked through, 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken to the bowl of peas.

Heat the remaining 1 tsp. oil in the pan. Add the ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sake or mirin, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and the cornstarch mixture. Use a wooden spoon to scrap up any browned bits in the pan and blend them into the sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and toss the chicken & snow peas into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the bean sprouts or cilantro.

*Chicken Saute with Snow Peas, Maryellen Driscoll, Fine Cooking #53

Hate. Cleaning.

I love a clean house but I hate cleaning. I especially hate how I never feel driven or inspired to clean until the evening... the late evening. It's almost 11pm and I'm flipping between vacuuming and mopping (well, steam cleaning) the floors.

Ugh.

I can't really be bothered doing this sort of stuff during the day and there is always that little part of me that's petrified it will wake M during a nap. Now that he's almost mobile (backwards only so far), I'm going to have to be cleaning these floors a lot more often. Between a constantly shedding dog, wet paw prints and human foot traffic dirtying the dark wood floors, I feel like they're never clean.

I also always seem to need an incentive to clean. It's my birthday this weekend so my parents will be babysitting M while we're out. While I know they're fully aware of the filthy state I have been known to live in, I need the place to be clean. We'll also likely be coming back to our house with friends after dinner out so the place needs to be in good shape. So, I'm spending my Thursday night (when I should be watching Grey's Anatomy) cleaning & tidying.

I just hope we can keep it that clean for 2 more sleeps.

PS - Cleaning burns calories, right? Tomorrow is my last weigh-in of the month. I've done next to nothing during the past 2 weeks yet I've eaten relatively well so we'll see... Double ugh.

Maple-Glazed Ribs

This recipe was adapted from Jean Pare's Company's Coming series. It's taken from "The Beef Book" but I always use pork ribs.

When choosing ribs, always opt for pork back ribs. The meat is plentiful and naturally tender. It's worth the extra few dollars you'll spend on these ones over side ribs. Ribs can be time consuming to make but I really think it's worth it to boil them first, marinade overnight and grill on a barbeque.

Maple-Glazed Ribs

Pork back ribs (one rack typically serves 2 people)

1 medium onion, sliced

2 celery ribs, with leaves, coarsely chopped

10 whole black peppercorns

Water to cover

1 1/2 cups corn (or cane) syrup

2 Tbsp. maple syrup (or more)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp. chili sauce (use a good quality sauce that is quite spicy)

1 small onion chopped

1 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce

3/4 Tsp. dry mustard

1/2 Tsp. salt

1/8 Tsp. pepper

Combine remaining 9 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour over ribs, turning to coat. Marinade over night and grill on barbeque

Alternatively, these can be back in a greased shallow roasting pan, uncovered, in a 325F oven for 30 minutes. Baste occasionally.

Place ribs, onion, celery and peppercorns in a Dutch oven. Cover with water and bring to a boil Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours until the ribs are tender. Remove ribs and pat dry with a paper towel. Discard liquid & vegetables. Arrange ribs in a Ziploc bag or shallow dish.

*Maple Short Ribs, The Beef Book, 2002