Hail, Caesar!

I cannot wait to see this movie! I thoroughly enjoy watching old movies and this spoof on the industry looks hilarious! Plus it's got some of my favorite actors - George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Ralph Fiennes, Channing Tatum, and more!

A fun movie to take your honey to for Valentine's Day! Or President's Day, even =)
Have a great, love-filled weekend, y'all!

I hate making dinner

There, I said it. Does anyone else relate? I always feel bad about not enjoying to cook. My mom likes to cook, my sister likes to cook, lots of my friends like to cook, and apparently lots of people on Facebook either like to cook or just like watching someone else cook... Well, I appreciate all these people - and I love to eat good cooking! I just don't like to do it myself.

I'm going to be that grandma from Sixteen Candles, W/O the cigarette!

Here are my
Top Ten Reasons for Detesting Dealing with Dinner...

1. The daily question, "What's for dinner?" with answer followed by a groan.
2. The prep work - chopping, shredding, slicing, peeling, etc
3. The recipe times for prep work are usually underestimated
4. The splatter! I have an apron, but when I forget it, I inevitably stain one of my favorite shirts.
5. The smell - great during, but it sticks with you for hours after and isn't as appetizing...
6. Time to make = 30-40 min, Time to eat = 5-10 min, Time to clean up = 30-40 min
7. At least one person has a complaint or suggestion on how to do it better
8. The other annoying question, "Why can't we eat out?"
9. No help, unless threatened at gun point to take away video game time
10. Sometimes it's just not worth it.

Does anyone relate? It can be tough, but we still have to do it. So, being a problem-solver, here are some 

Ways to Take the Agony out of Dinner:

• Turn on some tunes or put on a show
• Pre-cooked and pre-chopped ingredients
• Easier substitutions
• Add-ins for personalization and picky palettes
• It's healthier with fresh fruits and veggies we don't usually get eating out.
• As the kids get older, they actually do appreciate more, try more foods, and help more.
• Mostly, it reminds me of my mom and all the wonderful things she did for my sis and me growing up. She's the best!

Happy Mother's Day! (I know it's not May yet, but we deserve more than ONE DAY a YEAR!)

Good news and Odd views for Monday

The Groundhog Coalition says,
"Spring is on the way!"
Here's a little song I wrote about it a while back.

My dry skin and stuffy nose are excited for warmer weather. But I wonder if El Niño has anything in store for us this summer, since it's been called a "very strong" year... Just saying, look at the weather when plan your vacations!

In other GOOD NEWS - NO CAVITIES!!

This is extra exciting since I procrastinated going to the dentist for um, longer than I should have. And while I was there, in that dreaded, fearful establishment of pain, I thought of a few things...

Way to go, Woman!

• Though I love, love coffee, I don't think the dentist should provide free cups. It's like they're feeding our addiction so we have to come back more often. "Have some coffee, don't worry about stains, we can whiten your teeth!" Why don't they put out lollipops and taffy, too? But maybe that's just me.
• Why don't adults get rewards for good behavior? We surely deserve a treat more than kids because we drag ourselves to the dentist knowing we will have to endure torturous poking and prodding and drilling! "What a good girl you were. Pick a trinket." I'd love a pen or even a sticker with a big smile that says, "No Cavities!" or "I survived another cleaning!"
• And when are they going to come up with a laser procedure to zap plaque? I mean, they have lasik surgery for eyes... Let's go science pioneers - reduce my pain!

What are you happy about this Monday? Do you want a sticker? I'll send you one =)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Fridays are all about good things, so I saved our awesome news for Friday's post.

We have a budding young cook joining our team!

Meet Jessica Hartman, my niece.  She's here with a how-to cook a great dinner video.

Okay, so when I first heard the idea of making a pizza crust out of cauliflower, I was skeptical. But it's a great way to add veggies to your diet and if you're on a Gluten free diet, this is a perfect dinner or snack.

Jessica Hartman

Jessica has a degree in nutrition from Marshall University. One of her hobbies is cooking food that is delicious and nutritious. Jessica is also a mad Lindsey Stirling fan, animal lover, and a too-perfect-for-words niece.

Diet Is a Four Letter Word

That's me in 1988.

Let me explain a couple things about the picture...

1) The school photographer came and suggested we take action shots. In all my years of  "playing" basketball, this was usually all the action (outside of practice) that I got.
2) For years, I HATED this picture. I didn't hate it because my coach gave me a scowl and a head shake for doing it, but because I was certain I looked fat.

Seriously. I tried to talk my mother into liposuction after getting that picture back. She refused, of course.

While studying to be a mental health counselor in college, I had to write a weight loss program that could be used as group therapy.

I decided I'd make a plan that put self-love first. My weekly group would focus on the whole woman, not just a number on a scale.

Part one was the interest component:

Everyone has a passion...they just need to identify it. My group would require its members to explore interests. I'd bring in people to discuss different hobbies until each person found something that excited her.

Part two was the beauty component:

There would also be a beauty component to the group. I mean, everyone likes to look pretty, right? Wouldn't my weight loss group benefit from beauty tips by bringing in make up specialists, hair dressers, and fashion experts? I thought so.

Part three was the health component:

Lastly, there would be a focus on health. Not weight. Health. I know skinny people who maintain their weight through diet drinks and cigarettes. That's hardly better than being a chunk, right? The group would explore healthy eating and exercise habits. My group would play fun games like badminton or basketball. We'd share recipes that were not only delicious, but healthy. And everyone would be responsible for sharing and coming up with organizing games. That way planning and execution becomes a habit for them too.

So, that, in a nut shell (the original proposal was about twenty pages long) was my plan.

I got a C on it.

My professor's comment on the grading page was, "It sounds like a fun group, but you didn't make a weight loss group".

I took my paper to his office and argued for my plan. I told him I fully believed America's obsession with weight was exactly what was making us fat. If we stopped worrying constantly about what we looked like  and simply started living healthy, full lives, we'd have much better chances of reaching an ideal weight than by spending a whole day counting calories and loathing the bodies we have.

We shouldn't have to wait to be a certain size to enjoy the hell out of life and feel beautiful.

My logic worked a little. I was able to bump my C to a B.

I couldn't get my A because, as he said, I didn't put the focus on weight loss.

It's been twenty years since I lost that argument, but I still think I'm right.

Any time I obsess over my weight, I gain weight. Then I feel awful about myself and beat myself up, and then I gain even more weight. This  summer was one of those times when bad habits returned with a vengeance. I was back to my old obsessed self.

Once again, I am back to trying to re-orient my brain and remind myself that it's not all about weight. It's about living an active, healthy life without the negative self-talk.

Here's a few tips that help me:

1. Add calories rather than subtracting them. Try to eat at least ten servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. The body often confuses thirst for hunger, so we find ourselves nibbling when we really need to be drinking. And a body filled with enough water helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles!

3. Swap food. Where you can, switch from the higher calorie option to the lower calorie. I swapped turkey pepperoni for regular pepperoni and don't miss the original.

4. Keep a food journal. Writing down what I eat helps me make the connection between mindless eating and real hunger. It also helps me keep track of my fruit/veggie/water count.

5. Start counting productive movement. My grandmother baptized her sixth child in a size 8 dress and she never went to the gym a day in her life. What she had was an active to do list. Gardening, cleaning, and walking places instead of driving kept her fit and trim. My grandmother was almost a little over 80 years old when she stopped mowing her own lawn!

Finally, be kind to your body. Like it or not, it's the only one you'll get.

How about you? Any suggestions or tips?