Creamy Asparagus Soup

I have found myself getting a bit bored with the same foods lately.

I have plenty of choices but I just keep going back to the same thing.

I'm trying to step out of my box and come up with some other options!

This is Grace and Strength (Phase 2) approved!

This soup sounds yucky but it was SO good--I wanted to lick the bowl!!

Creamy Asparagus Soup

*Place 3.5 ounces raw asparagus (I used the tops from about halfway up)

in a sauce pan and add enough water to cover well.

*Dice small piece of onion (or use onion powder) and add to pan.

*Sprinkle Mrs. Dash or other seasoning on asparagus then boil really well until asparagus is tender.

*Place 1/2 cup of fat-free cottage cheese in blender.

*Add a clove of fresh garlic (pressed) 

*Pour asparagus and liquid from sauce pan into blender.

Blend until desired consistency.  Top with salt (I use Celtic Sea Salt) and pepper.

Enjoy with a grissini bread stick or melba toast!

This is an HCG Phase 2 approved recipe!

Fat

So far (not quite 3 months) on Grace and Strength I have lost 37 pounds.  

That's almost 8 of these plates of fat!!!  YUCK!!!!

I am still feeling so good--and have some amazing new opportunities coming my way.

I can't wait to share about them!!!

Mason's Third Birthday!

I had no idea I was so behind on things---I just transferred pictures from my camera and they go back to Feb!!!

Our sweet Mason turned 3 on Feb 10th! 

 We had a nice quiet day at home.  This was the first year that he understood what a birthday is, and I had lots of small gifts (cheap toys!) for him to open throughout the day.  

We saved his big gift for when Ben was home :)

I made a yummy chocolate cake (of which I didn't have one bite!) and he loved his day!

A bit of a Milestone

I know...this has become so much about my weight loss but I just love sharing my progress!

Yesterday I hit a milestone...I am officially down 35lbs.

A few summers ago (3) I did WW with a friend.  It took me all summer to lose 15lbs, and when I stopped I was the weight I am now.  From here on out I will be smaller than I have been since before Natalie was born!

I am still feeling great and I'm finding it so much easier to eat whole, GOOD foods!!

I am relying on God to get me through each day, and I feel so blessed to have my wonderful coach guiding me through this process.

Grace and Strength has changed my life in so many ways--I want to shout it from the rooftops!!!

Worms!

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day, so I decided we needed to be outside!

It was the perfect day to start our earthworm unit!

We sat in the sunshine and read facts about earthworms, took a quiz,

then dove right into making our worm farms!

We'll be able to watch them tunnel through the dirt and sand, and in a few weeks we'll dig around and see if any of them have had babies!  We do have the bowls covered to keep it dark, but for the picture we uncovered them!

We got the idea for the worm farm here.

Excuses, Excuses

There are so many things in my life that I need to change, add, or take away.

Really, a lot.

I can come up with numerous excuses to address each one, yet the fact remains---I need some changes.

Taking on my new way of eating has been the biggest challenge of my life

(other than being a mom) and I have done it!  I still have a way to go, but I feel like I've overcome the old ways and am living in the midst of new, health ones!

I hit my 2-month mark on The Grace and Strength Diet last week, and up until this point I have not added much exercise into my daily routine.

My goal this month is to quit making excuses and to just get up and do it!

We have a laundry catcher treadmill and the days are getting longer (more outside time)
so I really don't have any reason not to be moving more on a daily basis.

Today I made myself get up and start walking.
 It's beautiful outside and so I took a 2 mile walk around the nearby lake.
As much as I didn't want to go, now that I'm home it feels great to have done it!

So, NO MORE EXCUSES!!!

Grace and Strength Month 2

 

Today marks two months on the Grace and Strength Program.

I've lost 30.6 pounds and 21 inches!!!

I still feel great and my goal for the month is to start exercising!!!

Operation Stink Bug Elimination!

Mason is so funny--he definitely has more of an imagination than the other two did at this age.

He really "gets into character" for whatever the situation calls for.

He saw a stink bug on the floor last night and this is how he handled the situation!