January 2011

Calling All Recipes

by Jen, a priorfatgirl on January 31, 2011

A couple of people have asked if there is going to be another cookbook so I figure, why not?! Let’s do this for 2011! Consider this like them cookbooks the cute ladies at church put together but our own healthiness community collection of recipes.

You have a healthy recipe to share? Healthy can be your own definition: low-cal, low-fat, organic, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, 100% raw, or anything else you consider healthy.

Here are some ideas for recipes to submit:

  • Slow-cooker
  • Smoothies
  • Grilled/BBQ
  • Kid-friendly
  • Soups
  • Italian, Mexican, Chinese, etc.
  • Appetizers
  • Snacks or grab & go
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Dessert

Send your recipes to jen@priorfatgirl.com. When submitting your recipe, follow these rules:

  • Include a photo if possible
  • Include your name as you want it written and blog address if you want it included
  • Keep the directions as simple as possible. Do not include stories or explanations in your directions. The simpler & shorter, the better. Write your directions as you want them printed in the cookbook.
  • Include the # of servings
  • It does not have to be 100% original but if you took the recipe from somewhere else, say so. You can write “adapted from Weight Watchers” or “Altered from original Hungry Girl Recipe.”

Ready…set…submit! Deadline to submit recipes is February 28th, 2011.

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I can see clearly now.

by Jen, a priorfatgirl on January 31, 2011

First things first, Happy birthday to my sister, Alicia! I am so proud of who you are and who you’ve become. The past couple of years have been pretty difficult but despite everything, you’ve continued to hold your head high and move forward. You are an amazing role model to all those around you.

If comments were any indication of what you wanted, a whole week of giveaways was totally what ya’ll wanted. I couldn’t keep up with reading all the comments everyone left last week! I’ll get to the winners towards the end of the post but first, I wanted to share what I’ve been up to!

Good Eats:

What would my world be without food? Bland. Oh yes yes yes, there were lots of good eats last week!

Starting the day out right.

No limit salads.

PB & Banana wrap

Taking part in a little temptation.

Quality Time

What would my world be without Carlos? Before I get all mushy on this post, let’s just say he is my happily ever after. Saturday evening included a special date night, we went to my company holiday party.

Date night!

After the party ended, Carlos and I went out for a couple of drinks with my coworker & friend, Amanda and her date.

Amanda and I

Maybe I had one of these...

Making things happen

Last week was a pretty rough week for activity. I spent a better part of last week trying to get rid of some pretty intense cramps which ended up making it difficult for me to work out.  But I managed to get in 3 weight sessions and 2 cardio sessions.

Red marks = steady progress.

I also finally made it in to get glasses. I mentioned last summer that I was going to buy some but it turned out that I just didn’t want to spend the money so never got them. My new vision plan includes $200 towards the purchase of eye glasses every year so I figured it was a good time to go back in. Good thing I did because apparently now I need to wear glasses all the time! I have two separate prescriptions – one for reading and one for distance.

My computer glasses.

My driving/distance glasses.

oh - they kind of look the same, huh?

I picked them up on Friday and I love them. Wearing the glasses while on the computer is so much better, my eyes feel great!

Winner Winner

And I should wrap up today’s post but before I go, I want to share with you the winners from all of last week’s giveaways. Thank you to everyone who entered – I enjoyed hearing so much about your goals, your resources and your perfect morning!

  • Sharing the Popage:
    • Sarah J: I’d hope that they come up with a sweet kind….like caramel flavor or cinnamon sugar.
  • Sharing the overage:
    • Holly: Weight watchers has helped me not only lose weight, but to confront the attitudes, emotions, and habits that made me overweight in the first place!
    • Jen: Blogs. Is that weird? haha – no one product or technique has really stuck with me other than the advice and stories from others!
    • Kim: I really enjoy the fiber plus bars from kellogg’s. I also really like to read blogs, they inspire me. :)
    • Allison: I’ll have to say the best resource for me has been my mom’s group on Meetup.com. I’ve found an exercise class there and running partners as well as met motivated, positive people. Best resource for me
    • Lauren: Online. I read so many blogs and websites and then take what applies to my life/situation at the time. It’s working :), for sure!
    • Erin: I am a lover of cheese, having grown up in Wisconsin, and so when I discovered Laughing Cow Cheese, I knew it had been made especially with me in mind. This way I can eat my cheese & not stress about all the unneeded fat grams or calories!
    • Alexa: My favorite and best healthiness resource is the “My Fitness Pal” App on my iPhone, it keeps me unbelievably honest, and it’s always at my finger tips, so I never have an excuse not to log what I’ve eaten. Plus, it has so many foods listed, it makes it so easy!
    • Cassandra: Trader Joe’s! I love all the healthy options they have and at inexpensive prices.
    • Chrissy: Weight Watchers has been a big resource for me. And of course the Prior Fat Girl Blog!!!
    • Ann: I definitely would say Weight Watchers!!!! They helped me learn to change my RELATIONSHIP with food and not just diet…now I actually see food differently…this should help me in longterm…:-)
  • Sharing the Knowledge:
    • Katy: Hi, please enter me into the contest. :) The veggie I am scared to try is brussel sprouts. I know many people who love them, but to me they just look scary and gross!
    • Connie: Fennel,would love to learn what to do with fennel, is it a vegetable? Some veggies I’m not afraid of but would like to have in my diet more are brussel sprouts, eggplant, artichokes and beets.Sounds like a informative class.
  • Sharing the Perfect Morning
  • Sharing the Goal Setting:
    • Karla: My goal for this year is to get in the best shape of my life. I want to maintain a healthy weight and increase my muscle mass, while decreasing my body fat %. And, I know I can do it!

Winners, please email me your shipping address!

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Sharing the goal setting (a giveaway)

by admin on January 28, 2011

Setting your goals.

Creating your intention.

Writing an action plan.

New Years Resolutions.

However you describe it, whatever you call it, it is important. Setting your goals (or whatever you call it) helps for many reasons including:

  • Focusing all your energies towards actions that will help you achieve that goal.
  • Your subconscious is a powerful tool – by setting goals, you may find that solutions and ideas pop into your head helping you get to your goal faster.
  • A constant reminder for why we do what we do. On a day when you struggle with a decision, remind yourself of your goal and why your choice is so important.

CHOOSE YOU. It is so important to choose you. Set your goal and make the choice to choose you.

This week’s final giveaway is all about you making the choice to choose you. That’s what I’m about here. Each of us making the decision to fight for ourselves.Set your goal, your intention, your resolution and fight for it. The American Cancer Society developed a program that

“…helps women put their health first and stick to their health commitments by offering social support and financial incentives that have been proven to create long-term behavior change.”

To join in the goal setting program, log on to www.chooseyou.com and in the upper right hand corner, use the drop down that says “I CHOOSE TO…” The program is as easy as 1.2.3.4.

  1. Set the goal.
  2. Set the stakes.
  3. Get a referee
  4. Add friends for support.

To help jump-start your goal, the American Cancer Society is giving away a workout kit that includes:

  • Pedometer and calorie counter
  • Resistance band
  • Jump rope
  • A Choose You t-shirt
  • Flower pin

Enter to win:

Entering to win the workout kit is easy! Leave a comment telling me one of the following:

  • What is your health-related goal this year?
  • How do you plan to stick to your goal this year?
  • What are the best tips you’ve heard to start off right this year, maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle?

Fine Print: One entry per person. Contest ends on Saturday, January 29th at 11am CT. Winner will be drawn at random and announced on Monday, January 31st blog post. Open to U.S. residents only. I was provided a Choose You Welcome kit so that I could share my thoughts with you.

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First Thing in the Morning…

by Elle, another PriorFatGirl on January 28, 2011

A callous buzzing cut through the darkness, just like it did every morning at exactly 4:50AM. It was probably her least favorite sound of all time, but it was the only one that ever successfully roused her from her slumber. Out of habit, her hand flew to the night stand and felt around for the snooze button. She found it, hit it, and then groggily rolled onto her side. As much as she despised waking up in the morning, these were probably her favorite 10 minutes out of the entire day…

First, she looked down at the silhouette of her stomach under the covers. It always looked just a little smaller in the morning. A faint smile crossed her face as she thought about summer and bathing suits and tanned, chiseled men playing beach volleyball. Sure summer was still half a year away, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

She put her hand on her hip. Yep, that bone is definitely there. It was only recently that she started to believe she actually had a skeleton underneath all that softness. She moved her hand up to the deep curve that was starting to form between the top of her hip and the bottom of her rib cage. Now that was a good feeling! Knowing that her body was starting to take on an actual shape. For most of her adult life, there was no shape. Only lumps that had to be cleverly disguised. But not anymore. Now, the subtleties of a feminine hourglass were starting to emerge. She had noticed other things too — there were dimples in the back of her shoulders, and her chest wasn’t quite so broad. Her back, which used to fold unpleasantly on top of itself, was now one long smooth line all the way down her spine. It was almost slender… no rolls.

Running her hand over the front of her stomach she realized that it too was shrinking rapidly, along with a once generously portioned rear and thighs. Thank goodness! They were all becoming normal! For just a moment, she closed her eyes and drifted off, half sleeping — half offering up a prayer of gratitude before leaving the warmth of the bed to face the shower.

“I think you woke up one day, and you were drastically different.” That’s what a friend had said to her a few days earlier when observing the changes she’d made in her life. With pinpoint accuracy, he had put her feelings into words.

And as she thought about that statement, she knew with all her heart that she would never go back to what she had been. Not ever, ever again.

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