Amy's Adventure in Kale Chips

Kale chips.  Unless you've been living in a dietary hole, you've heard of them.  It is the latest health craze.  A "super food."  Read on.  

First, I purchased some ready made Kale Chips (garlic flavored) from the local farmer's market.  I really don't like green veggies much at all.  I've never been a salad person.  I figured I would try someone else's before I attempted to make my own.  


How much did one ounce cost?  SIX FIFTY.  Seriously?  Six dollars and fifty cents?  OMG.  But, being the faithful bandster I am, I needed to experience kale chips.  I coughed up (no pun intended, lol) the money and brought them home.

organic: kale, cashews, lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, red bell pepper, green onion, pink himalayan salt

I chose garlic so it would hopefully mask the bitter kale taste.  Ick.  I wasn't impressed. It tasted like garlic flavored grass with a nasty aftertaste. I could choke it down, but I didn't enjoy it at all.  I was picturing "chips" that were dip-able, but these were fragile crunchy things that couldn't be dipped at all.  Ok, I bought, I tried, I didn't like them.

I decided to make my own.  I came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea.  Their recipe used cashews, what about powdered peanut butter?  I made two batches.  The end result:  my kale chips were edible, but very leafy tasting and not good.  It looked like I puked on the kale and then baked it.  Fail.

So...yeah for me for trying something new.  I was hoping that I would find a new food that I would like.  

My Inspiration Dress for BOOBs 2012

This lovely new dress was given to me by a friend that bought it but is now too small for it.  I'm overall a size 18 (but physically very uneven, more like a 14/16). The dress is a 12.  


I've been looking at it since I got it.  I tried it on for the first time today.    I was prepared.  I had Kleenex ready.  I psyched myself up.  Ok, so I can't zip it up all the way, but I think with a few fewer pounds and a helluvalotta shapewear, I'll be able to wear it to the special dinner in Chicago.  


2 months and counting!  

Goodwill Shopping Trip!

What I got for $15 bucks....

Champion exercise shirt (has the air hole thingies)  I'm proud of this find!!

I look like wallpaper with this on, but it fits and will work for my job.

not winter yet, but a low cut thick sweatery top, I actually have cleavage!!

cute cute. and cheap.  emphasis on the cheap.

lightweigh sleep tank / Amy's feeling lazy and not getting dressed today tank

this looks really professional & I like it

frumptytown, USA, but it's comfy and was $2.50.  

the arms are too short for my liking (my Bingo arm waddles show), but it will work

Ten Things Thursday!

1) I got a nifty Champion exercise shirt (the kind with the breathable fabric an such) at Goodwill today.  Four bucks.  SCORE.  And it fits.  Can I just say how good it feels to just buy a shirt that's extra large without trying it on?  Let me say it again, it feels damn good.  


2) I wanted pizza something fierce today.  I know that one of the better brand choices for thin crust is Newman's, but they're pricey and I didn't have my coupons with me.  Dang.  I found some 200 calorie individual servings.  Then i saw Red Baron.  The thick crust individual pizzas.  Just for poops and giggles, I checked the label.  Plop.  In the cart.  I could eat a WHOLE individual size pizza for 200 cals more than the thin crust stuff.  I deserved it today.  I had egg whites for lunch (haven't had them in months because I really don't like them).  Anywho, I added turkey sausage on top of the pizza which added some calories, but it will keep me fuller longer.


3) The walking partner dog is doing well.  We did another 2 1/2 miles last night.  I ended up with a big blister on my heel, so I'm headed to the gym for pool action tonight.  Need to get the blister to heel (and get better tennis shoes) before another long walk.


4) I didn't weigh this morning.  This funky head cold has really been screwing with my weight.  I usually weigh every morning (and I don't get upsets about gains/losses because it has helped me to learn more about my body), but I will tomorrow.  I've been chugging water like it's going out of style and peeing like crazy.  My pee isn't yellow, it's clear.  Yeah, I'm consuming THAT much water.  


5)  I'm getting excited about BOOBs 2012.  Hotel - check.  Flight - check.  Can't wait to buckle the seatbelt.  No more, "Would you like a seatbelt extender, ma'am?'  Screw that.


6) I bought 72 of my favorite protein bars at Albertson's because they were on sale last week.  Clif Builder's Bar: Mint Chocolate.  It isn't the healthiest around (sugar, carbs), but one of the few things I can eat in the morning that gives me 20 protein and doesn't make me hurt.  If they ever discontinue this flavor, I'm sh!t outta luck.


7)  The dogs (all three) are stalking me.  I have about 3 minutes before 1 barks and then the other two join in.  Better finish this fast.


8)  I bought an armband for my iPhone when walking (Target).  It felt completely disgusting after last night's walk. Ewwww.


9)  The dogs are edging closer.  Crap.


10)  There are only a few days left in July, and I'm so hoping I can have a loss of one pound.  This month has been stressful (between the breakup with Mr. X and finding a new job), I really slid backwards with a gain.  I got up to 209.9 (from 205), until I got back on track.  Here's hoping that happens.

Adventures in Exercise

Here's my nighttime walking partner, Zoe!  She has a blinky safety light and a Gentle Leader collar so she doesn't yank my arm off.  I added a Widget on my blog (top right corner) to log our miles together - 4 so far.  I use the site thedailymile.com.  I like that I can not only log the distance but also which path was taken on which day.


The pics are from our second walk (2 1/2 miles).  It was so hot and humid that we both came home and plopped down on the kitchen floor.  Woohoo.  My first official, "Red-Faced Sweaty Mess," picture.

Farewell Lane Bryant

Dear Lane Bryant,
I just wanted to write to let you know how sad I am to stop shopping at your outlet store.  You see, when I was a size 28, your store was my refuge.  No one looked at me like a fat girl.  No one judged me, no one glared.  I knew that when I found something cute on display that your store would have my size.  


I remember my fist visit there post op.  I got some workout pants and new bras.  No one told me that my boobs would head for the highway after WLS.  Whoops.  Your lovely sales associate helped me for two, yes, TWO hours trying to find a comfortable bra that would fit me.  That's some dedication right there.


Today was my last visit.  I got 5 pair of 14/16 black granny panties (sorry, but I need as much covered as possible right now) and a shirt.  I also saw the most beautiful dress, but the smallest size was a 20.  Irony.   Oh, can't forget the spanx shapewear, baby.  I bought one more pair of 14/16 bike short things that don't allow nearly enough breathing room for the lady downstairs, if you know what I mean.  


Goodbye, Lane Bryant...and thanks for the cute clothes.  If you need to speak to me, you can find me in the regular women's department of any retail store.  I'll be there for a while -- there are so many cute things that I've always missed out on.


Sincerely,
Amy

The coolest bento box-storage thingie!

If you don't follow Rock Band Barbie, you're missing out.  I was reading HER BLOG today about some nifty food storage containers by Fit & Fresh that she found at Ross.  They're Rubbermaid-like containers with removable ice packs.  If you're like me, I'm washing a gazillion small storage containers a week.  What she found is perfect.  I can't wait to pack this puppy up for work.


Company: Fit and Fresh --  http://www.fit-fresh.com/shop/
BPA Free, Dishwasher and Microwave safe (except the ice pack, duh...)


Their website has a huge selection of storage containers of all sizes.  On RBB's blog, she has pics of the 2 cup storage containers that she bought.  I also found these at my Ross store, but more as well.  I also saw some on ebay and Amazon.com for you Ross-less folks.  


I ended up buying a multipack ($16.99 + tax).  It has a Chilled Shaker, Salad Shaker & Lunch on the Go.  The chilled shaker bottom twists off so you can put protein powder in there.  This will be nice because I've starting drinking shakes (ACK!) again and I like to mix mine into milk, but if I'm taking it to work, I don't want to have to worry about messy powder and keeping the milk in a fridge.  I found the same set on Ebay for $19.99 with free shipping.  Not too shabby considering it's shipped right to your doorstep.


I'm not a salad person, so I won't really use that much, but it has a dressing container built into the lid.  Turn the knob and it dumps into the container and you just have to shake it up.  


I mainly bought the multipack because of the Lunch on the Go.  Perfect size for me.  The ice thing rests exactly halfway between the top and bottom halves so whatever is on the bottom won't get crushed.  LOVE IT. 


I love getting something new to help me be excited about what I'm eating (which sometimes isn't really what I'd like to be eating for lunch ... lol)

NSV's from the past week....

I'm in a rainbow text mood today.  I blame Draz.  :)

• I attended a Singles Happy Hour.  No, I'm not looking (yet), but I needed human interaction after my "the-relationship-is-over-and-so-is-my-life" phase.  I'm proud of myself for getting out and meeting new people.  It still hurts, but I know I made the right choice.
• At that Happy Hour, a COMPLETE stranger and I were discussing health insurance.  She said, "You look young and healthy, you could go for a cheaper policy."  Wait.  What?  Did she just say I was healthy?  ME?  
•  I joined a volunteer group!  I figure there can't be many selfless, mean people that volunteer, right?  Last night we played with children at a homeless shelter.  I got the pleasure of working with a toddler who discovered the joyful noises he could make when a bucket was over his head.  It was awesome. Squealing and laughing.  And he did, too.
• I have a new job beginning in two weeks as a teacher's assistant in a classroom for children with Autism.  I'm taking a year off from teaching due to burnout.  I finally got into the school district that I live in, so this will hopefully open some doors for me for next year.  Many water aerobics classes at my gym start at 5:45 PM, which never allowed me to get home, let out my three dogs to eat dinner and potty, and make it there in time. 
• Signed up for Boobs Chicago!  
• Signed up for the Boobs Challenge!  My weight loss has slowed considerably, but having a group of like-minded ladies will help.  Earlier in the month, my all time low was 205.  I was 5 pounds from Onederland.  After the breakup, I gained 4 pounds and was back to 209.  I'm back to 207, which was where I started at the beginning of July.  A success for this month would be a zero gain.  Even if I'm the same, July really sucked in Amyland.  Wait, that a SV, not an NSV.  Whoops. I'll smack my own wrist.

Naked Toes - The Boobs Challenge

Just got around to uploading it today, but I promise it was yesterday's weigh in.  Since I learned how to create a video recently, I'm going to commit to posting my weigh in's weekly here but also create a video with all of them to show at the end.  Kind of a week by week photo journal of sorts.  

Good luck to all the Boobs.  :)

Yay! Here's my 1 year slideshow!

Warning...it is five minutes long ...but I worked reeeeeaaalllyy hard on it and hope that you watch it...or better yet, toot your own horn and make one for yourself. ~Amy

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

The Kindness of a Stranger

I had some real life drama yesterday and was having a difficult time emotionally today.  Long story short, Mr. X and I split.  I really don't want to go into details, but that's what happened.  I decided to cheer myself up by seeing, "Magic Mike."  I didn't want to be around friends, but I knew I needed to get out of the house or I'd keep feeling down.


Fast forward to Magic Mike.  I'm seated, and three very pretty sorority-like ladies sat down in the seats next to me.  I made a joke to the one sitting next to me that we needed 3D glasses.  We got to chatting and I told her about my drama last night.  Not really specifics, just that I was sad and needed a good stripper movie.


Fast forward to the end of the movie.  The check came (this was a dinner/movie place), and on my check were three words that made my eyes well up with tears.  "Thank Your Friend!"  She paid for my dinner!  I turned to her, jaw dropped, and she said, "It was me.  Girlfriends gotta help each other out."  I couldn't believe it.  I gave her a big hug and tons of thank yous.  I was just speechless.  Crying and speechless.


I drove home, still feeling empty inside, but refreshed to know that there are still wonderful people in this world. 

6 Pounds Until Onederland . . .

and an updated picture :)

Bandiversary Day! One year has passed. . .

I had planned on writing a long, extensive blog today, but honestly, I'd just like to say a big THANK YOU! to everyone reading this.  The long post will happen tomorrow, but right now I'm all sappy and in happy tears, so blogging just ain't happening tonight. :)  


I heart S.A.L.  :)