3 week weigh in

My 3 week weigh in was this morning and official weight was (drumroll please): 189.9. This puts my 3 week weight loss at an amazing 13.7 pounds and my week weight loss at 2.5 pounds, just short of my 3 pound goal but I did admittedly go overboard on the sodium front yesterday so that could explain my reason for not reaching goal. Salt makes you retain water like crazy so today I am trying to stay away from sodium as much as possible!
I am finally able to say I'm under the 190's. Very proud of myself! The is my lowest weight since 2010.
oh and for all you out there wanting a convenient, no sugar, low carb, super high protein high fiber snack may I suggest quest bars? I eat 2 a day and LOVE them. They are so so good and great to eat when I'm out and about and unable to make a lean and green meal! They are spendy at a little over $2 a bar but worth every penny! I so wishvI would have known about them sooner....they taste too good to be true but they aren't!!!
I also tested my ketosis levels this week and was in "moderate level" ketosis which is exactly where I should be! I have been averaging 25-30 net carbs a day so my body is learning to use body fat as well as fat from food as energy instead of glucose from carbs.
I haven't gone off track once and have logged my food dutifully every day.
To have the immense pressure of a food addiction continuously easing is an incredible feeling I cannot even begin to describe! I look forward to my big one month weigh in next week. I'm really going to push hard on the exercise this week and try to go for a 4-5 pound loss! Wish me luck!!! I'm ready to put in the hard work!

2 week weight loss report!

I have good news and bad news this week.
First, the good news. I weighed in yesterday morning at 192.4. That is more than an 11 pound loss in 2 weeks people! Working out-wise I have been running/walking for 1-2 hours a day, 6 days a week!
Now for the bad news; I am officially off Medifast. I had a very bad reaction (3 days in a row) to an artificial sweetener used profusely in medifast products called chicory root. I had really horrible cramps for 6-7 hours at a time and it was decided that for now Ibwould avoid Medifast food since I obviously have a sensitivity to this chicory root.
But does that mean I'm giving up? No waaaay! I just adjusted yesterday switching to a keto like food diet. I am staying under 30 net carbs a day, lots of protein, lots of healthy fat (fat doesn't make you fat- sugar and refined carbs make you fat). I also upped my calories to 1600, from the 1,100 I was averaging on medifast. I think with all my working out, this calorie base is much better.
And I weighed myself in this morning and am down almost a other pound at 191.6!
My goal is to lose around 8-10 pounds a month. With my carb restriction and protein and fat macros it is actually very realistic.
I am also diligently tracking absolutely all food in my fitness pal and that helps hold me accountable!
For the first time in years I am having weight loss success and I deserve every bit of it. Only my husband is aware of how much I've truly struggled. Now I feel in control, getting healthier by the day and putting in a lot of hard work! Here's to more weight loss this week! I'm aiming for a 3 pound loss when I weigh in on Thursday!

Week #1 weigh in!

After 1 whole week on plan :
Starting weight- 203.6
March 6th - 194.8
Goal for next week: 191.5
once I am under the 190's I will be the lightest I've been since I had August!
Here's to week #2!!!

Weight Loss Journey

My story regarding my weight is one of frustration and depression. After growing up always being extremely active, athletic and never having a weight problem , it was devastating for me to realize I was overweight and unable to lose the extra pounds after having my two baby boys. I worked hard after each birth; running, cutting out carbs, eating well.....I would drop 3-5 pounds and then stall. l was breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months and then slowly started gaining it back. My body seemed to hover around 200  pounds no matter my activity level or what I ate.  at 5'5 i knew i was overweight. I have heard of this happening while breastfeeding and I believe thats what happened with me. my body wasnt wanting to budge because it was providing constant nourishment for my babe.  I felt frustrated, depressed and like a failure. Why could all of these other mamas lose  all the baby weight through breastfeeding and I was working my ass off and couldnt lose shit?? I started feeling down every single day-- I hated my body and in turn I hated myself. For the first time in my life I felt like I couldnt achieve something through sheer hard work. That was hard for me to accept.  I started binge eating. Running a busy daycare and raising 2  little boys of my own left me little time to relax and eat during the day.  I started looking forward to 9 pm when the  kids would be in bed and I would easily scarf down 2000 calories in one sitting and then top it off with something sweet like a cookie or brownie. Food was my solace, my comfort and i wasnt sleeping well either and would often get up and eat at 11 pm or midnight too. I knew I was emotionally unhealthy and binging was extremely unhealthy but I felt no hope-- I felt stuck. add to that some emotional issues i was going through with some extended family members and food really became my addiction. i was not able to control how people treated me but icould control my food intake and that felt good to me. Eating healthy, working out like crazy and doing the right thing had gotten me nowhere and I had officially given up. It got to the point where I didnt even get pleasure from eating anymore and just felt embarrassed and insecure 24/7. My low point was the day before I started Medifast sitting in my car with my boys in the back while I chowed down on 2 crisp bean burritos and mexi fries from Taco Time. That was my rock bottom. What the hell was I doing to myself?? I was eating Taco Time in a car setting a horrible example for my kids who I constantly talked to about eating healthy. I believe in leading  by example and in that moment I felt as if I had failed my kids...and myself.
fast forward to february 28th 2014...i dove in head first ready to be healthy, address the painful reasons why i feel comforted by food andlose this weight. tomorrow marks 1 week on plan and 2 days ago i was already down 8.5 pounds. i will be posting more about my journey,as well as my weigh ins each week. please all of you hold me accountable.

2014 : Starting my year off right!

in exactly 26 days this mama will be turning the dreaded 3-0. I remember when 30 seemed SO  OLD! Oh how time flies when you are busy having babies and breastfeeding and being pregnant and living life!
I've got to say I'm kind of on board with this whole 30 thing. First, I think I look great for my age (thanks to never tanning, smoking and taking care of my skin with organic products and eating healthy) and I am ready for the new adventures that my 30's will bring me!
First up is my much awaited new tattoo...stay tuned for pictures. I met my new tattoo artist yesterday and put my deposit down. I think we vibe well and I think the end product will be beautiful! My last (and 1st) tattoo didn't go so smoothly mainly because I did a walk in appointment and got an artist who was pretty much a total asshole. So much so that he yelled at me for being nervous and drinking water out of my water bottle. Plus my tattoo didn't turn out perfect as it should have. Will never be going to him again but this new guy is pretty rad and right up my ally. He listened to what I wanted instead of trying to change it all and I can't wait to get it on Saturday (going all out for part 1 of this tattoo and getting it on my forarm).
I've been waiting until I am not pregnant or breastfeeding ALL the time to get my 5 tattoos on back order that I have been planning out for the last 3 years. Hopefully I will be able to get most of them done or close to done before I get knocked up again!
Another way I am starting 2014 off with a bang is by detoxing all the CRAP I have put in my body for the last 2 months over the holidays. I started doing the Primal Blueprint on December 30th and have committed to doing it with no cheating for at least 21 days and then I will re-evaluate.
As most of you know, I have struggled big time to lose baby weight after both of my pregnancies. After Finn, I ran myself into the ground and still didn't lose a whole lot of weight. I am officially at my pre-pregnancy weight now 12 months after giving birth, but it is not what I want to be at. I'd LOVE to lose 50 more pounds before I get pregnant again, although I know that may not be realistic with me still breastfeeding. However just in the last day I've lost another pound and I'm really hoping the primal blueprint will help me shed the weight that I have tried for the past 2.5 yrs to take off!!!! I've been to the point of tears and depression numerous times over my weight post baby because it seemed as if no matter how hard I worked, the breastfeeding constantly kept me from getting under that threshold that I wanted so desperately to be under. I'm ready for the body I've been working for so we'll see what massive exercise and the primal blueprint is going to do for me!
Next up is getting ready for baby #3. Although it won't be anytime "soon", we do want our kids close together and to grow up with very close relationships.  Hopefully within the next year I will be pregnant, healthy and happier than ever!

The Holiday Season!

Wow- I have taken quite a hiatus from blogging lately!
With Joel being back to work full time, social engagements and the kids hit with their fair share of sicknesses over the last 2 months, I haven't had a whole lot of extra time on my hands to blog about our life!
So much has happened!
Finn is full on running and climbing like crazy and getting into EVERYTHING. He is quite mischievous and I think we will have our hands full with him for years to come. His personality is coming out a lot more lately, too. Like his brother, very stubborn and active but still very much mama-centric when he's tired or hurt. I have been told by most people that he's the happiest baby they know (except they haven't seen him in a carseat screaming at full blast). But for the most part, he is extremely happy and smiley!
Gus is developing into the curious and loving boy we always knew he would be. He loves his trucks, organizing his trucks, counting his trucks and singing "Wheels on the Bus". He also is obsessed with skyping right now, especially with Opa and Oma...he asks multiple times a day, it's pretty cute.
Now onto Christmas!
We had a wonderful Christmas full of our very own family traditions that we are creating for the boys. We went and got a huge Christmas tree up Skyline this year and it was an awesome family tree farm and the boys even got to see snow on the ground! It was cold, but Gus had an absolute blast running in the snow and "approving" our tree. Finn wasn't a fan of the snow-at all. But he did like being hauled around in mama's arms the whole time.
Gus was very, very shy with Santa this year and Phoenix of course sat right on his lap without an issue. They both got SPOILED for Christmas with Gus getting a new bike and Finn getting a ride on jeep...not to mention the mounds of presents they both got from Grandpa Dale and Oma/Opa. Needless to say our house is over-run with new toys.
On that note, we also did our yearly tradition of "paying it forward"/ "Random Acts of Kindness" with the boys. It's something we have vowed to do every Christmas season to teach them the "true meaning" of Christmas (and no I am not talking about Jesus, I am talking about giving rather than receiving). Having almost lost my life in childbirth in late 2012, I really saw how important it was to be kind and giving because this life can be gone in the blink of an eye- just like that. It got me to reflect and think about the legacy I want to leave when I pass away. I want my children to know that kindness and empathy should always be at the forefront of our lives and that we should give while seeking nothing in return. This to me is the true nature of not only Christmas and the holiday season, but of life in general. I hope when my body leaves this earth that I am remembered for leaving this tradition with my kids and that they will continue to honor me by living a life of kindness.
So here are some of the things we did during the month of November/December:
1.) We dropped off homemade whoopie pies for Thanksgiving and a Thank You note at Portland Providence Maternity nursing station (these nurses and the obgyn there were the ones that went out of their way to heal me after labor with Phoenix and I am forever grateful for them.). This main nurse on duty was ECSTATIC to get these little treats as a token of our gratitude. That made my day. I had tears in my eyes when we left the hospital. It just feels good to make someone's day with the simplest homemade gesture!
2.) We gave some more cookies to the Hawthorne Fire Station and the firefighters on duty there and thanked them for being true heroes. They were very grateful and even gave Gus a personal tour of the fire station and let him sit and "drive" the big firetruck. It was awesome!
3.) We made several stops at our midwifery to drop off goodies for the hardworking 24/hour on call midwives. They have an amazingly hard job and of course there are many women there that will forever hold a very special place in my heart for everything they have done for me and my family throughout my two pregnancies and two labors.
4.) We gathered up a HUGE garbage bag full of toys, baby clothes and books to donate to a domestic violence shelter. These places are often in dire need of these items as women who are leaving abusive relationships often bring nothing but the clothes on their back with them.
We made this act of kindness really sink in by explaining as best we could to August what we were doing and having him pick out all the toys and books to give away that were his. This really will instill in him the act of giving hopefully!
5.) I gave a friend $100 to help her buy her daughters some presents for Christmas because her husband had just lost his job before the holidays. Although I consider this being a good friend and not a random act of kindness I'm adding it on here in hopes that will inspire someone to do the same for their friend who could use the help!
6.) I stalked the pinterest board of the head receptionist at Alma Midwifery (who has been nothing but kind to our family and was always fun to talk with when we went in to our appointments) and made her a canvas art mod podge of  a weiner dog that she had pinned (she owns these type of dogs and LOVES them). When we dropped it off to her (she had NO idea I had made an exact replica of one of her pins), her facial expression was gift enough for us! I hope she loved it, and I think she did!
7.) We gave a plate of food to someone who was homeless on a bitterly cold night in Portland.
8.) We made Christmas cupcakes and delivered them to our local firestation right down the street from our house.
9.) Our last holiday act of kindness will be this weekend and will involve us dropping off flowers and a card to the hospital and having them give it to a patient who has had no visitors.
By listing these, I want to bring attention not to what we did, but to inspire other people to do the same. So many people these days focus all their energy on hate, negativity and bitterness and all that does is breed more of the same. I wish more people would take 1 day out of the year to just "be nice" and go out of their way to make someone's day. You never know what positive impact a small, random act of kindness can do for someone.

And now I say "good riddance" to 2013. Not because it was a bad year (it certainly wasn't) but because 2014 is going to be the year where I become even better, even healthier and hopefully we will adding to our family in the coming months! I'm always working on being a better mama, a better wife, a better friend and this year is no exception. I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for the VanValkenburg-Huff's! Happy New Year!

Cast Iron Skillet Gourmet Pizza

Earlier this week, I pinned a Martha Stewart recipe for homemade 3 cheese pizza on my pinterest and with the whole family recovering from Rotavirus, today was a perfect day to try it out and get some much needed carbs in our system!
I make homemade pizza quite often and I am pretty proud to say I have perfected my pizza crust. It's a hit with anyone who tries it and I used my recipe for this pizza instead of Martha's.
I also changed up the recipe quite a bit and made it my own.
Mine includes 3 ooey gooey cheeses on top of a homemade herb oil base (making it lighter and fresher than a tomato base).
The pizza came out AHHHHMMMMAAAAZZZZINNNNGGG. We liked it so much, I made a second one to bake off later!
So please take the time to make this tonight for your family! It is totally worth an hour and a half of your time!!

Wendy's Pizza Dough Recipe -Made in a Kitchenaid mixer with the hook attachment.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (I keep mine in the freezer to keep it alive and fresh)
2 teaspoons fresh honey
1 cup luke warm water
3 cups AP flour
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
warm water as needed

Directions:

1. Put yeast, honey and 1 cup warm water into the bowl of the mixer. Stir together and let the yeast activate by foaming up (should take 5 minutes or so). 
2. add flour, salt, EVOO to yeast mixture and start the mixer on low.
3. Add warm water until the dough JUST comes away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. Then knead in the Kitchenaid on Medium speed for 8 minutes.
4. Form dough into ball (it should be SLIGHTLY sticky) and cover the ball with olive oil. 
5. Set back in bowl and cover with seran wrap or damp towel. 
6. Put bowl in a warm spot in the kitchen and let rise for 1 hour.

Herb Oil Base Recipe:

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Garlic cloves sliced

Fresh herbs of your choosing (I used about 4 Tablespoons of  fresh from the garden Oregano, Basil and thyme....but you could use anything you have on hand). 

pinch of salt

1. Put EVOO in saucepan on low/simmer. 
2. Add garlic and herbs and salt and let simmer for 5 minutes (DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC). Make sure your pan is on low and that the oil is just barely bubbling.
3. Strain out herbs and garlic and as easy as that- Herb oil!

Pizza Assembly:

EVOO

Fresh Mozzarella

Feta cheese (in brine) Costco has a very high quality one that we buy!

Fresh Ricotta

Parsley 

Red Peppper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. After 1 hour rise time on your dough take it out and split it in half. 
3. Add some EVOO in the bottom of a large cast iron skillet (this is KEY in getting a crispy crust on the outside and a soft flaky crust on the inside). Use this instead of a pizza stone, it works better and is easier to clean up!
4. take one dough half and knead it with your hands inside the cast iron skillet until it reaches all sides of the pan. It should be very pliable and easy to work with. You can easily make a raised crust at this point by pushing the dough up the side of pan until the crust is the thickness you desire.
5. Spread some herb oil on the base of the pizza. Add mozz, then some spoonfuls of ricotta and crumble some feta on top of it all.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
7. Top with freshly chopped parsley and some red pepper flakes.
8. Enjoy eating this delicious pizza!!!
   
   

   

   The finished product hot out of the oven