Ten Random Things About Smasher Girl

1. i dont have a dishwasher. so, really, this could read, "i have a lot of dirty dishes." actually, i DOOO have a dishwasher. it's just in my bedroom at the moment. my wonderful husband is WORKING on getting it installed.

2. i cannot throw up in a toilet. or any container. so, really, this could read, "my husband has an extremely patient and understanding bedside manner."

3. i am a jehovah's witness. so, to answer the most common follow-up question: "yes, i ACTUALLY go around knocking on people's doors." and it's the most rewarding thing i have ever done with my time!

4. i dont like coffee. so, really, this could read, "i am NOT a morning person." i really wish i could swallow the stuff. just cant. cant do it.

5. i learned to drive stick by buying a brand new toyota that was a stick shift. so, this could also read, "i am kinda stubborn and dont always think things through." my life was literally threatened EVERY day the first 2 weeks i owned it. i would stall out on the on-ramp of the freeway during RUSH hour each morning. every morning. that long line of cars was all because of ME....and people made sure i KNEW it!

6. i love to cook. when i got married 5 years ago, i could not cook at ALL. i asked for cookbooks for my wedding shower at work. the funny thing is, i just realized recently that i like to cook. it shocked me. especially since im pretty sure ive liked it all along and never knew it!

7. the only 2 foods i dont like are croutons and mirange. so, this could also read, "i love food." hmm....that COULD have something to do with me needing to lose more than 100 pounds!

8. i am a FREAK about food safety. i opened a cafe for people in arizona. i had to take all these food safety classes and read all kinds of books. it scared me. i am in a constant mental war against botulism. i never go to the grocery store without a list. and it is organized by grocery store sections. i get all perishable items (dairy and meat) last....so they are not in my cart too long. and then it's STRAIGHT home. and the food goes RIGHT in the fridge.

9. if you really want to see me sweat, stand in front of the fridge with the door open for more than 5 seconds. (see explanation above) i can almost SEE the temperature start to rise....and bacteria start to grow......yes...i am nuts.

10. the first time i danced with my husband was outside in the rain. so, this could really read, "i am a huge romantic." the car headlights were on and the car doors were open. "a kiss to build a dream on" was blaring over the car speakers. im pretty sure i was barefoot....it was in arizona. so even though it was night time, it was super warm.

it turns out there is one more thing about me. i went to the doctor yesterday. for a physical.

11. i have high blood pressure. and need medication.

i knew it was high. i hoped these last 9 weeks of diet and exercise would do the trick. it helped. but i need medicine. i am 28 years old and i need to be on medicine for my high blood pressure. i hate this. i hate what i have done to my body.

this whole time that i have been losing weight i havent been counting anything...not counting calories or points or carbs. im not a counter. i cant count. but now i have to. i have to count sodium mg. reallllly?

i am so embarrassed by this. i am not telling any one. i did this to myself.

it was a good reminder though. i started this weight loss journey because i was scared of the tingling in my hands, my headaches, dizziness....AND the worst: nose bleeds. i knew these symptoms were likely symptoms of high blood pressure. i thought if i just started eating right and exercising it would GO AWAY....and eventually (if i keep this up) it WILL. just not over night.

losing weight is not about skinny jeans. its about keeping my heart pumping...and my blood vessels from exploding.

Pink Journals and Chocolate Chicken

this is my food journal. isnt it lovely? (and i made that fancy bookmark.) in my last post i mentioned that writing down my food and exercise at the end of each day is super important. i really dont have a logical REASON for why that is.

some how, even if i have been gorging myself on brie cheese and french bread for the last 3 days, if i write it down, i am still on plan. some how, i pick up the pieces and pull myself together.

that being said, for ME, the physical book itself is JUST as important as writing in it each day. it has to be ME. it has to symbolize the person inside of me that shines through when i am doing the right thing for my body. it is hard to find such a book. which makes what i am about to say soooo sad.

my food journal is almost out of pages.

a good friend bought this book for me. there were a bunch of different colors to choose from. each color had a description of a personality on it. ironically, when she read the description of the pink one (in case you havent guessed.....MY favorite color), she was surprised by how accurate it was! the picture is a little blury...this is what is says:

"you are light-spirited, fun loving, and always up for a good time. people are attracted to your adventurous nature. luck seems to follow wherever you go."

nice, huh?

each night, i write the date, how many days ive been on plan, when and what i ate, my fruits and veggies, how much i worked out, my dairy servings, and how much exercise i have left to do that week. and i also record my measurments and weigh-ins. it looks like this.














i seriously canNOT go to sleep unless i write in it first. and i am as opposite as you can get from OCD. it's just SOMETHING about writing in this journal that makes all the work i did that day feel real. feel worthwhile.

speaking of things i did....i made this super fast and easy dinner yesterday.

CHOCOLATE CHIKEN over couscous. the whole dinner, including prep took 31 minutes!

Easy Chocolate (Mole) Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
2 tbsp baking cocoa
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 package frozen chopped sweet peppers and onions
16 oz salsa

first, brown the sliced chicken in a little oil in a saute pan.











sprinkle the browned chicken with cocoa and cumin. stir to coat. add the salsa and frozen veggies.










stir together. bring to a boil. reduce heat. cover. simmer 5 minutes or until peppers are tender. serve over cooked couscous.


i really love recipes like this that include some veggies in with the main course....this was super tasty! it came out pretty saucy, so even though i used plain couscous (who doesnt love couscous....and they cook in 5 mins!) the sauce soaked into it and gave it a lot of flavor.

this made about 6 servings. so i have left overs in my fridge!

Weekly Weigh-In: -6 LB

i bet you can just imagine the happy dance i did in my kitchen after i got off the scale this morning! (yes, my scale is in my kitchen) i lost 6 lb this week. S.I.X. six! six six six!!! the BEST part of this six pound loss is that it makes my total loss so far (in 9 weeks) 20 lb!

i have lost 20 lb. i am awesome!

this week i exercised for 4 hours and 50 minutes. i ate out two times and made healthy choices each time. i also tracked all my food, exercise, water, and fruit/veggie intake on a daily basis. this helps me so much. i dont really understand it, but there is something about WRITING it down that makes this "eat right and exercise thing" so real.

the city i live in has a lot of great parks. and i live on ontario lake. which looks like the ocean when you are standing in front of it.

one park has a walking trail on the lake. i love going there to walk. the time really flies. and it is so beautiful there. it's like "oh, YEAH....this is why i need to get in shape...so i can walk around pretty places like this."

here is a picture of the view of the lake from one point on the trail. nine weeks ago, i quite literally could NOT walk more than a few minutes. and it was horrible. the change in my endurance is amazing. i also downloaded some great bible-based articles on to my phone/mp3 player. they are sooo interesting. i listen to them when im walking. and when im done walking ive learned a lot! it makes me feel like im accomplishing so much in so little time.



every weight loss journey sure has its ups and downs. and the "downs" really stink. but, man, the "ups" are really really great. a big part of enjoying the weight loss journey is being able to recognize the ups. and enjoy the ups! i love the ups! i live for the ups.

and having a good view to enjoy doesnt hurt either!

Ginger Beef Stir Fry

this dinner was so good, easy, fast and healthy! i used asparagus, but broccoli could be used as well. (pretend that is BROWN rice in that picture.)

Ginger Beef Stir Fry:

2 cups mushrooms, halved
1.5 lb asparagus, cut in 2-inch pieces
3 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup reduced sodium beef broth
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sugar
8 oz steak, fat trimmed, sliced thin
2 cups hot cooked brown rice


spray a wok with cooking spray. stir fry the mushrooms, asparagus (or broccoli), and scallions for 3-4 mins until crisp-tender. (DO NOT over cook as i have the tendency to do. they will cook as they sit.) remove from heat.


add a little oil to wok and brown beef. in a bowl, mix the broth, soy sauce, ginger, and sugar. move the beef to the edges of the pan. pour the broth mixture in the middle. cook until the sauce is thick and bubbly and beef is done.

add back the veggies. stir to coat with the sauce and heat through. serve over the rice.




im doing a lot better. i got the message last week. i need to eat right and exercise. no getting around it. and i cant do it half way. lunch today was marinated chicken thighs and salad with tahini-yogurt dressing. isnt it PRETTY?????



and i've even been enjoying the gym. i went in the morning on tuesday. i thought i would hate it....because i am NOT a morning person...or a night person....im more of a "mid-afternoon" kind of gal.

but it was great. it woke me up. i felt wonderful! and i love love love weights! it still really scares me when im doing weights and not cardio.....it feels like im wasting my precious gym time. the whole time im pumping iron (hahaha) there is a voice in my head screaming, "GET ON THAT TREADMILL!!! YOU CAN LIFT THAT BARBELL AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE YOUR BUTT ANY SMALLER!"

the voice in my head has to work on her people skills.....

im hoping the weights make a difference in the long run! deep down i believe they will.

Weekly Weigh-In: +2 lb

i peter. i peter out. i am a peterer. i dwindle. i give in. i give up.

i am also strong, brave, disciplined and determined.....for a little while. i have been known to have great strength of character...for any decidedly short amount of time. and then? and then, im done. i fade. this happens all the time and with seemingly zero provocation.

in case you haven't guessed, this week was not good. i gained 2 lb. yup. gained.

there were no big events that took place this week. nothing to place the blame on. just me. just me wanting to skate by...not wanting to work that hard.

that is not an option. i am unhealthy. sick. my body cannot handle the stress. it deserves better. the people i love deserve better.

i deserve better.

Artichokes With Lemon & Olive Oil

im on an artichoke kick. i made some lemon artichokes that were to DIE for.

here is the recipe:

4 artichokees, trimmed

1 onion, sliced

2 scallions, sliced

1 lemon, juiced and sliced

4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 c water

fresh thyme

put the artichokes in a big pot. add the onion, scallions, juice from the lemon, the lemon slices and water. pour a tbsp of olive oil on each artichoke. cover and simmer 35 mins.

add the thyme and simmer 20 mins more or until artichokes are tender.

season with salt and pepper.

Caterpillars and 5K

Just when the caterpillar thought his life was over, he became a butterfly.
--Proverb

I love that saying. I don’t know if it actually applies to me. But I do know that I have often felt and thought that I just couldn’t DO this anymore. And I have pushed through. And I have been more proud of myself at the end of it.

I have always wanted to do a 5K. And now I’m actually going to DO it. Some one I cared for very much died June 12, 2009. She was in hospice care during her final hours. Thanks to Jehovah and the care she received, she died painlessly. The 5K that I am walking (probably very slowly) benefits a hospice house in the town she lived in. It is a beautiful place that provides palliative (comfort) care for the dying at NO COST TO THEM!!! I am proud to be able to support such wonderful place.

I am sure I will be very proud of myself when I get to that finish line!