The Comeback: Wedding pictures, Starting over, 21 Day Fix Challenge, and Pita Pizza

Hey Friends!

So I've been a little MIA since before the wedding.  :)  I'm sure everyone out there knows and understands the month before a wedding is probably the most stressful time.  Now, I wasn't a bridezilla, but I was definitely running around like a mad woman!  All our hard work paid off and we had an absolutely perfect wedding day! We just got our pictures back yesterday, and they are amazing!! A special shout out and thank you to April Days Photography!  April and her assistant did such an incredible job on our wedding photos.  She is not your run of the mill photographer.  She has a keen eye for detail, she makes your wedding photos a completely personal experience and she takes her time when editing your photos one by one so they look like absolute perfection.  I could not have asked for better! Here's a few of our favorites:

Now, life is finally getting back to normal!  Lately we have been working on reorganizing and redecorating the house.  It is getting there, slowly but surely.  

I have gained a happy 8 pounds since the wedding! Not something I am proud of, but that means it is back to business!! 

I have decided to join a challenge group!  This opportunity came about when I saw a post on the Facebook group for my sorority on May 16th.  A sister from another chapter was inviting girls to join her 30 day challenge.  My Challenge Coach, Christiana, is such a ray of sunshine!  After talking to her briefly on Facebook about life, the program, the challenges and the triumphs I was convinced that this was a step I HAD to take for myself.  Now that life isn't about fitting in a wedding dress anymore, it's really about being strong, happy and healthy.  I do have a goal to fit in a great swimsuit in October for our honeymoon in Mexico, but this time it is beyond that.  

Eventually we will have babies and I want to be able to run around with them and be there as they grow up.  I want to feel good about myself and not be frustrated when things don’t fit or having to change a million times because my outfit doesn’t look right or feel comfortable.  That is why I have joined the 30 day challenge using the Beach Body - 21 Day Fix Program.  I know it sounds like a plug, but really…It’s 21 days! It’s a doable challenge that will also teach me that it’s not about dieting, it’s about a lifestyle! I can do this!  Oh, and even better, one of my friends Jen (Hi Jen!) also happened to sign up for a different challenge group, but we are doing it at the same time, which means even MORE support!

This first week, in my challenge group, it has been all prep.  Mental prep, household prep and food prep.  All I can say is it’s been amazing to be part of a group where you all have the same struggles but also the same goals.  You guys should really check Christiana out. Her posts on Instagram have been of great inspiration and motivation to me.  Follow her at fitnessprincessxtiana!  She is truly positive proof that you can see results and goals can be achieved!  Who knows maybe one of you will join us on the next challenge!

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Finally, as the last part of my “Comeback” post I am going to share a new recipe!  I posted a picture of our dinner last night, and lots of people have asked me for the recipe, so without further ado….

Grilled Eggplant and Asparagus Pita Pizza

Ingredients are ready to go!

I am using on of our wonder fill wedding presents the T-Fal Opti Grill

Eggplant on deck

I love a nice char on my asparagus

Eggplant's turn

Garlic Olive Oil

Polo is hoping I drop some food

Say Cheese!

Not much cheese on this, but you don't need it!

Grilled to percetion

Pita assemble!

Hot and fresh out of the oven

The balsamic drizzle is clutch!

Recipe

Ingredients

Pizza:

2 Large or 4 small Pitas (I used large Lebanese pitas)

2 Garlic cloves, minced

2 medium sized tomatoes sliced into ½ inch rounds

¼ Red Onion sliced thinly

1 Medium sized eggplant sliced into ½ inch rounds

8 asparagus spears

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

½ cup EVOO

Bunch of basil leaves

Salt & Pepper

Balsamic Reduction:

½ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon of honey

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

1.       Lay out your asparagus spears and eggplant rounds and brush lightly with olive oil, making sure it is coated.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Grill eggplant until tender and asparagus to your liking and set aside on a plate to cool. 

2.       Add minced garlic to your remaining olive oil.  Place pitas on a sheet pan (I used 2 separate pans so they would fit).  Brush liberally with garlic olive oil. 

3.      Sprinkle ½ of the shredded mozzarella cheese over your pitas. 

4.      Evenly place the tomatoes on your pita, then continue to top with grilled vegetables and red onion slices. 

5.      Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of veggies and place basil leaves on top evenly.

6.      Bake for approximately 15 minutes, checking to see if your pita has become crispy, or until preferred doneness. 

7.      While pizza is baking, combine balsamic and honey in a small saucepan.  Heat until boiling, then turn down to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half.  Transfer to a small bowl to cool.

8.      Once pizza is done, cut into desired slices and drizzle with balsamic reduction before serving

Enjoy!!

Well that’s all I have for you beautiful people today! I realized that doing a daily blog is just too much for me to handle so I will try my best to keep up with a weekly blog update.  I can’t wait to share my life updates, progress and more recipes with you guys!!!

As always QotD: Any fun plans this summer?? 

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! 

xoxo Mandie | ohmandieblogs@gmail.com

Life happens

Days Until the Wedding: 59...Exactly 2 MONTHS!
Pounds Lost: 13

Hey Friends! I know some of you have been telling me I've been neglecting this page....I apologize for "abandoning" you all the past few days.  Again, I told myself I wanted to get all this stuff done (including blogging) and then life happens and time gets away from you.  I can't believe we are exactly two months away from getting married! It's all coming up so fast... so it's time to really kick things into high gear.  Today, I'll catch you all up on what I've been up to!

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First off, if you are friends with me on Facebook you may have seen this photo.  This stemmed (haha so punny) from something I had seen on Pinterest (surprise).  I'm sure many of you can relate to needing a bunch of green onions  and you'd hate to go all the way to the store just for one thing (However, if you go to Target just for green onions I guarantee you'll come out with at least 5 things you never knew you needed).  You can save your self the trip and the money by regrowing the tips of your green onions! There are actually a lot of things you can regrow from scraps.  Here is a great article that shows you how to grow a lot of foods from scraps.  As for green onions, all you really have to do cut your onions approximately 3-4 inches above the root end and stick them into a glass of water, place them in a spot with a lot of sunlight, and watch them grow! Also, make sure you change the water out every couple days to keep things fresh.

Look how rapidly these things grow! I put this together on Saturday 2/7/15

Here is a photo from 2/9/15.  

As you can see HUGE growth spurt.  Oh, and I am also trying out celery (small glass). 

This is from this morning (2/11/15)

Onions continue to grow, and celery is sprouting!

The nice thing about the onions is that you can use them intermittently so that you'll always have a supply on hand.  With the celery, I will have to keep you update!

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On Saturday, I FINALLY picked up my wedding dress.  Prior to this, I was a little worried about my dress.  Because of our previous wedding plans, I originally had one week to find my dress so I felt a bit rushed and wasn't sure if I was satisfied with my selection.  This time, when I tried my dress on for the last time before taking it home, I was totally in love with it! Since I lost a little bit of weight, my dress fit even better.  I won't need any major alterations if I continue to lose weight because my back of my dress is able to adjust to my size.  I don't want to go into too much detail because Tony reads the blog, and all he knows is that it's white.  I now have the dress hanging in the guest room with the door closed, trusting him to not take a peek!

My cousin and I saw The Boy Next Door in the afternoon.  I'll admit, I saw it mostly because Ryan Guzman is pretty darn attractive...right?

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Sunday, Tony and I went over to my Grandma/Aunt's house after church for a workout.  Or at least I did.  My Aunt and I did a 12 minute stretch from the Kenpo Karate video on P90X and then we did about an hour of Zumba.  The biggest surprise of all was that she got me my own Zumba set for my birthday! 

Even though the toning sticks are only 1 pound each they totally make a difference! The hour we were doing Zumba FLEW by.  I think that dancing and working out is my thing.  I enjoy it the most because it doesn't feel like working out to me.  Here is a link where you can get your own!

Monday night Tony and I went to the gym.  We go to the Planet Fitness in Bloomingdale... or well, he does.  This was my first visit there with him, but it seems like your typical gym.  We started with 15 min warming up on the treadmill.  I averaged about 3.5mph with a 2.0 incline.  We did some weight training focusing on arms and abs.  Then we did another 15 minutes of cardio before going home.  

Dinner was a Sweet and Savory Spinach Salad and a Cheesey Beef Frittata.  

Sweet and Savory Spinach Salad -203 calories per serving

1 1/2 cups of torn spinach leaves

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

1 T chopped pecans

1 T crumbled feta cheese 

2 T light honey mustard dressing

Combine all ingredients and enjoy

Cheesey Beef Frittata - 287 calories per slice (8 Servings)

1 lb lean Ground Beef

5 eggs

5 egg whites

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 c mushrooms chopped

1 green pepper chopped 

10 grape tomatoes halved

1 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese

salt & pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Brown your ground beef and season with salt and pepper in a oven safe pan, drain and set aside
3. n the same oven safe pan, saute the onions, mushrooms and green pepper until tender.  
4. Return beef to pan and combine well with the rest of the ingredients
5. Beat eggs and egg whites in a bowl, then pour over the ingredients in the pan.  Make sure that you spread the egg evenly around the pan.  
6. Place tomato halves on the surface of your frittata then sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the top of the egg mixture.  
7. Place the whole pan in the oven for 20-30 min or until your fritata has set.  
8. Slice into 8 pieces and enjoy! 

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Tuesday night, we had the same dinner as the previous night because we were in a hurry to get to boot camp.  That's right.  Boot camp.  In the past, this was Tony's go to workout routine.  So when they opened a location right down the street from our house he was eager to check it out.  It's called Heaven and Hell Bootcamp, and it definitely was a mixture of heaven and hell for me.  Our friend Caitlin attends sessions here occasionally so she put a word in for us with the instructor and we got to try a session for free.  It is basically a 45 minute HIIT workout.  Here is a little sample of what I went through.  

What I really liked about this was how the instructor told me not to kill myself on my first day.  He told me to go at my own pace, rest when I needed to, drink water, and modify.  Tony thinks I pushed myself a little harder than I should have.  I'm not going to lie, I am sore, but a good sore.  After finishing my first session, I wasn't sure if I loved it...I mean, I wasn't even sure if I could move.  The  more I think about it though,  I think I like it enough to go back.  I think that it will really help me lose inches and tone up.  AND the best part is that there is a Groupon for either One month of unlimited boot camp for $20 or Two months of unlimited boot camp for $35!  I am in no way affiliated or trying to plug them for personal gain.  I just think that it is a great alternative option for anyone that wants to try a new work out!  

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I feel like last week I was in some sort of slump, and I have been kicked back into gear.  I feel motivated again and anxious to really make a greater effort in my physical activity.  Lets hope this feeling lasts for the next two months!!

Oh yeah and my birthday is tomorrow!... the big 29... yay?

Question of the day:  If you could meet anyone in history, dead or alive who would it be? Where would you go? What would you do?

This is such a tough one for me... I could easily say Joseph Gordon Leavitt....and we'd elope to someplace warm where he'd serenade me with his guitar and charm.

But since he's married now and I'm getting married in 2 months...I'd have to say...Maybe Coco Chanel? She's the name that stands out in my head.  She would take me around Paris and tell me where she got her inspirations from, maybe make me a signature suit, talk over chocolat chau and croissants....

See you soon, my friends!

xo Mandie

ohmandieblogs@gmail.com

Crumpled to the floor like an old napkin....

Days to the Wedding: 73
Pounds Lost:11 (Back on track!)

Happy HUMP DAY friends...It feels like it should be later than Wednesday! Who agrees?

Weighed myself this morning and finally got rid of that pesky pound! Tuesday was a pretty good day.  Tried a new recipe (you will see below) and we received another RSVP, but nothing else out of the ordinary.    Unless you count what happened during my work out? But more about that later. 

Breakfast: 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie 

Lunch: 

Asian Inspired Salad Jar

Dinner:

Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Tuesday's dinner was adapted from a recipe I found here on the Messy Baker Blog

According to MyFitnessPal the original recipe is 776 calories per serving (1/2 a stuffed squash). 

Here is my recipe rehab:

4 Servings | Total time: 1 hour

2 Acorn Squash, halved and seeded
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery

1 clove minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 T dried thyme

1/2 cup diced apple
1/4 cup raisins

2 cups cooked quinoa

2 T Olive oil

1/2 lb Jeannie-O Mild Turkey Breakfast Sausage Lean

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt

Pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F
2. Place your acorn squash halves on a baking sheet and drizzle each half with 1/4 tsp of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.  Roast them for about 45 min until the squash is fork tender
3. Meanwhile, as your squash roasts, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan.  Add your turkey sausage to the pan and brown.  
4. Add the onion, celery, garlic, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt & pepper.  Cook this for about 5 min until the onion is tender and translucent
5. Remove your pan from the heat and add your chopped thyme and rosemary.  Stir in the quinoa, apples and raisins.  Season your mixture again with salt and pepper to taste.  
6. Scoop the mixture into the roasted acorn squash halves.  Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 10 min.
7. Serve immediately

And the final reveal.  1 serving of my rehabbed recipe: 404 Calories!

The bold ingredients above are what I substituted or reduced: 

• 1/4 Raisins vs 1/4 cup Cranberries - 123 cal vs. 92 cal...

...In this case, this was purely a "what I had in the house" substitute.  

• 1/3 c Parmesan vs 1/4 c Parmesan - 144 cal vs 108 cal

...That's 36 calories saved!

• 2 T vs 3 T Olive oil = 358 cal vs 239 cal

 ...That's 119 calories saved!

• 1/2 lb Pork Sausage vs 1/2 lb Turkey Sausage Lean - 800 cal vs 275 cal

 ...  That's an incredible 525 calories saved!

For a grand total of...372 calories rehabbed per serving!

This was my first time having acorn squash.  I love all other squashes I've tried, so it's not a surprise that I loved acorn squash as well.  Tony also enjoyed the dish.  I know this because he put it in the "Definitely making this again" category.  Funny side story though... Tony's was eating it and kept saying it tasted "buttery".  I didn't understand why he was saying it when finally I asked if he knew it was acorn squash...the whole time he said he thought it was butternut squash.  Hence "buttery" -__-

Anyway, butternut squash has some great benefits besides being delicious.  According to livestrong.com one serving of acorn squash boasts 37% of you daily value for vitamin C.  Not only that, it is also a great source of potassium.. 26% of your daily value!

I will definitely have to find more recipes for this scrumptious squash!

Exercise:

Zumba: 20 min  - 278 Calories burned

I did a 6 min warm up on my own to loosen the muscles and get my heart rate going.  Then I did a previously shared Zumba video again.  About 2 min before the end of the video I jumped and landed wrong on my ankle.  I crumpled to the ground like an old napkin.  Fortunately, Tony was home.  Unfortunately, he fell asleep in the basement.  So here I am hoisting myself up onto the couch nearly in tears yelling for him.  Finally he wakes up and retrieves a bag of frozen peas to relieve my clumsiness.  After resting for the rest of the night, nothing looked swollen and it was a little tender to walk on, so I think I'm ok! This morning this is still a dull pain, but I'm not limping or anything.  I Might have to take it easy for the rest of the week and stick to arm and ab workouts or things that don't require too much standing and definitely no jumping! 

Due to resting, I did not get around to measuring myself.  I want to get this done by the end of the week!

I found an article on All Womens Talk that shared 7 metabolism boosting breakfast foods.  Here is their list:

1. Eggs
2. Oats
3. Green Smoothies
4. Berries
5. Protein Shakes
6. Ezekiel Bread 
7. Avocado

Much to my surprise, this is mostly what I have been eating for breakfast since I've started my diet! I love berries so I think maybe we will pick some of those up this weekend if I see them on sale and I think Tony said avocados on sale for 49 cents at Valli Produce this weekend! 

Question of the day: What are some blogs, sites, resources you use to help you stay on track? I'd love to check them out!

Tuesday Roundup:
1190 calories eaten / 350 calories burned / 5020 steps taken

I've forgotten to leave u with inspiration and motivation! 
xo mandie

Get up and do something!

Days to the wedding: 78 

Weight Lost: Didn't weigh myself this morning, so to my knowledge...still the same?

Happy Friday! Finally we made it!

So, I'm just going to fill my readers in on how my blog works.  I usually write the blog throughout the day that I am talking about...so as I am writing right now it is actually Thursday, which made saying "Happy Friday" extremely awkward for me because it's not Friday and I still have work tomorrow :(

I've gotten word that some guests have begun to receive invitations to our wedding! And Eric, if you are reading this...they will not let you have the kid's meal regardless of your mental age.

When I woke up Thursday morning, I was feeling a little sore, but good sore.  Tony told me he felt like I was different this time than any other time I've been on a diet.  He sees me working out regularly... and even pointed out that I marched in place for an hour and called that "Super serious".  It made me feel good that he's noticed my efforts and admired me for it.  Another token for motivation!  When I finally trekked downstairs to find breakfast I decided I would let Tony have the oatmeal and figure out something new to make for breakfast...

Breakfast: (Skinny!) Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie - 385 Calories

I found today's breakfast recipe on Pinterest, but made my own modifications and entered it into MyFitnessPal to come up with my calorie count.

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/skinny-oatmeal-cookie-smoothie/

Here is my version:

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 Cup Rolled Oats
• 1 Banana cut into sections (Freeze if you'd like)
• 1 Cup Almond Milk (I used original with reduced sugar)
• 1 tsp Imitation Vanilla Extract (It's all we had + its less calories?)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 T Honey
• 1/4 Cup Raisins (Optional)

Directions:

1. First, I put the oats in my Ninja blender and processed them until they were almost a flour consistency.  This is important for a smooth smoothie!
2. Next, I added the rest of my ingredients to the blender and let it blend for a minute or two.  I stopped around the time when I stopped hearing the blades hitting raisin and banana speed bumps.  
3. Finally, I poured my mixture into a 1 pint mason jar, popped the lid back on and put it in the fridge until I was ready to enjoy it.

So, most smoothie recipes I've seen have required you to freeze your fruit ahead of time.  I think this is a great idea because then you aren't watering it down with ice and you don't lose the thick and creamy consistency we love about smoothies.   Obviously this morning I didn't have time for that, so I took a shortcut and used a fresh banana and stuck my smoothie in the fridge while I got ready for work.  When I was ready to head out the door I stuck a straw in it and had it on the road! I wouldn't recommend making them ahead of time and storing them in the fridge because I feel like they smoothie would start to separate, but I did find another link here that has great instruction and tips on how to prepare parts of your smoothie ahead of time.  For example, I could make a ton of ground up oatmeal (And add some chia seeds for more nutritional value) to save a little time.  I have a couple more recipes in my queue to try, so stay tuned!

Lunch: Salad in a jar (Again)

Dinner: Tasting at the Abbington! 

We had the pleasure of attending our food tasting at the reception hall.  We tried two soups, two salads and two entrees.  I don't think I overate... but I wanted to!  Our final picks were Tortellini and Escarole Soup, a Field of Green Salad with spiced pecans, Gorgonzola cheese and a Fig balsamic dressing, a lemon sorbet intermezzo and for our entree Chicken Toscano paired with garlic smashed potatoes, carrots and asparagus. 

We chose our cake last weekend and it will be a marbled cake with hazelnut butter cream filling....It's all coming together!

Exercise: 10 Min "stepping" and free weights & 10 Min Zumba

After a long day, I was going to try to "step" and do abs tonight, but I was beat.  I was going to go straight to bed but I wanted to do something to complete my step goal.  So I did another arm workout while getting some steps in, then I did 10 min (3 songs) of the first Zumba video I posted yesterday.  I think I should invest in some Zumba DVDs or take a class.  The only reason why I'm not quite ready to take a class is because we are trying to save money for the wedding and I'm not sure if I want to add that expense right now.  But I digress...I'm proud of myself for getting up and doing something even though I was exhausted.  I hope all my hard work pays off!


I think I am growing weary of my salad jars.  I know I can mix it up though.  Maybe I will make a southwest or Asian style salad jar instead?...or...

To my readers: What is your favorite healthy go-to for lunch that is easy to prepare ahead of time? Doesn't have to be salad, but I like a balanced meal that will keep me full for a couple hours.  Please share your ideas and recipes with me!! 

Thursday roundup: 1545 calories eaten / 381 calories burned / 7612 Steps taken

Until next time :) Mandie