Detox Week Comes to an End!

I have tried a lot of things to lose weight and stay fit in my lifetime. You name it, I've tried it. And it always goes the same way...I work hard to lose five to ten pounds and it comes back in a matter of months because I don't stick with it. As far as workouts go, I think I have finally found something that works for the long term...thank you, BIKRAM YOGA! Yes, that is HOT yoga I am speaking of. ;) Blaine and I have been members since March, LOVE it, and have seen some nice results. That said, I still have this nagging seven (I'm changing the number in the title each day) pounds I would like to lose. So, in an attempt to get rid of it and be ready for my sister's wedding in just under two weeks, we are doing the 7-Day Wedding Cleanse recommended by a fellow blogger who saw awesome results from it!

http://www.greenlemonade.com/brides-bumps/7-day-wedding-cleanse/

Day 1:

Has not been so bad! Blaine is also along for the ride...he is so supportive. In reality, I'm sure he thinks he won't get fed if he doesn't jump on board with what I'm eating. ;) The food was pretty good...whole grain toast with butter and cinnamon for breakfast, salad with a veggie burger and salsa for lunch, a Lara Bar for a snack-Blaine, watermelon for a snack-Jen (no, this isn't on the diet, but I was at the beach with friends!), and I'm making the veggie chili and baked potatoes right now for dinner. I'm feeling a little hungry right now, but don't feel like I'm starving! I think this is doable!!

I have some "before" pictures to add to this post, but upon closer inspection, I have decided NOT to put them on here for fear of making a fool of myself....I'm REALLY hoping we'll see some changes in seven days... ;) If we do, I'll post those pictures then!

Day 2:

Still going well, and I've already lost one of those pesky seven pounds! We had apple slices with peanut butter for breakfast (because I didn't feel like getting up at 5 a.m. to make the other choices on the menu for Blaine ;)), salad with a veggie burger and salsa for lunch (again, I know, but that's how I like to do things and it's pretty good!), Lara bars for a snack (not sure what I think of them yet), and we will have leftover chili and potatoes again for dinner because Blaine has a softball game and I won't have time to cook tonight. Five more days to go...

Day 3:

I lost another .6 pounds. :) It's not much, but it counts! Today was pretty good, food and hunger-wise. Not sure Blaine would say the same...he thinks I'm trying to starve him. ;) We had the strawberry and banana cereal for breakfast (NOT as yummy as I thought it would be as a smoothie), the taco bites for lunch (VERY yummy...who knew taco-flavored oatmeal could taste so good? We will make this again and again!), and veggie stir-fry for dinner with a salad and mustard vinaigrette (also yummy and a keeper meal). I can't say that I'm not looking forward to Monday and the Thai food I plan to indulge in as a reward, but this isn't so bad! Four more days, can't give up now!

Funny note: All manners have flown out the window and we have, at times, resorted to licking our plates to get every calorie. I now see how people can get crazed when they're hungry. ;)

Day 4:

This diet is getting easier! I went to bed last night a little hungry, but I lost another .4 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to two pounds in three days. I'm not counting today yet, as I will weigh in tomorrow morning for today's results. Blaine has lost like four or five pounds...I don't care to discuss it any further. ;) We had the strawberry and banana cereal again for breakfast (this time, sliced up and not as a smoothie), taco bites for lunch (so yummy, I recommend all of you to try them!), and we will have veggie stir fry for dinner again because I haven't figured out how I'm going to tackle the pizzas yet. Just three more days to go until my date with Pad Thai! ;)

Days 5 and 6:

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday...maybe I wasn't motivated since I didn't see any weight loss. ;) I lost another .2 pounds today, but I'm not so concerned with the weight loss anymore. I have to say that I feel GREAT! I really do feel healthy and feel that, overall, I look "better". We've had the same meals both days for breakfast...oats with peanut butter (super yummy!), taco bites for lunch yesterday and I'm making the pepper salad with eggs today. I'm tweaking it a bit and making more of a "huevos rancheros" version. We had the detox pizza for dinner, which was actually pretty good, and we'll have it again for dinner tonight. Blaine asked if we could cheat on the diet today :), I told him NO and that we only have until tomorrow so we're sticking with it! It was tempting, but I did not succumb to peer pressure. Note: A few hours after writing this, I wanted to cheat and get a dessert while we were out, but Blaine wouldn't let us! It's good to have someone to hold you accountable.

Day 7:

The end! I think this entire post would sound completely different coming from Blaine (who has been hungry for the last week and wanted to end the diet by going out to dinner tonight!), but since I'm writing this, I'll give my point of view. We had oatmeal and PB for breakfast, huevos rancheros for lunch, and we'll have the last dinner of salad and eggs tonight (this is why Blaine wanted to skip it and go out).

I'm excited that this is the last day, not because I was miserable on this diet (not sure Blaine would concur), but because I'm looking forward to eating things I want to eat. That said, I really feel that we are going to incorporate some of these detox meals into our every day menu from now on. Another important lesson, that we've always known to be true, but never followed it, is PORTION CONTROL. Good grief, we eat way too much food! Starting tomorrow, we will share meals at restaurants, or have half of our meal wrapped up to go BEFORE it even comes to the table. Case in point...the first day I made the oatmeal with peanut butter, I made it following the directions on the package, split the oatmeal between two bowls, and we enjoyed it! Only to realize afterwards that we both had just consumed TWO servings of oatmeal instead of one. I cut the amount I cooked in half the next day, and it was more than enough food. So, when I indulge in my Pad Thai tomorrow, Blaine and I will split one order! ;)

Now, for the real test...resisting eating Mexican food all nine days that we are in Texas! Oh, the torture!

TOTAL weight loss:
Jen: 2 pounds
Blaine: 7 pounds! Grrr...

In Case You Didn't Get Enough...

I have been obsessed with the royal wedding. Shortly after Will and Kate announced their engagement and wedding date, I began brainstorming ideas on how to celebrate this momentous event! Before you think I may have completely lost my mind, I must say that I feel I have a duty and right to obsess over anything royal, being that I married into such an English family. :) I ultimately decided on a royal wedding brunch and then went to planning (and shopping)...

Because of the time difference, the wedding coverage began on Thursday night at 10:00 p.m. HST. I recorded the wedding events with every intention of waiting until Friday morning to watch it with everyone else over brunch. I was just SO excited that I had to stay awake to watch it live. :) Regardless, the brunch was a success, with 16 ladies in attendance! Note: Please excuse the blurry photos...I recently dropped my camera and messed up the lens. :(

I borrowed this super cute chalkboard from a friend to decorate my front entry. I also bought tiaras for each guest!

There were pictures of the royal couple all over the house.

I made "wedding cupcakes", complete with buttercream roses! Thank you cake decorating class that I thought I would never actually use! ;)

Closeup of my buttercream roses...can you tell I'm proud???

I tried making strawberry basil scones for the first time...I have no idea what scones are supposed to taste like so I don't know if these were any good. The flavors were good together, though!

Our amazing brunch spread! Each guest brought a dish to share...so yummy!

We had several beverages to choose from...mimosas, wedding punch, and hot tea, of course!

Some of the ladies, enjoying the royal wedding!

My Kate Middleton look-alike dress AND ring!!

Whether you still get goosebumps (like I do) or are just sick of hearing about it...William and Kate's wedding is something to be celebrated! A few girls at brunch had a good point...with all the negative in the world right now, it sure was nice to turn on our TV's to something so positive and beautiful! Congrats, Will and Kate! :)

My Husband, the Movie Star!

I have been told by different people that Blaine looks like several celebrities. For example...

Matthew McConaughey...

Jason Statham...

... and, most recently, Tom Selleck!

Okay, so no one actually said he looks like Tom Selleck. However, Blaine recently entered our squadron's "Mustache March" mustache competition and WON in the "Tom Selleck" category!! I'm so proud...of his champion mustache and the fact that I have a very handsome husband! ;)

More of Paradise...

A little over a year in Hawaii, and we just wrapped up another family visit...our SEVENTH visitor! Blaine's sister, Jill, along with her family, Trevor, Cole, and Eden, as well as Blaine's brother, Robert, spent a week with us exploring not one island, but TWO! I have to back this story up even more, though, as Blaine and I ventured to yet another island, Kauai, for the first time the week before our family arrived! A whirlwind vacation, indeed, but we have had SO MUCH fun!!

After staying awake the night before our early morning flight on tsunami watch, Blaine and I visited Kauai, the Garden Isle, in early March. What a gorgeous place! We spent the first half of our trip on the western side of the island, at Barking Sands, which is a military lodging facility. The lodge is located on the Pacific Missile Range Facility and is VERY isolated. The isolation lent to a relaxing time, though, and provided quite a nice outlet for Blaine's spearfishing. We spent the second half of our vacation on the southern tip of the island with some dear friends Blaine went to high school with, the Warrens. We really enjoyed seeing them and checking out some of the sights! Side note: Our resort was AMAZING! I highly recommend looking into "Preferred Hotels" on your next vacation anywhere, as they have them all over the world. We stayed at the Koa Kea Resort...maybe one of the highlights of this trip, which says a lot after you see the following pictures. :)

I found this written in the sand and thought it was so cute, I had to add it to my collection of photos from our trip!

This is Niihau, the Forbidden Isle, seen from the Barking Sands beach. Blaine is so intrigued by this island because of it's background. If you don't know about Niihau, I HIGHLY recommend you read about it...very interesting. If you look closely, you'll see an orange dive flag on the right hand side of this photo in the water...yes, that's Blaine, spearfishing!

Niihau at sunset

Waimea Canyon

Glass Beach...maybe one of my all time favorite sights! Look closely...there is no sand. The entire beach is made up of sea glass! I just love sea glass. Sea glass is the result of glass items (trash) being tumbled, broken up, rounded, and smoothed over time. It takes years to make and some colors are more rare than others. An entire beach covered in it?! Awesome!

Glass Beach close up

We found this interesting Japanese cemetary near Glass Beach...just thought it made for a neat photo!

Big highlight of our trip...an open-door helicoptor tour of Kauai! WOW! is all I can say, because I was pretty much speechless the entire flight. :)

Our first glimpse of what is probably the most gorgeous coastline in all of Hawaii...the Na Pali Coast! Breathtaking. Cue the speechlessness now.

Looking down at the cliffs on the water's edge...beautiful!

I think the Na Pali Coast in Kauai qualifies as one of the must-sees in a person's lifetime. I'm pretty sure I've never seen anything quite like it...just amazing!

Our helicoptor pilot flew us into this crater, so cool! We were lucky enough to pick a clear day, as the top of this mountain is completely covered in clouds 95% of the time. Can you see why Kauai is called the Garden Isle??

Many of our guests have commented that they feel like they are in Jurassic Park when they are here. Well, Jurassic Park was filmed in Hawaii and this is the infamous Jurassic Park Falls!

Windblown, speechless, and AMAZED at Kauai's beauty!

Our last day in Kauai, we hiked a trail along the Na Pali Coast to get another view of it. I just wanted to show all of you how lush and tropical this rainforest hike was!

As soon as we returned from Kauai, we were getting ready for our family to arrive the next day. It was so awesome to see everyone and have them here with us for the week! We had SUCH A BLAST! And I have 24 wine bottle corks to prove it... ;) To our delight, Blaine's family wanted to see a volcano. Since Blaine and I were already in traveling mode anyway, we all decided to hit the Big Island of Hawaii for a couple of days in the middle of their visit! Yes, we've been here for over a year now and saw TWO of the other islands in the span of two weeks. Crazy! But so awesome!!

The whole group in front of Rainbow Falls on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Standing in the middle of the lava desert!

Blaine and Robert in one of the many lava fields...there were several different lava flows on the map with their prospective timelines, I think this one is from the 1970's.

Here she is! Kilauea Calderon, one of the world's most active volcanoes! We didn't see any lava, but this was impressive enough. :)

We also visited the southernmost point of the United States...

...which Blaine quickly realized will make an awesome spearfishing spot on our next visit. ;) Cole and Blaine are looking for fish in the 100 foot visibility waters off the southern tip.

Green Sand Beach...highlight of this trip! The green sand is actually an olive color...and you can only see it by hiking almost three miles ONE WAY. It was AMAZING!

Blaine on one of the island's black sand beaches! Really pretty and much easier to get to than the green sand beach.

Two of the NINE turtles that were lounging on Turtle Beach the day we visited back on Oahu.

And last, but not least, Robert in front of Waimea Falls on Oahu. Look closely...and you'll see Blaine diving out from underneath the waterfall! I couldn't recreate this picture if I tried, it was a total fluke! :)

So, that's what we've been up to lately! I apologize for the long post, but I just had to share all my favorite pictures...and I know some of you have been asking for more Hawaii pics! Until our next adventure...

Happy 11th Birthday...

...to our FAVORITE two non-humans on this planet!

We LOVE our Blaze and Holly!!

My Favorite Recipes!

I have a new-found love for cooking and baking. I'm not sure if it's my desire to excel as a housewife or if it's due to my love of eating good food ;), but I am definitely getting into, and enjoying, making good meals. I have been inspired by two friends recently to blog about recipes and eating well! One friend posted a wonderful post on meal planning and shared some of her yummy recipes (one of which I have in the oven as I write). Another friend posted her plea for help on making a yummy meal for her hubby returning from deployment. Combine the two and I had a light bulb moment! Why not share a few of my favorite recipes and urge my fellow blogging sisters to do the same!! This way, we get to shine the spotlight on our favorite recipes and we all get some great new recipes to try. :)

This is Blaine's favorite entree (note: I increase the cooking time in the oven until the meat thermometer reaches 170 degrees, about 22 minutes)...

Honey-buttered Pork Tenderloin

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pork-tenderloin-with-honey-butter

One of my favorite sides to make is my own creation…

Mashed Baked Potatoes

2 potatoes per person (I usually use half of a 5 lb bag if I'm cooking for 4-6 people)
1/2 stick butter
1 yellow onion (chopped)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Bacon crumbles (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and quarter potatoes, boil until tender (when you can easily insert a fork through them). Meanwhile, saute onion in butter until tender. Whip potatoes with all ingredients with electric mixer until well blended and to your desired consistency.

Again, this is my own creation, so none of these ingredient amounts are exact...I just eyeball it and add everything until the potatoes taste like I want them to! ;)

This is my all-time FAVORITE dessert! I leave the wine out if I don’t have an open bottle (which is rare) and they’re great either way. I promise it will not disappoint:

Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes

http://www.mccormickgourmet.com/Recipes/Desserts/Molten-Spiced-Chocolate-Cabernet-Cakes.aspx

What are your favorite go-to recipes?? I challenge you, my fellow bloggers, to post some of your favorites so that we can all build up our recipe collections!!

I Love You!

We all have moments like these...moments that touch us so deeply that we sit back and think about our spouses, loved ones, and all the blessings to be thankful for in our lives. I had a moment yesterday...

We were at brunch at the Officer's Club with friends, enjoying the good food, yummy mimosas, and fun time! At the table next to us sat an older man, maybe in his 50's, enjoying the same. He was very friendly, making conversation and commiserating with us over the subpar service. ;) He had two glasses of water at his table, but I never actually saw anyone sit with him for brunch. As he got up to leave, he wished me and Jill a happy Valentine's day, and we joked that it will be if our husbands are on their A-game. He then told us that he loved being married so much, but that his wife left him. She had gone to heaven at age 48. He reminded us all to embrace every day with our loved ones because you never know what tomorrow will bring. He was misty-eyed as he told us this, and it completely broke my heart!

I share this story with you all for two reasons...to tell you, my loved ones, that I love all of you, and to remind you all to enjoy every second of today, tomorrow, and so on with your spouses and loved ones!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Pipes and Poker...

...the BEST themed party ever! We recently cohosted a "Pipes and Poker" party with our friends, Nate and Elizabeth. Nate has an awesome collection of his Grandpa's old pipes and wanted to share them with all of us! The idea for the party came just a few days before the event, so we got to planning and pulled it off in record time! Elizabeth and I shopped all day for food, drinks, and different flavors of tobacco, including Butter Rum, Coco Creme, Vanilla, and Peaches and Cream. Shopping in some of Hawaii's finest smoke shops was quite an adventure, to say the least. ;) The night of the party, we made some yummy appetizers, picked out our pipes, cranked up some Sinatra, and distributed the poker chips! The buy-in was $10 a person, so the prize was worth $120!! What a fun night!!

We revived the monocle from Halloween for this event...one of our party guests said, "this would be awesome if we had a monocle to wear while smoking our pipes"...DONE. Then he said, "this would be really awesome if we had top hats to wear, too"...DONE again! Leave it to the Bakers to have the most random party props on the block!!

We originally attempted to have a 14-person poker game...not a good idea. So, we split the group into two tables and the winners from the two joined together for a final round.

I made a delicious cheesecake for Jill's 30th birthday! I knew the Pipes and Poker party fell on her birthday, but we didn't know we were celebrating such a milestone birthday until after we had cake!

Happy 30th Birthday, Jill!!

This was one of the most fun (and rowdiest...we had a noise complaint :)) parties ever! I'm sure this will become a regular event...I've already started to brainstorm ideas for the next Pipes and Poker party...maybe full costumes? We just may all have Sherlock Holmes costumes and do this again for Halloween...or next month. :)

And I would be remiss to not include another highlight of the weekend on our blog...

Blaine got this gorgeous 5 1/2 pound golden trevally while spearfishing...needless to say, he was overjoyed!

Still Organizing...

It has occurred to me that posting pictures of my organization challenges probably isn't the most exciting thing to blog about. HOWEVER, I feel that this is the only way I will be held accountable, so here are day 2 and 3's challenges...and from now on, I will post these on a weekly basis, so as to not completely bore you!

Day 3 Challenge: Organize tupperware drawer...my tupperware drawer is actually really organized, so I chose to do the freezer! I felt I should organize something that really NEEDED to be organized...and this freezer has been neglected for some time now. What I REALLY NEED is a second freezer! :)

BEFORE

AFTER!

Day 2 Challenge: Organize desktop

BEFORE

AFTER!

EVERY year, I set the same New Year's resolutions...to eat well, get in shape, and maybe lose a little weight. Thanks to a good friend and fellow blogger, I am adding "get organized" to this year's goals! I'm taking the "21 days to getting ORGANIZED challenge" at http://www.abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/.

Here is my progress for Day 1:

Junk drawer (one of several) BEFORE

Junk drawer AFTER!

That feels pretty good! I challenge y'all to join in the fun!! And, yes, you should see 20 more posts just like this, granted I stick to this! :)