Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken (Better than Take-Out!!!!)

I LOOOOOOOVE me some Chinese food! Most recipes are a bit difficult though with a million ingredients so I don't bother to make them.  I DO make an egg roll that is baked, not fried, but we will save that for another day! :)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound boneless chicken, (cubed and/or sliced)
• 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• flour or corn starch to thicken sauce

DIRECTIONS

• Cube raw chicken, set aside.  Mix all ingredients, EXCEPT flour or corn starch, to make sauce.  Add chicken and marinade for an hour in refrigerator.  

*I put it all in my crock pot and let it chill to save washing dishes.  If you do it that way, make sure you let the pot sit out for ONE HOUR after marinading and before turning it on.  Your crock pot can crack if you heat it when it is that cold.*

• Pour entire mixture into the crock pot. Cook on high for 2 hours WITHOUT lifting the lid.  Stir the chicken and if the sauce is not thick enough to your liking, add a little flour or corn starch until it is.  Serve over rice.

ENJOY!!!!

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

This recipe turned out so yummy, even my husband who hates ricotta cheese, loved it!  The picture above is not my own, but it was much prettier than mine.  The pictures below ARE mine though.

• 8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 14 oz freshly shredded, low-moisture part skim Mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup Ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg white
• 1/3 cup freshly, finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/4 oz)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 - 4 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/6 inch thick slices)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup marinara sauce, recipe follows
Simple Marinara Sauce
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions listed on package to al dente. Drain pasta (DO NOT rinse with water) and align lasagna noodles in a single layer on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper.

• For filling, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese and egg white until well blended. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Mix in 12 oz. of the Mozzarella cheese and season with black pepper to taste (I wouldn't recommend seasoning with salt just because the cheeses already have plenty of salt).

• Place 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle and spread into an even layer, going from one end of the lasagna to the other. Align 4 thin tomato slices over cheese mixture then sprinkle fresh basil over top. Snugly roll lasagna noodles to opposite end. Spread about 1/4 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Align lasagna roll ups, seam side down in dish. Top each roll up with about 2 Tbsp of the pasta sauce (covering edges of pasta so they don't dry out while baking). Sprinkle top with remaining 2 oz. shredded Mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven, plate pasta and garnish with plenty of basil ribbons. Serve warm.

(This picture is before the sauce and cheese is put on)

Simple Marinara Sauce

• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions to hot oil and saute about 3 minutes until soft, adding garlic during last minute of sauteing. Pour in crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and allow sauce to cook for about 25 - 30 minutes (which will allow some of the water in crushed tomatoes to evaporate) while you prepare pasta and lasagna filling (you can freeze or refrigerate left over sauce in a small airtight container for later use, adding fresh basil if desired).

ENJOY!!!!!

Been Too Long!

Trying to keep up with my blog seems impossible at times. LOL So lets play catch up!

I have decided to go ahead with the gastric bypass.  My health is going down faster than I can lose the weight I need to lose so I believe this is the best option for me.  I believe I can use this as a tool to lose the weight and keep it off!  I have to do a 3 month program before I can have the surgery.  I have done my first group session and have 2 more to go, plus a few dr. appointments.  I will be reviewed by the September review board and we are looking at an early October surgery.  That isn't very far away! Right now I am just trying to continue in weight loss, shop for things like protein shakes and bars, and prepare as much as possible.

Support for this kind of thing can be a hard thing to find.  My husband is very supportive but I know he is scared to lose me.  But if I don't do this, he will lose me anyway, just slower.  My immediate family is also for it.  They know the importance of it.  My friends are pretty much divided.  Some are being a great support, and then others just want to talk about the negative side of things.  Some is out of concern, but I think others is out of jealousy.  I would have to say though, I have a lot more people supporting me than others do.  I could not imagine going through this without the support of people, especially my husband, he is everything to me. :)

I have had a few people ask me where I get my motivation from because they just cant seem to find any.  First off, I DO struggle with motivation, A LOT! Right now I am struggling with motivation to go to the gym.  I am getting my steps in and doing cardio everyday, but no gym lately.  The best thing I can say is to try and try again until you find the thing that motivates you the best.  Get a good team of support that will encourage you on good AND bad days.  I am part of a group on FB that has encouraged and motivate me to keep stepping and keep moving and this past week I logged in 25 miles, AND losing weight even though I haven't gone to the gym!  Support is a big part of any success.  Not everyone can find it from their family and friends, but I just want to put it out there that I will be a support for ANYONE trying to get healthy and lose weight, even if we don't know each other, we will get to know each other. :)

I have also started working again!  I started at Lane Bryant in February.  I REALLY like my job.  Physically, it is hard for me at times, especially in the beginning.  Some nights I come home and just cry from the pain. Things are getting better though, and they will get even better the more weight I lose!

David is also doing well with his weight.  He has lost almost 50 pounds!  At first it was just from not drinking soda, but he is now exercising every day!

Well, I think that is it as far as playing catch up! I know I have said this before, but I will try to post more often. lol

Just Another Monday

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. No excuse, just haven't.  I recently purchased a pedometer, which I am SUPER excited about! As of right now I am getting in 5000 steps a day, sometimes more.  I will be slowly making my way up to 10000 a day.  I also got a job! Its a lot to be working again.  At first I didn't think I was going to be able to do it.  It took so much out of me.  I am getting back into the groove of things though.  It is only part-time, but I have to start somewhere.  It still takes a lot out of me, but I am able to deal with it better now.  

Spring kind of skipped right over us and summer seems to be just about here.  I will have to make a huge effort to keep up the walks and not let the heat get to me.  The more weight I lose, the less the heat bothers me.  Its more the humidity than the heat that bothers me.  There are a couple of different hikes David and I want to go on.  He is hurt right now from an injury at work but I am hoping that is better soon.  I will do a weigh in at the beginning of June and get a new poll quiz up on here soon. :)

Never Ending Journey

I saw this image today on facebook.  Such a simple cartoon, yet it fully depicts my life right at this moment.  This journey I have been on with weight loss has been such a struggle.  Its had good moments, great moments, and horrible moments.  That mountain just seems so high and sometimes seems to be getting higher.  But in the end, WILL be worth it all.  Worth all the sweat, pain, and tears.  Trust me, there are plenty of all of those things.

I have been putting off getting weighed and measured for quite awhile, but had no idea it had been since OCTOBER! I just sucked it up and did it the other day and since October I have gained 3 pounds and 1 inch.  I know that doesn't seem like a lot for most people, but for me its unacceptable.  I should have LOST, not gained.  

I am back to the gym on a daily basis, even hit a zumba class the other day.  My diet I cut back even further on the carbs and sodium.  I also started a small part-time job at Lane Bryant.  I really like it and even though my body feels like melting jello, lol, I am glad I took that extra step and put myself out there.

As Dory says..."just keep swimming, just keep swimming...."

Ready for Spring!

I am soooooooooo ready for spring to get here! I love the snow but I am way over it now.  Time for some warmer weather.  This past week I have had a cold and 2 ear infections...About 3 weeks ago I had the flu for over a week.  This really puts a dent in my exercising.  I have started being more committed to DAILY workouts and even have an exercise buddy again.  I really hope she stays committed and for 2 reasons.  First, for her own health, and then for my health.  She is my 3rd workout buddy and no one ever lasts for more than a month or so.  Its fun, new, and exciting at first, but when they find out it is actually REALLY hard work, they quit.

So come on, lets get it warmed up outside, get some motivation going, and get that weight loss ticker moving south!

Spring Tease

As you can see I have not posted in my blog for awhile.  Besides being sick for over a week, I have just not been pulling my weight, no pun intended, when it comes to my fitness.  I have been avoiding getting weighed and measured, and apparently I have been avoiding my blog because I have nothing good to report.  Now I do.  I am back at the gym, and back into the swing of things.  I do not want to use "lack of motivation" as an excuse, but it was definitely there.
Winter is hard to get through physically.  I am always afraid of falling, the cold can be painful for my body at times, and its just gloomy and makes me not want to do anything.  The other day we had our first spring teaser.  It was gorgeous out and the second I woke up, all I wanted to do was go outside.  So I headed straight for the gym.  It has only been a couple days, but every day I have woke up WANTING to go to the gym.  As soon as it gets just a little bit warmer it will be nice enough to take Sayuri to the park, which we both love.
I hope this is the start of a new motivation.  I need to just do it and keep moving forward! I will be weighing and measuring the first week of April no matter what.  I am hoping to see good results and that I will finally get to my my ticker in the upper left corner of my blog.  Its been quite awhile since it has moved.