Thursday, January 12, 2012

The Biggest Loser Pizza

It's a family thing, we all love watching the show The Biggest Loser. It is far from what I would've guessed to be the show my kids look forward to watching with me but I have to admit it, I love it! I love that this show tees up these conversations on the importance of having a balanced lifestyle combining exercise and healthy eating. These folks who have gone on this show have decided to be real about their situation and let us watch as they aim to create a new life for themselves. It is so incredibly inspiring to watch and I'm guaranteed to cry each week as I see these folks bravely press forward!

A friend of mine sent me this funny cartoon this morning. It's something that totally made me laugh but also was a real eye opener regarding the change in how kids are growing up these days.



I know it's my job to keep this in mind and not let my kids fall into the trap of a sedentary lifestyle coupled with freezer food filled with all the stuff that's horrible for us. I'm guilty of this. We are an active family but I knew I needed to raise the bar with things we were eating. Dad travels each week for work and well, that's when I like to take a little vacation from making full dinners for the family. I'm working on changing this :) It's no excuse not to offer them something healthy.

Earlier this week we all watched this weeks installment of the show and watched the nutritionist walk them through the grocery store and she pulled out the frozen pizzas and had a short rant on them. I wanted to duck as all my kids looked at me and said, "Mommy we should stop buying those" She offered a simple idea and we decided to try them last night.

We had all the ingredients on hand so the kids and I made Biggest Loser Pizzas. Talk about easy, like no time at all and they loved them. Of course the nutritionist suggested topping them with various veggies. I figured we'd start with basic cheese pizzas and not push my luck. For our first time trying them, I want them to eat them not stare at them like I've tortured them with veggies. My youngest tends to stare at a plate with tears welling up if too many veggies lay in front of him. We had enough other good stuff so kept it simple.



We were working with what we had on hand. Whole grain tortillas and these are the larger burrito size. Some shredded part skim mozzarella cheese and then some marinara sauce. I had a partial jar still in my fridge but next time I shop, I may start paying closer attention to the sodium and sugar content in the various brands. We've always used this but we are certainly willing to check out other brands if they still taste great.


My little helpers wanted to make their own dinners. Score!! I haven't found my love for cooking yet so I like helpers and like even more they're starting to take an interest in eating healthy. Here it is, ready to go in the oven.



And voila! The tortilla wasn't super crisp through the center like you might find with a pizza but my kids absolutely loved them. I bet if I made these on a pizza pan the tortilla might crisp up a bit more but I had these on my Southern Living baking sheet. We ate these with a mixed bowl of fresh fruit and I'm feeling good knowing this was miles better than pulling that boxed pizza out of the freezer.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

How Pinteresting!

Just like most of the world, I'm hooked on Pinterest and today I'm participating with a link up blog party. I really don't know how this happened, my new addiction :) I convince myself it will help me become better at all there is to know by the endless amount of info I can dig up! There is not enough time in 2 lifetimes to complete all the DIY projects, travel to all these beautiful destinations, make all of these recipes, decorate a home paying every attention detail down to the aesthetics in your laundry room, throw all these parties and of course, own and wear all these fabulous outfits people put together. A girl can dream right? Vision boards are inspiration and I for one, enjoy having a reference point to go back to when I do find a stretch of time to do something!

Well it's Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday so we decided to play. Here are some of my faves. I thought today I'd look at my crafts board since that was my initial interest that pulled me into the world of Pinterest. What is it you ask? Well if you need a definition, here ya go.



So here's a few that are on the top of my list to do.


How practical and easy is THIS? Perfect for sleepover, buh bye gross sandwich baggy.


Okay, now bring those sandwich baggies back, THIS is a cute and easy little project!


How adorable are THESE bookmarks! I'm definitely making these, gotta get the pics done so they are vertical with that funny capture of their personalities!

And of course I love THIS project.

The complete tutorial is found here on my blog and we have made countless flowers for hair. They make a wonderful way to finish wrapping a gift by including something so functional and pretty!

What are your favorite pins for the week?

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year


I hope everyone had a joyous close to 2011 and is excited for the New Year and all those new plans and adventures for 2012. This is one of my favorite images to start a new year. Wash away the old and look at the beautiful new year ahead!

I've gotten so many emails from friends that someone in their house got a new sewing machine for Christmas. I love hearing that, love knowing that the sewing craft is coming back full steam. I've been asked so many questions on what is a great starter machine, what all do you need to get started, will I hold a small class, how do you thread this darn machine and wind that bobbin (that is always a personal fave) where can a person take classes etc! Honestly, once you figure out how to thread your machine you have conquered the part that holds so many people back. Well, I found this post on Make it Love it that really sums things up. This is an excellent site to dig around in. When you want to get started, just jump in. Don't read so much you feel bound inside a box on how to do things. Read and learn enough to get going and then experiment.

There are so many projects you can do by just learning a basic straight stitch. Really, you can go on for days making different things. Just like she says in her blog post, just keep pressing forward, don't worry about a line that's not perfectly straight or some bunched up bobbin thread, it really just comes with time and a bit of practice. No one else sees that, they are truly excited for what you are making, not caught up in the inspection of how perfect it is!

Once you get past practicing some different stitches, try tackling a small project. My pillowcase tutorial would be an excellent place to start, or you might want to try the camera strap cover tutorial. Both of these are fairly quick projects and I've found those are the best to start out with. There is something that is really satisfying about seeing your finished project the same day. It'll keep you motivated to keep going and to try new things. I love hearing about the different projects people are working on and if I can help, please shoot me a note. My ebook patterns are great for the beginner. Most of these are using techniques that even a beginner sewer can tackle.
Sew.......welcome to 2012 and stay tuned for alot more things from us and tutorials on the blog. As always, we love when you share our Etsy site and blog with others. Have something you'd love to see a tutorial on? Please drop me a line and happy crafting!