Monday, March 29, 2010

This, that and the other...

Every once in a while I think of something I want to share with all of you. I keep all my thoughts/links/websites in a folder on my laptop so when I'm ready to post, they're all there in one place. So...here's a little of what I've been wanting to share. :)

1. I've been wanting to say that my dentist ROCKS! For real...who can say that, lol?! I went for my regular cleaning back in February and when my hygienist called me back, we chatted like we normally do and she had taken notice that I had lost a lot of weight..considering I hadn't seen her in 6 months, I had lost 90-something lbs. She started asking me how I lost it while she started cleaning my teeth. (Don't you love it when they ask you questions when your mouth is being poked and scraped, lol?!) About 4 or 5 minutes into my cleaning she asked if I had ever considered getting my teeth whitened. I told her that I had but that that it was expensive and that it wasn't really a priority. She agreed and understand and went about my cleaning. A few minutes later, she excused herself and said she had to go check on something. She came back and told me that before she did any more cleaning she was taking impressions of my teeth that day and they were going to whiten my teeth FOR FREE!!! She said that losing 100lbs deserved a reward! I was sooooooo touched! Such kindness! I really couldn't believe it but in all fairness, my dentist has been my dentist since I was a little girl and he really is an AWESOME person. And now...I have white teeth!! Thanks Dr. Bentley and Dr. Stevens!

2. I'm still marinading my chicken breasts on Saturday night and grilling them on Sundays, but I was looking for some more oil-free marinades. I found a few online and wanted to share. I've only tried the Honey-Mustard one and it is really good. Looking forward to trying a couple of the other ones as well. Here are the recipes and the links will also be posted under my recipes on the right side.

Basic Honey Barbecue


* 3/4 cup tomato ketchup

* 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

* 2 Tbsp honey

* 1 Tbsp lemon juice

* 1/4 tsp hot sauce (or more, to taste)


Combine all ingredients (except hot sauce) with wire whisk. Taste before adding hot sauce, and add gradually to ensure spiciness fits your personal taste. Marinate chicken.

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Orange Ginger Marinade

* 1/4 cup unsweetened orange juice

* 2 Tbsp orange marmalade

* 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

* 1/2 tsp grated ginger

* 1/2 tsp grated orange zest

* ½ tsp fresh black pepper

* 1/4 tsp salt


Combine all ingredients. Marinate chicken.


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Honey Mustard Marinade
* ½ cup Dijon mustard

* ½ cup white wine vinegar

* 1/4 cup soy sauce

* 2 Tbsp honey

* 1 clove garlic


Mince garlic and combine all ingredients. Marinate chicken.


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Lemon Rosemary Marinade
* 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

* 1 Tbsp water

* 1 Tbsp honey

* 2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

* 1 Tbsp dried rosemary

* 1 tsp dried sage

* 1 tsp dried thyme

* 1 tsp onion powder


Combine all ingredients and marinate chicken.

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3. I came across
this site when I was Googling for something and I think it's very cool. You type in your zip code and select your price range and it'll search for restaurants in your area with healthy dining options. It even gives you all the nutritional information. Love that they do all the legwork for us. Neat, huh?

4. Anyone jump rope? I don't know what got into me but I just had an urge to go buy a jump rope...so I did, lol! I've done it a couple times since I bought it and it is a WORKOUT when u get going! *Whew!* I haven't jumped rope since I was young but my sister, cousin and a neighborhood girl or two and I used to fire up some mean double-dutch, lol! Fun times! Love that I can do it as an adult now.

5. I've also taken roller-blading (aka inline-skating) back up the last few weeks. Man, it is REALLY FUN! Roller-blading is another GREAT workout. I found this site that gives some great information. And just for fun, I have a little video of me roller-blading, lol! Can't see me 'cause I'm the one holding my cell phone, lol. :)



6. I've also continued walking and jogging a bit. This particular day I ran/walked in the cemetery. It was quiet and peaceful there. I really enjoyed it. In one of these videos, you can hear the chimes that sit on the hill of the cemetery. I like when they go off when I'm near the river. It's a change of pace from walking in the neighborhood.

First I jogged up the hill:



Then I did a fast walk along the river (can u hear the chimes?):



7. Came across this article (What's really in your fast food?) one day and found it interesting...not shocking at all, but interesting. ICK.

So there you have it. I have a couple of things sitting in that folder but they'll take a little more effort to write up, so I'll save it for another post.


Also wanted to say thanks for all your comments on my previous post!

And by the way...if you're the one who posted the comment (
All I can say is WOW!!!! I mean I knew you were losing a lot of weight BUT WOW Nicole!! I ALWAYS thought you to be a VERY funny, beautiful girl anyway but you have out done yourself here. You look like a model and I am EXTREMELY proud of you my dear. Keep plugging away and this is the very first time I have seen a pic so it REALLY blew me away. Very happy for you.") under anonymous on this post, would love to know who you are. :)

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Progress photos!!

Yes. You read it right! It's about time, huh?! ;) So...for making you wait so long, I've got a plethora of photos for you! (Isn't the word plethora fun to say, lol?!)

This photo is pretty self-explanatory...well, unless you're used to me with my hair curled (just felt like having a straight hair day, lol) among other things. My life has had some changes.



These are a bunch of head shots I gathered to see how my face changed. Not sure why I have no photos from early on in my journey. I must have been busy eating right and working out and not using my camera, lol.



On these, I had a little fun with my Picasa 3 program (you can get it here for free!). I threw a bunch of the photos into a couple of collages. It was such a pretty day. I think there were 90 photos taken and 1 outfit change. A real amateur Olan Mills operation we got workin' here. ;)





So, there ya go. Progress photos galore. I've got a lot of info to post but today is not the day. Stay tuned... :)