Vegan Fajitas

My zucchini plant is finally producing and I just made some Vegan Fajitas with them! Yay! Nate is a meat lover and I am a meat dis-liker so dinner at our house is a constant compromise.

The solution = sometimes we eat meat, sometimes not so much, and sometimes Nate heats up precooked, frozen meatballs from Costco to go with a vegetarian dinner.

So these vegan fajitas were a fun change for me from the chicken ones I usually make... Nate still prefers the chicken ones better though he said he liked these. He ate two big ones so they couldn't be that bad.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 T olive oil
• 1-1/2 T red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon white sugar 

• 2 small zucchini, julienned
• 1 medium small yellow squash, julienned
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. In a large Ziploc bag combine olive oil, vinegar, spices and sugar. To the marinade add the zucchini, yellow squash, onion, green pepper and red pepper. Marinate vegetables in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but not more than 24 hours.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and saute until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Increase the heat to high for 5 minutes, to brown vegetables.

I like to serve my fajitas on freshly cooked tortillas (I buy them raw at Costco and freeze) with a little cheese (which makes them no longer Vegan). We like cheese, Luke (18 months) says about 20 words and one of them is cheese.

Modified from allrecipies.com
P.s. Sorry no pictures, I lost the cord to connect my camera to the computer. Maybe next time.

Thoughts on Weight and Health

I have been thinking about where I would like to take this blog and honestly I don't know where it will end up. I would like to share my thoughts and philosophy on weight loss and other related subjects.


1. There is too much emphasis on weight loss. Our society is very concerned with weight and appearance. With popular shows like Biggest Loser and Celebrity Fit Club that's not a big surprise. Everyone is so focused on weight that they don't have time to be concerned with their health. Get over what size Jessica Simpson is wearing and get comfortable with your own body. Everyone is different and everybody has different needs. It is true that America is trending towards an increase in obesity and a decrease in physical activity, but these trends are only significant as it relates to our health and an increased risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is time to focus less on what we weigh and what size we are because society tells us to, and focus more on what is really important, our health. Weight is just one piece of the health puzzle, time to look at the other pieces.


2. Not all weight loss is created equal. If you (or your health care professional) do decide that losing weight is right for you it is important to know that the way you lose weight is very important. Lets start with weight cycling. Each time you lose weight and regain weight it makes it that much harder for you to lose the weight again the next time. Not only are you more than likely discouraged and overwhelmed by the regain of weight, but also your body goes through physical changes that will make it harder to lose the weight the 2nd time and each time after that. For these reasons it is important to avoid weight cycling if you can. Okay on to fasting and very low calorie diets. Just don't do it, unless directed to by your health care professional, even then be informed. This is your body, you should be in control. Don't do it because it doesn't really work and it's not maintainable. When fasting or on a very low calorie diet you will lose weight, but it will mostly be lean muscle mass, not fat mass. So when on these diets you decrease muscle mass which decreases your metabolic rate so when you go back to being a normal person (because you can't eat nothing forever) you are left worse off than when you began and will often gain everything back if not more. Welcome to weight cycling. In addition to this in a recent study it was shown that losing weight with out exercise could be worse for your health than not losing the weight at all. There are healthy maintainable ways to lose fat. If you are concerned about your weight and/or health talk to your health care professional and stay educated, find out the best option for a healthy, happy you.


In the end this does not mean that if you have excess body fat that you should just embrace it and be happy. It means that you should stop worrying so much about if you look like J-Lo and start getting to know and excepting your self in a positive and healthy way.

Last 5 Years Highlights

Hi friends - for those of you that have been a little out of the loop or missed some big events in our lives here are the highlights in a friendly picture format...

 I graduate from high school

Nate comes home from his mission

 We meet, we date, we marry

 We travel the world together

Nate plays basket ball for Westminster and gets a degree in Business Marketing

 We have adorable baby Luke

I graduate from the U of U in Exercise and Sports Science

The End

I Passed!

 YAY, I passed my ACSM Health Fitness Specialist test! I am official now! Nate and I have been celebrating all week, it has been a lot of fun! Now I need to update my resume and look for a job. I will just be working part time to keep my skills relevant. So evenings or weekends when Nate can be with Luke is what we are going for. I love playing with little Luke too much to leave him anymore than I have to! He is so much fun and so grown up now! We play all day and I love it! Here are some new pics of us playing in our yard.

Fun Family Pics

 Luke loves to play with balls! He is going to be an athlete just like his daddy.

First ever PB&J! He loved it a little too much! 

After almost 4 years of marriage, graduations, baby, and a demanding job we still love each other and are so happy to be together!

Ok now I'll go study. Wish me luck!

I'm a blogger!

Hi friends! I am finally blogging! Now that I have graduated, I actually have time to do other things. I should be studying right now for a certification test that I am taking on the 18th but this sounded like too much fun! Okay, now that I am thinking about it I really do have to study. The 18th is only a few days away! I'll be back later, after the test. I am excited to join the ranks of all the bloggers of the world, I now see the allure!