Veggie pizza!

The other day I made what quite possibly could be the best homemade pizza I've ever created in my own kitchen. This pizza was so good, in fact, and so easy that I would be doing the world an injustice if I didn't share it with you. 

Here is the easy version:

One can refrigerated thin-crust pizza dough (I use Pillsbury)
extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 jar of Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce (it's healthy AND philanthropic!)
1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1/2 12-oz. package of low-moisture, part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese 


(Obviously, as with any homemade pizza, measurements are subjective. This is just what I used.)


Spread out pizza dough on large jelly roll pan (I used a stone rectangular pan) and coat with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle garlic evenly. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce, then add veggies in even layers and sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper. Add another thin coat of sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. 


Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

You could make this even healthier by making a whole-wheat crust. 

Let me know if you try this recipe!

Last day!

Happy Easter from the Thompson family!

Easter is one of my favorite holidays, and not because of the multitudes of chocolate bunnies, peanut butter eggs and marshmallow chicks (nope, I haven't had one piece of chocolate today). I don't care much for a giant Easter bunny that visits small children in their sleep and leaves them baskets of presents like Santa Claus at Christmas. To each his own, but that's just not my style.

As a woman of faith, Easter for me is a story of redemption, of victory. Of conquering sickness and defying death. Of new beginnings. 

And that's the perfect backdrop for the finale of my 4-week weight-loss challenge. Exercise isn't just a physical event for me; it's very much a spiritual quest. It's a chance to practice denying myself, ignoring my comfort level, and stretching to reach new boundaries. That level of satisfaction I feel after I've left a workout drenched and barely able to move, knowing that I pushed myself past my preconceived limits is much like leaving the battlefield a conqueror. It's the way I most easily find out what I'm made of.

Today is the last day of my challenge, and I'm thrilled to report that I've lost five pounds and four inches from my waistline. I realize that I originally set out to lose eight pounds and five inches, but I'll happily accept the progress I've made in just four short weeks. And more importantly than the numbers, I also tried on my warm-weather clothes yesterday, and they all fit! My wardrobe has been resurrected!

To be honest, I'm a little surprised at myself. I'm not always great with follow-through—not because I'm lazy, but because I tend to overcommit and agree to something without thinking it through, and then in the middle of it I decide it wasn't the best decision. I can be impulsive. So I wasn't sure how I was going to finish this challenge, especially with so much other stuff on my plate. 


The story of the cross is one of follow-through as well. (I'm in no way comparing my weight-loss challenge to Christ's sacrifice, but it is so inspiring to me.) When things got unbearable, Christ bore it. He didn't quit. He didn't say, "You know, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. I didn't realize what I was getting into. Maybe we should just call this off." Quite the contrary. Easter is about the ultimate example of follow-through. And this Easter, I'm pleasantly surprised at myself that I followed through on my commitment, even in the midst of setbacks.


I wasn't able to work out yesterday or today because of a freak accident: Saturday, as I was cutting some shower invitations with an X-acto knife, I sliced off a piece of my finger. Yeah, I know! Very random...and painful! Anyway, no workouts that involve my right hand for a few days.

Of course, I'm going to keep at it. I've still got a ways to go, but this is a great beginning!

Happy Resurrection Day, everyone! 

DAY 24: SIZE MATTERS

I chose chocolate. 

Reese's Pieces, to be exact. And my only workout yesterday was toting my infant in his car seat around two grocery stores and carrying our groceries inside (which included stairs, so...). I could have done better, but sometimes, a girl just needs chocolate.

Before you get all judgmental on me, guess what! I found a beautiful Easter dress on sale today...in my original size! It's one thing to fit in jeans; but a dress has to fit all over (except my calves, which don't really count). This one fit perfectly. And I even fit comfortably into a size small summer cardigan. Not to mention the shirt I wore today was too tight on me a month ago. The plan is working!

There are few feelings more satisfying than to actually enjoy trying on clothes that fit and flatter my physique. And that was just the reward I needed to recharge my batteries. I am even more determined now to amp up my workouts and trim back the sweets. It's true what they say: no food tastes as good as skinny feels!

Today, I completed Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit, and it hurt so good! Tomorrow, I plan to go for a run (if the weather's nice) and do P90X Core Synergistics and some bag work. 

With just a few days left in my 4-week challenge, I'm ready to finish strong.

DAY 23: ONE LONE SOLDIER

I wasn't expecting to do battle this week, but I have found myself in the middle of a minefield. 

I'd been enjoying certain perks that come from pregnancy and breastfeeding, certain things that I enjoyed not having to worry about—one of which decided to pick this week to make its grand re-entrance into my schedule. 

Yep, it's that time of the month; I've had a splitting headache for two days, I was nauseous yesterday, and all I want is chocolate. And ice cream. Pretty much ANYTHING sweet. And my defenses have abandoned me like wayward soldiers on the battlefield. Why this week? My last week of the challenge?


I've tried to trick my brain by eating fruit. Didn't work. The heart wants what it wants, and it's telling my brain to take a hike and bring back chocolate.


I'm being dramatic, of course. As Monday was a rest day, yesterday my husband and I walked for 45 minutes. Hardly Insanity or P90X, but at least I got off my butt. Oddly enough, exercise is supposed to make this easier, and I really should set an example for everyone by working through my misery and blogging some inspirational advice about determination and willpower and what-not. But I just want chocolate.


It's that kind of day where, when I woke up early this morning by the buzzing of a text message, I just wanted to pull my 750-thread-count sateen sheet and vintage-washed duvet back over my head and stay there all day. (Seriously, my bed is COMFORTABLE.) 


But I'm up, my son's taking a nap, and somehow I managed to slip into my workout clothes. And though as I type this, I'm silently running through the components of my cupboard in my head trying to decide if I have the ingredients to bake some cookies, my tennis shoes are in front of me, begging me to play.


The verdict is still out...

DAY 21: RESURRECTING MY SKINNY JEANS

I won't deny that I held my breath just a little bit this morning as I stepped onto the scale, hoping that the number at my toes wouldn't break my heart. 

Especially since my husband and I had treated ourselves to ice cream this past week. And especially since I shamelessly woofed down a double bacon cheeseburger, tater tots and a grape creamslush from Sonic last night after my husband and I worked up an appetite during our 1.5-hour walk. I'm pretty sure that doesn't fit in anywhere to my healthy diet, but jeepers it was good! I all but licked the burger wrapper when I was done. 

So my diet plan was a bust this past week. But those numbers didn't fail me; I've lost another 1 1/2 pounds! That makes a total of 3 1/2 pounds in three weeks. This isn't as fast as I would have liked to lose the weight, but it's steady. And allowing myself a little cheat here and there, and implementing an exercise program that I can actually maintain, is worth the slower pace. 

I also experienced another gleeful moment this week: I was able to put on, and button up, my pre-pregnancy skinny jeans! They are still a little snug in the waist, so I probably wouldn't be comfortable wearing them in anyone else's plain sight just yet, but this is the same pair that only two months ago I cursed out loud because I couldn't even get them past my hips. The same pair that I've pined for for more than a year now. 

So, to catch up: 
Thursday: Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit, bag work, and upper-body weight training
Friday: rest day
Saturday: Insanity Core Cardio Balance DVD and some kick drills on the bag
Sunday: (as I already mentioned) 1.5-hour brisk walk

I've encountered a few more challenges through this process, the main one being my milk supply. I am still pumping breastmilk, and the past couple of days I've noticed a decrease in my supply. It might have something to do with my other challenge, which has been exhaustion. I can just tell my body's worn out. So, today I'm listening to my body and taking what I hope will be my only rest day this week. And to help get my energy level back up, I'm saying goodbye once again to my sweet treats.


 
 
 

 

DAY 16: I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT.

Have you seen the movie I Don't Know How She Does It, in which Sarah Jessica Parker juggles her booming career with her two children, loving husband, and all of the accessory carpools and big meetings that come with it? 

Well, I haven't yet, and I can already tell you that I DON'T know how she does it. I even left the workforce to be a stay-at-home wife and mom, and I still don't seem to have enough hours in the day to get everything done. 

Bills demanding to be promptly paid. Piles of socks and towels transforming into mountains on the laundry room floor. Crumbs on the kitchen counter that need to be cleaned. Trash cans so full that adding anything to them requires precise placement like playing Jenga. The one item that's forever left off the grocery list but that's so crucial to tonight's dinner that it requires another trip back to the store. 

Then there's of course the reason I'm staying home in the first place: that precious six-month-old bundle of energy with sparkling eyes and an electric, gummy smile who extends to me the most compelling invitations to play. Feeding him, changing him, bathing him, cuddling him, rocking him, laughing with him, reading to him, tiptoeing around my chores while he naps. I love every minute that I spend with him, and look at his pictures when he's not around.  

Six-month-old Liam enjoying his jumper.

It seems, though, that all too often I have to choose whether I'm going to work out or take care of the house. Getting back in shape has been at the top of my priority list, but the housework finally revolted against my neglect. So yesterday, I spent five hours balancing six months worth of the checkbook (call me old-fashioned, but I still balance the checkbook); sorting, washing, and folding five loads of laundry; and cleaning the kitchen. After taking care of Liam and cooking dinner, along with some other odds and ends, that left only enough time for a 30-minute walk. 

Of course, I could have done a Jillian Michaels workout DVD in that 30 minutes, but my walk through a close-by neighborhood with my BFF last night was pure therapy: ancient-oak-tree-lined streets with charming cottages, yards sprinkled with azalea bushes, and friendly passersby. It was restorative exercise, to say the least. 

Despite the stereotype of a housewife who spends her time watching daytime television in her jammies while her child plays solo, I actually find that I don't get much downtime during the day. I thought staying at home would afford me the luxury of chilling out, but this free spirit has found herself scheduling every minute of her day in order to complete her chore list. 

Experts agree, though, that taking time for yourself, and even putting yourself first (yikes!), actually helps you be a better person for others. It's only when we are at our best that we can offer our best, and being at our best requires that we make it a priority to invest in ourselves. Women have the hardest time with this, because we see this as selfish. And we cut other women up and down for their choices to do something nice for themselves. It's not selfish; it's necessary. 

Seriously, how many of us would bake a neighbor a casserole with only half the ingredients? Or give a gift that was dirty and worn? So why do we give of ourselves when we don't have our full selves to give? 

The housework will sometimes have to wait. Our children need to spend some quality time just with Dad. Leftovers are just as acceptable a meal. So are sandwiches.

These are lessons I'm learning through this process of getting back in shape. It's a sacrifice to make the time it requires to work out, eat right, and get enough rest to do it all again the next day. But I am worth it.  

Other thoughts: Now that I eat very little sugar, I have so much more energy! No longer do I experience a mid-day slump or crash mid-way through my workout. My blood sugar remains stable throughout the day, and I love the feeling! Also, Monday, my workout was Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit, P90X Ab Ripper X, and some upper-body bag work. Today, I'm planning to do P90X Core Synergistics and hopefully a Pure Barre workout. I haven't lost any more weight, making a total of two pounds in two weeks, but more and more of my pre-pregnancy clothes are starting to fit. And that's good enough for me.

DAY 13: GETTING BACK IN THE GAME

My leg pain hasn't really improved much, so I benched myself yesterday, too. I'm not too worried about it, though, because I've lost another half-pound. That makes two pounds total weight loss in less than two weeks! Even while breastfeeding, I'm not too far behind my weight-loss goal, and more importantly, my wardrobe is slowly but surely being restored to its former glory.

I decided to retire my trusty Asics cross-trainers. They were pretty worn out and—I'm pretty sure—the culprit to my leg pain. (Not to mention the outside of my left foot and my left knee have also been giving me trouble.) 

My new Asics GEL-Ipera...Aren't they fabulous??

Pretty much any injury I've sustained by exercising throughout the years I can pin on my shoes. As much as I love cute shoes (what woman doesn't?), this is one area where it's important to choose function over form. Wearing the wrong type of shoes for your individual type of feet or for the exercise you're doing, or just wearing ones that are well past their prime, can cause major damage to your body and sabotage your workout goals.

In high school, I developed relentless shin splints and almost had to quit the cross country team. Later, I found out the problem was that I had been wearing trail shoes and not cushioned running shoes. In college, my plans to run a half-marathon were halted when I wore my non-exercise New Balance Classics to run my nine-mile day. (I don't care what they claim to be; those shoes are NOT for running!) My knee pain was so severe I couldn't run for months afterward.     
 
If you are serious about starting a workout plan, you must be serious about getting the right equipment, and that includes taking care of your feet. First, decide what type of exercise you will be doing. It's not just a marketing scheme; you really do need different shoes for running than you would for walking. I have three different pairs of exercise shoes: one with more flexibility for running, one with lots of cushion for walking, and one with more stability for cross-training. 

Next, go to a specialty running shoe store like Fleet Feet Sports, where they will measure your foot's arch and record it walking and running to check for pronation to find the perfect shoe for you. And don't assume that you know what size athletic shoe you need, either; mine are a whole size smaller than the rest of my shoes. If your shoes are too small, you can cut off nerve supply. If they are too big, they won't bend where they need to and can injure your foot.
 
Today, I'm planning to do a lower-impact Jillian Michaels workout and some weight training. That will help me make up for the doughnut binge my husband and I had this morning! I know, doughnuts are quite possibly the worst food I could consume, and they certainly don't make my list of sugar-free treats, but this is the last day of my husband's vacation, so we are living it up with doughnuts and movies. 


And tomorrow, I'll be right back at it.