I have not posted anything since November. That is sad. Let me look at my calendar and see what happened
November
Still working hard at Golds. Having a personal trainer is fun, it’s motivational and it’s fracking hard!
Thanksgiving was great. We (Uncle Chris, Aj, Allie and Holly) went to Steve and Sarah’s house. Lots of good yummy food and all the kids were so funny. Dan went to Detroit to see his fam. My mom had everyone up at her house. Kind of wish I could be in three places at once. Guess not!
Uncle Chris visits. Chris made his annual pilgrimage to hunt bambi. He stayed with us for two weeks. You would think TWO weeks with Chris but no we hardly see him during his visit. Dad picks him up pre dawn and they are off. He won’t leave empty handed this year. I will be shipping him home a nice cooler full of tasty deer!
Dad gets sick. He presented with appendicitis and while doing the CAT scan to confirm the appendicitis they discovered he has an abdominal aortic aneurysm that is huge (normal is 3cm his is 10cm). During the appendectomy, they found two more aneurysms. We were told many times that he is very lucky to be alive and that his appendix saved his life.
These aneurysms are the 13th leading cause of death in the US. Mostly because there are no symptoms to them and when they burst, you are gone in minutes. He had a second surgery to repair the aneurysms. It all went well but was a difficult surgery. Dr DeAngles said that with the condition of the aneurysm Dad wouldn’t have made it past January. Fricking scary that he was been living like that and not knowing it. He was hunting and golfing the week before! We are very lucky! Like lottery winning lucky!
December
Golds = Ditto. Still 4 nights a week and one weekend day. But getting frustrated!
Dad’s still recovering. Doing much better. A couple of weeks and he should be back to his old self if not better!
Christmas was a blast. We went to PawPaw to celebrate it with the McNeils. What Fun! The kids had a blast. We even got to hit the mall up in Kalamazoo which they loved as they had Christmas money burning a hole in their pockets. I also got to experience my first PawPaw pub crawl. Dan’s friends from elementary, middle and high school all get together around Christmas time and go drinking! What fun.
January
New Year’s at the Consolatti’s. Playing games and having a great time. Man sometimes those fools make me laugh so hard!
Work is still strange. The dust is still settling after Fiskars outsourced the infrastructure and I became a Logica employee.
Kent’s a daddy! Kent and Gail welcomed Owen into our circle. It will be great to have some new babies around!
Gold’s My 12 week challenge is done and we are still waiting for the results. I guess I don’t care if I win because it was totally worth me competing but I won’t complain if we do. However, I have my own. In 2009 I lost 41 lbs. 15 inches from my waist. 12 from my hips, 8 from my thighs, 8 from my chest and I dropped my body fat by 12.5%. I am still going to Gold’s 3 times a week. I just started the Aqua Boot camp. Lots of fun, easy on the knees!
Facebook & High school the past couple of weeks have been interesting in facebook, as I have been connecting with High School friends. Some of the photos being posted are so funny! It’s just nice to see everyone again.
WOW. That’s was a lot to say.
#AdventuresofJoanandDan Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.
The company I work for, Fiskars has outsourced all of its IT infrastructure which means I no longer work for Fiskars. Fortunately, I now work for Logica.
It is a scary thing to come in to work working for one company and leave working for another. I am grateful that I have a job and excited about the opportunities that are coming up yet nervous all at the same time!
For now, I sit at the same desk doing the same job I just work for a new company!
It is a scary thing to come in to work working for one company and leave working for another. I am grateful that I have a job and excited about the opportunities that are coming up yet nervous all at the same time!
For now, I sit at the same desk doing the same job I just work for a new company!
"Gold's Gym Approved" Blogger Resources
The "Gold's Gym Approved" blogger program is to help the general public better navigate the web to find blogs that have the most credible, reliable and accurate health and fitness information.
The blogs below have been identified by Gold's Gym, as being one of the top health and fitness sites in the blogosphere. Each of these sites consistently score high marks for the following criteria:
"Your Guide to Health, Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, and Whining"
http://www.crankyfitness.com/
Starling-Fitness
"Daily writings on Fitness, Diet and Health"
http://www.starling-fitness.com/
Fitzness
"Live Better. Live Longer"
http://fitzness.com/
She Knows
"Find out. Have fun. Be you"
http://www.sheknows.com/channels/diet-and-fitness.htm
Fat Burning Tips 4 Women
"Transform Your Body!"
http://fatburningtips4women.com/
Fitarella
"Food*Fitness*Family"
http://fitarella.com/
Workout Mommy
"Never Underestimate the Power of a Workout!"
http://workoutmommy.com/
Fitness for Mommies
"Fit Mom's Blog"
Weighty Matters
The blogs below have been identified by Gold's Gym, as being one of the top health and fitness sites in the blogosphere. Each of these sites consistently score high marks for the following criteria:
- Encourages and energizes others to be fit and manage weight healthfully
- Promotes a lifestyle that's balanced with healthful nutrition and habitual fitness that promotes quality of life
- Promotes the benefits of creating health and not solely the prevention of disease
"Your Guide to Health, Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, and Whining"
http://www.crankyfitness.com/
"Daily writings on Fitness, Diet and Health"
http://www.starling-fitness.com/
"Live Better. Live Longer"
http://fitzness.com/
"Find out. Have fun. Be you"
http://www.sheknows.com/channels/diet-and-fitness.htm
Fat Burning Tips 4 Women
"Transform Your Body!"
"Food*Fitness*Family"
http://fitarella.com/
"Never Underestimate the Power of a Workout!"
http://workoutmommy.com/
"Fit Mom's Blog"
"Musings of an Obesity Medicine Doc and Certifiably Cynical Realist"
YEA!!!
Today I finally am back to being excited about Weigh-in day.
I am down 5 this week. SUPER right.
However, the big news is I am down 31.4 since starting WW in March.
For a grand total of 40.5 for the year 
The Gold's Gym 12-week Biggest loser program. Being at Gold's Gym 6 days a week. This week my calorie burn was just over 4700, last week was 4500. The classes are fantastic, the people are terrific, my trainer Mike is impressive, my team is magnificent! GO TEAM GOLD!
Can you tell I like it at Gold's!
I have been collecting recipes from my weight watchers program for several months. I finally put them all together and wanted to share them with everyone.
I cannot take credit for any of these. I found some on the Web, some directly from WW and some from friends.
Enjoy
Here is an example.......
Pork Chop Dinner with Apple-Cider Sauce
POINTS® Value: 7
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 17 min
Cooking Time: 25 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
A delicious one-pot meal perfect for a chilly fall or winter evening. Also terrific with sage instead of dill.
Ingredients
1 pound(s) uncooked red potato(es), baby-size
3/4 pound(s) savoy cabbage, cut into 3- to 4-inch-wide wedges
2 tsp canola oil
1 pound(s) lean boneless pork chop, four 4 oz chops
2 1/2 Tbsp dill, fresh, chopped, divided (plus extra for garnish)
3/4 tsp table salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, divided
1 medium apple(s), Gala suggested, cored and cut into 12 wedges
1 1/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/2 cup(s) apple cider
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup(s) scallion(s), sliced
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
Fill a large, deep skillet with a small amount of water; set a steamer basket on top and bring to a boil. Steam potatoes until almost tender, about 6 minutes. Add cabbage wedges and steam until potatoes and cabbage are both tender, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Drain and remove potatoes and cabbage to a serving platter; cover to keep warm.
Drain and carefully dry skillet. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with 1 tablespoon dill, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; gently press to adhere seasonings to pork.
Add pork to skillet and cook, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes; remove to serving platter.
Add apples to skillet; sauté 1 minute. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together broth, cider, flour and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add broth mixture to skillet and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in scallions; simmer until sauce is slightly thickened and apples are tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; whisk in mustard and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons dill.
Lift apples with a slotted spoon onto platter; spoon sauce over top and garnish with remaining chopped dill or dill sprigs. Yields about 1 pork chop, 3 potatoes, 1 cabbage wedge, 3 apple slices and 1/4 cup sauce per serving.
Notes
Savoy cabbage is a more tender and looser leaf cabbage than regular green cabbage. If you use green cabbage just increase the steaming time by a few minutes.
If you can’t find baby red potatoes, simply cut 1 pound of red potatoes into 12 chunks.
CookBook <--click
I cannot take credit for any of these. I found some on the Web, some directly from WW and some from friends.
Enjoy
Here is an example.......
Pork Chop Dinner with Apple-Cider Sauce
POINTS® Value: 7
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 17 min
Cooking Time: 25 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
A delicious one-pot meal perfect for a chilly fall or winter evening. Also terrific with sage instead of dill.
Ingredients
1 pound(s) uncooked red potato(es), baby-size
3/4 pound(s) savoy cabbage, cut into 3- to 4-inch-wide wedges
2 tsp canola oil
1 pound(s) lean boneless pork chop, four 4 oz chops
2 1/2 Tbsp dill, fresh, chopped, divided (plus extra for garnish)
3/4 tsp table salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, divided
1 medium apple(s), Gala suggested, cored and cut into 12 wedges
1 1/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/2 cup(s) apple cider
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup(s) scallion(s), sliced
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
Fill a large, deep skillet with a small amount of water; set a steamer basket on top and bring to a boil. Steam potatoes until almost tender, about 6 minutes. Add cabbage wedges and steam until potatoes and cabbage are both tender, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Drain and remove potatoes and cabbage to a serving platter; cover to keep warm.
Drain and carefully dry skillet. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with 1 tablespoon dill, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; gently press to adhere seasonings to pork.
Add pork to skillet and cook, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes; remove to serving platter.
Add apples to skillet; sauté 1 minute. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together broth, cider, flour and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add broth mixture to skillet and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in scallions; simmer until sauce is slightly thickened and apples are tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; whisk in mustard and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons dill.
Lift apples with a slotted spoon onto platter; spoon sauce over top and garnish with remaining chopped dill or dill sprigs. Yields about 1 pork chop, 3 potatoes, 1 cabbage wedge, 3 apple slices and 1/4 cup sauce per serving.
Notes
Savoy cabbage is a more tender and looser leaf cabbage than regular green cabbage. If you use green cabbage just increase the steaming time by a few minutes.
If you can’t find baby red potatoes, simply cut 1 pound of red potatoes into 12 chunks.
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