A New Chapter for My Blog...

Sorry I have been so neglectful of my blog for the past few months. To say that it has been an intense fall would be an understatement, and those of you who know me know what I mean. Anyways, I am back on top of it now and that's what matters, right?!!?


My blog will take a bit of a different turn - still recipes - but healthy recipes and my journey to get healthy. I have not taken care of myself for quite a while. Had a bit of a "screw it" attitude and it has more than caught up with me. I knew that I was going up in sizes, that eating candy and living a sedentary life was the cause...but I didn't really care. Enjoy life, and do what you want became my mantra. 


Looking at pictures of myself on Facebook and comparing this year's holiday party picture with year's past I felt overwhelmed with sickness and truly saw how out of control I had let myself become. With a push from my husband (thanks Mike) and a bit of a reality check I realize that I need to make a change. Last week I joined Weight Watchers and came face to face with the fact that I am 50lbs over my ideal weight. Yikes!  This is the biggest I have EVER been. 


I am not going to say that a healthier lifestyle is my New Year's Resolution - it's cliche and it doesn't work that way (at least not for me). That is part of the reason why I joined as soon as I really had the motivation to do it. Sure, I could have said "I commit to this as of Jan 1" and given myself an excuse to pig out until that date and tried to go cold turkey. 


Instead I formed a plan - to take control of my life and health and make myself a more important priority. 


So, here it is:
1. Join Weight Watchers and commit to a healthy diet and body weight.
2. Find a way to enjoy exercise, so that I get out, get active and feel fit and strong.
3. Be more positive - happy people have a positive attitude and outlook.
4. Be a leader and act like a leader in everything I do.


These four pledges to myself are HUGE, and I assure you that I recognize (and wrote down) the steps to achieve these. A big part of being successful is breaking down the tasks into manageable steps to truly know where to start and to achieve such lofty goals. I also recognize that I can't try to change all these things all at once, I need to tackle it one step at a time, forming habits and building towards a healthier life.


Here I go! Wish me luck! 




Starting Stats:
Weight: 187 (ouch!)
Exercise: Minimal if any.
Attitude: Excited to rebuild my healthy body. 

Apple and Butternut Squash Soup

One of my favourite places for lunch is Soup Nutsy (which I went to today), and I absolutely LOVE their Butternut Squash soup with apple...but, the last few times I have been there they haven't had it :( So, my craving got the best of me and I decided to make some tonight myself!

Prep and hands on cooking time: 20 minutes 
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves 4 with leftovers


Ingredients
1 butternut squash, large, skinned, scooped and cut into small chunks
2 green apples, partially skinned and finely chopped
1 spanish onion, medium, chopped
700 mL chicken stock
500 mL apple juice
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic, minced (I used jarred)
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup 5% cream
salt and pepper to taste


Directions
1. In a large pot over medium heat saute onion, garlic and squash until slightly tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Add apple juice, a small handful of chopped apple, chicken stock, brown sugar, curry powder, cinnamon, oregano and bay leaf and heat until boiled (about 5 mins).

3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, remove bay leaf and blend in blender (you will have to do it in batches)
5. Return blended soup to pot, add remainder of chopped apple to pot and simmer over low heat for an additional 30 minutes. Sample flavour and add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Add cream, stir and continue simmering for 20 more mins, until apples are softened.


7. Serve with sour cream and bread (I used naan bread)