Thursday, November 12, 2009

Yummy Yummy Chili

I am in constant pursuit for a healthy meal that satisfies my NEVER ENDING hunger. Last night, I came up with a pretty good recipe.

I think we will call it....

HOKIE CHILI

Why Hokie? Well...I used ground turkey rather than beef and the sauce is orange. So thereyougo.

::HOKIE CHILI::

Ingredients-

-1.3lbs ground turkey
-1 red bell pepper, chopped small
-1 green bell pepper, chopped small
-1 small onion, diced
-1 green squash, chopped small
-1 yellow squash, chopped small
-1 can of corn
-1 can of red kidney beans, drained
-1 can diced tomatoes, seasoned
-1 can tomatoes and chilis
-1 package of chili spices

First, brown the turkey in a large pot. Add in the peppers and onions. Let it simmer until onions are translucent. Add in all remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover pot and let simmer for 30 minutes.

This recipe wasn't quite spicy enough for me, so next time, I'll add more heat. Other than that, however, it was really very tasty!!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Holiday Sessions

Hey There! Just wanted to let y'all know that I'm offering Holiday Photo Sessions including custom designed cards. Check it out here.

Hope y'all are having a fantastic week!! :)

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween


Shon and I had a fantastic Halloween! For the past 3 years, we've gotten together with our neighbors, Brian and Jana, to pass out candy. This year, we decided to dress up as Waldo! We had a pretty good time even though only about 10-15 kids came by.

Tater dressed up too! As a nerd. :-P


After passing out candy, we watched Transformers 2. I highly recommend it!

We also got new carpet this weekend and I'll hopefully post about that later.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

My newest niece!

Check out my newest niece, Georgia. She's an 11 week old Vizsla puppy and she's super cute.


Though Tater wasn't as enamored with her at the beginning....she eventually changed her mind and even allowed a bit of cuddling!









Thursday, October 15, 2009

A few of my favorites

1. Fiber One Yogurt - With this new diet I'm on, I'm supposed to eat a diet full of fiber. I really like yogurt, so I figured I'd give these a shot. I bought both vanilla and peach flavors (though they have more than just those) and I've only had the vanilla so far. It is SO delicious! It tastes like you're eating liquefied vanilla cake frosting, so you know it has my seal of approval.

2. Almay Clear Complexion Concealer - I've been using another brand of concealer for MANY MANY years, and I just never felt that it covered as well as I needed it to. So I went out and bought this, and so far, I LOVE IT! It doesn't take very much to fully cover any blemish! The best part is, it has salicylic acid in it, so it helps to heal blemishes as well. The shade I bought was Light/Medium.3. Almay Clear Complexion Pressed Powder - Also bought this along with the concealer, and I really like this as well. It takes away shine, and is super light-weight, so those of us blessed with oily skin don't feel like we have a cake face. Again, the shade I bought was Light/Medium.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

My day was made.

Today, I found CDs and DVDs of all my photos and videos that were on my dead computer. I thought these files had been lost forever. SERIOUSLY my day was made. Included in these files are photos from college, photos of Shon and I in our early days of marriage, and photos of Tater as a puppy. Here's a little gem I found..

Tater at 9 weeks old showing off all of her tricks. :)


Tater at 9 weeks. from katherine klegin on Vimeo.

Monday, September 28, 2009

On a diet.

For life, apparently.(TMI alert!)

I mentioned in one of my earliest posts that I have PCOS. Well, last week, I had some pretty bad lower abdomen pain, so I went to the doctor. I was pretty sure I knew what it was, and the doctor confirmed it when I went in. He performed an ultrasound of my ovaries and said, "yep, you've had a cyst burst." He also said that my ovaries looked worse (meaning had more and larger cysts) than they did last time, so that was not very encouraging to hear.

(No, the following images are not of me. I found them online.)

Here is a ultrasound of a normal ovary.


And here's one of polycystic ovaries. Those little black dots are the cysts.


So, my doctor prescribed me some medication, Metformin. This medicine is used to control to the insulin of diabetic patients. Because PCOS is caused by insulin resistance, this medication is also effective for PCOS patients.

In addition, I'm also supposed to change my diet to a more diabetic or low gycemic index diet. And not just for a while....forever. I was reading articles and apparently 70% of women with PCOS eventually develop diabetes. I'm not trying to be one of those women, so I'm going to nip it in the bud now. I hadn't been taking the whole PCOS diagnosis thing very seriously, but now that it's worsened, I think it's time to get healthy.

Due to a vicious caffeine addiction a couple of months ago, I made it my goal to stop drinking Dr. Pepper. I've done really well with that, and am mostly drinking water, with the occasional sweet tea here and there. What?! I am southern! I am actually at the point now, that I don't even WANT a dr. pepper at all. I'm convinced they put crack cocaine in it because that was definitely a hard habit to kick.

So I've been researching what kinds of foods I can eat and diets that work. While researching that, I found a super interesting article that talks about the 33 healthiest foods. Check them out!


The Healthiest Foods on Earth





PineappleSpeeds post-surgery Promotes joint healthReduces asthma inflammation
BlueberriesRestore antioxidant levels Reverse age-related brain decline Prevent urinary tract infection
SpinachHelps maintain mental sharpness Reduces the risk of cancers of the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate Top nutrient density
Red Bell PepperReduces risk of lung, prostate, ovarian and cervical cancerProtects against sunburnPromotes heart health
BroccoliReduces diabetic damage Lowers risk of prostate, bladder, colon, pancreatic, gastric and breast cancer Protects the brain in event of injury
TomatoReduces inflammation Lowers risk of developing esophageal, stomach, colorectal, lung and pancreatic cancerReduces cardiovascular disease risk
AppleSupports immunityFights lung and prostate cancerLowers Alzheimer’s risk
ArtichokeHelps blood clotting Antioxidant Superfood Lowers “bad” cholesterol
ArugulaLowers birth defect riskReduces fracture risk Protects eye health
AsparagusNourishes good gut bacteriaProtects against birth defects Promotes heart health
AvocadoLimits liver damage Reduces oral cancer risk Lowers cholesterol levels
BlackberriesBuild bone density Suppress appetiteEnhance fat burning
Butternut SquashSupports night vision Combats wrinkles Promotes heart health
CantaloupeBolsters immunity Protects skin against sunburnReduces inflammation
CarrotAntioxidants defend DNA Fights cataracts Protects against some cancers
CauliflowerStimulates detoxification Suppresses breast cancer cell growthDefends against prostate cancer
CherriesAlleviate arthritic pain and gout Lower “bad” cholesterolReduce inflammation
CranberriesAlleviate prostate pain Fight lung, colon and leukemia cancer cells Prevent urinary tract infection
Green CabbagePromotes healthy blood clotting Reduces risk of prostate, colon, breast and ovarian cancers Activates the body’s natural detoxification systems
KaleCounters harmful estrogens that can feed cancer Protects eyes against sun damage and cataracts Increases bone density
KiwiCombats wrinkles Lowers blood clot risk and reduces blood lipids Counters constipation
MangoSupports immunity Lowers “bad” cholesterol Regulates homocysteine to protect arteries
MushroomsPromote natural detoxification Reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer Lower blood pressure
OrangeReduces levels of “bad” cholesterol Lowers risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, breast and stomach, and childhood leukemia Pectin suppresses appetite
PapayaEnzymes aid digestion Reduces risk of lung cancerEnhances fat burning
Plums & PrunesCounter constipation Antioxidants defend against DNA damage Protects against post-menopausal bone loss
PomegranateEnhances sunscreen protectionLowers “bad” cholesterol Fights prostate cancer
PumpkinProtects joints against polyarthritis Lowers lung and prostate cancer riskReduces inflammation
RaspberriesInhibit growth of oral, breast, colon and prostate cancers Antioxidant DNA defense Lower “bad” cholesterol levels
StrawberriesProtect against Alzheimer’s Reduce “bad” cholesterol Suppress growth of colon, prostate and oral cancer
Sweet PotatoReduces stroke risk Lowers cancer riskProtect against blindness
WatermelonSupports male fertility Reduces risk of several cancers: prostate, ovarian, cervical, oral and pharyngeal Protects skin against sunburn
BananaIncreases Fat BurningLowers risk of colorectal and kidney cancer, leukemiaReduces asthmas symptoms in children


Read more of the article here.