Married with Kitties

The Forks Over Knives Challenge: Week 1

2011-10-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Brian and I have decided to embrace the message in the documentary Forks Over Knives. The movie documents how people are able to prevent and cure obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and even cancer through a plant-based, whole foods diet. We highly recommend the movie to everyone and it's currently available on Netflix instant view.

After the movie, Brian said to me, "I am tired of being overweight." So we made a commitment to adopt this diet/life change of eating plants and whole(unprocessed) foods. Our game plan is to be super strict about eating no animal based foods until Thanksgiving. This will act as a sort of detox period and get us use to not eating dairy and, for Brian, meat. ( I gave up meat almost 3 years ago when I truly discovered in my heart how evil the meat industry is.) After Thanksgiving we will have to evaluate how we feel and whether we think very small/moderate amounts of dairy/meat will just be too slippery a slope still.

Our ultimate goal is to learn how to eat healthy, with a diet mostly of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and legumes. Ideally, we will never eat dairy and meat again on a daily or even weekly basis. We know we are omnivores but just because we can eat everything doesn't mean we always should.

Through this blog I am going to document our weight loss, energy levels, and general feelings of health. I will also include our weekly dinner menus to introduce people to all the wonderful food that doesn't involve animal products! (But in full disclosure I'll also let you know if something was definitely NOT wonderful!)

My motivations for making this life change are two-fold. I am a believer that this diet heals. To me it makes sense that the food we eat has a direct impact on our health. And witnessing the people who were at cancer's death door and are alive 20 years later just because they changed their diet is inspiring! But I also care about animal rights and know that the dairy industry is just as cruel as the meat industry. Brian's main motivation is his health. Like I said earlier, he is tired of being overweight. He knows that if he doesn't loose this weight now he probably never will. Both of us hope to have a family someday and neither of us wants to be overweight parents who have no energy to play with our children. If something as simple as eating well can give us more energy and a healthier future than we are game!

So wish us luck and keep checking in for weekly updates!

Brian: 6'0, 260 pounds
Me: 5'4, 135 pounds

Dinner Menu, Oct 2-6, 2011

Sunday- Whole wheat linguine with a red-lentil lemon sauce, topped with spinach and artichoke hearts.

Monday- Heirloom beans, wild rice, lima beans, and homemade vegan biscuits

Tuesday- Black bean and cilantro-lime rice tacos

Wednesday- Veggie stuffed acorn squash (Brian had a baked potato and veggies) and great northern beans

Thursday- Lentil soup and homemade whole wheat french bread

Christmas 2010

2010-12-07T20:10:00.001-08:00

Christmas Letter Christmas Card

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Brian's Graduation

2010-11-14T14:56:00.001-08:00

2010 Honors Graduation 5x7 folded card

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Birthday Weekend in Phoenix

2009-07-24T20:16:00.001-07:00

Brian and I had a really great weekend in Phoenix! The weekend started out with Wicked on Saturday followed by The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant. Wicked was amazing! Brian and I were in the 6th row and could see everyone's faces!! The music was great and the set was just as good! For months, I dieted to fit into my birthday dress and then ate myself right out of it at the Melting Pot! We started with cheese fondue, then salad, then our entree, and then the chocolate!! If anyone is looking for a nice dinner I highly recommend it!
I was trying to show off the beautiful corsage my honey got me for my Birthday but it was too hot and bright for a smile! Thanks again Nicole for coming over to do my makeup and hair!
Brian and I at the theatre waiting for Wicked to start! We wanted to take more pictures but we were told our camera would be taken away if we didn't put it away immediately!
At dinner enjoying my Chocolate Fontini!
The cheese fondue...hard to see but trust me..it was DELICIOUS!
Brian getting some cheese!

Getting some chocolate!

Halfway through our desert tray!
I was serious when I said I ate myself out of my birthday dress!
My pretty corsage!

After our big day and night, the rest of the weekend was shopping and eating! We hit up PF Changs, Red Robin ( I had a free birthday burger!), California Pizza Kitchen, and BJ's. We went to Nicole and Jake's new house and it is awesome!! Looking forward to being their first house guests! I wanted to take pictures...but forgot!

My actual birthday was on Monday and it started quite exciting...WITH A COCKROACH FALLING ON ME IN THE SHOWER! I ended up having a minor panic attack and I am now absolutely terrified to take a shower in a hotel! The day got better though when we bought some new bedding!

The Past Fortnight

2009-07-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

So what have Brian and I been doing these past two weeks?? Well here it all is in one post!! The biggest event of the past two weeks is that we moved to a new apartment..which is also the reason my blog has been MIA. When we moved it took us over a week to have the cable man come out to set up the cable and Internet...then we found out it could all be done by phone and we never even needed a home visit and could of had cable/internet a whole week earlier!!

First things first though...I got my teeth pulled yesterday! :( It was just the top two wisdom teeth so I wasn't put under or anything. The reason they had to go in the first place was because they were growing in at an angle and the teeth were pinching my cheeks causing really horrible sores! I got to have the "laughing gas" and it was awesome! It truly really made me want to laugh! At one point I think I had too much of the gas because I was getting really confused. I thought the Dr. had already pulled out my teeth but all he actually done was give me the shot to numb everything! The whole event was over in 15 minutes and Brian was pretty surprised! The effects of the gas got me all the way home and then the pain started kicking in and it wasn't fun anymore! Anyways, I totally understand why people become addicted to drugs now!
My teeth!!!

Now for the move...it was long!! We had Brian's parent's helping and our friends Ryan and Ashley. We would never have been able to move without their help! Brian and I started at 8am, Theresa got there around 10, followed by Mike and then Ryan and Ashley! We moved until about 4pm that day. Brian and I ended up having three trips to make on Sunday (the big day was Saturday) and then another 3 or 4 trips on Monday!! On Sunday, Brian and I were going to go back to our old apartment to clean but I was so sore and exhausted that I ended up taking a 4hr nap! So I took a vacation day on Monday and Brian and I cleaned for 6hrs on Monday at our old apartment! Here are some pictures of our new apartment with all the boxes everywhere!
I think this might be the first picture of me on my blog...and of course it has to be after a whole day of moving!!
And of course here is Mr. Mowglie causing trouble!! Moving the cats went surprisingly good. Mr. Mowlie even made the trip without pooping or throwing up (he doesn't like to travel)!! Last year when we moved, Duma and Mowglie were terrified but this time they accepted the new place immediately. The only adventure was moving Miss Chloe! Brian and I were going to take all three cats over at once but when we went to get them Miss Chloe was hiding behind the washer and wouldn't come out. So we took Mowglie and Duma and came back for Miss Chloe about 30 mins later. Well Miss Chloe was very scared because of all the activity going on that day. We got her in her carrier and I started the trip to the car. Right as I was reaching for the car handle the top of Miss Chloe's carrier popped open and she fell to the ground!! She took off running across the parking lot with Brian right after her! Once we caught her she was so terrified that I just had to hold her...no chance at all of getting her back in the carrier! We finally got her over to the new apartment and she was instantly fine as well!
This Mowglie's new favorite spot!

Miss Chloe lounging on the patio! The cats love our new patio. Our apartment is really nicely situated by the trees so there is a lot of animal activity going on for our cats to enjoy! We also have a lot more flying bugs that keep all the cats busy every night!
The baby Duma napping on her perch! The cat tree is now by a window so they love that as well!
This picture is on the 4th of July after fireworks! Brian and I grabbed Dairy Queen on the way home and Mr. Mowglie got the last of mine! We went out to Mormon Lake to see fireworks with Ryan, Ashley and another friend Alli. The show was pretty good but we ended up being kinda far away so we couldn't hear the booming. Afterwards we came home and watched Independence Day!
The day after the 4th of July we went to the Renaissance Faire in Flagstaff. It was pretty lame but this guy was cool!

If you look very carefully you can see Mowglie on top of the wall! He first started sleeping on the other side of the kitchen and he would get up there by using the refrigerator to make the jump. On this side he simply just makes a HUGE jump!!

He got stuck up there on his first time and Brian had to get him down. Since then, he has mastered the jump down!

So in short...Brian and I love our new apartment! We have lots more space and we each get our own walk in closet! With all of our windows and doors (we have one in the kitchen that leads to the patio) we have a great breeze and we're surrounded by trees on two sides! I will be posting pictures of our apartment soon but we still have boxes everywhere! We are almost done getting everything in place...hopefully at the end of this weekend!

My mouth is still hurting but it is getting better. I ate my first "real" food item tonight...a Taco Bell bean burrito. It only took me 20 minutes to get it down!! It was nice after a day and a half of apple sauce, cottage cheese, soup and slimfast shakes!

OMG!! IT'S A BOX!

2009-06-22T21:22:00.001-07:00

Brian's Battle Wounds

2009-06-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Brian had his first fighters practice with the SCA. I forgot to take my camera but I will next time so everyone can see pictures! He was all dressed up in full armor, helmet, shield, and sword. Brian fought for about two hours and was really tired, sore, and a little black and blue afterward!

Weekend Walks

2009-06-15T20:40:00.001-07:00

Back in April, Flagstaff enacted a pet quarantine because of an outbreak in rabies. Well after these past few months of being stuck in our tiny apartment, Mowgli has gone crazy! He is more wild than normal! So to ease his frustration and to let Duma and Miss Chloe have some fun, Brian and I have been taking the cats on weekend walks! It's really cool because all three cats will following us around! Even Miss Chloe who was always Miss Independent! Brian and I will walk to certain grassy areas around our building, take a seat and all the cats just roam the same area as us! All three have been loving the outside time! Last night I caught Miss Chloe sitting by the door like it was time to go outside! And as you'll see from the pictures below Mowglie has been relieving all his excess energy!!

Cuddling does the body good!

2009-06-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

SCA

2009-06-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Today Brian, Chase (he is in town for a visit), and I went out to see the SCA War. SCA is a role playing group(they call it a membership club). The event was called the Highland Wars and has been going on since Wednesday. Everyone camps out and some people have really cool old style pavilions. It was actually very cool, in a very nerdy way! Chase and Brian both want to join! The site wasn't open for visitors but we did end up getting a free tour and got to see some of the fighting and visit the merchants. Everyone was really nice and it was lots of fun! I want to join just to wear the fun costumes! But this is not a cheap hobby. Some people send thousands of dollars on clothes, weapons, and traveling to different events. I was told the old style pavilions start at $2,000.00!

Photos courtesy of Chase's iPhone!

Lazy mornings....

2009-06-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

Introducing Miss Chloe! Every morning she basks in the morning sun for a good hour!

And of course the Baby Duma also spends her mornings sleeping in! That is our dresser she is burrowed under!

Summer School

2009-06-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Brian started summer school yesterday and Mr. Mowgli just can't stand to be left behind....

Super yummy homemade pancakes!

2009-05-31T18:10:00.000-07:00

So this is something my favorite sister-in-law does on her blog! She posts a recipe and then provides pictures of each step! I decided to follow her example and post this really yummy recipe for pancakes that my Mommy gave me! Its so easy to make these pancakes and once you do you'll never go back to the box mixes again! Brian even says there better than restaurant pancakes!

Ingredients:

1. 1 egg
2. 1 cup buttermilk
3. 1 cup flour
4. 1 tablespoon sugar
5. 1 teaspoon baking powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
8. 2 tablespoons melted butter

Step 1: Mix all the dry ingredients into one bowl.

Step 2: Mix the buttermilk and egg together in a separate bowl.

Step 3: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl that has the wet ingredients.

Step 4: Melt the butter in a separate bowl and then pour into batter. Stir until butter is mixed in. It is okay to have lumps in the batter. You don't want to over stir the batter.

Get your grill out and get it nice and hot!
Then rub some butter on the grill once it is hot and wipe it off with a paper towel. I just take the stick and rub it over the grill but my Mom has this cool brush that she uses to wipe already melted butter on the grill.
Poor the batter onto the grill. About 1/4 cup makes a nice size pancake.
The pancakes are ready to flip once the bubbles are bursting on top and the bottoms are a nice golden brown! ONLY FLIP ONCE!
Serve with eggs and your favorite breakfast foods...
...and serve to your hungry family and friends!

This recipe will make one batch of pancakes which Brian and I can finish at one meal. If your feeding more than 3 people you might want to make 2 or 3 batches of pancakes. Its really easy...just double or triple all the ingredients! Hope you enjoy these pancakes as much as Brian and I do!

Wine club breakup, falafel, and Terminator

2009-05-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

Brian and I started the evening with our final night at wine club. In December, we joined a wine club and got two bottles of wine a month and free wine tastings every Thursday and Saturday. We finally decided that we needed a break from the wine club though and had to break up with the hosts last night! It was really stressful because there such nice people that it really felt like breaking up with someone!! Luckily for us, the couple that went to wine club with us was also going to break up with wine club and they beat us to the punch..but also let the hosts know we were leaving wine club too! Since they broke the news all Brian and I had to say was "We'll miss you guys and maybe we'll be back this fall!"

After wine club, Brian and I went to dinner with our couple friends, Ryan and Ashley, at Pita Jungle! This is a new restaurant in town and it is pretty much AWESOME! Brian and I even had dinner there on Friday night too! Last night I tried falafel and loved it! It is fried chickpeas in a pita with greens and yummy sauce! This restaurant is just fabulous. Good prices and great food! Everything we have had is awesome. On Friday I got the pesto pizza, and the pizza crust is a baked pita! And they have this jalapeno-cilantro humas that is to die for! They have a restaurant here in Flagstaff and then about 5 or 6 in the Phoenix area. I highly recommend this place to anyone in these areas!

After dinner we went to see Terminator Salvation. It was pretty good! Not as good as Star Trek, but definitely worth seeing. Lots of action and the story was cool because its basically all about John Conner having to save his father, who is still a young kid, so that he can later go to the future and make John Conner!!

Married with Kitties!

2009-05-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Hello to all! I decided that everyone I know has a blog so I should too! Call it peer pressure! I am married to my best friend and we have two wonderful kitties..Duma (aka the Baby) and Mowglie (aka Mr. Mowgli, Mogsters). Right now we currently have my parent's cat staying with us...her name is Miss Chloe. Duma and Mowgli! They love each other...most of the time!

Duma's snow adventure this winter.
He is our crazy kitty! He sat in there all morning and wouldn't let me get my pants out!
But he loves to cuddle!

No pictures of Miss Chloe at this time but they will be coming soon! Miss Chloe and Mr. Mowglie have not been getting along. Just last night they had a minor cat fight and Brian had to lock Mowglie on the balacony! It was very sad!