Mama's baking!....what what?!

So tonight around 10:00 pm I decided that I was feeling DTB...."down to bake."  And that's exactly what I did, if you call throwing a few super simple ingredients together to create pure awesomeness! I won't pretend that I even like to bake, it's way too precise and I don't even have a sweet tooth. But, I am a huge fan for anything with cinnamon, spice, cloves, nutmeg, etc, and this recipe has a big bunch of pumpkin puree in it. No, believe me, it's pure awesome.  Allow me to share this little bit of yumminess with y'all...

"Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins"

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until smooth. Spoon equal amounts of batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

And that's all she wrote! Yup, it couldn't be easier. Try these, they don't disappoint!

you can find this recipe here...

Halloween hangover...

Halloween was fun fun fun this year! I swear I'll never outgrow it. Never. Here's some pics from last weekend. We went out Saturday nite for a drink or 6 and then on Monday night I took my little monsters out trick or treating. My sugar binge is finally over. I think my skinny jeans are crying right now.

{Avast ye matey! This pirate likes a party...argggg.}

{my God-daughter is the cutest cupcake, AND bunny around}

{super fun Halloween party at "Craft", love the John Cusack's character from Say Anything holding up the stereo over his head-with fake arms of course.  The Madhatter made her own costume including the hat, she won best costume of the night!}

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Onto the kiddos, I took them trick or treating in my parents neighborhood first...let's just say they made off with toys, full-size candy bars and left feeling like Halloween kings! (There's almost no kids in my parents neighborhood so our kids were treated extra special!)

Then of course we headed back home to raid our own neighborhood and then dove into the sugar stash they collected...

{Halloween extravaganza in my parents neighborhood...}

Hope you all had a fabulous Halloween, I'm looking forward to next year already!

Thanksgiving indeed!

This weekend was Thanskgiving (here in Canada) and we took time to give thanks for all the good stuff by eating, relaxing, eating, spending time with family and eating some more. Three guesses as to who has a diet and cleanse in her immediate future...

But it's all good because a weekend filled with turkey, wine and good times is always worth it.

{Fall decor...wherever possible!} 

{Brother and dad -dinner at the parents}

{younger brother was a "turkey assassin" with all the wrong moves}

{older brother's best "Blue Steel" for the camera}

{Mom trying to get us to "eat more!"...as always}

{relaxing post dinner with the football game and more drinks}

Happy Thanksgiving long weekend to all my fellow Canadians...we have so much to be greatful for!

It's the final countdown...

Yup, it IS the final countdown and no I'm not talking about the "Rapture" end of world type thing.

It's the final countdown for massive weight loss before our annual summer vacation to the sunny beaches of Greece. Cue 80's rock band "Europe" and their 'epic' rock anthem of the same name, "The Final Countdown."...

Ok so is the tune playing in your head now? Let that set the scene for you.

 Mama is waging all out war with these 10 lbs I've gained over our long never ending winter. 

Health and fitness will prevail as the beach takes no prisoners. 

We've got too many important events coming up that require mama to not appear as a stuffed frankfurter in a cocktail dress. All the Spanx in the world can't help that much...

The only option when executing tactical warfare is to bring out the big guns.  No carbs.

more non-subliminal imagery by Mama

Don't worry, I'm not going all Atkins on you and eliminating anything with even a trace of sugar. I'm still eating plenty of vegetables and fruits, including lots of fresh berry's.

But I will say that I've eaten more eggs, nuts, bacon, turkey burgers, lettuce, and full fat salad dressing in the last week than in the last 3 years combined. 

The fact is that I actually lose weight when I cut out my beloved carbs. AND IT'S SO HARD. Pasta, wine and bread actually bring me joy. I'm no heavy meat eater so giving up carbs seems unnatural.

But based on the blood type diet by Peter D'Adamo, Eat Right 4 Your Type, according to my blood type which is O, I should basically become a carnivore. 

Blood type O is believed to be the earliest human blood group. Directly descended from the cavemen. 

mama's ancestor, Great Uncle Eats-no-carbs

Here the "prescribed" diet is low-carb, high in meat and fish, low in dairy. And type O's should work out like a Mofo. 

So no carbs and lot's of exercise eh? This is sounding pretty basic to me. I think just about anybody would lose weight this way. Thankfully I've spent no money on this book/diet plan. 

So far things seems to be working pretty well, I'm down a few pounds and not feeling hungry at all.

BUT

My birthday is tomorrow, my son's birthday party is on Saturday, and we have a Baptism and party to attend on Sunday, then another birthday celebration on Sunday nite. 

It's going to be a cake/wine/desserts carb-fest.

But this is war, and the beach doesn't care how good that cupcake tastes. Am I right?

This post is what my blogs name is all about.

images via google

Massive Weight Loss 2011...

Finally. Finally the sun is shining and we're having spring-like weather. I can hardly stand it!  This week I've already been out walking with the kids, playing soccer with them and hitting up the park (more outdoor activity than the last 3 months combined.)  How was I supposed to play soccer when my backyard was covered in snow until recently?

I'm turning over a new leaf. Fitness Mama is on the scene. More regular gym visits, fresh veggies, bbq'd fish and chicken, working out outside (walking and possibly even, gasp, running.) 

12 lbs to lose in 2 months. That's the goal kids. 

I've got 2 baptisms, 2 weddings and 2 showers to attend in the very near future and it's time to shed my winter fatness. 

It. is. ON.

What's my motivation? Actually I"ll take it anywhere I can get it. It seems like everyone in Hollywood is shrinking their asses and getting skinny. First there was the wave of pregnancies and now there's the weight loss epidemic. What's in the water down there?

 Mama's next y'all.

Jennifer Hudson at the Mary J.Blige Honors Awards. Girl is just getting better and better. I believe I've found my fitness role model...

"American Idol" season 6 winner Jordin Sparks is skinny now too! She's obviously feeling pretty great about herself since she tweeted this pic.  Bold move Jordin.

Hollywood funny-man Seth Rogan slimmed down for his role in the "Green Hornet"

Chubster/joker Jonah Hill has lost 30 lbs and is still losing for his roll in "21 Jump Street"

Sara Rue recently lost weight on the popular diet plan Jenny Craig. How cute is she?

Former Cosby kid and That's So Raven star, 25 year old Raven Symone has also jumped on the diet bandwagon and is looking ay-mazing.

Even the perpetual yo-yo dieter, Kirstie Alley is looking pretty darn good after losing 60 lbs, partly through her time spent on Dancing with the Stars. She admits she has another 30 to go but she's getting there.

Lord knows if 60 year old Kirstie Alley can do it then so can Mama. I'm not looking to drop 6 sizes here, just the unwelcome pounds I've gained through this ungodly long winter. 

I'm always a little shocked at how hard losing the last "10 pounds" really is. Like ridiculously challenging?

I've lost mountains of weight after my babies but I'm always stalled/stumped at around 10-15 lbs before my "goal" weight. Why why whyyy?

Enough complaints. It's go time.

images via Just Jared, Splash News, Google Images

Winter blah blah's....part deux

Spring has most definitely not `sprung` where we live.  In fact these pics from last week pretty much tell the tale. The stores are filled with gorgeous spring clothes, shoes and bathing suits etc. and honestly I can't even wrap my mind around wearing them anytime soon. It all that seems a million miles away right now. As awesome as a foot of snow in April is, I'm really over it.  

The kids thought the massive snow fall was fantastic. I disagreed. 

Since bikini season is still so far away (at least I keep telling myself that) I`m still all about carb loading cooking hearty, satisfying dinners.  BBQ`s, fresh salads and watermelon are sadly not on the menu. (Possibly because our BBQ is buried under the snow.)

Beef Stroganoff with cream cheese, sour cream and white wine.  I might be fearing the beach because of this stuff...

On a brighter note, the kind weather-woman on the local evening news says that ``spring-like`` conditions and seasonally (warmer) temperatures are on their way this week. Bring it on bitch, mama needs to see the light of day...

Hopefully the sun is shining, tulips are popping and flippy-floppy`s are being worn where you live...

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Update on my Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

 Cue: shock and amazement. These nail strips actually held up. Except for some minor peeling at the cuticle, the last pic was taken after 8 days of wear! I`m thinking they`re worth the 10 dollars after all...

Before

After 
8 Days...not too shabby Ms. Sally Hansen!

Though I`m getting really tired of Houndstooth...

V-day miracle. For real.

We've all heard of Christmas miracles but on Monday a Valentine's Day miracle happened. 

Husband brought home flowers. 

I just about fell out of my chair when he walked in with these.  Yes they're boring super-market roses (probably $19.99 from Safeway) complete with tacky Baby's Breath but who cares. He actually bought flowers.  Swoon and sigh, he loves me.  

Ooooohkay, of course it does take more then flowers to demonstrate his love but the fact he took the time to buy these proves that he's not completely clueless on Valentines day.  I may have to retract my last post.

{ Photo evidence is always required when documenting a miracle}

We went out for a romantic Valentines Day dinner to a local restaurant called LeVilla.  We inhaled enjoyed several deliciously decadent courses including Saffron Seafood Chowder, Duck Breast and Arugula salad, Oysters Rockefeller, Enoki Mushroom Risotto, Lobster with Black Truffle Hollandaise, Filet Mignon and then dessert (since we apparently weren't completely full yet.)

 And of course we enjoyed several bottles glasses of an amazing Sauvignon Blanc. 

 It was all obscenely calorific.  Yum.

Ingeniously after a few glasses of vino I completely forgot to pull out my camera to snap some pics of our meal.  However I did take a pic of the heart shaped pizza I ordered for the kids from Boston Pizza. They thought it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen and it totally made up for the fact that they weren't allowed to join us for our adult-only dinner.

 {Who orders over priced heart shaped pizza on Valentines Day? Mama Does.}

I hope all you lovelies enjoyed your Valentines Day with the ones you love the most and that you were gifted with something pretty...like a super-market bouquet of flowers.

Eat nothing...

Christmas is winding down around here and things are finally getting back to normal after an über busy December. Normally I'd be kinda lamenting the fact that Christmas is over but I'm still looking forward to a few more family get togethers after New Years.  Yes more food and wine.

Question: how is one supposed to lose 10 lbs by January 6th when the fattening food won't go away?

  (Why the seasonally inappropriate quest for rapid weight loss you ask, we haven't even hit New Years yet?)
 Its because Mama and Husband are off to Vegas the first week of January and while we're there my plan is to find some serious dealz shopping for clothes, clothes and more clothes. 

 However I've apparently (over the last month) managed to eat a third of my total body weight in Ferrero Rocher, cheese and red wine. 

Obviously one solution is to maintain the December status quo and just continue eating, but then walk the Vegas Strip and shop till my legs fall off, thus burning off the extra el-bees that have recently decided to call my muffin top "home." 

Or I could pull a Bethenny Frankel and "Taste everything, Eat Nothing."

{What does that mean? Like literally eat nothing at all?  Well she did shed all her baby weight in 3 weeks...}

Let's keep it real here. I shall continue to eat, and I'll in all likelihood not drop 10 pounds by January 6th. However the elliptical trainer and me are gonna be on a first name basis. Hopefully?

What is your plan for the post holiday slim-down?

Just like Olivia Newton John, let's get Physical....ok?

I haven't spent much time talking about the ongoing "Massive Weight Loss 2010."  As always, "massive" is a huge misnomer but I'd like to think that big titles will equal big results?!  I got my starve on before we left for Greece this summer but after that I've kinda been in a holding pattern as far as working out and eating really "clean" are concerned. Well no more friends. It's time to get crack-a-lackin' (again) and get my derriere back to the gym (consistently, no, once a week isn't good enough.)
 Turkey fest Thanksgiving, and candy binge Halloween are behind us and there's honestly not a lot going on in November so what better time then now to work on my fitness? My pre-New Years resolution is to do my darnedest to not gain a mountain of el-bees over the Christmas season.  And if anything, by creating a buffer of sorts now (fitness and weight-wise) then I can deal with the inevitable indulgences (read: chocolate, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, egg-nog) that are coming my way next month while still fitting into any dresses I may want to wear to Christmas parties. (Currently my calendar is open and I'm accepting party invites, feel free to send them my way...)

Lets talk strategy...

{80's aerobics? No, no leotards necessary. I'm talking about working out at the gym 3+ times a week}

+

{Salads salads and more salads. Insert fork here}

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{No devil foods}

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{Things I'd like to wear for the many many parties I'll be attending. Cuz I'm popular like that...?}

What are your plans/stategy for handling the deliciousness and  indulgence that comes with the Holiday season??