DIY - Orchid Boutonnières

Sorry for the interruption but I'm back to update! It's been a whirlwind of events the last few months but it was so worthwhile. While I was gone, I planned a wedding in Austin, moved it to Michigan within 6 weeks to go, and finally got married. Now that is over, I can spend some time documenting all my DIY projects.

One of my wedding colors was watermelon pink and it was probably one of the hardest color to match up. Since I was planning a wedding afar, I figured it was most reasonable to DIY my groom and groomsmen bouts with silk flowers. I wanted Phalaenopsis Orchids to be exact but the color was impossible to find. What is a girl to do when she wanted a color, paint them :)

I found these silk flowers at Joann's for $5.99 a stem. There were 7 buds on there, just enough for the mens.

Recipe - Dau Hu Chien Sot Ca, Pan Fried Tofu in Tomato Sauce

It's been awhile since I actually made it to the kitchen to play chef. I have been spoiled rotten by my beloved lately. He is such a sweetheart :)

For personal reasons, I've been practicing vegetarianism(? is that even a word) and pretty much getting tired of all the carb-loaded cheesy food. I had a stocked fridge and I needed to cook everything before it goes bad. Today, I attempted Pan Fried Tofu in Tomato Sauce. I haven't made an authentic dish like this in awhile.

Like most females of my family, we hardly measure ingredients, you just "smell" and wing it.

Ingredients:

• 1 block of firm tofu
• Corn Starch Powder
• Paprika
• Black Pepper
• Salt
• Sugar
• Soy Sauce
• Tomatoes
• Chili Peppers
• Cilantro
• Oil

1. Pat dry the firm tofu block with paper towels after unpackaging. Try to squeeze as much water as you can without destroying the tofu block :)

2. Slice the tofu up in squares or rectangles. It's your preference, you can get fancy and slice into triangles if you prefer.

Decór for measely dollars!

I moved into an apartment when I relocated to Texas and didn't feel the need to overspend on decorating. I also didn't want to just throw a bed in a room and so I ventured out to the dollar tree and found me some cheap dollar frames and mats to hang up some pictures.  The mats gives the framing a professional touch so I always recommend matting your artwork and photos.

Day 0 - I Used to be Fat

I'm finally back home in my comfort zone and am back to report my results.  Since I was unable to work out the last week of this challenge and all the yummy food taunted me, I was surprised to find out that I didn't gain any weight. I also didn't lose any weight. I was a little bummed that I couldn't do better on this challenge.  I still have to play around with the numbers but for quick reference:

So here goes my 60 Day Challenge results:

1. Eat to live and not Live to eat indulge on SOME occasions
2. Workout regimen to lose those love handles and tone those non-existence muscles
3. Build my strength so I can hike those wonderful trails this city has to offer
4. Fit back into those one skinny jeans
5. Total weight lost goal of 15 5 lbs

I didn't reach all my goal obviously but I accomplished some of every goal I set out. I'm still proud of myself. I am still motivated and plan to keep up with tracking my food intake and working out religiously. I still have goals that I have achieve and plenty of things to look forward too. I will try to blog about this healthy regimen on a monthly basis just in case you are keeping up with my updates :)

Day 03 - I Used to be Fat

I have been dining out for every meal since I'm up North. Pretty hard to stay on this eating plan. I feel bloated and fat. Boo. I need to go back to Austin so I can jump back on my band wagon. 

CALORIES

CARBS

FAT

PROTEIN

MORE NUTRIENTS

Breakfast:

Half and Half Cream, 2 tbsp 39 1 3 1 Regular Coffee, 12 fl oz 4 0 0 0 Nutrasweet Equal packet, 3 packet 0 0 0 0

Breakfast TOTALS: 43 1 3 1

Lunch:

Chili's Classic Steak Fajitas, 0.5 serving 395 10 25 32 Don Pablos Chips & Salsa, 0.25 serving 85 11 4 1

Lunch TOTALS: 480 21 29 33

Dinner:

Chinese, Kung Pao Shrimp, 4 oz shrimp, 1 serving 555 31 35 31

Dinner TOTALS: 555 31 35 31

Snack:

None

Snack TOTALS: 0 0 0 0

Click To Add/Edit Extra Meals

			CALORIES	CARBS	FAT	PROTEIN
			1,077	54	68	66
			1,000 - 1,100	30 - 50	32 - 56	60 - 127
			0 - 23	0	0	0 - 61

Day 04 - I Used to be Fat

It's my final week before the end of this 60 day challenge and my plan to work out every single day has been thrown out the door. At the last minute, I had to take a last minute flight up north to take care of a disaster with the Mr.'s house. BOO, but when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade.  I'll make the best of this trip with visit with friends and good eats.

Day 4 -

CALORIES

CARBS

FAT

PROTEIN

MORE NUTRIENTS

Breakfast:

Half and Half Cream, 2 tbsp 39 1 3 1 Regular Coffee, 12 fl oz 4 0 0 0 Nutrasweet Equal packet, 3 packet 0 0 0 0

Breakfast TOTALS: 43 1 3 1

Lunch:

Thai, Pad Thai Chicken, 4 oz chicken and 50g noodles , 0.75 serving 575 56 26 26

Lunch TOTALS: 575 56 26 26

Dinner:

BWW chicken wings (3 wings), 2.33 serving 350 5 23 33 wine: table, red, merlot, 3 oz 72 3 0 0 Salad dressing, Ranch dressing, commercial, regular, 3 tbsp 219 3 24 0

Dinner TOTALS: 641 11 47 33

Snack:

None

Snack TOTALS: 0 0 0 0

Click To Add/Edit Extra Meals

			CALORIES	CARBS	FAT	PROTEIN
			1,258	68	76	60
			1,000 - 1,100	30 - 50	32 - 56	60 - 127
			0	0	0	0 - 67

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 5 -

CALORIES

CARBS

FAT

PROTEIN

MORE NUTRIENTS

Breakfast:

Nutrasweet Equal packet, 3 packet 0 0 0 0 Half and Half Cream, 2 tbsp 39 1 3 1 Regular Coffee, 12 fl oz 4 0 0 0

Breakfast TOTALS: 43 1 3 1

Lunch:

Hidden Valley Light Ranch, 4 tbsp 160 6 14 2 1 crispy chicken strip, 2 serving 252 18 12 14

Lunch TOTALS: 412 24 26 16

Dinner:

Burger King Medium French Fries (salted), 0.33 serving 158 20 8 2 Burger King Medium Coca Cola Classic, 0.25 serving 58 14 0 0 Burger King Original Chicken Sandwich, 0.33 serving 185 17 9 2 Burger King Ketchup, 1 serving 10 3 0 0

Dinner TOTALS: 411 54 17 4

Snack:

Mixed Nuts, dry roasted, 0.25 cup 203 9 18 6

Snack TOTALS: 203 9 18 6

Click To Add/Edit Extra Meals

			CALORIES	CARBS	FAT	PROTEIN
			1,069	88	64	27
			1,000 - 1,100	30 - 50	32 - 56	60 - 127
			0 - 31	0	0	33 - 100