Here it goes!!

Hello hello!!! Today has been quite a busy day. Between two sick little boys, trying to keep my older one from attacking the baby and picking up the family room about 8 times, I'm surprised I managed to cook myself a few healthy meals in between. So, I thought I would share a couple with you because they were delicious & very Weight Watchers friendly.

 

So, this was my breakfast and man was it wonderful!!! I used Trader Joe's Steel Cut Oats from the freezer section although I still prefer the ones you make on the stove. Then, I sliced a small banana on top, sprinkled a bunch of cinnamon (did you know it's a natural appetite suppressant?), added 1 1/2 tsp of mini chocolate chips and served with a 1/2 TB of reduced fat Skippy Peanut Butter. It felt like a slice of heaven and it was a reasonable 5 points. Not to mention it held me until lunch = )

Then, for a mid afternoon snack I had my favorite blended beverage...my "Good Morning Sunshine" smoothie! Only 3 points might I add.

Here's the recipe:

Good Morning Sunshine

1/2 cup sliced frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
1 cup of orange juice
1 handful of spinach (yes, spinach!)

Add all ingredients to the blender, mix, pour into your favorite cup & enjoy!!! 
 Really try it, it's so good...don't let the spinach fool you.



Anyways, here's to hoping my boys get over this roller coaster of sickness they have been on since Thanksgiving so we can rejoin society!!

Who's Julia?

Hey, my name is Julia & I'm the mom who is trying to be healthy and happy...
I live in San Jose, California with my husband Gabriel (i.e. happy dad) and our 2 beautiful, energetic little boys; Daniel & Nathan.

I created Healthy Mom Happy Mom because I believe everyone deserves to be healthy and happy!!! I hope with this blog,  I can inspire others as I strive for my own personal health. I know there will be bumps in the road, but I will do what it takes so I can enjoy all the happiness that comes along with it!!!

About My Family

I am married to a wonderful & amazing, happy dad, Gabriel. We were married on April 1st, 2006. (Nope, it's not an April Fools joke)

Together we have 2 little boys:

Daniel, 3 1/2

&

Nathan, 8 months

About My Weight Roller Coaster

Well, where do I start...

I grew up being the little, scrawny girl who if anything was always told by people to, "eat!" Unfortunately this didn't last long and by the time I was in junior high school I began getting chubby. In high school I continued gaining pound by pound and began to struggle with what I believe was pretty severe emotional eating. By the time I was 18 years old, I was already 200 pounds. I tried exercise routines and Weight Watchers multiples times, but never seemed to get past losing 5 pounds and then having no more commitment and gaining back 10 pounds.

In 2002, I met happy dad and you know how it goes when you get into a relationship & get comfortable...I put on 25 pounds fast! In 2006, I delivered our first little boy Daniel and instead of losing the baby weight I gained 65+ pounds. I quickly reached the highest weight I'd ever been at, 280.5 pounds.

It's embarrassing for me to post this picture, but I have to take responsibility for how bad I let myself get.

I made a decision in August of 2008 that I was done being the, "fat girl." I began Weight Watchers for probably the 40th time. This time I began on my own without actually joining a meeting. In three months I managed to lose 15 lbs. After this great accomplishment our car was broken into and guess what was stolen...yep, my Weight Watchers stuff. I was one week from tracking my food every day for three entire months. (this is embarrassing, but I also had my special pen I used) This did two things to me, 1) completely through me off (In fact, I stopped for a couple of months and gained a couple of pounds back and 2) taught me the most important lesson of my life. I learned the importance of Weight Watchers as a lifestyle change. You WILL not succeed unless you embrace the whole experience Weight Watchers has to offer you. This experience taught me to value the nutrients & fuel food supplies us with as well as separating myself from the "obsessive compulsive" habits I have such as attaching myself to a pen or letting myself quit because someone took my Weight Watchers things. No longer can anyone control my destiny, but me.

After a couple of months of slacking off, I got back on track. I got down to 260 pounds, gave up coffee and got pregnant with my little guy, Nathan. My pregnancy was a lot harder this time than it was with Daniel. It was really hard this time, I was heavier..so I felt more pain in my pelvic bone, my sciatic nerve...and then I got diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I could have been crushed, but honestly I ran with it. I changed my diet drastically and under my doctors supervision lost 15 pounds. Three weeks after delivering my little guy I went into a meeting and joined for real this time. I made a commitment to myself that I AM going to get to my goal weight, I am going to attend meetings, eat healthy and paying the $39.95 definitely helps keep you accountable.

As of today, (January 15ths, 2010) I'm down to 193 pounds...YES!!! I made it under 200 pounds!!! I still have 33 pounds to my goal and I feel like I need this blog more than ever. I need to write about how I feel along the way about my successes and stumbles, learn what helps others, share my tips and more than anything else, inspire others who are in the same situation I was in when I started.

I am finally feeling healthier and it's making me SO happy!! I've decided to end with a few interesting pieces of information about Healthy Mom Happy Mom.

Fun Facts About Me

• What 3 foods are hard for me to resist? Chocolate, Cheese & Peanut Butter
• What is my favorite movie? Pretty Woman & Dirty Dancing
• Who is my favorite "male" celebrity? Nick Lachey
• What is your most embarassing moment? Dancing to Spice Girls in my 7th Grade Talent Show
• Favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Julia's "Good Morning Sunshine" Smoothie (look around the blog and I guarantee you'll find this recipe)
• Hobbies? Reading, writing, listening to music, playing with my "boys", taking walks, cooking/baking, tea time = ), freezing fruit, discovering "new" things to add peanut butter to, playing Wii, enjoying the outdoors, cooking with fresh garden grown veggies and taking the time to smell the roses!!