The Savage Girl Challenge

I have chosen TODAY the 21st day of July 2013 to reevaluate my healthy living goals, create a new game plan and challenge myself more in order to take off the last 25 pounds off so I can meet my goal weight.

To be 100% honest here lately I've been slacking in the department of physical activity, drinking more water, and portion control! We are at the peak of the summer and the humidity & heat are killers to my will power. I've used the excuses of having the lack of time and the extreme weather when in reality I've had a lack of will power A LOT here lately. This has become a road block in my weight loss success and today this has to STOP. So I'm challenging myself to reevaluate and set a few new goals for myself! My Weight the Reality Series (Take 2) program at work starts on Tuesday and I expect my participants to help hold me accountable to my goals and I will do the same for you...If you want to join my program the information is located in the post called "Upcoming program the Savage Girl is hosting through work...WTRS!"

So here are my new goals:

1. Measure my portion sizes. 
2. Start tracking my daily food intake (again) including my water intake. 
3. Aim for 4 to 5 days of 30-60 minutes of exercise a week. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday are my best days to achieve this because of my schedule at work...so if you see me out and about on one of these days please ASK me if I've moved yet!
4. Get back in the habit of packing a healthy lunch and snacks to work.
5. No food after 8 p.m. in the Savage Girl household. 

So you now know my new goals. I will keep you posted on my success, challenges, and failures on this blog, so stay tuned. I will try to reevaluate each week and keep you posted...

Is there anyone out there in the blogging world having the same problem as me? Or am I am the lone ranger out there with these challenges? Well join the Savage Girl Challenge and set a few new healthy living goals and game plan for yourself. If you want to join The Savage Girl Challenge "like" the post, leave me a comment, or send me a message...please tell me (and other readers of the blog) what your new goals are. I'll help keep you accountable if you replicate for me! If it takes a village to raise a child it is going to take an entire online virtual community of family and friends to help the Savage Girl meet her goal weight.

Keep in mind I am not on a diet. I'm trying to live a healthy lifestyle for a healthier body in order to prevent the onset of a family history of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. So far I've done pretty well except for the roadblock I've recently experienced. I've lost 50 pounds thus far and would love to shave 25 more pounds off. Losing 10% of your body weight can help reduce your risk factors associated the disease and hopefully delay and or indefinitely postpone the onset of the disease. Let me know if you have any questions...      

Baking with the Savage Mama

Nothing tastes better than something made out of a mother's kitchen or baking with them! Personally I think the Savage Mama is the best cook ever, but I'm sure you believe your mama or granny is better than mine...that's OK because I don't want to start any arguments! All I know is that we each grow accustomed to the taste of the one whose cooking we grew up eating and we should show our love, appreciation, and admiration to them! 

I hope your mama or granny was like mine. They both passed on the skill and love for cooking & baking and sharing food with others. I learned to cook & bake in my mama's and my granny's kitchen from the time I was old enough to stand-up in the chair beside them. From a very early age they both let my sister and I get our hands dirty and help cook & bake in their kitchens. My hope and desire is that one day they might get to continue this tradition with the next generation! Any young, single, Christian men out there reading my blog? LOL.  That's another story and post for another day...

I love the bounty the warm summer weather and garden brings to help out family meal times! My family always plants plenty of zucchini in the garden so that the Savage Mama can have enough on hand throughout the summer to make Chocolate Zucchini Brownies, grilled and/or sauteed zucchini, and these yummy delicious Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. So now I give you "Baking with the Savage Mama" guest writer and photographer Leah Savage the "Savage Mama"...in her own words...    

This is one of those recipes that’s made from basic ingredients in a kitchen and all you have to add is a zucchini- fresh from the garden.  I found the recipe on Penzeys website several years ago and have been enjoying it ever since.  The only thing I do different is to use rounded spoons of cocoa powder (I love Chocolate) and I use a pampered chef large scoop that is a size # 20 ( the # 20 is located on the vane that cleans the bowl of the scoop and means you can get 20 level scoops from a quart of batter).  I round this scoop up and it makes 30 muffins for me without running over my pan and making a mess.  I also use my kitchen aid mixer to totally mix the entire recipe.  The mixer cuts the zucchini up to the point you can’t even see that it is there.  I think this recipe will become a favorite of yours also.  Enjoy. 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1/2 Cup milk

1/4 tsp. white vinegar

1/2 Cup room temperature butter (1 stick)

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 Cups white sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

4 TB. NATURAL COCOA POWDER

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. CINNAMON

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Cups peeled and finely grated zucchini - 3 small zucchini
1 Cup chocolate chips

1/4 Cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°. Line 2 standard muffin pans with papers. Mix together the milk and vinegar and set aside (if a recipe calls for sour milk, this is how you make it).

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil and sugar until creamy.

Add eggs, VANILLA EXTRACT and milk/vinegar mix. Blend well.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, COCOA POWDER, baking soda, CINNAMON and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir by hand or mixer to combine.

Add grated zucchini and half the chocolate chips and stir well.

Spoon the batter evenly into the pans, filling each paper 2/3 full.

Sprinkle the other half of the chocolate chips and nuts (if using), on top and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or the muffins spring back when lightly touched (don't touch the melted chocolate, though).

Prep. time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 20-25 minutes
Yield: 24 muffins

(Penzey’s spice company recipe taken from their website.)

So get off the computer now...go find some zucchini and make these yummy muffins. They are too delicious to just look at! Try your hand at making them today. If you need any help let the Savage Girl know and she or her mama can help. We're both good at giving tips and pointers when it comes to cooking & baking. The Savage Mama is more of an expert though since she is the Culinary Arts Instructor at the Tri-County Extension Campus of Tennessee College of Applied Technology Hartsville! Happy Baking...

Links & More Savage Girl Connections!

This week marked 6 months of blogging for the Savage Girl!

The 6 Most Visited Posts within the last 6 months:

1. The Bull and Thistle on March 31, 2013
2. My thoughts on "Muscle and a Shovel" by Michael Shank on March 16, 2013
3. Work + Life = ME on January 15, 2013
4. Life's Bumps and Signs on March 4, 2013
5. Projects versus Partners on April 17, 2013
6. Life's Bump and Signs Take 2 on March 10, 2013

6 articles you don't want to miss out reading within the last 6 months:

1. My Family Legacy on March 18, 2013
2. Country Living on May 27, 2013
3. 3 Things I Know for Sure (That You Should Too!) on July 6, 2013
4. Life is Good on June 23, 2013
5. Spring Cleaning on April 9, 2013
6. Making Whoopie Pies on June 6, 2013

Ella Mae's Top 3 Tips for Living a Long Successful Life

Today I got the privilege of celebrating Ella Mae's birthday after morning worship services. Ella Mae is 98 years young this week and she is such an inspiration to so many. I first got to meet Ella Mae at church almost four years ago and since then I have enjoyed many meals at her house on Sunday afternoons. She loves sweets, so when I get in a baking mood she gets a few treats from my kitchen. If she had her way she would eat dessert first and skip all the vegetables. In hopes of gaining a little knowledge and wisdom from Ella Mae I asked her for her secret to living a long life. I know the Savage Girl could use a little knowledge and wisdom so I listened carefully to her talk and reminisce about the secrets to living a long life. So to summarize her tips and pointers for all of us "younger generations", here are Ella Mae's Top 3 Tips for Living a Long Successful Life:

1. Enjoy life.
2. Keep going no matter what.
3. Word hard.

 

Her tips were simple and sweet but so true and from the heart! A little food for thought...Ella Mae grew up in the country, then she married a farmer, and she claims that she never really went anywhere or did anything but farm, enjoy the simple things in life, and work hard laboring in the fields until she was in her later years. In her later years she moved to town and began to travel seeing places, people, and things around the community, county, state, and occasionally outside of Kentucky. When Ella Mae said everyone should "keep going" she was meaning that we should keep traveling and seeing places, but I also believe that she meant that we should never give up no matter what adversity or challenges that we might come across in life. Ella Mae is a "go getter" with lots of fire and spunk within her small frame and she is not afraid to speak the truth whenever needed.

 

We all could use a little Ella Mae in our life! I challenge you to find your own Ella Mae. Stop and ask questions about his or her life. Listen to the stories. Then be open and willingly apply something you learn within your daily life. There is wisdom and knowledge out there, but we need to seek it out and find it amongst the golden diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald generations who are waiting to tell us a few stories when we give them a little of our precious time. Unplug from your crazy life and go visit your own Ella Mae today, because a little dose might be the best medicine you receive all day!   

Upcoming program the Savage Girl is hosting through work...WTRS!

Yep, it is a blog post about work, so bare with me! Remember I love my job so PLEASE help the Savage Girl spread the word about this upcoming program.

It is hot outside and I am sure you want to feel and look hot too! I know this is a racy comment, but on the series note if you are in search of a program to help you think about your body in a real way instead of how the media wants you to think, then look no further! The Monroe County Cooperative Extension Service is offering the Weight the Reality Series again this Summer! In the Spring, the group of participants lost a total of 140.4 pounds in eight short weeks. 

Weight ~ The Reality Series is an 10-week series we will offer on Tuesdays July 23-September 24. If you were in the last group, come back because I’ll be presenting new information! For new participants we will explore an aspect of weight control through healthy eating and living, share healthy recipes and ideas, weigh in, and engage in learning about the human body. Based on the latest research, this program gives you more options to create a plan that will work for you. Program participants will be encouraged to try a variety of ways to eat differently, including counting carbohydrates, controlling portions, and using a plate method. Whether you’re interested in learning some new ways to eat and be active, or exploring how your clothes influence the way you see your body, Weight ~ The Reality Series offers many choices. There has to be a better way to achieve a healthy weight than the latest fad diet! You’ll learn how to make your plan flexible and to keep it working overtime.

Personally my goal is to be healthier and reduce my body size. I have been on this journey for the last year and a half. My goal is to lose about 15-20 more pounds and then maintain my loss. It is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Therefore, if you want to reduce your body size like me, then this series might be for you! Your concern might also be your health, but you might also be thinking about looking better in clothes, having more energy, enjoying new and favorite foods, being able to move more easily, and feeling better about yourself. Whatever your case may be, consider joining us with our new series called Weight ~ The Reality Series.

The series dates are July 23 ~ July 30~ August 6 ~ August 13 ~ August 20 ~ August 27 ~ September 3 ~ September 10 ~ September 17 ~ September 24. The series is open to anyone and will be held at the Monroe County Cooperative Extension Service. We will weigh-in each week from 4:30 p.m.—5:30 p.m. and then we will have a short program at 5:30 p.m. We are signing people up for the program Monday July 15 and Tuesday July 16 from 8:00-4:30 p.m. 

If you divide $10.00 by the 10 weeks that is just $1 each week! At the end of the 10-weeks the participant losing the most percentage of weight will win 50% of the “money pot” for males and females. The remaining 50% of the “money pot” will go towards costs associated with running the program and for door prizes that will be given away throughout the series each week. The winner will be announced on September 24.

If you’re ready, so are we at the Monroe County Cooperative Extension Service. Stop by today and register for this series. It is a better way to a healthier you. For more information contact 487-5504 or lara.savage@uky.edu. Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Don't forget to share the program info with your friends! (Hint....share it on Facebook)