SO, readers, if there in fact are readers....

I am terrible at blogging. Actually, that's not true, I love writing, but this past year has been so full of ups and downs that I couldn't even keep track or get away long enough to tell everyone about it! Maybe only a few of my close friends know the things I've gone through in the last year, and now I can share it here without shame or holding back.

Fact: Being married is by far the most incredible experience in life! If I didn't have Justin by my side, I swear I would probably go nuts and be emotional/irrational.  I've never met someone who is so grounded and can teach me to calm down while fighting, fighting FAIR, and encouraging me in everything I jump into. Justin, I love you with every fiber of my being and have enjoyed every minute of our marriage thus far. Happy Anniversary, beloved.

On August 15, I stepped on the scale and stepped off in shock.  I looked at myself and cried.  Not that I was terribly overweight, I just hadn't seen a number like that in months.  I worked so hard to fit into my wedding dress the year before and actually hit a number UNDER my goal weight for the big day.  Needless to say the dress fit me PERFECTLY and it is now my goal to be able to fit into the dress every year on April 10.  I decided it was time to really being taking care of myself and my husband, so I start a daily exercise regime and eating incredibly healthy meals. I knew nothing about nutrition, so I frequently consulted my friend Jared about such matters. Great friend, great advice.  To motivate myself, I signed up for my first 5k on Thanksgiving and ran it in 26:32! Not bad for my first! I then signed up for my second and ran it is 24:39! I was working my butt off and then decided to go big and run a HALF marathon.  Was I crazy? Yes.  I have severe asthma and am on lung steroids for such.  Advair is usually prescribed to older patients with COPD. I don't have COPD, but Asthma is something I've struggled with since first grade, so I've known my limitations with exercise and being outside....seeing as it is induced by exercise and allergies. I was definitely that kid with all the health issues!  After crossing the finish line of the first 5k, it was the most exhilarating feeling in the world! I had my husband at the finish line there to document my feat, and i received a big hug and a banana.

The half marathon was a different story.  I began training on January 1 of this year, making the race my NY resolution. (My other resolution was to quit my current nannying job, which if you know me, you know how running kept me sane because it was so awful).  As I increased my weekly mileage, my weight increased about 2 lbs. per month.  Now, up until this point I had lost 17 pounds and was keeping it off...so I was very confused as to how running more would make me gain weight! I did extensive amounts of research and crying to Justin about it.  I became very discouraged, no matter that I was running 10 miles+ per weekend.  I wasn't focusing on my accomplishments, I was focusing on eating raw foods and running myself to death.  There was nothing that was going to stand in my way of finishing that race and telling asthma to go to hades.  But let me tell you, finishing that race is in the top moments of my life!! I RAN 13.1 MILES IN 2 HOURS! I mean come on! Several people have told me to write my story and send it in to Ellen! Which I still may do. This is not the full story, but the highlights. SO currently, I am back at the weight in which is started, which sucks, but I have done something I could have never done before I started! (Yes people, most of the weight I gained was muscle, but the soft parts are not. so there)

Recovering has been/ was a very hard process. I went uninjured, however I was unable to exercise daily for about 3 weeks. (One of those weeks I was in Mexico for our anniversary). The rule of thumb is to take a day off for every mile you ran. So 2 weeks were spent, on my butt, focusing on nutrition and letting my body recover. I am now doing the reverse taper method and starting an exercise regime like I did when I first started this whole thing.  I've got a 5k on June 22 in Greensboro, and my father-in-law is talking a lot of smack about beating me, so my rear is in gear!! I am shooting for a time of 24 minutes!

This is probably enough writing for today, but I will close in saying that I now have a job that I ADORE, a God who is bigger than me and has a plan for my life, the world's BEST husband, family that I wouldn't trade in for anything, and new friends.  Elizabeth and Hillary, I hate that you are leaving but the Lord goes with you! I will miss you tremendously.

ta ta for now!

Banana Streusel Muffins and Easy Caprese Salad!

• Banana Streusel Muffins
• 
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• STREUSEL:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. In a small bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, butter and bananas; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.
2. For streusel, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; cut in butter. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

TRUST ME, these are amazing! Justin took one to work every morning for a week! I heated them up a bit and spread some butter on them. SO good! 

Also, here is a GREAT recipe for last minute guests! You can use the things in your fridge! And toothpicks!

Easy Caprese Salad (Molly's Way!)

Grape Tomatoes

Mozzarella Balls (find them at Trader Joe's!)

Black Olives (pitted)

Persian Cucumbers (Again, Trader Joe's.  These are just baby cucumbers)

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Italian Seasoning

(YOU CAN GET ALL THESE INGREDIENTS AT TRADER JOE'S FOR JUST $12!)

1. Depending on how many people you are serving, put equal amounts of each food ingredient into a mixing bowl. Fold together with a spatula or wooden spoon. To stretch the recipe, I cut the mozzarella balls and black olives in half.

2. Drizzle (eyeball) just maybe a tablespoon of Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar over the mixture, then season to taste with Italian Seasoning! And Voila! You've got a delicious Caprese Salad!  Serve on Kabobs if you like, or set toothpicks next to the bowl for your guests.

Hope yall enjoy these as much as we do! I am LOVING cooking and baking; learning all the ins and outs. It is so much fun! I am going to be sad when I have to go back to work and don't have all day to experiment! Hope everybody has an amazing weekend!

Molly

We're Married!!

I am finally a married woman! Justin is an incredible husband and we are having such a great time being married. The wedding was incredible, I wish I could relive that day over and over.  Everything went so smoothly and I couldn't be happier about my day.  A special thanks to my photographer Nancy Ray; by far the best wedding pictures I have ever seen!  We cannot wait to see the rest of the pictures.  Here is a link to view a sneak peek if you haven't already!

http://nancyrayblog.com/?p=5913

And, a peek of my bridal portraits! I will put more up soon, and hopefully get some up on facebook.

http://nancyrayblog.com/?p=5785

We spent the most perfect Honeymoon in Playa del Secreto, Mexico, in an all-inclusive resort called the Valentin Imperial Maya.  It is part of the string of resorts that make up the Riviera Maya.  It was PARADISE! We spent 9 nights there and took advantage of all that we could! Seriously, we ate SO much food.  Since it was all-inclusive, we could order as much as we wanted at any meal, so when there were buffets in play, we knew we'd be feeling it later but it was completely worth it!  Justin gained 10 pounds and I gained 6! Thankfully, it has all come back off and we are eating much healthier here at home. Which brings me to my next topic....COOKING!

I have had the most fun time getting our apartment together, gathering gifts and using all that I can to really learn how to cook.  And to my surprise, it has come very easily to me! For our first night here in the apartment, I made Roasted Garlic and Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Risotto. It was a hit! The next night was Asian night...always a big thanks to Trader Joe's for their amazing Orange Chicken and Vegetable fried rice...it's one of our favorites! Definitely a Vidovich staple. Sunday night I tried my Aunt Carol's special Lasagna recipe! My mom has made it for years, so I wanted to give it a try. It is SO simple:

Ingredients:
1 pkg. of Egg noodles
1 lb. of Ground Chuck
Ricotta Cheese (or Cottage Cheese, your choice!)
Mozzarella Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Pecorino Romano Cheese (we sprinkled some on the top, its Justin's favorite, but not necessary!)
A Jar of your favorite tomato sauce (I use Classico's Roasted Garlic)

Preheat your oven to 400.
1. Brown the hamburger meat in a skillet (I use olive oil) and season with your choice of seasonings.  I used salt, pepper, italian seasoning, Tony Cachere's, and special sandwich seasoning from my grandma.
2. Cook your egg noodles. (this does not take long, read the label for cooking time)
3. Once the hamburger meat is done, strain, and then put back in the skillet with a jar of your spaghetti sauce and turn on low heat.
4. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
5. When egg noodles are done, drain and pour half of them into the casserole dish. You are going to be layering ingredients, so make sure there are more noodles for the top.
6. Make 2 layers. First layer: Noodles, Meat Sauce, Ricotta or Cottage Cheese. Second layer: Noodles, Ricotta Cheese, Meat Sauce, then COVER with Mozzerella and Cheddar Cheese (or whatever else you'd like to add)

Bake in 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese on top is bubbling and slightly browning. We put parmesan cheese on top of our servings. A must.
Hope you try and enjoy it! I'd post a picture but we ate it so quickly! It makes for great leftovers as well.

Next recipe to come...Banana Streusel Muffins I made yesterday :)

Molly