stop saying "I wish", start saying "I will", part 2

[It was brought to my attention yesterday (by my sweet husband) that I had not written a new post in several days.  He said he was "feeling down" and "needed some inspiration" (he's just a bit dramatic...) and there was nothing new for him to read and be inspired by.  Obviously he was yanking my chain a bit, but he was also right- sorry for abandoning my blog for a few days!]

Aside from my bad habits I fell into from time to time when life threw curveballs that I mentioned in my last post, I'm usually (90% of the time) an obsessive healthy eater.  Especially since we've started trying to have a baby.  I educated myself a lot before we began trying.  I knew that certain foods increase or decrease fertility, some can't or shouldn't be eaten during pregnancy, and that the prenatal vitamin is only supplementing the viatmins and minerals you are already getting from your food.  Going off my previous knowledge, I read a lot (and googled a lot) to adjust my diet accordingly, which wasn't too difficult since we were already eating fairly healthy, with the exception of a soda or some ice cream here and there (as in, a once or twice a week treat here and there).  Aside from trying to keep up with my hubby's hot bod, attempting to have a baby is the perfect motivation for me to continue a healthy lifestyle.

Anyways, here are my tips for eating and staying healthy, pregnant or not.  Hopefully you can take something from them to help you with your healthy living goals as well:

-Adjust calorie intake according to your body and the activities you do.  I don't understand why they generalize everyones diet into a 2,000 calorie diet when body sizes, metabolism, daily activities and other factors make such a huge difference in how many calories you should take in for a day.  Here's a good way to calculate how many calories you should be eating, offered by Shape magazine (and remember, being pregnant doesn't mean eating for TWO! You only need about 300 extra calories per day):

If you are age 30 or under, multiply your weight by 6.7 and add 487; women who are 31-60  should multiply their weight by 4 and add 829. Then, multiply the total by 1.3 if you're sedentary (don't work out at all), 1.5 if you're slightly active (work out three to four times a week for one hour), 1.6 if you're moderately active (work out four to five times a week for one hour) or 1.9 if you're very active (work out almost every day for one hour). 

-Cut out foods that don't have much or anything to offer.  Like white bread and soda.  You want to make every calorie count, so don't fill up your daily allowance with foods that aren't nutrient rich.  They'll leave you less satisfied and more hungry, also... so you'll end up eating twice as much.

-Diet/Light/Low Fat, etc. isn't always better!  Almost all of the time when fat and calories are taken out of foods to make them 'diet' or 'light' or 'sugar free', something else is being put into foods to replace them.  Often times this comes in the form of more sodium or sugar, both of which can be very detrumental to your health if you're getting too much.  And that Diet soda that is so appealing with it's 0 calories and 0 sugar?  Guess what, it's still soda.  The artificial sweeteners and caffiene aren't good for anyone for many reasons, especially pregnant women.

-Some fat is necessary in your diet.  Some fats help absorb vitamins and minerals, and others, like Omega-3's, have a wide array of benefits- like heart health, cell growth/repair & improved brain function (to name a few)

-Eat fresh foods in their most natural state.  They say shop the outsides of the grocery store and stay clear of the middle.  That's because most of the middle aisles are filled with processed foods.  When foods are processed, many times minerals and nutrients are lost... along with A LOT of other things being added in.  Stick to fresh fruits and veggies (buy organic when possible, especially 'thin-skinned' fruits and veggies that absorb more pesticides) and meat and poultry that has been raised all natural, without antibiotics and growth hormones.  This is a big one for us.... not only is it inhumane and sickening how almost all of the chicken, beef, etc. is raised and produced in our country (read Food Inc if you don't believe me)... but if you have tasted the 'good stuff' that has been raised properly and naturally, you'll know why it's worth a few extra bucks.  You'll never go back to eating the 'other stuff' again!

-Eat at home.  We eat out maybe 2 times a month, tops.  Seriously.  Obviously it's much easier and quicker to go out to eat or order a pizza, but we are both extremely turned off by the amount of calories, fat, sodium, carbs, etc. etc. found in foods prepared in restaurants.  The supposed "healthy" foods on the menu are still always cooked using unhealthy oils and Lord knows what else.  If we're the ones making the food (usually from scratch), we know exactly what is going into our bodies and how it is being cooked.

-Take a daily multivitamin.  In case you fall short in a certain vitamin or mineral category for the day, a multivitamin will help ensure that you are still getting sufficient amounts necessary each day.

-Exercise!!  Take the dog for a walk.  Ride your bike to do an errand.  Take a detour to the gym after work.  Anything that gets you up and off the couch, really.  Eating healthy only takes you so far, you must combine it with exercise in order to keep your body in it's best, healthiest working order.  Plus, you'll have more energy and be a happier person, too!

-Moderation.  Don't give up your favorite treats entirely.  Allow yourself to have a cupcake or a can of Pepsi now and then.  It will keep your cravings in check, and prevent you from going on an all-day binge at some point.  Plus, life is supposed to be fun... isn't it?!  What fun is it if we can't indulge in a special treat now and then?!  Just remember, moderation is the key.  Allow yourself 1-3 "treats" per week :)


I hope my tips will inspire you to adjust your lifestyle accordingly as well.  There are many little changes that can make a big difference, and once you get into the routine, it's fairly easy to stick to.  My problem was that when I lost control of things in my life (like losing my babies), I let myself lose control of everything else as well.  Not to mention there were lots of restrictions on exercise and activity that kept me from doing a lot of things I normally do.  It's okay to go through these rough patches, just make sure you set a time frame for yourself and get back with the program sooner rather than later.  Your body will thank you! :)

Do you have a healthy living tip you'd like to share?  What helps motivate you to say "I WILL" instead of "I WISH"?

baked potato soup

I tried a new recipe out today that I have to share with all of you.  I wanted to give Baked Potato Soup a try, because soup is so delicious in the winter and both of us love it.  It's also a great way to use left over baked potatoes.  I found a recipe online, changed it around a bit, and came out with a pretty delicious product. 

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
3-4 slices bacon
1/3 cup margarine/butter
1/3 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic salt (or garlic powder)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt (if used garlic powder, use 1 tsp. salt)
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Cook bacon in skillet, crumble and set aside.
Melt margarine in a pot over medium heat.  Whisk in flour until smooth.  Pour in milk, whisking frequently until thickened.  Stir in potatoes, onions, parsley & garlic salt, bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add bacon pieces, sour cream, cheese, salt, and pepper.  Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

Serve hot with bacon pieces and cheddar cheese garnish.  Makes 3-4 servings.  Enjoy!

*I'm currently working on a post about Moving to Europe with your Dog.  Check back tomorrow or Wednesday for some tips and a how-to!

'tis the season

Well, I got to spend about 24 hours with my hubby and he's off again.  Today is just a day trip for their away game, and then after tonight, they have their Christmas break and don't play again for 2 weeks.  I know he's looking forward to a little break (though they still have practices) and not eating some form of chicken and pasta for every meal.  Guess that means I'll have to find even more new recipes to try! :)

We started off our day yesterday with a trip to the new dog park that Maddie and I found.  J was really excited to see her playing in the snow.  The only problem was it was 10-15 degrees colder than a few days before when I was there with her.  We spent about 15 minutes there before all 3 of us were so cold that we couldn't feel our fingers and toes.

snow dog!

After the dog park, J had to go to the doctor to get his finger looked at and x-rayed.  The top joint of his pinky finger got hit with a puck and popped out of place in the game on Saturday.  They popped it back in right away and there is no fracture.  He played the rest of the game Saturday and won't miss any time at all.  Just a little sore, nothing a big tough hockey player can't handle! ;)  Luckily, it didn't prevent him from doing his Christmas shopping yesterday either :)

In the evening we made Christmas cookies.  We doubled the recipe and ended up with 50+ cookies.  Yikes!  J brought the majority of them with him today to share with the guys on the bus on the way home from their game.  I told him he is not allowed to come home with ANY... we already have too many here.  Making Christmas cookies is one of my favorite holiday traditions.  He wasn't as excited about it as I was, seeing as he was exhausted from their trip.  But he sucked it up and we had a good time :)

the finished product!

It seems like it never stops snowing here, and I know back home in the U.S. they have gotten a lot of snow in the past few days also.  Tis the season, right?!  But its the perfect time for a reminder to everyone to be extra careful when they're out and about in this kind of weather.  It's time to finish up Christmas shopping, kids are getting ready and excited for break, lots of people are heading to holiday parties, etc.  Drive slow, wear your seatbelts, keep an extra eye out for pedestrians, and get a designated driver!  There are many precious lives out there- it's just not worth it! :)

snow, snow and more snow!

Well, yet another snowy day here in Finland!! It's been snowing almost non-stop the last 2 days.  We have almost 20 inches on the ground here.. 40-some centimeters!  Woo hoo, no worries about a White Christmas here!!  I'm so thankful that I don't drive here though... they don't do the greatest job plowing the roads, and the fact that it was a national holiday- Independence Day- here yesterday didn't help that fact either!   I feel bad for all of the people trying to dig their cars out of their plowed-in parking spots on the streets.  I took Maddie for a walk to play in the snow earlier and she was in heaven!!  Almost lost her in a couple snow banks (I was struggling also!) but we both had fun.   

This picture is from a few weeks ago... there is WAYY more snow than that now!

We watched Marley & Me last night (for like the 25th time) and, yet again, I sobbed like a baby.  Not sure if it was a result of the wine I was drinking, but that movie gets me every time.  My childhood dog was a yellow lab and a lot like Marley...not quite as troublesome, but had the same goofy antics, so it always hits close to my heart.  It also makes me spoil Maddie like rotten for a several days after (like she's not spoiled enough already!)  She's becoming quite the spoiled brat lately... I guess I've been giving in to her a lot more with J being gone more frequently.  Hey, I need someone to keep me company!! :)

Now tonight I'm trying out a new recipe (Cheesy Spanish Rice) and watching people outside trek in the snow to J's game.  It's technically an "away" game, but we live right next door to the other team's arena.  I thought I didn't care to go, but now seeing all of the people heading to the game makes me a little jealous... haha.  The team is their big rival, since they are from the same city, so it always makes for an exciting and intense game.  The other team's arena is significantly smaller than ours (8,000 vs. 13,000) and the game tonight is sold out... so I can't even change my mind about going.  Oh well, at least I'll stay warm and dry! 

holiday season is in full swing :)

Well, the teddy bear toss was fairly successful for their first attempt at it in Finland!! There were quite a few bears- not as many as you see in North America, but maybe after another year or two they'll get closer :)  Plus, my bear and monkey both made it to the ice (I've had some troubles in the past- a few years ago I whipped it sideways and hit someone in the head- typical, graceful me!)  so all in all I'd consider it a success.  The team also made a visit to the Children's Hospital a few days ago for some Christmas tree decorating, carol signing and autograph signing.  According to J, fun was had by all.  The holiday season is in full swing!!

The guys left this morning for their trip, so I've been keeping busy by cooking, baking, and shopping for more Christmas decorations.  It's hard to justify buying a lot of stuff here since we will not be able to bring it home with us... but Christmas is my favorite time of year and I just HAVE to have the place decorated at least somewhat.  As with everything else, decorations are expensive here, so that kind of puts a damper on things as well.  What I wouldn't give to go crazy in the Christmas aisles at Target right now!!!

The team's flight for today was cancelled because Finnair airlines is in the midst of a strike.  I got a good laugh because the guys were all whining since now they had to take a bus (it's like a 7-8 hour drive).  I think they forget that that would be considered a shorter trip in many areas of North America!  What spoiled guys! ;)

One other random comment for today- does anyone else's husband/significant other drive them crazy with their "cleaning up" skills sometimes??  I mean, he's usually very good about helping out at home w ith cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc.  I couldn't ask for anything more in that area, I have truly been blessed!  But when it comes to the little things, he seems to have trouble once in a while.  For example, he'll have a bottle of water/soda/gatorade, finish it, and leave the empty bottle on the counter by the sink (same goes for the milk carton, or the juice carton...)  Really??  The empty bottles go in the recycling bag like 5 feet away in the closet.  Then there is the "finish the last granola bar, I'm kind enough to take the empty box out of the cabinet but I leave it on the counter instead of 2 feet away in the trash".   I swear he does it just to annoy me!! (Yes, dear, I know you will be reading this... that's part of why I'm writing it!!!)  :) :)

Have a good weekend everyone!

cold weather and cooking

I finally have a chance to sit down and write.  Things have been so busy the past few days, with 3 home games last week, the Christmas party, and Thanksgiving, there wasn't much down time around here!!  It was a nice change of pace.  Now I'm preparing to have things slow down quite a bit... the guys are gone 10 of the next 18 days.  Time to find things to do to entertain myself (ideas are very much welcomed)!! 

One thing I've started doing more now that I have the time to do it is experiment with cooking and baking.  It's not that easy to do here with a) the difficulty grocery shopping and understanding what you're buying and b) trying to convert measurments!  I wish I had paid more attening in what... 2nd grade? when you learn the metric system.  I'm catching on more as I go, and a lot of things I "guesstimate".  It's all turned out okay so far!!

The first thing that I made was Chili.  Neither J nor I like beans in our chili (or at all for that matter).  I found a recipe without, changed it around a little bit, tried it out... and it was delicious!!  It doesn't have onions or tomatoes either.. but you certainly could add them if you'd like.  I told my mom I'd send her the recipes a couple weeks ago... but figured this way I can share them with all of you :) Here they are!

My Chili Recipe

3 lbs. ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
3 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
28 oz. beef broth
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Brown beef in pan, add garlic.  While beef is browning, combine chili powder, cumin, and flour.  Sprinkle mixture over the beef once browned and stir until evenly coated.  Add oregano over meat and pour in 21 oz. of the beef broth.  Add salt and black pepper, stir well and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 90 minutes.  Pour in the remaining broth and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.  Let chili cool, cover, and refrigerate to allow flavors to blend.

tips: 
1) Refrigerate overnight.  It allows the flavors to blend even more.
2) I found it easist to brown the meet in a skillet, and then move it to a larger pot that was easier to stir liquids in. 
3) This recipe makes several servings (I'd say about 6-8 medium sized bowls)
4) Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, crackers, bread, or however else you like your chili. Enjoy!

Another recipe that turned out to be absolutely delicious was the Chicken Noodle Soup.  J was sick so I figured I'd give it a try... turned out to be the best Chicken Noodle Soup I've ever had! (and those of you who know me know that I think very highly of Panera's Chicken Noodle Soup... this was even better!)  Similar to the chili, we don't like onions, carrots or celery in our soup (if you haven't noticed, we're very particular eaters!) so this recipe cooks with the whole vegetables to make it easy to strain them out when serving.  All of the flavor, no picking out the onions and carrots! :)  Here is the recipe for that:

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 L (about 4 cups) water
1 lb. Chicken Breast fillets
1 small-medium sized onion, peeled and halved
3 whole black peppercorns (or a dash of ground pepper, preferably freshly ground!)
2-3 whole carrots, peeled
2 chicken bouillon cubes (this may change your water measurments, so follow the measurments on the bouillon box to determine exactly how much water to use)
About 2 cups dry pasta noodles (I like the spirals!)

Bring water and chicken breasts to a boil in a pot.  Reduce heat, add bouillon cubes (stir until dissolved) cover and let simmer for about 30 more minutes.  Add whole carrots, onion, and pepper into the pot, cover, and let simmer for 1 hour.  Pre-cook the noodles in a separate pot, drain.  Remove chicken and cut into bite sized pieces.  Add chicken and noodles to the broth, warm on low heat.  Strain whole vegetables and serve.

you can add chopped vegetables if you'd like, this is just how we prefer it (we're not big fans of cooked veggies)  This makes about 2 large servings (we ate it as a meal) or 4-5 smaller bowls (to eat as a side with a sandwich or salad).  Hope you like it as much as we did! 

And the last recipe that I'll share is for the Apple Pie that I made as part of our Thanksgiving meal.  I was really winging it.. but (as long as the guys weren't lying to me just to be nice) it was a big hit!  You can make your own pie crust, of course... but especially on a day like Thanksgiving, that was way more than I was willing to take on!

Apple Pie

1 frozen pie crust, thawed
6-8 medium sized apples
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter 
1 1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees/175 celsius.  Combine flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl, mix well.  Once pie crust is thawed, roll out and put in a greased/floured 9 inch round pie pan.  Peel apples, slice thin and add to the crust, filling almost to the top of the crust.  Melt butter and mix it with the flower/brown sugar/oatmeal/nutmeg/cinnamon mixture, stir until well coated.  Pour topping evenly over apples.  Put in oven for about 45 minutes, until crust is golden brown.  Allow to cool a little bit (but not all the way!)  and serve with vanilla ice cream.  mmmmmmm :)

My next recipes I want to try are something with rice, and a ham one.  I'll have to report back once I try them out and let you know how they go!

After I made the Thanksgiving feast on Saturday, J made us an absolutely delicious meal on Sunday.  Too bad we're both such bad cooks, huh? ;)  Guess being domestic comes along with the marriage certificate.  

Speaking of which, we have found out that we need to send our marriage certificate BACK to the U.S. to get an Apostille seal (?) (we're still not 100% sure what that means, but it's a way of 'legalizing it' and is sort of like getting it notarized but for foreign countries, we think)  so that I can register here and get a Finnish ID number (like a social security number).  J was able to register without a problem with the team being his employer, but since he/that is the reason I am here, I need to prove my relationship to him.  It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, because they accepted our certificate as it is when we got our Visa's... but who knows.  So, just a heads up to any hockey wives coming over to Europe, get your marriage certificate legalized BEFORE you leave the U.S. so they will recognize it when you are abroad.  Just wanted to save anyone the step of sending it back like we have to do!

Another note: I see there are lots of you reading from different places across the US/Canada/Europe... I can happily say have been able to connect with a few other hockey wives through this blog, and if you are reading this, feel free to become a follower, comment, or contact me :)  It's such a small world that we live in and no one else understands our crazy lives like a fellow hockey wife!

Well, J is at an away game tonight (if you could call it that, they're playing 10 minutes down the road...) so I'm going to try and stay warm by curling up on the couch with a blanket and a glass of wine.  It's been very cold here lately (single digits fahrenheit, around -15 celsius!) and we have lots of snow.  I better get used to it, I don't think it's going to get any better between now and April!

Hyvää Yötä!

successful turkey day

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Thursday was a little depressing here because the day itself was just like any other- and especially with J having a game it was really weird to not be doing anything to celebrate. It is the first time in my life that I haven't had turkey on Thanksgiving Day... he has had practice in the past on the actual day, but we have always been lucky enough to have a "real" Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving.


Since we didn't get a chance to celebrate on Thursday, we had our turkey day today. I can happily report that it was a huge success!! I was a little worried as to how everything would turn out, even though I've cooked several Thanksgiving meals in the past (usually 20-25 lb. turkeys!) so it was nothing new to me... but with the difficulty of finding things that we are familiar with over here and not having all of my own kitchen utensils and cooking materials I was a little nervous. The boys loved it, and it was delicious! It was so great to get together "just us Americans" to celebrate and have time together. Ther are only 2 others on the team, so you really have to stick together. Made us all feel a little more at home I think :)


Last night was the team Christmas party. It was a very nice and classy event, and we enjoyed it very much. It was kind of funny celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving though. Christmas is the big holiday here, and from now thorough Christmas day they have lots of Christmas parties around here. We're all ready for the season- we bought a fake tree along with some ornaments from Ikea (for 2.50 euros, gotta love Ikea!) and we just decorated it tonight. We also have a real tree, but it's a "Charlie Brown" tree... my other fellow American girl and her boyfriend were up at his cabin a couple weeks ago and they dug some cute little evergreen trees out and brought one to us. It's still deciding if it wants to "live" in the pot or not... hopefully it will last us through the holidays though! I can't believe it's almost December... my favorite month of the year!! Time to start Christmas shopping!!


Since we are in full holiday spirit here... I've been thinking a lot about how thankful I am for everything this past year, and it only makes me even more optimistic for the future. I hope you have all been as blessed as we have. Happy start to the Holiday Season!!


With that being said, here is a flashback song to listen to and get you pumped up for the holidays... (and to get a good laugh watching the video!) :)