Farmer's Market Friday

Dear Farmer’s Market,

I love you!!!

Sincerely,
KT the Fat Free Queen

The vendor at the Farmer's Market I get my produce from

I adore Fridays.  To most people Fridays mean the last day of work before the weekend, relaxing and fun.  To me it means going to the Farmer’s Market.  The nice thing about living in Florida is that we have the Farmer’s Market year round.  So I can still get fresh, locally grown produce in December the same as I can get it in June. 
   The one here is about 15 minutes from my house.  It’s open on Fridays and Saturdays.  I always go on Fridays because Kay and Mo are in school, I’m already up getting kids to the bus stop, and there are (in my opinion) better vendors there on Friday.
Honestly I only started  doing a weekly trip to the Farmer’s Market in February.  Before then I would go from time to time and pick out whatever looked good but, it wasn’t serious.  In February I went once to look around and for some reason something changed in me and I became hooked.  I buy 95% of the produce that I need for the week plus some extra fruits and vegetables that look good or that the girls want.  I like shopping there because I save some money, I’m supporting the local businesses and my produce is locally grown.  After 2 months of being a weekly face at certain vendors they know my face and what I like and don’t like.
This trip was a little different than my normal trips.  I spent a little more than normal and bought things I don’t normally buy.  I had Kay and Mo with me so, they wanted a special treat.  Baye gets a bag of kettle corn every week.  That’s her treat for being good while I do my shopping.  She knows I go buy my produce (I use the same vendor every week), then we go get her kettle corn and after that we finish our shopping.  Another reason that I spent differently then normal is because we’re getting ready to go camping on Monday so I needed stuff I don’t normally get.

My Farmer's Market finds for the week

I spent $49 and here’s what I got:
Bananas
A lot of apples (I needed them to make apple chips and for the girls on the trip)
Some dried strawberries, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds (for trail mix)
Kettle corn for Baye
Gummy worms for Mo
Licorice for Kay (she regretted this decision)
Portobello Mushrooms
Baby portabellas
Sweet potatoes
A container of pineapple
AND MUFFINS!!!

I am addicted to the muffins that are sold at the market!  These muffins are worse than crack.  I buy 5 and get one free.  I spend $15 a week on these muffins.  They are excellent!  Hugo is the man who makes them.  They’re all low-fat (he has a few that are fat-free but you have to special order them)  If you are in the Flagler County, St. Augustine area then you have to try Hugo’s Muffins.  I can’t live without them.        

What’s your idea of a fun Friday?

Links:
Hugo's Muffins
Flagler County Farmer's Market

Beach Dogs and Dinners

                I’ve switched up my workouts for the past week.  Last week I trained for my stair climb all week so I thought I’d give those muscles a rest.  Plus I somehow gained a few pounds while doing it so I decided to change.  I started walking on the beach with my dogs.  I love walking on the beach.  I get to exercise and tan at the same time. 

Exercise + Tan = Double win!

               Tuesday I took Nawtee.  Greatest beach dog EVER!!  I took his leash off and he followed every command I gave him and he stayed no more than 2 feet away from me at all times (unless he was chasing a bird.)  Yesterday I took Wikkid.  He didn’t listen to me at all!  So I kept his leash on him 95% of the time.  But, I still love him and he still is an awesome dog (even if he’s never allowed at the beach with me again.)  Thursday I took Nawtee again but, I took his ball with us.  The dog is obsessed with his ball.  I will never take his ball on another walk again.  After I stopped throwing it he jumped as we walked for about 5 minutes straight.  The rest of the time he searched for it.  He went up and down the beach, nose to the ground, hoping to find it.  But we still got a good walk in. 

Nawtee enjoying his walk

Wikkid running away from the waves

               Mr. Amazing suggested that one of the reasons I gained the few pounds I did was because I was eating more calories than I thought I was.  Why didn’t I think of that?!?  And I hate to say it but, he was right.  He suggested proportioned meals.  Last night the girls were having leftovers so I made myself this.

Egg boat.  

 {Please pardon the horrible pictures.  My camera is currently being cleaned}

               I adapted the recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon.  My version wasn’t as amazing as I expected.  I totally overstuffed them.  I decided to use up the last of the egg whites that were in the container.  In total I poured about 3 egg whites into this poor roll.  The whole recipe (enough for 4 rolls) calls for 5 eggs.  I also added spinach and onions to mine.  It was still very tasty though.  And the only fat in it was from the roll (about 2 grams)  I’m going to try making them again using the proper measurements. 

               I’m still going with Mr. Amazing’s pre portioned meal idea.  Luckily one of the things on my menu for the month (I’ll do a post about the wonders of a monthly menu at a later date) was Egg Turnovers.  I adapted mine from Clean Eating Mag.  I have made this recipe a million times.  I love it because it’s so customizable.  The girls like different things than Mr. Amazing does and I can’t eat certain things so it’s perfect.  This dish is great for a house full of people with different tastes.  

               But, when I went to make dinner my oven decided to be on the fritz so, I had to scratch that and we just had scrambled eggs with various things mixed in.  I didn’t want to waste the pizza dough that I had rising so I divided it into four pieces, rolled it out thin  and put it in a skillet with some pan spray and a little fat free butter (just to add a hint of a butter flavor) and cooked it until it was lightly browned and no longer doughy.  The kids loved it.  But, for some reason Kay can’t get enough of the fat free pizza dough I make.  I even used the recipe to make crescents for Christmas dinner.  

Get to know a little about me.

I finally decided to start a blog because I’m tired of all my ideas running free in my head.  I decided that they needed a place to stay and that’s why we now have the Fat Free Queen.  I’m a self proclaimed health nut..  Here’s a little bit about my weight loss journey.  

 I started my journey about 3 years ago.  I weighed 197 pounds.  Today I weigh 114.  This is all thanks to eating a whole foods diet 

Why I decided to start this blog

1)  To hold myself accountable

 I have no one to really motivate me to be as fit as I want to be.  My husband and kids “love me no matter how I look.”  This causes me to slack occasionally.  Hopefully this blog will keep me motivated and keep me going.

2)  To help people find good recipes for dealing with gallstones

In September 2011 I ended up in the hospital and was diagnosed with gallstones.  Eating any fat at all caused me pain.  Since then I have been on a quest for the yummiest fat free foods and recipes.  At first I would hke 2 different dinners, one for me and the other for the family.  IO got sick and tired of that after a few weeks.  Since then I have making one meal for the whole family.  Since I’m cooking for for 2 kids, a toddler and a husband who likes to eat I have to make sure that the meals are normal and don’t contain any “weird” ingredients.  

 I got my gallbaldder removed at the end of February and I feel a lot better.  Eating fat still makes me sick so I still eat a fat free vegetarian whole foods diet.  Occasionally I will add a little seafood because of the health benefits.  

The people in my life

1) My amazing husband

 I am married to the most wonderful man in the world.  No matter what I say I want to do he supports me.

I want to become a nutritionist?  SURE!

I want to be a personal trainer?  OKAY!

I want to sign up for a mud run?  I’LL DO IT WITH YOU!

He’s loved me at every weight.  Right after I had Baye and I was 197 lbs, he thought I was gorgeous.  A week after my gallbladder surgery and I was at 107?  Yep, he thought I was beautiful then too!  He has reaped some of the benefits from my healthy eating habits too.  In the past 2 years he’s lost about 60 pounds.  I’m happy for him but, I’m also jealous.  He’s the type of person that weight just falls off of even though they don’t try.  But I love him.  He’s amazing and awesome!  I can’t imagine life without him.  And from here on out he will be known as Mr. Amazing.

2)  Kay

 Kay is my (almost) 9 year old.  She’s amazing too.  She would play every sport under the sun if I would allow her to.  She’s the quiet but competitive type.  She loves a challenge.  

3)  Mo

 Mo is my 7 year old.  She’s great.  She hates tv.  She spends a lot of time outside because of this.    She loves her bike and her scooter but most of all she loves taking care of Baye.

4)  Baye 

 Baye is my (almost) 3 year old.  She doesn’t understand that our yard is not an extension of our house.  On a warm day she will try and drag all her toys outside to play with them.  She would live out there if I would let her.  She has also started forcing me to take a 1 mile walk every evening after dinner.  We do the same loop (her choice) every day.  It takes us about 30 minutes and we stop to look at Bayes and rocks and sticks and of course, to say hi to our neighbors.  But she’s the cutest thing ever.  

5 things about me

1)  I’m a fish.

 I have decided that in my last life I was a fish.  I love to be in and around the water.  Pool, beach, lake, it doesn’t matter to me.  I live in a beach-front community so in the summer me and the girls are constantly at the beach or the pool.  

2)  I hate the gym!

 Every few years I go and do a free trial at a gym.  Every few years I remind myself that I still don’t like going to the gym.  You will never find a post on my blog about me doing a gym workout.  I prefer to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine.  I also don’t mind working out in the comforts of my own home (even with 3 kids and 2 dogs underfoot.)

3)  I love to bake.

 Half of the time you’ll find me in the kicthen baking some new sweet treat for the girls.  Mo and Baye aren’t much for sweets but, Kay makes up for both of them.  I try to figure out the ways to make desserts with lower calories, lower sugar and most of all lower fat.  

4)  I’m currently training for 2 different races right now

 Mr. Amazing and I signed up for the Survivor Mud Run in October.  It seems like it’s going to be a completely awesome time.  And it’s a great calorie burner.  It’s a 3.17 run/walk.  There are 20 obstacles along the way.  The obstacles vary from a cargo climb to a tunnel you have to crawl through.  This race also includes 3 mud pits that you have to trudge through,  Mr. Amazing and I don’t run so we plan on walking it.  I’ve been working on my arm strength and my leg strength

Click here to find your closest one

 I’m also training for the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air stair climb.  I’m actually training harder for this one than the Mud Run.  This race 30 flights of stairs.  About 600 stairs.  I want to be in the top 20 for my age group.  In order to that I need to finish in under 8:30.  My best time so far is 7:45.  My normal time is around 9:30 though.  Luckily I have until November to cut my time down.  

Click here to find out when it's coming to your area

5)  I am in constant pain.  

 Even though I live an active lifestyle I am in pain 24/7.  I was in a car accident about 2 years ago that screwed up both knees, my back, and my neck.  I can’t let the pain stop me from living my life.  Where would I be if I did that?  I’d be sitting at home, moping, feeling sorry for myself and making Mr. Amazing’s life miserable.