Doctor appointments, Rock Climbing, and Delicious Food!

The last two days have been full. I'm going to start with Monday. Monday was an awesome day. I got Ares to school on time and then went to the gym for the first time in a week. I loved it! I then went to my Aunt Susie's to help clean her house while she dealt with thank you cards and phone calls from everyone making sure she was ok after the funeral. All went well until I went to take two dirty diapers outside to the trash can. I fell part way down the stairs. I felt awful because Susie was freaking out and was soooo worried. That was the last thing I wanted her to be after everything she went through so I went out to the trash can as planned and since I had to leave shortly after I just sat on the couch to catch my breath. Thinking I just sprained my ankle a little bit I went the rest of the day disregarding the pain in my foot, particularly in my big toe, and just went on with my business of picking Ares up and then taking him to his first rock climbing class.

The rock climbing class that I signed Ares up for was at the YMCA. Ares really enjoyed it, but this was his first and last class. This was not due to Ares misbehaving this was due to the instructor's lack of teaching. None of the kids were told any safety precautions, and he helped every other kid with their harness equipment except Ares even though Ares went up and asked several times for help. The 12yr old girl in his class ended up helping him, and when it was time for Ares to go up the instructor didn't even check to see if he was secure. I was furious, and this was just one of the many things he didn't do. We even took a picture of the instructor just sitting on the floor staring off into space. Thank God we got our money back! Despite our mishaps with the instructor though we did get some good pictures of Ares climbing the wall.

We then ended this evening by going to my mother in law's house and enjoying some of her delicious cooking that really hit the spot. We then treated Ares to ice cream since he had been very good in school. As soon as we got home though it was bed time for all the kiddos and they were all so exhausted they went to bed no problem. Kyle and I then stayed up to make name puzzles for Ares' teacher that she had asked us to do for her.

Tuesday:
This was the day for my doctor appointment that I had scheduled two weeks prior because of having problems with blood pressure, hot flashes, and weight gain. I went in, and yes I do have elevated blood pressure and so I have been prescribed medication. However, I also had to have my blood tested for diabetes and thyroid issues. I have been tested for these things in the past with it always being negative, but with my symptoms they want to check their bases. I also got my weight checked and who is ready for this? I wasn't that's for sure. My weight for September is 267! I have never weighed that much! Not even when I was pregnant!!! Plus, to make matters worse, I had gotten down to 220 in April so that means I have gained almost 50lbs in 5 months. That is not healthy. The doctor has ordered me to start keeping a food journal as well to figure out what else could be causing it, and bring it in my next appointment in 3 weeks. Oh yes, and before I forget I would also like to announce that I broke my toe too. I had my doctor check it after I had realized late Monday night that my toe was black and blue from the fall down the stairs. I have to tape it together for 6weeks for it to heal right. The doctor said I bruised the bottom of my foot as well in my fall as well.  Hopefully I can still swim with it taped and bruised because I'm screwed otherwise.

Despite this bad news though I went on with my day as normal. I went to the Dollar Tree to pick up a few toys for Ares' teacher because she needed some more for their prize box at the end of the week, and then I picked up some for my own prize box for Ares if he is good during the day. I then got some extra toys from my grandparents  to donate as well! His teacher was so excited! Ares also had a good day at school so he got to pick out a new toy out of the knick knacks I bought. I think he now has good motivation to be good for the rest of the week. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

When I got home it was time for dinner! Tuesday night's dinner selection was a recipe I got from pintrest, but it claims to be a weight watcher recipe. Cheese and Chicken Stuffed Shells. My husband and I seriously LOVED them. He's given me the permission to defiantly make these again. My son was not impressed, and telling me I was a bad cook. He ate it anyway and as soon as he was finished he decided I wasn't such a bad cook after all. Haha! Kids can be so funny sometimes.

Just so you know we doubled our recipe so that my hubby could take some to work with him the next day. We also served with garlic bread, and adding the pasta on top of the garlic bread made it taste awesome as well!

What do you think? I'm not the best food photographer ever, but I let the food speaks for itself!

Ingredients:

12 jumbo pasta shells
1 1/2 c pasta sauce
2 large egg whites, gently beaten ( I used egg beaters)
1 1/2 c part skim ricotta cheese
4 oz. chicken, cooked and diced
1 c frozen spinach (chopped) thawed (drain all excess water)

2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp chopped basil (Note: I did not have these two spices separately so I used the Italian Seasoning I had in the cupboard and it worked just as good!)
3/4 c part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350
Cook shells in boiling water according to the directions on box.
Rinse with cold water and set aside for later use.

Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread 1/2 c of pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

For filling: Stir together egg whites, ricotta, chicken, spinach, garlic powder, basil, and seasoning. Stir in 1/4 c of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Fill each shell with mixture and place filled shells in the baking dish on top of the sauce. Spread remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 30 minutes.