Update: I’m only 1 lb away from my first goal weight of 127 lbs, and 8 lbs away from my final goal weight of 120. I lost about 25 lbs on the Dukan Diet but after 6 months I decided to switch over to Weight Watchers and I’ve lost another 6 lbs in about 5 weeks. I still wholly recommend the Dukan Diet. The restrictions on things you can and cannot eat is really helpful for jumpstarting your weight loss. I needed the strict discipline to lose the first 25 lbs. I think I could have done it on Weight Watchers; it just would have been slower. I’m the kind of person who needs to see a big difference fast or I give up. When you are overweight and only losing ½ a pound a week you get disheartened. That’s why the 2 lbs a week I averaged on the Dukan Diet was a great motivator to keep going.

So why did I switch over to Weight Watchers after 6 months? Like I said, Dukan is VERY restrictive and after 6 months I found myself cheating a lot (sometimes a girl just needs some bread) and gaining and losing the same 5 lbs. I didn’t want to give up on my weight loss but I needed a diet that would allow me to eat a variety of foods and still lose weight. Weight Watchers is highly rated by members and doctors because it creates healthy eating habits. Also, two co-workers were going to start as well, so I would have support at work. I may be losing weight a little slower on Weight Watchers, but because I can eat basically anything I think it will be easier to maintain.

And on to the recipe:

Flatbread Pizza (6 points)

I didn’t create this recipe completely on my own, I found a recipe for pizza on the website for the flatbread and modified it into my own.

Ingredients:
FlatOut Light Original Flatbread (only 90 calories, 100% whole wheat, low-fat and high in fiber- only 3 points and great for sandwiches too!)
½ cup of fat-free shredded cheddar cheese (2 points and tastes better than fat-free cheese has an right to taste)
3 tbsp of Hunt’s tomato sauce (0 points)
1 cup of baby portabella mushrooms (0 points plus 1 serving of veggies)
1 tsp of olive oil (1 points plus counts towards your healthy oils in Good Health Guidelines)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Coat flatbread with olive oil and place in over for 6 minutes directly on rack. When you take it out of the oven it will be nice and crispy. Coat pizza with the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms (or whatever veggies you want) then top with cheese. Add more salt and pepper if you want. Place back in oven directly on rack and cook until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Then eat (once it’s cooled of course, don’t blame me if you burn your mouth on hot pizza ☺).

Not only is this pizza very yummy but also it allows you to get a serving of veggies, dairy and healthy fats and is only 6 points.

Boscia MakeUp-BreakUp Cleansing Oil

Boscia MakeUp-BreakUp Cleansing Oil is the product I use to wash my face at the end of every day. You would think putting oil on your face would be counter-intuitive, but it is the best cleanser out there. It takes all the yuck off your face without drying it out, doesn’t clog pores or cause breakouts. It’s a little pricey at $26 for 5 oz. but is well worth it.

Cerave Hydrating Cleanser

Cerave Hydrating Cleanser is what I used to wash my face every morning. As the name implies, this cleanser does not strip moisture from your face but leaves it feeling ready for the day. Many woman like when cleanser leaves them with a squeaky clean feeling, and Cerave won’t do that. When your face feels “squeaky clean” it means that it’s actually been stripped of it’s natural oil, when in turns makes it produce more oil. This gentle cleanser is also super cheap, only $14.75 for 12 oz.

Clarisonic MIA Cleansing System

When I wash my face every morning I use the Clarisonic Mia Skin Cleansing System. From the same company that makes the Sonicare toothbrush, the cleansing system uses sonic technology. Clarisonic’s patented micro-massage motion works within skin’s natural elasticity to gently remove the impurities traditional methods leave behind- leaving skin softer, smoother and more beautiful. It exfoliates, cleanses and leaves your skin prepared to absorb your skin products even better. It’s a little pricey at $105 for the system and $25 for brush heads that need replacing every 3 months. Olay makes a Pro-X Cleansing Brush which is much cheaper ($29.99 for the brush/$9.99 for replacement heads), but I’ve never used it so I cannot vouch for its effectiveness.

LAVANILA Eau de Parfum

I don’t want to smell musky, earthy, spicy, fruity, or flowery- so I have a hard time finding perfume that I like. Now the only perfume I wear is LAVANILA. It comes in 4 different variations (Vanilla Lavendar, Pure Vanilla, Vanilla Coconut, and Vanilla Grapefruit) and they all smell amazing. My favorite is Vanilla Coconut, it reminds me of the summer and the beach. It comes in roll-on oils, eau de parfum, deodorant, body wash and lip balm ranging from $5 to $58. Plus, they are made from essential oils and they are good for you as well as smelling good.

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara

My Holy Grail of mascara is L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara. I hated it a first because the application is not pretty. It’s very wet, difficult to apply and the applicator is more of a comb than a brush. Once you apply it you look like you have doll eyelashes- a few long eyelashes clumped together. After you run a lash comb through it though, it leaves you with the most amazing lashes. The look super long, but soft and natural. Even if I don’t apply any make-up (which I usually don’t), I apply this mascara because I love how it makes my eyes look. Another plus, it is super cheap! Only $7.99 if you buy it online at www.target.com.

Cerave PM

Last, but not least. My favorite night time moisturizer is Cerave PM- it’s not thick and it just absorbs right into your skin. It contains ceramides- which helps replace lipid levels in damaged skin to repair, restore, and maintain the skin’s natural barrier, niacinamide- which helps the skin produce more natural ceramides and fatty acids essential for repairing and restoring the skin barrier and hyaluronic acid- which is an essential ingredient that attracts water to the top layer of the skin and ensures that the skin remains hydrated. It doesn’t make your skin greasy or cause break outs. And like all Cerave products, it’s inexpensive at only $8.05 for 3 oz.

This post in not sponsored and I have not been compensated for endorsing these products. That being said, if any of the above manufacturers would like to send me free products, I will happily accept.

Q: My fiance and I are having an evening wedding and do not want children to come. How do we make this clear to our guests?

A: You should never put “no children” or “adults only” on your invitation. The way the invitation is addressed indicates exactly who is invited. So if the invitation says “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith” that tells your guests that their children are not invited. Of course, if a guest asks you if they can bring their children you can tell them no.

Note to guests: If the invitation does not say “and Family,” that means your children are not invited. The bride and groom have enough worries without having you call and ask if your children can come anyway.

Do you have a question for Emily? Just email me at: emily@stanchfield.com with “Ask Emily” in the subject line and you could be in the next edition of “Ask Emily.”

Boeuf Bourguignon Soup

Ingredients:

4 bone-in short ribs (2 inches thick, 2 lbs total)

Course salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tsp cornstarch

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

8 oz white button mushrooms, quartered

3 carrots, 2 finely chopped and 1 cut into 3/4-inch cubes

3 shallots, minced

2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

2 strips bacon, thinly sliced crosswise

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 thyme springs

1 dried bay leaf

1 c dry red wine, such as Burgundy

8 c homemade or store-bought low-sodium beef stock

2 c water

Directions:

1. Season ribs with 1/2 tsp salt and some pepper. Coat with cornstarch. Heat oil in a large heavy pot (preferably enameled cast iron) over medium-high heat. Lightly brown ribs on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

2. Add mushrooms to pot. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl; add cubed carrot.

3. Add shallots, celery, bacon, and chopped carrots to pot. Cook until caramelized, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.

4. Return ribs with plate juices to pot. Add thyme and bay leaf. Raise heat to high. Add wine. Cook, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon, until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add stock and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until beef is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

5. Remove ribs. Separate meat into bite-size pieces; return to pot. Add reserved mushrooms-carrot mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook until cubed carrots are tender. Season with salt.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

I hope you enjoy with recipe! I’m off to enjoy a bowl while I watch Dancing with the Stars. Bon Appetite!

So how do you keep from becoming this dreaded bride from wedding hell? Remember two important things that will keep everything in perspective.

1. Your love for each other will be the most memorable thing about your wedding day. People may not remember your wedding colors, your first dance song or your favors. What they will remember is the way your looked at each other as your said your vows, your husband’s look of wonder as your walked down the aisle, the smile on both your faces when your are pronounced husband and wife for the first time. Everything else is just frosting on the cake- and if something isn’t perfect, no one will remember, or likely even notice. So when you start getting stressed about details just remember that your love for each other is what is important.

2. Your wedding day is YOUR day. But it is also your husband’s day, your mother’s day, your father’s day. This day is not just about you: it’s about both of you and the family who is celebrating with you. I’m not saying your should plan your wedding to please everyone else, but you have to know what’s really important and when to compromise. So if it would make your mom truly happy to invite crazy Aunt Esther, isn’t it worth it?

Stay tuned for more Wedding 101.

Still need perspective? Elvis walked me down the aisle and it was still one of the best days of my life.

Are you interested yet? You can go to www.dukandiet.com to learn more about what your goal weight should be and how long each of the 4 phases should last. Two other great websites with yummy recipes are: www.mydukandiet.com and www.dukanitout.com. I am now only 3 lbs away from being in my healthy weight range in only 3 weeks (although I still want to lose 22 more pounds).

If you decide to try it drop me a message and let me know how you’re doing!

There may not be a cleaning fairy, but I believe there are little cleaning elves who make fantastic tools to help making cleaning easier.  I got a Swiffer vacuum for Christmas and a cleaning elf definitely had his hand in the creation of this device. Our downstairs does not have any carpeting- only wood floors and tile- and I got tired of lugging our huge vacuum down the stairs once a week.  The Swiffer vacuum is lightweight and perfect for hard surfaces and really does make my life a whole lot easier.  It may not be a Dyson, but for $30 it is fantastic.

In other news,  I changed both taillights on my car this afternoon all by myself.  It really wasn’t that hard but I plan on milking it for all it’s worth.