A Sensible Dinner - Pearlieq's Journal

[septbride2002]

Ooohhhh I might need to pick up some of those key lime squares - sounds yummy. You have been doing so great! I love your 35 lb clippie in your signature! THAT IS AWESOME Keep up the good work because you are seeing results!

~Amanda

 

[toystoryduo]

Hey pearlieq!

That barbecue today sounds so good! Plus, you have all of those wonderful desserts too! If you have any leftovers, can you bring some back for your WISH friends?

Congratulations on the 35 pound clippie! That is great!

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

[contempgal]

Have fun at the picnic, Pearlie!! Your bars sound wonderful...............what did you do to doctor up the raspberry cream brownies? Raspberry and chocolate are one of my many weakness areas, lol. Indulge me!

 

[Lesli54]

Good Afternoon, Pearlieq!

Just got back from wDW at 3am this morning. Had a little rest, but not much before getting up to start my day without Mickey.

I have caught up on your journal and I must say that you have been doing quite well. Congrats on the new clippie. It must feel really good to know that you have lost so much. I also loved reading your 3 month update and agree that I am not as strong as I had hoped either, but persistence will pay off. As far as the "newness" of the program wearing off and wondering "if it is worth continuing, since I am happier now than I was".............I have been doing some of that myself. Mainly before my trip to WDW and all I can say is........YES! IT IS WORTH IT. I feel good shoppping at more places, but will feel even better fitting into 90% of the cute clothes I see. I felt good wearing a swimsuit without a skirt bottom and look forward to looking even better in one. DH's compliments are more forthcoming and it feels great. Plus, I know that next time at WDW, I will feel even better and will look good to boot. Happier? Yes, but I still haven't reached the point where I look on the outside the way I feel on the inside. It sounds from your writing that you have similar thoughts and feelings as well, so let's make a plan to stick this out no matter what. We have come this far together with the help of good friends, so we might as well go all the way.

Sorry, such a long post. Hang in there! Just remember how good it felt to be at WDW in May and how much better it will feel in Dec.

Have a great day and enjoy your time at the picnic.

 

[pearlieq]

Have fun at the picnic, Pearlie!! Your bars sound wonderful...............what did you do to doctor up the raspberry cream brownies? Raspberry and chocolate are one of my many weakness areas, lol. Indulge me!

They were super easy and very tasty! Here's what you need:

--1 box brownie mix (I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate--it worked really well!)
--1 cup seedless raspberry jam
--1 can cream cheese frosting
--32 raspberries

Bake brownies in a 13 x 9 pan according to package directions. Right before brownies come out of the oven, microwave the jam to melt (about 1 minute). Take brownies out of the oven. Once you determine they're done, use a toothpick or fork and makes lots of holes in the brownies. Pour the melted jam over the hot brownies and smooth around with a spoon until everything is coated. Cool on the counter for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Once brownies are completely chilled, frost with the cream cheese frosting (I used the whole can and found them to be a bit too rich, start with 1/2 can and adjust to taste). Cut into 32 bars and top each with a fresh raspberry.

Enjoy!

 

[pearlieq]

6/18/05 - Weigh In

321.5 - Up 1lb in the past 2 weeks.

Meh. I can live with that. Especially since yesterday and the day before were kind of heavy days.

I must say I'm feeling pretty refreshed after taking stepping back a bit, and now I feel like I'm ready to move forward again. I've found that I really believe in exercise and portion control and get a lot out of them. I also found that Fitday was starting to feel like a burden/chore and I don't miss it. I think I may try to rely exclusively on my WISH journal for a few weeks. If it seems like I'm staying on track, then I think I'm going to let Fitday go.

Goals for next week:

1.) Exercise. Going earlier in the day works for me, but I only got 3 workout in at Curves, which is the bare minimum for me. I'd like to bump that up to 5 during the week, and to keep staying active other days.

2.) Reduce portions at fast foods and restaurants. I need to be mindful of the fact that I don't need 2 sandwiches AND fries at a fast food joint and I don't need to finish a full entree at sit down places.

 

[pearlieq]

6/18/05

8:40am

--1 light 'n fit yogurt cup
--1 medium peach

Not too hungry this morning. Lots going on today--we should be leaving for the nail place soon. I'm coming home afterwards--I think I'll have leftover turkey sausage and broccoli for lunch. Then it will be almost time to go to the mall--I'm hoping for Panera for dinner. I haven't had my yummy salad in quite some time.

12:00pm

--1 serving turkey sausage with barbecue glaze
--1/2 bunch broccoli
--1 whole wheat english muffin
--1/2 cup raspberries

I would wholeheartedly recommend the whole wheat english muffins. They're Thomas' light whole wheat english muffins and they taste really good. Plus, they're 100 calories each with 8g fiber. Not bad!

3:00pm

--1 no sugar added ice cream sandwich

8:30pm

--1/4 plate of nachos
--1/2 cheeseburger
--2 chicken strips
--1/2 order fries
--1 small tub ranch dip

The nachos weren't that great. I really should have stopped eating them, but you feel like you need to beacuse you paid for them.

Didn't get to the mall with my friend. She's going to be a summer camp counselor, and had to do canoe training. She thought she was going to be done around 3, but she still wasn't finished by 6pm. DH was about to come home, so I wound up begging off. I waited until 6pm, which I think was more than fair, but I think she's ticked at me. Oh well--she can get over it.

10:00pm

--1 small cheesecake ice cream with 3 T. strawberries and 1/3 Snickers bar in a waffle bowl.

Cold Stone--always yummy. The cheesecake ice cream was good, but I think next time I might stick with the raspberry sorbet.

 

[rcyannacci]

Fun day! Enjoy your manicure and shopping!

I'm so craving that peach you had this morning. (and, of course, the key lime squares...just sounds like summer, doesn't it?)

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning Pearlieq!

Sounds like you have a good plan. I agree, there are times when Fitday takes more time than I have to enter everything. It's great to see progress on a chart, but it is also good to take breaks now and again to see how well we can swim on our own.

Have fun with your salon treatments. Sounds like a good day ahead and very refreshing.

 

[contempgal]

Thanks for the recipe, Pearlie! I think I can put that on a list of treats sometime. It looks yummy!

I'm glad that you feel refreshed from your step back. I do think that sometimes that is necessary. I'm always telling myself not to overdo it because I'll begin to resent exercise and dieting if I'm always forcing myself to do it. I think taking a step back helps to put things in perspective.

Good luck on your new goals!! We're behind you 100%.

 

[Strings]

Hi Pearlieq,

Sorry I've been MIA.

I understand about Fitday. I did it for quite some time. Now I don't. I was able to get a general idea about how much fat/prtein/carbs work for me, and then I moved on. It may be time to get back to it. Your brownies sound wonderful. I will try them for the nest potluck we have.
Take care,
Beth

 

[Lesli54]

Good Morning Pearlieq!

What a beautiful day it is here. Now if we only had some rain. Everything here is so dry. From what I understand all of the rain that you got while I was gone ended up going around this area. Nothing unusual, most of the weather splits around us to the south and north due to the way the Mississippi River bends. Strange, but it doesn't help when we need the rain.

Did you have fun getting your feet pampered? So far it looks like you are doing good with getting your meals back on track after having a few days off.

Keep up the good work.

 

[pearlieq]

6/19/05

Rain would be so nice! Most of it blew over us--our grass is orange and crispy. I think we're going to have to break down and water. Ugh!

10:00am

--1 large serving quiche
--1 smaller serving quiche
--1/2 cup mashed potatoes
--1 small chicken breast vesuvio
--1 slice french toast
--2 small pancakes
--3 small pieces danish
--1 1/2 small pieces cake
--1 sausage link
--1/2 eggs benedict

I think that's it. We took my mom our for brunch today. She raised me by herself, so I like to celebrate both Mother's Day and Father's Day with her. Something was off during the meal--I couldn't describe what but my mom was a little ornery and things were a bit awkward. I dunno...

2:00pm

--1 strawberry spritzer

This is a keeper. Whole Fruit makes a sugar free sorbet. 1/3 cup in a glass with chilled Diet Sierra Mist was the most wonderful, refreshing drink!

I'm an animal!!! DH and I spent about 1 - 1/2 hours bagging up and getting rid of the sod from our rocking product. I was picking up and hauling 50lb bags of sod all around. It's so fun to be able to keep up with DH and to make a real physical contribution. That's what I think is the best thing I've gotten out of exercising. I love the physical confidence I have.

7:00pm

--3 chicken strips
--1 small bag cool ranch Doritos
--1/2 cup macaroni salad
--1/3 cup raspberries

8:00pm

--1/8 slice white cake with vanilla frosting

After weeks and weeks of passing this by at the grocery store, I finally picked up a cake. They had my favorite kind--yellow with vanilla with white sprinkes. I had a piece tonight, and it was OK, but it wasn't anywhere near as great as I remember or as it needs to be to justify the calories. I feel bad, but the rest is going in the trash. At least I'll have this to remember the next time I see one.

8:45pm

--1 strawberry spritzer

Yum!

 

[contempgal]

It's funny how the things you crave never really taste as great as you remember. I guess that's a good thing though because then you'll crave it less.

Anyway, hope you have a great start to the new week!

 

[pearlieq]

6/20/05

8:00am

--1 cup life cereal
--2/3 cup milk

I'm pretty soggy this morning. We had to break down and water the lawn, and this is the first time I've done it, so it took a while to get the sprinklers positioned correctly, and I eventually figured it would just be easier to get wet instead of trying to avoid them all the time. I'm calling around for quotes on a fence today--I can't wait for it to get put in! I've had enough of my neighbors!!! Unfortunately, we have a fascist homeowners assn here, and we can only get 4' cedar shadowbox fences, but at least that will be enough to mark my "territory" and to not have every single lawn care decision we make to be a matter for public discussion. Counting the hours!!!

9:30am

--1 whole wheat light english muffin
--1 T. light strawberry cream cheese

I feel like I'm in an army ad today--I've done more before 10am today than I've done in a full day! It feels so good to be productive. TOM is coming this week and I'm almost afraid of it. Last month was really rough, and I'm not looking for a repeat. Hopefully staying busy and getting regular exercise will get me through it.

11:30am

--1 LC peanut chicken
--1/2 cup peas
--1/4 cup chex mix
--2 T. honey roasted peanuts
--2 T. raisins
--1 ww bagel
--2 T. light strawberry cream cheese

Oh yeah, the PMS monster is here and in full force. The only thing I'm glad of is that I managed to stop myself from going out to get junk. I may nibble, nibble, nibble here, but I could never get into as much trouble here as I could at a 7-11.

12:30

--1 large tortilla
--1/2 cup 2% cheddar cheese
--4 oz chicken breast
--2 T. barbecue sauce

OK, at least I feel pretty content after eating this. I'm going to try to bury myself in work for a while and then go out and haul rocks. I'm cooking tonight (at least, I'm really going to try to.) I found a reasonably healthy looking recipe for carbonara sauce, so I'm going to make it with Canadian bacon, and then fix it up with broccoli, whole wheat rigatoni, and chicken strips. With any luck it will be a good meal!

6:00pm

--1 1/2 cups whole wheat rigatoni
--4 oz chicken breast
--3/4 cup broccoli
--2 1/2 slices canadian bacon
--carbonara sauce (egg, butter, evaporated skim milk, onion, spices)
--3 smallish pieces cinnamon raisin cake

So I actually cooked again! The carbonara wasn't bad--I think if I do it again I'll switch out the butter for olive oil, use egg beaters, and really amp up the garlic/spices. It was pretty good but it needed more kick. The cake was a last minute creation. I have a quart of non-fat plain yogurt I had to use up, so I mixed up a cup with some reduced-fat Bisquick, applesauce, Splenda, cinnamon, and raisins and made a cake out of it. It's pretty good--I like the richness and tang yogurt gives to baked goods.

9:00pm

--3/4 cup nsa Rocky Road ice cream

I really like the Breyers no sugar ice creams--they're creamy and tasty and they come in good flavors.

I honestly can't remember if I ate more than that. I'm thinking I might have had something between lunch and dinner, but I can't recall. I was very snacky yesterday, so it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibilities.

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning Pearlieq!

Sounds like you had a good day yesterday. Hope you figure out what is up with your mom. I also love the feel of helping DH get some of the physical work done. Not that I have gotten stronger (lack of exercise ), but I have alot more energy.

The spritzer sounds really good. I'll need to try it.

Good luck on getting the fence in and getting the yard finished.

 

[calena]

Glad you took your mom out for Father's Day. DH was pretty ornery too on Father's Day... I think a lot of these holidays have so many expectations around them... that is what makes it tough.
Intersting about the cake... I imagine if I ate some of my favorites - DQ Blizzard it would probably be too sweet too!

 

[rcyannacci]

I totally get the cake thing. I did the same thing on my mini-break a couple of weeks back (except it was the cookies I've always liked). I think going to the grocery is really hard because all the sugary food is right out front and visible. I think I'm fine walking in, but then am confronted by all that food and start having cravings. I try not to even get near the bakery lately, and spend most of my time on the perimeters in produce and dairy.

Have a great Monday!

 

[pearlieq]

6/21/05

8:30am

--1 ww bagel
--2 T light strawberry cream cheese
--1 1/2 cup 1% milk
--2 smallish pieces cinnamon raisin cake

I like the cake even better cold! I wasn't really thinking when I grabbed this breakfast. It almost felt like I was just trying to get the fastest injections of carbs possible. I'm dragging this morning. My sinuses are acting up on me, and I woke up to a kitty mess, so I'm not in the best mood. Plus, I just really don't feel like dealing with work. I can't wait until I'm done.

Hopefully I can find some and shake off this funky mood. I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and start on my work project. The sooner it's done the sooner I don't have to think about it anymore!

12:30pm

--1 LC peanut chicken
--1/2 cup peas
--1 heaping 1/2 cup raspberries
--1 light 'n fit yogurt cup
--1 square cinnamon raisin cake

Bad mood not really much better. It feels like the world is just conspiring to annoy me! I got dragged into a dumb meeting this morning after I specifically told the guy who was running it that I wasn't available until after 12pm. Did that stop him from calling me at 10am and patching me into his conference call? No! But, no problem, I don't have anything else to do. I was just sitting here twiddling my thumbs. Really. UGH!!!

I think I'm going to go to Curves today after work. I need to blow off some steam. I'm cooking in again tonight. We're having barbecued chicken, sweet corn casserole, and honey-glazed carrots. Should be yummy!

2:00pm - 7:00pm

--2 large bowls fruity pebbles
--1 LC peanut chicken with peas
--1 ww bagel
--2 T light strawberry cream cheese
--1 large quesadilla with cheese, chicken, and barbecue sauce
--2 lean pockets

There may be more--I really can't remember. Suffice it to say the day went downhilll pretty fast. I started having a major allergy attack which aggrivated my sinuses, I'm deep in the throes of PMS depression, and on a huge carb binge. I was so whacked out hormonally yesterday that I actually burst into tears at the end of a MASH rerun! It was really not a nice place

7:00pm

--2 double stacks
--1 biggie fries
--1 medium frosty

DH brought home dinner, because I had all but shut down at that point. I had taken to laying on the couch with a box of tissues and whining. Not a proud moment.

10:00pm

--2 small pieces cinnamon raisin cake
--12 oz 1% milk

I rallied a little bit later in the evening, and actually logged back in and did some work so I would be ahead for the next morning. I can't imagine what it's like for depressed people to live like this day after day. I'm so lucky. I know that it will pass within 24-36 hours and I can get on with my life. I can't imagine what it would be like to go through it over and over with no end in sight. I really respect those folks for hanging on, because this was not a pleasant day!

 

[Desiree]

Sorry you had such a rough day yesterday. We are one day closer to the weekend though! (At least that's what I tell myself to get through the work week!) Your dinner last night sounded yummy!

Hopefully today will be a much better day!