A Sensible Dinner - Pearlieq's Journal

[Mykelogan]

Hi Pearlieq!!

I am sooo happy to hear that you feel good!! Isn't great to notice a change like that?? And to know you made it possible for yourself to feel that way is even better!!

I am also sooo tempted to ask for recipes for those goodies you are making, I will resist them all but I must know what pretzel candies are? Sounds yummy! hehe

Hope that you have an awesome night!
Mike

 

[Storygirl]

Oh Pearlieq, I hear you!! TOM is on it's way for me and I was so cranky this weekend!!! And don't you just want to put anything and everything edible that comes near you in your mouth?

<-----from one of the multitudes of women who understand...wow, do I understand!!!!

I realize you probably made all your recipes now, but I am sharing one (NOT diet friendly...well...actually it does have Special K cereal in it... ) that is super yummy, super easy and super fast - this is one that my grandma used to make and then my mom...but for all I know it's a common one in all homes across America:

Special K Bars:

1 cup white karo syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup chunky peanut better
3-4 cups Special K cereal
Hersheys chocolate bars

Mix syrup and sugar over medium heat until blended and beginning to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Once blended, incorporate cereal completely. Place in an 8x8 pan and cover with pieces of about 3 chocolate bars (more if you prefer!). Place under broiler for 1 minute until chocolate is melted, spread over bars with a spatula. Let sit for a while or enjoy immediately. (note: you don't have to spray the pan first, the peanut butter makes the bars pop right out without sticking)

So easy and literally takes no more than 10 minutes to make. You could use any cereal (although fruit loops might be pretty gross ) And it's super easy to make a larger batch.

Enjoy the farmer's market bake sale - I have three kitties at home (Eponine, Reggie and Brett (yes, we're Packer fans!) ) and all three came from shelters...shelters do just great work!

Have a great day!!!

Jenn.

 

[rcyannacci]

She still has very strict rules--touching is only permitted if she initiates contact. There will be NO picking her up. Only one hand may be used at a time, keep movements/laughter/coughing/sneezing to a minimum and NO FUNNY BUSINESS. If we attempt to pick her up, groom her, or even move in any way that seems shifty, she bolts and we're given the silent treatment.

OMG! This describes my dog Fraiser exactly! LOL!!! He was also a pound puppy, and I think he was likely abused before we got him. But over the years he's gotten more and more affectionate. I love that you're baking for the shelter! Maybe I can figure out a way to get more involved with our local SPCA.

Anyway, good luck baking and have a great day!

 

[toystoryduo]

Good morning pearlieq!

That is such a nice thing that you are doing for the animal shelter. If you happen to need anyone to taste test all of the yummy treats that you are making, I would be more than happy to volunteer! Those sound sooo good!

I hope you have a happy and healthy day today! Keep up the good work, pearlieq!

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning Pearlieq!

What a great day you had yesterday! Food was good, hubby was home, and you even resisted the baked goods with ease! Now that is progress!

I wholeheartedly agree with your comments about not taking care of yourself. Now that we are feeling better, why would we ever want to go back? It is funny that you mentioned going from fix to fix of junk when you aren't treating yourself well (as most of us has done, that's why we are here), because I was just reading about that in Dr. Phil's book last night as one of the tendencies that occur when we don't eat right and don't take care of ourselves. It must have been a message that we are supposed to remember.

Hope you have a great day and keep up the great work.

 

[joelyfaithsmommy]

hi Pearlieq!!!

just wanted to pop in and BRIGHTEN your day wishing you all the best for more weight loss, and a SUPER great day!


hugs to you!!!
JEN

 

[eeyore25]

Hi Pearlieq!

Just wanted to stop in and WISH you a great day. You did awesome yesterday!

Keep up the good work and I hope you have a great day!

 

[pearlieq]

7/20/05

10:30am

--2 eggs
--2 whole wheat tortillas
--1 piece 2% American cheese
--2 T salsa
--2 kiwis

I got breakfast late today. I wasn't that hungry when I woke up so I went straight to Curves. After I got back I got caught up with a little work, and didn't get around to breakfast until after 10! It's nice to have the workout and shower all done--now I have the whole rest of the day to do as I please!

I'm going to make the pretzel candies today and get those all bagged up. Tomorrow I'll do the bar cookies, and Friday I'll do the muffins, lemon cakes, and pineapple upside down cakes. So far I think it will all go smoothly!

1:40pm

--1/4 portion cha cha cheeseball dip
--1 pkt South Beach wheat crackers

I love this dip! It's soooo expensive, but so tasty! I split the recipe between DH and I and we both nibble on it for a couple of days. I was happy to find the little packets of the wheat crackers. Portion controlled and high fiber!

All of the pretzel candies (all 230 or so of them!) are done--I may have snuck one or two M&Ms, but that's it. It's really not too hard to keep my mitts out of them, when I know that if I eat them I'm taking away resources that could be sold to help the kitties and dogs at the shelter. I actually like the arrangement--usually I have to stay away from baked goods because the recipes are so big and with DH being diabetic I have to eat it all. Here I can try one of something in a recipe and ship the rest of for a good cause. Win-win!!!

The fence is done! The crew actually worked through a rainstorm to get it done. Of course, it didn't start raining until after they ran my hose for 3 hours to soften up the ground to get the post holes done! I was talking with some of the neighbors, and unless I misunderstood them, they only tipped the crew (3-4 worker) $20 total. That struck me as pretty low. We wound up tipping $20 per worker, but it felt odd not knowing what was customary.

3:30pm

--1 whole wheat tortilla
--1/2 cup chicken breast
--7 tomatoes
--1 T light ranch

6:30pm

--3/4 cheeseburger, no bun
--2 thick slices bacon
--2 T ketchup
--2/3 cup melon
--1 orange slice

I tried this as an experiment and I think I'd do it again! It worked out really well. Most of the time I think I'd skip the bacon and possibly the cheese, but it was nice tonight.

8:00pm

--1/4 portion cha cha cheeseball dip
--1 pkt South Beach crackers
--20 Rainier cherries

I'm getting a little snacky--hello TOM!!! I have 150 calories left over after this. Better make them count!

9:15pm

--1/4 portion cha cha cheeseball dip
--4 oz baby carrots
--1 oz M&Ms

Yeah, the snackiness beast is here. This does put me a little over 100 calories over for the day, but I just need to keep telling myself it's not the end of the world. It's OK. Really. It's OK.

 

[Cruise04]

You are doing great!!!! And BRAVO on not eating those candies!!!!! Good job!

Oh and I sooooooooo love that Carmel Pecan Silk Pie from BS!!!!! Nice treat!

Have a great day and fun baking. Keep on
Chris

 

[Mykelogan]

Hi Pearlieq,

You have more self control then me making those goodies at home and not going to town on them! Go you!!! That is very cool!!
The Cha-cha cheeseball dip sounds intriguing, is it something you made or buy made? Any details? hehe!

I wanted to say I empathize with what you said about tipping. I also hate not knowing what to tip customarily in different situations. I can handle a restaurant but in other places I always have to figure out a way to ask.

I hope you are having a happy and healthy evening!
Mike

 

[pearlieq]

The Cha-cha cheeseball dip sounds intriguing, is it something you made or buy made? Any details? hehe!

The cha-cha cheeseball is a Tastefully Simple product. It's only slightly less expensive (and addictive) than cocaine, but it's really really good! It's garlicy and has a bit of jalapeno bite--I make it with neufchatel cheese and shredded 2% cheddar.

 

[lillygator]

Happy Thursday!!
Good job on not eating those candies...have a healthy day!

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning Pearlieq! Got any rain up that way? Just enough here to make things worse, kind of like the FL 5 min downpours.

Great job on the treat making and staying in control. Also, isn't it amazing how a hamburger, no bun, can taste wonderful? You actually get to taste more of the burger.

Sorry to hear that things are so snacky right now. Let's see. I am reading that we have to accept the things we can't change (like TOM and some of the cravings), but focus on what we can change (like minimizing the effects of TOM). I have found that drinking more water when he is around has helped ALOT. Aches and pains are not as severe and therefore, I am not as crabby. When you feel the snack monster come on, try the healthy stuff first. Also, do extra projects that lift your spirits (like baking for the kitty shelter), giving you less of a chance to get a little down. Just some thoughts of things you might try. At least it doesn't last forever and you will be back to normal in no time.

Keep up the great work and have an AWESOME day!

 

[Mykelogan]

Ooh, the cha-cha cheeseball sounds yummy! Similar to something I like to make to put in celery. Thanks for that info Pearlieq!!

I hope you are having a happy and healthy day!
Mike

 

[pearlieq]

7/21/05

9:50am

--1 light 'n fit cup
--1/2 cup rocks & twigs
--22 cherries
--1 soy burger patty
--1 pkt ketchup
--12 oz light juice

Again a late breakfast. I was feeling a little groggy when I got up, so I went and logged in to work, then went out and got a good walk. Now I'm back and cleaned up and ready to get on with the day.

I'll be making all of the toffee bars today. Should be interesting. I'm hoping I can just do two double batches and be done with it. It's really a pretty simple recipe.

I think there's bunco tonight, and I'm pretty sure I agreed to go. I think I've pretty much mastered getting out of there without overating, but now it's just getting tedious. At least I officially dropped from being a regular to being an alternate in both groups so I only have to go when I feel like it.

1:00pm

--1/4 portion cha cha cheeseball dip
--1 pkt South Beach crackers
--2 cups low carb juice

1:30pm

--2 low carb tortillas
--1 cup chicken breast
--2 T light ranch
--10 grape tomatoes

I think today's going to be a bit of a challenge. I'm really feeling the desire to overeat, and to be eating constantly. I'm trying to work through it with water, lots of protien/fat, staying busy, and telling myself that it will pass. I'm definitely struggling, though.

3:00pm

--1 T. semi-sweet chocolate
--3 butter pecan bars

This snack was brought to you by my cooking snafus.

I had this grand plan that I was going to melt some chocolate chips and drizzle them over the bars--just a little something to make them look nice. Well, once I got the chocolate metled it wouldn't drizzle--I think I may have overheated it but I wasn't sure. So, I thought I'd try to fix it by adding a tablespoon of milk into the chocolate. That set something off, because the chocolate instantly solidified into this grainy clump--almost like a very dry fudge. So, while playing while melting the chocolate and dealing with the clump, I probably ate about 1T of chocolate. The rest has gone into the trash, a failed cooking experiment. The bars will just have to go bare.

As for the bars, I didn't notice until I was halfway through cutting and plating the bars that the pan that was on the bottom rack had burned partially on the bottoms. The outer edges were dark, but not burnt, but the middle had burnt and carmelized a little. So, I had to test the almost-burnt to make sure they were OK (they were fine). Then I realized I could probably scrape off most of the burn on the borderline bars, so I set to work on that, and of course I had to test those to make sure they were OK (they were also fine). The third one I just ate because it was there. Oh well. At least I have the calories to cover it. All in all I only lost a dozen, which isn't too bad. The next round I'll have to do them one at a time. I don't want to risk losing any more of them!

6:30pm

--1/2 9" thin Thai chicken pizza
--Mesquite chicken salad

The salad sounded OK when I ordered it, but really wasn't that great when I got it. It wasn't the restaurant's fault--there was nothing really "wrong" with the salad, it just wasn't what I was expecting. I'm still trying to out maneuver the constant need to eat.

8:45pm

--1 pecan chocolate bar
--1 cup milk

I'm actually feeling pretty content right now. I hope not to eat again before bed. I got the last of the bars plated tonight. Tomorrow is lemon poppyseed mini bundt cakes, fresh blueberry muffins, and mini pineapple upside down cakes. They get delivered at about 7-7:30 Saturday morning.

I went to the driving range with DH tonight. Usually I'm not much of a joiner and don't go with him, but I figured going would be better than sitting around the house trying not to eat. He seemed really happy I went with him--maybe sometimes I underestimate how much it means to him for me to share activities with him. Something to keep in mind.

 

[eeyore25]

HI!!!!

Your day sounds good! Great food choices!

Hope you are having a great day!

 

[Mykelogan]

Hi Pearlieq!!

Hope that the rest of your day is going well and that the desire to be eating constantly is lessening. I know you'll make it through!

The toffee bars sound yummy and the chocolate was a great idea just sounds like the milk made it seize, using some heavy cream, butter or even shortening would probably work better as they are not as high in water content which causes the nasty clumping mess (which you probably know but I figured I would share anyway! hehehe!)

Have a happy & healthy evening!!
Mike

 

[pearlieq]

7/22/05

7:30am

--1 ww english muffin
--1 T peanut butter
--1/2 cup blueberries
--1 light string cheese

I woke up feeling very icky this morning. Luckily I think it's passing. I think I'm going to try to get to Curves soon here just to get it done and out of the way. I've got tons of baking to do today!

Thanks, Mike, for the explanation of what happened to my chocolate! It wasn't pretty!

Last night was...interesting, to say the least. Our cats used to have these soft cloth balls that they just adored. Of course, they're lost now, and I've been looking for a replacement for a while. Last night when I was picking up their food I found a set of two--I bought them right away! When I got home I got caught up in various tasks, and forgot about them until right before we went to bed. When I found them, I figured I'd toss them down to the cats since I know they don't sleep through the night. Well, I didn't notice on the packet that they had catnip! Of course the cats went nuts, and it was a very interesting evening trying to sleep with two kitties who were stoned off their rockers!!!

They do love the things. Magellans walking around with his in his mouth now. He's let me throw it for him a couple of times (fetch is one of his favorite games) but mostly he doesn't seem to want to let it go. Should be a fun day!

12:00pm

--2 bottoms of lemon poppyseed cakes

I accidentally overfilled the cups of the bundt pan big time, so I took some tastes of the bits I had to cut off of the bottoms. I'm actually glad for that, because now I don't have to take a whole one to test.

3:40pm

--8 fish sticks
--1 can green beans

All of the bundt cakes are done, and I've returned some of the bakeware (along with a few goodies) to the neighbors. I've got all of the dry ingredients for the muffins set up, the blueberries are washed and drained, the pineapple is draining, and now I'm just taking a break and waiting for my mixing bowl to come out of the dishwasher. I'm tired!

I just found out DH is going to be at a vendor golf outing through dinner. Sound like a tough day at the office, eh? So, I guess I'm alone for supper. No biggie, though, I'll find something good!

5:00pm

--1 mini bundt cake
--1 toffee bar
--1 cup milk

Whoops--I slipped a little here.

6:30pm

--1 lean pocket ultra meatball sandwich

I wasn't looking when I bought these (I got them for DH) but these are a great deal nutritionally! They're 200 calories each with 6g fat, 7g fiber, and 24g protein! I'll be having these more often!!!

7:30pm

--2 pieces spaghetti pie
--1 cup milk

I'm done for the night now. My calories were badly distributed throughout the day, and I wound up eating too much tonight. I'm only a little over on my calories, and in perspective it isn't too bad, but I wish I had done differently.

8:45pm

--1 pretzel candy

As I went to but the ribbons on the bags one bag broke and a candy fell out and cracked. Well of course I had to eat it! That's it though, except for my water!

 

[Mykelogan]

Hi Pearlieq!

Oooh!! Hidden catnip! hehe! I know it sounds quite funny to we readers but i am sure it was not all fun last night with the hyper cats. Of course Magellan doesn't want to give it up, he has to protect his stash! hehe

Hope that you have a good day with them!
Mike

 

[Lesli54]

Good morning Pearlieq!

You did great yesterday! Making it through the day without cleaning out the kitchen at this point is success. Shortening in the chocolate will make a world of difference next time, just not too much shortening. You made a great choice by going with your DH last night. At least it keeps you active, gives you good company, and the temptations are further away.

I had to laugh about your catnipped kitties. Unfortunately, for us, we have it growing in one of our old garden beds and it takes over. Fortunately, we don't have cats and the garden bed will cease to exist this fall. But the neighborhood kitties come by from time to time.

Hope you feel better after curves and good luck on keeping the treats from burning.

Have a great day!