Biggest Loser Fall Challenge!

[Rose&Mike]

Hi everyone. Just a short note to say I am okay. We just spent the last 8 days with no heat or hot water. We just got power back in the last two hours.

I have no school until Tuesday. Dh has to go in tomorrow and was told that since the teacher's convention was canceled he has to work on Thurs and Fri.

Dona--so glad you are doing okay. 8 days without heat or hot water sounds very unfun. I hope you can relax and regroup between now and Tuesday.

 

[pjlla]

Yumm, these recipes sounds great too!! You guys have been incredible helping me out. I think I made progress last night! We went grocery shopping together, and I was able to get butternut squash, broccoli stir fry mix, cucumbers, potatoes, and TOFU!! That will be the big one, if I can get him to eat it. Fortunately he's being a very good sport about all this so I can't complain a lot


If you can get him to try those things you bought, you are doing great!


When does your cookbook come out?!

Actually I've been working on one for my Mom for many months now. It was going to be a Mother's Day gift last May, but didn't make it... and it probably won't make it to be a Christmas gift either. oh well.

I like having a meal with what I call my "framily". My family is rarely all home at the same time to eat together, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to do that with my friends about once a week. We usually get together and have a potluck style meal and play Apples to Apples

Sounds like fun!

so there was a fire drill at 8am this morning at work.. BRRRRR it was like 23-25 out... Holy chillliness!!!


YIKES! Fingers crossed we don't get one here today!!

I still am not doing great but I can say I'm maintaining.. .. I know it's all in my head but I am having such a hard time getting it out.. I am just mad at myself mostly.. I have made some improvements - small side salad and small baked potato w/ zesty cheese and broc for lunch.. oatmeal and a bit of brown sugar for bfast with 2 fruits in my lunch both today and yesterday.. for dinner last night I had a salad plate with once scoop of sheppard's pie and some cut up cold veggies.. then 1 serviing of "scoops" chips because i was craving salt. well time to get back to work..

Hope everyone has a fab day.. and sending along prayers to those still in need due to sandy!

Glad you are working on getting back on track. Maintaining is still a victory!

Thanks for this!

Hi everyone. Just a short note to say I am okay. We just spent the last 8 days with no heat or hot water. We just got power back in the last two hours.

I have no school until Tuesday. Dh has to go in tomorrow and was told that since the teacher's convention was canceled he has to work on Thurs and Fri.

Thank heavens! We were very worried about you! Sorry for all you are dealing with... but I am just glad you are okay.

Absolutely. Eating with your family is a time to talk, share what happened over the day and just spend time together.

I wouldn't say we do anything special over dinner together. We try to do it as often as possible, which is maybe 4 or 5 times a week, but I do enjoy the times we can.


Glad someone young appreciates how important family meal time is. I'm not sure that my kids always "get it", but they know it is important to ME, so they help make it happen. Yesterday's meal together was spent discussing the Operation Santa boxes we will be filling this week. I try to steer the conversation AWAY from school, or it can get tense between DS and DH.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel slightly guilty for coming home off a Disney high when there are some of us here just getting back electricity after Sandy, but I promise you were all in my thoughts while I was there. Especially when I was eating food that was not-so-good for me... Although I did manage to make it back without gaining any weight!

I'm happy to say that we all had a good time, although DDad has come back with a cold and had to go to work. But DM and I have managed to get everything unpacked and the luggage put away, so now we're just chilling out for a while before starting on dinner. Chicken fajitas tonight!

I've also got the 1st page of my TR report up and am working more on typing it as we speak. Here's the link to the thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=46645976&posted=1#post46645976

Hope to see you guys over there!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Can't wait to read the trip report. Don't feel guilty about having fun. You sitting around moping wouldn't have helped anyone. Every day in this world there are tragedies... most out of our control. I say enjoy your life when/where you can and help when/where you can.... it all balances out.

Good tips! I have a carrot ginger soup recipe - haven't gotten around to posting it yet. I will have to try some of those recipes you mentioned - they sound fabulous!!

I'd love the recipe if you get a chance!

I've been there. There was a good article I read two years ago when I was deciding what my goal weight would be. It talked about the weight you could maintain through holiday parties, PMS, Halloween candy, etc. A weight you could maintain without weighing every food for the rest of your life (as the article mentioned, "life is too short to weigh broccoli!"). Now for me, I know I may gain a pound or two at my TOM and maybe 3 pounds on a tasty vacation or during the holidays. But if I'm eating relatively well and exercising a moderate amount, I can stay at my goal weight the vast majority of the year. Take into account the number of hours you are required to be sedentary for work, if you have kids, how much time you can long-term commit to exercising each day/week.

You've got a system that works for you!! THat is the KEY!

I voted first thing this morning with DD in tow. She was very curious about voting and picked out a book about the president at the library the other day.

Setting a GREAT example!

I feel like it's important to have a family meal, but more for the sense of sharing the same/similar food, rather than the quality family time. To be honest, chatting at dinner is kind of drudgery for all three of us. After a long day at school and work, the introverts don't feel like talking! I usually try to force conversation, and sometimes we do the little table topics questions, but still the chatting doesn't last long. For me, the more important part of a family meal is that we eat better when we do it. We make sure it's balanced, includes 1-2 veggies, etc. DD is a slow eater, so once DH or I finished eating we will read her some of an easy chapter book.

I think that BEING TOGETHER is the most important part of it but also setting an example to our kids of HEALTHY eating (both the foods AND the fact of sitting at a table instead of eating on the run). I love the chapter book idea! I've been leaning toward a Bible verse at every meal.... pick one at random and then discussing it. Not sure that DS would go for this!

I had a very OP day yesterday. Limited my calories, tried only to eat healthy foods. I needed to refocus since I've been above my maintainer range for 2 weeks. Last week I joined a hot yoga studio near my house. I hate the winter, so I think it might be good for my summer-loving self. My hips also get really stiff in the cold weather (I'm only in my 30s but I get why lots of seniors move south when they retire!) so this should be helpful - both the warmth and the stretching.

Let me know how you like the hot yoga. I have a friend who has tried to talk me into it many times.... but I've resisted so far.

I do think a family dinner is important. We sit in our dining room with no tv, and discuss our days. However, even with only 9 & 6 year olds, it's getting harder. Sometimes DH & the boys eat while I'm at the gym & sometimes we split dinner if one or the other have activities.

I try to eat together at least ONE meal every day.... not necessarily dinner. But some days it is near impossible. I figure if I try for every day and it only happens 3 times in a week, then so be it. Keep trying... it will be MORE important as they get older!

I did vote early this morning. I vote in every election. Our polls are open 7 am-8 pm. I left my house at 7:40 with my kids. I drove a few blocks to the library, voted (I was the only one there), and got back in my car. It was 7:49!!! I am hearing about these hours long lines (someone I know waited 4 hours in SC) and it took me less than 10 minutes. Crazy! Then I had to wait to take the kids to school since it didn't take any time.

I was in and out in 7 minutes myself!

Good evening all. I am having such an off eating week. I'm not beating myself up, I'm still working out, but I'm not focused right now. Tomorrow is another day, so I will be tracking my food starting then. I am hoping to finish this challenge strong.

I am finishing up stuff with the family right now, then I'm off to do laundry. Yay! Do you sense my sarcasm?!?! DS9 needs more uniform pants so I don't need to wash halfway through the week. OR, he can come home with clean clothes. Ummmm...I dream big He always gets something on his pants. It's usually streaks of pencil.

Im going to run for now, but I shall return

Jill

Laundry never stops for ANYTHING.

[

I have been feeling off since Friday (though I got a great workout that morning!) and today finally went in (after 3 days of a very painful throat) to find that I have strep! I haven't had it since I was a teenager! Really hoping my kiddos don't catch it, and hoping the antibiotics will clean it out fast, since it's super painful at this point, even when taking painkillers.
Trying to stay on plan though, eating-wise, and still get good amounts of protein in, and not too much fat or carbs, no matter how good those salty Fritos feel to my throat...

Hope you heal quickly! Antibiotics should have you feeling better within 12 hours.

*********

Morning all! I've got 7 minutes left to say hello and post today's QOTD! I'm at work today and will hopefully get a few minutes on the computer when the kids go to Special. TTYL.........P

 

[pjlla]

QOTD for Wednesday November 7, 2012:

When life is TOTALLY crazy and you can't possibly fit in 30-60 minutes at the gym or even find that time for a walk, how do you/can you fit in "fitness" in your daily routine? I'd like to hear things other than the routine answers of "park at the farthest spot and walk in" or "take the stairs instead of the elevator". I'd love to hear your ORIGINAL ideas!!

If you haven't come up with anything, think about things you do in your daily life that could be considered EXERCISE! For example...I consider hanging clothes on the clothesline outside exercise. It requires me to carry a heavy basket outside, and then bend over repeatedly to pick up a piece of clothing and a pin and then pin it to the line and then repeat! Then I have to take it all in and carry a heavy basket inside again! Certainly more work involved than simply shoveling it from the washer to the dryer!

 

[pjlla]

Going off of my plan of using my Thin Commandments book for the questions. Got tired of so much copy-typing!

QOTD for Tuesday, 11/6/2012:

DO you think that having a meal together as a family at the table every day is important? Do you make an effort to do it? Do you do anything special together? Talk about the day? Share jokes? !


I make a big effort for us to have at least ONE meal together every day.... even if it is just breakfast. As I have mentioned, I try to steer the conversation away from topics that could be stress-inducing (like school grades ) and try to keep it light. I like to hear about the kids' day and such. Or I try to bring up something to talk about like an upcoming holiday or something nice we could do for someone. I think it is important to show the kids that coming together for family time is special to me.... and I think it is important to DEMONSTRATE healthy eating. Our meals very nearly always consist of 1-2 veggies (or sometimes more) and a serving of fruit. I want my kids to be in the habit of always thinking of including fruit and veggies in their meals.

Plus I like to set the example of sitting together somewhere AWAY from TV or a movie so that we are forced to have conversation! That isn't a big deal for DD and myself, but it is important between DS and myself and even for DH and I.... we can go an entire day barely discussing more than the schedule!


BONUS QOTD: Are you voting today? Do you usually vote? (Please don't volunteer WHO you are voting for.... don't want to get the DIS police on our backs! ).

I can be QUITE guilty of voter apathy, but again, in my effort to set a good example for my kids, I did get out and vote. I certainly appreciated that I didn't have the lines that I've heard other speak of... I'm sure I would have given up after about 15 minutes! I am guilty of not voting on a pretty regular basis.

QOTD for Wednesday November 7, 2012:

When life is TOTALLY crazy and you can't possibly fit in 30-60 minutes at the gym or even find that time for a walk, how do you/can you fit in "fitness" in your daily routine? I'd like to hear things other than the routine answers of "park at the farthest spot and walk in" or "take the stairs instead of the elevator". I'd love to hear your ORIGINAL ideas!!

If you haven't come up with anything, think about things you do in your daily life that could be considered EXERCISE! For example...I consider hanging clothes on the clothesline outside exercise. It requires me to carry a heavy basket outside, and then bend over repeatedly to pick up a piece of clothing and a pin and then pin it to the line and then repeat! Then I have to take it all in and carry a heavy basket inside again! Certainly more work involved than simply shoveling it from the washer to the dryer!

I try to fit activity (not always calling it exercise) into my day every day. I will sometimes eat lunch at my scrapbook table when I am home alone... and I will bring up one part of it at a time to force myself to climb the stairs repeatedly. First I'll bring up my salad and drink.... then bring down those dishes and bring up my main course.... then bring down that dish and bring up my fruit... you get the idea. I figure if I can climb the stairs 3 times just for lunch, I'm doing okay! Plus is slows down my eating. I can be guilty of bolting down my food because I seem to be always in a hurry!

While here on recess duty I will often do kickbacks and high knees... especially during cold weather. It helps keep me warm and makes the time go by quickly.... and it isn't anything I need to concentrate on so I can still put my attention where it belongs, on the kids.

I will make an effort to stop and do squats or something like that if I stop for a minute during the day to watch television. If I am waiting for something in the kitchen (like a burner to heat up) I will do calf raises, etc.

*************

Okay.... kids are off to Art and I have a few minutes to have my fruit from breakfast and check in here!

Got a new recipe in the crockpot this morning. I was short one red bell pepper, but decided to go ahead with it anyhow. I'm sure it would be BETTER with the additional pepper, but hopefully it is okay as is. It is a fajita beef stew recipe I got on the crockpot recipe thread over on the budget board. I'm going to cook up a pot of brown rice when I get home and roast some green beans to go with it, since the stew itself doesn't have many veggies. I may try adding some other veggies next time I make it.... not sure yet what. Wanted to try it "as is" the first time. I'll let you all know what we think of it!

I was so glad to pop on this morning and see so many faces! Things have been waaaay too quiet here! And of course, thrilled to hear from DONA! Our lost little sheep has returned! Fingers crossed that EVERYONE is recovering from the hurricane and that my East Coast friends are ready for tonight's storm. I am in the 2-4" of snow belt.... but right on the edge of the dusting-2" belt.... but I live at an elevation, so I am assuming I will get AT LEAST 2". Kids are already getting excited about the possibility of a snow day tomorrow. If so, that will mean that we will have already used up our three snow days that are built into the school calendar.... and it isn't even T.giving yet!

Speaking of T.giving.... start thinking about healthy T.giving foods, as tomorrow's QOTD is leaning that way!..................P

 

[donac]

I just wanted to stop by and say hi to everyone.



I just got power back yesterday afternoon. My house lost a cable and power line when a LARGE tree branch came down and landed lightly on my car (no damage). Another LARGE branch from the same tree took out two sections of our fence. We had a little damage to the side of the roof but nothing else too big. The house is finally warm. It was tough to be without power for 8 days when the entire neighborhood had it back after 2 days.



I spent two days this weekend working on my parents house and my sister house. My parents had 1 foot of water in their basement and lost their frezers, hot water heater and furnace. They have already replaced the hot water heater and the furnace and had heat before we did. My sister had 3 feet of water in her main floor. It knocked over her freezer and her refrigerator. Everything in her main floor was water logged. It was sad to see. She is a single woman and has worked hard to have her own house. She was able to keep it even with being out of work for 1 1/2 years. The sad part was that she never said anything to us. She only wanted us to come up and help my parents who live 2 blocks away. When we were almost done we went over to start to help her. We ended up coming up to her house the next day and with my sister's family and another sister and her dagughter we were able to get most of her first floor cleaned out. Once she can have the insurance people in she can start to rebuild.



I never got any quilting done. It was just too cold. My hands wouldn't move and we didn't have enough light to work properly. I am home for the next 6 days so I am off to get some sewing done. I am supposed to keep off my left foot since I tripped at my sister's house. I went to the hospital yesterday to have it xrayed and it is not broken so we are calling a bad sprain. I am going to keep coming here to talk but I don't think I am going to weigh in for the challenge since I can't work out for the next week.



Off to sew! (It feels good to say that)



Hope everyone else is safe.

Have a happy and healthy day.

 

[pjlla]

I just wanted to stop by and say hi to everyone.

I just got power back yesterday afternoon. My house lost a cable and power line when a LARGE tree branch came down and landed lightly on my car (no damage). Another LARGE branch from the same tree took out two sections of our fence. We had a little damage to the side of the roof but nothing else too big. The house is finally warm. It was tough to be without power for 8 days when the entire neighborhood had it back after 2 days.

I spent two days this weekend working on my parents house and my sister house. My parents had 1 foot of water in their basement and lost their frezers, hot water heater and furnace. They have already replaced the hot water heater and the furnace and had heat before we did. My sister had 3 feet of water in her main floor. It knocked over her freezer and her refrigerator. Everything in her main floor was water logged. It was sad to see. She is a single woman and has worked hard to have her own house. She was able to keep it even with being out of work for 1 1/2 years. The sad part was that she never said anything to us. She only wanted us to come up and help my parents who live 2 blocks away. When we were almost done we went over to start to help her. We ended up coming up to her house the next day and with my sister's family and another sister and her dagughter we were able to get most of her first floor cleaned out. Once she can have the insurance people in she can start to rebuild.

I never got any quilting done. It was just too cold. My hands wouldn't move and we didn't have enough light to work properly. I am home for the next 6 days so I am off to get some sewing done. I am supposed to keep off my left foot since I tripped at my sister's house. I went to the hospital yesterday to have it xrayed and it is not broken so we are calling a bad sprain. I am going to keep coming here to talk but I don't think I am going to weigh in for the challenge since I can't work out for the next week.

Off to sew! (It feels good to say that)

Hope everyone else is safe.

Have a happy and healthy day.

We are just so happy to hear from you and know that you are safe. I can't imagine how cold your house got after 8 days! I know we lost power for about 4 days in the winter once and the house got down to the 40's very quickly. We were just at the point where we were considering starting to drain the pipes when the power returned.

So sorry to hear all about your family's troubles though. Glad you were able to give some help. Stay off that foot though! Get it healed up!

Glad you can get back to some sewing. I'm sure you'll make good use of your "found" time!............P

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi everyone. Just a short note to say I am okay. We just spent the last 8 days with no heat or hot water. We just got power back in the last two hours.

I have no school until Tuesday. Dh has to go in tomorrow and was told that since the teacher's convention was canceled he has to work on Thurs and Fri.

Great to hear you are are ok..cold but ok..

Absolutely. Eating with your family is a time to talk, share what happened over the day and just spend time together.

I wouldn't say we do anything special over dinner together. We try to do it as often as possible, which is maybe 4 or 5 times a week, but I do enjoy the times we can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel slightly guilty for coming home off a Disney high when there are some of us here just getting back electricity after Sandy, but I promise you were all in my thoughts while I was there. Especially when I was eating food that was not-so-good for me... Although I did manage to make it back without gaining any weight!

I'm happy to say that we all had a good time, although DDad has come back with a cold and had to go to work. But DM and I have managed to get everything unpacked and the luggage put away, so now we're just chilling out for a while before starting on dinner. Chicken fajitas tonight!

I've also got the 1st page of my TR report up and am working more on typing it as we speak. Here's the link to the thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=46645976&posted=1#post46645976

Hope to see you guys over there!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Logging on in just a minute for your TR and glad you had a good trip!

I have been feeling off since Friday (though I got a great workout that morning!) and today finally went in (after 3 days of a very painful throat) to find that I have strep! I haven't had it since I was a teenager! Really hoping my kiddos don't catch it, and hoping the antibiotics will clean it out fast, since it's super painful at this point, even when taking painkillers.
Trying to stay on plan though, eating-wise, and still get good amounts of protein in, and not too much fat or carbs, no matter how good those salty Fritos feel to my throat...

Oh no feel better

I just wanted to stop by and say hi to everyone.



I just got power back yesterday afternoon. My house lost a cable and power line when a LARGE tree branch came down and landed lightly on my car (no damage). Another LARGE branch from the same tree took out two sections of our fence. We had a little damage to the side of the roof but nothing else too big. The house is finally warm. It was tough to be without power for 8 days when the entire neighborhood had it back after 2 days.



I spent two days this weekend working on my parents house and my sister house. My parents had 1 foot of water in their basement and lost their frezers, hot water heater and furnace. They have already replaced the hot water heater and the furnace and had heat before we did. My sister had 3 feet of water in her main floor. It knocked over her freezer and her refrigerator. Everything in her main floor was water logged. It was sad to see. She is a single woman and has worked hard to have her own house. She was able to keep it even with being out of work for 1 1/2 years. The sad part was that she never said anything to us. She only wanted us to come up and help my parents who live 2 blocks away. When we were almost done we went over to start to help her. We ended up coming up to her house the next day and with my sister's family and another sister and her dagughter we were able to get most of her first floor cleaned out. Once she can have the insurance people in she can start to rebuild.



I never got any quilting done. It was just too cold. My hands wouldn't move and we didn't have enough light to work properly. I am home for the next 6 days so I am off to get some sewing done. I am supposed to keep off my left foot since I tripped at my sister's house. I went to the hospital yesterday to have it xrayed and it is not broken so we are calling a bad sprain. I am going to keep coming here to talk but I don't think I am going to weigh in for the challenge since I can't work out for the next week.



Off to sew! (It feels good to say that)



Hope everyone else is safe.

Have a happy and healthy day.

Oh goodness.. I am glad your back.. power's on and no too much damage to your house.. Lucky family to all pitch in and help ! I am sure everyone appreciated it.. keep off your foot and enjoy your sewing..

 

[princessbride6205]

QOTD for Wednesday November 7, 2012:

When life is TOTALLY crazy and you can't possibly fit in 30-60 minutes at the gym or even find that time for a walk, how do you/can you fit in "fitness" in your daily routine? I'd like to hear things other than the routine answers of "park at the farthest spot and walk in" or "take the stairs instead of the elevator". I'd love to hear your ORIGINAL ideas!!

I try to get in brisk walk during my lunch at work. If I can't even manage that, I'll try to do a few quick strength training things in the evening - 10 push ups, plank, and something lower body. At work, I try to get up once an hour - part of that is because my body gets uncomfortable sitting for long periods. But I make sure to get up, refill my water, walk to the farther printer, something.
I'm looking forward to other answers!

 

[pjlla]

Evening friends! Well... it has been snowing since noon at my Mom's house in MA, but nothing up here yet. That said, both of my kids' scheduled activities for tonight have been cancelled.... and since DD's NHS activity was cancelled, she would like to go to swim.... I told her we would TRY, but if it is snowing before we leave, we are NOT going. And she understands that once we are there and it starts snowing, we are leaving! It is about a 50 minute drive tonight.... a bit shorter than our Monday, Tuesday, Thursday pool, so that is good.... but still....Fingers crossed that we get there and back without significant snow/ice.

Dinner smells terrific, the green beans are roasting,and hopefully the rice will be done in time for a VERY early dinner together at 4:30! I hate eating that early, but that is what we must do in order to eat together. So I try to make sure that the kids and I don't eat an after-school snack... both to keep our appetites good and to save some calories for later tonight when we are BOUND to be hungry again!

Already got a "hint" that I may be called to school tomorrow for the same teacher that I was in for today, so I'm off to pick my clothes and get a head start on ironing! TTYL.................P

 

[belledreamer]

QOTD for Wednesday November 7, 2012:

When life is TOTALLY crazy and you can't possibly fit in 30-60 minutes at the gym or even find that time for a walk, how do you/can you fit in "fitness" in your daily routine?

I'm one of those people who loves to dance (when no one is watching.) So when no one's home (or shut in my room if they are), I love to plug in my iPod and dance, doing everything from line dancing to 'Cupid Shuffle' to waltzing to 'Beauty and the Beast'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First day back at work after Disney... Man, that first shift back seems to last forever...

I was able to bring the souvenirs I bought for 2 girls I work with to them today; two bracelets, one with the word 'Hope' and the other 'Courage' (Mine has 'Believe'.) I've got one more to give to a guy I work with tomorrow; a Stitch cell phone charm. (It's really hard to find a souvenir for a guy at Disney that isn't expensive!) I've mentioned before how much I really don't care for my job, but there are few people that I get along with really well with, so it's nice to let them know every once in a while that they're appreciated.

I had intentions of going to the gym tonight, but after all day of my sinuses dripping, I've started with a sore throat... So I've decided to instead climb into bed with a glass of honey and lemon tea and do some reading before turning in for the night.

Happy Hump Day everyone!

 

[pjlla]

I'm one of those people who loves to dance (when no one is watching.) So when no one's home (or shut in my room if they are), I love to plug in my iPod and dance, doing everything from line dancing to 'Cupid Shuffle' to waltzing to 'Beauty and the Beast'

I am totally guilty of this as well! I can rock out and drive really well!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First day back at work after Disney... Man, that first shift back seems to last forever...

I was able to bring the souvenirs I bought for 2 girls I work with to them today; two bracelets, one with the word 'Hope' and the other 'Courage' (Mine has 'Believe'.) I've got one more to give to a guy I work with tomorrow; a Stitch cell phone charm. (It's really hard to find a souvenir for a guy at Disney that isn't expensive!) I've mentioned before how much I really don't care for my job, but there are few people that I get along with really well with, so it's nice to let them know every once in a while that they're appreciated.

I had intentions of going to the gym tonight, but after all day of my sinuses dripping, I've started with a sore throat... So I've decided to instead climb into bed with a glass of honey and lemon tea and do some reading before turning in for the night.

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Post-travel illness.... happens all the time. Take care of yourself (the honey and tea and good sleep is PERFECT)! Nice of you to bring surprises for friends!

******************

Morning friends!! I'm here at work with NO 2 hour delay, despite the snow. oh well.

Last night ended up a late night.... DD went to swim for 6-8 and was invited (again) to practice until 8:30 with the Senior I group, which of course delighted her. So we didn't get home until nearly 10pm... early than our Tuesday/Thursday schedule, but still late. By the time I had a snack and into jammies and wound down to sleep it was nearly 11pm. I can't keep this up and I'm not sure how DD will either. Next week starts high school swim practice, which means morning practices M-W-F.... so we will be getting home at night anywhere from 9:45-10:20pm and up again at 4:30 a.m. to leave the house for 5 a.m.! I'm already tired thinking about it!!

Last night's new crockpot recipe was a hit. Not a total home run as I thought it needed more veggies, but we ate the entire batch. I ended up adding a 1/2C of black-eyed peas to my bowl and eating less of the meat... both for economic reasons and calorie reasons. It was really good with the beans!

Off to post today's QOTD!..................P

 

[pjlla]

QOTD for Thursday November 8, 2012:


Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us quickly! Since it is a holiday primarily dedicated to EATING (at least in most folks minds), let's talk about HEALTHY T.giving eating.

What are some things we can do to make our Thanksgiving healthier? Change up recipes to include more veggies and less junk? Lighter desserts? Less food in general??Extra exercise (like a Turkey Trot 5K)? Feel free to share any recipes or food ideas with us!

On the flipside.... what is one "TOTALLY WORTH IT" Thanksgiving treat that you are planning on indulging in??

 

[tigger813]

Hi all,

Sorry I've been MIA but once again illness hits my house! Ash came home from play practice Monday afternoon with chills and a high fever and fell asleep on the couch at 6. At midnight she got sick so I had to start laundry and then she got sick again at 3. Took her to the dr who said it was a virus. Still had a slight fever Tuesday which meant she needed to stay home yesterday. She did have recurring headaches and her throat hurt but she was planning on going to school this morning. Woke up with a pounding headache and sounded and felt horrible so I had to keep her home again! Got most of her school work and homework that was online done. Dayquil seems to be helping so we will be doing that every 4 hours and drinking lots of fluids today. I've got to work later so she will have to stay alone for about 2 hours. I'm picking up assignments from her teachers this afternoon when I'm out.

So no time for working out but haven't been too bad food wise. Tomorrow I will be eating lunch and dinner out so I'll have to be good today. Making chicken with french fried onions for supper tonight. Trying to make different meals.

Time to get some stuff ready for a booth I'm doing this weekend at a fair for Usborne Books. Gotta find my receipt booklet. I also want to get the living room straightened up so we can put the holiday village on the mantle tomorrow night while watching Arthur Christmas! Also gotta do our Christmas cards and make the goodie bags for Izzie's b'day party on Sunday!

Hope everyone is doing ok with the weather! We had about 2 inches of snow and now it's raining.

Donac- glad you finally got power back! Hope today's weather doesn't cause more problems!

TTFN

 

[pjlla]

QOTD for Thursday November 8, 2012:


Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us quickly! Since it is a holiday primarily dedicated to EATING (at least in most folks minds), let's talk about HEALTHY T.giving eating.

What are some things we can do to make our Thanksgiving healthier? Change up recipes to include more veggies and less junk? Lighter desserts? Less food in general?? Extra exercise (like a Turkey Trot 5K)? Feel free to share any recipes or food ideas with us!

On the flipside.... what is one "TOTALLY WORTH IT" Thanksgiving treat that you are planning on indulging in??

I do try to help our T.giving menu be healthier by volunteering to bring along healthier side dishes. Things like roasted veggies and such... stuff NOT coated in breading, fats, and cream of *** soup. That said, my nephew ALWAYS asks for the "traditional" green bean casserole, so I do make that against my better judgement. Last year I made a roasted brussel sprouts dish that was delish.... but I can't find the recipe! Plus it didn't really hold up well to traveling, so I may look around for something new this year.... something I can make ahead or maybe make in the crockpot.

I also try to always contribute at least one "lighter" dessert.... sometimes a pineapple angelfood cake. Not the pinaccle of "health" but definitely light and tasty.

My one "SO WORTH IT" T.giving treat.... my aunt's lemon meringue pie! I love lemon pie and hers is totally homemade... and worth every calorie! She also makes killer sticky buns, but I totally pass on those and save the calories for the pie!

We celebrate T.giving twice.... Thursday with DH's family (on the Cape this year) and Friday with my family in Central MA... so I have to be careful about my eating or it will end up being TWO days of overindulging (or more, as we spend the entire weekend with my parents and my brother and his family)!

We were invited to participate in a Turkey Trot that morning, but not sure if we are going to do it or not. I need to look into the time and the cost. We are already traveling 3 hours that Thursday and didn't want to do it at the crack of dawn for a 5K. But DD and I have, in the past, participated in a T.giving exercise fundraiser at our local Y. The Y itself is closed, but the gymnastics team mans the fitness room for 3 hours in the morning... it is $5 per person to come for any part of the 3 hours.

Hi all,

Sorry I've been MIA but once again illness hits my house! Ash came home from play practice Monday afternoon with chills and a high fever and fell asleep on the couch at 6. At midnight she got sick so I had to start laundry and then she got sick again at 3. Took her to the dr who said it was a virus. Still had a slight fever Tuesday which meant she needed to stay home yesterday. She did have recurring headaches and her throat hurt but she was planning on going to school this morning. Woke up with a pounding headache and sounded and felt horrible so I had to keep her home again! Got most of her school work and homework that was online done. Dayquil seems to be helping so we will be doing that every 4 hours and drinking lots of fluids today. I've got to work later so she will have to stay alone for about 2 hours. I'm picking up assignments from her teachers this afternoon when I'm out.

So no time for working out but haven't been too bad food wise. Tomorrow I will be eating lunch and dinner out so I'll have to be good today. Making chicken with french fried onions for supper tonight. Trying to make different meals.

Time to get some stuff ready for a booth I'm doing this weekend at a fair for Usborne Books. Gotta find my receipt booklet. I also want to get the living room straightened up so we can put the holiday village on the mantle tomorrow night while watching Arthur Christmas! Also gotta do our Christmas cards and make the goodie bags for Izzie's b'day party on Sunday!

Hope everyone is doing ok with the weather! We had about 2 inches of snow and now it's raining.

Donac- glad you finally got power back! Hope today's weather doesn't cause more problems!

TTFN

Prayers for healing for your house. Seems like your kids take turns getting sick lately. Hopefully the cold weather will kill the germs!

We LOVE Arthur's Christmas! Even though my kids are older and we rarely watch any of the traditional Christmas stuff, we still manage to find time to pop that in at least once every season!

*******************

Okay friends! Kids are off to Computer, so I have a few minutes here. I brought along my cross-stitch project and will probably spend a bit of time on that, since things are so quiet here.

If there is any interest in my recipe from last night for Fajita beef stew, just say the word and I will find it and post it. I originally got it on the Crockpot recipe thread over on the Budget board, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. It was a nice "different" type of beef stew and super easy.

I asked my class of 3rd graders yesterday to name their favorite fruit and their favorite vegetable.... and at least half of them named two fruits. They don't know the difference... and so many of them couldn't name a vegetable that they eat regularly. SO SAD! One kid told me his favorite vegetable was jalapeno bagels! What are we NOT teaching our children these days?? I know some school districts struggle just to teach the basics of reading and math.... but somewhere in there SOMEONE needs to teach these kids the basics of EATING! I know it should start it home, but as a nation that leads the world in OBESITY, obviously we need to start somewhere else! I just find it sad and alarming.

Enough rambling from me! Hope you all are having a good Thursday.... even if it started snowy! TTYL...............P

 

[tigger813]

I do try to help our T.giving menu be healthier by volunteering to bring along healthier side dishes. Things like roasted veggies and such... stuff NOT coated in breading, fats, and cream of *** soup. That said, my nephew ALWAYS asks for the "traditional" green bean casserole, so I do make that against my better judgement. Last year I made a roasted brussel sprouts dish that was delish.... but I can't find the recipe! Plus it didn't really hold up well to traveling, so I may look around for something new this year.... something I can make ahead or maybe make in the crockpot.

I also try to always contribute at least one "lighter" dessert.... sometimes a pineapple angelfood cake. Not the pinaccle of "health" but definitely light and tasty.

My one "SO WORTH IT" T.giving treat.... my aunt's lemon meringue pie! I love lemon pie and hers is totally homemade... and worth every calorie! She also makes killer sticky buns, but I totally pass on those and save the calories for the pie!

We celebrate T.giving twice.... Thursday with DH's family (on the Cape this year) and Friday with my family in Central MA... so I have to be careful about my eating or it will end up being TWO days of overindulging (or more, as we spend the entire weekend with my parents and my brother and his family)!

We were invited to participate in a Turkey Trot that morning, but not sure if we are going to do it or not. I need to look into the time and the cost. We are already traveling 3 hours that Thursday and didn't want to do it at the crack of dawn for a 5K. But DD and I have, in the past, participated in a T.giving exercise fundraiser at our local Y. The Y itself is closed, but the gymnastics team mans the fitness room for 3 hours in the morning... it is $5 per person to come for any part of the 3 hours.



Prayers for healing for your house. Seems like your kids take turns getting sick lately. Hopefully the cold weather will kill the germs!

We LOVE Arthur's Christmas! Even though my kids are older and we rarely watch any of the traditional Christmas stuff, we still manage to find time to pop that in at least once every season!

*******************

Okay friends! Kids are off to Computer, so I have a few minutes here. I brought along my cross-stitch project and will probably spend a bit of time on that, since things are so quiet here.

If there is any interest in my recipe from last night for Fajita beef stew, just say the word and I will find it and post it. I originally got it on the Crockpot recipe thread over on the Budget board, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. It was a nice "different" type of beef stew and super easy.

I asked my class of 3rd graders yesterday to name their favorite fruit and their favorite vegetable.... and at least half of them named two fruits. They don't know the difference... and so many of them couldn't name a vegetable that they eat regularly. SO SAD! One kid told me his favorite vegetable was jalapeno bagels! What are we NOT teaching our children these days?? I know some school districts struggle just to teach the basics of reading and math.... but somewhere in there SOMEONE needs to teach these kids the basics of EATING! I know it should start it home, but as a nation that leads the world in OBESITY, obviously we need to start somewhere else! I just find it sad and alarming.

Enough rambling from me! Hope you all are having a good Thursday.... even if it started snowy! TTYL...............P

Actually it's the Arthur's Christmas that was in the theater last year. We never got to see it but it came out on DVD this week. We have a collection of CHristmas movies that we watch every year! Plus, I love all the movies on Hallmark Channel! They start up again this weekend so days I'm home I will get my fill!

 

[Jaina]

What are some things we can do to make our Thanksgiving healthier?

I am running (jogging) a Turkey Trot 5k that morning with my dad and my 4 siblings! I lobbied for regular green beans instead of green bean casserole. My sister is making the rolls and she's going to do half wheat/half white. I am going to try to fill up on turkey and veggies, and limit myself to 2 rolls and only about a cup of mashed potatoes. I'm going to make sure I eat protein at breakfast so I'm not super hungry and snacky before. We are going to have a veggie tray out while we're cooking, so we'll snack on that. I am going to allow myself pecan pie, which is my favorite Thanksgiving treat! The problem I have to be careful of is that we're eating TWO Thanksgiving meals that day (lunch with one family, dinner with the other) so I have to really watch my portion sizes and not go back for seconds on anything high-calorie. And I have to watch those leftovers. It's Thanksgiving DAY, not Thanksgiving week...

My strep throat is (hopefully) healing up well, and I'm hoping to feel well enough to get some light exercise in today or tomorrow. I'm down a lb or two, and I know it's not just from being sick, because I've been keeping my calories in the right range through all this! (Not too low or high) We're supposed to finally get some cooler weather this weekend (In AZ it's still been in the high 80's many days). I am grateful that we're not dealing with the storms and weather that many of you have had, but I'm so ready for it to feel like fall!

 

[princessbride6205]

QOTD for Thursday November 8, 2012:


Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us quickly! Since it is a holiday primarily dedicated to EATING (at least in most folks minds), let's talk about HEALTHY T.giving eating.

What are some things we can do to make our Thanksgiving healthier? Change up recipes to include more veggies and less junk? Lighter desserts? Less food in general??Extra exercise (like a Turkey Trot 5K)? Feel free to share any recipes or food ideas with us!

On the flipside.... what is one "TOTALLY WORTH IT" Thanksgiving treat that you are planning on indulging in??

While still calorie-laden, we do tend to make healthier versions than your average American family. No sour cream or cream of anything soups. My mom hosts, and we will be flying in the night before. She does a veggie roast of cauliflower and brussels sprouts. So I'll eat lots of that and turkey. I skip the mashed potatoes, but love my mom's stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce. For dessert, I'm sure I'll indulge in a homemade cookie or two and a slice of apple pie. We have 4 members of our extended family that are gluten-free, so there will be some of those types of options as well. I love Thanksgiving and the accompanying foods, but I won't stuff myself, and I will exercise!

We were invited to participate in a Turkey Trot that morning, but not sure if we are going to do it or not. I need to look into the time and the cost. We are already traveling 3 hours that Thursday and didn't want to do it at the crack of dawn for a 5K. But DD and I have, in the past, participated in a T.giving exercise fundraiser at our local Y. The Y itself is closed, but the gymnastics team mans the fitness room for 3 hours in the morning... it is $5 per person to come for any part of the 3 hours.

*******************
Okay friends! Kids are off to Computer, so I have a few minutes here. I brought along my cross-stitch project and will probably spend a bit of time on that, since things are so quiet here.

If there is any interest in my recipe from last night for Fajita beef stew, just say the word and I will find it and post it. I originally got it on the Crockpot recipe thread over on the Budget board, so it shouldn't be too hard to find. It was a nice "different" type of beef stew and super easy.

I asked my class of 3rd graders yesterday to name their favorite fruit and their favorite vegetable.... and at least half of them named two fruits. They don't know the difference... and so many of them couldn't name a vegetable that they eat regularly. SO SAD! One kid told me his favorite vegetable was jalapeno bagels! What are we NOT teaching our children these days?? I know some school districts struggle just to teach the basics of reading and math.... but somewhere in there SOMEONE needs to teach these kids the basics of EATING! I know it should start it home, but as a nation that leads the world in OBESITY, obviously we need to start somewhere else! I just find it sad and alarming.

Enough rambling from me! Hope you all are having a good Thursday.... even if it started snowy! TTYL...............P

I'd love the recipe for the fajita beef stew.
The open gym sounds like a great idea! I would love something like that.
Sad about kids not knowing the types of fruits and vegetables. I explain it over and over to my little one, but she still gets confused. This morning she tried to convince me an egg was a fruit. But at 3rd grade, not to know what a vegetable is? EEK!

 

[donac]

QOTD I am usually too tired to eat. I do sit down for the dinner but there is not much on my plate.

I am also lucky that it is usually at 2 so that I don't eat lunch or dinner.

 

[JacksLilWench]

QOTD for Thursday November 8, 2012:


Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us quickly! Since it is a holiday primarily dedicated to EATING (at least in most folks minds), let's talk about HEALTHY T.giving eating.

What are some things we can do to make our Thanksgiving healthier? Change up recipes to include more veggies and less junk? Lighter desserts? Less food in general??Extra exercise (like a Turkey Trot 5K)? Feel free to share any recipes or food ideas with us!

On the flipside.... what is one "TOTALLY WORTH IT" Thanksgiving treat that you are planning on indulging in??

Well...I don't really cook at Thanksgiving, so that makes it difficult to control what's made. But I can control what goes on my plate! The problem is, everything at Thanksgiving is totally worth it! So I have a small portion of everything and that satisfies me without making me feel sick that I've had too much, or deprived that I "can't" have it.

 

[pjlla]

Evening friends! Sorry I'm not doing replies tonight.....just too much of a pain on the IPad.

Thanks for letting me coach this week. It was fun albeit quiet! But it makes me stop and think and that is good. I spend too much time lately on auto-pilot between work and housework and swim practices and lots and lots of driving.

Not much to report on tonight. Dinner was good but unexciting...but sometimes EASY is what is needed! Homemade pizza on the menu for tomorrow. I bought pizza dough at Trader Joe's tonight...first time. Hope we like it.

Eating was good this week but exercise wasn't plentiful enough. Fingers crossed for a small loss, since I had a small gain last Friday (but it was gone plus some on Sunday ).

Not yet scheduled to work tomorrow, but we shall see what the morning brings! See you in the a.m.! ..............P