MM Warriors Part Deux (As of October 27)

[gettinhealthy]

Don't know if you guys would like this or not, but here is a link for a free calendar from Yankee Candle Co. The pages smell like their candles. The second link is a coupon for buy 2 candles, get 2 free. Enjoy!!

http://www.yankeecandle.com/cgi-bin/ycbvp/catalog_request.jsp

http://www.yankeecandle.com/yc/html/retail/Email_HTML/webCoupon_XF911A1.html

 

[gettinhealthy]

Hi Kath. I've never frozen eggplant but I have seen frozen foods that contain eggplant so it must be ok..I'm thinking step1 says no milk and most of the prepared sf pudding pops are made with milk. Have you checked the carb count in them?

I didn't check the count. I was going to make my own, so whatever the count on the pudding would be. I'll just hold off. Thanks for the input!!

 

[Barb F.]

Kathy, you made me curious about the eggplant. I googled freezing eggplant and there are many sources that give tips. Most seem to recommend blanching it first

 

[Diane W.]

I am a sucker for ceramics...give me hand painted pottery and I begin to drool. I have been feeling a need to buy lots of cake stands lately.

Carol - Do you have a Marshall's near you? They have the cutest ceramic cake stands with ruffle edges and a ribbon laced through the edge. I was so tempted to buy one, but then I would have to bake a cake. I know I wouldn't have Robin's willpower with the aroma of a cake filling the house.

 

[gettinhealthy]

Kathy, you made me curious about the eggplant. I googled freezing eggplant and there are many sources that give tips. Most seem to recommend blanching it first

Thanks Barb. I didn't research it. I'm busy doing my freebies LOL. I'll have to check it out before I go to bed.

 

[gettinhealthy]

Ok guys. Just realized it is 11. I have to get up early tomorrow to get my purse!! Have a great night everyone!
Sweet dreams and God Bless.
Love you all

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

OH YEAH! 11pm and Pony is home already!! Getting to bed early too, so I can be outta here at 6:30am...y'all better be around tomorrow to chat, as I am going to be plenty bored in 13 hours of work!!

Barb - yep, I am definitely looking pretty schleppy these days...never did like things too tight in the first place, so now apparently I am looking a bit like a bag lady!! We shall see how fluffy I feel on Sunday, and MAYBE I will see if anything old fits now. Geez, Im going to need some serious MOXIE to get that accomplished...us Type A's are really bad at failure!!

Kathy - thats cool about the Yankee calendars...coming from New England, I was lucky enough to only live 45 minutes from the Yankee factory store, and it is so AWESOME...really an amazing place and so much more than just candles too! I love candles, but Im sorry, there are NONE that compare to Yankee...they just have way better scents! I am a total fan of lemongrass...and they used to have a lemongrass candle that was to die for...but of course in true Pony fashion, they have discontinued it!! I was so disappointed and have not found any other company that makes one in that scent! My favorite Bath and Body works scent? Cool Citrus Basil...have used it for YEARS...what do they do? DISCONTINUE IT!! OMG

Diane - I really have no idea where the willpower is coming from...it amazes me to no end! I not only baked and frosted it, but hung out and watched while it was DEVOURED in about 20 minutes time...had no interest in tasting at all...maybe my taste buds are losing their fluff!!

Well, good nite ladies, and Tom if he ever gets his butt back over here to post again!! haha Love you Tom!!

 

[gettinhealthy]

Robin,
you'll have to try the wood wick ones. They smell soooo good. Hallmark stores around here carry them the most. The wicks are made out of wood, and they have the crackling sound like a fire. They are sooo nice and relaxing. The one I had made the whole house, remember 3 stories, smell like caramel. They may have the lemongrass. They have a sandlewood/clove that smells great too. They are highly fragrant.

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

Thanks Kathy! I will have to look into those...I LOVE sandalwood too...they sound interesting...I love the sound of a crackling fire...something I miss as my new home has a gas fireplace! LOL, got lazy when I built this house!!

Hey, I thought you were going to bed!! Haha, me too! Nite!

 

[kater]

Nite Kathy. Nite Robin. Sleep tight. Robin - I have to be in a class all day tomorrow starting at 7:30 a.m. Yankee Candles - I like Clean Cotton!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Carol and Diane! I love kitchen gadgets too! I had to laugh about Diane’s fish spatula! Carol – I love pottery, especially Italian ceramics! I wanted a pumpkin soup tureen really bad today! We ended up going to the little shops in the foothills since the weather turned out so great. It was a really fun day. I bought a parmesan grater like they use in the Olive Garden. My husband will have fun with it and there will likely be cheese all over my floor And I bought a water pitcher today! We think alike!

Robin: I forgot to tell you that I never eat sardines. Nope, not ever. So you can’t pick on me for that one! Are you sure you have to put liquid in your eggs? I just whip them up and put a little Smart Balance in the pan. Don’t cook too high and they turn out fine without milk.

Abbie: Another snack with low carb tortilla is cream cheese and cinnamon rolled up. It takes like a cinnamon bun!

Melanie: Get well soon!

Jocelyn: Yes we used to go to the Nut Tree. The weather turned out so pretty Mom decided we would eat at our favorite place in Sutter Creek (Susan’s Place) and then we drove up to Murphy’s instead of going to Vacaville. She’s not fond of the freeway. We had such a great day! We bought each other presents that were the same, lol! I thought a lot about meeting you and Kate up there in Feb! Please, please stay even if you don’t move on to Step 2. You might want to email Diane at dietquestions@aol.com

Kathy: Tyson would think he had gone to bootcamp if I walked him. Bonnie only gets to sniff what she can while she’s walking by at my pace, lol! Her trainer taught me that and I went with it because she would daudle the day away and I’d never get any exercise. Read the label on pudding or pops to make sure, but I don’t think so. If you want to freeze eggplant, cook it first.

If you ever get a chance to try Colonial Candles of Cape Cod, they have a much better burn quality than even Yankee. Top notch! I love this candle I got called I think Rosy’s that is handmade cinnamon apple and has real slices of apples in the outside. It makes the house smell good even when it’s not burning!

Missed you all today and hope you have a great weekend! We're going for a walk and working in the yard in the morning. We're still really far behind on our winter prep.

 

[Daniele]

Jocelyn, it's good to hear from you. Please keep sharing. I don't want you to leave even if you decide not to go to step two.

I don't think you ask dumb pony questions Robin! I know scrambled eggs are the easiest to fix, but maybe you could make fried or boiled eggs for that period of time?

I read everyone's shares about food questions and suggestions. I feel bad I'm only getting on the computer now. Tomorrow I should be on more because I have to work. And then Sunday we're going to a Barbeque. They are making Shish kebab because of the way I eat. Which is really good of them! I'll bring some fruit with me to make sure I have the carb dams. I wanted you all to know I'm reading all of the sharing, even if I wasn't here to comment on it.

Lisa, I'm so glad you had a nice day! I saw the pumpkin soup tureen in the Brylane Home catalog and loved it! I can imagine I'd use it so infrequently it wouldn't be worth it. It's too easy to serve soup and stew from the pan! It's great you were able to spend time with your mom.

I'm a Yankee so I love Yankee candles! My favorites tend to be the coffee smells and the sugar cookie type ones. I love the Christmas tree Shoppe too! I am frustrated and tired of not having money to spend on things. With everyone having such troubles in the country, I really should be grateful and not whining. I have to admit though that I've been frustrated. So, I admit and and now I need to get over it!

Kathy, the wood wicks sound like a great solution to wanting the wood crackle sound. I love the idea of feeding the dogs raw, but hesitate because I have no way of knowing how old the meat is that I have access to. If I lived like Pony does for example, and knew where the meat came from and could freeze it fresh, then I would probably want to feed them that way.

Everyone have fun with your new purses, cake stands and the like. I have a new garden, which is great! I took the day off from working on it today because I woke up sore. Tomorrow, it's back to work, in between working in the computer!

Everyone have a great night!

 

[gettinhealthy]

Good morning everyone. So much for sleeping in. My eyes always seem to pop open around 5 or 5:30. Try as hard as I can to fall back asleep, but can't. I even try staying up later, but no luck.

Nell, I know quite a few people who are able to feed their dogs for free on raw. They advertise on cragslist asking for freezer burnt meat people are going to throw out. Of course they get to know the people a bit before accepting the meat. But freezer burnt meat won't hurt them in the least. And if there are any types of "nasty bugs" it kills them off. You are supposed to freeze wild game for at least 30 days before feeding it to them.

Robin, can't remember if you work today or not. I thought you said you did, so have a great day!

Well, off to do a little then getting ready for my shopping trip. I'll catch up with you all later on. Have a great day!!

 

[Carol-Fish]

Woke up at 5:45 this morning. Sure wish I could sleep in on days that I don't need to be up. Will go with my daughter today and tend her boys while she shops. She makes wedding cakes ( and is on MM, too ) and has a big one to do for this coming friday. Hopefully the 1yr old will fall asleep on the way to the store and I will stay in the car with him while she and the 3yr old shop. I love to read and this is a way that I can feel okay about sitting and doing it during the day. I will take a mystery story with me and just veg in the car. What a treat! Do I lead an exciting life, or what!

Lisa, Glad you had a nice day with your mom. I probably would have loved the soup tureen, too. It's the large ceramic pieces that I usually like too, but just don't have room for them. Sometimes I'll go on the Pfaltzgraff website and just dream about ordering some of their stuff. I did go thru a spell of buying some of their pie plates with pie birds but only kept 1 and gave the rest away for wedding gifts. I enjoyed having them in my possession for a little while.

Robin, Sorry you have to work all day! Did the rain let up yet? I had heard that Ida just kind of stopped over the Virginias. I used to put milk in my eggs, too but my kids didn't like it so now just whip them up plain. I actually like them better this way. They aren't so wet. As for sardines...I don't eat anything that looks up at me.....I can't imagine chewing up those little eyeballs! Gross!!!

Kathy, Hope you find the purse you like. I can't do most candles as I'm allergic to many of the scents. I do so love the smell of a good candle permeating the house, too. Cinnamon carries well and is one that I can handle. Boring, but better that "wet, smelly dog" which is the scent that we specialize in here. LOL

Melanie, Hope you're feeling better and can get some rest while taking care of the other sick family members, too.

Daniele, You are doing so Great! The garden sounds like a wonderful project and something that will be so rewarding. What did you finally decide to plant?

Jocelyn, Don't leave us....I love reading your posts and have tried so many of your recipes. You don't have to do MM to be here. Really, most of our chatter isn't even about food, just complaining or rejoicing about life.

Kate, Have a good time at your meeting. You sound much better that you did a few days ago. I'm so glad you had the courage to tell us what was going on and let us share in your personal trial. Thanks. Keep thinking positive thoughts and taking the Vit D...they will work.

Diane, Yes, we have a Marshall's by me. I like their kitchen stuff even better than Ross'. They seem to carry a more upscale line of items. Yes, I have seen those cake stands too. They are beautiful! My problem is that I already have one stand and how could I justify getting another....and I'm not even baking cakes anymore. They just keep calling to me tho and I have to plug my ears and walk on by. The same goes for ceramic pitchers....how many of those does a person really need?

Barb, I definitely have the chlorine allergy going on. I swim in a salt water pool, but apparently they have to add a little bit of chlorine to it to kill germs. I think I will be forced to drive about 15 miles to try a pool that uses Ozone to keep it clean. I'll see how that works.

Hope ya'll have a wonderful day!

Carol
Step2

Feast upon the Words of Christ

 

[Wisteria1956]

Nell: It was great to see you this morning! I can’t think of anything more wonderful than a garden! It’s so wonderful to watch things grow and to eat from your own garden! Food, Inc. goes into the issue of patented seeds and the persecution of the American farmer for patent infringement. We are outraged about this! I had read about it in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. There are parts in this movie that are very hard to watch, but I think important, and even if one should skip ahead to the part about Monsanto and seeds, it is very important to know what is going on. Many members of the FDA came straight out of Monsanto! We can’t be so naïve as to think they are looking out for our health as they should. Oh, I could go on…..I wish we could produce all of our own food. Buying locally is a good way to start at least. Yikes, I went off on a tangent! Anyway, enjoy your garden and your bar-b-que day with friends! We were going to work in the yard until Tom got a muscle spasm. It might have coincided with a football game starting; the jury is out on that!

Carol: I don’t really have any place for that tureen either but my butternut squash soup for the holidays would look so pretty in it! My husband bought me a Romanian crystal cake stand with an etched domed lid on our first Christmas. It has served every birthday cake for the whole family for over 30 years! Occupies a special place in my china cabinet and goes to Mom and Dad’s whenever someone requests my carrot cake. Dad was hangdog yesterday that Mom didn’t want a cake! His day is coming in a month, so he’ll have to hang on!

Kathy: When people in CA feed their dogs raw, it means they are vegetarians that eat raw, LOL!

Nibble a bit of chocolate
As if you need an excuse! Researchers have discovered a compound in dark chocolate that fights fast-growing cancers such as colorectal cancer. "It requires the activity of an enzyme called kinase, which causes cancerous cells to die but leaves normal cells alone," says Richard Pestell, M.D., director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. The finding could even lead to adding chocolate to current cancer treatments.

 

[zumbalaura]

Hello and welcome!! So glad you made it here!!
I have some of the lavish wraps made by sammie. I put a bit of olive oil, crushed garlic and some mozzy cheese on it and put it in the toaster oven. Sort of a white pizza so to speak. It makes a nice freebie. I do eat eggs everyday. I usually make a western omlet. It is diced onions, peppers, ham and cheddar cheese. You can also do egg salad. I know you said you were tired of eggs, but maybe google egg recipes and you may find some really good ones.
I also eat the sweet nuts in the recipe thread. I use pecans. They are sooo good. You could also grind some of the nuts and put on cottage cheese. I also like dill pickles and olives (sorry Robin LOL).
If you don't mind the aspartamine, you can do sugar free jello with whipped cream. I buy whipping cream and make my own whipped cream. A cup of cream, 1-2 packets of splenda, and about a tablespoon of the torani s/f vanilla syrup. It is really good!!
Also, for a 5x5, use sugar free hot coco. It tastes really good, and you get a chocolate fix!
Congrats on your decision to get healthy! It's a fun ride here, and glad you made it.
Just make sure you drink your water or Laura (Tutu) will zap you, and if you don't drink green tea, Lisa (Wisteria) will zap you.

Welcome Sweet Face!!! If you don't exercise I will Zapp you also! LOL!!


Zumba Laura/AKA TuTu

 

[Daniele]

Nell: It was great to see you this morning! I can’t think of anything more wonderful than a garden! It’s so wonderful to watch things grow and to eat from your own garden! Food, Inc. goes into the issue of patented seeds and the persecution of the American farmer for patent infringement. We are outraged about this! I had read about it in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. There are parts in this movie that are very hard to watch, but I think important, and even if one should skip ahead to the part about Monsanto and seeds, it is very important to know what is going on. Many members of the FDA came straight out of Monsanto! We can’t be so naïve as to think they are looking out for our health as they should. Oh, I could go on…..I wish we could produce all of our own food. Buying locally is a good way to start at least. Yikes, I went off on a tangent! Anyway, enjoy your garden and your bar-b-que day with friends! We were going to work in the yard until Tom got a muscle spasm. It might have coincided with a football game starting; the jury is out on that!

Carol: I don’t really have any place for that tureen either but my butternut squash soup for the holidays would look so pretty in it! My husband bought me a Romanian crystal cake stand with an etched domed lid on our first Christmas. It has served every birthday cake for the whole family for over 30 years! Occupies a special place in my china cabinet and goes to Mom and Dad’s whenever someone requests my carrot cake. Dad was hangdog yesterday that Mom didn’t want a cake! His day is coming in a month, so he’ll have to hang on!

Kathy: When people in CA feed their dogs raw, it means they are vegetarians that eat raw, LOL!

Nibble a bit of chocolate
As if you need an excuse! Researchers have discovered a compound in dark chocolate that fights fast-growing cancers such as colorectal cancer. "It requires the activity of an enzyme called kinase, which causes cancerous cells to die but leaves normal cells alone," says Richard Pestell, M.D., director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. The finding could even lead to adding chocolate to current cancer treatments.

Someone told me that nearby a man had a home garden with a bunch of tomato plants and a government person came out to tell him he had to pay taxes on them? Does this make any sense to anyone?

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

Good Morning and Afternoon Everyone! Had to leave the house so early, no time to post! Actually had a few busier hours this morning, so just got time to check in now...

Lisa - I am very relieved to hear about the sardines...I was beginning to think that you would eat ANYTHING!! I mean seriously, arent sardines "bait"?

Kate- I like the Clean Cotton scent too...and Balsam and Fir at Christmas time! Have a great day in class if you can...(yeah right)!!

Hey Kath - no sleeping for either of us!! Have fun shopping today!

Carol - thats cool that your DD does wedding cakes...I have so much awe of people who have the talent to do that!! No more rain for us finally...the sun is out and its 70 degrees...at least for a few days!! Totally agree on the sardine thing...OMG, GROSS!!

I guess I will try y'all's suggestion and just whip up my eggs with no added liquid...I can eat them fried or boiled, but scrambled is definitely my egg of choice!!

Nell - so happy you have your new garden...it will be fun for me to hear about all the new and interesting things you will be growing ! OMG, unless you plan to grow things that humans shouldnt really be eating!

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

Nell - Im sure he didnt have to pay taxes on a home garden, unless there were like a TON of plants!! Im sure there is some deciding factor like number of plants, number of acres, etc...maybe he was over that limit and they feel like it has become a farming operation...or if he is selling them for profit that might make a difference too...

 

[Daniele]

I won't touch sardines either, although I have recently found out they are very good for you. I can't eat any food that is looking at me.

The garden part I'm working on at this moment is a sitting garden. I have to somehow fill the tires I have with dirt before I can do vegetables. I'm afraid we'll be moving and then I'll be really sad to leave them. I really like this house, but to buy it is above the current market value. I keep going back and forth with the idea.

It's good to see that everyone except for Melanie is doing well. If your reading Melanie, I hope you and your little girl feel better very soon!