My Colon Cleanse turned Kitchen/Food Journal

[TxRabbit]

Ok. I promise this won't be TMI!

I hit that 200 pound number.

I admit that I have taken advantage of some rough times. Too much indulgence in the food and beverage department. Too much eating out. Too little exercise. Too little sleep.

Well. 200 is my mark. It's time to make changes.

So DH and I are doing something that we have done in the past. It's a pretty hard core colon cleanse by Blessed Herbs. The result has always been somewhat spiritual. A renewal in energy and desire to take care of myself. You do feel so clean afterward that you want to do what you can to keep yourself that way for as long as possible. It's good stuff!

I'm not sure how long we are going to do this. I ordered enough to do 10 days. I know we will do at least 5 days.

My scale is notoriously 7 pounds light, but I will use the actual scale numbers incase the real v. scale difference changes.

Starting weight: 197 pounds.

Editted to add: This journal is now officially where I am going to keep track of my kitchen/cooking activity. The goal is continued weight loss and health, following a diet aimed at non-inflammatory food.

I'm going to be merging several different readings into my own food system. I hope to be able to find a way to efficiently feed my family. The challenge is to keep DS happy while DH and I eat food that I know will be beyond his current palatte.

I hope this journal will help me find a system where I don't have to spend an obnoxious amount of time in the kitchen, but can still enjoy super tasty, flavorful food.

 

[TxRabbit]

Officially, this colon cleanse begins with a "pre-cleanse." I'm not going to report on that. This report begins with the first official day of the actual cleanse, which was yesterday. I will journal retrospectively.

Yesterday. Took the what we affectionately call the goopy drink at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm. Drank a LOT of water throughout the day. Took 4 digestive stimulants at night.

I was hungry yesterday. *Please note that the drink is made with organic apple juice as a base. This results in a caloric intake of over 1200 calories a day, but no other food is consumed during this cleanse.

Everytime I was feeling hungry, it was time for a new drink. The drink fills your stomach and gives you a "full feeling." Hunger will actually go away. Until the after 4 o'clock drink. Holy cow! I was HUNGRY after that one. I was like, OMG, I have to wait another 1.5 hours for another drink at 5:30pm.

It doesn't help that I am still preparing 3 squares+ for DS during this time.

The headache kicked in in the late afternoon, early evening. Horrendous, pounding aching head. The lack of caffeine headache. Whenever I experience this headache, I think to myself, WHY or WHY do I drink caffeine? Why drink it in the first place? It just seems wrong to be dependent on something that really doesn't have great health benefits. I know caffeine in limited quantities is supposed to be okay, but still...

I have to break the Starbucks addiction. I don't even like coffee. I like super sweet latte drinks. It's totally lame!! I already don't drink soda, but I like iced tea. I think that I just need to start making tea at home so I can make a decaf tea. Or at least, make one that has less caffeine, a kind of green tea/herbal tea blend. Because seriously, green tea alone is nasty, it needs some help.

Note to self: Deal with the beverage issue.

On another note, I'm absolutely THRILLED to not be responsible for major food decisions and cooking and cleaning for a while. It's like a vacation! I'm going to use this time to clean out the fridge. Like REALLY clean it. Organize it. And spend a little time designing a meal plan. I haven't taken the time to do this in a long while. I'm at the library right now and I've found some great books, some I've read before.

It seems off that I would be focusing on food while I can't really eat any, but I also have extra time in the evenings. I noticed this yesterday. It's eye opening to plan such a simple dinner for DS (who eats more simple food) and not have to spend a couple hours in the kitchen between prepping, cooking and cleaning. Wow.

I was very tired last night. I had good energy through the morning. I did a lot of work on the house. After I picked DS up from school though, I was wiped out. I took a nice long, relaxing hot bath at 6 pm! I enjoyed being in my bathroom without having to have the lights on. It was a nice relaxing time, better than the late night baths I normally end up taking.

Despite it all, the headache made it hard to sleep. I did manage and for the first time in I don't know how long, I slept through the night. No nighttime bathroom needs. I awoke feeling very groggy though. I could have slept longer, except that I woke up and then I won't be able to get to sleep again.

All in all, I'm very excited to get through Day 1. There wsn't really a question about it. I wasn't going to give in to temptation. btw...do you KNOW how many food commercials there are? I felt proud to have been able to exert some discipline over my body. I'm in control of my body. I don't have to listen to it's whining and complaining. That's a good feeling.

 

[TxRabbit]

Yesterday was ROUGH!!!

I awoke feeling so sluggish, groggy, and tired. My head still hurt but not quite as bad. More annoying and aggrevating than painful.

I knew I didn't have the energy to tackle any house projects. I concentrated on research. Trying to make a plan for the "after" time. The idea behind doing this colon cleanse has always been for it to be the catalyst of change. I don't want it to occur in a bubble. It has be the beginning of positive behavior changes.

I think one of my biggest problems has simply been not taking the time to really make a plan. How can you do anything without a plan? Seriously. I have good ideas, I can execute them to a point. But the lack of planning means that eventually, I fall short. And the effort is greater. Then I get tired and just don't want to do it anymore. It becomes EASIER to eat out.

When, if you think about it, eating out is a PITA. You still have to figure out what you want. If you are already feeling lazy, then you are limited to what is close. You may not want to spend a couple hours eating (which a sit down meal might do) so you get something fast. This is generally not good. Do you eat it there? So it's hotter? The atmosphere isn't great. Even fast food takes quite a bit of time. Eating at home with a plan is really a great budget saver AND time saver. IF you have a plan.

So I went looking through the cook books to come up with things to help with planning. I know a few weaknesses of my family already. For instance, I know that we like sauces. Not to be weird, but we do. We like pico. We like salsa. We like MARINADED grilled chicken. We LOVE saucy stir fry. Love a good sauce on a wrap. Love a good dip for a spring roll. Love yummy salad dressing. Something special on a sandwich. I mean the list goes on and on. This is what separates the okay homecooked food from something really great. Store bought is really expensive and also generally filled with bad ingredients.

I want to plan a day a week where I could make the sauces that would be used that week. I want to concentrate on grilled food, which we love. Making extra grilled food for lunch provisions (like to add chicken to salad, wraps, etc.) Stir fry and salad veggies, both green and otherwise. Don't you think that makes such a difference? Have a wrap with a yummy dip and a tasty side salad. Fruit dessert. The key is to have the stuff ready to do that!

So again. I'm loving the break from major food preparation this is giving me. I have plenty of time to plan and purchase.

Yesterday, I drank lots and lots of water. It's important to keep the works flowing during a colon cleanse. In the past, I have had issues with this. There was a time when I stopped eating and the works just stopped, despite the drink.

The drink is somewhat nasty. You have to be able to chug. You HAVE to. I have a horrible gag reflex, but I can get the stuff down. The deal is that it is one of those expanding type drinks. You have to have a lot of liquid when you take it because it absorbs liquid to expand, so you need to double up on liquid almost, so that your body can have access to some. If you leave the drink it'll thicken into a kind of gel like thing. So gross.

The worst part is the foam. What you do is pour 8 oz of organic apple juice into a shaker jar (a 16 oz jar with a screw top lid.) You add the powder and then you shake the jar to get it all to mix together. The apple juice has a tendency to foam and form a kind of head with the shaking. UGH. That's the worst.

We definitely like the peppermint flavor best. Tried the ginger the first time we did it. NOT good. Peppermint is way easier.

The great news is that the process is getting me totally hydrated. I'm thrilled. I'm in the bathroom every hour, but I know that this is because my body is finally releasing stored water.

Morning weight: 192.5 pounds (-4.5 pounds I know it's water at this point, but I don't care. It's good to be hydrated.)

 

[TxRabbit]

Today I woke up feeling very energized!

I didn't sleep through the night, BUT I was able to get back to sleep quickly. Yay. Sometimes, I find that I end up lying there, my brain too active, thinking about all the things going on with life...but not this time.

Today I felt full. I woke up feeling hungry, but then I really didn't feel hungry again all day. Just felt FULL. A kind of sloshy. I felt like I could jump up and down and feel all the liquid (because I am drinking water like I usually don't) moving around.

My abdomen is making funny noises too. Not loud. But still funny. Gurgle gurgle gurgle. And I feel like I can feel my pipes. Like my inside works are getting more defined, like I can track the progress of the drink through my system. It's rather interesting actually. It brings home how amazing the body really is. It's building a renewed appreciation for having a relatively healthy body. I know I need to lose weight, or should I correct that and say lose FAT, work on my muscle tone, work out my heart. Generally take some care of myself, because myself is a pretty cool machine.

There's a few of you reading this...and I know some things that I wondered about before doing one of these. So, just to fill you in, the need to go is not urgent or overwhelming. It's more like a pressure in your lower abdomen. You don't have to rush, but you can feel that it's time for a bathroom break.

So the mucoid plaque made it's first appearance today, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

I guess I could have mentioned, but if anyone wants to comment or ask questions, feel free.

There's a noticeable difference in my abdomen. Part of it is losing the water bulge. I had a body seaweed wrap done once. The tech asked where in my cycle I was because she could SEE the water on me. If I slack off on my water intake, which I had been lately, it's really bad.

Anyway, I was sporting an unhappy overlap on my belly. That has really been alleviated. It's still a bigger belly, don't get me wrong, but even when I don't suck it in, there isn't an overlapping, SAGGING belly. It like a projectile belly.

I've been studying the cookbooks. I'm adding some recipes to recipezaar so that I can access them easily. I'm thinking of food as fuel for my body, more than something that just tastes good or is easy because I have to eat. It's a good thought. I'm paying attention to DS's dietary intake, too. I've hit that momma mode where I finally don't care how much he complains, or whether or not he gags, he's old enough now to get past it and eat that brocolli! LOL.

I haven't tasted it myself, but I altered his ranch dip. Used to do the "Dips" packet with sour cream. Well, I replaced the sour cream with Greek plain yogurt. Looked the same. Smelled the same. Same texture. And apparently, it must taste fine, because DS didn't say anything about it. I'm telling him, you need more dip to choke down the brocolli? Drown it, I don't care, whatever it takes to get the brocolli down. Meanwhile, I'm thinking that it's EXCELLENT that he is getting a bit of yogurt into his diet!

As far as the colon cleansing is going, it seems to be a slow process. I don't know if this is because I have done this in the past and therefore there isn't quite as much to clean out? Or what. I never journaled it before and I can't remember how it went in the past. So I'm not sure when I want to stop. I'm thinking I'd like to go longer than the 5 days. Not sure about DH though. He said he was really hungry last evening. So he isn't getting that full, sloshy feeling. I'm not sure if I have the will power to continue if DH were to stop? We'll see.

Morning weight: 190 pounds (on the heavy side of the line) (-7 pounds overall)

 

[TxRabbit]

This morning was a rough wake up. Normally, DH's alarm is set for 5AM. I normally get up with him, we eat breakfast together, I help him with his lunch for work, and then I have a bit of alone time before DS wakes up for school.

During the colon cleanse, this hasn't been happening, because there's no food to eat for breakfast or prepare for lunch. He has still been getting up to go to work, but I've been sleeping in til DS's wake up time. Hence the vacation feeling.

But today I woke up at a normal time, noticed that DH must have adjusted his alarm. I had a very hard time getting back to sleep. So when I woke up to DS's alarm time, I was pretty groggy. That kind of wake up at the wrong point in the sleep cycle groggy.

When I had woken at 5AM, I was hungry. But I wasn't later. And I wasn't throughout the whole day. I think I miss the act of chewing. And tasting something other than gritty, minty, apple juice. But as far a food goes, I'm not really missing it. I know that I was getting pretty sick of food before this fast. Or rather, I was in a rut with food, and sick of the rut. If that makes sense.

The bathroom visits have lessened. Supposed to be at least 3 a day. I had 2 yesterday, and only 1 today. This is not good. It's dangerous to have none, but having fewer means that the cleanse isn't being a productive as it could be. I'm upping my digestive stimulants to 5 tonight. And I'm contemplating taking them throughout the day tomorrow.

As I expected, DH was done last night. He had been more productive than I. He had gotten out of it what he wanted, so he quit before the 5th drink of the day. He ate some dinner last night. There was food for him to eat. I tend to be one of those cooks that subscribe to the notion of cooking FOR leftovers. He ate some brocolli and rice. Then some cauliflower and the yogurt Ranch dip. He said he couldn't tell the difference between that dip and the other with sour cream. I was happy to hear that.

One note on that dip for anyone interested. The one difference between the sour cream and the Greek yogurt is that the dip mix stays all mixed into the sour cream, in the yogurt, the dip mix rises to the top and you have to redistribute the seasonings throughout the yogurt with every serving.

I'm a little disappointed that DH is done. Partly, I feel like the vacation is over. Now I have to get back to work in the kitchen in a more serious way. DH and I both really need the help of an excellent diet to help us with our fitness goals. Everyone does, but DH commutes 120+ miles a day. His time is very limited. We are getting ready to move and that should help free up time to pursue more activity/exercise, but for right now diet plays a HUGE role in the attempt to get fit.

For multiple reasons, we will be pursuing a low inflammation diet. One that is focused on decreasing overall inflammation and in maintaining low inflammation. My research has focused on this. I'm bummed that I didn't have time to get a great meal plan in place before DH went off his fast. But the food supplies in the house are such that what he could take to work in very healthy, mostly fruit and veggies.

I think that I have hit the weight of an empty, hydrated body. Empty referring to my digestive tract. My weight was steady today. Weightloss during past cleanses has also been related to the flushing of the colon. It's not a pleasant thought, but the idea is that there is accumulation there and when you flush it out, you WILL lose that associated weight. Your abdomen will also transform a bit as a result. This was most dramatic with the second cleanse I did. The first one was like a learning experience. The second one was super productive.

I have to conclude that because we have done this regularly (this is our fourth), and because we eat a lot of fruit and veggies normally (even in the midst of take out), that our systems are cleaner to begin with and there isn't much flushing to do.

I'm still debating how long I will pursue this cleanse, but I KNOW that I will continue tomorrow, even though DH isn't. This isn't hard to do considering that he is at work, DS is at school, and I will be alone at home. Well, I have my kitty for company.

Morning Weight: 190 pounds (on the light side of the line)

 

[TxRabbit]

Today's focus was two-fold.

1. Get the works flowing again. I'm constipated. This is NOT good, especially during a colon cleanse.

2. Prepare food for the weekend and the future.

I decided to take the digestive stimulants throughout the day. Drank lots of water. Nothing worked to get it going again. So frustrating. I draw the line at doing the recommended enema or colonic. Last resort ONLY.

I had decided to stop at the traditional 5 days for doing the cleanse, since things seem to be pretty clean from previous cleansing. I must be in a maintenance mode or something. Regardless, I accomplished some major goals with this cleanse:

a. I broke the caffeine habit and addiction. It's unrealistic to think that I will never have caffeine again. It's in the food I like. Like chocolate. But I know that I don't want the sugary sweet latte drinks any longer. Or at least, on a regular basis. I'm going to be more selective with all of my food and beverage intake.

b. Just that. The motivation to be more selective about my food and beverage intake. I think I've let my hunger rule me. Sometimes I wouldn't even be hungry. Just bored. Or just wanting to eat for comfort. This fast has helped to break that cycle as well.

My goal coming off the fast is to aim for a feeling of satisfaction with eating. Not feeling "full." But feeling like I could go a while without food. And enjoy being hungry again. Food always tastes better when you are hungry.

Being selective about food is going to be rough with DS. I know that he will not want to eat the way that I am going to be eating. So integrating his food intake with DH's and mine is going to be a challenge. I will not be cooking two meals for every meal. I just won't do it. Meal planning will be extra challenging in the beginning as these things get figured out.

This becomes the new focus of this journal. How I integrate the food for the kid with the adults without making myself crazy. I love to cook, but I get burned out.

None of my efforts toward getting the necessary done worked. This has happened to me in the past. It's so frustrating! I broke my fast with the evening meal, rather than continue to wait, in the hopes that food intake would be the difference that would get things going again.

What's funny, is that I wasn't really all that hungry. Once I had that first bite of food though. Wow. The hunger kicked in. Food really is so good.

So today, I spent an obnoxious amount of time in the kitchen. I went grocery shopping. I cleaned most of the produce I brought home. And I cooked or prepared a couple different sauces and dips.

For dinner, we made use of left over flank steak, which had been marinaded with lime, apple cider vinegar (Bragg's), olive oil, and a fajita seasoning mix from Pensey's. I used this steak to make Lettuce wraps for the adults. It's a bit of the meat with a LOT of a tasty stir fried cabbage mixture. This recipe is here:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30383401&postcount=201

I ate only 1 or 2 ounces of the meat. Mostly veggies. DH had a normal serving of meat with his wraps. DS ate the steak, rice, carrots and dip, and half an apple, sliced. This meal is an easy overall meal for my family. It involves a lot of chopping. Or maybe it just felt that way after the day I had.

I spent the day cleaning and cooking and preparing. I was sick of the kitchen by the end of the day. For those reading, it will helpful for you to know that I use Fresh Vac brand containers. They are awesome. Well worth the investment. They are clear, so they keep food in sight. The really help preserve produce, especially cut produce.

What I did yesterday:

Produce:
Brocolli, cleaned, cut, in Fresh Vac
Cauliflower, cleaned, cut, in Fresh Vac
Green Beans, cleaned, trimmed, in Fresh Vac
Celery, cleaned, cut, in Fresh Vac
Peppers, red, yellow, cleaned, whole in Fresh Vac
Peppers, green bell and jalapenos, cleaned, whole in the drawer
Romaine, cleaned, cut (ready for salad), in Fresh Vac
Collard Greens, cleaned, wrapped in a paper towel, in the drawer
Purchased pack of Baby Spinach
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Russet Potato (1 for making veggie stock)
Cilantro
Celery Tops and Leaves (for stock)
Bag of Carrots
Apples
Cherries
Red Grapes
Strawberries

Dips and Sauces:
Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip (made earlier in the week)
Greek Yogurt Tzatziki Dip (made earlier in the week), adapted from http://greekfood.about.com/od/appetizerssalads/r/tzatziki_sass.htm
Vegan Fish Sauce Alternative: http://www.grouprecipes.com/49971/vegan-fish-sauce-substitute.html
Several sauces and dips from "Secrets from a Healthy Asian Kitchen"
Ginger and Garlic Sauce
Spicy Cilantro Sauce
Curry Peanut Sauce

I have a decent plan for the weekend. I will probably begin journaling more often this weekend, then taper back again during the week. Just to track the success. I'm hoping to be able to find a rhythm with the kitchen that ultimately makes the best use of my time. It was easier to make all the sauces on one day. The ingredients were similar. All should last for at least a week in the fridge. This journal will help me keep track of that. Yay.

Morning Weight: a steady 190 pounds

 

[TxRabbit]

Today, I awake determined to follow through with necessary changes. The deal is that I really want to enjoy my food, enjoy my life. I love food. I love cooking. I'm thinking that I want to take some cooking classes. Learn some basic principals. Knife skills. Etc.

Breakfast was AWESOME.

We started the morning with a staple from the Fat Flush Plan. Half a squeezed lemon in hot water. A kind of lemon tea. I forget exactly what it does, but it's supposed to be fabulous for helping your body have the capability of burning fat.

DS loves his bacon. He really does. It's a weekend thing. So this was an add on to his normal breakfast this morning. I was thrilled that there were no donut runs this morning. No trips to Taco Cabana for breakfast tacos. This HAS been the weekend norm. No more.

DS ate his normal breakfast sandwich, basically a grilled cheese sandwich with two cooked egg whites in the middle. Use whole grain wheat bread. Use shredded cheese (use a scale to measure out a serving). Cook the egg whites like you would cook a fried egg, it's just a yolkless fried egg. Sandwich the egg between the bread with cheese on both sides. I fry the egg in coconut oil (with is a very healthy saturated fat with anti-viral properties). I brush the bread with walnut oil, not butter. Walnut oil is very high in Omega-3 fat and it withstands 400 degrees in cooking. A serving of bacon, center cut, 70 calories a serving. A serving of strawberries.

DH and I ate a super yummy tasty egg thing.

Chopped onions, green, red, and jalapeno peppers sauted with a couple large spoonfuls of Spicy Cilantro sauce. Add baby spinach and saute until spinach is wilted and covered in the veggies and sauce. Split onto two plates.

Scramble 2 whole eggs and 4 egg whites. Plate half the eggs over the sauted veggies and alone. Sprinkle it all with half a serving of grated cheese. Top with a couple spoonfuls of pico (I quickly made it when I chopped the peppers this morning, and from left over chopped onions from last night's dinner.) Serve with a serving of strawberries.

DH ate some bacon too. I didn't.

I could definitely eat more after this meal. But this meal was so tasty. It was so satisfying. The sauce added to the sauted veggies made all the difference in the world. It had so much flavor. I love veggies, but seasoning really kicks it up from good to great.

I cut the 3/4 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper into strips so we can snack on those later today easily.

I started marinading chicken for lunch. 3 half breasts in the Spicy Cilantro Sauce. 3 half breasts in a Southwest Marinade, HEB brand.

Morning Weight: 186.5 pounds (-10 pounds overall)

I'm pretty pumped about this weight loss. I'm hoping to be able to hang on to it and continue. This cleanse has been just the kick start that I hoped it would be.

 

[TxRabbit]

Lunch was excellent. BEFORE we were too hungry, I started preparing it.

I finally did something I have been wanting to try since I found it in "The Balanced Plate." You use collard greens as the wrap for making a kind of spring roll thing. I thought that sounded like such a great idea for making a healthier outer and also would be a great way to get in some greens. Historically, I'm not a big "greens" fan. I like lettuces and spinach. I like kale in a soup that I make. But the others? What do you do with them?

You boil the leaves for a fast 1 to 2 minutes. They turn bright green and become pliable. You then shock them in running cold water or ice water to halt the cooking process and keep them bright green. The recipe includes a dressing which I brushed onto the leaves, a combination of olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon juice, pepper and salt. I used cider vinegar instead (Bragg's is just too healthy to not try to include everywhere) and I used a bit of my home made fish sauce instead of the salt. It's a salty sauce and I figure the infusion from the sea vegetables makes for a healthier salt.

DS ate grilled chicken plain, grilled chicken in a whole wheat tortilla, and grapes. When I grilled the chicken, I also grilled a yellow squash. Slice it on an angle so that it's as big as possible. (I cut up the dinky ends and through those in the container with the cut up bell peppers from earlier in the day for a veggie snack when needed). I marinaded the squash in an Asian Dressing from Good Food brand. Very simple ingredients. It's handy to have some quality processed food around.

So the recipe for the wraps has you cut the big huge collard green leaves in fourths and then make little bit sized things. I tired that for one and then decided to just leave them big. Bigger was better for what I did. btw, use a paring knife to slice off the tough stem.

I wrapped the chicken, the squash, and the leftover cabbage mixture from last night in the leaves. Served with the Garlic and Ginger Dip and also the Curry Peanut Sauce that I made yesterday. It was a great experiment!

If you do sushi, then you can totally do greens as wraps. It works really, really well. DH and I ended up eating the equivalent of 2.5 leaves. There was a lot of chewing involved. And the sauces made it super tasty, sent it over the top really. I find that if you can eat something that involves a lot of chewing, you will feel happier with fewer calories.

That was one funny comment about last night's dinner that I forgot. DH looks at me and says his jaw was starting to hurt. I totally agreed! It's funny how those muscles get tired after they haven't been used. LOL.

We each had about a cup of cherries afterward. Cherries are a great dessert fruit. nd they are on sale now! Anything you have to work at helps me eat slower. Working the pit was just right. Feeling satisfied, we were done with another meal.

We went out to run an errand and see the latest Shrek movie. I decided before hand that I was going to eat yummy, fake buttery popcorn. It was good too. But I also decided that since we get the large for the family, and that comes with a refill, I would just eat slowly and not pound it like normal. There would be plenty. I didn't have to rush. I didn't eat any from the second bucket! And I stopped when I was full of it.

Now I'm sitting here, knowing how full I am from the popcorn, knowing that DH is probably pretty full too, and DS especially because he ate a LOT of the second bucket and I'm trying to figure out what to do about dinner. Nutritionally, we should eat something else before bed.

There was a study done on people who were given a milkshake about an hour BEFORE their meal. Thinner people compensated for the milkshake during their meal time. They ended up eating a normalish amount of calories between the milkshake and the meal because they ate less food during their meal. Fatter people had the mindset of, well, I already blew it today, and they ended up eating almost twice as much as they normally would.

I don't want to think like a fat person anymore.

I like movie popcorn and I'm not going to forever give it up. Moderation is key. I did pass on the Reese's Pieces. btw we all drank water. Which we usually do. DS only drinks water. DH used to only really like his Diet Dr. Pepper and got sick of settling for Diet Coke. I quit drinking soda years ago and the theater didn't serve brewed unsweet iced tea. So water for us.

And funny, DH just announced that he was starting to get a little hungry. Luckily, my original plan was something like entree salads tonight. I just wasn't sure how to beef it up if necessary, but now I don't think I'll need to. Not sure about DS. I'll report what happens later.

 

[TxRabbit]

I made dinner salads for DH and I. I'm blessed that he loves salad as much as I do. Because of the prep work I had done already, I was able to throw it together in about 10 minutes. I used the Romaine which I had already cut and washed. I added English cucumber, cilantro, green onion, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken, and bacon. Dressed with store bought dressing, a Balsamic vinagrette, also from Good Food. (They were on sale, so I had bought the 3 flavors they had in my store for a mere $2.99)

The bacon was a nice touch. I only added one serving to the whole thing. So not much, but it was nice flavor. I wished I had feta cheese. It's the second time today that I wished for it. I might have to get some next trip to the store.

Here's a tip for entree salads, beyond having a ready to use salad base, leftover grilled chicken, and premade salad dressing. Have a great mixing bowl. A nice big one that makes it easy to toss the salad and then serve. I got a nice stainless steel one, it's thin steel, but still, from Ikea for about $8. Well worth the money. I went back and got another one I liked it so much. Having something that could go in the dishwasher, if it would fit, is a plus. Get the right tools to do your job. My DH said that to me.

Also, have dishes that make entree salads work. You need a really big plate, or a really big bowl. Here's a little story...

I inherited a set of dishes from my Grandmother. The California Ivy pattern from Metlox. They aren't fancy. But I like them. I discovered that the "veggie serving bowl" which should be used as a serving dish, is really the perfect size for entree salads. It's 9" wide and 2.5" deep. They remind me of the bowls used at Cafe Express here in the Houston area. I only had one. I watched eBay and picked up a set of 2 more. Still looking for a decent priced one to make at least 4, but I'm happy. Eating out of them makes me happy. Little things like this make the difference for me. Anything I can do to help me not eat out is good stuff.

I was feeling like something sweet after dinner. I'm used to eating ice cream or something for a little dessert following a meal. I decided to make myself a cup of a fruity herbal tea and see how it went. I made a cup of Tangerine Orange Zinger. It was warm and comforting and sweet enough that I didn't really feel like eating anything else.

DS ended up eating a cheese quesadilla on whole wheat tortillas and carrots and dip. Again, I use my kitchen scale to measure out a serving of cheese. And a bowl of ice cream for dessert. I have figured out how to spoon out an actual serving with an ice cream scoop. Serving size is rough business but it's important for even him to eat right.

I got the kitchen cleaned up again. Yay for me! This is a historically big deal. It was easier today because I kept up with the rinsing throughout making breakfast. We dealt with the bacon pan early. [While the grease was hot, I poured it into the cup I keep in the freezer for this purpose. And while the pan was hot, I added water and "deglaced" the pan, which is a cooking techniqe that works great for cleaning.] Lunch was largely on the grill and dinner was basically a no cook meal. So I emptied the dishwasher and then filled it with today's dishes tonight.

I took out salmon from the freezer and put it in the fridge for tomorrow. I buy salmon from www.great-alaska-seafood.com. It's the best quality salmon. Once you get on their email list, they'll send you deals. You learn to watch them to get the best per pound price. It's handy to have a stock pile of salmon in the freezer. I hope to eat it two to three times a week.

On a side note...the works are working again. I'm very happy about this, needless to say. I will say this, and pray it isn't TMI. When you do something like this colon cleanse, or fast for a long period of time, whatever it is that is enough change in eating habits to affect the appearance of your bowel movements, its somewhat interesting to see their appearance change again when you start eating. If you have never experienced this, I recommend it. It will give you a new perspective on what you put in your mouth in the first place.

 

[TxRabbit]

I woke up knowing that I needed to go to the store today to get a few things for lunches for the week ahead. DH and DS both take lunches to work and school. I pack them for them. I HATE grocery shopping on the weekend. I consider it a privelege of being a homemaker to be able to shop during the week, during the day. IF shopping is necessaryon the weekend, early morning is the best time to do this.

It just so happened that this worked out fine. I made a massive batch of smoothie, or frappe, depending on your vocabulary. We each had an appropriate serving. DS included. My recipe is an adaptation of a fat flush recipe, this recipe is for one serving:

1 cup of diluted 100% cranberry juice (the real stuff, in a 7 parts water to 1 part cranberry juice ratio)
1 serving frozen strawberries, or other berry, but preferably berries for fiber
1 serving whey protein, vanilla flavored with stevia
1 teaspoon bone meal
1 teaspoon Flora-Key (a probiotic powder)
1 Tablespoon olive oil, or flax seed oil

The added oil seems weird, but gives it creaminess and body.

The bone meal is an excellent no calorie source of bioavailable calcium. Calcium is very important for women. I wrote this before, elsewhere on these boards, but here's the deal. 99% of the calcium in your body is in your bones, and related. Only 1% of calcium is in your blood. The calcium in your blood is ESSENTIAL. It is what provides a buffer when you body tends more toward the acidic than the alkaline. Generally, this calcium is derived from your diet. IF you don't give your body calcium in your diet, because calcium in you blood is essential, it WILL leach it from your bones. Talk about motivation to get calcium in your diet, huh?

The frozen fruit gives it that cold, frozen but not too frozen goodness.

After my smoothie, I headed to the store.

Here's breakfast:

Breakfast tacos for the men. I made some pico. I used a 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites per person. Scrambled those. DS just ate a whole wheat tortilla and eggs. Leftover bacon and strawberries. DH ate the same with pico and salsa added and asparagus.

I didn't do tacos. I piled on chunks of avocado, pico, and salsa on my eggs. With two bacons and asparagus. You will notice that I will be avoiding, or limiting, wheat products. I think that I am sensitive to wheat. (I think it affects my digestive tract and makes me constipated.) Since I got off wheat with the cleanse, I'm going to avoid it for as long as I can stand it.

DH and I also had our "lemon tea" this morning before our meal.

I have a plan for lunch and dinner in mind. I need to get that plan underway.

DS is having a personal pizza for lunch. I'm going to get the dough going in the breadmaker and the sauce going in the crockpot shortly. There will be left over dough and sauce. The sauce is an adaptation from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook." The dough freezes well and defrosts quickly. This will be handy to have this coming week, especially when I might make something I know that he won't really appreciate. This is my strategy. To have something easy to whip together or to have leftovers for DS when I make something too weird for DH and I.

DH and I are going to have black bean chili and salad. The chili is an easy recipe from "Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites." It doesn't take long to make at all. I already have the onions all chopped from the pico this morning. Mostly opening up cans and measuring out stuff into the pot. This will make excellent lunches for DH and I through the coming week.

This is an intricate part of my kitchen plan. Strategic leftovers. Weekend meals are great opportunities to make a big batch of something to use in the week ahead. I already have grilled chicken, now I'll have chili.

When I make DS's pizza today, since the oven will be going, I'm going to bake up several sweet potatoes. Easy peasy. Stab with a fork. Rub all over with olive oil and a bit of sea salt. Wrap in foil. Preheat the oven to 400 at least. (The pizza is 425!) Put the sweet potatoes in the oven directly on the rack, place a sheet or something under the sweet potatoes to catch the leaking juices. Reduce heat to 325 and bake for one hour. Turn off the oven and just leave the sweet potatoes in there til you need them. If you can bake them around lunch time, then they are AWESOME by dinner. In the words of my FIL, it's like I'm eating pie filling, what did you do to these sweet potatoes?

The sweet potatoes will also be used throughout the coming week. They save well in the fridge and will make an easy microwave side dish for lunches and/or dinners.

 

[TxRabbit]

The lunch and dinner plans worked VERY well!

DS was excited and surprised for the pizza. I haven't made pizza in a long time. I made the crust with half whole wheat flour and half bread flour. My family really, REALLY prefers the WHITE whole wheat flour, as opposed to the regular whole wheat flour, which is made from red wheat. I've learned to keep it in the fridge, because otherwise, it goes bad quickly and smells and tastes funny.

He also likes his pizza saucy. This makes for a decent tomato addition to his diet. The one modification I make to the recipe in the book is to simply use Tomato Puree instead of paste AND sauce. I buy the puree in a bottle, too. There's evidence that there is contamination from the lining of the cans for acidic food especially. Like what happens to bottled water? The leaching of the plastic into the food? They are finding that the lining in the cans is leaching into the food. I try to avoid canned tomatoes now, for this reason, because these seem to be the worst for it.

DH and I thoroughly enjoyed our chili. I like to have meat free meals here and there. I served the chili on leftover rice, topped with the other half of the avocado left from this morning, the leftover pico from this morning, and some chopped cilantro.

Dinner was grilled salmon. Just rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with pepper and salt. I have some leftover for DS tomorrow. Not sure what I'm going to make for DH and I, but I'll pick something DS wouldn't really enjoy.

DS got rice (I made a double batch tonight to use this coming week), carrots and dip. I made a veggie stir fry for DH and I: green beans, red peppers, zuchini, onion, and mung bean sprouts. I used what was left of the Garlic and Ginger Sauce. VERY good. We also had sweet potatoes. I slice those big things into thick fat slices and give us each some. Super tasty and really easy.

I still have to clean the kitchen and put together DH's lunch. Should be easy though. I'm thinking I'll make a stir fry tomorrow night. Something spicy, like Kung Pao chicken. I want to try the recipe in the cook book. DS can try the chicken and see if he likes it for the future, but we'll have salmon as a back up plan. DS can handle spicy, but sometimes...you never know.

So lunch should NOT have rice, because dinner will. Sweet potatoes for lunch!

When DH started working so far away 2 years ago, we got him a new lunch kit. He basically has a softsided 12-pack cooler for a lunch bag. I purchased some great covered plastic containers and covered pyrex for the typical things DH takes for food. We use them ONLY for his lunch. We put things that will heated up in the microwave in the glass and cold things in the plastic. I do also use those microwaveable bags for cooking veggies. His lunch is pretty standardized, based on the containers. Which seems funny. But when they are packed, I know that all his meals and snacks are accounted for. Makes life so much easier. He takes:

Hard boiled eggs
Breakfast fruit (like berries)
Lunch fruit (like apples, pears, oranges, grapes, etc.)
Entree and side (like chicken and sweet potatoes)
Veggie bag (like brocolli, cauliflower, green beans)
Veggie snack (cut carrots, celery, peppers, cucumbers, etc. whatever)
Green Salad (sometimes, especially if the side dish is puny, then I add a salad)
Nuts (like almonds, peanuts, cashews)

DH tries to hit the door around 5:50 AM, so he takes breakfast, snack, lunch, and snack with him.

Lately, DS has been eating "chicken tacos." They are more like wraps. Cold grilled chicken wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. I send grapes and two pieces of chocolate. He doesn't have a lot of time to eat, and he can eat this quickly.

I'm feeling very good about the weekend. I feel like I am well stocked for the upcoming week. Lunches are pretty well taken care of. We ate at home this weekend! Which is HUGE for us. But I realize that eating at home is what has made me so well stocked for lunch provisions. And the prospect of eating at home this week is looking good. I just can't think about too much more food right now. I will probably plan more tomorrow morning.

This weekend was probably worse than normal. We hadn't eaten for several days so there was no stash of food for helping to put together meals. It was like starting from scratch for every meal. What a pain. I'm hoping to get in that rhythm that will cut down on each day's time in the kitchen. Plus, I realize that with 3 people home all day, eating all meals at home, there is a whole lot more dishes and pots and pans than on a normal day. In this respect, the weekend was a lot more work than I've before realized. Maybe because we have eaten OUT so much before.

It sure felt like we had more time this weekend. That's a big plus for eating from the house. I must remember this for future motivation.

I have a kitchen and some final lunch preparations (gotta boil some eggs and pack stuff up) to do. It's good stuff.

 

[TxRabbit]

I suppose introductions are in order...

I am 38 years old, my birthday was March, so a young 38 still! DH and I will have been married for 13 years this July 5. We meet in college when he was 19 and I was 20. I LOVE saying that, seeing that, and reading that. I LOVE my hubby! So far, we have DS, aged 9.

I'm in a season of transition. This, combined with the 40-year milestone birthday looming on the horizon, has me in a very reflective state of mind. I'm going to periodically encourage myself with a series of personal introductions. I hope this exercise will help me with some current decision making processes. I also hope it will encourage you.

I am a homemaker. I USED to be a SAHM, but then divine revelation stepped in, and I realized that I am a HOME maker. It's a fabulous title really. I think it's too bad that more don't use it and harness the power of it.

I am the transforming energy and vision that makes a timber and sheetrock dwelling a HOME. I am caretaker, overseer, maintenance, and refurbisher. In the space of the entire world, I create the safe haven that protects, renergizes, and comforts my family. Mindfully, I can promote physical, mental, and spiritual healing, growth, and dreaming.

I create an atmosphere that promotes family unity. I create an environment that promotes rest, health, and well-being. I meet the physical needs of the family. Some of it is pure drudgery. Like laundry. Ugh. Some of it brings tears to my eyes in memories, like hugs, kisses, and cuddle time. Some of it can be delightful, like cooking, which I truly enjoy.

I am the nutritional gatekeeper. I am the decision maker regarding food. I am the grocery shopper. I am the cook. I am the meal planner. Even if we don't eat at home, the family looks to me to see what idea I have in mind for the meal. As such, I am directly responsible for the health of my family.

I read about the idea of being a nutritional gatekeeper. That thought hit me HARD. Naming the responsibility was powerful. Whereas, before, I knew I was the parent, making food related decisions for my child. I knew I wanted to make good choices. There's nothing like being completely responsible for the food of another person to really make you think about what food should be given to a person. What SHOULD they eat?

I have always been avid about research. I love to learn. I love to read. Nutrition, diet, cooking...these are all interesting topics to me. I pick and choose who to read, what to read, but read about it I do. A LOT.

I have always loved to cook. I started cooking YOUNG. When I say young, I mean third grade and younger. I can't even really remember when. I have a memory of visiting my great grandma one summer and writing down all the recipes that I had learned how to make. I remember tamale pie casserole, spaghetti, lasagna, and enchiladas.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. My mom was an avid health food nut. NEVER had sugar cereal. Always had peanut butter you had to stir. Often had bread you had to cut yourself. Lots of fruit. Lots of veggies. This is what gives me hope. I didn't like tomatoes, avocados, green peppers, onions, etc etc growing up. I remember eating the filling only on stuffed bell pepper night. But now, things have changed. The seed for knowing that these were good things was planted. And when I began to care about what I ate, I could make the decision to like it, and did.

My DS is like this. We were eating on our then balcony of a rented town house. I had grilled salmon for DH and myself and chicken for DS. DS was eyeing our salmon. Before he even asked for a bite, he KNEW he was going to like it. He asked. He ate. He liked. I plant the seeds for him to like more veggies and fruits in the future. Force him to eat what I can right now. Give him what he DOES like as much as possible. And HOPE that he will eat better in the future.

After all my reading, my nutrition goals are simple. Eat as many veggies as you can. Eat fruit. Eat lean meat. Eat poultry. Eat MORE fish, especially oily fish, like salmon. Eat fat, make sure it's a healthy fat, but definitely make sure you eat it. The body is a machine and it needs to be oiled to run smoothly. Fat is necessary, and not just any old fat will do.

Avoid trans fat. Avoid high fructose corn syrup. Avoid excess salt, some salt is good. Especially iodinized salt. And it can really make food taste better. Avoid excessive sugar. Avoid soda. Limit caffeine. Limit sweets. Limit junk. Moderation is key.

Treat yourself well. Treat yourself like you are going to meet your goals of a long, healthy, prosperous life. Do it NOW.

My major breakthrough, AHA moment. All the convenience in the world is SUPPOSED to help you. Like having typically forgotten household items at a corner store. I forgot foil. DH was doing the Home Depot runs over the weekend, and he stopped in Walgreen's to grab foil. 70 foot role for $2.49! This is one way to pay for convenience.

Convenience food, however, can often be cheap. SUPER cheap. Fast food. Premade food. Processed food. It's generally nutrition poor. You pay for it in your health. And I started wondering, what was the time saved for? WHAT am I teaching my son? So many of my friends in college couldn't cook. I don't want DS to be like that.

I have never really bought much processed or premade food. I just can't bring myself to do it. But the paradox occurs in the many visits to Wendy's, Taco Bell, ding dong Pizza, etc etc. I couldn't bring myself to buy junk in the grocery store but I take my family willingly to EAT as bad, or even worse in a restaurant?

So I learned. Picking and choosing convenience food is necessary. I love homemade bread, but storebought bread is pretty good too. I prefer fresh made pasta sauce, but sometimes... It's important to have easy meals on hand, for those times when you LITERALLY don't have time or energy enough. But life shouldn't be constantly like this. Seasons for everything, but still, there are seasons of rest.

So. I am a woman excited about food, cooking, nutrition, and health. I've awaken the woman within who has always dreamed of the veggie and herb garden. Dreamed of ordering one of those special fruit trees where multiple fruits are grafted onto the same tree. Dreamed of running her kitchen like a business. Like a well run machine. Dreamed of enough structure so that experimenting becomes joyous again.

This is me.

And this journal that I am keeping is going to be the recorded history of my search for that.

I've always hoped to be able to design weeks of food. Where the food through the week is related enough so that prep time is reduced, or money is saved, but different enough for variety. As I do this journal, this is the ultimate goal, to design several weeks.

 

[TxRabbit]

All the weekend cooking and prepping paid off BIG time today. Each meal took about 10 minutes or less to prepare.

I packed DH's lunch last night. He took:

Berry mix: Strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries
Grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, brocolli
Mixed veggies: carrots, celery, cucumbers, green peppers
Nuts: 1 oz almonds, raw and 0.5 oz peanuts, roasted, unsalted
Apple

DH and I started the day with our hot lemon tea. He ate two hard boiled eggs for breakfast. DS ate his breakfast sandwich: aforementioned two fried egg white within a grilled cheese sandwich with strawberries.

My breakfast was different. I'm not a big fan of plain hard boiled eggs. They are okay, but this morning, I wanted something more. Something more ended up being a spinach salad with sliced green onions dressed in the Balsamic vinegar dressing and topped with the chopped hard boiled eggs. Kind of an unusual breakfast, but it was tasty and hit the spot this morning. It was fast and easy and that hit the spot too.

I packed DSs lunch of the chicken tacos/wraps, grapes, and chocolate.

Today is my laundry day. I go to a laundromat to do laundry. It's a long story about how I ended up giving away my washer and dryer, but the fact is that I prefer to get all the laundry done in one fell swoop. 2-1/2 to 3 hours in a laundromat every 2 weeks is totally my speed.

Before I left to do laundry, I made myself the aformentioned smoothie. I filled my water bottle and hit the laundromat around 10ish.

I was eating lunch at 1 pm. I don't often eat the same way DH does. I don't know why. I had an entree type salad: Romaine, cucumber, green onion, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes, and grilled chicken tossed in the Asian dressing and topped with one half an avocado. Avocado isn't quite in the Asian theme, but I don't care, I love avocado and it's supposed to be good for cholesterol. After the salad, I was interested in something warm. I served myself some sweet potatoes and ate those. It was a little like dessert, so I had no hankering for something sweet.

Speaking of cholesterol. I haven't had it measured in a while. Historically, I've had very low cholesterol, but diet had been steadily raising it. I was absolutely SHOCKED to have it register as 220 on the last time I had it tested. I asked the OB/GYN to take blood and run a scan on it, so I just got the report and didn't any follow-up lecture. My triglycerides were high too. I attributed recent weight gain to the tri being high. And the poor diet to the cholesterol.

At one point, DH was in a job that required annual testing. He worked with hazardous waste and so needed majoring monitoring. His overall cholesterol was good, but his ratio of HDL to LDL put him in a risk group. So we needed to fix that. Well, one thing I remember from my research at that time is that avocados are EXCELLENT at helping the ratio. The funny thing about my high overall number is that my ratio was EXCELLENT. LOL. My blood pressure is and always has been low, so my concern level was low.

I'm thinking that I would like to do more bloodwork in about 6 months or so and see how it looks.

Back to food.

The dinner was worked. Having left over rice was great. Having the leftover salmon for DS was also great. The best way to reheat salmon is to steam it. It gets it hot and keeps it from drying out. Add grapes to DS's plate and he was good to go.

I did the Kung Pao recipe from the Healthy Secrets from an Asian Kitchen book. EXCELLENT. I needed to make more of the Garlic & Ginger Sauce to marinade the chicken. Easy. Stir fry is a FAST meal. You have to have everything ready and nearby. Once started, it takes about 10 minutes total to cook your meal. You can prep at anytime in the day. You just need every thing cut up and ready to go. Stir fry is an excellent thing to keep regularly on any menu that requires fast and easy meals.

A note about the mung bean sprouts. I've always had a hard time keeping them from going bad. I keep them in an open container on the shelf. Today looked like the last day they would be eatable. And they were good only for cooking. I wouldn't have really wanted them raw in a salad or in a wrap. Bought Friday, they lasted until Monday at the most. So, they have a 3 day life at most after purchase.

Meanwhile, the ****ake mushrooms are still going strong. Also in an open container on the shelf.

There was enough Kung Pao left over for DH's lunch tomorrow. Packed in with more leftover rice. Threw green beans (already trimmed and cleaned) into a microwave bag. His lunch is half packed with cleaning up dinner.

At this point, analyzing lunch provisions, DS is good through Wednesday. We are good through Thursday. This must be a factor in my dinner planning. DS tried taking pizza to school, and even though it was cold by the time he ate it, he said it was good. This might be a good idea to use for him.

Meanwhile, I need to keep an eye ahead for this holiday weekend also...

 

[TxRabbit]

Routine can be a wonderful thing. DS seems to go in seasons. He will want certain things for lunch, for breakfast, for snack. He can eat this exact same thing day after day. I should amend, school day after school day. Generally, weekends are always different in some way shape or form. This is a blessing and should never be discouraged. Eventually, he WILL get sick of it and want something different. But ride that train to the end of the track. It makes life so much easier. So much.

DS had the same breakfast today. I packed the same lunch for him.

This concept is encouraged in those that desire to lose weight. Especially if you are a calorie tracker. Standardize at least one meal a day. It'll make prep AND tracking so much easier.

DH and I started the day with our lemon tea. He ate his hard boiled eggs before leaving the house this morning. In his packed lunch, he had:

Mixed berries: Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries
Entree: Leftover Kung Pao chicken and rice
Grean Beans in the microwave bag
Mixed Veggies: carrots, celery, green peppers, cucumbers
Apricot

As I watched him eat his eggs, I thought to myself, he really needs a bigger breakfast. Before the colon cleanse, I remembered him mentioning hunger levels and how he thought he needed more fiber in his diet, which I thought was rather amusing considering the amount of fiber that he ate. But it hit me that he needs more fiber in his BREAKFAST.

I opened up this topic as he was walking out the door. He admitted that he was hungry by the time he got to work, granted over 60 miles away, but still. It had been a while since I purchased cereal, but I got some on my big Friday shopping trip. I suggested that going back to a cereal breakfast might be better. He could have eggs and fruit for a mid-morning snack. He was enthusiastic about eating cereal again. We quit eating it when doing the Fat Flush plan and just never got it back. This will start tomorrow.

While cooking and packing DS's breakfast and lunch, I prepared my own. Today's time was shorter. DS didn't wake up on his own before his alarm so we had our more typically shorter time to get ready for school. I made myself a smoothie for breakfast.

I need to keep smoothie makings in the house. I've read multiple times over about the importance of eating something within one hour of waking up. Smoothies are easy. No cooking. No cutting. Measure into the blender. Blend. Done.

Midmorning, I had a snack of hard boiled eggs and an apricot.

My lunch was a repeat of yesterday, entree salad with the sweet potatoes after. I finished off the cut and prepared Romaine. It still looked good, but I could see the signs of going downhill. This gives that a 4-day shelf life beyond preparation. It's not that the lettuce itself was going bad. It was that the cut edges were starting to look less appetizing. I think if the leaves had been left whole, they would still be fine.

Despite the sweet potatoes, I STILL wanted dessert. REAL dessert. I do tend to get a sweet tooth at the beginning of my cycle, and this started just yesterday, so there you go. I decided to have a sweet. I'm learning to recognize the times when I will get fixated on something. It doesn't happen often, but there are times when you just REALLY want something. It's more than a normal want.

And these are the times when eating something indulgent REALLY is its own reward. Ever notice how great food tastes when you get really hungry. Not just, I could eat hungry. But tummy rumbling, gurgling HUNGRY.

I'm learning patience though too. So having decided that I definitely will satisfy my sweet tooth, there is no rush to decide what it should be. No frantic dash through the kitchen and a impulsive grab at chocolate, which I shove in my face before I resist. No. I'm GOING to eat something sweet and yummy and tasty and so, I'm actually going to sit and think about what it is I am actually going to eat. This is the whole point of watching what you eat. MINDFUL eating. PURPOSEFUL eating.

Yesterday, DH wanted coffee. He was already at work. He didn't want a milky, latte drink. He just wanted some coffee. He was asking my permission almost. "Is that bad? Is that okay?" I said that he could and should have some. The point is to make decisions on purpose. Don't just keeping drinking coffee because you ALWAYS drink coffee. Remember why you make the decision to do something.

The coffee at work is nasty. The company doesn't provide it. They have a coffee club. And they get GROSS coffee. I thought he should get settled in, take care of Monday morning business, and then take a break. Go to Panera and get the yummy Hazelnut coffee that he really likes. "What a good idea I had!" We had a nice chat when he had his coffee break.

Back to my sweet tooth. I still want to avoid wheat. I'm not ready to give in on that one yet. I would like there to be SOME redeeming quality to a treat. Can there be HEALTHY sweets? Rather than analyze too much, I let my mind roam freely and imagine all kinds of different yummy tasty treats. It's hot outside. This is affecting what sounds better than others. I really don't want to have to go anywhere to indulge. That seems like a hassle. In the end, I settle on an experiment. I'm going to make a crustless pumpkin pie. I have one can of pumpkin still in the pantry. And evaporated milk still too.

My mom and I made crustless quiche. She just didn't want to deal with the pie crust but wanted that quiche-y goodness, so we baked the filling in the pie pan with no crust. I decide to do the same with pumpkin pie. I made one adjustment to the recipe on the side of the can: rather than 2 whole eggs, I used 4 egg whites (the baking equivalent), just to totally eliminate fat since I already have Fat Free evaporated milk. I had a momentary concern over whether the custard would stick to the pie pan. I grabbed an almost used up stick of butter and just rubbed the paper all over the dish.

So. Fat? No. Sugar? Yes. This is fine. I wanted sweets after all. It comes with the territory. Protein? With the milk and the egg whites, yes. Also, with the milk, calcium. LOTS of vitamin A with the pumpkin. AND quite a bit of fiber. These are redeeming qualities to indulging a sweet tooth. And the best part is that I will be able to share with DH and DS later. DS flip flops on whether he likes pumpkin pie. DH, like me, LOVES it. We still have ice cream for DS, so he will still have something yummy if he isn't thrilled.

Otherwise, I'm feeling quite uninspired in the kitchen. I totally don't want to cook. I think it must be the Tuesday syndrome.

Ever since we got hooked on The Biggest Loser, Tuesday night has been pizza night. Dominos has two for Tuesdays. They are literally within walking distance of my house. Not that I WOULD walk. We would watch the overweight and obese gradually get to weigh less than ourselves as we porked out on pizza.

There's something else though. Something about a let down after the week begins? I don't know. For the previous three years, Tuesdays were always an issue. Soccer practice. And practice would be at this really awkward time. A perfect dinner time. We usually ended up eating out on those Tuesdays too. We are just taking a break from soccer this year, so this hasn't been our issue.

Rhythms like this are important to note. I think it's best to work with things like this than fight them. Pick your battles. Plan for this one and just give in. Dinner must be easy. And that's all there is to it.

So DS is having pizza. I just took the dough out of the freezer. And the adults are eating the black bean chili. And tomorrow night's dinner better produce lunch leftovers. Tonight's the finale of the big show (no pun intended) so I'm posting early today.

The oven just beeped. I think it needs another 4 minutes for a perfectly clean knife. The edges didn't burn. It looks just like pumpkin pie, but no crust. Not sure how it will serve, but that's really not a concern. Smells normal.

It's okay to be hungry. It's okay to wait. It's okay to have to delay gratification. It's okay to eat some pie. Make the decision. Plan it out. Don't beat yourself up over it. Don't get upset about it. Don't say, I was bad. Yikes. Maybe it's not the best. But it's not the worst. And it's not something I'm going to avoid for the rest of my life. Moderation in all things. Mindful decisions. That's what this is all about for me.

 

[TxRabbit]

The easy dinner plans of last night was right on!

While dishing out the rice and the chili into two plate/bowls to heat up in the microwave, we dished one out for DH's lunch one his glass dishes.

The pizza for DS was a bit hit. A nice personal size. He ate it all.

The pie, or should I say stand alone pie filling?, was right on. OMG. It came out AWESOME. I have to plug the recipe into a calorie counter, but I'm sure that it was much improved on the original. I put the recipe on the side of the can into one of those programs, I think it was Sparkpeople?, and 1/8 of the normal pie with crust was 671 calories! Now that's with regular butter in the crust. So crustless and egg white only should really improve on that figure.

DH and DS both wanted more food before bed. DH snacked on some salami, cheese, and crackers. DS ate some pepperoni.

My mom turned me on to one of Jillian Michaels books called "Making the Cut." The focus is how to get rid of those pesky last 10 pounds give or take. In the book is a quiz that is supposed to help determine whether or not you are a slow, balanced, or fast oxidizer. This is supposed to affect the percentage of carbs, protein, and fat that is best for your metabolic type. Without doubt, my men are fast oxidizers and they should have more meat and fat in their diet. I think the recommended ratio is carbs 30%, protein 40%, fat 30%. Now I am a balanced one and my ratios are more typical carbs 40%, protein 30%, fat 30%. I slow oxidizer ups the carbs to 60%!

I can see though, how the bean dinner for DH and the pizza dinner for DS left them both wanting more meat. And sure enough, I asked DS this morning, "If you could pick any dinner you wanted for tonight, what would it be?" Since I had to go to the grocery store. Steak! was the immediate and emphatic answer. I wasn't at all surprised after all the chicken and fish. My boy loves meat. Anyone who has read my dining reports knows how much.

DH and I had our lemon tea. DH ate cereal with soy milk for breakfast before leaving the house. He took his hard boiled eggs with him in his lunch kit. His entree was the beans and rice with brocolli in the veggie bag. Otherwise, everything else was the same as usual.

DS ate his typical breakfast and took his typical lunch. I had a smoothie before taking him to school. After doing some painting this morning, I ate one hard boiled egg and an apricot for a mid morning snack. At 1pm, I wasn't feeling very hungry, but I fixed myself the rice and beans for lunch.

I did go to the store today and just got a few things to fill in the blanks. Salad fixings. Carrots. Steak. Chicken. Apples. Eggs. Bacon for the weekend (hoping I can get through Saturday with this trip.) There are more things that I would have liked to buy because favorites are gone, however, there is still food in the fridge and if I buy more of too many other things, I won't use my current inventory.

I had an apple for snack before picking up DS from school.

Tonight we ate bison steaks for dinner. I splurged and it was so worth it. I would rather splurge every now and again and get GREAT quality meat than eat meat so often. Bison is lean meat too and usually free range, which is more nutritious, though I can't remember exactly how. But the idea is similar to people. Cow and other range animals should eat grass, not grain. They need those low carb diets to be healthy! LOL.

I grilled the steaks and while I was at it, I grilled chicken. I didn't buy steak for leftovers. Too expensive It didn't cost me any more time or effort really to grill chicken along with the steaks, and now I have lunches for all 3 of us for the rest of the week.

DS loves pasta, so I made him noodles dressed with olive oil. We call them oily noodles and he loves them. It's so simple. I do buy tasty olive oil. This one grocery store that I go to occasionally, called Central Market, had different olive oils out for tasting. This one was by FAR the best, to me. So now that's the one I buy. He also had an apple.

DH was feeling noodle-y, so he had noodles while I had more sweet potato. I'm still staying off the wheat. I made a stir fry of what was left of the green beans, yellow pepper, half an onion, zuchini, and summer squash. I dressed it with a store bought spicy stir fry sauce I've had for a while. It helped to clear out the fridge of things that were reaching the end of shelf life (green beans) and things that aren't quite the favorite, but are so economical right now (the squashes).

We finished off the pie filling tonight.

We are also enjoying some wine tonight. We had a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc already in the house. DH had a kick off meeting today and we made a major decision regarding our home and the methodology for selling it today. So it's a little bit of a relief celebration going on.

This weekend should be interesting. I'm not sure how to prepare foodwise, but I know that I want to continue eating from home. The short version is that we are renting a UHaul this weekend and are going to clear out all the excess from our house and move it to my inlaw's house. We are basically going to move in with them after school gets out next week. Our kitty gets to come too. We are going to leave the house looking lived in, but we are not going to be here while it is on the market. DH is going to get a break from the commute because the inlaws live down by his work. Their house is basically empty, so furniture will be nice for them. It's a long story, but its a win win situation. I'm very relieved to have this situation while we are selling.

I'm beyond thrilled with the little bit of time I've been having to spend in the kitchen. The stir fry was easy but the variety of food in the dish and the spice really made it a treat. It took a super simple meal up a notch and added some interest. I think this is a good ratio for feeling like a meal is something MORE. Rather than just simple steamed veggies, the veggie mix was a nice touch. And it was fast. And the stir fry let me clear out some things in the fridge and make good use of economic veggies with some things that weren't so economical (yellow peppers), at least at this time of year.

I'm going to take out some fish for dinner tomorrow. I got some Mahi Mahi at the store, flash frozen in individual servings, but I haven't purchased it this way before. I'm excited to try it. Thinking ahead, Friday night's dinner should probably produce left overs for use this weekend.

I was researching today, looking at different software and blogs and articles about kitchen management. There was one that was interesting that was aimed at time savers in the kitchen. The base of the pyramid was freeze ahead food. The next tier was strategic leftovers. I'm avoiding that freeze ahead food at this time for several reasons, but after the move this will also be a strategy I will employ, in my own way. Meanwhile, strategic leftovers are my main method to reduce time in the kitchen.

The problem that I have with most programs is their lack of attention to lunches. They are just dinner plans. I wonder what they expect people to do for lunch? I don't cook at lunch. I assemble. In order for me to assemble, I need leftovers. Sandwiches are okay, but they don't really pack well for as long as DH has them packed, which is the main reason I avoid them. And they can get old. You need variety.

I'm happy to report that my funk with food seems to be over. I'm not sick of it anymore. Food is fun again. I'm thinking about this as a challenging, planning project, and since I don't have a Disney vacation to plan right now, it's filling a void. LOL.

 

[TxRabbit]

I'm totally freaking out.

It's too long a story to detail, but the gist of the situation is that DH has been commuting 120+ miles a day for about two years now. Moving closer to his current job is complicated, but it's something that we were finally ready to do this summer. Meanwhile, budget cuts have affected DH's family members that work for the same employer. They were slated to lose their jobs at the end of the fiscal year in September. Within the company, they got different jobs and moved to Georgia.

So now we were facing moving into a very depressed area with 11K in lost jobs and no family living there anymore. So DH applied to try to go to GA too. He even went out for an interview, but 6 weeks later they still haven't communicated ANYTHING more. Two nights ago, DH applied for a job in England. YES. ENGLAND. We don't know much about it, but the position would require 24 months in England. Details are missing. But the job posting is the best fit for DH that we have ever seen with the company. And I had thought it would be such a great opportunity. What a cool thing. I never studied abroad, but I kind of wanted to.

And we have seen several, because last October, DH's entire contract was brought into a room and told about how lay offs were going to begin. So he's been sending out applications to many opportunities. Fortunately though, I don't think layoffs actually ever happened in DH's division.

Dh applied from home. He sent a follow up email to the hiring manager the following morning. Yesterday morning. THIS morning, he got a reply. They are interested.

OMG! OMG! OMG!

So, I'm totally freaking out.

I admit that I'm a planner. A borderline control freak and this is WAY beyond my comfort zone to be in the situation that I am in. GA is still up in the air. Now England. Meanwhile, we were knowing that we needed to move and end this commute. I don't want to do a double move. It's expensive. It's time consuming. It's generally a PITA. And I just can't see how a double move would be all that great for DS.

So, I'm totally freaking out.

I've been spending so much of my life with something on the horizon. Change coming just around the bend. I could detail it, but let's just say that the first Thanksgiving in this house, 2006, I was depressed and decided to write down where I had spent all the previous Thanksgivings that I could remember. In doing so, I realized that DH and I had maintained a moving schedule that had us moving an average of every 13 months for 13 years. Nice, huh?

This has been one of the greatest contributing factors to my inability to maintain any sort of exercise plan, eating plan, whatever. Life feels like it is in a constant state of turmoil and there is always something on the horizon. It make living in the present very difficult.

The interesting thing about this is that because of that metabolic typing quiz in the Jillian Michael's book, I'm watching myself and my thoughts about food from an almost clinical perspective.

One question from the quiz is:

When you feel anxious:
A. Fruit or vegetables calms me down
B. Eating anything calms me
C. Fatty foods calm me

I thought that I don't really want to eat at all when I am anxious, so how to answer?

But TODAY, after talking to DH and hearing all the big news, after thinking about all the implications of picking up and being in England for two years, after thinking about all the things that I don't know about it, I realized that I DID want to eat some food. And as soon as I realized that I started trying to analyze what it was I really wanted!

At first, I wanted a latte. My non-fat, no whip, cinnamon dolce latte. Then I started thinking about Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, and a big juicy hamburger like the ones in the Applebees or Chilis commercials that are going on right now. The COWBOY burger. I started thinking about breads. Banana breads. Pumpkin breads. Sweet, yummy quick breads. And I realized that my answer is totally C. All I want is to stuff my face with heavy food.

And then I made myself a salad. With avocado. And I ate my sweet potatoes. And I'm totally not satisfied.

And it makes me cry. Because I can't see to control the anxiety. I'm a believer. And I know that if this is what DH and I are supposed to do, then we will be all right. Things will work out. I'll learn enough to know what I need to learn about. To learn where I need education, help, and I'll get it.

But I still can't help this overall feeling of anxiety. It's overwhelming. This uncertainty is making me a little crazy.

I know that regardless, I still have things around this house that must be dealt with. I have projects to finish. Cleaning to do. There's plenty of things that, no matter what the future holds, MUST be done. And no matter what tomorrow may bring, today is certain with the need for these things to be done.

But I just can't seem to concentrate on that.

And I don't really know what to do about that.

I'm hoping that writing this will help me.

Back to my regular journaling...

Last night, I just didn't want to clean the kitchen. I had two glasses of wine. I probably didn't need the second glass. Later, in bed, I felt it. And it wasn't pleasant. It's been so long since I've had any alcohol, which is good because we were getting a little out of control with it. But the more you drink, the more you can drink. So I was surprised by how affected I was by the two glasses. I'm noting this, and noting it big time. I only need one glass. The second one is NOT GOOD. Wow. I never really thought I would actually THINK that way. I thought I would only think that I SHOULD think that way...

Back in the kitchen, the dishes were all over. There were still some food leftovers that needed to be dealt with and quite frankly, I just didn't want to do it. So I opened the dishwasher and forced myself to do it.

I only unload and load the dishwasher at night. I try to rinse dishes and make piles throughout the day. Which doesn't take any time. But I try to limit the actual dealing with the dishwasher to once a day. It helps me to feel like I don't do dishes all day long. And I loaded that thing and started it running. It didn't take that long. And I was glad that I didn't let the lazy bug keep me from having a cleaner kitchen in the morning. Because I also hadn't packed DH's lunch and I would need to do that in the morning. And it's so much easier to deal with a cleaner kitchen.

I left the pots and pans. They are still left as a matter of fact. But I'm cool with that. I overcame last night by dealing with the general mess.

This morning, DH did cereal, and took his typical lunch: Grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, mixed veggies, cherries, apricots, hard boiled eggs, nuts.

DS is getting sick of the breakfast sandwiches. He had a quesadilla and grapes. And then an apple and peanuts, because he was more hungry. He woke up early today so I made myself the spinach salad topped with hard boiled eggs for breakfast. Then I finished off his apple slices and peanuts.

I'm feeling so out of sorts. I'm going to grill the fish for dinner. I'm thinking an easy veggie side, steamed brocolli, and making a fancier grain side, fried rice. The last batch of rice I made is from an older bag. It tastes a bit, well, stale. Not bad necessarily, just kind of old. So I'm thinking it will make great fried rice. Not sure what to do with the rest of the bag though. There's quite a bit left in it. I had forgotten the bag was in the pantry and found it cleaning the pantry out.

I might be a good idea to keep a kitchen inventory and study the roll over of the food. How long do things last? What goes bad before we use it? What do we run out of quickly? I wonder if I could do this in Excel?

If the fried rice comes out good, then I could reserve that rice for fried rice only. I saw that they sell frozen rice. Frozen cooked rice. Can you imagine? I guess that I could cook all that rice and freeze it so that I would have ready rice on had to fry in the future? Or have rice to add to casseroles or stuffed peppers? Seems like a plan.

The one thing I have yet to totally clean out is the freezer. Not that there is so much in there, but there is enough.

 

[TxRabbit]

So I took the time analyze the crustless pumpkin pie.

I remember that a 1/8 slice of the normal recipe was 671 calories. A 1/4 slice of my adjusted recipe, with 4 egg whites instead of 2 large whole eggs and no crust yields:

274.2 calories
0.6 g fat
57.5 g carbs
3.3 g fiber
13.4 g protein

This translates into 20% protein and 2% fat.

Nutrients;

338.3% Vitamin A
19.1% Vitamin D
31.0% Calcium
10.5% Iron

Lots of other 10% give or take on the nutrients.

On another note, pumpkin is listed as STRONGLY ANTI-Inflamatory, 334. The egg whites are mildly anti-inflammatory, 28. The milk is mildly inflammatory, -96. I'm not sure how you would balance it all out, but logically, if you were to add it all up (anti-inflammatory is a positive number, inflammatory is a negative number), then this dessert lands solidly on the anti-inflammatory side of the equation.

I discovered today that http://www.nutritiondata.com website has added inflammatory ratings to all its foods! This is a great resource. The latest buzz is that inflammation is one of the single greatest indications of future risk for disease.

All these qualities for crustless pumpkin pie combine to make it a great dessert to have in your pantry. It's easy. Just assemble in the bowl, pour it the pan, and bake. NICE.

 

[TxRabbit]

So I took the time analyze the crustless pumpkin pie.

I remember that a 1/8 slice of the normal recipe was 671 calories. A 1/4 slice of my adjusted recipe, with 4 egg whites instead of 2 large whole eggs and no crust yields:

274.2 calories
0.6 g fat
57.5 g carbs
3.3 g fiber
13.4 g protein

This translates into 20% protein and 2% fat.

Nutrients;

338.3% Vitamin A
19.1% Vitamin D
31.0% Calcium
10.5% Iron

Lots of other 10% give or take on the nutrients.

On another note, pumpkin is listed as STRONGLY ANTI-Inflamatory. The egg whites are mildly anti-inflammatory. The milk is mildly inflammatory. I'm not sure how you would balance it all out, but logically, if you were to add it all up (anti-inflammatory is a positive number, inflammatory is a negative number), then this dessert lands solidly on the anti-inflammatory side of the equation.

I discovered today that http://www.nutritiondata.com website has added inflammatory ratings to all its foods! This is a great resource. The latest buzz is that inflammation is one of the single greatest indications of future risk for disease.

All these qualities for crustless pumpkin pie combine to make it a great dessert to have in your pantry. It's easy. Just assemble in the bowl, pour it the pan, and bake. NICE.

 

[TxRabbit]

I need to go back to the grocery store. I need produce. I need meat, chicken, beans, whatever, I need the main protein for a meal.

I'm not surprised. But this whole exercise is supposed to help with this. I think I've already thought this, but I want to get a spreadsheet going that can track how long things last in the house. What gets used. What does.

Meanwhile, I grabbed the receipts from my last two trips to the store. I know that I did a bit of a stocking up last Friday and I needed that trip to the store on Wednesday to get through the end of week. I want to see what I DIDN'T use from the lists and make a plan to definitely USE it this weekend or coming week.

Here's the analysis:

NOT used

4 of 12 chicken breasts (Yay for buying frozen! It's cheaper for the Natural Chicken that I prefer anyway)
1/2 container of Ice Cream (with DS the only one eating it, and me being sure to get the proper serving size, we might actually get the 12 servings that are supposed to be in the container!)
1/2 bag of family sized shredded Mexican Cheese
3 of 6 Mahi Mahi servings
3 of 3 containers of tofu (so, I think I was ambitious with the whole tofu thing. I couldn't get it done and figure out what DS would eat that would be easy.)
1/2 container soy milk (now that DH started eating cereal mid-week, will definitely need more.)
2 Oranges
1 jar artichoke hearts
lemon grass herbs
a lot of collard greens
Bread (didn't run out of the loaf I had going already)
Pad Thai noodles

And still going strong pantry items

Walnut Oil
Coconut Oil
Soy Sauce
Raw Almonds
Cereal 1 (Ezekiel)
Cereal 2 (Nature's Parh Heritage Flakes)

I'm happy to report that we made it through almost ALL of that produce, so much so that I needed to restock mostly produce midweek. I needed more dip makings. Eggs. Chicken (I didn't realize I still had some if the freezer, oops). Steak. Bacon for the weekend. Tortillas.

All in all, it was a decent week of groceries. I'm thrilled that there wasn't any waste in the produce, which has been an issue in the past. Especially if we eat out. I'll buy all this food, we eat out, the food goes bad, through away the food. Makes for expensive eating.

So the interesting thing about a move on the horizon is the need I feel to use up as much of the pantry as I can. Why move food? What a pain. Given the collard greens left over, lentils, and rice that I have in the pantry, I'm going to make the Lentil, Sausage, and Rice Soup from the Whole Foods Cookbook. The recipe calls for spinach, but I've substituted other greens and actually, the tougher greens hold up better in the fridge so that soup can be used for lunches.

Toward that end, I've got a pot of vegetable stock simmering on the stove. I ended up throwing the ****ake mushrooms in there. I didn't use them during the week. They didn't get slimey, a past problem with mushrooms for me, they actually shrank and started to dry out. Perfect for stock.

I'm going to made Pad Thai this weekend. That will use those noodles and a brick of tofu. I'll make Mongolian beef to go with that.

I'm going to throw more dough in the breadmaker to stock. I still have plenty of sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Having the dough on hand will be handy.

I'll plan for tacos this weekend too. I'll use corn tortillas or lettuce for myself. DH can pick and choose whether he wants the flour tortillas.

I found a recipe for a Thai Vegetable Wrap that is based on tofu. I think that I'll make that for us this weekend as well. That should coordinate with left over tacos for DH. We didn't really use that Peanut Sauce I made last Friday, so that sauce should work for this recipe.

DH was really wanting waffles last weekend. I think I'll get the supplies for this weekend. We haven't done them in a while. I don't know if I'll break my wheat fast with those. I don't think I need to be a wheat free person, just a limited wheat person. Avoidance of too much, if that makes sense.

I need to gather these thoughts into a shopping list and try to plan what when for this weekend.

Today was much like any other week day, which is nice.

DH and I had lemon tea this morning. He ate cereal at home. His lunch was a bit of a smorgasborg of what was left in the fruit department. His mixed berries turned into two blackberries, blueberries, cherries, and a small apricot. LOL. Grilled chicken, the last of the brocolli (I'll eat the last of the cauliflower at lunch), and a salad (no leftover starches available today.) Mixed veggies (again the mixes have been getting morphed into what is still in the fridge, so he has been taking sliced zuchini and squash as we run out of things). Apple. Mixed Nuts.

DS had a quesadilla, grapes for breakfast. Typical lunch. I had a smoothie.

Tonight, I WILL do the fried rice and Mahi Mahi. I need a veggie side though, whatever is simple.

I weighed myself this morning. 186 pounds. So holding steady. I was thrilled with this after the rib dinner last night. I'm starting to feel a rhythm with the kitchen things. The shopping. The planning. It's exciting to actually use what you buy, which sounds so stupid, but since eating out has been such a big part of our lives, the kitchen just hasn't ever really gotten in that rhythm. I'm seeing that the more you eat in, the easier it is to eat in. My utlimate goal is to have the kitchen get to be a more mindless pursuit.

 

[TxRabbit]

The first thing I have to report is that I am down another pound!

Morning Weight: 185 pounds!

DH is down a pound too.

Here's a powerful story. An experiment was done with housekeepers for a major hotel chain. Half of the housekeepers were educated as to how their responsibilities and activities as a housekeeper fulfilled their daily requirements for exercise. You know what happened? Without any change in diet or other activity, the educated housekeepers lost weight. The power of the mind!

If you THINK you should be losing weight by your activities, then likely overtime, you will.

I hate when I read these journals and the people want to condemn themselves for having a "bad" day, or eating "wrong", or whatever. I don't think everyone is going to eat perfect for the rest of their lives. Now I understand if this is habitual. But if it is a fall down thing, pick yourself back up and keep on going. The overall activity in life should be pointing in the right direction, and if that's the case, then the positive thoughts and expectations of the desired results should come to fruition. And it will come a whole lot faster without the negative interference.

So that said.

Yesterday, we went to the opening of Prince of Persia! The movie was shown in XD, oooo ahhhh. The theater it was shown in (not the overall theater, but the actual screen and seats room type theater) was brand new to the Cinemark down the highway. We were in there on its opening day! OMG. It was so nice. The seats must have been pleather, but still, rocking lovely, brand new HUGE screen. Oh. Good stuff. The movie was good too. I was getting worried toward the end, wondering how in the world they were going to wrap it up, but trusting Disney to not leave me disappointed, it did wrap up quite nicely.

And yes, I ate buttery good popcorn! LOL.

And again, I ate what I wanted, without over eating. We all slammed some protein and fat before leaving the house to make the 5:25 PM showing. Salami, cheese and rye crackers for DH and I. Two crackers each. 4 salamis. 1 spreadable swiss cheese. DS had string cheese and pepperoni. I still avoided any candy that the men ate.

We got out a little late, but we needed some real food.

I did a pan fry with the Mahi Mahi. This is necessary because there was no skin on the fillets, so I couldn't grill it. I tried a recipe on recipezaar #116555, and it was okay. The technique was good, but the bits of ginger and garlic had too much "bite" on the fish. It needs work.

DS ate strawberries with it. I had a couple cherries. DH had an apricot.

I cleaned the kitchen a bit, but it was late and I didn't really feel up to too much.

There was a bit more mess in the kitchen this morning. But breakfast was an easy plan. Waffles. Just a bunch of bowls and the waffle maker.

I bought DH a waffle maker several years ago for Father's Day. He is a waffle connoisseur. LOVES them. We were going out every weekend to get them. After staying in a Hampton Inn and observing the Waring Pro waffle maker, I knew that I had found something. So that's what I bought with the 20% off postcard from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. Homemade waffles are so easy. I don't do a mix. The scratch ones are so much better. Once you know what you are doing, it is a quick and easy recipe. If anyone is interested PM me and I'll actually post it. It's a half whole wheat flour, half all-purpose recipe. Comes out with great flavor.

I had decided yesterday that I would break my wheat fast with my waffles. Totally worthy. Log Cabin syrup is now without HFCS! So I bought that yesterday. I had no butter, 1 cup of fresh blueberries, and 1 serving (measured) of syrup. Spray your measuring cup with nonstick spray for easy measuring. Excellent.

I also made bacon, but I haven't had any. I could eat it. But I'm working on sticking to that satisfied, not stuffed theory.

Today, we need to move a bunch of stuff into a storage unit. There is one near the entrance to our community. They offer free use of the truck for move in with a unit. It's going to be a bunch of work today to get this done, because nothing is really packed. But I won't worry so much about that, because we can move boxes in my car easily. But we'll try to get done as much as possible. Point is, should be a busy day.

So this is my food plan. Tacos for lunch. Because that is easy. And a crockpot chicken for dinner.

I'm going to get the chicken started at lunch time. I'm going to make the recipe "Terriyaki Chicken Thighs" from the Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker cookbook. It's very simple. You do have to brown the thighs first. Then add soy sauce, sake, mirin (or dry sherry), and brown sugar to the pan to deglaze the pan. Pour that over the chicken thighs. It makes for great rice bowls later too. Maybe I'll make the fried rice tonight. LOL.

That's the plan. Hopefully, we will stick to it! If we can avoid restaurant food this weekend, then that will be a HUGE accomplishment!