Eating well on a budget!

My sweet sister asked this question:  "How do you get special things for yourself diet wise without driving up the cost of your grocery bill?"

We started couponing again in January.  We have cut our bill just about in half.  This helps us to buy the things that we don't eat, at a much better cost, allowing us a little wiggle room to get things that cost a bit more.  I have also been able to get some things that we do eat for a much smaller amount.  Example?  I picked up 5 boxes of whole grain pasta for 25¢ a box.  Also, getting our 'basket' every other week for $15...that saves us quite a bit in the veggie/fruit department!  I am also having to learn that just because that cut of meat seems expensive, it's really not that bad when you break it down into price per serving.  If I can get a pound of meat *beef for example* at $2.99/pound and am able to stretch that to feed all five of us, then it's only 60¢ *roughly* per serving, plus whatever we have for sides.  The goal for me is to have meals that cost less than $1/serving *gosh...I'm starting to sound like my hubby when he's at work!!*

I am constantly comparing the sale ads to Sam's Club too because there is often a savings at one or the other.  The example?  I'm planning our menu for March and 90/7 ground beef is on sale for $2.99/lb, but I can get ground turkey at Sam's for $2.75/lb.  Yeah it's only 24¢, but if the ground beef is sold in larger value paks, then I'll end up paying a wee bit more.  And, we prefer ground turkey over beef anyway.  Sam's also has the best deal on flour *at least right now.*  I'll be snagging another 25lb bag of flour this month.  I can't believe that in 2 months time, I've gone through an entire 25lb bag, but I have!  Between the pancakes, the bread, and the pizza dough...we've certainly used it.  And *just a small pat on my own  back*, I told hubby that I wasn't going to buy bread for the girls in January and I've now gone 2 months without buying a loaf of bread for them!  I've been leaning heavily on my delay timer on my bread machine.  Why would I ever make bread any other way again?

So what's on our menu for March?  The staples:  chicken *I'm getting a couple of roasting chickens this month too as I am about out of stock (aka broth) in the freezer*, pancakes, hot dogs, and the new favorite staple...mom's homemade pizza.  I know you're probably getting sick of this same list, but my girls don't.  It's a little predictability.  To round out our menu, we're getting some pork, we're having the aforementioned pasta, and we'll alternate between tacos & sloppy joes *the homemade kind.*

Sometimes stuff just isn't on sale, but you do the best you can.  In some ways, when you coupon, you can stock some things away for later use, especially when it's really cheap or in some cases, free.  I picked up 3 tubes of toothpaste for free and we won't have to worry about that for a while.  And like I said, if it's not on sale, sometimes one store carries it at 'regular' price, but it's less than their competitors.  It can also be trial and error.

I think shopping should be fairly easy this month.  That's certainly a change for us!  I am happy that I haven't had to labor over the menu too much to come up with the healthy options that we can enjoy.  Do what's best for you and your family.  Budgeting isn't easy, but it is so worth it in the end!

Dental Day

First, let me say, the lucky winner of deliciousness from post #50 is my dear friend Sarah.  Thank you to all of you who commented on my post.  It means a lot to me.  To the rest of you...maybe next time.

So, today was my dental day.  Oh how I loathe going to have work done on my teeth.  This is probably directly related to having the worst experience of my life last year at my regular dentist whom I will never see again even if he were the last dentist on the planet.  It was a bad enough experience that I take valium in order to go in.  I'm sure I'm not as bad as some people, but when one suffers from panic attacks just thinking about having to go in?  Yeah, it's bad.

I ate lunch before I went because I knew that eating would be difficult tonight.  I had my regular salad.  I took my valium and was thankful that a friend was able to drive me in so that hubby could stay home with our girls.  When I got there, I figured I'd have a few minutes before being taken back, but nope!  As I was taking my coat off, they called me back.  Since I've been to this office before, the good doc knew that I have a hard time with this stuff.  He 'hit' me three times on the outside of my tooth and once in the roof of my mouth on the inside of my tooth *that's the one that hurt the most!*  My small mouth *albeit a big voice* is difficult for having work done.  The hinge of my jaw was quite sore off and on throughout.  Thankfully, I don't have to go back, but should I have swelling, I'll need to switch antibiotics.  Boo!

After getting home, I felt tired and hungry.  What kind of weird person has some semi-serious work done in there mouth and later has the munchies?  Me.  That's who!  I can't even begin to understand that tonight.  The only exercise I really got in today was to do my fab abs.  It's been about 7 hours since I got numbed, and I am finally not numb any more.  I certainly wouldn't have wanted it any other way!

I'm looking forward to a more normal day tomorrow.  Off to brush my teeth and go to bed.  I'm still very tired.

Less than 24 hours!

If you plan to enter into my giveaway *a more healthy version of a cookie*...you have approximately 22 hours to do so.  Remember to visit this post here to comment and tell me what your favorite cookie is.  I will randomly choose a name tomorrow.

I was worried about consuming an additional 6 points per day since I hit maintenance, but so far, it hasn't been a huge problem.

Tomorrow I get to have fun at the dentist.  I'm not sure how my eating will be, but it will probably be semi-limited.  We'll see how it goes.  I'm also not sure how my exercise will be tomorrow.

In the meantime, comment and stay the course!

Basket Day!

I know some of you are annoyed when I post about our bounty, but it was a good one today for sure!  A couple of items that I never buy myself and one baggie of something I've never even heard of!  This was our basket:

I've never bought mangoes or cantaloupe before.  I'm not even sure that I've tasted a mango before.  That's weird considering I love fruits and vegetables.  I weighed the cantaloupe because I was curious to know how big it was...4 pounds!!!  There is also a 3lb bag of pears you can't quite see and the little brown things in the bag up front...those are Jerusalem artichokes *aka sunchokes.*

With tonight's dinner, we had the sunchokes *smashed with a little butter, a splash of milk, and some cheese* and also fresh broccoli/cauliflower mix.  It was delicious.  The sunchokes are a bit sweet and would almost remind you of a potato, but they're not quite as dense as a potato.

For lunch, I had this with that fine looking butter lettuce in the back.  The only swap that I made was instead of the light mayo, I used my light ranch dressing *the 2tbsp of ranch mix with light mayo/fat free buttermilk*.  Oooh boy, was that yummy.  I did use turkey bacon.  I think I might make another wrap tomorrow.

Also a friendly reminder go back to this post and leave a comment about what your favorite cookie is so that you can be entered into a giveaway by yours truly *tasty cookies done my way* sent directly to your house.  Yumm!

I also want to say, I almost have 20 followers.  That's a big deal for me.  I have also logged just over 2,500 views just since the end of December.  It makes me all warm and fuzzy.  So, keep on reading and refer a friend or two.  I just like sharing my story with others!!

HaPpY dAnCiNg!!

Today was the day!  I made goal!!!

 I feel like dancing, singing, posting a sign out in our front yard, standing on my roof and yelling...you name it...I want to do it!

I'm so stinkin' excited, it's hard to contain.  I'm serious.

The last time I weighed in at this weight, I had only one kiddo.  Our second kiddo was just a mere thought in the back of our minds.  That was 7 years ago!!  Now we have 3 kids and it is so hard to lose weight with them bouncing around the house.  Also, I feel more excited this time around in part because I've been in a totally different mindset.

How is my mindset different?  Well, for one, I made the decision that this time was it.  I didn't *and don't* want to do this again.  It truly needed to be ingrained in my whole being.  Number two, I'm pretty sure we're done having short people.  And three, I think that if I had to do this again, it would take me even longer than it did this time.  Maybe it doesn't seem like a long time to you, but it has to me.

Is my journey over?  No.  It's just beginning.  I know that seems odd, but this is the most difficult time...finding the groove to either maintain or lose a bit more.

Don't forget that if you comment on yesterday's post telling me your favorite cookie, I'll enter you in a random give-away for some cookies made by yours truly.  You have until Monday, 5pm MT.

This is it! #50!!

So, this is now truly my 50th post.  To celebrate, I am going to send out a batch of cookies *this next week*.  The kind will be determined by yours truly.  They'll be done *my* way, but will not fail to disappoint.  So...if you would like some yummies delivered to your door...by yours truly, leave a comment below telling me what your favorite cookie is.  Then I will randomly choose some lucky person to have the goodies.  And also, if my sister is the only to comment, then I guess she'll get the goodies. Ha!  I will choose a winner on Monday *hold me to it!!*

In the spirit of all things cooking/baking related, we tried yet another new recipe tonight.  It was called Chicken Pot Pie Soup and you can find it on Skinny Taste.  Believe me when I say, this is equally as good as having Chicken Pot Pie, just without the crust.  The big girls had seconds, hubby had a great big bowl, and the littlest one ate nearly her entire portion.  That recipe is for sure a keeper!  And so that you know what it looks like, check this picture:

It looks like a small amount because I didn't think to take the picture until after we'd eaten our share.  It still looks tasty, huh?

I think my body is back to 'normal' after having pain killers and ibuprofen in my system.  I'm finally seeing some slimming in my arms from all of the work I've been doing.  Slow and steady wins the race.

And tomorrow...is my WI.  I am unsure of what the scale will hold, but I'm truly hoping to see the number I want to see!  All beverages and food have stopped for the evening.  The only water that I will drink will be enough to take my antibiotic in a little bit.  Now...I just need to put my game face on.  Grr...

Don't forget...comment with your favorite cookie, now until Monday at 5pm MT.  Ready?  Break!

***********Edited to add:  After some consideration, maybe I'll only send a taste of some cookies, since most of you are probably trying to LOSE weight not GAIN it!  :)

Post #50! <<--I lied!

This is my 50th post...already!  I can't believe it!  Just another instance of persistence paying off.  **After my initial excitement over my 50th post, I realized that I had 1 draft post that I hadn't officially posted yet.  Shucks!  Have no fear...there will be a #50!*

I would love to hear what you would like to know about.  Do remember that I am just a gal who has been there, done that a fair number of times, that I can only tell you what has worked for me, and give you tips and recipes.  And boy, do I love recipes!  I'm serious now people, write something in the comment box!  I mean it!

Today has been great and productive.  I like productive days!  I also figured out why my lower back is sore.  There is this scissor leg move that 'Debbie' does on Slim in 6 that's meant to strengthen your lower back and work your butt and thighs.  Umm...yeah, guess I need to modify that.  So, I did that today.   I also swept off our porch and stairs, picked up some trash around the yard, and swapped bikes for the middle kiddo.  I also did dishes *with help from the oldest* and picked up some.  Have you ever noticed that your kitchen is forever a mess??

Would you all like a little baked goodie give-away?  Sadly, I think this one would have to stay within the U.S. though as I don't think it would ship fast enough over-seas to be tasty.

Oh and I tried another new recipe last night.  It was Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese from Skinny Taste.  I believe that my family thought they were eating creamy golden deliciousness.  I spread it on Ritz crackers...mmm...yeah, that was good stuff!!  I think I have a tiny obsession  love with pumpkin and am thankful that I stocked up when Sam's had a 3 pack of the big cans for something like $7.  I like pumpkin in a lot of things.  I LOVE, love, LoVe...this pumpkin spiced latte from Hungry Girl.  I also love throwing 2 tablespoons of pumpkin *not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling* in my oatmeal, with a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and Splenda brown sugar.  It tastes a bit like pumpkin pie.  You could even use pumpkin pie spice in your oatmeal.  Mmm...yum!  Also, I won't ever buy pumpkin pie spice again, because I use this little recipe and love it.  I also make a killer pumpkin brownie recipe, but it isn't entirely healthy.

Do you all love pumpkin?  Do you have a favorite recipe?  I'd love to hear about it!

Also...goodie give-away??  Yes?  No?  And in addition to that...what would you like to know about?

^^^All of this...write in that little comment box below this post *or click on comment.*  I don't want to bore you with day to day stuff like:  Today I worked out and I ate this for breakfast, lunch, dinner.  I'm sure you'd like to know more than that.  Right?

So...get crackin'!

Yippee for better days!

So, the pain in my puss has finally started to make it's way out.  It doesn't make what I have to have done this next Monday any more pleasant, but at least I'm not feeling like I might die from the pain.  With that said, I didn't take one of the massive pain pills today, that I was prescribed yesterday.  And, I only had to take ibuprofen twice today.  That's a huge improvement over let's say...Sunday.  I watched the clock to see when 4 hours would hit.  Sad, huh?

I also got a full Burn It Up session in (Slim in 6).  I was so very excited to have made it all the way through since yesterday by about half way through, I was pretty sure I was going to toss my cookies.  Lesson learned.  Never try to work out when you're on pain killers.

Also, the big excitement for the day?  I got my hair cut.  Yep, I bit the bullet and got it done.  Hubby was less than thrilled about rearranging his work out schedule to accommodate my need desire to have my hair cut.  What better way to celebrate being over 100 pounds down and gone forever than to have your hair cut?

I headed down to Amanda's Beauty Box and gave her the down low.  1--My hair is naturally curly; 2--I don't like having my hair next to my face; 3--Short and sassy; 4--If it's going to be longish on the sides, make it long enough that I can pull it back; and 5--Layer it!  I wasn't asking too much, was I?  :)

          Before.                                                                  After.

I'm very happy with it.  It feels light and will definitely require less shampoo.

Overall, today was a huge success.  I'm getting a tad bit excited about Friday's WI too.  I have just two more days to get through before I know if my body has been willing to give up that last pound.

I hope you all have found some non-food type rewards for yourself.  Clothes and hair are two fun rewards for me.  It was certainly a treat to have my hair done today!!  Goals can be rewarded with things like this.  And have fun!

Bah!

That's about all I have to say about that.  And today.  And stuff in general.

The old adage of feeding the __________ *you fill in the blank....cold, illness, etc* doesn't need to be true.  Nor do I think that it was ever really true.  If you have a cold or sore throat, I think you can easily remain on plan by eating soup for lunch/dinner.  I still have turkey and or chicken stock in my freezer that I can easily thaw to make a hearty soup.  I usually use a bunch of frozen veggies and voila...you've got soup.  Sometimes I throw in some dry, minced onion with a can of diced tomatoes.  This also makes for yummy goodness.

Another thing that will keep your eating in check?  Having excruciating pain in your mouth.  Yup.  That'll do it.  Every.  Time.  So yeah, I've got some wicked pain in my mouth.  And yes, I went to the dentist today.  And no, I didn't like what he said.  He gave me an antibiotic and some high powered pain meds both of which make my stomach hurt.  I'm also leaning towards the soft foods.

I'm not sure how I feel about my teeth right now.  Part of me thinks that I may still be having problems with my sugars *the prediabetes stuff*.  The other part of me thinks that it could be residual from me having hyperemesis when I was pregnant with #3 *you can read about and see what I'm talking about in regards to hyperemesis here and here.*  I also got my blood drawn today per my doctor's orders.

Hopefully I'll have some answers.  I am so over having tooth troubles, amongst other things.  I did try to exercise today, but only made it about half way through before I thought I might toss my cookies *most likely because of the aforementioned drugs.*

So, these things to say...don't stuff your face to satisfy your sickness.  It doesn't get you anywhere and can make things worse.  If you can't make your own soup, beg someone to make some for you.  If you lived closer, I'd make it for you.  Hang in there and don't give up!

Goal Review

Well, we're nearly to the end of February.  And, since I made a list of goals for the year, I'd like to go over them.  If you're new to my blog, you can see my entire post here.  I talked about people who made resolutions to exercise more, lose weight, etc.  *I hope you weren't one of those people.  I hope you made a goal...not a resolution.*  I also said that most people start losing steam by the end of February, beginning of March.

I'm going to go back over my goals.  Here's my list again:

1. Get to my goal weight *185* or less and maintain it.  **I'm so close!**
2. Continue to work hard by strengthening my body.  **Slim in 6 is definitely keeping this one up!**
3. Try to have at least one 'date' with my hubby per month *coffee date, dinner date, something!*   **So far, hubby and I have been able to keep this.  We had our time in Florida in January and we went out for an early Valentine's Day lunch.  We may just have coffee in March.  We also decided *somewhat selfishly* that we would keep the gift cards that he got for Christmas to restaurants, for our times out alone.**
4. Keep trying new recipes.   **I've tried a couple of new ones and reintroduced some old ones.  If I find new ones that we like, I will for sure be sharing them here too.**
5. Read more.   **While we were gone last month, I finished 2 books that I'd started, and read 1 from start to finish.  I've started another one and have several others I'd like to read too.  Guess I'd better get a move on.**
6. Take time for myself (outside of exercise & my book study)   **I'm not sure I'm doing a very good job on this one.  Although, hubby tries to let me do things alone, like grocery shopping.**
7. Continue to blog and share my journey with others.   **So far, so good.**
8. Do things with the girls that require going outside and being active.   **This is a work in progress.  The past two days, we've gone for a walk.  It's been wonderful!**
9. Eat fresh fruits/veggies as much as possible.  **The girls love the fresh stuff.  They especially love broccoli and cauliflower fresh.  You'd think they were eating candy!  Now that we've started this, I'm not sure how we'd ever be able to stop!**
10. Write more letters by hand.  **I'm slacking in this department.  I need to step it up!**
11. Laugh more.  **Also slacking.  I've been in a pretty dark mood lately.**
12. Learn how to better express my feelings to others.  **I'm doing a little better with this.  Hubby definitely benefits from me expressing myself in a better way.  I'm not sure if he appreciates it or not.**

Where are you at with your goals for this year?  Are there things you need to step it up on?  If you're still sticking to your goals, congrats!  You are to be commended.  Keep up the great work!  If you're not doing so hot, consider this a swift kick in the pants!

No confetti for me

Today was my weigh-in day and I didn't lose a thing.  On the plus side, I didn't gain anything either.  Someone said to me today, "It's harder to maintain than it is to lose."  I truly wanted the confetti to fly, trumpets to blare...the whole works.  Ah, there is next week.  I also had hoped to be at goal by the beginning of February and now, we are nearing the end.  I guess it is better to lose at this pace than to rush things and be unhealthy, ya know?

It was a great day today.  I took all 3 girls out for a walk.  The air was crisp, but the sun was shining.  We got a little vitamin D.  My middle girlie only stopped to wait for me today, otherwise she road her 2-wheeler the entire way around.  She also rode around in circles in the parking lot that's near us.  She was going pretty fast in the parking lot.  I was proud of her!

Not only did I get a walk in, I also took a nap respite this afternoon.  I've wanted to take a little time for that recently, but have felt like if I did, I wouldn't get anything done.  I took a quick snooze and then got up, did my fab abs, my Slim in 6 *Ramp It Up* and the Slim & 6 pack.  Tomorrow is my last work out day of the week.  Wahoo!  I've totally earned my rest day on Sunday.

It looks as though we're due some warmer weather coming up again, and I'm hoping to take full advantage of it this next week.

Keep working hard and keep moving!

Hi, my name is Kati...

...and I'm a foodaholic *in particular, the carbish variety*.

Some people have addictions to drugs, alcohol, facebook, and probably a bunch of other things.  But me, I have an addiction to food.  I just looked up addiction on dictionary.com and got this definition *which seems appropriate*:  the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

Enslaved.  Yep.  That's it.

Unlike people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, one can't give up food.  Food helps to sustain you and makes your body work.  Without it, one would be considered anorexic *at least, here in this country.*

I talked about how I was 'molded' in this post back when I began this blog.  I've always had this love/hate relationship with food *although as I got older, it was more of a love thing.*  When I was in high school, I ate very little *I think if I ate such a small amount now, I'd probably starve!!*  My lunch usually consisted of a half sandwich, half a piece of fruit *like a peach*, maybe a cookie, and maybe 8oz of milk.  I don't remember whether I ate breakfast or not *I'm sure my mom might remember.*  


Food has always been and will always be, a crutch.  Again, I can't give it up entirely, but I can't live without it.  I'd imagine that many of you who read this blog are in the same place.  Maybe you've struggled with anorexia or bulimia.  Maybe you still do.  There is help out there.  For me, saying it 'out loud' makes it more real.  Consider yourselves my therapy.  When my heart aches because I'm hurt, someone is whispering, "Feed it.  Feed the hurt."  *Think of the cartoons where the little 'devil' guy pops up on the character's shoulder.  Yeah that..for me.*  Then my brain says, "You really don't want to do that because you'll be back where you started."


Being a foodaholic is tough.  There is no cure.  It will be a life long battle.  But, each day that you are triumphant, is a step closer to victory.

What is healthy?

Recently, a friend of mine sent a lunch to school with her kiddo.  The food 'police' at the school ended up taking away a fruit and nut scone.  This frustrated me a lot because I thought, "Who are they to tell me what is healthy for my child."  Then this morning, another friend of mine posted this link to an article about something similar.  A mom sent to school with her child:  a turkey and cheese sandwich *on white/wheat bread*, a banana, a bag of chips, and some apple juice.  They told the child that the lunch wasn't okay and gave her a school lunch consisting of chicken nuggets.  The only thing she ate...the chicken nuggets.  If she'd been left alone, she would have eaten all of the lunch that her mother had sent with her.

Where am I going with this?  Why am I posting about this on my weight loss blog?  I feel as though after the many times of going through this weight loss journey, that I know what I should and shouldn't feed my child for lunch...not the state.

Hubby and I talked about this as I drove him out to work this morning.  Last school year when we were having a lot of problems with our then 3 year old, we ended up turning to look at the food she was eating.  It was suggested that we eliminate HFCS *High Fructose Corn Syrup*.  When I started looking at the foods that she was eating, you'd be amazed at how many foods this particular ingredient is in.  I talked a little bit about how crazy off the wall my kid acts when she ingests HFCS in this particular post.  I remember after removing it from her 'diet' here at home, but the school hadn't done it yet, that she came home and was literally bouncing off the walls.  When I looked at the menu for lunch, she'd had tomato soup.  When I looked at a can that I had on hand...the 2nd ingredient was...you guessed it, HFCS!!!

Thankfully, the school allows for an ICP *Individualized Care Plan* which at the point of the soup incident, had not been put into place.  Even prior to the ICP, I had complained about the so called meals the kids were having.  The one morning I ended up running to the store to buy a large jar of peanut butter for the kids because they were having:  wheat bread *not toast* plain, fruit, and milk.  That was IT!  When I asked the director about it, she told me that this was based on the nutritional guide for these kids.  Also, the serving sizes are not based on my children, because they can EAT!

When I dropped kiddo off at school this morning *after discussion with hubby in the car*, what are they serving for breakfast at school?  Large soft pretzels.  Seriously?  Made me thankful that my pathetically skinny kid had eaten eggs and toast before she left our house.

When my kids have lunch next year, it will be packed.  I can send a much healthier lunch than what they can *normally* get at the school.  If anyone dares to tell me that what my girls bring for lunch isn't healthy, I'd like them to show me the nutritional information of the food garbage they are trying to have my kids eat and compare it to the nutritional info of what I've sent.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, so maybe you don't celebrate it, but we do a little here in our house.  We don't do anything overly fancy, but we like to share a little extra love on this day especially.

I bought some Dove dark chocolate hearts to share with the girls.  Umm...those can be lethal.  Those little tasty tidbits are just 1P+ per heart!  They say dark chocolate is good for you, so maybe a little isn't all bad.

Last night, I made up a double batch of these bad boys.  I made them smaller *half the size that they suggested in the directions* and I didn't include the sauce.  The other half of them, I threw in the freezer for another meal later in the month.  I love being able to do that.  It makes meals later in the month a breeze.  To round out the meatballs, I had leftover brown rice, and stir fry vegetables *that had a sauce packet with them*.  I cooked the veggies in the skillet for 8 minutes, threw the meatballs in to heat them through, and added the sauce packet.  While that was becoming tasty, I heated our rice in the microwave.  Dinner was awesome!  Picky middle kiddo didn't want to eat.  Everyone else enjoyed them immensely!

I had planned to make a goody for my hubby before he got home from work, but since he came home with some extreme back pain, it had to wait until after dinner.  I made some homemade peanut butter cups.  **If you are really desperate in love with peanut butter cups and want to eat a whole half of one, you can find the recipe here.  But don't say I didn't warn you.  They are evil too delicious for words.  And you can call me all sorts of not so nice names behind my back because I showed that to you.** The reason why you plan and check the calorie content/points of an item ahead is so that you don't have more than one!!!  Then you learn from it and move on. :)

I hope you've had a GREAT day, regardless of how you've spent the day.

Thank you!

I've had so many people tell me in spontaneous places that they enjoy reading my blog.  I appreciate those little words of encouragement, more than you can know!

Back in December, while hubby and I enjoyed a nice dinner out for our anniversary, we decided that we needed to get out more often.  We hadn't been out alone since probably the beginning of the year, prior to our anniversary.  I guess this is one downfall of living so far from family, and not really knowing who is available to babysit.  Ya know?  So, our January time alone was our trip.  We planned our next outing for today.  Hubby and I got to go out for a nice lunch today to celebrate Valentine's Day.  He decided that we should go to the OG *no, that's not 'Opera Ghost' from Phantom...that's code for Olive Garden.*

Has anyone else noticed the insane number of carbs in stuff at the OG?  I know it's Italian and it's mainly pasta, but yikes!  Yes, I went prepared.  What I really wanted was a fat laden, fluffy pasta dish.  What I ended up with was the minestrone soup and the Venetian Apricot Chicken.  Both were very satisfying and I was full, but not overly stuffed.  Come to think of it, my mint is still in my purse.  I enjoyed the conversation and got past the fact that I wasn't having exactly what I wanted, but it certainly was the better choice.

Before getting into tomorrow, prepare yourself.  *Maybe you don't even like what tomorrow stands for...so you can go about your regularly scheduled day.*  If you do indulge tomorrow, plan ahead.  Know what you're going to partake in and count it.  Then...walk away!

Happy Basket Day

My sister said it wasn't nice to brag about our basket, but I don't feel like I'm bragging...I am just so excited about all the goodies we get in it each time.  Maybe I'm telling you about it to let you know that there is fresh stuff out there and that it can certainly add color to your menu.

Here is today's basket: 

The yumminess is:  pineapple, mushrooms, apples, 6 pounds of clementines, broccoli, bananas, oranges, 1 lemon, potatoes, 2 bunches of celery, a head of romaine, and...an eggplant!  What you can just see on the right, is a loaf of white bread that I made for the girls.  That was a delay timer, bread maker beauty.  Note to self on that, remember to use the full number of hours.  I set it for 9 hours and instead of it starting at 6:30...it started at 4:30.  Oops.

So tomorrow, I had planned to make homemade pizza.  Do I make pizza or do I make spaghetti and eggplant?  I'd love to make eggplant parm, but there just isn't enough there to make a full meal from it, but if I do it with the spaghetti, I could make it stretch.  Hubby is no help.  I asked him this question.  He just said, "Whatever."  Ugh.

Today was my last day of week 1 for Slim in 6.  Tomorrow is a complete rest day.  I am going to truly enjoy it.  Week 2 starts Monday and it's 6 days of Ramp It Up.  After that...it's Burn It Up.  I might be afraid. 

Have a beautiful Sunday!  It looks as though our weather might turn here this week.  We will be finding indoor activities!

Did you see it?

Yeah...this right over here -------------------------------------------->>.  The ticker that says how much I have left to go.  After my yucky Sunday and all of my diligence this week, I lost 2.6 pounds to bring me within 1.1 pound of my goal.  HaPpY dAnCe!!  I'm hoping that next week I'll be celebrating in a big way because I've hit goal.  Have your confetti ready to throw at your computer screen or up in the air, just in case.

Today was a great day!  I took the girls on a walk/ride.  The big girls were on their bikes and Cora in the stroller.  Our middle kiddo had worked on riding a 2-wheeler this past fall, but would often get frustrated and quit.  Our oldest gave her *middle kiddo* a little encouragement and has been doing really well at getting herself started and stopped.  Once in a while she'll wobble, but on the whole, she's great!  We were heading up part of a steep-ish hill and she got nervous.  I kept telling her she could do it, to peddle faster, and I actually jogged with her for a little ways.  Umm...wow!  Me, the one who said she'd never do that.  It wasn't bad and I didn't die...I lived to tell the tale!  Middle kiddo made it practically the whole mile without stopping.  She's a trooper.

After walking, lunching, and putting the shortest one down for her nap, I got my 5th day of Slim in 6 done.  I also got my Fab Abs done.  If you're doing it...are you getting it done every day?  Tomorrow is my last day of the first week with Slim in 6.  I am kind of looking forward to a rest day.  I didn't get that choice when I did P90X.  If you're friends with me on FB or you are following my pins on pinterest, you've already seen what I decided to make myself for dinner.  And, can I say, they were Y-U-M-M-Y??!!  I found a recipe for Hot Apple Pie Pancakes on one of my favorite sites for sweets *ChocolateCoveredKatie*  I used Kamut flour, a nice Gala apple, Splenda, and I did leave out the fat.  They were heavenly.  Those will be on my radar again.  And no, my children did not get to partake in the deliciousness of these pancakes; they just got regular ones.

Tomorrow is...BASKET DAY!  I can't wait to see what kind of goodies are in our basket tomorrow.  My mouth is practically drooling just thinking about it.  I'll be sure to take a picture of our haul. 

Are you prepared for the weekend?  Plan!  Know ahead if you have any potential pit-falls and head them off!

Having a good support system

Tomorrow is my weigh-in day.  In 18 months I've only missed one weigh-in day and that was while I was on our trip this last month.  There was a time when I thought that moving my WI day to a different day of the week was ideal.  I think I've had a couple of different WI days.  I know for sure that I've done Mondays, but I may have even done Tuesdays.  But, during this time, I've kept it to Fridays.  It's a good day for me.  It allows my points to reset just before the weekend, and even though my 'official' weigh-in is on Fridays, I have my mid-week weigh-in with my book study gals on Monday.  So, I still need to remain accountable, even on the weekends.

My book study group is a wonderful group of ladies.  We meet at our church and I have a scale there.  I guess you could call me the 'ring leader.'  Ha!  I have weigh-in forms, most of us *if not all of us* are on Weight Watchers, and the only one that sees the weight of the other gals...is me.  I feel like it's not so bad for me to see it, because, let's face it...I've been there more times than I can count.  Do I bash them over the head and tell them that they've failed should they have gained?  Nope.  Do I force them to show me a food journal?  Nope.  I'm just there for moral support and to say, "Yep...I know how you're struggling.  DON'T give up!" 

The books that we've shared are:  Made to Crave, 10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl, and we're currently finishing Faithfully Fit.  The book that I've enjoyed most so far is Made to Crave.  "Eat to live, don't live to eat."  That's one thing I remember most from that book. *Not that I don't remember other things, but that's just one thing that really stuck out.*

The most important part of our group is that we're all there for support.  We don't judge each other. 

Do you have a support system?  Do you have someone you can turn to share your frustrations with?  It can be your significant other, but if they're not going to be the support that you need, find a friend that can do that for you.  You need someone who can share the good, the bad, and the ugly *kind of like what I'm doing with you.*  They can be the inspiration you need to make it through just one...more...day.  They can tell you to WALK AWAY FROM THE CHIPS!  They can share a tasty recipe with you that they thought was amazing.

Where am I going with this?  I want to make sure that you succeed.  We all need some type of support system to keep us on the right path.  That person can be me...should you need someone who has been there, done that. 

How is your week going?  I hope you're finding inspiration and the drive that you  need to keep on keepin' on.  I hope you find something fun to do this weekend...maybe even something that requires a little moving. :)

Day 3

Today was my 3rd day on Slim in 6.  All I have to say is that Tony has nothing on Debbie when it comes to lower body.  Holy smokes!!  The ability to sit or stand without wincing may be a thing of the past, at least for a little while anyway.

Today was a great eating day.  I was sitting here tonight thinking that I was a bit hungry.  What I really wanted was something sweet.  What I opted for:  1/3 cup liquid egg whites, 1 ounce of fat free feta cheese, some green onion, and 1 slice of shaved ham.  Hungry Girl has some great breakfast mug recipes, but I based mine off her cooking times and added what I felt like tonight.  It has now made me feel full and I am content.

What do you do when you get hungry after dinner or you start reaching for snacks later in the evening?

Things that happen when you lose weight

Okay, so maybe some of these things only happen to those of us that have a boat load of weight to lose, but here are some things that I've looked forward to, some that have surprised me, and some that are just plain fun.

1. I noticed that I can sit closer to the steering wheel of the car because my belly isn't in the way any more.  *This was a surprise.  One day I realized that it was taking a lot of 'effort' to reach the clutch, so I moved myself closer.*
2. My wedding rings are pretty loose now.  More so than when we got married.
3. With a shrinking body, comes new clothes sizes.  It's such a wonderful feeling to go from plus size to the regular women's size.
4. Things of the intimate nature *with your significant other* becomes better.
5. You get hit on in the store *I'm still not so sure about this.  Hubby still swears that I was getting hit on.*
6. You have more energy to do things that would otherwise wear you out.
7. You become a little less self conscious about your appearance.
8. Compliments never get old.
9. My shoes fit better.  I even had to buy a new pair of dress shoes because my old ones were just falling off.
10. Your skin tone improves and you end up looking younger.  Have I told you that I have gotten mistaken for a teenager by a friend *she saw me in the parking lot* and a college student at a Red Lobster?  Yeah...that made me feel good!
11. My hair isn't falling out as much as it was. 

Hmm...I think that's about it.   Do you have things that change after you've lost weight that I haven't included in my list?  What is one thing that you can look forward to when you've lost 10, 20 or even 50 pounds?

Before I leave off, I am going to tell you all that today was a very good food and exercise day.  I did day 2 of Slim in 6 and...I. Am. Sore.  I hope that means that my lower half of my body will get toned up!  Since I'm going by the schedule they gave me, I went right into the "Ramp it Up!"  Whew!  I get to do it all again tomorrow.  Yippee!

Today was great!

After a bad evening last night, I refocused, got my head back in the game, made sure I was properly seated in the saddle, looked both ways before I crossed the fridge, and made wise choices.  Yesterday wasn't all bad.  It was just the part where I found myself not making the best choices in the evening, ya know?

I restarted my Slim in 6 since I really didn't get a chance to get going on it in the first place.  I received it just before my parents arrived and then we were gone.  It certainly didn't make for a great start.  I'm looking forward to day 2 tomorrow, but I'm definitely feeling my 'fab abs' plus the Slim in 6 through my core!  I even got my Fab Abs in before taking middle kiddo to school at 8.  Impressive, no?

I got some of my grocery shopping done today and I'll finish the last of it tomorrow.  I told my hubby tonight that I've become a little obsessive about saving money at the grocery store.  I guess that can be good and bad.  It's good for our budget, but I find it a bit odd that I get excited to see what kinds of deals will come up for the next week.

Oh and the recipe I'm trying for the ground turkey this next week is another one from Skinny Taste.  It's called Asian Turkey Meatballs and you can find it here.  I have to laugh about picking the Italian sausage dish.  When I walked in from picking up the sausage today at the store, hubby says, "Is that...Italian sausage?"  You know what he did?  He gave me a big kiss.  Ha!  I love that man!  It's the little things.

What does it take for you to get refocused?  And, how quickly can you bring your focus back to the journey at hand?  Do you find that you're beating yourself up about it for days afterwards?

Also...it is ordering time for all of you local folks.  Get your bountiful basket while the getting is good.  Baskets are sold until tomorrow *Tuesday* 10pm or until they're sold out for any particular location.  I can't wait to see what the basket has in it this week!

If you lost your focus yesterday or today or a week ago...go look at yourself in the mirror...eyeball to eyeball...and tell yourself to refocus.  I'm here for ya and I know!  Boy do I know.  The time is now.  Don't wait!

Sometimes your best laid plans...

....can be derailed.  Ever since we got home this week, I've struggled.  I'm not sure why.  Some of it has to do with the fact that I'm at home, not as busy as we were while we were gone.  Another portion could be because I haven't had the chance to get my exercise in *I did get a walk in and I've been doing the abs challenge*, but it's not the same.

So my plan tonight was to have 1/4c of the Spinach Dip with 5 crackers, 3tbsp of light ranch dip and veggies, a serving of the sausage and lentil stew, and possibly some dessert.  I ended up with far more of the spinach than I'd intended, I had garlic bread with my stew, and then turned around and had pound cake with strawberries.  It is not one of my most outstanding moments, but I guess we're all human.

The first thing that I did when we got home *aside from getting the girls ready for bed* was to log my points.  Let me tell you, even though I cut the cake into 10 slices, it was still 5 *yes FIVE* P+ per slice.  Ouch!

I'm sitting here trying to figure out how I went from having a fantastic week away, watching everything that I ate, staying on plan in one of the most difficult situations ever, to coming home and having a super hard week.  What's up with that?  I was telling hubby that tonight didn't go as I had planned and that I was frustrated with myself, and he told me not to let it get to my head.  He also told me that I need to remember not to let it affect the rest of my week.  Isn't that what I tell people all the time?  Maybe I'm rubbing off on him or he's rubbing off on me.  Either way, I needed him to say that to me.

Even though I logged everything tonight, it can be a very slippery slope.  I need to be diligent tomorrow.  I need to get my exercise in.  I need to pay attention to how much water I'm drinking *again*.

At the end of the day, I'm still me.  And...I am only human.

Only two tablespoons of that?

If you can remember back to this post right here, I talked about taking some measuring tools with you to survive a food gathering.  As a matter of fact, we're coming up on another food gathering that you may or may not participate in.  Super Bowl.  Back to the measuring tools.  In that post, I said that you should plan ahead with what you will have to eat *eg:  2 tablespoons of a specialty dip that you made with 4 crackers*.

A friend of mine asked me how it is that I can only take 2 tablespoons of this or 2 tablespoons of that.  It takes an ounce of willpower and a quick memory that serves to remind me of where I was not too long ago.  Here is what I had for Thanksgiving:  turkey *measured with my scale*, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green salad, stuffing, gravy, and pumpkin pie for dessert. I had a taste of everything, 2tbsp of both potatoes, stuffing & gravy, a LARGE salad, and a sliver of pie.  Also, it is said that the average American eats 3,000 to 3,500 calories on Thanksgiving.  That's more than I should eat in about 2 to 3 days worth of meals, and that's only one meal.

I've also had several people say, "Oh, it only happens just this one time a year."  Yes it does, but it only takes that one meal to derail your weight loss efforts.  You could also say that you only have your birthday once a year, kid's birthdays once a year, other holidays once a year, and the list could go on and on.  I could have said last week that we only go to this 'celebration' once every four years, but I didn't.  Is it better to feel bloated and yucky because you ate whatever you wanted?  Or is better to watch what you eat, choosing wisely, stick to your plan, and feel victorious at the end of the night?

Tomorrow, we are going to a friend's house for Super Bowl.  I am taking raw veggies with a low fat ranch dip *that I'm making myself* and I'm also taking the Hot Spinach Dip that I made for New Year's.  My friend is making chili, a dessert, and something else *can't remember off the top of my head*.  Lots of fresh veggies *bell peppers, carrots*, some of the spinach dip, and some chili.  I might have a little dessert too, depending on what it is.

How can you plan ahead for tomorrow so that you won't derail yourself?

It's time!

Yep, around this time every month, I pull the calendar down and pour over the sale ads for my two favorite *or not so favorite* grocery stores.  If I'm feeling extra frisky, I'll compare the two of them to Sam's Club because that's how I roll.  I have to say that there are moments when I really dislike getting ready to go shopping.  Then there are other moments when I can hardly wait.  This next week will be especially nice since it's also a basket week. 

On a side note, I ordered our basket the week we were gone and a friend of mine dropped it off here for my parents.  When I got home, boy was I was surprised at our truly bountiful basket!  We had onions, green and red bell peppers, apples, red grapefruit, blueberries, oranges, romaine lettuce, red potatoes, green beans, and cabbage *that I can remember right off the top of my head.*  We have certainly eaten well off from that!  We had cooked cabbage last night with our chicken and it was so good.  Even my hubby commented on how tasty it was.  *Note to self...cooked cabbage is awesome!*

We are keeping our standbys because I like them and they're easy, but you already know that.  So we've got our Hebrew Nationals, homemade pancakes with sausage, homemade pizza, and some type of chicken dish.

The crockpot is going to get a work out of its own this month for sure.  The rest of our menu will include:  Sausage Polenta *I may sub cornmeal*, Kid Pleasin' Chili, and something with ground turkey *meatloaf, burgers...*  I'm not sure what just yet.  I also have to say that it seems like we've got a lot of the color red in our menu.  I guess that it can be appropriate as Valentine's Day is fast approaching.

Have you planned for the coming week(s)?  What will be on your table?

Challenge!

Join me for this challenge.  It's called the "Fab Ab" Challenge.  I know we're already 2 days into February, but I think you could easily catch up.  Just split the days you missed into sessions throughout the day.  There is a group of us moms that have committed to doing it.

You can find it here.

Three exercises, once a day.  If you can't do sit-ups, do crunches. 

Don't know what a plank is?  Check it out here.  I won't lie to ya...planks are hard.

If you are willing and able to do this challenge, say you're in for this month by leaving me a comment. :)  I'd love to know who is kicking it up a notch.

Cut the fat and the sugar!

My sister called me today to ask me what I do to cut the sugar in recipes.  This can be tricky when you are cooking/baking for your family.  These ideas are simply for when you are baking.  What I have come up with are these options:

1. When I'm making cookies *in particular*, I will cut the sugar, but not eliminate it.  If the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, I'll split it in half.  One half cup will be Splenda/Stevia and the other half cup will be regular sugar.  This holds true for brown sugar as well.  I use the Splenda brown sugar blend.  If the recipe I'm making is mainly for me, I'll use all Splenda/Stevia or split it so that there is more Splenda/Stevia than sugar.
2. To cut the fat in a recipe, you can do one of a couple of things.  You can use pumpkin or unsweetened applesauce.  Sometimes, you can eliminate the fat all-together in certain recipes using one of those two items.  I have also used chia seed gel to cut the fat in half.  The gel is made from chia seeds and will take on the flavor of whatever it is added to.  I purchased my chia seeds from Amazon.
3. If I am baking for a crowd, I won't cut the sugar/fat in the recipe.  I made our oldest daughter's birthday cake 'normal' since we were having a house full of friends and family.
4. When I bake cookies, they will usually be half the fat and half the sugar.  I will also use parchment paper to bake them on because they tend to stick.  They still taste amazing, but this way I'm not breaking them off on the pan.
5. When making cookies, I use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop.  I scoop the cookies in a level tablespoon and a) you'll often get more cookies than you plan on b) you'll keep portion sizes smaller and c) the calories/points per serving will be less.
6. When I bake bread, I don't substitute Splenda/Stevia for the sugar.  There isn't much sugar added to yeast bread recipes, so I don't even bother.

Sometimes, it takes a little tweaking to get things the way you want them.  If something doesn't work out quite right the first time, then I'll try it a different way the next.  Playing with your recipes is just another part of the journey and making things in a way that will allow you to have a treat every now and then, is a huge bonus.  Modify so you don't have to deprive.