Sunday snacking...

Today I have been pretty good...banana, tea and sausage for breakfast...then went on a hike. Lots of uphill...so I feel like I burned a lot! Home to have a turkey sandwich and dressing with gravy...not tons, just a little...and a leafy green salad with tomatoes on it. Of course about 4 hours later I had ANOTHER turkey sandwich with carrot sticks and dip...now I plan to have a brownie with ice cream...and then call it a day. Well, there may be some hot chocolate in my future as well! I am making Turkey stock for a soup to eat this week...the turkey carcass with as much of the meat cut off as possible in a pot with carrots, onion, garlic, peppercorns, salt, celery and then covered with cold water...brought to a boil and then simmered for 6-8 hours. Tonight it will go into the fridge, tomorrow I will scrape off the fat and add some veggies, potatoes and meat and have a soup to eat most of the week!

Food Food Food...

Yes, this is all about Food! I know when you are thinking of or trying to lose weight, food is the LAST thing you should talk about. But this is the struggle we all face.

Thanksgiving day...we got up and had waffles and bacon for breakfast, I only had one...with apple butter, tea and 3 slices of bacon...we went on a 4 mile hike...came home and made dinner....Beef Wellington, broccoli and a caprese salad...with wine...not bad at all!

Day after Thanksgiving...caprese quiche with gluten free crust...tea...we only ate a second meal that day...turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, and wine...crab dip for snack and DDR to work it all off! Also hauled in stuff from the garage and decorated for the holidays!

Today...I had leftovers for breakfast...who knows where the rest of the day will take me. I do plan a hike for tomorrow...and then Monday, I need to crack down and eat better! I will have leftovers...but I think in reasonable portions...I can make it work. The turkey will be the best for me!

Happy Turkey Day...and hopefully you have been more successful than I!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Enjoy the holiday with friends and family! I will be fortunate enough to spend Thanksgiving with my husband and my sister! I am soooo happy! We are having Beef Wellington for Thanksgiving and turkey the day after! So...plenty of food! My husband is doing the Beef Wellington...and so it is a secret what else he is serving with it....and I will make the turkey...can't wait to have leftovers! I know there are plenty of figure friendly things I can do with them...wonder if I will choose that or not! Anyway, don't get tooo stuffed and enjoy the day!

Doctor Weigh In 195!!!

Okay, I weigh 195...I will bet you are all thinking I am just sitting around stuffing my face...and watching the pounds grow...not true! EEK! I need to get this under control! Can't type more, arms have been injected with steriods...UGH! But, the pain is getting to me!

Wonder what I weigh?

Today I got up EARLY...and thought? How bad is it? Haven't weighed in for awhile...and have been contemplating making the rest of 2009 a loss and start new and improved in 2010. But...I just can't be over 200 lbs again! So...I need to know. I haven't been eating poorly...but I am not eating the best either. This week I made another YUMMY WW meal...a ravioli bake that is YUMMY, full of spinach! So...nothing too terribly bad has happened YET...although with the next couple of days and a wild schedule...well, anything can happen! I do hit a doctor's office tomorrow AM...so there will be a weight taken then! I guess it will tell me what is going on! I haven't decided if I am going to a WW meeting on Saturday morning! I want to, and yet I don't want to! I will be walking this weekend...and that is always a good thing!

Should I confess?

Okay, I may or may not have just made pumpkin white chocolate chip bars...I had some pumpkin in the fridge and thought cookies sounded good. After a search of the Internet...I decided to take a Paula Dean recipe and alter it...this is what I came up with

1 cup (or so) of canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup veggie oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pampered chef cinnamon plus And it may have been a little more than that
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 bag white chocolate chips

Mix ingredients, put in 350 oven in a greased 8x8 pan...25-30 minutes depending...

The batter was YUM...the apartment smells YUM...I wonder if they will turn out?

Chicken Pot Pie YUM!

So...this is one of those foods that I ADORE...I never thought I would! Turns out Robin Miller of the Food Network has the BEST recipe for it as far as I am concerned! Today I am making it. It is the perfect day for it...cold, snowy, and comfort food is definitely the way to go! I have made some adjustments to her recipe...but I have found it to be delicious and figure friendly! I make it in my Le Creuset soup pot...and it turns out FABULOUS...

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic chopped (My addition)
4 boneless chicken breast halves cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes, about 4 cups (only 2 cups goes in, you can use the rest for another recipe later in the week)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons dried thyme (I add about 2 tsp and add sage as well)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped (I use one for flavor, but I am not a fan!
4 medium red potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes (I use 2 red and 2 of another kind)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I use diced)
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine (I use 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I add about 2 tsp)
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
9-inch refrigerated pie crust
1 egg, lightly beaten (I don't do)

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or oven-proof stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute 5 to 7 minutes, until browned on all sides. Remove 1/2 the cooked chicken for later in the week, cover and refrigerate.
In a small bowl, combine flour, thyme, salt, pepper, and paprika. Add flour mixture to the chicken and stir to coat. Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes, tomatoes, chicken broth, wine, and Dijon mustard and mix well. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook until vegetables are tender.

If you have a LE CREUSET that is large enough...I cook it in the pot and then put the crust over the top!

Transfer stew to a clean 2-quart casserole dish and stir in corn.
Place pie crust on top of casserole and pinch around the edges to seal the crust to the dish. Brush the top with beaten egg and prick the surface 1 or 2 times with a sharp knife or fork to allow steam to escape during cooking.
Place casserole dish on baking sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes, until crust is golden.

What a week!

So...most of this week hasn't been TOO bad...but I couldn't bring myself to get up this morning to weigh in. I guess I know I have gained...and I don't need a scale to tell me that. I know I should go...so it doesn't get too out of hand...but to be honest, I think I have lost that drive that was getting me the success with losing weight. Don't get me wrong...I don't want to be fat...but I think I need to find that passion again. Right now there are so many other things going on in my life...I feel that weight loss is taking a back burner for now. I definitely want to do WW...and I definitely want to lose weight. But...I think that after nearly 3 years of doing it, I am burnt out. I know what to make, I know to make new meals, I know that I need to exercise regularly...basically I know the tools, I just don't have the drive I once had that will monitor and control what I eat. Now...today I am making a list of things to get at the grocery...AND I am planning a meal list. But that is only part of it. I need to find time FOR MYSELF, that is concerned about MY WELLBEING...or I won't be able to do this successfully!

Weekend of Food...

Okay, so I left on Friday...most of last week had been pretty good! Friday I left so early...and then started eating at 6am...it made for a day of eating!! I was fairly good on Friday...egg mcmuffin and coke for breakfast...and then water...lots of water...and a 3 Musketeer for snack...got to Lynn's and we headed out for Red Mill Burgers...SOOOOOO yummy...I was really quite good...I shared a bacon cheeseburger with Lynn, and also ate a few fries (didn't get a whole order) and less than half of the peanut butter chocolate shake...so far nothing too terribly off...then we drove around in the rain...had a dinner of cheese, salmon, caprese salad, bread, crackers, apples, pears, grapes and wine. So far...nothing too horrific...

Saturday we got up and had smoothies for breakfast...yogurt, frozen berries, honey and banana...also pretty healthy...for lunch we went to Pike where I shared half a Beecher mac and cheese with my sister and a small cheesecake (half only)...and ate an apple, drank LOTS of water.

Dinner was my downfall...we went to Metropolitan Grill...best steak in Seattle...and I had a salad, bread, and a steak with blue cheese and garlic mashed potatoes...with wine...also managed to have a lemon drop martini before dinner...and tried a chocolate cherry cordial something...we headed to the Dahlia Lounge afterward for dessert and drinks...an espresso, pear tart, and some late harvest Riesling...

Yep...LOTS of eating.

Sunday morning woke up bright and early to make my sister her fave, red velvet cake...and proceeded to eat a slice of that and left over steak for breakfast...had a coke in the car...and then had a steak dinner with wine, baked potato, salad and ice cream for dessert on the way back. I managed to never get so ill I couldn't function. But I recognize this was all maybe a little overboard. Now...I have Thanksgiving around the corner...and my husband left me with cheesy polenta and chicken pesto...YUM!

Okay, I love food. I love good food...the question is, how can I enjoy good food, without overdoing it...and still keep losing weight?

Checking in...

So, this week has been going pretty well. Sunday was shot because I tried Boston's Pizza for the first time...and ate a WHOLE individual sized one! But, I have added some form of exercise in all week...eating my meals and snacks. Doing pretty good. Of course I am not sure if I will weigh in or not on Saturday...if I could find a place in Seattle close by, I will weigh in just so I know what I am working with!

This week we have had some FABULOUS meals...tasted good and low points. Chicken and potatoes Monday, chicken tortilla soup Tuesday, and spaghetti squash with pesto cream sauce on Wednesday...the rest of the week will be leftovers for sure!

Hope everyone else is having a great week too!

I Love Crockpots

My Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law asked what we wanted for our anniversary...or Christmas one year...and I told Tim I wanted a new crockpot. When I first moved to WA...I didn't bring my old one...one less thing to tote and I wanted a new one with a carrier and all of that. They were surprised and as a joke added in a crock pot recipe book...and really couldn't believe I wanted one. I was SOOOOO happy we got the one I wanted. I began going through the crockpot recipes to see what I would make. As soon as we made the first recipe out of the book, we called them and thanked them. They were pleased we were pleased...but found it to be an odd request. I told them that the crockpot saves a lot of time and effort, when you aren't home to cook! Of course you can use them for parties and dips...but I use mine to make meals!

This week...Monday night (tonight) it was chicken, potatoes, carrots and onions in the crockpot, in at 9am and ate a little after 6pm. Meal was complete and YUMMY!

Tuesday night - Chicken Tortilla soup...I will put the ingredients in when I get home from work at 2pm and at 6pm when we are ready to eat dinner...soup will be done and ready to eat.

So fun, so easy and I have tons of great recipes...and yes, even figure friendly ones.

Just want to plug the crockpot!

Have a great evening!

Weigh in Saturday 192.8

Okay, down nearly a pound according to the WW scale! I am excited...but know that the work is hard. I won't be weighing in this next week as I head to Seattle for some birthday celebrations...which will make things difficult! I hope to keep on track. I am starting to think of some ways that I can keep on track but yet still enjoy the birthday celebration! Smaller portions for sure! Maybe snacking so I don't get so hungry...and I can enjoy without all of the drinking..limit my alcohol intake! I would like to try and weigh in while I am in Seattle so I can keep myself reminded of what I am doing...I will have to see if there is a weigh in place nearby. I am sure there will be!

This weekend my husband is home...so I am definitely eating differently. I did tell him we would plan our meals while he is here...try and make some good food that we will both enjoy and I can still lose weight! We had chili last night...today we made a WW frittata for brunch...it was delicious! We planned meals through Thursday I believe...should be a good week leading up to my weekend in Seattle!

I do need to add exercise into my days. Yesterday I did a lot of cleaning, lifting, loading and vacuuming...so a lot of work/exercise. Today I may not be as lucky. But I plan to ask Tim to walk with me this week...just a half hour per night...so we can get a little movement in!

I have a gym membership that I haven't used since April :( I need to cut that out...I hate going to the gym unless it involves classes...and all of the classes fall while I am at work or school...so I may switch to DVDs at home...I can do it...I just need to want it bad enough. So, this week I plan to end the gym membership. I can always rejoin when the time is right!

Okay...hope your weekend was great...and Halloween was fun!