Happy Almost February!

Gosh, can you believe February is right around the corner?  For all of us, it is be kind to your heart month.  For at least one of us, it means you will be one year older!  You know who you are.  In celebration of Heart Month and Grainiacs BD, I've decided to follow the WW plan 100% for one whole month.  No excuses....no cheating...no nada!  I'm hoping whatever plan you are on, you will join in with me and have a 100% On Plan Month.  We have 2 days to prepare and let's face it, I need about 2 days to plan.  If I have any more days then I think "I've got time;" if I have any less then I think "Not enough time."  TWO days is perfect!  Let's go 100%. How about it?

On a more personal note: my eldest daughter's purse was stolen on Friday (this includes IDs, work badge, planner, keys, financial and credit cards and checks.  Everything!  Unfortunately while she was enjoying her dinner with friends at the restaurant, the SOBs were enjoying themselves to all her possessions in her apt.  If that wasn't scary enough, the next night when they knew she'd be gone (they have her planner with all commitments listed) they came back.  When they found the lock had been changed, they tried to kick in the door.  Thankfully no one (except my grand-kitties) were home.  Hubby and I have now picked up grand-kitties and brought them home with us.  I was ready to pack my daughter in a crate too and take her home with us.  I'm not sure why the SOBs went back; they've seen what's in her apt and took all the valuable stuff.  This makes me think they were up to no good.  Hubby thinks they were mad when they found the club on the steering shaft and couldn't steal the car.  In any case she needs prayers and so does this Strawberry.

It's all about choices.  We hear or say that everyday.. especially while raising children....or puppies!  Puppy made some bad food choices the other day and it sent him to the vet's office for a two night stay and an IV drip!  He had the professional and scary sounding "garbage gut syndrome."  Garbage in; garbage out with a lot of other yucky stuff!  I won't go into it since I'm about to talk about yummy food.  Of course this is a blog about eating and dieting so....no, I won't go into it!  I remember receiving an email of an extremely, huge, larger than Mama Cass photo of a woman.  Nothing wrong with that, right?  Nope, she was buck naked.  Clothing can hide a multitude of sins, but a photo of yourself in your birthday suit?  Not so much!  I posted that photo on my fridge to remind myself to keep the fridge door shut.  I've also posted pig pictures/ bear pictures/ pictures of myself at a "larger than life" size and the problem with this trick is I know it is a trick and pretty soon I blindly open the fridge and ignore all reminders/ notes/ photos/ conversion charts and magnets that decorate said door.  All that  being said, I hope Puppy learned his lesson.  (I can dream, right?)

I learned my lesson, Momma!

Hey, let's see how fast I can open this moose up and eat its inners!

What about me?  Why aren't I getting any attention?

 Okay, enough animal talk, let's get cookin' and enjoy something that will serve as either a main meal or a side dish.  Peaches sent her recipe for spaghetti squash casserole.  Enjoy!

1 med size spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 tbsp olive oil

1 med onion, chopped

1 can sliced mushrooms

1 tsp dried basil OR dried tarragon (chose your favorite but do not mix!)

¾ cup sour cream

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 slices whole grain bread, cubed or shredded into crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook squash for about 40 min or until tender.  Shred with fork once cooled.  (This can be done the day before, if you’re pressed for time).

Place shredded squash in a lightly oiled casserole dish.

Cook onions and mushrooms in olive oil until tender.  Stir in sour cream, your favorite herb, and squash.  Stir in ½ of the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Transfer to casserole, and top with remaining bread crumbs and parmesan.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

 Just a reminder, you can cook your spaghetti squash and use it instead of pasta.  Just cook your squash and shred like Peaches did in her recipe; then pour spaghetti sauce over the freshly cooked and shredded squash.  Add Parmesan cheese and consume.  Feel free to throw in a couple of meatballs if you want.  Now that's a meal!

Rush Hour Repeat

Here it is 8:24 a.m. and I'm due at work at 9!  The breakfast I planned to eat was consumed by Boy yesterday.  I didn't realize it till 8:20 a.m.  In addition to my morning fiasco, my little puppy was taken to the vet yesterday.  The vet gave a grim report; I'm hoping it is their sick way of not getting their patients' people's hopes up.  If you are the praying sort, please pray for recovery for Cosmos.  I love that little dog. So, I'm rushed and I'm sad.  Not a good combo.  I packed my tennis shoes in a bag and packed a high protein lunch and a good planning sweet treat for a snack.  I will not let this rushed repeat get the better of me.  I think a nice walk and healthy lunch is just what the doctor ordered.  I can only hope the vet finds what's wrong with Cosmos and fixes it and then I can say "it's just what the vet ordered."

something tastes yummy and I think that's why I'm at the vets!

Hell's Kitchen hath no Fury

I spent my Saturday hoping to channel my inner Martha or Rachael.  I even strutted around the kitchen in my Betty Boop apron with wooden spoon in hand.  I pulled out the mixer, the cutting boards, every pan and bowl, spoon, and shortening can.  Problem is: Martha and Rachael have someone to clean up after them; I don't.  I also remember why I don't make homemade rolls or bread of any kind sans a bread machine!  Why I decided to make "feather" dinner rolls is beyond me.  I'm not eating bread!!!!!!  (Correction: I ate 2 of them and they are NOT feather light but thick yummy delicious pockets of yum. yum yum yum!)  But there I was plastered up to my elbows with a sticky flour/ mash potato/ yeast concoction and in desperate need of more flour.  I felt I was channeling Robert Irvine in Dinner Impossible!  I hollered for Hubby to help.  He walked in and grabbed the sugar container.  I yelled "that's the sugar; the flour is over here by me."  When he set the sugar container down, he knocked the freshly ground coffee off the counter and into the dog bowl.  He then picked up the sugar again!  What?  Leave the coffee grounds alone for a minute and get me some flour....not the sugar...the flour over by me!!!!  Next he tripped over the extension cord which was connected to the expensive mixer and came over with the sugar!  Please don't let me be in reality show Hell's Kitchen.  Maybe we are in a sitcom?  By then I was channeling my Ricky Ricardo to his Lucy, "ay ay ay" but I had the good sense not to slap my forehead.  I sure don't need a repeat of getting sticky bread dough out of my hair!

The final product was 12 dinner roll looking things and 4 biscuit looking things.  I'm really not sure about the physics of all of it or the chemistry or biology, but when my 6 rolled dough was scrunched together like sardines in the pan, they rose and bloomed into yummy looking dinner rolls.  The 4 or 5 rolled dough that were spaced out onto a pie pan stayed rolly polly and were as hard as bricks.  Thus my conclusion, we all need to stick together in heated situations!

Now I want you to channel your inner Bates Motel music and experience my kitchen! brrrrp   brrrrp   brrrrp No that isn't me burping; I'm making the trill sound from Psycho!  Please!!!!

I'm going to bed.  Maybe I can channel my twitching nose like Samantha and it will all go away.  Darrin has already hit the sack!

Day-O

Do you sing in the morning?  How about enjoying a nice cup of coffee and a mini banana bread loaf?  

Come, Mister Tally Man, tally me banana

Daylight come and me wanna go back to bed

NO, we don't want to go back to bed because it's Monday morning and we've already made the banana nut bread!  Now all we have to do is wait for the coffee to brew and pop the banana bread in the microwave for 15 seconds and a quick breakfast is ready.  Grab a piece of fruit and head on out to work.  You're covered.

This past Saturday, I cooked various breakfast foods in anticipation of my upcoming work week.  I did this because I did not want a repeat of my last Friday!  Let's just say I got caught munching on bad choices (our branch has a deep freeze with a variety of ice cream choices for our customers and employees....very bad strawberry!)  So I cooked bran muffins and banana nut bread so I can grab and go for that early morning work week.  I've discovered Hubby and Boy love the bran muffins and nut bread so much that I had to hide some of them so I'd have breakfasts available for the next 2 weeks!  I'm just hoping they don't realize I hid part of the stash.  That ice cream freezer does call out my name.

For my WW grainiacs, I compared my banana nut bread recipe to Hungry Girl's recipe and they both equal 6 points plus.  I haven't tried hers yet so I can't compare the taste, but I'll tell you....I LOVE my recipe.

I tweaked the original recipe and it is still fantastic!

 Strawberry's Banana Nut Bread Recipe

3/4 cup butter                                                   1- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1- 1/2 cups sugar                                              3/4 tsp. salt

3 eggs, separated                                              1/2 cup sour cream
5 large bananas mashed (about 1-1/2 c)            1/2 cup milk
3 cups flour (I divided this into white and whole wheat)
3/4 cups finely chopped pecans (could omit the nuts for less points plus, but then it wouldn't be banana nut bread!

Grease and flour mini loaf pans or whatever loaf or muffin tins you use. (I use the bakers spray with flour).  Cream butter and sugar together (I tweaked here and used 3/4 c. Splenda and 3/4 c. sugar- I'm thinking you could use all Splenda like Hungry Girl although it doesn't seem to change the points plus value).  Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add bananas, mixing well.  Measure 1/2 cup milk and add sour cream to fill the cup.  Sift together (I didn't sift!!) the flour, soda, and salt.  Add the flour and milk alternately to the banana mixture (Strawberry added the white flour first and the soda and salt and 1/2 milk mixture and stirred well and then added the whole wheat flour and the rest of the milk mixture).  Add nuts and mix well.  Beat egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks (I used a hand mixer- I'm all for easy baking!).  Fold carefully into banana batter.  I truly believe this and the sour cream makes this the best banana nut bread EVER!!!!

stiff egg whites!

Divide evenly between 2 mini loaf pans (my pan has 9 mini loaves)--whatever you use fill it to within 1/2" to 3/4" of the top.  Bake at 300* for 45-50 minutes.  Cool on rack before storing.


And looky here.... hmmmm it smells so good. drool....drool...gulp

Hubby favors adding another ingredient.

Either way....Enjoy!

  I make half without cherries ( for Boy) and half with cherries.  I want to make both men happy.  Heck, I'll eat it with or without cherries.  I love me some banana nut bread!  Speaking of bananas or nuts, I received some great comments about grilled chicken salad, etc.  I'll post those in the near future!  Thank you for the suggestions and ideas.  Keep them coming.

I feel in control...with breakfast at least!  I can always fall back on my fruit yogurt parfaits or omelets if I have the time in the morning.  Breakfast is for champions; don't get caught without it!!!

Let's Get Cooking

I'm ready!  It's back in the saddle again time.  I've received some emails saying pretty much the same thing so let's get cooking together.  For the next couple of posts, I've decided to meal plan via this blog.  I need help so I'm thinking you might need help.  If not, well, just enjoy the photos.

I heard from my Grainiaunt:  she writes that what really floats her boat (across the Atlantic) is tea or coffee.  "I drink tea the way the British do, not with lemon but with milk and never with cream, only milk.  My mother's mother drank it this way."  She adds "I like my iced tea with lemon and sweetener, lots of lemon which is not good for your teeth, but I drink it with a straw which helps." I love my aunt; she makes me smile.  She drinks coffee at night as a dessert.  "Every morning and every evening after dinner, I fix coffee for myself.  I use exactly a half cup of coffee; I mix it with one half cup of 2 percent milk with one sweet 'n low and one equal.  Tastes like dessert to me and is very 'comforting,' much like a cup of English Breakfast tea."  She also fixes a cup of Earl Grey tea fixed strong with a splash (and only a splash) of 2 percent milk and one equal and one sweet 'n low."  Sounds like a winning duo.  Thank you, my grainiaunt!

Peaches sent a stove-full of photos for meal planning.  Here's one of her photos.  We need the recipes, Peaches!!!  Send immediately please.  I'm drooling as I'm posting this picture.

Eat me!

 She writes "ham, leftover green beans and spaghetti squash casserole.  The bread crumbs on top of the casserole were a bit overcooked-- I had wanted to brown them a bit, then got distracted and they burned a little.  I took this as a sign that I probably could have left them off (she added a smiley face!).  Okay, now inquiry minds want the spaghetti squash casserole recipe.  Send asap!

If this doesn't whet your whistle for food; well, you aren't the grainiacs I thought you were! LOL

I'm cooking too.  Photos and ideas to follow...tomorrow....or Monday or.....  Keep sending your ideas.  I love receiving them.  Oh I have one more....this one is from me.  Last night I came home from work planning to suggest we all go out to eat.  Instead I opened my car door to smell wonderful B-B-Q smells.  Hubby had grilled chicken.  yum.  I opened the front door and smelled onions and green peppers sizzling.  Do I love this man?  I pulled out a bag of already cut up lettuce, already shredded cheese, a can of black beans and corn (MY idea of cooking!) and voilà...

Perfect salad and great netflix movie

 What's cookin' at your place?

Everything's coming up

Pumpkins!  Did I tell you?  I lost the 5 pounds and am enjoying my Keurig coffee maker.  Yesterday, my grocer had on sale Pumpkin Spice k-cups and in true Strawberry fashion I bought 2 packs.  Remember, if one's good; two's better!  That's my philosophy (thanks, Dad) and I'm sticking to it!

hmmm, I smell pumpkins

In addition to a great grocer find, I got my bozo looking hair cut.  I'm thinking I've been watching too many British movies because I came out of the salon looking like an English page boy!  What do you think?  Hubby remarked "oh, you got your hair cut?"  That's the same as saying "you look like doggie doo" (he doesn't say the "s" word like I do).  Shit, he hates my hair!

I can never make it look like the stylist does the next day (in my case, that might be a good thing!).  So this morning I showered and got ready for work.  Hubby saw me by the Keurig and gave me a glance that said "What are you doing?"  I smiled and replied "I lost my 5 pounds."  He countered "When?"  I snapped "last week; now back off."  hee hee  We say all this with a smile on our faces; otherwise one of us would have been charged with man/woman slaughter YEARS AGO!!!!  Ya know?  He smiled and said "Oh, that's what your hair looks like.  I like it today."  Good man.  LOL

Can you tell?  Hubby doesn't like change.  Sorry, guy; you married the wrong Strawberry in that case.

Oh and in brighter news still:  I landed the new position at work.  I'm so excited.  Everything is coming up roses and pumpkins in my little patch of the world.  Hope your day is bright too.

P.S.  I need your help.  In the next few posts I want to focus on meal planning.  Do you have a meal that you love?  Have you taken photos?  Send them to me and I'll post them. 

Love you, Grainiacs.

It's blooming cold

It hit.....frigid cold weather.  The type that chills you to the bone.  Coming from sunny south Texas, I always thought it would be great to have a white Christmas.  Problem with that picture is the extreme cold that comes with it.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE those white Christmases, but I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather "see" it in a pretty picture frame than actually be standing IN it!!  Oh I know, bloom where you're planted.  Speaking of that, my eldest gave me a beautiful pot filled with tulips last year.  Those tulips are peeking their pretty heads out of the pot. 

Don't pay attention to the ugly around it, focus on the new life....the new beginnings happening in the tulips' world.  I doubt the tulips are worried about the dead leaves or the barren ground around it.  They are focusing on their own surroundings.  Although from a Christian standpoint, focusing on ourselves only is not particularly ideal; I do think it is ideal for changing our eating patterns and our weight loss success.  Don't pay attention to what people are eating or what they might think if you choose a salad over the taco casserole everyone else is having.  Who will be laughing when you are a size 8 and the rest are still "talking" about losing weight, huh?

My Dream

I, too, have a dream.  I dream that I won't procrastinate.  That I'll get my work done in a timely manner and not put it off till tomorrow or the next day or the next week or month.  I dream that I'll get off my butt and exercise more.  I dream that I'll eat healthy and be an example to my children.  I dream that my children will be moral examples to the world.  That they will make lasting friendships and love unconditionally.  I dream of a world with no discrimination.  A world where we don't need to "mark" our heritage.  A world where we can look at the beautiful rainbow of colors and not judge someone by that beautiful color.  I dream of a world where our leaders are not thinking of themselves but the people they represent-- ALL People....not only the ones with deep pockets.  Is this world realistic?  Yes, in my little part of the world, it can be.  It all starts with me.

In the Hood

I have a new passion thanks to college boy.  This past semester, he and his roommate starting watching old clips from a series on netflix instant.  Then he came home for Christmas and introduced his over-achieving OCD (CDO if you put it in order!) parents to this series.  Hubby and I cannot watch a show in the middle of the series--take NCIS or Midsomer Murder-- we just have to start from the beginning!  Thank goodness for Hulu and Netflix instant (sorry if you are mad at netflix; this "hood" LOVES our netflix!).  Such is the case with ParentHood.  We are hooked and I do mean hooked.  I remember watching one episode a year ago and hating it.  The parents, kids, neighbors, strangers SCREAM at each other.  No one listens during an argument-- they are too busy screaming out their own excuse or idea or thought.  I don't like screaming; it hurts my heart.  So why would Hubby, Boy, and I watch this?  I think it might be due to the fact that at the end of the day, they have apologized and kissed and made up.  There is resolution, new beginnings, for the next episode.  And it's not hokey kind of stuff.  It is real.  Opey is one of the directors and I do love Ron Howard--I wouldn't scream at him or anything but I think he is real and hasn't let Hollywood inflate his head.  Do you know what I mean?  Probably because Andy Griffith raised him right.  Last night all three of us were watching an episode and afterwards discussed what might have been a better solution.  I love having this time with my family.  No, I'm not exercising or coloring or crocheting.  Yes, I did eat a big bag of popcorn (I'm not doing that again for a while) and yes, I did have quality time with my hood.

Quick!  Go check your cereal stash.  Run...you are looking for B12.  How much does your cereal pack?  25%?  None?

The reason I ask is because....

I joined Dr. Oz's Transformation Nation last night.  I did it because I wanted a free cookbook- still working on that going against the grain mentality!!  Sorry fact is the deal closed 8:59 p.m. eastern time; I'm central time and I'm not sure I pushed the right buttons to get that dang cookbook, so long story short I joined for the cookbook but I'm gleaning great advice. Sidebar:  I apologize to you now if you are one of the grainiacs I sent a join request to....it's just that I really wanted THAT cookbook (she whines).  You know me?  I can't keep such great info to myself; I wanted to share this new info with you because I love you.

So here's the news....today's topic is B12.  Feeling sluggish?  Bump up that B12.  Losing your memory?  Remember (HA) to bump up that B12.  Now here's a yucky looking one....tongue getting inflamed and red and cracked (please be a friend and tell me if this is happening to me-- my memory is shot and I'm too sluggish to look in a mirror)?  Pop in that B12!!!!

This morning's recipe is a yogurt parfait.  Remember (HA) I posted my fruit yogurt parfait picture (I love those parfaits)?  In my parfaits I use Post Just Bunches for the granola so I read the label and found out it packs 25% daily value of B12.  Dr. Oz recommends finding a whole grain cereal that provides 25%-100% of the DV of B12.  Always the over-achiever....hey, don't laugh....I searched high and low in my grain silo and over the refrigerator reading ALL the cereal labels.

Strawberry's grain stash

Most of my cereals don't provide B12 (B6 is listed but not B12) or it lists 25%.  I thought I'd pop over to the grocery store and check out all cereals listing 100% B12-- I need all the help I can get.  I really didn't need to do that.  Hidden in the back of the grain silo was All Bran Extra Fiber and All Bran Bran Buds.  I bought these two jewels when I purchased my Hungry Girl cookbook (there I go with the cookbooks again).  Lisa Lillian is the face and brain behind Hungry Girl.  She is so popular now that she hosts a Sunday morning TV cooking show.  I'm usually rushing to church when her show is aired but I can catch the reruns on the computer.  She is a hoot and comes up with great low-fat yummy tasting recipes.

And the winner is....Bran Buds!

Today I will substitute my Just Bunches (a mere 25%)  for Bran Buds (a whopping 100%) and get the recommended B12 I need to fortify my health with B12.  In not so great news, we think Boy is lactose-intolerant so he'll have to forgo (that's the right spelling- I looked it up- I thought it had an "e" in it) those yummy parfaits.  I guess he'll have to eat 100% grass-fed buffalo for breakfast!

My Keurig Karrot

I slipped up because I sipped.  As you will recall I dangled a karrot, uh carrot in front of myself by vowing not to open my new package until I lost 5 pounds ( stop and smell the coffee ).  As the days progressed I realized that WW encourages losing no more than 1-2 pounds a week.  At that rate I'd get to open my prize in a month.  What if it didn't work-- the diet or the coffee maker?  What if in a month I lost my 5 pounds only to find out that my Keurig was faulty?  Would they accept my "I needed to lose 5 pounds before I could open my package" defense at the returns desk?  So I "lawyered" (cross examined and argued, etc) myself into opening it and at least brewing one cup of coffee to make sure it worked.  It worked all right and can I just say "I LOVE MY NEW KEURIG!!!!!" 

My Keurig Karrot

See it dangling in front of me? 

Pay no attention to the hole in that "K-cup."  It was to make sure my coffee maker works.  I'm back to the waiting game.  I vow to drink no Keurig coffee till the 5 pounds is off!  This is going to be a delicious carrot.  I have 3 pounds to go...well 4.2 but 3 looks better and I'm all about fooling myself.  Till that 3 (4.2) comes off, I'll have to dress up my old coffee maker and wait.....

Now that's a cup of coffee!

Happy Saturday

Happy Saturday, Grainiacs,

I don't usually post on Saturday but I wanted to write about my slip-up last night.  Hubby prepared a wonderful feast of grilled chicken and peppers and onions.  The boys ate their protein in a taco shell.  I ate mine sans the grains.  I felt great and empowered and then it hit.  The Christmas cookies began beckoning me.  Then they began whistling "over here....we're here unopened....if you don't eat us we'll go bad."  That sort of talking and then I got up and walked over to them and opened them and ate.......uh......4 of them to shut them up!!!!  Did that stop their talking?  Nope, they talked all night in my digestion system.  Man, those cookies are full of hot air!  Tee Hee....Poor Hubby. 

W.T.F.

What's That Feeling?!!!!  Ahhhh, the pain in my arm.  Lest you think I'm having a heart attack, I worked out in the weight room yesterday.  I didn't even do that many repetitions.  I have come to the conclusion I am totally 100% flab.  I don't get it; I lift quarters and nickels and dimes for a living... I should have a few muscles, right?  I guess I'll have to start working out at the office.  One and two and three and four.  My customers will think I've gone insane lifting their coin deposits and change orders over my head, but I'm starting my new beginnings and that might mean I lift coin over my head.  I can hear Jane Fonda now: Feel the Burn!  Yes, my co-workers' faces will be burning embarrassment red at the sight of me, but at least I'll be turning flab to fab.  Right?  Am I over-thinking this "work-out" suggestions at the office.  You've seen them, right?  Stand and tighten your butt.  Sit and suck in your tummy, hold it and count to 10 and exhale.  That takes concentration.  One could look like they are holding in a bowel movement- now that's embarrassing!!!  So my suggestion of grab a tray of quarters and lift over your head multiple times shouldn't be too out of the question.  Of course be careful of a concussion.  That $100 of quarters can really do some damage and then someone will definitely be saying "WTF."

Rush Hour

Where did the time go?  Boy and I went to the Y this morning and now it is one hour till work.  I did get A LOT accomplished, though.  I exercised for 40 minutes (toot!) and ate healthy for breakfast and lunch (toot toot) and made a huge pot of veggie soup (honk honk honk).  I don't have healthy snacks packed for today so I can't honk my horn too loudly.  So I'm writing a rushed post.

Today I received a confirmation that my package (Keurig coffee maker) is in route.  I really want to drink some Keurig coffee and my package arrives today!  4 pounds to go and yum, I'll be sipping some flavored coffees.  I can't wait.  In several posts I write that I need to fool myself into thinking something different-- it's this whole "going against my grain" thing.  But I'm not the only one.  Yesterday's post sparked some comments (you won't see them here because some Grainiacs are having a problem with the blog's comment page...sorry...you'll have to take my word about this!).

One Grainiac wrote saying she wouldn't open her emails till she exercised.  Now I know why I haven't heard from her in such a long time (just kidding).  Another Grainiac called saying she hasn't set any resolutions this year and she is accomplishing more than ever.  You know, it has taken a long time for us to realize how our brain ticks but the good news is we are ticking and honking and moving ourselves to a new beginning ( new us) in 2012.  I hope you find peace knowing that you are individually and wonderfully made and I'm so glad we are on this road (honk honk) together.

P.S.  If you have a bumper sticker that states "Honk if you.....(fill in the blanks here), be sure not to cuss out the person behind you when they are honking away at you!  They are just letting you know that they love it too.  That....or you are driving like a maniac so slow down and enjoy the route.   oooh, it's almost Route 44 crunchy ice time!

Stop and smell the coffee

Have you noticed all the commercials for weight loss?  It's a new year and like most others, I want to lose weight.  I want to lose it NOW.  I'm not strong on the patience-side of things...just ask Hubby.  We've been talking about getting a Keurig coffee maker.  We love coffee but we have a perfectly fine coffee maker (two to be exact!).  Both cost about $40.00 between the both of them.  So why did I have to purchase that Keurig?  I don't know.  I wanted it.  Period. 

Last night I told both boys in the house "I'm getting a package and it's mine. Don't open it.  Ya hear-- it's mine!" 

Hubby says "What if it's something I bought?" 

I retorted "Mine is bigger than a book box" (Hubby has no restraint when it comes to books.). 

Boy wanted to know if it was something for him.  Ha ha ha...silly Boy!  It's after Christmas and after his birthday which both fall in the same month so NO, it's definitely not something for you!  pppffff 

Getting back to topic (I'm still doing it/ I'm sorry) I want to lose 5 pounds (forget the 7 in a previous post...I'm perking for 5).  And I do mean perking.  I want to lose my 5 pounds and THEN I get to open my prize package.  WW encourages giving non-food rewards when you meet a goal.  Makes sense, right?  Why sabotage your victory with a hot fudge sundae (yes, I do like my H-F-S)?  Why not sabotage the pocketbook?  After the weight comes off, I'll tackle my "shop till you drop" addiction.  One thing at a time. 

Boy wanted to know if there would be more incentive to lose the 5 pounds if they got to open my package and start drinking MY coffee?!  I see a politician in the works!  Poor kid; I don't think he thought through that comment!  My look and baring of teeth told him the answer.

The great thing about WW is not feeling deprived.  I, on the other hand, might be deprived for a week or two, but I will have my coffee and drink it too!

New Beginnings

This past Sunday, the sermon title was "New Beginnings."  I mentioned I liked that phrase better than New Year's Resolutions.  2012 is a new beginning--I have plenty of things to begin again, but for this blog, it is weight loss.  Last night I bit the bullet and weighed in at my WW meeting-- every member gets a "pass" if you don't want to weigh in on a particular day (p.s. you can't do that EVERY meeting, though!).  After writing yesterday's blog, I thought I'd better start getting accountable again--even if it meant a weight gain.  Talk about your new beginnings-- I lost three....3....pounds.  Helpful Hubby remarked "That's a mistake!"  Thank you.  Yes, it probably was a mistake. We can't only look at that slithery scale whom I affectionately named "Kaa."  That Kaa can be mesmerizing and deceitful!  After all, I "helped" myself to a breakfast taco while in South TX and let's face it--everything and I do mean everything is bigger in TX.

You gonna eat all of that?! This is a dinner plate and not a dessert or salad plate!

The artery-clogging special- egg and bacon and lard. yum

I ate pizza with friends--twice!  I went to two tamaladas (a tamale dinner with all the fixin's), a traditional turkey dinner (think Thanksgiving) and now I'm on my way to get the Alka-Seltzer.  For the record, I consumed 1/2 of my humongous breakfast taco, 1 and 1/2 slices of thin cheese pizza...one time with a garden salad, I only had 2 tamales at each of the dinners, and I only ate turkey and non-creamed veggies.  So although I wasn't perfect (what's that?), I did watch what I was eating and didn't go crazy like in times past.  May I hear "Bravo?"  LOL  So Kaa might have taken a little vacation too and looked past my holiday decadence and gave me a pass- but just this time.  I have to celebrate the non-gain but not take it like I can eat that way and still lose.  This morning, my new beginning morning, I am serving up a power breakfast.  I love McDonald's yogurt parfaits and really they are only $1.00, but I'm still in my jammies and would prefer to make my own.  That way I am in control of portion sizes and brands and hands that make it.

 

 Here is how it rates with WW.

My power breakfast = 4 WW PPT

1 cup of WW vanilla yogurt = 3 ppts

1 cup of blueberries= 0 ppts

2/3 cups of Post Just Bunches Cinnamon cereal= 6 ppts.  (note: I did not want the whole 2/3 cups of cereal so I measured down.  2/3 cups can be divided into 6 Tbsp of cereal so 1 Tbsp=1 ppt.  Not a bad way to start the day, huh?  What are you having for breakfast?  Let me hear.

I Resolve to...

NOT make any resolutions!  It just reinforces my failures.  This new day, er, new month, hell new year I will focus on new beginnings.  Out with the stinkin' thinkin' and in with  new thoughts....a new attitude.  How about you?  Any new beginnings?  By the way, Happy New Year, Grainiacs.  I missed you but December was a whirlwind month.  May I brag?  I didn't gain a pound during the Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year celebrations!  I have definitely learned to maintain this weight.  Whoo hoo.  Too bad I didn't have just 15 pounds to lose!  :o)  This morning I was talking to a peach of a friend and she has lost 11 pounds.  Way to go, Peaches!  I love this journey...especially traveling it with friends.  I have more to say, but it will have to weight wait till later.

I'm so glad you are my friend and confidante.  Let's ring in a new year and a new us. 

I meant to send this greeting in December but that was last year's Strawberry.  Now is as good a time as any.

Merry belated Christmas from our 4-legged Grainiacs.

Awww, do they look like happy elves? This look is more like I'm peeing on you while you sleep!