So recently we have come to realize that we need to upgrade our patio. Right now we just have lots of weeds and sand and rocks, not sure what the previous owner was thinking, covering the majority of our yard. The only space we can call a patio was a small brick area right outside the green room that barely fits a round table and a BBQ, while being able to go in and out of the house. So we have taken upon ourselves to create a new patio. This includes breaking up the hard dirt, removing about 3 inches of it and flattening it. Then we will cover with an ample amount of sand to make sure it is really level and place flat stones on top of it.
So that is our big project and I'm going to try and push Jose so we can have it finished Sunday, or at least pretty much finished Sunday.
Otherwise we are doing a lot of eating right and exercising. Since working in the yard is actually really good exercise, we have been doing that, but when we are not out in the yard we have been walking the dogs and trying to stay active. So far I have lost 3 pounds and I think most, or all, of it is water weight. That can happen when the majority of food consumed is over processed foods that tends to have a lot of sodium. Either way though, I am feeling much better already and its kinda funny, once I start to feel better about myself I have a tendency to not eat foods that will be bad for me. Weird I know but it happens :)
This means I have not been baking lately and I'm sorry to not be posting delicious recipes to fill your indulgences but you can find delicious recipes on the Baking Bites blog, the link is on the left.
Last night we did enjoy the apricot glaze/dressing I posted about last year but for those of you who haven't been following long or forget it, you can find it below. Last night I marinated two chicken breasts in this glaze for about 30 minutes and then BBQed them. Along with this I prepared a small salad consisting of spring lettuce mix and grilled onions, also marinated in the glaze and added a side or red potato (one of my favorite things ever!). This whole meal was relatively low in calories and absolutely delicious. Keep in mind that I only ate half of a chicken breast as a whole one is too much food for me, thus making my meal consist of around 350 calories, give or take.
Apricot Dressing
3 T apricot preserves
2 T white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 t pepper
1 t garlic powder or 1 t grated garlic
Juice from 1 lemon wedge
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Grown Up Chocolate Fudge Pudding
Hello all! Sorry it has been a few days since my last post.
This past weekend JL and I decided that enough was enough! No more silly excuses, we were just going to get in shape, once and for all! So he requested I make nothing but salads and we go running daily... Ok so maybe the salad thing will be adjusted but for the first week that is our goal :) I personally love salads and he likes most vegetables too so if we can just stick to something we actually like eating then all the better.
Now with dieting comes cravings, or urges as I have been calling them, at least for me. These typically are for sweets like chocolate and baked goods. Since I have been dieting a good portion of my life, I have found little tricks to get around this, one of my favorites is sugar free pudding. Now you may think that sugar free pudding will be gross and have a nasty after taste like diet coke but on the contrary, I can't really tell its sugar free at all! Just to make sure, I go for the full flavored kinds like chocolate fudge or butterscotch. For the recipe below I took boring sugar free chocolate fudge pudding and upped it a notch by adding some calorie free spices to it.
Grown Up Chocolate Fudge Pudding
1 small packet of sugar free chocolate fudge pudding mix
2 cups of milk (I used 2% because it is as low fat as JL will go with milk but you can use any type you want here)
Dash of cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper (weird I know but you don't really taste it)
Combine pudding and milk and whisk for a minute or two, incorporating air in it only makes it more mousse like so burn some calories and whisk!
Add spices and mix in well.
Refrigerate for a few minutes until firm.
If you would like to jazz it up, a dollop of whip cream won't hurt, just adds a few more calories.
I personally love the cook and serve type of pudding too so to make this warm just microwave it for a few seconds and you have a warm chocolate pudding to enjoy.
If you need help with figuring out your caloric needs this article really helped me: http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/blcalintake.htm
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy Pudding :)
This past weekend JL and I decided that enough was enough! No more silly excuses, we were just going to get in shape, once and for all! So he requested I make nothing but salads and we go running daily... Ok so maybe the salad thing will be adjusted but for the first week that is our goal :) I personally love salads and he likes most vegetables too so if we can just stick to something we actually like eating then all the better.
Now with dieting comes cravings, or urges as I have been calling them, at least for me. These typically are for sweets like chocolate and baked goods. Since I have been dieting a good portion of my life, I have found little tricks to get around this, one of my favorites is sugar free pudding. Now you may think that sugar free pudding will be gross and have a nasty after taste like diet coke but on the contrary, I can't really tell its sugar free at all! Just to make sure, I go for the full flavored kinds like chocolate fudge or butterscotch. For the recipe below I took boring sugar free chocolate fudge pudding and upped it a notch by adding some calorie free spices to it.
Grown Up Chocolate Fudge Pudding
1 small packet of sugar free chocolate fudge pudding mix
2 cups of milk (I used 2% because it is as low fat as JL will go with milk but you can use any type you want here)
Dash of cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper (weird I know but you don't really taste it)
Combine pudding and milk and whisk for a minute or two, incorporating air in it only makes it more mousse like so burn some calories and whisk!
Add spices and mix in well.
Refrigerate for a few minutes until firm.
If you would like to jazz it up, a dollop of whip cream won't hurt, just adds a few more calories.
I personally love the cook and serve type of pudding too so to make this warm just microwave it for a few seconds and you have a warm chocolate pudding to enjoy.
If you need help with figuring out your caloric needs this article really helped me: http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/blcalintake.htm
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy Pudding :)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
For the love of coconut!
One of my favorite blogs, How Sweet It Is (you can find the link on the left), posted recently about her love of coconut and got me thinking... I LOVE coconut too! Anything with coconut I can't resist like, coconut shrimp, Mounds, pina coladas and of course my mom's (and grandmother's) Cookies That Will Make You Fat. They definitely had such a sense of humor!
Another thing I use to qualm my urges (as we are calling them now) for coconut is to take some sliced banana, drizzle with some honey and top off with a good amount of coconut. Something that could take this over the top would be to do the following: Cut 1 banana in half length wise and then in six pieces width wise. Sprinkle some brown sugar on a plate and dip the flat side of the banana in the sugar just enough to coat. Place each piece sugar side down in a fry pan on medium heat until the sugar is browned and banana is heated through. The drizzle honey on top and sprinkle with coconut. (To add to the guilty pleasure, you can add chopped pecans, or to change it up you can substitute honey with chocolate syrup or caramel) Can we say sooo yummy!
So on with the cookies that will make you fat :)
Cookies That Will Make You Fat
½ c butter, melted
1 c graham cracker crumbs or vanilla wafer crumbs
1 c chocolate chips (you can also sub 1/2 with butterscotch chips)
1 c coconut
1 c chopped pecans
1 can condensed milk
1. In a 9x13 inch pan, pour butter and sprinkle with crumbs.
2. Sprinkle on top of that chocolate chips, then coconut and last, pecans.
3. Pour milk over it all.
4. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.
5. Cut into bars while still warm.
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
Another thing I use to qualm my urges (as we are calling them now) for coconut is to take some sliced banana, drizzle with some honey and top off with a good amount of coconut. Something that could take this over the top would be to do the following: Cut 1 banana in half length wise and then in six pieces width wise. Sprinkle some brown sugar on a plate and dip the flat side of the banana in the sugar just enough to coat. Place each piece sugar side down in a fry pan on medium heat until the sugar is browned and banana is heated through. The drizzle honey on top and sprinkle with coconut. (To add to the guilty pleasure, you can add chopped pecans, or to change it up you can substitute honey with chocolate syrup or caramel) Can we say sooo yummy!
So on with the cookies that will make you fat :)
Cookies That Will Make You Fat
½ c butter, melted
1 c graham cracker crumbs or vanilla wafer crumbs
1 c chocolate chips (you can also sub 1/2 with butterscotch chips)
1 c coconut
1 c chopped pecans
1 can condensed milk
1. In a 9x13 inch pan, pour butter and sprinkle with crumbs.
2. Sprinkle on top of that chocolate chips, then coconut and last, pecans.
3. Pour milk over it all.
4. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.
5. Cut into bars while still warm.
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
So Sore...
Hello all! Sorry I have been a bit quiet the past couple of days. I had the luxury of not having to go to work since last Thursday so we were busy in the yard and hanging out with the family.
Friday JL's parents came and did a lot of work in the back yard. Recently, with the rains, we have been having a huge weed problem. Not that kind of weed, the kind that runs rampant in the yard and garden. It had gotten really bad so for a few hours we were in the back yard working hard to clear them out. We weren't able to finish completely but I was able to whip up some Hot Cross Buns in my down time. You can find the recipe on the Simply Recipes blog, the link is on the left. I will warn you, they don't last long. The next day they were starting to get a little hard so for next year I will be trying another recipe.
Saturday I was able to relax a little bit but around 10:30 JL's dad came by and started to work on the yard again. After I did a few chores around the house, I went out to help him. Around 11:30 JL came home from work early, yay, with his mom in tow. We, meaning the men, started to work on clearing space for a patio. Once they were pooped we went to Home Depot and out to dinner. We frequent Home Depot about once a week, they know us there...
Sunday was our day to kinda relax. I made ham, salad and a pie. On our way to JL's parents house we stopped off to get some macaroni salad to find out they were completely out. I guess that wasn't an original idea... So potato salad it was! Everything was great, especially since JL's mom doesn't use her oven so I had to make everything ahead of time. The pie was good, the crust was fabulous! The berries were a little too moist so I will be working on that part of it but I came across the BEST pie crust recipe ever. Keep in mind, no fat was spared for this crust! (See Recipe Below) A little trick I learned, make an egg white wash and line the bottom of the pie crust before filling to prevent it from getting soggy.
Monday we had errands and appointments but for the second half of the day we just did a whole lot of nothing! I felt so guilty doing it but it was good for me to try and relax and just spend time with JL. With all that time together, you would think we would get tired of each other but it was just the opposite and today I missed being with him.
So why sore you ask? I woke up at 6:00am to work out and it felt good but definitely tired. I am so out of shape but I hope in a couple of weeks I will be able to start to go jogging, just waiting for the sun to rise earlier...
Never Fail Pie Crust
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter(unsalted),softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
5 1/2 tablespoons water
Directions
1. Whisk together the flour and salt. Blend in shortening until texture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Mix together egg, vinegar, and water. Pour into flour mixture, and mix together.
3. Roll dough out between wax paper; no extra flour is needed to roll out dough if wax paper is used. Use as directed in recipe.
Notes: Roll the dough out very thin, it will rise while baking! This recipe makes more that you will need for a top and bottom crust so you can do what my mom always did, make some cookies with the remainder by rolling out the dough, cutting into shapes and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Live, Laugh, Love and Enjoy!
Friday JL's parents came and did a lot of work in the back yard. Recently, with the rains, we have been having a huge weed problem. Not that kind of weed, the kind that runs rampant in the yard and garden. It had gotten really bad so for a few hours we were in the back yard working hard to clear them out. We weren't able to finish completely but I was able to whip up some Hot Cross Buns in my down time. You can find the recipe on the Simply Recipes blog, the link is on the left. I will warn you, they don't last long. The next day they were starting to get a little hard so for next year I will be trying another recipe.
Saturday I was able to relax a little bit but around 10:30 JL's dad came by and started to work on the yard again. After I did a few chores around the house, I went out to help him. Around 11:30 JL came home from work early, yay, with his mom in tow. We, meaning the men, started to work on clearing space for a patio. Once they were pooped we went to Home Depot and out to dinner. We frequent Home Depot about once a week, they know us there...
Sunday was our day to kinda relax. I made ham, salad and a pie. On our way to JL's parents house we stopped off to get some macaroni salad to find out they were completely out. I guess that wasn't an original idea... So potato salad it was! Everything was great, especially since JL's mom doesn't use her oven so I had to make everything ahead of time. The pie was good, the crust was fabulous! The berries were a little too moist so I will be working on that part of it but I came across the BEST pie crust recipe ever. Keep in mind, no fat was spared for this crust! (See Recipe Below) A little trick I learned, make an egg white wash and line the bottom of the pie crust before filling to prevent it from getting soggy.
Monday we had errands and appointments but for the second half of the day we just did a whole lot of nothing! I felt so guilty doing it but it was good for me to try and relax and just spend time with JL. With all that time together, you would think we would get tired of each other but it was just the opposite and today I missed being with him.
So why sore you ask? I woke up at 6:00am to work out and it felt good but definitely tired. I am so out of shape but I hope in a couple of weeks I will be able to start to go jogging, just waiting for the sun to rise earlier...
Never Fail Pie Crust
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter(unsalted),softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
5 1/2 tablespoons water
Directions
1. Whisk together the flour and salt. Blend in shortening until texture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Mix together egg, vinegar, and water. Pour into flour mixture, and mix together.
3. Roll dough out between wax paper; no extra flour is needed to roll out dough if wax paper is used. Use as directed in recipe.
Notes: Roll the dough out very thin, it will rise while baking! This recipe makes more that you will need for a top and bottom crust so you can do what my mom always did, make some cookies with the remainder by rolling out the dough, cutting into shapes and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Live, Laugh, Love and Enjoy!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Little bites of heaven!
OK, might be a bit of an exaggeration but my Maple Roasted Yams were yummy!
Side note: "craving" we are now calling "urges" because cravings sound too much like I'm preggers and I'm not.
So yesterday I was having some urges for sweet potatoes (aka yams) and seeing some pretty hefty ones at the farmer's market made me jump for joy. Last night for dessert I made these and they were so yummy and good for me, giving me added fiber I needed for the day.
Before I go into the recipe, I want to show off our babies...
Bear wanting a treat... Before I stepped outside, he was sun bathing, something he LOVES to do.
Blue after his bath... He is so spoiled!
Maple Roasted Yams
1/4 C maple syrup (the real kind)
1 large yam, cleaned and cubed
Pinch of salt
Cooking spray
Preheat the oven to about 375.
Spray baking sheet with the cooking spray and spread out potato cubes on tray.
Drizzle the maple syrup over the potatoes and stir to coat.
Spread out potatoes again, sprinkle with salt and bake for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes is up, toss them again, the syrup will start to fall off them so its good to flip them.
Bake for another 15 minutes or until tender.
Remove from baking sheet immediately or else they wills tart to stick as the syrup cools. That's what happened with mine after the photo shoot was over :/ I was still able to salvage most of them.
Live, laugh, love and enjoy!
Side note: "craving" we are now calling "urges" because cravings sound too much like I'm preggers and I'm not.
So yesterday I was having some urges for sweet potatoes (aka yams) and seeing some pretty hefty ones at the farmer's market made me jump for joy. Last night for dessert I made these and they were so yummy and good for me, giving me added fiber I needed for the day.
Before I go into the recipe, I want to show off our babies...
Bear wanting a treat... Before I stepped outside, he was sun bathing, something he LOVES to do.
Blue after his bath... He is so spoiled!
Maple Roasted Yams
1/4 C maple syrup (the real kind)
1 large yam, cleaned and cubed
Pinch of salt
Cooking spray
Preheat the oven to about 375.
Spray baking sheet with the cooking spray and spread out potato cubes on tray.
Drizzle the maple syrup over the potatoes and stir to coat.
Spread out potatoes again, sprinkle with salt and bake for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes is up, toss them again, the syrup will start to fall off them so its good to flip them.
Bake for another 15 minutes or until tender.
Remove from baking sheet immediately or else they wills tart to stick as the syrup cools. That's what happened with mine after the photo shoot was over :/ I was still able to salvage most of them.
Live, laugh, love and enjoy!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Dancing in the car...
So I got some funny looks today as I was jamin' to some tunes, so something my Mom used to say... But my thoughts were this, movement=exercise=burning calories, so in my mind I was doing a great thing for myself, never mind the funny looks I got...
That was after I had such a yummy breakfast and with a jug of iced honey ginseng green tea in my hand. For breakfast I had a new creation, Maple Pecan Oatmeal. This I had concocted myself but its not as if it took much creativity to think up this one. I love the flavor combo though so I decided I should share.
Maple Pecan Oatmeal
1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1 tablespoon maple syrup (the real kind people)
1/4 cup of pecans (whole)
Pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
Dash of cinnamon
Heat the water to boiling and add oats. Cook for about a minute or two until done. This is assuming you have the quick oats instead of the other kind, if you happen to be a traditionalist and have regular oats it will take a couple minutes longer.
While oats are cooking, chop up the pecans roughly.
Once the oatmeal is just about ready, add the rest of the ingredients and combine.
Remove from heat and let sit for a minute and enjoy!
You could also add some cold milk after it is served to help cool it down and also add some richness but as you all know, I am trying to watch the calories so no added milk for me this morning.
Update on the weight loss: I have lost 1 pound... hmm... ok maybe the blue cheese bacon burger didn't help me on Monday but its progress. My next goal: wake up and work out in the morning for two weeks. I think I will try and start this one next Monday, even though I have the day off I think it would be good for me to try it out when I can sleep in a little more... Wish me luck!
Live, laugh, love and enjoy!
That was after I had such a yummy breakfast and with a jug of iced honey ginseng green tea in my hand. For breakfast I had a new creation, Maple Pecan Oatmeal. This I had concocted myself but its not as if it took much creativity to think up this one. I love the flavor combo though so I decided I should share.
Maple Pecan Oatmeal
1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1 tablespoon maple syrup (the real kind people)
1/4 cup of pecans (whole)
Pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
Dash of cinnamon
Heat the water to boiling and add oats. Cook for about a minute or two until done. This is assuming you have the quick oats instead of the other kind, if you happen to be a traditionalist and have regular oats it will take a couple minutes longer.
While oats are cooking, chop up the pecans roughly.
Once the oatmeal is just about ready, add the rest of the ingredients and combine.
Remove from heat and let sit for a minute and enjoy!
You could also add some cold milk after it is served to help cool it down and also add some richness but as you all know, I am trying to watch the calories so no added milk for me this morning.
Update on the weight loss: I have lost 1 pound... hmm... ok maybe the blue cheese bacon burger didn't help me on Monday but its progress. My next goal: wake up and work out in the morning for two weeks. I think I will try and start this one next Monday, even though I have the day off I think it would be good for me to try it out when I can sleep in a little more... Wish me luck!
Live, laugh, love and enjoy!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Rain or no rain?
It looks nice and cloudy outside, a little bit of rain will only help keep my garden alive. I love the rain, but only when I am home in my bed and the dogs have gone potty and don't need to again until it is done and dry. I know I am needy but hey, it's hard to clean off a dog's paws who is ticklish or one that just won't hold still!
So I am in love with the Bacon Blue Cheese Burger at Wendy's. I know I am supposed to be on a diet and I have been behaving, kinda, but I don't know what it is about Blue Cheese but I crumble, ha that wasn't on purpose I promise! In fact I think the food that would satisfy the craving I have at the moment would be blue cheese stuffed green olives, don't those just sound AMAZING?!?!
On another note, I can't wait until there is more sun in the morning so I can get motivated to get up earlier and work out. I feel better when I do but I just need to get the motivation...
I am sorry but I don't have a recipe for you today. I am kinda stumped at the moment and need to get back to the grindstone.
I will try and make something clever tonight to give you all something to try out.
Till' tomorrow...
Live, Laugh, Love
So I am in love with the Bacon Blue Cheese Burger at Wendy's. I know I am supposed to be on a diet and I have been behaving, kinda, but I don't know what it is about Blue Cheese but I crumble, ha that wasn't on purpose I promise! In fact I think the food that would satisfy the craving I have at the moment would be blue cheese stuffed green olives, don't those just sound AMAZING?!?!
On another note, I can't wait until there is more sun in the morning so I can get motivated to get up earlier and work out. I feel better when I do but I just need to get the motivation...
I am sorry but I don't have a recipe for you today. I am kinda stumped at the moment and need to get back to the grindstone.
I will try and make something clever tonight to give you all something to try out.
Till' tomorrow...
Live, Laugh, Love
Monday, March 29, 2010
Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Kabobs
So JL is home sick right now with a cold. He has been battling this terrible thing for a week now and I finally made him go to the doctor. Why is it that men have such a hard time going to the doctor??? Not only that, why do they turn into big babies when they get sick??? I know it stinks being sick, I've been sick a few times my self but goodness. Don't get me wrong, I kinda like having him need me to take care of him so much but a part of me thinks... "Why can't I act like this when I'm sick?" The answer: because I have things to do and no time to be sick.
This past Sunday we had such a nice time hanging out with JL's parents. As most of you know, we go visit them every Sunday but something was just so nice and relaxing yesterday. We BBQ'd at their house and JL and I made one of our new favorites, Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Kabobs.
As JL claims, everything just tastes better with bacon! So very true with this recipe.
Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Kabobs
1 lb of jumbo shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 can of sliced pineapple in juice (NOT SYRUP), cut in quarters
1 sweet onion, cut in eighths
1 bottle of teriyaki glaze (or marinade), or 3/4 lb of sauce from the butcher
1 - 2 packages of bacon, cut in half
10 to 15 skewers, soaked in water for about 15 minutes, or longer (helps prevent burning)
1. Prep all the ingredients so you can have an assembly line of items.
2. Take skewer and add onion and pineapple to it.
3. Take 1 shrimp and wrap with half of a strip of bacon and slide on skewer.
4. Continue in this order until the skewer is full, about three sets but depends on how big the shrimps and skewers are.
5. Place in dish or tray and once finished, add teriyaki glaze to kabobs, making sure each one is covered well.
6. Let sit for about 10 minutes to let the glaze infuse the bacon.
7. Grill or broil for about 5 to 15 minutes, all varying on heat of the grill. The shrimp will cook faster than the bacon, so once the bacon is cooked enough, the shrimp will be good too.
8. Serve with a vegetable stir fry or as an appetizer.
Live, laugh, love and enjoy!
This past Sunday we had such a nice time hanging out with JL's parents. As most of you know, we go visit them every Sunday but something was just so nice and relaxing yesterday. We BBQ'd at their house and JL and I made one of our new favorites, Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Kabobs.
As JL claims, everything just tastes better with bacon! So very true with this recipe.
Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Kabobs
1 lb of jumbo shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 can of sliced pineapple in juice (NOT SYRUP), cut in quarters
1 sweet onion, cut in eighths
1 bottle of teriyaki glaze (or marinade), or 3/4 lb of sauce from the butcher
1 - 2 packages of bacon, cut in half
10 to 15 skewers, soaked in water for about 15 minutes, or longer (helps prevent burning)
1. Prep all the ingredients so you can have an assembly line of items.
2. Take skewer and add onion and pineapple to it.
3. Take 1 shrimp and wrap with half of a strip of bacon and slide on skewer.
4. Continue in this order until the skewer is full, about three sets but depends on how big the shrimps and skewers are.
5. Place in dish or tray and once finished, add teriyaki glaze to kabobs, making sure each one is covered well.
6. Let sit for about 10 minutes to let the glaze infuse the bacon.
7. Grill or broil for about 5 to 15 minutes, all varying on heat of the grill. The shrimp will cook faster than the bacon, so once the bacon is cooked enough, the shrimp will be good too.
8. Serve with a vegetable stir fry or as an appetizer.
Live, laugh, love and enjoy!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Lose it!
For those of you following this blog you may think I am a crazy person, jumping from one idea to the next and not holding on to any set goal... I would agree with you, I am crazy. I, luckily, found my sanity and may just be able to stick to something I decide to do! I have downloaded the Lose it! app on my iphone and I can't tell you how much I love it?!?!? First of all, I don't have to figure out calories myself, just measure out my food. Since I have done this before it isn't hard for me to get back on the wagon and I also have an eye for portions since I bake often. This program is great! It also has different work outs and how many calories you typically burn doing them. They also include: house work, gardening and umm.. more... ahem. Of course it is more just a guessed amount for calories but at least I am going in the right direction. I actually get happy to be able to put in exercised calories and it helps me to see if I can have a treat that day or not. Very fun!
Other than that, I did not have a treat yesterday as I was over my calorie budget by 20 calories, and that was with a walk. I am going to do this for a couple of weeks but plan to take it day by day so I don't pressure myself and get to overwhelmed and ... cheat.
I have to say, I am loving the weather, until yesterday when it didn't get any warmer than 60... ugh. I love spring though and we just bought two pink jasmine plants, totalling three in our yards now, and I love them. I just love the way they smell, they smell like spring!
The recipe of the day is with lent in mind, no meat on Fridays :(
Fish Sandwiches
Serves 4
4 buns, I try and get the larger ones, not the measly little ones
8 fish sticks, I prefer the battered ones over the breaded ones
4 leaves of lettuce
1 tomato, sliced
Tarter Sauce (See recipe below)
Prepare fish sticks as directed, can take up to 25 minutes.
While fish is cooking, prepare the tarter sauce.
Once fish is cooked, layer tarter sauce on each side of the bun, add lettuce, tomato and two fish sticks.
Optional: you can also add American cheese and make an uncannily similar rendition of the McFish.
Tarter Sauce
So easy to make there is no excuse to buy it!
1 medium pickle, diced fine
1 cup mayo, I use light mayo
1/4 cup of pickle juice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Combine all the ingredients and let sit for a while. it can be used right away but best if the flavors are allowed to meld.
Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
What's so funny?
Yesterday I had discussed my addiction to sugar and my brilliant idea of giving it up for a week. So last night I was talking with JL about my day and mentioned my idea. As you may guess he just laughed at me... Later he explained that any one who really knows me, knows that is the craziest idea I have ever come up with. He is right, it is incredibly crazy and very hard but I'm giving it a try but going to allow myself one treat a day, of a reasonable nature and only 100 calories or less. Lucky for me I bought some 100 calorie ice cream bars last week so I am well stocked. I think this is really where my problem lies and I can do this for more than a week, so I'm going for a month to make it a habit. Some of you out there can go days without a single sweet treat but I just have to have something. Maybe this will help wean me off completely, except for special occasions, but for now this is a step to that.
For those of you interested, I found the web site for the oatmeal I'm in love with. You can find it at Vons/Safeway and soon they will tell you on their site where the closest retail store is that sells it. www.betteroats.com
For dinner tonight we are having turkey tacos. For those of you trying to eat better but still want something easy, ground turkey is a life saver! I use the prepackaged taco seasoning mix and ground turkey, JL didn't even notice the difference and now we eat it about every other week. I like to cut up some lettuce and tomatoes and cheese is a must! (Can you see why I have such a hard time with dieting? I love cheese!) You can also make this into a taco salad so you can omit the carbs of the tortilla but I find everything in moderation is ok.
Live, laugh, love and enjoy!
For those of you interested, I found the web site for the oatmeal I'm in love with. You can find it at Vons/Safeway and soon they will tell you on their site where the closest retail store is that sells it. www.betteroats.com
For dinner tonight we are having turkey tacos. For those of you trying to eat better but still want something easy, ground turkey is a life saver! I use the prepackaged taco seasoning mix and ground turkey, JL didn't even notice the difference and now we eat it about every other week. I like to cut up some lettuce and tomatoes and cheese is a must! (Can you see why I have such a hard time with dieting? I love cheese!) You can also make this into a taco salad so you can omit the carbs of the tortilla but I find everything in moderation is ok.
Live, laugh, love and enjoy!
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