Saturday, November 24, 2007

More car shopping

led us to stay out past our supper time. Perkins to the rescue. An event not unlike having a hungry grizzly carry you out of a forest fire..... I thoroughly enjoyed my supper of a club house sandwich, but of course I did have the help of my old fella. He enjoys his food, and has a bottomless pit for a stomach. That man must have a tape worm or something! He can always be counted on to eat his dinner, and finish mine off too. He definitely is the poster boy for the benefits of a raging male metabolism. I would weigh nine hundred pounds if I tried to get away with some of his tricks!

We are preparing to go to Thompson tomorrow, for a week. That leaves the car purchasing decision in limbo, I am happy to say! The features and stats for all the cars you look at just whirl around in your brain after awhile, and nothing seems to make much sense at all. But I do know that I fit into all of those small cars a lot easier these days! I would like to think it is because of the WW plan, but in reality, I think the manufacturers have realized that not everyone has a tiny bum and short little legs! A fact that I have been keenly aware of my entire life.

I also found time to buy a new duvet cover and shams for our bed today. I love good white cotton linens, and this set really exceeded my expectations. The cotton is so silky, and the embroidered border is simple, yet so pretty. A real Homesense find at half the original price! We picked out the duvet cover, paid for it and were on our way in about ten minutes. The bonus is that it will easily take at least twenty minutes to iron and that definitely counts as 'activity' time!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Hanging at the same weight....

can drive a person balmy. But, I keep telling myself to work the program....I watch every bite, so there is no room for error there....sigh. Just one of those flat line times I guess. When I woke up this morning, I had a mandarin orange first thing, to give me enough sugar to hit the shower, and make it to the kitchen. Of course when I got there, the creativity was surging through my freshly scrubbed self, so, for breakfast this morning, I made half of a baked potato, cut up into cubes, browned in a Pam sprayed pan with a teaspoon of butter and a sprinkling of onion powder. When they were nice and crispy on one side, I flipped them over, and pushed them to the edges of the pan to make a circle. I broke an egg into the circle, and when the white was firm, just kinda squished the yolk to make sure it was warmed through, and spread around a bit. Washed it all down with a glass of skim milk, it made such a nice change!

I am hoping that cutting out bread will do the trick as eating anything made with flour has a tendency to really cause digestive issues and bloating - hmmmm. Guess that is what happens when you eat something you know you have an intolerance for, aye? LOL Between you and me, I can not feature life without flour, and until it makes me break out in huge painful welts, I can live with the digestive repercussions in order to savour the flavour!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Flu shot

Yesterday. Didn't even think about getting it, but went to see my Doc for the three month blood letting, electrode and drug store list - before I knew it, it was done. As usual, the research came later! I really hadn't considered myself "one of the elderly", and had managed just fine without it for all of these years so it wasn't even resident in my front brain.

  1. The shot is not made with a live virus, so it doesn't give you the "flu". (comforting)
  2. What I call the flu is likely a cold. http://www.gettheflushot.ca/public/about_fluvaccine_facts.html
  3. I have had to admit that I am not dealing with a full deck regarding health or else I would have had to pay for it. Sigh.

This morning, I tried a Thomas' English Muffin that we bought while in the US a while back. SOOOO good! 100 calories, 1 gm of fat and 5 gms of fibre. I made a fried egg, and used Cheese Whiz to "butter" the muffing. Sooooo good! I left the egg just a little moist, and dipped it in ketchup...mmmmm good! Speaking of which, PC has changed their absolutely delish ketchup to this sugary mess - I am on our last bottle of the good stuff, and will have to find another brand, or doctor it up to suit. I hate a sweet ketchup but prefer the tang that PC had...so, I guess Heinz with a little vinegar added will have to do. Why do they always have to mess with the good things in life?

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

PC Blue Menu Italian Meatballs

are fantastic. I made them for supper tonight. You put them in the oven for eight minutes on a cookie sheet, and they are done! I then placed them in an open casserole, topped them with a large can of diced tomatoes, mixed in some hot sauce, spices and ketchup to thicken the sauce a little. After baking till the sauce was bubbly, I sprinkled on a little shredded Italiano cheese. AMAZING! I have found a 'food in a box' that is edible!

Six of these little puppies are only 4 points - I made pasta and asparagus to go along with them, and it was a very quick, tasty meal in minutes. For some reason, I had a hard time using up my points for the day today, so I was able to have half a cup of the PC Maple Sugar Ice Cream...mmmm good! Little gritty bits of maple sugar in the creamiest ice cream...ah.....life is good! I still have three points to "spend", and for some reason, I am not hungry in the least today...could be that huge bowl of popcorn I demolished last night.

I woke up this morning a full five pounds heavier, and I KNOW it is just water retention from the vat of salt I inhaled. Orville is the devil. I have stuck to the program faithfully, so there is no need to panic when something like this happens. I will continue to munch my way through life, with a contented smile!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Sunday sped by...

and with it, went every one of my Flex Points. Can't seem to leave those Doritos alone! But on the upside, I really enjoyed my supper....Fish Soup & French Bread, with Bananas Foster for dessert. What is not to love? Tastes rich but it is all a deception!

Fish Soup for four:
3 Cod Loins
3 cups of frozen shrimp
sliced onions
sliced carrots
sliced celery
Old Bay Seasoning
1 T butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups of 2 % milk ( this tastes like cream to me!)
2 cups of chicken broth

Layer vegetables in lightly oiled casserole. Cut each fish portion into six bite sized pieces. Place on top of vegetables. Sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning. Make a roux, add milk, pour over all. Add chicken broth. Place in oven for 20 minutes,liquid should be bubbly - add frozen shrimp, and cook for 15 minutes more. It should be smooth and creamy when done. Eat with gusto...and a bit of French Bread!

Shortcut Bananas Foster (for four)
In a T-Fal skillet melt 4 tsp butter, 4 tbsp brown sugar together. Add bananas (quartered), toss to coat. Finish with a shot of Cointreau, stir, and serve over 1/3 cup of Maple Sugar Ice Cream. Full Fat, delicious PC premium ice cream!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Car shopping activity points?

There should be some...in, out, in, out, in, out....not to mention the white knuckle endurance test hubby puts the poor things through! Came home empty handed but it was nice to open the door to the welcoming scent of an oven stew that was bubbling away all afternoon in a 300ยบ oven.

If the cool weather inspires you to make "comfort food" here is the easiest stew on the planet to make, and it is guaranteed to turn out every time. I cooked mine from two till five this afternoon, and the doubled recipe turned out perfectly.

1 lb of lean beef, cut in good sized pieces
1/4 cup flour
1 little can of pizza sauce
1 cup of carrots, sliced
1 cup of rutabaga, cubed
1 cup of onion in large pieces
1 cup of celery
1 1/2 cups of beef broth

Layer ingredients in exact order, in oiled, lidded pot, or casserole. (I used an oval Le Crueset roaster), tossing the meat in the flour to nicely coat. Pour the pizza sauce over the meat. Layer the carrots, rutabaga, onion, celery and potatoes if you wish. Pour broth over all. Place covered dish in oven for approximately two to three hours, depending on the size of the beef piece. Try to leave the stew alone to "do its thing". There is no need to worry about burning, or over cooking with this method! It is amazing. Add salt and pepper at the table if you wish, but I really find that the stew is seasoned just right using the pizza sauce. I double this recipe to have leftovers. The doubled recipe yeilded 6 huge servings of 6 points each. (a shallow Corelle soup bowl full) I use the leanest beef imaginable, and leave it in large chunks. It is best to calculate the points based on exactly the meat you are using, and your choice of vegetables because it makes a big difference in the point values!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Ground Turkey

I have two more packages of the stuff and don't know what to do with it. I tried making a meatloaf today, and it was awful. I tossed it, and made lasagne instead. The bad news was, I had to make supper twice, but the good news was the lasagne was terrific! I made it with spinach, thinly sliced turkey pepperoni, mushrooms, cottage cheese, and the Italiano blend of shredded cheese...too easy! I made it in a square pan, and "reduced" each one of the noodles by a couple of inches to fit...I used a canned sauce and "doctored it" up, and I mixed the cottage cheese, shredded cheese and romano together with an egg to give it body. If I do say so myself, it was good! I couldn't get over the fact that a nice generous piece was only five points! The problem was though, that I came in five points shy for the day, because I was stuffed, and couldn't eat another bite. A sided benefit was that I discovered that turkey pepperoni makes a good lunch! Very portable with a diet pop, too!

I can see how this can easily become a lifestyle, once you accept that you have the right to eat regularly, like the rest of the human race! Ah, life is good.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Soooo stuffed...

I made one of those ten minute roasts tonight, that comes with its own gravy. On the side? Mashed potatoes , rutabagas...Caesar salad to start and baked apples to finish. I really should have taken a picture of the apples because they were so pretty!

I simply cored gala apples, and mixed butter with brown sugar (1 tsp per person butter, 2 tsp brown sugar per person brown sugar) and cinnamon, stuffed the mixture into the core, and sprinkled some more cinnamon over the top. When it came time to serve, I put one third of a container of orange yogurt on the top of each apple hot from the oven, and wow! Very good, and very low cal to boot. The mixing of the sugar and yogurt made a syrupy goodness on the bottom of the ramekin that was delish! The whole feast came to 12.5 points, and I am so happy with myself! Actually I consumed fewer points than that, because I couldn't finish all of my meat or potatoes. I definitely had no problem with the rutabaga though! Love the stuff! There is some left over for my lunch tomorrow, and I will eat it on its own, with a dab of butter, and a bit of salt, and be quite happy with myself! The Caesar salad was good, too. I made it a little differently, and the dressing works out to only one point for two teaspoons.

  1. In a food processor, place two cloves of garlic, a dash of red wine vinegar and an egg. Pulse till creamy. You can't overdo the processing on this one!
  2. Pour half a cup of olive oil into the little pusher cup with a hole in it, and process until it is all incorporated.
  3. Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and 1/4 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

When you go to make the salad, put the dressing into a little bowl, and thin down with a bit of milk. M M good! You would never know that it wasn't a full fat version. There are so few points you can have it as often as you like! There were three of us, so I used two T of dressing for the whole salad. With the milk added, it coated one head of romaine very nicely. I sprinkled on some reserved grated cheese before serving, and for the 'non WW people', I passed croutons at the table. Ah, what a night! So, it is time to put a load of laundry in, and settle into my chair for an evening of mind numbing television! Now this is the life!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

We have been home since Friday...

but I have been under the weather. I didn't realise that I hadn't posted since Tuesday! All of those meals out didn't end in disaster as I feared they would...I managed to chart a .8 pound loss this week to spite it all! Whoo hoo!

We managed to make the journey home, and go shopping at Costco on Friday night. This made it possible to eat very well over the last couple of days! To be in my kitchen again, surrounded by vegetables, and the proper means to prepare them? Priceless! Core foods are really filling and so good to your digestive system! On Saturday, I made 'pork chops a la Kate', or as the rest of the world says "shake & bake", but since Kate made them for supper that night, she gets the credit! The loin chops were ultra lean, and an inch think. Nummmmm. Garlic potatoes ( I crushed two cloves of garlic into some skim milk, and added three triangles of the low fat Laughing Cow Cheese as I mashed the potatoes) and sliced cooked carrots kissed with a bit of butter rounded out the meal.

Tonight, we are having chicken stir fry with a little of every vegetable in the house thrown into the mix. I haven't made a menu plan for the coming week, but if I use the meats I have in the freezer in rotation, it will be easy enough. I can not tell you how good it feels to be back in my very own kitchen! I guess I am basically a home body by nature. Because we are away so much, I have grown even more fond of my own home. Having a structured life for the next two weeks will be such a treat! For the last couple of months, I have only had time to blow into town to do the laundry, and clean the house. This time, we will be able to watch as the dust builds up, and do a load a day! The big thrill will be to rent Ratatouille and watch it in the comfort of our very own chairs!

Now, back to the weight loss.....Those indiscretions really did slow the loss, but I am resolved to welcome a loss of any size. Half a pound is a half a pound in my books, and I will never turn up my nose at any loss. Nor will I be upset with a bit of a gain. It happens. What is surprising me, is how much 'the points thing' becomes part of you....it is almost automatic now, to calculate what I am eating. A few times, I have sat down at the end of the day to tally up the points, and found that instinctively I had stopped right on target. I love tracking online, although when we are travelling, I don't have access to a computer every minute of the day. I like to figure out how many points there are in a meal before I eat it, rather than after, so it will be good to have access every minute of every day in the coming two weeks!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Just in case you want to know...

it is physically impossible to eat 200 calories worth of shrimp. If anyone could eat that it would be me...one time on holiday (all inclusive of course) I ordered a shrimp starter, a shrimp main course, with a side of shrimp, and you guessed it! Shrimp for dessert! The good news is that for 100 calories, you can stuff yourself to the eyeballs with the little beggars, and the cocktail sauce too! (2 teaspoons are absolutely free!) For you nay sayers out there, my cholesterol count has always been good, so I don't believe they are an evil food at all...other than the price of course.

I just finished my lunch, and it was truly one of my better "hotel fixin's"! I paired the shrimp with a serving of V8 juice, and for dessert? I had some premium plus crackers with antipasto. Another taste sensation for next to no calories. Have I told you how much I love this WW gig? I DO!!!

Just blew the points budget...

on a super sized hotel breakfast. Couldn't help myself. It was sooooooo good. By the time I came back to the computer to add up the points the damage was done. The challenge will be to live the rest of the day on the remaining points!

Confessing to eating two eggs, three pieces of bacon, two pieces of brown toast with butter, two portions of peanut butter, one of jam, a glass of orange juice and two cups of coffee with cream? Not difficult! Not only because it was so good, but because I have learned to not beat myself up for straying from the beaten path on occasion. Breakfast really is my weakness. I am always hungry then, and indulge my whims. That is such a contrast to the way I forced myself to live most of my life...eating supper only, and denying myself food any other time. Of course, trying to curb the calories this way is foolish. It took my weight to the great heights it eventually reached! Since I started eating more often, and a lot more? Life is calmer, and the weight is dropping. How long it will take? I don't know. But that is why I have given myself 104 weeks, and will be content with whatever is the end result. This is a lifestyle change, after all.

Back to today. Since tying on the feedbag this morning with such gusto, I will have to keep a close eye on my consumption for the rest of the day. I have "hotel food" plans for lunch. Precooked shrimp and cocktail sauce are thawing in the mini frig for lunch, there is an apple for dessert...antipasto with crackers for a snack. Supper will be steamed veggies and a chicken breast - a dish any restaurant can provide easily! Doesn't sound like hardship dieting does it? All on program, too.

Shrimp has got to be the most beautiful quick protein that I know of....easy to obtain wherever you may roam. The whole package of nummy goodness in the frig is 200 calories. I don't think even shrimp lover that I am, that I could eat the whole package! That is a lot of shrimp!

Protein keeps my sugars balanced, too, so it is a win win situation. Last night, we arrived at the hotel late, and supper just didn't interest either of us after the long drive. We ordered a couple of appetizers...Caesar salad, shrimp and bruschetta. Well, fussy me. I didn't like the bruschetta. The Caesar was good, but the shrimp? Amazing. Two shrimp for a small fortune. But they were HUGE! We had one each. I have never seen such beasts before in my life. And sooooooo tender.

I am really looking forward to going grocery shopping on Friday...we will be home for a full two weeks, so I will be able to make supper every night. Being in your own home, in your own kitchen is so much easier than trying to balance food while on the run. I am looking forward to making huge salads, and a soup or two to welcome the cool winter nights. There will be pictures then, folks, so stay tuned!

Saturday, November 3, 2007

This Mother Hubbard's Cupboard

To make serving shrimp easier to our company tonight, I made the shrimp in individual ramekins. Each ramekin held fourteen large raw shrimps, without their tails! I added Thai sauce mixed with minced garlic, and a teaspoon of butter to each portion. It took exactly seven minutes in a very hot oven to turn the shrimp pink, yet remain tender. The Thai saucebubbled away with the butter, and made the perfect topping for Basmati rice. We bought a large bottle of this tasty sauce some time ago at Costco, and for 30 calories a tablespoon, it gives a big punch for a small calorie count. Sweet and sour, and so very spicy!

Our cupboards are bare, and will not be filled until our return next weekend, so this was a "fusion" dinner completely out of necessity. Caesar salad preceded the shrimp and rice. I made a traditional style dressing, and really shouldn't have...everyone raved about it, and I doubt very much that I will ever get away with using a bottled dressing again! But for the time it took to whisk an egg, garlic, lemon and oil together with a bit of balsamic vinegar and Peccorino Romano cheese? It was well worth it!

Dessert was a simple white scratch cake topped it with a few tablespoons of melted strawberry jam. Eating dinner with three men has definite advantages. There is NO leftover cake to tempt me! The whole cake (9" square) was 48 points, and I was very careful to cut a '6 point' slice for myself, and make sure that the men cleaned up all the rest. There really is nothing better than eating at home, even if your cupboards are as bare as Mother Hubbard's!

Home again, home again...

And so glad to be here!

The laundry is still waiting for attention, but I just haven't had time today to bother with it. My main goal was to get back on real food...made in my real kitchen! I had every intention of cooking supper tonight....even had the food in the frig ready to pop into the oven, but we were waylaid by a car dealership and ended up at Kelsey's instead. Tomorrow we will have the food I prepared for today, so it will not go to waste!

After supper, I had absolutely no desire to shop for food, so after aimlessly wandering, groaning about how full I was, I picked up a bottle of vanilla (what for? I don't bake! Just may decide to start though....) a few loaves of bread, a jar of antipasto and a Costco sized bag of shrimp. Oh how I love shrimp! It was a rather short list this week, wouldn't you say? We decided to beg coffee from our dear friends on the way home, to round out the evening. All in all? It was a day well spent.

By the way? I seem to have mastered the "up" calorie days of the 'Wendy' plan, but the "down" calorie days seem to be evading me. For some bizarre reason, the scale is still showing a loss. Miracles will never cease.