Slow day...

Started with breakfast, a Greek omelet (mushrooms, onions and 1 oz Feta) with a diced tomato.


Lunch: 3 GF breadsticks & butter, 1 cup romaine tossed with 3 oz of chicken,1 T of Miracle Whip mixed with buttermilk and rice wine vinegar, assorted pickles beet & gherkins (frig cleaning time!) Discovered that pickled onions are a total calorie bargain.

Supper: 60 gms of Havarti cheese, two Vlasic dill pickles 1.5 cups of cherries

Totals for the day:

1,628 calories fat 92.8 carbs132.6 protein 71.4

Continuing on....

Breakfast this morning:



Lunch:


Supper: Now here, you will have to take my word for it! Hubby was hungry, so we sat down to eat without a photo shoot! I barbecued a chicken, and roasted cut small diced vegetables to roast alongside the chicken. Strawberries sliced with Splenda, 1/4 cup of ice cream and half a banana pudding made a nice dessert.

Snack: The evil twin demanded chocolate. I gave in. Sigh. When I fall off the wagon, there is a Tsunami somewhere!

Totals for the day: calories 1,746 fat 81.6 carbs 190.0 protein 71.2

After I find it amazing that the percentages, with the huge chocolate intake included, line up as follows:

Fat (43%) Carbs (40%) Protein (17%) Alcohol (0%)

A moment on the lips....

And a picture on my blog! Now you can see how I breakfast like royalty, lunch like a merchant and dine like a peasant!

I thought for something different today, I would do a show and tell. Here is breakfast -
Basic Cheese Omelet, a whole diced tomato dressed with a dab of olive oil
441 calories 35 fat 8.9 carbs 24.2 protein

Skim Milk
83 calories
0.2 fat
12.2 carbs
8.3 protein



Coffee is always the same. 1.5 tsp of coffee whitener and a Sugar Twin.







Next, comes lunch. Schar GF table crackers, spread with Laughing Cow wedges, lightly sprinkled with onion powder, topped with cucumber slices, washed down with a V8! MMM good!
373 Calories
15 fat
36 carbs
10 protein


And for the grand finale?
Chicken breast with scalloped potatoes and onions, roasted carrots and water.
479 calories
24 fat
44 carbs

Major woops here. I counted the whole dish of scalloped potatoes as my serving. I thought the totals were a tad high!

Riddle me this....

Why is it, that when I "behave" myself, I gain, and when I am "bad" I don't? For the last couple of days, I have behaved, left the chips alone, not had a single sweet. AND???? This morning? The scale was up four pounds! Sigh. I will never figure this out, but still, best to keep to the high road. Maybe soon, something miraculous will happen, and I will have a four pound overnight loss! Here is the plan for today. Breakfast is already consumed!

Breakfast: sautèd spinach omelet (2 cups of spinach, 1 tsp olive oil, garlic) 2 eggs
1/2 tsp butter, 3 mushrooms, dehydrated onion (lazy this morning!) .75 oz Gouda, skim milk, coffee with coffeemate, Sugar Twin

Lunch: 1 cup of sliced strawberries, 1 GF carrot muffin, Banaa pudding, water
Snack: orange juice, 230 calories worth of fabulous mint chocolate

Supper: 6 meat balls with sauce, 1/2 cup brown rice and mushroom/cauliflower/carrot/celery medley done on the barby, sprinkled with olive oil and a dusting of parmesan


The new 16 QT stockpot has found a home, and a use. It is perfect for holding potatoes! No more spoilage. They will be happy in their new dark home! A nice touch is three small holes in the lid of the stock pot....lets in just enough air to keep fresh air circulating! We are enjoying NOT eating off the Corelle dishes. Packed them up and sent them to the basement hidey hole last night, when we brought the new ones home. The thing with dishes, is that I always tire of them, and go back to using the plain white Corelle in all its variations of size and style. So, this time? I got smart! I bought one set of four place settings. That is it! No more! So, when I tire of them (usually after hubby drops a piece or two) they will hit the "donate" pile! There is something about new china that inspires me. The luncheon plate with this set is just right to help with portion control, too! It feels really good in the kitchen these days, as I have been reorganizing and discarding a LOT of stuff. Everything is now at hand, and easy to find when needed. Now, if only I could manage my closet like I manage my kitchen....

Sunday

Breakfast: Glutino pizza, skim milk
Lunch: half of a Wendy's Biggie fries, and half a regular chili, with diet pop
Snack: slice of watermelon
Supper: 5 oz steak, roasted veggies, Fresca

I am having not fried chicken for supper!

Breakfast:
Made another Greek omelet this morning, with a glass of skim milk.

Lunch: Tzatziki(3 T) with snow peas & mixed veggies (cauliflower, carrots, celery, peppers) (3 cup) 150 cals worth of garlic ham sausage, 2 wedges laughing cow cheese, 2 gf crackers

Snack: (5 o'clock)2.5 cups of cherries...mmmm....so good!

Supper: Buttermilk 'not fried' chicken from the Looney Spoons Ladies, warmed up potatos, side salad


[as it turned out, the coating isn't that great. The idea to take from this recipe is using the buttermilk. As for the seasoning? I think there are better combinations. Far too much thyme for my liking.]

Friday

Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with mushrooms and 1 ounce of cheese, V8 juice, coffee, skim milk
Lunch: 200 calories worth of ham sausage, dill pickle, beet pickles, two laughing cow cheese wedges, two gluten free crackers

Supper: corn pasta, pasta sauce

Snack: chips and dip. THANK GOODNESS this bag of chips is gone! They are toooooo good to have in the house! By not buying them again, I will save all sorts of storage space on the kitchen island shelf, too. yeah...like that will happen!

New shoes arrived today...keepers. I took them out of the box, put them on, and wore them around the house all day. Very comfy. Clarks makes a good shoe, I must say.

Thursday and a cute skirt!

This skirt is a keeper. The print is very soft, white and beige, and will be perfect for my "travel uniform"! I had a beige cotton skirt and black Tshirt when we went to Europe, and found myself wearing it over and over again. I am hoping this one will be the same. There is a yoke, pockets and an elasticized back. The fabric is soft, and stretchy enough to be comfy! Since I do not own a waistline, it is difficult to find a good fitting skirt. This one is snug, but by the time our holidays roll around I am hoping for a bit of a downward shift in the scales. What I wouldn't give to be one of those women that loses a pound a week!


This morning, I got creative with our usual omelet. It was picture perfect, but by the time I thought of snapping a pic, it was history! Anyway, back to the omelet story. I was in the kitchen, getting out the usual ingredients...eggs, cream, spices, thinly sliced onion, small diced red pepper, and seeded, diced tomato, when I had the thought that a Greek spin on things might be interesting. Soooo, out came the Greek seasoning (yes, I am that lazy. I have Italian seasoning too!) and into the cream it went, with the eggs and a good squish of hot sauce. I let it all sit while I prepped the rest of the veggies. Following the regular method to make an omelet, I cooked the onions till translucent, then tossed the red peppers in the pan for a minute, so they maintained a nice crispish bite. Added the egg mixture, and topped with a sprinkling of Feta cheese. Under the broiler it went until puffy and golden at the edges. On one half of the omelet, I put the diced tomato mixed with some chopped parsley, and then folded the other half over, and put an ounce of shredded Gouda, just for the meltiness of it all! Back under the broiler it went until bubbly. Was it ever good! I think it just may make my list of "Top Twenty" foods!

Breakfast: Greek Omelet, skim milk, small dish of fresh strawberries and Splenda
Lunch:
Snack: 2 Laughing Cow wedges, 2 gluten free crackers, 150 calories worth of ham sausage and a V8 juice.
Supper: 2 oz of pork chop, 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup of creamed corn, apple crumble.

Tuesday on Wednesday

Yesterday's menu:

Breakfast: cubed potatoes fried (YES FRIED. I am on a slippery slope) with gouda cheese, onion & mushroom omelet, skim milk - Mexican watermelon for "dessert" - isn't that what those little ones are called?

Lunch: chip and dip...will that bag never be finished? There is still so much left, and so little won't power.

Supper:steak, simple lettuce salad using Artisan baby lettuce and lemon poppy seed dressing
Snack: cornflakes, skim milk with Splenda

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: two slices of crispy bacon, two eggs, fourteen McCain low fat french fries, glass of skim milk, coffee

Lunch: too hot, too full. There is a little watermelon left for a snack before I go to the hairdresser.

Snack: quacamole & taco chips

Supper: Gluten free pizza, side salad, Fresca

Monday - the day of good intentions

Breakfast: three strips of bacon, two eggs, two GF crackers, 1 tsp peanut butter, 1 glass of skim milk

Lunch: thinking of supper...too full for lunch..

Snack: chips and dip...will this bag never be finished? It calls to me.....

Supper: poached turkey breast (stove top - I put the turkey in a shallow pan, add some celery, onion, carrot and a bay leaf and poach till done. Makes great leftovers for soup, too) leaf lettuce salad with vinaigrette, potatoes. Forget what they are called, but you slice potatoes and an onion on a mandolin, arrange in a concentric circle in a buttered pan and after you dot them with butter? Add some milk or cream, not to cover, but just enough to bake and "disappear" into the potato flesh. Bake at about 400 or so. I like the crispy bits that form on the bottom!

Hubby came home with chocolate...between the chocolate and the chips, my face is a mess and I am NOT losing any weight, that is for sure! LOL

Sunday Dinner

Pork chop, gravy, french fries (low fat oven fries, of course) and peas. Very pleased with the way the gravy turned out today. A tablespoon of butter, with a tablespoon of gluten free flour, lots of water, and voila! A clean pan AND nice gravy! For once I did not overcook the pork chops, and they were as tender as tender can be. I browned them in a skillet, then popped them into the oven until the internal temp read 155º F. MMMMM good!

Lunch: home made guacamole and taco chips, strawberries and 1/2 cup ice cream

Breakfast: omelet, Gouda cheese, mushrooms with a diced tomato and a glass of skim milk. I don't know what we will do for breakfast tomorrow...we ate the last tomatoes today! I think it is time to start in on the bag of red peppers I bought. I am sure that would be a good addition either in or beside our breakfast omelet! At the moment I am thinking of tossing them in a bit of oil, and putting them into a hot oven to roast while I take my morning shower...hmmmm that may work....

Saturday

Breakfast: ham & mozzarella cheese omelet, skim milk, coffee, diced tomato

Lunch/Supper: three cabbage rolls, skim milk

Snack: chips and dip, Fresca

Half frozen, half fresh....

Well, I am finally starting to feel better. Yesterday, I managed to get out of the door, and into the stores. Long enough to buy food for the week, at least! It was hot and muggy, and I totally enjoyed the time out, but it was exhausting. The weather made me think of tropical holidays soon to come.

I am changing tactics, as there is too much food lingering in our freezers. Frozen fish is good, but meat seems to really lose something in freezing, so I bought our meat for the week and will use it while still fresh. I bought steaks, pork chops and turkey breast, so there will be no excuse for not making supper this week! Our shopping bill is completely out of hand. For two people to spend over 200 dollars for groceries for a week is unacceptable...especially when said old people don't even bother to eat the food they buy! I just have the mentality that there must be variety in the house at all times. Well, that notion is going to fall by the wayside PDQ! Nothing beats a bit of planning. A little self control would be nice too, but when I see those super sized clam shells of cherries, something just happens to my purse strings!

I do not find it beneficial to plan before I buy, since what I plan to make for the week, will likely not be on sale. So, today? I bought three fresh meats that looked fresh and tasty, and will rely on what is in the freezer and pantry for the rest of the nights. Until we "eat down" the freezers, I think this will be the best plan to follow. We are still munching away on the cabbage rolls, but I think today will be the last day for them. They just get better every day!


Weekly Menu Plan:

Saturday: pork chops, mashed potatoes, creamed corn and fresh chopped vegetable salad

Although I marinated the pork chops, by suppertime, I was just too hot to bother. We had leftover cabbage rolls instead. So, already my menu plan is fratzed! Everything will be pushed forward a day!

Sunday: pan seared turkey breast, mashed potatoes & gravy, peas and carrots, side salad made from baby cucumbers, onion & tomato with feta cheese

Monday: baked cod in parchment paper with onions and thinly sliced potatoes, broiled peppers, mushrooms, onions

Tuesday: T-bone steak, fancy baby carrots - when I am in a meat eating frame of mind, I do best to keep the meal simple!

Wednesday: pan cooked fish with higgelty piggelty sauce, steamed potatoes, peas

Thursday: pasta, mood to determine sauce! Could be cheese, could be tuna, could be marinara

Friday: deli chicken and salad, as it will be grocery day again, and a very simple take home supper make life easy!

Now this is the plan. Time will tell if it will come to be

Friday...already?

Breakfast: 2 egg omelet, 1.5 oz Gouda, 2 large mushrooms, two strips of bacon, glass of skim milk, 1 diced tomato with a drop of oil, salt & pepper.

Lunch: two cabbage rolls. These things are one point each! Can't beat that! Using brown rice upped the flavour on these puppies, as did the bison and finely diced celery and onion.

Supper: FOUR ears of corn - yes, I did.

Snack: bought these great potato chips from Costco...called baked loaded or something. Very good indeed. They actually taste homemade! Very tasty.

I recently switched from Extra Large Eggs to Large, mainly to make it easier to store them in the refrigerator. I really haven't noticed much of a difference in portion size, although the eggs are considerably smaller. I don't turn over the last few bites to hubby anymore, so I guess there is a three bite difference! Often, I find myself using him as a human garbage disposal. I just run out of steam before all the food is finished on my plate. I don't bother reducing the points though, because I am sure the odd thing slips by me, or I am off on my point estimation. I mean really, are samples a point a piece at Costco? (Or, as I fondly refer to it, 'dinner out' with Hubby!)

This has turned into a shopping blog as much as a food blog, and I certainly have been doing my share of shopping these days. I think it boils down to the fact, that when you can actually have nice new clothes to wear, you are more inclined to watch the calories a little closer. You take your good feelings from the mirror, rather than the refrigerator. The worst thing I have ever done in my life, was to completely ignore myself when it came to buying clothes. It was always so much more fun to buy for the kid, or the man. After all, they were my eye candy! I couldn't see myself! As a result, the pounds crept on just like they are melting off...slowly but surely.

Every time I talk to my dear daughter-in-law, I remind her to go shopping frequently. Forget about buying steak...buy a new tshirt, or something else that you need! The dinner is soon gone, but you get so much more mileage out of a pretty dress! I think it makes you a better person all the way around to dress well....just like I think you get bogged down emotionally when your clothing drags you down, or back to the past. There should be a rule that prohibits anyone from wearing something more than a couple of years old. If shoulder pads come back, they will not come back Dallas style. And pink spandex was never a good idea for cellulite sporters!

Clothing

is an 'addiction'. A 'necessary evil'. A 'not so guilty' pleasure! I now understand why my mother turned into a clothes horse in her old age! There is something very satisfying in knowing that you have several options for every eventuality in your life! It seems to me, that clothing prices are very low compared to the other costs in life. The availability of clothing in specialty sizes is better now than it ever was, so there is no excuse to hang onto anything that makes you feel less than absolutely fabulous. I must resist the urge to buy "one in every colour", though. So many times, I have found myself purchasing multiples only to find that I constantly wear the "black one" or the "red one". As we get older, we know ourselves better. Since I will be sixty on the eleventh of this month, I guess I am finally cluing into these things!

Breakfast: two egg omelet, Gouda cheese, mushrooms, chopped tomato, glass of milk

Lunch: leftover mashed potatoes, kernel corn, bison patty

Supper: Cabbage rolls - These may be the best I have ever made!(do I say that every time?) Ground bison, one cup of brown basmati rice (cooked), three stalks of celery and half a large onion. I used Safeway brand tomato sauce, with an added a can of the water I used to wilt the cabbage. I also added hot sauce, soy sauce, 1 1/2t of chopped garlic, 1 T of sugar and 1 T of vinegar. Very good indeed! I used my Nicer Dicer to chop the veggies rather than the food processor, and I am wondering if the larger chunks of vegetables make the difference. At any rate, they are delish, and very low point, I may add!

Snack: Big Turk