Today's To Do List

One of the best benefits of kicking junk food to the curb and eating healthy is the increase in energy! I was feeling SO sluggish and SO tired -- and this morning I woke up, jumped out of bed, and was ready to go go go. Ahhh - that's a much better feeling than just wishing I could roll over and stay in bed all day (not that I ever did, but I definitely wanted to!). I actually exercised yesterday! Only for about 5 minutes, but whenever I start exercising after being a glorified couch potato for awhile, I get back into it slowly. I don't want my muscles to hurt, and I want my body to have time to adjust. But hey - 5 minutes today, 10 tomorrow, and off we go! I was proud of myself for doing any exercise at all! Let me also add that I've now lost 6 lbs. I know most of that was water weight and a big result of cutting sodium back drastically, but hey - 6 lbs is 6 lbs and I don't care what kind of pounds it is! I'm happy! I will admit right here for the entire world to see (or at least those who read my blog) that I'd gained back 54 lbs.... ugh! So now it's 6 down, 48 to go to get back to my "feeling healthy" weight. So my To Do List today is a bit longer than usual, but that's because I have more energy today than I've had in a long time (feels like years) and I'm taking advantage of it. (Hey, I'm no dummy!) Today's To Do List Ironing Jeff's work clothes Transfer audio book to my mp3 player Clean up and sweep deck and patio Check hot tub chemicals - turn hot tub off for 24 hours Collect all trash, upstairs and down Clean out refrigerator Change kitty litter box Take trash out to curb Grocery shopping (need some fruits and berries) Walgreens (coffee on sale) *Mail DVDs for Swapadvd.com Call Cable Company Make bed Make Jeff's breakfast Pack Jeff's lunch Laundry - wash, hang out, dry, fold, put away *Upstairs cobweb patrol *Start vacation planning/packing list Run dishwasher - put dishes away *Getting rid of old DVD's at SwapaDVD.com is really working out well for me. This morning I had requests for three DVD's in my email. I simply go to the website and print off a label, stuff each DVD into a 5x7 envelope, tape the label on, and put it in my mail box. I purchase postage on the site by using my PayPal account, so the label I print off includes postage. It couldn't be easier! I have ordered several DVD's from them (in exchange for the credits I get when I send mine off) and all have been in excellent working condition. It probably would be a bit cheaper to drive the packaged DVD's to the post office (I get charged a PayPal fee and a .50 SwapaDVD fee when I buy postage through them), but it's worth it to me just for the convenience. I've been put on a waiting list for some of the more popular (recent) DVD's, but have gotten 3 out of 6 I've been wait-listed for, so that's not bad! Considering what most Ebay sellers want for postage for DVD's these days, not to mention what NEW DVD's sell for, I am saving big bucks AND decluttering our old DVD's. It's all good! *Cob web patrol - I have a long-handled feather-duster and schedule myself to go around the entire house once a month and take a swish at wall corners. It doesn't take 10 minutes to do the entire 2-story house, and it's well worth the time spent! I don't think there's anything that makes a house look messier than cob webs in the corners! *Vacation Planning/Packing List - On September 11, Jeff and I are taking Brayden to Hocking Hills (Logan, OH) for a mini-vacation (4 days). We have a house there that we've rented before (and will rent again, I'm sure!), right on the lake and in the woods with a spectacular deck, hot tub, full kitchen, two bedrooms and every comfort you can imagine (and, might I add, much less expensive than an "average" hotel!). This will be the first time we take Brayden with us, so I want to make sure and plan activities for each day we're there (a tired two year old is a GOOD thing!). We know the county fair will be going on, and I've found a ranch that does 10 minute pony rides (Brayden has ridden a pony before and loved it), but I also want us to do some short hikes and perhaps rent a boat for a few hours. In addition to activities, I've got to plan all the "extra's" a two year old requires, including gates for stairs, portable sides for beds (he is still in a crib and we won't have one), etc. to keep him safe. Although I know both Jeff and I will be exhausted at the end of our mini-vacation, I'm REALLY looking forward to taking Brayden new places! He's so well behaved and excited when we do new things, that it's just a joy to take him with us. My daughter is doing SUCH a good job with him!! Now it's off the computer and get some of this To Do List done!

Weekly Menu - We're Eating Healthy!

OK, I know it's Tuesday. Jeff and I have mutually decided it's time to drop some weight. I've regained way too much of the 130 lbs I lost in 2004, although Jeff (the creep) has regained only 15 lbs. Men! So we've returned to our old healthy-eating style and really need to stay on track. So this week's menu's are geared towards eating healthy. Monday Stir-fry fresh veggies with cubes of leftover pork roast and 1/4 cup cooked Dreamfield's pasta Tuesday 4 oz Chicken breasts cooked in Olive Oil 1/2 cup brown rice Steamed baby carrots Wednesday Leftover sliced pork roast Garden salad Steamed brocolli Thursday Dreamfield's Spaghetti Homemade spaghetti sauce 1/2 100 cal. toasted english muffin w/ olive oil cooked w/garlic (faux garlic bread) Friday Roast chicken Faux potatoes (cauliflower) - Recipe added! Steamed green beans Saturday Chef salad with leftover cubed chicken and hard-boiled eggs Our breakfast choices are 1/2 100 cal. English muffin & scrambled eggs 1 cup Cheerios w/ 1/2 sliced banana 1 cup Oatmeal squares w/ 1/4 cup blueberries 1/2 cup oatmeal Jeff's (packed) lunch is either turkey or roast beef in a whole wheat wrap, or leftovers from dinner the night before, plus a low-cal pudding or yogurt and a piece of fruit. My lunch is either a salad or a low-fat yogurt, and a piece of fruit. We have cubed watermelon and cantelope in the fridge for instant snacking or sweet craving attacks. For Lisa - Here's the recipe for "Faux mashed potatoes":

FAUX GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

1 medium head cauliflower 1 tablespoon low-fat cream cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan - fresh is best but the green can works too 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon celery salt

First, I steam my cauliflower (don't boil it, it gets too wet). Then, over low heat, I mash the cauliflower, which helps release any extra moisture. If I need to, I drain any extra water off, put it over low heat and mash again.

Then I add in all other ingredients and mash again (you can also put it in a food processor). If it's too dry, you can add a bit of chicken bouillion. I used to add butter and cream as well (sigh - this is making me want to do Atkins again!), and I may add some of my Land o'Lake Canola butter that we're using now. Although we're cutting back on fats, I'm not adverse to using olive oil or canola oil in limited quantitites. I do find that the celery salt is a "key" ingredient -- doesn't taste as much like potatoes without it -- not sure why!

Do you know you can also make "faux rice" with cauliflower? It's really good in a stir-fry. Just grate raw cauliflower with a fairly fine cheese grater, and add it to your stir fry after your original meat and veggies are about half-cooked. If it's a dry-ish stir-fry I add a tiny bit of water or chicken broth (1 -2 tbsp) as well. Yummy!!!

My Not so Frugal Trip to the Grocery Store

I've mentioned before that I have lowered my grocery bill from $140 a week to an average of $70 per week for the past few months. I use coupons, plan meals according to what's on sale, and have cut back on the more expensive cuts of meat. But yesterday's trip to the grocery store was a real shocker! In two weeks, prices of things I normally buy have sky-rocketed! Some examples: Kroger brand coffee has gone from $4.99 to $8.49 a can. $2.05 for a quarter of a watermelon! Canned vegetables, normally priced at .49 to $.69, were "on sale" for .89! Boneless chicken breasts - $5.99 a lb! A 3lb bag of dry cat food has gone from $3.49 to $5.99. So despite my best efforts, I spent $106 at the grocery store yesterday. I was really angry at myself because Kroger had sent me a $10 off $100 coupon, and I didn't even think to bring it with me, since I had no intentions of spending $100! To make things a bit more difficult, Jeff and I started a new diet yesterday. The gist of the diet is to eliminate all things white (sugar, white flour, potatoes, rice), eat no trans fats, reduce other fats drastically, and reduce red meats. We plan on eating little or no "processed foods", but get back to eating fresh fruits, vegetables and proteins (chicken, fish when I can get Jeff to eat it, legumes). We will also eat a minimal amount of whole grains - oatmeal, high fiber bread, other high fiber cereals. Jeff will also have eggs (hard boiled for lunches, scrambled and soft boiled for breakfast), but I don't eat eggs of any kind (never have, never will - yuck!) A few years ago we both did beautifully on the Atkins diet. I lost 130 lbs (yes, that's right!) and Jeff lost 75 lbs. But there is no way we can afford to do a high meat diet, and at our age (mid-50's) I do worry about the high fat content (though that's silly, since both of our cholesterol counts dropped dramatically on that diet, and it was recommended by our physician.) So it's going to be about portion control, lower fats, more fruits and vegetables, less meat, no sugar or white flour, higher fiber. I think to make it work we'll add at least one meatless meal a week, and possibly two. We love Dreamfield's pasta - high in fiber, low in carbs - and I make my own tomato sauce from garden tomatoes - so a pasta meal once a week will probably be our meatless meal. The other key, of course, is exercise. Jeff has a wonderful workout center where he works, and he plans on getting back to his 3 x week exercise program there. I plan on starting back on my treadmill 3 x week for now, and will join his gym for the aquatics exercise program later in the Fall. Last night we had a wonderful dinner of salad - romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, radishes, green peppers (garden), tomatoes (garden) topped with a small boneless breast of chicken, cut into cubes. For dessert we had fresh watermelon and cantelope cubes. It was great! The melon was sweet enough to curb any sugar-cravings. Today I'm planning on cooking a pork roast, and I'll serve it with steamed cauliflower and brocolli. For dessert we'll have more melon, topped with a bit of low-fat yogurt. Yum! This is the kind of food I love, so I wonder why I don't eat this way all the time and avoid this "I have to go on a diet" syndrome!