Losing Weight - What I Ate Today

Breakfast

This doesn't look particularly pretty, but it was tasty and very filling. So filling that I could not drink all of it.

1/2 frozen banana

@ 1 cup frozen chopped fruit (peach, mango, grapes, strawberries)

a few fresh blueberries

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tbs wheat germ

1 tbs ground flaxseed

water to thin

makes 16 ounces

tomorrow I will split it and put half away for the next day

Lunch

1/2 cup brown rice (cooked plain)

topped with one cup of the following mixture:

collard greens (16 oz bag)

black beans (canned)

chopped tomatoes (canned)

yellow apple

Dinner

I indulged by having the corn.

I couldn't resist, it was so fresh and sweet.

Grilled chicken marinated in Italian dressing

one piece corn on the cob

salad drizzled with a little Italian dressing

yellow squash microwaved with rosemary and thyme

Snacks

red grapes

almonds

one cheese stick

one oreo

No Ben and Jerry's tonight.

*this does not completely follow DASH

Losing Weight, at least trying to

Who - me
What - lose weight
Where - everywhere
When - NOW
Why - I won't divulge all of it now, but one reason is because I turned 50.
How - well, now, this is what this post is all about!

So this is what I am doing right now - I am sure my plans will change around as I go, but one thing will stay the same: WATCHING THE CARBS

Breakfast

• fruit, usually strawberries and blueberries, sometimes with almonds, sometimes with some Fiber One cereal (at least until I run out of it). 
• smoothie. I have a huge bag of frozen fruit. my best smoothie so far has been frozen fruit (including half of a frozen banana) and unsweetened almond milk.
• eggs
• half of a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese

Lunch

• sandwich on a whole grain sandwich thin with lots of veggies (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts, green pepper)
• salad
• beans, veggies and rice (no sauce if I have tomatoes)
• fruit

Dinner

• meat (grilled)
• salad
• whole grain pasta
• vegetables

Snacks

• fruit
• lettuce, cucumbers, radishes
• one large spoonful of Ben and Jerry's ice cream
• two or three doritos

I don't eat all of those things every day, that is just a list of choices I have made so far. Here is what I have planned for tomorrow:

Breakfast: smoothie

Lunch: brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, collard greens, apple

Dinner: green salad with grilled marinated chicken and zucchini and a little dressing

Snack: grapes and almonds, one large spoonful of Ben & Jerry's pistachio ice cream

I am trying to have healthy carbs in two meals, so I may try adding rolled oats and flax seed in the smoothie. Some days I crave more carbs, and I am trying to let my body tell me what it needs, so on those days I will have carbs with all three meals.

How is it working? I have lost 14 pounds in two and a half weeks. *Note: a lot of that weight is water, and a lot of it may be attributed to a new diuretic that I am taking, however, my current diet may eliminate the need for the diuretic (I haven't taken it in the last two days and haven't had a problem) and besides that, it feels great to get rid of all of that water!

Monthly Menu - August

01  Fri  chicken burgers, sweet potatoes, mac n cheese, cucumbers & salad

02  Sat  eat out - Mexican food?

03  Sun  Birthday/graduation picnic with family: hot dogs, hamburgers, macaroni salad, fruit salad, corn on the cob, green salad, cake & ice cream

04  Mon  sausage and peppers, pasta, salad

05  Tue  

06  Wed  

07  Thu  

08  Fri  

09  Sat  

10  Sun  

11  Mon  

12  Tue  

13  Wed  

14  Thu  

15  Fri  

16  Sat  

17  Sun  

18  Mon  

19  Tue  tacos, corn on the cob, rice and beans

20  Wed  

21  Thu  

22  Fri  

23  Sat  

24  Sun  

25  Mon  

26  Tue  

27  Wed  

28  Thu  

29  Fri  

30  Sat  

31  Sun     

Monthly Menu Planning - July

The monthly menu planning came to a halt for a couple of reasons. First, we were away camping, second, half of the family is gone for the summer, and third, after my physical I discovered that the time is NOW for changing my diet and losing weight. And how many times do I type "salad" in my menu? Still, I have to feed the rest of the family, and soon all the chickens will be back in the coop, so I thought I would give it a try again. I may write notes explaining what I will be eating too. Maybe not.

Tue 29  grilled pork tenderloin, green beans, rice a roni, salad

Wed 30 grilled chicken, zucchini, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, salad

Thu  31 leftovers for hubby, cookout for me and daughter (guess what I am bringing? that's right, a salad)

Happy Homemaker Monday July 21 2014

Good morning! Ah, it's another gorgeous day in New England. We have had a very mild summer so far and I am not complaining (even if it means the pool doesn't get used). I am once again joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday. See her blog for more!

Breakfast Time - What's On the Plate This Morning

Thanks to the results of this year's physical, it is time to finally get serious about my health. So this morning I had half of a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and am still nursing my smoothie made with mixed frozen fruit and water.

On Today's To Do List

Mostly grocery shopping. We are trying to save some money on the grocery bill with a lot of the kids gone this summer, but I do need to buy lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. I think I will start soaking and cleaning my boys' bedding - taking my time since they won't be home until Saturday.

Currently Reading

Have you joined Kindle Unlimited? I am so excited about this. They give you the first month free, and I am taking advantage, and am reading The Bloodletter's Daughter by Linday Lafferty.

On the TV Today

Nothing

The Weather Outside Is

Perfect. It is 72 degrees and sunny. The humidity isn't too bad - 68%.

On the Menu This Week

Healthy. Dinners will consist of grilled meat with a large salad or rice and beans with dark green vegetables. 

If I Have a Few Minutes to Myself I Will

Finish reading my book! 

New Recipe

Last night I made brown rice (plain, no salt or butter) and added cooked collard greens, black beans, and canned tomatoes. It was actually pretty good. One thing I have found is that once I give up sugar and fats, I start to appreciate the taste of real foods.

In the Garden

My husband takes care of that. We did have one tomato so far. There is nothing better than garden grown tomatoes!

Favorite Photo From the Camera

Did I share this one already? Hopefully not.

Homemaking Tip

Send your kids away for the summer and enjoy your clean house! Ha, ha, just kidding. I miss my kids tremendously and admit I've been a little bored, but I do appreciate that the house stays clean!

Visiting With Blogging Friends

There really are not many blogs that I follow - many that I used to have stopped blogging. Sandra's is the only one I read with regularity. However, a friend reference the following blog on Facebook and I thought it worth bookmarking and exploring later:

Home Ec 101.

Praying for

My kids. Always.

Bible Verse

Matthew 22:  36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 38 This is the first and great commandment.

 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Sometimes when I go to church, there seems to be a theme to the messages and lessons I hear. Yesterday's theme was about not judging others. Here is the thing, I felt very judgy yesterday, but I also know why. It has taken me years to learn this lesson: when I have been neglecting my spirit, I can tell by the way I feel about others. When my spirit is fully nourished, I feel love towards my fellow men and women. So, I instead of giving in to the thoughts and feelings, I try to use it as a reminder that I need to get back to my relationship with God.

Have a great week!

Homemaking Meme

Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom tagged me for this meme. I haven't done one of these in so long. Let me start by explaining that I like being a SAHM, but homemaking itself is not my forte! As  you will see by my answers, lol.

Aprons - Y/N If Y what does your favorite look like? Not usually. I have one, and it is a boring hunter green men's grilling apron that doesn't really fit me.

Baking - Favorite thing to bake? Cookies and brownies. I have been doing that since my childhood.

Clothesline - Y/N We are not allowed to have one in our neighborhood.

Donuts - Have you ever made them? No. I am not big on frying anything, plus we live in the land of Dunkin Donuts!

Everyday - One homemaking thing you do everyday? Laundry, dishes, making the bed.

Freezer - Do you have a separate deep freeze? We have an ice cream freezer that is about 75 years old that came from my husband's uncle. We have been offered a regular freezer a couple of times but my husband won't give it up!

Garbage Disposal - Y/N LOL, we have one under the sink that is not hooked up. 

Handbook - What is your favorite homemaking resource? The internet.

Ironing - Love it or hate it? HATE IT and refuse to do it.

Junk drawer- Y/N - Where is it? I have a few of them! In the kitchen and in the dining room and in the basement and in my bedroom. Pretty much in any room that has a drawer.

Kitchen - Color and decorating scheme? Our walls are a boring off white, but there isn't much wall space anyway. The counters are dark green and the cabinets are natural maple. We have one stainless steal appliance - the dishwasher - because it was just replaced. Our stove and fridge are off white, which you cannot even get anymore.

Love - What is your favorite part of homemaking? Having my kids come in the house raving about the smell of something I am cooking.

Mop - Y/N Yes. The days of getting on my hands and knees are over.

Nylons - Wash by hand or in washing machine? I don't wash anything by hand. I will hang them up to dry though. Actually, I usually leave them on top of my dryer while the rest of the load is running and they dry very quickly.

Oven - Do you use the window to check on things or do you open the door? I usually open the door.

Pizza - What do you put on yours? Do you mean what do I order over the phone? LOL. My husband and I like veggie pizza, my kids like bacon.

Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? READ!!!

Recipe Card Box - Y/N Yes

Style of house Center hall colonial.

Tablecloth and napkins - Y/N Tablecloth for the dining room, placemats for the kitchen. Paper napkins. I tried cloth napkins but the kids don't cooperate too well with those. Once it is just my husband and I, we may make the switch to cloth.

Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland? It is actually organized!

Vacuum -  How many times per week? The same room?! Once a week. We have central vac with a kick plate in the kitchen, so any large items get swept up in between vacuums.

Wash - How many loads per week? Twelve or more, but that includes my kids' loads which they do themselves.

X's - Do you make a daily to do list and check it off as you do things? Not daily, but I am a list maker.

Yard - Y/N - Who does what? My  husband takes care of the yard, including the flowers. I am arthritic so it is hard for me to do the necessary bending to take care of a garden.

Zzz's - What is the last homemaking task you do for the day before you go to bed? The last homemaking task of the night is cleaning up the dinner dishes, but the last things I do before going to bed are turning off the lights, checking the doors, and crating the dog.

That's it! If you read this then TAG, your are it!

Clean Out the Freezer Recipes

This may be something I will never want to refer back to, ha ha, but if nothing else, maybe it will fuel some future inspiration. We went camping with a bunch of teenagers (most of them boys) and spent a lot of money on food. This week all of my sons are away, which leaves just me, my husband, and my daughter. So, the only thing I will buy this week for groceries will be some fruit, veggies, milk, and ice cream (the staples, lol). The dinner meals will be a collection of concoctions made from stuff around the house. Hoping I might find a gem in the midst.

Day 1: pasta with breakfast sausage and kale. Sound horrible, I know, but once I made it with frozen chopped spinach and it was good enough for me to write down on an index card (my system before this blog came into fruition). I don't have any spinach, fresh or frozen, but I do have a bag of chopped kale. My husband will be on board, he eats a salad with kale every day for lunch. I will be the one that has to choke it down, but hopefully that won't be the case. We have tons of breakfast sausage left over from camping, so we haven't seen the last of it! BTW, my daughter will fend for herself with some other goodies we have in the pantry and freezer.

Day 2: Daughter is having a sleepover birthday party, so we will buy pizza for her and her guests, but my husband and I will be having soup made with sausage, kale, beans, carrots, and celery. And some biscuits. This soup turned out really good, but I forgot about the beans! I added instant mashed potatoes to thicken the broth. I could have thickened it with the beans if I was thinking.

Day 3: We have some collard greens in the freezer too, bacon, and possibly some canned black eyed peas - oh, the possibilities!)

Day 4: By now my daughter may have run away... we have tons of canned soup in our storage pantry, leftover from hurricanes and other storms that took away our electricity. It's probably time to use some of them up, so I will start with those, then throw in some chicken from the freezer.

Day 5: Will have to see what is left, oh, never mind, it is my daughter's birthday, can't do that to her on her birthday. We will see what she wants. I am guessing it will be lasagna.