Jen -- well done mate!

For all of those yanks freezing over there I just thought that I would let you know that I had a BBQ today in the sunny weather! Steak and salad for lunch. It was a lovely day and all of my neighbours and I had a great time.

Besides that not much happening at the moment.

JC

JC! I just woke up to 3 degrees here and everything is covered with ice and I have two foot icicles hanging from my roof ... and we're getting another storm tomorrow ... and I read about your sunny BBQ ...

I'm going back to bed.

Meg

cold is an understatement
 

the woodstove fire went out downstairs where our computer is and i can barely type my fingers are so frozen!
heading to the gym in a few hours to do cardio. just can't bear the thought of doing upper body, so i decided i'm not gonna--my workout bud and i are going Tuesday so we'll do it then, endure the torture together. i love lower body--probly cause i have big, strong legs, but my upper body is wimpy in comparison and the weight training is gruling. and there are so many muscle groups in the upper body that it takes forever and gets so tedious.
ok, i'll stop whining now :ziplip:
besides i gotta come home and clean and cook--going to a superbowl party tonight. i've been trying to think of what they might have and what's safe to eat-make a plan, but the more i think the worse it is cause i'm thinking of all the tasty food that's gonna be there (wings, that huge sub sandwich, macaroni salad, cheese doodles, alcohol and soda, who knows what else) so the more i think, the hungrier i get!
:rolleyes: so i'm gonna try but i figure if i loose it, i'll just have to be REALLY good the rest of the week, i can do that :) just think "POISON" :headache:
i seem to be down another pound but won't state it as my weight till it stays for another week.
bbfn
-E

JC you little minx!
 

Of course everyone has to remember that Mr. and Mrs. JC will be freezing the nubbins off when WE'RE enjoying the warmth of summer in several months :lol: it all evens out. (although from what I've seen in pix and film, there are few places in the world as pleasant to live in as Australia...I would've loved to have been there for the Sydney 2000 Olympics).

Weather here - yesterday was clear with a nip in the air. Unfortunately we had a downpour the day before, so no riding lesson for me as the outdoor arenas were all saturated. Bleagh.

Superbowl - you know I must be married to the only guy in the U.S. who doesn't really care for football! We're not planning on watching, though I might tune in to see the commercials once or twice if I happen to be home. It's going to be nuts here in my town as the star player of the Patriots, Tom Brady, hails from here. The street that he grew up on is going to be closed to traffic for the entire day today - the neighborhood is holding a HUGE block party. If the Pats win, there's going to be total and utter madness here! Not to mention that tomorrow the Scott Peterson trial starts in our county. I know two co-workers who have received jury summonses already - I expect that if the jury selection process takes awhile that either Jim or I will receive a notice as well. That is going to be one tough jury to select. So a busy week here!

Speaking again of the Superbowl, I was at Safeway yesterday and they had sales on all the superbowl party stuff - ribs, beer, chips, etc. - but also on some healthy snacks, like shrimp at around $4.50 a pound which is pretty darn cheap...that would make a great CLEAN snack to bring...right now it's Dungeness Crab season and that's pretty low-priced too and yummy...London Broil steaks...of course boneless skinless chicken was NOT on sale this week darn it...

Anyway, going to go do some *quick* cardio, then have a bit of breakfast and go to the stables this morning to turn Dakota out - it should have dried up out there by now!

Happy Sunday ladies!

Back to reality - free day is over! I really had to pry myself out of bed this morining, as I was feeling rather sluggish and knew I needed to get my cardio out of the way before I could even think about breakfast. Funny though, once on my Nordictrack, all kinds of thoughts of extra cardio during the week came flooding in! Once I started, it was actually enjoyable! Amazing how that works!

I don't have any Super Bowl plans, but did buy myself some cooked shrimp for a treat during the game - like Karen said, the price was right, so I couldn't resist!

It is really a beautiful sunny day here today, so I'm definitely going to get another walk in. And, we're having a bit of a heat wave, at 20F, so it should be quite lovely!

Have a big day of cooking planned - bought ingredients for EFL turkey meatloaf and lettuce wraps, and plan to make Tidey's Chicken meatballs as well. Hopefully I got everything I needed and won't have to go to the grocery store again.

Time to get moving - you gals have a great day!
Cindy

I bought some shrimp too - going to try that Shrimp Scampi recipe from EFL this week :)

So far I'm running 3 for 3 on those recipes! Great cookbook - of course a lot of the recipes aren't as 'strict' or 'clean' as many of us are accustomed to, but hey, my husband has LOVED the recipes I've made so far and it sure beats him getting McD's or a burrito for dinner or lunch (if we have leftovers, he takes them with). Yesterday I made the Mom's Chicken Enchiladas recipe again - came out MUCH better this time (tip - heat the tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds before dipping them in the sauce and rolling them - that way they don't break and you can roll them much tighter). I've gone ahead and ordered more Myo Lite (I haven't had any in about 2-3 months I believe) so I could try some of the pudding recipes - also I want to start having packets of Myo lite and my hand blender at work - good to have around!

Ahh, Safeway. :smug:
i spent 5 years of my childhood in northern cali-- Mendicino County. i remember Safeway, we don't have those here. i totally plan to take a vacation and visit there again some day-- we moved back to connecticut when i was 12, so i only remember the place like a dream, i've got to see it again, and feel it, and smell it.
well the weather can't be that bad for you MrsJim.
well, i didn't go to the gym today and i feel ucky :(
it was my hubby, he didn't want me to go and refused to move his truck so i could get my car out, and i would have moved it myself except it has a 9ft plow on the front of it and...... :mad:
anyway. he told me i could go tomarow am and he'd watch the baby.
so i'm skipp'n today, but goin tomarow, which i was gonna skip, still feel fat today though.
i'm not a big shrimp eater, or crab, it's allright to me, but i see a lot of people LOVE it. my friend asked me to bring macaroni salad, but i'm assuming she'll have a vegetable platter, she better. i just gotta stay away from the chips, soda and white items (ya know).
E

OH, and of course my fiercest foe-- the dreaded DESERTS.
"poison, poison, poison" :headache:

We heard from DH parents last night and they are movimg to San Francisco Karen! I missed what the name of the place was though.

JC

Kanola, I have seen the BFL book at Chapters but never at Walmart. It would be better to send your mom there. And I was just there at Chapters Saturday and cannot find the EFL cookbook there so either they were sold out or they do not carry it yet, did not have the time to ask anyone. Have to be another day. If any other Canucks have bought it in Canada let me know where I would love to have the cookbook too.

Don't worry about me getting married this year, I am hooked on this site, cannot go more than two days without checking in. Of course I will have to give up 2 weeks for the honey moon but this is a new way of life for me. I am not going back to the wicked way I used to live before. Of course if you saw me this weekend you would say other wise.....actually not that bad, eating a little bit of my fav food since I did so good the first 4 weeks. Don't worry ladies, back into tomorrow full force, even upping the cardio and watching my diet a little more closely since I did so well, i can imagine how well I will do if I eat clean and only cheat one day per week. Well see you later ladies, have a nice weekend or superbowl party if attending one.

Recipe review

Made a variation of Tidey's chicken meatballs today - used store-bought ground chicken, left out the mushrooms (just being lazy), and made into patties, which I cooked on my George Foreman grill. YUMMY! The grill gave them a great charbroiled flavor, and they were a nice change from the chicken breast or ground beef meals I've been having. Had one with some broccoli and potatoes for dinner.

Also made the EFL Homestyle Turkey Meatloaf today - just took it out of the oven - I'll let you know how it is.
Cindy

All this talk of shrimp has made me hungry for it so I found this really good recipe....Had it for supper and it was delish....

http://seafood.allrecipes.com/az/Lou...mpCreoleII.asp

I didn't make it to the gym today either...grrrr... because DH took the van skiing with my 2 pairs of running shoes in it...And I was sooooo looking forward to a jog... yes girls I was looking FORWARD to cardio... Miracles t\do happen...

I have been busy and have had only time lurk...

Let's start with last Thursday, we finally found out what D has with her knees... It's actually not on her knee but on the bone going down to the ankle, can't remember what the bone name is, but the defect is called Fibrous Cortical Defect ... That day was a stressful one and I didn't eat right at all but you would be proud of me I felt extremely antsy so took off for the gym and jogged then did chest... and a young guy made a pass at me in the gym... HA!! I thought I'm not dead yet... the exercise and the pass, both made my day...

Friday, was an almost perfect day food and exercise wise. I went out with some girls that I hadn't seen for several years... We had the grandest time! Drank way too much vino but the food was spot on... I felt really good too, got several compliments on the shape I'm in.. WOOHOO... One of the girls that I do see regularly at the gym, a tiny thing, mentionned she saw me running and said I should join the MS walkathon in the spring... Ha !! MOI in a 5K run...:rofl:... I may take her up on it....

Saturday, I had a :censored: union meeting my first since being in this permanent position... ah boy they really are NOT fun.... Got home later in the afternoon, famished, way too hungry because I had eaten at 8AM that morning... NOT a pretty sight...

Now I have my fingers crossed that the scale will be nice to me tomorrow but for some reason I doubt it...

Jen ~~ congrats on the inches lost!

Dip ~~ I'll PM you very soon...

Karen ~~ I had all my fillings changed last year and loved the bright smile it made...

Looking FORWARD to a new fresh week, with NO "7 Day Challenge" for me, thank-you-very-much! :lol: I do much better without the challenge...

Later!

Hi Buddies!

I had somewhat of a lazy day. Got out early and did the shopping, and then came home and prepped food for the next few days. Scheduled my work-outs for the week and wrote out my February goals and objectives. My usual Sunday business. I did buy a treat at the grocery store that I shouldn't have, ate it and enjoyed the heck out of it, :T but now it's just a memory. Last meal is eaten, and I will get on the treadmill soon. Also need to drink more water before the evening's done.

The Super Bowl Party here is on the 2nd Floor, party of one munching on those crunchy things that come in bags and my homemade salsa. So it's off limits for me and not just for the football. I heartell there's brown stuff in wrappers too.

Tomorrow I'm up and out early to apply for that other Curves job, and visit 2 other gyms I'd like to check out. Other than that, it's just another day in paradise. Can't believe it's February already!

dip

Ilene - the shrimp creole recipe sounds yummy - I just love cajun/creole food! I'll have to work that into next week!

The turkey meatloaf tasted pretty good - at least the crumbs I made while cutting it into portions did! Doesn't taste like a traditional meat loaf, with the salsa and Knorr's veggie soup mix in it, but it still is tasty!

Dip - funny that you have a SB party of one going on in your house! Cracked me up! Good luck on the job hunt tomorrow.
Cindy

I guess the SuperBowl must be on about now, but we don't have it on here, either. Karen, your DH isn't the only one who has absolutely no interest, although we must be about the only ones in the country who can say that. On Friday, I heard a news report on the expected advertising revenue, and the reporter said that conservative estimates show that 90 million people tune in -- it is one of the biggest communal activities in the country. Can you believe that :fr: Just think: if 90 million people were to stage a demonstration on almost anything what the impact would be. An even better thought: just imagine the impact of 90 people eating clean and lifting weights. :cb:

There have been sooooooooo many posts that I've lost track of who said what when, but Dip, I'm thrilled that you've decided to become a personal trainer. And Dip and Mel -- you're obviously on to something. I would kill to find a trainer who was close to my age and who subscribed to the principles we follow here. And I'm not alone. I would imagine it's like anything else: takes a little time to get established, but once you're on solid footing, I'll bet you both are overbooked!

I bought the EFL book, but have yet to open it. I also bought the Body Sculpting Bible for Women after Mel mentioned it, and I really like it if for no other reason it spells out the sets. I'm going to be doing this on my own -- no, that's not true -- I have all of you :grouphug: -- but I need help setting up sets. The BFL workouts are good to get started, but I was looking for a little additional help. I'd recommend it.

I'm bushed. Spent most of today replenishing my store of cooked chicken, CC custard, cooked spinach, brown rice etc etc etc. So, I think I'm going to turn in. See you all in cardio in the morning. :tread:

Night night.