HI RONNIE ~ thanks for that link to Mr. Oz's exercise videos, etc. Hope you and yours had a great weekend so far; I seem to be ahead of myself -- I thought today was Sunday for some reason, seem to skip a day now & then ...
We are getting lots of ***** tonight; lots of work for the snow-fairies for tonight and tomorrow! Hope you have a blessed and peaceful and restful Sunday tomorrow ...
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 01-16-2010 at 09:03 PM.
HI LADIES ~ We had milder temps today; steady at 0C and still is there right now -- that's quite mild for here. There was lots of ***** to clean up this AM, but it's looks nice and clean out there. I just looked down the street and it kinda looks dreamy-like with all the new fallen snow. No one is out and all are indoors keeping warm and toasty tonight ...
We had a wandering visitor here today; a very pretty husky/shepherd cross dog -- very light colored but a husky face. Was wearing a very bright collar so doesn't look like a stray at all; but it was in our area on and off all day. It got into some mischief (must be hungry as it was trying to get into people's garbage); sure hope he/she finds their way back home soon ...
We had a lovely dinner; leftover chicken breasts with roasted veggies in a mushroom cream sauce. Made some baked apples with granola for dessert; but will likely have this as a snack as I usually do.
I hope all our ladies are feeling well today; that you had a nice weekend, and that you all have a MARVELLOUS MONDAY tomorrow too. Time to go put my legs up for a rest; I've been on them all day long. Take good care ... ROSEBUD
HI THERE ~ seems everyone is busy these days; what a shame! I think this place is so helpful to those of us who are still on this journey, and when I get into maintainence (in what millenium that will be, I don't know?), I know that I will still appreciate the support we get here.
Every week, I keep seeing so many former members return here -- who lost some weight and left; then gained part or all of the weight back. It would have been so much easier to have stuck around for the reminder and the accountability this site can give us, then they wouldn't have to start all over again.
I was trying to imagine what goes on in their minds ~ they are busy; or maybe they have lost the weight and think they don't need it anymore. They are too busy to come by once a week? It only takes a few minutes to make a short post. I find this place is a gentle reminder to me to keep on the road to health and wellness.
I'm not losing at a breakneck speed, but I am still hanging in there; and I did start out higher than many have too. I have hit some stalls and plateaus along the way, but like others have said (like Steven Ares), you just gotta keep going, that's all ...
I hope all our friends out there are OK; I hope that you are not sick or feeling down. And, I hope you can drop by at least once a week so that you won't gain back the weight and have to start all over again. Take good care ... Rosebud
Managed to find sometime today to drop by. Firstly a big thank you to Rosebud for keeping the thread very active. This week as you know dad had his colonoscopy , then I had a really bad bout with my tummy for a couple of days and was really laid up. It has taken me a few days to get myself right and eating properly again. Still awaiting the results from the test so hoping that it is good news and nothing too sinister. My sister went in yesterday as a day case for her preoperative checks prior to her spinal operation. They do xrays, bloods works, explain the procedure and what it will involve plus risks. She has now been given a date for that which is the 28 January so not many days to wait now.
Today has been my treatment day at the ms centre and no one turned up for my session so I went in to the later one as I did not see it as worth it just running it for me especially when I am there all morning anyway.
Yeah the snow has all gone it went virtually in one day when it started to disappear and I think that day was Friday if I recall right. We have been replace by rain now lol Not that I am complaining at least I can go out and about in rain. The snow restricts me so much to my own activities.
DH brother has broke his leg "was this on the ice and snow we had ?" Nope I am afraid he was worse for wear and had one over the eight as they say. My SIL phoned me to let me know of his latest antic I thought you was suppose to get wiser as you got older In many things he is very serious and does things very much to the book (especially with sky diving and the para's which is the part of the military who do parachute jumps) He takes his business very seriously as well so I suppose he lets his hair down and unwinds this time with disastrous results.
ROSEBUD I agree with your sentiments exactly even though I have lost the bulk of my weight I still come on here as it reminds me that I could so easily fall back to my old ways of eating which put the vast amounts of weight on me due to my poor diet.
Yesterday we had something called shepherds pie. I made it from some left over lamb I had. To put with the lamb I cooked some split lentils, onions, peppers (bell), carrots and then added a few spoons of gravy so that this was not dry then a good sprinkling of dried rosemary
For the last few days we have been having soup home-made of course. This is red lentil soup I followed the recipe as best as I could the only bit I had to change was I could not find the cut of meat ham hock in the supermarket so instead I bought a ham stock cube. Turned out to be a great idea as the flavour for the soup has been very nice indeed. It is a nice a thick soup with having 8oz of lentils in it plus various vegetables that you may have round. Here is the link to the web page where I did the recipe from http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00psp44#related-links Look for under the heading related links then it is on the link download Maureen recipes It is in pdf format and you can download a pdf reader for free if you are having problems with this I will copy and type the recipe out so that you may see what I have made. In it went all sorts of vegetables I had in the fridge from green bean, cabbage, brussels and bell peppers. Great recipe for using up the odds and ends and for sneaking vegetable into kids
I am off out tonight playing cards it is the first night that I have been out playing cards in weeks as they have been cancelled due to the weather. So it will seem strange playing cards after such a long break.
Must run now as it is time to start our main meal of the day it is just the rest of the shepherds pie so nothing too hard for me to prepare. Take care and catch you soon.
HI LADIES ~ we awoke to glorious today; it was so warm and lovely that it almost felt like summertime sitting there by our front window on my rocker this morning ... it was so peaceful and serene!
Am catching up on my laundry today (bed linens & towels), while a nice dinner bakes in the oven. Having a turkey leg with lots of roasted veggies tonight; it smells divine and is so healthy too! I am having some good OP days this week; and I am so very happy that I have been able to get back on track so quickly after Christmas this year -- as that was one of my mini-goals for this year.
PURPLE ~ boy, your family is sure going thru a lot right now; you must be concerned. I have put them all on my prayer list as well. I hope you have a great time at your whist drive tonight; I know you have missed them ...
I think a Ham Hock is a Ham bone or joint; I know that here Hocks are pig's ankles or feet. They used to be really economical; and do have some meat on them. So they were good for soups/stews; or by themselves and taste really nice with BBQ sauce on them. I saw some here this year, but felt the price was way too high for such a low end cut of meat.
Yes, I had read about 2 ladies just this week alone (and one last week) that had left for some time, regained their lost weight, and had returned to help them get back on track again. I made a decision a while back that I am going to continue to come by and track what I am eating for the rest of my life (GOD willing) as I really want to get and keep healthy for the long-term.
I have lost a lot of weight and inches and sizes, and I feel much better; so I don't want to return to where I was before. I still have a long way to go to reach all of my goals, but I have broken them up into several smaller mini-goals which will be much more achievable for me.
It's a psychological trick that I am using to help me achieve goals faster; which in turn, gives me added momentum. For instance, I am tracking what I eat each meal & snack for each day; that one goal. I am tracking for each week and month also and comparing them: another goal. I am tracking my size of clothes and how they fit; more mini-goals. And, I am tracking my exercise and walking each day too.
DH ran some errands for me today -- delivering some letters & bills to the post for me, and picking up a few things we needed while I did other stuff at home. That is a great help to me these days.
Hope you all have a nice evening and a Wonderful Wednesday tomorrow also ... Rosebud
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 01-19-2010 at 08:26 PM.
Hi, everyone! Hope you're all having a great day. We're going to have an easy day today, since we're having what they call a wintry mix of weather-sleet, freezing rain, and snow possible later. School is already cancelled, as well as the youth groups this evening, but I think I'll have to have the boys do some of their homeschooling work anyway-he! he! They won't be too happy, but we gotta do what we gotta do!
DS2 is supposed to go to a scholarship competition this Saturday, so we have planned to go early on Friday and stay at a local motel (it's about 3 hours away), but, now, of course, it's depending on what happens with the weather. Fortunately, we do have the option to reschedule to one of the other days for this competition.
I shared this in the Christian Encouragers thread, but will also tell you that my mother-in-law has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She must decide quickly whether to have a lumpectomy or mastectomy. DH is worried, but I think he's also in a little bit of shock over this, especially so soon after losing his dad to cancer.
Well, I'm really hoping you all have a great day! to all!
It is rather chilly today but I think it is more the wind that gets to you. Temperature when we got in the car around lunch time was 4.5C but I suppose that is about average for this time of the year.
I have been today to drop in my monthly prescription and to do my weekly shop. I have picked up some more split lentils for my cooking and am using split yellow peas for the first time. So I am being more and more adventurous in trying the different pulses on offer which provide a good source of fibre in our diet and protein. I am going to use the split yellow peas with some lean mince beef so that I can reduce the quantity of meat. I had already took out my meat otherwise I would have had a whirl at doing the dish completely vegetarian. I have found that the boss of the MS centre is vegetarian so is a good source of information on how to use different pulses. She has given me a simple recipe for the split yellow pea and carrot soup so I think we will be having that very shortly. It is so nice to be able to ask someone with expertise in that area but a source of information to vegetarian recipes that are quick and easy. The manage is also healthy eating following the calorie counting path. She seems to be doing well so we are supporting each other.
RONNI I will keep your MIL in my thoughts especially after her dx (sorry diagnosis this is medical shorthand for this) of breast cancer. No wonder your husband is reeling after having so recently losing his dad to cancer only a few months down the line to her mum has the disease. I can understand her dilemma of weighing up the pros and cons of the different procedures of lumpectomy or mastectomy. It is not an easy choice to make and only she can tell what she feels right having done. It is so strange how some families seem to have one disease in it. I think of friends of ours who both have had cancer (skin) and she also ended up having a double mastectomy. It seems so unfair that this happens and often to the nicest and kindest people in the world who would do anything for anybody.
I wish your son all the best in the competition for the scholarship on Saturday lets hope that he weather does not disrupt plans. I see you are stopping at a motel that is something I have been meaning to ask is it your name for our hotel. A hotel is a building with rooms off corridors each with door numbers to denote the different ones. Each one locks and you hire a room with en-suite for a period needed. Most hotels here you book and the meal is included in that.
It sounds as though your weather has been horrid of late especially if schools are closing down due to the weather. I know they stay open long after a sprinkling of snow comes here and there is mass panic. Has the years have gone on it has got worse due to what is called health and safety here. Children at school are not allowed to play the simple games we all played as children like skipping with a rope as we did as kids. We spend many a break times doing actives such as these or jumping in-between elastic.
ROSEBUD Thanks for adding me to your pray list at the minute it is much appreciated it feels a lot on my plate at the minute and that is maybe why my tummy played up with stress. Ulcers are renown to react to stress as are many conditions from my eczema to my ms.
Yes ham hock was a cheap cut of meat here but I do not know the cost of it now as I have not bought any for years. When we was children it was something we frequently bought over the weekend and had with crusty bread. I would expect the cost has risen to silly prices here for what it is.
You mentioned that you have had heard recently of two users returning after they had regained the weight I think this is a warning that we all need to heed that healthy eating is for life not for a set period. If not it will all come back as quickly as you have lost it.
good for you losing the inches and having smaller sizes. It is much more manageable to break it up in to small goals to achieve and tick them off as you achieve them. I use to break them up in to 14lbs only because they make a stone which is how we do our body weight rather than pounds alone. If I reached that goal I would get a treat not food of course but a small gift something like a shower gel, nail polish, small piece of costume jewellery and there are so many little things that you can award yourself with. I work well with the carrot and stick method with the occasional needed
Time for me to run need to make a cuppa to have my tablets with as it is that time again. Water is tasting extra nice again as just changed water filter. Take care ladies till next time
HI PURPLE ~ it must be much nicer to go for walks over there now, esp with the snow gone from the sidewalks; we had some snow again the last couple of days (this AM included). Then the came out in the afternoon until sunset; I saw that little slit of a moon while washing up the dinner dishes tonight too!
Am glad to send up some prayers for you and your family; which are going thru a lot right now. Certainly can't hurt; and can only help IMO. We wish the best for your sister and her surgery, and will keep the prayers up for her until, during, and after the surgery. Same for your DAD until they find out the cause of his problem and for you and your stomach/stress issues too.
I like the yellow split peas in soups & stews; and next time I am shopping myself will pick up the orange/red ones for the tomato dishes and such. I'd like to try them all out and see how we like them. It is a great way to stretch the meat for sure; and what healthy way to do that too.
We had pasta with cubed chicken & peas in a cream sauce on penne pasta tonight for dinner; I also added 1/2 cup 1% fat cottage cheese to the sauce, for more protein and creaminess; and it was really nice. DH said that he loved it. So I am slowly finding unique ways to get healthier stuff into him, by making sure that it takes just as good as the hamburger versions.
That sounds so nice for you that you are meeting so many new people that you can share not only about your MS but also your new healthy lifestyle as well. You are very fortunate and blessed to have that center to support each other; we don't have anything like that here to my knowledge and I think that is such a shame.
The same goes for weightloss support, but our government says that is going to start up some combined health groups to help people access better health care in the future; so we hope that works out for all us, esp in areas where is getting hard to get into see a doctor.
My DH tried to make an appointment to see a doctor the other day and they said that his doctor wasn't here and there was no-one there to make an appointment for him in the future either. I don't know what's going on down there; but they used to have a receptionist there 5 days a week. Now you call up and no-one is there half the time; it is really frustrating ...
HI RONNIE ~ you are really having some terrible weather down there this year. We had more snow the last couple of days but it was actually very pretty; big, fluffy flakes flying this way and that way ... nice! The temps haven't been too bad either; we had 0C, then 5C, and today we had -5 to -10C later in the day. Not too bad for January in Northern Canada really ...
Funny that your kids get home-schooled but think that any day the public schools are closed they should get a holiday too; that is sooo interesting! Maybe you could do some fun things for the afternoon or something like that.
Your DS2 will have an adjustment next year when he goes off to college or university; they have to go to school all day for 5 days and often have piles and piles of extra homework to do too. I know we did and you have to count on doing at least 3 hours more each night and some on the weekend in order to get good grades. Many kids aren't prepared for that and struggle; and some fail becuz of it too ... it's good to be prepared ahead of time!
Am sending up prayers for your MIL and your DH too; it's been a tuff year on both of them, I know. What a tuff decision she has to make; hopefully, her doctors can give her lots of info to make that decision a bit easier for her.
Take good care and hope you have a good day tomorrow ...
Hi, everyone! Had some freezing rain still this morning, but the roads have been treated in places (usually only at intersections, so you can stop better), so school's on. And, since I missed my shopping night last night (no youth groups, so no one went to town), I need to go to town with DS2 to get some things while he's at his class at the public school. It'll be nice to get out of the house for an hour or 2. DS3 has become expert at doing schoolwork while riding in the van.
Purple-Yeah, hotels and motels are pretty much the same. Here, we tend to find that motels are the cheapest and typically have 1 or 2 beds and a full bath in each room, with the doors opening either into a common hallway or directly to the outside (just depending on how it's designed). It's a rare occasion that a motel will have a swimming pool, but some do. Hotels are typically more expensive, have about the same amenities, but may also have nicer suites with 'living rooms' and separate bedrooms (waaayyy expensive). Most hotels will have a pool, either indoor or outdoor or both. Almost anything with Inn in the name is usually too expensive for us to afford, although we have found travel deals at times. Inns are usually comparable to the hotels. And, realistically, there are ranges in price for all of the different types of lodging. A 1-star anything is going to be the cheapest with the least conveniences and maybe the least clean (icky) while a 5-star will be very, very nice. I, still always wonder about the cleanliness, because none of them will be clean if the housekeepers are lazy. Most places here have also started providing what they call a continental breakfast in a lobby area free of charge. It's usually just something like doughnuts and coffee, though. Not very filling or healthy, although at a couple places we've stayed, they had cereals, waffle makers to make your own waffles, and fruits and juices too.
Hope you have a nice day and weekend. Praying for your sister and dad.
Rosebud-It has been interesting that your temps this winter have regularly been warmer than ours. Sometimes weather patterns are really funny. Here, I'm thinking that universities and colleges are a little different than up where you are. When I was in college, I rarely had a full day of classes. Most now have varied schedules depending on what you're taking. Might have a classes on MWF at 9am, 10am, then 2pm, and on TTh at 9, 11, 12, or many other combinations. I used to group mine all in the mornings, then have afternoons off to study at my apartment. That would probably be DS2's favored schedule, as he likes to get up early. DS3, on the other hand, will only want his classes after noon Fortunately, we have a few more years to get him used to the idea that he may have to take courses in the mornings when he goes to college!
It really sounds like you're doing good with your eating plan. Good that your DH doesn't mind trying new things too (same with Purple's DH)! My DH is always hesitant to try new ways (and kinda picky too), but I've been working on just revamping our old recipes to healthier versions of the same thing, like using ground turkey breast in place of half the ground beef (& I use very lean ground beef) when making chili or spaghetti. Also, have made a point to have more veggies and salads with the meals and less starchy carbs. Using olive oil instead of other oils and cutting the amount of sugar I put in recipes that call for sugar. DH doesn't seem to notice some of the slights changes, but when I made the chili with only turkey, he did not like it at all! So, it's a learning experience. I may have to pick up some split peas or lentils to try, though, as we like beans and the split peas might go over well. Some nice split pea and bean soup sounds good on these cold days.
Well, I'd better go get ready to head to town. You all have a great day and weekend, too, if I don't get back here.
It is a rather chilly day outside it is the wind that is making feel like that. I did just go for a walk today which was my first in a wee while. It was much easier than I had anticipated it would be with the long break from it. I am starting to see the first signs of springtime. I saw shoots of I would expect are either crocuses or snowdrops. It is so nice to see them appearing as you know the warmer weather is not too long around the corner.
Today for lunch we have had soup (the last of the red lentil one) we had this for lunch as DH had some dental work done today so I decided that might be best so soon after the treatment. We then had a portion of grapes and a weight watcher framage frais style yoghurt (50 calories per pot or there abouts ) I have cooked for tea lean mince beef and added a tin of mung beans to that plus some mushrooms. I have a jar of pasta sauce that I have put over the meat, mung beans and mushrooms. According to the website wikipedia the bung bean is also known as green bean, mung, mongo, moong, moog dal (in Bengali), mash bean, munggo or monggo, green gram, golden gram, and green soy. So hopefully the name by which you know this bean is here as we frequently call things by different names. We have some fresh melon for tea so nearly got our 5 a day fruit and vegetables in for the day that they recommend here in the UK.
I have found the site www.lovefoodhatewaste.com it has a section on portion sizes for the amount of people so it makes it easier if you are not sure how much is a portion. So often my portions can be so much bigger than they should be. I am not so sure yet about the recipes given and how healthy they all are. Although there maybe a gem tucked away there if you trawl through that fits in with your healthy eating plan. I think it will be chicken casserole over the weekend with pulses in as well as other vegetables nice for this sort of weather. I am not cooking tomorrow as I am at my parents for the day. I will have to choose wisely as tomorrow we are going out for lunch with them as dad has an hospital appointment at around 2.30pm. So we are having a very light snack at lunch as I have medication to take that does not go very well without food as it makes me feel sick if I do.
ROSEBUD Thanks once again for the prayers and like you say they can't hurt.
I have a question about the split yellow peas I don't know what I did wrong but they did not seem to cook well they were still semi hard after at least one hours cooking. I soaked them over night in cold water then washed them under cold water. Then place them on the hob and boiled them for about 1 hour. What have I done wrong? Why did they not cook until nice and soft? In the end in desperation as I hate wasting food they were semi soft at this stage I used my hand blender and blended them to a smooth paste then added them to the soup we were having for lunch. Hence that is why I have mung beans in my tea for tonight. I tend not to have the dried version of beans I am a big cheat and use tinned version. The only one I don't is lentils and red lentils which cook beautifully. So I will ask an expert on the cooking of dried beans what to do.
Your meal for yesterday sounds lovely I must admit. Yes it is a battle that I understand trying to get healthy food into our men folk. Half the battle I have found is that it does not look much different or taste much different from his favourite dishes. OK so I have had some failures that he does not like but on the whole I am getting there which some healthy choices. Getting the creaminess that would have once been got from cream itself from cottage cheese is a stroke of genius. That way it tastes rich and unctuous that it hits the mark but healthier and less calories to boot. Creme fresh is also a good substitute for cream as is natural yoghurt or Greek yoghurt. They also come in fat free or low fat if you can't get that range.
Yes it is a shame that you do not have a centre that is a drop in type for SB or maybe arrange of different challenges. It is so good not that we sit and talk all the time about our condition far from it. Although if you want to ask someone about an issue it can be discussed and they can point you in the right direction. Otherwise it is nice to sit and have a chinwag (talk) with others about various things that way it can be great if you maybe in pain for a few hours it becomes a little less as you are concentrating on talking so diverts your mind from it.
Gosh we moan at times about the receptionist at the doctors but they are there 5 days a week from like 9 to 5. Getting a doctors appointment can take a while unless it is urgent then they will see you that day or you go to hospital if you feel it is bad enough to warrant this. I really do hope this area of health care improves for you as it is not really acceptable as it is at present and things need to be ironed out to get the system working smoothly for all. I can see why that organisation has been set up to get the wheels in motion and get more awareness to the problem. They in turn maybe able to put pressure on the government or whatever is responsible for health care of the country.
RONNI Firstly thanks for the prayer for my family which are having different health conditions which makes it stressful time for DH and I.
Thanks for explaining the difference between motels and hotels. Here in the UK to the best of my knowledge we do not have anything like a motel. Here the typical breakfast in a hotel would be either a full cooked English breakfast (fried eggs, fried bread, bacon, sausage, beans or tomatoes so not very healthy) or more often than not you would get a choice of cereal then toast. If you are lucky instead of cereal there maybe a option of porridge. We do have something which we colloquially call B and B or bed or the full name is bed and breakfast. These then to be much cheaper than a hotel but are run in a large house or maybe farmhouse. They are more personal touch with a family running the business and again the breakfast very much the same in a hotel. These though would not tend on the whole to have as many star rating as a hotel they maybe would be one or two but a hotel would be 3 to 5.
The roads for you sound a little bit dicey and need your wits about you. The intersections is again something we do not have the same word for but are these roads where another road meets another. If this is the case here in the UK we would call that a junction. If the road was shaped in either X or + shape then these would be called cross roads all very confusing I know. I hope my explanation was not about as clear as mud
Right time to get myself a cup of lady grey tea (it is what I drink 99% of the time I would expect) and this is drunk black. I do not put milk in tea or coffee and have not done since I was around 15 but then I was thought as strange for my taste but know people do not blink an eye to it as it has become more common.
3 cups penne or rotini (corkscrew) pasta of choice
2 x 4 oz frozen chicken patties (or breast)*
2 tsp canola or olive oil
1/2 small chopped onion
1/2+ cup of frozen veggies (I used peas)
1/2 cup water
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
2 tsp onion soup mix
1/2 tsp pepper
seasonings to taste
NOTE: you can use peas; or peas & carrots; or mixed frozen veggies of your choice in this dish.
Brown patties over medium heat, covered; cooking throughly; remove and cut up into 1/2-inch cubes and return to pan. Add onion and saute a few minutes; add veggies of choice, water, soup, and herbs & spices of choice. Cook for about 5-10 minutes then add cottage cheese; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
MEANWHILE, cook pasta according to instructions; meat sauce will be ready when pasta is done if it is timed right. Serves 4 persons just right; nice in bowls.
*If you want more meat, you can add another patty or breast, if you are serving for 4 persons. We eat this as it is and save the leftovers for a lunch, with just a wee bit of meat.
RE: YELLOW PEAS -- I put my yellow split peas in my soup and/or stew and they were OK, but then I do let this simmer-boil for at least 2 hours, maybe more. They do take a bit of time. I am surprised that after soaking them all night and cooking them for an hour they weren't ready, but I have heard in some recipes that you will have to cook them in the dish at least another 30-60 minutes to be soft.
I did notice that the yellow split peas are bigger in size than the red/orange ones so that could be the reason they need to cook longer ...
So soak them overnight; drain; cook them in water or broth 1 hour then add them & broth to your soup/stew/dish and let them cook a bit longer, then they should be OK. OR soak them all day; drain; boil one hour in whatever; and let that sit overnight in the fridge. Then you can put them in your dish the next day and with a bit of cooking they definitely should be ready.
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 01-23-2010 at 08:08 PM.
HI LADIES ~ it was cloudy and overcast for most of the day today; and it stayed about -7C becuz of that. It would have been warmer if the sun was out, but we did have it for 2 days in a row, which was a blessing ...
We had pizza for dinner tonight for a change; and to lower the carb cals for myself, I gave most of my center crust to our dear NIKO, which he just loves. So we all got some and for a good deal too.
I forgot to get back in here last night; put my feet up and did some reading and got too tired, so I went to bed early last night. A book does it every time; makes me sooo sleepy.
PURPLE ~ thanks for the link to the recipe site. Hope you have a grand time with your parents tonight too; and we pray that things went well for him at his appointment today too. Here a Motel is usually a long row of rooms or apartmentettes; mostly one story although I have rarely seen a 2-story. They are usually the best price places to stay; and vary in style and services.
Hotels are usually much fancier and bigger: often stories of rooms with a main diningroom, bar, pools, etc; and they often cost a lot more to stay there. B & B's are sort of middle of the road, depending on how fancy they are and how much they dote on the guests. My sister's new place is quite fancy and upscale, but so beautiful too. They are like you described -- Numpster's is a three-storey chalet style; gorgeous interior; right on a lake; really nice.
Hope everyone is having FANTASTIC FRIDAY NIGHT; and please do have a wonderful weekend with family & friends ... Rosebud
Today will be a short stop by as now after spending the best part of the day in the kitchen cooking I am shattered. I have been having a bakerthon or it seems like it now. I have made today chicken casserole made from breast of chicken. This is big enough for today and tomorrow. The vegetables that were left in the bottom of the casserole I have strained them from the majority of gravy and made 3 vegetable cottage pies made with a herby potato. To make the herby potato boil or steam the potatoes until soft then mash the potatoes. I do not add any butter or milk by the way then to the potatoes I then add some dry mix of sage and onion stuffing. Although you can use any preferred stuffing you like. I add enough so you have a herby taste to it then I just top my vegetables or minced meat if you are making the non vegetarian version.
The breasts of chicken still had their fillets in so I cut them out and from that I made a sweet and sour. I have added some chickpeas to this to make it more filling. To my casserole I added flagot beans to add more fibre to the dish. So all in all I have put 4 separate meals in the freezer for a later date when I am short of time or not feeling so good. I was starting to run down with my home made meals so they needed topping up.
Weather has been dry today although not sure if there is going to be a frost tonight as I have already seen the gritter lorry go up our road earlier this evening. I have had to put the gas fire on later this evening so the temperature is definitely dropping.
This next week is going to be a busy one for me and I will not see my parents as I would normally do so glad we had the opportunity to see them yesterday. We are busy next week as arranged for then are two deliveries for my BIL. On Monday we are going to Northampton and Wednesday we are going Warrington. Wednesday journey we think will very picturesque as we are going over the Pennines which are are group of mountains that run north-south through northern England. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pennines. This web page can explain far better than me
Has I said I went to my parents yesterday and Dad had to fast for 4 hours to have a CAT scan of his abdomen. Prior to the test he had to drink barium and then during the procedure he had a dye injected into him to highlight certain areas. On Monday he has got to take a blood test for liver function test due to the fact he is diabetic and on a certain type of medication. One of his diabetic medication he had to stop prior to the test and then not take it again until blood test is taken Monday. Scan went off with on problems just got to wait now for the results
ROSEBUD Thanks for the recipe for a pasta dish all recipes are welcome as they add to your repertoire and make food exciting. Plus the tips on cooking the split yellow peas. Dad when I spoke to him (he does all the cooking at home and did his National Service as a army catering corp.) he suggested a small pinch of bicarbonate of soda. So at least I have a few tips to be going on with to try and crack them.
Here in the UK nearly all our homes are two storey some even three. The house I was in prior to the bungalow was a three storey one. It was a Victorian house with lovely big rooms and a large cellar. Also as I have said before most homes are brick or stone builds. Although our home is not it is prefab which was the name given to temporary housing put up after the war to house all the homeless families due the heavy bomb that took part. They were suppose to be up a few years until more permanent housing of brick build homes could be made. Well they are still going strong after all these years. Many of the prefabs like our have been given an "brick coat" shall we say for the want of a better word. Strangely enough my sister who lives in the same place as my parents lives in a prefab also but hers is a two storey building as opposed to our one.
Time for me to bring this to a close as I am right tired but it has been nice to drop by. I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend which has started in earnest now. Take care all
HI LADIES ~ We had overcast skies today, so the temps stayed around -5C for the day; but they are forecasting that it will warm up for the next week and be in the +C range. That will be nice ...
HEY PURPLE ~ praying that all the tests come back clear for your DAD and that he'll be well again soon. Sounds like you really had a busy day making all those homemade dishes to put up in the freezer -- it's true a day of cooking is very tiresome! Now you can rest tomorrow before your trip on Monday.
I'd try the veggie cottage pie for myself, but I just know my DH would say, "Where's the meat?" Gotta have a wee bit in there at least to fool him. So far, I can use less in soups, stews, pasta dishes, and casseroles, but he's a cottage pie nut and loves the meat & gravy with mash on top. He wouldn't care if I skipped the veggies really, but he is getting used to having them in there now. He has adjusted to our newer way of eating pretty good, but I still can't get him to eat salads at all; or fruit unless I sneak it in something like pie (and that will only happen on special occasions).
I like lots of veggies and salads and raw things; and we are eating less meat than we used to. I can eat pasta with no meat; and when I was single I did that a lot ... same with beans. Sometimes, I still will have beans for lunch or on top of an omelette, but DH isn't interested in that, so he makes himself something else. I think he ate too many beans as a child, as I know his Dad & Mom ate them almost daily. It seemed to me, that almost every time I was over there, they had beans and potatoes for dinner; no meat; no veggies; just that -- so I can see why DH isn't a veggie nut, but now he eats them becuz he has too! Becuz I make him!
But honestly, I make sure the dish is really tasty using lots of herbs and things to make them taste nicer to him. We had roasted chicken and roasted veggies and sweet potatoes (which he loves now) for dinner; and there's leftovers for another meal too.
Hope you all have a super Serene and restful Sunday tomorrow; and do take good care of yourselves too ... Rosebud
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 01-23-2010 at 08:53 PM.
Hope you have a blessed and peaceful and restful Sunday tomorrow ... 
HI THERE ~ seems everyone is busy these days; what a shame! I think this place is so helpful to those of us who are still on this journey, and when I get into maintainence (in what millenium that will be, I don't know?), I know that I will still appreciate the support we get here. 
the snow has all gone it went virtually in one day when it started to disappear and I think that day was Friday if I recall right. We have been replace by rain now lol Not that I am complaining at least I can go out and about in rain. The snow restricts me so much to my own activities.
today; it was so warm and lovely that it almost felt like summertime sitting there by our front window on my rocker this morning ... it was so peaceful and serene! 
. We're going to have an easy day today, since we're having what they call a wintry mix of weather-sleet, freezing rain, and snow possible later. School is already cancelled, as well as the youth groups this evening, but I think I'll have to have the boys do some of their homeschooling work anyway-he! he! They won't be too happy, but we gotta do what we gotta do!
needed 
to have my tablets with as it is that time again. Water is tasting extra nice again as just changed water filter. Take care ladies till next time
day outside it is the wind that is making feel like that. I did just go for a walk today which was my first in a wee while. It was much easier than I had anticipated it would be with the long break from it. I am starting to see the first signs of springtime. I saw shoots of I would expect are either crocuses or snowdrops. It is so nice to see them appearing as you know the warmer weather is not too long around the corner.
