I'm interested in your scampi recipe and how you cooked your crab legs. I have been thinking about steaming some crabs as well. Please share your recipes.

Yes to the axe! That would work! Haha! I could have sworn I saw an easy French fry tool at Bed Bath and Beyond, and when I returned to buy it I could not find it and the employees didn't know what I was talking about. Gonna go back through that place with a fine tooth comb one day and try to find it again, if it exists. Hopefully I didn't imagine it!

I was looking for Rutabega info and couldn't find it but I found some of RainbowSmiles recipes so it just had me wondering if anyone knew or heard from Susan (Rainbow) or Lisa (wuv2bewuved). They were so inspiring here a few years ago - just wondered if anyone knew if all was well with those ladies. I'll send some "cyber happy thoughts" out to former IPers everywhere -- hope "y'all" are doing ok!

The French fry slicers might make the pieces too big. I slice mine I to shoe string and they still take a long time. I tried parboiling and that helped.

You can micro the wax off a rutabaga but there is no real easy way to cut it. I cut a sliver off so it has a flat side to sit on, cut it in half an then lie each half flat to get half circle slices. Peel each slice. Cut into desired sizes.

Happy Sunday
 

Good morning, everyone!
I was a lazy bum yesterday and got nearly nothing accomplished. Truthfully?!? It felt great! Realistically? It means I have to do housework this afternoon and evening. Oh well. Stayed up late watching the Braves in extra innings. Game didn't end our way.

I'm giving myself credit today for resisting the urge to snack (or cheat) out of boredom yesterday. In true "Beck fashion," I realized what was happening and found ways to distract myself until the feelings passed. I also drank even more water than usual to be sure that wasn't the trouble. Yay!

Headed off to the church (loving the summer schedule that gives me more time at home in the morning!) and hoping the great outline for the sermon that's in my head comes out in spoken words as well as I want it to!

Have a great day!

I had a couple of great NSV's yesterday!! We had a pool heater installed and finally had the family over for a swim (it's been too cool up here in Ontario for the water to warm up). So this was the first time I've worn my new swimsuit. My daughter says Wow mom, I didn't realize how much you've lost, it's hard to notice when your clothes are loose and baggy, you look amazing! And my husband called me skinny!!!!!! He has not commented on how I look yet so this was a great moment!! Made me feel so good!!

I haven't made IP pancakes for awhile so it was a real treat for me today to have those with the blueberry syrup I found -- not sure I love it as much as I hoped. Next time I put the syrup right in the pancakes to see what that is like. Poor DH is just having boring breakfast for Father's Day, but MINE is pretty darn yummy!
Happy Father's day today to dad's everywhere, and love and memories to those no longer with us.

Good Morning everyone and Happy Father's Day and wishing you all a beautiful Sunday!

I am starting IP tomorrow (6/16) for the first time ever and I am very excited! I will be using alternatives and just the basic products for a short while until we get settled. I just made a cross country move earlier this week - from northeast to southwest US and decided this is a perfect time to get started!

Look forward to chatting with you all!

Have a great day.

Welcome chicklet52!
You'll find lots of support on the IP forum :)

The first post in this thread has tons of useful links. I scoured them when I was starting out!

House update: we're in a 'bidding war'. I knew it was a "too good to be true" house. Apparently 3 other people think so too. We've put in a counter offer and now we need fingers, toes AND eyes crossed...stress is mounting. Here are selfies of me today 3FC style -- tired, confused, and kind of freaking out inside>>:tired: :?: :fr:

WOOO HOOO!!! Fabulous NSVs!!!:woohoo:

Got my ticker today AND learned how to copy/paste on an iPad!!! 2 victories on a beautiful Sunday :). Hope everyone has a great and successful Father's Day!!!

Thanks so much! Been reading and taking lots of notes! :write:

Sending many :goodvibes your way!!

That's terrific - you are doing great!! :encore:

Woo hoo - hope you have a great day too !! :)

The rutabaga was very hard to cut but the fries were yummy and so worth it.

I came home with about 20 new bras last night! It was a good day all around.

Wonderful NSV from the people who love you the most. Yay for you!


Wishing you a smooth IP start and congratulations on your move.


Hope everything works out and that you survive the stress of it all!

Praying for you!!! :) don't stress, God's got this!! He knows the desires of your heart and if it's meant to be it will be, I'm believing with you!!! On a side note- if it doesn't work out- then you have to believe there's a reason and that He has a better plan for you.... But right now we are believing you'll get it!!!!! :carrot:

Heading to the in-laws today. Land of all carbs, no veggies, and fried foods. Combatting with a eggs and a big green salad with healthy veggies for breakfast so I go not hungry and can be really picky.

I have a question- I know I've seen a recipe on here to make a wrap out of potato purée mix-I have spent the past hour searching for it and can't find it- does anyone know it off hand?? Thanks!!

Hi Kelly -- I just bumped up the recipe thread and added the pizza crust that was made with the cereal or potato pack. That's probably a good one to start with.

Thanks all for wishes on my house. We've sent our "best" offer in and that's all there is to it. The house is for DH not me, so I'm fine in my present house if needed. However, the potential to be selling has put some "mojo" in my DH. It's father's day and he's doing windows! (No really -- this is more rare than "Hailey's comet sightings".) Yesterday was power wash the back of the house, then use a Mr. Clean scrubby as it wasn't good enough, then paint some trim that has been waiting a long time...

... I'm tempted to call the realtor and tell him to hold off on any news for as long as possible ! Where is the rest of that "honey do" list?? :D

Better hope the girls stay the same size for a while! If mine shrunk anymore I won't even need a bra!

Luckily my parents are trying to stick with my plan. We are having prime rib. A little too fatty but I can work around most of it even tho that's my favourite part. No potatoes for me!

The only time my hubby does anything around the house is when we move. Luckily we move every few years.

Vacation Recipes
 

This time next week I'll be chilling on the beach! Looking forward to this SO MUCH as I have not had a day off work since Christmastime. We have an oceanfront condo with a full kitchen and grill. When I first started IP I thought I would be a little more lax during this vacation, but right now I'm resolved to stay 100% OP. There's no excuse not to since I have a full kitchen at my disposal, will have lots of seafood options and I actually love to use beach vacations to try new recipes and cook using fresh produce from all of the farmer's stands that are around. I've been scouring the threads looking for some cool new recipes that can be easily modified for non IP-ers for the others in my family. Here are a few I'm thinking of trying out:

Huevos Rancheros with IP Potato Puree "tortilla"
Baked Green Tomatoes coated in IP SW curls
Shrimp and cauli "grits"
Pizza w/ IP Crispy Cereal crust
Mock mojito w/ rum extract
Asian chicken lettuce wraps

Anyone have any favorite vacation or special occasion IP meals I should add to my list?

I love the fruity IP drinks at the beach...Pina colada, pink lemonade, orange drink, etc.

To add to recipes, "potato" salad made with cauliflower instead of potatos (and WF mayo)
Mockamole (made with asaparagus) makes a great "salad dressing" but also a good dip for celery and cukes. I also use it as a spread on my zucchini-potato puree bread.
There's also a recipe for a cauliflower tortilla. Doing that you don't have to use a packet.

My 3 go-to veggie salads when I'm away at the beach are the mock potato salad, cole slaw (I add extra ACV b/c I'm not a fan of WF slaw dressing by itself), and the very simple cukes & onions in acv, water, splenda.

If I have those 3 salads, and meat from the grill, I'm all set! We like to keep it simple so we're on the beach more than in the kitchen.

Have fun!!! I'm 17 days from leaving for my beach vacation!

here is one way
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/4624393-post7.html

Cauliflower tortillas
 

http://slimpalate.com/cauliflower-to...e-gluten-free/

I've been making these for a few months. I like that they don't use a packet, allowing me to fill them with meat and veggies. They freeze well, so I make large batches and always have them available.

IP43 - lol on your hubby doing work around the house today! Hoping for the best with the final offer - good for you both in setting a firm limit and not getting caught up in the excitement of the bidding war. Keep us posted!

Thanks GraceRev -- we have a few hours till we know. However, I wouldn't go so far as to say "didn't get caught up in the excitement"... this house is more expensive so the "freedom 55" plan of being mortgage free may end up being the "freedom 65" plan or something.... LOL... We'll be the only parents who will WANT their kids to move back in so we can charge them rent! (jk! They're only pre-teens -- I'm not keen for them to move out yet)

Good luck on the house! Wish my hubby would want to house shop...i'm the itchy one there.

My girls are just getting lower and lower! I've been trying to hold off on new bras but am in DIRE need of at least one (sewed couple smaller around but...). I am headed out to find a few thrift store clothes to get me through. Because my bust shrank, all my shirts are falling off my shoulders, and my pants are sagging. An 80's Madonna-Hip-hop mash-up is not a good look for me!

Lol Evemomma -- I kinda wish you wouldn't have said "lower and lower"... I had a visual of you rolling them up to fill the cup! I bought some that are on the aisle near the cash at Walmart -- the "as seen on tv" brand. They are elasticy, no wires, and have a bit of a padding (very thin) but enough to make them very smooth in shirts and very comfy. I almost don't want to go back to any with hooks and eyes. Check them out -- usually 3 in a pack and there are different colours as well as all white or the beige/white/black combo. I have the teal/purple/rose set as well which is great as a 'tank' under spagetti strap shirts -- a more layered/less 'bra strap' look. Give 'em a try! (or just roll and tuck! LOL)

Do the bras give enough support?

Thanks for the recipes girls!!!!!! There's SO much information on here I can never remember where I saw it, I copied and pasted many of them to my notepad.

I finally found a store that sells WF and can't wait to make Big Mac in a bowl.

There are 2 different styles. The "aaah bra" is thinner and lighter and not so tight fitting = more comfy but less support. It's quite cool for the summer BUT there also is no liner so when wearing a white shirt I might say you could see colour where you need Janet Jackson's pasties ;) the "Genie bra" is a tighter fit and a bit hotter to wear because it has a thin padding, but I think it gives a nice shape. Everything looks smooth and it lifts the girls up quite a bit. Both come in 2X and maybe even 3X.

I had a breast reduction however, so my 'girls' are a B cup now. If I was trying to support more than a C cup, I'm not sure you'd get the support you need. I hate underwires and these are way more comfy than a regular bra, so for my smaller girls, they work well.

I see the genie bra and often wondered how it would fit. I'm a DD so I may have to wait a few months! :dizzy:

So, splenda's okay on P1, right? I just had some in an herbal tea and realized I wasn't sure if it was OP because I haven't used any sweeteners up to this point. I looked through my IP literature and couldn't find anything about it. Thoughts?

I use the Aaaah Bra to sleep in...but it's definitely not supportive enough. I was a DD before this 21 lbs....now not sure where I am. I need a good measure from Ann's Bra Shoppe. I REALLY like Warner's "This is Not a Bra" Bra. It does have underwires (and have to have them after nursing two kids!) But they are wrapped in foam so they don't cut in. I got a two pack at Sam's club but they don't have my size there now. Kohl's has them, so need to try a few on there.

Incidentally, came back from thrift store with my $21 spent for 5 shirts and two pants! Realized my bust is still too big for size medium shirts (and my arm fat)! But I don't care about sizes...thrilled to get some clothes that fit for awhile anyway!

Sort of NSV: I was having a rough day for the majority of today because I got my jeans caught on something Friday and ripped them. Long story short, they're one of my only pairs that I can wear right now, or so I thought. I went through a ton of clothes and found so many tops/jeans that I didn't realize I had! Not only that, but in one pair, I couldn't fit into a 26W, yet when I tried on a pair of 22W, they fit me so well. The heck? It made me feel so much better which I needed because I was extremely down earlier because of it.

Also! I found a never worn bathing suit I purchased many years ago and tried it on and it felt SO GOOD! I was in shock. :) I'm going to the lake next weekend and in almost 2 weeks I'll be heading to the beach so I need my swim stuff! I ordered my bottoms (long board shorts, thank you) and I'm ready to go! :dizzy:

I'll have to try "This is not a bra" bra, I have always needed underwire. I breast fed 4 kids and my weight has yo yo'd drastically over the years!

Yep splenda is good. Stevia I think is better in life -- not sure for this diet. Aspartame and Sucralose are the bad ones. HOWEVER not all sweeteners are created equally so I'm going to try to attach something I saved before... hope it works. It's from http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/wha...aralcohols.htm


EDIT: it wouldn't let me attach the file but the hyperlink seems to work. Look at the chart on the bottom for the best sweeteners. Some are so close to sugar that they affect your body the same way as having sugar. Those are the ones we want to avoid BUT those are the ones --like Maltitol -- that are in a lot of things -- you may as well have the sugar when you look at the GI effects.

Well I'm home from vacation and it was a good reminder that even the best plans don't work lol. I intended to be p3 on vacation but I was surprised by the lack of availability of veggies fruit where I was. Essentially I gave up trying on the second day lol. Of course I still was very cautious and I'm actually glad to be home and was even happier when I stepped on the scale to find only a 2lb gain. Time to get back to working on my goal! :)