Diet Coaches/Buddies - Got back on the elliptical at the gym. CREDIT moi. I was using my walking instead because I was doing so much walking, but I need to get the balance right again. We're already beginning to see a dip in the January crowd, although I did see one large guy who seemed new doing a good workout on the adjacent machine. Rather nice.

maryblu - Super neat that you're going to take CBT to another area of your life. Can't wait to hear how that works out, thinking that I have a few areas that could use a little help.

Jean (kuhljeanie) - Ouch for 3 am with el nino. BTDT, but never had a clue as to why it began or why it ended. It did end though, and I clearly remember the feeling that it wouldn't.

Kudos for moving so rapidly with your treadmill and with your prepared meals. Do you use your food saver to package the food for the sous vide cooking?


Robin (RobinW) - Congrats on 4 more pounds. Yay for "wildberry zinger tea." Just love it that your stepgrandaughter only ate the middle of the cake and was quite satisfied. Sigh, in my childhood also I'd been told to finish what was on my plate. And, double sigh, there never would have been cake left on a plate anyway. (Will get the zucchini recipe laster.)

onebyone - Yay for choosing your calorie level. Your one month will include most of February - a good way to get thru what can be a difficult month.

Anne (wndranne) - Ouch that the glass of wine tripped you up. That does seem to be one of its side effects.

Chris (angelmomma210) - Great if you can master "just a number."

Rachel (helping rachel) - Kudos for avoiding all desserts after the dance recital. Yep, exercise is in your future.

davidette - Yay for making a plan for your luncheon. LOL at "I won't eat a thing more than the skinny lady!" Good luck.

Ann (Ann72) - Kudos for simply choosing tomorrow's meal plan when you haven't chosen your whole diet plan yet. Now that's a Beck-like step. Good luck with eating mindfully. Yep, it's sobering to face up to how and where we are currently eating.

Lisa (LisaMarie71) - Kudos for avoiding the fries, caloric dressing, and bacon. Great day.

As for diet plan: My take is to choose a plan that fits you - the one in her book is an option for those who want an option. I agree with those who quote her first book to choose two diet plans. The great thing seems to be to choose a plan then to follow the plan.

Jen (JenMusic) - Kudos for eating mindfully and slowly. LOL that you were extending this to mindful living - too bad that you remembered to get back into the rat race. You might have reached bliss while standing in your laundry room.

ChinaMaine - Congrats on the 2.5 pounds. Ouch for the boiler. Ouch for the plumber. Ouch for being cold and knocked off your routine. But Kudos for finishing your exercise and catching up on your food log.

And BIG Kudos for stopping with the chocolate biscotti just because you were full. I am so jealous; I'm still working on that.


Readers -

Good Morning Beckie's.


No I don't consider myself "Bad" Just a little joke said in Fun.....Worked on my success skills last night and still organizing. Scale has me down offically 5 lbs. The other rewarding thing, I have cleaned out 4 rooms and taken 2 large loads of housewares and clothes to goodwill. The Beck way of thinking is working in other parts of my life. Clutter is not about me anymore...If it isn't useful, functional or sentimental....It is out the door. Trying to let go for more simplicity in many areas of my life, not just eating and exercising pattern.
I head out to pick up a new exercise bike after work. This is one exercise that I enjoy and tend to stick to.... Having it at home gives me more flexibility to be able to jump on it where I want. Also pulled out my DVD's and getting out the ones that I enjoy (gasp!) doing.

Hoping for a healthy day for all!
R

Coaches/Buddies Six hours of interrupted sleep last night, so we'll see how I do today. DS is just about to bust that first tooth through and he isn't very happy. DD pitched a major, 2 hr tantrum last night, but was very good this morning. Today's plan is a mental one owing to the lateness of my arrival home last night, my desire to get to bed immediately, and DS's desire for me to skip sleep entirely and hold him all night night long.

Weighed in this morning, and the scale is indeed stuck at the post-sudaphed +1 pounds. I jinxed myself by having that reward sent early--it taunts me from its cardboard package next to my computer as I type.

Two pages! I have two pages of personals. Yowza this place is jumping!!

Bill Nicely done on the potlucks! I would also like to see the curried zuke recipe when you get a chance to post it. Spring has more than sprung here in the desert southwest and it is absolutely beautiful this time of year. We'll pay for it in June though, LOL.

Glad you got back on the elliptical. Perhaps it will be safe to go back to the gym soon, now that some of the resolutioners are calling it quits. I so hate the gym. Which reminds me, I get to run today, assuming I don't decide a nap is the better fitness strategy.

davidette I actually worried the baguette thing because it does play into my problem eating area, not emotional eating, but simply see food, eat it, and then doh, with the brain about two steps behind the stomach. Classic . Yes, my inner Homer is making me fat, LOL. So calorie equivalent is good, returning to bad behavior pattern is not.

How did your lunch go? Using the skinny lady as a behavior guide sounds genius.

onebyone Your calorie level and macronutrient breakdown sound very balanced! You'll have to let us know how it works for you. Fitday is so comprehensive, but I always found it a bit awkward for logging. I have a small, old fashioned paper notebook, but I also track nothing but calories so that makes more sense for me.

Rachel almost (but not quite) everyone who exercises regularly eventually really likes it, or at least how it makes them feel later. Nice work on putting in the time to pick up this habit.

Ah, so you have officially picked up the decluttering bug. It seems all of us Beckies get it. Congrats on the 5 lbs and the bike!

RobinW Our climate (Tucson) is perfect for citrus if one is willing to irrigate. Our friends have some gorgeous trees!

Glad you are doing some slow experiments with carbs, and good luck on the foot thing!

Lisa I seem to recall saying don't worry about the Stage 2 food plan yesterday. I do think the Stage 4 plan is pretty good, and offers up a lot of the flexibility. I'm following the basic structure of 3 meals and 3 snacks, but other than that I'm doing what works for me. My breakfast and snacks are bigger than the plan, lunch and dinner is smaller. I eat a less protein, and more junk than Beck calls for. But I've written down everything that has gone into my mouth for the past 6 years, and I know without doubt what works for me, what keeps me full, and what I things I miss will set me off on a binge. I'm guessing you are in the same place. Plus you have the whole nursing issue to deal with, and if it's no dairy, it's no dairy. The planning was absolutely key, even though I fought it at first. I now plan and basically stick to plan, and that is something that I haven't really done consistently since the Big Loss. And it is my plan, so I'm eating what I want, with some forethought. My vote: Stage 1, crucial; Stage 2 interesting; Stage 3, helpful; Stage 4, helpful; Stage 5, crucial. After Stage 1, I didn't feel the need to do them in order.

JenMusic I think the eating mindfully thing is hard. I write down a plan, a record for my log, and sit and eat mindfully, and I STILL can't tell you what I had for lunch yesterday, LOL. I remember just throwing down food when I was otherwise occupied, and not even feeling like I'd had lunch. Being aware is so important. Sorry bout the laundry side effect, LOL.

Chris Good for you on the weigh ins. Just a number. Make sure you look back and review Bill's meteor theory of weight control, earlier this month or last month, LOL.

ChinaMaine There is a soft copy of the Stage 1 Success Skill Set checklist on the website, beckdietsolution.com, under The Beck Program tab, and Dietary Charts link at the side.

Wow on the half biscotti. I have a hard time stopping in the middle of anything. I actually bought half sized biscotti last time I bought them just for that reason. Of course I got them at Costco, so I have a thousand of them, but that is another issue for another time, LOL.

maryblu I get cold reading your post. But I get cold when it is 60 degrees out, my blood has thinned so. I use CBT for everything. I do find it helpful, but over time, my sabotaging thoughts always seem to evolve to try to find new ways around it. What's that about? Will I ever just grow up? Or do I have to beat the whining adolescent within me forever? Yeah, I know the answer. Good luck with your change, and your inner brat too, to the extent that applies to anyone besides me.

Ann72 A couple weeks ago, the only way I could actually eat and enjoy my planned snack was to lock myself in the bathroom with 3 yo DD pounding on the door ("Mommy what are you doing?!? MOMMMEEEEeeeEEEEeeeEEEE"), and eat it standing up, since well, sitting down wasn't the best option. I figure one must get the essence of the thing, which is paying attention and enjoying the food. So I made allowances for my particular circumstances. So, do what you need to do, but don't let it get in the way of doing what you need to do? Crystal clear, yes? Good progress, BTW.

Jean Congrats on the treadmill purchase, and the yoga DVD find. I know that won't be as good as your favorite teacher, but perhaps it'll bring back good memories when you use it. Sending el nino happy vibes so he banishes his Thing. We have Thing spray (H2O) that we use regularly, for all "external" imaginary Things, and the magic blanket helps with the "internal" Things.

Great day everyone. I'm off to shower, make some coffee, pack my lunch, and go earn my keep.

Anne

quick hello
Ive got a busy day ahead of me...and some food trials tonight! I'll let you know how it goes.

Coaches/Buddies On plan today, insomuch as I had a mental plan anyway. Tonight, I'm laying out my running clothes, preparing my lunch, writing out tomorrow's plan, reading my response cards. Kids and work were both OK today, so my stress levels are good, if my sleep levels are not!

RobinW Hello!

Where is everybody today??

Anne

Im here.

I had a pampered chef party tonight, I had planned on a bit more food and a glass or 2 of wine.

Well, I did very well food wise, and nobody wanted wine. So I did without. All in all it was a pretty good day food wise.

Bill~Kudos for climbing on the eliptical!!
I have to admit, its very hard for me to keep quiet when my own daughter doesnt eat enough supper. Or when she picks out the "good" stuff and leaves the rest. I suppose if I had learned this myself as a child I wouldnt be in the situation Im in now.

Ann~ How cool that you can go to a friends place and pick citrus off the trees!! I hope ds's tooth comes thru soon, it certainly doesnt sound like fun!! Kudos for laying out your runners, and planning your lunch.

Rachel~ Big Kudos on your 5lbs gone!!

Someone mentioned their little one crying for hours in the middle of the night. But its on the other page, and I cannot remember who it was. Im sorry.

But I had the same trouble with my dd. I had a book given to me by a very good friend who is a pediatrician and Im sorry I dont remember the name of it. But it was basically a technique for letting them cry themselves to sleep. After about 4 days my dd was sleeping thru the night without any issues. It was a wonderful thing!! I am going to try to google it and see if I can find the name of the book for you.

Im off to bed......have a nice evening everyone!

I had a good day today! And now that I’ve read Skill 4, I know it’s best if I give myself for credit for what I’ve done. BillBlueEyes – for the elliptical! We bought one a year ago and I still haven’t been able routinely use it. Since I’ve gone so long without exercising, I’ve decided it’s time to work on my core and basic muscle strength. I do a little bit of cardio (fast walking), but the elliptical takes cardio to another level. Don’t think I’m quite ready yet. Hopefully I’ll join you (in spirit) come spring. Thanks for the sympathy re-boiler. It’s still working but started banging like a crazy-downstairs-neighbor about 6 PM. How does the boiler know my hubbie is visiting his Mom?? So it’s time to call the plumber again tomorrow AM. (sigh)

Wndranne – Thanks for the tip on where to find the Stage 1 Skills Sheet. I’ve printed a bunch of copies and will start on that tomorrow. And for your hard work tonight!

Rachel – And to you for the bike, and for house/life organization!

RobinW – I grew up in WNY – where do you live? I’m from Zoar Valley (near Springville). Good luck with your food trials tonight!

Take care!

hi everyone! a good day - el nino slept through last night (it was me having DS issues) and everyone left work early to avoid a dangerous icy drive. i took advantage of the extra hour and went to Dick's to actually purchase the treadmill. it was great - i managed to negotiate a couple hundred bucks off the price, which i had always suspected was possible in "real" stores but was too chicken to try. it's a nice one! http://www.soletreadmills.com/details.php?name=F80# even has a plug-in for my ipod so i can listen to streaming internet radio on speakers while i run. feeling better about making my arrangements for life after a free gym and bistro. and yep, bill, i use the foodsaver to vacuum seal in preparation for a sous vide. if i'm adding sauce, i freeze it in an ice cube tray the night before so the vacuum doesn't suck out the liquid. if i'm stuffing chicken, i just stuff, seal, and dunk in the water bath. once i take it out it goes straight to the freezer, and when i'm ready to eat it, all i have to do is pierce the bag and microwave for a few minutes. everything so far has come out brilliantly. today i tried a stuffed chicken saltimbocca i put together last night (chicken with spinach, prosciutto, and provolone though traiditionally you use hard parmesan, but i couldn't find reduced fat/sodium). tonight i made a batch of chicken bryan - chicken stuffed with herbs de provence, goat cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. although i think tomorrow i'm going to try the sirloin i did with a balsamic red wine sauce. for sauces, i'm using packaged dry mixes, so i can control the fat. anne, thanks for the happy vibes! can we borrow your magic blanket and H2O? china, i love that you're giving yourself credit. 45 minute is more than respectable. can i also give you a credit for recognizing that your expectations weren't serving you, and correcting? that's a great thing to do for yourself. and thank you robin! i'm always open to ideas from folks who've been there before. rachel, how great about your clutter-clearing! we've had a couple of discussions about that on this very thread. bill can tell you all about it. congrats on your loss! and bill, huzzah on getting back on the elliptical! i love mine and miss it terribly (it's still at the other house, too heavy to move and will have to wait for paid movers.)

had a few hours of "hunger is not an emergency" dealings today. unfortunately the weather made me so late for work i didn't have time to eat breakfast before heading out for some exciting dental surgery, and didn't bring a lunch because i was having lunch at a wonderful place with my mom - except that they also closed due to the weather. i almost stopped at a qdoba (actually pulled into the parking lot but just looped back to the street) but thought better of it. i've been hungry ALL DAY and haven't really been able to get back on plan, since apparently el nino enjoys chicken saltimbocca too. spent a few minutes at home staring at the crap on the snack shelf, which sounded better in theory before i imagined actually eating stale halloween candy. i ate a bowl of kashi cereal thinking it would fill me up, but it hasn't. i should probably just go to bed and start over in the morning. i'm really glad to have my beck techniques at the ready for days like today, which fortunately are few and far between. here's to hoping my car isn't completely encased in ice tomorrow morning!

Good evening coaches

A few things to report

1) three days on plan and three days between 1800-2000 calories each day credit moi
2) three days food recorded in fit day credit moi

A fellow student brought yet another box of chocolates to afternoon class today. Since they were favorites, I had one, conscious (credit moi) that it does in fact have a caloric value that I will in fact (credit moi) have to account for later, and this fact of life held me to one chocolate and not to the two or three I truly desired. (extra credit moi)

We had movie day tonight as I have an unexpected day off from school tomorrow. This means no need to rush in the morning to get a ride in to the school. From this you can surmise the bus strike continues. Yes indeed. More images to choose from for my printmaking project is all I can say. The two sides have been talking the past two days but talks have broken off again.
Local religious leaders are now calling on the two sides to fix things already... finally people are getting angry and protesting. Finally. One church has canceled their services as their congregation isn't showing up cause they can't get there. But don't get me started.

So at least my food things are straightening out. It's all good.
Gotta get to bed. So happy to have the day at home tomorrow.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - The cold continues. I bought myself some better quality base layer (expensive long johns) so I can go out Saturday anyway. CREDIT moi. The sales lady told me that if I bought the most expensive Under Armour brand, they'd last a lifetime. I doubted that - a lifetime of cycling through the washer and dryer could kill granite. I was tempted to tell her that that wasn't as impressive at my age as it would be at hers, but that seemed snide so I didn't. Her only crime was to be old enough to work yet still believe that something would last a lifetime.

Jean (kuhljeanie) - Kudos for physically purchasing your treadmill. And big Congrats on getting an additional discount - that does appeal to me. Sole is the brand of elliptical I'm leaning toward for DW due to strong positive reviews about reliability and superior feel. Hope you like it.

Ouch for the circumstances that forced you into "hunger is not an emergency" - but Big Kudos for practicing that, especially the Qdoba parking lot loop. It's encouraging to me that you did it when it wasn't an exercise. (Oh good grief, I just remembered when you did it as an exercise ever so long ago. What an event that was.)

And thanks for description of your sous vide meals. You're making me drool.


Robin (RobinW) - It's so interesting that you find it grating that your DD is able to pick the food she wants and leave food on her plate. I find it difficult even as I read about it, despite the fact that I'm struggling to learn that skill for myself. What an awful, counter-productive, socially ingrained thinking process.

Tell me about hosting a pampered chef party. Do you have the merchandise on hand or do you order it? I googled it and found strong recommendations for some of the products.


onebyone - Ouch for being confronted with a box of chocolates. Mega Kudos for a mindful response. Thanks for the demo on how to take one, account for it, and move on.

And Kudos again for sending your feelings about the transportation strike into your art. Can't wait to see it.


Anne (wndranne) - Ouch for interrupted sleep. Sending toothing thoughts to DS for his journey. Hopefully, after the first, he'll find sleep more rewarding than being consoled by mommy at night. And Ouch for teetering on wndrland - you and DS are both at the cusp of a breakthru.

Are you having an early Spring? Does it usually come in January? I'm a big fan of visiting the dessert area, but not informed about the calendar cycle. Around here when something pops up in January, it's doomed for the year.


Rachel (helping rachel) - Congrats on the five pounds down. Kudos on the two large loads to Goodwill - clutter is indeed a task I'm actively working. I manage in spurts of success, then seem to need to withdraw to get the emotional commitment to tackle again. I f you have any tips on how you're proceeding, I'm all ears.

ChinaMaine - I agree with Jean (kuhljeanie)'s observation that you deserve super Kudos for adjusting your exercise expectations rather than berate yourself for only 45 minutes. Good Beck-like thinking in my book.

Ouch for the boiler again. LOL at "How does the boiler know my hubbie is visiting his Mom??" Good luck. It's cold outside.

And I was also interested in the question from Jennifer (JenMusic) that got lost a few days ago. (I had just assumed you were from that tiny miracle place on China Lake in Maine.)
Readers -

Robin (RobinW) and Anne (wndranne) requested my Curried Zucchini recipe:

All that planning and I had to miss the luncheon! DH needed me to stay home, sign for a package being delivered, and bring it to him at work. The good news is, in my funk I didn't devour the cookies I was planning to take. I've actually been using them, 2 at a time, as my bonus calories for the "learn to eat your favorite foods in moderation" skill. Okay, they aren't my favorites, but they are sweet, which makes them a trigger food for me! It feels really good to take back some control of my eating. The idea that someday I could even have a real trigger food, like a doughnut, for my bonus calories if I plan for it, is very motivating. So I still have the skinny lady strategy to test. Just don't let me forget about it the next time I'm whining I don't know what food will be served!

Doing very well with exercise; even slipped out Monday night for a yoga class with a teacher I adore, on top of my regular schedule. In spin class yesterday, as the instructor insisted we increase resistance and sprint up the hill, a visual of kuhljeanie running with iceballs on her eyelashes kept me pumping - I want to be a baaad mutha too!

Staying on plan with food. The scales aren't going anywhere but up and down like a yoyo. Having tried the suggestion to weigh almost hourly for a day and seen insane fluctuations, I'm somewhat desensitized. I'm going to keep to this calorie count a while longer; I feel much better and the slower it comes off, the longer it stays off.

Helping rachel I was an exercise hater too, all my life. I probably set a record for number of days sat out gym class in school. But here I am, looking forward to going to the gym! For me, music is absolutely key. I can enjoy almost anything if I have some good music to focus on. My experience has been even when I am not losing weight, everything fits better because its more firm versus jiggly! Congrats on 5 lbs!

Robin Congrats on 4 more pounds! How did your TVP work out in the soup?

lisamarie71 I'm with you on the question of resistance to do anything new versus using what I know works for me. I must say finding that I CAN break some of the old diet habits (like saving the majority of my calories for dinner), really builds my confidence, which actually does make things easier. Sounds to me like you are already breaking plenty of old habits! Kudos for resisting fries and bacon!

jenmusic I've had the same experince with mindful eating; finding myself doing other things more consciously also. Can I blame my messy house on mindful cleaning? Can anyone pass me the Beck decluttering bug?

chinaMaine I'm with you on the boiler; my mother's heater always cuts off when I have plans besides rushing home to "fix" it (push reset button, give swift kick). I'm waiting for the heating service to open right now, so I can call them AGAIN.

wndranne I hear you on the taunting book - I purchased my "5 pound reward" charm bracelet and the "first" charm weeks ago. There it sits on my dresser, begging me to rationalize being on plan a few weeks merits the same reward.

I suffer syndrome too; love your treatment: calorie equivalent = good; eating off plan = bad. Your sealed meals sound fantastic; even tempting me, a vegetarian!

Love that phrase "your expectations weren't serving you, and correcting"; there's something I can apply to everything, particularly expecting to have a dramatic weight loss right off!

onebyone: Great job on the chocolates! I hope you enjoyed (per Kuhljeanie) "that fabulous smug feeling that comes from turning down sweets" !

Bill Kudos on not letting the cold stop you. Speaking of lasting a lifetime; I love to hear my mom say " don't worry, life is too short" - at 96! Thanks for the zucchini recipe, sounds yummy. Wonder if I could put tumeric in it?

Off to battle the evil heating "technician".

Hello, everyone! Good morning - I'm sorry I couldn't post yesterday, but I was unavoidably swamped.

ChinaMaine and BillBlueEyes - I'm SO sorry for the confusion, while at the same time laughing. I had actually never heard of China, Maine (I'm a Southerner) but used to live in the country of China. I just thought that maybe you had a China connection and a Maine connection, and put them together in your username. Never realized it was a place! Sorry!

Great job to everyone who's working on exercise and all the success skills! It's so good to know, as someone who's doing this for the first time, that there are others out there who are doing this. Thanks for the encouragement/inspiration.

I had to buy a new scale, since my old one died a while ago and I've really just been estimating. Well, the good news is that my estimation was a little high - gotta love that. So today I'm working on success skills 1 (motivation) 2 (weighing once everyday) and 3 (eating slowly, sitting down, enjoying every bite). I think that'll be enough for today.

Hope you all have a good Wednesday!

Good morning coaches

I'm here in the comfort of my home able to write this at my leisure as today's class was cancelled and there was no need for me to venture into the snowstorm out there this morning. Yay. We're due to get 15-20cm of snow, but if the big weather front shifts north, it'll be more like 30cm (2.5cm=1" ... so like 6" worth today )

I just found myself digging through the cupboards looking for that Mexican chocolate... I know I put it somewhere ... and then I vaguely remembered telling my tall 6'3" DH to "hide it somewhere" the first and last time I tried it. I think I used one of the solid chocolate bits to make hot chocolate and then I went back to nibble on one as is. I had been "seeing" in my brain the same thing: hot chocolate and eat one...account for calories... Now it ain't gonna happen. So credit moi for "managing my environment" to some extent and getting this stuff away from me when I had the strength to do that. Obviously I knew this day would come when I was jonesing for it.

So now that I've had two coffees the craving has passed. yay. Time to get busy with some schoolwork soon. I'll send personals in my next message.

Good Morning

ChinaMaine~Kudos for giving yourself credit!! I still have a hard time with that one. Its usually Ann who notices and says "did you give yourself credit for that?" Oh well. Zoar valley is so pretty!! Im in North Buffalo. I like it here, its kinda like a small town in a big city.

Jean~ Ouch for your dental surgery Id rather go see the gyno than the dentist!! I think I had a saddist for a dentist when I was a kid.

Excellent job pulling out of that qdoba (I havent a clue what it is) But great job! Im assuming it wasnt a good place to eat since you recovered yourself.

onebyone~ Kudos for 3 days op and Kudos for 3 days of food recording!! What movie did you go see?

Bill~ you're too funny....you should have asked her if she meant her lifetime or yours? I cant get hubby to try that stuff, I dont know why. He's always cold. I get the wool/cotton undershirts from LL Bean. Thats about as adventureous as he'll get.

I think our "cleaning" our plates comes from our parents who went without for too long. My dad grew up in a family of 11 during the depression. Then growing up we heard all about not having enough food, and to be thankful that dad was working, and working hard at a job he hated so he could put food on the table. So yah, you cleaned your plate! Things are different now.

Mind you when Im at my parents, I never ever take more than I think I'll eat...only because I still dont want to leave food on my plate. I'll never pick out the "good stuff" from a food product either.......even at 40something I'll still get lectured on the starving children. Its tough tho, when you live like that all your life, to change for your own child. I dont want her to be like me, and have the food struggles. So I suppose a little blood on my tongue from biting down on it is an ok sacrifice.

Thank You very much for the curried zucchini recipe!! This will come in very handy during zucchini harvest!

davidette~
this and Jean's post had me thinking of you 2 doing a ninja kinda workout Great job tho, using Jean as your motivation! Awesome Job!

I had forgotten to post about the TVP.....its chewy. I made up a batch of it, and I put a heaping tbsp of it in my soup every day. I didnt put it in the entire pot because I didnt want to ruin it if I didnt like it.

I noticed the flavour the first day....but I dont so much anymore. I just know that those chewy bits are the TVP. I might try adding it to some burger and see if I like it that way. I guess Im being a bit conservative with it right now. So....its not bad, and seems to soak up the flavour of what it is cooked in. I suspect if I cooked in with the entire pot of soup it wouldnt have any flavour at all, besides what is in the pot(kwim?)

Jen~

Bill~ about the pampered chef party....I hosted the party. The woman who sells pampered chef brought all the cool tools with her. I bought the groceries for the recipe she made (about $18 worth). She does all the demo of the products, tells you it's features and whatnot. I received free gifts for hosting the party, plus another bonus for hosting it in january. Then I receive a discount based on how much is ordered by my guests.
.......and I love love pampered chef products!! They are a bit pricey, but what I have has lasted me over 10yrs so far.

I love that they make food prep soooooooooooo much easier!! I hate all that chopping, slicing, dicing stuff! I just need a couple new cupboards so I can put all the new stuff away

.......stuff going on with me~ We added 8 more tables to our event, and they are almost all gone. Im starting to think this thing is going to grow into a monster. But that's good.....brings more people, which means many more potential customers out there for us.

Food is good, exercise is lacking Im just not motivated to move much. I need to get myself into ninja mode like davidette and jean!

Today I need to put the creative thinking cap on and get some posters and whatnot done for the event. Wish me luck Im not feeling the juices flowing yet

Have a great op day!! Everyone in this snowbelt storm, stay safe and warm!