Good Morning ladies !! Hope that everyone has a great Wednesday !

Karen - CONGRATS on you will power !!!

LBH - May I ask ? What are mashies ? LOL

Norissa, mashies are mashed potatoes! I LOVE masheis!! Of course I prefer the real thing, but last night's were instant. I will take them anyway i can get them.

I was thinking that ... but I never assume anything any more LOL

MMM - Love Mashed Taters. Homemade from the garden with real butter and lemon pepper.

Yesterday was odd - I didnt eat much due to the heat - it was 95 here, 80 in the house. I have a heat rash on my neck and chest and so scratching is all I think about.

I had my usual Bkfst of PJ's protien packed oatmeal & Almonds with a side of FF Cott Ch. I missed lunch due to being busy with work and not hungry. Then at 4 I had a huge pile of steamed califlower (3 cups easy) with 1/2 cup of LF plain yogurt fortified with protien pwdr, almonds, vanilla and splenda (it wasnt bad). Then I wasnt hungry just hot and around 10 pm last night decided I should eat something so I wouldnt wake up starving so I had 1/2 a PB&J on multigrain bread. I havent done the math but I would bet it was no more than 1000 cal all day -my limit being 1500.

I dont like to skip meals for fear of triggering the starvation mode and have my body start storing fat again - but I also dont like to force feed myself especially when it is hot.

I am baking a chicken for dinner tonight - of course I wont eat the skin. Will have Brussel sprouts with it and will make Hubby some rice or pasta - I will have apple sauce with mine.

Hope everyone has a terrific day!

PJ, sounds very healthy! I wish I wasn't hungry in the heat!

Just a quick fly through to say hello to everyone

I have been keeping very busy with work and the relatives, so unfortunately haven't had time to post.

We are heading out of town tomorrow morning for the weekend, so I am hoping to get all caught up on Monday (a holiday here).

Hope you all have a great weekend and TTYS.

Keep on keeping on.... TLB

Hello all! I think I did very good today. I was trying to count, but then mom made speggetti, and mixed the sauce in with it. I don't know.

I have one more exam tommorrow! Then I am done for an entire month! WOOHOO!!!

Wow, sounds like everybody is doing great this week. I'm right on track and hoping to see at least a half pound or so by Monday. We will see. I must NOT get discouraged if it doesn't happen.

All this talk of yummy food is making me hungry! I made my first GOOD homemade (well, sort of) spaghetti sauce the other night. I've tried several recipes but they just weren't quite right. I think they were just a little more complicated than a simple sauce should be. Anyway, I'm just as happy with a jar of Prego but the kids complain of "chunky" or "crunchy" stuff so I was looking for something really basic. I came across a recipe that seemed almost too simple to anything special but there were no vegetables for anybody to complain about so I gave it a shot. The only ingredients were tomato sauce, tomato paste, fresh basil and parsley, and chopped garlic. The recipe called for cooking meatballs in it, which I did, but I tasted the sauce before I added them and it was really, really good. It almost made me mad at myself for having spent so much time, money, and effort, looking for a decent sauce when this one was so cheap and easy. Oh, well, live and learn.

I am off to bed. For the past few months I've been getting to the gym around 5:00 so I need my sleep. I don't know what I'll do once school starts. I really love this schedule I'm following but I don't think it is going to work come August. Since it is summer DH doesn't have to worry about getting kids out of bed and dressed because I'm not here. He wouldn't mind doing it I am sure but I would hate for him to have to since he has to get himself out the door while I don't have to start getting myself put together until a little later in the morning. I'll have to figure something out because it is so much harder to fit in exercise while I'm juggling my schedule and everyone elses. It just works out best if I can get it done before the day starts. I am sure you are all busy too - how do you make sure you've got time to work out?

Good Morning!!!
Jawsmom--I have to come directly home and leave K at the daycare until I am finished with my treadmill...I use to feel guilty leaving her 1 hr longer..but then when I get there she doesnt want to come home because they are playing outside until 4:30 so I am ok now with it...The weekends I have to wait until naptime..DH bought me a treadmill and even a tv connected on the wall eye level, so I have no excuses!!!

Karen--I love this time of the year because of the veges!! I am still OD'ing on Fresh cherries!!!My favorite is okra and tomatoes with onions smothered down!!!Mmmmmmmmmmm......

Lauren--Mashies are a favorite here also..of course Pasta is the #1 seller with the girls!!!

LP---Yeah for U!!!!! Celebrate and do for yourself this month off!!!

ajandpj--Ms Gardener and Suzie homemaker all in one???
I am planting pumpkins for the girls to see since they got excited seeing a patch in a Barney video!!I think they are beautiful growing!!

Off to work!!!Have a great day all!!!
RR

Hi All,

RR, cool on the pumpkins! Do you need a lot of space for them?

Jawsmom, that sauce sounds really easy and yummy! Can you post the recipe on our Recipe Thread? Thanks!

TLB, Have a great weekend!

We had perogies w/spinach and onions last night. Not the healthiest, but it sure was good! Tonight is breaded chicken w.mashies and corn. Again, not the healthiest, but I'm just happy that I made a menu and stuck to it.

Another beautiful day! And it is Friday! (for me anyway)

My chicken turned out great last night. Since it was 97 yesterday - I used the gas BBQ. Used a trick I learned from somewhere - you take a can of beer any kind, crack it open and use the can to hold the chicken upright -by shoving the can in the cavity. Sit the whole thing on a metal pan or pie tin and put in the oven or BBQ. The beer boils and steams the chicken from the inside giving a moist and distinct flavor - very good. Plus your chic gets browned nicely on all sides since up right and all that fatty juice is caught in the pan.

We havent even done our garden yet - hubby thinks it will be fine because we have a late summer here and last year we were still getting veggies in october.

His plan is to finally put it in today - the delay was due to water issues and irrigation problems. We plant about a quarter acre - the best part is that our neighbor is retired and he comes over and helps tend the garden in exchange for veggies. And when it is over and we dig it up - the leftovers go to the chickens - man do they love tomatoes! Last year we had tons that never even go ripe and tons that did. I made homemade canned tomato sauce and stewed tomatos. So easy.

Anyway - its bkfst time. No chores today since hubby home - but we have FD tonight - playing with the hoses.

Later Ladies!

PJ, we have a smoker and DH made Beer Can Chicken in it...it was AWESOME! Soo moist!

OK ladies, does the Beer Can chicken taste like beer? I've heard about it from several sources, but I've been scared to try it. I REALLY dislike the taste of beer. I wouldn't want to waste the chicken.

No Karen, it doesn't at all. I HATE beer, so if it did, i wouldn't be eating it.

The closest I could say is it tastes a bit smoked.

Since the alcohol burns off in the boiling the chicken is getting infused with the grain part of the beer - but like I said cant describe it - if you want to - practice on a game hen.