Good Tuesday Morning!
 

Morning all!

Belle and I are settling in for, hopefully, a good day's work (Belle has a little pillow on my desk that she curls up on while I work).

I've restocked the pantry with good foods--lots of veggies. I think I'm going to grill some veggies for tonight--YUM!

Jackie--Interesting fitness facts! It sounds like you have been molto busy! Don't wear yourself out, but have fun.

Country--You know what to do!!!!!

Heart--The food journal sounds like a good plan. I write down everything that goes in my mouth and it really helps!

Monet--The archer lady is back!!!!! I haven't heard you talk about your archery in a long time! Have fun!

Toni--The Waldorf salad sounds great!

BOB--So glad the hear that the wedding went well! Sounds like you did a great job. I hope this injection works too!!! You need to have some relief from that pain!

Nat--Wow--great yard sale! You gave great advice to Mum! I remember the first time I went out to eat on SB. I didn't fill up on bread before dinner, ate my salad, my meat and some steamed veggies. No potato. At the end of the meal everyone was complaining about how miserable they were and I thought "I feel satisfied." That was a powerful learning moment!

Thin--enjoy the freedom! I love the dance recitals--they are always sooooo cute!

Keng--Hope you are doing well. Enjoy the summer with Julia--it will be a special time as you wait together for her new little sibling!

I hope everyone has a great OP day!

Susan

Good Morning! I got up earlier than I wanted to, and tried to get some stuff done. I don't think I accomplished much, but I feel like I have been busy and its not even 11 yet!

I woke up this morning with a blister on my finger where the arrows hit. A good reason to remember to wear my shooting glove! :rolleyes:

Tonight, I am going to cook some chicken breasts in the pressure cooker and see how they turn out. I may use a homemade teriyaki style sauce and fix some rice to go with it. In fact, I may do the rice in the cooker first, then do the chicken.

I havested a huge bag of radish sprouts this morning. I think I went over board on the amount I was sprouting! Especially when James told me this morning they gave him indigestion and not to serve him any anymore. I don't believe him, but when he gets these ideas, its best to humor him! :)
I may go out to lunch, but I really don't want to, since I want to eat sprouts!

If I am not on tomorrow, its because James is having surgery in the morning. I will have to go and sit and wait. I may go try and find a good book to read. I will check in as soon as I can.


FILLISE: My archery was kind of on hold...Tom wanted to build me a target stand, but never had time. I just bought a stand with a gift certificate the church gave me and I am back in business! :) Unfortunately, I have to be careful not to shoot when the cats are out!

KENG: I am going to try a chicken recipe tonight, with boneless chicken breasts. I am not sure how I will fix them, but I am thinking of using soy sauce, ginger, green onions and sesame oil on them. With some veggies thrown in and served on rice, it might be pretty good! :)

JACK: Thanks for posting the facts and tips! I read part of them, and will finish the rest when I am done with replies. Wow...100 kids! That is brave!

COUNTRY: When you are not eating on plan is when you need to be on here! That is why I am on here so much! :lol3:

HEART: Journaling is a great idea! I hope it helps. Poor Boogie! Shots are no fun!

TONI: That is great how you are planning ahead! I love that breakfast casserole...I am toying with making one too!

BOB: I am sure with all your brains, your head must weigh at least 15 pounds! :) Send me all your times. I want to see what all you cook, and how long it takes. I think this is going to be the beginnings of some changes at SpaMonet's kitchen!

PANCHO: I am glad the garage sale went so well! The heat sounds horrible though! I guess you have to make sure you drink a lot of water when you are out, right?

THIN: The recipe for onion rings is easy: 1 large yellow onions (you can use Vidalia or sweet onions, but the yellows have more flavor) cut into slices and separated into rings

Mix together: 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup oil, 1 egg, salt and pepper. When well blended, beat in 1 cup ww flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Put 1/2 cup flour in a bowl. Dip onion rings into flour, then into batter. Fry in 375 degree oil until golden brown. I thinned it a bit and used it for shrimp and it was pretty good.
Guess that does it for me! :wave:

Good afternoon everyone. I'm having a wonderful lazy day today. I was so busy yesterday I thought I would take a day for myself today. My eating has been good. And I'm hopeing for a loss tomorrow. Hopeing, hopeing, hopeing! Breakfast- egg and sausage casserole Lunch- canalope and waldorf coleslaw. S- hard boiled egg Dinner- hamburger and cabbage dish and strawberries.

Monet- Thank you so much for that onion ring recipe. I'm going to try them this week end. It will be a treat for my DH. Your pressure cooker food sounds so good. I can't wait to find out how your chicken turns out.

Bob- Oh my gosh the shots sound awful. I do hope you have some relief from all the pain you've been in.

Jack-K- Wow!!! Are you kidding a 100 kids!!!! Girlfriend you're going to need a day at the spa after that. You must have nerves of steel. It makes me sweat just thinking about fixing food and stuff for that many people!!

Heartmom- I sure have the same problem with my eating. When I look back over the past year I can't believe I'm no where near where I want to be. Sure hope the journaling works.

CountryMom- Just hop back up in this old wagon and start again with better eating.... Doesn't that just make ya crazy when you get off plan.....

Julia- I'm sure your daylilies are going to look so pretty. I love them too.

Fillise- Belle sounds so sweet on her little pillow. I've got my dog laying by me and he's so much company.

Well need to finish up here and head in for a nap.... Ahhh a lazy day!!!

Good afternoon ladies

Busy ordering food again today. I keep changing my mind. Not sure if I will have enough and then will probably have waay to much. There is a misunderstanding. I am having 100 people and about 25-40 kids (22 year olds) Not 100 kids. I would kill myself. There will probably be about 15-20 small children, but as long as their parents are watching them, it will be fine.

Ken, sorry you are cranky today. Hope your mood improves. Could you share your brown rice pilaf recipe? I love rice pilaf. I am having quite a few things, mainly turkey, BBQ, chicken salad, hot wings, and many hordevours (sp) type things. It is not 100 kids, but 100 people plus about 25 22 year olds. To me they are still kids.

Susan, I actually love the party planning even though I am kitchen challenged. I have lots of people helping fix some things.

Monet, glad you are enjoying your archery again. Some days you may want to shoot when the kittens are out. Just kidding.

Heart, journeling is a good idea. I hope it really helps keep you on track. I think I may start on that myself next week.

Toni, you should take a day out for yourself. See my not to Ken about the kids. Have a nice restful day.

Have a great day.

Good afternoon,

I am beat up...haha...just from putting in some daylilies into the ground. I am so out of shape plus with the big tummy now, squarting was definitely a challenge. I feel like I need a good nap...lol. Thia is embarassing...lol. The daylilies at Lowes are disappearing fast and I almost didn't find anything but managed to get few pots of nice red ones which I hope will look beautiful. I still have to go back to get one more pot to fill up the space I allocated for the red ones. I will head out after a little rest.

Lunch was good, not exactly the same menu but close. I made the salmon with ginger dressing, basmati rice pilaf (didn't have time to wait for brown rice to cook), sauteed spinach and green beans from the can. I feel that I needed lots of veggies today. I think my body was telling me that so I opened a can of green beans. Jess loves "can" green beans compared to any other veggies I know.

Some replies :

FILLISE : You and Belle are so perfect together. What a wonderful relationship you both have. I am certainly going to cherish my summer with Jess and hubby, I know I will have less strength and time after the baby comes. Anyhow, I know it is just going to be temporary.

MONET : Don't you just love it when you feel that you are productive? I wish I feel like that everyday...lol, at least I know my home will be much tidier. Your chicken breast recipe tonight sounds good, I am sure it will turn out well.

TONI : Wonderful lazy day sounds like my kind of day...lol. Enjoy! Love your yummy menu today...I am envious because I ran out of my breakfast casserole....lol. Have a good nap :)

That's for now. I think i will go into my room to lay down for few mins.

Julia

JACK-K : 100 kids or adults that is a lot of people, do you have any help in the cooking department? My brown rice pilaf can be any combination you like. It depends on my time and mood, I will add different things. I usually sauteed some chopped veggies like onions, mushrooms, green peppers, garlic, some chicken boullion, dried spices together in olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. When the veggies are almost cooked to my desire texture, I add in some cooked brown rice and sauteed them together. I taste it to see if I like how it tastes or if I need to add more salt, spices etc. Once I am satisfied, it is ready to serve. You can certainly add some dried fruits or even nuts to the rice. Another simple version that I made is using white basmati rice. This is how I made it today. Heat up some olive oil in the rice pot, add some chopped onions, then chopped garlic, paprika, chicken bouillon (not too much), salt and pepper, dried spices like parsley, basil etc. Mix them together and then add my uncooked basmati rice. Sauteed until the rice is well mixed with the veggies mixtures and then add some water and put the cover on. Bring the rice mixture to a boil and then turn the heat to simmer. I usually simmer about 15 to 20 mins and then I turn off the heat. I add in some frozen green peas at this point and incorporate the peas into the rice by fluffing the rice. Put the cover back and let it steam (heat off) until you are ready to eat. Basically any combination of flavour you like. Hope my directions are not too confusing. I am not good at writting out my own recipe :)

Julia

Just checking in...Laura talked me into making her a batch of the beef stew, since the guys ate it all up last night. I think she liked it. :) I need to put the leftovers in the fridge and James can eat it after his surgery. Beef stew is a nice comfort food....
Then I am going to get going on tonights concoction! I found a few sites online with pressure cooker recipes, so I will use them as guides. I think I can get into this fast cooking! Its awesome!

Lunch was supposed to be out with a neighbor, but I could not get in touch with her, so I ate here. I still have not heard from her, so I am assuming she forgot. That is quite all right, as I wanted to eat sprouts anyway! I had two brown rice cakes with ham, cheese, and sprouts, and some crab with sprouts and mayo on it. For a snack, I had a taste of the beef stew I fixed for Laura.

Dinner tonight will be chicken, rice and nappa cabbage.

:wave: I will be back later!

Well Jack-K you started a panic here when we thought you having 100 kids. I'm laughing so hard.....

Good afternoon everyone:

Lane has reminded me all day what a beautiful day it is. She keeps saying, "it's a beautiful day, isn't it mommy?" It's hotter than the dickens, and she sees the beauty in the day; how sweet. It really is pretty right now though; all the Palo Verde trees are yellow and the sahuaro cactus' have white flowers all over the tops of them. There are baby quail and baby bunnies all over. Sitting in the air conditioning looking out, it can be quite beautiful ;) .

DH is picking up Britt from school today and taking her out for ice cream, and then to spend some of the money she made at the garage sale; she made nearly $25...which I thought was pretty darn good. I guarantee you, she will buy something for Lane, or me or her teacher or someone other than just herself because that is how she is. She is so giving and loving, and so unselfish!!

MONET....YOU OWE ME MORE MONEY!!! :lol: :lol: . Thanks for sending me to Michael's for those summer crafts; I just spent $95. I got a bunch of really great stuff though, and the kids will definately have lots to do! I just have to tell my DH now :( .

O.K. I don't want to offend anyone here, or upset anyone...but, I just wanted to remind you all what we were saying back when it was cold out and we were making our comfort foods and eating all those no-no's. We all said that when the weather warmed up and all the good produce was out that we were going to be on plan and lose the weight that we gained during those winter months!!! Well, the time is here! No more excuses...let's do it!!! There are lots of BBQ's and parties, but there is almost always something legal....salads, fruits, meats/cheeses. Even a dreaded piece of watermelon will be better than a brownie or slice of pie. I'm not pointing fingers because I am as guilty as anyone else. I do know that it is much easier to eat the right foods now though. I have so many fresh fruits and veggies in the fridge now that I am anxious to dig into. Let's get to it and do it!! NO MORE EXCUSES.

BOB: It sounds as if the wedding went wonderfully. I am sure you are happy to have it behind you though.

Toni: Planning ahead is such a good motivator to stay on track. I used to make pitas, legal muffins, etc..ahead of time and it kept me so much on plan. I gotta get back to that. I found an awesome muffin recipe in a cookbook that I am going to try to modify a bit to make SB legal. If they turn out, I will have to post the recipe. I hope you see a loss tomorrow.

Jack: Sounds like you had a very busy weekend. You have got your work cut out for you with all those people. 100 people in any shape or form is still an awful lot of people. Good luck...you're gonna need it :p . Thanks for the tips/facts; they are always so fun to read.

Monet: All this talk about the pressure cooker makes me want to keep mine (just kidding). It sure sounds like a time saver. I know my mom would put frozen meat in there, and it would be ready in less than an hour. I used to love to eat sprouts on everything until I kept reading about the bacteria found in most sprouts. I've stayed away from them for awhile now; It's nice to be able to grow your own! Good luck to James tomorrow during surgery; I am sure all will go well! Keep practicing with those bows and you'll whip the competition. I am sure it is great arm exercise. I know after shooting darts for too long, my arm starts to hurt.

Heart: I think a journal is a great idea. I remember what an eye-opener it was for me when I first started journaling. I think you will find that some of your sweet cravings are coming after your diet soda consumption. I found that was happening to me. I ordered Tony & the Kids video from Beachbody for the girls. They always want to exercise when I do, and this is geared toward children. It hasn't come in yet, but we can do it this summer to keep them moving, and out of the heat.

Country: Every day is a new day...put yesterday behind you and jump back on the SB wagon today. You are an old pro; you'll be back on track in no time.

Ken: Grouchy...what???? You are pregnant and it is summer; do you need any other excuses??? :lol: . How'd the meeting with the decorator go? My DH and I balance eachother out quite well. I am the uptight control freak, and he is the laid back, level-headed one.

Fillise: Just picturing Belle on your desk makes me smile; how cute is that! I agree with you. I always try to remind myself how eating to satisfaction is so much more pleasurable than eating to finish or until I am stuffed. I would much rather walk than waddle away (ha).

Well, Lane just woke up from her nap, so I better go spend some time with her.

Take care!
Nat

Dinner was a chicken 'chop suey' - chicken in soy sauce with veggies on rice. It was tasty, but not what I was wanting it to be. I got it done and then James worked longer than I expected, and it over cooked. The veggies were mushy and the chicken got a bit dry. They loved it though. I need to practice with cooking brown rice in the pressure cooker too...it turned out really good, but I had too much water in it and it got a bit sticky.

I have to leave here at 7 to be at the doctor's office before 8 with James for his pre-op. Then on to the hospital for their pre-op at 8:30. The doctor's office is in the complex with the hospital, thankfully! I need to remember to carry some cash for parking. I wish I had planned better, and gotten some things I could carry to eat. I think I will be there from 8am until 2 or 3pm by myself. I don't even have a book to read! :( I wish I had a laptop with a wireless modem! I could surf and play online while he was in surgery. Maybe I will try to carry my crochet stuff and see if I can do anything with it. I should also carry some drawing materials.

I will check in later tomorrow once we are home. I hope WIW is a good one for everyone! :wave:

Oh no!
 

Silly computer deleted my note. Couldn't be because I hit the wrong key somewhere... :) My bath water is ready so I don't have time to repost it all. But each of you is in my prayers and I appreciate all the encouragement.

YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!!!!

Love and hugs,
Crystle

Good Wednesday Morning!
 

Morning all!

Another gorgeous day here. A cold front went through last night so the humidity has dropped (note "cold front" here means it might hit only 80 degrees today). I'll have to find some stuff to do outside!

Monet--Prayers for James today! I hope you don't get too bored waiting. Let us know when he is home.

Nat--You are so right--now is the time to make good on those winter promises to ourselves. NO MORE EXCUSES!

Country--enjoy that bath!

Keng--those daylillies will be gorgeous!

Jackie--Yeah I was panic stricken at the thought of 100 young people. Now that it's only 20 or so. . . still sounds like a huge crowd to me. I'm glad you have help!

Oops--got to go. I'll try to get back to finish relies later.

Susan

Happy WIW!

Hope the scale is good to everyone today. I was down 2 lbs since Monday's weigh-in and I don't remember what last Tuesday was. I need to change my ticker. I was trying to wt and hoping to get back to that number, but it is not happening as quickly as I would like.

Julia, thanks for the info on the rice. I think I will try it with the basmati rice. Don't wear yourself out with all that planting.

Monet, you were already a cooking fool now with the pressure cooker you will be cooking up everything in site. Hope James' surgey goes ok today.

Nat, any day the sun is shinning is a beautiful day. The perspective of kids is so amazing. Hope Britt got something nice for herself at the store. I agree with your point on the winter/summer. We all need to get on the ball and take advantage of the summer foods and the weather to get out an exercise. Next Monday, I am hitting it hard on both accounts and so is everyone in my house (whether they know/like it or not).

Country, hang in there. We can do this with each other's help.

Susan, I know you can find something outdoors to do with that beautiful yard of yours. Enjoy your nice day.

Tech, Happy Anniversary. How many years? Enjoy your day and week with DH. We will catch up next week.

Toni: :wave:

have a great day. I'll check back later.

The board seems to be slowing down again; what's up with that? Where are all you missing SB's?

WIW: I was at 123# today, and can't quite figure out why. I went to the gym on Mon, and I will be going today as well. I will post at the end of the week on the exercise board. I ate pretty well yesterday too. We will see how it looks next week. I am on target to get 4 days exercise in this week.

So far:
BF: oatmeal w/ agave syrup, flax meal, blanched almonds, cinnamon and a glass of skim milk. I usually eat some form of fruit with my oatmeal, but I have so much fruit in the house now that I'd rather snack on it during the day, but still not eat too much.

Lunch: Will be a turkey sandwich on WG bread.

Dinner: Will be a few slices of pizza (Britt has a birthday party to go to after school, and pizza is the dinner).

Snack: Not sure yet, but will probably be Triscuits w/ Laughing Cow Lite cheese, fruit (cherries, strawberries or grapes), Trader Joes granola bar.....we'll see.

I will also drink lots & lots of water!

Monet: I'm thinking of you and James today. We will be waiting to hear how he does with the surgery. Good luck not eating too much of that vending machine food.

Country: Losing a post is the pits! I hope you enjoyed your bath.

Fillise: That's funny....a cold front here means low 100's this time of year!

Tech: Happy Anniversary....enjoy!!! Glad y ou enjoyed the birthday party and are back on track now. If you stay there, those pants will stay a little loose. I would love to have a George Foreman grill with removable parts! Why didn't he think of that before? I already have two. I have the great big giant one, and a mid-size one. I love them, but the clean-up can be a pain sometimes. I think Monet mentioned placing a wet paper towel in it when done, and it makes clean-up easier. I have tried that and it really does help. Can't your DH think of somewhere more romantic that Home Depot to take you today? :lol:

Jack: Anytime the sun isn't shining is a beautiful day here :lol: . I guess they don't call it the Valley of the Sun for nothin'. I think getting the entire family involved in diet/exercise regimen is a great motivator!!

Well, Lane is calling me........"Mommy, I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeed you."

Gotta run!

Have a great OP day!
Nat