A Woman of Many Hats

[purenavygirl]

Whoa! What a long weekend... It didn't fly by like I expected it to (thankfully). I ended up working 10 A - 2 P on Thursday and Friday. Turkey day at his folks was alright - I arrived around 3 pm and got home around 10 P. I didn't over indulge. I had one small (1/3 - 1/2 C) of real mashed potatoes and some sweet corn. Funny enough, I ate ham and no turkey! heh heh I didn't eat any stuffing (not crazy about it) or cranberry sauce. I did have a small helping of sweet potato souffle (sp?). There were all kinds of pies, but I limited myself to 2 cookies for dessert. I did eat a lot of fresh veggies (tray) and used some spinach artichoke dip. Overall, I think I did good. I never felt "stuffed".

Friday, well, I don't typically participate in Black Friday shopping sprees. However, Wal-Mart had some good deals, and well, I got my butt up at 4:30 am and arrived at Wal-Mart at 5:05 am. I got everything I wanted, plus some... Spent a chunk of change, but now that I did that, I'm almost done Christmas shopping. Just a few small things left now. I was home by 7:30 am. We went to dinner and a play on Friday night. The meal was served to us: cesar salad (croutons went to DH), beef w/ gravy, green beans and mashed potatoes. (small portions). I drank coffee and water. For dessert, I split my spice cake with DH and he gave me some of his banana cream pie (fruit, right? ). We stopped at a bar afterwards and I had one drink: vodka and cranberry juice.

Saturday was LONG, BUSY and a little weird, but it worked out okay. I got up early with DH (who hunted) and actually EXERCISED! Oh, did it feel great! I also started straightening/cleaning the house, as I hosted my family for the "non-traditional" holiday experience. My sister and her hubby, who were bringing lunch, arrived around 12:30. We had lasagne made with WW noodles and loaded with fresh squash, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. We also made salads. It was DE-LISH! Then, while they all snoozed, I went to work. I made home made steak house bread (similar to Outback's bread - half bread flour half WW flour) and Autumn Harvest Cake (WW flour, Splenda, chopped peacans, grated carrots, granny smith apples, zucchini). I was responsible for dinner, so I made it an Autumn theme. Apple-Butternut Squash soup (SBD cookbook), steak house bread w/ Splenda brown sugar and cinnamon Smart Balance EVOO butter and seasoned baked chicken halves. I made the pumkin custard recipe (on this site from Dolly) for dessert along with the Autumn Havest Cake. My Dad brought barbequed meatballs and lil smokies. I had a glass of black and blue wine (berries). My sister decorated sugar cookies with DS earlier that day, so I did have 1 of those.

Sunday, I finished putting up my Christmas tree. It turned out gorgeous! (Part of my Wal-Mart bill was for some new decorations for the tree... ) It's done in silver and teal with the cool white LED lights. If I can take a nice picture, maybe I'll post it. Anyway, I was busy, so I didn't eat much. Autumn cake for breakfast, leftover fish/peas/pinto beans from dinner last week and some (not much) chips and salsa in the afternoon. We watched the Browns v. Bengals game (WHO DEY!) and then around 5 pm we cleaned the car and got our recycling ready to drop off. I ordered pizza and breadsticks and off we went. Unloaded the recylcing and picked up the pizza. I had 1 breadstick and about 5 pieces of pizza (square cut). It was good, but this morning, I am back on track.

After all that, I gained 1 lb. Not bad, considering. As long as I stay under 160, for now, I'm good.

I got up and exercised this morning. (Yay, twice in the past 3 days!) For $10 at Wal-Mart, I bought a Walk Away the Pounds DVD. OMG - I am in love! That's what I did Saturday morning and again this morning. In approximately 30 minutes, I "walked" 2 miles in the comfort of my own home! It's really nice because it's easy on the joints and it goes FAST. They also incorporate arm movements into the routine, so when I used my hand weights, I got arm exercise too. I bought the DVD that has 5 different routines on it. One is 18 min long, one is 20 min long and the other 3 are approx 30 min long. (Michelle, if and when you read this, I think you might actually enjoy this one...and the price is right!) If I'm feeling good, I might try to get some yoga in tonight - I'm missing it.

Well, I'm writing a novela here, so I better get going. I'm going to go check on some other journals and see what's up.

Have a great day!

11/30/2009

Breakie
1 C Fiber One cereal
1/3 C Blueberries
6 oz FF milk

Morning Snack
8 oz V8
1 Hard boiled egg

Lunch
Romaine Salad
Cuccumbers
Zucchini
Kalmatta olives
2 TB LF Zesty Italian dressing
Can of Hearts of Palm - Not bad for me, but the entire can?!?!

Afternoon Snack
1 LF Mozarella string cheese
Zucchini & Cucumber Rounds
Hummus

Dinner/Dessert

2 Pieces left over pizza (squares)
1 Breadstick
2-3 C Apple-Butternut Squash soup
Half a can of green peas
Piece of Autumn Harvest cake w/ butter
Piece of Steak House bread w/ butter
1 Cookies 'n Cream candy thingy

[SharleyBloom]

Wow! You fit almost as much into your week as I did! You did much better SB than I did! LOL But, I'm back home now and my other DD is taking care of me and we're right back on the beach. I did learn a few lessons, but I'll save that for my journal.

Yay on the "e" DVD. I'll be looking for one. I did get the Turbo Jam for the Abs, but she sold the others at a yard sale. Ugh!

Sounds like you got to focus on what's important with your friend. Sometimes, that's all you've got to work with, so that's what you do.

Sorry to hear about you and DH walking a different path. Keep in mind, sometimes when we're scared we're going to lose something, especially men, we tend to push it away subconsciously to help lessen the pain. He may seem unreasonable and illogical, but it may be a biological/psychological reaction. Might be something to look up on the internet.

Where did you get the recipe for Autumn Harvest Cake?

It's Monday and we're back on the beach. Go figure! LOL

[purenavygirl]

I spiraled out of control last night. Maybe it wasn't that bad, but I feel like I was a bad carb and junk eating beast. I did really well all day, until I got home. I ate 2 pieces (squares) of left over pizza from Sunday, a breadstick, leftover apple butternut squash soup, half a can of green peas, a piece of autumn harvest cake/bread w/ butter, a piece of steak house bread w/ butter and one cookies 'n cream candy thingy I bought from the local band boosters. I just realized I didn't eat any meat yesterday. Not much protein, no wonder I was hungry! The funny thing is that I ate all of that by about 6:30 pm. I didn't eat anything else the rest of the night - dozing off in front of the tv while DS watch "Bee Movie" helped with that!

Either way, I'm a little embarassed about letting poor eating habits get the best of me last night. Mother Nature is due for a visit any day now, so I wonder if that had something to do with it? Am I stress eating? I'm usually pretty cool and totally in control of my Life. Lately, I feel a little helpless about things, and it's putting me in a position I haven't been in before. I'll get through it - I always do.

Today, however, I am good to go so far. I started the day off right with a good breakfast and 30 minutes of yoga. *puts sunglasses on* Let's go!!!

12/01/2009 - December already?

Breakie
8 oz V8
1.5 Eggs - the first one exploded in the microwave!
1/3 C Salsa
1 Slice Canadian bacon

Morning Snack
6 oz LF Yogurt

Lunch
3 oz Sausage
1/2 C Sour Kraut
2 C Green Beans
Celery rib w/ approx 1-1.5 T NAB

Afternoon Snack
Granny Smith apple
1 LF Mozarella string cheese

Dinner
Tilapia fillet w/ FF H&H & Dijon mustard sauce
Couple shakes of parm cheese
2 C Baby Spinach
3/4-1 C Broccoli
1/2 C Chickpeas

Dessert
8 oz FF milk
Small Piece of Autumn Havest cake

Evening Snack
1/2-3/4 C LF Cottage Cheese
1 pkt Splenda
Couple dashes of Cinnamon

[SharleyBloom]

Here's the thing, sometime's its hard to fight mother nature. On top of your TOM, it's also the time of year that our bodies are conditioned to store fat, much like squirrels store nuts. It's the nature of the beast to want to eat. But, you do so well a majority of the time! Don't let a little binge shake you. It wouldn't hurt to get rid of the icky leftovers, and I don't mean by eating them! LOL

I'm with ya.... *also putting her sunglasses on, uses her best Tom Cruise voice from Top Gun* I feel the need, the need.... for speed! Let's do it!

[purenavygirl]

Thanks, Michelle! You always know how to put a smile on my face! I'm hoping that the rest of the leftovers are gone when I get home tonight - DH is good at cleaning out our junk food stores. LOL I am addicted to the Steakhouse bread, but need to limit my intake as it's half white flour and half WW flour. So, technically, it's not 100% SB compliant. I will make it once in a while as a treat only, or if DH wants another loaf. He loves the home made breads and I have found my niche in making them. But, now, I can't enjoy them as often. Oh well, my healthy WOE is higher up on the importance list!

The Harvest cake is actually SB compliant, so if I do decide to use a small serving as my dessert/grain tonight, I should be okay. Plus, I need my calcium/dairy and it would go really well with a nice cold glass of FF milk.

I need to get some more SB compliant desserts around the house. I'm thinking of making one of those cannelinli bean cakes. I think that would go over well with DH, DS and anyone else who might try it. Until then, maybe I'll try the sweetened cottage cheese with cinnamon that I hear everyone rave about. Sounds good, really!

My last issue is that our budget is tight (who's isn't right now?) and I have enough food to get until this weekend - however, I'm running out of SB friendly food. I may just wing it the rest of the week and see how things go. I'll fall back on more frozen and canned veggies instead of the occasional salad. I do have lean chicken, tuna and frozen fish fillets, so I think I can make it. I have the stuff to make a SB meatloaf, too. It'll take a little adjustment, but I think it can be done. Afterall, I've always been fairly resourceful!

With that, I'm done thinking "out loud". I guess I'm typing just to type. ha! Have a great day!

[SharleyBloom]

Ideas....

Frozen banana halves (on a stick or not!) coated with s/f chocolate pudding, rolled in nuts. (should work, all those things freeze well!)

No sugar added fudgecicles... some people make these into dessert by letting them defrost until soft serve consistancy and adding peanutbutter. I myself, am a purist, why ruin it with peanutbutter?!?

Frozen blueberries. The fresh type thrown in the freezer, not the frozen mushy type you buy.

Fresh strawberries dragged through f/f sour cream and then the splenda brown sugar (to die for!) Not frozen!

Apple half with open side dipped in s/f maple syrup and then pecans

Baked apple with brown sugar splenda

Cocoa Almonds (made by Emerald)

Canned peach half drizzled with a little s/f maple syrup and sprinkled with chopped pecans... cold or warmed in the oven! If you wanted, you could sprinking with a bit of oatmeal or I'm thinking the Kashi Go Lean cereal if you need more crunch!

See a theme? Notice what's missing?

If you need chocolate, buy a really good dark chocolate candybar, make sure that the percent of cocoa is HIGH enough to make you only want ONE piece.

My favorite dessert? Fresh brewed coffee w/ a splash of Amaretto, 1% milk and half packet splenda! Here, we call this "Happy Coffee".

[purenavygirl]

Those sound absolutely wonderful. I actually have a lot of those ingredients hanging around the house. I might have to try them all! The Happy Coffee - definitely a winner. I love Amaretto! Maybe that will be a good beverage of choice to help with the Christmas festivities, too.

Thankfully, I am not a chocolate nut. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good piece of chocolate once in a while, but I prefer milk chocolate. So, therefore, I usually don't eat chocolate unless it's cocoa powder in a receipe or the BBB - in which I do use a 100% Coaca bar (by the way, that bar is bitter when you try it alone...)

[wrknonit]

Hi Beth! Sorry I've been away for a while. I was reading the string about desserts and wondering why you weren't doing the BBBs, they are so good and SB friendly. I find if I have them in the fridge I'll grab them before I'll grab something unhealthy. Not eating enough protein during the day doesn't help either nor does the TOM. Don't beat yourself up over it though, just get back on the veggie train. It does suck when the grocery money is spent and your left with the stuff you don't want, but hang in there! I'll try to get on again soon. to check on your progress. Take care!

[purenavygirl]

Hey Jen! I'm doing better now - didn't beat myself up too bad. Just got on here and admitted my mistake and moved on. To me, part of staying successful is not wanting to come on here and fess up that I did a 'no no'. Keeps me in check! I do like the BBB and usually have some hanging around. However, I use a receipe with SF Hershey's syrup and a melted coaca bar. I don't have a coaca bar right now, so they're on hold until I make it to the grocery store.

Last night, I did try about 1/2 - 3/4 C LF cottage cheese, 1 pkt Splenda and a couple dashes of cinnamon for an evening snack. It was really good and settled my sweet tooth (which I only get occassionally, thankfully!). Might have to keep that as a back up plan, as I always have those ingredients hanging around.

OOOOOH! I also made the most yummy tilapia last night. I started by sauteeing 2 C baby spinach in EVOO. I threw the tilapia fillet in and let it start cooking. Then, after deciding I wanted more flavor, I added a splash of FF H&H and some dijon mustard (probably close to 4-5 T) and sprinkled with Low Sodium seasoning salt. I topped it with a few shakes of parm cheese. DE-LISH!

Wooo-hooo! I exercised this morning! 30 minutes of Walk & Kick from my Walk Away the Pounds DVD. I'm proud of myself, 3 days in a row now! I figure with TOM and drill coming up this weekend, I need to get exercise in. It helps with stress, metabolism, etc. (I know ya'll know!) I love the feeling after I work out. So, in a way, it's also a happy mood enhancer for me, too. Something all us ladies need once in a while when Mother Nature makes us fierce!

Have a Happy Hump Day!

12/02/2009

Breakie
8 oz V8
1/4-1/3 C Egg Beaters - used up the carton
1 C Baby Spinach
1/3 C Salsa
Sprinkle of parm cheese (1/2 T ???)

Morning Snack
Celery Rib
LF Laughing Cow wedge

Lunch
8 oz FF milk
2-3 oz Chicken breast cooked in EVOO
1/3-1/2 C Chickpeas
3/4-1 C Green peas
2-3 bites of this spinach alfredo noodle stuff (packaged stuff)

Afternoon Snack
Granny Smith apple
2 T NAB

Dinner
Hearty sausage & pasta stew soup (includes veggies - SB recipe from this forum)
1 C Baby Spinach

Dessert
Dreamsicle Bean Cake

[Beaching It]

Hey Navygirl! Just dropping in to say 'hi'. I noticed that our SW and GW is the same so that's cool! We'll get there, one step at a time. Glad you like the workout DVD and enjoyed Thanksgiving with your family. I agree about the black bean brownies... delicious!! but it took me a few tries to get them right. Now I can't live without them.

[purenavygirl]

Hi Beaching It! Yeah, that is cool on the goal weight! However, you're still a little further along than I am! Keep up the good work!

I don't know if I'll ever get back down to 140, but it's worth working for. Originally, I had 145, which is probably more realistic, but before I had my first pregnancy, I hung around 142-143 lbs. (I was fresh out of bootcamp/basic training and was in the best shape I had ever been in...Oh, the good old days! lol)

BBB - yes a wonderful treat! It took me about 3 tries, but now I have a recipe that I really enjoy. I just noticed that Hershey's makes a SF chocolate chip now. I might have to use some of those instead of regular - then I can add a few more to the batch instead of being so "sparing"... YUM!

Speaking of bean treats. OMG, did I make the most wonderful dessert last night! Out on the recipe forum, there is a receipe for an Orange Cream (Creamsicle) Cake made with white kidney beans. It was wonderful. The only change I made was using the large box of SF vanilla pudding - that's all the grocery store had. In a way, I'm glad I did, because the topping turned out really thick and creamy. I don't eat a lot of desserts or in huge quantities, so I'm sure the extra SF pudding didn't make a huge difference for me.

I didn't exercise this morning. Mother Nature finally came last night and I'm just feeling a little tired. Not to mention I got a headache yesterday afternoon and it still hasn't gone away. I took Ibuprofen last night and then some Pamprin this morning. It's dull, but still annoying. I don't know what's up with that? I'm going to try to get some extra water in, as I don't think I drank enough the past two days. Plus, it's cold season, and I don't want this to turn into anything. With me being busy, it's easy to become rundown and get sick. That's why I'm eating healthy, exercising and taking my vitamins!

12/03/2009

Breakie
Couple swigs of V8 - emptied the bottle
1/2 C LF Cottage Cheese
1 C Salsa

Morning Snack
LF Mozarella string cheese

Lunch
3-4 oz SB friendly meatloaf (1 lb beef, shredded zuchhini, entire onion, 2 eggs, 1 C oats, seasonings)
1/3 C frozen sweet corn (from our garden)
1 C Broccoli
1/3 C Edamame
1 T Smart Balance stick butter
Raspberry Diet Rite

Afternoon Snack
Granny Smith Apple
LF Laughing Cow wedge

Dinner
2-3 C SB friendly beef chili
2-3 T cheddar cheese
1 T FF Sour cream
8 oz FF milk

Dessert
Dreamsicle Cake

Evening Snack
2 C Microwave Popcorn - Tender White
Diet Rite

[SharleyBloom]

Hope you feel better my dear! Sometimes it's just good to take a little rest. You're like a firecracker lit at both ends anyways! Today think S L O W.

Also, I heard a couple of things about headaches... first from a doctor.. when you have a headache, drink 8oz glass of water. Lots of times it's from being dehydrated. Second, read online somewhere... smell something rose scented. Has something to do with the synapses (sp?) in your brain. I just love alternative medicine. Who says that Western medicine has all the answers, eh?

Have a wonderful beachy day!

[purenavygirl]

Yes, yes... Taking it S...L...O...W... I've been trying! I drank plenty of water today and my headache is still nagging at me. I think I'm going to drink a nice cup o' mango ceylon tea tonight (thanks to my sis). I don't have anything rose scented, but I'm glad to hear that, as roses are my favorite flower and one of my favorite scents! And, yes, Michlle, I am somewhat into alternative medicines as well. There is a place for both Western and alternative and if theres a way to heal it naturally, I'm all for it!

I got my blood work back today. Good news and bad news. My overall cholesterol was finally in the acceptable range! (Proof that the SB WOE really helps!) Nothing was overly high, although my LDL was a little high in the acceptable range. (Yes, I worry because of family history...) My not so good news is my Lipoprotein(a) number came back 59. It's supposed to be 29 or less. Doc said we're not going to do anything about it right now as far as prescriptions go. She wants me to get it checked annually to monitor any increases. I was told to keep exercising and eat a healthy diet.

At my appointment a few weeks ago, I explained to her my Dad's doc recommended SBD and that I had been on it for about 5 weeks (at that time). With my overall cholesterol improving, I am definitely sticking with it. I can't afford not to.

With the "e" train actively running now, I have all my bases covered.

All I can do is my BEST!

[SharleyBloom]

I was on the net today looking up something for a friend about headaches and ran across the idea that grapes is another headache killer. Just a thought!

Yay for your cholestorol! Woot woot!

[purenavygirl]

Not a whole lot going on right now. I took 1/2 dose of Advil PM last night and slept like a baby! I got to bed a little later than planned, but I actually feel pretty good this morning. I do have a busy day ahead of me!

Drill is this weekend - last one of the year! I'm looking forward to our Christmas Party on Saturday night. DH is coming up and attending with me and will be staying the night. Nothing like good food and cocktails to keep us happy! It will be a nice evening since DS will be with his Grandma that night. Woot!

Since I am going to the grocery store tonight, food around our house is becoming sparse. So, excuse the "weighted" menu for today. I already know it's not the best (more WW items than usual), but I'm trying to stick with SB friendly things instead of junk!

With that, have a fantastic Friday and an even better weekend! I'll see you Monday!

PS - Michelle, thanks for the grape idea, too. DS loves grapes, so I usually have those on hand!

12/04/2009

Breakie
8 oz FF milk
1 C Fiber One cereal

Morning Snack
Naval Orange - 4H fruit came in!
1 LF Mozzarella cheese stick

Lunch
T-bone steak
1/2 C Couscous
Green veggie (broccoli or peas)

Afternoon Snack
None - forgot to bring something back to work with me. Surprisingly, though, I'm not hungry yet and it's 5 pm!

Dinner - I'm soooo out of fresh veggies
Tuna Salad (mayo, black beans, celery, olives, peas)
WW wrap

Dessert
SF Jello?