French Onion Soup Tartine

Tonight's menu: French Onion Soup Tartine! I found the recipe on the Vegetarian Times website. It's a thickened version of french onion soup, served as an open-faced sandwich on a thick slice of Indian bread, with shredded Gruyere cheese sprinkled over the top and melted to gooey perfection in the broiler! It was supposed to have some pretty caramelized onion slices on the top, but since it's just me, I skipped that step. This was quite an undertaking for me, but soooo worth it! The recipe made enough for 4, so I have enough for yummy leftovers! Thanks for looking!

Vegetarian Pot Pie

I found a recipe for Vegetarian Pot Pie that I couldn't wait to try, and tonight was the night! Easy peasy and really, really good! It used butter for the crust and to saute some of the veggies, so it's not real low in fat. Plus, I wish I would have used wheat flour for half of the flour in the crust. I will make some changes the next time I make it!

Brussel Sprouts ROCK!

Wow, I used a recipe that I found on the internet to make my brussel sprouts, and they are awesome! Even the grandkids liked them! I will share the recipe here...

Sprouts with Sour Cream

Ingredients:
1 pound brussel sprouts, halved
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 TBS butter or margarine
1 1/2 tsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. sour cream

Instructions:
1. Add 1 in. of water and brussels sprouts to a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour, brown sugar, salt and mustard until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; oil for 1 minute. Reduce heat. Stir in sour cream, heat through.
3. Drain the sprouts; place in a serving bowl. Top with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.

I hope you try this recipe and like it! The creamy sauce is lightly sweet, yet savory from the onion and mustard. Wonderful! I can't wait to try them again!

'Til the next pound down....

A New Food

I will be cooking Brussel Sprouts tomorrow night for the first time ever. I have been looking for recipes on the internet so I will let you know how it turns out! I've never had them before!
'Til the next pound down....

Going Down.....Again

Well, the official stat is: almost 7 pound gain from this spring and early summer. But at the weigh-in this week I lost 1.8 pounds of it! And I still have some summer left! I wanted a re-do of last summer, since I lost most of it to radiculopathy and spine surgery. So I'm going to make the most of the rest of this summer! Anyone want to join me? I'm willing to try almost anything!
'Til the next pound down.....

Ninja

My early birthday present....a ninja! No, not the teenage mutant turtle kind! It's a Ninja Master Prep Professional food prep system! It has pitchers and bowls and cutting blades and lids and a master pod (motor). It can crush, blend, and chop. I wanted something to make my green smoothies (that's another post...and soon, I hope). A Vitamix, which would have been my first choice, was WAAAAAYYY too expensive, so Chuck did the research and found great reviews on the Ninja. ($60 and free shipping from Target.com.) I used it last night with some ice and orange juice to make an orange slushie. Mmmm. (It turns ice into snow.) One recipe calls for orange juice and yogurt to make a creamsicle flavor. Can't wait to try that. But this morning I tried it on my green smoothie. I put in a banana, some frozen strawberries, some protein powder, some ground flax seed, some kale, and water, and it turned out perfect! It's good and filling, so I don't feel like snacking before lunch. Here's to another weapon in my arsenal to help me achieve lasting weight loss! Yay! And thanks to hubby for the early birthday present!
'Til the next pound down.....

July 5

OK, today is the start of the new eating plan! I will not call it a diet, but a lifestyle change. I will be giving my blog address to a few select people who I believe will be a support to me, and whom I can support in return if that is their desire.

My primary eating style will be "nutritarian". It has to be the MOST nutritious thing I can eat. Raw is better than cooked, lean meats only (in small amounts) and NOTHING processed. All of this will be hard, so I may have some setbacks at first, but I know this is the right way for me to eat, and I know it will result in the weight loss that I need and want.

Another thing I will need to do is exercise! I have been fighting some pretty bad pain in my hips, and also my left knee, in addition to my upper back. I believe, inside myself, that eating "nutritarian" will help tremendously in getting rid of the pain, along with losing weight. I'm hoping to see a significant improvement in 6 weeks.

If you're still with me, thank you! I truly need your support and welcome all comments, and will try and answer any questions that you have. I expect to be held accountable, too! Thanks in advance and hugs!

Gain

Well, with all the chaos of my life the last three months, I have had a gain of over 4 pounds. I say "over" 4 pounds because I'm not really sure how much I've gained. I am cleaning out cabinets and fridge on Monday, then stocking with healthy foods. I don't know for sure what I'll be doing, but I will start back slowly to the "nutritarian" way of eating. Then after July 4th, I will be back for real. Here's to health and weight loss!

In-Progress Picture!

Hey, lookie, lookie! Got some baggie britches here!

Grapefruit

OK, so this past week has been BAAAAD! The only good thing that I've done is carry bran muffins with me to eat for breakfast. I've hit the fast food joints so that I can eat on the road between Logansport and Monticello. But, somehow, I managed to keep off the small amount of weight that I've lost and lost .1 more. I can only think that the reason is because I kept my meals small and didn't snack at night, and I parked way out in the middle of the parking lot at the hospital to walk in, and I used the stairs every time I went up to David's room. But today I'm trying to do better, and I ate some raw veggies for a snack and also had a grapefruit. I was craving a snack, and I decided that I'm craving food because my body is lacking in a nutrient, so I tried to give it a nutritious snack. It's a long process, but I truly believe that this time I'm going to get the weight off permanently! Thanks for joining me on this journey!

Fighting the Urge

Yup, I'm fighting the urge to overeat! I lost 2.9 pounds last week, and then over the weekend I made a few unhealthy choices, then on Sunday I had to make a dash to the ER because my brother fell. This week I have been running back and forth to the hospital, and I haven't made good food choices. Yesterday was the worse! I weighed myself this morning, and I only gained about .4 back! What a blessing! So today I was prepared with veggies, fruit, and water, and did good all day. BUT, this evening I really had to fight the urge to eat junk and fast food. KFC almost had another customer tonight! But I fixed a salad instead, and steamed a whole zucchini! I'm really trying! This has to become a habit before too much longer. Tomorrow will be another test...I don't have any lettuce in the house, so I can't grab it first to fill me up. I will let you know how I'm doing!

Meatless

It has been seven days since I've eaten meat, with the exception of a few bites of broiled fish. I have been a "nutritarian" for 7 days, eating only high nutrient foods. This way of eating is from the "Eat to Live" book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I am anxious to weigh in on Friday to see how I'm doing. I have to say, I haven't been hungry at all. Even without being hungry, twice I've eaten so much that I'm STUFFED, but it is all healthy and nutritious. To me that's just proof that eating too much is a habit, one that I despirately need to break! I'm not physically hungry, I'm mentally hungry! I'm going to try to stay off the scales until my weigh in on Friday morning. I've already met one goal of getting below 244, which was my STARTING weight 10 years ago. Now that I've scaled that wall, I'm ready to move on to the next goal, which is losing 20 pounds (224) by Mother's Day, also known as......the weekend we go to OHIO! Yay! I will post again on Friday!

Good Day

Well, I had a good eating day today. I had 3 raw fruits, 1 raw veggie and 4 cooked veggies, and 2 bran muffins. Well, then I had a tiny bit of not-so-good stuff, but I'm working on changing that habit! Plus I played on the Wii fit for 31 minutes! I can't wait to weigh in on Friday! I will post then!

Grandma, do you have any spinach?

One of my greatest blessings is being able to see my twin granddaughters several times a week. Last week I fixed three salads to go with our meal. They each had some radish slices, and chopped celery and carrots, along with some romaine lettuce and some ranch dressing. As the girls sat down to eat, one of them asked, "Grandma, do you have any spinach?" Gotta love it! And yes, I did have some spinach! And if I have a half grapefruit for a snack, they each have to have one, too! I'm so thankful they eat healthy, whole food!

Tasty Mistake

I made a large pot of veggie soup last night, and by mistake grabbed a pint of "Sweet Heat" salsa that my brother and I made. It added just a touch of heat, and the sweetness of the salsa just added another layer of flavor to the soup. Then today I made a large batch of bran muffins and 4 pints of homemade low-fat yogurt. So I'm ready with tasty treats for the next few days! Hope you are enjoying this nice weather!

Carrots and Celery and Fruit, Oh My!

I need to get back to my New Day plan. I have soooooo many books and diet plans and things I "HAVE" to do to lose weight, that my head is swimming!! I need to eat raw, I need to eat more fiber, I need to eat organic, I need to plan meals, I need to....... See, I'm confused already! My new day plan is much simpler. I just choose 2 things that I will accomplish FOR THIS DAY! These small successes will help improve my health and keep me motivated to do good. For this day, I really NEED a small success. So, for this day, I will drink my water and replace a meal with a salad. A healthy salad, not one with lots of cheese and high-fat dressing. And I'm going to put my New Day Resolutions in a place where I can see them every day. Hope you have a great day!

Italian Crescent Casserole

I have to share a new recipe that I tried. Chuck ate two helpings!

1 lb lean ground beef (I used 1/2 ground turkey and 1/2 TVP)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup spaghetti sauce
6 Oz (1 1/2 cups) shredded Mozzerella cheese
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1 (8 oz) can refrigerated Crescent rolls (I used reduced fat)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Heat oven to 375. In large skillet brown beef and onion until beef is thoroughly cooked, drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, heat thoroughly.

In medium bowl, stir together mozzerella cheese and sour cream.

Pour hot meat mixture into ungreased 12 x 8 baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture over meat mixture.

Unroll dough over cheese mixture. In small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese and margarine, spread evenly over dough. Bake at 375 for 18 to 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Hope you enjoy this!

Same Weight, Different Day

I am now exactly where I was 1 month ago, and 2 months ago, and even 6 months ago. I haven't lost anything in 6 months. The last (and only) time I ever lost weight was 9 years ago when I lost 32 pounds in 16 weeks. Then I went on a trip and couldn't work out, then got home and got pneumonia and couldn't work out, then got a different job, and I gained it all back plus more. It has taken me two years to lose 27 pounds, and since then I can't seem to go below the 244 mark, which is where I STARTED nine years ago. I realized then, and I'm realizing it even more now, that losing weight is a part-time job. It literally takes 2-4 hours every day to plan meals, prepare vegetables, cook your meals properly, and exercise. It has come to the point in my life where I must be willing to take on the extra "job" of losing this weight. Working 8 hour days and finding 2-4 more hours each day to change my lifestyle enough to lose the weight is going to be a reality beginning this week. Actually, I've done pretty good for the past 5 days with meal planning, grocery shopping and eating, so all I need to do is start fitting in the exercise. I'm ready. I've also worked really hard at getting plenty of sleep, and I think that is helping me mentally and physically. I'm not as fatigued when I get home from work, and tonight I was mentally ready to start a workout. I think getting the Wii Fit and Balance Board will be great to start working out and having fun at the same time. It has already been shipped. I will let you know in my next post how I like it.....

3 Good Days

Well, I've had 3 good days in a row, and I've lost everything that I gained over the holidays. It's a good feeling. Work has been really stressful, but I've decided that doesn't give me an excuse to overeat and not plan. I took a look around at work yesterday and it is amazing how much food is in the kitchen all the time! Not just in the cabinets or fridge, but out and ready to eat!!! Zucchini relish, peanut butter, two kinds of crackers, a bowl of dry-roasted peanuts, chocolate covered raisins, homemade sugar cream cake, bananas, grapes, and a half-dozen doughnuts.......EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!!! Then someone is always making soup or oatmeal in the microwave. Someone is eating CONSTANTLY! And it's not me! I trained myself a long time ago to not eat any of the snacks at work. I will take a snack with me, but it's usually a high fiber bar or a package of cheese crackers, so I can eat at my desk. But I'm even trying to cut back on those snacks.

For evenings, it's working really well to have chicken already cooked and then to steam some veggies when I get home. Tonight I was still hungry after supper so I had some soup and still had a great calorie count during the day! I'm hoping, no, I'm planning on a good day tomorrow, then I will plan on the weekend for good choices during the next week. Til then....one new day at a time!

Elliptical Trainer

Well, I hauled the Elliptical Trainer out of the basement. It had water in it from the last time the basement flooded but thankfully there was no damage to it. I'm planning to wear it out! Time to moooove!