Sunny Saturday

Certainly can't complain about the weather. However, we might have a turn and it might actually *snow*!!! I adore snow, so I'm really hoping it happens. Nothing like the sight of white flakes to make me smile. 

Food Ratings
Orange Drink - 10
I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was. Little to no foam (I'm tired of foam). Orangey, a bit of Tang flavor to it. I added a little vanilla to see if I could get a Creamsicle feel, and it worked great.

Peanut Butter Soy Balls: 9
I can't complain at all about these crunchy little bits of goodness, except that they could be a little more peanuty. I love peanut butter and miss it.

White Cheddar Curls: 8
Salty, cheesy, can't complain. Not very memorable, though, as I had these a couple of days ago and I can't remember them....

Crafty Things
Finished up quilt prep and delivered it to the quilt shop today to be long-arm quilted. I wish I'd taken a picture of it. I meant to. Oh well. 

Working on piecing together the crocheted afghan. I'm really happy with it so far.

Miscellaneous
Facebook seems to bring out the worst in people. What is it about a social network that gives folks an excuse to be so very ugly and lie without blinking?   

Week 3

Third check-in with my IP coach. I'm down 4.2 pounds, which works for me.  (Total 12.2 - 2 weeks)

Yesterday was one of those "what do I eat for dinner? I'm so boooored" days. Lana whipped up a curry with butternut squash and chickpeas and a ton of other drool-worthy ingredients that I can't have. Not one. I ended up with steamed broccoli out of a bag and a chicken breast dusted with curry, cinnamon, and cumin. It was actually very good. The chicken, that is. I've lost my love for broccoli for some reason, though I'll still eat it without much complaint.

Tonight I'm looking at doing a Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Red Tomato Sauce from the second Ideal Protein cookbook. Looks scrumptious. 

Exercise Things
Rowed on the erg rower, which has been sitting unattended for years. It was my second day back on it, and hoo-boy howdy, is it boring! Mind-bendingly boring. I can't stand not doing something with my hands or eyes. Yesterday I had a sample chapter from Audible on my Fire, and that was great to listen to. However, I'm not spending 15 bucks a month so I can listen to something while I work out. Just not in the budget right now. So, today I listened to Michael Medved on talk radio, who pisses me off with every breath he takes, so that kept me going for a while.

Titles are Difficult

There, I've said it. 


Food Ratings
Peanut Butter Bar - 10
Enough said. 


Spaghetti - 8
Hmmmm. Well, it's not anything like homemade spaghetti. It's not bad. I felt like I needed something substantial today, and this will be filling. Lots of cheese and a crusty slice of garlic bread would help, but that's not happening. 


Oh, what not to do with the cappuccino. Don't put it in the microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds and walk away. When I got back I had a baked frothy lumpy mess to clean up. Nastiness. 


Crafty Things
It has been a quiet, busy week. I've had a lot of energy and have been working on little projects around the house. 

^^I wish mine looked like this, but at least all of the sheet sets are organized and in their own pillowcases. Nifty idea I found on Pinterest. 


I finally got the backing for the current quilt cut, and all I need to do is finish the sashing, sew up the backing pieces, and take it to the quilting shop to be machine quilted. 


I'm in a bit of a pissy mood today, so I'm going to go and organize something. Maybe throw things away. That's always fun. 

Splendid Sunny Weekend

Blue skies, temperatures in the 40s, a very slight breeze. Only one of the reasons why this area is becoming so popular. We have 300 days of blue sky a year, with most of the drab being in December through February. The weekend begged for long walks with the dogs. 


On Saturday we walked through a "greenway" nature reserve for about 4.5 miles. Though it's only 6 miles from the house, I hadn't been there in the 30-some years I've lived here. It was beautiful! A bit like a walk through a primeval forest. Can't wait to visit again when things are greening up. Today we walked along White Bluffs for a couple of hours. We carried along rockhounding supplies as we found some nice (albeit tiny) agates there a couple of years ago. All we found was one small shard of agate. I tossed it back, hoping it would provide incentive for someone else to find something we'd miss. 


Cooper, our golden, had his first dip in the river for the year. He really didn't want to come out. Unfortunately he also picked up a bunch of large, nasty burrs which had worked themselves right next to the skin by the time we got home. Darwin, our mini Aussie, is not a water dog, and cannot figure out why Cooper goes in the water. He sniffs it, he watches Cooper galumph through the water, takes a lick, shakes his head (well, you know) and walks away. 


IP DIET
Diet is going well. I think I've slowed down a bit on weight loss. Okay, I know I have. The scale says so. I'm only down a couple of pounds since...Thursday. Okay, I guess I shouldn't be complaining after all! Nevermind. Glad I had a bit of a reality check there. 


Food Ratings
Maple Oatmeal:  10
I believe it's better than store bought oatmeal (which is always way too sweet for me - even the low-calorie versions). Excellent product. I'm happy to have found something nonliquid to have for breakfast. It will be a nice change. 


Cranberry-Pomegranate Bar:  10
Another top-notch product. I can't find any fault with it. 


BBQ Ridges: 8
They're okay. I like barbeque, and usually love this kind of snacky goodness. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, maybe I'm actually getting out of needing this kind of snack. There's really nothing wrong with it at all from a product standpoint. 


CRAFTY THINGS
From a craft standpoint, I finished my daughter's hat: Gypsy Hat by Jane Melville, which can be found here: Gypsy Hat It's one of the prettiest hats I've ever done, and definitely a keeper pattern. 

Now I need to get this puppy done. The finish line is in sight! 


NEW HOME HUNT
I'm always on the hunt for the "retirement home," which will come into play as soon as 5 months, to as late as 5 years from now. If we find the perfect house, David is ready to drop everything and move. So...I hunt. Today's find is this beauty. 

Built in 1927, on 60 acres, mountain view, very rural. Raised garden beds, a greenhouse (!), a barn with stalls (!), it pretty much has everything we want. I've written to the realtor to make sure it's still on the market, because some sites say it has been withdrawn. We also want to see documentation on the place because we don't want to spend 5 hours driving somewhere to see a house that has something that we don't like that we could have seen via pictures or paperwork. Crossing fingers. At any rate, that right place will come along eventually. 


Let's see. Anything else?  


GARDENING
Oh! Starting to go through seed catalogs. It's that time of year again. I'm happy we planted so many things last year as it is helping to winnow out what we want to do this year. So far, heirloom tomatoes, bush beans, red/green/hot peppers, lettuces, spinach, carrots, onions, potatoes, butternut squash, one zucchini, one summer squash, and lots and lots of basil and cilantro. I'm going to freeze tons of pesto. We ran out far too soon. We still have a ton of tomatillos in the freezer and haven't done much with them, so I'm thinking that tomatillos are out for next year. 


And lots of zinnias. Such wonderful, hardy flowers, they made us smile for months and months. 

Carnitas!

Dinner was incredible. I cooked carnitas, and chopped up lettuce, tomato, onion, red and yellow pepper, and cilantro. Also whipped up a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, S&P, and hot sauce and a few splashes of Tobasco. Threw it all together - heaven in a bowl. 


One thing I'm realizing is that there are low-calorie options that taste just as good as my old-style diet. After I'm in Ideal Protein phase 4 I might throw in a few black beans, though! 

Catching Up!

I've gotten a bit behind, so it's time to catch up. 

So...on Wednesday I went to see my doctor on a scheduled visit. I mentioned the headache and neck ache, and she poked around a bit. My entire left neck and trapezius was in spasm, along with some spasm on the right. I figured she'd send me in for physical therapy, which is usually the case for something that aches. I kinda forgot that she is a DO, so she was able to work some magic and I walked out of there with about 50% of the pain relieved. By the end of the day I was pain free, and have been since. What'd she do? Seems my cervical first ribs were out of whack, and she put them back into place, along with some massage of the region. She showed me an exercise to do a few times a day to keep them settled into their correct locations. If only all of life's painful moments were so easy to fix! 

I had my first check-in yesterday with my IP counselor. I lost 8 pounds, 4 inches gone forever from around my waist. Yay! I threw out a bunch of my size 16 clothes. Adios, baggy friends! 

I picked up some new foods and am excited to work through those. 

Dinners have been fun to make, and the family have been troopers. My daughter told me that she is really enjoying the meals. She's a near-vegetarian so the focus on vegies is right up her alley. 

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Vegies On one side I put my vegies (red pepper, zucchini, mushrooms) and on the other side I put their vegies, along with a potato. Drizzled them with olive oil and salt and pepper, and it was wonderful. 

Chicken Stir-Fry I did include carrots and onions, but picked them out. I hope that's okay to do. I forgot to ask my counselor. (Note to self to ask next week.) Served with white rice for those who can eat it. 

Turkey Thai Lettuce Wraps Used 99/1 ground turkey with garan marsala spice, onion powder, minced garlic, lime juice, tobasco, andsoy sauce. I chopped up some red pepper and celery, and mixed that in with the cooked turkey right before serving. I also chopped up peanuts, cilantro, and green onions and served those on the side (I didn't use the peanuts). This was served along with regular head lettuce (couldn't find Boston Bibb). Next time I will leave off the lime juice and just serve slices on the side. It was a little too limey. Served with brown rice for the family's starch. 

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Ground beef, 2 egg whites, parsley, S&P, paprika, onion power, minced garlic, grated cauliflower, and finely chopped mushrooms and spinach. I mixed that all together, formed into balls (smallish) and cooked in a 425 oven for 15-17 minutes. Check on these, because they can burn very quickly. Larger meatballs will require more time, of course. 

I then made a sauce of worchester, vinegar, water, Truvia, tomato paste and onion powder. The sauce was pretty good, but more like a spaghetti sauce than a sweet and sour sauce. Needs work. It was good, though! 

I sauted up some red peppers, celery, onion (didn't eat) and threw those into the mix. I served it with rice noodles (I don't know why - but the family liked it and it served as something starchy and crunchy for them). 

Mediterranean Lemon Chicken Chicken breasts coated with cinnamon and tumeric, sauted until brown. Then added chicken broth, garlic,  grated ginger, onion powder, salt, a couple of packets of Truvia, and a sliced up lime and let that burble for about 20 minutes until the chicken broth was cooked down a bit and the chicken was done. Served with chopped cilantro as garnish. Cuke, red pepper, and raw onion salad served on the side, with a marinade of vinegar, water, dill weed, a packet of Truvia, and S&P. The chicken was good, but too tangy for me. Needs work. 

Tonight? Carnitas!!! 

I have not given specific recipes because I've gleaned them from others on various websites and IP cookbooks. Don't want to infringe on anyone's ownership. 

Food Ratings

Pina Colada Smoothie: 9

Yum. Nothing to complain about. Lots of things to mix-and-match this with down the road. Vanilla? Strawberry? Orange? 

Chili: 9 

Smack 'yo mama goodness. Okay, it's not going to win any Chili Cook-Off competitions, but the taste really satisfies that spicy, meaty craving. The texture is a little funny (the "meat" is really, really itsy bitsy), but I can live with that. 

Vanilla Drink:  9

I can see why this is pretty popular. It's exactly what it should be. I used 1/2 as a mid-afternoon snack, stuck the rest in the freezer and had it as an ice-creamy snack after dinner. 

Capaccino: 8

Pretty good. I'm brainstorming other ways to have it. I think it will be a good breakfast option 2 or 3 days a week, as I typically only have a cup of something akin to a vanilla latte in the morning, anyway. This morning I added it to a cup of coffee and tossed in some cinnamon. Not bad. 

Cran-Blueberry Drink: 7 

It was okay. A tad bit tinny, or it may have just been my tastebuds. 

Butterscotch Pudding: 7 

This was pretty good. Better than the Banana pudding. Man, these puddings are thick! 

Peach Mango:  5

Not a fan. I tried it at the IP introduction session and really didn't care for it. There was one in my intro kit, so I decided to play with it. See below. 

1/2 Peach Mango and 1/2 Strawberry Pudding: 7

I took about 9 ounces of water and combined these. The outcome was a bit frothy and I had to skim off about 1-1/2 inches from the top to get to the drink, but it tasted good. 

Chocolate Drink:  8

Thick chocolatey goodness. I can see why some people live on this stuff (my counselor has it for two meals a day!). I'm not that much of a fan, but I do like it. I'm generally not a huge fan of really thick drinks, anyway. 

Lemon-Poppyseed Bar:  10 

I like lemon. This was so full of lemony scrumptiousness I could hardly stand it. I split it between the afternoon and evening to extend my pleasure. 

Mango Drink: 10 

Now *this* I could drink twice a day! Though it's a bit thicker than I like, the flavor is wonderful. I might water it down a bit, or mix it half and half with the vanilla drink, add some ice cubes, and blend it up into a smoothie. I'm salivating at the thought! 

So, yah. So far I am loving the diet! I'm down a size, into my 14 jeans. T-shirts that I loved but I felt a little constricted in? They are loose and comfy. The rewards far outweigh any restrictions. 

The dogs are getting a lot of long walks in these days. We're exploring new areas, which is fun. It's always good to learn more about where one lives, right? 

....

The headache continues, nonstop. I am so tired of hurting I can't see straight. More ibuprofen, more salt water, still hurts. Will see my primary care doc tomorrow, and will ask her opinion. 


Headache went from a 6 to a 9 this morning after going to my hair stylist and the first thing she told me was that her Yorkie, Simon, had his eye punctured in a scuffle with another dog last night, and he had to have the eye removed. I started crying, and kept tearing up during the whole appointment. We're good friends, and I know how much she loves this pup. It's such a traumatic thing to have happen, and it's so permanent. A bone or laceration can heal, but an eye is irreplaceable. On the upside, she's already joking about cute hairstyles and eye patches, and new nicknames she'll be able to use. 


Food Ratings: 


Crispy Cereal:  6 
I'll take a pass on this one in future orders. The crunch was nice, but it was boring. I'm not a milk person anyway, and when I have cereal I just put in enough milk to wet things down, and throw away any extra. I was not inspired to drink all of the leftover "milk," so I didn't get much out of it. 


Tomato and Basil Soup:  3
I had high hopes for this one, because this is one of my go-to non-diet lunchtime soups. But, alas, this one is boring to the extreme. So many of the other IP meals have strong flavor, but this reminded me of salmon-colored water with green bits floating in it. There is a gazpacho recipe out on the net that looks interesting using this soup. I might eventually give it another shot and try that recipe. I confess I didn't finish this meal, either. Good thing I had leftover roasted vegies from last night, and a nice salad. 


Raspberry Gelatin:  8 
Tastes like Jello, which isn't a bad thing if one likes Jello. Jello can be fun to see, a slowly eaten treat, and I enjoyed every gelatinous drop. 

Day 3, Good Eats!

The headache continues, but it's not as bad as yesterday. Energy has been up and down. One minute I want to take a nap, the next I'm ready to head out and walk. We did take the pups out for a decent walk. There was a cold breeze blowing, so we only stayed out for about 30 minutes or so. There was a burger restaurant nearby and the smell was wafting over the hills. It smelled so good, but when I thought about whether I actually wanted a burger and fries, it didn't strike me as being something I would eat if put in front of me. 


Food Ratings


Pineapple-Banana Drink:  9
I really liked this. Tangy, refreshing, served over ice. 


Chicken Soup:  9
Also really good. Tasted exactly like chicken soup. I thinned it out a bit and added lemon-pepper and a sprinkle of paprika. 


Wildberry Yogurt Drink: 10
Delicious. A sweet drink with bits of tart red and purple bits in it. I could drink this every day. It's the best thing I've had so far. 


For dinner we're planning a pork tenderloin with roasted vegies. 


Last night we had lobster tails and a salad. I didn't finish either. Though I was hungry for dinner, after eating a few ounces of the lobster I was satiated. I ate most of my salad because I knew I needed the roughage, but I wasn't fond of the Walden Farms Bacon Ranch dressing. I thought I'd like it after tasting it, but the taste overwhelmed the salad. With lunch today I had leftover salad (I made extra) and just used some apple cider vinegar with a touch of olive oil, seasoned with the IP sea salt, cracked pepper, and dried basil. Can't wait to be able to go out and pick my own basil again...hurry summer, hurry!