The one where I talk about weightloss... or not

Don't forget the sprinkles!

2011-06-19T09:57:00.001-03:00

***This is an oldie from the Main Blog. Join us over there!

I'd like to be pregnant again.

Only so I could eat what I wanted - another child right now would snap what thin threads of sanity I have left!

Ok, let me back up a bit. All I could eat during the first trimester with each of the boys was blueberry yogurt, raisin bran cereal, nectarines, apples and toast topped with peanut butter and fresh strawberries. I've been lactose intolerant for most of my adult life, probably my whole life. One of the surprise changes in my body during pregnancy was the ability to consume dairy products pain-free. And boy oh boy did I enjoy it! Cheesecake - don't mind if I do! No agonizing pain and bloating afterwards. And ice cream ~ I ate a banana split every day for the last 3 months of Felix's pregnancy. So. freaking. good.

Sadly, these changes didn't last. Within 3 months post partum, the lactose intolerance came back. And I also developed an allergy to nickel, giving me itching rashes whenever my skin came into contact with belt buckles, snaps and rivets on jeans, my name tag at work.... so attractive.

Yesterday I got the results back from the Carrol Food Intolerance testing I had done on a whim a few weeks ago. Dairy is my #1 culprit, no surprises there. But what I didn't realize until now is that is apparently not just a "simple" inability to digest the lactose, the sugar in milk. My sensitivity has changed to - or perhaps has always been - an aversion to milk protein. So now I'm not supposed to have any animal dairy at all. Whatsoever. And sugar - well, I knew that one, but now there's a catch.

I picked up the tissue salt supplements today. And discovered they're in a base of lactose, so they'll be going back. Buggers.

Such fun. And guess what? These things are typically passed down and with the boys having such an awful string of lengthy ear infections and lingering colds, they also need to come off of dairy. Post haste. No more grilled cheese. No more mac & cheese (sorry, Elliot). No more Yop (sorry Felix*). No more ice cream...... no, WAIT!!!!! *Felix weaned from breast feeding to Yop yogurt drinks.

A few weeks ago, after a nasty bout of icy rain washed away all of our fluffy snow, I found a blog with a recipe for Snow Ice Cream. It intrigued me and I was antsy as all get out for it to snow again. I certainly got my wish today! (Yes, ok, I admit it. All the blizzards this week are my fault. Blame me!)

Elliot cleans the slide...

Those poor groundhogs. Can they get frostbite? The good news is our local guy didn't see his shadow, so we're gonna get an early spring! The bad news is that I'm sure a lawn gnome could've popped out of that burrow and no one would have been the wiser, given the amount of white stuff flying around in the air!

Jay waits for Felix to catch up...

So, back to the important stuff. Snow ice cream. I went into the back yard and scooped up a bowlful (don't pack it down, just fluffy, fresh stuff) and crammed it in the freezer while I gathered the rest of the ingredients.

I goofed right off the bat and even though I was following the recipe, I added double the amount of sugar. So I had to double everything else. A bigger bowl would have made it easier. You should only start with about 8 cups of snow, 1/4 cup of milk (I used almond milk, given that we're all now supposed to stay away from traditional dairy), 1/2 cup sugar, and a splash of vanilla. (Just for fun, I put this all into an online calorie counter and came up with about 85 calories per serving!)

Mix and mix and mix, adding more milk if your snow is very dry, like ours is, until it's kinda runny, like porridge. Then add more snow, about 4 cups. Once it's firmed up to your preferred consistency, divide it and add food colouring, if you want. We wanted. Once you've reached your perfect hue, you can eat it right away or put it in the freezer to firm up a bit. Or add a wee bit more snow for some last minute chill before serving. (Something I'll do next time, as ours was a touch watery when it came out of the freezer.)

Don't forget the sprinkles!!

I found this to be very satisfying. It's sweet, so next time I won't add as much sugar. I think we'll make another batch tomorrow - one specifically for me, made with (decaf) coffee-laced milk. Mmmmmmmm. Yes please!

Ooooh, and I wonder if I can replicate that recipe we made as kids - you know, the one for snow taffy?? I remember boiling everything (while supervised, duh) in a large pot on the stove, then pouring it out into a fresh patch of snow to cool. Then pulling the bejeezus out of it to make taffy candy. Ours always turned out hard and glassy instead of soft and chewy. But I think that's because we were impatient and unwilling to pull it long enough.

The metal bowl may have been a bad idea. Or maybe a brilliant one?

Groceries and change

2010-11-23T08:32:00.000-04:00

Week of November 13

Yes, that is an awful lot of sugar on the list. But it was on sale and I was thinking ahead to Christmas baking. Honest! And we realized it's the 3rd time in 2 weeks that we'd made the TexMex bake, so that's being retired from circulation for a while. It's yummy, but overused. Sunday ending up being pizza delivery. And Monday was Swiss Chalet. The pizza we made on Thursday was phenomenal. The crust turned out so light and perfect. Usually it's rather dense and hard to work with. The boys had fun rolling it out!

Week of November 20th

This week is looking good. I'm off of sugar again. YAY me! Today is day 5. Read all about my adventure over on my main blog... but it's going well. This time, I'm not messing around - taking yeast busting tinctures and extra fiber supplements. Wish me luck!

As of this morning, I'm at 170 lbs. Yipes!!! My arms are going numb at night, every night. It happened a lot when I was pregnant and very heavy. Guess I crossed that line again.

Grocery, Nov 6

2010-11-05T20:51:00.000-03:00

I didn't update on the meals from last week, but they were all big hits - especially the leek soup and the honey lentils!

New this week is a hearty vegetarian chili and what looks to be a sinful squash risotto.

Grocery Day, Halloween

2010-10-31T14:06:00.001-03:00

New this week:
The steak was another "What's for Supper" meal. Smothered in peppercorn sauce, with some sauteed onions and mushrooms? Delish!!!!
Curried Butternut Squash Soup (Thanks, Michelle!)
Potato Leek Soup
Honey Lentils

And the spaghetti and meatballs are at the request of Elliot.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed that I don't go overboard with Halloween sweet tonight, ok?!

Cauliflower cake?

2010-10-24T07:15:00.001-03:00

Last night's cauliflower cake was amazing. Felix ate 3 pieces. Hubby went back for another. Elliot picked at his, but he also ate 2 servings of leafy salad - something he's never done before. This cake has magical powers, everyone!

I didn't have any turmeric, so it's not nicely yellow like in the Smitten Kitchen post. I also used a full carton of egg whites. And a tub of freshly grated Romano cheese. It was like a dense mac & cheese. And so surprisingly good!

From what I can recall, yesterday's foodies went something like this:

-Decaf chai tea latte
-about 6 bread rolls from Julian's French Bakery, some with mozza cheese
-chocolate croissant, also from Julian's
-3 "Sweet & Salty" granola bars
-a blueberry Yop drink
-cauliflower cake with green beans and salad
-glass of white wine
- leftovers in a bag of Doritos chips

October 23rd Groceries

2010-10-23T13:23:00.000-03:00

Still on a veggie-heavy kick. Got a few new things to try this week, too...

New this week:
*Tonight we're going to try Cauliflower Cake, as featured on Smitten Kitchen
*Thursday's Asian Chicken is courtesy of What's For Supper? Pre-assembled, frozen, homestyle cooking. We order 6-12 meals from them a couple of times a year. Someday, I'll actually go in and prepare the meals myself - until then, we pay a bit extra and have them ready and waiting for us to pick up.

I'm off of caffeine, have been for over a week now (go me!) so I've been buying tea latte mixes. I'm hooked on a Tazo Chai Latte mix, but it is soooooo high in sugar (plus I'm drinking 3 a day!) I need to find a less sweet alternative. I think I saw a decaf green tea mix last time. Must investigate.

October 18th Groceries

2010-10-17T19:39:00.000-03:00

So, we're trying to go meatless. For a variety of reasons: health, budget, food with faces... it's something we've been leaning towards for a while now. We're not banning meat, but will be consciously trying to eat it less. Got a fantabulous vegetarian dish? I'd love to hear from you!

This week, we'll be having some old favourites, but also sampling a few newbies:
Sweet Potato Chili
Curried Cauliflower Stew

This afternoon, I was inspired by yet another Smitten Kitchen recipe and just had to make her Apple and Cheddar Scones. They turned out very rich... and highly DELICIOUS!

Nom nom nom!

Last week's grocery list

2010-10-17T15:04:00.000-03:00

Thanksgiving Monday

2010-10-11T20:10:00.001-03:00

Have eaten the following today:

coffee
2 hot crossed buns
banana
goldfish crackers
carrot sticks
chips
Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted chocolate bar ~ new fave. Seriously. Awesome.
Peanut granola bar

And then there was....


Roasted pumpkin, destined to be cheesecake


Oh my. More, please. Cream 500g cream cheese with spices (I used Epicure's new pumpkin cheesecake spice mix) Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time. Add 2 cups pure pumpkin puree, beat until smooth. Set aside. For crust, mix 1 1/3 cups of graham cracker crumbs with 1/3 cup of butter and press into a spring-form pan. Pour in batter mixture and bake for 40 minutes (or until done) at 325. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate until serving.

Cranberries, water and sugar simmering down into sauce

All that hard work... so good! Mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, squash, peas & corn, stuffing, cranberry sauce....

Delicious!

Jay's pumpkin pie - filling from a can, crust from scratch

My pumpkin tarts from scratch!

I used the roughly 1 cup of pumpkin puree left over from the cheesecake, added about 1/3 cup of coffee cream and a teaspoon of Epicure's pumpkin pie spice and spooned it into the (awesome) crust we made. Baked at 375 for 30 minutes. They were very tasty - barely sweet at all, which I preferred. Hubby - not so much. Next time, I might add a tablespoon of brown sugar...

RECAP

2010-10-03T12:58:00.001-03:00

Potato boats

(With sliced apple sails)

I find this recipe works best with pre-baked and already cold potatoes.

4-6 baked potatoes, cut lengthwise

Scoop out potato, being careful not to tear the skin

Mash scooped out potato with milk, butter, sour cream (whatever your normal routine is)

Add 1-2 cooked, diced chicken

Add 1 cup of chopped broccoli

Add at least 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar (or other) cheese

Spoon cheesy potato mix back into hollowed potato skins. Top with more shredded cheese, if desired.

Bake at 350 until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

This was a loooooooong process, but totally worth it for taste. Next time, I think I'll use pre-made crust and leftover turkey (Mmmmm, thanksgiving, I'lm looking at you!)

Pie Crust

(From Smitten Kitchen)

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into small bits
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, salt and sugar in parge bowl (with food processor, if you have one. I don't.) Add butter and shortening and mix with pastry blender until all broken up (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Add remaining cup flour and mix to combine.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Chicken filling

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
pinch of black pepper (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 cups turkey or chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, chopped

Several hours before serving:Melt butter in a saucepan (medium heat). Add onion, carrots, potatoes and celery and cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in flour and whisk, keeping the pot on medium heat, about 2 minutes. Add seasonings and stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until it thickens, about 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaf. Stir in peas and chopped turkey or chicken. Cover and set aside to cool, then refrigerate until cold. The cold filling will be quite thick.

45 minutes before serving:Preheat oven to 425°.

Spoon filling into 9" pie crust shell. Place second pastry layer over top of pie and seal the edges. Make vents in the top of the pie with a knife or fork, for steam to escape.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes, then reduce heat to 325° and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until pasty is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

For Elliot's birthday, we made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. They were awesome. I added a bit of lemon flavour to the vanilla muffins. Delish!

Chocolate cupcakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

White Cupcakes

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

Cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into a greased 9x9 pan or lined muffin tin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

For lunch, we served the kids (and parents) homemade mac & cheese - but without the french toast topping I usually do. I put more shredded cheese on top. It was devoured!

Strawberry syrup

I made this to blend with my crockpot yogurt, but that batch didn't turn out. I am still sad about it. But the syrup has been good on pancakes!

Frozen strawberries, drizzled with honey, defrosted in the microwave, then mashed into oblivion.

Robot Man

The boys were fussing at breakfast time. I was going to put some crackers on a plate for them, but as I poured them out, a shape emerged. Add some peanut butter, honey and raisins and VOILA!

And finally, here's this week's grocery list. Nothing truly amazing to add from last week - except that we made do with only a $30 trip for essentials - used up lots of beans and frozen goods from the freezer. My favourite was fish chowder made in the crockpot - threw in butter, onions, potatoes and frozen chopped fish, covered everything with water, added salt, pepper and lemon dill seasoning... cooked on low all day then added a can of milk before serving. Yummy! A bit thin, so next time I wouldn't use as much water. I also loved the apple-cheddar-turkey meatballs I made. Loosely followed A Year of Slowcooking's recipe, but baked in the oven on 400 for 20 minutes instead. YUM!

And yes, cheese was on sale for $4.44 per 500g block. I bought 7. Looking forward to turkey dinner next weekend, too. The butter Chicken recipe is new - out of a jar, but we haven't had it before. Let's see how it goes! And last night's tofu stirfry was tasty. I made a Thai sauce with (unmeasured quantities of) ginger powder, chopped garlic, fish sauce, red curry paste, lemon juice, water and sesame seeds.

Note to self

2010-09-16T22:02:00.000-03:00

Plug in camera. download pics. Write up catchy blurb. Hit "publish"

And Voila! It's that easy.

And when I make myself follow these oh so simple steps, you, dear reader, shall have some pics and recipes to try. Tonight's tomato pasta was a smash hit. I didn't take a picture and now there's none left!!!

In the meantime, head on over to my main blog and post your parenting ups and downs for a chance to win some cookies! Or at least have one of my favourite dessert recipes sent to you!

Grocery Day, September 11

2010-09-12T13:04:00.001-03:00

Ok, potato boats. This IS your week. I promise, ok?! Of course, that does mean I should be baking potatoes right about now....

Catching up on suppers

2010-09-06T08:38:00.000-03:00

So, Tuesday was supposed to be potato boats. (Those poor things are doomed - that's 2 meal plans in a row they've been bumped!) Wednesday was to be chicken pot pies and Thursday was lentil & rice pilaf.

Due to the extremely hot and humid weather and lack of on-time groceries, Tuesday ended up being Monday's Sausage Soup. It was a hit last time and just as yummy this time around. But it was so stinkin' hot in the house, no one *really* wanted to eat it. We choked it down!

Wednesday's "beat the heat" attempt was hard boiled eggs, corn on the cob, canned beans and hamsteak. The boys gobbled it up!

Thursday was hawt. It was about 40 celcius with the humidex. (About 104). Yick. So we made smoothies (bananas, strawberry yogurt, frozen pineapple/blueberries/raspberries and milk) and a chickpea nacho salad. (chickpeas, corn, cheddar and feta cheese, tomatoes, vinegar, oil and Epicure's nacho spice.)

Friday we stuck with crock pot baked beans and sausage. Happy anniversary, sweetheart - have some gassy beans!!

Monday Supper, Aug 30

2010-08-30T22:13:00.000-03:00

Tonight's supper was spaghetti. Another dear hubs meal. He was nearly late for work this morning because he stayed home to make the sauce. (Apparently, mine isn't up to snuff. Again, it's the finely chopping of the veggies that annoys me to no end.)

We had dinner guests from out of town. They brought their 2 boys. What beautiful chaos! Four boys under the age of 4 . Yikes!!! And this is why there are no pictures of tonight's supper.

Finely chop green peppers, onions and fresh mushrooms. Saute and add to jarred sauce. Brown ground beef and add to sauce and veggies. Pour over cooked spaghetti pasta. Top with shredded cheddar and parmesan cheese. Serve with store bought garlic bread and bagged salad. And lots of napkins.

Sunday Supper, Aug 28

2010-08-29T21:45:00.000-03:00

Tonight's supper is a crowd pleaser. We call it "Daddy's Beef Hash", since hubby makes it. I don't have the patience to chop the potatoes that small. And since it's his baby, I'm gonna hand the reins over to him so he can tell you all about making his hash. Internetz, meet hubby.

Daddy's Beef Hash

5-7 potatoes

1/2 each red & green Pepper

1/2 onion

Small pkg ground beef

Butter

Peel then chop potatoes into small cubes. Boil until slightly soft but not mushy. Drain. Finely dice onion and peppers. Brown the ground beef, remove from pan and add vegetables (except potato). Saute until tender. Mix potatoes, vegetables and ground beef together in large bowl. Melt butter in frying pan. In 2 batches, stir meat and potato mixture into the butter and fry until potatoes start to crisp. Enjoy!

Saturday Supper

2010-08-28T22:59:00.001-03:00

Welllll, we didn't make it to the grocery store today, but luckily, a friend brought over some supper for us. Which was really sweet, since it was his birthday and he was feeding us a yummy stew. So I made cake. A delicious self-saucing chocolate cake from my mom's recipe collection.

Self-Saucing Chocolate Cake

Batter:

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup milk

Sauce:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

2 cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all batter ingredients together and pat into prepared 9x9 pan. Combine sauce ingredients separately and then pour over batter. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm. The sauce will form a yummy pudding around the cake.

I forgot we we all out of cocoa, but then remembered I had some baker's chocolate squares in the back of the cupboard. A quick google search help me convert from squares to ounces to cups. Melted it in with the butter and poured into the batter mixture. Also, since we haven't yet been to the grocery store, all I had on hand was egg whites. Added almost 4 Tbsp to equal one large egg. Voila!

Sauce on and ready to bake


Baked to perfection

De-freakin'-lish!

Grocery Day, Aug 28

2010-08-28T08:13:00.000-03:00

Yep, giving those potato boats another go... the sausage soup from 2 weeks ago was a big hit, so we're trying it again. I'm most looking forward to the mini chicken pot pies - the recipe I have for the crust calls for vodka!!! Stay tuned...

Back at it

2010-08-26T16:08:00.002-03:00

Spent some time vacationing at my mom's and have been living off of the sparse contents of the fridge since we got home. Trying to avoid the grocery store until our usual Saturday run, but we're out of some essentials (bread, milk, eggs) so we'll see...

Today I tried a recipe a bunch of moms on one of my message boards raved about: Kale Chips.

Tear kale into tiny bits. I seasoned them with vegetable oil, sea salt and Epicure's Red Garlic Sansel spice. Baked on a cookie sheet at 375 for unknown minutes. (Supposed to be 15.)

Crispy out of the oven

The verdict? Tasty - but next time I won't cook them for so long. I was on the phone and couldn't even begin to tell you how long they were in for!


Elliot is not a fan. Not a surprise.

Felix will eat anything.

Friday Supper

2010-08-20T18:09:00.001-03:00

Decided on corn-on-the-cob with ham steak and chickpea salad for supper tonight.

Now, when you're already in a bit of a rage due to not drinking enough water and being a tad dehydrated and full of too many sweets and ubercranky that it took f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to get the boys home from daycare...and then the cats started figure-eighting through your feet and the phone kept cutting out while listening to the messages... and... and... and...well, then I might venture a guess that trying to shuck corn isn't the brightest move? There were cornsilks everywhere and I was struggling to hold my curses in. Luckily, there's TV, and that kept the boys away from the madness.

Thursday Supper

2010-08-19T23:44:00.002-03:00

Well, it was supposed to be cheesy potato boats tonight. But I didn't think I had enough time to get everything assembled, so I skipped to Bacon Pasta (basically, pasta carbonara). I was reallllllllly nervous about the raw egg - would it actually cook enough in only the heat of the pasta??? So I changed things up again.

I modified an old stand-by baked mac & cheese recipe, based on what I had on hand. Used some sour cream, lots of cheddar cheese, milk, organic vegetarian spread instead of butter (since I'm still out), some seasonings... Anyhoo, I didn't do the french toast topping, but I did add some of the pre-cooked bacon purchased for the carbonara meal. (First time ever purchasing that! I'm reminded of the Bare Naked Ladies song, where one original line goes "They have precooked sausages, but do they have precooked bacon... no...do you blame them? yeah!" And now they do!)

But dessert, ahhhh sweet dessert.

Tomorrow is Elliot's last day at his current daycare. Many of the kids on their last day bring in treats - cake or cookies or something to share with everyone. I asked Elliot what he'd like to bring and he said 'apple turnovers'... I thought about it and convinced him that apple cake might be good. He agreed.

So we made a big cake to take to school tomorrow. And a smaller cake for us to eat, to test it to make sure it was yummy. And it was, boy oh boy it was!

Hop on over to Smitten Kitchen for the full recipe and some amazing pictures. It was fairly easy to make, but cooking times took some playing - since I don't have a tube or bundt pan, I used a regular pan, and a mini loaf pan. It ended up at just about the suggested cook time for the full cake, even though the pan was much lower than called for, but only an hour for the small one.

Annnnd, we're probably skipping cheesy potato boats again tomorrow, since I neglected to bake the potatoes tonight. It works so much better pre-cooked and cooled ones. *sigh* Tomorrow will be a scramble...

Wednesday Supper

2010-08-18T18:38:00.004-03:00

Yet another Canadian Family recipe... it was fast, it was delicious. I'll make it again - with some modifications.... While using packaged items saved a lot of time, it took away from the flavour. I'll try browning my own ground beef next time and shredding my own cheese! The boys complained that it was too spicy. I *think* that came from the salsa, so I'll try less spice next time, but it could have been the spice in the ground soy or even in the cheese.

Tex-Mex Veggie Bake

1 (340g) package seasoned ground soy

2 cups salsa (I made my own using canned tomatoes and Epicure's salsa spice)

1 (341 ml) can corn kernels

1 cup drained black beans (I used a whole can - 540 ml)

3 - 10 inch flour tortillas

2 1/2 cups shredded Tex-Mex cheese (I used a 340 g bag)

Preheat oven to 425 F

In a bowl, mix ground soy, salsa, corn and black beans

Coat a deep oven-safe pie plate or casserole dish (I used a fry pan) with oil. Put one tortilla on the bottom, add half the salsa mixture and top with 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat. Top the final tortilla with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

***I found 10 minutes in the oven wasn't long enough. The layered cheese wasn't melted and the insides were still cold! The boys didn't care and I popped mine into the microwave for 30 seconds - perfection! I'd suggest making the whole thing in the microwave, except that the oven crisps the tortillas quite nicely!

Tuesday Supper

2010-08-17T18:31:00.001-03:00

An awesome 1-pan meal. Gotta love that! The pork was delicious, but the apples were too mushy and tasted porky. Will try cooking separately next time.

Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin and Baked Apples

(from the September 2010 issue of Canadian Family)

1 tsp oil

2 pork tenderloins*

1 tbsp butter (I ran out of butter making dessert, so I used and Earth Balance organic vegetarian spread)

3 small Ida Red apples (None at the grocery store, so I used Granny Smiths) - cored and sliced into 5 pc

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper (whoops, forgot to add those!)

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Heat oil in large oven-proof fry pan on high heat

Add tenderloins and sear for 3 minutes on each side, remove to a dish

Lower heat to medium high and add butter and apples, aiming for a single layer

Add maple syrup and mustard, toss apples to coat and lay flat again

Sprinkle on thyme and lay tenderloins on top, pour broth over everything, bring to light boil

Put pan in oven and bake for 12 minutes

Don't forget to turn off the burner!

*Try to get tenderloins that are the same size. Mine weren't and I ended up cooking them in shifts, since one was done around the 12 minute mark but the other needed close to 20... which meant some of the apples were verrry overdone. Mmmm, applesauce in a peel!

Add the most amazing chocolate cake I've had in a looong time and now we're talking YUM!

For the recipe, jump on over to Smitten Kitchen and drool a bit, too. One note - it called for buttermilk, which I didn't have, but a quick google search turned up this tip: put a tablespoon of lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a measuring cup and add milk to the 1 cup mark. Let sit for 5 minutes and VOILA! Nicely done.

I was fooling around with the boys in the kitchen while baking (Elliot was waiting impatiently, hand on the mixer, for me to return and Felix was playing at the sink counter with some toys) Add in some silly dancing and whooops! The cocoa slipped out of my hand and hit the floor...

Luckily, there was still some left in the canister and it was just about enough for the cake.

Monday supper

2010-08-16T21:34:00.001-03:00

Made this yesterday afternoon, since I was working late and hubby was picking up the boys from daycare tonight. I try to be all wifey and have supper ready for them when they stumble in. Next time I make this soup, I'll not put the tortellini in as early... it was a bit overcooked and absorbed SO MUCH of the soup. This was really saucy, as opposed to soupy. But delicious! And boy-approved.

Sausage Tortellini Soup

(slightly modified from the 2-serving version in the September 2010 issue of Canadian Family)

1 pkg breakfast sausage

4 carrots, peeled & chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

6 cups broth (I used Epicure's chicken bouillon base)

1 pkg tortellini noodles

1/2 cup pasta sauce (I used a pepper/sausage blend)

salt & pepper to taste

Slide the sausages out of their casings and pan fry into small rounds until cooked through. Bring remaining ingredients, except for pasta, to a low boil until veggies are tender. Add pasta and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes before removing from heat. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Sunday supper

2010-08-15T19:11:00.000-03:00

Hungover and coasting on a sugar crash today. Ugh. So not good for weight or mental health.

Hubby was in charge of tonight's supper and it's a favourite around here: a modified version of Annabel Karmel's Finger-licking chicken & potato balls.

Chicken Veggie Balls

3-4 medium sized white potatoes

1 large sweet potato

1/2 cup shredded carrot

3/4 cup small broccoli florets

1/4 onion, diced

1 chicken breast, chopped small

flour for dusting

oil/butter for pan frying

Boil water, cook potatoes until tender. Steam broccoli and carrots (we used a basket on the potato pot to save space/time)

Saute onion in fry pan, add chicken and cook until done.

Mash together all cooked ingredients. When cook enough to handle, roll mixture into balls, coat with flour, saute in butter on medium heat until golden. Serve with sour cream or cottage cheese for dipping.

Last minute nectarine and apple crisp with ice cream

1 nectarine, sliced

1 apple, peeled and sliced

Topping:

(measurements are approximates)

2 TBSP butter, melted

1/2 cup oats

1/3 cups flour

1 TBSP brown sugar, plus more for dusting

Pinch of cinnamon, for dusting

Arrange sliced fruit in oven proof dish. Dust with cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar. In a small bowl, combine butter, oats, flour and sugar. Stir to mix, spoon over fruit. Bake at 350 for 20 m inutes or until fruit is soft. Let cool for a few minutes, serve and enjoy!

Grocery Day

2010-08-14T19:01:00.005-03:00

This week's meal plan and shopping list:

Trying a few new things this week: TexMex bake, sausage tortellini soup, Baked pork tenderloin with apples, bacon and egg pasta (essentially pasta carbonara, which makes me nervous, what with all the raw egg. So we'll see if that gets made.) All from the September issue of Canadian Family... recipes and reviews to be posted as we try 'em!

Tonight's masterpiece: store bought pirogies pan-fried in real butter, BBQ'd steak and salad. The boys had fresh blueberries with milk for dessert.

BBQ Chef Extraordinaire

Coffee and candy and cake, oh my!

2010-08-02T01:34:00.005-03:00

Steamy!

Not a great food day. Started with carbs and coffee, then we headed over to one of them "all you can eat" breakfast buffets at a local hotel restaurant. The breakfast standards of eggs, bacon, hash browns, sausage... plus some extras like waffles, fruit, dry cereal, yogurt, vegetarian quiche, caramelized onion and mushroom egg bake, and looooots of pastries. Of course I had to sample everything. Sometimes twice. Plus more coffee.

This afternoon I introduced the boys to candy - something Elliot's only ever had once or twice and I don't think Felix has ever really had. And it was a big hit. Smarties. Swedish Berries. BBQ coated peanuts, Chili & lime almonds. Bridge Mixture. And more coffee (for me - not them. At least I switched to decaf)

Supper was a true Brilliant Parenting Move: the tried and tested Mac & Cheese with hotdogs. Again, something the boys rarely get. And they wolfed it down, of course. I have to eat broken up plain rippled potato chips on my hotdogs, along with ketchup. It's my thing. And I have a hard time eating one plain now, since I've done this for as long as I can remember. I don't know when or why I started. But it's delish!

Which brings us to dessert. Ahhhhhh, sweet dessert. Blueberries were on sale at the grocery store this morning, and we still had about a cup's worth of raspberries growing out back, so I made a berry buckle, or cobbler. I've made it before, with just blueberries, and this time the raspberries gave it a wonderful tartness. Hot out of the oven and topped with vanilla-chocolate-crinkle ice cream and wow. Bliss!

My tummy is so happy, even hours later. But yep, it's pretty round today. And my digestive system is not pleased with me.

Wheat, dairy and sugar free berry cake with ice cream. Mmmmmm!

More squash

2010-07-31T20:51:00.002-03:00

I saw an online video on how to make squash noodles. It look easy and interesting and I thought maybe I could get the boys eating more veggies this way. (Plus, I have a bad habit of eating my weight in pasta...) The only tricky thing I ran into came up when I actually sat down to make my grocery list and reviewed the video. It says to use "summer squash" - a category which includes many, many different kids of squash. In the recipe (below), it suggested using zucchini, and the video seemed to use yellow zucchini. So I opted to get 2 yellow and one green zucchini and try from there...

Prep time was stupid easy. The boys were playing in the backyard while Jay was mowing the lawn. I carted everything out on my handy serving tray (one of my fave purchases!) and set up shop on the patio table. The boys were curios and sampled the zucchini ribbons as I peeled them off. Those ended up keeping spat into the grass, mostly.

I was unsure whether or not to use the outside peel of the zucchinis. So instead of throwing all caution to the wind, I picked a few of the brightly coloured thicker peels and tossed them in the bowl with the others, and discarded the rest. In the end, I'm glad I only used a few - I was worried they wouldn't soften enough but that wasn't a problem. The bitter aftertaste they left was, not unpleasant, but just not well matched with the rest of the meal.

While outside, I also whipped up my fave chickpea salad, and had to fend off suddenly starving boys as they raided my salad bowl with their grubby little fists.

While they finished playing, I ran inside to cook the zucchini strips. Splashed some olive oil into a high sided frying pan, added some pre-diced garlic, sea salt and fresh ground pepper, then tossed in the noodles. Stirred them around for a couple of minutes, and voila!

No pictures, since it was made and devoured so quickly (Jay and I liked it), but here's the recipe, modified from the original posting on Summer Tomato:

3 summer squash such as zucchini
1/2 jar thick style pasta sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Chop off ends of zucchini and peel as in video. Discard the outer peel.

Heat oil and garlic in large pan on stovetop. Add salt and pepper. Add noddles, toss to coat in oil and spice mixture. Cook for 3- 5 minutes on medium heat, turning often to cook evenly. Do not overcook - they will get soft and mushy quickly since they are so thin.

Heat pasta sauce and serve over noodles. Top with fresh parmesean cheese, if you like!

The boys weren't crazy about the pasta. They each tried a bite or two and shuddered. They did lick off all the sauce. Jay and I found it to be very tasty! To round out our meals, I brought out a container of knock-off guac (store bought guacamole - how depressing is that?!) and some corn chips. The boys had fun playing with that for a bit. Then we gathered some more raspberries from the untended patches growing in the yard and stuffed ourselves silly. Yum!

Shhhhhh - it's healthy. Sorta.

2010-07-28T17:09:00.005-03:00

I bought a spaghetti squash this week and spent today trolling the interweb for possible mac and cheese recipes to use with it. I cobbled together a bunch of different recipes (that actually called for spaghetti squash) and tweaked them a bit based on what's worked in the past.... and voila!

Spaghetti squash
3 TBSP Butter
2 TBSP flour
1 cup milk
1 TBSP sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
Cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper to taste
1 TBSP Epicure mac & cheese mix
Breadcrumbs and parmesean cheese for topping, to taste

****Disclaimer: Measurements are all estimates****

Use lots of force and carefullness and hack the squash in half. Pierce all over, to avoid a squashplosion while cooking. Place rind side up in a microwave safe dish and nuke on high for 6-8 minutes. (I did ours for 9). You can also bake for 30-40 minutes in a 375 oven.

Use potholders to remove dish from microwave. Set aside to cool.

In another microwave safe dish (or small pot on stovetop) melt some butter. Throw in some flour and whisk together. Microwave for 30-45 seconds. Add about a cup of milk and 2 TBSP sour cream. Stir. Microwave for 45-60 seconds. Add cheese and spices. Stir. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir.

Using a spoon (and a tea towel as a potholder) scoop the seeds and pulp out of the squash. Take a fork and run it down the squash to pull out the spaghetti strands. Toss into the cheese mixture. Stir to evenly coat. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parmesean cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until bubble and golden brown around the edges.

The Verdict: In a daring maneuver, I served this as Felix's birthday supper. Initially a hit with the boys, Elliot very soon declared it "disgusting". But only because it wasn't made with regular noodles. Both boys did, grudgingly, eat it. Because there were fresh raspberries and chocolate cupcakes for dessert. Jay and I both gobbled it up. Definitely something I will be cooking with again!

Today's menu wasn't very healthy.

-Granola, yogurt, banana and almond milk for breakfast, with coffee
-2 peaches, cottage cheese with strawberries, goldfish crackers, granola bar and an apple for snack/lunch
-2.5 cheesy buns, 4 packages of vanilla sesame snaps and a gross chocolate trifle/black forest cake combo thing from the grocery store for a snack
-squash mac & cheese, 1.5 cheesy buns, 1.5 cupcakes and lots of raspberries for supper

Not so healthy.

No wonder I've got a tummy like this... and this is sucking in a bit, too. Certainly looks like a prego belly. Can't fault people for (still) asking...

Detox, day 5

2010-07-11T16:16:00.003-03:00

I looked really hard, but I guess I was mistaken about seeing HoneyNut Cheerios on the list of today's foods. Sorry about that, my bad!

I'm getting pretty bored with this detox plan. I knew I would, that's not a surprise. I just didn't expwct to want to give up so badly. Only 7 days!!!!! Day 3 was a near write-off, as I'm certain gin & soda, mac & cheese, nachos and 6 bacon-wrapped-scallops were also not on the list. Hubby had a crew party and I couldn't stick to fruits & veggies all night! (Of which I also ate a lot, too.) My tummy was sooooo satisfied that night. No gnawing hunger!!!

For the most part, I am following the steps. I'm just also adding in other things. But trying realllllly hard to keep them to tiny portions. Sort of a losing battle with those HoneyNut Cheerios, though. Damn, them things are tasty!

Detox, day 2

2010-07-08T16:14:00.003-03:00

Got on the scale last night and was a whopping 170. Haven't been that high in a while. We'll see where I am at the end of the detox week.

Today is the all soup and veggies day. Doing ok. There's a constant gnawing hunger, but it's semi-appeased with carrot sticks. I want bread. Thick, crusty bread. Maybe with cheese.

I know this is a drastic change for my body, as it's used to consuming easily 3000 calories per day. And now it gets soup??? Tomorrow will be easier, as I get veggies AND fruit. More options that way.

My tummy keeps telling me that corn chips are still vegetables. That if I go to the natural food section of the grocery store and get plain, organic ones and then make some simple guacamole (avocado and garlic), that I would still be eating according to the detox diet. YEAH RIGHT! It's a pretty persistent little whisper, though. Mighty convincing.

Tonight's supper of "Vegetable Stir Fry" : most of a zucchini, half an onion, some broccoli & cauliflower, a celery stalk, some red pepper, and about a cup of 'Asian-style' frozen veggies. Spiced with sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a red pepper garlic. Used a bit of water and half steamed, half fried everything in a covered pan.

Detox diet

2010-07-06T19:29:00.005-03:00

Ok. So it starts tomorrow. I've done this soup diet before, years ago. It's a good jump start to detoxing and cleansing the body. I have no references to post, but when I first did it, it was said to have been a diet used to prep heart patients for surgery in the hospital. The paper I had even said so. No idea if that's true or not, and the version I managed to get my hands on recently is a bit different.

It also used to say why you were eating certain foods on certain days, I remember something about "...by day 4, you need to replenish the potassium levels and so that's why you eat bananas and skim milk". No idea who tweaked it, or when, or why. But the basics are the same: it's a veggie soup diet. Soup is eaten every day for 7 days. Each day, you're also allowed certain other foods - veggies or fruits or chicken. One day, it's 8 bananas and skim milk! Back when I first did it, one day included a baked potato with butter, to be eaten at supper time. That thing tasted so frickin' awesome!!!!

Anyway, the soup is cooking right now. I stocked up on fresh veggies and fruits this afternoon. And it's on in the morning. The only no-no food I'm allowing myself is coffee. It's for 7 days. I can handle that. Right. Right? And then afterwards, I'll roll right into the meal plan the trainer at the gym gave me all those years ago. And start going back to the gym. Yep. Promise.

Day One: Vegetable Soup, Unlimited Fruit (No Bananas), Herbal tea, 8 Glasses of Water.

Day Two: Vegetable Soup, Unlimited Raw Vegetables, Stir Fry Vegetables for Supper. Water/Herbal tea.

Day Three: Vegetable Soup, Unlimited Vegetables and Fruit (No Bananas) Water/ Herbal Tea

Day Four: Vegetable Soup, 2 Cups skim Milk, 20oz of Chicken, Beef or Fish, 8 Bananas, Water/Herbal Tea.

Day Five: One Boiled Egg (AM) Vegetable Soup, 6 Raw Tomatoes, 20 oz Chicken, Beef or Fish, Water/Herbal Tea.

Day Six: One Boiled Egg and Fruit (AM) Unlimited Raw Vegetables, 20ox Chicken, Fish or Beef, One Cup Brown Rice. Water/Herbal Tea.

Day Seven: One Boiled Egg (AM) Unlimited Raw Vegetables and Fruit, 2 Cups Brown Rice, 20oz Chicken, Fish or Beef. Water/Herbal Tea.

Vegetable Soup Recipe:

1 tsp Virgin Olive oil
½ tsp Sea Salt
½ tsp Pepper
1 tsp Basil
3 Bay Leaves
2 tbsp Oregano
2 Cloves Garlic
3 Stalks Celery, Diced
3 Cups fresh Beans (Green or Yellow)
3 carrots, Sliced
2 Onions, Diced
2 Bell Peppers, Diced
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
4 large Tomatoes, Diced

Put Olive Oil and all Veggies, except Tomatoes, in a Large pot. Add Spices and 12 cups of water. Simmer until Veggies are desired consistency, then add tomatoes.

Let cool. Portions for one week.

Yes, it is essentially the Cabbage Soup Diet, that fad from a while ago. And it is a fad and it's not long term. But, I think it might be just the kick in the pants I need to get started back on normal eating again. Maybe.

This site is a good resource on the soup/detox diet...

A long jaunt

2010-06-28T21:48:00.006-03:00

Decided to hike over the bridge on the weekend, across the harbour. Brought the whole family. The boys rode in the stroller for most of it, but were very excited to run across the bridge. Loved looking at the ships and ferries in the water.

We were all exhausted and cranky by time we came home. And no wonder - when we mapped out our route, it was 5.1 kilometers in each direction!

In other news, as I got out of the shower this morning, I caught sight of my shadow on the bathroom wall. It was lumpy in all the right places. And a few wrong ones. I actually had to stop and grab at rolls of flesh to identify them in the shadow-me. Do you know I'm developing saddle-bags? Those oh-so-delightful rolls of flesh between your butt and hips. I'm not sure if I'm feeling disgusted or defeated.

I really must make an effort to go back to the gym. Thinking about it and eating chocolate just isn't cutting it.

Laziness and cereal

2010-06-24T15:39:00.007-03:00

Psssssst.....Wanna know what I did instead of going to the gym today? It's a fun list!

Saw hubby and the boys out the door a little after 8am then went back to bed. Read and snoozed (crazy, twisty dreams, too!) until 10:30.
Did 2 loads of laundry. (Well, 3, really, since cloth diapers go through twice.)
Cleaned a very full and nasty litter box. Threw up a bit in my mouth.
Hid from a delivery since I didn't feel like answering the door.
Finished my book - "The Morning After" by Lisa Jackson.
Made granola from scratch. (Thanks, Be!)
Watched 2 episodes of Castle.
Ate half a bag of microwave popcorn - the other half was burnt and gross.
Had too much coffee. (Hopped on the bandwagon and got a fab new Keurig machine. AWEsome!!)
Ate a pear, lots of pilfered M&Ms (sorry Jay), a large bowl of berries, a large bowl of granola with plain yogurt, along with a bagel & cream cheese (at breakfast).

Granola
(Modified from Be's Scrumptious Recipe)

9 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1.5 cups wheat bran
1.5 cups oat bran
3 cups coconut, shredded, unsweetened
1 cup almonds, sliced or slivered
1/3 cup whole flaxseed
1/2 cup salted sunflower kernels
1.5 cups chopped fruit of choice
(I used an organic apple cranberry mix in this batch)
2/3 cup oil of choice
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 230F.

Add all dry ingredients to large roasting pan. Add oil and stir to combine. In large measuring cup, combine hot water and sweeteners. Stir to mostly dissolve. Pour slowly and evenly over granola; stir. Bake in oven for 2-3 hours, stirring every 45 minutes.

Enjoy with plain yogurt and fresh berries! Store in airtight container.

Now I need to get out of my PJs and go get the boys from daycare. By special request, making Mac & Cheese for supper tonight, using the new sauce mix by Epicure Selections. Looking forward to trying it out - my order just came in the other night. Yum!

Don't eat me!

2010-06-22T13:49:00.004-03:00

This is sitting on my counter. It's not healthy in the least. Ok, maybe in the least. It's something similar to what my mom made when we were kids. We hate them, because she never used enough butter or marshmallows to make them good. They were crunchy and often stale since we wouldn't eat them. She would also leave out ingredients in cookies or burn them just a touch when baking. Stopped us from devouring them all at once, I guess. Smart lady, my mama!

I didn't actually measure, so these might be too sticky, too messy. Oh dear! Whatever will I do??! *drool*

Chocolate Puffed Wheat Squares

1/4 cup butter
2/3 bag of mini marshmallows
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Approx 4 cups dry puffed wheat cereal

Melt butter in heavy pot on stove. Add marshmallows and chocolate. Stir until all melted and combined. Remove from heat, stir in cereal. Press into greased pan to cool, or, like I tried today, just pat flat into the same pot. (You'll want to sit the pot in cold water to cool it down faster.) Cut into squares. Or scoop out and eat with your fingers if too soft!

Yep, pretty much the rice crispies recipe, but you can delude yourself into thinking it's healthier this way - use organic puffed wheat with no added sugar or anything. Tasty!

I should probably also confess I haven't been to the gym in nearly 2 weeks. I miss it, but I don't have the time. *cough cough*

Mmmmmm granola bars!

2010-06-08T17:15:00.005-03:00

Finally got around to making these awesome things tonight, while simultaneously making Mac & Cheese from scratch. (The TV is a fab babysitter!) Loosely followed the recipe from Mon Petit Amour, who in turn had modified from a recipe posted on Smitten Kitchen (check her out - awesome stuff. I look and drool. Lots.)

They smelled amazing and I had a hard time waiting for them to cool completely before I cut into them - actually stuck them in the freezer for the last few minutes!

Granola Bars

2-3 cups of stuff: I used raisins, flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds and chocolate chunks
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup almond (or other) nut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups slow cook oats
1/3 cup oat bran
dash of salt
large dash pumpkin spice mix

Melt butter, whisk in nut butter, honey and vanilla. In another bowl, add oats, oat bran, salt and spice mix; stir to combine. Add in 'stuff' and nut butter mixture. Stir to mix completely.

Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes in a parchment lined square pan. (I used 9x9). Let cool completely before slicing. Watch them disappear!

They taste phenomenal, but are highly crumbly. Guess I'll ease up on dry ingredients next time.

French Toast Topped Mac & Cheese

1/2 lb elbow or other pasta (I usually just eyeball it as I pour into the water)
2 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (I use the shaky stuff, that's what's typically on hand)
2 3/4 cups milk, divided
2 large eggs
3 thick slices bread, torn into chunks
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare pasta as per package directions.
Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Whisk in flour. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups milk. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring at the halfway point. Stir in 1.5 cups mozza and 1/2 cup Parm. Microwave 1 more minute. Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to sauce, stir to combine.

Topping: Whisk 1/4 cup milk and 2 eggs together in a small bowl. Add remaining cheeses. Stir to combine. Add bread, stir to coat. Spoon over noodle mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, wait a few minutes to serve.

For something different, this time I sprinkled in some Cheese & Jalapeno dip mix as well as some Herb & Garlic mix. Tasty!

Ok, so maybe TV isn't the greatest babysitter. Just had to take a break from typing to call poison control when Felix came around the corner with a bottle of household cleaner in his mouth. The lid was still on, but his breath smelled like it, and when I tipped the bottle upside down and squeezed it, liquid came out. Bad mommy!!! He's fine, thankfully.

Jelly.

2010-05-29T20:45:00.003-03:00

Jelly belongs in donuts. Or on toast. Or ice cream.

Not in my thighs.

Went back to the gym this morning, did another 30 minutes on the cross trainer and then some stretches and ab work. Came home, did some lunch things with the boys, then packed Elliot up to go do some errands before a birthday party he was invited to. Well, of course we ended up behind schedule and found ourselves with 15 minutes to make a 45 minute trek. And there weren't any buses around. Elliot fell asleep in the stroller. And so I began to run. I would run a block, which was between 50-75 paces, then walk across the intersection, then run some more. I was red and panting and hot when we arrived, but we were only 20 minutes late. And then the real fun started.

Drinking now. Cosmopolitans make everything better.

Ok, ok, I'm car a already. Geesh!

2010-05-27T10:07:00.005-03:00

Someone wise recently told me that we, as a society, tend to put a lot of money into our cars. Buying the right car. Watching the gas prices. Regular upkeep. Oil changes, little repairs so that this car will last another year. Or at least 10. What's the average lifespan of a car, anyways? We can drop $800 (grudgingly, angrily) in order to keep the car running. It needs this part to driiiiive!

And yet, so few of us take the same care of our bodies. Don't want to spend a few bucks on vitamins. Or eat healthy food. Or do regular maintenance - haircuts, working out, relaxing, enjoying life. And we just blindly expect our bodies - our livelihood - to last 70, 80, 90 years and more without protest.

Ok. So I don't even own a car. But that just means I'm even more dependent on the health and strength of my body to get me around. And yet I persist in overfeeding it crap and lazing about. And I complain I have no energy or motivation.

Well, to that I say, "No more!"

I did 2 wonderful things for myself this week. I spent $$ on a new haircut that makes me feel pretty. And I've just gotten back from my first work out at a gym in over 3 years. I even went so far as joining the gym right off the bat - a 6 month membership - instead of getting a trial week pass or something I could weasel out of more easily. Yes, I spent money on myself. Money I don't really have at the moment, but it's an investment in my future. In the future of my family. What have you done for yourself this week?

Vrrrooooooooom!!!

Facebook Status

2010-05-16T21:44:00.003-03:00

A quickie update of my day today, or at least the last few minutes:

Rainyday is full of strawberry shortcake and cosmopolitans and now headed off to dreamland...

Had a good walk this afternoon, at least. Took the boys to a lake about 2 km away. Played in the sand and stuck our feet in the cold, cold water. Utterly exhausted by the time we trekked home!

May 2

2010-05-02T15:59:00.006-03:00

It turned out pretty good. Everyone ate it. There were some yummy leftovers. I'll make it again!

Crockpot lasagna
(based on the recipe at A Year of Slow Cooking)

Regular lasagna noodles (I used spinach)
Ricotta cheese
Pasta sauce
Ground turkey
Shredded cheese
Broccoli

Brown meat using whatever spices you normally use. (I used garlic, salt & pepper). Add chopped broccoli and sauce once meat is cooked. (SAVE the sauce jar - don't rinse or toss.) Break noodles up in order to layer them on the bottom of the crockpot. Add a layer of the meat sauce. Add another layer of noodles. Spread on some ricotta and shredded cheese. More noodles. Repeat until all ingredients are used up. Put more cheese on the very top. Take 1/4 cup of water and put it in the mostly empty sauce jar. Put the lid back on and shake it up. Pour over the lasagna. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. I referenced 2 recipes when making this. One said to cook on low for 4 hours, one said 8. I aimed for 6 and found the results to be good. It's a dry lasagna, not saucy like the oven baked ones I usually do.

I emailed a friend this past week to see about getting me a guest pass at the gym he goes to, which happens to be at the end of my street. Soooo, as soon as I can get my lazy butt out of bed by 5:30am, I'll be heading over for an hour or so, leaving Jay to deal with the boys and breakfast. Should be able to fit in a good work out before dropping the boys at daycare and heading to work. And boy oh boy do I need it!

Today is a lazy and sleepy Sunday at home. I had a 2 hour nap while Jay took the boys to the playground this morning, then gave them lunch. I am simply wiped from working full tilt the last 3 months. Things are slowing down at work now, so hopefully I can get caught up on things. And hire a housekeeper, because frankly, I'm a lazy bum!

The boys are playing and watching Wall-E and I'm making Be's granola whilst blogging. Pics and details to follow soon, hopefully.

Critters and fritters

2010-04-17T20:17:00.003-03:00

Lets see, today's menu included: 3 croissants, a carrot, coffee, 1/4 lg bag BBQ chips, 2 fried eggs, 2 pc toast, hash browns, bacon, more coffee, 1.5 apples, lemonade, 4 zucchini fritters with salmon and dipping sauce, ice cream bar, lg glass white wine.

Tonight's supper was an amalgamation of two recipes pulled from different magazines. Today's Parent and Chatelaine. They were similar enough that I blended them together for a unique taste that was mostly family approved. The boys didn't eat too much, but they sure gobbled the salmon. A distinct hate for the dipping sauce, though. Elliot got very upset when his wasn't in the shape of a rodent or other small critter-like creature.

While the from-frozen salmon was baking with a dusting of lemon and dill, the fritters were easy enough to whip up, even with these critters underfoot.

Cheesy zucchini corn fritters

2 small zucchini
1 cup cooked corn (I used thawed)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

Do not peel zucchini. Coarsely grate and then spread out over paper towel - cover with more paper towel and press down to remove water. Put in large bowl. Sprinkle in cornstarch and mix. Add corn, onions and egg, mix well. Add cornmeal, flour, milk, salt & pepper and mix.

I heated a bit of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and then used a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter out and into the pan to form patties. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on how golden and crispy you want them.

Alternatively, you could put them on a parchment lined baking pan and bake at 400 for 15 minutes, turning them carefully, and baking for 8 more minutes.

Sauce:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp grainy dijon mustard
1.5 Tbsp lemon juice

Mix well, serve on the side. Good with salmon, too!

Tasty!

Leftovers from my kitchen helpers.

Tomorrow's attempt will be crock pot lasagna. Stay tuned!

c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e

2010-04-11T22:37:00.004-03:00

That is all.

Oh, and maybe some tea. And steak. With sour cream. And pirogies. And pancakes. And ice cream.

***Too Much Info Alert***

For the last few weeks, I've had frequent, but intermittent pain in the middle right side of my abdomen - about a finger width up and 3 finger widths over from my belly button. It's tender to push on and reminds me, eerily, of when I was pregnant and would get an elbow or knee pushing out of me. It feels a *bit* more solid there than on the other side.

Yes, I'm gassy. Yes, I'm eating a bunch of foods that I know I'm sensitive to and shouldn't be having. My bowel habits have changed a bit, but are still moving. I'm not pregnant - at least, I keep having negative tests and periods. But even my periods are different over the last few months - arriving later than usual, staying shorter than usual, and are alternating between being heavy/painful and almost non-existent.

No idea. Maybe a kink in my intestines? (seems too high for that) A hernia? A stone-baby? Trapped gas? Nothing at all? I'm seeing my dr for something else on Tuesday and will be telling her about it.

I was speaking with my aunt-by-marriage last weekend and she has Crohn's... we were comparing symptoms and it sounds like I could be setting myself up for a trip down that road in the next few years. She was diagnosed when she was only 5 years older than I am now, but said that based on the testing/questions, hers was late-onset and she'd been battling it since her teens without knowing it. She's not a blood relation, but there are many digestive issues in my family.

*sigh* Yet another reason I really need to get myself off the sugar/dairy/wheat/etc and back on track.

Still ok in the weight department: 156 the other morning. Surprising, since the belly seems bigger than ever. And the pregnancy comments are popping up again. Still want/need to lose at least 15 lbs.

March 9th

2010-03-09T18:29:00.009-04:00

Oh what a hungry day!!!

Breakfast, 7:30
4 pc yeast/gluten free bread with soy butter spread
Steel cut oatmeal with blueberries & apples

Snack, 10am
coffee with almond milk
Gluten/sugar free pumpkin muffin

Lunch, 12ish
Leftover vermicelli with tofu sauce
Apple

Snack, 2pm
Steel cut oatmeal with blueberries & apples

Snack, 5pm
Several handfuls almonds

Snack/supper, 6ish
Several ryvita crackers with goat's cheese
Crockpot chicken chili
Corn chips

Crockpot Chicken Chili
(liberally modified from A Year of Slow Cooking ~ Thanks!)

1 cup dry green lentils
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup shredded carrot
3 cups water (or chicken/veggie broth)
2 tbsp vegetable bouillon base (optional, if using broth)
Cumin, coriander, curry, chili powder, pepper, cayenne pepper: to taste
1 tsp minced garlic
2 whole chicken breasts

Add all but chicken to the crock pot, stir together. Place chicken on top. Cover and cook on low for 7+ hours. (Ours was in for at least 10 hours.) Before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return to pot and mix together.

The verdict: well, the boys ate it up! YAY! A crowd pleaser. I thought it could have used a more heavy hand with the spices, but it was still very yummy. The boys had a dollop of sour cream on theirs. They actually cleaned their plates!

March 8th

2010-03-09T18:23:00.002-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30am
Gluten/sugar free pumpkin muffin
Organic corn puffs with almond milk

Snack
-coffee with almond milk
-organic energy bar thing. Forgot I wasn't having sugar today, but it was all natural and with maple syrup, etc, so not tooooo bad.

Lunch
Leftover chicken & broccoli risotto with romano cheese

Snack
Gluten/sugar free pumpkin muffin

Snack
Carrot & celery sticks

Supper
Brown rice vermicelli in a todu & veggie sauce (soft tofu, blended with almond milk, heated with butter, broccoli, red pepper, spices, romano cheese)

Trying

2010-03-08T07:41:00.004-04:00

Trying to get back on track. When The Sick hit our house for all of February, I derailed pretty quickly. It's very obvious I have an all-or-nothing personality. I know moderation is key, but I just can't stick to that, yet. It is my hope that once I can detox my body from all the sugar, that the cravings will lessen and that I will have more control and could allow myself to have some chocolate now and then without hoarding it all and turning into some sort of snarling she-beast if Jay questions how much I'm eating or looks like he might want to have some.

It's only breakfast time, but I've been good so far, and have packed appropriate food for work today.

Feb 28

2010-02-28T08:50:00.001-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30
Scrambled egg (with cheese and almond milk), nectarine

Snack, 9am
Chai tea, raspberry cereal bar

Lunch-ish, 11:30
2 pc leftover veggie pizza

Lunch-ish, 1pm
Coconut French Toast, mimosa, coffee with cream & sugar

Unfinished entry... it was only yesterday, but I don't remember what else I ate. Jay made chocolate chip cookies, I know I had some of those. And toast with butter. Maybe an apple? No real supper...lots of orange juice

Feb 27

2010-02-27T20:18:00.003-04:00

The verdict: raging sinus infection as well as an unidentified throat infection.

Breakfast: lots of tea, scrambled egg, Breton crackers, plum

Snack: raisin bran with almond milk, tea

Lunch: Elliot's leftover, uneaten and cold grilled cheese sandwich; nectarine

Supper: Lipton cup-a-soup (vegetable), raspberry cereal bar, nectarine, orange juice

Snack: requested hubby bring back soft & cheap chocolate from the convenience store. Still waiting to see what he brings - need soft since it hurts to chew and cheap since I can't taste it anyway. Boooo!

February 26

2010-02-27T20:11:00.003-04:00

Ugh.. sicker and sicker.

Breakfast: 2 pc cake, nectarine, Tim Horton's bacon & egg sandwich

Snack: lg 1/2 coffe 1/2 hot chocolate

Snack: lg decaf soy mocha, lg tea

Lunch, 3pm: Fruit salad with cottage cheese

Snack: More cake (someone else's birthday!)

Snack: Vegetable Breton crackers, grapes

Supper: Store bought pizza: roasted veggie & feta, roast chicken & red pepper

In lots and lots of pain. Thinking maybe strep throat? High wind and rain storm caused power outages all over the city and the walk in clinics were powerless.

February 25

2010-02-27T20:06:00.002-04:00

Happy birthday to me!

Breakfast: Raisin bran, Nectarine

Snack: lg 1/2 coffee 1/2 hot chocolate, cranberry muffin

Lunch, lg serving fruit salad (a birthday tradition) with cottage cheese

Snack, lg fruit salad, 1 pc cake

Snack, 1/2 pc cake, few bites boxed mac & cheese

Dinner out: 2 glass white wine, shared order of very buttery mussels with hubby, haddock, fries, coleslaw, chocolate tofu pie

A great day, despite the building sinus cold and sore throat!

Feb 22

2010-02-22T08:52:00.005-04:00

Oh dear oh dear, the barfies have hit our house, among other things. So far, I'm mostly healthy... *fingers crossed*... not that my food choices today are doing much to extend my life or keep my heart beating normally.

Breakfast, 7-9:30am
1.5 pc whole wheat toast with butter
1.5 double chocolate gluten free cookies
2 small glasses apple juice
1/2 apple
lg bowl raisin bran cereal with almond milk
handful cheese crackers

Lunch, 1:30
Leftover lasagna: ground beef, tomato sauce, veggies, spinach noodles, cottage cheese, mozza
Cadbury Easter Egg

Snack, 2:30
Xtreme Cream Creamsicle
BBQ chips
Lg orange juice

(yeah - totally not following any sort of healthy meal plan)

Snack, 4ish
Handful M&Ms
Handful peanut brittle
Apple

Supper, 5:30
Swiss Chalet chicken wrap (bacon, mayo, cheese)
Chicken noodle soup
Fries
lemon pie
Few crackers

Feb 11

2010-02-11T07:57:00.004-04:00

Being sick pays off in the weight department! Stepped on the scale this morning and I'm sitting at a nice 150. Sweet!

Yesterday I had toast, 4 cups of pudding (72g sugar - oops), mini-Ritz bits cheese & crackers, an orange, a grapefruit, raisin bran with blueberry yogurt and almond milk.)

~Today~
Breakfast, 7:30
Raisin bran with blueberry yogurt & almond milk

Snack, 10-4
2 muffins
chai tea with soymilk
3 nectarines

Supper, 6pm
Handful of Ritz bits crackers
Small dish of lentil & rice pilaf with squash and zucchini
Small bowl of raisin bran with almond milk

Snack, 10pm
Tea with milk
Bagel with butter

February 9th

2010-02-09T19:15:00.003-04:00

I'm sick and have reverted back to my first-trimester stand-bys from when I was prego with the boys. Nothing else is appealing. Plus I know these foods generally stay down! Here's hoping the antibiotics kick in soon.

Breakfast, 7am
4 pieces whole wheat toast with butter

Snack, 10am
4 strawberries, handful of green grapes, wedge of cheddar cheese

Lunch, 12:30
Sushi: 9pc California roll, 4 pc Ko-Doraku roll (fat roll with tempura shrimp, avocado & spicy sauce), side salad with ginger dressing

Supper, 7pm
2 grilled cheese sandwiches: whole wheat bread, lots of butter, processed cheese

I've been a good girl and didn't give into the craving I had to treat myself with a Cadbury Creme Egg and Minute Maid lemonade. I drank lots and lots of ice cold water.

Certainly not a candida diet approved day, but these are my comfort foods and I needed them today.

Moan and groan

2010-02-05T18:59:00.006-04:00

Today started out ok - oatmeal with blueberries. I had a decent enough lunch: bean quesadillas with tomato, carrot and goat's cheese. With sour cream and fresh guacamole for dipping. Then I raided dear hubby's chocolate supply. Yummilicious! Supper came mostly out of a box: processed fish cakes (lots of sugar, salt) and homemade sweet potato and carrot fries with curry dip.

I'm tired. It's possible I have a thyroid problem - routine bloodwork came back with low levels. This would explain the extreme tiredness lately, and a few other weird symptoms I've been having. but it could also be I'm pushing myself too hard.

We'll see.

I'll try to stay on track and keep up with my updates.

Today's creation: Pumpkin Currant muffins

2 eggs
2 cups spelt flour
2 cups pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup oil
splash of vanilla
handful of currants
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

Mix everything together and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Enjoy!

January 31

2010-01-31T14:49:00.003-04:00

Breakfast, 7am
2 bowls puffed rice with raisins & almond milk
2 cups tea with almond milk
1 hardboiled egg

Snack, 10am
2 blueberry lemon muffins

Snack, 11:30
Handful potato wedges

Snack, 12:30
2.5 blueberry muffins

Lunch, 1:30
Leftover chili-style beans with corn & sausage
Lots of corn chips

Note: This is an unfinished entry. No idea what I ate the rest of the day, but I'm certain it wasn't all good!

January 30th

2010-01-31T14:46:00.003-04:00

Ok, lets see if I can remember - this was a crazy work day, so busy I had no time to stop!...

Breakfast, 7am
Steel cut oatmeal with apples & blueberries & almond milk
2 blueberry coconut muffins
tea with almond milk

Snack, 12-ish
blueberry muffin

Lunch, 1-ish
Small bowl of cold oatmeal with blueberries & apples

Snack, 4ish
blueberry muffin

Supper, 6ish
Chicken & veggie cakes, rice, peas, corn
1/2 grapefruit
Approx 1.5 cups chocolate frozen yogurt

January 29th

2010-01-29T21:32:00.005-04:00

Ugh - here I come around again. I don't want to keep up this meal plan. The candida regime is kicking my butt and I'm tired. I miss my old foods. The ease of them. The comfort. The last 4 days have not been good - a steady decline into my old ways. Sure, they'd start off good enough and with the best intentions. But by the end of the day, I'd be polishing off at least 2 cups worth of chocolate frozen yogurt. Or raisins. Or half a box of After Eight mints.

Yes, tomorrow is another day. I can try again. Today I made a yummy batch of lemon coconut blueberry muffins. I ate 2 at breakfast and another 3 throughout my work day. Then another 2 after supper. I'm trying to save the remaining ones for work tomorrow - they're easy, portable snacks. We'll see how that goes.

I work in close proximity to a Starbucks. Mmmmm, how I love thee, Starbucks. I've not had my standard *drool* mocha since before I started the Candida Diet back in mid-November... I've been getting their tea, but it's just not the same. I'm a week into my 'no-coffee' kick. Is there anything left to take away? All my favourites are blacklisted.

Ok - positives: I love how I feel when I'm not eating sugar. I sleep better. I have more energy. I'm happier, less cranky. My nails are growing so strong and fast! I'm a better mom and wife. I'm losing weight. I'm re-learning (ok, that's a stretch) self-discipline. Still... all good things and excellent reasons not to quit.

Of course it's totally worth it to keep all this up. I just don't want to. But maybe that's the After Eight's talking.

Lemon Coconut Blueberry Muffins

2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2/3 cup oil
1 tsp lemon extract and/or fresh lemon zest
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup blueberries

Mix well, bake in muffin tins at 350 for 30 minutes. Makes 12.
Enjoy!

January 25th

2010-01-25T20:36:00.007-04:00

Wheee! First day back in the office today. I missed it there. I'm a seasonal employee, so it's only for 3 months... gotta make the most of this "me" time. And, I also have to make every bite count... I tend to not eat when I'm working, which is great most of the time, except that I'm a ravenous beast who will devour anything as soon as I get home. So I need to go prepared with all sorts of nutritious snacks - snacks that don't need to be heated, as I usually eat at my desk. On days that are crazy busy, I don't even take a lunch break. I plan to make lots of muffins - easy and portable. I would love to find a granola bar I could eat, but they're all made with honey/maple syrup... something sugary and sticky to hold it all together. Haven't yet found something to fit the bill without the sugar.

Breakfast, 7:30
Steel cut oatmeal with apples & almond milk
Lg tea with almond milk

Lunch, 1pm
Hard boiled egg
Spicy Chickpea salad

Snack, 2pm
Lg green tea

Snack, 5pm (Ravenous Beast alert)
1/4 oatmeal cookie
2 pc partly-skim mozza
Handful canned pineapple chunks
1 mini-box raisins (approx 24g sugar. Oops.)
More spicy chickpea salad

Supper, 6pm
1/2 homemade pizza
3/4 homemade garlic fingers

I made garlic fingers by melting butter and then mixing in minced garlic and some dried parsley. Elliot had fun 'painting' it on the crust. Topped with grated goat's mozza. Tonight's pizza was topped with crushed tomatoes, pizza spice, 5 pc small ham rounds, sliced mushrooms, goat's mozza and a few chunks of pineapple. They both turned out yummy, but the crust on both was a bit soft. I baked them for 20 minutes, but should have gone 5-10 more minutes. Felix was shrieking though, since supper was late and he was melting down... so I took everything out of the oven early. (The boys' regular pizza was done in 20 minutes...)

Gluten-free crust

1 cup spelt flour
1 cup brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp oil
pinch of salt
1 cup of water

Mix first 5 ingredients together. Slowly add water until a stiff dough is formed. Press into 2 greased pie plates. (Can be made in one plate, depending on sizing.) Add toppings of your choice and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy!

January 24

2010-01-24T18:37:00.003-04:00

Breakfast, 9am
3 cups tea with almond milk
2 chocolate muffins
'Cranberry Delight' granola with goat's yogurt & almond milk

Snack, 10am
Apple
Few corn chips with guacamole

Lunch, 12:30
4 ryvita crackers
1 egg chopped up with a smidge of mayo and goat's feta cheese
100g almonds

Snack, 3pm
Apple
1 cup tea with almond milk
Spicy pork, carrot & noodle soup (ginger, garlic, onion)

Snack, 4pm
Several handfuls Ritz Bitz with peanut butter - approx 9g sugar :(

Supper, 6pm
Beef Hash: diced potatoes, fried with ground beef, onions, green pepper & butter
1 tsp chocolate frozen yogurt

January 23

2010-01-23T09:17:00.010-04:00

Oooookay, so I took my measurements this morning...

To recap: 6 months ago, they were: Bust: 44, Waist: 39.5, Hips: 41
Today, they are: Bust: 39.5, Waist: 37, Hips 39.5 (I did an extra measurement of my belly at it's largest, around the belly button: 41)

So, I've lost:
4.5 inches from my bust (I knew my bras were fitting differently - this is what drastically cutting down nursing sessions will do to you!)
2.5 inches from my waist
1.5 inches from my hips.

That's 8.5 inches total, simply from changing what I eat (and reducing nursing, which is sad) ... awesome!!! It's good to see the numbers, because other than my boobs, I couldn't see a difference after the 13 lb weight loss.

Breakfast, 8am2 cups tea with almond milk
'Cranberry Delight' granola with goat's yogurt & almond milk (yes, and sugar.)

Snack, 10:30
2 pc potato bread, toasted with soy 'butter' spread

Lunch, 11:30
leftover creamy eggplant & rice with pork

Snack, 12:30-2
7 chocolate muffins
1 cup tea with almond milk

Snack, 4pm
Apple

Supper, 6pm
Large bowl of veggie noodles with crushed tomatoes, sautéed onion, celery & mushroom, and goat's feta cheese. Yum! (Rest of the family had spaghetti)
3 more muffins

Snack, 8-midnight
lots of toritilla crackers (homemade by Jay), corn chips, rice crackers, hummus, guacamole, nacho dip (with sour cream & yogurt), herbed goat cheese, homemade salsa
2 gin & sodas
1 soda water with lemon

January 22

2010-01-22T18:13:00.004-04:00

Well crap. I snapped and had sugar instead of supper. It was a long day, we were later than usual getting home, I was in a seminar all day and didn't bring enough food with me, I didn't sleep well last night, Elliot was being *special* the whole way home from daycare.... le sigh.

Breakfast, 8am
2 hardboiled eggs
1 apple
Tea with almond milk

Snack, 10am
Goat yogurt with blueberries
1 ryvita cracker with almond butter
6 rice crackers

Lunch, 12:30
1/2 serving Greek Chickpea salad
1 ryvita cracker with almond butter
1 bag Corn Twists

Snack, 3pm
Green tea
2 ryvita crackers with almond butter

Sugar-binge, 5:30
1/2 cup raisins (approx 48g sugar)
2 oatmeal raisin cookies (14g sugar)
1/3 box mini ritz bits with cheese (approx 15g sugar)

Supper, 6pm
1/2 serving Greek Chickpea salad with a side of roast pork

January 21

2010-01-21T20:29:00.003-04:00

Breakfast, 9:30
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 ryvita cracker with almond butter

Lunch, 12pm
New York Fries' poutine - mmmmmmm - forbidden deliciousness. (Fries, cheese curds, gravy.) Only 3 g sugar, but 950 cal, 50g fat, 1320mg sodium, 25g protein.
Chai tea with soy milk

Snack, 2-4pm
2 cups tea with soy milk
3 ryvita crackers
1 apple

Supper, 5:30
Amy's Organics' vegetarian chili
Potato bread with organic soy buttery spread

Man oh man did I ever walk today! I went 30 minutes in one direction to get my blood work done (took 3 tries before she found a vein willing to spill), then back-tracked 15 minutes to the mall where I shopped for 2 hours, then walked home (15 min) to drop everything off before heading out 30 minutes in another direction to another appointment. Then 30 minutes in yet another direction, then 15 minutes to home again. Exhaustive! And wowee - 12.1 kms, not including all the walking around the mall!!! Whew!

(Point D is also A = home.)

January 20th

2010-01-20T17:27:00.006-04:00

Yes, peeps, once again I changed the design of my blog. Got to keep you on your toes! I like the feel of this design, but I'm not 100% sold on it just yet. Close, but not quite. Anyhoo.... I spoke with my doctor this morning (and had a lovely pap done, thank you very much) and was asking her what she thought of my current diet. She said she didn't feel there was a lot of science behind it, but if it was making me feel better then that was a good thing. I reassured her that this wasn't a permanent diet change for me. She counseled me on the rations of fat/carbs/proteins in a full and healthy diet.

I asked, and she agreed, to send me for a full blood work up. So I'll head out tomorrow morning (have to fast first. Fun times!) They're testing the usual suspects, including thyroid, cholesterol, calcium, iron and a variety of other vitamins. I think I get to pee in a cup, too!

Morning weight, unclothed: 156 lbs (+1)

Jay, my clever husband, asked if we were having kidneys for breakfast.

Breakfast, 7:3o am
2 pink pancakes
Tea with almond milk

Pink Pancakes
Modified from original buckwheat pancake recipe here.)

1 ripe banana, mashed
1.5 cups buckwheat flour
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup cooked & pureed beets
1 tsp pure maple syrup
dash of salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
almond milk as needed (at least 1/2 cup)

Blend all ingredients together in a bowl, adding liquid to desired consistency. Cook in a frying pan. Yum yum!

Snack, 11am
Starbucks green tea
Miso soup

Lunch, 1pm
Spicy tuna roll (unknown sugar in spicy sauce)
Veggie roll (avocado & cucumber)
2 side salads (lettuce, tomato, celery, corn and ginger dressing - unknown sugar in dressing.)

Snack, 2pm
Starbucks chai tea with soy milk

Snack, 4:30
1 pink pancake
Handful of chickpeas

Supper, 6pm
Creamy Creole Eggplant Bake

Creamy Creole Eggplant Bake
Liberally modified from Diet Dessert & Dogs' recipe ~ Thanks!!

1 small eggplant, peeled and chopped

2 Tbsp Braggs soy sauce

2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil

2 tsp 3 Onion Dip spice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then cut into chunks

Several shakes each: (dried) parsley, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion and garlic powder, basil, oregano (then added more to taste)

1 cup (120 ml) cooked chickpeas (about 1/2 cup dry)

300g soft tofu

1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened almond milk

2.5 cups uncooked basamati rice

I prepared the rice in the rice cooker while I prepared the rest of the sauce.

In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil over medium heat and add the eggplant, garlic and Braggs. Once the eggplant softens and absorbs the Braggs, add zucchini and continue to cook until the zucchini starts to soften. Add spices, mix well, then add the chickpeas.

In a high speed blender, combine the tofu and almond milk. Blend smooth then pour into the fry pan and stir to coat.

For a quick meal: Ladle warm sauce over the rice and serve, topping with fresh parsley if you want.

For a Casserole: Preheat oven to 35o F. Add rice to sauce and stir to coat everything. Pour into a casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Serve and enjoy!

I think next time I'll try with pasta - the rice got a bit soft, not quite mushy, but too close for my liking.

January 19

2010-01-19T12:03:00.008-04:00

Breakfast, 8am
tea with almond milk
'Cranberry Delight' granola with goat's yogurt & almond milk. No dairy or wheat, but some sugar. Mostly in the form of currants and cranberries. Delish!

Snack, 11am
rest of yesterday's large bag of chips

Lunch, 12:45
Bowl of Amy's Organic minestrone soup
Chocolate mug cake

I couldn't take it anymore. I needed a 'sweet' fix. With the oven out of commission, I haven't been baking. And I was jonesing something awful. So I decided to try to customize an old stand-by: the microwave cake in a mug. VERY pleased with the results. Of course, as soon as I hauled everything out, the repair man arrived. Oh well - I was determined!

5 Minute Chocolate mug cake

1 large coffee mug (Microwave Safe)
4 tablespoons spelt flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons cocoa
pinch of baking powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons almond milk
3 tablespoons oil
A small splash of vanilla extract
1/4 cup frozen cranberries

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the vanilla extract and cranberries and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake may rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT !

(See original recipe here.)

Snack, 2pm
Blue corn chips
Peppermint tea

Supper, 5:30
Sweet Potato burrito, filling baked in a dish, minus the tortilla wrap, with 1 tsp sour cream
1/4 each red & green pepper
2 stalks celery
1 tsp chocolate frozen yogurt

Sweet Potato Burritos

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1-2 tsp minced garlic
* 2 cans kidney beans
* 2 cups water
* 3 tablespoons chili powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 4 teaspoons prepared mustard (optional)
* 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce (optional)
* 4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (I use 2-3 potatoes)
* 12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed (tonight I used 8, and put the rest in a small casserole dish)
* 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (I estimate, and usually add a lot!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
3. Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

Serve these with sour cream and salsa.

In re-reading this recipe, I see that tonight I forgot the water. And could have used more cumin. Still turned out delicious!

January 18

2010-01-19T11:52:00.003-04:00

Pretty bland blog today, folks. I forgot to write everything down so am going by memory. Which has been spotty lately. Hopefully I haven't missed anything. ... Oh yes, have I mentioned my horrible gas? Something I've been eating lately is not agreeing with my digestive system. I've been looking over the past week and have narrowed it down to the lentils in the Rockin' Moroccan stew, the potato bread, the pumpkin muffins (which tasted a bit different than normal) or all the extra coffee I've been drinking. So I'm going to try cutting things out to see what happens.

Breakfast, 7:30am
tea with almond milk (Day 1 = no coffee.)
oatmeal with apples/cinnamon
4 pc potato bread with margarine & almond butter

Snack, 11
most of a large bag of potato chips

Lunch, 12:30
1.5 hamburgers (no buns)
leftover sweet potato fries
1/4 avocado

Snack, 3pm
handful of raisins, mini-ritz crackers & cheese (oops!)

Supper, 5:30pm
Greek Chickpea salad with add red & green pepper, omitted feta cheese
decaf green tea with almond milk

January 17th

2010-01-17T17:25:00.003-04:00

Breakfast, 9:30
lg coffee with almond milk
oatmeal with apples/cinnamon/almond milk
pumpkin muffin

Snack, 11:30
4 small pc toasted potato bread with almond butter
pumpkin muffin
apple

Lunch, 2pm
last of the Rockin' Moroccan stew

Snack, 4pm
1/4 bag of organic corn puffs

Supper, 6pm
Swiss Chalet chicken noodle soup
Chopped salad: garden salad with sliced chicken & sunflower seeds & feta
grapefruit
bite of apple pie

January 16th

2010-01-16T13:09:00.009-04:00

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. The layout/design of my blog has changed several times over the last few days. I'm just trying to hit upon a proper fit. I like the colours and layout of this design, but it feels kinda bland to me. So keep checking back to see what new looks I come up with. Oh, and to read the recipes too, of course!

Breakfast, 7am
lg coffee with almond milk
4 almond coconut cookies
oatmeal with apples/cinnamon/almond milk
Snack, 11am
Pumpkin muffin
Starbucks' tall coffee with soy milk

Lunch? 12:30-1:30
1/4 loaf of gluten/dairy/yeast/sugar free potato bread with margarine. (Unfortunately, this bread has issues rising without sugar - needs the chemical change brought out by the sugar - and as such, there was a very yummy crust all around the loaf, but it was pretty well hollow inside. The rest of the dough had formed a dense brick along the bottom. Tasty - but not toasty, sadly. So Jen from GFG tells me they probably can't custom make this bread for me anymore. Insert sad face here.)
Rockin' Moroccan Stew, with some rice

Supper, 5:30
1 cup tea with almond milk
Naked salad (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red cabbage)
1 hamburger, no bun
Sweet potato fries
1/4 mashed avocado

Snack, 7:30
One more pumpkin muffin

Snack, 9:30
More potato bread with margarine

And sad news to report. I won't be baking anything in my oven for a few days. We had ourselves a bit of a light show tonight And since I didn't bake anything today, I have no pictures, either! Boooooo!!!!

But another reason to keep tuned.... remember back when I posted my measurements? Hmmm, wait a second - I bet you can't because I don't think I ever did!!!! (psssst: 44, 39.5, 41 - freakin' rectangle!) Well, I'm gonna do it. Soon. Eep! Anyone else biting their nails along with me??

January 15

2010-01-16T06:30:00.003-04:00

I've started yet another blog! I wanted a place to house all my recipes, so I could refer back to them quickly and easily while blogging, since many of my foods repeat themselves. Right now, it's a bit of a mishmash, but as I cycle through our weekly meal plans, I'll be posting more info and photos.

Breakfast, 7am
lg coffee with almond milk
steel cut oatmeal with chopped apples, cinnamon & almond milk

Snack, 10:30
3 ryvita crackers
decaf coffee with soy milk
'Breakfast biscuit' - egg & bready concoction from Perks. No idea on volume of dairy/sugar/wheat content

Lunch, 2pm
Rockin' Moroccan Stew

Snack, 3pm
1/2 apple
2 tsp almond butter

Snack, 4pm
oatmeal with apple/cinnamon/almond milk

Supper, 6pm
1 scrambled egg with almond milk

Snack, 6:30-8
9 cookies (EEP!) - I made up a recipe and was VERY pleased with the results!

Almond Coconut cookies

1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup oats
1 1/4 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup almond milk, approx

Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl. Add flour, oats and coconut. Mix well, adding milk slowly until desired consistency is reached. Drop by spoon onto prepared baking sheet. (I prefer a parchment lined sheet). Bake at 325 for approx 25 minutes. Cookies will be slightly crisp on the outside and chewy inside.

January 14th

2010-01-14T07:38:00.007-04:00

First off - oh my FRACK! I stepped on the scale this morning, and I still don't quite believe the number: 155 lbs. Unclothed. That's a 5 lb loss in a WEEK! Granted, last week had extra water retention happening due to PMS or the moon shifting into Venus or something, and I was clothed when I weighed myself, but still.... I'm in shock. Now, imagine what that number would be if I were actually working out??? Get on it, girl!

Breakfast, 7:30
lg coffee with almond milk
pumpkin muffin
gluten & sugar free granola with almond milk

Snack, 10
several handfuls sunflower seeds
1/2 apple

Lunch, 11:30
Left over chicken & rice
2 pc spelt toast margarine & goat cheese

Snack, 2pm
4 pc ryvita crackers with almond butter
chocolate hazelnut tea with almond milk

Supper, 5:30
2 servings Rockin' Moroccan Stew with rice and added lentils
lots and lots of blueberry cobbler

Rockin' Moroccan Stew

2Tsp Olive Oil
1 Cup chopped onions
1/2 Cup each: diced celery and chopped green bell pepper
1 Clove garlic, minced
3 cups of vegetable broth
3 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
1 Can (19oz) tomatoes, drained and cut up
1 Can (19oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tsp grated ginger root
1 tsp each ground cumin, curry powder, ground coriander and chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup raisins *optional (I never add them - they swell up like bugs.)
2 tbsp each: light peanut butter and chopped fresh cilantro *optional (I often omit these.)

Heat olive oil in a large, non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, green-pepper and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 mins. Add all remaining ingredients, except raisins, peanut butter and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 20mins. Stir in raisins, peanut butter and cilantro. Mix well. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot. Yummy over basamati rice.

January 13th

2010-01-13T18:12:00.004-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30
4 pc spelt toast with margarine
lg coffee with almond milk

Snack, 10am
Pumpkin muffin

Lunch, 11:30
Rest of last night's mock-lasagna

Snack, 1pm
lg coffee with some almond milk and some regular milk

Snack, 3pm
3 ryvita crackers with goat's cheese
pumpkin muffin

Snack, 5pm
pumpkin muffin

Nothing fancy about tonight's supper, folks. I knew tonight was going to be busy, so before I left this morning, I fried up some chicken, using Braggs soy sauce and some Thai spice, then put some basamati rice and baby carrots in the rice steamer. When I got home, I tossed everything back into a frying pan with more soy sauce. It was very tasty! I drizzled the boys' with a bit of Greek salad dressing, but it was perfect on it's own.

I paired it with a side salad. The fanciest thing about this dish was the salad dressing. I made a simple lemon and oil mixture: about 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 TBSP oil, and a pinch of Lemon Dill spice.

I topped everything off with fresh guacamole & blue corn chips: 1 avocado and 1/2 tsp chopped garlic, mashed together with a fork. This is one of Elliot's favourite snacks!

Supper 5:30
Chicken with rice & carrots
Salad with lemon dressing
1-avocado guacamole & corn chips

January 12th

2010-01-12T12:11:00.007-04:00

Breakfast, 9am
lg coffee with almond milk
2 pc biscotti
lg bowl oatmeal with chopped apple, cinnamon & almond milk

Snack, 10am
2 cups green tea

Lunch, 12pm
Lg bowl leftover Indian Curry Stew
3 ryvita crackers
Blue corn chips

Snack, 2pm
3 pc biscotti
coffee with almond milk

Supper, 6pm
Mock-lasagna
3/4 apple
handful baby carrots
1/2 tsp chocolate frozen yogurt

The rest of the family was having lasagna for supper tonight. I wanted something of a similar theme, so I started adding and substituting. I took a layer of vegetable noodles, a layer of browned ground beef with a whole chopped tomato (sautéed in olive oil & garlic), a layer of cheese: 1/4 cup lasagna style cottage cheese (2g sugars) and some goat's cheddar. Topped everything with another layer of noodles. The results were yummy, but I think next time I'd add more tomato and forgo the goat's cheddar - it's got too sharp a taste and reminds me of baby vomit. Yum!

I was still hankering for something sweet, so I decided to try a recipe a friend sent me a few days ago: Blueberry Cobbler! The results? I think Jay got 4 bites.

Blueberry Cobbler (*half recipe)

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup almond milk
splash of vanilla extract
1 cup berries

Melt butter and pour into pie plate. Mix milk & vanilla together then add to flour & baking powder; pour mixture on top of butter. Arrange berries on top and bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!

January 11th

2010-01-11T20:14:00.005-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30am
Lg coffee with almond milk
1 chocolate muffin
Oatmeal with apple & cinnamon & almond milk

Lunch, 12pm
Rice with peas & carrots, spongy chicken, garden salad with a tiny bit of balsamic vinaigrette (mall food court meal)
Coffee with soy milk

Snack, 2:30
Last chocolate muffin
5 ryvita crackers

Supper, 5:30
Pork chop with spinach rice vermicelli & peas
3/4 pink grapefruit

Snack, 8pm
2.5 pc chocolate hazelnut biscotti

I only made a half batch and it's already not nearly enough!

Biscotti (half batch*)
1/4 cup crushed hazelnuts
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
1 cup spelt flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
enough almond milk to mix together

Mix well and form into a flattened log. Bake at 300 for 30-40 minutes (firm to touch), remove and let cool slightly. Cut into strips and put back on pan. Bake 10 minutes, flip and bake 10 more minutes (firm to touch). *If making a full batch, double everything and use 3 eggs*
Enjoy!

January 10th

2010-01-10T19:31:00.009-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30
3 chocolate muffins
lg coffee with almond milk

Real breakfast, 10am
Lg serving steel cut oatmeal with chopped apples & cinnamon

Lunch, 12pm
1 more muffin
Lg bowl lentil soup
2 pc spelt toast with margarine (which I stoopidly tried to toast in the microwave of all places - where is my head?!)

Snack, 2-4
2 more muffins
Most of a lg bag of blue corn chips

Supper, 6pm
Sweet & Sour Indian Curry Stew
3/4 pc pita bread (oops, yeast/wheat/etc)

Sweet & Sour Indian Curry Stew, modified

1 small head cauliflower, chopped
about 3 cups chopped squash (I used Buttercup)
1 small eggplant, chopped (I used about 1/4)
1 onion, chopped (I used dried onion spice)
2 tbsp Indian curry paste (1g of sugar)
680-mL can tomato sauce (sugar-free!)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1/2 cup dry lentils OR chickpeas (or 1 can of either, drained & rinsed)
1/2 cup water

Bring dry lentils to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes*. Drain, then return to pot and add all veggies. (Sauté onion in oil first if using). Mix curry paste in water and add to vegetables along with tomato sauce & vinegar. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, at least 30 min. *If using canned lentils/chickpeas, add to the last 5-10 min of cooking. Delicious over basamati rice or on it's own. YUM! Served this to my inlaws and it was a hit! Felix ate 2 bowls!

January 9th

2010-01-09T16:40:00.008-04:00

I tried a new recipe this afternoon... or I should say I made it up... chocolate cranberry coconut muffins. And wow. I think I have a new favourite! I'll add more applesauce next time, as they turned out a touch dry, but they are deliciously crunchy on top! The boys sadly didn't agree - Elliot dribbled his out in a long line across the table and Felix hid his, but that just means more for me!

Breakfast, 8am
Lg coffee with almond milk
1 corn muffin
Gluten & sugar free granola with almond milk

Snack, 10am
1 corn muffin (last one!)
Handful sunflower seeds

Lunch, 11:30
1/2 serving greek chickpea salad
coffee with milk
Handful sunflower seeds

Lunch part 2, 2pm
1/2 serving greek chickpea salad

Snack, 4:30
2 chocolate coconut cranberry muffins

Chocolate Coconut Cranberry Muffins
2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce (I used unsweetened blueberry/apple)
3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2/3 cup oil
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup cranberries

Mix well, bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Snack, 6pm
1 more muffin :P

Supper, 6:30
Steak with basamati rice, peas & corn, 2 store-bought pirogies.

January 8th

2010-01-08T14:54:00.008-04:00

Thanks to a friend and reader, I've discovered a blog by someone following a similar meal plan. It's pretty good reading and there are lots of neat recipes. Some are a bit adventurous for me but others are already high on my 'must try' list. I've decided to add a bit more information to my so-called food diary and start including some of my own recipes. Fun times!

Breakfast
4 pc yeast-free spelt toast with margarine
lg coffee with almond milk

Snack/lunch 11-2
6+ carrot corn muffins. (I couldn't stop myself, they were really yummy!)
Lentil soup
2 cups chocolate tea with almond milk
Almonds

Basic Corn & Carrot muffins
1 cup corn meal
1 cup spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
grated carrot, to taste

spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.
enjoy!

Supper, 5:30
-Greek chickpea salad
-2 pc spelt toast with margarine
-handful of raisins. (Gah! Of all the thing I cheat with, it has to be these little sugar bombs, huh?!)

Greek Chickpea Salad
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1/2 half cucumber, sliced into quarters
Approx 1 cup cherry tomatoes
Sliced goat's feta cheese, to taste
Splash of olive oil - maybe 2 TBSP or to taste
Dribble of apple cider vinegar - maybe 1 tsp or to taste
Sprinkling of spices: I use Epicure's Lemon Dilly Dip mix (dill, garlic, lemon, pepper)

Mix well. Enjoy!

January 7th

2010-01-08T14:51:00.003-04:00

Breakfast, 7am
lg coffee with almond milk
pumpkin muffin
1 medium buckwheat pancake with almond butter and 1/3 sliced banana
(1.5 cups buckwheat flour, pinch of salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup butter or oil [optional], 2 eggs, water or almond/rice milk as needed, 2 very ripe, mashed bananas. Blend all together and add liquid to bring to desired consistency. Pan fry until golden. Yum!)

Snacks 10-2
3 ryvita crackers with goat cheese
hard boiled egg
3 cups tea with soy milk
3 small buckwheat pancakes

Snack, 4pm
Half a 338g bag of Flax Trax

Supper, 5:30
2 strawberries
1 large buckwheat pancake
1 small bowl of lentil soup with cheddar cheese (oops)
(Bring 1 cup raw lentils to a boil in 5 cups water. Reduce to a simmer for at least 45 minutes. Add 2-3 grated carrots, onions, garlic, salt & pepper to taste [mushrooms & diced celery are also good additions) and 1 large, drained can of diced tomatoes. Simmer until veggies are soft.)

Snack, 9pm
Almonds mixed with sunflower seeds

January 6th

2010-01-06T07:13:00.006-04:00

Breakfast, 7am
Coffee with almond milk
Pumpkin muffin
2 pc spelt toast with almond butter

Second breakfast, 10am
Coffee with soy milk
Tim Horton's breakfast sandwich: egg & cheese on a biscuit. 4g sugar

Snack, 12pm
pear
Cocoa Coffee Simply Bar, 140 cal, 2g fat, 8g sugar, 16g protein, sweetened with brown rice syrup & agave nectar.

Lunch, 1pm
Ginger beef & veggie soup

I brought a leftover roast beef to a boil, then simmered for 2 hours with some garlic powder and dried onion. Then I diced the (now insanely tender) meat up and added 3 grated carrots, half a finely chopped onion, powdered ginger to taste, along with t tsp of chopped garlic and a generous squirt of Braggs soy sauce to the broth. Boiled then simmered for 30 minutes and then added a handful of brown rice noodles to cook for an additional 10 minutes. De-freaking-lish!

Snack, 4-5pm
Half a 338g bag of "Flax Trax" - corn flour, oil, salt, flax seed. Very salty & crunchy. Yum!

Supper, 5:30
Ginger beef veggie & rice noodle soup
pear
Approx 1 cup mix almonds and sunflower seeds

Weight: 160, evening, unclothed

January 5th

2010-01-05T15:18:00.003-04:00

Lg coffee with almond milk, 7am
pear

Breakfast, 8:30am
steel cut oatmeal with apples

Lunch, 12pm
Greek chickpea salad

Snack, 2pm
2 pc spelt toast with almond butter
coffee with almond milk

Supper, 5:30
2 fried eggs, 2 pc spelt toast with margarine
approx half of a 32g bag plain microwave popcorn
approx 50g almonds

Snack, 7:30
Pumpkin muffin

Snack 9pm
2 ryvita crackers with almond butter
Handful strawberries

Snack, 11pm (ouch!)
Mixed Sesame Honeybar - 220 cal, 10g sugar, 7g protein, 16g fat
(sweetened with honey & raisins, made with sesame; sunflower & pumpkin seeds, almonds & peanuts)

January 4th

2010-01-04T14:12:00.002-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30am
lg coffee with almond milk
steel cut oatmeal, apples, cinnamon, almond milk

Snack, 10:30
Leftover greek chickpea salad
3 ryvita crackers with almond butter

Lunch? 12-1:30pm
Lg bag of corn chips with very garlicky hummus
apple
3 pc garlic fingers

Supper, 5:30
Amy's Organic lentil soup
2 pc spelt toast with margarine

Supper, round 2, 8-9pm
1.5 glass white wine
sweet potatoe fries with chipotle mayo dip
spicy chicken gumbo soup
spicy handcut potato chips
1/2 chocolate lava cake with caramel sauce
decaf coffee with milk

I *have* to start making it through the day without having these lapses in sugar eating. I need to get back on track somehow. Aarrrgh!!!!!

January 3

2010-01-03T07:59:00.005-04:00

Breakfast, 8am
lg coffee with almond milk
2 pc spelt toast with almond butter & blueberries
steel cut oatmeal with apples & cinnamon

Snack, 10pm
Decaf tea with almond milk

Lunch, 12pm
1 bean burger, avocado, sweet potato fries

Snack, 3pm
Steel cut oatmeal with apples & almond milk

Supper, 5pm
Approx 1/2 medium garlic fingers (maybe 12 pc? Totally not allowed.)
Greek chickpea salad with goat feta
Hunk of lactose free Gouda

Snack, 8:30pm
Decaf tea with almond milk

January 2, 2010

2010-01-02T10:14:00.004-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30
lg coffee with almond milk
2 almond biscotti
1 pumpkin muffin with margarine

Snack, 10am
Hunk of lactose free Havarti
Apple
muffin with margarine

Snack, 11:30
crackers with fresh 1/2 avocado guac

Lunch, 2pm
Amy's Organic minestrone soup
corn chips

Snack, 4pm
muffin with margarine
2 lg cups chocolate hazelnut tea with almond milk

Supper, 5:30
2 black bean burgers with mashed avocado, 1 teaspoon sour cream, curry & cinnamon sweet potato fries
hunk of lactose free gouda

Snack, 8:30
lg cup weak choc/hazelnut tea with almond milk

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T09:27:00.005-04:00

Bleary breakfast, 9am
-2.5 pumpkin muffins with margarine
-lg coffee with almond milk
-3 almond biscotti

Snack, 11am
lots of crackers with herbed goat cheese
handful of blueberries/grapes/strawberries

Lunch, 12pm
leftover lemon butter scallops with rice pasta and broccoli

Snack, 2:30
lg coffee with almond milk
7 pc biscotti
small bowl Amy's Organic chili

Supper, 5:30
-roast beef, gravy, steamed yellow & green beans, mashed potatoes
-grapefruit
And then came the train wreck....

Socializing, 6:30-9
3 cups tea with milk
Lots of cheese (though I did *try* to stick to the lactose free stuff)
Crackers
Blueberries, grapes, strawberries
Cheese & artichoke pastries
Bread
Uncountable cream puffs & chocolate éclairs
Peanut butter cookie

Good times!

Last day of 2009

2009-12-31T09:08:00.011-04:00

Updating in mostly real time today, since I'm lazy and groggy. Boys had me up annoyingly early after I stayed up far too late. The result: a bleary & cranky mama. Hope I can manage to stay awake for our big spectacular New Year's Eve plans tonight! Um, ok, well, I'm making a fancy dinner for us after the boys are asleep and we're going to curl up and watch movies with an assortment of semi-restricted snacks. And maybe a glass of bubbly. And will hopefully be awake - HA! Or wake up just in time for - the countdown. I know we'll be awake in the first few minutes of 2010 since our neighbours tend to shoot off fireworks.

~~~

Breakfast, 7:30
2 pc spelt toast with goat cheese
Instant plain oatmeal
Fresh blueberries
Lg coffee with soy milk

Lunch, 11:30
-Spelt pumpkin almond muffins with a few currants
-Amy's Organic minestrone soup

Made with pumpkin puree and almond butter - tasty, but not as moist as I wanted, will have to add applesauce next time!

Snack, 12:30
2-3 more muffins

Snack, 2:30
1 more muffin
2 peanut butter M&M cookies (Oh the horror!!)
-chocolate hazelnut tea with soy milk
-chunk of goat's cheddar cheese

So tempting, so delicious!

Snack, 4pm
-coffee with almond milk
-2 pc sugar & gluten free almond biscotti

Would have tasted soooooo good made with sugar, but they were really yummy dunked in coffee!

Almond Biscotti
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
1 cup spelt flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
enough almond milk to mix together

Mix well and form into a flattened log. Bake at 300 for 30-40 minutes (firm to touch), remove and let cool slightly. Cut into strips and put back on pan. Bake 10 minutes, flip and bake 10 more minutes (firm to touch. Enjoy!

Supper, 5:30
-Pan fried scallops in lemon butter with brown rice pasta and broccoli

Movie snacks, 8:30-10:30
-Approx 4oz white wine
-Fresh strawberries, blueberries, grapes
-Baked brie with red pepper jelly
-Lactose free havarti & gouda
-Table water crackers, mini melba toasts, tortilla crackers
-Almonds & hazelnuts

Oh, and my weekly weigh in from Wednesday was 160 lbs, unclothed, morning.

December 30th

2009-12-30T12:17:00.003-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30
-hard boiled egg, minus the yolk
-2 pc spelt toast with soft goat cheese
-lg coffee with almond milk

Snack, 11
-tall Starbucks coffee, half decaf, with soy milk

Lunch, 12
Spicy turkey soup with lots of corn chips and goat cheddar
2 spelt pumpkin muffins

Snack, 1pm
1 spelt pumpkin muffin
1 apple

Snack, 4:30pm
3 spelt pumpkin muffins
Handful grapes/blueberries

Supper, 6pm
Chickpeas with cucumber
Turkey risotto

December 29

2009-12-29T09:59:00.005-04:00

Snack, 7:30
1/3 banana

Breakfast, 9:30
2 bowls steel cut oatmeal with apples, blueberries, cinnamon & almond milk
lg coffee with almond milk

Lunch, 11:30
Spicy Turkey soup with corn chips & goat cheddar cheese
Rice Crackers

Snack, 2:20
1/2 chocolate chip cookie (I tried so hard to stay away - I even put it back down after I picked it up the first time. But then I rationalized that I'd already sorta licked it so I better eat it.)
2 pc spelt toast with soft goat cheese

Snack, 4pm
3.5 spelt pumpkin/cranberry/blueberry muffins
1 cup Cargo & James chocolate hazelnut roobois tea with soy milk (Must be a specialty item, since I've searched their website for this flavour!)

Gotta love my improvised tea infuser, huh? I dumped out some chamomile tea (blech!) and reused the bag. Works for me!

Supper, 6pm
Turkey risotto with mushrooms, peas, & parmesan cheese
2 pc spelt toast with soft goat cheese

December 27 & 28

2009-12-29T09:52:00.003-04:00

27th - Marvel at the train wreck! But my-oh-my, was it tasty!!!

~~
Breakfast
Steel cut oatmeal with apples & cinnamon
Lg coffee with almond milk

Snack
Buckwheat biscuit

Lunch
Spicy turkey soup
Buckwheat biscuit

*drumroll, please*

Snack
1 glass white whine (1st glass in 6 weeks - good lord, it was enjoyable!)
2 deviled eggs (so 1 whole egg)

Supper
Turkey, dressing, mashed potato, carrots, buttered corn, dill pickle, 2-3 slices bread & butter pickles, taste of coleslaw, gravy, 2 deviled eggs (1 whole egg)
1 glass cranberry juice

Snack
1 glass white whine
3 (smallish) pieces cranberry cake

28th - was doing SO GOOD until that second snack just before supper.
~~
Breakfast
Steel cut oatmeal with apple & cinnamon
lg coffee with almond milk

Snack
Hard-boiled egg

Lunch
Spicy turkey soup with 1 buckwheat biscuit
Apple
Most of a fresh 2-avocado guacamole with lots of corn chips

Snack
Apple
Tea

Snack
Half a bag of goldfish crackers
The legs off a gingerbread man

Supper
Turkey casserole

Bah humbug!

2009-12-26T12:49:00.006-04:00

Ok, so I'm still riding that sugar train, but I'm slowly making my way to the door. I just need to keep myself surrounded by foods I'm allowed to eat and need to make sure I don't get hungry - that's when I'm likely to fall upon a plate of cookies.

In a way, I'm glad I had this 'fall from grace' because it's been a good reminder about just how badly sugar effects me. Within 30 minutes, I have a headache and jitters. I get lethargic and aggressive (yes, a weird combo, I agree) and have an extremely short fuse. Long term effects are constant tiredness and the itching is coming back.

So, I must wean myself off again. But I will have to try again tomorrow, as today is already screwed.

Breakfast, 7:30
Steel cut oatmeal with apples & cinnamon
lg coffee with almond milk

Snack, 10am
Pumpkin spelt cranberry muffin

Snack, 12pm
2 ryvita crackers with almond butter
4 gingerbread men cookies, complete with icing and sprinkles

Lunch, 1pm
Turkey casserole, with carrots (sugar) but no stuffing (bread) or cranberry sauce (sugar)

Snack, 3pm
Chai 'latte' made with almond milk
3 ryvita crackers with goat cheese
1 mini Lindor dark chocolate truffle
1 gingerbreadman with sprinkles & icing

Supper, 5pm
Turkey noodle veggie soup (made with ginger, garlic, onion, Braggs soy sauce, rice noodles & homemade stock = DELISH!!!)
3 Buckwheat/brown rice biscuits
1 slice lemon meringue pie (couldn't pass it up, my ultimate fave pie!)

Snack, 7pm
1 gingerbread man cookie

Snack, 9pm
1 buckwheat biscuit
chips

December 22

2009-12-22T11:22:00.002-04:00

"All I want for Christmas is my willpower back....."

Seriously, I'm so far of the sugar-free track that I can't find my way back to it. There are too many chocolates and all-sorts and other candies in the way. Damn Quality Street box.

I WILL find my way out of here. I WILL. Anyone have a GPS?

December 21st

2009-12-21T11:09:00.001-04:00

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

That is all.

December 20

2009-12-20T19:10:00.002-04:00

Yeah, let's forget this day ever happened, ok? It was an anomaly. I was surrounded by baked goods and yumminess. I surrendered. At least I didn't give in to the total sugar choices like fudge, brownies, and assorted other squares. But I did have dairy... and some sweet baked goods like cranberry loaf and a phylo pastry cheese & peach danish thing, which was awesome! I did stay away from the wine and juice and punch. Go me!

Ok. Getting back on track. Please.

December 19th

2009-12-19T18:39:00.002-04:00

Breakfast, 8:30
Organic corn puffs with almond milk
lg coffee with almond milk

Lunch, 1pm
3 ryvita crackers with goat cheese
lots of fresh guacamole with corn chips

Snack, 3pm
Marble cheese stick (shhhhhh)

Supper, 6pm
2 lg buckwheat & banana pancakes with almond butter

Sooooooo, I'm headed to my mom's for the next 4 days. I promise to stick to my food plan as close as possible, however I may not get around to the documentation part. So until then, my lovelies... !

December 18th

2009-12-18T21:55:00.002-04:00

Breakfast, 9am
Lg coffee with almond milk
Approx 3/4 cup steel cut oatmeal with apple chunks & almond milk

Snack, 11am
3 ryvita crackers with almond butter
Spiced tea

Lunch, 1pm
Spicy beef, onion, ginger & garlic soup
32g bag plain microwave popcorn

Snack/supper, 5-6pm
-granola with goat yogurt & almond milk
-1 turkey sausage (contained wheat and sugar ingredients, though nutritional info said 0g sugar)
-large chickpea, tomato, cucumber, goat feta salad
-1/2 chocolate sugar cookie

Snack, 9pm
Apple

December 17th

2009-12-17T15:04:00.004-04:00

Snack, 7am
lg coffee with almond milk
pumpkin muffin

Breakfast, 8am
Steel cut oatmeal with apples and added almond milk
Pumpkin muffin

Lunch, 12:30
Hard boiled egg
Most of a 198g bag of blue corn chips
Most of a 2-avocado guacamole

Snack, 3pm
Pumpkin muffin

Supper, 5:30
Salad greens with goat feta & chicken. Dressing of olive oil, lemon & herbs
Grapefruit

December 16th

2009-12-16T09:54:00.007-04:00

I'm trying something new today, dear readers, and updating in mostly real time. Wheeee, the excitement!!

Update for weight: 159 lbs - WOW!!!!

Breakfast, 8am
-Steel cut oatmeal with cinnamon & apples
-lg coffee with almond milk

Second Breakfast, 10am
-Steel cut oatmeal with cinnamon & apples

Snack, 11:30
-4 fresh & hot spelt apple & sweet potato muffins

Lunch, 12:30
-2 hardboiled eggs with 2 pc spelt toast (with margarine)
-apple

Snack, 4pm
-Chai tea with soy milk
-one nibble of sugar cookie

Supper, 5:30pm
-salad greens topped with roast chicken, avocado, goat herbed feta with an olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar & herb dressing
-3 ryvita & sesame crackers with almond butter

I spent some time on one of my favourite blogs this morning, A Year of Slow Cooking, and there was a link to some pretty sweet give-aways. I don't normally enter things like this, but the one for the Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook caught my eye. Doesn't it look delish?!

December 15th

2009-12-15T14:47:00.004-04:00

My sugar & no-no cravings are all over the map. Yesterday, I could feel and taste one of the square almond flavoured caramels from the old 'Pot of Gold' Christmas boxes. Today, I would have killed for simple cheese and crackers. Nothing fancy - cheddar would have been fine.

Breakfast, 7:30am
-Granola with goat yogurt & almond milk
-3 pc potato/millet toast with margarine (end of the loaf!)
-lg coffee with vanilla almond milk

Lunch, 12pm
-1 pc leftover spelt pizza
-leftover chickpeas (approx 1/2 cup)

Snack, 2pm
-75g rice crackers with hummus
-corn chips
-apple

Supper, 6pm
-1 pc baked tilapia fish with peas and rice
-grapefruit

December 14th

2009-12-14T10:09:00.007-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30am
-Granola custom made by Gluten Free Goodies with goat yogurt & vanilla unsweetened almond milk
-2 pc potato/millet toast with margarine
-lg coffee with vanilla almond milk

Snack, 10am
-1 garlic & herb spelt & buckwheat flour biscuit

Lunch, 12:30
Amy's organic vegetarian chili (canned) 14 oz, approx 9g sugar
-2 pc potato/millet toast with margarine
-Grapefruit

Snack, 3pm
25g rice crackers
Chickpeas, approx 1/3 cup

Supper, 5:30pm
-3 pc spelt pizza (no sauce, topped with tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, ham, goat feta, spices)
-2 pc potato/millet toast with margarine
-apple

Big pizza for them, little pizza for me... mmmmmmm.

December 13th

2009-12-14T09:57:00.002-04:00

Snack, 7am
-1/2 banana
-lg coffee with vanilla almond milk

Breakfast of cheaters, 10am
Cora's "Peggy's Poached": 1 poached egg, 1 pc whole wheat toast, fruit salad, cottage cheese. Plus a side of potatoes and most of Felix's scrambled egg.

Lunch, 12pm
-Granola custom made by Gluten Free Goodies with goat yogurt & vanilla unsweetened almond milk
-corn chips with fresh guacamole (1 avocado)
-2 pc potato/millet toast with margarine

Snack, 3:30pm
Starbucks decaf coffee with soy milk

Supper, 6pm
-"Daddy's Beef Hash": ground beef & boiled potato fried in margarine with onion & green pepper
-2 pc potato/millet toast with margarine

December 12th

2009-12-12T18:52:00.003-04:00

No real meals today, besides supper, here's the timeline, as best as I can recall:

7:30am
Lg coffee with choc almond milk
1/2 banana

10-11am
2 pumpkin muffins from Gluten Free Goodies

12:30am
1 pumpkin muffin from Gluten Free Goodies

2pm
A couple of strawberries
Several handfuls of chips
2 pieces pizza - full dairy, wheat, yeast, cheese, hopefully minimal sugar. It didn't even taste good - after 3.5 weeks without, it made me feel heavy & tired. Well, at least I didn't cheat on my "diet" with cake - because there was plenty of that thee, too! Took the boys to a birthday party.

Supper, 6pm
Large chickpea salad with cucumber, tomato, green pepper, goat feta
4 (small) pieces dairy/yeast/sugar free potato bread (Gluten Free Goodies) with Imperial margarine

December 11th

2009-12-11T07:33:00.002-04:00

Breakfast, 7:30
2/3 banana
Pumpkin cookie (last of the batch)
Lg coffee with choc almond milk
'Forbidden' granola with goat yogurt & almond milk

Snack/lunch, 1-3
3 buckwheat baking powder biscuits with goat cheese
4 ryvita crackers with almond butter
1 hardboiled egg

Snack, 5pm
2 buckwheat baking powder biscuits
Sliced cucumber

Supper, 6pm
Chicken, rice & broccoli casserole, made with cream of mushroom soup (minimal sugar, wheat & dairy, but still present.)

Plus side:
LOTS of walking (6+km?)
Saw my chiro and she feels that my body adjusted well and there was less discomfort to me due to less inflammation due to no sugar in my system.

December 10th

2009-12-10T08:18:00.005-04:00

Snack, 7:30
Pumpkin muffin
Lg coffee with choc almond milk

Breakfast, 10:30am
Tim Horton's biscuit & egg sandwich, plus one tasty bite of bacon
Tim Horton's small decaf coffee with milk

Snack, 11:30am
Pumpkin muffin

Snack, ?
Pumpkin muffin, 2 pumpkin cookies

Lunch, 1:30
Vitamin soup with veggies & goat's feta
Pumpkin muffin

Snack, 3pm
Pumpkin muffin

And at 4:18, I snapped and had 1 homemade chocolate cookie with a raspberry jam bellybutton

*sigh* (Oh, but it was so totally worth it!!!!)

Supper, 7pm
Sliced pork roast, salad (romaine, carrots, red cabbage, feta, cucumber, tomato), corn chips with guacamole

December 9th

2009-12-09T10:48:00.003-04:00

Brrrrrrr... it's COLD! Would love to warm up with a hot chocolate. Booo!

Breakfast, 8am
1/3 banana
Approx 2 cups steel cut oatmeal with berries
Pumpkin muffin

Snack, 10am
Pumpkin muffin

Lunch, 12:30
Vitamin veggie soup with goat cheese
2 pc spelt toast with goat cheese
32g bag plain microwave popcorn
apple

Snack, 3pm
small Tim Horton's coffee with milk

Supper, 5:30pm
Roast chicken with salad (romaine, carrot, red cabbage, feta, herbed lemon juice & olive oil dressing), blue corn chips with guacamole

Snack, 9pm
Grapefruit
Pumpkin muffin

Weight: 161, evening, unclothed.

December 8th

2009-12-08T08:58:00.003-04:00

Snack, 7am
Banana

Breakfast, 9am
Steel cut oatmeal, made with cinnamon, nutmeg, and mixed berries
Lg coffee with choc almond milk

Breakfast 2, 11am
More steel cut oatmeal

Snacks, 12-4
5 homemade pumpkin applesauce muffins
4 pumpkin oat spice cookies
1 nibble sugar cookie
3 ryvita sesame crackers

Meal, 4pm
Vitamin veggie soup with goat cheese

Supper, 7pm
-Applesauce & cranberry slow-cooker roasted pork, mashed potatoes, peas & corn
-Pumpkin muffin
-Pumpkin cookie