Groceries and change

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.

Feb 11

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

January 20th

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 14th

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 6th

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

Last day of 2009

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 16th

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 9th

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 3rd

Holy crap - I stepped on the scale this morning and had to get off and then back on a gain to double check the number. 161, unclothed. I was 162 when I started this blog back in July. And I was 169 at the end of October, 2 weeks before starting the Candida program.

I initially started following this program for health reasons, and I did hope that weight loss would be a happy bonus. And so it is! It only makes sense, since I'm not eating all the crap and packages of cookies and pans of fudge and loaves of bread in 1-2 sittings anymore. The scary part is that I don't know if I'll be able to keep away from those old habits once my 6 months are up. Positive - I MUST keep positive!!!

Today's foodies

Breakfast, 8:30am
1 spelt biscuit
2 buckwheat banana pancakes topped with almond butter
lg coffee with chocolate almond milk (Unsweetened! 0g sugar!)

Snack, 10am
1 plain buckwheat banana pancake

Lunch, 12
Sweet potato, chickpea, tomato stew on rice
1 spelt biscuit

Snack, 2pm
4 ryvita & sesame crackers with goat cheese
55g plain potato chips
peppermint tea

Snack, 5pm
Almonds

Supper, 6pm
Sweet potato, chickpea, tomato stew on rice
Grapefruit

November 21, day 5

Today, I'm craving raisins. Go figure. Picked up some Yoso vanilla soy yogurt at the grocery store this morning. Haven't tried it yet. It contains dextrose, fructose, cane juice, & yeast extract, so it's definitely not candida-diet approved, but maybe I can work on my "all things in moderation" problem. Still, it supposedly only has 4g of sugars per 1/2 cup serving. (Hmmm, the nutritional info on their website doesn't match up with what it on the container in my fridge. Curious.)

I woke up with a headache this morning and it's still there. Trying to flood it away with lots of water, but no luck so far. Maybe some tea will help? Or, maybe it's just residual aching left over from my chiro appointment yesterday. Nah, it's in the front of my head, as well as my neck.

~Today's Foodies~

Breakfast, 9am:
Organic, plain puffed corn cereal with plain soy milk & a banana, lg coffee with plain soy milk (Plain, but it still has added sugar. Once this carton is empty, I'm switching to the unsweetened version.)

Snack, 10:30am:
Apple, 1/4 package rice crackers (25 g)

Lunch, 12:15pm:
Brown rice noodles with homemade sauce: cooked & pureed tomato, red pepper, squash, garlic, spices. Pecan Larabar (oops - 18g naturally occurring sugars, from the dates. But, damn, it was good!), 3 Ryvita & sesame crackers with almond butter (Rye grain still contains gluten, though it's supposedly much less of an allergen than wheat gluten.)

Snack:, 3pm
Pomegranate green tea, 1/2 package rice crackers (50g), lemon dill hummus

Supper, 5pm:
2 black bean burgers (made with freshly ground puffed rice cereal crumbs instead of bread crumbs), sweet potato fries, sliced tomato, guacamole, applesauce (100ml)

Plus side:
165 lbs this morning, after breakfast
2 km walk wearing Felix

October 28

Weekly weigh-in: 169 lbs, unclothed, evening. Ack.

Foodies
-3 bowls of Breakfast Risotto (modifications: all apple juice, 2 TBSP plain yogurt, and cranberries added, cream omitted, butter significantly reduced. Served with soy milk and raisins.)
-med coffee with choc soy milk
-rest of the bag of mini-marshmallows - 250g, maybe?
-apple
-apple juice
-leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes
-3/4 package of saltines
-lg Starbucks soy chai latte
-Starbucks lemon-raspberry loaf, with frosting
-2/3 Delissio thin crust chicken, tomato & spinach pizza (YUM!)
-1 glass white wine
-lots and lots and lots of water. (Ok, not lots, but much more than usual. Go me!)

Plus side:
2km walk in am, wearing Felix (23 lbs) on my back for half.
Two 3km walks in afternoon.

In which I make my return...

Well, there's no point in rehashing the last week. I ate a lot. Of everything. Some healthy. Most not. In my defense, I had my first menstrual cycle in almost 2 years, so I guess that made me hungry. And insane. Or at the very least unable to rationalize more than usual. Oy!

October 23 marked 100 days since starting this blog. And I've not met any of my expectations. How to get back on track? I'm not motivated enough, for some reason. You'd think returning to the work force full time in another 3 months would be enough of a bee up my butt to get me going. Helllloooo, new professional wardrobe? COME ON, girl, you know you love to shop for business attire!

At last weigh in, I was maintaining 167 lbs. Unclothed. My mother-in-law asked me yesterday if I'd lost weight. Sweet, clueless lady. I thanked her and took a quick look at my swollen pseudo-prego stomach and sighed.

October 27th
Today's foodies

-Just Right cereal with soy milk & 1/2 banana
-lg coffee with choc soy milk
-single decaf mocha
-blueberry lemon sugar muffin
-sushi: spicy tuna roll
-dill chickpea salad, with onion & red & green pepper
-1/4 banana bread
-13o ml orange juice
-100g Toblerone chocolate bar
-1/2 Pretzelmaker pretzel, plain (no butter/salt)
-50g plain, whole almonds
-2 servings rice with soya sauce, herbed tofu, shredded carrots, cauliflower stirfry
-approx 200g mini-marshmallows
-peels from 2 apples
-1 glass white wine


Plus side:
Crap load of walking. 6+ hours, pushing the double stroller, and approx 10 km (honest!)

October 15

Last night: unclothed, 169 lbs.



Foodies
-lg coffee with choc soy milk
-1.5 pears
-2 apples
-oatmeal raisin crisp cereal with soy milk
-granola bar
-Tim Horton's bacon & egg breakfast sandwich
-5 Tim Horton's timbits
-Blueberry YOP
-lg coffee with baileys
-grapes
-toasted multi-grain bagel (Tim Horton's)
-Tim Horton's green tea
-sliced cheese & ham
-Turkey, stuffing, cranberry, mayo sandwich on whole wheat bread
-1 pc pumpkin pie with cool whip

October 7

Weigh in - evening, clothed. 170. YIKES!

Foodies:
-Crockpot potato & sausage, plus added scrambled eggs
-2 med coffee with choc soy milk
-3 apples
-mini-yogurt
-cheese
-Starbucks Honey Raisin Vran muffin
-Starbucks Chai latte
-raisins
-more Crockpot potatoes & sausage, mixed with 2% cottage cheese


Plus side:
3km speed walk/run
3 km walk in the rain, wearing Felix for half

September 21-23

Bah - I hate these catch up posts. I just know I am missing several crucial foodies. Oh well, it is a good facsimile, anyway.

21st
-raisin bran, soymilk
-lg coffee with choc soy milk
-4 homemade mini-pizzas (cheese & sauce only)
-lots of fruit salad
-corn chips
-Tim Hortons small coffee with cream
-Tim Hortons chocolate chip cookie
-elbow noodles with homemade meatballs, mushrooms, Parmesan, pasta sauce
-2 scoops Cool Whip, approx 2 cups strawberries, handful of mini-chocolate chips

Plus side:
slow 1 km walk

22nd
-raisin bran, soy milk
-lg coffee with choc soy milk
-caramilk chocolate bar
-boxed mac & cheese with added peas, cheddar and pureed hard boiled egg
-2.5 apples
-entire angel food cake (600 cal)
-lots of cheese
-granola bar
- half a serving of mussels, shared cheese plate, lots of bread with oil & vinegar, full serving cesear salad
-2 glasses wine


Plus side:
s.l.o.w walk around the block with Felix

23rd
-raisin bran with soy milk
-2 pc toast with PB & J
-lg coffee with choc soy milk
-serving of noodles with meatballs
-Starbucks tall, decaf, soy, no-whip, half pump mint mocha
-Starbucks pear almond muffin
-granola bar
-2 pc tilapia fish (baked) with mayo & parmesan sauce, rice, broccoli, 1 ear corn with butter
-1 small container raspberry yogurt
-2 scoops Cool Whip, Approx 2 cups fresh strawberries, handful mini-chocolate chips
-1 small glass white wine

Plus side:
Fast walk & run in am (3km)
Exercise class - 45 minutes cardio

Weigh in - 166lbs, unclothed, morning

September 16

Weigh in: 166, evening, unclothed

Foodies
-oatmeal raisin crisp cereal with soy milk
-2 pears
-lg coffee with choc soy milk
-2 granola bars
-lasagna
-apple juice
-cheese stick
-3 arrowroot biscuits
-1/3 banana
-rice with tofu, snap peas, broccoli, creamed veggie soup, sesame ginger sauce
-apple
-handful blueberries
-5? 6? chocolate macaroons
-Starbucks tall soy decaf mocha

Plus side:
3 walks, totaling 5 km (1 km wearing Felix on my back)
Walked up 2 flights of stairs

September 11-12

11th:
-fruit oatmeal crisp
-lg coffee with cream
-raisin bran muffin
-granola bar
-apple
-med fruit smoothie
-2 pc toast with PB & J
-2 cheese sticks
-boxed mac & cheese with peas & cheddar
-club soda with cranberry juice and a splash of gin
-1 glass white wine
-Swiss Chalet chicken club wrap, fries with 4oz gravy, 2 slices pickle, 1 roll

Plus side:
Fast 3m walk, plus lots of mall walking

Did weekly weigh in out of weekly order: 163, unclothed, evening




12th:
-fruit oatmeal crisp with soymilk
-3 pc toast with PB & J
-lg coffee with choc soy milk
-handful of granola
-10? chocolate cookies
-sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes with dip
-corn chips with layered dip (cheese, sour cream, guac, beans, salsa)
-1 sausage with ketchup, no bun
-chocolate mousse
-2 cups fruit punch
-few bites of scrambled eggs
-5 chocolate mint cookies
-1 palm-sized well done steak
-5 store bought pirogies with sour cream

Plus side:
One 1 km walk
An hour walking around a grocery store, pushing an unbalanced and heavy cart

August 26

Ugh. Belly feels so full. Ate far too much today, most of it crap. Despite this, I should weigh myself before bed tonight. A little afraid. ... and the verdict is: 166, unclothed, evening.

Foodies:
-Cornflakes with strawberries, 1/2 banana, yogurt, soy milk
-lg coffee with choc soy milk
-2 pc ww toast with PB & J
-3 chocolate chip granola bars
-200g lemon meringue pie
-1 ham slice
-2 slices pepperoni
-1/2 baguette
-1/2 cup artichoke & asiago dip
-200g raisins
-2 bowls of chicken, carrot, broccoli, bean & lentil soup
-2 pc watermelon

August 19

165. Evening. Unclothed. I feel stronger, so I'm going with the assumption that this extra weight is muscle. *insert waving fist here*

Foodies
-2 pc ww toast with PB & J
-lg coffee with soy milk
-8 pc raisin bread
-6 peaches
-grapes
-yogurt tube
-6 pc fudge (Oh yes. I made fudge. Shoot me now! But half of it has been given away and the rest is in the freezer, awaiting being given away.)
-2 homemade bean, cheese & sweet potato burritos with sour cream

Plus slide:
Slow 2 km walk for groceries
Crazy hard 30DS~L2

Minus side:
Whoa on the bread, crazy lady! And fudge. Seriously?

August 12

Weekly weigh in: evening, semi-clothed 163 lbs: no change BOO! But I can feel more upper body muscle - push ups are a bit easier now! Wheee! Will start Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred tomorrow.....

Foodies:
-2 pc cheese toast with butter
-lg coffee with choc soy milk
-snack of raisins, cheddar gator crackers
-5 organic fig cookies
-lasagna
-6.5 peaches
-1.5 pc smoked thick cut ham, homemade potato salad (potato, peas, carrots, egg, mayo, spices), cherry tomatoes, mozza cheese
-1 oz dark baker's chocolate
-237 ml Sprite
-5 small homemade granola bars (what a pig! But they were goooooood.)
-snack of grapes, carrot sticks, red pepper
-green tea

Plus side:
Slow walk with boys (2k), 30DS~1

Minus side:
This little piggy went to the market....