Monday, October 5, 2015

I don't exercise.

I know... I don't blog, either.
I put most of my thoughts on Facebook, and since I started a "real" job ( I mean, my jobs before were real, but I'm back to a 9-5), I don't have lots of time. My job requires me to take a class, so that takes even more time. When I get home, I am DONE! I'm tired, and without any meds for my several crazy illnesses, I just can't get as energized as I want. And no, I don't want the meds. Unless I desperately need them, and that's not now.
Not yet, anyway.

So... we've been off of our Paleo diet for a while, and with Lawrence and I working 9-5 (ish), it's been difficult to make meals. This is part of the reason we haven't posted much. I've been eating all the wrong foods, and I gained 15lbs back since June.

And I hate it.
BUT... we're back on track. We started over this week, and I've already lost 4lbs.
Feels good.
But I do NOT exercise.

Part of my class for work requires me to train at a skilled nursing facility (I work at an assisted living facility). One of the activities today was sitting exercise. I wanted to help the residents follow along, so I did the exercises as well, just standing.
Well, I hurt. It was two sets of 20 each exercise, and there were 3 exercises for arms, 4 for legs.
Did I explain that I have Psoriatic Arthritis?
Did I explain I have no medication for it?
I HUUUURRRTTT!!!
Then, I stood up for an hour and a half, dancing and singing karaoke.
I HUUUUUURRRRRTTTT!!!!

I need to soak somewhere.


Okay, enough whining. Several updates:
Deven applied to his first college - Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). We're going to Pace University this weekend to check it out, and of course check out a show while we're in NYC.
Ahja has decided to try only for UNCC. If she doesn't get in when she first applies, she will attend CPCC and try again.

Oh, and I'm now selling $5 jewelry. I think it may just be for the holidays... we'll see how it goes. It's Paparazzi Jewelry, and my consultant number is 39315. Here's a link:  https://shop.paparazziaccessories.com/39315

I think that's it for now. If Lawrence decides to make a fancy meal and share it, I'll make sure to update.

Thanks!!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

This time, it's not about food.

I know it's been a while.
I've been busy.
I have a new job. Yay!
I am an Activity Director for an assisted living community here in Charlotte. It's been an enjoyable experience so far, and the residents are excited about everything we're going to do.

Now, the reason for this post - the assisted living community is a low-income community. Most of the residents don't have enough to always get their basic necessities. We're also non-profit, so volunteers and donations help immensely with helping our residents have a good quality of life.

That's where you come in.

We need volunteers and donations.
I set up a sign-up sheet on volunteersignup.org for people to volunteer or make donations to our community.
If you want to set up a volunteer drive at your church or work, please let me know, and I'll help you set it up!

Here are the links on the volunteer website:
www.volunteersignup.org/JB3ED - to sign up for morning devotion.
www.volunteersignup.org/DXYPM - to sign up for assisting with arts and crafts.
www.volunteersignup.org/3H99D - to sign up if you want to sing, dance, or provide other entertainment.
www.volunteersignup.org/F97YK - for donations.

For more information on location and other questions, please email me at lginyard@depaul.org.
Thank you for anything you can do!



Saturday, February 28, 2015

Delicious soup!

Charlotte is filled with CIAA talk. That's the big event in town this week. I'm a homebody - so is my family. We stayed home and relaxed. I would have loved to hang out with my friends, but crowds... not for me.
So instead of hanging out, I made a great soup today! Everyone loved it!

Paleo Chicken Cauliflower Chowder

Ingredients
2-3 large boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer), cubed
3 tablespoons butter - divided
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large zucchini, cut in small pieces
2 lbs cauliflower (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup arrowroot flour (can substitute tapioca flour or even all purpose for non-paleo)
1 cup coconut milk (can substitute 2% milk for non-paleo)
4 cups bone broth - divided (can substitute for organic chicken broth)
1 large zucchini, cut in small pieces
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp tumeric (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
(you can always add more seasoning to taste)
cooked chopped bacon for garnish

Directions
1. Cook chicken thoroughly and cube in to bite sized pieces. Set aside.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in large pot. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and cook until tender - about 5-6 minutes.
3. In another small pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add flour to butter and stir until mixture is tan. Add milk to flour mixture and whisk vigorously to completely incorporate the flour mixture. Slowly add broth - one cup at a time - whisking after each addition. There may be small lumps - they will go away before eating the soup.
4. Add broth mixture to vegetables. Stir in chicken, zucchini and seasonings. Cook on low-medium heat for about 45 minutes. Break up larger cauliflower pieces once they are soft enough.

You can either add bacon directly to the soup or place as garnish.
Enjoy!!

We definitely enjoyed! I hope there's enough for lunch tomorrow...

Let me know if you made it, and how it went.

Thanks!








Tuesday, February 24, 2015

New day

Today was the first day at my new job as a tutor. I wore a nice outfit because 1. first day, and 2. I had an interview after work for a part time retail mall job.
Bad idea.
I cleaned my office. Since the room wasn't being used, teachers used it as a storage space. Plus my trainer received the wrong start date for me. Since I was eager to get into my room, I rolled up the sleeves to my new sweater and got to work! Dusty, dusty work. With black pants on.  And wedges.
I'm wearing jeans and flats tomorrow.

I really like what I do already, and I don't start the actual work until next week.
Hopefully I'll say the same thing then. Lol!

Since I'm working early, I made a large batch of  almond flour pancakes. I work part time, so I can easily have lunch at home. This will definitely work for my diet. And my budget.

Lawrence has been making pretty good dinners - as always... today was a simple but tasty dish.

Tonight's dish was cubed boneless, skinless chicken with cabbage, red and yellow bell peppers, onions, and carrots. He added some seasonings - garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Cooked it in some oil. Easy. And yummy. 

It snowed today - a dusting - and southerners freaked out. I wonder what's going to happen when it snows the 4-8 inches we're supposed to get on Wednesday night... 

Well, I'm going to find a snack (probably some frozen blueberries) and head to bed.
Have a good night! 


Thursday, February 19, 2015

Getting over the hump

So it's been over a month, and our weight loss has stalled.
We've also cheated. Maybe that's why we've stalled. Lawrence had his men's day , then we went to Cookout recently... we've been back on track, but we haven't lost anything.
Good thing is, we haven't gained, either.

I start working for the CMS school district next week. I'll be at an elementary school, tutoring language arts to students during the day. I'm excited to start! But now, I need to figure out lunch. I think I'm going to try the mason jar salads:
(Pinterest)

Just need to get the jars. I saw someone selling a few, but I think I missed out. Oh well, I can get some from Walmart.  

I know I haven't posted much lately, but here's a meal Lawrence made yesterday - grilled chicken covered in a spicy citrus tarragon cactus pear sauce. It was delicious, as always.

                                                       

Also, I have decided to thank God for something in my life every day for the next 40 (39 now) days. At the end, I may even call my dad. 
But that's another story for another day. 



Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Yesterday...

One month ago yesterday, we started on this new way of eating. It's been a great eating experience, and we've loved losing the weight! Although our weight loss has slowed, we are still shedding pounds. 
Lawrence and I both had "cheat days" - Lawrence going out with friends and then church members, me not being able to hold back from a donut.
I've also had times that I've been tempted - when I walk into a convenience store, I want to grab a soda or bottle of tea. Or a candy bar. Or a bag of chips.
But I refrain. And I have almond flour cookies.
I made some today. Actually, I made seven dozen.
They're for my training class... we're having a potluck tomorrow. I'm also making a zucchini salad for myself and the girl who is a vegetarian in the class. Hopefully that's all I'll eat. I'm going to bring a lunch for myself as well... there are going to be plenty of dishes there that I'm not even going to look at... and a few that I might want to peek into. 


Lawrence also has a new recipe! The photo doesn't do the dish much justice - it was amazing! The pork was so tender and juicy... I can't wait until he makes it again! But if you want to make it now - here's the recipe! 


Apple Date Pork Loin Chops
Ingredients
1/2 medium apple - diced
1/2 cup dates - finely diced
1/2 cup sweet onion - finely diced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin

Mix all ingredients well, let stand at least 30 minutes. Marinate 2 - 3 lbs pork chops for at least one hour. Broil or grill chops until desired cooking level reached (medium to well done). 

As I always say, if you try a recipe, let me know how it goes! 

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Chicken and a rock

That's all Lawrence needs to create a four-course meal.
Yes, I'm exaggerating, but he has a great gift of looking at random ingredients and making a delicious meal. Even when we don't have much, he can still make an interesting and tasty meal. 
Tonight was no exception. Serrano-lime chicken and shrimp over zoodles.
He had his with avocado... of course. 
Unfortunately, there's no recipe.

Zoodles??
Yes, zoodles. Or zucchini noodles. They're made with this gizmo we purchased on Amazon for Christmas one year - and just pulled it out today. It makes these great curly spaghetti type strips. I think I'm going to use it to make spaghetti noodles out of squash and not use spaghetti squash next time. 


I also made very easy muffins today. I don't have a blender, so I just used my mixer. Worked just as fine. I did leave the muffins in a little longer than they should have been left, so they turned out a little dark, but they were good. I liked the chocolate chip ones better than the plain. They're very versatile.

                                      

The recipe is from Happy Healthy Mama. They really took 20 minutes max to make. Good, easy snack. 

I have to sleep now... 5:30am gets here rather quickly.

Have a good night! 



Saturday, February 7, 2015

There's another me out there.

And I'm not happy about it.

I had my identity stolen. Someone used my name, address, and SSN to file a tax return. I don't know who - I was applying for small business loans and jobs. I don't know when - had to be before 2/3/15.
What I do know is I've completed paperwork to make sure the person is prosecuted for it. I don't care if it's my mother... I'd just visit her in jail. I just hope it wasn't overseas... and no, it wasn't Turbo Tax.

Anyway, this is a warning... file as early as possible, check your records, and keep your paperwork close to you. And save your money so you won't need a loan.

Now, onto food. Today was Lawrence's "cheat day", so he went to a restaurant called Bacon, Inc. in Gastonia with a few friends. Other than the service being slow, he said everyone loved the food. I was with Janiyah and her friend for a late birthday outing. We went to the mall. The girls had pizza while I ate a fruit cup and had an unsweetened iced tea.

For dinner, I just had leftover almond flour pancakes from this morning. Crappy eating today. I haven't had enough fruits or veggies in the past few days. Although I did eat the fruit cup this afternoon and the mango this morning, I haven't been eating enough. I'm going to change that.

Last night, Lawrence made a great dinner - spicy ginger blood orange glazed pork loin, and coconut curry cauliflower. It was amazing! He even posted the recipe...



Spicy Ginger Blood Orange Pork Loin

Glaze/Marinade
Ingredients:
4 blood oranges juiced (approx. 3 cups)
3 tbs ginger
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp vidalia onion finely chopped
2 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 cup honey

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except honey until well blended. 
Separate 1/2 of the mixture, and wisk in 1/4 cup of honey (marinade).
Pour remaining mixture into a small saucepan, heat on low medium until mixture begins to boil. Reduce to 1/2 original volume, and add 1/2 cup of honey, and simmer until glaze begins to thicken.

Marinate 2-3 lbs pork loin for at least 30 mins. Grill or roast pork loin until internal temperature is 160°. Cover roast with 2/3 of the glaze. Grill/roast until caramelized. Let rest, slice, and drizzle with remaining glaze.

Coconut Curry Cauliflower

Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk (full fat, approx. 14 oz.)
1 head cauliflower cut into bite sized florets
3 tbs curry powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbs vidalia onion chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic
4 tbsp butter

Directions:
Refrigerate coconut milk for at least 1 hour to allow coconut cream to separate, and thicken.
In a large saucepan, melt butter, add onion, garlic, and cauliflower. Simmer untilfrlorets begin to become translucent, stirring often. Add curry powder, and stir until well incorporated. Stir in coconut cream, and allow moderate melting before adding the remaining coconut milk. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is al dente.

Please let me know if you try it. You won't be disappointed!

That's it for tonight. Have a great one!




Wednesday, February 4, 2015

A waste of ingredients

Well, not a complete waste. Lawrence says it's not too bad. I, on the other hand, can't even think about being happy about this dessert.

What is it? A raw carrot cake.
I found the recipe on Pinterest. The blogger who posted it said it was really good. So... why not try it?

First issue I had was there was no pre-heat setting. Then there was no cook time. I should have stopped right there, but I really wanted to try it. I haven't had much dessert lately, and Snicker bars at work are starting to dance around my head, so I need something I can take with me to fight off those evil candy bars.

I made the "batter". As I was mixing everything in the food processor, it didn't seem right... but hey, I didn't think it was too bad. The batter didn't even taste too bad...

Then I put it in the pan - that's when I got nervous. I mean, who is going to eat something that looks like this:



Okay, so yes, there are things that don't look great before they're baked, but this was really interesting. It was mushy... but, why waste the ingredients... off it went into the oven. 

And came out like this:

To be fair, it didn't have a piece cut out of it - that was me.
It was still mushy. After 40 minutes. The edges started getting brown, so I thought it would be time to take it out.

I tasted it.
It's gross. 
It's bad tasting carrot mush. I can't even use it to make something different.
Well, maybe I can mush it up again and put bits in a real cake for the kids... 

The recipe? It's from Gimme Some Oven. Maybe I made it wrong. Maybe I didn't mix it correctly. I don't know, but I'm NOT going to try again.

If you try it, please let me know. 

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

I'm BACK!

Hi all!
My goodness! Who would have thought waking at 5:30am, sitting in a long (and sometimes boring) training class, and not going to bed until after 11pm would wipe a person out (hehe)!! Not to mention cooking and running errands in between. I am BEAT!

But it's not bad. And other than a couple of small bumps in the road (crackers and fig bars), I've kept up with my diet.

I don't have much to post today - just that I'm still here, and I'll be posting daily again.

Missed you guys!

Monday, January 26, 2015

Yesterday's food.

I didn't post yesterday - mostly because I was trying to get ready for my temp job today.
And I didn't take pictures of my food today because I only made one dish, and it was a repeat dish.

Yesterday's food was good, though.

Before the pictures - like I said, I started a temp job today. I work for a temp agency for an overflow company that's contracted by a large company. Yeah. If this was a totem pole, I'd be underground. Or is it that the bottom figure on the totem pole is the strongest? If that's the case, I'm the dust on the top. Whatever...
The day wasn't bad. I already know who is going to ask 10,000 questions, the class clown, and the one who may go first - as he slept through most of the orientation today.
With this new position, I'm out the door very early, so breakfast is going to be interesting. Lunch will mostly be leftovers from dinner, but I don't know what I'm going to do when everyone wants to eat even the pan after dinner.

Also - I was bad today. I didn't take breakfast, and there were no good selections in the vending machine. I couldn't starve, so I had...
CRACKERS! With peanut butter! Oh, the horror!!
And I had coffee - but black coffee. If I didn't, I'd be listed as the second person fired for falling asleep in class.

Yesterday morning, I made almond flour pancakes and strawberry and honey "sauce". I didn't get a picture of after, but I have a picture of them being made -


I got the recipe from Elana's Pantry. These were very good. I even made some of them darker than I like my pancakes, but it didn't matter. They tasted great! 

Lawrence liked his fish dish so much, that he made it again. 

For dinner, Lawrence thought he took pork chops out of the freezer, but it was actually the ends of the loin he cut up. Since it was already thawed, he cut it into strips, added carrots, cabbage, and a few other ingredients, and made a stir-fry!

                                                

Tomorrow, I think I'll be home in enough time to make some chili...
I also think I successfully made the ice cream more creamy and not mushy. I'll try it again tomorrow, and if successful, I'll post the recipe!

Okay, I'm going to bed. Gotta be at the office at 7am.

Thanks, all!


Saturday, January 24, 2015

Avocado, anyone?

I do not like avocado.
Well, let me change that statement... I love guacamole. Like I can eat guacamole with a spoon. I don't like plain avocado. I feel the same about tomatoes. And okra.

Lawrence on the other hand, LOVES avocado. He'll eat them breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So this morning, I made him an avocado salmon and egg bake. He loved it - of course.
I scooped out the avocado and mixed it with the salmon, along with some seasonings. I added some in the bottom of the avocado, scrambled an egg with a small bit of coconut milk, carefully poured them in the avocado, then added the salmon mix on top. I baked it for about 20 minutes.
If we were eating cheese, it would be perfect.

Lawrence made a quick lunch. Pan fried fish and salsa. He had avocado (again) with his... lol! 

Dinner was bbq chicken with homemade sauce and broccoli spaghetti squash bake. I got the sauce from My Natural Family. I had to tweak it a little - add a little more spice and give it a kick. 


Everyone loved it! I loved making it.

I do have to say, all of this cooking is getting crazy, I don't know what I'm going to do next week... I start my temp job on Monday. I'm going to have to plan meals for the week... I can't even plan what I'm going to wear the next day. I change my clothes at least 3 times in the morning. And don't get me talking about going on a trip! I take half of my closet and my entire underwear drawer...
If you want, send me easy Paleo recipes for dinners... please! 





Friday, January 23, 2015

Week in review - I made muffins!!

Real muffins - with a recipe! Let me give that to you first -

Paleo Blueberry Muffins


Yields about 12 mini muffins

Ingredients 

1 c almond meal/flour 
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 pinch sea salt
1 egg 
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries 


Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin tin, and set aside.
Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix egg, oil, honey and vanilla extract and stir until just combined. Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients until mixed. Fold in blueberries.
Fill muffin tins 3/4 of the way. 
Bake for about 8 to 9 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool on a rack.


I used frozen blueberries, and although the muffins tasted great, the bottom was a little soggy. I'm going to try again with fresh blueberries. 

So now, what else...
I lost another 5 pounds this week! I'm so excited! I don't know what I'm going to do with my clothes... lol.


This week, I realized that buying in bulk makes eating a variety of foods difficult. Although I was able to figure out the recipe for the muffins, I'm not quick with figuring out new recipes... or crafts, for that matter. I created two patterns in all of the years I've been crocheting....
Okay, back to food. We have good food in the house, but I can't figure out what to do with everything. So, for breakfast, we have bacon and eggs... maybe some fruit. Then I'm scrambling for lunch and dinner.

Tonight, we had cauliflower mash. It wasn't caulirice, but it was still cauliflower. Deven made it known that cauliflower was getting old. I have to find something else.

After dinner, we went to an open mic night with Deven. He was last, and it was HILARIOUS! His amp failed, his mic started falling, but like a pro, he kept the show going. And everyone loved him.
Just watch the video... oh, the loud laughter is me...


Everyone congratulated him and I... although he did NOT get his talent from me. It was nice to see so many people enjoy his singing.

It's late, and I'm getting in the bed.

Have a good night! 




Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Volunteering and temp

So last week before my interview, I had to take a skills test - you know, the ones that test your Word skills, Excel skills, and typing speed. Well, I did great in Word and typing, but Excel... I couldn't even remember a simple formula! I felt so embarrassed! Luckily I took the test at home - no one was able to see me cower under my covers at the horror of the mistakes I made.
What they say is true - use it or lose it. It's been less than a year, and I lost most of it.
So as soon as I left, I went to my old job at Habitat and signed up to volunteer. I need to do something.
Then of course, I find out that the Excel test must not have mattered - I got the temp position. I start on Monday.

When I first moved here to Charlotte, I wasn't working, so I started a temp position. Unfortunately, that was around the same time I found out that I had an autoimmune disease (I have Psoriatic Arthritis - yes, the Phil Mickelson disease), and they wouldn't allow me to take a day off to get my eye - that was in serious pain- checked by the doctor. So after three weeks, I had to leave. I wasn't happy.

Anyway, this position is only 3-6 months... hopefully I find something permanent while I'm there. I have a few irons in the fire, so we'll see.

As far as my eating today, I finally had some "sweets". I got Paleo approved chocolate chips, and made some Paleo inspired chocolate chip cookies. I got the recipe from Livin' Paleo Cuisine. They taste like a healthy cookie, but in a good way, The batter would be good as a muffin - I wonder if I add baking powder and egg...
Maybe another day...

Breakfast around here is usually just egg, meat, and a piece of fruit. I had pineapples today as my fruit. 

Lunch was simple as well. I had sauteed zucchini and squash with shrimp over the last of the caulirice from yesterday. 

Dinner was a recipe from Smile Sandwich - Amish One-Pan ground beef and cabbage. It's pretty much a deconstructed cabbage roll without rice - and I used ground turkey. Everyone loved it. 



Someone commented on how much money we may have with the food we're eating. I don't spend much. I can't buy all organic yet, so I have to make do with what I can get. Take dinner - I shop at Aldi's, get their ground turkey. The cans of tomato sauce are 25 cents, and the diced tomatoes are 59 cents. You can always find cheap cabbage, That's it. A meal for 5 for under $3! You just have to make it work.
DON'T think you can't do this diet because you have a limited budget. One of the things my doctor said was because you don't have to buy so many sides and sauces, you can spend that money on the things you need. It's doable on every budget. Try it for two weeks... see how you like it.
Oh, and Trader Joe's is your friend as well.

Thanks all!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Lawrence's weight


You know that SlimQuick commercial where the lady is talking about how both she and her husband stopped drinking soda and he lost more weight than she did?
Well, that's what's happening here. Lawrence is shedding pounds much faster than I am.

Lawrence's weight loss since his last weigh in on 1/12...... (cue drumroll).........

NINE pounds!!!

Congratulations, baby! I'm so proud of him!

I told the doctor that he wouldn't change his eating habits - we've tried dieting several times, but it never worked. We were always missing something, so we slowly started eating bad foods until we were back to where we started. This time, we've been happy with the food choices, so it's rather easy. Hopefully it stays this way.

Today's breakfast was nothing spectacular.
Lunch was caulirice and a fried egg. Don't laugh at my eggs - I can't make a pretty egg. I usually burn the butter.

I was still a little hungry afterward, so I made myself a sweet potato. 
Have you ever had a sweet potato with salt and butter? I went to a jazz club in Philly where they served mashed sweets with salt and butter. They were AMAZING! Since then, I love eating my sweet potato like a regular baked potato. Salt and butter - and before the diet, I even ate them with cheese, sour cream, and bacon. Yummy! You should try it.

Dinner was just simple salmon patties and caulirice. 

Dessert was strawberry banana ice cream.
I need to find another word for this. It's not ice cream, and it's not really sorbet. It's more like frozen baby food.
But I love it. 


Tomorrow I have to go to the doctor to see why my right shoulder is hurting. I already had to have rotator cuff surgery on my left side - I really don't want to have to have ANOTHER surgery on my right... kinda tired of surgery.

Well, I'm going to bed. I'm sleepy... 
Have a good night!




Monday, January 19, 2015

There's a good reason I'm late.

I had to make a serious transformation to a little girl's head. To this:               

  




 From this:

Her hair is something to tame FOR SURE! Neither of us like the process. She gets tired before I do, so there's fidgeting, sighing, she doesn't keep her head still like I need it. So if she gets too bad, I stop. I leave her head like it is, and if it's a school day, she has to wear her hair however it's left. To be fair, that doesn't happen. It's rarely not presentable when she goes out the door - only if we are in a hurry to get somewhere, then she wears a poofy ponytail.
She was a trooper tonight. She did very well, and I was able to do her hair exactly how she wanted it.
That was half of my day.

The other half, I cooked. I made Lawrence breakfast - twice baked breakfast sweet potatoes from Plaid and Paleo. I had one without the egg in it. It was delicious, and I definitely will go back to this.

  

For my lunch, I made pan fried fish and sauteed mustard greens for myself. We have lots of veggie choices in the house, so that's good. Most of the time, we only have green beans, broccoli. spinach, and maybe carrots and/or zucchini. It's good to have some greens here and there.

My dinner actually started before my breakfast. I started my pot roast at about 9am. 
There's none left. There's veggies left - yes. There's always veggies left with these kids... 
I might see about making myself some type of mash with it... do something interesting tomorrow. 


I didn't do much snacking today, and I didn't have dessert... and I started drinking my tea with nothing in it. No honey at all.
Who am I turning into?
This is not the sweet tooth lady that had 6 boxes of Thin Mints in a fort on her desk last year... this is someone different.
I think I may like her.
She just needs to get some clothes that fit.


Sunday, January 18, 2015

SO many temptations today...


There was cake. SO MUCH CAKE!

            

Even cake you could sample. 
There was even more than this. 

But I was good.
The bridal show at the Cabarrus Arena was very nice. They had lots of samples.
Cookies. Cotton candy. Popcorn. Shrimp and grits. Mashed potatoes. Pot Roast. Lemonade. Wine. Tea (I mean, it IS the south). They were also selling fried chicken, fries, and sodas. The smells wafting around the room...  
And I touched none.
Well, I DID taste the pot roast. Meat. That's all I tasted.

I feel good about that.
I have a sweet tooth. A serious sweet tooth. So to be able to NOT eat all of those sweets today... it was a great accomplishment for me.
Lawrence made sure I had a good breakfast before I left. And although I didn't pack snacks, I was able to hold off until we left and I was able to stop at the market. I purchased a container of pre-cut pineapples and strawberries.
And devoured it.
I was hungry!
 
When I got home, I had a great lemon chicken stir-fry made by Lawrence. I was still so hungry, I finished mine before I took a picture, but I was able to get a picture of Lawrence's before he finished.



Lawrence has also been missing chips and dip, so he made some naan and homemade guacamole...

And I just unfortunately helped Janiyah make some snickerdoodle cookies. They smell AMAZING!
I'm going to make myself some mug cake - and ignore her cookies. I didn't want any, anyway. Hmph!


Tomorrow, I'm going to braid Janiyah's hair (if you look on my Facebook page...), and finish crocheting several pieces that I'm working on. 

Now, I'm going to make my cake, finish watching the Colts lose, and get away from the snickerdoodle smell.

Thanks, all! 


Saturday, January 17, 2015

Hanging at the yarn shop today.

If you don't already know, I (for just a few more months) own a yarn shop. Because of my issues with my gallbladder, I couldn't even sit up for a long period of time. I haven't been in the shop for a few months - except one day they were having a special event in the area. Deven has been a trooper, going to the yarn shop as much as he could (almost every day), and holding it down for me - until it closes... which will be soon... Anyway...

Today was the first day I was there all day. Usually when I go, I don't eat much while there - maybe a honey bun, soda, and chips from the barber shop next door. Today, Lawrence got up, made sure I had my protein and fruit, and made me a delicious lunch.

While there, I started making a new scarf - I saw a pattern for a cowl that now I can't find anywhere. I decided to make something similar, but not a cowl...
It's multiples of 10, dc 9 blo, then fpdc. Next row is dc 9 and bpdc. Makes an interesting pattern. Hopefully I'm done by tomorrow when I go to the bridal show with Iyana (oldest child). I want to wear it there.

Speaking of bridal show... I really hope they don't have cake. I was in Walgreens today, and I wanted to eat all the candy at the register. That's what it's there for, right? That candy was doing it's job today. And the gum. And the Fiber One cookies that were RIGHT ON the counter. Like I was buying them...

I didn't. I was a good girl and came home to eat my dinner.

So... pictures. Lunch was a delicious salad that I almost devoured before taking a picture... but I was able to stop myself. It's curried chicken, spinach, carrots, zucchini, red seedless grapes, with a coconut milk, lime juice, and honey dressing. MAN OH MAN!!

Dinner - Brussels Sprouts. I LOVE Brussels sprouts! This is a very new love - a few years ago, you wouldn't have been able to get me near a sprout. AT ALL. But one day, I saw some in a magazine, roasted with bacon. I had to try again. And I'm happy I did. 

                                               


We had steak and Brussels sprouts (I always think I'm spelling that wrong). 

Lawrence even made dessert - caramelized bananas, almonds, and dates. It was yummy!!
                                               

Great way to end a day of good eating. 
Hopefully there are no temptations tomorrow. I really need to take a huge bag of food with me to keep me focused. We're going early - the first 800 people get something free. I hope it's something good.
And not cake.
Cake would suck.

Thanks, all! 

Friday, January 16, 2015

Week in review... why are my pants up there?

It's been one week since Lawrence and I changed our eating styles, and neither of us have wavered (yay)! It's actually been pretty easy - other than the smell of bread and coffee... but we've survived.
Some things I realized this week -

  1. Caulirice is our friend. 
  2. We eat lots of eggs. And cauliflower. And bananas.... 
  3. Frozen blueberries turn your fingers blue for a little while... like a couple of days.
  4. Paleo Newbie and The Paleo Mom have been my favorite sites to get recipes. 
  5. I know people who don't know how to use links in the blog. I wish I could teach a class... 
  6. You don't have to starve on this diet - or go broke. 
  7. I don't miss the carbs as much as I thought I would. 
  8. I feel fuller eating less food. 
  9. Frozen grapes are amazing! 
  10. The kids have not killed me for changing!


And... I lost 5 more pounds!! I'm somewhat excited!!!
Huh?

Well, I don't have any money... so while losing weight is great, I'm eventually going to need
new clothes... and I can't afford that right now.
So, I'm going to have some baggy pants for a while.

Today, I had an interview, and I swear my slacks were touching my bra...
I need some belts. 

What I'm hoping for in the weeks to come:
  1. A job so I can afford clothes. 
  2. More food choices. 
  3. More recipes. 
  4. More readers so I can get some comments and advice. Tell me how you feel!
  5. To be able to start thinking about different recipes, like Lawrence. 
Speaking of recipes... Lawrence made dinner tonight, and he made a delicious apple relish to go on the pork! 
Made by my husband, the chef


I told Lawrence if he creates something else, he has to give me a recipe, soo here is Taragon Apple Relish!

Tarragon Apple Relish

1 apple, diced
1/4 medium vidalia onion, diced
1/4 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 c ACV
2 tbs of honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Mix ingredients in bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve!
Great on pork, tortilla chips (if you eat them - we don't anymore), and as a side - if you really like it.

Simple and easy!

Well, I'm going to eat the rest of my blueberries and watch tv with my hubby.

Let me know if you make the relish!

Thanks, all!





Thursday, January 15, 2015

Yes, I miss my coffee.



When I went to the doctor told me "if it doesn't rhyme with water, you can't drink it", I think my heart cried a little.
No coffee?
Really?
So you WANT me to fall asleep while driving... or rip someone's head off for saying hello to me at 8am...

I'm not that bad anymore... I was able to stop drinking coffee when I was trying to find out where my stomach issues were coming from, and I didn't go nutty. But today, I was driving with the windows up and nothing in the car - and I smelled coffee. I have a rather sensitive nose, but to smell coffee and not be near a coffee shop... the only explanation I had for it was maybe the 7-11 I was driving by actually decided their coffee was old and was pouring all the pots out at one time behind the building as to not corrode the pipes with it...
But it is 7-11, so I doubt they threw out coffee...

Anyway, I have read that people on the Paleo diet drink coffee, but since I'm not doing sugar... I have had coffee without sugar, but I prefer at least one sugar... so to not have any... I could experiment with honey... naaah.

Other info - I'm looking for a job. A sit down (mostly) job. I had an offer for something I had to stand up all day for, but my body's not ready for that yet, so I had to turn it down. I'm back on the hunt. I have an interview tomorrow for something that starts on 1/26... we'll see how that goes.

Remember just yesterday I said dinner was the star meal around here? Well, Lawrence wanted to prove me wrong this morning... he made a great salmon patty and incorporated the last of the caulirice. They were yummy! We ate them with sauteed spinach and an egg - mine wasn't the prettiest egg - I like them fried hard...

For lunch, I had the leftover chili, sans caulirice.

Dinner was from a bbq chicken recipe I found on The Paleo Mom. It was rather delicious. I added honey and tumeric, and made them on the George Foreman grill. Everyone loved them.

                                               

I didn't make a dessert tonight, mostly because I wasn't feeling well. Feeling a little better now...

Tomorrow will be a week since we started our diet... and I'll give a week in review.
Gotta go to bed and get ready for my interview.

Thanks, all!