Healthier Living Thread Part IV

Thanks Muff - butchering isn't too much fun, but at least I don't have to kill them, I wouldn't have the heart. However, if I'm going to eat meat anyway, it is nice to know that we feed them what we want and so we know what we are eating without anything funny added in the mix. The fresh ones always taste soooo much better than store-bought too! :) But yeah, it does make me sad that they have to die. It took me a while to get used to that, I had to convince myself that it didn't matter where the chicken came from (our flock or the store), it still had to die somewhere - at least ours are killed quickly and mercifully - bless their pea-brained little souls.

Zoe, turnips, really? Are they any good?

Angie--I think I want to come live with you; your meals sound pretty darn good.

Zoe and Angie, Angie and Zoe. . . My alphabet (A to Z) friends, I am glad both of you are feeling better :)

Blue, I love your description of school--that's exactly how I felt, but you said it so much better than I could ever have. And with descriptive skills like that, you ought to ace those papers :)

Tweety, I love Chinese food. My favorite is a hole-in-the-wall place in town that the owners just closed. I haven't been able to find another place I like nearly as well. Better for my health, I suppose, but ohhh, it was a great place to eat and I really wish it were still there.

Sarah, I'd probably do the same thing with your work as you are. It's hard to take a cut in pay, esp. with flexible hours and school. But it won't be long until you earn your RN!! You know what's funny (and kind of silly) is what a charge I'd get (and still do) when I started working as an LPN, from walking in the patient's room and saying, "I'm Hiker and I'll be your nurse today." The patients are thinking "OK, fine" and I'm exulting "Hiker's a nurse, Hiker's a nurse".

hi hiker!!! still sooooooooo proud of you!

you make my day each time you say that :) thanks! :kiss

well everyone, i am feeling good and energetic today, which is really odd because i was up until almost midnight last night and still had to get up at 5:00 this morning to come to work - it may be a different story by noon - lol! anyway, i had class last night, i got home at 10:30 and i walked until 11:00 to make sure i got in my 1/2 hour of exercise, i had in another 1/2 hour earlier from walking around town on my lunch break, so woohoo!!! i don't think the scales have moved, but my clothes are fitting better, so i think i must be gaining muscle mass since i actually have been exercising and still been eating well. yeay! of course, it is pms time, so that always messes with the weight too - i can't wait to see where it's at in about a week and a half when my body and hormones all normalize - lol!

good girl, sarah! i'm so proud of you! i bet you *are* looking a lot better--no wonder people are commenting :) and you've got water weight coming off in a few days, too. yippee! you can be one of the few people who actually lose weight in nursing school, lol :)

In a couple of weeks, DS graduates from HS and I'm sure we're gonna have BBQ, so if anyone has any good calorie-spare recipes for rubs or marinades for chicken, please feel free to share!

WOW, that's a big deal! See below for a great deal on chicken, ha ha ha!

Was looking for a honey BBQ chicken recipe, which isn't too bad calorie wise, but I couldn't find it ...

But if you do a search online you might find one! I've never cooked on a grill because it's a "man's job" (er, because I'm skeert, I mean...)

... I went to the gym right after work. I'm trying to cut back a little bit and learn the art of stopping when full.

How far is your gym from you? And how is "after work" working?

Gonna get my bike on the trunk tomorrow to get it tuned up! The weather is great and lots of people out biking, stuff is in bloom, etc...

Zoe - sorry, no turnip recipes, actually, I have never even tried one. Hmm, I may have to do that.

The only recipe I know is the same as for mashed potatoes, which means, smash em, add milk and butter or margerine... NOT too healthy that way. So I thought maybe there was something else you could do.

Turnips are a pain to prepare but you can buy them peeled, cut up, frozen or fresh. Used to only have them for Christmas and Thanksgiving, now I NEVER have them (cry cry)

.. begin our annual chicken butchering so we will have fresh chicken for the year - yeay!

GROSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSs!

thanks for clearing up the cherl crow-tp mystery for me ... crunch crunch crunch

Tp, and then "crunch crunch" ... Umm, you washed your hands first?

Zoe, turnips, really? Are they any good?

(Zoe falls to the floor in a melting puddle) Mmm hmmm! And they HAVE to be better for you than potatoes, they are more "tuberous" lol... like squash.

You know what's funny (and kind of silly) is what a charge I'd get (and still do) when I started working as an LPN, from walking in the patient's room and saying, "I'm Hiker and I'll be your nurse today." The patients are thinking "OK, fine" and I'm exulting "Hiker's a nurse, Hiker's a nurse".

Yep, hee hee...

(Zoe falls to the floor in a melting puddle) Mmm hmmm! And they HAVE to be better for you than potatoes, they are more "tuberous" lol... like squash.

Zoe, "tuberous", wow, that does make them sound pretty good . . .

Zoe, "tuberous", wow, that does make them sound pretty good . . .

Tuberosity ..

TUBE-meister...

Yep, them turnips have ATTI-tube! lol

Hi everyone and thanks for your support, it's really working. I'm feeling pretty good over here plus I actually have the time to post. Yay!

First off, belated congratulations to Graduate Nurse Hiker!

Muffie, you're doing great, keep up the good work. I like the green crunchies better than orange. Yesterday I was craving a no-no (I don't want to say what because if I read about no-no's it makes me think about them sometimes) and usually the craving goes away quickly if I have some steamed broccoli or cauliflower or some type of salad. If the sweet craving really sticks, I have some fruit. I have a couple of mangoes ripening on the table, just in case....I share them with DS.

Blue, sounds like you're right on track, too. And organized. I envy that. If I go on vacation, it takes weeks for me to unpack all the way.

Tweets, those frozen Weight Watchers desserts are nice for a little splurge now and then. They make a strawberry cheesecake now too, I noticed.

Zoe, I know exactly what you mean about the weight comments and being derailed. It used to throw me too, but now for some reason, I really don't care much what people think. I'm enjoying the new way I feel and the ability to move better. I keep looking forward to being able to jump around and dance and ice skate and roller skate and other fun stuff. By the way, are you out rollerblading or biking yet?

Sarah, I hope all is going well at school and also that the weather is good for whatever you need to get planted.

Hiker, I enjoy cooking on my days off. I've dieted enough to know that a real motivation-killer is the same-old same-old. So for the sake of keeping the family on track, I have to use my ingenuity to keep things lively in the kitchen, if you know what I mean....

This weekend since I'm off, I decided to make one of DH's favorites, since he's all chickened out and the sirloin tip roast was on sale. I'll put that roast into the slow cooker with those nice portabella mushrooms, some small cooking onions (maybe a couple of small potatoes for flavor)and cook that all day. I'll make a nice dark Worcestershire gravy and have a few eggless noodles on the side. Dessert will be a small strawberry shortcake (for him--only 100 cals for the shell). I'll just stick to the strawberries with a dollop of whipped cream. If I'm feeling real froggy, I'll make some sugar-free Jello.

Today my goal is to clean, organize papers and de-clutter while the dinner cooks. If I get bored, I might take a crack at that Pilates DVD that's been gathering dust. I could consider it preventative medicine for my back.

Have a great day, everyone, and remember, we're all rooting for you to have success!

Angie - try doing a search for South Beach or Atkins friendly BBQ recipes. Both will have you taking the skin off at some point, and may have good sugar free recipes for marinades. One of my favorite marinades for beef or for veggies is Bernstein's Restaurant Recipe Italian salad dressing. Skewer chuncks of red/orange/yellow/green peppers, onion wedges, mushrooms, cherry or grape tomatoes, garlic if you like it (I buy the already peeled ones in a jar), whatever. Marinade in Bernsteins for a few minutes and grill. Fresh asparagus work well too! Snap the tough ends off. Put asparagus in a large ziploc bag with a little bit of water and microwave for a couple of minutes until they are bright green and just a little bit cooked. (Make sure the bag is opened a little bit at one end to let the steam out...). Empty out any water that is in there, then add Bernsteins and shake the bag up a bit to coat the asparagus well. Grill the asparagus. MMMMMMMMM! If you don't partially precook the asparagus (you could steam it if you want, I prefer fewer dishes) it comes out too tough.

Hmm, maybe I'll be grill this weekend.....

Hi everyone!

Hope y'all are having a good weekend! I haven't been especially good this week. Not really horrible either, just not exercising as much as I want, and had a couple of days where available food choices were limited to burger and fries or worse. I'll get back on the wagon this weekend.

Gotta get some chores done & get cracking on a paper that's due tomorrow! Later!

up 0.3 lb at club w

don't know what happened

but who cares

still crazy wicked focused

crunching away

freaking out miss crow daily

big walk this afternoon

sunny beautiful day

will stop to smell the roses and breath deeply the fresh spring air

good luck good peeps

Tuberosity ..

TUBE-meister ..

Yep, them turnips have ATTI-tube! lol

You know, you almost make them sound good . . .

Again, I'm planning on dinner at Angie's tonight :)

It's cold and rainy here and I still have to go to the grocery store. I know I'll be tempted to bring home a lot of comfort food, so I'm giving myself permission to bring home one of whatever sounds the best and keep the rest at the store. It's not like that stuff isn't going to be there next time I go, anyway.

Tweety--two meals out of 21 is pretty darn good! Way to go.

Muff--are you implying that you have pesky situations that may require two or even three squares of tp--and daily? You may want to be careful of what you admit to . . . these boards aren't as anonymous as you may think, LOL

Up .3 pounds isn't a whole heck of a lot; especially if you're adding muscle. Just consider it an outlyer and be proud of what you're doing.

Blue--Ugh, papers. Although, I feel a bit at odds without homework, myself. I'm kinda surprised at how much schoolwork has really shaped my days; can't say I miss it much, but it sure feels funny not to have it now.

My pinning was last night and it ROCKED! I really looked forward to it and it was better than I even thought it would be. I don't go much in for ceremonies, but this was a great celebration. I'm going to miss the daily intereaction with my classmates, though. It's amazing the bond you share with them.

Went to the gym and ate well, even at the dinner we went to last night. I ordered what I wanted, cut it in half and brought the rest home for lunch.