Today I faced the challenge of going through my clothes - especially the ones that I'd been given recently so I could find a spot for them. Happily I discovered the ones that didn't fit when they were given to me about a month ago are fitting much better now. yay! I committed to getting rid of the clothes hanging in my closet that I haven't worn in years or know I won't wear. I've bagged them all up and earmarked them for donations to upcoming garage sales.
I pulled the clothes that were size 16-18 (skirts/pants/capris) that are now too big and added them to my maternity box. Four months ago I was packing my box up and saying goodbye to a pregnancy that wasn't meant to be. When I was pregnant and going through my maternity clothes to find ones to wear most of my clothes were too big. YAY! I'd packed away all my size 20W into my maternity box thinking that I might need them to get me by until I needed the actual maternity pants. I had the same thought as I added my outgrown clothes today. We'll see what happens. Who knows, maybe the next time I need the maternity box the size 16 will be way too big too and I'll end up giving those away like I did the others.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
20 down, 10 to goal!!
I've been kind of lagging behind here with my posts!
Yesterday was the last day of my sister-in-law's Biggest Loser competition. As of the afternoon when I logged my weight, I was number 2. My usual day difference weight showed itself again. I weighed at 163.8 or something like that, so I didn't do as well as I'd hoped for the final weigh in. BUT, today I was down to 161.8. I did manage to lose another pound for WW. YAY!!!!!
I've lost a daily target point so now I'm down to 24 points a day. I noticed that my WW's plan was set to maintenance mode, so I had to delete all my weights to reset my goal and plan. Because of the way it was set up, I started my day on Jan 3rd which had a weigh in of 182. Before that weight never really played a role in how much I'd lost. Now it is acknowleged and accounted for which means I've lost 20.2 pounds since the beginning of the year!! YAY me!!! Today I got the 10% lost star :) The goal is 150 in my mind, but I reset my goal to 140. The healthy BMI range is 122 - 146. I think I will be content at 150. It is hard to fathom losing that much more weight. But, we'll just see what happens.
As I was choosing clothes from the closet for church today, I was realizing I don't have a lot of clothes that fit anymore for Sunday. I have a few skirts (mostly browns), long sleeves or sweaters(it's getting to be summer) and T-shirts (which I don't want to wear for church). There is a beige top that is my standard 'nice' blouse that can go with anything, but I was noticing it isn't fitting so great anymore. It's a perfect fit for about size 16. I guess my top is closer to a 12 now. The darts are really sad looking. I was given a bunch of clothes (thank you S!) but I think I need to go through them again. Probably if I actually hung my clothes up I'd discover I have a better selection than I thought :p
Yesterday was the last day of my sister-in-law's Biggest Loser competition. As of the afternoon when I logged my weight, I was number 2. My usual day difference weight showed itself again. I weighed at 163.8 or something like that, so I didn't do as well as I'd hoped for the final weigh in. BUT, today I was down to 161.8. I did manage to lose another pound for WW. YAY!!!!!
I've lost a daily target point so now I'm down to 24 points a day. I noticed that my WW's plan was set to maintenance mode, so I had to delete all my weights to reset my goal and plan. Because of the way it was set up, I started my day on Jan 3rd which had a weigh in of 182. Before that weight never really played a role in how much I'd lost. Now it is acknowleged and accounted for which means I've lost 20.2 pounds since the beginning of the year!! YAY me!!! Today I got the 10% lost star :) The goal is 150 in my mind, but I reset my goal to 140. The healthy BMI range is 122 - 146. I think I will be content at 150. It is hard to fathom losing that much more weight. But, we'll just see what happens.
As I was choosing clothes from the closet for church today, I was realizing I don't have a lot of clothes that fit anymore for Sunday. I have a few skirts (mostly browns), long sleeves or sweaters(it's getting to be summer) and T-shirts (which I don't want to wear for church). There is a beige top that is my standard 'nice' blouse that can go with anything, but I was noticing it isn't fitting so great anymore. It's a perfect fit for about size 16. I guess my top is closer to a 12 now. The darts are really sad looking. I was given a bunch of clothes (thank you S!) but I think I need to go through them again. Probably if I actually hung my clothes up I'd discover I have a better selection than I thought :p
Monday, April 5, 2010
Go Potty, Eat CANDY!!!!
Today Aaron decided it was a good idea to go potty in the toilet. The end result of getting candy of course was his ultimate motivation - and he probably ate more candy than 'real' food today, but he's developing a habit of using the facilities instead of his diaper. At least, that's what I'm hoping. He did choose to brush his teeth all on his own tonight. I guess all those jelly beans were starting to bother him.
We started in a diaper this morning, but after a huge yucky blowout (right after I changed him no less), he didn't want to put a diaper back on. He did want to go potty in the toilet however, so I bargained with him. He ended up in a diaper of some sort today, but we still called it 'underwear'. Basically I used all my fitted and pocket diapers that could snap into shape so that they could be pulled up and down like underwear. And learning from last attempt, I made sure the diapers had a liner so that should a poopy 'accident' happen, I'd be able to flush it with ease.
Today's efforts came with mixed results. He did use the toilet a lot, but every use came after wetting himself. Eventually I figured out to use the pocket diapers so that he'd have a cover (although my FuzziBunz are worn out enough that we still had leaking). He was trying hard to get his candy, so sometimes he spent a good half hour in the bathroom waiting to go potty. But the time spent paid off. Several times he would go potty, get up and start to get dressed and tell me that he had more. And he did! This occurrance was more frequent in the afternoon after watching Jared go potty. Aaron had to go potty like Jared, so he'd stand at the big toilet. He'd get so excited about 'making mountains' that I don't think he ever quite got done.
I was impressed that one time he wanted to sit on the big potty. What he really needed was to have a bowel movement, but eventually he gave up on the big potty and wanted his small chair again. He never did have his poop, but he gave it a grand effort. In fact, he's tried to poop on the toilet two or three days in a row now, but without success. Still, he's had gas while sitting there and that's progress. He recognizes when it is coming. Soon he'll get used to the sensation and position and be able to get two candies!
It was really nice when he was gone for a few days and I didn't have to worry about diapers all day. If Aaron keeps this effort up, it might not be long before I won't be changing diapers all the time :)
We started in a diaper this morning, but after a huge yucky blowout (right after I changed him no less), he didn't want to put a diaper back on. He did want to go potty in the toilet however, so I bargained with him. He ended up in a diaper of some sort today, but we still called it 'underwear'. Basically I used all my fitted and pocket diapers that could snap into shape so that they could be pulled up and down like underwear. And learning from last attempt, I made sure the diapers had a liner so that should a poopy 'accident' happen, I'd be able to flush it with ease.
Today's efforts came with mixed results. He did use the toilet a lot, but every use came after wetting himself. Eventually I figured out to use the pocket diapers so that he'd have a cover (although my FuzziBunz are worn out enough that we still had leaking). He was trying hard to get his candy, so sometimes he spent a good half hour in the bathroom waiting to go potty. But the time spent paid off. Several times he would go potty, get up and start to get dressed and tell me that he had more. And he did! This occurrance was more frequent in the afternoon after watching Jared go potty. Aaron had to go potty like Jared, so he'd stand at the big toilet. He'd get so excited about 'making mountains' that I don't think he ever quite got done.
I was impressed that one time he wanted to sit on the big potty. What he really needed was to have a bowel movement, but eventually he gave up on the big potty and wanted his small chair again. He never did have his poop, but he gave it a grand effort. In fact, he's tried to poop on the toilet two or three days in a row now, but without success. Still, he's had gas while sitting there and that's progress. He recognizes when it is coming. Soon he'll get used to the sensation and position and be able to get two candies!
It was really nice when he was gone for a few days and I didn't have to worry about diapers all day. If Aaron keeps this effort up, it might not be long before I won't be changing diapers all the time :)
Spinach Turkey Roll
Spinach Turkey Roll, 4 pts for 8 servings
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2004, p29
Ingredients
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup soft whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, basil, oregano and mustard. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well.
On a sheet of waxed paper, pat turkey mixture into a 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Sprinkle with spinach and cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side and peeling waxed paper away while rolling. Seal seam and ends. Place seam side down in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165°. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Heat remaining spaghetti sauce; serve over turkey. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 each) equals 230 calories, 11 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 137 mg cholesterol, 395 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 20 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable.
**********
Made April 5th. This has been on the menu since I went through the cookbook and I finally had the time to make it. The hour-long cooktime makes it challenging because the heating is off in our oven, making it so everything takes longer. I was pleasantly surprised when this dish was ready in an hour and a half.
I used 99/1 ground turkey, which I'm sure helped keep the points low. I ran out of mozz cheese, so I mixed some cheddar in with it too. My spaghetti sauce was leftover from spaghetti I had made previously. I prefer Del Monte's Four Cheese, so that was what I used. I don't think I spread it out quite as much as the recipe calls for because I was able to fit it in a 7 x 11.5 pan (or whatever the size is just under 9x13. I cut the loaf into 8 slices too. For 6 servings the points would have been 6.
I am quite pleased with the final product. Jared said it was ok, but I enjoyed the meatloaf flavor without all the points. It is a good healthy option to meatloaf. I think next time I might try fresh spinach instead of the frozen because I don't care for the frozen spinach taste, although it wasn't very strong in this recipe.
Creamy Vanilla Pudding
Creamy Vanilla Pudding, 5 pts for 1/2 c.
published in Reminisce Extra April 1993, p49
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups milk, divided
Pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Place 2 cups milk and salt in a saucepan. Sprinkle sugar on milk and do not stir; heat over medium-high. Quickly combine cornstarch with remaining milk; add egg yolks and mix well. When milk comes to a full boil, remove saucepan from the heat and stir in cornstarch mixture. Pudding will begin to thicken. Return to the heat and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into individual dishes. Serve warm. Yield: 4 servings.
*****
Made April 3rd. I had 5 egg yolks left over from last week's recipes, so I made this pudding to use them up. I had to double plus half the recipe to accomplish it, but it was perfect for our family get together. The pudding was extremely rich (perfect for dipping tortilla chips in though). It is no wonder it is worth 5 points.
I ran out of cornstarch, so I used flour to make up the rest. Unfortunately I got cornstarch or flour lumps when I mixed it with the milk. I probably needed to use a bigger container so that it could mix better. But the pudding did thicken up really nicely, so the lumps were mostly aesthetic as well as surprising for those who got them ;)
I used skim milk and Imperial margarine for this recipe.
"Be diligent, that thereby [ye] might win the prize"
This morning as I struggled through CardioX, I realized the spiritual parallel of 'taking it easy'.
A month ago, an exercise buddy and I had become so proficient with the CardioX video that it was no longer a real workout. We were maintaining but not improving. We had to step it up a notch and add the Plyometrics video in our week. Once we did that, we saw immediate muscle improvement and quicker weight loss. We were so happy about where we were and what we were doing that we both felt ready to try the entire P90X program. Then something happened, spring break and the time change hit and that buddy lost her motivation. We all did, but we tried walking a couple of days instead of the video. Eventually she decided to 'retire'. My other exercise buddy is getting motivated again, but she prefers to walk instead of the videos so when we don't walk together, I try to do something on my own but there are still some days that I miss. It's been about three weeks since spring break, and I think I've done CardioX about once a week. I can still get through the video, but it is a challenge. It is amazing how quickly our muscles deteriorate when they are not constantly being pushed or utelized. A lot can happen in a short amount of time.
How often do we do that to our spiritual muscles? How often do we go through times when we are being so good and diligent at reading our scriptures, saying heart-felt prayers, attending the temple, paying our tithes and offerings, etc. and we feel strong and confident; then something happens and it messes up our routine and we get lazy or distracted? If we don't hurry up and get back on the wagon, soon the day will be gone and we'll be left on the ground in darkness. Time will pass and a moment will come when we'll realize that we are nowhere where we wanted to be. We might have even forgotten where we were headed or how to get there. Deuteronomy 4:9 reads, "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons." No one is exempt from this predicament. All it takes is to get complacent in our efforts. Jesus warned:
A month ago, an exercise buddy and I had become so proficient with the CardioX video that it was no longer a real workout. We were maintaining but not improving. We had to step it up a notch and add the Plyometrics video in our week. Once we did that, we saw immediate muscle improvement and quicker weight loss. We were so happy about where we were and what we were doing that we both felt ready to try the entire P90X program. Then something happened, spring break and the time change hit and that buddy lost her motivation. We all did, but we tried walking a couple of days instead of the video. Eventually she decided to 'retire'. My other exercise buddy is getting motivated again, but she prefers to walk instead of the videos so when we don't walk together, I try to do something on my own but there are still some days that I miss. It's been about three weeks since spring break, and I think I've done CardioX about once a week. I can still get through the video, but it is a challenge. It is amazing how quickly our muscles deteriorate when they are not constantly being pushed or utelized. A lot can happen in a short amount of time.
How often do we do that to our spiritual muscles? How often do we go through times when we are being so good and diligent at reading our scriptures, saying heart-felt prayers, attending the temple, paying our tithes and offerings, etc. and we feel strong and confident; then something happens and it messes up our routine and we get lazy or distracted? If we don't hurry up and get back on the wagon, soon the day will be gone and we'll be left on the ground in darkness. Time will pass and a moment will come when we'll realize that we are nowhere where we wanted to be. We might have even forgotten where we were headed or how to get there. Deuteronomy 4:9 reads, "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons." No one is exempt from this predicament. All it takes is to get complacent in our efforts. Jesus warned:
Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.
The good news is that through the atoning power of Jesus Christ the day will come again. But how much better is it to pick ourselves right back up, climb back in and ride through the darkness protected? In King Benjamin's final words to his people, he counselled:
But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.
Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen
Sunday, April 4, 2010
1 Week left and more than halfway there
I realized yesterday when I weighed in for my sister-in-law's Biggest Loser contest that there is only 1 week left. ACK!! Currently I'm number 2 in weight loss. After the Lettuce Eat Cake contest was over (at 9 weeks), I figured that I'd be ok with the BL contest lasting one more month - I'd be able to reach my goal. Uh, well, I don't think so - especially after last week's horrible weigh-in. Saturday I was 164.7 and Sunday I went back up to 166. argh. I started the week off doing well with exercise and eating habits, but Thursday and Friday went without exercise. And I didn't even care! That's the sad part.
Easter candy and family time posed a challenge this weekend too. But, I tried to be vigilant. I was pleased to see that my weigh-in yesterday was 164.2. I braced myself for another weight gain this morning though because that's what happened last week. And although my weight did go down this week for yesterday's weigh-in, it was only in ounces. So drumroll for today's WW Weigh-in..........
162.7!!!!!
The funny thing was that this morning I was going to compose a blog post entitled 'Thunder Thighs'. I will probably still do it because it is something that haunts me. It is nice to know that even though my exercising isn't great, I can still do something about my weight by controlling my eating habits. And I'm ecstatic that I feel so close to my weight loss goal. I don't think I ever really thought I'd reach it. I'm over half-way now. YAY!!
I was talking to friends about this effort, and I emphasized to them that this has been a LONG process even though they are only aware of the last three months - an over FIVE years process. Actually, I just realized it's been over six at this point. One of these days I'll finish my draft of 'From Here to There and Back Again' about my complete weight loss journey, not just this leg of it. But to give you a brief idea, almost two years before Jared was born I tipped the scales at almost 250 pounds. I was buying clothes in a 2X and some 3X when I went to work and couldn't eat all day.
I know myself well enough to realize that this will be a lifetime effort. I would fall right back into my old habits without the accountability of a food diary/WW. It's happened too many times before.
Easter candy and family time posed a challenge this weekend too. But, I tried to be vigilant. I was pleased to see that my weigh-in yesterday was 164.2. I braced myself for another weight gain this morning though because that's what happened last week. And although my weight did go down this week for yesterday's weigh-in, it was only in ounces. So drumroll for today's WW Weigh-in..........
162.7!!!!!
The funny thing was that this morning I was going to compose a blog post entitled 'Thunder Thighs'. I will probably still do it because it is something that haunts me. It is nice to know that even though my exercising isn't great, I can still do something about my weight by controlling my eating habits. And I'm ecstatic that I feel so close to my weight loss goal. I don't think I ever really thought I'd reach it. I'm over half-way now. YAY!!
I was talking to friends about this effort, and I emphasized to them that this has been a LONG process even though they are only aware of the last three months - an over FIVE years process. Actually, I just realized it's been over six at this point. One of these days I'll finish my draft of 'From Here to There and Back Again' about my complete weight loss journey, not just this leg of it. But to give you a brief idea, almost two years before Jared was born I tipped the scales at almost 250 pounds. I was buying clothes in a 2X and some 3X when I went to work and couldn't eat all day.
I know myself well enough to realize that this will be a lifetime effort. I would fall right back into my old habits without the accountability of a food diary/WW. It's happened too many times before.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Seasoned Scrambled Eggs
Seasoned Scrambled Eggs 6 pts
Ingredients
4 egg whites
3 eggs
2 tablespoons reduced-fat ranch salad dressing
2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites and eggs. Stir in the salad dressing, mustard, parsley and garlic powder. In a nonstick skillet, cook egg mixture in oil over medium heat for 2 minutes or until eggs are set and cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 251 calories, 16 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 331 mg cholesterol, 496 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 21 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 fat.
*****
Made April 2nd. I cut the recipe in half and split it among three people so the point value was only 2 compared to the 6 of the original recipe. I only used 1 egg white and 2 eggs.
I enjoyed the flavor, but Jared didn't care for it much. It certainly was different.
I served the eggs with Waffled French Toast.
Waffled French Toast
Waffled French Toast 4 pts
Ingredients
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup fat-free milk
4 slices whole wheat or white bread
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 cup reduced-calorie pancake syrup
Directions
In a shallow dish, beat the egg, egg white and milk. Dip bread into egg mixture, coating both sides. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown.
For sauce, in a bowl, crush the strawberries; stir in the pancake syrup. Serve French toast with the strawberry sauce. Yield: 2 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (2 pieces French toast with 6 tablespoons sauce) equals 261 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 107 mg cholesterol, 401 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 11 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1/2 fruit.
******
Made April 2nd. I used 2 slices of Nature's Own 7 Grain bread (wouldn't recommend it), 2 slices of Whole Wheat bread (much better), and 1 slice of white bread (there was enough of the mix to make one more slice).
I really liked the simplicity of the recipe. I enjoy making french toast because it's so quick and easy, so waffling it adds a unique texture. The strawberry syrup was ok too.
Because I used three different types of breads, the point value came to 4. It might be different depending on the types of bread being used. 100% whole wheat is going to yield the lowest amount of points though.
I served the waffles with Seasoned Scrambled Eggs.
Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Butter
Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Butter, 1 pt for 2 TB
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsweetened apple cider or juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 medium apples, peeled and quartered (3 pounds)
Directions
Place the apple juice, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a blender; cover and process until blended. Adding 3-4 apple pieces at a time, cover and process until smooth.
Pour into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and cook 1 to 1-1/2 hours longer or until thickened. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 cups.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (2 tablespoons) equals 66 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 1 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, trace protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 fruit.
*******
Made April 1st. I scored today at the grocery store - 6 cameo apples (almost exactly 3 lbs) for 99 cents. Today was the day to try my hand at this recipe!!
My blender had a hard time chopping all the apples, so I ended up removing some of the mix into the sauce pan until I could get all the apples blended in. The final yield was 2 pints plus about 4 oz.
The mix was pretty thick as it was, so I'm not sure at what point "heat until thickened" is. I took it off the heat when it started forming small peaks. The end result tastes a lot like applesauce. I'm not sure what the difference is between applesauce and apple butter, but I do like the flavor. I mentioned it on facebook, and my sister in law made this comment:
Actually, the difference is cooking time and spices. Apple butter is almost always fairly heavily flavored with cinnamon and maybe cloves and such, and is also cooked down to a much thicker texture. You can either do it on the stovetop (which requires a lot of extra stirring so it doesn't scorch), or you can put it in a big pan in the oven and cook it a low heat, stirring on occasion.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Chili Stuffed Potato
Chili Stuffed Potato, 5 pts
Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes (about 2 pounds)
1 can (15 ounces) vegetarian chili with beans
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1 cup chopped seeded fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Directions
Scrub and pierce the potatoes; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 12-14 minutes or until tender, turning once.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat chili. With a sharp knife, cut an "X" in each potato; fluff with a fork. Spoon chili over each potato; sprinkle with cheese. Top with tomatoes, sour cream and cilantro. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 stuffed potato with toppings) equals 354 calories, 4 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 466 mg sodium, 66 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 15 g protein.
******
Made April 1st. I bought Wolf brand chili with beans made from turkey. I looked for a vegan version and didn't ever see one. Maybe I'd have to go to a specialty store. I don't know. The potato was ok. The chili was a little more spicy than I'd have liked, but Jared seemed to enjoy it.
I didn't use the large baking potatoes either, so the points might be a little higher if you do. I weighed mine and it was only a 2 pt potato. I'm sure a baking potato would have been twice that at least.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Feta-Spinach Melts
Feta-Spinach Melts p.30, 2 points
Ingredients
3 packages (6 ounces each) fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
20 slices French baguette (1/2 inch thick)
Directions
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine spinach and water. Cover and microwave on high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring twice; drain and squeeze dry. Add the feta cheese, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, salt and dill weed; set aside.
Arrange bread on a baking sheet. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Spread each with about 1 tablespoonful spinach mixture. Broil 3-4 minutes longer or until heated through. Yield: 10 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: Two slices equals 100 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fat.
*******
Made March 31st. Absolutely delicious!! And a big hit at the dinner party I took it too.
My Variations:
*Bunched spinach instead of the baby spinach. It worked really well. It made a little more work for me because I had to wash the spinach and trim the stems off, but it was worth it since I only paid 50 cents per bunch and it just took 2 bunches.
*roma tomato because that was I had.
*French bread instead of baguette. I seriously debated whether or not I should go ahead and buy the baguette bread, but really this worked fine.
Chocolate Strawberry Delight
Chocolate Strawberry Delight, 3 points
Ingredients:
5 Ritz Whole Wheat Crackers
1/2 c. chocolate pudding (low-fat)
2 or 3 medium strawberries, sliced
2 TB Reddi-Whip Topping
Directions:
Layer the crackers in a bowl forming a crust, then layer pudding, strawberries and topping. Savor!
Yield: 1 serving
*****
Made March 29th. I came up with this beauty. YUM! YUM! YUM!! I wish I had a better picture, but the battery died in my camera right after I snapped this one.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Diaper Update
In case someone out there is just dying to know what's going on in the diaper world (because that's what Moms talk about all the time, right?), here's an update:
After two days of bad experiences in public, I went back to putting Aaron in a diaper with making a few trips to the bathroom here and there. And I was right about potty training and piano lessons not mixing. Monday afternoon Aaron told me he needed to go potty (during a piano lesson). Jared was in the bathroom too, so I figured it would be ok because Jared is usually really good about helping him out when he needs it. Unfortunately it didn't work out quite so nicely and the poor little girl got traumatized by Aaron's lack of modesty. In fact, I rather think Aaron fed off her covered eyes and cries of embarrassment. ah boys. Proud of their parts.
Our bribe for Aaron is candy. So, every day I have this conversation with him:
Aaron: I'm hungry for candy.
Me: Well, if you want candy, what do you need to do?
Aaron: Potty in the toilet, get candy!!
Me: That's right. If you want to get candy you need to go potty in the toilet.
Aaron: Need to go potty. Get candy!!
It works like a charm, I tell you. Although, funny thing is he went potty 4 times the other day and never did get any of his candy. We got distracted in the process of getting dressed again and never remembered to reap the reward.
After two days of bad experiences in public, I went back to putting Aaron in a diaper with making a few trips to the bathroom here and there. And I was right about potty training and piano lessons not mixing. Monday afternoon Aaron told me he needed to go potty (during a piano lesson). Jared was in the bathroom too, so I figured it would be ok because Jared is usually really good about helping him out when he needs it. Unfortunately it didn't work out quite so nicely and the poor little girl got traumatized by Aaron's lack of modesty. In fact, I rather think Aaron fed off her covered eyes and cries of embarrassment. ah boys. Proud of their parts.
Our bribe for Aaron is candy. So, every day I have this conversation with him:
Aaron: I'm hungry for candy.
Me: Well, if you want candy, what do you need to do?
Aaron: Potty in the toilet, get candy!!
Me: That's right. If you want to get candy you need to go potty in the toilet.
Aaron: Need to go potty. Get candy!!
It works like a charm, I tell you. Although, funny thing is he went potty 4 times the other day and never did get any of his candy. We got distracted in the process of getting dressed again and never remembered to reap the reward.
And the Fat came back.... couldn't stay away
WW weigh in = 166 (which really stinks when you consider I was 164.7 yesterday). I'm feeling it though. Isn't it odd that I can feel the change in fat? I can feel it in my arms, thighs and waist - of course, all the places that my fat tends to collect. Exercise is such an important of weight loss for me. Well, exercise and portion control together are the dynamic duo, but I have stayed within my point limits (I had 28 of my weekly points left), but I still gained. The difference is that I am not exercising consistently or in a way that pushes my body.
My exercise group has kind of peetered/altered. One partner has 'retired' and the other is ready to get back into exercising, but isn't interested in P90X. Last week we walked 3 miles, but it just isn't the same. I'm at a point where I'd rather spend my mornings being productive around the house or whatever too. So, exercise is becoming a challenge.
I'm right at the halfway point in my weight loss. I'm down 15 with 15 to go. I can't stop now!! Just for some motivation, this was me last week:
My exercise group has kind of peetered/altered. One partner has 'retired' and the other is ready to get back into exercising, but isn't interested in P90X. Last week we walked 3 miles, but it just isn't the same. I'm at a point where I'd rather spend my mornings being productive around the house or whatever too. So, exercise is becoming a challenge.
I'm right at the halfway point in my weight loss. I'm down 15 with 15 to go. I can't stop now!! Just for some motivation, this was me last week:
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Crepes with Berries
Crepes with Berries, 1 pt each
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sugar
4 cups blueberries, blackberries and/or raspberries
1 cup fat-free milk
1 egg
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
16 teaspoons reduced-sugar apricot preserves
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sugar vanilla yogurt
Directions
Sprinkle sugar over berries; gently toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate. In a blender, combine the milk, egg, egg whites and extracts; cover and process until blended. Add the flour and cornmeal; cover and process until blended. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Coat a 7-in. skillet with cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat. Pour about 2 tablespoons batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom.
Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a plate; keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, coating with additional cooking spray as needed.
Spread each crepe with 1 teaspoon apricot preserves. Fold each crepe into quarters; place two crepes on an individual plate. Top with 2 tablespoons yogurt and 1/2 cup berry mixture. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (2 filled crepes with 2 tablespoons yogurt and 1/2 cup berries) equals 156 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 28 mg cholesterol, 60 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 6 g protein.Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fruit.
*****
Made March 27th. This was my first experience making crepes. I liked mixing it in the blender because it was very fast and easy. I ended up chilling the batter for several hours because we went to run some errands. For the first crepe, I was using an 11 in. skillet and 2 TB of batter just would not cover it. I double checked the recipe and realized I needed a smaller pan. Once I adjusted to the small pan, the crepes turned out much better.
I followed the recipe for the batter, but didn't really for the insides. I used blackberries and strawberries for the fruit. I didn't think the sugar was necessary, but after a tart bite I realized it did need some. I only put half a tablespoon on the fruit and it was just fine. For the yogurt we used lowfat plain yogurt, and the jam was blackberry jam that I made last summer.
My batter yielded 20 crepes, so the points came out to 1 point per crepe.
Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 7 ounces each)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
Dash white pepper
Directions
Cut potatoes into 1/8-in. slices; spray both sides of slices with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine seasonings. Add the potatoes; toss gently to coat.
Arrange in a single layer in two 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans coated with cooking spray.
Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and tender, turning several times Yield: 5 dozen chips.
*****
Made March 25th. I used the apple corer/peeler to cut up the sweet potatoes. The result were holey chips, but it worked well enough. I tossed the chips in a bag to coat instead of a bowl and that worked really well.
The chips weren't bad. Jared didn't care for them and Aaron only ate a few. Like normal, I couldn't quit eating them. The spices weren't my favorite blend. Next time I'd probably just coat them with salt.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Italian Ranch Chicken Strips
Italian Ranch Chicken Strips 5 pts
Ingredients
2/3 cup cornflake crumbs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup reduced-fat ranch salad dressing
1 teaspoon water
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into eight strips
Directions
In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflake crumbs, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. In another shallow bowl, combine dressing and water. Dip chicken into dressing mixture, then coat with crumb mixture.
Arrange chicken on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly spray top of chicken with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: about 2 chicken strips equals 147 calories, 2 g fat (trace saturated fat), 33 mg cholesterol, 413 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 15 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 very lean meat, 1 starch.
******
March 25th. Aaron wanted Chik-fil-A, so I made these for dinner instead. Everyone seemed to enjoy them. The recipe makes exactly what it says it does. Usually when it comes to dip and breading batter I end up with a bunch leftover, but not so with this one. I had to add a lot of side dishes to make up for the 2 chicken strips a piece. I served it with corn on the cob, green beans, strawberry soup, and baked sweet potato chips.
I only had regular ranch dressing on hand, so the strips were two points higher than it could have been. Still, 5 points for chicken strips isn't a bad deal!
Strawberry Soup
Strawberry Soup 2 pts
Ingredients
1 pound fresh strawberries
1-1/4 cups vanilla yogurt, divided
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1/8 teaspoon almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions
In a food processor, combine the strawberries, 1 cup yogurt, confectioners' sugar, orange juice concentrate and extract; cover and process until smooth. Garnish each serving with a dollop of remaining yogurt. Yield: 3 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 174 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 69 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 6 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 fruit, 1/2 reduced-fat milk, 1/2 starch.
******
Made March 24th and 25th. This was a huge hit with everyone. It's pretty much a smoothie in a bowl. I had a bag of frozen strawberries from last year that I used instead of fresh strawberries. Since I defrosted the whole bag, I made two different batches.
First batch: I forgot that I was only supposed to put 1 cup of the yogurt in so it made more. I had fat free plain yogurt on hand, so I added some vanilla extract to be more in line with the recipe ingredients. I also used the almond extract instead of the lemon.
Second batch: Again I used the plain yogurt with vanilla extract, but I remembered to hold out the 1/4 cup for the dallop on each serving. I think it made the soup creamier to have the dallop. I also used the lemon juice instead of almond. I think I prefer the almond because it is a more subtle flavor. The soup was much more tart the second time. It might not have been an issue if I'd used actual vanilla yogurt though.
BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad
BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad 3 pts
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
6 cups torn romaine
1-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 medium tomato, diced
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, romaine, chicken, tomato and bacon.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, water, barbecue sauce, vinegar and pepper. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately. Yield: 11 servings.
*****
Made March 24th. One word: YUM!! This is a quick and easy recipe to put together. I used the Tyson Teriyaki breast fillets that we had in the freezer and that worked out just fine. The dressing wasn't over-powering or too heavy. I probably should have added more romaine because by the time we got to the bottom of the bowl it was mostly pasta and 'condiments'.
I served it with this Strawberry Soup.
Oven Cassoulet
Oven Cassoulet LT05, 150, 10 pts
Ingredients
1/2 pound reduced-fat kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup chopped onion
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Directions
In a nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook and stir the sausage, onion, carrots, celery and garlic for 4-5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, thyme, pepper and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until carrots are tender and liquid is slightly thickened. Discard bay leaf. Stir in beans.
Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine the bread crumbs, butter and parsley. Sprinkle over sausage mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until edges are bubbly and top is golden brown. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1-1/4 cups) equals 270 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 23 mg cholesterol, 809 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 14 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1-1/2 starch.
****
Made on March 23rd. This recipe was ok - not memorable. I think there were too many bread crumbs so there was like a 2 inch layer of them before you reached the rest of the ingredients. Perhaps if I'd used a 9x13 they wouldn't have been so deep. Matthew's comment was that he'd prefer it to have more sausage.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Menu Experiment: Light and Tasty 2005
I've finally gone through the next cookbook, and I decided to just stick with this one year. I was less strict with what I pulled from the book, so I gleaned a lot more recipes in general, but also more snack/appetizer and breakfast ideas than I did with the previous experiment. Here's the current list:
• Baked Sweet Potato Chips
• Baked Ziti Casserole
• Berry Barbecued Pork Roast
• BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad
• Braised Autumn Pork Chops
• Cheddar Potato Chowder
• Cheddar-Apple Turkey Salad
• Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
• Chicken and Mandarin Oranges
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Chili-Stuffed Potatoes
• Country Corn Bread
• Creamy Chicken and Thyme
• Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
• Crepes with Berries
• Feta-Spinach Melts
• Fruited Chicken Salad
• Hot Swiss Chicken Sandwiches
• Italian Ranch Chicken Strips
• Lime-Glazed Pork Chops
• Marinated Barbecued Chicken
• Mediterranean Medley Salad
• Mexican Spaghetti Sauce
• Oatmeal Cranberry Breakfast Bake
• Oven Cassoulet p150, 10 pts
• Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Butter
• Pineapple Salad
• Potato Refrigerator Rolls
• Quick Turkey Casserole
• Raspberry Corn Muffins
• Seasoned Scrambled Eggs
• Slow-Cooker Pork and Apple Curry
• Southwestern Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Southwestern Chicken Black Bean Soup
• Spinach Turkey Noodle Bake
• Spinach Turkey Roll
• Strawberry Crepe Roll-Ups
• Strawberry Soup
• Summer Fruit 'n' Pasta Salad
• Taco Noodle Dish
• Three-Step Taco Salad
• Vegetable Chicken Stir-Fry
• Waffled French Toast
• Walnut Chicken Stir-Fry
• Zesty Pita Chips
• Zucchini 'n' Potato Pie
Ingredient List I tried to combine ingredients and put them in logical order accroding to the grocery store I shop at to make shopping easier, but the list isn't perfect.
• Baked Sweet Potato Chips
• Baked Ziti Casserole
• Berry Barbecued Pork Roast
• BLT Bow Tie Pasta Salad
• Braised Autumn Pork Chops
• Cheddar Potato Chowder
• Cheddar-Apple Turkey Salad
• Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
• Chicken and Mandarin Oranges
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Chili-Stuffed Potatoes
• Country Corn Bread
• Creamy Chicken and Thyme
• Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
• Crepes with Berries
• Feta-Spinach Melts
• Fruited Chicken Salad
• Hot Swiss Chicken Sandwiches
• Italian Ranch Chicken Strips
• Lime-Glazed Pork Chops
• Marinated Barbecued Chicken
• Mediterranean Medley Salad
• Mexican Spaghetti Sauce
• Oatmeal Cranberry Breakfast Bake
• Oven Cassoulet p150, 10 pts
• Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Butter
• Pineapple Salad
• Potato Refrigerator Rolls
• Quick Turkey Casserole
• Raspberry Corn Muffins
• Seasoned Scrambled Eggs
• Slow-Cooker Pork and Apple Curry
• Southwestern Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Southwestern Chicken Black Bean Soup
• Spinach Turkey Noodle Bake
• Spinach Turkey Roll
• Strawberry Crepe Roll-Ups
• Strawberry Soup
• Summer Fruit 'n' Pasta Salad
• Taco Noodle Dish
• Three-Step Taco Salad
• Vegetable Chicken Stir-Fry
• Waffled French Toast
• Walnut Chicken Stir-Fry
• Zesty Pita Chips
• Zucchini 'n' Potato Pie
Ingredient List I tried to combine ingredients and put them in logical order accroding to the grocery store I shop at to make shopping easier, but the list isn't perfect.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Faith in Jesus Christ
Copy of the talk I gave in Sacrament Mtg today. I should have stopped where I put the astericks. I was at about 10 minutes at that point and talked for 16 minutes. I ended up sitting down and feeling like I was advertising for my piano lessons - which I wasn't trying to do.:
Over the last few weeks I have felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that the Lord has done for us/me that I found myself thinking that if the next week were Fast Sunday I'd share my testimony. Well, apparently the Lord prepared a way around the calendar for me - and I am indeed grateful for the opportunity.
The topic is the first principle of the gospel: Faith in Jesus Christ. I think of Faith in Jesus Christ as being our willingness to act on the Lord's commands because we trust and believe that Jesus Christ did what he said he would do - which is atone for our sins and be resurrected, and that the Lord continues to act as an influence in our lives. Scripturally, faith as discussed in Alma 32:21 "is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Paul also testifies in Hebrews 11:1 that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." So faith is not knowing all the answers, but you act according to the belief in the answers you do have.
In Moroni 7, Mormon asks:
41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.
42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.
43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.
44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.
It is not enough for us to believe in the Savior and hope that we'll make it back to live with Him. One way we can gauge the quality of our faith and testimony is by the love we feel for others and how we treat them. I have found in my own life that when I am in the midst of a good relationship with the Savior, an innate desire to share the gospel grows because I feel confident in my beliefs and a kinship with the people I come in contact with. I am able to see them as a child of God and I literally feel love for them even though I may not know them. There have been a few times in my life when I felt true charity. Once such time was part of the mantle of stewardship while in a leadership position as a youth. Another time was in my college years. I don't remember all the details, only that I was praying about missionary work. I do remember that feeling of love for others so strongly, but it is fleeting when we don't nurture or maintain our testimony and relationship with the Savior.
So, how do we increase our faith in the Savior? Docterine & Covenants 88:118 tells us "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." It is a process that must be studied, practiced and worked at just like any other skill. The prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon likened increasing our faith to planting a seed.
27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge
The process begins with a desire to have faith in Jesus. We can learn who He is by studying His life and words in the scriptures, praying to develop a relationship with Him, and then acting on the things we learn. This is the great experiment. We will soon discover for ourselves what is truth. As we learn truth and seek greater understanding, our faith will continue to grow.
Alma continues:
36 Behold I say unto you, ... neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.
39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.
40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
42 ... behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.
When we were in the trenches of the trial of infertility, there came a point where I was literally putting one spiritual foot in front of the other to make it through each day. My faith and testimony were shaken. I couldn't discern my own thoughts from the Lord's voice anymore. I read my scriptures and prayed without feeling but knew there was a level of blessing that came from going through the motions even though my heart wasn't in it. I knew I couldn't afford to stop moving altogether. It was a dark time for me. I came to a point where I knew I needed to learn the voice of the Lord again. I relied on Alma's process of experimenting on the word. It was a simple, small experiment but it made all the difference. I needed to buy new shoe laces for Matthew. I went to Dollar Tree to hunt for them and found them. I had this feeling though that I shouldn't buy them. I had a choice to make. I could either listen to the feeling or brush it off. I decided to test the feeling and went to Wal-Mart to price them. Wal-Mart's shoe laces were 88 cents and had an extra set in them. At that moment, I knew I'd felt the promptings of the Spirit. I reveled in that feeling and committed that feeling of the Spirit to memory so that I would be able to recognize it again. Another opportunity came for something that I don't even remember at this point, but I felt that warning voice again and told Matthew what I felt. We decided to follow my prompting. Again we were blessed. Out of that small 12 cent experiment, my faith and testimony was nourished and allowed to grow and blossom again. Our trial of infertility did not stop because I learned the voice of the Lord again, but it did give me an anchor of hope to endure to the end. I received reassurances through Priesthood blessings that the desires of my heart would soon be fulfilled. Soon is relative, but I knew the Lord keeps His promises.
As we pray for the Lord's help, we have to be willing to do our part. In
Faith Precedes the Miracle, President Spencer W. Kimball said: "In faith we plant the seed, and soon we see the miracle of the blossoming. Men have often misunderstood and reversed the process." He continued by explaining that many of us want to have health and strength without keeping the health laws. We want to have prosperity without paying our tithes. We want to be close to the Lord but don't want to fast and pray. We want to have rain in due season and to have peace in the land without observing the Sabbath as a holy day and without keeping the other commandments of the Lord. (See Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 4)
For us in our experience with infertility, I had to show the Lord I was willing and committed to do my part by putting my life in the hands of medical technology. This was a hard thing for me to do because I don't even like taking medicine for a headache. I still remember clearly the night that I made that decision and the feeling of relief and peace and excitement I felt. That decision was the beginning of many miracles and blessings for us.
I testify that the Lord knows us individually and intimately. He loves us, and if we let Him, He will direct our lives in a manner that will enable us to be better than we could ever be alone. He will prepare a way for us to overcome our trials and temptations.
***
As I prayed about this talk, I was strongly impressed to share our current experience with you. The more I've thought about this, the more I see the Lord's hand in our lives. We are so blessed. When Matthew's father died, we were blessed with an amount of inheritance that we had earmarked for certain things like a family vacation, repairs for the house, and savings. At the time Matthew was working and going to school full-time and rarely had a Sunday off. Such a schedule is challenging on many levels, so after much discussion we decided that he would approach his manager about getting Sundays off. The result was a two-day work week with Sundays off and more time to focus on school. We planned to supplement our income for just a few months with our savings until Matthew graduated and could pursue a full-time military career. Unfortunately more time passed than we'd have liked and the only thing that changed was the amount of money in our savings account. Job hunting was yielding no return. I suggested to Matthew that it was time we took the matter to the Lord. As we prayed that evening, I could tell that Matthew received direction. The answer he received was Matthew 6:31-34:
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 ... for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself...."
My inner response was, 'Great. I'll keep praying.'
From this vantage point, I can see the Lord's hand in preparing a way long ago. In 2007 I received my first request to teach piano lessons. I was in my last trimester of pregnancy with Aaron and was in no way ready to teach, but it did plant a seed. The Christmas program the choir prepared in 2008 really challenged my level of piano skills and by the end of that experience I was a better player (and a better person). As a result of that program, I again began getting requests to teach piano lessons. I did research about teaching and felt completely unqualified and inadequate. One of my friends would not give up on me though, so I took the matter to the Lord. His response was that I should do it. So I did. I held my first piano lesson at the end of last April and by the end of May had eight students. By Christmas my students numbered 12. In January it became obvious that we would need to start utilizing my piano earnings to supplement Matthew's income. We had enough savings left to make it through two more months. I am grateful for a persistent friend and the Lord’s confidence in my abilities so that we had that extra income to fall back on. I began wondering if I should take on more students and try to work with more advanced students even though I've limited my students to beginners. The two months passed and I got nervous when two of my students decided they no longer wanted to pursue piano, but two days later I received a phone call from a young man who wanted to take lessons. A week after that I received another call for a current student to go from twice a month lessons to weekly. These calls truly were answers to prayer. The Lord continues to prepare the way as He directs me in new avenues to pursue with my piano teaching.
At the beginning of March, Matthew got a call from his Army Reserve unit asking him to come in and work for two days that week. And three days the week after. And two days before his drill weekend. Spring break is a busy time on the river, so Matthew received a call from his supervisor asking if he would be willing to work this Sunday. Matthew told him no, but he could work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The end result was 13 straight days of working plus two days of double shifts. The Lord has provided a way for us.
We had a discussion with Jared recently about what makes Sunday special. In that talk we told him that when we choose to go to the store on Sunday or ride the tour boats on the river walk (in Matthew's case), we make it so others have to work and not be able to keep the Sabbath day holy. As Matthew explained to Jared how he was able to get Sunday off, I learned that the only way was to go part time. It is an exercise of faith to give up your full-time status and its benefits so that you can have Sundays off. The Lord promised us that 'if ye first seek the kingdom of God, all these things shall be added unto you'. I testify that He has clothed us through the generosity of others and a desire to use cloth diapers 5 years ago; He has fed us with a generous gift card received from work at Christmas work and with an effort to prepare our meals using our food storage; the morrow has been taken care of with the talents and skills He blessed us with and we developed along the way.
My heart overflows with gratitude as my eyes are opened up to even more ways that He has helped us for this moment. And I recognize now that the expression of gratitude also increases our faith. Over the last few weeks my prayers have been ones of gratitude with little asking in return. As I think about it, those have been the weeks when the Lord has poured His blessings on us. Perhaps there is a lesson in that.
As my eyes are opened to all the moments where the Lord touched and blessed our lives even in sorrow and hardship, how can I not dedicate my life to Him? How can I not say, Thy will be done? How can I not trust that His way is the best way?
Again I testify, the Lord knows us. He loves us. Jesus is the Christ. He atoned for our sins and paid the price for the ends of the law to be satisfied that mercy may have effect. As we exercise faith in Jesus, He will meet us and magnify us. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Over the last few weeks I have felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that the Lord has done for us/me that I found myself thinking that if the next week were Fast Sunday I'd share my testimony. Well, apparently the Lord prepared a way around the calendar for me - and I am indeed grateful for the opportunity.
The topic is the first principle of the gospel: Faith in Jesus Christ. I think of Faith in Jesus Christ as being our willingness to act on the Lord's commands because we trust and believe that Jesus Christ did what he said he would do - which is atone for our sins and be resurrected, and that the Lord continues to act as an influence in our lives. Scripturally, faith as discussed in Alma 32:21 "is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Paul also testifies in Hebrews 11:1 that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." So faith is not knowing all the answers, but you act according to the belief in the answers you do have.
In Moroni 7, Mormon asks:
41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.
42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.
43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.
44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.
It is not enough for us to believe in the Savior and hope that we'll make it back to live with Him. One way we can gauge the quality of our faith and testimony is by the love we feel for others and how we treat them. I have found in my own life that when I am in the midst of a good relationship with the Savior, an innate desire to share the gospel grows because I feel confident in my beliefs and a kinship with the people I come in contact with. I am able to see them as a child of God and I literally feel love for them even though I may not know them. There have been a few times in my life when I felt true charity. Once such time was part of the mantle of stewardship while in a leadership position as a youth. Another time was in my college years. I don't remember all the details, only that I was praying about missionary work. I do remember that feeling of love for others so strongly, but it is fleeting when we don't nurture or maintain our testimony and relationship with the Savior.
So, how do we increase our faith in the Savior? Docterine & Covenants 88:118 tells us "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." It is a process that must be studied, practiced and worked at just like any other skill. The prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon likened increasing our faith to planting a seed.
27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge
The process begins with a desire to have faith in Jesus. We can learn who He is by studying His life and words in the scriptures, praying to develop a relationship with Him, and then acting on the things we learn. This is the great experiment. We will soon discover for ourselves what is truth. As we learn truth and seek greater understanding, our faith will continue to grow.
Alma continues:
36 Behold I say unto you, ... neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.
39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.
40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
42 ... behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.
When we were in the trenches of the trial of infertility, there came a point where I was literally putting one spiritual foot in front of the other to make it through each day. My faith and testimony were shaken. I couldn't discern my own thoughts from the Lord's voice anymore. I read my scriptures and prayed without feeling but knew there was a level of blessing that came from going through the motions even though my heart wasn't in it. I knew I couldn't afford to stop moving altogether. It was a dark time for me. I came to a point where I knew I needed to learn the voice of the Lord again. I relied on Alma's process of experimenting on the word. It was a simple, small experiment but it made all the difference. I needed to buy new shoe laces for Matthew. I went to Dollar Tree to hunt for them and found them. I had this feeling though that I shouldn't buy them. I had a choice to make. I could either listen to the feeling or brush it off. I decided to test the feeling and went to Wal-Mart to price them. Wal-Mart's shoe laces were 88 cents and had an extra set in them. At that moment, I knew I'd felt the promptings of the Spirit. I reveled in that feeling and committed that feeling of the Spirit to memory so that I would be able to recognize it again. Another opportunity came for something that I don't even remember at this point, but I felt that warning voice again and told Matthew what I felt. We decided to follow my prompting. Again we were blessed. Out of that small 12 cent experiment, my faith and testimony was nourished and allowed to grow and blossom again. Our trial of infertility did not stop because I learned the voice of the Lord again, but it did give me an anchor of hope to endure to the end. I received reassurances through Priesthood blessings that the desires of my heart would soon be fulfilled. Soon is relative, but I knew the Lord keeps His promises.
As we pray for the Lord's help, we have to be willing to do our part. In
Faith Precedes the Miracle, President Spencer W. Kimball said: "In faith we plant the seed, and soon we see the miracle of the blossoming. Men have often misunderstood and reversed the process." He continued by explaining that many of us want to have health and strength without keeping the health laws. We want to have prosperity without paying our tithes. We want to be close to the Lord but don't want to fast and pray. We want to have rain in due season and to have peace in the land without observing the Sabbath as a holy day and without keeping the other commandments of the Lord. (See Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 4)
For us in our experience with infertility, I had to show the Lord I was willing and committed to do my part by putting my life in the hands of medical technology. This was a hard thing for me to do because I don't even like taking medicine for a headache. I still remember clearly the night that I made that decision and the feeling of relief and peace and excitement I felt. That decision was the beginning of many miracles and blessings for us.
I testify that the Lord knows us individually and intimately. He loves us, and if we let Him, He will direct our lives in a manner that will enable us to be better than we could ever be alone. He will prepare a way for us to overcome our trials and temptations.
***
As I prayed about this talk, I was strongly impressed to share our current experience with you. The more I've thought about this, the more I see the Lord's hand in our lives. We are so blessed. When Matthew's father died, we were blessed with an amount of inheritance that we had earmarked for certain things like a family vacation, repairs for the house, and savings. At the time Matthew was working and going to school full-time and rarely had a Sunday off. Such a schedule is challenging on many levels, so after much discussion we decided that he would approach his manager about getting Sundays off. The result was a two-day work week with Sundays off and more time to focus on school. We planned to supplement our income for just a few months with our savings until Matthew graduated and could pursue a full-time military career. Unfortunately more time passed than we'd have liked and the only thing that changed was the amount of money in our savings account. Job hunting was yielding no return. I suggested to Matthew that it was time we took the matter to the Lord. As we prayed that evening, I could tell that Matthew received direction. The answer he received was Matthew 6:31-34:
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 ... for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself...."
My inner response was, 'Great. I'll keep praying.'
From this vantage point, I can see the Lord's hand in preparing a way long ago. In 2007 I received my first request to teach piano lessons. I was in my last trimester of pregnancy with Aaron and was in no way ready to teach, but it did plant a seed. The Christmas program the choir prepared in 2008 really challenged my level of piano skills and by the end of that experience I was a better player (and a better person). As a result of that program, I again began getting requests to teach piano lessons. I did research about teaching and felt completely unqualified and inadequate. One of my friends would not give up on me though, so I took the matter to the Lord. His response was that I should do it. So I did. I held my first piano lesson at the end of last April and by the end of May had eight students. By Christmas my students numbered 12. In January it became obvious that we would need to start utilizing my piano earnings to supplement Matthew's income. We had enough savings left to make it through two more months. I am grateful for a persistent friend and the Lord’s confidence in my abilities so that we had that extra income to fall back on. I began wondering if I should take on more students and try to work with more advanced students even though I've limited my students to beginners. The two months passed and I got nervous when two of my students decided they no longer wanted to pursue piano, but two days later I received a phone call from a young man who wanted to take lessons. A week after that I received another call for a current student to go from twice a month lessons to weekly. These calls truly were answers to prayer. The Lord continues to prepare the way as He directs me in new avenues to pursue with my piano teaching.
At the beginning of March, Matthew got a call from his Army Reserve unit asking him to come in and work for two days that week. And three days the week after. And two days before his drill weekend. Spring break is a busy time on the river, so Matthew received a call from his supervisor asking if he would be willing to work this Sunday. Matthew told him no, but he could work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The end result was 13 straight days of working plus two days of double shifts. The Lord has provided a way for us.
We had a discussion with Jared recently about what makes Sunday special. In that talk we told him that when we choose to go to the store on Sunday or ride the tour boats on the river walk (in Matthew's case), we make it so others have to work and not be able to keep the Sabbath day holy. As Matthew explained to Jared how he was able to get Sunday off, I learned that the only way was to go part time. It is an exercise of faith to give up your full-time status and its benefits so that you can have Sundays off. The Lord promised us that 'if ye first seek the kingdom of God, all these things shall be added unto you'. I testify that He has clothed us through the generosity of others and a desire to use cloth diapers 5 years ago; He has fed us with a generous gift card received from work at Christmas work and with an effort to prepare our meals using our food storage; the morrow has been taken care of with the talents and skills He blessed us with and we developed along the way.
My heart overflows with gratitude as my eyes are opened up to even more ways that He has helped us for this moment. And I recognize now that the expression of gratitude also increases our faith. Over the last few weeks my prayers have been ones of gratitude with little asking in return. As I think about it, those have been the weeks when the Lord has poured His blessings on us. Perhaps there is a lesson in that.
As my eyes are opened to all the moments where the Lord touched and blessed our lives even in sorrow and hardship, how can I not dedicate my life to Him? How can I not say, Thy will be done? How can I not trust that His way is the best way?
Again I testify, the Lord knows us. He loves us. Jesus is the Christ. He atoned for our sins and paid the price for the ends of the law to be satisfied that mercy may have effect. As we exercise faith in Jesus, He will meet us and magnify us. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Shocker!
I weighed in for my SIL's BL contest at 164.9!! I don't know how in the world I've lost that many pounds since last week considering how poorly my week went. Maybe my body needed something different to work on. Who knows, but I'll take it!!
I was realizing that that number puts me only 15 pounds away from my goal! 15 seems so much more obtainable than 20. I don't know why, it's only 5 pounds. But, I am excited and renewed in hope! YAY!!!
I was realizing that that number puts me only 15 pounds away from my goal! 15 seems so much more obtainable than 20. I don't know why, it's only 5 pounds. But, I am excited and renewed in hope! YAY!!!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Withdrawals
I have been having such a hard time adjusting back to a reasonable amount of eating since my weekend binge. I am starving and making poor food choices. Now that the week is almost over it is getting better than it was, but it is still a rough road. Hopefully once school starts again on Monday I can fall back into a routine.
I did do CardioX the other day after talking myself into it. But, I was sore yesterday and ended up going back to sleep in the morning instead of staying up and exercising because I felt a little bit off (dizzy, slightly nauseated). Once I got up again it was better, but then we had places to go for the day.
This morning I could not get myself out of bed. I ended up staying in bed until almost 11 am, but I did not feel rested at all. I am wondering how much of this tired feeling is a result of my poor food choices, the time change, or maybe I am fighting a bug. Whatever it is, it needs to stop so I can function again.
I did do CardioX the other day after talking myself into it. But, I was sore yesterday and ended up going back to sleep in the morning instead of staying up and exercising because I felt a little bit off (dizzy, slightly nauseated). Once I got up again it was better, but then we had places to go for the day.
This morning I could not get myself out of bed. I ended up staying in bed until almost 11 am, but I did not feel rested at all. I am wondering how much of this tired feeling is a result of my poor food choices, the time change, or maybe I am fighting a bug. Whatever it is, it needs to stop so I can function again.
Captain Courageous Meets Her Twin Major Dumb
Note to self: Do not take your child out in underwear when you are potty training! Especially to a friend's house.
I decided to continue trying Aaron in underwear the last two days, and since we were heading to a birthday party, I made sure he went potty before we left. Unfortunately it meant we were an hour late, but fortunately he did go and didn't have an accident at the party. yay.
After the party we hung out at a friend's house. I stopped by the house and picked up Aaron's chair so that our chances of success would be better considering the 'falling in' incident at the beginning of the week. Aaron did really well staying dry. At first. I took him potty after a few hours of being there because I figured he'd need to go. I praised him for staying dry. He didn't really resist going potty, but I made the mistake of letting him take a toy in the bathroom with him. He sat on the toilet playing with the toy for awhile. Finally I took the toy from him and waited some more. Eventually I told him we'd try again in a few minutes, dressed him, washed his hands and left the bathroom. Not even five - maybe not even TWO minutes later I turned around and he had peed all over himself and his favorite boots. ARGH!! *sigh* I guess I should have waited some more. I cleaned him up and put a diaper on him.
I decided to be valiant and tried taking him again after I felt an appropriate amount of time had passed. His diaper was wet. Guess it's a good thing he had it on. I put it back on him though because it was what we had. He didn't care. When we got home I used the fitted diapers as underwear because at least it's meant to be more absorbent than regular underwear. Aaron ended up pooping in it. Again, at least it was in a diaper. I gave up on the pottying for the night and stuck him in a diaper with a cover and figured he'd go to bed that way and left for piano lessons.
I should never assume smooth sailing when it comes to me leaving and Aaron in diapers. When I got home Matthew said that Aaron had an accident in his diaper. huh? Apparently Aaron needed to go potty so he went to the bathroom and couldn't get the diaper off and ended up peeing in it. Go figure. Matthew found a size 5 disposable in the bedroom, so he put that on him.
It's amazing how lackadaisical a disposable diaper can make a person. Guess who didn't care this morning if Aaron was awake and what he may or may not be doing in his diaper? yeah. But, once I got up and going and finally got the boys dressed, I tried Aaron in his very-nonabsorbent regular Thomas the Train underwear. I told Aaron he needed to go potty in the toilet so he wouldn't get Thomas wet.
We headed out for a friend's house, so I made sure he pottied before we left. Again after an appropriate amount of time had passed, I took him to go potty. Yay his pants were still dry! He even pottied on the big toilet! I let him go play and figured we were good for another little while. Apparently the 'little' was too long. When I went to go check on him there was a nice wet spot on their couch. And worse, we smelled poop. OH sadness!! I took him to the bathroom to clean him up while my friend went to work on the couch. And the carpet. And on his boot too. Well, I cleaned the boot, but she discovered it there. Oh I felt so bad! I put Aaron in a diaper and gave up for the rest of the day.
So, again, the moral of the story is: Take your child in diapers in public when potty training. Don't be a hero because all you'll end up being is dumb.
I decided to continue trying Aaron in underwear the last two days, and since we were heading to a birthday party, I made sure he went potty before we left. Unfortunately it meant we were an hour late, but fortunately he did go and didn't have an accident at the party. yay.
After the party we hung out at a friend's house. I stopped by the house and picked up Aaron's chair so that our chances of success would be better considering the 'falling in' incident at the beginning of the week. Aaron did really well staying dry. At first. I took him potty after a few hours of being there because I figured he'd need to go. I praised him for staying dry. He didn't really resist going potty, but I made the mistake of letting him take a toy in the bathroom with him. He sat on the toilet playing with the toy for awhile. Finally I took the toy from him and waited some more. Eventually I told him we'd try again in a few minutes, dressed him, washed his hands and left the bathroom. Not even five - maybe not even TWO minutes later I turned around and he had peed all over himself and his favorite boots. ARGH!! *sigh* I guess I should have waited some more. I cleaned him up and put a diaper on him.
I decided to be valiant and tried taking him again after I felt an appropriate amount of time had passed. His diaper was wet. Guess it's a good thing he had it on. I put it back on him though because it was what we had. He didn't care. When we got home I used the fitted diapers as underwear because at least it's meant to be more absorbent than regular underwear. Aaron ended up pooping in it. Again, at least it was in a diaper. I gave up on the pottying for the night and stuck him in a diaper with a cover and figured he'd go to bed that way and left for piano lessons.
I should never assume smooth sailing when it comes to me leaving and Aaron in diapers. When I got home Matthew said that Aaron had an accident in his diaper. huh? Apparently Aaron needed to go potty so he went to the bathroom and couldn't get the diaper off and ended up peeing in it. Go figure. Matthew found a size 5 disposable in the bedroom, so he put that on him.
It's amazing how lackadaisical a disposable diaper can make a person. Guess who didn't care this morning if Aaron was awake and what he may or may not be doing in his diaper? yeah. But, once I got up and going and finally got the boys dressed, I tried Aaron in his very-nonabsorbent regular Thomas the Train underwear. I told Aaron he needed to go potty in the toilet so he wouldn't get Thomas wet.
We headed out for a friend's house, so I made sure he pottied before we left. Again after an appropriate amount of time had passed, I took him to go potty. Yay his pants were still dry! He even pottied on the big toilet! I let him go play and figured we were good for another little while. Apparently the 'little' was too long. When I went to go check on him there was a nice wet spot on their couch. And worse, we smelled poop. OH sadness!! I took him to the bathroom to clean him up while my friend went to work on the couch. And the carpet. And on his boot too. Well, I cleaned the boot, but she discovered it there. Oh I felt so bad! I put Aaron in a diaper and gave up for the rest of the day.
So, again, the moral of the story is: Take your child in diapers in public when potty training. Don't be a hero because all you'll end up being is dumb.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Sweet and Sour Meatballs LT02, 116, 9 pts (plus rice)
Ingredients
1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened pineapple chunks
1 egg
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 teaspoons canola oil
2 large green peppers
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
6 cups hot cooked rice
Directions
Drain pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup juice (discarding remaining juice or save for another use). Set the juice and pineapple aside. In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 40 meatballs.
In a nonstick skillet, brown meatballs in oil; drain. Cut green peppers into chunks. Add broth, peppers and reserved pineapple to meatballs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the vinegar, soy sauce and reserved pineapple juice until smooth. Add to meatball mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with rice. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (3/4 cup meatball mixture with 3/4 cup rice) equals 456 calories, 10 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 58 mg cholesterol, 755 mg sodium, 66 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 23 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2-1/2 starch, 1-1/2 vegetable, 1 fat.
*******
Made March 19th. This is a high point meal! As written, the recipe is worth 10 points. However, as I made it, it is worth 9 points for 8 servings. I used the Great Value brand meatballs instead of making my own and did not include the rice in point calculation because I only actually ate 1/2 c. of rice.
Because I used frozen pre-cooked meatballs, I just picked up the directions from "in a nonstick skillet..." and skipped cooking the meatballs. I just started adding the ingredients together. I left the peppers out because Matthew really doesn't care for them and I used red ones just the other day for the Asparagus Cashew Stir Fry. I thought I'd be nice and give him a break! lol
Once again Aaron wouldn't eat the meal, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. I served it with california blend vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot mix) with mozz cheese and the Asian Peanut Salad.
Asparagus Cashew Stir Fry
Asparagus Cashew Stir Fry LT02, 190, 8 pts (includes rice)
Ingredients
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup cashews
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 cups hot cooked brown rice
Directions
In a large nonstick skillet, saute the asparagus, onions, red pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Combine the cornstarch, broth, soy sauce and ginger until blended; gradually stir into the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Reduce heat; add cashews and sesame oil. Cook 2 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve with rice. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving (about 2/3 cup asparagus mixture with 1 cup rice) equals 406 calories, 13 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 847 mg sodium, 64 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 12 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 fat, 1/2 lean meat.
********
Made on March 17th. I added 7 diced baby carrots with the asparagus and 1 medium chopped zucchini when I added the broth to the stir fry.
I bought a bunch of asparagus when they were on sale a few weeks ago, but I've never cooked with it before so I'm not sure if I did it right or not. When it said trimmed, I just cut off the bottoms about an inch up, then proceeded to cut the stalks into the 1-inch pieces as directed in the recipe. I used the thin stalks instead of the thicker stalks too. Most of the asparagus were fine, but we'd get one here and there that tasted more like a stick.
Everyone but Aaron seemed to like this. Jared REALLY liked it. I served with what I call Peanut Asian salad: greens (we used baby spinach), mandarin oranges, peanuts, coconut, and Toasted Sesame dressing.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Plunge - diaperless
I decided to put Aaron in underwear today with a plastic cover just to see what happens. I'd planned/thought about really focusing on potty training this week since I don't have the distraction of piano lessons in the afternoon, but here it is Wed already and this is the first time I've really done anything pro-active. So far (at 2pm) we have gone potty twice and been dry since getting dressed. Yay!
We did have a minor problem with this last potty trip. Aaron was at the table eating, but got down and told me he was tired. So, I told him let's go potty and then he could go to sleep. He didn't want to, but he was fine once we were in the bathroom although he didn't want to sit and go. He told me he wanted to go finish eating, so I let him leave the bathroom without any pants. I figured he's the type of kid that would run to the bathroom once he felt the urge. I was kind of right. He was playing and then gasped, stood up and grabbed his tooshy. I knew then he needed to go poop. I should have taken him right then to the bathroom instead of just telling him to go. He hung around a little bit longer and then wandered down the hall. Again, I should have followed him but I did go and check on him. He was in the blue room with a slightly shocked look on his face. There at his feet was an 'oops'. I took him to the bathroom before he'd have a chance to pee too. I left him to do his business and cleaned up the other incident. HE did go potty in the toilet at least. We talked about making sure his poop goes in the potty too because that's gross. He said, 'ok' But we'll see what happens.
I've been giving him stickers and a piece of candy for each time he goes potty - both things he loves.
******
9:30 pm update
Aaron was ready to go to sleep by 6:30 pm. I took him potty before dinner and he was dry again and went in the potty. yay! He asked for a diaper though so he could go to bed. He went to sleep, and I put a diaper on him. I was hoping he'd be down for the night but no such luck. I haven't had a chance to check his diaper condition though and my guess is that if he was dry through his nap, he went soon after waking up. He's eating at this point, so he's really likely to have a wet diaper.
Overall I think this was a pretty successful day. It's unfortunate that we'll be out and about tomorrow for a birthday party. The odds of getting him to go potty are slim, though I wonder if they'd be better if he were in underwear. Hmm, do I take a chance? I'll think about it.
We did have a minor problem with this last potty trip. Aaron was at the table eating, but got down and told me he was tired. So, I told him let's go potty and then he could go to sleep. He didn't want to, but he was fine once we were in the bathroom although he didn't want to sit and go. He told me he wanted to go finish eating, so I let him leave the bathroom without any pants. I figured he's the type of kid that would run to the bathroom once he felt the urge. I was kind of right. He was playing and then gasped, stood up and grabbed his tooshy. I knew then he needed to go poop. I should have taken him right then to the bathroom instead of just telling him to go. He hung around a little bit longer and then wandered down the hall. Again, I should have followed him but I did go and check on him. He was in the blue room with a slightly shocked look on his face. There at his feet was an 'oops'. I took him to the bathroom before he'd have a chance to pee too. I left him to do his business and cleaned up the other incident. HE did go potty in the toilet at least. We talked about making sure his poop goes in the potty too because that's gross. He said, 'ok' But we'll see what happens.
I've been giving him stickers and a piece of candy for each time he goes potty - both things he loves.
******
9:30 pm update
Aaron was ready to go to sleep by 6:30 pm. I took him potty before dinner and he was dry again and went in the potty. yay! He asked for a diaper though so he could go to bed. He went to sleep, and I put a diaper on him. I was hoping he'd be down for the night but no such luck. I haven't had a chance to check his diaper condition though and my guess is that if he was dry through his nap, he went soon after waking up. He's eating at this point, so he's really likely to have a wet diaper.
Overall I think this was a pretty successful day. It's unfortunate that we'll be out and about tomorrow for a birthday party. The odds of getting him to go potty are slim, though I wonder if they'd be better if he were in underwear. Hmm, do I take a chance? I'll think about it.
Chemical Sabotage!
Sabotage, sabotage, sabotage!! And every time I think that word, the line from Veggie Tale's Larry Boy Episode of Leggo my Ego with the Evil Alchemist goes through my mind: Chemical Sabotage!
52 points spent on hot dogs and other concession stand goodies on Saturday; Sunday spent 30 points after cake and ice cream for my niece's birthday, Monday spent 27 points for cranberry/banana bread, brownie and ice cream, Tuesday ended up at 37.5 points for Ghengis Grill and cake and ice cream for my brother's birthday. AAAAACCCCKKKK!!! This has GOT to STOP!! The worst part is that there is no exercise to counteract it. It is almost 8:45 am and I have absolutely NO desire to do anything about it. I hate this feeling of flub, but it will take every miligram of control to get my butt off this chair and do it.
What is it with me and success? When I seem to be doing so well, I sabotage it. EVERY time! This is the point that I quit WW last time. I already feel the fat buildup again. I SAW it in the mirror yesterday. It's like Satan and his minions - never give us a break. You're either going forward or your going backward. There is no such thing as standing still.
Ok, motivated myself enough to get it done *whew* Let's Bring it!! CardioX here I come!!
52 points spent on hot dogs and other concession stand goodies on Saturday; Sunday spent 30 points after cake and ice cream for my niece's birthday, Monday spent 27 points for cranberry/banana bread, brownie and ice cream, Tuesday ended up at 37.5 points for Ghengis Grill and cake and ice cream for my brother's birthday. AAAAACCCCKKKK!!! This has GOT to STOP!! The worst part is that there is no exercise to counteract it. It is almost 8:45 am and I have absolutely NO desire to do anything about it. I hate this feeling of flub, but it will take every miligram of control to get my butt off this chair and do it.
What is it with me and success? When I seem to be doing so well, I sabotage it. EVERY time! This is the point that I quit WW last time. I already feel the fat buildup again. I SAW it in the mirror yesterday. It's like Satan and his minions - never give us a break. You're either going forward or your going backward. There is no such thing as standing still.
Ok, motivated myself enough to get it done *whew* Let's Bring it!! CardioX here I come!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Toilet Tale
YAY! Aaron pooped in the toilet tonight!! We sent Jared to go potty before getting in bed and Aaron said he needed to go too, so I told him to go. I checked on him after a little bit and he'd gone potty. I asked him if he was done and he said he had more. I left him to do his usually non-existant more, but came back to clean him up when he started wandering the hall. I was surprised to see a poop in the toilet when I followed up. YAY!! I made a big deal about it - he told me it looked like a caterpillar! lol. I don't mind if going potty before going to bed becomes a habit. With Jared his first potty habit was right before showering. It's better than nothing!!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Diaper Dunk
Tonight Aaron amazed me again. We are away from home for a few days, so tonight when he wanted to go potty, I explained that he'd have to use the big boy toilet since his little potty isn't here. I thought he'd refuse to try because he's always been afraid of 'the big toilet', but with the help of a fun 'ladder' he was willing to climb up on the seat. He was nervous, but content to let me hold on to him while he sat there backwards. He was kind of playing around but then wanted turned around sit forward. I was concerned about him falling in, but after a few adjustments he was situated and actually went!! We were both really pleased.
Aaron got down and then told me he had more. He went to get back on the toilet but in his haste ended up falling in. oops!! Of course that scared him. We finally made a breakthrough with the toilet and he had to fall in! *Sigh* I cleaned him up and soon Jared had to go potty too. Aaron was still saying he had more, but he was willing to let Jared go first. Once Jared was done, I put Aaron back on the toilet but he told me he wanted to potty like Jared. I gave him some instructions and let him stand on the stool and try. YAY - SUCCESS!! AND, it all landed in the the bowl! lol
We'll see if tonight's experience leads to more toilet use or not, but I'm pretty happy with the event either way. I think CD has really been helpful for Aaron. It hasn't been a bad thing for me either. I dreaded going into it, but it's not been that bad. I wouldn't call it fun or really enjoyable, but for what it is, I am content and not unhappy that we are doing it. We'll see if I still feel that way over the long term, but I'm at a point where it's not a big deal to budget money for diapers next month.
Aaron got down and then told me he had more. He went to get back on the toilet but in his haste ended up falling in. oops!! Of course that scared him. We finally made a breakthrough with the toilet and he had to fall in! *Sigh* I cleaned him up and soon Jared had to go potty too. Aaron was still saying he had more, but he was willing to let Jared go first. Once Jared was done, I put Aaron back on the toilet but he told me he wanted to potty like Jared. I gave him some instructions and let him stand on the stool and try. YAY - SUCCESS!! AND, it all landed in the the bowl! lol
We'll see if tonight's experience leads to more toilet use or not, but I'm pretty happy with the event either way. I think CD has really been helpful for Aaron. It hasn't been a bad thing for me either. I dreaded going into it, but it's not been that bad. I wouldn't call it fun or really enjoyable, but for what it is, I am content and not unhappy that we are doing it. We'll see if I still feel that way over the long term, but I'm at a point where it's not a big deal to budget money for diapers next month.
Been Busy
I have had so much I want to say, but I've been productive/busy the last few days and not had a chance - well, more like not taken the opportunity. By the end of the day I'm beat. But, laundry is clean and put away, front and back lawns are mowed, the garden weeded, the side yard cleared (been 2 years since the last time), Aaron's clothes switched out, the floors swept and mopped, friendships strengthened, and miles driven. To sum up my thoughts though: God is good.
I am down to just a couple of recipes left from my menu pull, but they are mostly stews. With the arrival of the warmth of spring, I'm not really too keen on making them now. I do have a bunch of asparagus that needs to be put to use, as well as some summer squash. It is time to go through the next set of cookbooks so I can have another menu plan. I feel so lost without my spiral of recipes waiting to be explored - and the fridge is so empty. I'd say my menu experiment was a success.
Some posts that want to be heard but are still on the waiting list:
One Point Wonders
Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
From Here to There and Back Again
Cloth Diapers 101
I am down to just a couple of recipes left from my menu pull, but they are mostly stews. With the arrival of the warmth of spring, I'm not really too keen on making them now. I do have a bunch of asparagus that needs to be put to use, as well as some summer squash. It is time to go through the next set of cookbooks so I can have another menu plan. I feel so lost without my spiral of recipes waiting to be explored - and the fridge is so empty. I'd say my menu experiment was a success.
Some posts that want to be heard but are still on the waiting list:
One Point Wonders
Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
From Here to There and Back Again
Cloth Diapers 101
Lettuce Eat Cake - Final Results
March 14, 2010
Official Weigh in - 167.1! I thought for sure I'd be more because I weighed in on Friday when I saw the contest was over and was 167.4. Then I weighed myself for my SIL's BL contest and went back up to 168.2. I chalked it up to water retention. Then I took a day off yesterday from WW's and ate horribly!! OH man I felt so yucky by the end. It's a miracle that I lost any weight for today's weigh in.
So official weight loss for this contest is 10.3 pounds. I knew I would not reach my ultimate goal of 150 pounds, but I did make it to my last lowest weight, and that is something I am proud of. I can fit into size 12 jeans (depending on the cut), I have exercised 5 days a week, and I am eating healthier.
****************
Saturday was one of those throw caution to the wind days because there were so many unhealthy options that I just went with it. We attended a baseball themed birthday party (complete with hot dogs and nachos) and a drive-in movie Primary activity (complete with concession stand goodies like cotton candy, peanut M&Ms, popcorn, licorice and pretzels). I ate it all!! Plus pizza for dinner. I enjoyed it at first, but by the end of it I was feeling so icky.
Then today I was with family celebrating my niece's first birthday. Cake, brownie, and ice cream all made their way into my system and now I'm paying for it again. I have learned something from this experience though: it isn't worth it in the end!! My body knows the difference.
Last night I received the pleasant surprise of 'hand-me down' clothes from a friend. It's weird to look in the mirror and see a thinner version of myself. There was a range of jean sizes in the pile, and by the end I decided size is relative. The cut of the jeans is what matters. I put on a size 12 in one cut and brand and looked awesome, then tried on a size 16 that was totally not awesome. There was even a size 10 that I could squeeze into - wouldn't wear them in public yet, but they 'fit'.
In my excitement about the size 12 jeans, I went and shared with Matthew. I realized that I have not been in a size 12 since I graduated high school. At that point in time I was 150 pounds. If 15 years ago 150 pounds = size 12 and today 167 pounds = size 12/14, my guess is that clothes sizes have altered a bit to the larger side. In high school my goal was to be a size 9/10. With today's clothes sizing, maybe I'll finally reach my goal!!
Official Weigh in - 167.1! I thought for sure I'd be more because I weighed in on Friday when I saw the contest was over and was 167.4. Then I weighed myself for my SIL's BL contest and went back up to 168.2. I chalked it up to water retention. Then I took a day off yesterday from WW's and ate horribly!! OH man I felt so yucky by the end. It's a miracle that I lost any weight for today's weigh in.
So official weight loss for this contest is 10.3 pounds. I knew I would not reach my ultimate goal of 150 pounds, but I did make it to my last lowest weight, and that is something I am proud of. I can fit into size 12 jeans (depending on the cut), I have exercised 5 days a week, and I am eating healthier.
****************
Saturday was one of those throw caution to the wind days because there were so many unhealthy options that I just went with it. We attended a baseball themed birthday party (complete with hot dogs and nachos) and a drive-in movie Primary activity (complete with concession stand goodies like cotton candy, peanut M&Ms, popcorn, licorice and pretzels). I ate it all!! Plus pizza for dinner. I enjoyed it at first, but by the end of it I was feeling so icky.
Then today I was with family celebrating my niece's first birthday. Cake, brownie, and ice cream all made their way into my system and now I'm paying for it again. I have learned something from this experience though: it isn't worth it in the end!! My body knows the difference.
Last night I received the pleasant surprise of 'hand-me down' clothes from a friend. It's weird to look in the mirror and see a thinner version of myself. There was a range of jean sizes in the pile, and by the end I decided size is relative. The cut of the jeans is what matters. I put on a size 12 in one cut and brand and looked awesome, then tried on a size 16 that was totally not awesome. There was even a size 10 that I could squeeze into - wouldn't wear them in public yet, but they 'fit'.
In my excitement about the size 12 jeans, I went and shared with Matthew. I realized that I have not been in a size 12 since I graduated high school. At that point in time I was 150 pounds. If 15 years ago 150 pounds = size 12 and today 167 pounds = size 12/14, my guess is that clothes sizes have altered a bit to the larger side. In high school my goal was to be a size 9/10. With today's clothes sizing, maybe I'll finally reach my goal!!
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