I have been lucky with the rain up til now. It'll rain all the way up until it is time to walk out the door and then stop or just drizzle. Today it started the rain when we walked out so my plans to go for a walk were thwarted. The dog was quite disappointed and frankly so was I. My legs are not sore but feel capable and ready to see what they can accomplish today. I decided to make it an exercise video day so I searched youtube for a copy of my favorite ones but ended up on sparkpeople.com instead. They had a 12 minute cardio workout that was similar to one I like but it stopped abruptly without a cool-down. It was a good video but wasn't very fulfilling.
Anyway, sparkpeople is doing a virtual 5K run Halloween week. If I start now, I can follow their 5 week training guide. A 5Ksomething I've been thinking about doing ever so often. By the looks of the walk/jog schedule I am well on my way already. It would be really great if we could do this as a family. We'll see how well that goes over but I have high hopes.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Back in the game.
Now that life seems to be settling, I have begun the difficult process of purging all the 30+ pounds I've gained over the last year (most of that in the few months leading up to the move). I brought the treadmill with dreams of running on it again only to discover that it sucks too much power and end up having to reset the outlet the times I've tried to use it. Thankfully we have a beautiful neighborhood and great weather right now. So, I began the habit of walking again. I believe this is week 3 for me. After the first week I decided to take the dog with me. I miss walking with friends but ChiMax is a great companion and he literally pushes (ok, pulls) me to go faster and farther. He was so excited the first time I took him that we sprinted down the street. I ended up with a lot of shin pain after that first time because we were so excited to use our energies. But, we have a rhythm now and goals to help me improve.
Matthew helped me chart the distance of our paths and the one I use regularly now is about 1 and a half miles. The route is basically a long street with streets that come off of it. I go up the streets (culdesac) and one that loops. I've worked up to running the long strips (there are 4) and walking up the streets so I get a break between running stretches. (Kind of like the letter R) I only go up the streets on the way out and skip them on the way back. My ultimate goal is to be able to run the entire thing, but for now I want to be able to run the long strip on the way back.
Today I was able to run the most so far. On the way out I ran up to the second driveway of C street. which is almost to the top of the culdesac. I did the same for F street and then made it from the end of F all the way to C (which is two strips in a row). I walked the third strip and then ran from W to the end of our street. I had to do a longer cool down so I passed our house and walked up another two driveways and back.
I keep expecting my clothes to fit better because I am exercising again, but I have to remind myself that the weight didn't appear over night and it won't disappear over night. I am not focusing too much on what I eat right now either which really makes a difference too. I try to kind of keep it in mind, but I am just not ready to spend my energies on that quite yet. Baby steps. My efforts in this area are mostly in the fact that I am actually making dinner most every night instead of eating out all the time. I know there is great value just in this effort.
I wish I could do Cardio X but I don't have that disc anymore and few people in the area are selling them. Most of the ones I've seen on craigslist are in NY.I miss my plyo action. My belly could use some core work too. All in good time though. I figure I will enjoy being able to exercise outside for now and worry about inside exercise when it gets cold.
Matthew helped me chart the distance of our paths and the one I use regularly now is about 1 and a half miles. The route is basically a long street with streets that come off of it. I go up the streets (culdesac) and one that loops. I've worked up to running the long strips (there are 4) and walking up the streets so I get a break between running stretches. (Kind of like the letter R) I only go up the streets on the way out and skip them on the way back. My ultimate goal is to be able to run the entire thing, but for now I want to be able to run the long strip on the way back.
Today I was able to run the most so far. On the way out I ran up to the second driveway of C street. which is almost to the top of the culdesac. I did the same for F street and then made it from the end of F all the way to C (which is two strips in a row). I walked the third strip and then ran from W to the end of our street. I had to do a longer cool down so I passed our house and walked up another two driveways and back.
I keep expecting my clothes to fit better because I am exercising again, but I have to remind myself that the weight didn't appear over night and it won't disappear over night. I am not focusing too much on what I eat right now either which really makes a difference too. I try to kind of keep it in mind, but I am just not ready to spend my energies on that quite yet. Baby steps. My efforts in this area are mostly in the fact that I am actually making dinner most every night instead of eating out all the time. I know there is great value just in this effort.
I wish I could do Cardio X but I don't have that disc anymore and few people in the area are selling them. Most of the ones I've seen on craigslist are in NY.I miss my plyo action. My belly could use some core work too. All in good time though. I figure I will enjoy being able to exercise outside for now and worry about inside exercise when it gets cold.
Sept 11, 2012
I much prefer an 'in the moment' kind of post than a 'catch up' kind, but I feel that I must answer my own question about the Lord's word being true. In short, it was what He said it would be - as it always is when we put our faith and trust in Him. At this point the house saga is history and already fading in my memory because we've ended that chapter and moved onto the next.
Over the course of the last year our life and situation has been full of oddities, but each action has been a gift from God and the gift just keeps on giving. We are co-renting a house with another family from church. The opportunity presented itself just when Matthew's lease was ending and we needed to find a place for all of us. I visited in June to meet the family and figure out where we were going to live for the next year. We looked at a townhome that would have been great for our family - decent schools, good size home (basement, nice kitchen, fireplace, two bedrooms, two baths), decent price - but even so we felt that renting from this family was what was right for us. From the moment I arrived back home that weekend until we pulled up with our UHaul August 16th, I was in a stressed stupor. We unloaded our truck and filled the house with our stuff and all I could think was "and my father dwelt in a tent". I wondered how on earth we could possibly be happy in this situation (we have the downstairs two bedrooms and bathroom and share the living room, kitchen and basement.) As the furniture got arranged and the boxes unpacked, I began to see that this is doable. We've been here 4 Sundays now and I can honestly say that I am happy here. I can see how this is working and that it is a blessing for us. It is like a dance to balance each of our family's needs, but rarely do we step on each other's toes.
Over the course of the last year our life and situation has been full of oddities, but each action has been a gift from God and the gift just keeps on giving. We are co-renting a house with another family from church. The opportunity presented itself just when Matthew's lease was ending and we needed to find a place for all of us. I visited in June to meet the family and figure out where we were going to live for the next year. We looked at a townhome that would have been great for our family - decent schools, good size home (basement, nice kitchen, fireplace, two bedrooms, two baths), decent price - but even so we felt that renting from this family was what was right for us. From the moment I arrived back home that weekend until we pulled up with our UHaul August 16th, I was in a stressed stupor. We unloaded our truck and filled the house with our stuff and all I could think was "and my father dwelt in a tent". I wondered how on earth we could possibly be happy in this situation (we have the downstairs two bedrooms and bathroom and share the living room, kitchen and basement.) As the furniture got arranged and the boxes unpacked, I began to see that this is doable. We've been here 4 Sundays now and I can honestly say that I am happy here. I can see how this is working and that it is a blessing for us. It is like a dance to balance each of our family's needs, but rarely do we step on each other's toes.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
"And his faith waxed confident in the Lord..."
My life is surrounded with thoughts about the house selling and how much we'll get out of it. This morning as I prayed, I felt assured that we would get what we need out of the sell of the house. Yesterday I called a realtor and scheduled a visit for Wed and in the meantime she sent a listing of houses that have sold or are on the market currently. I felt totally deflated and anxious after seeing them. As I closed the listings and my email, my thought was "He said it will be ok so it will, right?" And then my mind caught hold of memories from the night before.
A storm came through last night - an answer to prayer in and of itself - which caused the lights to flicker. Aaron said we need to say a prayer for the lights to stay on, so he said one. The lights flickered one more time and almost popped off but stayed on. Recognizing his prayer was heard, we said a thank you prayer and went on with eating our dinner. Some minutes later (maybe 10) the lights went completely out. I called the boys to me and Aaron said we needed to say a prayer again. As he completed his sentence pleading for the power to come back on the lights they did. He said 'Oh, well that was good!' and said thank you for answering his prayer so quick. Recognizing the power of his prayer, Aaron had the thought that he should pray that the power will always stay on. I told him that I don't think the Lord will guarantee that. At this point, Aaron had absolutely no doubt that the Lord would answer his prayer so he prayed for that as well and the power did stay on the rest of the night.
It warmed my heart to have his prayers answered so completely. The Lord heard his little son's pleading and loved to comply. And in return, Aaron's faith waxed confident in the Lord. How can I doubt or feel anxious when the Lord has given me assurance that it will work out? His words have proved true again and again. So, I put my faith and trust in the Lord and will do all I can to make my house desireable.
A storm came through last night - an answer to prayer in and of itself - which caused the lights to flicker. Aaron said we need to say a prayer for the lights to stay on, so he said one. The lights flickered one more time and almost popped off but stayed on. Recognizing his prayer was heard, we said a thank you prayer and went on with eating our dinner. Some minutes later (maybe 10) the lights went completely out. I called the boys to me and Aaron said we needed to say a prayer again. As he completed his sentence pleading for the power to come back on the lights they did. He said 'Oh, well that was good!' and said thank you for answering his prayer so quick. Recognizing the power of his prayer, Aaron had the thought that he should pray that the power will always stay on. I told him that I don't think the Lord will guarantee that. At this point, Aaron had absolutely no doubt that the Lord would answer his prayer so he prayed for that as well and the power did stay on the rest of the night.
It warmed my heart to have his prayers answered so completely. The Lord heard his little son's pleading and loved to comply. And in return, Aaron's faith waxed confident in the Lord. How can I doubt or feel anxious when the Lord has given me assurance that it will work out? His words have proved true again and again. So, I put my faith and trust in the Lord and will do all I can to make my house desireable.
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Purge
I have been slowly working through my cluttered house sorting, culling, shredding, dispensing, and trashing things that have been occupying space for years now. It has been a hard thing, but I'm ready.
Today I did a huge thing for me. I was going through a box of my things (it is always easier to declutter someone else's stuff because there's no emotional attachment to it) and came upon the stack of lessons I gave in Relief Society when I was the fourth Sunday teacher - which means these are talks given by prophets and apostles with my thoughts and inspirations received while preparing the lessons. Two of my wants in my home have been shelves filled with books so my children could have good books at their disposal, and a file full of church material to aid mine and my family's gospel studies. These are great goals, but I have come to the realization that there are public libraries at our disposal and my children are more likely to search the Internet for the talks they are interested in reading and not my file that I keep locked in a room they aren't allowed to play in. So, as I looked at this stack of papers, I took a deep breath and put them in the recycling bin. Not my "to file" bin. In the recycling bin. They are purged.
Yesterday I was going to get a spoonful of ice cream just because I could. I had one of those moments where I felt this tiny decision was one which carried great weight. If I followed through with it, I would be would be one step closer to losing this battle over self and Satan would laugh his maniacal laugh. But if I put the spoon back and walk away, I would have strength and power.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." ~Mosiah 3:19
"behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass;" ~Alma 37:6
"And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth." ~1 Nephi 22:26
Today I did a huge thing for me. I was going through a box of my things (it is always easier to declutter someone else's stuff because there's no emotional attachment to it) and came upon the stack of lessons I gave in Relief Society when I was the fourth Sunday teacher - which means these are talks given by prophets and apostles with my thoughts and inspirations received while preparing the lessons. Two of my wants in my home have been shelves filled with books so my children could have good books at their disposal, and a file full of church material to aid mine and my family's gospel studies. These are great goals, but I have come to the realization that there are public libraries at our disposal and my children are more likely to search the Internet for the talks they are interested in reading and not my file that I keep locked in a room they aren't allowed to play in. So, as I looked at this stack of papers, I took a deep breath and put them in the recycling bin. Not my "to file" bin. In the recycling bin. They are purged.
Yesterday I was going to get a spoonful of ice cream just because I could. I had one of those moments where I felt this tiny decision was one which carried great weight. If I followed through with it, I would be would be one step closer to losing this battle over self and Satan would laugh his maniacal laugh. But if I put the spoon back and walk away, I would have strength and power.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." ~Mosiah 3:19
"behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass;" ~Alma 37:6
"And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth." ~1 Nephi 22:26
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Three Books
Let me tell you a story about The Three Books.
When I was called as Primary President in March of 2011, I sought out a blank book that Matthew had on the shelf and requested permission to claim it as my own to use as a journal. Many months later a blessing was given with counsel to write in my journal daily during this year of fire as it would be necessary for my posterity's sake. Although I have not been exact in my daily requirement, I have kept it up regularly.
From July 26, 2011:
Monday, December 12 I was sitting at my computer when I heard a large vehicle on our street. Soon I heard a shuffling sound and the doorbell ring. I was surprised to discover a bunch of wrapped packages waiting for us along with a note from The Happy Elves. On the back was a calendar with the dates leading up to Christmas circled. I wondered if this was the first of many visits from the Happy Elves. Amongst the presents for the boys was one for me. The paper had torn a bit and a soft blanket peeked at me.
From Friday, Dec 16, 2011 (the last page of my journal)
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Gifts
Thurs, December 22 Mom called asking if she could borrow the boys from me. I was so glad to hear this question because I had just been contemplating how I was going to get to the store to finish my Christmas shopping for them. I wondered if she wanted to take them shopping for me, so I told the boys that just in case anyone wanted to know, what I really wanted for Christmas was a new journal. Jared suggested a new spiral notebook, but I told him I didn't want one like that. I reminded him what my journal looked like so he could understand what kind I wanted. He understood. That night he told me he found a new spiral on his desk I could use. He showed it to me and I let him know that it actually belonged to him to be used as a journal. That very night he opened it up and wrote in it. His first entry: "I am happy."
Sunday, December 25, 2011 (5 am)
Longing.....
Around 9:30 am our final gift was discovered along with this note:
Sunday, December 25, 2011 (about 5:30 am)
Christmas presents seem so much more important and exciting to children so I always let them go for it and not worry about opening mine. However, my children have such good hearts and remembered my presents and encouraged me to open mine before all of theirs were even done.
Since I'd already seen the blanket peeking from the wrapping, I left it for last. I had no clue that that first gift that I had saved for last would contain my most treasured possession.
Tucked inside the blanket was a beautiful new journal. Tears poured down my cheeks as I felt Heavenly Father's love for me. Before I'd even asked for a new journal, one was waiting for me under the tree. This is Book Two. This simple book feels so sacred to me because it represents a loving Father who anticipates our needs and the faithfulness of others who follow the promptings of the Spirit. How could I fill its pages with anything but "the things of God?"
Book Three arrived in the form of a gift from the boys. Mom had indeed taken the boys shopping for me. They were able to relay my desire for a new journal and now another wonderful book waiting for words is in my possession. I am thankful for my loving family and their desire to fill my needs as well.
1 Nephi 9:2 "And now, as I have spoken concerning these plates, behold they are not the plates upon which I make a full account of the history of my people; for the plates upon which I make a full account of my people I have given the name of Nephi; wherefore, they are called the plates of Nephi, after my own name; and these plates also are called tbe plates of Nephi." Now just as Nephi kept two separate records, I can as well.
To the Happy Elves, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot adequately express my love and appreciation for you and the sacrifices your families have made on our behalf.
When I was called as Primary President in March of 2011, I sought out a blank book that Matthew had on the shelf and requested permission to claim it as my own to use as a journal. Many months later a blessing was given with counsel to write in my journal daily during this year of fire as it would be necessary for my posterity's sake. Although I have not been exact in my daily requirement, I have kept it up regularly.
From July 26, 2011:
I had a thought/picture this morning of my writing to the future generations who will read this account. I was thinking more about the blessing I received. In it, I was counseled to keep a daily record - the good and hard times - because it will serve a great purpose for those who come after me. I thought of the Book of Mormon and the counsel given to keep a record and the manifestations of the Spirit. I wondered if some of the 'knowings' and 'dealings' came from Priesthood blessings such as my own.
As I remember that this record is to be of value to my posterity, I begin to see Nephi's feelings more fully. He would not fill his journal with the mundane things but of those things that are of most value - the things of the Spirit and their relationship with God. What will my posterity gain from this record? What is it that would help them the most? I believe the promptings & inspirations are of great value, but perhaps my faith and testimony in the everyday life is of worth as well. I shall have to ponder this further and find out if the Lord needs me to record specific things....
I was thinking more about scripture comparisons. From the beginning I have thought of Nephi and felt like he did. Matthew compared himself to Abraham. Both men experienced a trial of faith, but the elements were different. I see them both.
Monday, December 12 I was sitting at my computer when I heard a large vehicle on our street. Soon I heard a shuffling sound and the doorbell ring. I was surprised to discover a bunch of wrapped packages waiting for us along with a note from The Happy Elves. On the back was a calendar with the dates leading up to Christmas circled. I wondered if this was the first of many visits from the Happy Elves. Amongst the presents for the boys was one for me. The paper had torn a bit and a soft blanket peeked at me. From Friday, Dec 16, 2011 (the last page of my journal)
This morning my scripture reading paralleled my life again. I had asked myself what kind of journal I should keep. This is Nephi's answer in 1 Nephi 6:3-6 : "the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world; ... not occupy these plates with things which are not of worth unto the children of men; .. I write the things of God."
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Gifts
My heart is full today as I reflect on the blessings I've been showered with. It has been a tough week filled with wonderful things that also carried a lot of stress in it. I've also filled my journal so I'm feeling at a loss as to where to write.
Thurs, December 22 Mom called asking if she could borrow the boys from me. I was so glad to hear this question because I had just been contemplating how I was going to get to the store to finish my Christmas shopping for them. I wondered if she wanted to take them shopping for me, so I told the boys that just in case anyone wanted to know, what I really wanted for Christmas was a new journal. Jared suggested a new spiral notebook, but I told him I didn't want one like that. I reminded him what my journal looked like so he could understand what kind I wanted. He understood. That night he told me he found a new spiral on his desk I could use. He showed it to me and I let him know that it actually belonged to him to be used as a journal. That very night he opened it up and wrote in it. His first entry: "I am happy."
Sunday, December 25, 2011 (5 am)
Longing.....
I am missing my journal these days :( I filled it last week and have so much to add, but have neglected writing here too. Last night I got on the computer with the intent of writing and went back to bed before I remembered that had been my intent :/
Around 9:30 am our final gift was discovered along with this note:
We hope you have enjoyed your Twelve Days of Christmas.
The Lord testified in many hearts independently this Christmas season, that Sister ... was deserving of blessings because of her faithfulness.
'Yeah, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.' (D&C 8:2)
Many returns for your faithful service to your sisters and unyielding prayers for the children of the ward.
'And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.' (Moses 7:18)
And let that which belongs to this people be appointed unto this people. And the money which is left unto this people - let there be an agent appointed unto this people, to take the money to provide food and raiment, according to the wants of this people. And let every man deal honestly, and be alike among this people, and receive alike, that ye may be one, even as I have commanded you. (D&C 51:7-9)
This is not the result of our observations about your financial needs. It is a gift to you from the Lord.
And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers. (D&C 10:47)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you; and, if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.
'Therefore this is thy gift; apply it unto it, and blessed art thou, for it shall deliver you...' (D&C 8:4)
Sunday, December 25, 2011 (about 5:30 am)
I talked to a Known Elf [Friday] about the 12 days of Christmas. She said that the most she can say is that I am very loved. I feel that way and am humbled by the generosity of each of these families who gave so much to us. So many times I thought how nice something would be and then it would appear as a gift. How can that be unless there are those who are in tune with the Spirit because He knows the desires of my heart?
Christmas presents seem so much more important and exciting to children so I always let them go for it and not worry about opening mine. However, my children have such good hearts and remembered my presents and encouraged me to open mine before all of theirs were even done.
Since I'd already seen the blanket peeking from the wrapping, I left it for last. I had no clue that that first gift that I had saved for last would contain my most treasured possession.
Tucked inside the blanket was a beautiful new journal. Tears poured down my cheeks as I felt Heavenly Father's love for me. Before I'd even asked for a new journal, one was waiting for me under the tree. This is Book Two. This simple book feels so sacred to me because it represents a loving Father who anticipates our needs and the faithfulness of others who follow the promptings of the Spirit. How could I fill its pages with anything but "the things of God?"
Book Three arrived in the form of a gift from the boys. Mom had indeed taken the boys shopping for me. They were able to relay my desire for a new journal and now another wonderful book waiting for words is in my possession. I am thankful for my loving family and their desire to fill my needs as well.
1 Nephi 9:2 "And now, as I have spoken concerning these plates, behold they are not the plates upon which I make a full account of the history of my people; for the plates upon which I make a full account of my people I have given the name of Nephi; wherefore, they are called the plates of Nephi, after my own name; and these plates also are called tbe plates of Nephi." Now just as Nephi kept two separate records, I can as well.
To the Happy Elves, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot adequately express my love and appreciation for you and the sacrifices your families have made on our behalf.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Why covet the drop?
"Let them repent of all their sins, and of all their covetous desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is property unto me? saith the Lord.
For have I not the fowls of heaven, and also the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the mountains? Have I not made the earth? Do I not hold the destinies of all the armies of the nations of the earth?
Therefore, will I not make solitary places to bud and to blossom, and to bring forth in abundance? saith the Lord.
Is there not room enough on the mountains of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and on the plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the land where Adam dwelt, that you should covet that which is but the drop, and neglect the more weighty matters?
Therefore, come up hither unto the land of my people, even Zion.
Let my servant... be faithful over a few things, and he shall be a ruler over many."
~D&C 117:4-10
For have I not the fowls of heaven, and also the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the mountains? Have I not made the earth? Do I not hold the destinies of all the armies of the nations of the earth?
Therefore, will I not make solitary places to bud and to blossom, and to bring forth in abundance? saith the Lord.
Is there not room enough on the mountains of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and on the plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the land where Adam dwelt, that you should covet that which is but the drop, and neglect the more weighty matters?
Therefore, come up hither unto the land of my people, even Zion.
Let my servant... be faithful over a few things, and he shall be a ruler over many."
~D&C 117:4-10
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Comforts of Home
Up until a few years ago, I would stress-eat until I could figure out what was stressing me. Then once the source was pinpointed, I could regain control of my eating. But something somehow changed that. Now I can know I'm stres-eating and know the source and still eat. There is someone new in our ward whose husband was gone for 2 months and she lost 17 pounds. I've gained that much in two months. I hate it. It feels gross. My 'fat' pants are now tight. I can tell my muscles are gone. But I just can't bring myself to stop eating or to exercise. I had every intention of getting up last week at 5:30 to get on the treadmill and shower before the boys were up for school, but when I have a child up at 4 am and then not going back to sleep until 5, there was no way I was going to get on the treadmill that morning. And it pretty much went like that for most of the week. Maybe this week will be better. It has got to stop.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Amazing!!!
Remember this? Well, last year we took it a step further and blended our points system with the school's color code discipline system and created a flexible reward/punishment program. This has been a great tool in our family dynamics and the boys - especially Jared - respond really well to it. The established system hasn't changed much since it's implementation, but the way to earn points has evolved a bit. Today we had a major breakthrough.
The boys could earn points for be ready for the day by a certain time, answering questions correctly while reading scriptures, being reverent, and doing whatever else we may decide to offer points for. Sometime in the last 6 months Matthew created a job chart and every day we each had a job/chore we had to accomplish. If that assigned chore was done, 5 points would be awarded. For second and third chores, even more points would be acquired. There are a few chores that are accomplished regularly, but most of them are not.
With Matthew gone, I've known I needed to step up and be more quick to act otherwise this is going to be a nightmare year. I'm much harder on the boys and willing to take away their points. When Matthew went to NJ in May for 4 days, the boys spent just about every day on red (no privileges and no chance to earn them back for that day). It was pretty miserable - but I did get a lot of work out of them :). I've drawn on that experience to remind the boys to be obedient, and it has worked. I'm really quick to take away points, but unfortunately often forget to award points so there is little chance to earn their way off of the negative colors. Today Jared was on orange and I wanted to show him something on the tv, but realized he had no privileges so I couldn't. We needed a win-win for earning points. In this moment, inspiration struck.
This weekend when I was at B&J's, I read a clipping from a blog post about job jars. Basically you write down chores to do on index cards or popsicle sticks along with the amount of money earned for accomplishing it. They were using change (3 cents, 25 cents, etc). The rules were that in order to be paid, the job had to be done to mom (or dad)'s satisfaction. The job drawn had to be completed before another job could be picked.
Well, I don't have money to hand out, but I do have points!! So, I presented the idea to Jared (and Aaron). Jared was so excited about it!! I tasked him with thinking of jobs we could write down and he spent about 15 min drawing pictures of work that could be done. His ideas were cleaning the sink, the turtle tank, and cleaning his room. We've tweaked it for us, but the same rules apply.
We (because the boys helped too) used popsicle sticks for our job jar. We made sticks for all the morning and evening jobs: praying, brushing teeth, getting dressed, making beds, etc. We colored the morning jobs yellow and the night jobs blue, and then the sides of the sticks are color coordinated to match their point peg. In the morning (or at night) they can draw which of their routine jobs to do first and will earn 1 point for each job accomplished. Once a tast is completed, they turn the stick over. Points can be earned immediately (thus overcoming an orange or red color before the end of the day).
Each of the boys has a daily routine jar, and then there's a big jar filled with the other assignments. The jobs range from 'cleaning the bathroom sink' to 'jumping to the count of 10'. I threw in a 'read for 10 minutes' and 'write your name 5 times' as well. I broke down cleaning the bedroom to more specific tasks like: put away all the books and throw away the trash. Each task is assigned a point value ranging from 1 - 5 points. I even included two Riley Challenge sticks from Flylady because there will be tasks that she could think of that I would never have. Every time Jared drew a stick tonight he was saying, 'I hope it's not a Riley Challenge' lol
It was amazing to watch the boys tonight. Aaron didn't get as into it as Jared did, but he was still excited about finding out what his job was. Jared did 5 or 6 tasks. He would have done more, but we ran out of time. He ended up cleaning the toilet, reading for 10 minutes, writing his name (he has to use the dry erase board with the lines to practice good letter sizing - in the future he has to do first and last name), wiping up all the dirt spots on the floor (lucky him the floor had been mopped recently), helping with the dishes (again he lucked out b/c there weren't very many), putting away the books (which requires actually putting the books on the shelf the way they belong which was quite the task today) AND he took out the trash (which was his chore for the day). He even put away all the blocks he had pulled out - without complaining and without earning points!!! It was so impressive. He moved so quickly through his bedtime chores and everything. He went to bed happy.
Aaron picked out sweep the bathroom floor (which it desperately needed! YAY!)
It would be naive of me to think that this will happen every day, but for today it worked wonders.
Literally today was one of the best days we've had in a long time. The boys loved helped making their sticks, they got to play, cleaned up without arguing.... Aaron asked to help me with the food I was working on, we had dinner on the table by 6:30, we read scriptures, and the boys were in bed by 7:45 pm without a word (because I threatened they'd go down a color - and Jared worked VERY hard to earn his white). Absolutely incredible.
Oh, and I made a job jar for me too. I put some of the deep cleaning jobs that I often neglect as well as tasks that I want to get done but sometimes end up going undone because I start turning in circles not knowing where to start. This will give me some direction/structure. I also put in there to call one of my VT sisters (one for each of them), practicing piano, writing in my journal - I ought to add some exercise ones.
Hopefully with all of us working through these job jar tasks, our home will be a much more pleasant place to be :)
The boys could earn points for be ready for the day by a certain time, answering questions correctly while reading scriptures, being reverent, and doing whatever else we may decide to offer points for. Sometime in the last 6 months Matthew created a job chart and every day we each had a job/chore we had to accomplish. If that assigned chore was done, 5 points would be awarded. For second and third chores, even more points would be acquired. There are a few chores that are accomplished regularly, but most of them are not.
With Matthew gone, I've known I needed to step up and be more quick to act otherwise this is going to be a nightmare year. I'm much harder on the boys and willing to take away their points. When Matthew went to NJ in May for 4 days, the boys spent just about every day on red (no privileges and no chance to earn them back for that day). It was pretty miserable - but I did get a lot of work out of them :). I've drawn on that experience to remind the boys to be obedient, and it has worked. I'm really quick to take away points, but unfortunately often forget to award points so there is little chance to earn their way off of the negative colors. Today Jared was on orange and I wanted to show him something on the tv, but realized he had no privileges so I couldn't. We needed a win-win for earning points. In this moment, inspiration struck.
This weekend when I was at B&J's, I read a clipping from a blog post about job jars. Basically you write down chores to do on index cards or popsicle sticks along with the amount of money earned for accomplishing it. They were using change (3 cents, 25 cents, etc). The rules were that in order to be paid, the job had to be done to mom (or dad)'s satisfaction. The job drawn had to be completed before another job could be picked.
Well, I don't have money to hand out, but I do have points!! So, I presented the idea to Jared (and Aaron). Jared was so excited about it!! I tasked him with thinking of jobs we could write down and he spent about 15 min drawing pictures of work that could be done. His ideas were cleaning the sink, the turtle tank, and cleaning his room. We've tweaked it for us, but the same rules apply.
We (because the boys helped too) used popsicle sticks for our job jar. We made sticks for all the morning and evening jobs: praying, brushing teeth, getting dressed, making beds, etc. We colored the morning jobs yellow and the night jobs blue, and then the sides of the sticks are color coordinated to match their point peg. In the morning (or at night) they can draw which of their routine jobs to do first and will earn 1 point for each job accomplished. Once a tast is completed, they turn the stick over. Points can be earned immediately (thus overcoming an orange or red color before the end of the day).
Each of the boys has a daily routine jar, and then there's a big jar filled with the other assignments. The jobs range from 'cleaning the bathroom sink' to 'jumping to the count of 10'. I threw in a 'read for 10 minutes' and 'write your name 5 times' as well. I broke down cleaning the bedroom to more specific tasks like: put away all the books and throw away the trash. Each task is assigned a point value ranging from 1 - 5 points. I even included two Riley Challenge sticks from Flylady because there will be tasks that she could think of that I would never have. Every time Jared drew a stick tonight he was saying, 'I hope it's not a Riley Challenge' lol
It was amazing to watch the boys tonight. Aaron didn't get as into it as Jared did, but he was still excited about finding out what his job was. Jared did 5 or 6 tasks. He would have done more, but we ran out of time. He ended up cleaning the toilet, reading for 10 minutes, writing his name (he has to use the dry erase board with the lines to practice good letter sizing - in the future he has to do first and last name), wiping up all the dirt spots on the floor (lucky him the floor had been mopped recently), helping with the dishes (again he lucked out b/c there weren't very many), putting away the books (which requires actually putting the books on the shelf the way they belong which was quite the task today) AND he took out the trash (which was his chore for the day). He even put away all the blocks he had pulled out - without complaining and without earning points!!! It was so impressive. He moved so quickly through his bedtime chores and everything. He went to bed happy.
Aaron picked out sweep the bathroom floor (which it desperately needed! YAY!)
It would be naive of me to think that this will happen every day, but for today it worked wonders.
Literally today was one of the best days we've had in a long time. The boys loved helped making their sticks, they got to play, cleaned up without arguing.... Aaron asked to help me with the food I was working on, we had dinner on the table by 6:30, we read scriptures, and the boys were in bed by 7:45 pm without a word (because I threatened they'd go down a color - and Jared worked VERY hard to earn his white). Absolutely incredible.
Oh, and I made a job jar for me too. I put some of the deep cleaning jobs that I often neglect as well as tasks that I want to get done but sometimes end up going undone because I start turning in circles not knowing where to start. This will give me some direction/structure. I also put in there to call one of my VT sisters (one for each of them), practicing piano, writing in my journal - I ought to add some exercise ones.
Hopefully with all of us working through these job jar tasks, our home will be a much more pleasant place to be :)
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Phew!! Recipes updated
Ok, all the recipes I added the other day have now been updated to include the actual recipe! We have had some great foods over the last few months, so experiment and enjoy them yourself :)
Boo Hiss
So I didn't do so hot this week in the exercise department. Or the eating healthy department. I did my videos Mon & Tues, then was a bum the rest of the week. Actually, I did do the treadmill on Thurs. I did the 6 mph 20 minute program. I haven't run at 6 mph hours in a few years, so I wasn't sure how that would go, but it was great! In fact, I may do it again soon-ish. I've been stress eating too, so today's weighin reflected it of course: 158.1
*sigh*
*sigh*
Herb Bread Remake: Cinnamon Almond Bread
I made another loaf of the herb quick bread without the herbs in the recipe. Here is the recipe as I made it:
3 c. flour
3 TB sugar
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 TB cinnamon (maybe more depending on how cinnaminy it looks)
1 egg
1 c. milk
1/3 c. canola oil
1/2 tsp almond extract (I can't remember if it was 1/4 or 1/2 tsp.)
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, milk, oil and almond extract (I usually use a 2 c. measuring cup and measure them all together in it starting with the milk, then the oil, the egg & extract - less dishes to worry about it); stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. It will be a thick batter.
Transfer to a loaf pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to col completely.
Awesome with some homemade strawberry jam :D
Here is the link to the original recipe: Herb Quick Bread
3 c. flour
3 TB sugar
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 TB cinnamon (maybe more depending on how cinnaminy it looks)
1 egg
1 c. milk
1/3 c. canola oil
1/2 tsp almond extract (I can't remember if it was 1/4 or 1/2 tsp.)
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, milk, oil and almond extract (I usually use a 2 c. measuring cup and measure them all together in it starting with the milk, then the oil, the egg & extract - less dishes to worry about it); stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. It will be a thick batter.
Transfer to a loaf pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to col completely.
Awesome with some homemade strawberry jam :D
Here is the link to the original recipe: Herb Quick Bread
Saucy Bowties & Broccoli
****
Made May 22nd. Not my favorite - too garlicky. In its defense, I did not actually measure the garlic. I used a regular tablespoon to scoop my minced garlic from the jar and put in 3 half spoonfuls. So, it could be my lack of precision to cause this.
Only Matthew seemed to think it was ok. I wasn't sure if I'd like the broccoli in a red sauce, but that aspect was fine. I think the garlic overshadowed everything for me though.
Made May 22nd. Not my favorite - too garlicky. In its defense, I did not actually measure the garlic. I used a regular tablespoon to scoop my minced garlic from the jar and put in 3 half spoonfuls. So, it could be my lack of precision to cause this.
Only Matthew seemed to think it was ok. I wasn't sure if I'd like the broccoli in a red sauce, but that aspect was fine. I think the garlic overshadowed everything for me though.
Chicken Turnovers
Chicken Turnovers
published in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p59
Ingredients
1 cup diced cooked chicken breast
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the chicken, cheese, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Separate crescent dough into eight triangles; top each with chicken mixture. Fold dough over and seal edges.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 13-17 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1 turnover equals 169 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 24 mg cholesterol, 338 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 11 g protein.
*****
Made May 22nd. I've had 2 tubes of crescent rolls in the fridge for awhile. Apparently when you get passed the sell by date they dry up and tear really easy. But, this worked to my advantage because then I ended up with little popovers just the right size for little fingers.
I did not use cubed chicken but a Member's Mark can of chicken, and I had to use 2 tubes of crescent rolls.
I really liked these and would make them again. It is a nice blend of flavors and really simple to put together.
published in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p59
Ingredients
1 cup diced cooked chicken breast
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the chicken, cheese, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Separate crescent dough into eight triangles; top each with chicken mixture. Fold dough over and seal edges.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 13-17 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1 turnover equals 169 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 24 mg cholesterol, 338 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 11 g protein.
*****
Made May 22nd. I've had 2 tubes of crescent rolls in the fridge for awhile. Apparently when you get passed the sell by date they dry up and tear really easy. But, this worked to my advantage because then I ended up with little popovers just the right size for little fingers.
I did not use cubed chicken but a Member's Mark can of chicken, and I had to use 2 tubes of crescent rolls.
I really liked these and would make them again. It is a nice blend of flavors and really simple to put together.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
published in Light & Tasty June/July 2006, p49
Ingredients
3/4 cup fat-free milk
3/4 cup ice cubes, crushed
1/2 cup strawberry yogurt
1/2 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries
1 small firm banana, chopped and frozen
Sugar substitute equivalent to 1/4 cup sugar
Directions
In a blender, combine all of the ingredients; cover and process for 30-45 seconds or until smooth. Stir if necessary. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately. Yield: 3 servings.
Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Splenda no-calorie sweetener.
Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 110 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 3 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 1/2 reduced-fat milk.
****
Made May 16th. This is one of the better smoothie recipes I've tried. It was really thick and flavorful. I didn't add the entire sugar amount called for, but instead used more like 1/4 cup of sugar. 2 TB also works well.
published in Light & Tasty June/July 2006, p49
Ingredients
3/4 cup fat-free milk
3/4 cup ice cubes, crushed
1/2 cup strawberry yogurt
1/2 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries
1 small firm banana, chopped and frozen
Sugar substitute equivalent to 1/4 cup sugar
Directions
In a blender, combine all of the ingredients; cover and process for 30-45 seconds or until smooth. Stir if necessary. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately. Yield: 3 servings.
Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Splenda no-calorie sweetener.
Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 110 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 3 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 1/2 reduced-fat milk.
****
Made May 16th. This is one of the better smoothie recipes I've tried. It was really thick and flavorful. I didn't add the entire sugar amount called for, but instead used more like 1/4 cup of sugar. 2 TB also works well.
Campbell's Fake 'em Out Ravioli Lasagna
Campbell's Fake 'Em Out Ravioli Lasagna
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups Prego Italian Sausage & Garlic Italian sauce
1/2 cup water
1 package (30 oz) frozen regular size cheese-filled ravioli (about 30-34)
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13x9x2 inch (3 quart) baking dish with the cooking spray.
2. Stir the sauce and water in a large bowl. Spread 1 cup of the sauce ino the prepared dish. Top with 1/2 of the ravioli, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of the sauce. Top with the remaining ravioli and sauce. Cover.
3. Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover the dish and top with the remaining mozz cheese.
4. Bake for 10 minutes more or until hot and bubbly. Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Nutritional Values per Serving:
Calories 650, Total Fat 30g, Saturated fat 17g, Cholesterol 116 mg, Sodium 1133mg, Total Carbs 68g, Dietary Fiber 6g, Protein 29g,
*****
Made May 13th or so. I LOVE this recipe. It came from a Campbell's Kitchen Recipe Collection cookbook. It was so incredibly simple to put together. Aside from the one lasagna recipe still on my list, I will probably never make regular lasagna again. It tasted just like lasagna but it was so much quicker!!
This could easily be adapted to add spinach or other vegetables to create a veggie lasagna. You could probably even use beef instead of the cheese ravioli.
I did use fridge ravioli instead of the frozen, and my sauce wash Bertolli's tomatoes and basil. Yum!
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups Prego Italian Sausage & Garlic Italian sauce
1/2 cup water
1 package (30 oz) frozen regular size cheese-filled ravioli (about 30-34)
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13x9x2 inch (3 quart) baking dish with the cooking spray.
2. Stir the sauce and water in a large bowl. Spread 1 cup of the sauce ino the prepared dish. Top with 1/2 of the ravioli, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of the sauce. Top with the remaining ravioli and sauce. Cover.
3. Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover the dish and top with the remaining mozz cheese.
4. Bake for 10 minutes more or until hot and bubbly. Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Nutritional Values per Serving:
Calories 650, Total Fat 30g, Saturated fat 17g, Cholesterol 116 mg, Sodium 1133mg, Total Carbs 68g, Dietary Fiber 6g, Protein 29g,
*****
Made May 13th or so. I LOVE this recipe. It came from a Campbell's Kitchen Recipe Collection cookbook. It was so incredibly simple to put together. Aside from the one lasagna recipe still on my list, I will probably never make regular lasagna again. It tasted just like lasagna but it was so much quicker!!
This could easily be adapted to add spinach or other vegetables to create a veggie lasagna. You could probably even use beef instead of the cheese ravioli.
I did use fridge ravioli instead of the frozen, and my sauce wash Bertolli's tomatoes and basil. Yum!
Burrito Pita Pockets
Burrito Pita Pockets
published in Light & Tasty June/July 2006, p53
Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 envelope burrito seasoning
1 cup water
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 pita breads (6 inches), halved
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Directions
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in burrito seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in olives.
Fill pita bread halves with beef mixture, lettuce, tomato and cheese. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1 filled pita half equals 375 calories, 15 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 71 mg cholesterol, 1,108 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 32 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 2 starch.
****
Made May 3rd. Well, pita pockets certainly are a different version of burritos. I think they made it a lot easier on the boys because the filling wasn't falling out the whole time they were trying to eat. I couldn't find burrito seasoning packets, so I just used taco seasoning. I also substituted the beef for ground turkey because that was what was defrosted.
Herb Quick Bread
Herb Quick Bread
published in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p17
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup canola oil
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Transfer to a 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf (14 slices).
Nutrition Facts: 1 slice equals 169 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 16 mg cholesterol, 184 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1 fat.
****
Made May 2nd in conjunction with Easy Hambuger Soup. This bread came together so quickly. The longest and hardest part was waiting for it to bake and then not eating it all at once!! I was really impressed with how delicious this bread tasted!! We do not care for caraway seeds, so I substituted Italian seasoning and basil. The texture was very similar to banana bread. Adding butter to it just made it even more divine.
I liked this recipe so much that I've experimented with it a little bit. The second time I made it, I changed the herbs to cinnamon. I think it could use a little crunch, so if I made cinnamon bread again I'd add some chopped walnuts or pecans. Perhaps it is because it reminds me of banana bread so much that I think that.
I think the basis of the recipe is so basic that you could really do a lot of variations and have it turn out fine.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Easy Hamburger Soup
Easy Hamburger Soup
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p28
Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) beef broth
1 cup water
4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
4 large carrots, halved and thinly sliced
10 whole peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Directions
In a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, broth and water. Add celery and carrots.
Place peppercorns on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with kitchen string to form a bag. Add to beef mixture. Stir in thyme and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Return to a boil. Stir in barley. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until barley is tender. Remove from the heat; stir in parsley. Let stand for 5 minutes. Discard spice bag. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1-1/3 cups equals 227 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 762 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 20 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1/2 starch.
***
Made May 2nd along with Herb Quick Bread. We had a cold front blow through so I took the opportunity to make one of the soups on my list. I used ground turkey instead of the beef because I found it on sale and needed to use it or get it in the freezer. It is so much easier to use it when I don't have to defrost it! The soup was good, but I think I would have preferred to have the flavor of real beef in this instance.
The recipe calls for quick cook barley but I have the regular barley in my pantry. So, the hour and a half cook time was slashed to just an hour. Instead of cooking the vegetables and then adding the barley, I simply added the barley along with the vegetables and voila! It was ready a lot sooner making this quick and easy in my book!
Matthew really liked this soup because it reminded him of a soup his mom would make growing up.
Tuna Artichoke Melts
Tuna Artichoke Melts
published in Light & Tasty June/July 2006, p19
Ingredients
1 can (6 ounces) light water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
1/3 cup coarsely chopped water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt-free lemon-pepper seasoning
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
2 English muffins, split and toasted
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the tuna, artichokes, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup cheese, lemon-pepper and oregano. Spread over English muffin halves.
Place on a baking sheet. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; broil 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 2 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 2 open-faced sandwiches equals 335 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 47 mg cholesterol, 989 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 34 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 4 very lean meat, 2 starch, 1 fat.
***
Made May 1st. I'm always looking for tuna sandwich variations for our after church lunch. I've never made anything with artichokes before, so I was a little nervous. The sandwiches weren't bad.
Because my oven isn't working completely like it should, I first toasted the English muffins in the toaster then topped them and baked them until the cheese melted. This seemed to work fine.
Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa
Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa
published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p15
Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water
1 small pear, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped celery
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 flour tortillas (6 inches)
2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until the berries pop, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. Stir in the pear, onion, celery, lemon juice, jalapeno, lemon peel and cumin. Set aside.
Place tortillas on a griddle coated with cooking spray. Spoon turkey and sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla; fold over. Cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted. Serve with cranberry salsa. Yield: 4 servings.
Editor's Note: We recommend wearing disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers. Avoid touching your face.
Nutrition Facts: 1 quesadilla with 1/3 cup salsa equals 321 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 80 mg cholesterol, 449 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 32 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 very lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 fat, 1/2 fruit.
****
Made April 24th. The first quesadilla I made folded over like the recipe suggests, but it was messy. So, I made the rest with full tortillas until the end when I started folding them again. The quesadillas were really good.
The cranberry salsa was an interesting concept. It was ok with the quesadillas, but when used for tortilla chips... now we're talking!!! I loved the flavors together. I don't know what makes the difference that it'd be so much better with the chips, but it became quite addicting at that point.
Blushing Penne Pasta
Blushing Penne Pasta
published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p47
Ingredients
1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
1 cup thinly sliced onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream, divided
1/2 cup white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
Directions
Cook penne according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook onions in butter for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the thyme, basil and salt; cook 1 minute longer. Add 1 cup cream, wine and tomato paste; cook and stir until blended.
Combine flour and remaining cream until smooth; gradually stir into onion mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Drain penne; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 336 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 34 mg cholesterol, 445 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 12 g protein.
*****
Made April 21: This may seem silly, but once i added the tomato paste and saw the sauce turn a slight pink I had an ah-ha moment and knew why this is called Blushing pasta - it looks like the sauce is blushing.
This is a fairly simple recipe. Next time I'd probably embelish it with broccoli or chicken. Or both.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
published in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p39
Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
3/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup julienned green onions
12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Directions
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes; drain. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and ginger; cook 4-6 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and remaining oil. Stir in the carrots, onions and chicken mixture.
Spoon onto lettuce leaves; sprinkle with almonds. If desired, fold sides of lettuce over filling and roll up. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 2 wraps equals 230 calories, 9 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 278 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 26 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1 fat.
***
Made April 20th: I didn't get the Bibb or Boston lettuce, so I just used the big leaves of the iceburg lettuce I did have. The red pepper flakes added quite the zip, so I think next time I'd omit that flavor. I also didn't have peanut oil, so I used olive. I'm quite certain that minor detail creates a major difference in flavor. Overall the dish was good, but it probably could have been better with all the right ingredients.
Turkey Wild Rice Casserole
Turkey Wild Rice Casserole
published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p23
Ingredients
3 cups water
1 cup uncooked wild rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 turkey breast tenderloins (3/4 pound each)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Directions
In a small saucepan, bring the water, wild rice and onion to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 55-60 minutes or until rice is tender. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, saute carrot and celery in butter and oil until tender.
Combine the flour, sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; stir into carrot mixture until blended. Gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in rice. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Place turkey over rice mixture. Combine the parsley, paprika and remaining salt; sprinkle over turkey. Cover and bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into turkey reads 170°. Slice turkey; serve with rice. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: 3 ounces cooked turkey with 2/3 cup rice mixture equals 313 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 87 mg cholesterol, 371 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 36 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.
***
Made April 19th along side Butternut Squash Apple Bake: This was another big hit. I didn't think Aaron would like it or eat it, but he did. Jared and Matthew couldn't get enough of it. I didn't use regular turkey breasts though. I bought a jenni-o turkey breast package you get in the meat section next to the ham and just sliced off a serving for each of us.
Butternut Squash Apple Bake
Butternut Squash Apple Bake
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p8
Ingredients
1 butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced into rings
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
Arrange squash in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.
Top with apple rings. Combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Drizzle with butter.
Cover and bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until squash and apples are tender. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 120 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 36 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 1 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fruit, 1/2 fat.
****
Made April 19th as a side dish to Turkey Wild Rice Casserole: Can we say YUM?!?! It was the perfect compliment to the casserole This was my first time with a butternut squash. It was pretty easy to peel and slice, and my apple corer/peeler made preparing the apples a snap too. We LOVED this recipe. It was pretty sweet though.
Turkey Alfredo Pizza
Turkey Alfredo Pizza
published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p23
Ingredients
1 prebaked 12-inch thin pizza crust
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
3/4 cup reduced-fat Alfredo sauce, divided
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cooked turkey breast
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions
Place the crust on a baking sheet; rub with cut sides of garlic. Discard garlic. Spread 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce over crust.
In a small bowl, combine the spinach, lemon juice, salt and pepper; spoon evenly over sauce. Top with turkey; drizzle with remaining Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pepper flakes.
Bake at 425° for 11-13 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1 slice equals 300 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 60 mg cholesterol, 823 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 25 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 starch.
***
Made April 13th: This was my first experience using a prepared pizza crust. Man does that make life easy!! The recipe was really great and everyone seemed to like it (until I pulled out my Hawaiian Chicken BBQ pizza I had hiding in the oven so everyone would this one first - lol)
Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo
Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p53
Ingredients
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
3/4 pound fresh broccoli florets
1 envelope Alfredo sauce mix
1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
2 teaspoons reduced-fat butter
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Cook tortellini according to package directions, adding broccoli during the last few minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk the sauce mix and milk. Add butter and nutmeg; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Drain tortellini and broccoli; place in a large bowl. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Yield: 4 servings.
Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Land O'Lakes light stick butter.
Nutrition Facts: 1-1/4 cups equals 262 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 23 mg cholesterol, 919 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 16 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat, 1/2 fat-free milk.
***
Made April 8th: I don't remember much about this one, but I think we decided chicken or ham would have made a great addition to it.
The recipe does call for using an alfredo sauce mix, but I just used prepared alfredo and boy did it get done quick. It took a lot of the prep time out of the recipe.
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p53
Ingredients
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
3/4 pound fresh broccoli florets
1 envelope Alfredo sauce mix
1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
2 teaspoons reduced-fat butter
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Cook tortellini according to package directions, adding broccoli during the last few minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk the sauce mix and milk. Add butter and nutmeg; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Drain tortellini and broccoli; place in a large bowl. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Yield: 4 servings.
Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Land O'Lakes light stick butter.
Nutrition Facts: 1-1/4 cups equals 262 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 23 mg cholesterol, 919 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 16 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat, 1/2 fat-free milk.
***
Made April 8th: I don't remember much about this one, but I think we decided chicken or ham would have made a great addition to it.
The recipe does call for using an alfredo sauce mix, but I just used prepared alfredo and boy did it get done quick. It took a lot of the prep time out of the recipe.
Maple Syrup Corn Bread
Maple Syrup Corn Bread
published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p11
Ingredients
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, syrup and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Pour into a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm. Yield: 12 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 161 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 26 mg cholesterol, 307 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1/2 fat.
****************
Made April 5th: YUM!!! I told Jared to smell them and see if they reminded him of anything. After thinking a while, he finally said: Pancakes!!! Bingo!! :)
The maple syrup added a great taste to the bread. It was the perfect compliment to the anytime turkey chili.
Anytime Turkey Chili
Anytime Turkey Chili
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p41
Ingredients
2/3 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
Directions
In a large saucepan, saute the onion, green pepper, oregano and cumin in oil until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
Stir in the beans, pumpkin, tomatoes, broth, water, brown sugar, chili powder and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add turkey; heat through. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).
Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 241 calories, 2 g fat (trace saturated fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 478 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 25 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.
********
Made April 5th: This is a recipe that I kept opening to and wanting to try but would be missing an ingredient here and there before I finally got everything together. Aside from the simmering, it was really quick to put together. I love that it had pumpkin in it. It was a really interesting soup flavor.
I served this with maple syrup corn bread and a strawberry-spinach salad.
Maple Orange Roast
Maple Orange Roast
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p26
Ingredients
1 beef rump roast or bottom round roast (3 pounds)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar-free maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds red potatoes, cut into large chunks
5 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Directions
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown roast on all sides; drain. Place in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray.
In the same skillet, combine the orange juice, syrup, wine or broth, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, orange peel, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently; pour over meat.
Place the potatoes, carrots, celery and onions around roast. Cover and bake at 325° for 3 hours or until meat is tender.
Remove meat and vegetables; keep warm. Pour pan juices into a measuring cup. Discard bay leaf and skim fat. Pour into a small saucepan.
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with pot roast and vegetables. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 3 ounces cooked beef with 3/4 cup vegetables and 2 tablespoons gravy equals 335 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 102 mg cholesterol, 264 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 36 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1 starch.
*******
Made April 3rd: It is pretty traditional for my mom to cook a roast on Sunday - especially if she has company. I used this to my advantage to try this recipe out. She provided the roast while I prepared the entree.
The roast was so tender and sweet from the orange juice. The vegetables had a sweet flavor to them as well. It was really delicious and a nice change to the usual plain roast with ketchup. Although, ketchup wasn't bad with this one either :)
Black Bean Tortilla Pie
Black Bean Tortilla Pie
published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p37
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) vegetable broth
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
4 green onions, thinly sliced
4 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided
Directions
In a large skillet, saute the onion, green pepper, cumin and pepper in oil until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Stir in corn and green onions; remove from the heat.
Place one tortilla in a 9-in. springform pan coated with cooking spray. Layer with 1-1/2 cups bean mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining tortilla. Place pan on a baking sheet.
Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Remove sides of pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cut into wedges. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: 1 wedge equals 353 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 14 mg cholesterol, 842 mg sodium, 53 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 17 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.
******
Made March 25th: Mine didn't come out looking nearly as nice the one in the book. It did taste ok. It was very runny though. I didn't have the right size tortillas, so I used a round casserole dish instead of the springform pan that the recipe calls for. I don't know how much of a difference it would have made though.
Wild Rice Turkey Salad
Wild Rice Turkey Salad
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p27
Ingredients
2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
2 cups cooked long grain rice
1-1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1-1/2 cups green grapes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped red apple
6 lettuce leaves
6 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, salt and cinnamon; stir into turkey mixture until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Just before serving, stir in apple. Serve in a lettuce-lined bowl; sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1-1/3 cups equals 279 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 494 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 19 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 very lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 fruit, 1/2 fat.
******
Made March 21st: We were all pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this dish. It had just the right amount of crunch and sweetness.
I served this strawberry leaf salad as the side:
baby greens
crumbled feta cheese
sliced strawberries
almonds
berry vinagerrete
Orange Ginger Carrots
Orange Ginger Carrots
published in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p57
Ingredients
3 cups sliced carrots
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Place carrots and 1 in. of water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and keep warm.
In the same pan, combine the cornstarch, sugar, salt and ginger. Stir in orange juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in butter until melted. Add carrots and toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 99 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 355 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1/2 fruit, 1/2 fat.
*****
Made March 16th: served with potstickers and eggrolls. I've made another recipe similar to this called Gingered Carrots. The orange flavoring was an interesting twist. It was very saucy, so next time I'd probably add more carrots.
Orange Strawberry Smoothie
Orange Strawberry Smoothie
Ingredients
2-1/4 cups orange juice
1 package (12.3 ounces) silken reduced-fat firm tofu
3 cups halved frozen unsweetened strawberries
1-1/2 cups sliced ripe bananas
Directions
In a food processor, combine the orange juice, tofu, strawberries and bananas; cover and pulse until blended. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 120 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 51 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 fruit, 1 lean meat.
********
March 14: Since this is made with tofu, I was curious how it would turn out. It was pretty thick, but it didn't add or detract from the flavor. It seems to me we did have some ingredients missing, but I think everyone liked it.
Backlog
I have the time and disposition, so I'm going to do a massive update. I know I am way behind.
Here are my weights for the last few weeks:
May 1 - 155.9
May 8 - 154.8
May 15 - 157.6
Ouch. So I was starting a really good trend for a few weeks, but Matthew was gone with the boys and I indulged myself quite willingly. So, this week I obviously gained and regained my lack of self-control. My knees were really bothering me too, so I was hesitant about doing my exercise videos. I did do a lot of yard work though, so I am proud of that (and man was I sore!!).
This week I plan on doing better. I did my strength training yesterday and the cardio today. It was the first time I've done the cardio in at least a week/week and a half. whew!! I needed that. I hate the lunges, but I love the ballet routine at the beginning. I had the weird experience of actually feeling the cravings ooze out of me - specifically Swedish fish. Isn't that funny?!
Alright, on to my menu posts......
Here are my weights for the last few weeks:
May 1 - 155.9
May 8 - 154.8
May 15 - 157.6
Ouch. So I was starting a really good trend for a few weeks, but Matthew was gone with the boys and I indulged myself quite willingly. So, this week I obviously gained and regained my lack of self-control. My knees were really bothering me too, so I was hesitant about doing my exercise videos. I did do a lot of yard work though, so I am proud of that (and man was I sore!!).
This week I plan on doing better. I did my strength training yesterday and the cardio today. It was the first time I've done the cardio in at least a week/week and a half. whew!! I needed that. I hate the lunges, but I love the ballet routine at the beginning. I had the weird experience of actually feeling the cravings ooze out of me - specifically Swedish fish. Isn't that funny?!
Alright, on to my menu posts......
Sunday, April 24, 2011
We have weight loss!!
Weight: 155.0 YAY!!!! I've been seeing a 2 pound loss for a few days, but I was afraid it wouldn't stick around for the official weigh in today. I'm wondering if the 3 days of strength training this week made a difference. Well, probably the fact that I didn't have a lot of indulgent opportunities helped too. A lot. We'll see how well it goes at the end of this week though b/c I have something every night and almost all of it involved food.
On another good note - we went out hiking as a family and I didn't plan my clothes well during the week to have some 'rugged' shorts to wear. I dug through my 'need to shrink into' stash and found a pair of cutoffs that I bought at a garage sale last year when I was starting into a 10. They were snug, but wearable! yay me!!
On another good note - we went out hiking as a family and I didn't plan my clothes well during the week to have some 'rugged' shorts to wear. I dug through my 'need to shrink into' stash and found a pair of cutoffs that I bought at a garage sale last year when I was starting into a 10. They were snug, but wearable! yay me!!
Friday, April 22, 2011
and hold......
I always weigh myself after I shower, but only the Sunday weigh in on the wii counts. I was down 2 pounds this morning. The trick is whether I can keep it down by Sunday :p Hello Easter :O
from lettuce eat cake contest update:
April 22, 2011
I suppose since I"m logged in I should update. Sunday's weight: 157.4. I think it is safe to say I am maintaining at 157 pretty well. :p I think I was down 2 pounds before the weekend, but between a Girl's Night Out Friday and Cici's Pizza on Saturday it was a lost cause. It's been really hard to control my eating this week because of the indulgence over the weekend. I haven't tracked my food at all this week - though I have thought about it in my head (at least I have that still going for me at the moment).
I've been using 4 lbs of weight during my strength training videos. I think I might be ready to up it a pound. It's so amazing to think about how heavy those weights felt a month ago when I started with them. Now when I pick them up they feel relatively light. I think I'll add my Wii weighted gloves in May. They're only a pound, so it wouldn't be quite the shock to the system, but it would still add the additional challenge.
April 22, 2011
I suppose since I"m logged in I should update. Sunday's weight: 157.4. I think it is safe to say I am maintaining at 157 pretty well. :p I think I was down 2 pounds before the weekend, but between a Girl's Night Out Friday and Cici's Pizza on Saturday it was a lost cause. It's been really hard to control my eating this week because of the indulgence over the weekend. I haven't tracked my food at all this week - though I have thought about it in my head (at least I have that still going for me at the moment).
I've been using 4 lbs of weight during my strength training videos. I think I might be ready to up it a pound. It's so amazing to think about how heavy those weights felt a month ago when I started with them. Now when I pick them up they feel relatively light. I think I'll add my Wii weighted gloves in May. They're only a pound, so it wouldn't be quite the shock to the system, but it would still add the additional challenge.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
A Step Forward!
Weigh in: 157.0 Wow! My first real pound since February!! :p I did work hard this week in the exercise department (not necessarily the food). My routine this week was:
Mon - Strength Training (SELF bikini ready)
Tues - Intense Cardio (SELF best butt)
Wed - Cardio (SELF slim, sleek, fast)
Thurs - P90X Cardio X
Fri - Strenth Training (SELF bikini ready)
I think that is what I did anyway. The past few weeks by Friday I don't do a real video but instead work in the yard or cut it short because of other obligations. So, I'm sure it helped that my workout was strong til the end of the week. We also went to Sea World Saturday so we got lots of walking in. Although, the best exercise was crawling rhrough the tunnels in the kid area. Oh man!!
As the Lettuce Eat Cake contest is drawing to a close, so is my 3 month subscription to Weight Watchers. I have not been very diligent in using it the last couple of weeks. My computer has been giving me issues and is so S-L-O-W!!! It takes so much time that I'd rather not bother trying it. So, I am in a dilemma whether I should continue to pay for the service when I'm not using it or not. I'm afraid if I don't keep it up I will lose all progress I have made. The good news is that I do have a pretty healthy exercise routine, it is just that my eating is not in check. My stress level and time constraints have doubled in the last few weeks, so I've not been cooking as much and turning to quick comfort foods. I'm afraid if I didn't have my Weight Watchers subscription in the back of my mind, all accountability will disappear and my progress will too.
Mon - Strength Training (SELF bikini ready)
Tues - Intense Cardio (SELF best butt)
Wed - Cardio (SELF slim, sleek, fast)
Thurs - P90X Cardio X
Fri - Strenth Training (SELF bikini ready)
I think that is what I did anyway. The past few weeks by Friday I don't do a real video but instead work in the yard or cut it short because of other obligations. So, I'm sure it helped that my workout was strong til the end of the week. We also went to Sea World Saturday so we got lots of walking in. Although, the best exercise was crawling rhrough the tunnels in the kid area. Oh man!!
As the Lettuce Eat Cake contest is drawing to a close, so is my 3 month subscription to Weight Watchers. I have not been very diligent in using it the last couple of weeks. My computer has been giving me issues and is so S-L-O-W!!! It takes so much time that I'd rather not bother trying it. So, I am in a dilemma whether I should continue to pay for the service when I'm not using it or not. I'm afraid if I don't keep it up I will lose all progress I have made. The good news is that I do have a pretty healthy exercise routine, it is just that my eating is not in check. My stress level and time constraints have doubled in the last few weeks, so I've not been cooking as much and turning to quick comfort foods. I'm afraid if I didn't have my Weight Watchers subscription in the back of my mind, all accountability will disappear and my progress will too.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Doggie Paddle
Weight - 157.9. *Sigh* Since Wed I've watched the numbers climb. I quit tracking what I ate and basically gave in to my cravings. I had a lot of special events that made it easy to indulge.
On a good note, Tues I did the double weights again and this time there was no extra soreness. I guess my body is acclimating really well. I did some research and discovered that each sandbag is roughly 2 pounds so doubling it made it 4 lbs. It's no wonder it was such a shock to my system.
Another good note, we had a little bit of a cold spell this week so I went to my jeans drawer. My jeans actually fit. yay!! They were still a little snug, but not enough to be uncomfortable. So, even though my pounds aren't going anywhere, the inches are. I'll take those over weight any day.
On a good note, Tues I did the double weights again and this time there was no extra soreness. I guess my body is acclimating really well. I did some research and discovered that each sandbag is roughly 2 pounds so doubling it made it 4 lbs. It's no wonder it was such a shock to my system.
Another good note, we had a little bit of a cold spell this week so I went to my jeans drawer. My jeans actually fit. yay!! They were still a little snug, but not enough to be uncomfortable. So, even though my pounds aren't going anywhere, the inches are. I'll take those over weight any day.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Weigh-in
Weigh in - 157.2. Not a big loss, but still a loss. I think my loss was actually greater than that, but I had a lot of cake and ice cream yesterday (though still most of it in my point allowance - I certainly didn't even touch my activity points) and I only got 2 hours of sleep. I think the lack of sleep is the true culprit. My body didn't get its recoup time. For the most part, my eating has been in really control.
Tuesday I added an extra sandbag to my weight lifting and boy was I feeling it! I had no idea that holding them in my hands would make my legs feel the effects too. I was so sore on Wed and was really grateful to be able to do CardioX on Thursday to stretch all of my muscles out. I didn't do an exercise video on Friday, but instead mowed and weeded the back yard.
I am way behind in posting our menus. Hopefully I'll be be able to catch up with that. I've put a calendar on the fridge so I can write down what we eat everyday. The goals is to be able to keep track of my picks so that we're more likely to get variety in a given week and know how old left-overs are.
Tuesday I added an extra sandbag to my weight lifting and boy was I feeling it! I had no idea that holding them in my hands would make my legs feel the effects too. I was so sore on Wed and was really grateful to be able to do CardioX on Thursday to stretch all of my muscles out. I didn't do an exercise video on Friday, but instead mowed and weeded the back yard.
I am way behind in posting our menus. Hopefully I'll be be able to catch up with that. I've put a calendar on the fridge so I can write down what we eat everyday. The goals is to be able to keep track of my picks so that we're more likely to get variety in a given week and know how old left-overs are.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Whew!
Today's weigh-in: 157.4 - stayed the same! I was afraid I'd gain after this week. Apparently vacations and diets don't work well together for me because by the end of it I had no self control again.
We went to Ft. Worth Tues night to try and get in the Chick-fil-a First 100 contest for their new store opening there on Thurs. Well, Matthew won which meant we camped in their parking lot for 24 hours and ate Chick-fil-a all day! Once the get everyone registered and camp set up, they serve breakfast (my favorite: chicken biscuit), then lunch (chicken strips in this case with chips), dinner (chicken sandwich or nuggets - I got the sandwich- meal: includes drink and fries), but then we were surprised with an evening snack (8 chicken nuggets) and we ended the night with an ice cream party. We were so full of chicken by the time it was over!!
There's a really great restaurant/shop called Braum's that is based in OK but Hillsboro, TX has the farthest south shop. They make their own ice cream so we *had* to stop and get some before we came on home. Ice cream for breakfast. yummmmmm. It was such a long drive home that when we stopped in South Austin at a gas station with a McDonald's I decided to treat myself (though I shared) to a shamrock shake b/c I'd heard they were yummy and wanted to try it. I think those indulgences are really what opened the flood gate and let the self-control go downhill, though I did try a little bit to exercise some discretion the rest of the week, but not as much as I should.
Anyway, long story short - I was afraid that my body hadn't picked up momentum from the work I'd done the weeks before, but apparently it had some and I didn't gain or lose. I'm satisfied with that.
A Chick-fil-a opening has the potential for great exercise though. The big game throughout the day on Wed is four-square. The first time I did the contest, I played four-square for HOURS and was sore for days afterward. I didn't play quite as much this time, but we spent time as a family playing variations of keep-a-away and four square. At the end of the day Aaron was literally running circles around the entire campground, so I was following behind. I definitely got my exercise that day.
We went to Ft. Worth Tues night to try and get in the Chick-fil-a First 100 contest for their new store opening there on Thurs. Well, Matthew won which meant we camped in their parking lot for 24 hours and ate Chick-fil-a all day! Once the get everyone registered and camp set up, they serve breakfast (my favorite: chicken biscuit), then lunch (chicken strips in this case with chips), dinner (chicken sandwich or nuggets - I got the sandwich- meal: includes drink and fries), but then we were surprised with an evening snack (8 chicken nuggets) and we ended the night with an ice cream party. We were so full of chicken by the time it was over!!
There's a really great restaurant/shop called Braum's that is based in OK but Hillsboro, TX has the farthest south shop. They make their own ice cream so we *had* to stop and get some before we came on home. Ice cream for breakfast. yummmmmm. It was such a long drive home that when we stopped in South Austin at a gas station with a McDonald's I decided to treat myself (though I shared) to a shamrock shake b/c I'd heard they were yummy and wanted to try it. I think those indulgences are really what opened the flood gate and let the self-control go downhill, though I did try a little bit to exercise some discretion the rest of the week, but not as much as I should.
Anyway, long story short - I was afraid that my body hadn't picked up momentum from the work I'd done the weeks before, but apparently it had some and I didn't gain or lose. I'm satisfied with that.
A Chick-fil-a opening has the potential for great exercise though. The big game throughout the day on Wed is four-square. The first time I did the contest, I played four-square for HOURS and was sore for days afterward. I didn't play quite as much this time, but we spent time as a family playing variations of keep-a-away and four square. At the end of the day Aaron was literally running circles around the entire campground, so I was following behind. I definitely got my exercise that day.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Happy Dance
Today's weigh in: 157.3 YAY!!! Real weight loss! *happy dance*
It was a bum deal in the food department though. I was starving before church so I got my cereal breakfast. Then for lunch I made pumpkin pancakes with scrambled egg surprise (scrambled eggs with ham, cheese, and pineapple juice) and bacon. By the time I was done with that meal I had 4 points left for the day. oh boy!! With so few points left, I of course ate into my weeklies for dinner. But I'm hungry tonight! I'd love to have some toast or cereal or something even more yummy like chocolate pudding! I'm trying to be good though. I want to keep this weight loss trend - which may prove to be quite the challenge with spring break.
It was a bum deal in the food department though. I was starving before church so I got my cereal breakfast. Then for lunch I made pumpkin pancakes with scrambled egg surprise (scrambled eggs with ham, cheese, and pineapple juice) and bacon. By the time I was done with that meal I had 4 points left for the day. oh boy!! With so few points left, I of course ate into my weeklies for dinner. But I'm hungry tonight! I'd love to have some toast or cereal or something even more yummy like chocolate pudding! I'm trying to be good though. I want to keep this weight loss trend - which may prove to be quite the challenge with spring break.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Sick. Again.
Yesterday I was having some internal issues that I attributed to an overdose of some yummy cookies at playgroup Thurs. But, this morning when I got out of bed I found myself dizzy and unable to walk straight. By the time I made it to the bathroom I was preparing to meet the porceline throne. I managed to take my shower, but it was rough going for a little bit this morning. When I told Matthew what was going on, he said he was feeling dizzy last night too. Sounds like it is more than cookies after all. I hope it is only a 24-hr bug.
On a positive note, this morning when I took my unofficial scale reading, I was down 3 pounds. Hopefully the trend will continue for the official weigh-in tomorrow. I think I did indeed find my culprit for not losing weight.
On a positive note, this morning when I took my unofficial scale reading, I was down 3 pounds. Hopefully the trend will continue for the official weigh-in tomorrow. I think I did indeed find my culprit for not losing weight.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Go me!
I am in shock! Today and yesterday I actually managed to have points left at the end of the day to spend how I pleased. The difference? I changed my breakfast and lunch. I've been wondering if fruit has been part of my challenge in actually losing weight, so I decided to calculate my normal Kashi and fruit breakfast as a recipe instead of a meal. Oh boy!! All of a suddent those 3 free fruits (1/2 banana, 1 oz of blueberries, 1/2 peach) turned into 5 or 9 points!! No wonder!!
In the Lettuce Eat Cake contest, someone recommended a website/blog that encourages a transition into following the Word of Wisdom diet (way of eating). One of the healthy habits is to eat a breakfast cereal that has more fiber than sugar. So, I started being pickier about the cereals that I bought. Kashi GoLean fits that critera, and I happen to enjoy the taste. I stocked up on the GoLean, but there is only a week's worth of cereal in each box. As good/healthy as it is, that's an expensive habit. Another cereal I had bought was Kellog's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Berry Yogurt Crunch. It was on clearance and the sugar and fiber content are pretty comparable. So, Tuesday I had to decide if I'd open another box of Kashi or try the Berry Yogurt Crunch. I decided to go with the Berry Yogurt Crunch. Instead of racking up 7-9 points in breakfast, I was able to keep it down to 6. The Kashi alone is 4 or 5 points plus the 2 points for milk. The choice seems to have been a good one for now.
As for lunch, I've not been doing a sit-down meal but rather snack all afternoon on small point items. For example, today I had an apple, a light string cheese and piece of wheat bread toasted with honey. The other trick is to then be busy all afternoon so I don't think about food until I pick Jared up from school and start dinner! ha!
It was such a delight last night to have 7 points to spare. 7 points don't go nearly as far on the points plus program but, it was enough that I was able to make some nachos :)
Tonight i had 5 points and spent them on an apple with peanut butter (big waste of 3 points) and a tortilla.
Hopefully if I can keep this up by the end of the week we'll see a difference in the numbers on the scale *crossing fingers*
On an exercise note, I am loving my exercise!! I love the feeling of strength - especially in my arms while I play the piano. I've been thinking about buying P90X again and doing the entire program. I love doing the weights in my videos. I think I'd be willing to do those videos where before I wasn't. And I think I'm ready to tackle PlyoX again.
In the Lettuce Eat Cake contest, someone recommended a website/blog that encourages a transition into following the Word of Wisdom diet (way of eating). One of the healthy habits is to eat a breakfast cereal that has more fiber than sugar. So, I started being pickier about the cereals that I bought. Kashi GoLean fits that critera, and I happen to enjoy the taste. I stocked up on the GoLean, but there is only a week's worth of cereal in each box. As good/healthy as it is, that's an expensive habit. Another cereal I had bought was Kellog's Fiber Plus Antioxidants Berry Yogurt Crunch. It was on clearance and the sugar and fiber content are pretty comparable. So, Tuesday I had to decide if I'd open another box of Kashi or try the Berry Yogurt Crunch. I decided to go with the Berry Yogurt Crunch. Instead of racking up 7-9 points in breakfast, I was able to keep it down to 6. The Kashi alone is 4 or 5 points plus the 2 points for milk. The choice seems to have been a good one for now.
As for lunch, I've not been doing a sit-down meal but rather snack all afternoon on small point items. For example, today I had an apple, a light string cheese and piece of wheat bread toasted with honey. The other trick is to then be busy all afternoon so I don't think about food until I pick Jared up from school and start dinner! ha!
It was such a delight last night to have 7 points to spare. 7 points don't go nearly as far on the points plus program but, it was enough that I was able to make some nachos :)
Tonight i had 5 points and spent them on an apple with peanut butter (big waste of 3 points) and a tortilla.
Hopefully if I can keep this up by the end of the week we'll see a difference in the numbers on the scale *crossing fingers*
On an exercise note, I am loving my exercise!! I love the feeling of strength - especially in my arms while I play the piano. I've been thinking about buying P90X again and doing the entire program. I love doing the weights in my videos. I think I'd be willing to do those videos where before I wasn't. And I think I'm ready to tackle PlyoX again.
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