For the most part, I haven’t had much trouble finding alternative meals to fit my diet plan. I’ve lost 40 lbs, so something is going well! 🙂  That said, sometimes I just can’t adapt what I’m preparing for the boys, so I fix myself something altogether different.

Tonight was one of those nights. The boys love pot pie, and although I do know how to make it from scratch, per se, they also like the individual bowls from the freezer aisle. Heck, you can’t get much simpler than that, so I try to keep some on hand. Unfortunately, anything made into a “pie” has wayyy too many carbs for my diet, so I was scrounging around for something to fix myself.

I made the mistake of grocery shopping without a list last week and ended up with a few random items that sounded delicious at the time, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. Two such items were a package of fully-cooked (and carb-free) pork carnitas and a can of sauerkraut (also nominal carbs).

I don’t remember ever having sauerkraut with anything other than sausage, but I figured it was worth a try. So, I warmed up the odd concoction, and believe it or not, it was really good! Bonus: there was plenty leftover for another meal.

Lane won’t go anywhere near cabbage in any way, shape, form or fashion, and I relished every bite without having to watch him turn up his nose at it. So there – ha!  :p

I was craving some spinach artichoke dip this evening, so I decided to try to make a “skinny” version. I’m pleased to report that it turned out great!

Here’s the recipe, in case you’d like to try it:

1/2 c frozen chopped spinach
1/2 c canned artichoke hearts
2 wedges of Laughing Cow garlic & herb cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine the spinach & artichoke in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 1.5 min, long enough to thaw the spinach and soften the artichoke.

Scoop the spinach artichoke mixture into a food processor and add the cheese wedges. (I halved the wedges first so they’d blend evenly.)

Puree until the mixture is thoroughly blended and no large chunks of artichoke remain.

Put the dip back in the bowl and warm for another minute or so, until the dip is warm to your liking. Add a dash of salt & pepper, as you like.

Makes approx 1 c. According to my calculations, the entire cup of dip packs 5 g of protein and 3 g fiber with only 102 cal and 5 carbs! Yummy AND healthy; can’t beat that combo!

I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of protein shake powder. I do like the convenience of having a shake as a quick & easy meal, though.

I’ve tried to be creative about what to mix in with the powder base. Brace yourself, because this will sound unconventional, but I’m drinking it right now and can vouch for its flavor. 🙂

For supper tonight, I added frozen rhubarb, frozen blueberries (approx 1/2 c. ea), 8oz of Powerade Zero Berry flavor and 1/4 c. fat-free cottage cheese!

No kidding, it tastes like a yogurt smoothie! This experiment is a win in my book.

Twenty-nine pounds and subtracting! I calculated that if I can maintain a steady pace of weightloss (even averaging a little less than I have been), then I should be on target to reach my goal weight sometime between Labor Day and Columbus Day. My arbitrary goal date is the first day of Autumn, which is September 23, 2010. A new season = a new ME!!

Plus, my hubby comes home for his Army vacation in late August, by which time I estimate that I’ll be within about 20 lbs of my goal. I might not be ashamed to go to the beach, after all!

I know that I need to exercise more consistently (hence, the joke about crunches). I’m seriously considering starting karate with the boys. The oldest two and I could attend the “family” class (which is for older kids &/or advanced belts and grown-ups), and the little three would still go to the beginner class earlier in the evening, which is just for kids. I think it could be a lot of fun. It would give the big boys and me something to do together, not to mention a boost to their egos that they know more than me about something (heehee). The self defense aspect speaks for itself; I think every woman should know how to defend herself from physical attack. And, of course, it would be terrific exercise.

The things I’m most nervous about, if I’m honest, are: jumping jacks (haven’t tried those since my A-cup days), tumbling/rolling/falling practice, sparring (ie, punching/kicking someone or being punched/kicked) and gun techniques. Granted, gun exercises are for more advanced belts, but just watching my husband and older boys practice take-downs and attacks a few months ago brought me to tears, and I had to leave the room. I’m hopeful that I could overcome these hang-ups over time, and the instructors are some of the most amazing folks on the planet, so I know they would bear with me.

Next week, I hope to reach 1/3 of my overall weightloss goal!  🙂

I shared earlier this week that I’ve passed the 20-lb mark in my weightloss journey; it’s very exciting! It is both encouraging and a bit nauseating to think that I’ve lost the equivalent of a big bag of dog food – those suckers are heavy! – or five bags of sugar (which used to come in 5-lb bags but now they’re only 4 lbs each).

Tonight as I was packing for my weekend trip to San Antonio (more about that in a later post), I decided to try on a pair of slacks that have been taunting me from the back of my closet. Lo & behold, they buttoned & zipped comfortably! I was so stoked, I decided to try on a blouse that I haven’t worn in ages because the buttons were taut. Yeeeeee – it fit!!

Not only that, but my wedding rings are loose and my chin is slimmer. I just keep telling myself, “Man, if it’s this exciting at the 20-lb mark, think how awesome it will be when the loose pants don’t fit at all! What will 30 lbs be like? 50? 90?!?”

My goal is 96 lbs from where I started three weeks ago, so I’m nearly a quarter of the way there! That would put me at the same weight I was when we got married, which was not “thin” by the world’s standards, but it was a comfortable, healthy weight for me.

I know that it’s unrealistic to think that I’ll continue losing at the pace that I’ve been at these first three weeks, but it has been a tremendous jump-start to a radical shift in my mindset and lifestyle.

My dearly deployed hubby is experiencing a serious craving for sushi. He sent me an email recently and asked me to please send our entire stash of Earl Grey and Green tea, wasabi, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds and a bamboo sushi mat. He and some buddies are hoping to scrounge up some grub from the mess hall and make their own sushi.

Simple enough request, I thought … until I couldn’t find our bamboo sushi mat. Quite honestly, I can’t remember the last time we even used it, and it certainly hasn’t been since we moved. Suffice it to say, it has probably gone the way of mismatched socks and last summer’s sunglasses.

I even looked at two different stores to find another one, but to no avail. I did, however, find bamboo skewers, and it gave me an idea: Make my own mat! So, I bought a package of 100 skewers and a couple of spools of khaki thread (though I only ended up needing one).

Making the mat wasn’t difficult; I just had to be sure that the knots were snug. I used about an arm-and-a-half length of thread, doubled it and knotted the ends. Then, I tied the skewers together and reinforced each set of four. I started with a seam down the center and then along the ends, about 1.5″ from each tip so that the thread won’t work itself off during use. I set aside each batch of 16 skewers and pieced them together as I finished another batch. I ended up making five sets of 16, which made the mat about the size of a small place mat – perfect for rolling sushi.

I was pleased with how the project was coming along, so with my 10yo’s help, we made a YouTube video to share our project with the world (or the two or three people in the world who happen to have a hankering for making their own bamboo sushi mat, lol).

Here is a picture of the finished product. I wrapped it up and tied a ribbon around it with a slip of paper tucked inside that reads: “I bid you Good Eating!” to make my hubby smile (we’re big fans of Food Network and Alton Brown, in particular). I think he’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Now that my oldest is 10 and the youngest is nearly five years old, I guess I have to stop blaming my weight on the kids. I’ve had the mindset that “I’m healthy, but …” and the “but” was the fact that I have many, many pounds to lose. Generally speaking, I am healthy. My blood pressure and cholesterol are low, my flexibility is great and I’m exceptionally strong. (In fact, I can leg-press more than 750 lbs.) But my weight has not decreased since I’ve had kids; on the contrary, it has increased year after year.

I know that I need to exercise, but my main hang-up has been time. Oh, and raising several children. Oh, and having a husband who’s working &/or out of town two weekends a month. Believe me, my list of excuses is lengthy.

The proverbial slap upside my head came this past weekend, however. I knew it would take something to rattle my cage before I got serious about needing to exercise. On one of the legs of my flight to San Francisco, I had to ask for a seatbelt extender. I tried scooting as far back against the chair as I could, sucking in my gut … I even tried buckling it as low as possible, like I did that one time I flew to a conference 6 mos prego with my second son. Nothing worked. I even debated not buckling it at all and just draping my sweater across my lap so the flight attendant wouldn’t notice. But, I finally broke down and asked. It ended up being no big deal, other than my complete loss of pride.

So, in the interest of not wanting to be the fat lady on the plane who can’t buckle her seatbelt, I’ve started taking an evening walk/jog. It hasn’t been quite a week yet, but I’m committed to doing it. I feel good, not only physically but feel good about myself afterward. It is kinda fun to challenge myself, and each day, I’ve done a little more than the day before.

I started out walking one mailbox and jogging to the next, repeatedly down and back up my street, which is about a 1/2 mile roundtrip. Then, I went to walking 1, jogging 2. Next, I walked 1-2 and jogged 3. Tonight, I made the trek to my parents’ house and back, which is 8/10 mi. total. I paused there for a drink of water and to say hi, but I didn’t stay long enough to get comfortable.

I am setting small, attainable goals for myself to challenge me and keep it interesting. I would like to be able to jog to my mom’s house, walk around the block with her, then walk/jog back home. Depending on our route, that could be about 2 mi.

The down side is that the only time I have to do this is in the evening, but I have a big, chunky flashlight that would double as a club, if need be, but he neighborhood is pretty quiet. I suppose I could get up extra-early in the morning to go out, but I’ve known myself for going on 35 years now, and history has not been an indicator of a successful early morning exercise routine.

I’m buckling up and ready for the ride!

I don’t hunt. I don’t particularly care to go hunting, ever. I’ve been to a shooting range once, and I’ve shot arrows at targets a couple of times, but that’s the extent of my interest. I can’t even stomach filleting a fish, and I have to not think too much about eating chicken on the bone.

However, I have a friend who hunts with her husband, and we were blessed with a gift of several pounds of ground venison! I had heard that venison is leaner than beef, but I was amazed that I didn’t even have to drain it after it browned.The boys loved every, single dish we made with the venison.

We’re going to make arrangements to pay for processing on additional venison and perhaps some wild hog. What a huge help for the grocery budget – meat really adds up! Hooray for friends!