Cleaning out the Freezer

Making the change from being an all-out flesh-eating family to a very limited one is actually kind of fun. My freezers had been full of the stuff. I'm talking FULL! I even had an inventory list so I'd know what was in there. Well, thanks to my dogs' raw diet, the only meat left in the garage chest freezer is for their meals. And even then, that's not a lot - mostly bones and a few bits and pieces. For the most part, it's pretty empty. The fridge freezer is pretty much the same. The big, bottom drawer still has a few packs of beef and a couple things of chicken breasts - but that's it. The rest of the freezer has fake corn dogs, fake chicken nuggets, and the dogs' raw patties. It's kind of shocking to look inside these two freezers which had been packed to gills at one time. I was constantly fighting for freezer space. Not anymore. It's almost as if the freezers are like us - trimmer.

Switching to a vegetarian diet has been really easy for us. It's almost as if we had been waiting for the right moment to make the change. My daughter and I still eat fish at least once a week, but other than that, we're doing the meat-free thing. My husband is happier, I feel healthier, and my daughter is having fun trying new foods. Well ... some of the new foods!

I was a little nervous about finding vegetarian meals that my family would enjoy. However, thanks to several veggie pals and the local library, I've started a nice collection of easy recipes. Easy is the key word, thank you! I'm astonished by some of the cookbooks that call for 30 or so ingredients. Umm ... I don't think so! Thankfully, I've found some realistic recipes for folks who don't want to spend a fortune or all day in the kitchen. Below is one of my family's fav meals:

Nachos

1 large onion, chopped
1 29 oz can Trader Joe's LF Organic Salsa-style Refried Beans
1 4.5 oz can Trader Joe's Chopped Green Chilies
Approx 2 cups LF Mexican-blend Cheese
Trader Joe's Green Salsa
1 chopped Tomato (optional)
Fat-Free Sour Cream (optional)
Chopped Green Onions (optional)
Sliced Black Olives (optional)
Trader Joe's Organic White Corn Chips

1. Saute onions in a little olive oil. Be careful not to brown them.
2. Spread refried beans evenly in a 9x13 shallow baking dish. Layer onions, chilies, and cheese. Drizzle top with salsa.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove. Serve w/FF sour cream, tomatoes, chopped green onions, black olives. Delicious!

Variation on Super Nachos in Glycemic Index Cookbook for Dummies - GREAT cookbook!

Surprisingly, this is an amazingly filling meal. Best of all, it satisfies those "I'm hungry for Mexican" cravings without the "I've just eaten a boatload of chips, salsa, and a greasy fajita" guilt. It's meals like this that make my family pleased to have gone meat-free.

How about you? Any chance you might try a meat-free meal this week? I find vegetarian cooking to be easier to prepare, cheaper to buy, and healthier for my family! I'll post some more of my yummy meat-free finds. If you have any that you'd like to share - please feel free to post!

Blurry Days and Mondays

I know, I know. It's not Monday; it's Tuesday. But yesterday was a blur, so I've decided to start the week over. Why was yesterday a blur? Could be because I stayed up until 4:15 am finishing my final exam paper. While this might okay for your average college student, but as a nearly 49 year old ... well, let's just say that yesterday wasn't pretty. Actually, it might have been; I just wasn't awake enough to get a good glimpse!

The upside to my all-night writing spree is that I'm free. FREE!!!! I have no more journal articles to read, no more reading response papers to write, no more classes to interfere with our evening meals. FREE!!!! Maybe it's because this class was so challenging and intense, but I have to admit that I feel at least 20 pounds lighter. A huge weight has been lifted. As a result of feeling so light ... or light-headed, I went a little crazy yesterday. This time, it was definitely Charlie Sheen crazy. I was truly winning! Well, that is until I woke up this morning and realized what I'd done. Confessions - we all went to our favorite Mexican restaurant where we ate endless amounts of chips and salsa. No margaritas, mind you. But yeah, those chips were flowing. Portion sizes were reduced because we went for lunch, but I happily confess the sins of my celebration. It was delicious. I mean - REALLY delicious. I don't want to do it again for a long time, but it was exactly what I needed. Ready for more? Yes, there is more. Well, since my mother abstained from my family's lunch time excursion, and you know, I had to include her in my celebrations, right? We went to Red Mango for some scrummy frozen yogurt. I made a small parfait of strawberry frozen yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, and slivered almonds. Divine. Bliss. I LOVE Red Mango. It was the perfect ending to my blurry day.

Did I wake up full of remorse? Naw. We're all allowed to pull a Charlie Sheen once in a while. In retrospect, it could have been much worse. I had refrained from consuming my usual bags full of chocolate tofffee popcorn, I exercised on Sunday, and I didn't eat anything except my Mexican meal and yogurt yesterday. In all, I probably consumed about the same amount of calories as I would on a "normal" day. I don't feel guilty, and I'm definitely not going to beat myself up about going out for a scrummy meal and yogurt. I had earned it. I'm going back to my usual routines today. It's okay. But the memories - ahhh - the memories. Yep, just what I needed.

I Second that Emotion

One of the best things about monitoring your food intake is that you get a really good look at not only what you eat, but also why you eat. I grew up in a household where food was love. In fact, I'm pretty sure I even heard my mother utter those very words at some point, "Here honey, eat this. Food is love." Anyone who has ever worked with me knows that I live this mantra. When a colleague is having a rough day, I am always there with a handful of Hershey Kisses or a bag of M&Ms. My remedy for any ailment is chocolate ... or a cupcake ... or a cookie.

As I work on the final exam paper for class this weekend, I find myself longing for something sweet and tasty. I'm not hungry. I just want the comfort and love of my good friends, Hershey and Snickers. I find it difficult to focus on the task at hand because all that sits beside me is a La Croix and a bag of nuts. I keep looking over at them in hopes that they might magically transform into something more appealing.  But alas, they haven't.

I've never completed a project without the help of my good buddies. This is a first for me. Normally, I sit and munch while I work. I never really taste the handfuls of snacks after the first bite or two. But they're a vital part of my work ritual. It's difficult resisting the temptation to hop in the car and head to Trader Joe's or Harris Teeter. I've never had a substance abuse problem, but I'm beginning to understand the psychological effects of one. It's crazy how our minds attempt to work against us in moments of weakness.

I know that I can complete this paper without eating a bag of M&Ms or chocolate popcorn. My creativity and content knowledge don't flow from these sugar-laden snacks. I'm smart enough to know this. However, fighting the distraction and constant hankering for them is going to be a challenge. I can do it. I know I can. I just have to convince my brain that I can.

Mother's Day Tradition - BROKEN!

Mother's Day means a trek to Costco to pick up one ... maybe two cartons of the most enormous triple-chocolate dipped strawberries. We're talking PURE decadence at its best. These delicacies are total bliss. Pop a couple on a plate, cut them in half, and chow down. Repeat until the entire dozen is consumed ... in less than an hour.

This year is different. I will not make my annual shopping excursion to Costco even though I know these scrummy delights are filling at least one cooler on this Mother's Day weekend. No, I refuse to fall victim to the call of the chocolate strawberries. I must continue to resist. This weekend, of all others, I must stay focused on my family's losses over the past three weeks. I must remind myself of how loose my pants feel. I cannot heed the call of temptation. Instead, I will satiate my desire with a beautiful parfait of organic strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. My parfait will be tastier than those chocolate Costco berries. Yeah. Sure. Uh-huh. Well ... that's what I'm telling myself!

What's for Dinner this Week?

5/7 - Saturday:
DIY Pizza or Salmon w/rice and asparagus

5/8 - Sunday:
Super Nachos, Salsa, Salad, Guacamole, Chips

5/9 - Monday:
Eggplant parmesan, rolls, salad

5/10 - Tuesday:
Chicken curry w/rice and vegetables

5/11 - Wednesday:
Cabbage soup, bread, salad

5/12 - Thursday:
Bean burritos, salsa, guacamole

5/13 - Friday:
Shrimp fried rice or subs

We're a Bunch o' Losers! YEAH!

The third week was definitely the charm! We were all a bunch of losers today. While the weight losses aren't phenomenal, the inch losses are considerable. There's a whole lot less of my family! Here are the stats:

Mom:
Total Weight Loss: -.4 lb
Waist: -2.5"
Hips: -3.5"
Chest: -3"
Right Arm: -3.5 cm
Left Arm: -1.5 cm
Right Thigh: -4.5 cm
Left Thigh: -6.5 cm

Dad:
Total Weight Loss: -7.8 lbs
Waist: -.5"
Hips: -4.25"
Chest: -2"
Right Arm: -3 cm
Left Arm: -1.5 cm
Right Thigh: -1 cm
Left Thigh: 0

Daughter:

Total Weight Loss: -3 lbs
Waist: -2"
Hips: -4"
Chest: -5"
Right Arm: -2.5 cm
Left Arm: -1.5 cm
Right Thigh: -7.5 cm
Left Thigh: -6 cm

Nearing the End of Week Three

I think I can, I think I can! Just like the little choo-choo who had to climb up that hill, my family and I keep repeating this chant. I think I can, I think I can!

Well, this week has been a breeze for me. My exercise routines and eating habits have begun to become a part of my lifestyle. I can't even be naughty when I want to! I walked to Dairy Queen last night and ordered a medium twist ice cream in a cup. I took a few bites and had had enough. I realized that my goal was to walk the 1.3 miles to the ice cream shop - not eat the ice cream. Sadly though, this has not been an easy week for the rest of my team. My daughter struggled at the beginning, but she recovered thanks to her newfound love for organic red raspberries. I might need to take out a second mortgage to buy enough for her, but at least she's discovered a treat that is healthy and most importantly - the she loves. She no longer feels deprived when she looks in the pantry or the fridge. It's my husband who is really starting to lose steam. He started the week by making a trek to Chick-Fil-A on his way to work. I had to chuckle when I received his guilt-filled email on Monday morning. I assured him that it was okay. I mean, geesh, didn't he see me wolf down those Peeps the week before?! It doesn't make you a bad person to say 'yes' once in a while. Unfortunately though,  my husband doesn't quite get that. He seems to feel that failure is a domino effect. One downfall leads to another and then another ... This is a hard mentality to break, but I think it's an important one to work on. We all have moments of weakness be it food, clothing, books, what have you. I think it's healthier to focus on the recovery rather than the failure.

Overall, this has been a week with lots of reflection. After much discussion, my family and I have decided to begin eliminating meat from our diet. We all recognized that for the most part, we don't actually like meat. Well, most meat! I love beef. I always have and probably always will. However, I don't like what beef does to my body. I also have great love for cows - which being a rare beef lover ... well, the two don't mix. My grandfather raised cattle when I was a child. They were the most gorgeous Angus. I remember falling in love with one of them, naming it, feeding it, petting it - only to discover several months later that George was on my dinner plate! The rest of the family has willingly embraced the idea of going vegetarian. I realize that it will be a slow transition, but I think that it will be a good change. Thankfully, I have a number of friends who are vegetarian and willing to share their wisdom with me. When I was a vegetarian in college, I was pretty much all on my own. There wasn't an array of meat substitutes. Times have changed. Today, loads of folks are meat-free for a myriad of reasons. Best of all, there are lots of options for meatless dining.

I've also amped up the exercise this week. I did something I hadn't done in a very long time. I walked over a mile to the shops. Now, I've walked over a mile on the treadmill, but walking with my daughter and pup in tow was a great experience. First of all, it's been ages since I've been able to walk like that. Again, I credit my fab Naturopath for getting me started on some super effective supplements. Secondly, it gave me some super one-on-one time with my kiddo. We homeschool and we're together all the time, but going on this walk gave us uninterrupted time to talk. And good lord almighty, did she talk! I swear that the child didn't draw breath the entire time. It was great though. I loved every second of it, and I intend to make it a weekly event. Cedric enjoyed it, too. He's never sniffed such a variety of smells in his life. Plus, he LOVED the attention once we got to the shopping centre.

In addition to the outdoor walks, I've started doing an exercise video. I had to chuckle when I first started using it because I had flashbacks of working out to Jane Fonda tapes in my youth. Well, I stopped into Ross the other day and came across a 5 mile walk kit from Leslie Sansone that included the DVD, weights, and a couple of bands. I'll confess that I feel like a total dweeb doing the workouts, especially when I really start to get into it and clap along with them. But you know what? It's fun! And the workout is great! I'm totally beat up after doing it. It's turned out to be one of the best $7 investments I've ever made.

So ... tomorrow is the moment of truth. Will I lose weight and/or inches? Don't tell anybody in my family, but I really don't care. I feel better. I move better. My clothes fit better. I don't need numbers to dictate how I'm doing. I know that I'm doing good things for my family and for my body. That's all that matters!