Being "still'.

What a crazy, mixed up, emotional roller coaster of a week.

Little Johnny has been gone all week at Science Camp... and my Mama has been in the hospital... my house is a mess, I haven't been cooking much, and I hate worrying...

SOOOOO... I decided to just let go... and let God.  Whew... that feels soooo much better.... Now if I can just keep from taking it back from Him... I'll be great!

I learned a lot this week.   Not that I didn't know this before... but I'm an emotional eater... THE OPPOSITE kind... I don't eat AT ALL... when I'm stressed, worried or in a hurry... quite the contrary... I have no appetite at all, and FORGET to eat... imagine that!  ME... forgetting to eat!!!

So... I now know why I've gained all this weight... I'VE BEEN TO DANG HAPPY!  LOL!  No... just kidding...

I am very, very, very well taken care of by my husband... which allows me to the opportunity to totally focus my energies on raising our sons, and being their Mama full time... and taking care of business on the home front...
Sounds great huh?  Well.... you'd think...

BUT... that led me to put MYSELF on the back burner for a little too long... I was taking care of them, and NOT taking care of myself... THAT'S no way to be a good role model.  To truly love others... one must first love herself... enough to take care of herself and make sure she is around for a long time... to see the fruits of her labor...  I finally figured out... the hard way... that it does no good to raise good men... if I can't be with them when they ARE men... to enjoy the spoils of Motherhood and to one day enjoy grandchildren...

While my Mama was laying in her hospital bed, and I was able to be there with her all day, every day... I started to cry... Why? Because I was overwhelmed by the fact that I got the PRIVILEGE of being able to be with her, with no strings to pull me away like a job or little children who needed me... and I was overwhelmed with the gift I was given.  Don't get me wrong... we do not live in a huge house, or drive brand new cars every other year, nor do we buy things on time,  but we live within our means with no debt at all, and I got so emotional and weepy at the fact that I've been so taken care of by God and my husband...that I didn't honor those gifts by taking care of myself...

I am so happy to have finally pulled my head out of my proverbial butt!

God whispers things to us, and we have to be still to listen... and if we are running around, taking care of things, putting out fires, helping others all the time, and not helping ourselves a little too... he starts to SCREAM... and the screams can come in ways that MAKE us stop and reflect and just "be", so we can HEAR what's being said.

So this week... among the beeps, and whirring, and IV drips, and my Mama's gentle sleep, I heard the whispers...and the convictions, and the gratitude, and the overwhelming feeling of peace that I have so desperately been looking for this week.

It will all be okay.  Mama will heal.  She will be better than before.  Johnny will come home safely, my new business will thrive. My sons will grow up to be great men...  People that have hurt and wronged me... will get what they deserve... and I will lose the rest of this weight...forever...

It just took being still... for a little while.  Breathe in... breathe out... breathe in ... breathe out... Close your eyes...
and just 'BE'. 
It's a gift... take it.

I'll be back.

Sorry everyone... I'm here... my Mama is in the hospital, knee replacement surgery... with a little bit of complications... kind of a roller coaster... one day she's great the next hour she's not...

I'll write when I get her all settled and home...

Until then... please hang with me... and maybe now you can get caught up on some archives you've missed...

Love to all

S

Calling the "fat" out...

Last night on Dancing with the Stars... I was dismayed.  Niecy Nash... a lovely, voluptuous woman, by NO means morbidly obese, was the butt of a few fat jokes during the program...

Let me just say this... to all the people that think it's okay to tease someone about ANYthing that may be "wrong" with them,

"SHUT UP!"
Ahem...

I have news for Len, Chad and her partner Louie...SHE can make fun of her weight... YOU  can't... It's just the way it is!!!

She handled it with grace and aplomb...and didn't seem to take offense to any of it... but inside... I know EXACTLY what she was feeling... EXACTLY...

When Len said... "Look, it's no secret you are an enthusiastic eater." and when Chad said his "food" comment, and when Louie mentioned he "Knows what Niecy must feel like" when someone tries to take her food away...
I CRINGED!  Do they not hear themselves?  The worse part??? MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of people were watching!!!

My Mama underwent knee replacement surgery early this morning... and I'm in the waiting room writing this... and when my Mama was being wheeled into the OR, a man, with the most visibly horrific warts and bumps all over his face and body was wheeled in her place, it was difficult to watch, but more difficult to turn away.  That poor man... covered in huge, quarter sized warts from head to toe...I'm sure has heard some doozies in his time...
and I'm not trying to compare being overweight and dealing with unthinking, crude people, to being covered in warts and growths and being ridiculed... no... no comparison needed... the growths are much less the "norm"...
But what I'm getting at is... Does that poor man need to be REMINDED that he has those things?  What does it do for the person speaking, to state the obvious?  Does it elevate the speaker in any way?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I have mirrors.  I KNOW.. all too well what my reflection is.  I don't need reminders... from anyone.  When I make jokes and commentary about my weight... I'M ALLOWED... YOU  are not. Plain and simple.

Supermodels think they have stuff wrong with them.  When they bring it up...it's a way of coping or dealing with the issue... when someone else does.. they get offended... it's just the way it is!

Whether fat, skinny, short, tall, warted, hairless, whatever... rest assured... that person KNOWS it.

I have a relative, that everytime she see's me she says... "You look the same Sandra!"... After a while... I got hip to the jive... at first I thought she was telling me I still looked young.. I don't see her very often... but a couple of years ago, she made that same comment, and turned around and mentioned that it "would take a miracle" to get me slim down.  It hurt.  It hurt because... 1. she has NO place to talk...not being thin herself... 2. She didn't ever see "me" she saw my "weight".  She hasn't seen me since before I lost this 80 lbs... so the next time I see her, it'll be interesting... but words hurt...

I know it sounds like I'm being ultra sensitive... and maybe I am... but I believe EVERYONE can understand where I'm coming from... because we've all had things said to our faces that we just can't believe someone could say!!!  I'm talking about grown ups... not kid speak... that different...

Making jokes about someone IS NOT the way to deliver care and concern about someone... its hurtful, rude and crass.  Calling someone an "enthusiastic eater" SOUNDS like a nice way of saying "PIG"... but it's not.

Len... I give you a "1" as your score... Chad, I really liked you... until last night... you get a big, FAT "0" as your score...and Louie... well... you are just plain, well... I THINK you meant well... so you get a "4".

Class up... Dancing with the Stars... Carrianne and Bruno are no gems... but I'm surprised at Len... I hope they all apologize tonight...

Let's be kind to each other... let it be...

Stock...Chicken, Beef or Veggie... 101

This is the food of the week... HOMEMADE STOCK.

Yes... you CAN make it yourself.. I promise.  It'll taste better, look better and feed  you better than anything from a can or box... I PROMISE!!!

The great thing about homemade stock is the control of salt, and all the vitamins and minerals that you DRINK from all the veggies you cook in it..

I like to make stock fresh each week... with whatever I have on hand... veggies, beef bones, chicken bones... fish bones... what ever you have...

Also, I like to use REMNANTS of veggies, and not waste an entire, good, perfect veggie I could eat whole, if the ends and peels will do just fine anyway...

What I mean is... when I do my prep each week... I will not discard the tops and bottoms of the onions, or zucchini, or the outer leaves of cabbage... I will wash them up and add them to my stock to boil down until it is no longer recognizable.

Here's how I make Stock...

NUMBER ONE RULE...

DO NOT PUT SALT IN YOUR STOCK...AT ALL...

Salt comes in when you USE the stock in a recipe, so you have total control.

8-10 quart stock pot

fresh water

carrot tops, or 4 carrots chopped into 2 inch pieces

5 stalks celery, the leaves are perfect for stock

1 quartered onion or the peels and tops of onions

10 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Any veggies you have that are on their way out... or that you love...

 (except eggplant, it does NOT make for good stock when boiled... trust me)

***

Now.. the above is veggie stock... if  you want beef stock, add a nice beef bone or a few small bones, same for chicken, or fish... just add the bones.

***

COOK THAT SUCKER FOR HOURS AND HOURS with the lid on... until all the veggies are soft and have nothing left to give..

Cool it, strain it, and place it in an airtight container in your fridge for a week... use it for soups, cous cous, water for rice, anything!!!

Add salt when making the recipes it is used in...

ENJOY!!!

And the winner is...

Okay....

DRUMROLL PLEEEEASE!!!!

After writing all the names...

And cutting them into strips....

and placing them into a bag... and having my son (who did not want to be photographed choosing)

Picked a name out of the bag...

THE WINNER IS!!!

Yeah!!!! BIG round of applause!!!

Leslie...

email me and tell me your choice of store...

Bed Bath & Beyond,

World Market...

or Target...

oh!!! the shade of Bare Minerals foundation

you think you might wear...

med, light, tan...

CONGRATULATIONS

Thank you EVERYONE that played...

I am sooo honored you read me!!!

It still baffles me that people actually read something I write...

Love to all of you!!!

Eat well... Love much...Laugh often!!!

Giveaway and request...

NEW POSTS FOR THE WEEK... WILL BE UNDER THIS POST UNTIL APRIL 25, THE DRAWING... JUST SO YA KNOW!!!  SO JUST SCROLL DOWN TO SEE IF THERE IS ANYTHING NEW... THX!  LOVE YA!

Hi all...

I have a request...

I have NO idea how many of you or who is reading my blog... and I was wondering if you could click "follow" and leave a comment when you visit... it only one word... like... "Oh" or "Really?" or maybe a couple of words like...

"You're nuts." or "Do you really eat that?".. ANYTHING... so I don't feel so alone... LOL!

How about... for every comment left, and every new follower clicked... I'll put your name each time into a drawing for...

Bare Escentuals foundation and baby buki brush

A Pampered Chef cookbook or two...

and a $10 $20 gift card to either Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, or World Market? 

How does that sound?

I know it's not much... but I have three kids in private school... all funds funnel there... LOL

I will announce the winner on April 25th, Sunday Evening... and when you win...

just private email me your home address... and I'll send it all out to ya!!!

Thanks again for reading...

and following...

OH!!! And if you are already a follower... I'll add you in the mix... just leave as many comments as you want to enter... and up your chances of winning!!!

Happy Eating!!! and Losing!!!

I love being a loser!!!

TO COMMENT... JUST CLICK ON THE "COMMENT" AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH POST... SOMETIMES A NUMBER WILL BE THERE... SOMETIMES IT WILL SAY "0" COMMENTS...
AND WRITE AWAY!!!

Preaching to the Choir...

A friend of mine and I were talking on the phone the other day.. like we do every morning... and, of course, the subject came around to food.

The night before, I had made a boat load of fresh breadsticks, three kinds, and I gave her some to try.  She has 5 young sons, so I thought they might love to gnaw on them during the baseball game...

She loved them... and informed me she and her husband didn't share at all with the kids... LOL... they kept them all themselves...

I was happy she enjoyed them.  I'm starting yet another business, a meal delivery one, for busy moms and anyone that wants wholesome homemade food, with no guilt, and no talking into a box while in the car... and she and her family are my "taste testers".

She mentioned to me... that she admits that she sometimes makes the kids boxed dinners, or orders fast food for dinner... and she felt ashamed to say it.  While I am proud of her for feeling ashamed... I did too, when I did it... it got me wondering how I come across to people... I didn't want her to feel like I was ever going to judge her or think she was less of a Mother because she does it.  (We ALL have... it's a fact, no use lying about it.)

So I asked her... "Do I make you feel badly, or do you feel like I preach to you?"... she emphatically said "NO!... I learn from you and you are rubbing off on me, and I am starting to see that we can eat better, and the kids can eat with us, and I can make the rules... not the kids."  Thank God.  The last thing I want to do is alienate people. (however... I feel like... after a while if you know what you are making or buying isn't good, and you do it all the time anyway... then... in my mind... I'm probably gonna judge you... and feel sorry for your kids... just sayin')

Truth be told... I only talk about the way I eat or how my family now eats... when I am asked.. or when I blog on here... otherwise... I don't just blurt things out... HOWEVER... I can see, now... how choosing a healthier lifestyle can make others feel diminished or, you know what I mean... on the defensive... because of how I perceived her statement.

So this got me thinking... on how all of us... on our roads to healthier eating, better health, or weight loss, can help others feel comfortable in their own skin... without sounding preachy or "elevated".

Inevitably, if you've lost some weight, people will comment and ask how you've done it.  A great way to say it... without delving into a dissertation on every morsel of food, every calorie counted, and every step taken... a quick, concise sentence will do...
"Thank you so much for noticing... I feel really great... I just decided it was time to eat well all the time, and to take care of myself, so I can take better care of others" 
If that prompts a "what diet are you on?" question... instead of saying... "Oh DIEt is so WRONG... it's LIFESTYLE CHANGE..."
say instead... "Fresh fruits, fresh veggies, lean meats, large meal at lunch, fruit for dinner... that kind of thing."

You never know... he/she may want to know more... and you can either direct to this blog, or to the Let's Do Lunch book or website or start a great conversation of questions and answers...

In the beginning of ANY change in life... whether it be quitting smoking, eating better, becoming a Born Again Christian, kicking any bad habit... can be like a new world opening up.   One just wants to preach to the world that 'this' way is the best way... and EVERYONE should do it... and one starts to sound like a Chihuahua on crack... talking incessantly, overdoing it... pushing the ideas on anyone with an ear.  I am so guilty of it.

As time goes on... and it becomes more of how we live and breathe, and not so new anymore... it becomes easier to talk about without sounding like an insurance salesman that needs to meet his quota in 5 minutes... or the bonus is out.

I learned we have to love people into this way of eating.  It is important though... very important to spread better eating to the masses... our very lives depend on it, but there is a way of doing it that will get better results... than just talking... it's also walking the walk... actually DOING what we say needs to be done...

It's true...actions do speak louder than words... and if we model good eating habits... our children, grandchildren, friends, parents, acquaintences, everyone will live longer, better, more healthy lives...

Peace.

CrockPot Wednesday

Mmmm.... Chicken in the Crock Pot... What can be better?

I LOVE to make BBQ Chicken... but sometimes... when I know I'm going to be gone all day... and I still want BBQ chicken with all the BBQing... I make this...

Here's what you'll need...

Chicken... any cuts you like... skinned and defatted

1/2 lbs crimini or button mushrooms

1 sliced big onion

2 cups homemade or good store bought BBQ sauce

(read the ingredients and find the one with the least ingredients and fillers...) (if it reads like a science experiment... it IS an science experiment... and we are NOT guinea pigs!!!)

You can pre saute your chicken and get a good crisp on them, or just throw them in... whatever floats your boat...

Add everything in (but only 1/2 the BBQ sauce) and turn it to high and cook for 6-8 hours...

Stir occasionally if you are home...

At the end... stir in the rest of the BBQ sauce and season to taste...

Make some lovely brown rice with frozen peas sprinkled in or corn...

or a great Cous Cous (whole wheat if you can) made with a fat free chicken stock

or small side of pasta (if you eat bread)

and ladle over the goodness...

The chicken FALLS off the bone...

Make a salad, pour a nice glass of wine...

AND EAT LIKE A QUEEN!!!

Leftovers are AWESOME!!!

Food of the Week...Onions

Not a day goes by... that I don't use an onion... somehow... somewhere... in my cooking.

They are the perfect start to almost any dish... raw or cooked...

Full of cancer fighting compounds... they also help to stave off infection and viruses...

People tend to have a Love/Hate relationship with onions... they either love em or hate em... not in between.

Almost any onion can be made milder and sweeter by cooking it.  I LOVE the Red/Purple onions... they have a great bite and a gorgeous color.  Vidalias, when in season, are another fave... they are so sweet, you can almost bite into them like an apple...almost...

Every pot of soup, stir fry, pasta sauce, salad, taco mixture, meatball, burger, you name it... starts out with chopped or sliced onion...saute'd in my house...  Add garlic... and the aroma is sheer heaven... and it permeates the neighborhood.  My neighbors always tell  me they can smell my cooking from the street.

One of my MOST favorite recipes is an Apricot Chicken dish... that is divine, and it features an onion sauce that is OUT OF THIS WORLD... I made the recipe up all by myself when I was just starting out cooking from scratch... when I needed to "use what I had"... and it's become a family favorite...
I call it Alex Chicken... because it's my Alex's favorite dish...

Here's what you'll need...

10 chicken thighs, skin removed and all visible fat trimmed off

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 - 3/4 cup Apricot Pineapple Jam/marmalade

1 cup any kind of wine you like or 1 cup beef broth if you don't do wine

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 tsp butter

Put a little olive oil into a screaming hot frying pan, and sear those chicken thighs until golden brown and the juices run clear...

Remove chicken and set aside...

Reserve drippings (there won't be much... if you defatted)

Throw in onions and saute until translucent and almost browning

Add wine/broth

Add jam
Add butter

Stir and simmer to thicken sauce...

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the chicken back into the sauce and simmer another few minutes...

Make some mashed Sweet Potatoes or some Brown Rice or Cous Cous and some

lovely Green Beans... and EAT UP!!!

The sauce is AWESOME over rice or couscous and as a gravy over the potatoes...

It's even good the next day cold...

Enjoy!!!

Onions... they are a great thing!!!

Mayo FREE Slaw...

I was watching a local food show yesterday, and this recipe for a Mediterranean MAYO FREE slaw popped onto the screen and I jumped up and had to try it.  I LOVE CABBAGE... and I had just purchased 3 huge heads the day before... and this recipe was ready in minutes!

Here's what  you'll need...

1 or 2 heads of sliced cabbage

4 shredded carrots

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup vinegar (I used Apple Cider Vinegar)

salt to taste

pepper to taste

juice of one lemon

1 tsp celery seed or fresh sliced celery (I used the seeds... less water, all the flavor)

1 tsp sugar (or not)

Pinch of dill weed

Toss it all together, place it in a Lock n Lock or a tight container and refrigerate until you wanna devour it.

You can add any veggies you love to this... peppers, cukes, onions... you name it...

It DOES NOT taste like regular mayo coleslaw... it's a different flavor profile... but when I tried it last night... right after it was made... I loved it.

I am not a mayo fan... one jar lasts us an entire year... so this was a great alternative that has a clean, fresh taste...

I hope you'll try it...

Snacking...A love story...

Snacks are great.

Pre Lifestyle overhaul... snacks would consist of chips, something with a lot of bread, or something from a bag, laden with fat and salt.

NOW!!! When I'm in the snacking way, mostly when my least favorite visitor comes around, snacks consist of fruit, homemade hummus, roasted veggies, or unsulfured, unsweetened dried mangoes.

My boys play a lot of sports... and the habit to have something to nibble while watching is still alive and well in me.  I used to bring the requisite bad food, or buy something from the dreaded Snack Bar, covered in melted "cheese" or encased in a white bread bun. 

No more!  Now... I can be seen eating a lovely bowl of cut up fruit, or dried mangoes, or raisins.  It's funny, because all the other Mom's see me eating my stuff, and comment on how guilty they feel eating the stuff they brought.  I assure them I'm not trying to make them feel badly (they are all gorgeously thin), it's just that if I don't have my snacks with me at all times, I'll feel deprived and want to eat what's available.

Yes, even now... 9 months later... I have to tell myself not to want to eat the bad food.  Bad habits are very hard to break.

I know some of you have been struggling with having bad food around you too.  Why does it seem like the second we start or decided to eat well... EVERYONE else is eating junk?  Guess what... it's always been that way... we are just more sensitive to it now that we are on the right eating path... it's normal.  Remember when you were pregnant?  You never saw or noticed pregnant women until you became pregnant... then it seemed like the entire world was was preggers... HUH?

Resisting gets easier and easier the longer you choose to stay away from junk. I promise.  If you keep filling, and I mean FILLING yourself up with fruits and veggies (fresh or frozen) your body will begin to crave good food... I PROMISE!

Yesterday, at my oldest son's High School baseball game... my middle son had a cookie my Mom made.  I hadn't eaten in 7 hours, and I was starving.  He offered me a bite... and I took a small one.  It was oatmeal raisin.  I LOVED oatmeal raisin cookies... I took a nibble... and my mouth was FLOODED with butter and sugar, and feeling and taste my mouth wasn't used to... I HAD to spit it out.  Yes... I really did!  My husband was shocked that I took a bite, and when he saw my face, after tasting it... he burst out laughing!

He said "You aren't used to eating sugar and butter... you should see your face!"  I didn't realize I was making a face... but my mouth and body were rejecting the foreign food.  I knew I couldn't swallow it.  I just spent the last 9 months training my mouth and body to eat fresh whole foods... and one nibble of a homemade cookie sent me into a tailspin.  Wow... this truly IS a lifestyle change.

Those of you reading this, those of you really needing to make a change for the better... not only to lose weight, but to eat more healthily, to feed your bodies so it rejects cancer, and heart disease, and high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and diabetes... THE LONGER YOU STAY EATING WELL... THE BETTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO REJECT TEMPTATION...when it comes around. 

Do it for yourself first... for your kids second.  We must model good eating habits.  We must make food that is fresh, wholesome and not from cans and bags and boxes... for our futures...

Snack well my friends... buy fruit in season, or buy it frozen and take it with you where ever you go, so you always have the right choice with you...

Roasted Veggies 102

Roasting Veggies 102

Got a lot of questions about this today... and wanted to make sure that I explained and showed some pics about what and how my eggplant get cooked and what they look like when done...

First I cut my eggplant into 1/2 inch disks.... then lightly brush both sides with Olive Oil and sprinkle with a little salt... on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

This is 2 eggplants... cut up..

See the salt?

Then I place them... just like this... into a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so... until they look like this...

The I either just eat them right off the sheet, or I package them up into a Lock N Lock and fridge them until my next meal.

I eat them cold.  I LOVE them that way.

It's very simple... and very delicious.

Sometimes I cut them up into chunks and eat them over a large salad, but mostly... I eat them just like this...

I also roasted some Butternut Squash today...

I used to peel and dice it up... but found this method MUCH easier  and the roasting carmelizes the natural sugars and give this a much better flavor...

This is going to be Butternut and Corn with Pea slurry tonight... for lunches for me for the week.

First...

I cut them in half, lenthwise...

Aren't they gorgeous?  So vibrant... love eating my colors...

Then I scooped out the seeds...

Then I brushed them with Olive Oil

Then I laid them cut side down in a foil lined, lipped baking sheet...

And oiled the skin too...

And roasted them at 390 degrees for about 1/2 hour and I'm now letting them cool.

When they've cooled...

I'm going to scoop out the lovely flesh, discard the peel,

and place the flesh into a cast iron pot of saute'd white onions and salt... and heat through...

then add frozen corn, and frozen peas...

heat that through... add a little curry seasoning... some pepper...

then get my immersion blender and pulverize it all into a thick, lovely mash... and put it back on the stove and add some lovely homemade stock to thin it out a bit...

and let it cool, put it into a lock and lock and have soup all week... hot or cold... it's delish!!!

I'll top each bowl full off with a mixture of

diced tomatoes

diced pineapple

diced onion

cilantro chopped

dash of honey

salt

pepper

and have a lovely pineapple salsa on hand... you can add mango too .. or anything you like!!!

Crock Pot Cooking...

I LOVE MY CROCK POT...

It saves time, money and slaving over a stove...

HOWEVER...

Many traditional recipes so popular for Crock Pots are loaded with fattening/high salt/ low nutrition canned cream soups and high salt/high chemically added dry soup mixes...

Those foods may fill us up... they also make us sluggish, inflammed, and makes our kidneys work harder to get rid of processed junk...

I've decided to include, on a weekly basis, a series on Crock Pot cooking, on Wednesdays, and provide recipes that I love that don't add bad or processed ingredients...

So today...

I'm going to share how I cook in my crock pot for a week's worth of mini meals.

What you'll need...

2 large London Broil steaks... all visible fat trimmed

1 package of crimini or white mushrooms (whole)

5 peeled and chunked carrots

1-2 large onion, peeled and sliced

1 bay leaf

Your favorite meat rub.. I like salt, pepper, granulated garlic, bbq seasoning (no msg) or Montreal Steak Rub, or Steak Seasoning rub...

Sometimes I just use Fresh spicy mustard and salt and pepper.

Sear your meat in a screaming hot pan to carmelize and sear in the juices... (you can skip this step if you want)

Rub the meat with the rub before searing or before placing into the pot, if you didn't sear it.

Dump all the rest of the ingredients in.

Add 1/2 cup of wine, water or stock (low sodium)

put the lid on and crank it up to high for about 8 hours or so.

After it cools, I place all the juicy goodness into a Lock n Lock and refrigerate it and take small pieces of it all week long for everything from tacos and burritos for the kids, to a nice 4 ounce chunk over a bed of saute'd cabbage and onions for my lunch, or shredded over a lovely salad for lunch,

or along side a bed of Israeli Cous Cous for my hubby and kids.

It just falls to pieces after being cooked... and it's a great staple to have in the fridge all week.

I even love some shredded pieces rolled up in lettuce leaves with some hot sauce, cucumber slices, bean sprouts, and tamarind sauce from The Cheesecake Factory for a delectable lunch...

Crock Pot beef... no heavy creamed soups, no packaged soup mixes... just fresh, real ingredients... and good veggies...

You'll eat like a Queen all week long... and you will have only cooked once!!!

Enjoy!

Sabotage

Being on and staying on a weight loss plan (lifestyle change) can and often is, a difficult task.  It can be especially difficult when you are alone in your thinking and eating habits.

If you are the heavy person in your relationships... whether it be friendships, marital, familial... and if you are the one eating well and changing your eating habits, and the other people in your life aren't... it makes for a very special set of circumstances.

Allow me to explain, firsthand, what I am talking about.  I don't deviate from my good food eating... it has become a great habit for me now... and I don't think about what I am going to eat or not eat anymore... unless I am writing my blog or talking with others about weight loss when they inquire.  Generally, food isn't first and foremost on my mind any longer... it's a way to stay alive... something I need 3-4 times a day to stave off hunger and nourish myself... great... finally, I have a good relationship with food...

HOWEVER.... in the past 9 months... there have been times... when I have felt great resentment and anger when other people bring bad food into my home... "for the ones not dieting".  I know I won't eat the bad food... and I know that temptation is not a part of my life anymore... but still... it really irked me.

Why did it get me so riled up?  Well... first of all... my entire family has had a food makeover as a result of my lifestyle change, and my husband and kids have all benefitted from the change... lost weight, clear skin, better moods, less hunger, and just general overall health and much less illness...

I want my family to have healthy attitudes towards food, and to learn to make good choices at all times, throughout their lives.  I want sweets and junk food to be a VERY, VERY occasional food in their lives... like saved for Birthdays and Anniversaries... and even THEN... better choices can be made... ya know?

One member of my family, constantly, on a weekly basis, brings copious amounts of sweets and white flour baked goods in huge bags, and says... "This is for the boys and Bill, so they can have a good treat."  REALLY!
What's wrong with fruit, and granola, and fresh sorbet!!!

This person means well.  She really does.  Not everyone has come to see that "once in a while" doesn't mean once a week.  Eating bad food once per week is still to frequent.  Once every three months is more like it.  I believe there needs to be long stretches of good habits for the habits to become a lifestyle.  I tell her over, and over and over again, to please bring over fresh fruit or whole wheat bakeds goods, if she insists... and she just won't do it.  She see's nothing wrong with white flour and sugar, and as long as it's homemade... why cause a stink about it?  Well... because... it's my house, and I say what comes in and goes out...

So, yes, it hurt her feelings... for a bit... but my kids and my lives are too important to mess up with cancer causing, inflammation inducing foods...  She has since seen it my way... and has begun to bring things like gift certificates, and gum and other non food items when she visits... and it's quite nice now.  She is now taking home my whole grain goodies and is liking them, so who knows... maybe she'll start cooking a different way.

There are so many other ways that people can sabotage our efforts... like filling the break room with cakes, pies, chips, candies etc... instead of with fruit and nuts and veggies.  Doesn't it seem like, in the beginning, EVERYONE is eating a fruit pie, when you are eating your apple?

Even my own husband.  He's lost 50 lbs on this plan, and he ate bread.  And now that he is at goal weight, he indulges in sweets and things he shouldn't, and sometimes he brings them into the house.  I have to take him aside, and explain to him that we need to model good food habits for our 16, 14 and 10 yr old sons... and Snickers isn't the way to do it.  If he must have one... he'll need to do so on his own...for the time being... until the habits become a lifestyle...for everyone in the house.  It would be the same if I was a recovering alcoholic... the drink shouldn't be in the house until the non drinking behavior is well established...

Don't be afraid to be your own advocate and be the boss of what's in your own home as far as food goes.  WE aren't able to control what goes on outside our homes... but we certainly do within our homes...

Fill your homes up with great, vibrant foods, that are sweet, in season, and will cure what ails you.  Keep out the bad stuff... there are millions of people outside that door vying for your junk food dollar.  Shop the perimeter of your store, stay a loooong time in your produce depts and fill your cart up in there...

One meal at a time... one meal at a time... change your life and your waist... one meal at a  time...

Food of the Week... Carrots!

The carrot.

The food of rabbits.

Good for the eyes.

Bugs Bunny's picture is splattered on almost every bag of them.

When most people see a carrot... they immediately think of... "diet food".

They are seen as something to eat OTHER than the food that one really WANTS to eat.

I'm here to change that thinking.

I love me some carrots.

First of all... look at that color.  When I keep preaching to "eat your colors"... this vibrant veggie is definitely in the mix.  You can cook a carrot any which way, and it will be great.

Or DON'T cook it, and it is equally as great.

Did you know that orange isn't the only color carrots come in?  Stop by any good Farmer's Market and you'll see an array of GORGEOUS carrots. Purple, red, yellow, white... yep... I'm not fibbing!

See?

Don't be afraid to try them.  It's pretty cool to eat a purple carrot.  In my book, any food that is purple is awesome... I always buy purple potatoes from Trader Joes...

My favorite recipes for carrots...

Saute'd Carrots

10 peeled and diagonally sliced carrots

1 sliced onion

1 screaming hot pan with a little olive oil in it

Throw in the onions and carrots and saute until a little carmelized. At this point, you can add frozen peas and heat through, or frozen corn, or cabbage.

Then I add seasonings... salt, pepper, Worcestrshire sauce (dash) and a dash of soy sauce.

Or any steak seasoning or rub you like!

OR...

Carrot/Raisin Salad

Shred up in a food processor as many carrots as you want salad for...

Grab a couple of hands full of raisins

Cut up a Granny Smith apple into tiny bits (optional)

Dressing... A TINY BIT of mayo

OR

 My fave... mix together

1/4 cup orange juice

1 dash soy sauce

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 cut up green onion

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tbs preservative free dry soup mix...

and pour it over the carrots and raisins... YUM!!!

I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE roasted carrots...

Line a baking sheet with a lip, with foil...

peel and cut a bunch of carrots or pour out a bag of baby carrots into a bowl

season with salt, pepper, olive oil

toss them around to coat...

pour into the baking sheet and roast them at 425 for about 10-15 minutes...

and enjoy the lovely, warm sweetness... with your favorite roast or as a snack...

I also grate carrot into my turkey burgers, into meatballs, into breads, over salads, and on sandwiches... for added color, crunch and nutrition.

I buy them by the 5 lb bag.

Carrots... the food of the week...

Enjoy! and eat your ORANGE!

Fallen off the wagon?

I get afraid to ask the friends that have started this eating plan with me, how they are doing.  My fear? They will think I'm "keeping tabs" on them, or that I may scrutinize what or how they eat... And all I really want to know... when I ask... "How's it going" in reference to their food... is... are they satisfied? Are they making sure they aren't getting bored by eating the same things all the time, or are they just plain 'over it'?

Whatever their reason... I still have a goal and need to stay on plan for a variety of reasons.  Does having friends and family on the same plan make things easier? Hell yeah... but not everyone has the same weight loss needs nor desire to completely change their eating habits...

Have you fallen of the proverbial horse when it comes to what goes into your mouth?  Was Easter and all it's candy just too much for ya?  Has preparing and chopping and cooking your own food lost it's luster?  Have you started to resent eating your protein at lunch and then go to dinner with friends and family and resent that you can only have a salad?

If so... let me enlighten you for a bit...  You can eat whatever you like.  In whatever quantity you like.  In what ever form the food comes in.  Whatever time of day you like.  It's YOUR life.

I love you, and want the best for you.  If my way isn't your way... so be it.  I hope you can take what you've learned here, and apply it to your life someday, if not now.

THAT being said... I have a bone to pick...

When I read whining on other websites from people that "can't" stay on plan, or "see a cookie and just go berserk with need and want", or "I slipped up today... I ate a candy bar, then a soda, then a tray of cookies, then a bag of chips..." and they whine about weighing in and not losing any weight... I want to smack them on the head with a freaking hammer!  Really? What part of "cookies", "Candy bar", "soda" and "chips" didn't they understand in their weight gain?

Eating junk is EASY! It's everywhere.  It's socially acceptable. Junk food is associated with being "happy"... until one sees the scale.  Then... happy is nowhere to be found. Happy took a vacation.  Happy food sucks.

I "get" having cravings.  I understand being at a baseball game and wanting nothing more than to munch down on some nachos and wash it all down with a soda.  I GET IT!  I understand wanting a nice, hot cup of hot chocolate.
I totally see the need to feed when there is a buffet table full of delectable items so gorgeously and carefully decorated, one just can't resist... but RESIST I do.

Why?

Why don't I just "give in" this one time? Why not enjoy myself?  Why not eat what everyone else is eating?

Here's why.

Being 80 lbs thinner FEELS much better than ANY food WILL EVER taste.  AND... I am a bad food addict... and I know... like an alcoholic knows... that one day, or one meal, or one drink... won't be the last...
(I felt the same way after losing my first 12 lbs too... I just didnt want to gain it back...ever again!)

It's taken me 9 months to take off the weight... I venture to guess it would only take a  month or two to put it all back on.  It would be sooooooo easy. I still have about 100 lbs to go.  Why ruin everything now?

I've had to change my view of food.  I now eat to live... not live to eat.  So feeling a little self conscious about munching on dried pears instead of nachos at a baseball game is fine with me.  Ordering salad when out to dinner with friends and family if I've already eaten my protein for the day... is okay by me... Dinner with friends isn't about the food, it's about the company we keep.  Eating a turkey burger everyday for a week is great... I don't have to think about it, it tastes great, and it's all done in one day... blessing!

If you've gone off the deep end... and you don't know how to get back... do this...

Tomorrow morning, eat a bunch of fruit for breakfast.  Have some coffee... relax...

For lunch... eat a big salad with some chicken on it, or some fish... and all the fruit and veggies you can stuff in your face... eat and eat an eat...good food.

For dinner... eat some veggie soup, more fruit... or some fat free popcorn...

Then pat yourself on the back for getting back on plan... whatever plan is for you...

I know you are out there... you can do it... you can email me personally if you need help...

mamabella44@gmail.com

I'm here.

I'll be back...

Recipe tab is up!!! Look over to the right... and there are 28 recipes.

I am almost back to my old self... Spring Break is almost over, and I'm almost all the way better, and I'll be posting regularly again soon.

In the meantime, I recieved some lovely comments via email stating that some of you are re reading and that makes me happy.  I re read myself too... when I want to remember to be good to myself and to stay the course....

I have been having fun my my boys... and have noticed that I can DO A LOT more than I used to! I don't get winded anymore, I can walk for a loooong time, I can easily climb up hills... WHO KNEW!!!

I forget how much 78lbs is though... it's a lot...so not having to lug that around anymore makes so many things easier!!!

Enjoy your weekend... catch up on this new blog... and I'll see ya on Sunday night!!!

Thank you so much for switching over!!!  Please click on the Follower's button and follow... it'll make getting my posts easier for you!!!

To ill and back!

Whew... the last few days have been very trying.  I've been battling a 104 fever and severe chills from Friday evening until yesterday,(no other symptoms, no congestion, no cough, no sore throat) and my poor kids had to stand by and listen to me cancel, remake, and cancel again, our camping reservations we had to Camp at Mountain Lakes for the week.  I just knew I wasn't strong enough, or over the fever enough to brave filling the motorhome, cooking like a madwoman for our meals there, and enduring very, very cold nights...

I haven't driven in 6 days.  I feel like I'm under house arrest.  THANK GOD none of my family got this thing.

Eating, while sick, was interesting. I haven't had a cold or been ill at all for about 14 months, and since starting this eating plan, I haven't been sick once, obviously, so navigating the world of eating wasn't so much of a hardship, as it was a nuisance.  The first few days... I had NO APPETITE!  I was hungry, my stomach growled incessantly, but NOTHING sounded good.  I ate anyway, to keep my strength up.  My food of choice on those days were bananas, a few grapes, and clear broth.

Remember how I cook all the time? Well, my family used up all my prep stores to feed themselves, (thankfully they know how to cook anything, and well), which I am so thankful that I always have things ready to go, but unless they are done weekly... food becomes a scavenger hunt when it's gone.  We don't have any processed food in the house at all... THANK GOD AGAIN... so when the food ran out from 4 men eating 3 meals a day... they looked to me... feeling and looking like death itself... to DO something.

So I sent my hubby to the store to pick up some cantaloupe, strawberries, a new thermometer (i threw mine across the room... oops) and a beautiful rib eye roast.... and set the kids up in stations and had them cut, chop, peel, grate, dice, slice their way to new food.  They were more than amazed at what they had accomplished, and one even said... "You do this all by yourself, for us, every week."  Maybe there was a reason for this fever... huh?

When my appetite came back, I started to eat somewhat normally, much smaller portions, and my strength slowly ebbed back.  I did NOT eat off plan.  This illness made me lose 7-8 lbs in a weekend... but I know it's not real weight loss... but the number sure was fun to see!

Drinking water and tea was key for me this week.  I recently bought some herbal tea from Costco, called The Good Earth Sweet & Spicy tea... AND IT IS LUSCIOUS! It's naturally sweet, really sweet, and no sugar is in it... just delightful!  Just what my bland tastebuds needed.  It fed me blood and soul. mmmmm.

So... being sick is no excuse for eating badly.  When you are ill, remember to feed yourself good food to feed those white blood cells so they can fight a better fight.

I'm off to take my boys to an amusement park closeby our home.  It's not Disneyland, but it's out of this house...

Good day to all of you!!!

Changeover completed...

Okay... Whew... it's all moved over... done...

FINALLY... I moved FROM blogger for more convenience... to find LESS convenience and horrible loading times...

I'm back home at blogger now...

I'm getting over a fever and chills... I'll post when I am all better... Please tell a friend about my new blog space...

http://www.eatabiglunch.blogspot.com/

Thank you sooooo much!!! I hope to see my followers numbers to way up!!!

Teach your family to cook...

I am the Mother of Three sons. I don’t stand a chance at seeing my grandkids as it is… unless my boys marry orphans… like I’ve strongly suggested brainwashed. I have a lot of work to do to make real men of my boys… What is a real man in my book? One who can do all the fixing, building, and if need be… some cooking and cleaning. One should be self sufficient in all areas to be a true Renaissance man… Their Dad is taking care of teaching them to build and fix all things around the house and under the hood of the cars… I’m covering the kitchen and household part… (oh, and yes, I, too, can build just about anything I set my mind to…girls should learn it all too… I have my own set of purple tools…)


Cooking with your kids, at any age, takes patience and the willingness to eat something, in the beginning, that won’t taste as good as it should… and we have to be okay with that… it’s all about trial and error in the kitchen.

Teaching our families to cook is essential to good health. I get soooo upset when I watch programs on TV where grown mothers don’t know how to cook… not even one thing… their freezers are stocked full of frozen masses of processed junk. We have become a heat n go society… THAT’S NOT FOOD! I also must say, that just because someone can open a can of Spaghettios and chuck it into a pan, with the heat on… isn’t cooking either. I want to slap those Mama’s Mama’s for not taking the time to at least teach a favorite family recipe or two to their children. Every child should learn how to cook. Boy AND Girl. No excuses! If Mom doesn’t like or know how to cook… LEARN… crack open a cookbook and READ and follow along until the food is done. “Not liking” to cook is no excuse for feeding the kids badly. I don’t LIKE vacuuming or scrubbing my sinks and floors… but I do it, because if I didn’t… well… that would be a bad example to the kids… AND it would be totally disgusting.

Moms… WE MUST TAKE OUR KITCHEN’S BACK! WE MUST TAKE A STAND… AND WANT TO FEED OUR CHILDREN GOOD, WHOLESOME FOOD! Don’t listen to the commercials on TV… trying to tell us that Fruit Loops are GOOD for our kids now because it has 3 measly grams of fiber! Why don’t they tell you about the pound of sugar that comes with it? It takes no time to boil or fry up an egg, and toast some yummy whole grain, dark, fiber filled bread for breakfast… go ahead and add butter and jam… the kids will burn it off!

Grab some frozen fruit and some milk or yogurt (no Gogurt, real yogurt) and whip up a super fast smoothy. Sneak in some flax seed meal or some wheat germ… and you are in business!

Do your kids love pasta? Teach them how to boil the water, add the salt after boiling, how many ounces per person, and that you never add oil to the water… just keep stirring to keep the pasta separate… then cut up some tomatoes with them, and some onions, and some garlic, salt, pepper and some Italian Seasoning and place it in a screaming hot frying pan with some olive oil… and in minutes you have a delicious, quick, fresh sauce… to pour over the pasta…

Cooking is NOT difficult. It DOES take time however… and it’s time well spent. I hear all the rhetoric from Mom’s.. all the time… “I don’t have the time”, “I’m too busy with work”, “I get home too late, and the drive thru is on my way home”, “We aren’t all home at the same time”, “My kids are picky eaters”, “They won’t eat what I cook, so why bother?”

I have answers to all of those excuses… (come on… YOU KNEW I WOULD!!!) So here they are… in order…

If you have the time to watch TV… you have time to cook… and you can do both AT THE SAME TIME!

Work is work… family time is family time… throw something in a crock pot every day… OR TEACH THE KIDS TO DO IT… and EAT WITH YOUR FAMILY when you get home… decompress… talk… solve the worlds problems… for 1/2 an hour each day or night…

The Drive Thru is Death Row… for all of us.. I don’t care HOW “healthy” they make the food sound or taste… it’s not home cookin’… you’ll save money, fat, time, and YOU will know whether or not YOUR hands are washed after using the restroom… can you say the same for the guy making your kids Happy Meal?

So what if you aren’t all home at the same time… COOK ANYWAY… and show the love… by having something prepared when they walk in… or TEACH THE SIBLINGS to make a nice salad, mix up a vinegrette, and roast a piece of chicken…

Picky eaters are MADE not born. Kids will eat what is put in front of them as long as they know the parent is in charge… encourage to try every food at least once… they don’t have to like it… they just have to try it. Then try it again in a few weeks. Bad eating habits starts young… and if we train our kids palates to taste only things that come from a bag and a window… they WILL turn their noses at fresh food… junk is addictive, it’s proven.


If they won’t eat what you cook, learn to cook it better. Are you over cooking the veggies so they are gray? Are you seasoning the food well? Are you eating a lot of canned produce instead of fresh or frozen? You’d surprised how many kids LOVE steamed broccoli when it’s got a little olive oil and lemon juice on it…truly surprised… AND…. if you teach them to prepare it themselves… THEY WILL EAT IT! They will!

Remember to cook FRESH… and not from a box. Hamburger Helper is NOT cooking. Spaghetti ‘os are not food. Fruit loops aren’t cereal. Kool Aid isn’t a beverage.

Lean meats, fresh veggies, lightly steamed or roasted, lots of fruit, healthy whole grain, seed filled breads, water, green tea, rooibos tea, oatmeal, granola… THESE ARE FOODS!

Your kids deserve the BEST… don’t they? You buy them the best clothes, gadgets, shoes, education, vacations you can afford… why skimp on nutrition… just because you either don’t know how or don’t enjoy cooking meals? Filling their bellies is more than just “filling their bellies”. We need to FEED THEIR BODIES. Every sinew. Every blood cell. Every muscle. Every hair follicle. Their hearts… their minds… their eyes, their reproductive systems… WE ARE RESPONSIBLE for those people we Mother.

An Xbox, or a $500 purse won’t make or help them live longer… but good, nutritious, healing, healthy food… will.

Join me in a Food Revolution… starting in your kitchen. If you live closeby, and want to come over and learn some recipes and you WILL learn how to cook and feed your family… for pennies… and enjoy doing so… I promise… And very soon, I’ll be posting Video’s of my recipes… here in the blog… stay tuned…