Just a quick note to explain the lack on communication. Nicky got sick Thursday night and has been pretty miserable the last few days. Then the babies got sick Sunday afternoon. So today, I've got three sick kids and have already had times when all three were crying at once.
I anticipate this week being a wash, weight loss wise. I confess to popping mini chocolate bars for that quick happiness fix. While momentarily considering not weighing at all, I probably will as I still hold out hope that at least I stayed steady and didn't gain.
Gotta run.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Week 9 Results
Little goals are supposed to be useful in weight loss like events or activites. See, I have a goal to get to before my target. In May, we're going to the beach for the weekend. We've discovered it's a lot easier to go to the beach for a long weekend twice a year (May & Sept) rather than a long vacation once a year. It'll be our first trip with the babies so that'll be fun. Did you know that many hotel rooms have a maximum occupancy of 4 people? And with the multiple nap and bedtimes, it's really convenient to have two rooms. So our options are kind of limited. But we've got a really nice suite right on the boardwalk at Virginia Beach.
Anyway, my minor goal is to be able to get into my shorts by our trip. I bought some cute shorts when I lost my weight after Nicky was born. Last year, it wasn't an issue because I was four-six months pregnant with twins. No cute shorts for me. But I figure if I can get below 190, I should be able to get into some of them. I'm on track to hit that goal so we'll see if it's enough.
Week 9 Starting Weight: 197.6
Week 9 Ending Weight: 196.2
Week 9 Weight Loss: 1.4
Total Weight Loss: 13.2
Saw a friend of mine that I haven't seen since right after the babies were born and she commented on my weight loss. It's nice when it's noticeable.
Dinner last night was yummy. Chicken pizza. I actually put it in the microwave for too long. (So much for convenient instructions, huh?) And the chicken and cheese slid off the bread. So I cut the whole thing up and cut up the broccoli and made myself a chicken pizza casserole. It was gool. The broccoli added a nice texture to the meal.
Anyway, my minor goal is to be able to get into my shorts by our trip. I bought some cute shorts when I lost my weight after Nicky was born. Last year, it wasn't an issue because I was four-six months pregnant with twins. No cute shorts for me. But I figure if I can get below 190, I should be able to get into some of them. I'm on track to hit that goal so we'll see if it's enough.
Week 9 Starting Weight: 197.6
Week 9 Ending Weight: 196.2
Week 9 Weight Loss: 1.4
Total Weight Loss: 13.2
Saw a friend of mine that I haven't seen since right after the babies were born and she commented on my weight loss. It's nice when it's noticeable.
Dinner last night was yummy. Chicken pizza. I actually put it in the microwave for too long. (So much for convenient instructions, huh?) And the chicken and cheese slid off the bread. So I cut the whole thing up and cut up the broccoli and made myself a chicken pizza casserole. It was gool. The broccoli added a nice texture to the meal.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Acai You, Scammer!
It's been a tiring week. . . . What do you mean it's only Tuesday?!? Aw, @!#*&.
Didja see the reports on the Acai Berry scam? It's not enough that it's being investigated for claims of being everything from magic weight loss to an emission-free fuel. Okay, maybe not fuel but still. Don't these people remember the claims of the cabbage soup diet, or the 48 hour Hollywood "diet". The sad thing is that there have been so many different fads, there's an actual book about the fad books. The Encyclopedia of Diet Fads by Marjolijn Bijlefeld and Sharon K. Zoumbaris.
Anyway, so now it turns out that the Acai Berry websites have been scamming people out of money by continually charging their cards and making it impossible to cancel. Kind of like that "final notice of lower interest rates" call used to be. If it was the final notice, why would they keep calling me? There was a new option on that message that supposedly reported you don't want it and to remove your phone number. We'll see. But if you get those, don't hang up right away.
Where was I? Oh, yeah. Long week. Delivery today was interesting. The food now has detailed labels. DTG went green by not including the menu and heating instructions on separate pieces of paper. But now, they've put that information on the food labels. I like that. Mainly the menu day. Lobster Ravioli for dinner last night. Yep, still good. Still not sure what's in it. But tasty, nonetheless.
Well, the children are all sleeping. Not for long, I suspect, as Catie has been pretty persnickety the last couple days. Won't eat for being tired. Won't sleep for being hungry. Luckily, when I get frustrated, I can just look at Nicky and know what my goal is.
Didja see the reports on the Acai Berry scam? It's not enough that it's being investigated for claims of being everything from magic weight loss to an emission-free fuel. Okay, maybe not fuel but still. Don't these people remember the claims of the cabbage soup diet, or the 48 hour Hollywood "diet". The sad thing is that there have been so many different fads, there's an actual book about the fad books. The Encyclopedia of Diet Fads by Marjolijn Bijlefeld and Sharon K. Zoumbaris.
Anyway, so now it turns out that the Acai Berry websites have been scamming people out of money by continually charging their cards and making it impossible to cancel. Kind of like that "final notice of lower interest rates" call used to be. If it was the final notice, why would they keep calling me? There was a new option on that message that supposedly reported you don't want it and to remove your phone number. We'll see. But if you get those, don't hang up right away.
Where was I? Oh, yeah. Long week. Delivery today was interesting. The food now has detailed labels. DTG went green by not including the menu and heating instructions on separate pieces of paper. But now, they've put that information on the food labels. I like that. Mainly the menu day. Lobster Ravioli for dinner last night. Yep, still good. Still not sure what's in it. But tasty, nonetheless.
Well, the children are all sleeping. Not for long, I suspect, as Catie has been pretty persnickety the last couple days. Won't eat for being tired. Won't sleep for being hungry. Luckily, when I get frustrated, I can just look at Nicky and know what my goal is.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Eat a Tree Today
You know, there are moments (rare, but there) where I think, I'm a good mom. This week has not had many of those. More of the others, actually. Turns out I've been giving Nicky too much of one of his meds. The nice people at poison control reassured me that he was still under dangerous amounts. But due to the rash he has developed, that one has been 
discontinued. Which is okay by him because it was the one he didn't like. Anyway, I'm sure you've noticed a couple times when I've mentioned him eating at McD's. And yes, he does get french fries. But I draw your attention to the photographic proof of why he gets french fries when he asks. He grabbed the broccoli off the counter and just started munching. He LOVES his veggies. A neighbor was surprised once when he took a red pepper out of the grocery sack I was bringing in and ate it like an apple. So one thing I am proud of as a mother is fostering a love of vegetables in my son. I am so grateful that I did DTG right after Nicky was born. That way, by the time he was ready to start eating, I had the right attitude towards food.
There was a post on the forum saying they're going to be changing the website so that we can view our menu and substitutions. I'm really looking forward to that. I love the customer service people, I really do. But I have to admit I'm getting a little frustrated with having to change my menu twice whenever I make changes. I'm difficult, I know that. I make substitutions and then change those substitutions. I change around the meals we get on our Friday delivery. But I am really looking forward to being able to view my menu myself. We ended up with three dinners of Langostino and Cheese grits this weekend for the two of us. Good thing we like it! I must say, though, that they readily credit me for any mistakes made.
Speaking of like . . . CHICKEN ALFREDO MELT!!!! Nuff said.
discontinued. Which is okay by him because it was the one he didn't like. Anyway, I'm sure you've noticed a couple times when I've mentioned him eating at McD's. And yes, he does get french fries. But I draw your attention to the photographic proof of why he gets french fries when he asks. He grabbed the broccoli off the counter and just started munching. He LOVES his veggies. A neighbor was surprised once when he took a red pepper out of the grocery sack I was bringing in and ate it like an apple. So one thing I am proud of as a mother is fostering a love of vegetables in my son. I am so grateful that I did DTG right after Nicky was born. That way, by the time he was ready to start eating, I had the right attitude towards food.There was a post on the forum saying they're going to be changing the website so that we can view our menu and substitutions. I'm really looking forward to that. I love the customer service people, I really do. But I have to admit I'm getting a little frustrated with having to change my menu twice whenever I make changes. I'm difficult, I know that. I make substitutions and then change those substitutions. I change around the meals we get on our Friday delivery. But I am really looking forward to being able to view my menu myself. We ended up with three dinners of Langostino and Cheese grits this weekend for the two of us. Good thing we like it! I must say, though, that they readily credit me for any mistakes made.
Speaking of like . . . CHICKEN ALFREDO MELT!!!! Nuff said.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Week 8 Results
I got to take a bit of a walk yesterday. Not as long as expected. Did the mile and a quarter to the playground. Was all set to head up The Hill back to the house. Nicky decided he needed dinner which took long enough for Daddy to get home and he came and picked us up. Better a little than nothing.
Speaking of a little being better than nothing.
Week 8 Starting Weight: 198.8
Week 8 Ending Weight: 197.6
Week 8 Weight Loss: 1.2
Total Weight Loss: 11.8
As long as I lose at least a pound a week, I'm all good.
----Later
I needed to add. I just finished dinner and I've got to say how much I like eating the proper amount of food. I am full and satisfied but I don't have that overeating bloated feeling when you don't stop eating soon enough.
Speaking of a little being better than nothing.
Week 8 Starting Weight: 198.8
Week 8 Ending Weight: 197.6
Week 8 Weight Loss: 1.2
Total Weight Loss: 11.8
As long as I lose at least a pound a week, I'm all good.
----Later
I needed to add. I just finished dinner and I've got to say how much I like eating the proper amount of food. I am full and satisfied but I don't have that overeating bloated feeling when you don't stop eating soon enough.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Funny is . . .
Honestly, Big Bang Theory is one of the funniest shows on tv. It may be because I'm a math person but just a sample:
"You have about as much chance of going out with Penny as the Hubble Telescope has of finding that at the center of each black hole there's a little man with a flashlight trying to find the circuit breaker."
"Oh, well, this would be one of those circumstances that people unfamiliar with the law of large numbers would call a coincidence. "
"I'm not insane! My mother had me tested! "
And of course, nothing compares to Sheldon's Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock game. Look it up.
Forcing a crying toddler to take his medicine twice a day is not funny. Not fun. Nope, not at all.
Opening up the DTG bag and seeing Turkey Swiss sandwich for lunch is fun. Two of them as I made a substitution to get it twice. Very fun. I squeaked.
"You have about as much chance of going out with Penny as the Hubble Telescope has of finding that at the center of each black hole there's a little man with a flashlight trying to find the circuit breaker."
"Oh, well, this would be one of those circumstances that people unfamiliar with the law of large numbers would call a coincidence. "
"I'm not insane! My mother had me tested! "
And of course, nothing compares to Sheldon's Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock game. Look it up.
Forcing a crying toddler to take his medicine twice a day is not funny. Not fun. Nope, not at all.
Opening up the DTG bag and seeing Turkey Swiss sandwich for lunch is fun. Two of them as I made a substitution to get it twice. Very fun. I squeaked.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Mother Necessity
Saturday night Catie was really fussy. She's teething so she just couldn't settle down. It was salmon dinner night so I was a little sad that she started crying just as I sat down with my dinner. But it actually ended up with a positive. The salmon dinner comes with a ciabatta roll. After chowing down on the rice while fixing her a bottle, I ended up making a salmon ciabatta sandwich. That was really, really good. There's a salmon burger on the menu for lunch. I highly recommend that sandwich roll be replaced with a ciabatta roll. The strong bread goes well with salmon.
Now if I can just come up with right combination to give Nicky his medicine. He got two different antibiotics today at the doctor to clear up some infections in his eczema and that did not go over well tonight. I was surprised because he takes his benadryl every night without issue. Asks for it, in fact. He was a brave boy and took it while crying. He's got one twice a day for a week and one twice a day for three weeks. Poor little guy. He's been promised a train when he's done with the medicine. It may be a good time to teach calendars. So tomorrow we start trying different things to help with the taste. Maybe I should ask the DTG chefs.
Now if I can just come up with right combination to give Nicky his medicine. He got two different antibiotics today at the doctor to clear up some infections in his eczema and that did not go over well tonight. I was surprised because he takes his benadryl every night without issue. Asks for it, in fact. He was a brave boy and took it while crying. He's got one twice a day for a week and one twice a day for three weeks. Poor little guy. He's been promised a train when he's done with the medicine. It may be a good time to teach calendars. So tomorrow we start trying different things to help with the taste. Maybe I should ask the DTG chefs.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Vacation - All I Ever Wanted
My apologies for not blogging for a couple days. My parents are still visiting and I'm really enjoying my "vacation." Having extra hands around definitely makes life easier. They're leaving tomorrow for the 900 mile drive home, not to return until May. Sigh.
I'm proud of myself for my self-restraint this week. Throughout the week, I've made two batches of muffins for Nicky, chocolate strawberry blueberry pancakes and cupcakes with strawberry icing. I had one pancake. If you've got toddlers, I recommend Martha White muffin mix. I make about 20 mini muffins out of a bag and Nicky eats them all day. But the reason for the recommendation is the amount of nutrition in them. Seriously! There's 6 servings per bag and each serving has about 10% of the RDA of many, many vitamins and minerals. Including iron! And that's for a 2000 calories diet. I don't know about you, but getting him enough iron is a challenge.
So, we got Chinese take-out. Actually, one of the easiest to not screw up, I think. I had steamed vegetables with chicken and rice. The place I order from has six options steamed without salt or cornstarch. I did get white rice because I didn't know if their brown rice was any better. Really. People automatically think that brown rice is better for you. Next time you're at the store, compare a box of brown rice with enriched white rice. You'd be surprised.
Anyway, my parents have been pretty impressed with the meals. My father is raving over the dressing used in the Bistro Chicken Salad. They are both amazed at the amount of food I get to eat. (Notice I say "get" to eat. Unlike most diet plans where you "have" to eat specific food)
I'd better run. Since we got take out last night, my meals are postponed a day. I get salmon tonight. I love salmon. If you ever make tuna fish sandwiches, I recommend replacing the canned tuna with canned salmon. Tastier, in my opinion, and much healthier for you. I made the switch when I was pregnant the first time and never went back. So I love seeing the salmon dinner in my fridge waiting for me.
I'm proud of myself for my self-restraint this week. Throughout the week, I've made two batches of muffins for Nicky, chocolate strawberry blueberry pancakes and cupcakes with strawberry icing. I had one pancake. If you've got toddlers, I recommend Martha White muffin mix. I make about 20 mini muffins out of a bag and Nicky eats them all day. But the reason for the recommendation is the amount of nutrition in them. Seriously! There's 6 servings per bag and each serving has about 10% of the RDA of many, many vitamins and minerals. Including iron! And that's for a 2000 calories diet. I don't know about you, but getting him enough iron is a challenge.
So, we got Chinese take-out. Actually, one of the easiest to not screw up, I think. I had steamed vegetables with chicken and rice. The place I order from has six options steamed without salt or cornstarch. I did get white rice because I didn't know if their brown rice was any better. Really. People automatically think that brown rice is better for you. Next time you're at the store, compare a box of brown rice with enriched white rice. You'd be surprised.
Anyway, my parents have been pretty impressed with the meals. My father is raving over the dressing used in the Bistro Chicken Salad. They are both amazed at the amount of food I get to eat. (Notice I say "get" to eat. Unlike most diet plans where you "have" to eat specific food)
I'd better run. Since we got take out last night, my meals are postponed a day. I get salmon tonight. I love salmon. If you ever make tuna fish sandwiches, I recommend replacing the canned tuna with canned salmon. Tastier, in my opinion, and much healthier for you. I made the switch when I was pregnant the first time and never went back. So I love seeing the salmon dinner in my fridge waiting for me.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Week 7 Results
I wonder how long it takes for your metabolism to wake up in the morning. I've noticed that my weight fluctuates quite a bit during the day. Weighing during a night feeding (they happen sometimes still) is significantly different compared to a weighing a couple hours after we get up.
Anyway, the numbers please -
Week 7 Beginning Weight: 200.2
Week 7 Ending Weight: 198.8
Week 7 Weight Loss: 1.4
Total Weight Loss: 10.6
This is a bit of a relief. I have to admit to feeling a little discouraged the last couple of weeks, thinking that I wasn't going to get over the hump and I would be stuck over 200. It's amazing how that 10 pound mark and getting south of 200 makes a difference. Suddenly, my goal feels like it's in range. It's totally mental but my outlook has totally turned around.
Anyway, the numbers please -
Week 7 Beginning Weight: 200.2
Week 7 Ending Weight: 198.8
Week 7 Weight Loss: 1.4
Total Weight Loss: 10.6
This is a bit of a relief. I have to admit to feeling a little discouraged the last couple of weeks, thinking that I wasn't going to get over the hump and I would be stuck over 200. It's amazing how that 10 pound mark and getting south of 200 makes a difference. Suddenly, my goal feels like it's in range. It's totally mental but my outlook has totally turned around.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Price and Preparedness
Okay. Remember last week I talked about doing a grocery list of ingredients? Here's my list of disclaimers:
1. Items selected would be what I would normally buy. As in, store brands for some items but brands I would normally buy like Kraft cheese.
2. Not all ingredients are priced. Spices are assumed to be already in the cabinet. There are ingredients that I was unable to determine.
3. Individual items were purchased in most cases. One potato instead of a 5 lb bag of potatoes. However, it must be stated that purchasing the larger quantities only saves money if you actually use them.
4. It must be acknowledged that a few ingredients will have enough remaining to be used in another meal. However, I believe that number is balanced out by the spices and unknowns.
5. There were a few ingredients that I didn't price as I would logically use another, already purchased ingredient instead. For example, instead of buying both sliced American and sliced swiss, I only priced the American. Instead of three different kinds of sandwich bread, just one.
6. However, in many cases, like buying one type of pasta instead of three, the variety was priced. Reasoning being part of the advantage of DTG is the variety.
7. Taxes have not been incorporated but it must be mentioned that I believe DTG charges less tax than the grocery store.
8. Ingredients only have been priced, not time or labor. If I estimate a half hour to fix lunch and an hour for dinner (the bare minimum), 9 hours a week would be spent on food preparation. With minimum wage at $6.55, that equates to a minimum value of $58.95. I left this amount off as I am, without a doubt, worth more than minimum wage! And that' just preparing time. I haven't considered the time actually spent at the grocery store, the time spent planning, or the time spent getting frustrated with my husband who, when asked what he wants for dinner, shrugs and says "I don't care". Argh. Of course you care. If I put wet cardboard on a plate in front of you, would you eat it? I don't think so! Hmmm, should I calculate how much money in marriage counseling DTG is saving me?
9. And of course, I wasn't able to put a specific amount for the impulse buying. I'm a sucker for new items. If it's new, I've got to try it. If I'm hungry, I buy more than I need. Without a doubt, keeping out of the grocery store saves me money!
I think that's all the disclaimers. I may think of a couple other things I thought of as I was "shopping" but the results are:
For my meal plan: 1600 Calories, 6 Day, Lunch & Dinner - $102.99
Purchased groceries for this week of meals - $110.88
Detailed listing follows if you care to see the specifics:
I apologize for the big space. Couldn't remove it for some reason.
So my conclusion would be DTG is actually more cost effective than cooking the meals myself. Which I kind of knew already. But being the math person that I am, it's nice to have a logical, calculated proof. Again, this is only about ingredients. There's really no price I can put on the extra time I have to spend with my children or the absolute relief of having dinner made after a tiring day. Oooh, wait. Have to restate that. Ready . . .
Getting DTG meals - $102.99
Not having to stress about cooking dinner - priceless
1. Items selected would be what I would normally buy. As in, store brands for some items but brands I would normally buy like Kraft cheese.
2. Not all ingredients are priced. Spices are assumed to be already in the cabinet. There are ingredients that I was unable to determine.
3. Individual items were purchased in most cases. One potato instead of a 5 lb bag of potatoes. However, it must be stated that purchasing the larger quantities only saves money if you actually use them.
4. It must be acknowledged that a few ingredients will have enough remaining to be used in another meal. However, I believe that number is balanced out by the spices and unknowns.
5. There were a few ingredients that I didn't price as I would logically use another, already purchased ingredient instead. For example, instead of buying both sliced American and sliced swiss, I only priced the American. Instead of three different kinds of sandwich bread, just one.
6. However, in many cases, like buying one type of pasta instead of three, the variety was priced. Reasoning being part of the advantage of DTG is the variety.
7. Taxes have not been incorporated but it must be mentioned that I believe DTG charges less tax than the grocery store.
8. Ingredients only have been priced, not time or labor. If I estimate a half hour to fix lunch and an hour for dinner (the bare minimum), 9 hours a week would be spent on food preparation. With minimum wage at $6.55, that equates to a minimum value of $58.95. I left this amount off as I am, without a doubt, worth more than minimum wage! And that' just preparing time. I haven't considered the time actually spent at the grocery store, the time spent planning, or the time spent getting frustrated with my husband who, when asked what he wants for dinner, shrugs and says "I don't care". Argh. Of course you care. If I put wet cardboard on a plate in front of you, would you eat it? I don't think so! Hmmm, should I calculate how much money in marriage counseling DTG is saving me?
9. And of course, I wasn't able to put a specific amount for the impulse buying. I'm a sucker for new items. If it's new, I've got to try it. If I'm hungry, I buy more than I need. Without a doubt, keeping out of the grocery store saves me money!
I think that's all the disclaimers. I may think of a couple other things I thought of as I was "shopping" but the results are:
For my meal plan: 1600 Calories, 6 Day, Lunch & Dinner - $102.99
Purchased groceries for this week of meals - $110.88
Detailed listing follows if you care to see the specifics:
I apologize for the big space. Couldn't remove it for some reason.
So my conclusion would be DTG is actually more cost effective than cooking the meals myself. Which I kind of knew already. But being the math person that I am, it's nice to have a logical, calculated proof. Again, this is only about ingredients. There's really no price I can put on the extra time I have to spend with my children or the absolute relief of having dinner made after a tiring day. Oooh, wait. Have to restate that. Ready . . .
Getting DTG meals - $102.99
Not having to stress about cooking dinner - priceless
| Asparagus | 2.50 |
| Broccoli | 2 @ .99 = 1.98 |
| Baby carrots | 1.33 |
| Tomatoes | 1.33 |
| Celery | 1.33 |
| Cauliflower | 2.50 |
| Potatoes | 0.59 |
| Apple | 0.99 |
| Red Pepper | 2.00 |
| Grapefruit | 1.00 |
| Oranges | 0.89 |
| Zucchini | 1.25 |
| Carrots | 0.99 |
| Black Beans | 1.29 |
| Pearl Onions | 2.29 |
| Mushrooms | 1.00 |
| Corn | 1.25 |
| Mandarin Oranges | 1.35 |
| Spinach | 1.00 |
| Chickpeas | 1.29 |
| Pineapple | 0.99 |
| Lentils | 0.85 |
| Applesauce | 2.19 |
| Pita Bread | 2.89 |
| Dinner Rolls(3) | 3.49 |
| Hoagie Sandwich Roll (4) | 3.99 |
| Shredded mozzarella cheese | 3.99 |
| Sliced cheese | 3.99 |
| Cheddar cheese | 3.99 |
| String cheese | 3.99 |
| Pesto sauce | 3.29 |
| Marinara sauce | 2.99 |
| Alfredo sauce | 2.50 |
| Rice | 2.99 |
| Shell pasta | 1.00 |
| Rotini pasta | 1.00 |
| Fettuccini pasta | 1.00 |
| Brownie mix | 2.29 |
| Chocolate pudding | 1.20 |
| Ground turkey (2 servings) | 5.69 |
| Chicken breast (5 servings) | 2.5lb @ 4.99 = 12.48 |
| Shrimp | 6.59 |
| Tilapia | 4.99 |
| Turkey lunchmeat | 0.79 |
| Milk | 1.59 |
Monday, March 9, 2009
Short and Green
I took advantage of my temporary live-in babysitters to go for a solitary walk today of 1.5 miles. That was strange. I wasn't sure what to do with my hands! No stroller to push. No little boy's hand to hold. On second thought, not so much fun after all! So I went walking three of the last four days. I just hope that makes up for the pizza I had for dinner last night : }
The special dinner of chicken roulade is stuffed with something green. I tried looking online to see what it could be but there were many options. So I will say, stuffed with tasty green puree. I love mashed potatoes so I enjoyed the side dishes also. Lunch was a substitution of tomato meltovers. I enjoyed them but I would have liked some pesto on them like the regular lunch of pesto meltovers.
Short post but company this week.
The special dinner of chicken roulade is stuffed with something green. I tried looking online to see what it could be but there were many options. So I will say, stuffed with tasty green puree. I love mashed potatoes so I enjoyed the side dishes also. Lunch was a substitution of tomato meltovers. I enjoyed them but I would have liked some pesto on them like the regular lunch of pesto meltovers.
Short post but company this week.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Cleaning Shrimp
One of the many "restaurant-quality" meals in the DTG lineup. Shrimp fettuccini, broccoli and a dinner roll. Like I mentioned the last time it came up, there is a generous helping of shrimp. Not the tiny ones either. Those are medium sized. So I wanted to share a picture of the dinner. Lunch was also generous. A very large sandwich roll with chicken salad, a citrus medley and a mushroom salad. Sorry, mushroom salad had to go. As many new items as DTG has introduced me to, I just can't do mushrooms.
On the exercise front, Saturday I didn't go walking. However, as my parents were coming into town, I got my exercise cleaning. Today, however, was a perfect walking day. Once again, we trekked to the playground and tackled The Hill (as I will now call it). I will be using my reaction to the hill to gauge my overall fitness level. Can I get up The Hill without resting? Can I start up The Hill without groaning? Does The Hill have eyes?
Friday, March 6, 2009
Screaming Knee-knees
All I need is a few more nice days and not only will I be over the plateau, I will have flown over it while enjoying the pretty flowers. This afternoon we all walked to the playground. It just happens that this playground is about a mile and a quarter away. It took about 30 minutes but we were keeping to Nicky's pace for a little bit of that. The way back, however, was where I really got a workout. At least a quarter mile of the trek was uphill. Now, it's not the uphill that gave me the workout. It was pushing over a hundred pounds of child and stroller up that hill that did it. My knees will no doubt be screaming at me tomorrow. (They can join the screaming voices in my head and have a party!)
John and I both did a substitution last night of chicken parmesan. Always a popular choice with the cheesy goodness (remember, cheese is an important food group). Lunch today was a particular favorite. Pesto chicken sandwich, spinach and chickpea salad, pineapple, and chocolate pudding. Nothing to compare to that. (Except for the chicken alfredo melt to which I am counting down, arrrrrggghhhh)
John and I both did a substitution last night of chicken parmesan. Always a popular choice with the cheesy goodness (remember, cheese is an important food group). Lunch today was a particular favorite. Pesto chicken sandwich, spinach and chickpea salad, pineapple, and chocolate pudding. Nothing to compare to that. (Except for the chicken alfredo melt to which I am counting down, arrrrrggghhhh)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Week 6 Results - The Unfortunate Truth
I have really got to get some exercise going. I'm still losing but it's slowed down quite a bit.
Week 6 Starting Weight: 200.6
Week 6 Ending Weight: 200.2
Week 6 Weight Loss: 0.4
Total Weight Loss: 9.6
So I'm a little sad over the sluggish pace. But really, I am losing weight without feeling deprived so I really can't complain. I'm going to blame the babies. "They" say that babies add 10 pounds onto your "permanent" weight. I was 182 before the babies were born. So in my reaching-for-a-rationale mentality, my body thinks I'm at my weight.
People may think having macaroni and cheese as an entree on a diet plan is a waste of a meal. These people have never had DTG mac & cheese. You see those commercials for Pizza Hut where they served pasta to people in a restaurant? (Like those old Taster's Choice commercials. You know, I wonder how many they have to film to actually get the response they want. How many people, after eating the pasta, refuse to pay the bill since they basically falsely advertised on their menu) Anyway, to make a long story short (too late!) the mac & cheese is restaurant quality. Lunch today was grilled cheese, lentil chili and a brownie cupcake. Absolutely love this meal. To be honest, I couldn't eat the whole brownie. My system isn't used to such chocolatey gooeyness.
As far as incorporating exercise, still haven't tried anything new. We trekked to the Children's Museum (Port Discovery) today and spent a few hours there. Nicky had a grand time playing as long as I found him rooms that weren't swamped with older kids. (He's very reserved when it comes to playing with other children) I think I'm going to start tallying how many people ask "Oh, are they twins?" when we're out. Or at least, stop listening to the voices in my head come up with smart-aleck responses. The voices start screaming when the next question is "Are they yours?"
Week 6 Starting Weight: 200.6
Week 6 Ending Weight: 200.2
Week 6 Weight Loss: 0.4
Total Weight Loss: 9.6
So I'm a little sad over the sluggish pace. But really, I am losing weight without feeling deprived so I really can't complain. I'm going to blame the babies. "They" say that babies add 10 pounds onto your "permanent" weight. I was 182 before the babies were born. So in my reaching-for-a-rationale mentality, my body thinks I'm at my weight.
People may think having macaroni and cheese as an entree on a diet plan is a waste of a meal. These people have never had DTG mac & cheese. You see those commercials for Pizza Hut where they served pasta to people in a restaurant? (Like those old Taster's Choice commercials. You know, I wonder how many they have to film to actually get the response they want. How many people, after eating the pasta, refuse to pay the bill since they basically falsely advertised on their menu) Anyway, to make a long story short (too late!) the mac & cheese is restaurant quality. Lunch today was grilled cheese, lentil chili and a brownie cupcake. Absolutely love this meal. To be honest, I couldn't eat the whole brownie. My system isn't used to such chocolatey gooeyness.
As far as incorporating exercise, still haven't tried anything new. We trekked to the Children's Museum (Port Discovery) today and spent a few hours there. Nicky had a grand time playing as long as I found him rooms that weren't swamped with older kids. (He's very reserved when it comes to playing with other children) I think I'm going to start tallying how many people ask "Oh, are they twins?" when we're out. Or at least, stop listening to the voices in my head come up with smart-aleck responses. The voices start screaming when the next question is "Are they yours?"
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Whew!
John came home this morning after being out of town and all I can say is hooray! It's been a stressful couple of days. Nicky's been waking up every night. The babies weren't eating before bed so they were waking up also. Plus, I believe (hope) they're starting to teethe. I say hope because otherwise I have no explanation for their behavior. Last night Catie cried no matter where I put her while I was putting Nicky to bed. As any parents reading this will agree, having your child cry is mentally, physically, and emotionally draining. Once again, I must extol the benefits of having my dinner made for me.
Which gave me an idea. Going to the grocery store today for incidentals for Nicky and the cats resulted in a $100 bill. So I was wondering how much it would cost to make a week of meals myself. I doubt I'll be able to include everything without recipes (hint, hint) but I will be assuming some basic staples to already be in the kitchen, like spices and ketchup. I will also be considering the preparation time. I just need to determine how much I'm worth an hour! I think that depends entirely upon who you ask :) I will summarize my findings next week.
So dinner last night was turkey picadillo. A sweet mixture of ground turkey, rice, and beans. It comes with a side of asparagus. Not my favorite veggie but I cut it up and mixed with the turkey and it added a nice texture to it. I love the turkey burger which was lunch today. Nicky snagged my oranges again. But the burger was filling so I didn't mind. The burger is ground turkey with onions and spices with cheese and ketchup on a large sandwich roll. I've got to say that, as a bread lover, I definitely don't feel deprived.
So hopefully the house will calm down now that Daddy is home. I could use the sleep.
Which gave me an idea. Going to the grocery store today for incidentals for Nicky and the cats resulted in a $100 bill. So I was wondering how much it would cost to make a week of meals myself. I doubt I'll be able to include everything without recipes (hint, hint) but I will be assuming some basic staples to already be in the kitchen, like spices and ketchup. I will also be considering the preparation time. I just need to determine how much I'm worth an hour! I think that depends entirely upon who you ask :) I will summarize my findings next week.
So dinner last night was turkey picadillo. A sweet mixture of ground turkey, rice, and beans. It comes with a side of asparagus. Not my favorite veggie but I cut it up and mixed with the turkey and it added a nice texture to it. I love the turkey burger which was lunch today. Nicky snagged my oranges again. But the burger was filling so I didn't mind. The burger is ground turkey with onions and spices with cheese and ketchup on a large sandwich roll. I've got to say that, as a bread lover, I definitely don't feel deprived.
So hopefully the house will calm down now that Daddy is home. I could use the sleep.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Cold and Hot
So I've been trying to incorporate some "formal" exercising into my day. Preliminary weekend weight measurements indicate last week was not a fluke and I appear to have hit the accursed flatland. I thought steps would be easy. I've got the equipment readily available. Up and down on the bottom step so I can keep an eye on the kids. Well, that didn't work. The stairs work fine. It's the kids that don't work. Nicky got upset because I was on the stairs but wasn't going upstairs. He thought I was going up to play with him in his room. From a 3 year old's perspective, it seems a little pointless to go up and down on one step and not get anywhere. I tried two days in a row, a couple times a day but he didn't get over getting upset. So tomorrow I may try the stepstool. That way I can stay in the living room.
On a happier note, it snowed. Happy for me because we didn't have t
o be anywhere. Sad for people that actually had to leave the house. Snow means I don't have to plan activities for Nicky during the day. He plays outside, comes inside, goes back outside.
Lunch was quite satisfying for a cold day. Chicken philly sub. The benefit of being at home to eat meals is that I can heat them as I like. The chicken, pepper, and onion go in a skillet to be grilled. I love the honey mustard mayo that comes with this. Just the right touch of sweetness. And once again, I express amazement at the size of the sandwich. At least 8 inches of bread. A nice hot sandwich for a chilly day.
On a happier note, it snowed. Happy for me because we didn't have t
o be anywhere. Sad for people that actually had to leave the house. Snow means I don't have to plan activities for Nicky during the day. He plays outside, comes inside, goes back outside.Lunch was quite satisfying for a cold day. Chicken philly sub. The benefit of being at home to eat meals is that I can heat them as I like. The chicken, pepper, and onion go in a skillet to be grilled. I love the honey mustard mayo that comes with this. Just the right touch of sweetness. And once again, I express amazement at the size of the sandwich. At least 8 inches of bread. A nice hot sandwich for a chilly day.
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